Hot Rod Tech Articles at Automotive.com
»Locate a Dealer»Find a Used Car»Get Financing

Hot Rod Tech Articles

Hot Rod Tech Articles
1968 Chevy Chevelle Steering Adjuster Sleeves- Bum Steer
When NASA's space shuttle first went into service 30 years ago-yes, it's been that long-nobody ever intended it to be flying for three decades. more
1949 Chevy Heating and Air Conditioning - Crimps 'n' Hose
You may remember that last month I installed a Vintage Air evaporator under the dash (almost!) in my project '49 Chevy, converted the stock heater controls to operate the air conditioning, and fabricated a bulkhead fitting... more
Vintage Air Climate Control Unit - (No More) Sweatin' To The Oldies - Tech
These days, it's hard to argue the merits of modern conveniences like independent suspension, fuel injection, power steering, and air conditioning without someone mentioning how it's not traditional... more
1947 Chevy 3100 Thriftmaster Pickup - Project Shop Truck
Throughout the history of SRM, we've built just about everything under the sun; from roadsters to coupes to sedans to phaetons, hell we've even built a school bus (see SRM August 1993), but classic trucks... more
Roll Control Mount and Electric Fuel Pump - Making Little Stuff For Next To Nothing
Fabricating, or building, goes hand in hand when building a hot rod. But for many of us, we don't have welding skills, nor do we have a shop full of fabrication equipment... more
Bilstein Shock Cover - The Big Cover-Up  - Tech
Recently a company called RCD Classics figured out a way to install a conventional cover on a Bilstein shock. It's actually a noteworthy achievement. Though a Bilstein looks like most other shocks... more
Four Cylinder Flathead - Big 'Banger Theory
Even before Henry's breakthrough V-8s, and decades before the introduction of the Chevy small-block... more
Muscle Car Engine Shootout - Chevy Vs. Ford Showdown
Who was truly the king of the small-block hill, Ford or Chevy? We test a bunch of engines to find out. more
2010 Camaro Performance Parts - New Camaro Bolt-Ons
Revisiting the HOT ROD Test Car Camaro with ported heads, a bigger cam, and long tube headers more
2010 Speed Parts Hall Of Fame
We induct five more legendary speed parts into the HOT ROD Speed Parts Hall of Fame more
DIY Altered-Wheelbase Car - Fairlane Funnification
This is kind of a "because we can" moment, as Magnante and Mr. Rich go Match Bashing again, mercilessly hacking an otherwise sano '64 Fairlane into a retro Funny Car more
1950 Plymouth Three Window Coupe - Ramrodder: Part V - Tech
When asked to describe the Chrysler Corporation in the '50s we've always characterized it as the company that produced cars engineered by experts, designed by lunatics, and assembled by amateurs... more
1932 Ford Roadster Pickup - Garage Scene
One of the best ways to build an attention-getting street rod is to start with something out of the ordinary and finish with something out of the ordinary. Kind of what Crawford Byxbee did by building this '32 Ford roadster pickup... more
EFI System Conversion - EZ-EFI
We test the new EZ-EFI from FAST more
1963 Chevy Impala - Magoo's Shoes
Brake and suspension upgrades are usually one of the first things to be done to a newly acquired old car and oftentimes one of the most needed. Big heavy drum brake systems... more
American Autowire Nostalgia Wiring Kit - Modern Spark ...In An Old-Timey Suit
Up until this past summer, if you wanted to wire your car the old-fashioned way-with a quality (insulated) cloth-wrapped wire, that is-you literally had to do it the old-fashioned way... more
1949 Chevy Brake Lines - Flaring Up
With all the major mechanical components installed in our '49 Chevy project Purple Pig, it's time to get down to all the little jobs that seemingly take forever in order to make the car road worthy... more
Big-Block Chevy - The Pile Driver - Part 2
Last month, we built a 509ci solid-roller big-block Chevy, using the leftover block, crank, and oil pan from the 502 Ramjet crate motor out of Project X. We christened it the Pile Driver, because it pounded out 717 hp... more
DCI 455 Pontiac Engine - Murphy's Law
As a long-time carb tuner and engine builder, Johnston takes great pride in his work, and when afforded the opportunity to build an engine for the 2008 Engine Masters Challenge, he readily accepted, but only if he could build a Pontiac... more
LT1 Block and Cams -  LT1 Cam-O-Rama
For those of us old enough to remember '80s Reaganomics and learning about new math in school (what was the point of base 8 numbering anyhow?), our idea of tricking out a car used to be adding a set of Cherry Bombs and a Holley 750 double-pumper to the requisite '79 Camaro... more
1975 Chevy Laguna - Yearn To Turn!
Whether you dig the Pro-Touring movement, and its attendant propensity for big g-force turns or not, you will at some point need to turn the corner. Even drag racers need to turn, and if your tires... more
Dart Short-Block Crate Motor - Halfway There
Just about any engine builder, whether a pro or a backyard hobbyist, looks at the completion of the short-block as a milestone in a performance engine build... more
Big Block Chevy - The Pile Driver
A pile driver is a mechanical device that smashes the earth with tremendous force, and the term is a fitting description of this 509ci street big-block Chevrolet unleashed by Outlaw Racing... more
Ford Racing Boss 351 - The Boss Is Back!
Ford Racing has been producing 351ci Windsor-based blocks for years, but when it came time to start fresh with all-new tooling, they decided to make some major changes... more
Oldsmobile 307 Engine - Analyze This!
When brothers Dale and Glenn Robinson decided to take up the gauntlet and enter the 2008 Engine Masters Challenge, they knew they needed every advantage they could get... more