We spoke with the driver of the ZR1; the renowned “Fartpipe”, to get the details of his hoop-hanging antics at MIR. Mr. Fartpipe is actually Bruce Keith who hails from York, Pennsylvania. We’re sure that you’ll agree with us that his driving is anything but stinky, even though this was his first trip to the strip with his ZR1. Keith tells us, “Honestly, this was the first time I was able to even floor the car. I bought the car in mid-January 2012, and the day I took the car home I gave the car a little more than half throttle on cold run-flat tires with salty roads. Needless to say, it was a bad combination. The car slid sideways on the highway, and the “Nannies” kicked in and put the car back straight. I thought to myself ‘Ok, that was dumb’. The car almost didn’t even seem like fun to me because the tires would spin so easily. Then I took it to the track Saturday, February 18th 2012. That day changed my mind very quickly.”

Photo: Bruce Keith

Even though this was his first trip to the drag strip with the ZR1, Keith actually has lots of experience racing late model Corvettes. Keith has owned a heads-and-cam C5 that he took into the high 10’s, and a C6 Z06 that we’ve actually featured before on the site. Keith’s time of 10.34 at 134 in his Atomic Orange Z06 still stands as the 3rd fastest time for a bolt-on-only C6 Z06 registered on Corvette Forums.

As we mentioned before, the only modification done to Keith’s ZR1 during the passes in the video was bolting on a set of 315/30/18 Mickey Thompson Drag Radials. Keith says, “That particular tire is one of the shortest 18 inch drag radials that can offer traction to the C6 ZR1. Using the shorter tire helps the car get out of the hole quicker, and results in better 60-foot times with the ZR1′s tall 2.29 1st gear ratio. The overall gear ratio reduction with the shorter tires also helps in reducing heat and abuse to the stock C6ZR1 twin disc clutch. Because replacing a clutch on the C6 ZR1 is a chore to say the least, prolonging the clutch’s life should be important to any ZR1 driver.”

Keith adds, “Tire pressures for these runs were set at 20 PSI warm. I find that measuring your tire pressure before and immediately after the run can be a key to finding the right amount of traction or getting just enough tire spin to achieve your best ET’s.”

A lot of the responsibility for hooking this well with a stock ZR1 falls on the tires, but the driver also has to do his part. Keith filled us in on his launch technique, and told us, “I brought the RPM’s up to almost 5000 and as I’m watching the tach rise, I started to engage the clutch. When I felt the car start to move forward I would roll into the throttle quickly. Getting the car to full throttle quickly was very important to keep the inertia moving forward to get maximum acceleration. I was working to find that very small window where the car will pull hard out of the hole without bogging or spinning.”

Photo: Bruce Keith

So what about the runs where the front tires lifted? Keith tells us, “The car actually lifted the wheels 3 times during my 7 passes. On my 2nd pass I felt the steering wheel jolt real lightly on the launch. I came back to the pits after running a 10.50 at 133 MPH with a 1.58 60-foot, and everyone was excited about the pass. I said, ‘I think the wheels came up a tad on that launch.’ and several people looked at me like I must have ate some paint chips before coming to the track. But a few friends that were at the line told me they thought I got them off the ground. So I made a few more runs learning the car and thinking to myself how the car should sound, how it should feel, and what I wanted the car to do. I tried launching slightly more aggressive and cut a better 60-foot of 1.56, and this was the launch with the picture of both front 19in stock wheels clearly off the ground, dangling there for everyone to see just what the stock C6ZR1 has to offer.”

Keith leaves us with these thoughts on jerking the front wheels in the ZR1; “I have to admit that it happened because I was too aggressive coming off the clutch, and not on the throttle fast enough. This led to a slight bog, and the car only ran a 10.51@133. I knew after that pass I needed to be slower at releasing the clutch and slightly quicker on the throttle. The wheels seemed to come up for couple reasons. For one, the magnetic ride control slows the flow of fluid from the front shocks when the suspension starts to unload, and doesn’t let the wheels come down as fast as other corvettes. The rear shocks also start to stiffen up, giving more traction. It’s a small window, but it’s there! It sure looks cool as heck, but as an old drag racer once told me, ‘If you’re going up, you’re not going out’.”

Different racing applications, engines, and combinations demand specific oils, and the right and wrong choice can be the difference between more horsepower and costly repairs.

In seeking to answer some of the most commonly asked questions regarding the selection and use of performance racing oils and lubricants, the folks at Royal Purple have put together a section on their website dedicated solely to FAQs regarding racing vehicles.

These topics range from the basics of what product one should use in their race car, to mixing exotic fuels with racing oils, how to break in an engine with Royal Purple Synthetic oils, whether coated bearings may be used, how often the oil should be changed in a race engine, how Royal Purple oils will affect oil temperature, recommended lubricants for use with nitromethane and Lenco transmissions, and more.

In addition to these Racing FAQ’s, Royal Purple also offers FAQ sections for motor oils, oil filters, marine applications, motorcycles, 2-cycle engines, rotary engines, transmissions, and Purple-Ice.

Royal Purple, a Texas-based brand focused solely on the development of state-of-the-art lubricants, produces a wide range of high performance lubricants for automotive, marine, motorcycle, racing, snowmobiles, and other applications, with everything from performance engine oil to coolant additives to transmissions fluids, gear oils, assembly lubricants, power steering fluid and more.

To learn more about Royal Purple and it’s industry renowned lubricant products, log on to royalpurple.com.

Almost all metals are elastic and when flexed, bent or stretched, they try to return to their original shape. Knowing that metal is elastic is important to engine builders that deal with very tight tolerances between parts. If metal is elastic, and engine bolts are made of metal, you can correctly assume that engine bolts stretch as they are tightened.

We’re going to take a look at how to correctly select, setup, and torque engine fasteners to control critical measurements and clearances within the engine. When it comes to fasteners, a little knowledge goes a long way to keeping engine failures to an absolute minimum.

Heat treating the bolts to increase hardness can range from an hour and a half to over eight hours depending on the intended application.

All About Fasteners

The topic of fasteners is a very large and sometimes complex subject. There is an entire industry built around fasteners with lots of very well educated people and sophisticated equipment in labs that work on fastener issues.

The industry’s professional association, The Bolting Technology Council, holds routine meetings and seminars concerning fastener technology. We are not fastener engineers and if you are reading this article, you’re probably not either, but having a good working knowledge of the nuts and bolts of this business is important in building solid and dependable high performance engines.

To help us get a handle on the subject, we enlisted the help of Chris Raschke at Automotive Racing Products (ARP). Raschke explains how intricate and precise race car fasteners actually are, “Most commercial and aerospace houses don’t hold the tolerances that we need to hold here for race car parts,” says Raschke.

Threaded fasteners allow for the removal and reassembly of parts where other types of solid fasteners are a single use item. With the wide range of applications where threaded fasteners can be used, there are basically two categories that fasteners are divided into, critical and non-critical.

Raschke also identifies there are different categories of fasteners, “We’ve always been known for our connecting rod bolts and our head and main studs, but we make quality fasteners in a variety of different shapes and forms. From bumper to bumper.”

High stress and high load areas like connecting rods, main bearings and head bolts or studs are examples of critical fastener areas. These critical fasteners generally have exact tightening specifications and procedures whereas the non-critical fasteners have relaxed tightening specifications.

Examples of non-critical fasteners are pan bolts, timing cover bolts and valve cover bolts. Because non-critical fasteners do not require a detailed tightening procedure, we will limit our focus to critical fasteners in this article.

Shot peening the bolts to relieve stress risers.

How Fasteners are Made

The factors involved in threaded fastener designing range from determining the fastener load to geometric configuration that prevents metal fatigue. In addition to design features, material selection, testing and quality control weigh heavily into the manufacturing of fasteners.

Raschke explained the basic process ARP Fasteners are made, “the cold formed fasteners start with a wire coil of material, based on the clamping requirements of the fastener, that goes into a machine that straightens the wire and forms the fastener head.”

The material used in the wire coil can be anything from steel to chrome moly or stainless steel.

“Some materials are coated before they enter the forming machinery depending on the requirements of the material. For example, stainless steel gets a copper coating to prevent galling,” says Raschke.

During the heat treating process, “temperatures as high as 1550 degrees are used from a one and a half hour treatment to as long as an eight hour heat treatment exposure.”

After the fastener comes out of heat treating or aging, the batch of fasteners are shot peened to remove scale and make the surface smooth, then routed through tumblers to deburr the fastener. Centerless grinding technique is used to prep the fastener to get threads rolled into the fastener blanks.

According to Raschke, “rolling the threads into the fastener blanks is forging the threads into the material, not cutting material away to create threads. This produces a better, stronger more uniform thread.”

Raschke calls the rolled thread pattern a “J thread” and cautions against running a die over the fastener. “If a thread is damaged, throw it away and get a new fastener. Running a die over the threads weakens the clamping ability of the fastener.”

It’s All About Clamping Force

It’s all about clamping ability for fasteners. Every procedural step at ARP is in place to improve the ability of the fastener to provide a specific clamping load. After the threads are rolled into the fastener, spot checks are done on the batch for fatigue testing and tensile testing.

ARP bolts and studs have threads that are rolled into the material.

Raschke explains that nothing is left to chance, “all the calibration for the machines and testing equipment is done in-house as well as the research and development of new fasteners.”

From the material selection all the way to the oxide coating process, ARP fasteners are manufactured to provide consistent load clamping to desired specs. Jeff Kibler, ARP research and development technician, explained “consistency and repeatability is the key in any application where fasteners are used.”

Kibler is an expert on preload in fasteners. Each ARP fastener is designed for a specific preload, which can be undermined by the method used to torque the fastener. According to Kibler, “proper lubricant helps the torquing procedure become more consistent and repeatable.

“We’ve done tests on different lubricants from motor oil to moly based, and the ARP Ultra-Torque assembly lubricant is the only lubricant that produces a consistent preload in multiple cycles. This is true to within a plus or minus 5% for each cycle,” he added.

Tightening fasteners to their required preload is critical for proper performance. “If a fastener is not tightened properly, the fastener will not apply the required preload and may become susceptible to failure,” says Raschke, adding “if a fastener is overtightened, it is also susceptible to failure by exceeding it’s maximum yield point.”

There are three generally accepted methods employed to determine how much tension is exerted on a fastener:

• Using a torque wrench
• Measuring the amount of stretch
• Torque angle (rotating the fastener a predetermined amount)

Destructive load testing to failure is one of the many spot checks that ARP does to ensure quality control.

It’s widely accepted that measuring the amount of stretch of a fastener is the most accurate method, however, stretch can only be measured with the use of specialty type gauges or expensive ultra sonic measuring equipment.

For most auto enthusiasts, measuring stretch is only practical for measuring the stretch on connecting rod bolts where it is possible to monitor the overall length of a fastener as it is being tightened.

Jeff Kibler checking main bearing measurements on a Ford Coyote engine using ARP fasteners. (Photo by Bill Holland)

Since most fasteners are installed blind and can’t be accessed from both ends to monitor stretch, using a torque wrench is the most common approach for the majority of assembly work.

Simply stated, the relationship between torque and clampload is friction. When you tighten a fastener with a torque wrench, you are measuring the amount of friction that is generated by the mating surfaces in the joint as the clampload is increased.

The value of the friction in the joint cannot be predicted or measured, but it can be minimized. Using assembly lubricants like ARP’s assembly lubrication stabilizes the torquing procedure making it “consistent and repeatable.”

A fastener must be stretched a specific amount in order for it to function properly. The amount of preload you can achieve from a bolt or stud depends on the material, it’s ductility, the heat treatment, and diameter of the fastener.

Every fastener has a yield point, or point where the fastener is overtightened and stretched too much. “As a rule of thumb, if you measure a fastener and it’s 0.0005-inch longer than it’s original length, it should be replaced,” said Raschke.

Raschke explained that “when using a stretch gauge it’s best to measure the fastener prior to starting and monitor overall length during installation. When the bolt has stretched a specified amount, the correct preload has been applied.”

Using a Torque Wrench

Kibler explains what happens during the torquing operation with a torque wrench, “friction is at its highest value when the fastener is first tightened. Each subsequent time the fastener is torqued and loosened, the amount of friction lessens. Eventually the friction levels out and becomes fairly consistent for all following repetitions.”

Friction is affected by the surface finish of the fastener itself, as well as the receiving threads. Black oxide behaves differently than a polished fastener,” says Raschke, “so, it’s important to follow the torque recommendation with each fastener kit.”

Using a torque wrench to get the correct preload on a fastener is more than just dialing in the preset value and tightening until the wrench clicks.

Almost every engine builder is aware of the burrs and debris in the bolt holes that can affect bolt and stud torque but where the do-it-yourself garage engine builder tends to go wrong is using cutting taps instead of thread chasers to optimize the receiving threads before installation.

“There’s a very real problem of burrs and debris in the bolt holes that can significantly affect the amount of torque required to achieve the recommended preloads,” says Raschke, “All bolt holes should be thoroughly cleaned using special chaser taps.”

Cleaning the receiving threads with a thread chaser helps to achieve the correct preload.

Most torque wrenches used in garages today are the click type torque wrench. You simply adjust the wrench to a predetermined “preset” value and use the torque wrench like a ratchet applying rotational force until the wrench “breaks away.” Conventional wisdom is to use a torque wrench within 50% to 75% of it’s range.

These type torque wrenches depend on a calibrated spring for operation and they tend to lose accuracy when you operate them below 20% or above 80% of their rated range. If you taken precautions to select the right fastener, a high quality assembly lube like ARP’s Ultra-Torque, and cleaned all the receiving threads, you will want to tighten the fastener with confidence by operating the torque wrench within it’s most accurate range.

As we recently learned in our “Simplicity and Sophistication of Engine Bearings” article, critical components rely on fasteners providing an exact preload in order for the assembly to work properly.

Bill McKnight, Team Leader of Training at MAHLE/Clevite explained how preload works on engine bearings, “the split bearing halves are slightly larger than an exact half, this extension is called crush height.

When the split bearings are snapped into place in the housing, as the bolts are tightened the bearings compress like springs. The resulting force holds the bearings tight and prevents them from spinning in the housing bore.” Without the proper preload, it’s possible for internal engine components to fail quickly and destroy an engine.

Fasteners and Torquing Methods Make a Difference

We’re pretty satisfied that selecting the correct fastener, manufactured for the intended clampload, and properly installed is the difference between a professional engine build and the amateur engine assembly. It’s simply not enough to buy top shelf engine components without considering how these components are attached to the assembly.

Professional engine builds begin at the ground level with proper selection of fasteners and good torquing techniques. Overlook these fundamentals and you may have overlooked your chance at building an exceptional engine.

Hardcore drag racing vehicles are among the most well-oiled machines in motorsports, with components and their settings all intricately linked into a finely tuned combination which, when off even by the most minute of adjustments, can make or break those few seconds of glory. While it would be difficult to pinpoint the single most important adjustable component on a race car, the front and rear shocks certainly play into the discussion, and we’ve laid out a number of different topics regarding shocks in drag racing in a top 10-esque list and taken our questions to the experts to get their thoughts, experiences, and viewpoints.

Among the manufacturers we reached out to include some of the most respected names and individuals in the industry, including Chris Alston Sr. with Varishock, AFCO Drag Racing Product Manager Eric Saffell, QA1 Sales and Support Specialist Davis Goldie, and Dimitry Zhukovsky, part of the engineering team at Strange Engineering.

Strange Engineering's low priced S6000EM single adjustable, twin-tube shock for Ford Mustangs.

1) What is the difference between mono-tube and twin-tube drag shocks and how does a racer choose between them?

Twin tube racing shocks are a relatively new technology that – contrary to popular belief that there are two tubes inside – have a piston riding up and down on a tube inside of the reservoir. In a traditional mono tube, the piston rides on the reservoir body itself.

“A mono tube shock allows for a larger piston, but that’s not necessarily better for drag racing,” says Alston. “There’s no particular reason to use one over the other. What really matters is whether the valving right for your application. In drag racing, you don’t have the heat problems of other forms of racing, so a lot of these gazillion-tube shock technologies are a moot point.”

According to Saffell, one of the biggest physical differences between the mono and twin-tube shocks is the way in which a mono-tube shock dampens more effectively to control tire shake. “A mono-tube shock is a nitrogen-charged shock that picks up movements in the suspension a little more effectively and does a better job of dampening. The nitrogen also helps with cavitation. It’s all about matching the car up to the right shock, and for heads-up racers with power adders, the twin-tube works, but the mono-tube is the best product available.”

Cutaway views of a pair of QA1's Stocker Star series twin-tube, double adjustable shocks.

2) How does a racer know when he needs a non-adjustable, single adjustable, or double adjustable shock. Is this based on ET, horsepower, or other factors? How do you help a racer choose the correct shock type?

Adjustability is a priceless asset for a drag racing vehicle, and the reason for that is simple. Based on weight, horsepower, and performance, an infinite number of variables play into the proper valving of a shock, and finding the optimum non-adjustable shock would be like purchasing a winning lottery ticket.

Adjustable shocks allow for changes in the shock to compliment a specific combination and further adjust based on track conditions. As many of you know, single adjustables allow for optimization of the compression, while double adjustable give you control over the compression and rebound, essentially providing you the keys to the shocks and their functionality in both departments. Naturally, adjustable shocks have a higher cost, but the ability to have control is worth its weight in gold.

A detailed look at the single and double adjustable shock knobs on the Varishock shock absorbers. Single adjustables allow for tuning of the rebound, while the double gives you control over both variables independent of one another.

A diagram outlining the adjustments necessary to tune compression and rebound on the Varishock units.

“Every drag racer needs a double adjustable shock,” the straight-shooting Alston states. “Whether it’s fast, slow, real fast, or real slow. And the reason is because if you want to be able to get your car to work its best, you need to be able to independently adjust the compression and rebound.”

3) How do you build a baseline with adjustable shocks? Where do you start?

For the street and strip folks out there utilizing single adjustable shocks, they will typically be at or around a 50/50 ratio for street use, necessitating some adjustment when going into competition mode. But for the hardcore drag racers with both adjustments at their fingertips, QA1′s Goldie suggests, “A rebound setting that’s softer than the compression on the nose for optimum weight transfer, and vice versa in the rear to control the initial hit on the suspension upon launch.”

Explains Zhukovsky, “The first thing that we need to know is the weight of the car and how fast it’ll run. From there, we need to figure out what the customer wants his chassis to do. Does he want it to squat, or separate the rear end? Does he want it to do a wheelstand for weight transfer or keep the front end planted? With this information in hand, from our experience and the behavior of the chassis, we can make recommendations on the shock valving to get a customer headed in the right direction.”

4) Most racers seem to understand how to adjust front struts or shocks. How do you adjust and tune your rear shock for compression and rebound? What process do you recommend a racer follow?

Every race car, even those that a chassis builder constructs to be identical to another, has it’s own specific DNA. There are baselines to follow that shock manufacturers and chassis builders can dial in, but each car is going to require its own fine tuning to gain the utmost in performance. And how do you accomplish this? By making runs, studying how the car reacts and performs, and adjusting accordingly. This can identified through feel, sight, videotape, and if you have prior data to compare with, can even see the positives or negatives of your adjustments on the time slip.

“You basically have to watch the tire and see how hard or how soft you hit the tire, making sure you hit it hard enough to plant it, but not so hard that you flatten it out,” says Goldie. “A video is the best way of watching first hand how it happens, because it happens so quickly that its hard to judge.”

The best way to dial in the rear shocks for compression and rebound is simply by watching how the tire reacts at the hit. This can be accomplished by sight or through video and/or photographs.

Goldie continued, “Generally, the higher the setting, the faster it’ll roll until it spins the tires. That’s a good rule of thumb if you want some sort of gauge, because the suspension moves the least amount, using the least amount of energy, at higher settings. If it’s too firm, it’ll spin the tires rather than planting them.” Slow motion video capture or simply stop motion frames from a typical video camera make an excellent tool for viewing tires on the hit, and the reason why racers from Top Fuel to sportsman bracket racers use them.

5) Some racers mount their rear shocks in stock locations, some behind the axle, some at angles. Is the mounting location important?

At some point in our early education of suspension systems, we’ve all crawled under a car and seen the shocks mounted above and below the axle centerline or at angles or other non-traditional layouts, and wondered what the reason or the secret is. But the secret really is simply in the packaging of the suspension. Aside from third and fourth generation Camaro’s, it’s rare to see the shocks mounted in front of the axles, but from there, the angles and mounting locations can differ, but and each varying shock mounting layout will affect its valving.

Shown here is one of Chris Alston's Chassisworks' rear clips with the shocks angled slightly inward at the top. The angle of shocks is largely to do with packaging and tire size, but most manufacturers prefer to see the shocks mounted straight up and down in hardcore drag racing applications.

At one time, it was common to see cars with the shocks mounted in front of the axle for space reason, but as race cars have become narrower and tires have become wider, they’re almost always found behind the axle today. Chassis builders also used wider bottom shock mount to create a wider stance – and an angled shock position – to reduce body roll, but with the advent of stronger anti-roll bars, such mounting positions aren’t near as common.

These days, all tricks aside, the mounting point for shocks is typically based on tire clearance issues.

“Shocks work best straight up and down, and in general, you want to have them spread out as wide as you can for stability, but you’ve got to work around what the size of the tire will allow you,” Goldie explains. “Mounted straight up and down, you don’t have to worry about side load on the shock or run them at an increased rate because the shocks are at an angle.”

Saffell agrees, stating, “We like to see the shocks straight up and down for a 1:1 relationship to keep from having to compensate with the shock settings. Although there was a trend some time back to mount them in front of the axle, it’s widely accepted now for them to be behind the axle.”

6) Do drag racing shocks wear out? How many runs or passes can a shock run before it’s replaced? How do you know?

The simple answer to this question is yes, drag racing shocks do wear out. Anyone with a race car should know that. But determining their life span and when they’re due for servicing is something that many racers don’t learn until their 60-foot times fall off the planet, or worse.

“Most people don’t think a shock absorber is worn out until the oil leaks out of it,” Alston says. “But there are a multitude of things that can happen to them and the oil not leak out.” And according to Alston, builder error often leads to shorter lives for a shock, with incorrect mounting points that bind, top, or bottom them out as they go down the racetrack. “I’d say as many as 95 percent of shocks that no longer work are caused by shoddy installation.”

According to each of the sources that we spoke with, its' recommended to send your shocks in after a seasons worth of passes - before they start leaking - to ensure that they're in optimum working order.

In general, and as both Alston and Goldie agree, your shocks should be sent in annually for a dyno test to ensure they’re still at optimum health. A shock dyno is the single best way to check the functionality of a shock. “There’s no gauge that says for sure when they’re worn out, but having them serviced annually would probably be the best thing to do,” says Goldie. “Some guys never touch them; they bolt them on the car and they’re ten years old and leaking and they don’t even know it because the wearing process is so gradual. A racer may or may not be able to notice it, but if he bolted on a brand new set, he certainly would.” If you’ve got a couple hundred passes on your shocks, now may be the time to send them in for a once-over.

7) What about towing? We’ve heard towing wears out shocks super fast. Is there any recommended way to address wear on shocks when towing?

Solving The Trailer Towing IssueTowing is the single biggest contributor to wear and tear on a racing shock. In addition to strapping the car down by the body or chassis, suspended or air-ride trailers can be a life saver, if you can afford one.

If your car is strapped down only by the tires or the axles – as most racers do – the body and chassis are still free to roam, and that means the burden of the ride falls on the suspension, and in some cases, the chassis itself.

So what can a racer do to limit the beating that their shocks take on the highway? For starters, always strap the body and/or chassis down to the trailer. In doing so, the body and chassis move with the trailer rather than independently over the hills and valleys of the roadway, keeping the shocks from having to do any unnecessary work. Some racers also dial the shocks up to stiffer levels to limit their up and down motion and restrict the car from bouncing.

Says Alston, “If your car is strapped down by the tires and you go through a pothole, the trailer comes down into the pothole, flies back out, and now the car doesn’t follow the trailer but is actually amplified by it. So the car actually bounces a greater percentage than the trailer. You’ll beat the hell out of the suspension of a race car on a rough road without an unsprung trailer.”

This is particularly true with 4-link dragsters, not only because they’re light, but because their lengthy chassis act like a spring, and the oscillations and whipping motion they experience during travel is known to beat the chassis and shocks to pieces. For this reason, seasoned dragster owners support the car from underneath with air bags, two-by-four’s, or any other home brewed method they can come up with, and then strap the car down by the chassis.

One of the best ways to reduce travel wear on your shocks? Think air-ride trailers.

What is the difference between a $100 shock, a $400 shock, and a $1,500 shock?

As they say, you get what you pay for, and that statement rings loud and clear in the racing shock industry. Naturally, the difference between $100 and $1,500 spent on a shock isn’t going to net you just single or dual adjustability, but a higher grade of quality with better fit, finish, and increased tolerances on the higher-end components. The more you spend, the better the overall construction, more precise internal parts, and higher accuracy of the compression and rebound adjustments you can expect to find.

“Adjustability costs money. The more degrees of adjustability a racer wants, the more money he’ll have to spend,” explains Zhukovsky.

Shock offerings from (L to R) Strange Engineering, QA1, Varishock, and AFCO.

Although the numbers will vary by the manufacturer and the dealer, a non-adjustable twin-tube shock can be purchased for around $100, a single adjustable for $200, and double-adjustables for $250-450. Mono-tubes are more in the $1000 neighborhood, and MacPherson struts, with their complex rods and bodies, also carry a higher price range. Shocks in the $100 range sport the basic components and are built to generalized specifications, largely designed as OEM replacement or upgrade shocks.

“You get what you pay for, in that there’s a criteria that has to be met to keep that shock at that low price point,” says Saffell. As described above, shocks carrying a higher price tag bring with them improved quality of components and better tolerances, and while possibly sharing some of the technology of the lower end parts, commonly have higher-end pistons and custom valving to a customers’ requirements.

9) Let’s talk shock materials: steel, aluminum and exotic materials. Does it matter?

These days, virtually all drag racing shocks are made from aluminum. At one time, steel was prevalent and still remains in use in the low-grade line of shocks, but what we want to know is whether the material truly matters. And the answer is yes and no, for obvious reasons.

Aluminum is lighter than steel, and in a sport where weight matters, aluminum reigns. Aside from that element, the manufacturers we spoke with suggested that there is very little, if any, functional difference between the two materials with all other factors being equal.

A detailed diagram inside AFCO's 37/38 Series twin-tube, double adjustable shock provides a look at the intricate parts within the body of a shock absorber. (Click for larger version)

As Zhukovsky shared with us, “Steel shocks are made from a welded DOM tubing and are generally mass produced on the same assembly line as stock or stock replacement shocks. Aluminum bodies and mounts, meanwhile, are made of machined 6061 aluminum that is more than strong enough for the shock loads. Aluminum shock bodies also make for simpler machining of the coilover threads. The rods in aluminum shocks are commonly made of carbon steel. In addition to these benefits, aluminum shocks simply look “racier.”

10) Electronically adjustable shocks: fair for the sportsman guy? Should they be legal?

Electronic shocks represent the high-end of shock absorbers for drag racing and are commonly used in Pro Stock race cars. These double adjustable shocks are typically controlled from inside the race car, and allow for changes in the compression and rebound as the car launches and heads down track for adaptable performance beyond a static shock setup.

“Electronic shocks allow the racer to generally have a firmer extension on the starting line and then soften it at a specific point in the run, making it more suitable for track imperfections,” says Zhukovsky. “If it works properly, it’s a safer shock, but it is more expensive.”

Outside of the professional classes where money exists and thousandths of a second count, each of the manufacturers we discussed this topic with were insistent that electronic shocks are simply overkill for sportsman, big money, and weekend warrior bracket racers. As finely-tuned as the machines that these competitors drive are today, the high cost of electronic shocks would seem to offer no distinct advantage over the double-adjustable shocks used in dragsters and doorslammers.

“Those [bracket] cars are so consistent now, it would be hard to make them any better than they are,” says Goldie.

On the surface and to the layman, drag racing shocks may seem like a rather simple component of a working machine, and depending on your application, they may be relatively simple and straightforward. But make no mistake that these are complex parts with an intricate, key role in the function of a race car that demand proper selection and settings. It’s our hope that this general guide to some of the top questions about drag racing shock absorbers will help you in your next purchase or with your current set of shocks to not only wring them for all they’re worth, but keep them going for seasons to come.

In early 2010, NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Eddie Krawiec unveiled his intentions to add racing on four wheels to his riding repertoire with the initial plans for the construction of an Outlaw Drag Radial 2000 Chevrolet Camaro SS, to be built by the talented team at DMC Racing in Halifax, Massachusetts.

With the exploding emergence of X275 over the last two seasons in the northeast, on the east coast, and increasingly in the midwest, Krawiec has set out to construct this piece, known as “Project Radial-ation,” with adaptability in mind. Between the X275 and 315 Outlaw Radial classes, there’s no shortage of venues in which to compete.

Components for the engine build in Eddie Krawiec's 400 cubic inch LS series small block including a John Marcella-crafted intake manifold, an Exile 88mm billet wheel turbocharger, Dailey Engineering SP series oil pump, and polished Winberg crankshaft.

Since the announcement of his four-wheeled venture nearly two years ago, Krawiec’s primary has been on his day job riding the Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley Davidson motorcycle, which culminated in his second championship in the the sports’ premier two-wheeled category in 2011.

During the off season, with racing in hibernation and winter bearing down on Indianapolis, Eddie turned his attention back to his pet project, and recently shared a look at the parts and pieces that will power what’s already one of the most trick rides we’ve has seen to date.

Delivering the juice to this impressive Camaro project will be a 440 cubic inch LS Series small block, built by Billy Briggs Race Engines and based on an RHS tall deck aluminum block massaged by Weston Machine.

A pair of canted valve Mozez cylinder heads prepared by Performance Inductions/Mast Motorsports will top the block, decked out with .937 lifter bores, Xceldyne titanium intake, Victory 1 inconel exhaust valves, PSI valve springs, a Jesel Valvetrain shaft rocker system, tapered pushrods, and belt drive with a top-mounted distributor. Krawiec also sourced a 60mm camshaft, via Mike Moran, from LSM Engineering for the build.

Cylinder Head Flow Numbers:

.300 225 127
.400 310 170
.500 368 206
.600 418 231
.700 438 252
.800 447 265
.900 453 276
1.00 458 287

The engine buildup underway, under the eye of noted builder Billy Briggs.

A set of CP turbo pistons will connect to Carillo H-beam rods spun by a stunning, showpiece-like billet center-weighted Winberg Crankshaft. Other components include a Dailey Engineering SP series oil pump, a slick John Marcella aluminum intake manifold sporting Billet Atomizer injectors from Moran Motorsports, MSD’s 7720 and 7730 Power Grid systems, and ATI’s Super Damper balancer, all of which will also transfer through an ATI SuperGlide 4 transmission.

Said Krawiec of the Winberg crankshaft, “When I got the crank from Winberg I didn’t know if I was suppose to use it or display it. This thing is a work of art.”

The completed bullet from Billy Briggs with the new headers fabricated by DMC, ready to drop down into the frame rails. Image credit: Joseph Staska

Delivering the brunt of the power for this all-GM piece – as can been in the photos – is a single billet wheel Exile modular turbocharger that will be paired with a custom aluminum air-to-water intercooler, also from Exile Turbo Systems. For X275 and other 275 radial events, a single 88mm unit will be utilized, while a larger 106mm unit can be retrofitted in place for Outlaw Radial events and those where the larger turbo setup is allowable.

As you can see, Eddie's Project Radial-ation Camaro is progressing nicely under the watchful and talented eye of Dennis MacPherson and the DMC Racing crew.

In addition to the powerplant, Dennis MacPherson and his team at DMC Racing have made a lot of progress on the chassis, which will conform to SFI 25.3 specifications upon completion. As previously noted, it will also make allowance for 275 and 315 tires, or even slicks should they be necessary.

In a departure from the way many of these X275 machines are being built today where the body and floorboard are separated and the body draped around a full chassis, DMC has done things the old fashioned way by building the roll cage and chassis within the cozy confines of the Camaro.

At left, you can see the final stages of the turbo system fabrication and mounting process. At right, the new carbon fiber nose has been fitted into place.

Up front, the front clip has been removed to reduce unnecessary weight and make room for the grille-mounted turbo setup. With the clip removed, a new Midwest Chassis K-member has been installed, along with Strange Engineering Pro Series 2 brakes on all four corners.

As you can see in the photos, with the engine build at Briggs’ shop complete and the engine in the possession of Krawiec and DMC, the LS bullet has already been lowered down into the framerails. This step has allowed the DMC team to begin fabricating the headers and turbo system.

We’ll have much more of the final stages of construction of Krawiec’s “Project Radial-ation” in the coming weeks as MacPherson and company carry out the remaining steps to completion, so keep your browsers tuned to DRAGZINE for additional updates.

Someone had sent us a video link of some chick crying about how much she loves cats and a video on the sidebar led us to another video. That video took us to yet another video, and yet another video after that. Somewhere near the tenth click in a chain of related videos, we finally found the jewel that we were looking for. It’s amazing that we followed the crying cat chick down the rabbit hole only to find something amazingly exciting.

Jeff Schwartz of Schwatz Performance is no stranger to chasing dreams into wonderland. His company specializes in taking classic cars and injecting some modern technology into them. The result is a finished product that represents the way the classic car should have been built in the first place, if the technology had existing at the time.

Schwartz’s 1972 Vega is a prime example of “what could have been” but now is. What makes Schwartz’s project cars so popular is the simple principal of building on a budget. Case in point, this 1972 Vega. Schwartz bought the car, without an engine, for $1,500. Setting a very realistic goal of $5,000 for the complete project, he started by picking up a missing nosepiece and some front sheet metal.

With all the body panels in place, Schwartz scuffed the body and sprayed some metallic brown paint on the exterior to make it look presentable. The interior of the car was in pretty good shape so very little needed to be done there.

Doing most of the work himself, Jeff figured out that a Chevy S-10 rearend, along with with the five lug hubs, brakes and spindles would fit on the Vega if the S-10′s brackets were cut off and the Vega’s brackets were welded on the housing.

A few more quick fabrication details and some handy engine work and Schwartz’s notchback Vega was ready to show what it could do. His goal of building an extremely cool classic performer on a budget was showcased as Schwartz began taking his car out to compete in the Goodguys autocross events to show that even when the economy is not favorable to big dollar car builds, a low bucks budget car can look good and consistently place in the top five.

Performance and classic style on a budget.

Schwartz Performance 1972 Vega Details:
Engine
Type: 2004 5.3L Gen III aluminum-block LM4 from a Buick Ranier SUV
Displacement: 325 ci
Compression ratio: 10:1
Oiling: Stock 2004 Buick Rainier with a Gen III 2002 Camaro pan
Rotating assembly: Stock
Cylinder heads: Stock, 2004 Buick Rainier
Camshaft: Factory LS7 hydraulic roller, 211/230 degrees at .050-inch lift
Valvetrain: Stock 2004 vintage LM4 valves, pushrods, and rockers, Patriot Titanium retainers and locks, Patriot Gold Extreme valvesprings; LS2 timing chain
Induction: LS1 Corvette intake
Throttle body: Camaro 75mm mechanical throttle
Ignition: Stock 2004 Buick Rainier with MSD coil-on-plug
Fuel system: Aeromotive fuel rails and regulator, Holley fuel pump; Stock Buick Rainier injectors
Engine management: 2002 Camaro ECU and HP Tuners software
Front cover: LS2
Exhaust: 2004 Buick Rainier exhaust manifolds, 3-inch custom dual exhaust, modified Flowmaster muffler
Cooling: Be Cool radiator, Factory Rainier water pump
Fasteners: ARP
Output: 400 hp at 6,000 rpm

Drivetrain
Transmission: TH350 three-speed automatic freshened by Ralph Babineau; B&M holeshot,800-stall 10-inch converter; stock Vega shifter, custom crossmember
Rear axle: ’99 Chevy S-10 Xtreme 10-bolt with 3.42 gears, Detroit Truetrac posi, custom suspension brackets
Driveshaft: Schwartz custom

Chassis
Unibody: all body joints seam welded continuous for strength, rear seat back brace seam welded and reinforced
Steering: stock with Flaming River 16:1 Quick Ratio box
Front suspension: custom tubular control arms, Chevy S-10 Xtreme spindles, custom engine bay reinforcement bars, stock Vega springs, Afco shocks, Addco sway bar
Rear suspension: custom tubular control arms (stock Vega four-link geometry), stock Vega springs, Afco shocks, shortened Chevy S-10 Addco sway bar
Brakes: Chevy S-10 Xtreme discs, front and rear

Body & Paint
Paint: scuff-and-shoot PPG

Wheels & Tires
Wheels: Superlite 15×7, front; 15×8, rear
Tires: 225/50R15 BFGoodrich G-Force Sport

Owner: Jeff Schwartz of Woodstock, Illinois

2010 Car Craft Muscle Car Shootout

According to Schwartz, the video below is from “one of our last Autocross runs at the 2010 Car Craft Real Street Eliminator Muscle Car Shootout. We finished Second overall in the Muscle Car (Pre 82) class with a tie for 1st in the Launch Box, 2nd in the Autocross and 3rd in the Chassis Dyno.” Building a super cool classic, with modern performance, that can compete on any track within a budget can be done. Jeff Schwartz has proven it beyond a doubt.

Official Release:

PHOENIX SYSTEMS’ NEW BRAKESTRIP ID DETERMINES DOT BRAKE FLUID TYPE IN MINUTES

ST. GEORGE, Utah – Phoenix Systems introduces BrakeStrip ID, a visual brake system performance test that quickly identifies the Department of Transportation (DOT) type of brake fluid in your vehicle.

Vehicle manufacturers design brake systems to use a specific type of fluid, and BrakeStrip ID is designed to make sure your brake fluid meets the proper specification for your vehicle. BrakeStrip ID, which identifies DOT 3, 4 and 5.1 brake fluids, also finds brake fluid that needs replaced.

“Our easy-to-use BrakeStrip ID strips are useful in the service industry as well as in performance applications,” said Jon Petty, CEO of Phoenix Systems. “Since you can’t determine brake fluid type by looking at it, BrakeStrip ID is one way to make sure your brake fluid is up to spec for your next performance project.”

BrakeStrip ID is a Motorist Assurance Program (MAP) approved brake fluid test and features a three-year accuracy guarantee. It is available at leading automotive retailers and comes in a tube of 100 strips. For more information, visit www.brakebleeder.com.

Highlights:

• Helps determine if your brake fluid meets the proper specifications for your vehicle
• Identifies DOT 3, 4 and 5.1 brake fluids
• Will find brake fluid that needs to be replaced
• Motorist Assurance Program approved
• Comes with a three-year accuracy guarantee

Dual friction discs and 6-pucks, like the Centerforce DFX, are two typical designs for racing clutches.

So you’ve got a race car and a stock style clutch just isn’t going to make the grade. You need a high powered clutch, but typically that would mean dealing with a super hard pedal, and other drivability issues. Centerforce “Professor” Will Baty tells us, “Using a heavy or stiff diaphragm to increase clamp load on the pressure plate is usually what makes the pedal so stiff with traditional high-torque clutches. This also affects the deflection the diaphragm has making the clutch more like an On/Off switch; either you have full power all at once, or not at all with very little modulation in between.”

A cool and unique feature of Centerforce's race clutches is their patented pressure plate weight system. As the clutch spins faster and faster, the weights clamp down tighter and tighter on the diaphragm fingers thanks to centrifugal force.

Centerforce’s clutches are different because in many cases you can have the high torque capacity you’re looking for, with very good drivability thanks to their patented technologies. Centerforce’s ball bearing technology allows for a lighter pedal feel by lessening the friction on the internal ridges of the pressure plate. Additionally, better friction materials and more clamp load give their clutches better holding capacity, meaning they can reduce the internal friction which in turn also gives a better pedal feel.

Another patented Centerforce technology is the ball bearings they use inside the pressure plate to reduce friction and help keep pedal effort light.

If you’ve got a blown and injected beast that chews up and spits out clutches, then check out the Centerforce DYAD twin disc clutch. The DYAD is capable of harnessing up to 1,300 pound feet of torque. “The key to the DYAD is its friction material, which is a carbon based organic material,” Baty explains. “It’s the reason the clutch can hold so much torque, and a key to the light pedal effort. We have spent over two years of developing the DYAD to make it one of the best clutches available today.”

Well, that’s it for us here at Centerforce University. Now that you’ve graduated with your Master’s in Friction Technology, you’re ready to head out to leave your mark on the world – two thick black tire marks that is…

GM has made no bones about testing its performance cars on the ‘Ring, from the new Cadillac ATS to the Camaro ZL1. And it is the Camaro ZL1 that is the star of the final of five videos documenting the Bowtie-wearing supercar’s journey from test track to dealership.

Just to erase any sort of anticipation, the Camaro ZL1’s Nurburgring track time was revealed last October. At 7 minutes 41.27 seconds, the ZL1 beat even the engineer’s time predictions (portions of this video were shot before the actual run) who estimated a time in the low 7:50’s. That’s just .04 seconds slower than a Porsche 911 Turbo, and faster than a Lamborghini Murcielago and or Nissan GT-R. Driver Aaron Link credited his practice with Forza 4 on the Nurburgring track as helping him prepare for the real thing.

This video wraps up the Camaro ZL1’s world-spanning journey from muscle car to supercar, and shows how surprised even its own engineers were at the car’s performance. It seems the reason why ze Germans spend so much time at the Nurburgring is because it really does make for a better car; the Camaro ZL1 is proof of that.

Photo: Du Oliveira

With the confirmation of the 2014 C7 Corvette, the development of the new Alpha platform in the Cadillac ATS, and the news of a forthcoming Gen V Chevy small block, it’s no wonder that enthusiasts are already starting to speculate about what the 6th Gen Camaro might be like.

In this thread on CamaroZ28.com we find an intriguing take on a possible 6th Gen Camaro. The very talented Brazilian graphic designer, Du Oliveira followed the logic that if the 5th Gen was heavily inspired by the 1st Gen Camaros, then maybe its successor should be based on the 2nd Gen’s body style. His design takes cues from the early 70’s Camaros, especially the front end and the roof line, and blends them with the fenders and doors of the current Camaro model. As you’ll notice, Oliveira even kept the 5th Gen’s wheels for his 6th Gen rendering.

Undoubtedly, some folks will love this idea and others will hate it. Does it take the retro design trend too far? Does Oliveira not take it far enough for your tastes? Regardless of what the 6th gen might end up looking like, I’m sure most of you will agree with us that as long as it loses a bit of weight and still comes packing rowdy V8 power, then the looks will just be icing on the cake.

In the first run, the 570 horsepower 458 takes on a 750 horsepower Evotech Stage 2 Audi RS6, and in spite of a huge power advantage, the Ferrari is just too much for the Audi sedan. In the next race, the 458 takes on an AMS Stage 1 Nissan GTR with 600 horsepower. The GTR pounces hard off the line, and never looks back, putting a pretty bad hurt on the ‘lil red Ferrari.

In the final race, the Ferrari takes on the feared and respected Corvette ZR1, that’s been tuned by our friends at Lingenfelter to make 750 horsepower. Off the line the 458 manages to somehow claw out a pretty good lead, but by the half-track point, the ZR1 has reeled in the Italian money pit, and keeps steadily walking away. By the end of the race, the ZR1 has produced the lowest ET of the competition, as well as the highest top speed. Check out the video to watch for this Siberian Show-Down for yourself.

Standing Mile Drag Race Results
570 HP Ferrari 458 Italia – 29.011 at 292.6 KMH (181.7 MPH)
750 HP Evotech Stage 2 Audi RS6 – 29.217 at 290.1 KMH (180.1 MPH)

600 HP Nissan GTR MK.1 AMS Stage 1 – 28.166 at 289.9 KMH (180.02 MPH)
570 HP Ferrari 458 Italia – 28.955 at 292.4 KMH (181.6 MPH)

750 HP Lingenfelter ZR1 – 27.952 at 310.7 KMH (192.6 MPH)
570 HP Ferrari 458 – 28.951 at 293.8 KMH (182.4 MPH)

Official Release:

The Maximizer 4 progressive nitrous controller operates one or two separate stages of nitrous based on either time, RPM, MPH, throttle percentage or boost pressure. Whether your engine is naturally aspirated or forced induction, gasoline or diesel, the Maximizer 4 is the first choice. The Maximizer 4 has multiple progression options to cover a variety of racing types. These progression options are described below:

Time based progression. This option is a popular choice for drag racing applications where you always start from a dead stop. This option is very easy to fine tune so that you leave soft enough to eliminate wheel spin. As you go down track, the controller smoothly adds more nitrous as traction increases.

RPM based progression. This option works great for vehicles that have enough traction to handle full nitrous power at the top of first gear. This mode allows you to add a little nitrous in the lower engine RPMs and ramp into full nitrous as the engine rpm increases. This is a great option for vehicles with a tight torque converter. Since nitrous flow is limited to a small amount at low RPMS, you can safely activate the nitrous at lower RPMs which will help to pull the car out of the hole.

MPH (Miles Per Hour) progression. This option is great for racers who sometimes begin racing from a dead stop and other times begin racing from a rolling start. The nitrous controller will automatically limit nitrous to a smaller shot at low speeds where traction is limited while providing a larger shot at higher speeds where traction is more plentiful. Bracket racers can use this feature to set a MPH nitrous cutoff for the ultimate in consistent ETs.

Throttle percentage progression. This option allows you to “pedal” the car in the event of wheel spin. Nitrous flow smoothly increases and decreases as you “work” the throttle, allowing you to regain traction and continue racing. This is very beneficial to road race and drifting vehicles. The throttle percentage feature is also beneficial for street cars because it allows you to introduce a small amount of nitrous at mid throttle while smoothly transitioning to full nitrous power as you press the throttle to the floor. The feeling is like driving a car with twice the cubic inches.

Boost based progression. This is a useful option for use on turbocharged diesels and gasoline applications. Boost progression allows nitrous to come on strong to eliminate that dreaded turbo lag but then ramps out the nitrous smoothly to let the mighty turbo do its thing. The end result is monster power with zero lag, even with a HUGE turbo. On diesel applications it will not allow nitrous delivery until the engine starts to see boost, preventing a nitrous engine stall.

AFR (Air Fuel Ratio) compensation and protection. The Maximizer 4 monitors the engines Air Fuel Ratio (from optional wide band O2 module), and automatically adjusts the fuel and nitrous solenoid output to achieve the desired Air Fuel Ratio (target AFR is user adjustable). As bottle pressure drops toward the end of a run, the Maximizer 4 will automatically adjust the solenoid output so you maintain a consistent and safe AFR. Air Fuel Ratio safety cut off limit (too rich and too lean) are user adjustable so the controller will completely shut off nitrous flow if the Air Fuel Ratio goes outside the user defined limits.

Highlights:

• Time based progression
• RPM based progression
• MPH (Miles Per Hour) progression
• Throttle percentage progression
• Boost based progression
• AFR (Air Fuel Ratio) compensation and protection

We aren’t normally a huge fan of “look at me” yellow cars, but you’ve got to admit that there’s just something about those cool black Centennial Edition concave wheels, with splash of red peeking out from behind the spokes that just looks right on this Velocity Yellow 2012 Z06. It looks good sitting still, but the Centennial Z06 really comes alive when the driver starts tossing it around the corners.

According to the video’s caption, this is a teaser for a full review of the Centennial Z06 in an upcoming edition of MotorSport that will hit the newsstands at the end of March. We’ve had to admonish MotorSport before because of their review of the ZR1, but in a rough translation of the caption, we discovered that they  actually seemed impressed with the handling and braking of the Z06 saying, “…understanding notably the brakes carbon ceramic and a chassis sport.” If you can’t read French, then it’s a good thing that a picture is worth a thousand words, because it looks like they are having a pretty damn good time with this “brutish” American sports car.

Photo: autoblog

What is the first image that pops into your head when you hear that a car is named the “Roadyacht”? For us the name evoked mental pictures of portly late 70’s four door Cadillacs, but as it turns out Dutch automaker Savage Rivale’s new GTR “Roadyacht” actually has very little in common with luxury boats, or behemoth GM sedans.

We were tipped off to the forthcoming release of the GTR Roadyacht thanks to Autoblog, where they have a full press release laying out all the details of the new track toy. The GTR Roadyacht is actually a stripped-down two door version of the Savage Rivale Roadyacht GTS, which is actually an LS7 powered four-door convertible that makes somewhere north of 600 horsepower. However, we are only told that the smaller and lighter new Roadyacht GTR gets a 6.2L engine with a turbo that pumps out somewhere near 800 horsepower. The displacement leads us to speculate that the Roadyacht GTR also has an LSX based engine, perhaps an LS3 or even reworked LS9 longblock. It says a lot that these small supercar manufacturers can pick any powerplant in the world, and yet they repeatedly choose the LSX.

As you can tell from the pics, we are only currently getting a look at computer renderings of the Roadyacht GTR, and the car won’t officially be released until April 19th at the Top Marques Supercar Show in Monaco. As if the $185,000 price tag wasn’t enough, Savage Rivale only plans to build 69 of the Roadyacht GTRs to keep the car “exclusive.”

Pete Berner, the 2006 IHRA Pro Stock Stock World champion, recently took delivery of his new Summit Racing Equipment ZL1 Camaro from the Rick Jones Race Cars shop.  It is chocked full of modern innovations that may very well set the bar for mountain motor Pro Stock racing this season.

Berner’s stunning, new ride features a throwback-esque paint scheme that’s reminiscent of earlier in his Pro Stock career when he captured the 2006 title, with a GOS Motorsports Graphics design applied by SD Enterprises.

“I couldn’t be more excited about this car,” told Berner. “GOS Motorsports Graphics did a fantastic job on the design, mixing my nostalgic colors with the familiar Summit red and blue. Rick, Rickie and the crew at RJ Race Cars did a phenomenal job, as did Steve Dekkenga and his group at SD Enterprises. The detail is awesome. I think the car truly speaks for itself. I know our Summit fans are going to love this ride.

“Last season we weren’t running like I expect of myself. I’m a very goal-oriented individual and this season my goals are to fix our issues from last year. In some ways, we were the pursuer last year. We’re ready to return to being the one that everyone else is trying to run down.”

Jones, ever the innovator in the highly-innovative world of Pro Stock and doorslammer racing, has incorporated a number of new tricks to the chassis design of Berner’s new mount – all of which are under lock and key – that he and Berner believe will take the ADRL Extreme Pro Stock category to new heights of performance and consistency in 2012.

“Rick worked very closely with us on some new innovations in the building of this chassis. As teammates this upcoming season, we’re going to continue to work closely in testing these items and others.”

“Pete’s car was our first Pro Stock 2012 Camaro,” added Rick Jones of RJ Race Cars. “I think it’s so cool to see the Chevy Camaro come back to Pro Stock. We put a lot of effort in this car; we are trying a few new things we have found lately. We are excited to see how it runs. My expectations are very high!”

Berner’s Summit Racing Equipment team has also opened a new engine shop, headed by Jerry Janota and Mike Slaviero.

“Jerry’s [Janota] and Mike’s [Slaviero] new engine shop is up and running and we plan on burning our dyno up in the next few weeks,” elaborated Berner. “Those guys have put a tremendous amount of effort into this. It’s like a surgical suite in there, which is fitting for Jerry and Mike. They are truly doctors of engine dynamics. The new shop is quite the work of art and makes for a fantastic workplace. It’s a reflection of how this Summit team operates- always shooting for perfection.

“It’s going to be wide open from here on out as we begin testing and jump into the season. I’m really looking forward to seeing what this awesome machine does on the track.

Although the OUSCI was open to spectators for the first time last year, many of you missed experiencing the action first hand. Lucky for you, Optima Batteries just announced the air dates of the official 2011 Optima Invitational TV special set to air on the SPEED Channel.

Check out the promo video we found on YouTube above.

The OUSCI has become the most anticipated exhibition of the country’s top pro-touring cars over the last five years. Including events like the Raybestos Performance Design Challenge, BF Goodrich Hot Lap Challenge, Ridetech Street Challenge Autocross Competition, Detroit Speed and Engineering Road Rally and the Wilwood Brakes Speed Stop Challenge, this event proves that the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show cars are more than just pretty things to look at.

The TV special presented by K&N and Wilwood Brakes includes exclusive race footage of the OUSCI from inside the cars as well as on-track and aerial cameras. You’ll also hear from some of the biggest names in the automotive industry.

In addition to the coverage of the highly anticipated street car challenge, the program will also showcase some of the award winning cars from the 2011 SEMA Show, including Mary Pozzi’s Sony Grand Turismo “Best of Show” award winning ‘71 Camaro R/S, Filip Trojanek’s Sony Grand Turismo “Best Domestic Car” award winning ‘66 Mustang, and Phil Gerber’s Goodguys Street Machine of the Year award winning ‘67 Nova.

Hosted by avid car enthusiast and retired pro wrestler Bill Goldberg, and host of Overhaulin’ and Hot Import Nights, Adrienne Janic, the TV special is sure to be packed full of performance car excitement.

Be sure to check out all the action from last year’s OUSCI on the SPEED Channel at the following times:

• Sunday February 26^th at 3p.m. Eastern Time
• Sunday March 11^th at 2:30p.m. Eastern Time
• Sunday March 24^th at 11a.m. Eastern Time

Tire DNA

Breaking down each tire by its construction is a critical step in deciding what you need. Tires are not created equally; in fact, they are all different, depending on the intended usage. Bolting a set of wrinkle-wall slicks on a road car would mean disaster by the first hard turn. You have to know what you are going to do with them before you click the “buy it now” button.

DOT Drag Radials are not all cut from the same cloth. Some are designed to barely meet the DOT standards and are not for street use (Hoosier), but tires like the Mickey Thompson ET Street Radials are safe for street use, as long as the pavement is dry.

For street cars, we are looking at DOT-rated tires. These are tires that have passed the strict Department Of Transportation regulations for street use. Some wrinkle-wall tires, like the Mickey Thompson ET Street slicks, meet the regulations just enough to get the D.O.T. stamp on the sidewall, but just because a tire is DOT rated does not mean that it is a good idea to go to the grocery store while wearing them. You can do it, but it’s kind of like running in flip flops—it may look cool (running in flip flops does not look cool), but you may end up broken and scarred. wrinkle-wall tires are designed for one reason, and that’s the hook up under big power and make the car launch and go straight down the dragstrip. But that flexible sidewall that provides traction in a straight line does not work in a corner-turning situation.

To be approved for street use, a tire must meet specific standards like hydroplane resistance, tread depth, and sidewall stiffness. The bare minimum tread depth is 2/32nds for street use; most drag radials are in the 5/32nds range whereas a true street tire is 10/32nds. Tire compound is a factor, but most DOT track tires use a special compound that is sticky enough for the track and safe enough for driving you home.

Speaking of the Street, Radial and Bias Ply DOT Tires

There are two kinds of DOT drag tires; radials and bias-ply construction. Drag radials provide a sturdy sidewall for cornering and ride. They also have less rolling resistance than bias-ply tires. The caveat to a drag radial is the compound. They use a special soft compound, which is good for the track, but driving them on the street is going to eat them pretty quick, especially if you enjoy the occasional “spirited” stoplight-to-stoplight run.

The sticking point for choosing your tire design is the transmission, or more over, whether you have a clutch or a torque convertor. Carl Robinson of Mickey Thompson Tires told us, “A clutch car will work much better with bias-ply ET Street tires. I’m not saying radials won’t work, but it takes a sophisticated clutch and suspension to take advantage of the reduced rolling resistance of a radial early in the run.” Robinson also said that power adders with stock suspension cars have really pushed the use of tubes in bias ply tires. The tubes provide additional support for the bias construction, particularly in the sidewall, improving the grip of the contact patch.

Most manufacturers have a disclaimer about not mixing bias-ply tires and radials on the same car. While this is true for street driving, drag racing is different. You don’t have to deal with corners and bumps in drag racing, which is where the two designs are drastically different. If you drive the car to and from the track and run bias-ply DOT drag tires, you need a set of street radials to drive it home.

Burning Out

Every manufacturer has proprietary rubber compounds. The tread compound not only determines the life of the tire, but also the length of the burnout. Regular street tires typically do not like burnouts; the heat makes them greasy and slick, though some high-performance street tires (such as the BFGoodrich Radial TA KDW) like a short little burnout. Drag tires, however, usually require some level of burnout to heat them up. Again, every brand is different. Mickey Thompson suggests the tires be heated to within 15 degrees of the track temperature.

Drag tire usually require some level of burnout to heat them up. Again, every brand is different. Mickey Thompson suggests the tires be heated to within 15 degrees of the track temperature.

BFGoodrich suggests a light spin to clean up the rubber and put a little haze on it as well. If you put too much heat in them they start to ball up, kind of like when you rub an adhesive and get little balls of goo. That balling up can actually work against you, slowing down the car in the first 60 feet.  In the end, you need to take the manufacturer’s suggestions and experiment with your car.

How Long Do They Last?

Another aspect of the rubber compound is the longevity. For a fully sponsored racer, tires are not an issue, but for the average Joe, a set of tires needs to last as long as possible. When we asked about the life expectancy of drag radials, Robinson’s reply was, “Would that be the first or the third set?” On average, a set of drag radials with a mix of track time and highway miles is between 3,000 and 5,000 miles.

In order to provide the grip, the compound is considerably softer than a stock or even an ultra-high performance street tire. That grip comes at a cost of lifespan. It all depends on how often you are going to run the drag tires. Keeping them properly stored for the majority of the time will certainly add to the life of the tire. Trying to impress the blonde in the Mini Cooper next you at the stoplight with a 60-second third gear burnout is not doing your tires any favors. Besides, most girls who drive Minis care more about the power in your checking account than under your car’s hood.

Reading The Sidewall

Every tire has a tire wear rating as part of the UTQG (Universal Tire Quality Grade) as required by the DOT. This rating is based on the tests performed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) over a specific 400-mile loop, driven for 7,200 miles in west Texas. These numbers range from 600+ down to 0. For comparison sake, a typical street tire has a treadwear rating in the 400-600 range.  These tires last a long time, providing a comfortable ride in all weather conditions.

The axiom is that every time you double up on the treadwear rating, the tire will last twice as long: a 400 lasts twice as long as a 200, for instance. A BFGoodrich Radial TA (the classic muscle car tire) has a treadwear rating of 400. The ultra-high performance street version of the TA, the G-Force TA KDW, is rated at 300, and the ultra-sticky G-Force TA Drag Radial features a 00 treadwear rating. While these standards have left some room for interpretation, a 00 rating means that the tire did not last the entire course, and that is performed under street conditions, not racing.

If you look at the rest of the UTQG scores, there will be some puzzling grades, such as the traction grade. The G-Force KDW is listed with AA traction, which means on asphalt the tire will pull over .54 G, and over .41 G on concrete. The Drag Radial on the other hand, with its sticky compound, is rated with a B grade. This is because drag radials are not designed for wet traction, and that is what the DOT traction test is based on.

“The only difference between the ‘traditional tread’ and the ‘new tread’ of the BFGoodrich g-Force T/A Drag Radial tire is the look. The ‘traditional tread’ five-rib g-Force T/A Drag Radial tire appeals to muscle car owners, while the ‘new tread’ directional g-Force T/A Drag Radial tire appeals to new performance owners,”- Andrew Koury, BFGoodrich Tires Ultra High Performance Brand Category Manager.

The other main grade is temperature resistance. This is actually a fairly important detail for a drag tire. The temperature of a tire increases as speed and time at that speed increases. These are portrayed in A, B, and C. This is different from the speed ratings, which measures speed. All tires in the US must be rated at a C or better, which means the tire is capable of 85-100 MPH without damage. B rating is 100 to 115, and A is over 115 MPH. Of course, while a drag radial is capable of handling well over 100 MPH, it is not capable of these speeds for long durations. It would not be advisable to drive a car on drag radials at elevated speeds as the temperature build-up could cause them to fail in a spectacular fashion, and that would not be good for anyone.

It is important to note that some manufacturers expressly label their DOT drag tires as drag race use only. Not all DOT drag tires are capable of safely getting you home; they are built for drag racing only, and just barely meet the DOT specs. This is basically a slick (pardon the pun) tactic to get around the rules—sure, it meets DOT standards, but don’t actually use it that way or you will die.

At the same time, some brands market their DOT drag tires specifically for the “drive to the track and race on the same tires” crowd, which is how it should be.  BFGoodrich and Mickey Thompson drag radials have the most tread of them all. The G-Force radial was designed for straight-line performance along with high-speed stability and cornering performance for streetability. The point is that you have to decide what you need. If you trailer the car and need a DOT tire for class restrictions, then choosing a non-streetable tire is acceptable, but if you want to drive the car home after a day of racing, you need a tire that has some realistic street capabilities.

Tire sizing

The days of the 15-inch wheel are almost completely gone, save for the sportsman drag racer. Because of the proliferation of 17- to 20-inch wheels in motorsports, there is a need for drag tires that fit those wheels. Mickey Thompson, Nitto, BFGoodrich, and Hoosier all offer large-diameter DOT drag radials. In fact, Nitto’s NT05R is only available in 17- to 20-inch sizes.

The main reason for stepping into a larger wheel is because of the large rear wheel disc brakes that require a larger wheel, particularly in the late-model cars like Vipers and Corvettes. There is a tradeoff as you go to the larger wheels, and that is something you need to consider for your street machine. A steep-geared drag car can handle 30-inch tires, but throw those on a car with 3.73 gears, and you will know what slow is.

The Nitto NT05R 20-inch tire is a 315/35R20, with a 28.74-inch overall diameter and a 12.48-inch width, far from the 10.5 tire that many street car classes require. That 28.74-inch diameter means you have about four inches of sidewall (28.74-20=8.74/2= 4.37” of sidewall), compared to the same diameter tire in a 15-inch wheel, which would yield 6.5 inches of sidewall. That extra two inches of sidewall is a lot of room for extra traction.

Radial tire sidewalls may be stiff, but they will still flex a little, providing the wider contact patch that you want.  When at all possible, run the smallest wheel that your brakes will allow. This maximizes the sidewall height, putting more power to the ground. It may not “look” as cool, but the quicker timeslip looks even better.

Bias Ply Roll Out Measurement

Bias ply tires are made with nylon cords that criss-cross each other. Over time, the cords shrink, reducing the rolling height of the tire. Bias plies must be matched to within a half-inch of roll-out of each other. Mickey Thompson Tires has a specific procedure spelled out on their website to check the roll-out.

Tire pressure in a drag tire is crucial for launch and traction control. While 32 psi is optimum for street driving, running that much pressure on the track is going to leave you spinning off the line. Every car is different and every tire is different, so experimentation is required, but there are some starting guidelines. Mickey Thompson suggests keeping a log book of air pressures and suspension settings with each run (you should be doing this anyway) to determine what your best pressure is.

Hoosier's drag radial is one example of a DOT drag radial that is not recommended for street use and is engineered for maximum track-only performance.

M/T goes so far as to break down each tire with their minimum suggested tire pressure by vehicle weight. For example, a 28-inch-tall Pro Drag Radial on a 3,200-lb car should run a minimum of 12 psi; the same tire on a 2,800-pound car can go as low as 10 psi. They are even more specific for the ET Street radials with a specific range of air pressure for 275 and smaller (14-18 psi) and 295 and larger tires (12-16 psi). These numbers can be used as a good starting point for other brands as well, but Mickey Thompson claims that their tires tend to perform better with a little more pressure than other brands.

The Quick Guide to Picking the Right Radial

Track Only Use

• Hoosier D.O.T Drag Radial – Hoosier’s tire is the only tire in the lineup that is not designed for any type of street use. The tire utilizes two very simple rain grooves designed to maximize the amount of tire on the contact patch. While a relatively new tire, the Hoosiers have seen success in 275 and outlaw drag radial races. While this is designed as a track-only tire, Hoosier does make these tires in 15 to 18-inch applications

Track and Light Street Use

• Mickey Thompson ET Street (I and II) – The ET Street is designed for limited street use and will last less than 7,000 miles. M/T’s ET Street Radial is world-renowned for its hardcore drag racing capabilities and have clocked 6-second quarter mile times.  The ET Street Radial II is made from the same compound as the Street Radial I, though it is designed for better wet weather traction, due to the increased number or rain grooves. The Street Radial II is mainly designed for 17-inch+ wheel combinations.
• Toyo Proxes TQ – Toyo uses a unique compound that is designed for both IRS and solid axle rear ends. Much like the M/T ET Street, it can be driven on the street and strip but its 00 treadwear will put life expectancy at around 7,000 miles or less (depending on how much you go to the track).
• Nitto NT05R – This is Nitto’s newest drag radial that is based on the tread design of their NT05 Ultra High Performance road handling tire. This is a single 0 treadwear tire and will last slightly longer then the other tires in this class. While this is intended to be a track tire, it can also be driven on the street.
• BFGoodrich g-Force T/A – Also sporting a 0 treadwear like the Nitto NT05R, the BFG will last closer to 10,000 miles while doing a decent job during wet weather situations with its integrated rain channels. BFG’s Comp T/A drag radial was the first ever drag radial to meet DOT street tire standards.  The main differences between the two tires is that the new g-Force offers a broader range of performance. The g-Force T/A was the spec tire in the NMRA Drag Radial category for many years and is a proven 7-second tire.

Street and Track

•  Nitto NT555R – Nitto’s NT555R has been a very successful tire, especially in the late model muscle crowd, for its dual purpose street/strip use.  With its 100 treadwear and improved water channels, The NT555R can live for around 10,000 miles and combat wet weather situation; it is the longest lasting drag radial in this article.

Proper Storage

The last step in dealing with tires is how to store them. Some of this depends on the design of the tire. Bias ply tires are not stable enough to sit inflated with the car on them for long periods. Flat spots develop quickly in a bias ply. Radial tires do not have this problem, but you still need to take care of them while they are put away for the off-season. All drag radials are considered summer dry-weather tires, so there is no reason to keep them on your car when it is wet and cold outside.

Bias ply tires are not stable enough to sit inflated with the car on them for long periods. Flat spots develop quickly in a bias ply. Radial tires do not have this problem, but you still need to take care of them while they are put away for the off-season.

Bias ply tires should be stored either off the car or with the car on jack stands with the load off the tires. Drop the tire pressure to 5 psi. To protect the tires from UV damage, keep them covered and out of direct sunlight. Fluorescent light can damage them as well. Another tip is to keep them away from electric motors. Electric motors generate ozone, which eats rubber. There is also no need to use tire dressings; just clean the sidewalls with mild detergent and rinse, leave the tread surface alone.

Radials are not as temperamental as bias ply tires, but many of the same principles hold true. You can leave a radial under pressure, but if you take them off the car and air them down, they will last longer. The environment for the rubber is the same as a bias ply: no light, no electric motors in close proximity and clean them with soap and rinse them well.

There are significant differences in a DOT tire, just like anything else. The key to making the right selection for your car is to know what your car needs to go fast. Keep in mind that street tires allow the tires to slip, drag tires don’t. If you have a weak link, slicks and drag radials will find it and point it out in spectacular fashion. There are also other rules that you must adhere to in order to pass tech when upgrading to a drag tire, such as axle and lug nut specs. As long as you adhere to the rules and practice safe racing, you will go faster.

The silver ZR1 featured in this video has been tuned by Lethal Performance, out of San Antonio, Texas to run on E85. Along with a custom cam, headers, a Lingenfelter CAI, the ZR1 should be producing well over 700 horsepower at the crank. According to the video, the Corvette’s stock transmission has also been outfitted with a triple disc clutch.

Then we come to the issue of traction. Thanks to the huge (and awesome) carbon ceramic brake system on the ZR1, “normal” 15 and 17 inch drag radial sizes are out of the question. So, the ZR1 is running on a set of skinny side-walled 19-inch drag radials from Nitto, which seem to work just fine, thank you very much.

First run the ZR1 hits it hard off the line, getting some great traction from the Nittos, and just keeps on kicking all the way through the finish line. The reward: a blazing 9.93 at 148.9 miles per hour. To prove it wasn’t a fluke, the ZR1 heads back to starting line again, and blasts off like a rocket, tripping the beams at 9.97 at 147.9 miles per hour. And finally, for Round 3- once the camera finally gets in focus, we can see the ZR1 has posted a 9.97 at 149.2. How’s that for consistency?

Images: Autoblog

Chevrolet has created some of the most iconic cars over the years and 2012 is no different. Leading the powerful performance car lineup this year is Chevrolet’s flagship, the ‘12 Corvette ZR1. You’ve heard it compared to supercars like the Lamborghini and Ferrari, as well as potent European and Japanese GT contenders like the Nissan GT-R and Porsche 911, so what is it that really makes this car as remarkable as it is? To find out, Autoblog recently took hold of the keys to a brand new ZR1 and some of what they found out may surprise you.

In the 1990 model year, the 4th gen Corvette ZR-1 stole hearts from the get-go. With a respectable 375 HP all-aluminum LT5 V8 engine under the hood, the ‘90 ZR-1 brought a much needed breath of high-performance excitement to the automotive world. As the complete performance package, the ZR-1 went on to set seven world speed records, including a 175.8 MPH average speed record at a 24-hour endurance test that year. Unfortunately the buzz around the “Corvette from Hell” died down in subsequent years and the ZR-1 model sighed its last breath in 1995.

Fortunately for Corvette and performance car fans alike, the sports car known as the king was reintroduced in 2009 without the hyphen as the Corvette ZR1. This potent 620-horsepower beast took the supercar world by storm and has caused havoc ever since.

In its fourth production year, the ‘12 C6 ZR1 has seen a few improvements since the last model year. Still boasting its supercharged 6.2L V8, the Corvette ZL1 can now be purchased with an optional PDE ZR1 high-performance package complete with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup Zero Pressure tires. These new tires are rated for track and competitive driving rather than summer performance driving the other Michelin Sport Cup tires we saw on the previous ZR1 model.

Other improvements to the ZR1 include new light-weight staggered-size alloy wheels, more padding in the armrests and center console, an upgraded nine-speaker Bose sound system, bigger side and back bolsters in the reworked seats, accent stitching, and a tweaked manual gearbox that gives the car a better EPA estimated fuel economy on the highway by 2 MPG.

Chevrolet's Centennial Special Edition package adds unique features to the already stellar ZR1

But would this price be well worth the performance? Through errands, small day trips and some curvy canyon exhibitions, Autoblog thought so.

The car handled like a true supercar with a few extra perks. Although the nearly 1-foot wide tires pulled the car through every pavement discrepancy on the highway and spun out rather instinctively without launch control engaged, the Corvette proved to be a much sturdier ride than some supercars thanks to GM’s Magnetic Selective Ride Control. This didn’t help the car from needing constant attention while driving, however.

Thanks to the car’s performance-ridden setup, Autoblog found the acceleration rate of the ZR1 to be blistering and the highly-tuned suspension to be spot on in the corners. Of course both of these performance features need a wide-open track to be taken at full advantage.

GM’s flagship wasn’t all roses, though, and Autoblog did find some not-so-endearing qualities of the ZR1.

Although Chevrolet reworked the interior, Autoblog discovered some glaring deficits. For starters, the seating position was rather low, hindering the driver’s sight lines a bit.

The 2012 ZR1's interior is improved from last year but still leaves much to be desired

Autoblog also took note of the lack of basic storage space as well as the climbing temperatures of the center console (which is where the audio hookup is) that caused their iPod to overheat on long drives.

Chevrolet has seemingly improved their flagship for the 2012 model year but more work is needed to perfect the car. Although Autoblog states that the car can definitely run among the top supercars in the world, the Europeans still have us beat when it comes to cabin appointments.

Nonetheless, the ZR1 is still a force to be reckoned with, and an unexpected one at that. And at a price much less than most top supercars and with a potent 638 HP and 604 foot-pounds of torque rumbling out of the engine, we might just be able to look past some of the interior downfalls of the modern Corvette from Hell.

Check out the full review of the Corvette ZR1 on Autoblog’s website.

Official Release:

TCI GM LSA Flexplate For 2012 Camaro ZL1 Automatic Transmission Conversion

Ashland, MS – The TCI LSA Flexplate for 2012 Chevy Camaro ZL1s retrofitted with automatic transmissions is designed to stand up to all racing conditions.

When retrofitting the 2012 Chevy Camaro ZL1 for racing with an automatic transmission, the TCI GM LSA Flexplate is a must. Engineered to prevent runout, ring gear bounce and other damaging problems, these flexplates offer unmatched strength and protection. Thicker than factory flexplates, the SFI 29.1 approved TCI plates are precision ground from ultra-durable A36 steel. They are dynamically balanced for performance and electro-coated for protection against the elements. This is the perfect upgrade for any increased horsepower 2012 Camaro ZL1 that has been converted to an automatic transmission. The flexplate is also a valuable tool for vehicles other than Camaros with LSA engine transplants and automatic transmissions.

Features & Benefits:

• Prevents runout, ring gear bounce & other problems; plates offer unmatched strength & protection
• Thicker than factory flexplates & precision ground from ultra-durable A36 steel
• Fully SFI 29.1 approved for race use
• Dynamically balanced for performance & electro-coated for protection against the elements

It’s also important that you multiply the danger factor by the number of spectators, and square it by the very short distance they are standing from the two Camaros that are now in motion. You’ll also want to factor time into the equation, because the longer this stunt goes on, the more likely someone is to get hurt; in this case it lasts nearly a full 60 seconds.

There are also a few other variables you’ll need to take into consideration before get the full picture of this problem. For example, observe how the driver of the SS Convertible has a blue cast on his right hand, which he repeatedly raises above his head, ensuring that only has one hand on the wheel for the duration of the stunt.

In the end, the equation played out in this video somehow manages to overcome the astronomical statistical probability for human injury. As if we really should need to say this, but please don’t try this insane stunt for yourself.

Photo: Camaro5

Back in December we showed you the in-progress pictures of a Hennessey HPE650 Camaro that was undergoing some pretty invasive cosmetic surgery in pursuit of the ever-popular widebody look, but with a twist. The rear quarter panels were being completely rebuilt several inches wider with real carbon fiber. Well, the work has finally been completed, and the Hennessey now sports a whole new rear profile.

Photo: Camaro5

We talked with the car’s owner, Henry Rodriguez, from Los Fresons, Texas, and he was gracious enough to fill us in on the details of his carbon fiber widebody HPE650. When we asked him what made him want to start such an invasive project on his new Hennessey Camaro, Rodriguez told us, “I’ve always been in intrigued by exotics and super-cars that use carbon fiber in their body panels, and I started getting interested in doing a carbon fiber project of my own. All of the carbon fiber parts were designed by me in my spare time. The Audi R8 was actually the inspiration for leaving parts of the carbon fiber exposed to contrast with the white paint”

Photo: Camaro5

“Overall, the car was widened 2 ½ inches on each side, and the rear wheels are currently 22×12’s with some smaller 315/25/22 tires. Now that the widebody work is finally done, we are going to widen the rear wheels by 2 inches, and are looking into getting some way wider custom tires made to take full advantage of the extra room we made in the back.” said Rodriguez.

The rear quarter panels weren’t the only part of the HPE650 to get a little carbon fiber love. Rodriguez tells us, “For the rear bumper, we decided to go ahead and refinish it in carbon fiber as well, and do the unique center exhaust tips. We also did quite a bit of carbon fiber work to the interior and I designed the dashboard with the motorized iPad 3G.”

Photo: Camaro5

Whether or not you like the wide body look, or even the exposed carbon fiber look, lets give credit where credit is due: it takes some serious guts to cut into a very, very expensive (and brand new for that matter) Hennessey Camaro. When we asked him what was next for the Carbon Fiber Widebody HPE650, Rodriguez told us, ” Who knows? I’m always thinking of new ideas for my car.”

To follow the car’s progress, be sure to check out Rodriguez’s build thread on Camaro5.

Photo: Schumis Foto

This past weekend the first of two Swedish Camaro Cup races scheduled to take place on American soil was held at the Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida. From what we can gather from the official Swedish Camaro Cup webpage, AMLS driver Jan Magnussen, who spends most of his time behind the wheel of Corvette Racing’s C6.R’s, was the winner of both Camaro Cup races held at Sebring, but it wasn’t without a fight. In the first race Magnussen duked it out with fellow Swede Dennis Lind for the lead, and in the second race Fredrik Ros put up a good fight against Magnussen. Roughly translated, the reporters from Camaro-Cup.com said, “Jan Magnussen showed the way, to the letter. His lap times impressed directly by all.”

5th Gen and LSX fans might be a bit disappointed to know that the Swedish Camaro Cup cars are actually powered by GM Performance Parts ZZ4-based small block Chevys. However, the power output isn’t very disappointing, pumping out around 450 horsepower on E85. The bodies are also fiberglass 5th Gen replicas riding on a fabricated chassis. Not quite the Camaro “stock” car racing some of us crave, but a good start none the less.

The second American-Swedish Camaro Cup race will be held in Palm Beach International Raceway this coming weekend, February 17th and 18th. For more info, and to check out a ton of cool pictures from the Camaro Cup racing action, check out this thread on Camaro5, and if you can read Swedish, check out the official Camaro Cup webpage.

All images credit: ADRL.us

We sound like a bit of a broken record by saying it again, but the 2010-12 Chevrolet Camaro’s are literally coming out of the woodwork these days; perhaps at even quicker pace now than their first-generation counterparts that are a dime a dozen at any Pro Modified or Top Sportsman race. NHRA Pro Stock competitors are also on the verge of adopting the new Camaro to replace their aging Cobalts and GXPs, with the Summit Racing teammates of Greg Anderson and Jason Line and Greg Stanfield all indicating the switch in the very near future.

The ADRL this week published some photos obtained of heavy-hitting NHRA Division 7 sportsman racer Gary Forkner’s brand spanking new 2012 Chevrolet Camaro, fresh out of the Jerry Bickel Race Cars shop and with Steve Schmidt power under the hood. Forkner, who hails from Temecula, Calif., is said to be competing in the ADRL’s Top Sportsman class this season.

Forkner (left) and Lair's brand new 2012 Chevrolet Camaro's, ready for ADRL and NHRA Top Sportsman action.

Another NHRA Top Sportsman competitor, Canyon, Tex. native Greg Lair, also recently took delivery of a brand new 2012 Camaro from the Jerry Haas shop, sporting an eye-catching paint scheme to match it’s menacing body lines. Lair is also slated to compete with the ADRL in the dial-in Top Sportsman category this season. The 2012 ADRL tour kicks off March 30-31 at the Royal Purple Raceway in Houston, Tex. with the CarSafe Dragpalooza VIII.

But as Camaro5 reports, Chrome & Carbon has put together a widebody kit for the Chevy Camaro that they call “Guyver” which costs as much as a car all by itself. But do the new looks warrant the price?

For you non-nerds, “Guyver” is a reference to a mid-80’s Japanese manga (comic) series called “Bio Booster Armor Guyver.” That became a show called simply “Guyver” about futuristic warriors who wear symbiotic bio-suits. It’s an obscure reference likely to escape most (but not all) car guys, though the name is oddly appropriate for this bodykit.

The widebody “Guyver” kit retails at about $18,000, and includes a new front bumper, front splitter and grille, a carbon fiber hood, widebody fenders, rear bumper and spoiler, and more. The kit all but transforms the Camaro into a different car with a whole lot of extra bodywork. Don’t worry though, as it won’t be invading streets near you anytime soon; this is a one-off kit for a customer in Dubai, which sort of explains it. The only way to stand out in Dubai is to have something nobody else has, which is a lot harder than it sounds when every other person is an oil millionaire (or billionaire.)

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so you tell us, what do you behold here?

The Datsun’s short wheel base, rear-wheel-drive platform and super-lightweight rear make it a natural choice for a burnout machine, and when you mix in a healthy dose of LS1 power, you’re talking some serious smoke action. All we really know about this bright-blue-burnout-buggy is that it has our favorite powerplant under the hood, and that the driver has a minimal amount of respect for both the rev limiter and the rear tires. Watch around the 1:15 point where the Datsun starts overheating and puking coolant, but to the credit of the driver, he only shuts the Datsun down when the right rear tire finally blows. Bolt on a fresh set of cheap burnout tires, and the Datsun is back in action in round two, with an even more glorious smoke show.

So, on a scale of one to ten, what score do you give the LS1 Datsun from Down Under?

Mr. Hendrick is known for owning one of the most powerful Chevy NASCAR teams in history under the Hendrick Motorsports name. His drivers, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the most recent addition, Kasey Kahne, have driven in countless NASCAR races and won many podium positions.

But Hendrick isn’t only about stock car racing. He also runs one of the biggest groups of automotive dealerships in the country and lends his knowledge and expertise to customers looking to buy award-winning classics.

If you haven’t figured it out by now, Chevrolet is Hendrick’s brand of choice and this has led him to collecting some of the most iconic muscle and sports cars from every era. If you’re a Camaro fan, Hendrick has virtually any notable year and configuration you could think of, from the 1967 to the 2011.

Adding to this immense collection will be Hendrick’s ‘12 ZL1 with VIN 0001. But he’ll also add two more ZL1s to the mix – the VIN 00002 ZL1 and the VIN 00069 ZL1. The later of the two additional Camaros was purchased to commemorate the 69 Camaro ZL1s that Chevy released in 1969 with the all-aluminum 427 CI engine under the hood.

While perks of the job certainly helped Hendrick get the rights to these exclusive Camaros, we’re glad to see the three ZL1s going to a true Chevy Camaro fan. Now if only we could borrow one for awhile…..

Our friends over at Corvette Blogger recently tipped us off to three awesome new videos from Chevrolet about the forthcoming 2013 427 Corvette Convertible Collector’s Edition. In the first video, we get Corvette Racing Driver and 24 Hours of Le Mans Winner, Tommy Milner’s opinion on the 427 Convertible, and some great eye candy of the car in action.

In the second video, titled “Windcheater”, Milner shows off the 427 Convertible’s trick aerodynamics, cornering capabilities, and to a large degree his own skill behind the wheel with a mildly dangerous stunt. And in the third and final video, titled “Carbonated”, we get more of the same great action shots of the 427 Convertible, only this time Milner informs us on the extensive use of carbon fiber throughout the car. Milner is even kind enough to demonstrate for us just how light the 427’s hood actually is. Check out the videos to see for yourself.

There’s nothing better than when aftermarket performance parts suppliers decide to go racing. Reason being that you and I get the benefit of all the knowledge they gain throughout the process, and as an even bigger benefit, we eventually get to take advantage of all the trick parts they develop for their race cars on our own street cars.

Fans of the 5th Gen Camaro will be pleased to hear that LG Motorsports has already begun work on their Camaro race car they plan to campaign in World Challenge races. In this thread on Camaro5, Anthony from LG Motorsports lays out their current plans for the car, and 5th Gen fans can follow along as the car continues its transformation from a bare GM Performance Parts Body-In-White (or red as the case may be…) to a competitive track rocket.

One of the coolest things so far is that LG weighed every part they’ve removed so far from their 5th Gen Body-In-White, and posted their findings for other 5th Gen builders to reference. For example, LG found that the bare body with no doors, trunk lid, or fenders weighs exactly 889 pounds, and the stock aluminum hood weighs just 23 pounds. Check out LG‘s thread to get the results from the other parts they weighed, and for more info on some of the parts they have already confirmed they will be developing for 5th Gens thanks to this Camaro build and their campaign in the World Challenge Series.

Official Release:

AEM’S Water/Methanol FAILSAFE Device Actively Monitors ENTIRE Flow Curve to Prevent Engine Damage!

Sophisticated Water/Methanol Injection Monitoring System Delivers Complete Peace of Mind If Your Water/Methanol System Experiences a Failure

Hawthorne, CA-AEM has renamed its Injection Monitor the AEM Water/Methanol FAILSAFE Device. This unit is the most advanced water/methanol failsafe device on the market, as it actively monitors the injection system’s ENTIRE flow curve to compensate for failure under ANY condition, allowing you to use your water/methanol system with complete peace of mind. If you have a water/methanol injection system or are considering one, you will not find a more advanced failsafe device on the market than the AEM Water/Methanol FAILSAFE Device.

WHY YOU NEED THIS
Today’s water/methanol injection systems have proven themselves as a viable means for effectively reducing engine inlet air temperatures and suppressing harmful detonation. This allows enthusiasts to reliably increase boost and advance ignition timing without the need for racing fuel. Despite the proven effectiveness and reliability of water/methanol injection, there exists a potential for engine damage if the water/methanol tank runs dry, if the pump stops working or more commonly if flow volume decreases due to fuel contamination, a clogged nozzle or a leak in the system.

While failsafe devices for water/methanol are not new, competitors’ failsafe systems have limitations that do not allow them to completely protect your engine if the water/methanol injection system stops flowing. Most failsafe devices have settings for high and low range flow parameters, but only monitor flow at a single point. And, without actually calculating volume versus time to establish a flow rate, instead running the system at full blast and using the nozzle’s potential for flow as your established flow rate, it is impossible to know the actual flow of the water/methanol system. Short version: if you think you are flowing 500cc/min and are actually flowing 300cc/min, and you are relying on your failsafe to trigger an alarm at a single reference point using 500cc/min of flow as your reference, then you have created the potential for engine damage.

Other competitors’ failsafe systems use a flow meter to establish water/methanol flow and utilize an external adjustment to trigger an alarm if the system does not detect maximum flow, using a time-delay strategy to compensate for part throttle operation. The problem is, water/methanol flow is rarely zero or maximum flow, and with all of the potential flow rates one can experience, a time delay strategy is not completely failsafe.

WHAT MAKES AEM’S WATER/METHANOL FAILSAFE DEVICE UNIQUE
AEM’s Water/Methanol FAILSAFE Device actively monitors the entire flow curve independent of pressure, continuously collecting flow vs. injection rate data so that any deviation from your established flow curve will trigger an alarm output that can be used to reduce boost or timing, change maps, add fuel, trigger a two-step or perform practically any action you choose to save your engine. It is PC programmable (with USB connectivity) which eliminates the guesswork when setting min/max threshold parameters. It features PC-based software and an auto-scaling flow map that simplifies set up, and has an “Auto Set” feature that will create a baseline configuration. A video showing its ease of set up is on www.aemelectronics.com. And it will work on virtually ANY water/methanol injection system that uses 1/4″ OD or 4mm OD tubing!

HOW IT WORKS
Should an alarm trigger, the AEM Water/Methanol FAILSAFE Device has one low-side (ground) driver and one high-side (+12v) driver that can be configured to turn on or off during an alarm condition. For instance, late-model Subaru WRX STi owners can connect the low-side driver to the “limp” wire behind the kick panel that will dump boost and pull timing via the factory ECU. If you have a supercharged Chevy 350cid small-block, you can use it to pull timing from a switched aftermarket ignition system. The possibilities are endless.

A high-tech analog gauge is included with the AEM Water/Methanol FAILSAFE Device, with programmable backlighting to match your factory gauges. The gauge needle and backlighting can be configured to flash when an alarm is triggered to notify of a potential system error. This system also includes an internal data logger that records injection and alarm status data for future reference.

GET MORE INFO
Learn more, watch the set-up video and read the reviews of AEM’s Water/Methanol FAILSAFE Device at www.aemelectronics.com or call us at (310) 484-2322 to find an Authorized AEM Electronics retailer or Factory-Trained Tuner.

Water/Methanol FAILSAFE Device Racer Features:

• Actively monitors the entire water/methanol fuel injection curve to trigger an alarm event under any defined adverse condition!
• Can be used on virtually all water/methanol injection systems with either 1/4″ or 4mm OD tubing
• “Auto Set” feature automatically creates baseline configuration
• Built-in warning lights inform user of an alarm trigger
• Internal data logger records all injection flow and alarm status data
• Included high-tech analog gauge has black and white faceplates and bezels to match vehicle interior, and is programmable for either 0-500cc/min or 0-1000cc/min flow ranges
• Gauge alarm and backlighting are user programmable to match interior lighting

Water/Methanol FAILSAFE Device Tuner Features:

• Tunable PC-based software with USB connectivity
• One low-side (ground) driver and one high-side (+12V) driver can be configured to turn on or off during an alarm condition
• Fully adjustable alarm delay and reset period
• 0-5v Analog output for use with data loggers and virtually all engine management systems
• Auxiliary input for use with AEM Water/Methanol “Boost Safe” feature can trigger an alarm event if there is a system readiness issue (open circuit, short circuit, low fluid level, etc.)
• Precision flow sensor included

Jacquot found a vintage ’68 Camaro that had been modified with a supercharger and supported with a modern fuel system and cooling system and some suspension fabrication that upgraded the fourty-four year old chassis to a more mild mannered performance muscle car.

Car owner Carl Casanova, the fabricator and wrench behind the vintage Camaro, routinely runs the machine on Southern California racetracks, putting the car through it’s paces before rolling it back into the garage for routine maintenance.

Casanova has owned the car for thirty years and its clear that he believes vintage muscle cars are meant to be driven… and driven hard. Jacquot pitted the vintage Camaro with the latest version in the family lineage, a 2011 Camaro outfitted with a Magnuson supercharger and a suspension kit from Hotchkis Sport Suspension.

Carl Casanova’s 1968 Camaro

Jacquot points out that Casanova did all the work to the vintage Camaro himself. Upgrading performance while keeping the soul of the car intact was the overall goal. Hand fabricating everything to keep it as close to original appearing as possible, Casanova hand-fabricated the six-spot gauge cluster and built the circulation system for the air-to-liquid intercooler with his own hands. Other components in the build were selected by Casanova to maintain the heartbeat of the late sixties while improving the performance to meet the advances in technology.

Casanova’s Camaro Specs:

• LS1 V8 is from a 2002 Camaro.
• Supercharger and accompanying parts come from Magnuson’s Hot Rod Kit, which was originally intended for a 2004 Pontiac GTO.
• Six-speed Tremec T56 transmission from the same fourth-generation Camaro as the engine.
• Transmission gear ratios: 1st=2.66, 2nd= 1.78, 3rd= 1.30, 4th=1.00, 5th=0.74, 6th=0.50
• Eaton Positraction limited-slip differential
• 3.73 : 1 final drive ratio
• The front brake rotors and calipers are from a C4 Corvette and the rears are from a ’90s-vintage Z28 Camaro. A Chevy HHR master cylinder pressurizes the system
• Wheels are V45s from Vintage Wheel Works 17X9.5-inch
• Tires are  Kumho Ecsta XS P285/40R17
• Hotchkis’ Total Vehicle suspension system and includes all four front control arms, both stabilizer bars, front coil springs and rear leafs as well as Bilstein shocks

The 2011 Camaro reportedly rolled off the GM line in Oshawa, Ontario in 2010 where it found its way to a Southern California dealer before getting purchased by Hotchkis. Naturally, the stock suspension was removed and replaced with Hotchkis parts for premium handling and control of the 3,925 pound machine.

Hotchkis’ 2011 Camaro Specs:

• 6.2-liter V8 with JBA long-tube headers and a Flowmaster exhaust.
• Magnuson supercharger
• Centerforce clutch
• Six-speed manual transmission
• Transmission gear ratios: 1st=3.01, 2nd=2.07, 3rd=1.43, 4th=1.00, 5th=0.84, 6th=0.57
• Limited-slip differential.
• 3.45:1 final drive ratio.
• The front brake rotors and calipers are 14-inch one-piece ventilated cast-iron discs with four-piston fixed calipers.
• Wheels are BBS CH 20X9-/20×10-inch front/rear
• Tires are Nitto NT05 P275/40ZR20 (Front) P315/35ZR20 (Rear)
• Independent MacPherson struts, coil springs, stabilizer bar front suspension
• Independent multilink, coil springs, stabilizer bar rear suspension

Notes and Observations:

According to Jacquot, the drag strip test favored the 2011 Camaro, “demonstrating the new car’s superior power-to-the ground abilities. Plentiful road-crushing mass and another few inches of rear rubber will do that,” adding “when it comes to stopping, there’s no substitute for antilock brakes. Sixteen feet separate the two (127 feet vs. 111 feet) when hauling down from 60 mph. This test, unsurprisingly, fell in favor of the new car.”

The editor was quick to point out that the comparison was not all about numbers however. Putting it frankly, Jacquot said, “Let’s be honest. The modern Camaro isn’t a car that triggers emotion like the original.”

To prove that point, the test crew drove the cars together in the beautiful Southern California region to gauge public opinion. Summing it up in a quick statement that gets right to the point, Jacquot says, “One is a legend, and the other wants to be. And it’s trying hard.”

Sounds to us like the crew at insideline.com gave the edge to the vintage car but liked the direction that Camaros were heading for the future.

England is on that list as well, and GM has just announced pricing figures for the UK Camaro. The Camaro starts at £36,495, or about $57,000 at today’s exchange rates.

That’s a lot of loot for a Camaro, but like most of Europe, the UK has high taxes and tariffs on imported cars. All told, these add-ons almost double the cost of the Camaro from the time it leaves American shores to the time it reaches the British Isles.

There is only one engine option, the 426 horsepower 6.2 liter V8, and the automatic transmission option adds another £1,500 or $2,350 to the price tag. Want a convertible? Prices start at £41,965, or $65,838. That’s Cadillac CTS-V pricing right there, though the UK will also get access to the 45th Anniversary Edition Camaro at an undisclosed price. And these prices are likely without any available option packages; start ticking those off and the price could easily climb above $70,000.

Just another reason America rocks; we can still keep our muscle cars reasonably priced, as well as our gas. Imagine having to top up a Camaro with $8 a gallon gas, like most of the UK pays. There, the Camaro is a car reserved for the wealthy, but here in America even the average man can aspire to own a piece of automotive muscle.

It’s that time of year again when racing season kicks off and car shows start sprouting up all over the country. And adding to the plethora of events happening this season is Edelbrock’s 7^th Annual Rev’ved Up 4 Kids Car Show. If you’ve ever been to this event before, you know it plays host to an extensive range of show cars and much, much more. Check it out for the perfect start to your summer.

Edelbrock’s 7^th Annual Rev’ved Up 4 Kids Car Show will take place on Sunday May 6^th at Vic’s Garage in Torrance, California with all proceeds going to the Center for Learning Unlimited.

Just like in years past, the show will welcome all makes and models for the car show portion and will also play host to the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Build Regional competition. This competition challenges teams of area high school students to tear down and rebuild a Chevy small block engine in the shortest time possible.

The top teams to complete the Engine Build challenge will move on to the National Finals “Showdown at SEMA” competition that will take place in Las Vegas this fall at the annual Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show where they can win scholarships to top automotive colleges in the country.

The show will also feature live music from local bands, the Kids Corner with activities for the little ones, Hot Rod Radio LIVE with Denis Pittsenbarger as well as KABC talk radio with Leon Kaplan, a food festival and beer garden, an opportunity raffle, vendor midway and a chance to see George Barris “The King of Kustomizers” and his Batmobile.

In addition to all the happenings on Sunday, Edelbrock has also planned a full day of activities on Saturday May 5^th to help them celebrate their 75^th anniversary. Those who participate in Saturday’s events will get a chance to tour the Edelbrock shop, check out the “toy barn,” and bench race with some of the biggest names in the performance industry.

GM vehicles were out in full force at the 2011 Edelbrock Rev'ved Up 4 Kids event.

If you’re thinking about attending Edelbrock’s 7^th Annual Rev’ved Up 4 Kids Car Show, be sure to get your registration in soon. Not only will you save some money, but you’ll also get a guaranteed spot in one of the most fun car shows around.

The iPhone application breaks down MSD’s Wiring Diagrams and Tech Guide book into an easy to view mobile source for help. It features over 150 wiring diagrams and sets of instructions to make working on MSD components easier, and even gives you 25 different sections to browse through for convenience and easy access to the help you need. You can also set up a favorites list with the application which allows you to pick the MSD products you own so that you’re only getting the diagrams and instructions that you really need.

The dealer locater is also a great feature of the MSD mobile app. With this feature, users can get a list of official MSD Ignition dealers in their area. This will help you get the MSD parts you’re looking for quickly and easily for faster car projects.

The MSD mobile application can be downloaded for free through iTunes and the App Store. Be sure to watch for future updates for expanded application capabilities.

The Internet is full of many strange and wonderful places, though mostly “strange” more than “wonderful.” One of the cornerstones of Internet freedom is the fact that everybody is welcome to share themselves and their creativity with the world. This has allowed many people to share amazing, beautiful stories that inform, entertain, and tug at the heart strings.

But then there are the story tellers who just go for the “throw as much crazy crap in front of the camera as possible” method of film making. We’re pretty sure that’s what we have here in this next bizarre video, and since it takes place in a Camaro driving through Sao Paulo, Brazil, you get to share this madness with us.

Now maybe there are just some cultural boundaries at work here, so we’re just going to plead ignorance before we get into this. What we think is going on (we haven’t brushed up on our Portuguese lately) is that this is an elaborate commercial for Nova Schin beer. The driver in the Camaro has to make his way through Sao Paulo, Brazil, the largest city in South America, in a Chevy Camaro.

This is where things get weird. The driver has to contend with racing fans, hot women, a Rubic’s Cube, and even a masked wrestler en route to the finish line. It’s… weird. Like, really weird. And all for tickets to the next Sao Paulo Grand Prix. The music, the camera views, the masked wrestler… we don’t know what to make of it. But at least it has a Camaro in it, right?

We live in a world driven by history, so much so that there are whole channels devoted to it on television and we fill our heads with more information than we’ll ever need to know about medieval armor, quilting, how pencil manufacturing has changed over the years. We set out on a journey back in time to find out more history on the most famous manufacturer of the box of controlled fuel leaks that’s better known as a carburetor. That company is none other than Holley!

We gathered information from books, performance industry know-it-alls, and the web and packaged it up into a great little timeline that starts with the earliest Holley carburetors in 1903 until today, almost 110 years later in 2012.

George Malvin Holley - and his brother Earl - started a carburetor company that would grow into one of the most iconic in hot rodding.

Holley has built many different forms of carburetors for many of the OE’s, enough that we can’t begin to fit them all into this history lesson, so we’ll stick to their carburetors more relevant to hot rodders. You’ll also notice that we included a list of some of our favorite Holley carbs of all time.

Historical Holleys

Holley has been manufacturing fuel system components since 1903, and since then have produced over 250,000,000 carburetors.

In the Original Equipment (OE) realm, their carburetors have powered Henry Ford’s Model A to the fastest muscle cars of the 1960s and beyond. In the performance world they’ve fed fuel to the fastest carbureted vehicles on the planet.

Teenage brothers George and Earl Holley started making patterns and castings back in the late 1800’s. First, making a 1-cylinder engine and then a 3-wheeled vehicle to put it in. They produced a 4-wheeled vehicle called the Holley Motorette and started the Holley Motor Company.

The Holley brothers listened to the suggestion of the very smart and successful Henry Ford and turned their focus on making carburetors in 1903. This turned out to be a great business decision for Holley and Ford Motor Company. The Holley brothers became known as industry leaders in automotive fuel systems.

One of Holley's earliest carburetors; the brand would go on to become synonymous with performance air and fuel induction.

This relationship was recognized recently, as Ford Motor Company commemorated Holley as one of the original four parts suppliers that are still doing business together with for over 100 years.

In 1938, Henry Ford had decided to replace the inefficient Stromberg 97 carburetor that was OE on the Fords since 1934. Carb manufacturer Chandler-Groves had made a contract with Henry Ford to design and supply a more efficient carburetor for one-year and in return Ford would hold all patent rights.

The Chandler Groves 94 carburetor (named for its .94-inch venturi’s) was a success. At the end of the one-year contract, Ford wanted to save some money and took the blueprints to Holley…who bid the job for ten cents less per unit.

Vintage carburetor guru and author, Jere Jobe compared the Stromberg 97 (popular with the vintage hot rodders), with the Holley 94. He states, “The 94 was ultimately designed to be a more efficient replacement for the Stromberg 97.”

It doesn’t look like it, but this Model 2140 is a four-barrel carburetor. This was the first one for Holley starting in 1953. The design with the float bowl hovering over the throttle body was nicknamed the “teapot.”

With the differences in design, Jobe pointed out, “Both brands of carbs perform differently at different RPM ranges but are very close to performing equally as individual carburetors and the Holley 94 is much better in multiple carb setups, but some old intake manifolds don’t have spacing for the larger Holley 94 fuel bowls.”

He also says the 94s were such a success that Holley supplied Ford with 94s until the end of 1957 of which there were 17 different versions.

Behold The Birth of The Four-Barrel

In 1953, Holley produced its first four-barrel carburetor with Model 2140. It followed a similarly designed two-barrel (Model 1901) introduced in 1952. These carbs were nicknamed “teapot” carburetors.

The bottom portion of the carb was essentially the main throttle body and the top portion of the carburetor is the float bowl assembly which fed fuel from above.

In 1957, Holley hit a home run when they released the Model 4150 on the 1957 Ford Thunderbird. It had two metering blocks, one for the primary and one for the secondary circuit.

Both blocks accept replaceable fuel jets for fine tuning. It also had a single fuel inlet with a fuel transfer tube to the rear fuel bowl.

Maintaining the 2140 was expectantly easy, but quite the jump from previous dual-barrel carbs.

The legendary Smokey Yunick is credited with slapdashing-together the first 850cfm Holley carb.

Smokey Said It

While we were collecting history on carburetors, we spoke to Trish Yunick about her father, Smokey Yunick and his involvement with Holley. She shared details from his book, “Best Damn Garage in Town” about how he had a hand in the ‘60s updated design of the 4150, the 3310.

She stated, “In 1962, Smokey was doing some consulting work for Pontiac. For the project, he told them they needed a big 850 carburetor and that he had already talked to Carter, Holley, and Rochester.

The manufacturers told him that they didn’t need one that big, so Smokey and buddy Ralph Johnson cobbled an old Holley truck carb into an 850 cfm unit that was mostly Bondo with aluminum and pot metal. It wasn’t spectacular on the limited dyno tests, so Pontiac passed on it.”

Trish continued, “A little bit later Bunky Knudsen, a big wig from Chevy called Smokey and asked if they could “look at” [the cobbled carb], so Smokey sent it to them. Then, three months later Smokey received a call from Knudsen, who told my father that they made a deal with Holley to build the 850.”

In 1965, the new list number 3310 (a model 4150 carb), made its smash debut on the 375-horsepower 396ci engine that came in the 1965 Z-16 Chevelle. It only lasted for one year as an OE production carburetor, but it had been such a huge success as a performance carburetor that Holley released it as an aftermarket carburetor in 1966, available to the masses.

The 3310 started out as a 4150 model with primary and secondary metering blocks and in the 1970s, Holley changed it to a 4160 model with a secondary metering plate. Since the 4160′s introduction, it has been one of Holley’s best selling carburetors and has been listed in Hot Rod Magazine’s Hot Rod Speed Parts Hall of Fame as one of top 10 speed parts ever produced that have had a significant impact on hot rodding as we know it.

The 4150 four-barrel Holley became the go-to carb for Detroit automakers. Performance enthusiasts could find these carburetors on nearly all the big legends from the '60s and '70s.

The biggest changes to the 4150 were the increased cfm, the new fuel bowls with externally adjustable center-hung fuel floats, and dual-feed fuel inlets.

The float regulates how much fuel is in the float bowl by operating the needle and seat, which allows fuel to flow into the bowl. There are two basic float designs for Holley carburetors; center-hung and side-hung. Center-hung floats pivot from the center of the bowl.

The 4150 was first found on the now legendary Z-16 '65 Chevelle which touted a stout 396 making closer to 400hp than its advertised rating.

The side-hung float hangs on the side of the float bowl and pivot point location makes it more susceptible to fuel slosh and fuel starvation when driving cars faster than they were meant to be, so higher performance Holley carburetors use center-hung floats.

Truck applications that do more incline and climbing maneuvers typically operate better with side-hung floats.

The benefit of dual-feed fuel inlets is the increased amount of fuel fed to the carburetor on high performance applications. A single inlet to a carb with a transfer-tube delivering fuel to the secondary fuel bowl can have problems feeding enough fuel for larger cubic inch performance applications sustaining high-RPM for longer periods of time.

Never one to let bygones be bygones, Mopar employed Holley's multi-carburetion techniques for the venerable 'Six-Pack' six-barrel carb setups found on the Super Bees and Road Runners.

Enter The Factory Mulit-Carbs And Dominators

In 1967, Holley released the performance Model 2300 two-barrel carburetors for the triple-carbureted “Tri Power” fuel system for the 1967 Chevrolet 427 Corvette. These carburetors also went on to be used as “Six Pack” multi-carb setups for Chryslers.

Ford fielded a stellar factory team in 1969 with drivers (clockwise) David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Richard Petty, LeeRoy Yarbrough and Donnie Allison. Pearson's #17 Holman-Moody Ford was used for this publicity shot.

In 1968, Holley was working with Ford on production of a new carburetor designed to fill the requirements of extra-thirsty racing cars.

Ford was operating their Total Performance campaign of domination of world motorsports venues around the world between 1962 and 1970 and in 1969, the Holley 4500 was a key player in making that happen. The cars equipped with the 4500s were for racing in NASCAR and in SCCA (Trans-Am)…cars with high horsepower and high-winding racing engines.

Bobby Writesman of Holley said, “The biggest day for the Holley 4500 carburetor was when it hit the track at the Daytona 500 on February 23, 1969 on Lee Roy Yarbrough’s ’69 Torino Cobra.” He went on to say, “Lee Roy’s Torino broke the track record by 7 mph at 157.95 mph and for 1969, the 4500 went on to break records and win races for Cale Yarborough, Al Unser, Parneli Jones, Richard Petty, and more.”

The carbs were so sought after by professional racers and production was low enough that they were not to be released to the public until after January 1970.

The 4500 had no name, but was being called the “Mystery Carb” when it first came out at Daytona and some were calling it the “Elephant Carb.” Holley wanted a better name, so they ran a “Name the Carb Contest.” You had to send in your best suggestions by November 15, 1969.

Strides in superior carburetion were found on the big track - particularly with Lee Roy Yarbrough and his Cobra Jet Torinos - against the might winged Mopars.

The advertisement stated, “The winner will be flown to the 1970 Winternationals at Pomona to receive a Holley 4500 carburetor identical to the one on Lee Roy Yarbrough’s winning car at the Daytona 500.”

We’re not sure who won the naming contest, but we love the well-deserved chosen name of Dominator.

In 1971, Holley introduced the Model 4165/4175 spread-bore carburetors designed to be a better performing replacement for the factory installed Quadra-Jet. The spread-bore design allowed the 4165/4175 Holley to bolt directly into place without an adapter.

Fixing Yesterday’s Mistakes

In 1992, Holley figured out how to fix an age-old power valve design flaw. Since the beginning of the 2300, 4150, 4160, 4165, and 4175 model production, there had been a common problem of blowing the power valves. If your engine backfired through the carburetor, the powerful surge of air through the passages would typically break the power valve diaphragm.

In 1992 Holley figured out a way to keep this from happening by adding a spring-loaded check ball in the power valve passage. All power valve-equipped Holleys produced since 1992 come factory-equipped with this power valve protection. They also sell retrofit kits (PN:125-500) for about $20 to modify pre-’92 Holley carbs.

In 1993, Holley introduced its HP Pro Series race-ready carburetors. A few of the features Dominator-specific features finally end up being incorporated into a Model 4150 carb; like fuel bowls with left and right fuel line attachments, contoured venturi inlet, and screw-in (changeable air bleeds).

In 2009, the HP Series Street Avenger and Double Pumper carburetors hit the scene. Made with cast aluminum bodies with billet metering blocks and base plates, their lightweight configuration reduce weight a whopping five pounds.

In 2011, Holley released a new aluminum Ultra HP 4150 Series carb with a total of 30 new improved features, which is five pounds lighter that previous 4150s and has larger 1.6-inch venturis. Bill Tichenor, Director of Marketing for Holley said that as engines get bigger, “Holley is responding with bigger carbs.”

Other new updates are 20 percent more fuel capacity in the fuel bowls, jet placement, anti-slosh baffles, and air bleed designs. Bill also stated, “Technology is allowing racers to monitor engines a lot closer, which allows for better fine-tuning” and the new carbs are giving better results.

We hope you enjoyed the history lesson. Too bad they didn’t teach all this to us in school, we may have paid a little more attention in class! Now check out our Top 10 Favorite Holleys of all time!

Rod Authority Top 10 Favorite Carbs

94

We have to start with the coolest looking nostalgia carburetor. The Holley 94. A lot of them were produced between 1939 and 1957, so they have been plentiful over the years with traditional hot rodders, but are getting harder to find. Even though they don’t run as great as the newer carbs, the can run great with some modern tweaks. Plus they are necessary to carry out the correct look on top of a flathead.

Why It’s Cool: If you’ve ever seen a vintage ‘rod running a wickedly-induced flathead Ford, you can betcha it was wearing a handful of these babies.

Inboard (center) carb is 350 cfm and the outboard (front and rear) carbs are 350 (or 500 depending on year and model) cfm.

2300

The famous two-barrel carbs that make up the Six-Pack and Tri-Power setups made the list. The performance versions of the 2300 have the center-hung float bowls. They almost look like a Model 4150 cut in half.

With a whopping 1050 (or 1350) cfm they laid waste to a lot of rubber and have been popular swaps, but have been somewhat hard to find until recently when Holley started reproducing them and they are very close to the original units.

Why It’s Cool: Seriously? If we have to explain why triple deuces are cool, you need to turn in you car lover card right here and now. Big league hitters like the GTO and the cartoonish Mopar twins ran these bad boys.

0-1850C & 0-80457S

This is one of the most basic 600 cfm four-barrel Model 4160 carburetors you can get for a stock to mild small-block.

It comes with a manual choke and universal jets, power valve, and non-adjustable (without an additional kit) vacuum secondaries.

It has a single feed inlet, three vacuum ports, and standard Dichromate finish. This one has no frills and is a great starter carb. The 0-80457S 600 cfm carb is basically the same as the 0-1850C but it has an electric choke function with a great looking polished finish.

Why It’s Cool: Just because these two aren’t all that sexy, it does earn some serious brownie points for being utilitarian. It’s the 0-1850C and the 0-80457S that helped establish Holley as the “everyman’s carburetor.”

4175

Here’s a Model 4175 650 cfm Spread Bore carburetor designed to be a legal universal replacement for Rochester carburetors without the need for a typical adapter plate for factory and aftermarket Spread Bore intake manifolds.

Why It’s Cool: It might not look that intimidating, but it was this dynamo that powered some of the mightiest FE-powered big block Blue Ovals on the road. Steve McQueen would approve.

0-80670

This Model 4150 Street Avenger 670 cfm carburetor is the perfect size for serious high performance street engines. The vacuum secondaries and electric choke make it perfect for the street.

It comes equipped with a quick-change adjustable vacuum secondary cover, four vacuum ports, externally adjustable needle and seat, clear sight windows, street performance tuned metering blocks, provisions for automatic transmission attachments, and shiny zinc plating.

Why It’s Cool: When people started taking the fight to the streets (like they weren’t already!), the first Holley Street Avenger was the veritable switch blade knife in the street fighter’s back pocket. A perfect combination of street manners and in-your-face fuel-and-air delivery made the 0-80670 a winner in everybody’s book.

0-4777S & 0-4779S

Model 4150 Double Pumpers are cool. This one is 650 cfm and is perfect for hot street and strip small blocks with manual transmissions or automatics with a high stall converter and/or low gears that see higher RPM on a regular basis. It’s a bare bones performance carb that features mechanical secondaries, manual choke, two-corner idle adjustments, dual feed fuel bowls, screw-in sight plugs, center-hung floats, and shiny zinc coating.

The 0-4779S Double Pumper is the same as the 0-4777S, but this one is 750 cfm for bigger engines running at higher RPM. This carb has one additional feature, it comes with 4-corner idle adjustment for more precise idle circuit tuning.

Why It’s Cool: We’ve got three words for you: Holley Double Pumper. Doesn’t that just send shivers down your spine? While four-barrels had been around a while, Holley’s double pumpers were new to the scene, and did the 4150 ever make a splash…and it seemed like Detroit knew the score as well. Big block Corvettes? Had ‘em. BOSS Mustangs? Ditto. Super Sport Chevelles? You betcha.

0-80511-1

This Model 4150 HP Series racing carburetor is an 830 cfm unit that’s great for high-winding circle track small blocks. It features annular boosters, notched floats, jet extensions, Dominator fuel bowls with fuel inlets on the left and right side, 4-corner idle adjustments, race calibrated metering blocks, and contoured venturi inlet for smooth air flow.

Why It’s Cool: It’s the carb loved by racers – be ‘em NASCAR or circle track racers. Considering that, this carb features all the quick-to-tune features enjoyed by racers and street machine drivers alike. Plus, including quite a few big boy tricks of the Dominator, this sucker is a real winner.

0-8082-1

Dominator carburetors are the top of the food chain when it comes to drag racing carburetors for thirsty engines that require lots of fuel in a hurry. The 8082 is one of the smaller versions and is rated at 1050 cfm. The fuel bowls have inlets for right or left-mounted fuel lines, dual 50cc accelerator pumps, reduced turbulence contoured Venturii inlet, screw-in air bleeds for precision tuning, high-flow racing metering blocks, large annular boosters, and vibration resistant construction.

Why It’s Cool: “What’s in a name?” the poet once said. Well, if there was ever a more aptly named anything we haven’t seen it. The Dominator truly dominates.

Picking the right clutch can seem daunting due to all the clutches out there to choose from. But, just knowing a few key pieces of information about your car can help

To start with, you need to consider the realistic use you plan for the car, how much the car weighs, and the power output of the engine. These three factors will help you determine which clutch will give you enough holding capacity and the right amount of streetability.

The wrong clutch can be pretty hard to live with every day on the street. Baty says, “If you pick a clutch that isn’t right for your car, it will slip, chatter, or even  do both. We see and hear it both ways. It’s always important to talk to the clutch manufacturer and let them know the overall intended use and how the vehicle is set up for them to help you make the right clutch choice. No one knows the product better than the manufacturer.”

As the pressure plate spins faster, these square weights try to slide down the diaphragm fingers thanks to centrifugal force, and actually increase the clutch's clamping force.

With Centerforce’s clutches, you are getting not one, but two patented technologies built right into your street clutch, whether it be the stock replacement Centerforce 1, or Centerforce 2 for upgraded performance. Baty tells us, “Our weight system works in conjunction with the engine’s RPM. As the RPM increases, the weights pull up on the diaphragm thanks to centrifugal force, and apply more clamping force, which squeezes the disc tighter and tighter. The ball bearing technology replaces the standard fulcrum point on the pressure ring, giving us the ability to reduce internal friction while at the same time moving the fulcrum point to increase clamp load and helping add to the clutch’s life.” If you step up to Centerforce’s Dual Friction clutch, you’ll actually be getting three patented technologies helping you shift gears. (Check out the video for more info.)

Well, you’ve made it to your senior year, and in the upcoming fifth and final episode of Centerforce University, we will discuss clutches designed for maximum performance and racing. Stay tuned!

The ball-bearing fulcrums inside Centerforce's pressure plates decrease internal friction, and help give you a normal pedal feel even with high torque capacity clutches.

Building a racing fuel system for a naturally aspirated engine – in the sub 10-second range in the quarter-mile on nothing but good old natural atmosphere – can be a challenge. When your power plant is going to be quite self-reliant, that means no turbo, no blower, no nitrous, it’s motivation down the track will come only from whatever air and fuel it can manage to ingest in for itself. That makes fueling a critical part of the equation.

Recently with one of our race projects, we knew we would a need stout fuel pump and a reliable pressure regulator, along with some big lines and precision fittings to tie the fuel system together. To provide these vital components we turned to two trusted names in fuel systems today – MagnaFuel and Earl’s Fittings.

To further cut down on weight, we went with a small 1.5 gallon fuel cell mounted right in the trunk for easy access.

For safety, we installed a roll-over tube on top of the fuel cell. If the car should flip, the roll-over tube creates a low pressure area to keep the fuel from spilling out of the tank. You can also see where we made our hole in the trunk floor to run the fuel line to engine bay.

Going “QuickStar”

After talking to the experts at MagnaFuel, we decided to build our system around MagnaFuel’s QuickStar 300 fuel pump for high horsepower carbureted engines (part number MP-4650). Rated at 950 horsepower at 25 PSI in naturally aspirated applications running pump gas, the QuickStar 300 is a perfect match to help us meet our lofty 9-second goals. Of course there are several steps higher in the MagnaFuel performance ladder that we could have gone, but the QuickStar 300 will still leave us a bit of room to grow if we need it.

Here's the QuickStar 300 mounted in the trunk. The silver canister on the suction side of the assembly is the built-in pre-filter. The black line running straight up is the fuel return line, which makes installation much easier since we don't have to run two lines the full length of the car.

To get more info on the QuickStar 300, we called up Rob Ward, Tech Expert at MagnaFuel. “The Quickstar 300 is rated from 950 to 1,000 horsepower on gasoline, and you can run it continuously for up to an hour and a half. A cool feature is that the fuel pressure the pump produces can be adjusted from 25 to 36 PSI to help with fine tuning. You also can get the Quickstar fuel pumps with or without a built in pre-filter, which has a cleanable element that can be taken out, cleaned and reinstalled, so there’s no need to search for a replacement element when it needs cleaned.” Ward explains.

As many of you may already know, it’s always best to use a return style fuel system, regardless of whether or not you are using a carburetor or EFI. Ward tells us, “On Magnafuel’s fuel pumps for carburetors, there are fuel by-passes built right into the pump, meaning you can use a dead-head type regulator, saving you from having to run two lines the full length of the car. The returned fuel leaves the pump and is sent right back to the tank.”

Ward continues, “The Quickstar needs to be mounted close to the fuel cell or tank because they are a pusher type pump, but it still has an incredible amount of suction. So the Quickstar can be mounted as high as 12 inches above the liquid level, since it doesn’t absolutely have to be gravity fed. Gravity fed is still always best, and is better for the pump, but in some cars you don’t have as much flexibility in where you can mount the pump. For example, if you need to use a stock type tank, mounted below your trunk floor, and you want to put the pump in the trunk, you’re going to have to be able to pull fuel up, and the Quickstar can do that. You just have to keep the line from the tank to the pump to a length of 3 feet or shorter.”

Feeling the Pressure

To bring down the 25 plus PSI the QuickStar 300 produces down to a useable level with our carburetor, we also picked up one of Magnafuel’s Hi-Flo regulators for carb applications (part number MP-9833). The MP-9833 is a large two port design that can be adjusted from 4 to 12 PSI, and support engines producing in excess of 1,600 horsepower. And since we will be going straight N/A, our MP-9833 doesn’t have 1:1 boost referencing. This regulator should be just what we need to keep steady and reliable fuel pressure on our carbed LSX.

Since we needed to bring down the fuel pressure about 20 psi before it makes it to the carb, we needed a dead-solid fuel pressure regulator. We went with MagnaFuel's MP-9833 two port regulator for high horsepower N/A carb'ed applications.

Plumbing: A Heavy Issue

To tie everything together, and carry the fuel to feed our 800 horsepower fire we looked to the experts at Earl’s Performance Plumbing. Originally, we were going to use braided stainless lines and standard reusable threaded AN fittings, but since this project is going to be a dedicated drag car, we wanted to save as much weight as possible anywhere we could, and Earl’s had just what we needed.

Earl’s Pro-Lite 350 nylon braided hose offers the same benefits as using a stainless braided hose, but weighs only about half of what an equivalent braided stainless hose does. On the fittings end of things we went with Earl’s Ano-Tuff Auto-Crimp hose ends, which are designed to live up to their name in harsh conditions and offer a bit of weight savings as well.

For fittings we used Earl's light weight Ano-Tuff Auto-Crimp fittings. These fittings aren't reusable, but they do offer a bit of weight savings since they have fewer parts than regular fittings. For hose, we really went looking to cut some weight and used Earl's Pro-Lite 350 hose, which is nylon braided instead of heavy stainless.

Since the Auto-Crimp fittings don't just screw together, "Mr. Parker" is here to give you a hand. This is the crimping tool you will need to assemble Auto-Crimp fittings, which is available from Earl's. Now don't go getting all scared on us. Having to use a special tool can be a bit intimidating, but like most jobs, once you have the right tool the job is very easy. Our shop guys commented that assembling the Ano-Tuff Auto-Crimp fittings was actually easier than many of the reusable threaded fittings they've had to deal with.

The Auto-Crimp fittings are really easy to put together, and combined with the nylon braided Pro-Lite 350 hose, are a great way to save a decent bit of weight.

Kevin Cochran, Sales and Product Manager at Earl’s tells us, “The Pro-Lite 350 hose can be used with Fuel, Oil, Water and Air, and is designed to be used in medium pressure (350PSI) and medium heat (300F) environments. It is easy to assemble, has low abrasion, with great flexibility.”

“The Auto-Crimp hose ends can be used anywhere the Pro-Lite 350 hose can be used. With their MIL SPEC hard anodizing it helps the hose end last much longer over traditional Brite-Dipped ends in extreme environments, such as salt water marine applications and cars running corrosive fuels, like alcohol.”

“The Ano-Tuff hard anodizing also helps to extend the life of a threaded piece tremendously, protecting the threads by adding an extra layer of structural integrity to them. It makes it harder to gall or cross-thread your fittings so they will last longer. These are important features if you are always working on your car and removing the hoses and fittings. You may pay more up front, but they will last longer and perform more dependably in the long run.” Cochran explains.

Since our main reason for going with these specific fittings and hose is to save weight, we asked Cochran just how much weight the typical race car might save by going with the Pro-Lite 350 hose and Ano-Tuff Auto-Crimp fittings. He had this to say: “An average race car could save 5 to 15 pounds, or even more depending on how extensively they used the nylon hose throughout the car. Just for example a 24 inch length of -10 size Perform-O-Flex Stainless Steel hose with two 90 degree AT Swivel Seal hose ends weighs 10.4 ounces. A -10 Pro-Lite 350 Nylon hose 24 inches in length, with two 90 degree AT Auto-Crimp hose ends only weighs 4.8 ounces.”

“The majority of the weight savings comes from the removal of the stainless armoring for the nylon braid, but the Auto-Crimp hose ends also have fewer components than removables. So even more weight savings is gained by using them with the Pro-Lite 350 hose.” Cochran says.

We routed the Pro-Lite hose from the trunk along the side of the wheel well. This is just one example of how much easier it is to plumb a stripped down race car, where you can pretty much pick whatever route is best; versus plumbing a street car where you have to go around obstacles all over the place.

General Advice on Plumbing

Cochran also offered us some advice on plumbing a race car in general. He tells us, “When you are running your lines, you need to let the hose end route the hose, not just use straight hose ends and bend the hose. This is the reason we offer so many different degree bends. Hose is for taking fluid from point A to point B without getting it on the ground. The safest, most efficient way is a straight line, so use the different angles of the hose ends to accomplish this.”

“There is also no specific time to hose longevity, but things such as quality, routing and maintenance can dramatically increase the life of the hose. Compare hose in your fuel system to a climber’s rope. The rope might look fine after 10 assent/descents of usage, but it has been cycled over and over from taunt to slack. It constantly is being weakened. Same with the hose on your race vehicle, hose does not last a lifetime. You need to regularly check and replace your hose when necessary, especially the plumbing for the fuel system.” he added.

Cochran was also kind enough to share with us the most common plumbing mistakes they see, in this “The Seven Sins of Plumbing”:

1. Leaving insufficient clearance between each hose end and anything that it might be able to contact or vibrate against.
2. Allowing a hose to come into contact with a sharp corner, a nut, a bolt, a rivet stem or anything else that is not smooth.
3. Allowing a hose to rub on anything – even a flat smooth surface.
4. Kinking the hose, either by bending it too tightly or by placing the hose in a torsional bind.
5. Over tightening the hose ends onto their adapter fittings or into the ports.
6. Stretching the hose or not allowing enough room for flex (cycling).
7. Allowing things to hang by their hoses. Especially brake lines.

When you are plumbing any car, you want to avoid sources of heat (like the exhaust) as well as any moving parts or sharp edges that might snag your hose. You also want to avoid creating any drastic bends in the hose.

To get the line into the engine bay, we cut another hole in the inner fender well, and covered it with plastic sheathing to protect the line from getting cut on the metal.

We found the most logical location to mount the FPR, and made sure we left ourselves enough room to run the two feed lines to each side of the carb.

Once you get everything plumbed and in place, you're ready to wire up your pump. Magnafuel sends all the necessary wiring to wire in the pump, and it’s just a simple three-wire hook up with a power, ground and an ignition connection. Regular 12 volt power sources will work, and they include an inline fuse and other goodies to make wiring simple. We used a relay kit from MagnaFuel, but they tell us that you don't necessarily have to use one if you don't wish to.

Luckily famed differential makers Eaton have put together a video offering an exploded look at their Truetrac limited-slip differential, a helical gear-type limited slip differential that is low on maintenance but big on performance.

The Detroit Truetrac was the first helical gear differential ever introduced into the automotive aftermarket as an Eaton brand. It remains one of the leading helical gear-type limited slip differential in the industry. Detroit Truetrac’s proven helical gear design eliminates the need for wearable parts, resulting in maintenance free traction recognized not only for its toughness, but its smooth and quiet operation as well.

You might be asking “What is a helical-gear setup?” It is a V-patterned gear, difficult to manufacture but incredibly tough, eliminating the need for differential maintenance. The wear-free gears can handle tremendous amounts of horsepower, while also properly shifting traction between the rear tires to ensure the optimum amount of grip.

For us, seeing an exploded view of a complicated part like the differential really helps us grasp just what is going on in our cars. It can be hard to explain how certain parts work without visual aids like this video, but thanks to Eaton we’ve got a better idea of what is going on.

• Smooth operation
• Performs open until needed
• Fully automatic limited slip

From 1991-93, the S-10 based GMC Syclone and Typhoon were among the first attempts at stuffing a late-model, performance drivetrain into a truck chassis. These small but potent trucks sported all-wheel drive and a turbo. Challenge one of these bad little trucks from a dig and you were up against a losing battle, but this of course was relative to the times.

Since then, much better performance platforms have come along. When the LS engine series was first introduced in 1997, it revolutionized the small-block, V8 tech and design in the world of GM performance.

The reason is because it established a sweet balance between raceability and driveability. There are many technical and engineering features of the LS mill’s construction that set it apart from the conventional, small block V8.

Among these are O2 sensors in place of a traditional carburetor, variable cam/crank timing, relay packs in place of a traditional coil distributor and a 6-bolt crankshaft in place of the small block’s 4-bolt. All of these have combined to make the LS engine not only one of the General’s best-running, but also one of their most durable motor series to date.

The truck that is burning out in this featured video features GM’s stout LS3, the motor that replaced the LS2 while still maintaining the Gen IV small block’s basic architecture. Even in this old C10 pickup, the modern motor still holds up. And it’s no wonder; with an all-aluminum design, factory heads that are unlike any other and a bullletproof bottom end, the LS is the mill of choice for nearly any, full-size pickup!

In the case of this ’79 C10, the LS3 motor makes it into a utility truck that rips just as violently as even the most built muscle cars on the block, almost to the point of tweaking the truck’s bed and cab sideways. At one point, the truck even creates enough smoke to reduce the visibility for what seems like miles around it. There is definitely enough torque from the LS3 mill to break the truck clean off of the ground.

One of the things that we like the most about listening to LS motors run in any kind of application is that they’re smooth yet accurate, “bouncing” in a way off of the factory rev limiter that no small-block ever has. The LS in this late-’70s pickup does just this, and it’s like mechanical music to listen to the rev limiter try hard to restrain the LS3′s unbridled horses. We think you’ll agree, it all makes for a wild ride.

Official Release:

NEW LOOK FOR VP’S 5-GALLON PAILS

Same Great Fuel, While New Design Complements Marketing Platform

SAN ANTONIO, TX : Customers familiar with the blue 5-gallon pails distributed by VP Racing Fuels for more than 20 years will soon see their orders filled with a newly designed pail that has undergone a significant makeover. “Our traditional 5-gallon pails served us well with a quality and look driven by functionality,” said Steve Scheidker, VP ‘s Director of Marketing. “They came to be synonymous with VP’s no nonsense approach to quality. However, we concluded it was time to upgrade the pails’ look to support our current brand positioning and better complement the advanced performance characteristics of the fuels they contain.”

“First, the new pails incorporate VP’s current tagline, ‘MAKIN’ POWER!’ and have an unconventional, edgy look in keeping with VP’s position on the leading edge of race fuel technology and our unbridled passion to stay there,” Scheidker added. “This attitude will carry over into our national rollout of VP-branded retail gas stations and C-stores where dealers and customers will be reminded that unlike traditional refiners, VP is not a conservative ‘oil company,’ but rather an unconstrained ‘performance company’ willing to push the edge of the envelope.”

“In addition, the new pail design includes images representative of the wide variety of motorsports VP supports with the best quality performance fuels. This will serve to remind customers of VP’s broad experience in race fuel technology and how adept VP is in transferring technology from one segment to another to yield ever-improving performance across all racing applications.”

“Given that these pails are sold into every segment of motorsports and can be found in pits and garages throughout North America and around the world, they actually serve as ‘billboards’ for our brand,” Scheidker continued. “It only makes sense to leverage that exposure to convey our key branding messages.”

“We’ve received nothing but positive reactions from our dealers who have seen the new pails and anticipate it will only enhance their ability to market VP’s products,” Scheidker concluded. “Importantly, the new pail design will have no impact on the price of our fuels and, of course, the quality of the pails’ contents will remain unsurpassed. We’re confident all our customers will embrace the new design and see it as the perfect container for their fuel of choice.”

VP Racing Fuels is the leader in race fuel technology, with a well-earned reputation for superior power and performance. VP is the Official Fuel of National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Championship Drag Racing, American Le Mans, World of Outlaws, AMA Supercross and Rally America among nearly 60 VP-sponsored racing series.

In addition to racing fuels, VP’s product line includes SEF Small Engine Fuels for 2- and 4-cycle portable gas-powered tools and PowerMaster hobby fuels for R/C racing. More information is available online at VPRacingFuels.com, SEFfuels.com or PowerMasterFuels.com.

Highlights:

• Features the ‘MAKIN’ POWER!’ tagline
• New edgy look goes along with VP’s position on the leading edge of race fuel technology
• Launch of the new pail goes hand-in-hand with the launch of VP gas stations and C-stores
• Features images of all motorsport genres
• Acts as a billboard for the company
• There will be no price difference when the new pails are released

Photo: Black Hills Camaro Club

For those looking for a summer road trip destination, the 2^nd Annual Sturgis Camaro Rally is certain to be a memorable weekend for all those involved. Taking place in the Black Hills of South Dakota, the Camaro Rally will draw numerous Chevy fans to Sturgis on June 29 through July 1, 2012 for what will be an action packed weekend.

Sturgis is known worldwide for annual Motorcycle Rally that draws thousands and thousands of bikes, bikers and aficionados to the Black Hills of South Dakota. Like the Motorcycle Rally, the Camaro Rally will feature a variety of events for participants including drag racing, a swap meet, poker run and a show & shine. Kicking off the event on Friday, participants will be invited to take part in a poker run followed by a Camaro Mixer at the Knuckle Saloon.

Saturday morning will start off the Loud American Show and Shine, where this multi generational gathering of Camaros will be on display for the judges. At the conclusion of the car show, the drag racing crowd will be thrilled to take on the Sturgis Dragway to partake in some smokey burnouts and high-octane excitement. Sunday will mark the end of the rally, but it features another poker run and cruise through the picturesque Black Hills, followed by an awards ceremony. For those interested in taking part the 2^nd Annual Sturgis Camaro Rally the Black Hills Camaro Club has all of the information on their website along with preregistration information and pricing.

We can’t say for sure, but if the cautionary tale of Brazilian-born model Sheyla Hershey (above) is any indicator, the Mustang might not be the safe sports coupe women want. The New York Post reported that Hershey, who crashed her car on Super Bowl Sunday, credited not the Mustang, but her size 38KKK breasts, with saving her life.

The 32-year old Brazilian-housewife-turned-Houston-boob-model was driving home last Sunday when she got into a nasty accident. Hershey, who keeps a video blog on YouTube, credits not the Mustang, but her huge breasts for absorbing most of the impact, saying;

“My implants saved my life, my breasts are very sore and I have some scratches on them but I know I would have been badly hurt without them because they are very close to the steering wheel.”

Sheyla, who was not wearing her seatbelt (wonder why…) was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving, though she denies the charges. While Sheyla can hardly be called the “average housewife,” one must wonder… is the Mustang still the woman’s sports car of choice? Perhaps now more of them will take a second look at the Chevy Camaro…

The nice fella from Road and Track says in the video, “It’s very difficult to get the GT-R sideways, whereas the ZL1 will do it if you look at it funny. So on our track test, the ZL1 was a bit of a handful, and it definitely took a lot more effort to drive fast. But it was far more rewarding. The GT-R on the other hand, just understeered and drove like a video game: on throttle, off throttle, squeeze a paddle here squeeze a paddle there.”

That doesn’t sound too bad at all for the ol’ ZL1. However, the GT-R was 2.8 seconds faster around Indy Motorsports Ranch’s road course, but as Road and Track pointed out, for the extra $40,000 you’d have to spend on it, it had better be faster than the less expensive ZL1. In the end, even though the GT-R is more of a track monster, the Road & Track crew unanimously deemed the ZL1 to be the superior daily driver. That’s not a bad thing; let’s not forget that the ZL1 would be a 580 horsepower daily driver that can rip off high 11’s in the right hands. Yeah, we’ll take that kind of daily driver, and pocket that extra $40,000 we saved by not getting the GT-R.

On top of each of the cars is a potential communications consumer sitting in a recliner in front the frame of a HD television set; basically Shaw Exo picture is so great it is on par with being in midst of action in the comfort of one’s own living room.  Starting off the commercial are a bunch of shady characters making some sort of illicit deal when police sirens blare and the these characters run from law enforcement. As the camera angle widens viewers are treated to one of the strangest car chases to ever grace a television commercial.

Of course the disclaimer across the bottom of the screen advises viewers, “This is a dramatization only. Professional driver/stunt actor on closed road. Do not attempt.” Sure, you should not attempt attach a recliner to a CTS-V and attempt to ditch the cops in real life, but it makes for a great commercial. It also proves that the CTS-V plenty capable of out performing the Crown Victoria Police Interceptors, not that we are advising anyone to attempt to test this hypothesis…

The Corvette Z06 Carbon Edition is a bad, bad car – and we mean that in a good way. Even stock, these things are just a few ticks behind the top-dog ZR1 at the track in spite of having quite a bit less power, all thanks to handling goodies like magnetic ride control and the same brakes as the ZR1. It truly is a spectacular car even in stock form.

But now, the boost experts at ProCharger have the honor of saying that they are among the first to add a big ole helping of supercharger induced boost to the feared and respected Z06 Carbon Edition. In a recent post on their website, ProCharger tells us that they got their hands on one of the 500 Carbon Z06’s, which happens to be owned by an un-named professional football player. ProCharger just simply did what they do best with the car – adding a P-1SC-1 centrifugal supercharger, air-to-air intercooler, and a few supporting mods like headers for a simple but effective combo. ProCharger says that at a mere 5 PSI of boost, the new ProCharger really woke the LS7 up, making an astonishing 703 horsepower and 638 pound feet of torque.

When the yet-to-be named NFL player drove his car after the ProCharger install, he was quoted as saying, “This is stupid fast!” We plan to keep an eye out for more info on this sweet Carbon Z06, so stay tuned!

UPDATE: Thanks to one of our readers, Chad Hall, we now know that this ProCharged Carbon Z06 belongs to New Orleans Saints kicker, Garrett Hartley. Thanks for the info Chad!

Images: General Motors

You’ve heard it over and over- the ‘12 Camaro ZL1 is almost here! So with the first one off the assembly line and the rest headed to dealers across the country in the near future, it is only fitting that the official ZL1 owners manual be released. That’s exactly what we have here for you thanks to our friends over at Camaro5. Now, whether or not you’ve got your order in on the most powerful factory Camaro built, you can get the nitty-gritty details about the potent modern muscle car.

The manual for the ZL1 is packed full of information. With 444 pages, you can find anything from how to use your universal remote start system and features on your dashboard to vital warnings and key safety information.

Of course, the manual also has some really cool sections as well. Our favorites include the section on the Performance Traction settings, which walks you through which setting you should use for a variety of driving styles in your ZL1, from normal street driving to full-on race competitions (pg. 9-45).

We also like the section on racing or competitive driving that tells you what you need to do to properly break your car in before race day (pg. 9-6), as well as the section featuring all the specifications and capacities associated with all the ‘12 Camaro models (pg. 12-1).

You know the ZL1 is going to be potent when so much effort is made to prepare owners for racing and high-performance driving situations.

It’s exciting how close we are to seeing the production ZL1 Camaros out on the road, and on the track. Be sure to download your digital owner’s manual so you’ll be on the up-and-up when it comes to the unique performance and technology of the long-awaited ‘12 ZL1.

1981 Camaro S/P S/ST Footbrake CHEAP CHEAP!!

For those of you too young to remember Hee-Haw, used car salesman Junior “honest as the day is long” Samples in his guise as a magician called Junior the Great, would try to palm off a major ‘clunker’ then hold up a sign to remind viewers that his phone number was “BR-549″.

Samples eventually gave up the car lot and became a “consumer advocate” whose job was to save the public from dishonest people like himself. Not even “Honest” Junior Samples would touch the car that we found today.

This ’81 Camaro looks to be something out of an apocalyptic straight to video “B” movie with a nose piece similar to Michael Knight’s “KITT” car and stylish cowl hood. The hood would actually be useful if there was an engine under it. You can view the link to this auction by clicking here.

The proud owner states all the features:

Honest Junior Sample at BR549.

“1981 Camaro with 2010 Camaro front clip (easily changed back), tubbed out with narrowed 9″ Ford rear.  Weld Wheels 15″ by 14″ rear and 15″ by 3″ front. Full cage.New Autometer gauges. Wilwood Disc Brakes Rear. Factory disc on front. Driveshaft loop. New double adjustable rear shocks and much more.

Can change back to an 81 model with front end swap. MUST SELL ASAP $4500 obo TAKES IT. Great project or starter car 443-398-7271 trades?”

We’re happy to hear that the car can be converted back (easily), but something tells us that even Junior Samples wouldn’t touch this car. Not even if it had an Earl Schieb’s “we’ll paint any car, any color for $100″ paint job.

Some police departments are up in arms, waiting over a year for delivery of their Caprice PPV’s reports the duPont registry. The problem stems from shipping and dealership delays, and police departments aren’t happy.

Of the five Florida police departments that ordered Caprice PPV’s for testing, only two, Tampa and Largo, have received their cars. The Tampa department got their Caprices after 10 months; it took GM almost 13 months to deliver cars to the Largo department. Police chiefs are understandably worried about GM’s ability to deliver the cars in a timely fashion, when Dodge is often able to deliver their Charger police cars in two to three months.

Many departments are slashing budgets for fuel and vehicles, and with new offerings from all three American automakers, police departments have unprecedented choice in outfitting their fleets. GM could be shooting itself in the foot, having reportedly made last-minute design changes that kept suppliers from making parts until the last minute.

But word on the street is that the Caprice PPV, with its 6.0 liter V8, is the quickest and fastest of the current cop car offerings, and fairly fuel efficient as well. Is it good enough to overcome GM’s missteps with the initial rollout, though?

GM's 100 millionth small-block built, this supercharged LS9, on display at the Performance Build Center in Wixom, Michigan (Image credit: Wheels.ca).

As technology of all sorts continue to evolve, there will always be certain inventions from the 1950s, a decade of invention, that never fail to re-prove themselves. Among these are television, microwave ovens and of course, the small-block V8 that has become the biggest part of our GM heritage.

Chevy’s development of the original small-block in 1955, their “Turbo-Fire,” 265 V8, was certainly not the only innovation in automotive during the decade, but it was that innovation that, according to Center for Automotive Research founder David Cole, first brought higher performance to the average auto consumer in America. Cole explains, “The small-block is the engine that brought high-performance to the people…there is an elegant simplicity in its design that made it instantly great when new and enables it to thrive almost six decades later.”

Chevy's first small-block V8 was introduced in 1955 as Chevy's 265-cube, "Turbo-Fire" motor. The motor produced 195 horsepower stock and was offered with a four-barrel carb as an option. The small-block motor was an invention of Chevy engineer, Ed Cole, whose team produced the overhead valve motor in only 15 weeks from scratch (Image Credit: Discovery Channel).

Cole’s father, the late Ed Cole, was the supervising engineer at Chevrolet in 1955 and oversaw production of the original small-block V8. Cole and his design team were trying to optimize the 6-cylinder only lineup that filled Chevy’s showrooms and dealerships during the Postwar era. An efficient and powerful alternative to Chevy’s “Stovebolt Six,” the original small-block motor was 265 cubic inches, which translates to 4.3 liters in metric terms. Since that time, few changes have been made to the now 57-year-old, small-block V8 design. In fact, the small-block’s oil filter has remained in its same position on the motor since the 1956 production year, and the 4.4 inch bore that Cole and his design team specified in the ’50s has also been maintained.

In terms of late model performance and tech, many GM enthusiasts would argue that there are few similarities between the conventional small-block and the current LS engine family. It’s true that the LS series has introduced many high-tech components into the small-block performance scene, such as variable cam timing, the use of an all-aluminum block and cylinder deactivation. But even though this is the case, the LS motor still revolves around some principal cornerstones of conventional, small-block construction; the LS engine family uses in-block camshafts and pushrods just like a conventional V8, along with other moving parts.

The LS9 motor featured in the ZR1 'Vette is built at GM'S Performance Build Center in Wixom, Michigan (Image credit: GM).

The LS series, in fact, reinforces Chevy’s small-block tradition. November 29th of 2011 marked the construction of GM’s 100 millionth small-block V8, as seasoned mechanic and contributing writer for Wheels.ca, Brian Early was asked in November to help assemble the supercharged, 6.2l LS9 motor that would represent GM’s ground breaking milestone. The LS9s are currently assembled, along with the LS3 and 7s, at GM’s Wixom Performance Build Center in Wixom, Michigan.

For a mere $5800, ‘Vette owners are given the option by GM to help assemble the LS9 mill that will be featured in their brand new ZR1, though most LS9 motors are assembled by one individual, called “Experimental Assemblers” by the Wixom Performance Center. Each unit is individually assembled and hand-built, in the same way that an AMG motor would be for Mercedes-Benz. The supercharged LS9 that marked GM’s 100 millionth small-block, however, will not be in use in any ZR1 Corvette. In fact, Brian Early has specificied that this LS9 will never run, being built for display purposes only. This is unlike any other LS engine that are produced in Wixom, which are test-fired on natural gas and balanced on site by GM.

It’s only a shame that we will never get to see this fire-breathing, LS9 under the clear hood of a new ZR1. However, as GM has already indicated a fifth-gen small-block is under development. Not much has been said about the fifth-generation motor. GM has confirmed that the latest generation of small-block will benefit from direct injection. The new V8 will also most likely be a pushrod motor, as small-block V8 history reminds us that the LT5 motor found in the ’90-’95 ZR1 Corvette was the only DOHC small-block ever built from the factory. GM has also indicated that some of these motors will be built from the St. Catharine’s plant, as the Gen IV motors are currently. According to Brian Early, GM has not said much about the small-block’s future other than this!

We are far more intrigued by the two 60mm turbos stuffing air directly into the intake manifold, and the cool blow-off-valves that you can watch seal up as the turbos start making boost. The best numbers the Nova manages after the first few runs of the dyno session are “just” 617.8 horsepower, and 563.7 pound feet of torque at the rear wheels, with just a little over 12 PSI.

After a bit of tweaking, and upping the boost to 14 PSI, they come back and make 690 horsepower and 595 pound feet of torque. But they know there’s even more still left in it, and they go back for more. They up the boost a bit more, and their reward is an earth-shaking 800 horsepower and 685 pound feet of torque.

It pretty certain that the little 5.3 can’t live forever at that kind of power level, but this is just another great example of just how hearty even the little LS engines are in stock form.

This video we found posted to YouTube by Stage 9 Productions features our favorite 5th Gen Drag Car, the white Camaro from Lingenfelter Performance Engineering, doing exactly what it does best. This very well-produced video gives us a look at their fastest pass of the day at the Muncie Dragway in Muncie, Indiana. After getting the turbo spooled up, the LPE Camaro trips the tree, and when the light turns green the white 5th Gen shoots off the line like it was shot out of a cannon. After a very quick trip to the finish line, the board on the big end lights up 8.71 at 162.5 miles per hour.

As you’ll remember from our previous coverage of the white LPE 5th Gen, including our interview with Chief Engineer, Graham Behan at the LSX Shootout, this car has a lot of special things going on under the hood. The power plant is a smallish LSX with just 358 cubic inches, which utilizes a unique flat plane 180 degree crank shaft for ultra-fast revs. The LPE 5th Gen also uses a small 76 mm turbo because of class regulations in LSX Real Street. Even though the flat-plane LSX has barely more cubes than a stock LS1, it is still pretty big for just a single turbo of that size, and boost control could be a big issue. The guys at LPE utilize a PCS D200 Boost Controller to control both the wastegate and the exhaust back pressure to limit the surge speed of the turbo, and in turn to limit the amount of boost.

Check out Lingenfelter’s website for more info on the LPE 5th Gen Drag Car, or to check out their other engineering marvels.

Images: Click on Detorit news cast

There’s nothing unusual about driving a brand new car off the lot, but for one Michigan soldier, picking up her brand new 2012 Camaro 2SS coupe was more than just a new car purchase. The car actually signifies many changes in the soldier’s life and as we found out from the Click on Detroit news cast, those changes didn’t go unnoticed by General Motors.

U.S. Army Captain Dr. Shawn M. Dunn has spent 11 years in the military between the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Army. After spending the last several months serving her country overseas, she is getting out of the military and continuing with a career as a port veterinarian for the United States Department of Agriculture in Detroit, Michigan. Before going into the military, Dunn worked as a USDA veterinarian for 6 years.

After discussing her plans to buy a new car when her service was over with her fellow soldiers, Dunn decided on a brand new Camaro. While still overseas, Dunn contacted Les Standford Chevrolet in Dearborn, Michigan to make her dream come true.

While corresponding with the Chevrolet dealership, Dunn opted for a 2012 Camaro 2SS coupe finished in black with a leather interior detailed in Inferno Orange. She also added the RS package to the car, giving her new ride 20-inch aluminum wheels painted in Midnight Silver, special integrated LED headlamps and a body-colored antenna and roof molding.

Since Dunn was an active service member at the time of her purchase, she received GM’s military discount. GM gives discounts to all service men and women, whether they’re active, retired or in the reserves as a special thanks for their service to the country.

Eligible service members are entitled to a special MSRP discount on most 2011 and 2012 GM vehicles.

But the military discount wasn’t all that Dunn received when she picked up her car last week. She also got a personal thank you from GM’s U.S. Vice President of Product and Pricing, Rick Scheidt, as well as a special Honor Badge for her car for her service in the military.

It is great to see a well deserving soldier get her dream car. To watch the news cast interview with Dunn and her brand new Camaro, be sure to check out Click on Detroit’s website. To those of you who have served in the military, thank you for your service.

Images: Camaro5

We all remember when the first parking lot shots of the brand new 2010 Camaros sitting and waiting to be delivered to their new owners were released. The lines of the modern muscle cars looked almost like a fantasy, and for Camaro enthusiasts, it was a dream come true.

While that was over two years ago, it seems that another fantasy for Camaro fans has come true and the new 2012 Camaro ZL1s are almost in people’s driveways. While you wait for yours to be delivered (or your neighbor’s so you can secretly plot how you’ll get to take it for a test drive), check out these photos we found on Camaro5.com of lines of ZL1s waiting to be sent to their intended destinations.

With Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports, recently driving the first production ZL1 off the assembly room floor and into his own collection, we knew that other Camaro ZL1s would be popping up all over the country in no time.

With that expectation unfolding right before our very eyes, Camaro5 recently got their hands on pictures of several ZL1s lined up at a Canadian facility just waiting to be delivered.

Still clad in their protective covers and barcodes, ZL1s in all the available colors can be seen in the pictures. You can even see a more expensive Rally Yellow and an Inferno Orange Metallic ZL1 among the popular Victory Red, Black and Silver Ice Metallic cars.

We’re happy to see the Camaro ZL1 model this much closer to being on the road. It will only be a matter of weeks now before they’ll be showing up at dealerships near you.

Photos by Tony Huntimer

We’re gearing up for another great racing season and topping our list of must-see events for 2012 is the Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational (OUSCI). We had such a great time at this event last year after the annual SEMA Show and hope to make it out to the Nevada desert to experience the heat (in more than one way) once again in 2012.

Although the event isn’t until November, we’re not the only ones anxiously awaiting the test of the best already, however. In fact, pro-touring fans all over the country are gearing up for the OUSCI since Optima Batteries just released the list of qualifying events for the ultimate competition.

Headed into its fifth year, the OUSCI is the most anticipated, all-encompassing pro-touring challenge in the U.S. With stakes in autocross, road course racing, braking and accelerating tests, road rally participation, and a style and design contest, OUSCI provides the ultimate challenge for any racer, no matter how experienced.

This year, pro-touring drivers can qualify for the OUSCI at nine different events.

The list kicks off with the Run to the Alamo event on February 17^th through the 19^th put on by the American Street Car Series in San Marcos, Texas. The Run to the Coast event in Irvine, California held March 9^th through the 11^th provides the next opportunity to qualify, followed by The Optima Face Off at Hot Rod Power Tour June 9^th in Arlington, Texas, and The Optima Face Off at Road America June 22^nd through the 24^th in Elkhart, Wisconsin.

The summer heats up with another qualifying event July 13^th through the 15^th at the Motorstate Challenge in South Haven, Michigan, followed by The OPTIMA Faceoff at MPH Nebraska/ Sandhills Open Road Challenge in Hastings, Nebraska August 8^th through the 12^th.

The last chances of qualifying for the OUSCI come in September, starting the 7^th through the 9^th at the Bowling Green, Kentucky LSFest. You can also qualify at the Silver State Classic Challenge September 12^th through the 16^th in Ely, Nevada, or at the Lingenfelter Performance Engineering Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio from September 21^st through the 23^rd.

So if you’re like us and can’t wait for the OUSCI this year, be sure to check out any of the qualifying events for your chance to guarantee a participation spot. Hopefully we’ll see you in the desert come November!

Whatever the case, the Panther name has a special place in the annals of Camaro lore. Camaro5 reports that famed Camaro modifiers SLP will soon offer a special limited edition version of the 2012 Camaro called the SLP Panther.

Just 145 SLP Panther Camaros will be offered up for sale, and as you might expect they will come in several different flavors, but just one color; black with gold trim. Under the hood is GM’s 6.2 liter V8 strapped with a supercharger and producing between 560 and 750 horsepower, depending on how much cash you want to lay out.

Beyond the powerful engine, SLP has modified the Panther Camaros with black wheels, a SLP PowerFlo exhaust system, and a leather-wrapped short-throw shifter, and a custom interior. Optional upgrades include a coil-over suspension and sway bar, a SLP front splitter, and plenty of other goodies for all you rich bastards job creators.

Whatever your income though, you’ve got to admit that SLP knows how to build a badass-looking Camaro, that much is certain.

Host Angus Mackenzie takes on the challenge of determining which car is better for an enthusiast driver with big bucks to spend, based on which one offers the more engaging driving experience. Mackenzie has plenty of tough-but-fair criticisms for the Grand Sport, but also praises its incredible power that is ready whenever you need it. However, for a daily driver, he picks the 911, adding that either car would make a great commuter.

When he takes the two cars out on some twisty back-roads to let them stretch their legs a little, Mackenzie is a bit more open with his criticisms of the Grand Sport. At one point he says with a very serious tone that “Driving the Grand Sport is a bit like wrestling a grizzly bear. The Corvette feels a bit slow and deliberate at first, but it’s very, very powerful. And I know if I make a mistake it’s going to rip my head off.” Once he’s safely back in the driver’s seat of the 911, Mackenzie can barely contain his enthusiasm for the newly redesigned Porsche.

In the end, it’s no surprise to anyone that Mackenzie picks the 911 Carrera S as the better car, “at any price.” Well, that’s one opinion. But I think we will still just stick to our knckle-dragging, push-rod actuated torque-producing terrors.

After about two minutes of beating on the rear tires, Stunt Busters reports that the surface temperature of the tires is about 259 degrees, which would be easily hot enough to ignite gasoline. However, it’s not quite hot enough yet to blow the tires just yet. In fact, it takes 2 minutes and 45 seconds of bouncing the Camaro off the rev limiter and tossing it around to finally get one of the rear tires to let go. The Camaro’s stock tires are meant to give years of service while likely being subjected to some minor abuse. The fact that they lasted that long is actually pretty impressive considering how hard Stunt Busters was beating on them.

For the second part of their test, Stunt Busters bolted up a set of wheels wrapped in some less-than perfect tires, with only about half of their tread left, to see just how long they could stand up to the same kind of abuse. This time, the older tires were only able to stand up to 1 minute and 2 seconds of the LS3’s abuse, only about 1/3 of the time the new tires lasted.

The jet stream blue Corvette is a 2008 C6 that we are told has an aftermarket cam, a few other bolt-ons, and a set of drag radials. We get a little more specific info on what kind of work the Honda has had done, with the video telling us that it’s powered by a B18C5 with an 84mm Golden Eagle sleeved engine block and an Edelbrock intake manifold, all run off of an AEM stand-alone EMS. The head features Ferrea valves, a 5 angle valve job, and Crower Stage II cams. All that head and block work is mostly to maximize, and just simply withstand, all the extra power that the Precision 6265 turbo pushes through this tiny engine, which according to the video is 511 horsepower at the front slicks. Pretty impressive no matter what side of the import/domestic debate you’re on.

The first race goes to the Corvette as he chops down the nasty little Civic right off the line and manages to hold him off until the end. The second race, however, is the other side of the coin with the Civic getting the hole-shot on the Corvette and taking it all the way to the finish line. That’s some pretty good racing by the Civic, but at the end of the day, we would still much rather drive home in that nice C6…

Chevrolet's Mike Albano (left) presents New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning with keys to a Centennial Edition 2012 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Convertible. Photo: GM

Everybody’s had that experience – the quick pat down of all the pockets, the frantic rummaging through the bag, and finally the realization that you managed to forget your keys. What none of us have experienced, though, is doing that in front of an estimated 111.3 million people on worldwide TV…

That’s what happened to Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning last Sunday, when he started to walk off the podium at the post-game presentation of a 2012 Corvette Grand Sport Convertible Centennial Edition and veteran sportscaster Dan Patrick had to remind Manning to take the keys with him. Of course, in the age of the internet, no incident goes unremarked, no matter how innocent, and the story went viral through a number of different outlets (us included).

Of course, the truth of the matter is that there was simply a hell of a lot going on all at the same time, and Manning had no intention of turning down the car, inadvertently or otherwise. The following day, GM officially presented the Giants QB with the car, which he gratefully accepted.

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (l to r), Chevrolet's Mike Albano and Trisha Croteau pose with a Centennial Edition 2012 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Convertible that Manning was awarded for being named the Super Bowl XLVI Most Valuable Player. Photo: GM

So, Manning has his new ‘vert, we’re sorry that we ever believed that anyone would turn down a free Corvette, and the nation can finally shift its attention back to what’s truly important – namely, M.I.A. flipping the bird during the half-time show.

Official Release:

New Corvette Coilovers

Following in the footsteps of the recent launch of our premier Double Adjustable coilover the Feather Light Generation DAs, we are announcing the little brother with many of the same features: The Feather Light Generation SAs (Single Adjustable).

The Feather Light Generation SA coilovers are a completely new design for the Pfadt family of Corvette suspension. Most notably, this product separates itself from the competition in the following ways:

INVERTED DESIGN: Placing the majority of the mass on the sprung side of the chassis allows the control arms and outboard components to react quicker and easier without the additional weight of the coilover itself. The result is a suspension system that responds faster to changes in the road whether its highway, local roads, or track surfaces. The less weight that is on that outboard suspension, the better your car will behave – you’ll have a better connection between your Corvette chassis and the ground. Make sure your next set of coilovers are inverted.

LIGHTWEIGHT, HIGH STRENGTH MATERIALS: Gone are the days when coilovers need to be made of corrosive steel components. The Feather Light Generation SAs are an all aircraft aluminum body which boasts high strength and very low weight. With the body and spring perch being manufactured out of anodized high-strength aluminum, you no longer have to worry about corrosion locking the two together. The materials in the new SAs allow pain-free height adjustability with ease with our threaded body. All non-aluminum components (upper mounting stud, lower mount mono-ball) are treated with corrosion-eliminating processes such as chroming, heat treating or using stainless steel. Don’t settle for heavy steel components.

BOA MOUNT, THE NEW STANDARD IN CORVETTE SHOCK UPPER MOUNTING: An idea taken directly from its much more expensive bigger brother, the Feather Light Generation DA; the new BOA mount is a no-compromises solution to Corvette shock upper mounts. Our mount is a zero-maintenance, completely sealed design that allows the FULL articulation required for the Corvette suspension. A common problem in coilover mounting for the Corvette is how to effectively mount the upper shock to the chassis without losing much shock travel and articulation. Common solutions are a clevis design that severely limits shock travel and will effect ride quality, and a “pin top” design that relies on compliance in consumable rubber bushings to deflect and bind the shock, creating an unsealed mount needing eventual replacement. The BOA MOUNT suffers none of these shortcomings as it is a solid mount similar to a control arm ball joint (quiet, durable, maintenance free), that is locked in place and then articulates with the suspension utilizing a low friction internal monoball that is sealed from the exterior elements. On top of all of this, the installation procedure could not be any easier. A simple easy to torque washer and nut retain the whole assembly. If your coilover doesn’t have the BOA mount, be aware of the potential future problems. Take a look at the video to see the new BOA MOUNT in action!

THE CIRC SYSTEM, A REVOLUTION IN REMOTE CANISTERS: A premium feature on the SAs that is unique to Pfadt is the CIRC (Concentric Integrated Remote Canister) System. The idea behind this innovation is to implement a standard racing concept – the remote reservoir – in a lightweight, easy to install package. We integrate the remote reservoir with the shock to maximize suspension stroke for a very smooth ride on the street. The CIRC more than triples the gas volume over a standard coil over. Accomplishing this was no small feat because the remote canister is actual mounted radially AROUND the shock body itself. The result: a large gas volume that keeps the shock operation consistent over a wide temperature range and throughout the stroke. The bottom line: Consistency and performance over the life of the shock. This system permits the entire shaft/piston assembly to operate quickly, efficiently, and last a VERY long time as wear is at a minimum. Get the most advanced racing remote canister on the market for your street suspension. Anything less is a compromise in ride quality. Take a look at the following illustration to see how we package the upper BOA MOUNT and CIRC SYSTEM for maximum shock travel and extreme lowering.

EASY ONE-STEP RIDE HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT: We make ride height adjustments easy to give you the ultimate control in setting your ride height and corner balancing your car. Included in our coilover kit is the single tool that you need to adjust the perch and tighten the set screw to lock the perch in location. Very simple, strong, and reliable. This single perch adjustment is a result of having ALL of the suspension travel required for the Corvette built into the shock body, since features like the BOA MOUNT and CIRC SYSTEM are used to maximize travel and stroke. Any other design is forced to limit the travel range. Our design is the most optimum for the Corvette and will deliver repeatable results time and time again.

FLOATING PISTON INTERNAL DESIGN: The most effective internal design for a performance shock that needs to last a lifetime of street use is the floating piston design, or “non emulsion” design. This design separates the oil volume from the gas volume and allows each to operate consistently despite changes in external conditions. In a standard emulsion shock, the oil and gas are free to mix together and can result in inconsistent performance when operating at low speeds and high speeds respectively. This is not good for the operation of the shock, as inconsistent performance correlates to inconsistent control of your Corvette’s wheels and suspension. Enter the “floating piston” style that isolates the two volumes and moves freely within the shock cylinder. Our floating piston design utilized in the Feather Light Generation SAs will keep your Corvette’s suspension predicable and controllable for a precise feeling on the street and track. GM’s Z06 and Z51 shocks don’t have oil and gas compromises, neither should your coilovers. Be sure to run floating piston shocks on your Corvette. Take a look at the diagram to see how the designs differ.

SIMPLE AND ACCESSIBLE DAMPING ADJUSTMENT: Have you had a hard time adjusting your current dampers because the adjuster is at the top of the shock, hindering your ability to make quick changes from street to track? That will not be a concern for users of the Feather Light Generation SAs because of the inverted design, which places the adjuster on the bottom of the shock in an easy to access location. No special tools are required, and no “adapters” that can frequently break are necessary. All that is required is your hand to grasp the easy-touch rotary knob on the bottom of the shock and dial in your setting with a precise and repeatable feel. The shock adjuster will adjust compression and rebound in one device, so you will not need to be an expert to keep both dialed in at all times. Up front you will feel 40 distinguishable settings with the rear having 24. The adjustment range encompasses soft to stiff valving for customers wanting to fine tune their ride quality or race track set up. The valving in this system will allow you to run very comfortably on the street and then increase the damping for track use if needed, or even higher to accommodate custom spring rates that you spec for your specific Corvette. There will be no guesswork in where to dial in the suspension as we provide a comprehensive tuning guide with the coilovers. When you purchase a Pfadt Feather Light Generation coilover, your purchase doesn’t end at the sale. We are here to continue helping you with our entire package of set-up documents and technical help online and via phone. We help you use your new products effectively to get the results you want. Don’t settle for a company that doesn’t.

DURABILITY: As part of Pfadt Race Engineering’s ongoing effort to support the Corvette community with the best and most advanced chassis and suspension products, the Feather Light Generation series of coilovers (SAs and DAs) are the pinnacle of street performance, track results, and unbelievable reliability. Part of our evaluation for these coilovers has been our in-house, Pfadt-designed, DAMPER DURABILITY RIG. We have run all versions of current coilovers through rigorous testing on this machine for weeks which simulates tens of thousands of miles and literally millions of cycles. Being able to control the testing allows us to test at worst case scenario forces and articulation angles. We’ve also track tested and street tested the SAs to cover the complete set of circumstances. Take a look at the video below and get and idea of what a Pfadt coilover goes through to qualify it as suitable for a Corvette installation. Overall, the idea of moving to a Corvette Coilover suspension is going to give you a huge leg up on other Corvettes in terms of handling and street drive-ability. Removing the transverse leaf spring and OEM shocks will yield a true independent suspension which eliminates any “crosstalk” and harsh ride that the OEM suspension is known for. Not only will this solve any unwanted driving characteristics, but it will also give you the ability to tailor your Corvette’s ride to your specific taste with a large range of ride height and damping adjustments. Whether you want a stiff ride that is nice and low, or a soft ride that is comfortable and at stock ride height, our Feather Lights will accommodate all of the possibilities. If you get a new set of wheels and need to adjust to accommodate the new sizes: no problem. Your new stance is just a quick turn of the spring perch away.

Give us a call today to discuss the specifics of our new Single Adjustable coilovers and how they can transform your Corvette into a predicable, precise handling machine on the street and track. We have relied on over 5 years of Corvette coilover experience to now showcase all of the data we have collected and optimized for this design. Engineered and tested in Utah, made in North America, take advantage of our hard work on your Corvette and reap the benefits.

• Single Adjustment for Rebound and Compression
• Easy Ride height Adjustment at Spring Perch
• Custom Spring Rates Available
• Fully Serviceable
• BOA Mount
• CIRC System
• Inverted, Lightweight Construction
• Easy to acces adjuster on bottom, 40 clicks front, 24 clicks rear
• Durability Tested for Millions of Cycles

Want to see the COPO become something more than just another concept car? Well, here's your last chance to do something about it...

Well, the COPO Camaro may not have the green light for production just yet from GM, but all of us members of the Chevy Nation have one last chance to do our part to make sure that this incredible car becomes a reality. After all, why should the Ford fan-boys have all the fun with their Cobra Jet?

Chevy has sent out a final call for COPO interest surveys, and all you have to do to help the cause is click here to be sent directly to the survey. It shouldn’t take you more than a couple of minutes, and you will be doing die-hard Chevrolet fans everywhere a huge favor.

The survey email we were sent from GM offers a bit more info, saying; “At this point, GM has not decided whether or not to actually produce this vehicle. If produced, availability will be very limited. The vehicle would not be street legal and you would not be able to register the vehicle or drive it on public roads. This is not a vehicle order, and does not assure you that GM would build the vehicle or that you would receive one if built.”

If you want to fill out the survey and do you part as a proud member of the Camaro faithful, you only have until this Friday, February 10th to get it submitted. So get moving!

Photo: Wilson Manifolds

The foundation of this build is the C5R LSX block, and the engine breathes through a Wilson billet intake manifold that gets stuffed with all the atmosphere it can swallow by not one, not two, but, count them, four (!) turbos, that combine to push between 16 and 18 PSI. Now, if you’re expecting that a quad-turboed C5R mill should produce at least quad-digit horsepower and torque numbers, you won’t be disappointed. According to Wilson Manifolds, this thing makes over 1,000 horsepower and 1,200 pound feet of torque at those knobby rear tires. Making it all the more impressive, all that power is created on good old fashioned pump gas.

Photo: Wilson Manifolds

Photo: Wilson Manifolds

Now, what would be really cool is if we could hunt down some videos of this thing ripping wildly across the sand barely on the edge of control. Stay tuned…

Official Release:

HOT ROD MAGAZINE SELECTS MICKEY THOMPSON SPORTSMAN PRO TIRE FOR THE SPEED PARTS HALL OF FAME

STOW, OHIO – The Mickey Thompson Sportsman Pro tire was among five legendary speed parts to be inducted into the Hot Rod Magazine Speed Parts Hall of Fame for 2011. Originally introduced in 1991 as the widest high-performance street legal tire, the Sportsman Pro’s specially designed tread, unique “hot and sticky” drag tire compound, and flexible wrinkle wall construction was revolutionary for the time providing Pro Street racers a tire for both on and off the strip.

“We were so pleased that the Sportsman Pro tire was selected for this prestigious recognition,” said Ken Warner, VP Sales & Marketing, Mickey Thompson Performance Tires & Wheels. “This tire built the foundation for today’s ET Street line, as well as many of our popular ET Drag slicks.”

The Sportsman Pro tire is still a part of a complete Sportsman line from Mickey Thompson Performance Tires & Wheels. For more information or to order, visit http://www.mickeythompsontires.com/street.php. For a Mickey Thompson product catalog, visit http://mickeythompsontires.com/catalogs/ .

For more info on the Hot Rod Magazine Speed Parts Hall of Fame, visit: http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/general/hrdp_1112_2011_speed_parts_hall_of_fame/.

Highlights:

• Mickey Thompson Sportsman Pro tires have specifically designed tread, a “hot and sticky” drag compond and felxible wrinkle wall construction
• Provide Pro Street racers the ultimate combination street and strip tire
• Foundation for the ET Street line and ET Drag slick

It is actually a very unique system that is unbeatable when it comes to accuracy and functionality. Check out the FAST flow bench in action in the COMP Performance Group video above that we found on YouTube.

Flow benches used to test fuel injectors are nothing new, but the one created by FAST is taking technology and accuracy to a whole new level. The company’s one-of-a-kind flow bench contains a complete fuel system, including plumbing, a fuel pump and a fuel cell. But that isn’t what really makes the FAST flow bench stand out above the rest.

The FAST system can also read test data dynamically. So instead of having to manually measure the amount of liquid in the test cylinders after the injectors are shut off (which can make for some inaccuracies), the FAST setup starts reading flow rates right away and displaying them on a computer screen. The system can read information from up to eight real-time flow meters at a time. The system also has a constant return fuel system, so injectors can be tested for however long is needed without having to stop to empty the test cylinders over and over.

The injectors being tested are driven by a FAST ECU that contains the same calibration files as the company’s EFI systems. This guarantees that the fuel injectors will work perfectly with the FAST systems.

The flow bench and software program that goes with it were all created in-house by FAST Leader, Ron Turnpaugh and his engineers. Though it was more expensive to create their own unique bench than to go buy a generic one to test fuel injectors with, the new system is definitely the most accurate on the market and makes testing simple.

From being able to see immediate fluctuations in fuel flow when the operator mimics the settings of a car being revved or the gas pedal being let off, to being able to test fuel pumps with the same system, the FAST Fuel Injector Flow Bench is truly unique. Be sure to check out the system in action above and all the products that FAST has to offer for your car on their website.