Always Drive A Manual
Who: Barry Williams
Where: Maple Grove, PA
What: '72 Chevrolet Nova
He Says: "The car has run a best of 11.01 at 121 mph normally aspirated. It has a 355-inch small-block with 11.0:1 compression, Sportsman II heads, a Victor Jr. intake with a 2-inch spacer, and a 750 DP Holley. I had Comp Cams grind me a flat-tappet mechanical cam with 0.580 intake and 0.585 exhaust lift and 270/275 duration at 0.050. I leave at 6,500 rpm and shift the Jerico four-speed at 7,000. With slapper bars, subframe connectors, 4.88:1 gears, and 9-inch Eagles, it pulls the wheels on the launch.
The Year Of The Six-Cylinder Delete
Who: Mark Schulman
Where: Edwall, WA
What: '73 Dodge Challenger
He Says: "I've owned this Challenger for two years. It's Eggshell White, and other than repainting the 340 engine and working on the interior, it was good to go when I bought it."
Fast Talk
Did you hear about the latest absurdity to go on at the Barrett-Jackson auction? A '70 Vitamin C Orange ragtop Hemi 'Cuda went for $2 million. Can you imagine the collection of cool old musclecars you could buy with that much money?Mike via e-mail
These Guys Are Trouble
Who: Chris and Aaron Beckett and Manny Mays
Where: Phoenix, AZ
Why: The Beckett brothers own the LeMans and the white Nova. The green Nova belongs to Manny Mays, who took care of the cars while the brothers were serving in Iraq. A healthy competition has been taking place among them, and the current leader is younger brother Aaron. Now that Chris is back from his tour, he plans to even the score and take back the bragging rights.
Cars In Barns
Who: Mark Leedham
Where: Somewhere in New England
Why: Mark sent us a couple of spy shots from an East Coast barn. He wouldn't tell us where exactly. Would you?
Muscle Trucks In Car Craft?
Who: Timothy G. Bourque
Where: Broussard, LA
What: '90 Chevy Truck
Why: We ran a tiny photo of a Ford truck in the Mar. '06 issue and asked if anyone would like to see a muscle truck built in the pages of Car Craft. A lot of people were enthused and sent in their truck-build photos. Timothy built this '90 454 SS clone with a 496-inch big-block, a TH400, and a 9-inch rear for about $10,000.
He Says: "Over the years I have come to enjoy building Pro Street trucks over cars due to the lower cost."
Send Stuff To Car Craft:
e-mail: CarCraft@primedia.com
online: CarCraft.com
mail: 6420 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048
fax: 323/782-2223
telepathy: don't burst a vein