Innholdsfortegnelse for Volume 1, Issue 1 January 2021 i All Chevy Performance

It was in 1967 when the Beatles released one of rock’s highest acclaimed albums “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” Ralph Nader’s book Unsafe at Any Speed set in motion the U.S.government to implement mandated safety standards for new automobiles, and Karl Jones’ fresh little Nova came off the assembly line. Back then, the Chevy II Nova was considered a budget-priced compact car. While the “big dog” SS Nova came with plenty of visual attitude backed up by a 275hp 327ci engine, it was considered a street beast for the time. No telling if Karl’s Nova began life with a 194ci, 250ci inline-six, or the 283ci V-8, but today it sports a supercharged LSA underhood cranking out over 700 hp. Nader would have totally lost it if he had any…

LS swaps are so common these days that it’s easy to get complacent about the project if you’ve never attempted it. After all, swap kits are plentiful, with most tailored to popular A-, F-, and G-bodies, as well as vintage Chevy trucks. “With all the swap parts available today, dropping in the LS engine and getting it running is the easy part,” Matt Gurjack, the man behind the welder at Detroit-area hot rod and Pro Touring fab shop Sled Alley, says. “It’s everything else to support it that can bog you down, cause headaches, and ratchet up the cost.” He says that for popular vehicles, such as first-gen Camaros, the muscle car–era Chevelles, and some of the trucks, the aftermarket swap kits and correlating parts enable the do-it-yourselfer to install…

It was Freddy Rodriguez’s destiny to own this stunning 1968 Nova. The New York–based mechanic first spotted the car parked on the street in 1995 and left a card on it with his phone number explaining that he’d like to buy it. He got no response. Never one to give up, he kept leaving cards on it–for five years! Despite his tenacity, however, he never heard from the owner. Then one day, the car disappeared from its usual parking spot so Freddy thought for sure he’d never see it again. But he was wrong! “My friend bought a house,” he recalls, “and asked me to help set up his garage. I went over there and was shocked to find the same Nova I’d been chasing in his garage. That was…

When it comes to a classic Chevy that gets driven on a regular basis, it doesn’t make sense to go all-out on engine bay detailing. You can, however, make a huge difference with a few parts and some serious cleaning. Our 1964 Chevelle has a tired 283ci small-block underhood, and it isn’t exactly “oil tight.” It leaks a drop or two on the garage floor, but the main annoyance is the oil film that you have to wipe off every few thousand miles. Regardless of the fact that this engine is a little loose in the gasket department, we wanted to freshen up its appearance so that we wouldn’t be too embarrassed to open the hood at our local cruise night. The general idea is to do this type of…

In our modern times, upgrading a classic car with electronic fuel injection has become standard in the hot rodding world. There are a number of different throttle body EFI systems available designed to bolt in place of your carburetor, and while these systems are certainly worthwhile investments that do deliver driveability benefits, your engine still looks like an old carbureted engine. FiTech Fuel Injection is one company that has made it easy and affordable to make the EFI swap and offers quite a few different throttle body systems. One newer system that caught our attention is their Ultra Ram EFI, which is a complete port fuel injection system with a slick sheetmetal intake system as a foundation. The Ultra Ram places the throttle body vertically at the front of the…

Some folks were lucky enough to experience the muscle car era at the perfect time in their lives. Late teens or early twenties was the ideal age for many enthusiastic car guys to have the time of their lives behind the wheel of a fast car. Longtime car guy and resident of Loganville, Georgia, Justin Sears, barely missed the boat, being a few years too young, but his father helped start the fire with this 1965 Chevelle. This very car hauled Justin to and from school, and just about everywhere during his childhood years. He spent a lot of time in the back seat as a kid and eventually moved his way up into the driver seat by the time he reached 16. Jerry, Justin’s father, made the ultimate step…

One of the most iconic Beatles songs is “Let it Be.” Our car guy version of that is “Let it Breathe.” No engine creates a perfect seal between the pistons, rings, and cylinder wall. Some amount of cylinder pressure always leaks past the rings and ends up pressurizing the crankcase. If the crankcase is not properly vented, this pressure will do odd things like push the dipstick out of the tube, force valve cover gaskets out, and generally cause all kinds of oil leak–inducing grief. This is why engine manufacturers always include a vent system. In the days preceding the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV), OE engine builders merely vented the engine with a road draft tube that dumped oil on the road and underneath the car. The PCV system began…

In this world of mid-engine Corvettes that run 0-to-60 in 3 seconds in base trim, 198-mph ZL1 Camaros and Duramax Silverados with the torque of two LS6 Chevelles, the pair of vintage Bowties displayed here certainly won’t raise many eyebrows—but when they were new, they were the talk of the town. And now after nearly five decades of “ripening” on the vine, we dare say they’re worthy of a second look. In the case of the 1977 Monza Mirage, while harsh critics may say the Monza’s only worthwhile contribution was its 7.50/7.62 rear axle (later used in millions of Gen III Camaros and S-10 pickup trucks), its Mirage graphics and bodywork set it apart as something special: A factory-authorized, street-legal tribute to the tube-framed, V-8–powered machines dominating the IMSA/Camel GT…

1. G-BODY COILOVERS Aldan American announces new, fully adjustable coilover shock kits for the 1978-1988 GM G-body chassis. G-body owners now have a complete bolt-on solution to convert their chassis to adjustable coilovers. Set your stance with 2 inches of lowering capability up front and down to 3 inches in the rear with Aldan’s G-body coilover lineup. Improve traction and the overall ride quality of your G-body with coilovers. Aldan American products are proudly made in the USA. Aldan American (310) 834-7478 www.aldanamerican.com 2. RETRO-STYLE MODERN TECH Classic Instruments announces their new electronic Retro-fit Service Package for 1958-1962 Corvettes. The package’s base price includes a stock-styled gauge using the customer’s existing parts. The package has been designed to utilize Classic Instruments’ custom-built ZST Speedometer circuit board, which plugs directly into…

Let’s jump back to the ’80s for a second. Some might remember the hairspray crisis, or TV shows like Knight Rider, but everyone should remember their first third-gen Camaro experience. For a while, third-gens seemed to be synonymous with throwback Halloween costumes (think Joe Dirt), but times are changing; F-bodies have solid bones. They are quick, fun to drive, and with the right upgrades, they can cut cones like a Corvette. The built or bought thread is a common one. Mainly because it answers the why. Some might prefer the latter, but like a child, your own creation has more of a permanent feeling, doesn’t it? As car builders, we evolve in our experiences—call them growing pains. Jay Hahn is proud to say that he built his Camaro. He’s been…

So, you just got your hot rod running? Whether it’s a late-model LS, a big-block brawler, or a smallblock screamer, your work is far from done. Just as there are many ways to build a car right, there are even more ways to make a simple mistake that could leave power and torque on the table. The first time that powerplant fires up and carries you around the block on that heroic first drive, it’s easy to get lost in the wave of speed-seeking serotonin that washes over us. We’re ecstatic! It works! It drives! And in the wave of this manic motorhead moment it’s easy to lose sight of some of the finer details of the build that could cause problems later down the line or, worse yet, rob…

When you think about fullsize cars you generally don’t think about big-time performance, even though some of the cars came from the factory with potent big-blocks. The 2-ton sedans just don’t strike a chord with “go-fast” enthusiasts, but this 1968 Bel Air is a whole different animal. It’s not your average fullsize Chevrolet, as it boasts 725 hp, thanks to a wicked SB2 engine plucked from a retired NASCAR Cup Series race car. Teddy McClure is the proud owner, and he hails from Chilhowie, Virginia. Teddy and his brothers were heavily involved with NASCAR racing during the ’80s and ’90s, with drivers such as Mark Martin and Ernie Irvan driving for their team. He has since retired from Morgan-McClure Motorsports Inc., but it’s easy to see where he got the…