I pray this finds everyone healthy and safe from the global pandemic we are facing. Home quarantine had its perks during the first week, as I locked myself in my shop and never looked back. Then the reality of our business not generating ANY income right now set in and promptly removed the fun out […]
This month we’ll reflect back to a time just before coronavirus or Covid 19 became household names worldwide. It was mid-March 2020 and just after a long winter of making upgrades to my Camaro (Big Red), I was hoping for an early spring and anticipating driving and racing the car throughout the season. One of […]
There is never a dull moment here on my little piece of Planet Gearhead. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to wrench on some unusual, bizarre, and unique machines. I can also say the same for the people whom I’ve had the pleasure of working for. My most recent adventure in wrenching turned out […]
Hello fellow gearheads. With every passing day, I am getting one step closer to finally finishing the latest upgrades on Big Red. Once you go down the long, treacherous, expensive road named “Mild to Wild,” bypassing the town of “Simple and Easy,” you arrive at the city of “Expensive-ville,” which is surrounded by the suburbs […]
The other day, one of my buddies asked why an old friend of ours doesn’t come to the track anymore. I laughed and said, “he’s a street racer now.” My response was immediately met with another question. “Okay, but why can’t he come to the track anymore?” In recent years, I’ve come to learn that […]
I understand that we all have a passion for cars or I wouldn’t be writing this article and you wouldn’t be reading it. I understand that some of us get obsessive and even excessive with our cars. I also understand that our cars are supposed to bring us joy and take us away from the […]
For all of the gearheads out there, you know what I mean when I say, “we are on everyone’s speed dial.” It seems we are often called when someone is in need of our skillset rather than a simple “what’s going on” friendship call. Many have taken advantage of my good nature, but I consider […]
When the weather takes a turn in winter’s direction around here, my phone tends to ring a lot with custom automotive work. After all, it is the season to make any necessary repairs, as well as any unnecessary upgrades (had to write that—my wife was looking over my shoulder). But for the record, there is […]
I do my best to cover a wide variety of topics here in Shop Talk. As I’ve written before, these topics are born from actual conversations that have taken place in my shop. I recently had a new client hire me to perform some electrical magic on his camper. He roamed around the shop while […]
To the average person, tools are metal objects that are kept in a toolbox and occasionally used to hang a picture or tighten a loose screw. To a gearhead, tools are like food and water: basic necessities. Most serious DIY mechanics own a variety of tools that might include a welder, plasma cutter, chop saw, […]
IT’S SHOP TALK WEEK – Check in daily with us for a SHOP TALK ARTICLE WITH RPM Magazine’s very own JT. TO RUIN OR NOT TO RUIN A PERFECTLY GOOD HOOD: THAT is the Question! We’ve all had to make extremely hard decisions when it comes to our cars. Perhaps the most difficult ones are […]
PROJECTS – HOME GROWN COPO – Powered, Wired & Shifted
It’s been six long months since we last checked in with Project Homegrown COPO, an RPM MAG-influenced tribute to the factory modified racecar offering from Chevrolet, and we’ve made some decent progress. It might not seem like much if you are a fan of TV shows that pack a year’s worth of work into a […]
PROJECTS/BUILDS – 4 LUG THUG – Nitrous Express Water Injection
For eons we have become accustomed to water methanol injection on both diesel and gasoline engines. It has been used in boosted racing and street performance primarily, but in the last few years water injection has become increasingly popular for nitrous engines, as well. Although it may seem like someone just recently discovered the advantages […]
INSTALL – 4 LUG THUG – RaceCraft Part 2 – Suspension Upgrade
Last month, we started our RaceCraft rear suspension upgrade in the RPM Magazine THUG mule Mustang with the install of a much-needed upper control arm doubler kit. RaceCraft’s stock upper torque box upgrade not only reinforced the control arm bolt holes but gives us another set of bolt holes above the stock location for more […]
INSTALL – 4 LUG THUG – RaceCraft Part 1 – Upper Torque Box Doubler Install
We decided while rebuilding the rear section of project 4 Lug Thug over the winter that we should upgrade our cheap second-hand upper and lower control arms while its jacked up and stripped down. While the car as originally going to be a mild street/strip ride, it has slowly morphed into more than we thought […]
TECH – Cover Your Butt – Engine Diaper Install
If there is one thing I’ve learned in my first 14 months of fatherhood, it is the vital importance of diapers. I never gave them much thought for the first 38 years of my life, but now I realize how fast things get out of hand without one. Even 10 minutes with a miniwild man […]
FEATURED – Full Assault – Mark Robert – 1966 C10 Pickup
There was little doubt that Waterdown, Ontario Canada’s Mark Robert would be wheeling some sort of fast car on the street—and eventually the dragstrip—as soon as he was old enough to drive. “I can remember my dad bringing a transmission into our apartment living room to rebuild it, and he was repairing and rebuilding cars […]
FEATURED – THE REAL THING Tony Karamitsos 1969 Z28
South Bend, Indiana’s Tony Karamitsos has one heck of a cool job. The Die-Cast Brand Manager and Designer for Johnny Lightning, Auto World, American Muscle, and Racing Champions is instrumental in turning cool real-life rides into small scale replicas for collectors and enthusiasts. But he doesn’t just build the small stuff. He builds the real […]
FEATURED – KNOW THE RULES Pierre Luc Mallet 1991 Mustang Coupe
Grudge no-time drag racing has grown from the roots of both street racing and organized street car style class drag racing. Add in the component of not having time clocks telling everybody what a car is capable of (that’s why it’s called “NO TIME”) and you just managed to level the playing field to almost […]
In every race community, there are groups that form and come to light. The Pro Stock and Pro Mod scene in the ’80s grew into Pro Street, while the current radial tire craze that started with the NSCA and NMCA has spawned multiple new classes of drag racing like no prep and the drag n’ […]
FEATURES – THE INSTIGATOR – Jeff VanNorden – 70 Challenger
To hear Clifton Park, New York’s Jeff VanNorden tell it, he didn’t have a choice. On the streets in his hometown, there is an order. There’s an ethos. There’s a way you establish yourself. And to fail to abide by those unwritten rules is… well…unforgivable. “A buddy of mine was riding his Hyabusa and he […]
FEATURES – The Man Behind The X – John Sears X275 Chevy Malibu
There’s nothing like the satisfaction of building a car of your own. Whether it is your driver with a few mods or an all-out race car, the feeling of seeing your hard work and effort come together in a well-built project is second to none. John Sears has known that feeling time and time again, […]
PAST FEATURES – BIG GUN – Trey and Heather Cavarettas Pro Street C-10 Pickup
One look is all it takes. The unfettered, steel-gray sides look just as tough and muscular as they did the day it rolled off the line for the first time. Up front, the massive mechanical components reaching skyward have an all-business look that you wouldn’t want to mess with. Out back, the handcrafted steel skeleton […]
PAST FEATURES – UNSTOPPABLE – Scott MacDonalds 1999 Camaro SS
“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” That simple quote from Greek philosopher Epictetus originated thousands of years ago yet still resonates with us today. And Scott MacDonald truly embodies everything that simple phrase stands for. When we are young we all have goals, plans, and dreams for […]
FEATURES – THEIR FIRST CAR – Dennis Chillik – ’68 Torino GT
I’m one of those guys who grew up loving drag racing.” That simple statement is how Dennis Chillik would describe himself. Nothing overly spectacular about that statement, right? Unless of course you know what a love like that can mean! Dennis served in the U.S. Air Force, and in November of 1967 while stationed at […]
FEATURES- SacrilegeLS – Bill Trovato 5th Gen Camaro
Face the facts: if a man knows enough about anything to write a book about it, he’s probably an expert (or darn close). The hours upon hours of research, writing, revising, and writing some more builds a familiarity that simply cannot be forged any other way. For BTR Performance’s Bill Trovato of Rochester, New York, […]
FEATURED – THE NEMESIS – Terry Podschweit – ’67 Mustang
Full disclosure: usually magazine features are fairly sterile things, devoid of much emotion and full of endless details about the build. The author typically refers to the magazine as an entity, like “we saw this…” or “we asked that.” At RPM we’ve worked to change that over the past 17 years by building personality into […]
FEATURED – SOUL MATES – Chuck and Sandra Beals 1963 Corvette
We’d be lying if we didn’t admit that the love of fast cars is a male dominated thing, and often misunderstood by our better halves. Finding a female who doesn’t think we’re nuts for ogling over the sheetmetal of a well-restored muscle car, breaking out into a cold sweat every time we have an opportunity […]
FEATURED – BOOSTED MAV – Richard Tally – ’70 Ford Maverick
My wife was afraid I was going to crash and kill myself,” shared Kentucky native Richard Talley. Quite simply, that in a nutshell, is how Talley—a former wheelman of a turbo Hayabusa 4-wheeler—found himself shopping for a new set of wheels. My wife wished I would get a car because it would be safer. Ok, […]
FEATURED – NO OVERNIGHT SUCCESS – Craig Watsons 73 Nova
With 21 years of racing under his belt, Craig Watson and his small tire 1973 Chevrolet Nova have many tales and memories together. The duo began evolving from the time Watson hit the ripe age of 17, and the team spun many a story together in the years that followed. The Chevy, which has been […]
FEATURES – Past – GOING GREEN – Glen Bolz 1966 Chevy II
Phoenix resident and auto dealership Corporate Director Glen Bolz had had enough. A veteran of the sometimes stuffy and most of the time sleepy street rod crowd, Bolz was tired of the show-only scene. He was ready for some action. “I got really bored of the ‘Lawn Chair Nationals’ thing—just sitting around and polishing and […]
JLT Performance 3.0 Oil Separator 3032P now fits 2015-2018 Ford Edge 2.0L!
We have updated the 3032P Oil separator to include fitment for the 2015-2018 Ford Edge 2.0L! Now available at just $149.00! JLT Performance quality and tested oil separator with 3oz capacity, solid billet construction and simple installation. Our multi-stage filter system is designed to collect the finest of vapors and drop them into the easily […]
Strange Engineering 4-Link Floater
Strange Engineering continues to lead the way in driveline technology by introducing the all-new 9” Modular 4-Link Floater rear end for dragsters. Specifically designed for dragsters, the aluminum rear features a lightweight floater design, large 11 ½” stainless steel 2 piece rotors, and billet calipers for maximum clamping force and braking. The premium 206-T4 aluminum […]
Maradyne Launches New Hydronic Heater – The Carlsbad
FORT WORTH, TEXAS – Nov. 3, 2020 – Maradyne, known for heating as well as cooling, is launching their latest Hydronic (engine coolant heated) Heater for the high performance and off road market, the Carlsbad Heater. Producing over 22,000 BTUs/hr. and only 4-9 amps of 12VDC current, the Carlsbad heater is uniquely designed to fit […]
AVON LAKE, OHIO – (Nov. 16, 2020) – Things can happen in an instant in the pits, meaning your pit crew can never be too safe. Keep their eyes, ears and arms protected with safety items from Design Engineering, Inc. DEI’s Pit Crew Safety Kit includes vision, hearing and arm protection for professional mechanics, pit […]
Construction Underway on New Musi Racing Facility
(November 16, 2020) MOORESVILLE, NC — Musi Racing will soon have a new state-of-the-art home near Mooresville Dragway. The race team broke ground in September on their new 9,000-square foot building located near the dragstrip and construction has progressed quickly since then. The scheduled opening date for the building is slated for early 2021. The […]
Pat Musi Racing Engines Open House Postponed
(November 9, 2020) MOORESVILLE, NC — Taking an abundance of caution regarding COVID-19 exposure at its facility, Pat Musi Racing Engines has postponed its open house, which was originally scheduled to take place on Saturday, November 14. The event, which will celebrate the company’s 50th year in business as well as another banner racing season, […]
Mickey Thompson Receives SEMA360 New Product Awards
New Baja Boss A/T and UTV sizes of Baja Pro X tires were recognized at this year’s virtual trade show. STOW, OHIO – Nov. 6, 2020 – The SEMA Show may be an online-only event for 2020, but that didn’t keep Mickey Thompson Tires & Wheels from making a big splash. The company received […]
The November 2020 Issue of RPM Magazine has been released. You can check out the partial copy on the front page of the RPM Magazine website at www.rpmmag.com To receive your full digital copy, subscribe at www.rpmmag.com/subscribe today! Your copy will be emailed within 24 hours. Highlights to the November 2020 Copy include: RPM FEATURE […]
NEWS – Mickey Thompson ET Drag Tires Included on the 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak
New ‘Leader of the Pak’ is the quickest, fastest and most powerful Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak yet. The 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak will power down the strip on Mickey Thompson ET Drag® Pro Drag Radial tires. The new Drag Pak is built ready for competition and offers a turnkey package for Sportsman […]
NEWS – PENNSYLVANIA MOTORSPORTS ORGANIZES UNDER NEW COUNCIL
The Motorsports Council of Pennsylvania (MCP) has been organized to advance all forms of racing across the state. The Motorsports Council will serve as the voice for racing in Pennsylvania. With an emphasis on grassroots racing, MCP will support racing with advocacy, education, and promotion. An initial priority of the MCP is to highlight the […]
TRUCK QUICK TECH – Hit The Brakes
Like most of readers, we use our vehicles for everything Imaginable, and honestly, we are not what you would call “easy” on them. And contrary to popular belief, we don’t cruise around in a fleet of brand new stuff. Instead, just like you, we have to make our old rigs last. Oh sure, we take […]
TRUCKS – Trick Out Your Truck – Lighting & Style F250
With new diesel F-250 pickups running into the upper $60,000 range, we decided it would be worth the upgrades to freshen our 15 year-old reliable Powerstroke instead. The newer trucks actually still have very similar overall body styling but our lights and grille really show how dated our old truck really is. Our 2000 F-250 […]
TRICK OUT YOUR TRUCK – TOW TECH – Safety, Style, Function
If you have a high performance street machine or drag car, chances are that sooner or later you are going to have to haul it somewhere. In fact, having a fully-equipped tow rig is—for many enthusiasts, at least—one of the key steps in being ready for the race or show season and not. If you […]
TECH – TOW TECH – Need a Lift – Air Bag Install
Yes, I am guilty of it. If you consider yourself a gearhead then you are probably guilty of it as well. What am I accusing you of? Gearheads like having toys and usually don’t have enough money to buy something new or something that is the “best” in its class—mostly because we can fix them […]
TRUCKS – TRICK OUT YOUR TRUCK – Flares
Trick Out Your Truck – A Flare for New Shoes My wife has a flair for new shoes and so does our vintage RPM F-250 hauler. Four flares to be exact, but only one set of new shoes. If you have been following the Trick Out Your Truck tech in RPM over the last several […]
TRUCKS – TRICK OUT YOUR TRUCK – In a Day!
FROM MILD MANNERED TO MENACING….IN A DAY! We’ll be honest, we got sick and tired of being made fun of for our mundane 2015 F150 shop truck. We just heard one too many “hey look at the magazine guys driving around in a stock pickup,” comments and decided to do something about it. First, we […]
TRUCKS – Tow Tech – Gettin’ Hitched
If you’ve towed your race car or street machine before, you know that depending on the quality of your tow setup, it can either feel like a stress-induced worryfest where your rig seems to constantly teeter on the brink of disaster or pretty much like any other drive. The less heavy duty your equipment, the […]
FEATURES – ENTROPY – Kevin Amar – 1955 GMC 3100 Pickup
ENTROPHY – Kevin Amar 1955 GMC 3100 Pickup Lack of order or predictability. Gradual decline into disorder.” Entropy isn’t a suggestion. It isn’t a probability. It is a scientific law. In short, it is the natural order of things to decline, decay, and become less organized—unless energy is added to the system. Take Kevin Amar’s […]
WELCOME TO THE NEW RPM MAGAZINE ALL DIGITAL VERSION
Well, it’s finally here….the very first ALL DIGITAL RPM MAGAZINE! Here is just a little Teaser of the June issue. If you were a subscriber, you would already have this in your email inbox today. Subscribe by June 1st and you will receive this issue in your email just as the thousands of other RPM […]
NEWS – DiabloSport Tuning Now Supporting 2020 Ford F150 2.7L Ecoboost & 5.0L V8
Tuning for 2020 Ford F-150 2.7L Ecoboost & 5.0L V8 DiabloSport tuning is now available for 2020 Ford F-150 2.7L Ecoboost and 5.0L V8 motors. Adding power to the already impressive Ford F-150 was no small task. DiabloSport’s calibration team spent the time to develop awesome tunes that enhance thnee driving experience for any F-150 […]
NEWS – Automakers seek new revenue streams from wireless services, upgrades
By Nick Gibbs, ANE The dashboard, once the place where drivers checked their speed or changed the radio station, is fast becoming the car’s most valuable real estate, as automakers seek to generate new revenue through wirelessly delivered services, features and upgrades. The upgrades can include everything from in-dash apps up to software […]
NEWS – Fiat Chrysler confirms talks for $6.8B state-backed loan to weather virus crisis
MILAN — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles confirmed that it is in talks to obtain an Italian state-backed credit line of as much as 6.3 billion euros ($6.8 billion) to buttress the automaker’s finances after the coronavirus caused a steep downturn. In a statement on Saturday, the company said talks were ongoing with lender Intesa Sanpaolo for a three-year […]
AUTO MANUFACTURER NEWS – People Bought More Trucks Than Passenger Cars In The U.S. Last Month
As passenger car sales plummet, trucks overtake them temporarily. Passenger cars have always outsold pickup trucks in the U.S. In some years, as many as 600,000 vehicles separated the two classes. But with the novel Coronavirus affecting all new car purchases in the U.S. in April, pickup trucks stole the sales crown. At least, temporarily. New data […]
Brands push forward with new-EV rollouts
Article by Stephanie Wallcraft COVID-19 has automakers pumping the brakes on r&d spending, but most are still planning — at least for now — the launch of key electric vehicles in the coming months. Matt Girgis, managing director of Volvo Car Canada, said the XC40 P8 Recharge crossover is still scheduled to arrive in Canada […]
Automakers want Ontario showrooms opened to deal with expiring leases
Facing an onslaught of customers returning leased vehicles, some automakers are calling on Ontario to reconsider rules forcing the closure of dealership showrooms during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Our dealers are now dealing with record numbers of lease returns at our peak season and they are unable to process them,” Hyundai Canada CEO Don Romano wrote […]
U.S. self-driving startup settles trade secrets lawsuit with Tesla
U.S. self-driving car startup Zoox said on Tuesday it had settled a lawsuit with Tesla after admitting that some new hires from the electric car maker were in possession of certain Tesla documents when they joined Zoox. Tesla lawyers filed a lawsuit in March last year against four former employees and Zoox, alleging the employees […]
ROUSH YATES COLLABORATES WITH BIOMEDINNOVATIONS FOR VENTILATORS
Roush Yates Engines was formed in 2003 by Robert Yates, Jack Roush, and Doug Yates with the leadership of Ford Motor Company to create a world-class race engine company that would compete at the highest levels of the Motorsports Industry. Out of the passion for power and performance excellence, Roush Yates Manufacturing Solutions was formed. […]
FCA Canada implements temperature taking protocol for workers
As automakers eye a return to production, FCA Canada says it is taking steps to keep its factory employees safe on the shop floor. Some employees are currently working at the automaker’s Ontario assembly plants in Windsor and Brampton. They’re deep cleaning the facilities and tweaking job stations to make room for social distancing. But those that arrive […]
Jaguar Land Rover aims to make 5,000 protective visors
LONDON — Jaguar Land Rover said it is using its prototype building operations to make a target of 5,000 visors a week for health service workers, as manufacturers repurpose facilities to fight against coronavirus. The British government is trying to boost the amount of personal protective equipment for doctors and nurses and ventilators for patients. […]
Daimler CEO, top executives take pay cut in response to crisis
Daimler CEO Ola Kallenius and members of the automaker’s management board will reduce their fixed compensation by 20 percent until the end of the year in response to the effects of the coronavirus crisis. Other senior executives will see their pay drop by 10 percent for the next three months, Daimler said in a statement […]