Peeved
OK, I wrote you guys about this last time and you apparently didn't listen. The irony of these back-to-back issues this time is just too much!
In the Nov. '03 issue you do a story on how much power is being lost between the crank and rear wheels called "Brutal Truth." The next issue you do your dyno summary. You provide some good info but leave out one of the most important things-the transmission. Even more amazing to me is this is normally called out in your features and even the readers' car summaries. Please include at minimum what trans the cars dyno'd uses, and better yet the rearend type, too. If you tell me it's a space issue, then I'd counter this info is more relevant than what rocker arms were used.
Doug Norton
Austin, TX
We have no excuse, Doug, and your points are well taken. Clearly, we need to listen to you more closely. We'll try and do better next time.
Fish Tales
Who: Jessica Hightower
Where: Cabazon, California
What: '66 Plymouth Barracuda
Why: Too many Mustangs and Camaros
Goodies: The little Mopar spins a performance 318 with an A-904 automatic, factory air (!), the original interior, and a set of Cragars and BFGoodrich tires.
She says: "This was my first car when I turned 16. I love to go to car shows with my dad."
Torque Talks
Nice to see you at the helm of Car Craft, Jeff. You did a great job at CHP. I would like to make a plea. Most of the small-block buildups are geared toward the strip with max horsepower. My plea is for you to take a series of stroker small-blocks (Ford, Chevy, Chrysler) and build the best torque curve for the street. Choose the best-flowing smog-legal heads (like AFR 195s for Chevy, Trick Flow for the Ford, and so on) with the correct cams, flat tappet or hydraulic roller, carbureted or EFI. All these engines would be geared toward torque.
You could then take a "streetable" horsepower version vs. the best torque version, up to 6,000 rpm (let's be fair), and run them at the strip in the same car. As you know, horsepower sells, but torque is what moves you down the street. I feel that your readers would benefit greatly from this type of knowledge and would be grateful.
Stan Wright
Via e-mail
That's almost exactly what we intend to do over the next few years, Stan. Perhaps not as you've outlined it here, but we're on the same path. Street performance is an attempt to build both torque and horsepower without killing the budget. Write us back in a year or so and let us know how we're doing.
Math Mania
OK, I admit I live for the day it comes in the mailbox. You know we're out here. That small group of pencil-heads who have to march through every math equation you throw at us. What makes me particularly weird is I have road raced and built engines for Sunbeam Alpines off and on since 1977. I honestly have used many articles you have published to improve on my efforts.