Table of contents for Volume 3, Issue 34 - October 2023 in All Chevy Performance

Cars might be the most sentimental thing we can possess. Sure, a house has some legitimacy to taking that title, but a home is an inanimate object and you can’t take it with you. You can possess either one and have memorable experiences in either but only a vehicle can take you places while doing it. Seeing a particular type of vehicle can quickly transform you into a specific place or time in your life. Eric Mead, of Evansville, Indiana, is one of the lucky few who owns a vehicle that transports him somewhere else every time he steps in it. To him, it is a family heirloom—a legacy—that he can show to everyone. The car is a ’55 Chevy 210 sedan. When he sees it, he is returned to…

There’s nothing more revered in the performance world than adding horsepower to your ride, regardless of whether it’s naturally aspirated, supercharged, or turbocharged, however you’d better be able to chill the beast to make its time on the street a long-lasting experience. There’s nothing worse than having to constantly watch a temperature gauge with fears of overheating due to a tired or poorly set up cooling system. Add in the needs of an upgraded LS conversion and you’d better do your homework to incorporate a properly designed setup that can handle the demands of everyday life on the road. On a recent visit to Procision Industries in Taunton, Massachusetts, we met with shop owner Pat O’Brien whose newly installed high-performance 5.3L LC9 in his personal ’71 Camaro project gave All…

Drum brakes have been around for more than 100 years, and they’re still in use on some modern-day applications, but for the most part, disc brakes have taken over for regular passenger cars and light trucks. This transition has encouraged gearheads to make the switch on old cars, and several companies offer front and rear disc brake conversions for most applications from the ’50s to the ’80s. The truth of the matter is that the average car enthusiast upgrades the front brakes and leaves the rear brakes in the stock configuration. This combination performs nicely on something that isn’t seeing track time or intense driving, but those rear drums need attention from time to time. Because of the factory brake bias that puts more emphasis on the front brakes, you’ll…

Nostalgia is a word that hits all of us in a different way. For some, it’s big hair and T-tops, but for others it’s Jimi Hendrix and Cragar wheels. No matter your taste of nostalgia, the place to be on Father’s Day weekend is Beech Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky. For 20 years thousands have been gathering to pay tribute to the good ol’ days. For 19 of those years, this event was called the Hot Rod Reunion, a name coined by the folks at the NHRA Museum. This year, the event got a new name, but the general concept remains the same. The Wally Parks Nostalgia Nationals, presented by Holley, takes old school to the next level with awesome vintage-style drag racing, an excellent car show, and…

1. BRAKING NEWS Strange Engineering introduces their ’93-02 Camaro manual brake conversion kit. This kit fits automatic and manual transmission pedal boxes. A new billet aluminum adapter plate bolts to the firewall in place of the vacuum booster and the kit also includes the 1.125-inch bore aluminum master cylinder, new pushrod, dust boot, rod end, banjo fittings, and all necessary mounting hardware. For more information, contact Strange Engineering by calling (800) 646-6718 or visit strangeengineering.net. 2. DURABLE DAMPER BOLT Factory harmonic damper bolts are an area of concern for racers and performance enthusiasts for two reasons: The bolt’s ability to sustain the necessary clamping force when subjected to high-rpm crankshaft flexing and twisting, and the extra abuse from rotating the crank manually when adjusting valve lash, setting timing, and so…

Mike Schultz’s dad restored antique and classic aircraft for a living, so that mechanical aptitude carried over to Mike at a young age. “My dad got me interested in the inner workings of an automobile engine, so I bought a 283ci small-block at a garage sale with money I saved up from delivering newspapers at 4 a.m. every day before school,” Mike tells. “With help from my dad, I built my first engine at 12 years old.” That introduction to engine building carried on to a lifetime of not only the mechanical side of cars but also a lifetime of racing them. As a youngster, Mike started out driving karts and instantly became addicted to hard cornering and the lateral g-forces that accompany the practice. That foundation of performance driving…

Automotive tastes are often a moving target. Staying true to them is probably rare, thus making Bob Updike’s unshakeable endearment with the Chevelle notable. From an early age he had a soft spot for late-’60s and early-’70s models, and just as he turned 15, he purchased a ’72 Chevelle. He explains, “I initially thought about buying a Camaro, but I didn’t have enough money, so I ended up getting a Chevelle. I completely took it apart and rebuilt everything with my uncle. I eventually ended up adding an SS hood and had the car repainted, and then drove it for 13 years until I needed to buy a house.” By his mid twenties any idea of playing with cars was placed on the back burner, however, he points out, “When…

JABZ Kustoms is at it again with this ’61 Corvette and its sinister color palette. Medium gray paint is offset by gloss black trim throughout the car. Raceline Contender wheels continue with the color scheme. To make the interior pop instead of blend in, there’s red leather wrapping the seats, dash, door panels, and steering wheel. On the hood is a modified stinger that utilizes just the scoop. Underneath the fiberglass shell is a full-tube chassis to control flex. Each corner has big Wilwood brakes to slow down the 6.2L LS powerplant. Slightly wider rear quarters allow a larger wheel and tire package while modified front inner fenders gain some clearance for bigger meats there as well. @TavisHighlander TavisHighlander.com Vehicle Builder: JABZ Kustoms…

We love hearing stories from car owners who still have the ride they drove in high school and through college as their only means of transportation. Rich Dandolo purchased this ’70 El Camino back in 1982—the year after he graduated high school. “I really wanted a ’69 but this one had a freshly built big-block and the price was right, so I bought it,” Rich explains. “It was originally brown with a black vinyl top and brown interior. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great-looking, either.” To give it some personality, Rich dressed it up in Centerline wheels and BFGoodrich T/As—the “go-to” combination at the time. It was the ’80s when most muscle car guys would have their cars emulate what they saw in magazines and on dragstrips across the…

Now in its sophomore year at the Classic Auto Mall in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, the 24th Annual Camaro Nationals continues to build on the success of previous editions by serving up another stellar show. Aided by a cooperative weather forecast for the three-day event, the show pulled in Camaros from 40 different states, which helped the organizers surpass the final registered car count of 500 in 2022 to a total of 604 for the 2023 event. President of the local Lehigh Valley Camaro Club and show chairman Karl Scheffy has built this gathering up with the help of his club members and the members of the North Eastern Ohio Camaro Club and Long Island Camaro Club. As a purely volunteer-based event, these clubs and their members are the engine that keep…

When it comes to upgrading a vintage vehicle to a more modern, more powerful drivetrain, what’s often overlooked are the many components that might require additional attention to ensure said powerplant can deliver the power to the pavement in a safe, reliable manner. Brakes, steering, and suspension are all things that come to mind one might want to upgrade if those items are still stock. But one of the most important items of interest that often gets the last look, is that old, stock rearend. Back in the ’50s, horsepower numbers were still relatively benign and tire options not nearly as aggressive in regards to contact patch and compound as they are today. That meant that the rearend didn’t need to be as stout as one might desire if those…