We were doing a tune-up on a car over the weekend and the timing was so badly off that it had a little backfire. "Little" enough to destroy a muffler! This was actually pretty cool to see it come apart, but now you know why cheap mufflers are so cheap! This one blew out completely, throwing rust and carbon build-up all over the place.
Larry Callahan runs the website Pro-Touring.com , and his own twin turbocharged 1968 Camaro is a textbook example of the kinds of cars the website is built around. The "MotiV8r" Camaro features every pro-touring trick in the book, and was built by Prodigy Customs to run as good as it looks. Video from the 2009 Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational DVD .
Amir Rosenbaum brought the Speed By Spectre 1970 El Camino to the Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational event in Pahrump, NV, where we took a quick look at the car. It's a super-slick road and track machine, powered by a dry-sumped LS7 V8 that's been set back and dropped low in the chassis and backed by a T56 6-speed manual trans. We like the fact that Rosenbaum isn't afraid to push it to the limits on the track!
The Pontiac 400 V8 engine that we're using in our 1969 Firebird project called "Routy" came to us completely as a rebuilt log-block with all new parts inside, but we were charged with the task of doing the final assembly and detail work. This time, we're test-assembling the brackets and parts on the engine, and came across a great tip to help keep your Pontiac V8 engine running cool. By the way, here's a link to the made in USA valve covers!
The trunk floor area in our 1969 Pontiac Firebird "Routy" was looking pretty rough, so we elected to use an assortment of repair panels from Classic Industries to replace the rust and previous damage repairs. The process went pretty smoothly, and we were able to butt-weld and plug weld the new pieces in leaving a factory appearance with no evidence we were ever there. A coat of Eastwood Epoxy Primer will help keep them rust free for good.
Here's the first of many videos covering our project 1959 Chevrolet Biscayne project called "Post Modern." The plans call for an LS1 / 6-speed manual drivetrain, big wheels and brakes, air suspension, and a bunch of other cool tricks. The red & white in this rendering are only one of a bunch of color ideas we're kicking around, but the final color has yet to be chosen. We're doing a complete build on this car, so stay tuned for many videos on the transformation!
We just posted a giant (2000 photo) gallery chronicling the complete build of the Royal Sport Camaro we built for Royal Purple a couple years ago. This was a real Camaro that got completely re-bodied, save for the windshield frame and the rear inner quarter supports. It was a project we are proud to have completed, but probably will not do again! Anyway, it featured a Schwartz Chassis, Baer brakes, YearOne body panels,resto parts, and 430hp crate SBC, Tremec TKO 500, Bonspeed wheels, Hooker exhaust, MSD ignition, Holley fuel system, Vintage Air, Royal Purple fluids... you get the idea. The whole car build is in video on our site, but this is the first time the photos have been available. (Videos: www.v8tvshow.com/RoyalSportCamaro ) The gallery begins with snaps of Ben Hermance doing the design work and ends at the YearOne Experience. Enjoy!
The 2010 Chicago World Of Wheels provided show-goers with a full weekend of cars to check out. This year, the event also included the Chevy Vettefest along with the wide variety of World Of Wheels displays all under one roof at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL. Here's a few pics to give you an overview!
Back in 1967, Felix Lopez bought a 1967 Chevrolet RS/SS Camaro from Nickey Chevrolet in Chicago, featuring a high-performance 427 with a 4-speed and 3 2-barrel carbs. Amazingly, he still owns and shows the car today. What's perhaps more amazing is that Lopez served an 8-year tour in the Viet Nam War, making him and his Nickey Camaro great examples of what we call "Survivors." Shot at the 2010 Chicago World Of Wheels / Chevy Vettefest show.
Response has been great on the 2009 Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational DVD - Here's what others are saying:
"Great video, the in-car video is terrific! Lots of interesting things were caught by the camera crew in this one, Bills UCA snapping, Larry's off course, etc. Great work guys! Two thumbs up! - David Pozzi"
"I got my copy today. Great coverage of the event. It covers the good, the bad and even in my case, the ugly. Great work Kevin and Kelly, as always, top notch stuff guys. Even if you saw the Speed show on the event, I recommend this one to everyone. Great interviews and some insider stuff that you just did not see on the show. Since Kevin is a car guy, he covered the event with a bit of a car guy twist." - Bill Howell
"I just watched and it really turned out great. Thanks to everyone at V8TV for the awesome DVD and the really cool coverage of Motiv8r as well. Well worth the money." - Larry Callahan
"I just got the DVD, thank you very much, you and your crew did an
outstanding job on the DVD. It really depicted the event and how
things unfolded and gave a more detailed account of the preparation and
effort that went into developing the cars." - Bruce Cambern
