Antique Tractor Pulling
Just as how car racing first began, when the first two tractors were sold, the new owners must have decided to have a contest to see which tractor could outpull the other.
Things That Go Bump in the Night – Demolition Derby Engine Tips
I grew up in a small town of 5,000 people. Each year on Saturday night at the county fair they would have a demolition derby. The local salvage yard would always hold cars back during the year that were good derby car candidates, knowing that two months before the fair, the locals would come shopping for
Updating the Ford 8.8 Differential
Conventional wisdom says that if you are going to upgrade any kind of performance engine, your customer will likely need to upgrade other components. Brakes, suspension, transmission – all components that can be impacted by dramatic increases in power. The rear end is no different. In many cases if you’re adding big power (especially for
Building the World’s Fastest Indian
Burt Munro was born Herbert James Munro on March 25, 1899 in Edendale, New Zealand. From an early age Burt had a need for speed. It started with his father’s horses; he would ride each of them flat out, to see which one was the fastest. From horses, he graduated to motorcycles. His first motorcycle,
Ford 9-Inch Differential
The Ford 9-inch differential is one of the most widely used differentials in hot rod, street rod and 4×4 vehicles. The Ford 9-inch differential was put into production beginning in the late 1950s, and remained in production up until the mid 1980s.
The Go Kart Craze
The first ever “go kart” was built by Art Ingeles in late 1956. Art, who would later be referred to as the father of “karting,” was a veteran hot rodder who spent his days working for Kurtis Craft. Yep, the same Kurtis Craft of Indy car fame.
Looney Gas…
Kettering and Thomas A. Midgley, his research assistant, had began an aggressive research into fuel additives starting in 1915 based on experience with airplane engines flown in World War I.
“Looney Gas…”
After revolutionizing the auto industry with his electric self-starter, Charles Kettering turned to another problem within the auto industry. Cadillac engineers were complaining that Kettering’s self-starter and battery ignition system were making spark plugs misfire, causing knocking in the cylinders.
Our Future is in the Past
As a member of the Baby Boomer generation, like many of you reading this magazine, I often worry about the next generation coming along. What will happen to all of the vast knowledge we have acquired during our lifetime and will that knowledge get passed on to the next generation?
The Profit Potential in Performance Diesel Automatic Transmissions
When your diesel customer comes into your shop wanting to upgrade the performance of his pickup’s engine, are you missing the opportunity to sell him an upgrade for his automatic transmission as well? It should be a fairly easy sale when you remind him of the increased horsepower and torque he will have from the engine, and in order to take full advantage, his automatic transmission will also need an upgrade.
Going Faster in 1954
I have a large library in my office consisting of Hot Rod How-to books and annuals from the 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s. During one of my recent review sessions I found a chapter introducing nitromethane and its use for drag racing. Keep in mind this is 1954 technology… The article began by explaining that hot rodders
From a Dump Truck Dynasty Came a Speedboat King
Garfield Wood never intended to go into the boat building business. His goal in life was to personally set every speed record on water and be recognized as the world’s speedboat king. However, a need for speed on the water came about at an early age working with his father. Garfield Arthur Wood was born