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Engine Bay, A Sea of Distractions Part One
Most classic cars, especially daily drivers that have been partially restored, have nice paint and interior. However, in the engine bay, it often has some neglected areas or is filled with exaggerated adornments. It’s very easy to get caught up in what I call “Shiny Stuff”. All parts catalogs and websites sell many different chrome and brightly colored accessories. These parts are readily available, mostly affordable, and easy to install. They grab our attention, and over tim
Buddy Faulk
Car Shows, It’s More Than an Award
I recently attended a local car show, and our entire team won an award. With excitement, I made a Facebook post thanking everyone involved and the car club hosting the event. A comment on my post made me think about car shows and the value of an award. The comment read: “I was stunned that a gorgeous 1970 Mercury Cougar there with Flawless paint, custom interior and Engine Cougar was not awarded anything!!! Shameful.” In a typical situation, you may have spent the last four
Buddy Faulk
Is Your Classic Vehicle Grounded?
The electrical ground for your vehicle's negative ground electrical system is the most important connection. Inadequate or improper grounds can cause a variety of electrical problems. Parking, taillight, and brake lights illuminate when a power accessory is turned on. Low voltage or components not functioning. Corrosion, poor terminations, improper wire size, or loose connections can compromise these ground connections. The grounding system of your vehicle connects the neg
Buddy Faulk
HEMI Penalty and The Boycott Car
In 1972, NHRA implemented a weight-to-cubic-inch penalty to control engine dominance in the Pro Stock class. The “Weight Break” rule created separate weight-to-cubic-inch ratios based on engine type to balance the competition and encourage smaller engines and compact cars. The rule established a new base of 6.75 pounds per cubic inch for small-block engines and a higher 7.25 pounds per cubic inch for big-block engines. It was designed to address powerful engines like the Hemi
Buddy Faulk
6 days ago2 min read
Pro-Stock's Elephant
Chrysler's D5 HEMI Dual Plug Engine The D5 HEMI was an experimental 426 HEMI engine by Chrysler in the early 1970s for Pro Stock drag racing. The program was a top-secret project, as Chrysler wanted to keep the competition in the dark. Tom Hoover and Harry Weslake, of Chrysler, designed the engine to improve performance at higher RPMs, from 6000 to 9000. The key features included round intake ports, a wider block, a fabricated tubular intake manifold, dual distributors, and
Buddy Faulk
Nov 82 min read
Survivor for Over 50 Years
The Rod Shop 1973 Dodge Dart Sport, driven by Bob Riffle, has been a survivor for more than 50 Years. Bob Riffle was a distinguished drag racer who excelled both behind the wheel and under the hood as an engine builder. He was a two-time US Nationals champion and gained recognition for building Pro Stock engines. Bob held the position of Head Engine Builder at Petty Enterprises, contributing to the success of drivers such as Mark Martin and Ted Musgrave at Roush Racing. He al
Buddy Faulk
Oct 274 min read
Engine Bay, A Sea of Distractions Part One
Most classic cars, especially daily drivers that have been partially restored, have nice paint and interior. However, in the engine bay, it often has some neglected areas or is filled with exaggerated adornments. It’s very easy to get caught up in what I call “Shiny Stuff”. All parts catalogs and websites sell many different chrome and brightly colored accessories. These parts are readily available, mostly affordable, and easy to install. They grab our attention, and over tim
Buddy Faulk
Car Shows, It’s More Than an Award
I recently attended a local car show, and our entire team won an award. With excitement, I made a Facebook post thanking everyone involved and the car club hosting the event. A comment on my post made me think about car shows and the value of an award. The comment read: “I was stunned that a gorgeous 1970 Mercury Cougar there with Flawless paint, custom interior and Engine Cougar was not awarded anything!!! Shameful.” In a typical situation, you may have spent the last four
Buddy Faulk
Is Your Classic Vehicle Grounded?
The electrical ground for your vehicle's negative ground electrical system is the most important connection. Inadequate or improper grounds can cause a variety of electrical problems. Parking, taillight, and brake lights illuminate when a power accessory is turned on. Low voltage or components not functioning. Corrosion, poor terminations, improper wire size, or loose connections can compromise these ground connections. The grounding system of your vehicle connects the neg
Buddy Faulk
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