Back in 1970, SCCA Trans-Am racing was at a frenzied pitch, and the factories were involved up to their navels. Chrysler Corporation answered the Trans-Am challenge with a pair of new-for-1970 E-bodies. Dodge's version was the aptly named Challenger T/A (for Trans-Am) and Plymouth's AAR Cuda was named for Dan Gurney's All American Racers who campaigned it on the factory's behalf. Both were officially sanctioned efforts with a slew of specialized "standard" equipment to make them legal for the ponycar wars.

The T/As and AARs were powered by a special version of the 340-inch small-block featuring special "T/A"-casting cylinder heads with offset pushrod holes to expedite cylinder-head modifications. They also sported beefier main caps and a one-time-only small-block six-barrel induction system similar to the '69 to '71 440 Six-Pack offerings and were conservatively rated at 290 hp. The special equipment didn't end there. All T/As and AARs came equipped with fiberglass hoods with unique scoops and factory-installed hood pins, and their staggered tire sizes (E60-15s front, G60-15s rear) were a first for an American car. Other features included large front and rear sway bars, a quick-ratio steering box, front disc brakes, rear spoilers (front spoiler optional), and a side-exiting exhaust system. Special graphics also adorned their flanks. These cars were balanced and ran well despite only limited success in the series competing against seasoned Chevy- and Ford-sponsored teams. Sadly, the Trans-Am Mopars were only produced and raced for one year before the effort dried up.

Dave Pany of La Crescenta, California, is the owner of this fine example of Trans-Am history. He purchased his 'Cuda from a neighbor back in 1993 after the local trash-truck driver complained about all the old cars parked in a cul-de-sac three blocks away that made maneuvering his truck difficult. Dave investigated and was surprised to find this rare musclecar sitting curbside. The owner had purchased the car for his wife, and it took three years of persistent hounding by Dave to get him to sell. The low-mileage car was a nice "twenty-footer" according to Dave, who promptly stored it in his garage, gathered parts, researched his planned concours restoration, and saved his money. Three years later he launched an assault on the unsuspecting 'Cuda. Fortunately, it was a rust-free example with original paint, inspection marks, and complete documentation-a restoration shop's fantasy.

Dave performed all the bodywork, painting, and interior refurbishment in his garage. He even went so far as to sandblast and clearcoat the underside. Legendary Auto Interiors provided all the interior trim, while Dave provided the labor. The drivetrain, boasting only 52,000 original miles, was cleaned up, repainted, and returned to its rightful home-in fact, the original heads have never been off the block. The complete restoration was completed single-handedly in a mere 10 months. Dave only drives the AAR about 100 miles a year, ensuring that generations to come will be able to appreciate the legendary factory Trans-Am efforts of 1970.

If Dave can restore a rare musclecar to 100 percent numbers-matching authenticity in his garage, what's keeping you from tearing into that primered Nova behind the barn?

She holds it in gear until you wince and wish she would shift, but she doesn't. The Boss was designed with revvin' in mind, and Michelle clings to the abstract without mercy as she holds the pedal to the floor until the valvetrain clatter forces a shift. We know it when we see a throttle jockey who likes to rev by the faint veil of blue smoke that follows the car around, and all the signs were there. Thirty-five years earlier, Michelle might have been the Danica Patrick of Trans-Am.

We met her in a small office straight from a prison movie with bars on the cloudy windows and stark bleach-white cinder block. A pile of street-rod parts was on the floor. "Is it your dad's or your boyfriend's?" She hates questions like that, so we didn't ask. Instead, it was the first thing she volunteered to us. Michelle takes pride in being the one who breaks stuff and tinkers and owns the thing, so she has the right to kick those guys to the curb.

We walked outside and Michelle pointed around the alley at her '32 pickup shell that is getting a flathead. "Have you seen the pistons on a flathead? They are cool. We just took it apart the other day. They are sooo cool." She remembers being around 9 or 10 years old when she first spied a real Trans-Am Mustang. "My dad said, 'You better start saving your money because those cars are expensive.'" Short of the Boss 302 she really wanted, she managed to find a Wimbledon White Mach 1, but that wasn't enough, so she sold it to her dad and went after a Boss.

Michelle went from a 10-year-old clutching a copy of a vintage Trans-Am picture book to negotiating the sale of a real 302 car from a guy she met at a Carl's Jr. cruise night. "He had a Ford Fairlane, and I had a '72 Ford Econoline, so we started to talk. Don't get the wrong idea, the van was my dad's." The car was in a zillion pieces in a garage, and in her words, after some majorly annoying wrangling, the car was hers.

With a U-Haul trailer hooked to the van, Michelle went to scoop up all the parts; the engine and transmission went to Yorba Linda, California, to be rebuilt, and the body parts went to Ranger Performance, a shop owned by her boyfriend that happens to be where the car is stored now. There, they assembled the body and suspension, reupholstered the interior, and repainted all the interior pieces. Sadly, the stock steering wheel was missing, so Michelle replaced it with the MOMO.

Once the car had acceptable paint and a rebuilt 302, Michelle was bent on the thrash, and you could find the car screaming around the track at the Monterey Historic races or at 7,000 rpm with electro-cutout exhaust on the Buttonwillow Raceway. Laps at Fontana, the Hot Rod Power Tour(tm), and daily street whipping were ended when someone backed into the car and wasted the original paint. At that point, Michelle decided maybe it wasn't such a good idea to be rallying an actual Boss 302 Mustang, so she decided to restore the car with better paint and an interior redo. Nice as it is now, you can still catch it over-revving on the street-not a pampered life by any means. She still has a pretty big cam in there.

Tech Notes

What: It's a real live '70 Boss 302 Ford Mustang that Michelle lusted after from the time she was a kitten. She drives it like a rental.

Owner: Michelle Holstien; don't ask her if a boy built her car, she might slug you.

Hometown: Riverside, California, where you can probably hear the valves float as Michelle tries to find the point where a piston actually flies out of the block.

Wrenches: Larry Binder Jr. helped with the hard math and the garage space, her dad, Bruce, gave her the van, and Attila Vecsemyes at Ranger Performance did some additional wrenching.

Engine: The 302 was assembled in Larry Binder's garage after being machined by Pro Machine in Placentia, California. With 11.0:1 slugs and a custom Comp Cams hydraulic flat-tappet cam with 0.648/ 0.627 lift, the 302 made 390 hp on the engine dyno with the stock intake then 410 at 7,000 with the Bud Moore intake. It might have made more if she'd revved it higher. "I wasn't going to blow my motor just to get it down on paper."

Heads: The Boss 302 is essentially a 289 with a 3.00-inch stroke and the same 4.00-inch bore with the addition of a set of heads similar to the 2V 335 series with canted valves and huge ports that were introduced for the 351 Cleveland in 1970. This set has a 58cc chamber, 2.19 intake and 1.76 exhaust stainless steel valves, and cool-e-o polished-aluminum valve covers.

Headers: The pummeling exhaust note is from a set of 171/48-inch Hooker Super Comps with 3-inch tubing and V-Force, two-chamber mufflers. Michelle also installed an electronic exhaust cutout from Doug Thorley Headers. She prefers to drive it on the street with the exhaust wide open "because they are sooo freaking cool, I don't have a radio, that is my stereo."

Intake: Michelle poked around eBay and the Internet to find authentic Trans-Am Mustang stuff like a Cross Boss intake and original Boss 302 heads and ended up finding a Bud Moore mini plenum from the '60s at the Carlisle All-Ford Nationals. Bud Moore even signed it for her. "I took it to him on an airplane; that was fun."

Carburetor: Back in the day, a racing Trans-Am Mustang should have had a Cross Boss intake and a couple of huge carburetors, but the Boss intake required so many specialized carb and ignition parts, it was never run in the races. Michelle just uses a Holley 750 and an MSD Pro Billet distributor instead.

Transmission: She shifts it, eventually, with a T5 transmission from an '89 Mustang and a McLeod 10.5-inch clutch and T5 bellhousing. The rear is a 9-inch with 3.89 gears and 31-spline axles.

Suspension: Most of the suspension parts are out of a '67 390 Mustang. The heavy-duty 53.00x2.50-inch rear leaf springs and staggered shocks try to dampen wheelhop during what Michelle calls "full-throttle starts," and the donor car also provided a heavy-duty front stabilizer. It has Koni shocks and 390 springs with one coil cut to get the frontend down.

Looks: She was happy with it for almost three years until it was hit in the alley. The insurance provided the funds for the last piece of the puzzle: the paint. The body was repaired, the antenna was shaved, and a billet grille, HID headlights, and sequential taillights were added. The paint is BASF Glasurit dual-stage Medium Lime Green Metallic applied by Gil Terrazas at Ranger Performance. The stripes are from a kit she bought off eBay. The wheels are 15-inch Minilites with Dayton 235/60R15 and 255/60R15 tires.

Interior: It's stock except for the custom center console built by Ranger Performance. It went to Larry's Thunderbird & Mustang Parts (larrysmustang.com) for the new headliner.

I never liked these cars. Stupidly, I admitted this to Gene Hooker, the car's owner, while driving to the photo shoot. Not the smartest move, of course, and I clumsily tried to talk my way out of it. Instead of being angry (which he should have been), Gene smiled and said he never did either. Whew!

My intention was to compliment him on the excellent job he'd done restoring this particular Mustang, often considered an undesirable body style by some people. It just didn't come out that way.

Gene never had any plans to build a '72, though. He was going through a divorce in the late '80s and needed something to keep him occupied during the ordeal. "I had owned a '70 Mach 1 that got totaled while my wife was driving, and I wanted another one like that." But he couldn't afford any of the pre-'71 Mach 1s he looked at. Instead, he ended up buying this '72 on a local car lot for $1,000.

In hindsight, he thinks he paid too much for it. "It was in pretty foul shape," says Gene, a stoic guy who has a gift for speaking in understatement. "The engine knocked, the suspension was shot, the brakes were shot, the alignment was way off, it had a GM power steering pump that didn't work, the windows leaked, the floor was rusted through, and though it was originally a four-speed car, it had an automatic and only Second gear worked." He drove the car home from the lot, a 15-mile drive along country roads that should have only been a 20-minute ride. "It took about 45 minutes," Gene says. "My father followed me in case the car fell apart along the way." The trip seemed to last a couple of hours.

Once home, Gene went through the car, assessing the condition, saving up money, and tracking down replacement parts. In December 1991 he began working steadily on the Mach, fixing the mechanical things first. He wanted to keep the car driveable before sending it to the body shop. "I fixed the brakes and suspension first. I fixed the door handle too so I could get in the car." He then tackled the drivetrain, rebuilding the 351C and adapting a T5 transmission from a '93 Mustang. Then it was off to the body shop for an extensive cosmetic and structural overhaul. The floorpans were replaced as well as both quarter-panels, both doors, the decklid, and the front and rear valance panels. Martin Bennette of Asheboro, North Carolina, sprayed the freshened sheetmetal with a Gold Glow basecoat/clearcoat paint job.

He finished the major work on the Mustang in 1993, but Gene still continues to tinker. He added power assist to the brakes last winter and is toying with the notion of building a fuel-injection system for the engine. In the meantime he drives the wheels off the car. Currently there are 260,000 miles on the clock; about 100,000 of those were amassed after the car was restored. He goes to a lot of cruises and drives it regularly to car shows. We met him at the Year One Experience in Atlanta. He tells us he gets a lot of folks talking to him about the car, and the most common question people ask is "How do you see out of the back window?" "You don't," Gene replies. "You get used to it."

All the while, he's developed an appreciation for this Mustang body style. "No, I never used to like the looks of these cars. I guess it's grown on me over the years. I like it a lot now, and I don't have any plans for getting rid of it." He says the guy he bought his Mach 1 from was planning on parting it out rather than selling it complete. He's really happy he found it before that happened.

Tech NotesWhat: '72 Ford Mustang Mach 1Owner: Gene HookerHometown: Sophia, North Carolina. Sophia is located in Randolph County. So is Level Cross, hometown of Richard Petty.

Engine: Gene rebuilt the 351 Cleveland himself, keeping the stock crank and rods but adding 10.0:1 pistons. He drilled and tapped the oil passages in the block to accept the restrictor kit. Troy Machine Shop in Troy, North Carolina, bored and honed the block and resized the connecting rods.

Valvetrain: Going off a recommendation from a parts guy at his local Super Shops, Gene threw the Crane Cams parts catalog at the car. He slid in a Crane 296/296-advertised duration, 0.562/0.550-lift cam, Hi Intensity lifters, and Energizer pushrods and 1.7:1 roller rockers. He's happy with this decision. The engine runs and sounds good but is still streetable and gets decent mileage.

Cylinder heads: The stock 4V heads were ported and gasket-matched. Gene kept the stock 2.19/1.71 valves but gave them a three-angle valve job

Induction: An 800-cfm double-pumper Holley feeds those huge Cleveland intake ports through a Holley Street Eliminator single-plane manifold. But Gene is thinking of shelving all these parts for a Mass-Flo fuel injection kit. "I'm interested in the technology, and I think it would be different, too," he says.

Transmission: Wanting overdrive, Gene rebuilt a T5 from a '93 Fox-body Mustang, mating it to the engine via an adapter plate on the bellhousing. A friend made a crossmember that relocated the transmission mount, and he had the driveshaft shortened to fit. He uses the stock mechanical clutch linkage and a Hays pressure plate and friction disc.

Rearend: Richmond 3.50:1 gears fill the stock 9-inch housing, keeping things road-trip-friendly.

Gene is a toolmaker for Thomas Built buses. Anyone ride to elementary school in a Thomas bus?

Suspension: The Mustang's suspension was wasted when Gene bought the car. Things improved significantly when he upgraded to polyurethane bushings, 550-lb/in and 153-lb/in NPD springs, and Ford 111/48-inch front and 1-inch rear sway bars.

Brakes: Surprisingly, this Mach 1 had drum brakes at all corners. Gene kept the rear ones, but tossed the front set in favor of a pair of discs that were optional that year.

Wheels/Tires: No sense messing with stock Mach 1 wheels. BFGoodrich Radial T/As are mounted on the 15x7-inch front and 15x8-inch rear wheels.

Paint/Body: Cagle Automotive of Denton, North Carolina, hung all the new sheetmetal, followed up by a respray by Martin Bennette. James Powell of Silver Valley, North Carolina, applied the stripes.

Interior: Dave Spivey, of Asheboro, North Carolina, redid the interior with the stock Ginger upholstery.

Performance: Gene hasn't made any passes at the dragstrip, preferring to hit the streets in his Mach 1. He drives it as often as he can and figures he puts at least 6,000 miles on the car per year.

"I had a '68 Plymouth Sport Satellite when I was in high school. When I was about 19, I hit a tree and sent it to the automotive graveyard."

Mark Kittel spent the next 35 years waiting to replace that car. "Unfortu-nately, there weren't a whole lot of cars between then and now, so I guess this story isn't so glamorous," Mark says. And by "not a lot of cars," Mark means no musclecar-era stuff at all. In fact, this '69 Dodge Coronet R/T is his second try at building a street machine. We think he did OK.

To keep himself amused during the long, dark era, Mark read Car Craft and a couple of less worthy car mags (rhymes with Hot Rod), built models, and waited for a shot to get back in the scene. That chance came one year after his last child left the house. Why a year? "Because of the kids. They keep coming back," Mark observes. Wandering dependents not- withstanding, Mark managed to get out and look for his dream car. "I knew it was going to be a '69 or '70 vintage B-Body," he says. "I wanted a '70 GTX but there weren't a lot of them around."

Mark then came across the R/T in the local classified ads. He liked the lines of the car and the fact that it was straight with zero rust. "It's a car you can do a lot with." The paper was the Sunday edition that Mark bought on Saturday night, so he had to wait until the following morning to call the seller. "At 6:15 a.m. the next day, I called the guy from the golf course fairway and woke him up. "Do you still have the car?" Mark asked. "Yes, uh, I just put it in this morning's paper." "The owner said it was maroon with a black vinyl top, Keystone wheels, and a rebuilt 440 with an automatic," says Mark. "I told him I'd buy it and drove over to deliver some money so he'd hold it for me."

Of course it was raining, so Mark was satisfied to roll around under the car instead of driving it before agreeing on a price. They met again on Monday to do the paperwork. "I had to sit and stew all day knowing that I had to wait till 5:30 to go over and pick up this guy's car. It was probably the longest day in the office I had in months," he says.

When he got the car home, it looked big and the garage looked small, so Mark immediately planned on making an addition. "It was more like a 1.5-car addition. This car thing was starting to get expensive." Once the car was safely inside, his tools and parts began to expand to fill the space. As winter approached, the family cars were sent to wait it out in the snow while the street machine languished indoors. Sounds about right.

The car ran and drove fine, but it wasn't as "peppy" as it should have been, so Mark wanted to take the engine apart a little bit to see what was in there. "Good thing," he says. "I found out that the engine wasn't right, and I didn't like it that way. I know that if you think something is bad, then it is always five times worse." Once the engine was out, the transmission followed. The engine was beefed with a stroker package, and a Gear Vendors overdrive was plugged in for some freeway driving. The car was cruised late into the summer, but there was a problem: The paint job was a 20-footer. Back in the garage, the car was disassembled for paint. "I remember the paint was a slow process with lots of conversations about color," says Mark. "The car was delivered to the painter at the end of July and didn't come back until the following May."

When Mark started putting it back together for the summer events, he found the car looked better but still wasn't fun to drive. "It wasn't a musclecar where you could shift gears and have fun," says Mark. The car made it about 200 miles that summer before it was taken apart for the third time. Mark also wasn't happy with the stock frontend, so he looked into some alternatives. He purchased a Magnum Force tubular K-member and Wilwood brakes, and while the engine was out to install them, Mark finally caved to his dream, bought a five-speed kit from Keisler, and dropped it in.

Was he done yet? "I had to go a little bit further, so I redid the dashboard and the Ramcharger hood's fresh-air parts with carbon-fiber laminate, and added seats from a Mercedes for some modern comfort. If you are going to go fast, you are going to need to stop fast and handle. It's still not done, but it's close!"

Tech Notes

Who: Mark Kittel

What: '69 Dodge Coronet R/T

Where: Mark has spent his entire life in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Engine: Starting with a stock 440-block, Frank Widingstat at Advanced Performance in St. Paul added a 4.15-inch stroker Eagle crank and punched the bore to 4.375 for a total of 499 ci. Frank also added Eagle H-beam rods and Diamond dished pistons for a pump-happy 10.5:1 compression ratio. The cam is a Comp Xtreme Energy hydraulic flat tappet with 251 degrees of duration and 0.564 lift. The carb is a Quick Fuel 870 on top of Edelbrock RPM heads and a Torker II intake.

Exhaust: The headers are off-the-shelf ceramic-coated 171/48-inch Hedmans feeding a 3-inch system with Flowmaster 50-series mufflers.

Transmission: The Keisler five-speed kit required Mark to cut a 6-inch hole in the floor, but the rest of it went together with no drama. The kit comes with a 10.5-inch clutch, a hydraulic throwout bearing, and a pedal that looks like it came with the car.

Rearend: During the first thrash, the Dana 60 came out for a rebuild. When no one could get a set of axles to match the Sure Grip differential, Mark called Moser and ordered a complete bolt-in Dana 60. Problem solved. He put the 4.10:1 gear back and says that with the overdrive he can go down the highway at about 2,200 rpm in Fifth.

Suspension: Mark used a Magnum Force tubular K-member suspension conversion to eliminate clearance issues and to improve the handling characteristics of the car. The kit eliminates the torsion bars, replaces them with coilover shocks, and adds rack-and-pinion steering. "Now I can take that big car around an onramp at 70 mph."

Brakes: Both the front and rear disc brake setups are from Wilwood. The fronts have six-piston calipers with 13-inch discs and the rears have four-piston calipers and 11.75-inch discs.

Paint: When the bodywork was started, the painter found nine different paint jobs under the topcoat. The car had to be sanded down to bare metal and built up with primer and lots of House of Kolor Kandy Wild Cherry.

Radiator: The aluminum radiator is a direct fit for a B-Body, from Ron Davis Racing in Arizona, that did not require any modifications to the car. When Mark bought his radiator, Ron was doing circle track and NASCAR work; now he has some part numbers for old Mopars.

Fuel cell: Rick's Hot Rods in El Paso, Texas, built a stainless steel gas tank that looks like a stock unit and bolts in the stock location. It has an Aeromotive A1000 tank built into it, a -10 line from the pump to the regulator, and an electronic fuel sender.

'If you've been following the buildup of the CC '67 Mustang, then you know all about the Global West Suspension upgrades that up 'til now have included a hefty escalation in both front and rear spring rates, a set of gnarly tubular upper and lower control arms, a beefy sway bar, adjustable strut rods, and a bunch of other goodies. We also bolted on a Stainless Steel Brakes front disc-brake conversion, and we're well on our way to converting that lame 8-inch rear to a stronger 8.8 out of a donor '88 Fox-body Mustang. But even with all this work on the suspension, there is still something not quite right. That "something" is the thin sheetmetal floorpan connection between the front and rear suspension on a '67 Mustang. Early Mustangs are notorious for their lack of structural strength. Because we have plans to emulate the Jerry Titus Trans Am from 1967, it will include the ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound-Trans Am style. We knew that the thin floorpan connection between front and rear would have to be reinforced if we expected this car to come anywhere near corner-burner hero status.

Don't be surprised that Global West Suspension offers complete weld-in subframe connector kits for most early Mustangs, Falcons, and Rancheros, including our '67 Mustang. There's also an option with the Global West connectors: You can get a basic kit or rocker-rail support for both sides. We decided to start the installation with the tubular subframe connectors alone and follow up with the rocker-rail supports at a later date. Marlo's Frame & Alignment is in the nearby San Fernando Valley, so we limped our six-lunger over to the shop, where Marlon Mitchell had the experience to make this happen.

Bar Science

Global West's subframe connectors are constructed of robust 151/48-inch-diameter, 0.125-inch-wall thickness, drawn-over-mandrel (DOM) round tubing that is not only stronger than rectangular wall tubing but also lighter. The tubes are shipped powdercoated black so that they won't corrode. No frame or floorpan modifications are required, and all we had to do was slightly relocate a fuel line and bracket to make everything fit.

PARTS LIST
DESCRIPTION	PN	SOURCE	PRICE
Subframe connectors, '67-'73 Mustang	911	Global West	$152.63
Subframe connectors, '61-'65 Falcon,'63-'65 Ranchero	916	Global West	224.95
Subframe connectors, '64-'66 Mustang	910	Global West	152.63
Subframe connectors, '79-'93 Mustang	912	Global West	115.74
Rocker-rail supports, '67-'73 Mustang	924	Global West	105.21
Rocker-rail supports, '64-'66 Mustang	923	Global West	105.21

'Behind The ScenesWretched Excess

Ha! Let them eat cake. We have found the definition of overt use of AN lines, fuel blocks, split Dominator carburetors, and conspicuous consumption. Tom Johnson wins with his all-alloy 632 Rat with 1,800 hp worth of nitrous and fuel lines.

A Handful Of Rubber

There's a small lot behind the food place called Giggles that sells the elk burgers at the CC Summer Nationals. The lot is filled with chunked tires instead of crushed rock or busted-up asphalt. The rubber is cushy to the feet and smells like Comp T/As in the heat of the day. If you're looking for a way to get rid of all those old tires, we think we've found the solution.

Carnage

You might have noticed by now that we had some problems with the 370 out of the CC/Rambler. The official diagnosis is that the lower oil-feed journal in the timing chain got plugged and began to starve the cam and distributor gears that ride on the outside of the timing chain and spin the oil pump. After a while, the distributor began skipping teeth and slowly changing the timing. It took about one city block for the timing to slip enough to pop through the carb and stall the engine every time we reset it. The breakage also spread glitter into the oil, requiring a teardown.

Super Gas Numbers

During the summer we attended and passed the NHRA Class 4B tests and received our ET and Super Gas licenses. Now we have our own NHRA membership card and, best of all, an official number that we had cut from vinyl so we could stick it on the window. It's the end of drippy shoe-polish numbers for us. The license is for stuff as quick as 7.50, so we'd better get the car to go a little faster.

Pull The Pin And Run

We saw this gem bolted to the framerail of a rat rod. Do you think this is a comment on the quality of the engine buildup?

If you have been following the CC/Rambler project, you might have noticed that we've made 480 hp and run 12.06 at 112 mph using a completely original fuel system. It has the crappy stock 31/48-inch pickup in the tank with original fuel lines and a Jeep Cherokee mechanical fuel pump. It works just fine, so we are going to fix it.

The next huge step for the car has always been nitrous oxide. We geared it high so we could add 1,000 rpm in the traps and bench-built the car with 150-, 250-, and 500-shots so we could visualize the schrapnel bouncing out of the 904 transmission. Good times. We also have a gnarly Tim Hogan intake manifold that we've been trying to install on the car in between differential explosions, paint jobs, transmission deaths, and drinking beer on the couch on Sundays instead of working on the car.

Before we can plumb in the happy gas and the corresponding timers and such, we have to rig up a fuel system that will both feed the existing engine and be upgradable as we put more power to the ground. The fuel systems we are going to address in this article are for carbureted cars, because that's what we think most of you guys are using. We are also going to talk a little theory so you can apply what we've discovered here to your street machine. Check it.

Fuel PumpsThe very first thing you are going to need to know is how fast you want to go. If you don't care about going fast, you need to know how much horsepower you're making or want to make. If you don't have access to an engine dyno, you can rely on Desktop Dyno from Comp Cams or a similar program to get into the ballpark. We have, and it works.

The 370-inch V-8 in the Rambler makes 480 hp at 6,000 rpm, so we can fit that number into a handy formula, 2 (flywheel hp x brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC) / 6) = gph, to calculate the needs of the engine in gallons per hour (gph). This formula is an industry standard that takes into consideration g-loads and friction losses in the lines.

What is BSFC? A gasoline-powered, naturally aspirated engine uses roughly 0.5 pounds of fuel to make 1 hp for 1 hour at WOT. The calculation is

BSFC	= fuel lb/hr
	uncorrected brake hp

Obviously you are going to need an engine dyno with a fuel-flow meter to get both parts of the equation, or you can guess using a rule of thumb developed from thousands and thousands of previous dyno runs. For the purpose of selecting a fuel pump, the BSFC range varies from 0.38 for an extremely efficient racing engine with great cylinder heads to 0.65 for an engine with a turbo or blower. If you take the average of these two numbers, you get 0.515, which is why everyone uses 0.5 for this calculation when a dyno sheet isn't available.

We used the formula and ended up with 80 gph as the requirement for a fuel pump: 2 (480 flywheel hp x 0.5 BSFC / 6) = 80. We checked the lineup of mechanical fuel pumps from sources like Holley and found that the pump with an advertised rating of 80 gph actually flowed slightly less than 40 gph at 6,000 rpm and 4.5 psi. This is because the advertised number is based on zero-pressure free flow and, as Sesame Street taught us years ago, as pressure increases, flow decreases. Considering that a high-performance engine with a carburetor requires 6-8 psi, this is clearly not enough pump. Instead, we looked to Holley part number 12-327-13. That pump is rated at 130 gph free flow and pumps 85 gph at 4.5 psi and 6,000 rpm. We know this because these pumps are accompanied by a flow chart in the Holley catalog. Using the chart, you can see how much fuel the pump is actually capable of pumping at a certain pressure and rpm.

Mechanical Or Electric?That raises the next question. Should you use a mechanical pump or an electric one? This is a money issue first and a car-design issue second. If you are making the kind of power we are, the mechanical pump is the less expensive option. The pump mentioned earlier retails for $85.95 and, according to the math, can feed right around 500 hp. The inlet and outlet are also tapped for 31/48-inch line, so you can use your stock fuel system (unless your car is equipped with 51/416-inch stuff; then you should upgrade that anyway). There are mechanical pumps out there that will pump up to 225 gph and feed 675 hp, but you will need to buy a regulator and some AN fittings and lines, so be sure to factor those into the total cost.

There is also driver preference. Circle track guys like it when the mechanical fuel pump quits when the engine dies so that if they flip the car, the pump isn't glugging fuel all over the hot parts while they are headfirst in the clay. Street machine guys usually like to hear that pump whirring away and see the filter or the pump itself mounted next to the fuel cell. It's cool. Drag racers like to know that when the engine is on, the fuel pump is at maximum pressure and ready to go on a hard launch. Electric-pumps start at maximum pressure and flow, and flow drops as pressure increases. Mechanical pumps start at low flow and increase with rpm. Because of that, the mechanical pump uses and delivers fuel based on demand.

In our case we are going to be pumping up the horsepower to 550 or so, feeding a tunnel-ram, and eventually running a parallel nitrous system. The stock fuel tank hits the differential and leaks, so we are going to either install a fuel cell or get a replacement tank and add a sump. All of this leads us to a trunk-mounted electric pump for easy access and track maintenance. We also like the mechanical noise and the glamor.

Return or dead head?The term "dead head" simply means that the fuel in the system does not recirculate back to the gas tank from the front of the car. A return system recycles fuel back to the tank using either a bypass at the fuel pump or at the regulator.

Engines with mechanical pumps can use dead-head systems because fuel pressure only increases with rpm and the design of the pump only allows as much fuel into the pressure side of the system as is needed by the carburetor. Although there are some factory musclecar-era machines that use a return system, most do not for this reason. We ran a mechanical pump with no return line for two years and, even though we drove it to Vegas in scorching heat, never had a fuel-related problem.

When you add an electric pump to a dead-head system, fuel is constantly working against the pressure regulator or being bypassed within the fuel pump itself, causing extra heat and sometimes air to be forced into the system. The more of each you add, the closer you get to the point where the fuel becomes so hot that it turns to vapor and stops being delivered to the engine. On a car that sees the street and long road trips, the result is trouble. This situation also causes a pressure drop, as the needle and seat open to fill the bowls of the carburetor, and constant starting and stopping of fuel flow. These problems are why factory fuel-injected cars with electric pumps always use a return system.

A typical Barry Grant (BG) return system works by pumping fuel pressure to the regulator mounted downstream of the carb. Since the regulator will be set to provide 6-8 psi, the unused fuel will be sent back to the gas tank or fuel cell. This ensures that the fuel is constantly flowing and that fresh, cool fuel is always available at the carburetor. Another advantage to the return system is that the fuel pressure is the same throughout the system, eliminating pressure drops between the regulator and the carbs and ensuring that fuel-pressure settings remain constant under load.

If you are stubborn and want a dead-head-style system or are clicking off 1.20 60-foot times in a trailered race car, BG offers the BG400 pump, which has an externally adjustable bypass right at the pump that can return fuel to a rear-mounted fuel cell or tank. It's really not designed for street use, but for burger-stand guys and short trips, there is a power stepdown box that will cut the voltage to the pump so it will not overheat. A toggle switch is used to put it into street driving mode, then a throttle switch takes the system back to full voltage at WOT. Pretty neat.

If you still insist on trying a dead-head system, there is the Enduro series from BG, which allows you to run a big electric pump on the street. The trick is an internal bypass and a fuel-cooled gerotor-style motor. The King, Mighty, and Speed Enduro pumps can feed 2,000-, 750-, and 500hp engines respectively and can also be hooked to an additional aluminum heat sink if necessary for additional abuse.

RegulatorsAt the very low end of the fuel pump spectrum you can find fuel pumps that don't require a pressure regulator of any kind. They are the mechanical pumps that provide less than 110 gph free flow and don't build pressure much higher than about 8 psi, and electric pumps that provide less than 100 gph free flow and don't build pressure above 7 psi. If you need more pump, you need a regulator.

Using Holley carburetors as an example, the needle-and-seat assembly can control fuel flow up to about 8 psi. Any more than that and unregulated fuel will flood the bowl, enter the carb through the venturi as it pours out of the vent tubes, and stall the car at idle or create a huge rich condition at full throttle. The regulator simply uses spring pressure to regulate fuel pressure. There is a screw or Allen bolt on top of the regulator that when turned clockwise adds preload to the spring, increasing the amount of pressure required to unseat the regulator. A dead-head-style regulator simply stops fuel from flowing when the valve is closed. A return-style regulator allows fuel to flow back into the tank. There are several sizes available, but the basic breakdown is for either 31/48-inch or 11/42-inch fuel line. There are also four-port regulator dead heads for tunnel-rams and single-return styles for multiple carbureted street machines.

When using return-style regulators, it's important that the return line is within one size of the feed line. If the line is too small, fuel will not be able to return to the tank fast enough and you will not be able to lower the fuel pressure at the feed line no matter how many times you turn the screw.

Since every pressure regulator has fuel pressure versus spring pressure vented to atmosphere, you can run a fitting to manifold pressure. On boost, the extra atmosphere will increase fuel pressure at a 1:1 ratio. Nitrous guys should have a separate fuel system for safety reasons. If the main fuel system fails at full throttle, the nitrous will still be spraying. With a separate line you can run a safety switch that kills the nitrous when fuel pressure drops below a predetermined limit.

Fuel LinesWe've been having a small debate about the size of the feed line from the fuel tank or cell. BG recommends a -12 (31/44-inch) line for the BG-400 and even sent us a photo of a cavitated pump as proof that bigger is better. The theory is that since electric pumps are designed to push and not pull, they need all the help they can get. Yet most fuel cells come with a -8 (11/42-inch) line, and the guys at Holley saw no problem with a -8 feed. What BG and Holley agree on is that the primary line should be -8 (11/42 inch) from the pump to the regulator and at least -6 (31/48 inch) on the way back.

If you are using a factory gas tank, the return line should be as far away from the pickup as possible to prevent the returning fuel from frothing and disturbing suction. All that fuel going to the pump has to be replaced with air in the tank, so it needs a suitably sized vent with some kind of filter attached or fuel will stop flowing.

WiringThis is easy. You'll need to run a minimum 12-gauge or preferably 10-gauge wire from a battery source to the fuel pump using a relay, and then switch the relay on and off using a 12-volt source from the ignition key or, in some cases, a toggle switch. Since fuel pumps are simply electric motors, the amount of current supplied can affect the speed, and therefore the efficiency, of the pump. Ever had a low battery or a bad connection and had your starter spin really slowly, barely turning over the engine? Same thing. The minimum voltage you should deliver to the pump is 13.2 volts, but companies like Mallory advertise the maximum pump gph rating at 14 volts, so the closer you can get to the ideal between 13.5 and 14.2 volts, the better.

Just as the power wire is important, the ground wire needs to also be 12 gauge or larger and attached to a clean portion of the frame near the pump. If the pump is straining or getting hot, check the ground circuit first.

PARTS LIST
DESCRIPTION	PN	SOURCE	PRICE
Autogage fuel-pressure gauge	ATM-2180	Summit Racing	$31.95
BG 220HR fuel pump	170013	Jegs High Performance	249.99
BG King Enduro fuel pump	170044	Jegs High Performance	515.99
BG diaphragm bypass	171021	Jegs High Performance	69.99
BG fuel-cell-to-pump kit	152387	Jegs High Performance	141.99
BG pump-bypass to return-line kit	150187	Jegs High Performance	66.99
BG fuel-pump-to-regulator kit	150287	Jegs High Performance	195.99
BG regulator-to-dual-carb kit	151587-6	Jegs High Performance	183.09
BG regulator-to single-carb kit	151687-6	Jegs High Performance	94.50
Competition Engineering fuel-tank
sump kit	C4040	Summit Racing	61.88
Mighty Demon TR 650 carbs, each	5282010GC	Jegs High Performance	549.99
Edelbrock mechanical fuel pump	1721	Summit Racing	85.88
Edelbrock electric fuel pump	1791	Summit Racing	145.88
Hogan's Racing Manifolds tunnel-ram	N/A	Hogan's Racing	Call
Holley HP125 fuel pump	12-125	Summit Racing	179.95
Weiand tunnel-ram linkage kit	WND-4032	Summit Racing	165.95
Summit Racing aluminum fuel cell	291220-SC	Summit Racing	314.95

If you have been following the CC/Rambler project, you might have noticed that we've made 480 hp and run 12.06 at 112 mph using a completely original fuel system. It has the crappy stock 31/48-inch pickup in the tank with original fuel lines and a Jeep Cherokee mechanical fuel pump. It works just fine, so we are going to fix it.

The next huge step for the car has always been nitrous oxide. We geared it high so we could add 1,000 rpm in the traps and bench-built the car with 150-, 250-, and 500-shots so we could visualize the schrapnel bouncing out of the 904 transmission. Good times. We also have a gnarly Tim Hogan intake manifold that we've been trying to install on the car in between differential explosions, paint jobs, transmission deaths, and drinking beer on the couch on Sundays instead of working on the car.

Before we can plumb in the happy gas and the corresponding timers and such, we have to rig up a fuel system that will both feed the existing engine and be upgradable as we put more power to the ground. The fuel systems we are going to address in this article are for carbureted cars, because that's what we think most of you guys are using. We are also going to talk a little theory so you can apply what we've discovered here to your street machine. Check it.

Fuel PumpsThe very first thing you are going to need to know is how fast you want to go. If you don't care about going fast, you need to know how much horsepower you're making or want to make. If you don't have access to an engine dyno, you can rely on Desktop Dyno from Comp Cams or a similar program to get into the ballpark. We have, and it works.

The 370-inch V-8 in the Rambler makes 480 hp at 6,000 rpm, so we can fit that number into a handy formula, 2 (flywheel hp x brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC) / 6) = gph, to calculate the needs of the engine in gallons per hour (gph). This formula is an industry standard that takes into consideration g-loads and friction losses in the lines.

What is BSFC? A gasoline-powered, naturally aspirated engine uses roughly 0.5 pounds of fuel to make 1 hp for 1 hour at WOT. The calculation is

BSFC	= fuel lb/hr
	uncorrected brake hp

Obviously you are going to need an engine dyno with a fuel-flow meter to get both parts of the equation, or you can guess using a rule of thumb developed from thousands and thousands of previous dyno runs. For the purpose of selecting a fuel pump, the BSFC range varies from 0.38 for an extremely efficient racing engine with great cylinder heads to 0.65 for an engine with a turbo or blower. If you take the average of these two numbers, you get 0.515, which is why everyone uses 0.5 for this calculation when a dyno sheet isn't available.

We used the formula and ended up with 80 gph as the requirement for a fuel pump: 2 (480 flywheel hp x 0.5 BSFC / 6) = 80. We checked the lineup of mechanical fuel pumps from sources like Holley and found that the pump with an advertised rating of 80 gph actually flowed slightly less than 40 gph at 6,000 rpm and 4.5 psi. This is because the advertised number is based on zero-pressure free flow and, as Sesame Street taught us years ago, as pressure increases, flow decreases. Considering that a high-performance engine with a carburetor requires 6-8 psi, this is clearly not enough pump. Instead, we looked to Holley part number 12-327-13. That pump is rated at 130 gph free flow and pumps 85 gph at 4.5 psi and 6,000 rpm. We know this because these pumps are accompanied by a flow chart in the Holley catalog. Using the chart, you can see how much fuel the pump is actually capable of pumping at a certain pressure and rpm.

Mechanical Or Electric?That raises the next question. Should you use a mechanical pump or an electric one? This is a money issue first and a car-design issue second. If you are making the kind of power we are, the mechanical pump is the less expensive option. The pump mentioned earlier retails for $85.95 and, according to the math, can feed right around 500 hp. The inlet and outlet are also tapped for 31/48-inch line, so you can use your stock fuel system (unless your car is equipped with 51/416-inch stuff; then you should upgrade that anyway). There are mechanical pumps out there that will pump up to 225 gph and feed 675 hp, but you will need to buy a regulator and some AN fittings and lines, so be sure to factor those into the total cost.

There is also driver preference. Circle track guys like it when the mechanical fuel pump quits when the engine dies so that if they flip the car, the pump isn't glugging fuel all over the hot parts while they are headfirst in the clay. Street machine guys usually like to hear that pump whirring away and see the filter or the pump itself mounted next to the fuel cell. It's cool. Drag racers like to know that when the engine is on, the fuel pump is at maximum pressure and ready to go on a hard launch. Electric-pumps start at maximum pressure and flow, and flow drops as pressure increases. Mechanical pumps start at low flow and increase with rpm. Because of that, the mechanical pump uses and delivers fuel based on demand.

In our case we are going to be pumping up the horsepower to 550 or so, feeding a tunnel-ram, and eventually running a parallel nitrous system. The stock fuel tank hits the differential and leaks, so we are going to either install a fuel cell or get a replacement tank and add a sump. All of this leads us to a trunk-mounted electric pump for easy access and track maintenance. We also like the mechanical noise and the glamor.

Return or dead head?The term "dead head" simply means that the fuel in the system does not recirculate back to the gas tank from the front of the car. A return system recycles fuel back to the tank using either a bypass at the fuel pump or at the regulator.

Engines with mechanical pumps can use dead-head systems because fuel pressure only increases with rpm and the design of the pump only allows as much fuel into the pressure side of the system as is needed by the carburetor. Although there are some factory musclecar-era machines that use a return system, most do not for this reason. We ran a mechanical pump with no return line for two years and, even though we drove it to Vegas in scorching heat, never had a fuel-related problem.

When you add an electric pump to a dead-head system, fuel is constantly working against the pressure regulator or being bypassed within the fuel pump itself, causing extra heat and sometimes air to be forced into the system. The more of each you add, the closer you get to the point where the fuel becomes so hot that it turns to vapor and stops being delivered to the engine. On a car that sees the street and long road trips, the result is trouble. This situation also causes a pressure drop, as the needle and seat open to fill the bowls of the carburetor, and constant starting and stopping of fuel flow. These problems are why factory fuel-injected cars with electric pumps always use a return system.

A typical Barry Grant (BG) return system works by pumping fuel pressure to the regulator mounted downstream of the carb. Since the regulator will be set to provide 6-8 psi, the unused fuel will be sent back to the gas tank or fuel cell. This ensures that the fuel is constantly flowing and that fresh, cool fuel is always available at the carburetor. Another advantage to the return system is that the fuel pressure is the same throughout the system, eliminating pressure drops between the regulator and the carbs and ensuring that fuel-pressure settings remain constant under load.

If you are stubborn and want a dead-head-style system or are clicking off 1.20 60-foot times in a trailered race car, BG offers the BG400 pump, which has an externally adjustable bypass right at the pump that can return fuel to a rear-mounted fuel cell or tank. It's really not designed for street use, but for burger-stand guys and short trips, there is a power stepdown box that will cut the voltage to the pump so it will not overheat. A toggle switch is used to put it into street driving mode, then a throttle switch takes the system back to full voltage at WOT. Pretty neat.

If you still insist on trying a dead-head system, there is the Enduro series from BG, which allows you to run a big electric pump on the street. The trick is an internal bypass and a fuel-cooled gerotor-style motor. The King, Mighty, and Speed Enduro pumps can feed 2,000-, 750-, and 500hp engines respectively and can also be hooked to an additional aluminum heat sink if necessary for additional abuse.

RegulatorsAt the very low end of the fuel pump spectrum you can find fuel pumps that don't require a pressure regulator of any kind. They are the mechanical pumps that provide less than 110 gph free flow and don't build pressure much higher than about 8 psi, and electric pumps that provide less than 100 gph free flow and don't build pressure above 7 psi. If you need more pump, you need a regulator.

Using Holley carburetors as an example, the needle-and-seat assembly can control fuel flow up to about 8 psi. Any more than that and unregulated fuel will flood the bowl, enter the carb through the venturi as it pours out of the vent tubes, and stall the car at idle or create a huge rich condition at full throttle. The regulator simply uses spring pressure to regulate fuel pressure. There is a screw or Allen bolt on top of the regulator that when turned clockwise adds preload to the spring, increasing the amount of pressure required to unseat the regulator. A dead-head-style regulator simply stops fuel from flowing when the valve is closed. A return-style regulator allows fuel to flow back into the tank. There are several sizes available, but the basic breakdown is for either 31/48-inch or 11/42-inch fuel line. There are also four-port regulator dead heads for tunnel-rams and single-return styles for multiple carbureted street machines.

When using return-style regulators, it's important that the return line is within one size of the feed line. If the line is too small, fuel will not be able to return to the tank fast enough and you will not be able to lower the fuel pressure at the feed line no matter how many times you turn the screw.

Since every pressure regulator has fuel pressure versus spring pressure vented to atmosphere, you can run a fitting to manifold pressure. On boost, the extra atmosphere will increase fuel pressure at a 1:1 ratio. Nitrous guys should have a separate fuel system for safety reasons. If the main fuel system fails at full throttle, the nitrous will still be spraying. With a separate line you can run a safety switch that kills the nitrous when fuel pressure drops below a predetermined limit.

Fuel LinesWe've been having a small debate about the size of the feed line from the fuel tank or cell. BG recommends a -12 (31/44-inch) line for the BG-400 and even sent us a photo of a cavitated pump as proof that bigger is better. The theory is that since electric pumps are designed to push and not pull, they need all the help they can get. Yet most fuel cells come with a -8 (11/42-inch) line, and the guys at Holley saw no problem with a -8 feed. What BG and Holley agree on is that the primary line should be -8 (11/42 inch) from the pump to the regulator and at least -6 (31/48 inch) on the way back.

If you are using a factory gas tank, the return line should be as far away from the pickup as possible to prevent the returning fuel from frothing and disturbing suction. All that fuel going to the pump has to be replaced with air in the tank, so it needs a suitably sized vent with some kind of filter attached or fuel will stop flowing.

WiringThis is easy. You'll need to run a minimum 12-gauge or preferably 10-gauge wire from a battery source to the fuel pump using a relay, and then switch the relay on and off using a 12-volt source from the ignition key or, in some cases, a toggle switch. Since fuel pumps are simply electric motors, the amount of current supplied can affect the speed, and therefore the efficiency, of the pump. Ever had a low battery or a bad connection and had your starter spin really slowly, barely turning over the engine? Same thing. The minimum voltage you should deliver to the pump is 13.2 volts, but companies like Mallory advertise the maximum pump gph rating at 14 volts, so the closer you can get to the ideal between 13.5 and 14.2 volts, the better.

Just as the power wire is important, the ground wire needs to also be 12 gauge or larger and attached to a clean portion of the frame near the pump. If the pump is straining or getting hot, check the ground circuit first.

PARTS LIST
DESCRIPTION	PN	SOURCE	PRICE
Autogage fuel-pressure gauge	ATM-2180	Summit Racing	$31.95
BG 220HR fuel pump	170013	Jegs High Performance	249.99
BG King Enduro fuel pump	170044	Jegs High Performance	515.99
BG diaphragm bypass	171021	Jegs High Performance	69.99
BG fuel-cell-to-pump kit	152387	Jegs High Performance	141.99
BG pump-bypass to return-line kit	150187	Jegs High Performance	66.99
BG fuel-pump-to-regulator kit	150287	Jegs High Performance	195.99
BG regulator-to-dual-carb kit	151587-6	Jegs High Performance	183.09
BG regulator-to single-carb kit	151687-6	Jegs High Performance	94.50
Competition Engineering fuel-tank
sump kit	C4040	Summit Racing	61.88
Mighty Demon TR 650 carbs, each	5282010GC	Jegs High Performance	549.99
Edelbrock mechanical fuel pump	1721	Summit Racing	85.88
Edelbrock electric fuel pump	1791	Summit Racing	145.88
Hogan's Racing Manifolds tunnel-ram	N/A	Hogan's Racing	Call
Holley HP125 fuel pump	12-125	Summit Racing	179.95
Weiand tunnel-ram linkage kit	WND-4032	Summit Racing	165.95
Summit Racing aluminum fuel cell	291220-SC	Summit Racing	314.95

If you look closely at the market, the street machine is the new street rod. As sheetmetal becomes more expensive and bodies become scarce, the sheetmetal fab and custom parts creation that used to be the realm of '32 Fords are now required to build muscle-era rides. Take Les Boudewyns, for example. He's a street rodder who got into musclecars about 10 years ago when he began to admire the looks and stamina of some local street machines at the drag races. "I think that musclecars are a lot faster and they don't break as much," he says. His string of street rods began with a '40 Ford coupe with a small-block and a Muncie four-speed transmission. It was a cruiser, plain-Jane rebuild that went to rod runs and car-club meets back in the '70s. That car was sold when he found a '32 all-steel five-window Ford with a small-block and a B&M 144 baby blower; it was more of the same.

Everything changed in the mid-'90s, when Les got a ride in a friend's Buick Grand National that ran low 12s without an intercooler. Remember, 12s were fast for that era. Inspired by the easy speed and durability, Les bought a basket-case '85 Buick T-Type so he could go fast too. That Buick introduced Les to the dragstrip with an 11.14 at 121. While he was there he got a good long look at a '66 Chevelle and quickly got used to the body style. "After that, I decided I needed one." He found a rust-free '67 disassembled in Sacramento, brought the shell home, and got to work. The body had been modified in the trans tunnel and there were some dents, but nothing too major.

About two years ago the ProCharger was the big rage, so Les bought one for the Chevelle. Since he's always been a small-block Chevy guy too, he decided to put the two together and go drag racing. He contacted a local engine builder and sent him the parts to get the short-block assembled. During the bench racing, someone suggested that if you want to go real fast on pump gas, you should inject the supercharger with methanol, so that's what Les did. With some ported Dart heads, 17 pounds of boost from the ProCharger, and a light mist of methanol on the inlet side of the supercharger, he went 10.75 at 127 mph the first time out.

Tech NotesWho: Les BoudewynsWhat: "It's a '67 Chevelle Malibu, and I am proud of it. Everyone else has a cloned SS."

Where: Spokane, Washington, about four hours east of Seattle. We're told it is a huge street rod town.

Engine: The engine is a 0.030-over four-bolt 350 with a steel GM crank, Eagle H-beam rods, and Speed-Pro 8.2:1 pistons. The cam is an "old-school, cheapie, Summit flat-tappet cam," says Les. It has 234/244 duration at 0.050 and 0.488/0.510 on a 112 lobe separation. It idles smooth at 850 rpm.

Heads: The 350 uses a set of Dart 200cc aluminum heads that have a short-side port job and a bowl blend. The valves are 2.02/1.60s with 1.6:1 roller rockers.

Intake: The carb is a Quick Fuel 750 on top of an Edelbrock Victor Jr. single-plane with a spacer. The whole deal is fed with an Aeromotive A1000 pump and an Edelbrock pressure regulator.

Cool: Using a one-way brake check-valve, methanol is injected from a stainless steel tank mounted on the passenger-side radiator core support when boost hits 10 psi. The reservoir is pressurized by the intake charge, forcing methanol into the intake side of the supercharger. It's completely mechanical and allows the engine to run more boost and more timing on the street without wasting race gas.

Box: The aluminum box mounted on the firewall feeds cold air directly from the cowl area into the supercharger through a K&N cone-style air filter.

More: It also has an Edelbrock plate nitrous system, but Les is afraid to pull the trigger on the 100-shot. Everyone has told him that he is fast approaching the safety limit of the block, and Les doesn't want to blow it up. "The wheelspin is already uncontrollable on the street," he says. It made 604 hp at the wheels on nitrous and 511 with the methanol on pump gas.

Ignition: The ignition is an MSD Digital 7A box with a billet distributor that controls timing, the nitrous system, and the shift light, and is capable of traction control if the sensors are hooked up.

Supercharger: The ProCharger DS1 is good for 900 hp and produces up to 17 pounds of boost on this combination. The blow-off valve is from Mondavi

Body: The body is BMW silver and was straightened by Les in his own per sonal garage. The schnoz was handmade by Chris Ledgerwood at Extreme Customs in Veradale, Washington, with a steel scoop that was grafted on the steel hood. Ken Van DeVander, a local Spokane artist, did the pinstriping

Interior: The upholstery is replacement factory stuff from OPG, the dash and the console are custom-made, and C&B auto upholstery installed the carpet and the headliner. The car sat in the desert for years, so the rubber on the car was rock-hard and all the glass in the car was crystallized from the heat. Les spent mucho bucks at True Connections to get the stock glass. The 'cage is NHRA-certified for an 8.50 pass and the Russell five-point harness is for safety. The Innovate O2 meter is a temporary thing Les is using to tune the car on the street. The Pro-Comp Ultra-Lite Auto Meter gauges are mounted to a single sheet of aluminum that has ribs added to get the right look. The steering wheel is from LeCarra.

Wheels/Tires: The wheels are traditional 15x8 and 15x6 Weld Drag Lites with 275/60R15 rear and 225/60R15 front because Les wanted a traditional drag racing look.

Rearend: To get the 275 tires to fit, the 12-bolt was narrowed. To get down the freeway, it uses 3.73:1 gears. The lower control arms are boxed, and the uppers are Edelbrock adjustables with Edelbrock IAS shocks and Hotchkis 111/44-inch front and 1-inch rear sway bars, and 2-inch lowering springs in the front with 1-inch in the back.

Transmission: In Les' words, the TH400 is absolutely bulletproof with a transbrake and a Hughes 3,400 stall converter.

Fuel cell: The rear sump was welded in to a new gas tank. It's all handmade.

Last year at the Summer Nats, cute girls talked to us. It's true. If you want in on that, attend the 2008 Car Craft magazine Summer Nationals, a three-day event showcasing more than 4,000 street machines and musclecars as it plows into St. Paul at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, July 25-27. The event, which features all makes and models of two-wheel-drive vehicles as well as feature cars, will attract over 45,000 spectators including some girls wearing short-shorts and bikini tops. If your car is sweet, there is a chance to grab one of 100 awards that will be handed out to outstanding cars and trucks. Be there - we will.

What:

Car Craft Summer Nationals, an event showcasing more than 4,000 street machines and musclecars and attracting over 45,000 car enthusiasts.

When:
Friday, July 25: 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.Saturday, July 26: 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.Sunday, July 27: 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Where:
Minnesota State Fairgrounds1880 Como Ave.St. Paul, Minnesota

Highlights:
*Dyno Challenge.
*Miss Car Craft Summer Nats contest.
*Burnout contest-smokin' tires and burning rubber.
*GM Performance Division displays its latest automotive creations.
*Car Corral, Family Fun Zone, and Performance Marketplace.
*Car Craft, Chevy High Performance, and Hot Rod editors and photographers.

Vehicle Registration:
$45 advance (good until July 18). Entry fee covers car, driver, and co-pilot plus one goodie bag, as well as children under 15.

Tickets:
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TODAY!

Info:
877-413-6515 or check back here.

Before this tune-up, when the green light lit this '71 Buick Skylark would smoke the Mickey Thompson stickies down the first 100 feet or so of the track before hooking up and running. The starting-line tirespin was maddening. Part of the solution we'll show here applies to production cars with coil-sprung, nonparallel four-link rear suspensions such as '64-'72 GM A-bodies (Chevelles, Skylarks, Cutlasses, and Tempests) and Fox-and-newer Mustangs. Next month, we'll dial it in.

We sought guidance from world-reknowned street-racer-turned-Pro-Street-guru Mike Moran, who has raced every kind of vehicle you can imagine and coaches a lot of Fastest Street Car racers through his business, Moran Motorsports. Surprisingly, he started his quarter-mile passion behind the wheel of an A-body Buick, so he knows these vehicles. Moran's initial suggestion was simply to change the shock absorbers to help speed up and control the transfer of weight from the front end for added bite, but after discovering the car's poor 60 percent front-end weight bias, Moran and his business partner Bart Lemeux decided that some more serious suspension parts might be needed.

The plan involved installing a Dick Miller Racing (DMR) rear-suspension kit to improve the launch grip of the vehicle. The kit repositions the upper-link mounting points on the rearend housing to alter the four-link geometry, moving the theoretical intersection point of the upper and lower control arms lower and rearward. This changes the leverage point of the suspension, leading to more body rise during launch, and therefore more pressure on the tires for improved traction. The DMR kit is also adjustable to preload the suspension for drag tuning, and it stiffens the factory mounting points. Similar kits are available for coil-spring Mustangs.

The suspension overhaul also included a DMR adjustable, preloadble rear sway bar and Strange adjustable shocks. We had to modify some of the DMR components to fit, because a Moser 9-inch rearend was installed a few years ago in place of the stock GM 10- bolt , and this kit is built for a factory rearend.

Consulting For Speed
In the process of doing the upgrade in this story, we reached out to the owner of one of the quickest streetable Buick Skylarks in the country. Steve Cagle has gone 9.49 seconds at 146 mph with a 1.36 60-foot time in a 3,500-pound '71 Buick.

When asked about getting the car to launch, Cagle said, "We spent a lot of time with the stock rear suspension and eventually installed a fully fabricated racing suspension. The Dick Miller pieces and Strange shocks are great with the stock suspension and can be installed by someone in his driveway. We ran the rebound in the rears set at seven clicks toward stiff and the fronts at halfway to stiff. I'd set the pinion angle at 3 degrees down with the Dick Miller suspension. We put a lot of pressure in the slicks compared to a lighter car, like 1111/42 to 13 psi, and with the vehicle weight, I think that would help you-we also ran tubes in our slicks. My car worked well with Moroso big-block drag springs up front, but with the front-end weight of your vehicle, I don't think they'll work."

We did try the Moroso front drag springs, which were very difficult to install as they're very long. Unfortunately, the nose weight was too much-the springs were in full coil-bind with the car at rest, so the stock front springs were reinstalled for all the runs.

Cagle went on to add, "Any weight you can get out of the front of the vehicle will help a bunch at the launch." We looked at removing weight, but decided to just focus on the suspension for this story.

Cagle's advice helped a lot. One example was his recommended optimal front-suspension alignment-which saved time for us. We suggest finding someone who has gone fast with the same type or a similar-type vehicle to give you speed tips. Don't be a pest: You'll need to make it a win-win somehow-and we're sure they are as busy as everyone else. Basic recommendations for alignment are to set the alignment with the car raised 1 inch from ride hieght. Shoot for 3-4 degrees of positive caster and 0 camber, and a total of 11/416-inch toe-in. The positive caster helps with high-speed stability.

One important caution: You will need to make sure the vehicle is similar enough to yours to translate. If the package is dramatically different from what you have, there is little to learn-but what do you have to lose in asking?

Scaling The Car
To start the improvement process, Moran asked the vehicle's owner, Mike Kunkle, to have the car weighed. Kunkle took his Buick to Wheel to Wheel Powertrain to have it put up on the electronic scales. Here are the results: As Moran suspected, the front-end percentage was brutal. This makes hooking up the rear tires at launch a real challenge. In a perfect world, he says, you'd want almost a 50/50 percent split front/rear with a suspension designed to take advantage of it.

Some of the additions to the vehicle after this weighing included the DMR suspension (10 pounds), seatbelts (10 pounds), and rollcage (80 pounds). While the car wasn't reweighed after these parts were added, we're confident the total weight was more than 3,700 pounds.

STARTING WEIGHT (No driver, 31/44 tank of fuel)
	LEFT	RIGHT	PERCENTAGE
FRONT	1,147	1,020	60.6
REAR	707	741	39.4
TOTAL	3,615 lbs.

If you are over 40, chances are you are familiar with how the Plymouth Road Runner got its name. Every Saturday, we'd get up and watch Warner Bros.' rapid little bird outwit the hapless Wile E. Coyote, who seemed to have a bottomless supply of military surplus rockets, bombs, poison bird seed, and anvils from Acme Products. Mr. Coyote never did catch the Road Runner, as his products always seemed to work too well-on himself. Troy Brumbalow loaded up his Road Runner with some high-tech surplus too, and the ol' Coyote doesn't have a chance now.

The Road Runner was likely named after some Plymouth marketing guys spent a Saturday morning watching the cartoon, but it became a serious street legend during its initial production run between 1968 and 1974. While 1970 found an array of optional engine possibilities, the Hemi was, as always, the benchmark mill for the "beeper." When Troy Brumbalow, a 32-year-old homebuilder from Cumming, Georgia, decided that his '70 Road Runner project could use a few fortifications, the Hemi was where he started.

"I had a '68 Road Runner, painted red with the '69-type 6 BBL hood and a 600-horse 440. I've also had a couple of '73 'Cudas," he says. "Plus, I've had Camaros and a '37 Ford street rod, but this is the first time I've ever taken a car down to the bare essentials."

After four years, the Road Runner project ballooned into the piece of art that you see here. The Acme details began with Troy's cousin Chad Matthews, who did all the lettering and painted a small mural on the dash. The interior was customized with other gizmos and gadgets, including a custom console hosting a B&M shifter. Other interesting touches include the stainless steel dash with a full selection of Auto Meter gauges and a DVD player featuring Road Runner exploits.

No project of this magnitude is accomplished without some help. Troy got his whole family involved in building, painting, and touring the Road Runner to several Mopar shows around the country. The car has already picked up a First Place win in Pro Street at the Carlisle All-Chrysler Nationals.

We saw Troy's Plymouth just after its debut appearance, and he had not had a chance to get it down the track. The engine is good for 8,000-rpm blasts, but it has not needed to be wound that tight yet. Regardless, we have a feeling that any coyotes slinking around Cumming, Georgia, will be finding out the hard way that this Road Runner is no joke. Beep-beep!

Tech Notes
Who: Troy Brumbalow
What: A '70 Hemi Road Runner that is a little overboard. Which is OK with us.
Where: Cumming, Georgia, which is Uga territory.

Engine: The mill was built by Hensley Racing in Knoxville, Tennessee. Starting with a 4.500-bore Mopar Performance Hemi block, Hensley added a 4.250-stroke Callies crank for 540 inches. The rotator also has Manley rods, and custom Ross pistons that deliver an 8.5:1 compression ratio. Why so low? It's got a manifold full of BDS 8-71 with twin 850-cfm Mighty Demons. The heads are from Mopar Performance and feed into Hooker Super Comp headers and a set of 3-inch Flowmasters. "We had removed the K-frame, so there were no conventional motor mount locations, and we had changed the configuration of the transmission with the Gear Vendors unit. That means you just have to move everything a little bit this way and a little bit that way before it is right," says Troy.

Transmission: Local transmission specialist James Kitchens rebuilt the 727 TorqueFlite and added a Cheetah reverse-manual valvebody and a Gear Vendors overdrive unit. "That is supposed to be a bolt-on type of part, but we still had to hammer on the trans tunnel a bit to get it in there. It gives the car a six-speed ratio ranging from the stock 10.0:1 or so in First with the 4.10:1 rear to an overdrive of about 3.20:1 in Third," says Troy. "It was a job just getting everything to fit; there are no quick answers when you are customizing a car this way."

Paint/Body: Of course, there was a question of color. The hue selected was PPG FY1, a blazing yellow that was applied to the cleaned-up metal by Martin Worth of Auto Refinishers in Newnan, Georgia. This one is not going to sneak up on anybody. A fiberglass hood was purchased and cut for the blower.

Suspension: In the rear, a set of Competition Engineering Slide-A-Link bars and drag shocks were added for a bit of traction. In front, the B-Body has a Magnum Force tubular K-frame with coilovers and a power rack-and-pinion steering setup.

Wheels/Tires: A big car looks cool with big wheels and tires-unless they are too big. The front tires are Billet Specialties 17x8s with 245/45R17 Nitto tires. For traction, the Road Runner uses 18x9.5 rears with 305/35R18 Nitto rubber.

Differential: The power is mostly put to the ground using a Dana 60 with 4.10:1 gears and a set of Moser axles.

Interior: The stainless dash, with Auto Meter gauges and a DVD player, was built by Eric Kimbrel. The upholstery is stock.

We can't stop looking at it and neither can the owner. While we were speaking with him, Bill swiveled his head at least 15 times to peek at the car all gleaming and washed in the studio. When you think Car Craft, studio shoots don't usually come to mind. The exception is when the paint and body are so good we feel obliged to drag it indoors for pro photos. It's even more likely when the paint job was performed in a guy's garage instead of a professional spray booth. Makes us wish we had that kind of talent.

Back in the '80s, Bill had a similar car with Cleveland power that made frequent trips to the local street-racing scene in his hometown of Everett, Washington. Eventually, the car had four different tires on it, nothing matched, and Bill couldn't afford to fix it, so in 1989, it had to go, oxidized paint and all.

Since then, Bill has started a marketing firm and commutes between his Washington state home and another in Phoenix. He found his current project on his way to a high school baseball game when he stopped in at a tavern to get some lunch and a beer. He started talking to a local man about his love for '67 Mustangs when the stranger told him he owned a '67 GTA. The man was in his '70s and ready to sell. Bill went back to Phoenix, figured out how to pay for the car, flew back, and picked it up.

The original intention was to leave it in Snohomish, Washington, and take it down to Arizona in the winter months. But the 347-inch engine was running rich, smoking, and dripping on the garage floor. Bill took it to West Coast Restorations for a tune-up and it never left. It took a year for Bill to get the car from leaky mess to the studio shoot.

While the car was on the rack, they found some suspension problems as well, so Bill just left the car and got on a plane. Once West Coast had the car, it installed Global West suspension, subframe connectors, and a Total Control rack-and-pinion steering system. Things got out of hand when WC's Zac Thureson called Bill and talked him into the Air Ride suspension with the wireless remote. During the shoot, all the guys would argue about which ride height looked the coolest.

Bill recalls that the engine turned out to be "a 0.060-over relic that leaked from every orifice." The mill was yanked in favor of a John Barrett-built 408 that makes 550 hp and 510 lb-ft of torque." I wanted lots and lots of streetable horsepower," Bill says. "We were going to use a Roush-built 392, but I got sick of waiting and bought the 408."

He had been handling things by phone and slowly selling off the stock drivetrain components. When he finally showed up in person, the suspension parts were on the car and the frame connectors were welded in. He was standing at West Coast trying to figure out how to fix a few flaws in the candy-apple red paint, when it occurred to him to change the color. That decision quickly turned into a full-rotisserie restoration to get the matching body color in the jams and engine bay. When the bodywork was ready, the body was brought to Dale Knutson Kustom Kars in Snohomish.

Dale's shop is a one-man operation that consists of a 30x25 wood-framed shop that is both his garage and a makeshift paint booth. The volume of cars is low, but Dale has still managed to paint quite a few over the last 28 years. "I've been into bodywork forever," Dale says. "When you have a paint problem, you have to ask a lot of questions. Knowing how to fix problems is the key to painting. Some people just get lost in the problems." Dale converts the garage into a paint shop by cleaning the shop thoroughly. He doesn't use plastic curtains, he just waters down the floor and uses quality materials. "Once you learn how to do it right, it's a matter of sticking with it," Dale says.

A year after going in for the tune-up, Bill was standing in the studio with the Mustang without ever having driven it. He brought it to us before he got it dirty, but he is not that type of guy. "I absolutely intend to drive this thing as soon as the photos are done. I can't wait for freeway onramps, that will be fun," Bill says. "This car is for fun weekend stuff, that's been my dream anyway."

Tech Notes
Who: Bill Farrington
What: '67 Mustang fastback
Hometown: Everett, Washington, and Phoenix, depending on what day it is.
The Work: West Coast Restorations in Snohomish, Washington.

Engine: John Barrett advertises a 392 Windsor package, but Bill wanted the 4.00-inch stroke from the Probe crankshaft. Combined with a 4.030 Dart block, the package is 408 inches that makes 550 hp at 6,000 rpm. The combination also uses Brodix 200cc heads and a Comp Cams hydraulic roller XA274H10 with 0.519/0.523 lift and 230/236 degrees of duration on a 110-lobe center. This version has 10.0:1 compression, but the fuel - injected version can go a high as 11.0:1.

Exhaust: Stan's Headers in Puyallup, (say: pew al up) Washington, built the pipes that are fitted to a Magnaflow 3-inch system.

Transmission: Bill thinks standard transmissions are more fun on the street, and we agree. The Tremec TKO is much larger than a T5, so the transmission tunnel had to be modified and a Tremec tubular crossmember installed to get it to fit. The Mustang uses a stock pedal box and pedals with a hydraulic master and slave mounted on the McLeod scattershield. Drivelines Northwest in Everett, Washington, shortened the driveshaft.

Differential: It's a Ford 9-inch from Currie with a Tru-Trac differential and 3.89 gears.

Suspension: The Mustang has Global West control arms and a 111/48-inch sway bar with ShockWave shocks from Air Ride in the front spliced with a 2x3-inch subframe connector that is welded into the floorboard. The rear suspension is a four-link, also with Air Ride suspension and a RidePro E system to raise and lower the car. The steering components were replaced by a Total Control rack-and-pinion system.

Interior: Unique Performance covered the Procar seats with leather, the dashboard is from JME, and the Shelby steering wheel is from LeCarra. The console was built by West Coast and has the controls for the power windows and the digital Air Ride system. The shifter has been modified for the Tremec.

Wheels: The 17- and 18-inch Marauders are from Wheel Vintiques with 245/45R17 and 255/35R18 BFGoodrich g-Force tires. When the bags are all the way down, it looks cool, but you can't turn the front wheels.

Brakes: The brakes are 13.5-inch Baer Track and 11.5-inch Baer Sport discs.

Paint: The color is Lamborghini Orange Pearl also known as Arancio Atlas Mica. The stripes are from an '04 Toyota called Silver Metallic Opal. The four coats of base, six coats of orange, and five coats of clear were all applied by Dale Knutson at knutsonkustomkars.com.

Cool parts: No one would let us leave without seeing the billet hood hinges from Ring Brothers, the Total Control aluminum export brace, and the handmade throttle linkage and return spring bracket. Also cool are the illuminated aluminum sill plates from Scott Drake Enterprises and sequential taillights.

Trivia: There are no wires visible in the engine bay.

Builder: Zac Thureson at West Coast Restorations put most of the car together with Shawn Carlson, who dropped the engine in.

"So you're coming up to the Christmas tree and the exhaust is going bappety bappety bappety and all those little internal bits are going whumpa whumpa whumpa."

We took that quote right from the Plymouth ad that ran in the Jan. '68 issue of Car Craft. It was the beginning of an increasingly bizarre advertising campaign that eventually manifested itself on the showroom floor with strobe-sticker kits, cartoon caricatures, and blackout hoods. Other makes were in on it too. The blackout rear valance on the Camaro screamed big-block, the Road Runner had the six-barrel hood; even Ford had a version on the Mach 1. It was cool enough back then to rope in the customers, and the flavor lingers with old guys who try to buy back some of the original cars if they can afford it and younger dudes who try to re-create the look on garden-variety musclecars for cheap.

In our case, it's the latter. We rattle-canned on the flat back in Apr. '06 when we mounted the hoodscoop to clear the impending tunnel-ram installation, and it looks like we just hit the can with a nail and let fly. We live with ourselves because at the time we wanted the street-race look. But whatever the reason for wanting a black accent panel, hood, or stripe, it is important to get the right amount of sheen. Not too flat and not too glossy. The next time you go to a show, take a peek at the lineup of open hoods and you will see everything from rattle-can flat black (us) to overpolished reflective treatments that are just a little too much like a regular clearcoat paint job to look correct. After staring at the hood for a couple of miles, we decided to take it to Russ Stevenson at Gold Coast Customs and do it right. In the end, it wasn't cheap, but doing it right seldom is.

Description	Source	Price
R-M UR50 reducer	BASF	$89.50/qt.
R-M DH42 rapid hardener	BASF	89.50/qt.
R-M SC804 UNO HD Mat Black	BASF	68.85/ltr.
Heavy-duty high-performance HVLP paint gun	Craftsman	99.00
Geo FX97 paint gun	Walcom	471.10
Self-etching primer	SEM	5.78
Kombi putty	Sikkens	8.86
PCL primer	DuPont	50.00/gal.

Global warming? While the tree- huggers clamor over ex-Vice President Gore's global temperature scare, we'll lay odds that when summer arrives, car crafters will be more concerned about engine warming or, more accurately, engine overheating. Cooling systems are often the last item on the "let's get it running" checklist. Unfortunately, radiators and cooling-system components qualify for afterthought status until there's a problem. Most of the time, modified cars tend to have problems with low-speed cooling. But we've also seen many scenarios where 70-mph cruising under a midday sun that can really turn up the heat. We dove radiator-neck-deep into this subject and came up with a few cool solutions. Check 'em out.

How Cool Do You Have To Be?
There are three basic parameters that determine cooling efficiency: radiator surface area, coolant speed through the system, and the amount of airflow through the radiator. These three functions determine the efficiency of the system as expressed in Btu of heat rejection per minute. Even a small problem with any of these variables will cause difficulties. Since this is a rather complex situation with dozens of variables, we're going to just hit the high spots on how to make your cooling system more efficient.

The biggest limitation in terms of radiator surface area is the original vehicle itself. The radiator core support generally dictates the size of the radiator, along with the displacement of the engine and the horsepower it makes. Core support and engine size are obvious, but there is some voodoo science related to the horsepower number. Let's say your car makes 1,000 hp at 6,000 rpm. It'll create a certain amount of heat at that power peak, but you are going to spend most of your idling around the pits or on the way to the grocery store. At idle, it's likely that you are making less than 20 hp, which doesn't really create a lot of heat. Manufacturers therefore must create a balance where the radiator can be large enough to handle the engine's heat pontential yet still be small enough to fit in the car and be relatively inexpensive. Be Cool, for example, offers systems for most popular musclecars in 400, 700, and 1,000hp applications.

For an extreme example, we asked Be Cool's Mitch Drouillard what he would recommend for a '70 Mustang with an 800hp big-block. Be Cool actually offers a custom modular system that includes a monster 27-inch core-width radiator that is much wider than the stock radiator opening. This requires moving the battery to the trunk and includes a pair of 13-inch electric fans to maximize airflow especially in low-speed applications, and is efficient enough to handle this combination. The key is to buy a radiator with the largest core area that fits in the car with a capacity that will handle the Btu potential of your car's engine size and horsepower.

Coolant speed through a radiator is the second essential component. Production small-block Chevy engines from the '60s and '70s, for example, generally used a 1:1 pulley ratio that was designed for low-density radiators with 31/48-inch tubes. When a car is modified with an aluminum radiator that uses larger 1-inch-diameter tubes, it may be necessary to increase water-pump pulley speed for sufficient coolant velocity through the radiator. This increased speed is necessary to create turbulence in the tubes and expose as much coolant to the walls of the tubes as possible. This is where you may have to experiment with your vehicle to come up with the right drive ratio, but a ratio of at least 1:1 to as much as an overdriven 1:1.3 is a good place to start. Worst of all would be the combination of a 1-inch-tube aluminum radiator with a slightly slower-than-stock pulley ratio.

The most common musclecar cooling-system problems concern low-speed cooling, most often attributed to low airflow through the radiator. Assuming the radiator is sized properly and there is decent coolant speed, then increasing airflow at low vehicle speeds should remove sufficient heat from the radiator to keep the engine at a manageable temperature. Engine-driven fans can move a tremendous amount of air but are also compromised by slow engine speed at idle while delivering sufficient airflow at higher engine speeds. Electric fans have become popular with the OEMs because they can move enough air at low speeds to keep the engine cool, relying on vehicle speed to push air through the radiator at highway speed. This reduces parasitic horsepower losses at highway speeds by eliminating the engine-driven fan. While this may seem trivial, dyno testing in the May '00 issue of Car Craft resulted in losses of 35 hp at peak horsepower from a simple one-piece, plastic, engine-driven fan. Clutch fans lost between 8 and 19 hp depending upon the clutch model, while a Flex-a-lite Black Magic electric fan driven by the alternator cost 1 hp. All these numbers were generated using a 496hp small-block Chevy at 6,300 rpm.

Radiator Basics
Let's start with radiator materials. Our automotive forefathers were pretty sharp guys and used copper/brass radiators for a reason. Copper has an excellent thermal-conductivity rating. A copper-fin's thermal-conductivity rating is more than 50 percent higher than an aluminum fin. Brass, which is an alloy of copper, is not as good a conductor as aluminum but is used for the tubes because of its strength. One difficulty with copper is that the lead solder used in older copper/brass radiators has a terrible thermal-conductivity rating, which limits the efficiency of lead-soldered radiators. So companies such as U.S. Radiator have instituted a newer process that improves efficiency by changing the flux and solder and its contact with the fins.

If you've ever wondered why some copper/brass radiators are cheaper than others, it's all in the construction. The original radiators built in the musclecar era used 11/42-inch tubes 91/416-inch apart that are generally the least expensive. More modern radiator construction moved those centers closer together, with the 11/42-inch tubes 31/48-inch apart. This creates room for more tubes in the same-size radiator core. There are even copper-brass radiators now with 11/42-inch tubes on 51/416-inch centers. Each of these versions can be obtained in two-, three-, or four-row applications. As the radiators become denser, they become more expensive.

Then why have aluminum radiators become so popular? One big reason is that the OEMs saw the potential for a significant weight reduction and lower material costs. Racers are also big on aluminum radiators for that reason, with a weight difference of around 10 to 15 pounds. Plus, aluminum radiators start with 1-inch cooling tubes roughly 31/48 inch apart. Fin counts are also a critical radiator-design component, but a higher fin density (measured in fins per inch) may make airflow more difficult and not necessarily work well for street applications.

The two major designs for radiators are vertical flow and horizontal flow. As far as efficiency is concerned, there is no advantage to horizontal-flow radiators other than that they tend to allow a larger core to fit into a given engine compartment. Virtually all production-based radiators are built with a single-pass design, where coolant enters from the engine into the top of the radiator and travels across the core to the outlet on the opposite side. While dual-pass radiators have been around for a long time, they are now beginning to show up in high-performance and racing applications. A dual-pass horizontal-flow radiator moves coolant across the top half of the radiator on the first pass, then directs the coolant across the lower portion of the radiator face for a second pass. One reason this works is because the velocity of the coolant roughly doubles when the coolant is forced to travel across half as many tubes per pass. This creates turbulence in the tubes, exposing more coolant to the radiator tube walls and improving heat transfer. This also presents an increased load to the water pump, which means using a dual-pass radiator demands a better water pump if the system is to take advantage of the dual-pass concept.

Coolant Chronicles
What you pour into a radiator is also an important decision if you want to protect all those expensive aluminum engine components. Straight water is the most thermally efficient coolant, but anticorrosion issues and cold weather demand antifreeze. According to Jay Ross at Applied Chemical Specialties, the best water to use is soft water. Distilled water is not a good idea because distillation strips ions from the water. When it is introduced into the cooling system, the natural chemical-balance process will pull the ions from light metals such as aluminum or magnesium that are exposed to the water. This ion transfer greatly enhances the corrosion process called electrolysis. Soft water is treated with sodium chloride that replaces the lost ions and minimizes the electrolysis process. If soft water is not available, then bottled water or tap water is the next best solution. If you insist on distilled water, Ross says mixing it 50/50 with antifreeze will pull ions from the antifreeze rather than from your cooling system itself.

If you are a drag racer who is required to use straight water, a high-quality anticorrosion additive is essential. We've found the No-Rosion additive from Applied Chemical works very well. A pint of this additive applies a thin anticorrosion layer to the cooling system to fight deposits and limit the effect of electrolysis, yet it does not hurt heat transfer. Royal Purple's Purple Ice is another anticorrosion product that uses additional additives called dispersants to help reduce the formation of steam pockets in the cooling system, which can reduce heat transfer from the combustion chamber, causing detonation and boilover. Additives such as Red Line's Water Wetter and Purple Ice address this by reducing the size of these steam pockets. When steam pockets form, they act as insulators, preventing heat transfer out of the combustion chamber. While it may seem obvious, it's worth noting that these additives will not help a car with problems such as an undersized radiator or insufficient water or airflow. These additives are not a mechanic in a can.

The Electric Side of Cool
What most car crafters rarely consider is that the early '60s and '70s vintage alternators rated at 60 to 70 amps were not designed to crank out maximum amperage at idle. Late-model alternators or high-performance alternators rewired by companies such as Powermaster are designed to generate greater amperage at idle. These more efficient alternators are capable of delivering the 40 amps or more required of dual fans running at full boogie along with a big electric fuel pump, lights, and maybe a thumpin' stereo. Add the draw from a pair of headlights and perhaps a defroster or A/C fan, and a load of 50 to 60 amps from the alternator at idle is not unusual. This will also require large 8- or 10-gauge wiring from the alternator to the underhood power source for your fans and multiple solid-ground circuits between the engine and the chassis. A good ground also means the ground wires should be of equal size as the power leads. The biggest electric fan won't run at anywhere near peak efficiency if the ground circuit suffers from resistance. A simple voltage drop test will tell you if the wiring circuit is the culprit.

Electric Fans
The toughest question when choosing an electric is how to pick the right one. There are dozens of electric fans out there and unfortunately no accurate backyard test for fan efficiency, but we've uncovered some handy shortcuts that can help you choose the best fan for your application. As a general rule, straight-blade fans move more air than curved-blade fans, but you'll pay the price in terms of increased noise.

There is no common industry standard for rating electric fans. Most companies use a cfm rating, often expressed in free-flow and not when placed behind a radiator. This makes comparisons of electric fans difficult. Spal publishes its test data on its Web site for each electric fan. Any fan's highest cfm rating occurs with zero static pressure, or with no airflow restriction in front of the fan. Spal expresses this restriction in terms of inches of water. As the restriction increases (with a thicker radiator core, for example), flow volume drops while current flow increases slightly. According to Jason Schmidt at Spal, one rule of thumb is 10 amps of current flow per 1,000 cfm of air. This is not accurate in all cases, but if you find a fan rated at 3,000 cfm that only requires 10 amps, the cfm rating may be optimistic. Spal rates all its fans, and the three we investigated revealed 17 amps for 2,000 cfm, 21 amps for a 2,360-cfm fan, and a third pulling 26 amps at 3,000 cfm, all rated at zero static pressure.

Two fans usually can cover more radiator surface area than one large fan, which makes the twin-fan systems generally more efficient. Twin-fan performance is also often enhanced by built-in shrouds that pull air in from the entire core surface as opposed to just the area of the radiator covered by the fan. To boil it all down, if you're experiencing overheating difficulties and the rest of the cooling system is optimized, increasing airflow with a pair of smaller fans covering the entire radiator core will generally improve airflow and efficiency.

Aluminum Radiators on a Budget
Aluminum radiators are nice, but they can be expensive, costing between $400 and $550. But cruising through the Summit catalog we ran across Summit race radiators. These are universal crossflow aluminum radiators with no mounting tabs and with either GM- or Ford-style inlet and outlet configurations. These radiators are a two-row design with 1-inch tubes, and come with a machined-aluminum filler neck welded into place. For a person who is willing to do some simple mount fabrication, these radiators can be fitted to many different applications. We decided to bolt one into our 455-urged '64 Olds F-85 that was getting by on the stock vertical-flow radiator originally intended to cool a 330ci V-8. Because the F-85 uses rubber saddle mounts on the top and bottom, it turned out to be an incredibly easy installation. The only extra work we had to do was to add an external B&M trans cooler to accommodate the automatic transmission since these universal radiators do not come with internal trans coolers. One limitation to using a completely separate trans cooler is that in heavy traffic, a loose converter may raise the trans temperature due to extra slippage. If that's the case, this may require a small electric fan attached to the trans cooler. Of course, the extra trans cooler and fittings also add to the overall cost of the radiator swap, so do your homework first before just buying the least-expensive radiator.

In our case, there wasn't enough room for an electric fan between the radiator and the water pump, so we had to stick with our engine-driven fan, which is unfortunate since it definitely eats horsepower. We'll also have to fabricate a shroud for this combination to optimize airflow through the radiator.

Cooling-System Tips
While the cooling system may seem simple, consider not only the variables of coolant flow, airflow, and radiator efficiency, but also how other engine systems affect cooling. If the charging system is lame, your electric fan won't spin as fast. If the ignition curve is slow, that will affect cooling. We've assembled a series of tips and tricks that can often make the difference between an overheating monster and a docile street machine that can handle gridlock in 110-degree weather.

*Ignition timing has a direct effect on cooling-system performance. Retarded ignition timing begins the combustion process later in the cycle and makes heat. Initial timing numbers of 12 to 16 degrees and a curve that's all in by 2,500 rpm is a good starting place.

*An electric fan placed on the engine side of the radiator (as a puller) is always more efficient than a pusher fan. However, additional airflow can be created by using a second pusher fan on the front of the radiator.

*Third-generation ('82-'92) Camaros came with an airdam placed directly under the radiator, which on older, high-mileage cars might be damaged or removed. These airdams are essential to create a low-pressure area behind the radiator to move air through the radiator.

*Jason Schmidt is an engineer with Spal, and he told us about a customer who had connected the power wire for a large electric fan directly into his fusebox. When large fans start, they can pull as much as 80 to 100 amps for 0.10 second. This large current draw pulled the voltage down far enough that the engine died. Wiring the power lead for the fan through a relay that sources power nearer the alternator cured the problem.

*The ideal tip clearance for engine-driven fans is 11/42-inch with the fan blade extending roughly halfway into the end of the shroud. This will create the greatest amount of air movement pas