Innholdsfortegnelse for Volume 1, Issue 8 August 2021 i All Chevy Performance

“Ten percent. That’s it. A measly 10 percent! That’s all I need to get my project car beyond the proverbial ‘finish line.’” That’s what many of us have been telling ourselves since the beginning of time, well, at least since we started our projects, which in some cases can feel like the beginning of time. I know it’s not all of us, but I’m guessing a good number of us ends—just a couple “small” nagging things to take care of so we can get that feeling of accomplishment and that our car is finally done, even though they are never really “done.” are driving our projects while needing to button up a few loose Such is the case with my 1971 Camaro. It looks and runs great but I’ve been…

FEATURE OF THE MONTH SPONSORED BY OPTIMA BATTERIES “It was a very Arkansas design—the front bumper was off, it had Cragar wheels—fat in the back and skinny up front, and the back end was lifted really high via two long air shocks.” That’s how Jason Blain describes his 1968 Camaro when his dad brought it home from a Jonesboro, Arkansas, used car lot back in 1987. “My dad paid $2,650 for the car, which was actually in decent shape,” Jason recalls. “The body wasn’t perfect, but there were no major issues and the car actually ran OK. The paint was passable, and if you looked close enough in certain areas, you could see the original Rally Green paint and some sort of red color underneath that.” Not long after, Jason…

Hard as it is to believe, we’re quickly approaching the 25th anniversary of the LS engine and the cultural phenomenon it established within the automotive world. It started with the 5.7L LS1, but the architecture expanded to include a range of displacements, from 4.8L (293 ci) to 7.0L (427 ci). Most of the variants were used in trucks, with some featuring E85 capability and cylinder-deactivation technology. All told, there were more than two dozen production versions, along with even more crate engine options from Chevrolet Performance—including those built with the racing-bred, cast-iron LSX Bowtie Block. From the lowest-output base truck engine to the supercharged LS9, each shared the core design elements that made the LS a revolution when new and continue to prove its relevancy two-and-a-half decades later. It’s been…

1. HEAD PROTECTION Safety equipment is the most important thing that you will spend your money on as a racer, but that doesn’t mean you have to empty the piggy bank to afford quality equipment. The new Speedway Motors SA2020 Lightweight Racing Helmet is a great example. These helmets come with some impressive features, comply with the new SA2020 standards, and are surprisingly affordable. For more information, contact Speedway Motors by calling (800) 979-0122 or visit speedwaymotors.com. 2. TRUCK RALLYE WHEEL Wheel Vintiques is proud to introduce a newly re-tooled version of a classic truck design: the GM Pickup Rallye. The new 42 Series GM Pickup Rallye product line consists of three sizes, 15x7, 15x8, and 15x10, applied to two center designs, one with a 5x5 bolt pattern that features…

With the propagation of crate engines over the last 30 or so years, it’s hard to believe that anyone would bother building a mild street engine from the ground up. Yet here we are, doing exactly that. Why, you may ask? Simply put, we find it to be both rewarding and challenging—two traits not typically associated with a crate engine build (unless you count the unboxing portion!). For those of us wealthy in the time department, taking a couple days (OK, weeks) to build an engine might make sense. Those of us with only a couple hours a week to spare on our project might look at the crate option with a little more regard. Either way, there is no wrong or right, just what works for you. Something that…

Matt Cirocco, of Massapequa, New York, found himself with a daunting dilemma on his hands. “I found out about a good builder 1972 Chevelle for sale locally. When I got there I saw an equally cool 1969 Camaro the seller was willing to unload.” After much deliberation, a decision was made to grab the Chevelle for his new project. You never know how lady luck is going to treat you on any given day, but luckily for this guy he slept well knowing he made the right choice that day. Once the Chevelle found a home at Matt’s house, the planning started. Built up as a basic driver, the 350ci automatic ride was the perfect vehicle to build his dream car. The game plan was to bring the car over…

Even though it has a stock body, this Nomad will be all sorts of wild in many aspects. The first thing to hit your eyes will be the two-tone black and root beer flipping to copper paintjob. Wheel centers and some bits of trim will be treated to some Axalta paint in addition to the main body. Once your eyes process the slick paint, you’ll see the aired-out stance that almost puts the rockers on the ground. RideTech components combined with an Art Morrison Enterprises chassis accomplish the tasks of handling at ride height and looking good while parked. Backing up all the appearance items is a stout drivetrain. There’s an LT5 crate engine barking out its 755hp exhaust note through a Borla exhaust. Backing up the LT5 is a…

Some married couples work out together, some take cooking courses, and some enjoy wine tasting at the local country club. But for Justin and Jenny Moses of Braselton, Georgia, marital bliss comes in the form of a screaming Chevrolet engine and a four-speed manual transmission. The couple campaigns two cars in the Southeast Gassers Association, which is a growing organization that focuses on reliving the glory days of drag racing with period-correct, heads-up racing. With authentic pound-per-cubic-inch classifications and a very strict rules package that applies to both the appearance and performance of the vehicles, this group races hard and thrills spectators all over the Southeast. With wild paint schemes, and even wilder antics on the track, the two cars might seem like the stars of their racing program, but…

PART II: BIG-BLOCK CHEVYS = WHERE THE RAT TILTS THE GAME The big-block Chevy as we know it today was big news in 1965. The Corvette and fullsize cars debuted a replacement for the antiquated 343/409 W engines with some ancestral connections, like the crankshaft. But for the techno-engine geeks, the Rat was noteworthy for the odd valve angle cylinder heads. The 427 and its smaller-inch brother 396 both sported a set of “porcupine” heads, no-doubt offered by some journalist who made the connection between the big-block’s bizarre valve angles and that rodent with its protruding quills. If you didn’t catch our Part I story on small-block valve angles (July ’21 issue), we’ll step back a moment to define our use of the term valve angle. This is a valve…