Table of contents for Volume 3, Issue 26 - February 2023 in All Chevy Performance

Gearheads are known for pushing boundaries and often struggle with knowing when to quit. Just 1 more pound of boost, or just one size larger nitrous jet can get even the most seasoned gearhead into trouble. But when it comes to raw, naturally aspirated horsepower, bigger is always better. Such is the case with this ’56 Chevy 150, a car that has show-winning qualities, combined with big-time horsepower from a Scott Shafiroff 615ci big-block. Jason Stills owns the rowdy Tri-Five, and he isn’t afraid to cruise it around town or make a 9-second pass. It’s certainly on the extreme side of the street car spectrum, with an extensive rollcage and plenty of race-ready details, but it runs on pump gas, so that counts as a street car, right? Jason has…

If you drive an old car enough, you’ll run into some regular maintenance issues that can be quite a pain. Such is the case with our ’64 Chevelle daily driver. This is a relatively low-mileage car, just recently turning over the 100,000-mile mark. Even with low mileage and a very easy life, compared to most cars from the muscle car era, this cruiser needed some attention. We’ve logged approximately 40,000 miles in this car, and it’s always been faithful with its 283 and Powerglide. The original 10-bolt rearend is still in place as well. Despite the car’s dependability, we noticed an issue on a recent road trip that fast-tracked this long-forgotten maintenance item to the top of our to-do list. The axle seal on the passenger side was slinging gear…

Paul Coppola of Rotterdam, New York, doesn’t remember not being infatuated with cars. “As a little kid, they were my favorite thing. Every toy I ever got was somehow related to them; Power Wheels, Hot Wheels, and models were all part of my stash. I would even wash and detail my mom’s car when I was a kid. It was the world to me,” Paul states. Sadly, tragedy struck the family. “My dad [died] when I was 5. He ran a small body shop and used car lot. He sold all models of cars, but he only owned Chevy trucks and a few Corvettes, which he saved for summer fun. He took me to work every day while my mom was in nursing school. I would sit in the body…

The Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals (MCACN) serves up a healthy plate of muscle car goodness at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. Usually held on the third weekend of November, the MCACN show has become more than that–it’s now an annual event–one that increasingly showcases rare muscle car unveilings from some of the top restoration shops. Every year the organizers keep the show fresh by creating invitational displays that highlight a specific milestone in the muscle car era. The show is brand agnostic and uniquely American in flavor with some of the finest and rarest muscle cars that are still with us. For the GM faithful, as you entered the show, greeting you was one such example. On display was the No. 3 1960 Cunningham Le…

1. LIFTING IN STYLE All American Billet hinges are a great way to lift your hood in style. They are machined from 6061-T6 aluminum and engineered to operate smoothly. They come with large bearings, stainless steel gas struts, and all stainless steel hardware. The hinges are sold in pairs and come in machined, polished, or black anodized finishes and are available for multiple vintage domestic muscle cars. For more information, contact All American Billet by calling (844) 245-5381 or visit allamericanbillet.com. 2. LIGHT HOUSINGS Classic Industries announces new OER reproduction taillamp housings designed for use with ’78-81 Chevrolet Camaro models. These housings are manufactured in injection-molded ABS to original factory specifications for a precise fit and an authentic OE appearance. The original housing tabs are prone to break off and…

https://youtu.be/HIVN6x1IhTs LET’S GET RIGHT TO STRAIGHT FACTS: The LS engine platform is one of the greatest power producers ever created by the hand of man. But that doesn’t mean everyone wants to run the exact same engine. FiTech Fuel Injection is probably most commonly known for their fuel-injected throttle bodies that allow car guys (and girls) to easily replace their carbureted setup with fuel injection. But the company has also developed a wide range of port fuel-injected intake setups for LS engines that never came with carbs. And it’s turned out to be a pretty comprehensive kit as well as a great way to improve performance. It seems like FiTech’s Ultimate LS kits will be a best bet both for anyone doing an LSX swap into a car or building…

Tri-Fives are cool. The ’55,’56, and ’57 Chevys have remained popular for various reasons, but we’ll give a good amount of credit to the vintage body style that looks just as sexy today as it did in Chevrolet showrooms nearly 70 years ago. Brad Mrstik first took notice of a ’57 210 parked in a driveway just a few doors down from his house. It was owned by a couple high-school age brothers who seemed to have their heads under the hood more often than their butts in the seats. At only 6 years of age the image and shape of that ’57 somehow became emblazed in Brad’s young mind and played a big part on which model cars to build a few years later. In his teenage years Brad’s…

Like so many others my age, I tend to resist change. As an automotive painter I was among the last to relinquish the lacquer. That was in my own original hometown of Riverside, California. There, in the ’70s (toward the tail end of the van craze), McPeak Painting & Pinstriping was cranking out the custom paintwork. To help maintain the flow, McPeak employed a varying number of full-time painters—and for a period I was one of them. Looking back, our custom paint pioneers didn’t have so much to work with. As late as the ’70s, we used lacquer for multicolor basecoat applications. For urethane clearcoats, Ditzler offered DAU75, and that was pretty much what we used. Same-era spray equipment wasn’t rapidly evolving. Prior to select-states’ HVLP (high-volume low-pressure) mandates, siphon-feed…

A solid starting point helps push any project forward quicker. Luckily, owner Andy Verzura was able to snag a rust-free body in Texas to get his ’55 build off to a good start. Taking care of the build is Tyree Smith of TyTech Performance. TyTech has loads of experience in making cars go fast down the track and this Bel Air will do that as well as be able to drive cross-country. Power will be coming from a Magnuson supercharged LSX 454 backed up by a paddle-shifted TCI 6L80E. A full TCI chassis with a Ford 9-inch will manage all the torque and handle the bumps. Big 14-/13-inch rotors and 6/4 piston calipers from Wilwood should be up to the task of bringing everything to a stop. On the outside…

A few years ago, Garry Gallo was triggered by his buddy Mike Kraemer’s purchase of a green ’55 Chevy gasser. Now, when you look at the definition of the word triggered, it usually means that it’s a response to something that is often perceived as being negative or harmful. For Garry, there was nothing nefarious in Kraemer’s purchase, but it did bring back some vivid memories from his youth. He recalls, “When I was about 12 or 13 years old, I used to hang out at a neighbor’s house and he had four daughters, with the oldest one being regularly picked up by a guy in this loud and obnoxious car that was jacked up in the front. The minute I saw it, I thought it was the most badass…

When it comes to bad actor cars, most gearheads are all about making power and going quicker and faster. That places major emphasis on horsepower and torque but this also leads to the more challenging question of how to manage all that power and convert it into traction. This story will outline a basic understanding of the various rear suspension designs. Many enthusiasts gloss over these systems or merely follow whichever system seems to be currently popular. As a true enthusiast, it’s important to understand how each of these systems function, what makes them different, and which one offers the best approach based on the performance goal. An optimal drag race rear suspension would be a crippling disadvantage trying to find bite coming off an autocross turn or on a…

The ’63 Corvette Sting Ray coupe, with its sleek body lines and signature split rear window, make it the pinnacle of styling for muscle cars and comparable sports cars of the era. With much of its design inspiration borrowed from marine life, it was GM’s Bill Mitchell’s curiosity with the stingray and mako sharks that brought those elements into the Corvette. The gills behind the front wheels and the spine-like element that divided the rear window glass are both borrowed from a couple of intimidating sea creatures, which translated exceptionally well on the ’63 Corvette’s fiberglass body. Other notable ’63 Corvette introductions were the independent rear suspension for improved handling, hideaway headlights, and the split front bumper, making the car more unique and futuristic than the previous Corvette model. Although…