Mario at the Track

Welcome to the shop. If you are into trucks, old new, it doesn't matter.

You've probably noticed that there is a muscle war going on. Very similar to what happened with the muscle cars in the late sixties, early seventies, except now

it's in the world of trucks. You've got the Ford Lightning, the Chevy Ss Silverado

and of course, the

hemi Ram and the

Hemi Ram is what I'm gonna be wrenching on today.

Now, this particular Ram is being used as a product test vehicle by Pro Glass and Sport Truck Magazine.

So it's already been tweaked on a little bit.

It's got a twofour drop with 22 inch weld wheels and BF Goodrich G Force T A rubber.

The hood is a Pro Glass air grammer and the hemi

is breathing through dyno

Tech headers

that brings me up to what I'm gonna do today

and that is get a performance exhaust behind those headers. So this thing sounds as good as it looks.

So the kit we're using is this Magna Flow cat back. Here's what it consists of big three inch pipes, all pre

bent.

You got your hangers all welded into place. So these pipes will slide right into where the stock pipes were.

Now, the muffler, big polished stainless steel, free flowing magni flow muffler,

that'll give us a sound we're after then. Of course, you have all the clamps and all the hardware to bolt this thing in and go.

The first step is to unfold and remove the stock exhaust system and

make sure that you don't destroy the stock rubber hangers

because you're gonna need to reuse them.

The first new pieces to go on is a small extension

and the muffler and they just slide into the back of the Y pipe.

Next is the front tail pipe and

just thread it up over the axle

and then slide it into the back of the muffler and the stock rubber hangers,

follow that with the tail pipe

and the tip

once all your pieces are on, adjust the pipes, so they're fitting right. Make sure you've got at least a half inch of clearance all the way around

and then tighten your clamps starting in the front, working your way to the rear.

And that is it. That's all there is to this cat back install. As you can see, this really is something you can do in your driveway over the weekend. Now,

all we have to do is test it.

So we headed out to the Nashville superspeedway to put the truck through some paces.

This not only gave us a chance to ring out the New Dodge

hemi Ram.

It also gave us a chance to see how the new suspension

wheels and tires

exhaust system

and other modification enhanced the performance of the truck.

The best part of the day though, came when we joined up with the car and driver crew

and legendary race driver, Mario Andretti, who was testing the Magna flu

equipped Rausch

Mustang.

I know,

hey, you guys want a race.

He was eager to tell us what he thought of our new

Henny Ram.

Just the overall shape has really, really done well. Uh,

it looks mean,

I like that

and why he thought trucks were so cool and so popular.

These things are so attractive anymore. Uh,

I mean, a truck usually, uh, you know, you think a truck, it's,

uh, a utility vehicle, you know, something for a totally different purpose.

And who would think that today, I mean,

you'll take a truck out to dinner

and then try to get it parked in front of the restaurant

while Mario was getting ready to make some laps with me around the track. We cornered Craig Lieberman to get the scoop on why this truck sounded so good.

Mag

flow is a performance exhaust company. That's really our heritage. We concentrate on performance applications.

Trucks are great for us because so many people in the truck market are so enthusiastic about the performance of the vehicle and that's right up our alley. We're committed to a performance just like they are.

So we make a wide range of

selections that fit very well, selections that sound proper for the vehicle. And of course, we won't build the system unless the vehicle actually makes more horsepower when we're done with it. So that's

part of our commitment to the industry at

this point. Mario was ready to roll and off. We

went

and pretty soon I'm, I'm blasting around the oval with one of the greatest race car drivers of all time

to watch the man handle the wheel and feel the truck was really something.

It was, it was just part of him.

We were also surprised to find that Mario was a fan of the show.

That's how you learn, that's how you uh

learn about what's hot and what's not

way too soon. It was time to haul it back in because

Mario had a mustang to drive and a plane to catch,

but not before he signed the truck

and offered some advice to anyone interested in getting involved in the automotive or racing industry. Uh, the bottom line, I always, uh, say

guys

and girls education education today,

you do not survive without that. I mean, uh even from the standpoint of just mere confidence

and people that project confidence are always desirable because you know, that they are the achievers. Uh If I would have to hire

anyone, I would want to see that

in person,

you know, that, uh they're confident that they belong there

and

confidence is not something you can fake. As for us all we have to say is thanks Mario. It was an honor and a pleasure. Hey, you're welcome on trucks. Anytime.

Every once in a while, a manufacturer will come out with a vehicle that is so different,

so unique that people will literally stand in line just to get a good look at one examples in the past

Plymouth Prowler Dodge Viper Ford Gt 40

of course, the Hummer H two,

but as cool as all these vehicles are, none have been more eagerly anticipated or have the same mystique as the Chevy SSR truck.

Ok. First off SSR stands for Super sport Roadster

and we'll talk more about the Roadster part here in a minute

because the styling is what definitely takes your eye first.

Now this is a brand new truck but it gets most of its retro styling cues from the classic 47 through 53 Chevy truck

and nowhere is that more evident than in the front grill with its horizontal cross bars and the big sloping hood and fenders.

Of course, the lack of any bumper in the smooth front roll pan

shows that Chevy has been paying attention to what people have been doing to their classic street trucks for years.

Under that big sloping hood

is an all aluminum 5.3 L V8

that's kicking out around 300 horsepower,

which not only makes this a great freeway cruiser,

but also gives you enough power to have some fun with.

All right. What about this roof? Yeah,

that's the most unique feature of this whole truck because with just the push of a button,

a little door pops up in back

and then the entire roof breaks into two pieces

and slowly retracts back into the body. Now notice the pieces are stacking vertically.

That's so you don't take up a whole bunch of room in the truck. Now, with the top down,

you can get a really good look at this interior.

You've got round retro style gauges filling the dash

and a custom console which runs up between the two leather buckets

in a Corvette style waterfall.

Now, the SSR is a truck so we need to take a look at that part of it too.

The bed is a tiny little guy hidden under a flush mount tunnel cover and it's well finished with carpet and polished wood strips.

The rear end is finished off with a smooth tail gate and roll pan and you got dual exhaust poking out the bottom.

The stance is not bad but it would be a lot better with about a four inch drop to tuck those tires a little deeper.

Now, there's no doubt the SSR is a special truck and with the list price of around 40 grand, they're not cheap either,

but this particular SSR is even more special.

The 1st 25 trucks are what they call the signature series. And each vehicle comes with its own special pedigree. Now, once that's established, they'll be auctioned.

This is number 12, which now also has the distinction of being a TV, feature vehicle.

However, the good news is Gibson Guitars has also made a special SSR guitar for number 12.

As you can see, the shape of the hood is cut right into the wood. You have a special hood ornament,

the name of the vehicle right in the neck, all kinds of cool stuff. And the best part is whoever buys this truck at auction

also gets the guitar. It's gonna make somebody really happy. But for the rest of us,

well, we can be happy too because Chevrolet is finally making vehicles like this. We'll see you after the break.

Just can't get enough of trucks, check us out online at trucks, tv.com.

Welcome back. You know, any time you enter a shop there is a risk of danger. You got heavy duty equipment, you got stuff that can fall on, you break an arm, a leg hurt your back. There's ways to pinch fingers. You can put out an eye can hurt your hearing. Oh, the list goes on and on.

But one of the biggest dangers in all of motor sports fire because you've got extremely volatile explosive fuels and solvents.

Then you have high heat sources in the shop and also in the vehicle

and then you also have high voltage situations both in the shop and in the vehicle. And if you don't think these combinations can be really bad when they get mixed together,

check this out,

this top fueler has exploded and is literally in the process of tearing itself to pieces.

And this funny car has got,

well, it's got some serious overheating problems.

Scary. Huh? Yeah. Now, I know you're probably thinking, oh, those are professional racers though. I mean, my truck is not gonna blow up like that.

No, probably not. But at that point those guys were just along for the ride. There was nothing they could do to put those fires out.

You, on the other hand, if your truck or your shop catches fire,

you'll probably have a chance to put it out. And that's why fire safety is something that everybody needs to be prepared for, whether you're running a trail or just working in your shop. Because if you don't, your shop could look like this.

Uh huh. Now you're probably saying, ok, all right, you got my attention. What do you suggest?

Well, I have a new product here called Cold Fire. Got it from a place called Machines. And more, and it takes a whole different approach. When it comes to putting out fires. First, it encapsulates and breaks down the hydrocarbons in the fuel source of a fire

and without fuel you have no fire, which means it not only puts it out does it really quick.

Check out what it does to this oily rag

puts it out quick. Now, it not only puts the fire out but it keeps it from reigniting because the fuel source is eliminated.

So your gas, your oil, your grease fires go out and they stay out.

Number two,

you can use this stuff to cool down rear ends or exhaust systems because it drastically reduces heat. You can even cool down parts that you've just welded on.

And number three, you can use it as a heat barrier. That way you don't accidentally warp metal or

blister paint.

Now, look at this, I can take this rag, it's coated in coal fire.

Put the flame right up to it,

supposedly get it nice and hot right

smoking.

Now, I can just grab it.

Now, this is not a phony parlor trick. If this was hot, I would drop it and scream like crazy. This stuff really works.

It's so effective. It's used by everybody from firefighters

to the forest service to control forest fires.

Now, you can get cold fire two ways. You can go the portable extinguisher route,

which means you pour in this much cold fire, fill up the rest of the tank with water

and then just pressure it up with a standard air hose and you are ready to go,

just think no more paying anybody to come out and serve

and recharge your extinguishers. That is nice.

Or you can get the small aerosol can. Now, this is perfect for a tool box or a kitchen or a garage or a glove box. Any place where fire might be a problem.

Now, like I said before, the place to get this is called machines and more and this is probably the best investment that you can put into your shop. It's time for a break. We're gonna see you right after this.

Hey, welcome back. Remember I told you a little while ago that there's some things in a shop that can hurt you, roll on, you fall on you. Well, you wouldn't necessarily think a tire could do that unless it weighs 100 and 30 pounds. Now, if you think that bigger is better,

well, your dreams have just come true because this is the biggest thing to come along in the tire world in a long time.

This is the new Mickey Thompson Baha

Claw

and this thing stands 46 inches tall,

19.5 inches wide and it's dot Approved.

That means you can drive these on the street.

Now, the claw was already an awesome off road tire with its super aggressive tread and its side biters.

But about the only way you're gonna stick something like this

is if your truck just doesn't have the axles to handle it. So if you think your truck is big and bad,

Mickey Thompson's got the tire for you

no matter what kind of truck and you're into street drag racing off road and towing a trailer doesn't matter

one problem that seems to be universal is overheating, especially on an older vehicle because they didn't have the best cooling systems to start with.

Well, year one can help you out here because they have these big aluminum b cool radiators. Now, these not only have the capacity to cool a big block on a summer day with an automatic and air conditioning,

but they also got the drain plugs and the inputs and the filler necks and the bungs all welded into the proper places.

So you literally just bolt this in and problem is solved.

Now, you can get them fully polished like this or if you wanna save a few bucks, you can get them satin. So if you want your truck to not only be cool but be cool,

your one's probably got the radiator for your application.

The next two things that I wanna show you is for you guys that wanna find something cool for 50 bucks or less. Now, the first is this little velocity stack from Vera

Ra M Industries. Now, this is made specifically for the 98 through 04 GM trucks and suvs.

Now, all this does is smooth out the air in letting your throttle body to give you more air velocity. Now, Vera

Ra claims that you'll pick up torque throttle response, even some gas mileage with this. And the best part is if you don't,

they'll buy it back from you. That's a heck of a deal. Now, the next product is from Stewart Development and this is nothing more than a little stainless steel screen

that goes on your oil filter before you put it on.

And this not only protects the engine from particles,

but it gives you something that you can pull out, take a look at and see what's going on inside your engine. If you see some carbon deposits or some metal shavings,

you know, you got a problem all this from a little screen. What a great idea.

One of the biggest hurdles that you run into when you're custom building a truck, especially an older one

is the gas tank. You almost always need to custom make one, especially if you're relocating it or you're running fuel injection.

Well, Rick's Hot Rod shop can build one for you and the quality will blow your mind.

These are hand built 304 stainless steel, beautiful tig welds.

They're all set up for fuel injection or Carbury,

either one,

they've got baffles in the tank to keep the fuel from sloshing.

You got your sending units filler necks, even your mounting points are all welded on. Now, they can make these as a direct replacement for a stock tank or they'll build it as wild and crazy as you want entirely up to you.

But if you want a really nice tank, don't wanna spend a fortune for it. Four words, Rick's Hot Rod Shop.

You know, for me, one of the best parts about driving a vehicle is shifting your own gears, man. I love a standard shift.

The problem is most new vehicles now they shift like a robot. Long sloppy, nasty shifts, especially the Jeep Wrangler. Yeah, you Jeep guys know what I'm talking about.

Well, the guys at B and M thought, you know, that's ridiculous. So they came out with this sports shifter for the Jeep Wrangler. Now, this has got a billet stainless steel handle, it's got special bends in it.

Then down here you have a hard anodized aluminum pivot ball. Then of course, you've got some hardware to go with it.

Now, this may not look like much, but this will reduce your shift throw by 36% which means going from this

to this and it'll also firm up the shifts, make them smoother, make them how you want them. Now, the best part is

it's not gonna take you all day to put this in about an hour and some simple hand tools you're gonna be ready to roll. You can thank B and M for this one.

Well, that's good for today. We would like to thank Mario Andretti for coming out spending time with us being part of the show taking some hot laps,

the Nashville Super Speedway for letting us take those laps and pretty much turning the whole speedway over to us and finally

Chevy, thank you for finally building the SSR. It's just too bad. There's not a 572 in one

yet. We'll see you next week.