News & Events Archive

Jan 16, 2020

Cam Swap Adds 120-Plus HP on a 6.2L LS!

Image Courtesy Richard Holdener

Upgrading an LS engine with a hotter camshaft always yields better performance. But even we raised a collective eyebrow when we saw what a Summit Racing Pro LS Stage 4 camshaft added to a 6.2L L92. The hydraulic roller added 123 peak horsepower without penalizing low- and midrange torque.

Don't believe it? We'll let Richard Holdener show you the proof--and how he pulled it off--in this dyno test story on our OnAllCylinders blog. It's got charts and photos and everything.

Jan 14, 2020

LS3 Power for Grassroots Motorsports' Track Day Vette

Grassroots Motorsports Magazine is the go-to book for features and builds of vintage and modern road race, autocross, and track day cars. When GRM's J.G. Pasterjak wanted more muscle for his C5 Corvette Z06, he turned to the experts at Summit Racing.

They recommended a BluePrint Engines Pro Series LS3 to replace the factory LS6. Out of the box, the BluePrint LS3 puts 465 horsepower and 435 lbs.-ft. of torque to the Corvette's rear wheels. That's a lot of scoot--and there are plans to upgrade the engine to make even more power.

Our OnAllCylinders blog recently posted a story outlining GRM's Z06 upgrade program and what it takes to build a track-day C5 of your own (hint: it's not that difficult). We'll keep you posted about update stories on this awesome Vette.

Jan 7, 2020

Ask Away with Jeff Smith: Chevy 305s, Piston Noise, and Boat Engine Compression

It's been awhile since we've posted links to Jeff Smith's Ask Away columns on our OnAllCylinders blog, so we have not one, not two, but three Q&As for you this time around:

A Brief History of the Airflow-Restricting Chevy 305
Reader L.M. asks:
"How did Chevrolet build the 305 cubic inch small block? Is it a mash-up of 283 and 350 parts, or is it just slightly larger than a 302 Chevy engine?"

As Jeff explains, the 305 was created in the 1980s to be GM's largest V8 engine. It has the same 3.48 inch stroke as a Chevy 350, but teeny-tiny 3.736 inch bores--even smaller than the old 283 cubic inch Chevy's bores. That created an engine that made good low-speed torque but not much else.

Jeff goes on to show why the smaller 283 and 327 cubic inch engines are a better bet for making horsepower.

Nov 21, 2019

Summit Racing SEMA Project Car Update: They Liked Us, They Really Liked Us

We swear that every show vehicle ever built is exhibited at the SEMA Show. But the five Summit Racing-supported cars—and one bus—managed to stand out from the crowd at this year’s show. You’ve seen them as in-progress builds, now behold them as finished projects. See the pix in the slide show.

Driven Restorations 1959 Thunderbird
Steve and Molly Gursky landed a prime spot at SEMA to showcase “Mom’s T-Bird”—the Summit Racing display outside the Las Vegas Convention Center.

“I still can't believe that we got that car built in about 10 months with our little team of four and eight other cars in the shop,” Molly Gursky explained. “Steve and Kim Pahl, the Thunderbird’s owners, were overwhelmed by the outpouring of interest for the story behind this build. We even did an interview with the A&E Network for its SEMA special!”

What’s next for the T-Bird? Next fall, Steve and Kim want to take it on a cross-country road trip from Wisconsin to the West Coast, then travel down Highway 1 in California and come home via Route 66. Mom would be proud.

Nov 1, 2019

Ask Away with Jeff Smith: Clutch Pedals and EFI Fuel Systems

What are Ask Away with Jeff Smith readers, er, asking about lately? Clutch pedal effort and understanding EFI fuel system requirements, it seems. Let's find out.

Comparing Pedal Effort Between Hydraulic and Mechanical Systems
Our friend M.S. asks:
"Does a hydraulic system make the clutch pedal effort easier than a mechanical linkage? A friend of mine says the effort will be the same because all the force is from the pressure plate that has to hold the clutch. Is that true? The clutch pedal in my ‘71 Chevy truck is very stiff and I’d like to fix that."

Jeff says it's a common misconception that a hydraulic system will reduce the pedal effort. The load required to press in the clutch pedal is based almost entirely on the load created by the pressure plate. Lighter clutch pedal effort is mainly due to using a softer pressure plate.

As for the stiff clutch issue, Jeff says there is likely a problem with your mechanical system that is creating the higher effort. Things to look at are the release arm and the ball stud inside the bellhousing the release arm pivots on.

Oct 31, 2019

On the Turntable: Jim Elick's 1977 Pontiac Firebird Formula 400

In 1977, 18-year-old Jim Elick needed a car for his first shore duty with the US Navy. Inspired by the recent release of “Smokey and the Bandit” and the flashy gold and black Pontiac Firebird Trans Am cruising across the big screen, the Indianapolis native headed to Don Sisk Pontiac with his dad to try his luck securing his own getaway car.

“I kind of knew what I wanted, but could never afford a $5,000 car at 18-years-old. With my motocross bike to trade and $300 in hand, I somehow landed a Nautilus Blue Firebird Formula for $98 dollars a month, and off to California I went,” laughs Elick. His dad co-signed for the deal with neither of them knowing just how significant the car would become.

“I bought the 1977 Formula with all the Trans Am equipment—no birds, no stickers, no fluff, no snap on plastic air dams—just a straight, raw, very rare Firebird,” says Elick.

Oct 31, 2019

Project Car Update: Cat House Customs 'Pro Rat' 1918 Ford Model TT

Right about now, Ryan Hopkins and his crew at Cat House Customs are on the road to the 2019 SEMA Show in Las Vegas with a fresh hot rod—and wondering how the hell they pulled it off.

Cat House built the 1918 Ford Model TT truck in less than 10 months as part of the 2019 RATical Rod Build Off/Drive Off. The program features builders from the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, but don’t let the name fool you—these are serious, high quality cars any builder would be proud of. Visit the RATical Rod Build Off/Drive Off website for more information.

Let’s take a closer look at Cat House Customs’ creation.

Oct 18, 2019

How to Install a Hotchkis Suspension on a Second-Gen Camaro

Our friend Mike Petralia over at Hardcore Horsepower found a unicorn--a second-gen Camaro that's never been modified or thrashed within an inch of its life. The 1981 four-speed car is destined to get a dose of big block power, but first it needed a new suspension setup.

Mike and his crew ripped out the stock junk and installed all-new Hotchkis components--TVS Sport Suspension, Performance Series adjustable shocks, ahd tubular front A-arms--to give the Camaro some handling chops and the proper stance. See the whole Hotchkis install over at our OnAllCylinders blog.

Oct 4, 2019

Video: Cool Hand Customs SEMA Interview

Things are moving right along on Cool Hand Customs' 1960 Simca project, an unlikely alliance of a French Simca station wagon body and a 2007 Cadillac STS chassis.

Cool Hand just sent us a photo of the car in the paint booth, and we gotta say it looks just awesome in its PPG Verde Green and Black two-tone paint job. Verde Green is a Fiat color; Simca was actually founded by Fiat back in the 1930s, and the designer who penned the '60 also styled Fiat cars. Can't make this stuff up, folks.

We also found this video SEMA made with Cool Hand about the Simca. You'll get some inside dope on what it took to build this little rocket ship, which is entered in the 2019 SEMA Show Battle of the Builders competition. The event which showcases the talent and craftsmanship of builders as they compete for the coveted Battle of the Builders crown.

You can learn more about Cool Hand Customs' Simca in this story we posted back in July.

Oct 2, 2019

Project Car Update: Beyond D.A. Bus 1957 Ford Bus

Chris Pulley is on a mission.

He has Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a form of Muscular Dystrophy. But don’t think that’s stopped him from doing stuff he loves—Chris goes water skiing, snow skiing, scuba diving, and drives the wheels off his handicap-modified 2010 Dodge Challenger SRT. And he wants other people with disabilities to realize they can do things like that, too.

To that end, Chris built this 1957 Ford B500 bus as a rolling billboard for Beyond D.A. Bus, a nonprofit devoted to engaging people with any disability in activities they may have never imagined themselves doing. Two years in the making, the D.A. Bus will be on display in the TAMCO Paint booth at the 2019 SEMA Show.

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