On Mercedes-Benz models the system is called adaptive cruise control. Upon activation, this new option uses radar to determine the safest position for the car among others in traffic. The driver still has the ability to set a following distance, and the car on its own slows down to maintain a safe position. If the system is off and you come up on another driver too quickly, a dashboard warning appears. Other systems advise the driver if he or she has crossed a line on the road. With GM's system, cars that share the adaptive cruise control technology are able to communicate their positions to other cars operated with similar systems. The FCC has even allowed a dedicated bandwidth for these new vehicle-to-vehicle communications.
Yes, this sounds great, and surely it will help reduce the number of accidents while minimizing traffic snarls. To hot rodders, though, the technology seems against the current for those who love to specialize their cars and have control over how their cars are navigated. Hot rodding has frequently been founded in some form of retro. Perhaps in the coming years that will mean operating your own car.
Book Learnin'We've all heard the hoary old clich, "A picture is worth a thousand words." The thing is, hoary old clichs become such by being in large part true. Then there's Rebuilding the Small-Block Chevy: Step by Step Video Book by Larry Atherton and Larry Schreib, which graphically puts the clich into practical use by including a DVD with the standard written format.
The book portion of the package consists of 160 pages filled with more than 600 photos that lead the reader through disassembly, inspection, machine work, preassembly, final assembly, and more. Atherton and Schreib are thorough. The In-Car Diagnositics checklist helps to choose a suitable core, while the S-A Design Work-A-Long Sheet is an excellent way to keep organized throughout the build. Torque and bolt-size charts are also included, as is a basic displacement and spec chart. This info alone makes this book worthy of purchase.
Atherton and Schreib take the aspiring builder through the process, from selecting, inspecting, and cleaning parts to assembly and break-in. The book emphasises com-mon-sense procedures, like marking rods and caps to keep sets together and leaving cam-bearing installation to the machine shop. The book is also extensively cross referenced, making it easy to refer to other chapters. A few of these references are mislabeled; on the other hand, this book contains the best explanation of how to use Plastigage we've ever seen.
The narrator of the accompanying two-plus-hour DVD is beyond laid-back, but his understated approach goes well with the in-depth coverage of an actual small-block disassembly and buildup. Much of what is explained in the book comes to life in video, and virtually standing by as an engine comes apart and then together, warts and all (ever have a balancer that wouldn't come off?), is a great learning experience.
Rebuilding the Small-Block Chevy: Step by Step Video Book, ISBN 1-932494-21-9, by Larry Atherton and Larry Schreib is available from CarTech Inc., 800.551.4754, cartechbooks.com.
GM Performance Parts to Sponsor a Sportsman Drag RacerIf you don't know him, that's Robin Lawrence (aka Uncle Robin), who used to compete in a Ford heads-up drag racing series. It seems the good folks at GM have converted Robin to the Bow Tie brand, giving him a two-year contract with GM Performance Parts and an incredible opportunity to campaign a wicked Nova in the National Muscle Car Association's GM Performance Parts Nostalgia Pro Street class.