Byron Raceway Wheelie Contest
In all my years of longing to see air under a car, I never thought I'd see this ("Wheelie and Burnout Spectacular," Mar. '06)! I cringed at each photo and couldn't help seeing the door and fender gaps change in each successive picture taken. Damn near made me hurl. We are not talking about no-money junkers here, these cars have big bucks and lots of man-hours in them. It's unbelievable, I wouldn't even contemplate doing this.-Donald Sheddan, via e-mail
Sleeper Of The Month
Who: Ron Rodgers
Where: Roseville, MI
What: '65 Plymouth Valiant
Why: It is a Valiant 100 with only 25,000 miles on the body. The engine was plucked for a 360 swap that makes 380 hp, and it has a TorqueFlite 727 transmission and an 831/44 rearend. The Rallye wheels are there to dress it up.
Clean!
Who: Ryan Longstreth
Where: Bellingham, WA
What: '73 Dodge Dart Custom
Why: This guy is 16 years old and his grandparents just gave him the car with only 59,865 miles on it. It has a stock 318 and a three-speed in it, and Ryan hopes to add a green paint job and 14-inch Cragar SS wheels pronto.
We Say: Swap in a 360 and go for the sleeper look, Ryan!
Corn-Based E85
All this talk about E85 got me to thinking. I have hung around alcohol-burning racers since I started with Sprint Cars in the early '60s. I own a '90 C3500 454 Chevy truck for hauling my RV, and I am nearing engine-rebuild time. Made me wonder if it would be possible to run E85 without removing all the electronics, or if it would be possible to "home-brew" without having ATF bust down the doors. Possible?-John Daniel, Gatesville, TX
There is a simple procedure to obtain an Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) permit to distill ethanol for fuel. The biggest problem is the government does not want a distillery in a residential area. Go to ttb.gov/ forms/pdfs/5100/f510024.pdf.
Obligatory Camaro
Who: Keith and Christine Amand
Where: Clinton Township, MI
What: '79 Chevrolet Camaro
Why: Keith and Christine were driving through metro Detroit when Christine said, "Hey, did you see that car?" Keith looked and saw the '79 with a "For Sale" sign on it. He offered $2,500 and became the owner. Now they drive it to cruises and car shows during the summer.
Blue
Who: Brad Wells
What: '68 Ford Mustang GT fastback
Where: Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada
Why: It has a 0.030-over 302 with a Crane cam, Edelbrock RPM intake, Holley 650 DP, and coated Hedman headers.
We Say: Brad, your driveway is too clean.
Centrifugal Blower
Who: Brian Kornrumpf
What: '71 Oldsmobile Cutlass convertible
Where: East of the Car Craft office
Why: Brian bought this car when he was 14 years old. By age 20, he had fabricated the brackets and pressure box for the Paxton VR-4 centrifugal supercharger and bolted it to the 350-inch engine. He also ported the heads and upgraded them with 2.00/1.625 valves and added an Ultradine blower cam.