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Muscle Car Power > 2010 > June
This mighty Mopar yanks ‘em high and reaches for the sky, demonstrating just how much bite was available on the Famoso starting line.
Fortunately, the price of gas was coming down, but so was the economy, however, that didn’t keep diehard gearheads from finding their way over Southern California’s “Grapevine” going north toward Kern County, where all roads lead to legendary Auto Club Famoso Raceway and the 17th California Hot Rod Reunion. (more…)
Building a stout power plant for your muscle car is usually the first step in the build. Calculating horsepower and torque helps navigate chassis and suspension set-up as well as transmission and differential needs.
When building a small-block mouse or big-block rat for your pride and joy there are a few roads you can travel. You can pick up a donor block and head for the machine shop, or you can purchase a brand new engine block from Dart Machinery and skip the worries of paper-thin cylinder walls from numerous bore jobs and potential cracks revealed after the hot tank and magna flux sessions. Consider the cost involved with using an original equipment used block. (more…)
Box Novas have always been great quarter-mile warriors due to their light weight. Cram a potent small-block in one, slick it down, uncork the pipes, and go racing is the recipe many follow when embarking on a box Nova build. While they make excellent race cars, they are also easy on the eyes, and with the right suspension, wheel and tire, power train, and body and paint modifications, can make excellent street able muscle cars. (more…)
In the world of custom muscle cars there are those cars that emerge at the shows that put chins on the pavement and are talked about for years to come once they’ve made their show debut. These types of cars usually feature more body mods than a Hollywood movie star and sport the best in drivetrains, suspension and body and paint, but one element that makes these cars a frequent topic of gearhead conversation is shock factor. To make a statement in the custom scene, these cars have to impress at the very first glance and reel the viewer in with exquisite detail. (more…)
Rewinding back to the ‘60s and ‘70s, Mopar enthusiasts were some of the most diehard gearheads out there, and they still are today, taking classic and contemporary muscle to the limit. Mr. Norm of Mr. Norm’s Garage debuted three fully customized Mr. Norm’s Dodge Challengers, two Super Challengers and one Super Cuda, at the 2008 SEMA show in Las Vegas. (more…)
I would like to introduce myself to all of you guys and gals out there. My name is Lou Santiago. I grew up in New York, where I was a street racer, which is what I lived for.
My good friend, Wayne, and I used to travel from New York City to Philly to street race in his 1970 Cuda that had a 383 and a four-speed. The muscle car ran in the 11.80s, which is not that fast by today’s standards, but we had a blast anyway. That was back in 1978, way before the auctions drove the price of these cars so high. So, you could say I can be compared to a fine wine — aged (read: old). (more…)
Big dollar cars with six figures wrapped up in custom drive trains, metal and paint mods, one-off dashes, and insane interiors are a true sight to see. While these cars are definitely the epitome of pavement-shredding perfection, we certainly have to argue how realistic they are to the enthusiast of average income? It’s cool to dream, but sooner or later the majority of us have to get back to financial reality. (more…)
Within the muscle car realm there are certain cars that just plain stick out. This year’s most talked about custom first gen Camaro has to be the “Razor” 1969 Camaro built and designed by the Ring Bros. in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Drawn by legendary designer Sean Smith of SS Design, the car was brought to life by Mike and Jim Ring. It sports a GM Performance, all-aluminum, ZL1, 454-ci big-block; Detroit Speed suspension; staggered 18- and 19-inch one-off Budnik wheels; an array of custom-machined body accents; and a clean and crisp two-tone draped over a completely reworked body. Enjoy this teaser shot and look for a full feature in an upcoming issue of MCP.
The bonspeed SuperStar is a dynamic new style that bonspeed has created with dimension and style. The star design grows from the center and the precision machine work reveals each hole to form a 90-degree to 45-degree opening. bonspeed Wheels are manufactured to exacting tolerances in their Southern California facility. Each bonspeed wheel is made to order from the finest materials and forged billet aluminum. bonspeed Wheels are available in sizes from 17- to 24-inch. (more…)
For the Tri-5 Chevy cars, this kit does not require a panhard rod. The link bars are fully adjustable, 1-1/4-inch tubing with 3/4-inch stainless adjusters and urethane bushings. The kits are available in plain steel or polished stainless steel tubes. The kit includes all the links and brackets as well as Heidt’s Adjustable Coil-Overs and upper crossmember. (more…)
