Leaning Tower Of Power Gets Blown For $400

The Mopar Slant Six is one of the undisputed marvels of the engineering world; when the Sun goes supernova and the entire planet has been reduced to ionized hydrogen, a '67 Valiant will still be chugging along in the debris field (I once saw a Slant Six that had been...

Dec 22, 2024

Old-Timey 'Lectric Fan Install

Bobby Green likes traditional things. He's in love with the old world, and such things as modern electric fans stick in his craw. Unfortunately, the larger mill he installed in his rod forced him to use exactly that. But, Bobby, ingenious type that he is, came up with a neat...

Dec 22, 2024

Got Six Cylinders And It Uses Them All: The 1,000-Horse Chevy 292

I've always liked hot-rodded inline-sixes, ever since I rode in my uncle's triple-sidedraft-292/Muncie-equipped '49 GMC pickup and experienced that "oh shiiiiiiiiiit!" feeling that only way too much torque coupled with zero traction and a wild-eyed Minnesota biker at the wheel can offer. So what could make the 292 even better?...

Dec 22, 2024

How Mazda Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Wankel

Many automotive players (including General Motors and Mercedes) have tried to make the Wankel engine work for them (as we all know, the AMC Pacer was originally supposed to pack rotary power), but only Mazda has really managed to make cars stuffed with the simple- yet maddeningly hard to get...

Dec 22, 2024

Engine Swap of the Day: 4AGE-Powered Midget!

We love a good engine swap around these parts, and, ever since , I've been interested in the Toyota-engine-in-Sprite/Midget idea. Not that I'd ever do such a thing, mind you... well, actually, I might! This site is a very well-written and carefully documented account of just how a total raving...

Dec 22, 2024

V8-ized Volvo, Made Easy!

"Solid" seems like such an inadequate word when describing the Volvo 200 and 700 series cars, but even the turbocharged factory engines have a tough time grunting out the torque needed to haul all that Swedish steel with the proper quickness, especially when you're towing your bass boat. Swapping a...

Dec 22, 2024

Warning: You May Get A Driveshaft Through Your Head!

While most of you know me as the (now incredibly masculine) voice of and , I have a day job at which I slave for The Man as a technical writer. These days, that means I write confusing instructions to lead users of software astray, but in the pre-Dot-Com Boom...

Dec 22, 2024

Engine Swap of the Day: V12 In BMW 3-Series

What's the German equivalent of stuffing a Chevy 454 into a Vega? Well, it would probably involve a Kadett, but this swap captures the same madman spirit: a BMW E30, into which has been stuffed the kind of V12 that tortured us in , creating the world's only 350i. Though,...

Dec 22, 2024

Caution: You May Strip Your Gears!

After showing mechanic/artist the other day, I was deluged with emails from fellow tech writers expressing admiration for Walker's work and asking to see more. Sadly, I don't have anything quite as twisted as the Driveshaft Skull, but here's a nice Caution symbol (used in a manual to indicate "You're...

Dec 22, 2024

Banish Bad Belvedere Brakes!

So I was hanging with the other day, and he mentioned that he has a trashed-but-running '65 Belvedere that he wants to run in next year's . Did I feel like lending some driving and wrenching help? It sounded good, but those fade-o-riffic mid-60s drum brakes would be nonfunctional by...

Dec 22, 2024

Fuel Injector Tester

Back when the dot-com boom fell apart and I got laid off from my cushy software tech-writing gig (at a company that had once promised a private chef, rock-climbing wall, and customized surfboards with the company logo for its employees), I fell back on a tried-and-true moneymaking scheme: buying towed...

Dec 22, 2024

Yard Sale Find: Hulbert's Smash-Proof Creeper!

The "old days was better" thing can really get run into the ground (e.g., drum brakes, no antibiotics), but when it comes to certain things it's tough to argue with the sentiment. Mechanic's creepers, for example; these days, mostly what you get when you buy a creeper is about two...

Dec 22, 2024

Go Platinum Mining In Your CTS-V's Catalytic Converters!

Some folks say that catalytic converters were invented by Vladimir I. Lenin as part of a global commie conspiracy to deprive us of horsepower. Others allow that modern converters don't really post much of a restriction on an engine's exhaust flow. But regardless of where you stand on this issue,...

Dec 22, 2024

TechArt Drops The Top On 630 HP GTstreet Porsche 997 Turbo For Geneva

Because there aren't enough variants of the Porsche 911 already, TechArt provides us with even more options for the rear-engined sportscar. This new GTstreet Convertible is a variant of a variant of a variant. That means they've taken a 911 Turbo Convertible (which is already a variant of a variant...

Dec 22, 2024

Use The Magic of Dry Ice To Remove Pesky Insulating Tar!

As we get closer to finding out whether or not the overlords have accepted our for the Altamont race, we need to start preparing for roll cage installation. That means getting rid of the nightmarish tar-based insulation that those fiends in Göteborg applied all over the floorpan of our car....

Dec 22, 2024