When certain things happen in life, commemorative things happen too. Like, royal weddings result in special dinner plates. The Mustang is about to turn 50 (actual bday: April 17, 2014) and while so far no dinner plates, there is a limited-edition (1,000 of ‘em) Shinola watch planned that will feature the 50-years logo as well as Swiss movements, a scratch-resistant face, and waterproof-ness to five atmospheres.

 Would you buy this watch?

You can now become a Nitto Ambassador. That entails getting access to unique Nitto content and articles then sharing them on your social media of choice. In return, you’ll gain points potentially worth free things in the future, such as tires. You can head over to either facebook.com/nittotire or Twitter via @nittotire.

Are you a fan of Nitto?  Why or why not?

Nikolas Kolenich details the first day events of the Car Craft Anti Tour. Follow along right here and get the front row pass!

The day started out bright and early and the Car Craft Staff hit the road at 6am sharp. Doug and I cruising in the drop-top 2006 Mustang. Jeff Smith, Technical Editor, was in his flame covered 1966 El Camino and John McGann, Staff Editor, drove the 2002 Ford Crown Vic for the Car Craft Magazine Anti Tour. As we drove up the 101 North heading towards Wilwood engineering plant in Camarillo, CA, the sun began to creep over the horizon and we could tell it was going to be a nice day for a cruise.

We jammed out to the Police, The Cars, a little Queen, and then the Gorillaz at one point. As we drove, we could see plumes of smoke in the distance, the wildfires in Camarillo were still ablaze. Luckily, they had turned towards the ocean and weren’t a problem for the beginning of the tour. We finally arrived, avoiding any traffic, at the engineering facility around 7am to kick off the Anti Tour.

Wilwood has an amazing facility up in the mountains. The staff greeted us with breakfast and lots of coffee. I snagged a private tour with Dustin Burr; he runs marketing for Wilwood, and new lots of information.  It was great to start the Ani Tour with such an exclusive, behind the scenes look at a performance brake specialists’ engineering facility. Everything is engineered and tested in-house. The company machines its own parts and has approximately 225 employees. Wilwood weathered the recession of 2008-2009 quite well and it’s doing better than ever! Quick note: Wilwood recycles 30 tons of aluminum each month!

After a few hours of talking brakes and waiting for cruisers to arrive, we hit the road again. Everyone was sporting new Ant Tour shirts, stickers, hats and Wilwood swag. The first stop was a gas station, where the whole Anti Tour just packed in, got out and popped hoods. It was like a rolling car show and that gas station didn’t stand a chance! We fueled up quickly and were back on the road in no time. The road winds up the canyon and the 33N is windy and intense. Everyone drove at a pretty good speed, leaving a few car lengths between us. We hustled our way to a camp ground where we stopped again to regroup, take pictures, meet some people and talk cars. Finally we were cruising once more.

The final leg of the trip was jam packed with more gas station stops, a food stop at the Burger Barn and then the final destination in Morro Bay.  No cars were harmed in the making of this Tour, lots of burgers were consumed, and gallons of gas were justifiably burnt.  Day one of the Anti Tour is down, here comes day two – packed with a car show and lots of gearheads!

-NK 5/4/13

This is a Boss 429 piston we spotted at JMS Racing in El Monte California. It's stamped with "FoMoCo" and the aluminum rod is stamped "M/T" as in Mickey Thompson. It is for a factory '69 Mustang restoration.

In 1969 there were 859 Boss 429s made by the Ford Motor Company, two of which were Cougars for the Lincoln/Mercury Race Division. Each car had a manual transmission and no air conditioning due to under hood real estate. Some early models were known as "S" code cars due to their slightly different engine. The "S" code cars had magnesium valve covers. Also, the Boss 429 or "Boss 9" did not have traditional head gaskets; the 429 motor had O-ring heads which were known to be the weak spot on the engine. 

Yesterday, We were invited to a product demo put on by Hypertherm, a company out of New Hampshire that makes cutting products for industrial and home use. Specifically, they make plasma cutters, and they brought their latest model, the Powermax45 to demonstrate the variety of things you can do with a plasma cutter beyond just cutting metal.

The Powermax45 runs on 220V power, (though Hypertherm sells a different model that runs on regular household current), so all you need is to plug it in, connect your air hose, and you’re ready to go. It cuts through 3/8- and ½- inch steel like a hot knife through butter, and you can work your way through 1-inch thick steel plate if you slow down the torch’s rate of travel.

Need to cut through a rivet head or an old weld? No need to get out the air hammer or cut-off wheel; try gouging it. Hypertherm sells a torch nozzle specifically used for gouging. Install it and trigger the torch while holding it at an angle to the work surface. 

The angle, combined with the wider arc nozzle means the arc doesn't penetrate the metal. It cuts a divot or trench instead. This can be used to remove old welds from a joint, or even old, rusted fasteners or rivets. JoAnn Bortles, Hypertherm's National Automotive Spokesperson, showed us how she likes to use the gouging technique to create flames in a piece of steel.

Another feature of this plasma cutter is the Expanded Metal setting on its control panel. When operating in this mode, the plasma cutter maintains the arc, even if you encounter a gap- like rust holes or perforations. Normally, when the torch comes to a gap in the work surface, resistance goes up and the torch turns off. 

You have to re-trigger the torch to strike the arc again. Not a big deal, but if can be annoying if you’re working on something with a lot of holes in it. In Expanded Metal mode, you don’t have to do that. You simply hold the trigger and the arc starts and stops on its own. One unexpected use for this feature is that you can use the machine in this setting to shave or trim corners off your work piece by holding the trigger down and sweeping back and forth across the corner until you've created the shape you desire. This could help with fitting to panels together prior to welding. We’ll have to try this on our own stuff soon.

Hypertherm 

http://www.hypertherm.com/en-us/

800.643.0030

Nothing is cooler than a motor swap: big horsepower for a small ride. The biggest downside of doing an engine swap can be getting the project on the road and running. Painless Performance Products has taken the wiring trouble out of such a daunting task and simplified it for LS fans.  

If you're in the market for a donor vehicle and you've got a 2007-2010 truck engine (4.8L, 5.3L or 6.2L) with a 4L65 or 4L80/85E transmission, sweat no more. Painless has an LS wiring harness to help connect your engine to the factory ECU and TCU from the donor vehicle. Painless removed the unnecessary wires and made connecting your headlights that much simpler to complete.

Features include:

* Utilizes factory style ECM and TCM

* Integrated weatherproof fuseblock

* 10 fused power circuits include ECM/DLC, injectors, coils, O2 sensors, ECM ignition, MAF/VLOM and fuel pump

* Integrated 30 amp fuel pump, 40 amp cooling fan and two ignition relays

* 4 feet of harness length between ECM connections and main engine breakout

* Harness includes a 4 gauge alternator charge wire.

Be sure to check out more about the product HERE 

Painless Performance Products 

817.244.6212

www.painlessperformance.com

Spending late nights in the garage can garner up all sorts of curiosity. Inevitably, we always stumble upon a part or component and have no clue what it is, where it goes or even what it does. After a while, parts and components can begin to look the same. 

Either way, as luck would have it, we were stumped when it came to the part we’ve featured here - we’re in need of your help. That’s right, we’re calling all you gearheads, grey-beards and hoons to help us figure out what this is!

Q: Do you know what this part is for?

 A: ____________ ?

QA1's replacement K-members are the perfect solution to aging suspension parts and components for A-, B-, and E-Body Mopars. QA1 has specifically engineered these K-members to directly bolt-in to any A-, B- or E-Body Mopar without adding additional weight to the front end.

QA1 k-members also help facilitate aftermarket cylinder heads, larger oil pans, small- or big-block powerplants with no modification. Each K-member even accommodates a factory steering box to save underhood space. QA1 K-members also include points to accept factory or aftermarket motor mounts and a tubular design to provide greater clearance for headers over the factory units. For additional information, make sure to head on over to QA1 right HERE.

QA1

800.721.7761

QA1.net

 QA1.net 

If you’re in the market to upgrade your current GM A-, G- and F-body suspension, QA1 control arms may be the solution. For street or strip duty, QA1 control arms are available in two distinct styles: One that utilizes stock ball joints for comfortable street cruising, and another which adds low-friction ball joints and Delrin pivot bushings for hardcore abuse at the strip. 

Tubular arms feature a modular design so they can be used with OE springs or aftermarket coilover shocks. Both arm styles allow for an additional 2-3 degrees of caster and 0.5-1 degree of negative camber and also include a sway bar. What’s more, QA1 tubular arms are powder coated for a durable finish. For additional information, make sure to head on over to QA1 right HERE.

QA1

800.721.7761

QA1.net 

All components are machined in-house and Made in America

Mopar upper and lower control arms are now available for the Mopar 1964-1973 A-Bodies, 1973-1976 E-Bodies and the 1970 and up B-Bodies. Designed to bolt into the factory location, QA1 upper and lower A-arms offer weight savings, increased strength and allow for a higher level caster adjustment up to 3-degrees. 

Upper and lower arms are constructed of DOM seamless tubing, feature tubular construction, and are available with a durable, black powder coated finish. Upper control arms also feature polyurethane inner pivot bushings for increased strength. Lower control arms come ready to bolt into any stock k-frame or a QA1 tubular k-frame. What’s more, new bushings, shafts and other hardware are included to simplify installation.

For additional information, make sure to head on over to QA1 right HERE

QA1

800.721.7761

QA1.net

Do you own an American muscle car; are you interested in upgrading your disc brakes? Well, now's the time!  For two months (March 1 through May 31, 2013) Wilwood is having discount pricing on all Challenge Series, front brake conversion kits. 

One of the leaders in front, disc brake conversions, Wilwood's Challenge Series takes care of 1960-70's GM and Mopar muscle car spindles, as well as the OE Mustang II and Wilwood Mustang II replacement ProSpindles.  The brakes are equipped with 12.88" of stopping surface, carbon iron rotors, and machined forged billet aluminum hubs.  Doing the gripping is a set of Forged Narrow Superlite 6R radial mount six piston calipers.  Finish off the setup with either red or black high-gloss powder coat calipers.  Optional custom colors are also available, as well as high-temp pad compounds for track use.

Prices start at $999.95

For more information or to order, visit:

Willwood

or

Shoot an e-mail to: 

customerreply@wilwood.com/

 Have you upgraded your brakes from the factory setup, yet?  What did you install and why??

Lingenfelter, an aftermarket company known for its Camaro and LS engine accessories, has announced upgrades for 2010-12 Camaro SS rear-end gears.  The company offers two options: 3.70 and 3.91 ring & pinion setups. Both will give you a 7-13% rear wheel torque increase. The gear sets fit both manual and automatic transmission Camaro SS differentials. Only the automatic transmissions will need ECM programming to correct for the speedometer reading; this programming is available through Lingenfelter. 

Here are some more details about the two gear options: 

The 3.70 ring & pinion setup features a 10-tooth pinion and 37-tooth ring design. The gears will provide a 7% increase in rear wheel torque for manual transmission vehicles and a 13% for automatic-equipped vehicles.  Manual transmission vehicles will see a growth of 100 RPM while cruising at 60 mph in 6th gear, while automatics will see an even larger rise of 220 RPM.

The 3.91 ring & pinion setup features a 11-tooth pinion and 43-tooth ring gear design.  This setup is made more for increased torque in quarter-mile racing. It delivers a 13% increase in rear wheel torque for manual transmissions and a 20% increase for automatics.  While cruising at 60 mph in 6th gear, a manual transmission vehicle will see an increase in engine speed of 180 RPM; automatic transmissions gain 300 RPM. 

Lingenfelter ring & pinion sets are available as a ring & pinion only or as a complete differential assembly. The differential assembly is available as a new assembly or built from the customer's core.

Visit www.lingenfelter.com to order. 

Do you take your 5th Gen Camaro to the track? 

What's your best 1/4 mile times and what are some of your upgrades?

Post your thoughts under the comments!

Jimmie Johnson won the 55th Daytona 500, making it also a first win for the Chevy SS, making its NASCAR Sprint Cup debut. This makes it the 22nd Daytona 500 win for Chevy, more than any other manufacturer.

 Who were you rooting for ...and why?

Plum Crazy and Hemi Orange paint will be available on ’13 Dodge Challenger R/T Classic and Challenger SRT8 models. The colors are around for only a limited amount of time.

Are you seriously considering purchasing a new Challenger? ..why or why not?

Honda says it has developed a new technology that would join steel and aluminum—the joining of dissimilar materials allowed the automaker to use aluminum for an outer door panel. It means no more spot-welding, previously needed to connect conventional steel door panels. It can ultimately mean a weight reduction, too, as well as better fuel economy and improved stability by changing the dynamics of the point of gravity.

Do you feel this will have a huge impact on how cars are manufactured in the future?

I'm not sure if you've been paying attention to the calendar as of late, but the 50th anniversary is coming next year for the Ford Mustang, and with it will surely be a revamped and wickedly intense piece of American Auto Manufacturing. 

As its top contender, Chevrolet claims that the Camaro has been the top selling American Sports Car for the past 3 years, keeping the Mustang on the sidelines.  In order to continue this success, they'll need to improve upon the car significantly with the upcoming 2014 model year.

Announced earlier this week, Chevy plans to bring a new-and-improved SS Camaro to the New York Auto Show next week.  With a redesigned 2014 Camaro SS, the company could make or break the popularity of the vehicle... but after seeing the revamped Stingray Corvette, it's tough to imagine Chevy taking a wrong turn.

What would you like to see improved with the upcoming Camaro SS to compete with the Mustang GT?  What do you expect Ford to change when the 50th anniversary pony hits the showroom floor?

Hey, do we get bonus points for an alliteration in that title? Regardless, Continental has developed its own concept vehicle to study all our stupid driving behavior, like being distracted. It’s called Driver Focus, and it utilizes advanced safety technology and interior monitoring systems, like Human-Machine Interface, to give the driver “a virtual safety-focused companion,” according to Continental. It continuously scans the vehicle’s internal and external environments to keep an eye on the driver’s actions and the real-time outside world. Both prototype and production-ready technology are found on this concept, including a Driver Analyzer Camera, Halo (a 360-degree optical thing), Adaptive Cruise Control Takeover, and Forward Collision Warning.

How would you feel if your car was "watching" you?

Chrysler is investing $374 mil and adding 1,250 jobs toward boosting production of transmissions in North-Central Indiana. The Kokomo Transmission, Kokomo Casting, and Indiana Transmission I Plants will get $212 mil for more tooling and equipment to make the eight- and nine-speed trans, while the Tipton plant will get $162 mil for the nine-speed. Meanwhile, Ford is investing almost $200 mil and adding 450 new jobs at its Cleveland Engine Plant, where production of the 2.0L EcoBoost engine will begin in late 2014.

Will GM be next to follow?

Have you dropped the cash for a Dodge Challenger SRT-8 within the past year, and you're itching to significantly boost the horsepower?  Well, with a simple bolt on, you can add an extra 170 hp boost with an upgrade from ProCharger systems.  The after company specializes in late-model, 2011-12 6.4L SRT-8 Challengers.  Its has been selectively producing superchargers for these rides since '07, but now it's beginning to mass-produce the upgrade with a Diablo handheld programmer.

The 392ci. HEMI will breathe comfortably with this well placed bolt-on, adding upwards of 200 RWHP when custom tuned-to-perfection.  At 8 psi, your brightly colored Dodge will surely have an extra jump on the throttle.

The upgrade comes with a:

• P-1SC-1 ProCharger, with self-contained oiling 
  
• Billet impeller and billet gear cases
  
• Diablo handheld programmer

Will you be investing in this upgrade?  Why or why not?

Post your comments below....

There will be “exclusive new content,” such as specially tuned suspension and interior and exterior uniqueness, to the new Core SRT models of the Dodge Challenger and Chrysler 300 SRT8.

What improvement would you like to see?

The National Insurance Crime Bureau has released its Hot Wheels Classics report on the Ford Thunderbird, in which it has analyzed theft based on law enforcement reports and the National Crime Information Center’s database. 

From the years 1981-2011, there were 179,625 theft records; records do exist as far back as 1955, but only 1981 and up were the focus here, because that’s when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration instituted VIN standardization. The most stolen year of T-bird has been the ’78 model, with 14,288 thefts logged. Ranking at 2 was the ’79, followed by the ’77 (and 1977 was also the year in which the most T-birds were sold in the U.S.: 304,430), then the ’84 and the ’85. The most popular year of theft was 1981, followed by 1989, 1988, 1990, and 1991. States with the most theft? California is king, with Texas, New York, Florida, and Michigan rounding out the top five.

What year is your favorite T-Bird?

Ford announced today that it will continue the Cobra Jet, turnkey race car program for 2014.  The company will build 50, high-horsepower cars with a price tag nearing $100,000.  It's first-come-first-served with these beasts of the road, so if you're interested in claiming one for yourself, run to your Ford dealership ASAP!

What the 2014 Cobra Jet will include:

New colors - Gotta Have-it Green, and a Cobra Jet-exclusive flat black 

All-new 3-speed race transmission with SFI approved housing

Parachute mount 

5.0L TiVCT engine

Supercharged - Ford Racing/Whipple 2.9L supercharger w/3.25" pulley, fully -CNC-ported heads

Lightened body assembly optimized for weight distribution

Electric power steering - all the assist with no parasitic loss

Rollcage optimized for rigidity and safety through finite element analysis (FEA) 

Recaro FIA race seats 

Ford Racing suspension geometry for optimum 60' times 

The first 50 orders will confirm options in April 2013. Build to commence July-October 20

MSRP is $97,990 plus optional paint and graphics

What would you like to see included?

While most kids want to play catch with their favorite baseball player or hangout with an astronaut for a day, one boy wants his classic car restored.  Mathew, 16, of Canon, Minn., has been battling Hodgkin's lymphoma for a few years; he is the proud owner of a 1968 Dodge Charger.  In need of some TLC and around $50,000, Morrie's Automotive Group has decided to take on the project of bringing the classic back to life.  Teaming with the Make a Wish Foundation, the local dealership has committed to investing 500 hours into a full restoration of the classic muscle car.  Matthew was surprised with the news of the project this winter when the car was picked-up and trailered to Minnesota where it is currently being restored. 

Watch a video about the restoration here:

Video

The car will be revealed this spring when the project is completed.  You can keep-up with the details and photos of the car as it's transitioned at the dealership's blog.

Keep up with the progress at the official blog here:

Blog

’63 Cobra images: Photo Credit Pawel Litwinski © 2013 courtesy Auctions America

When it comes to car auctions, it's what's for sale that can be the difference between attending and staying home. If you're a fan of American muscle and you'll be in the south Florida area March 22-24, then you may want to get off the couch and head down to the Broward County Convention Center. The 11th annual Fort Lauderdale Collector Car Auction, hosted by Auctions America, will be showcasing - above all - an original '63 Shelby Cobra (CSX2023). This ultra-rare roadster was the 23rd Cobra billed to Shelby American on October 1, 1962.

Check out this video of the Fort Lauderdale: 1963 Shelby Cobra

’69 Chevrolet Corvette Baldwin images: Photo Credit Theo Civitello © 2013 courtesy Auctions America  

"The Shelby Cobra remains one of the archetypal legends of American racing," said Auctions America's Alexander Weaver in a release detailing the auction. "It is sure to make a powerful statement at the upcoming sale."  
 
Some 550 vehicles will cross the auction block in all, ranging from American classics to European sports cars. A list of celebrity cars includes ex-Steve McQueen's '51 Chevrolet Styleline Deluxe Convertible currently owned by Rick Harrison, star of the History Channel's hit reality TV show, "Pawn Stars"; the '71 Dodge 340 Challenger Convertible used in the '72 TV season of "Mod Squad"; and a certified Warner Brother's '69 Dodge Charger "The General Lee" Dukes of Hazzard Movie Car.
 
If rarity is what you're after, the auction will also have some seriously scarce rides, including a '69 Chevrolet Corvette Baldwin Motion Phase III Coupe. The 'Vette has an original 482-cid, 600-hp "Elephant" motor (the only one documented and known to exist) wedged between the fenders. There will also be a '70 Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda, one of only 366 built with the 727 TorqueFlite automatic transmission, and a '67 Shelby GT500 fitted with optional Kelsey-Hayes Mag Star wheels. For a full list of the cars up for auction, and more details about the upcoming event, be sure to visit auctionsamerica.com.