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(Chuck)>> Today we'll breathe some life into our 502 big block here on Horsepower TV. So don't you go away. [ music ]
(Joe)>> Today on horsepower TV, more project Blue Thunder with a new rearend for our '71 Chevelle along with suspension pieces and a new fuel system. We'll go to the track to show you how to run with the top guns on a paltry budget. And we'll help you get ahead of the exhaust game with some header tech. So hang on for horsepower TV. [ music ]
(Joe)>> It's 23 feet long, built for speed, and the fastest small block Chevy on the planet. Hi everybody and welcome to the Horsepower shop. This is the famous Vesco Family Streamliner, built back in 1957 now making its run at the records at the hands of Nish Motorsports out of Salt Lake City. Oh, and speaking of records, it holds twelve in various classes, and check this out. Each and everyone of them was set with fuel-injected small block Chevys. Now the most recent record was over 344 miles an hour at Bonneville running methanol.
(Chuck)>> Now that's what I'd call a real alky-hauler. Of course, not all Chevrolets are fuel- injected small blocks, nor are they built to run on the salt flats. For instance this '70 Camaro has a 454 big block and a trio of traditional Holley carburetors. And, well you can bet it sees its fair share of street action. Now our latest street fighter is this '71 Chevelle here, and we call it project Blue Thunder. And you're gonna find out why later on in the show. Now we rescued this thing from a junkyard and turned it into a jewel with a fresh coat of paint. Then we built a GM Performance Parts 502 horse 502, topped it with an Accel super ram fuel injection. Then, we bolted up a B&M turbo 400 trans.
(Joe)>> Well today you're gonna hear old Blue Thunder roar. That is, after we install this nine-inch rearend and keep it in place with a new high performance suspension setup.
(Chuck)>> That's great. We're also gonna add this new fuel tank, plumb the fuel system, and, finally, finish up the wiring and put some fire in the hole. Now, I gotta tell ya, man, I can't wait to hear that big block come to life.
(Joe)>> Well, let's spin some wrenches. [ mechanical humming ] [ drill spinning ] Now we disconnected our brake lines, control arms, and shocks so this whole rearend's about ready to come out. Now before you crawl under your vehicle, make sure you support it with jack stands first.
(Chuck)>> Man, this transmission jack is sure gonna make life easier. Hey Joe, give me a hand steadying this.
(Joe)>> You bet.
(Chuck)>> Alright, now we could have used this old rearend here, but quite honestly we don't know what kind of shape it's in. Here let's swing it around like that. Now what we do know though is we've got over 500 horsepower we gotta put through this thing. We're gonna need a solid rearend.
(Joe)>> What we've got here is a nine inch Ford rearend modified by Currie Enterprises to fit our Chevelle. Now we ordered ours with a 3.50 gear and their torque sensing limited slip differential. It oughta give it solid traction and good performance on the street or strip.
(Chuck)>> You bet it will. Now to make it all work in the Chevelle, Currie's gone ahead and stamped up all these new brackets located among the rearend housing, then welded them in place. The axels are heavy-duty thirty- one spline pieces that have redrilled for that Chevy four and three quarter bolt pattern.
(Joe)>> Here's something to give extra piece of mind. The stock Chevelle rearend came with these puny nine and a half-inch drums. Our Currie comes with these massive eleven inchers. Now that ought to be enough to stop Blue Thunder once she gets rolling.
(Chuck)>> To keep our rearend solidly in place beneath our car we're gonna replace these stock stamp control arms for these trick pieces from Hotchkis. Now, they're fully welded tubular steel construction and they've got greaseable urethane bushings. Now on the upper control arms, they're even adjustable, so you can optimize your pinion angle for maximum traction. The whole thing comes as a kit and includes new springs, rear sway bar, and these diagonal braces. [ ratchet clicking ]
(Joe)>> Now with the upper and lower control arms in place we're now installing these diagonal chassis braces. Now they bolt up just like this one to strengthen the chassis and eliminate flex.
(Chuck)>> The sway bar attaches to the lower control arm just like the stock one does. And, well, now we're ready for the spring. It sits on top of the axle housing just like that.
(Joe)>> Of course the shocks come next and we decided to go with these Monroe Sensitracks. They're gas shocks with valving that automatically adjusts to different driving conditions. And after Chuck installs these, we can bend some lines for brakes. There you go.
(Chuck)>> Hey man, speaking of breaks, don't you think we're about ready for one?
(Joe)>> Okay, but you stay right there. We'll come storming back with more Blue Thunder right after this. (Joe off camera)>> Just ahead, headers. And how you can choose the right pair for your rod. Plus, later don't let your drag racing dreams go up in smoke. We'll show you a low budget road to lower e-t's.
[ music ]
(Joe)>> Hey, welcome back to the Horsepower shop and to more of project Blue Thunder. Well, now that we have our nine inch rearend installed, we can tackle another important task and that's measuring for the driveshaft. Looks like Chuck's got a head start. Hey, how's it going?
(Chuck)>> Hey, pretty good. Now, I called our buddy Carl over at the driveline shop in Springfield, Missouri. You remember him, don't ya?
(Joe)>> Oh yeah, he helped us with our Camaro last year.
(Chuck)>> Right. Well, here's what he said to get the right measurements for a drive shaft. You start here at the back of the tailshaft housing and you measure to the center of the trunion on the rear pinion.
(Joe)>> Looks like 58 inches.
(Chuck)>> Then, measure the u-joint width between these two locating tabs. Look's like about three point six to me. And finally we measure the cup size of the u-joint. Looks like about one point one inches to me.
(Joe)>> Ok got it. That's it?
(Chuck)>> That's it. Let me have those dimensions. I'll give 'em to Carl. We oughta have our driveshaft in about a week.
(Joe)>> Good deal.
(Joe)>> All fuel injection systems, including our super ram setup, have two requirements. First of all, the fuel has to be clean so the injectors can do their job. And, it's a high pressure system, so we need a pump that's gonna provide the pressure and fuel quantity we need. Course, any fuel system begins with the tank and that's the first thing we're gonna replace. [ drill spinning ] [ metal clanging ]
(Chuck)>> We'll replace that old tank with this new one from Original Parts Group. It's an inexpensive way to keep the rust, crud, and corrosion out of your fuel system and from clogging up your injectors. Now we're also gonna go ahead and install a new fuel pickup and sending unit. Just drops in the hole, something like that. I also got real lucky. The new tank has this built-in vent that we're gonna use for our fuel return line.
(Joe)>> Now once that tank gets installed, we're gonna plumb it with these new lines we got from Russell Performance. We'll use the steel braided line here from the tank to the fuel pump and hard lines like this from the pump into the engine compartment. By the way, the pump we're using comes with the super ram kit and cranks out 70 gallons an hour at 40 psi. Well, looks like I got here just in time 'cause you're about done.
(Chuck)>> As usual, Elmore, your timing is impeccable. But guess what? There's still plenty of work to be done and guess who's gonna get their hands dirty for a change?
(Joe)>> Okay, I get the picture. Well actually our next job is to find a suitable place to mount this fuel pump. We'll run it close to the gas tank, because it pushes fuel better than it pulls it. Of course, you wanna avoid any interference with suspension or other moving parts or hot exhaust. Tell you what, this'd be a good spot right here. We just bend this flange back 90 degrees, we'll be in business. [ drill spinning ]
(Chuck)>> Of course, a good in-line filter will complete our plumbing job and we're mounting this one downstream from the pump. Now I've gone ahead and fabbed up this little bracket and once we get it attached to the frame, we can go ahead and run our hard line up into the engine compartment.
(Joe)>> That oughta do it. Now the work we've done so far today oughta take you and a buddy the better part of a weekend to complete. And, well, moneywise, the fuel lines and tank set us back about $300 bucks, suspension components another $700, and our rearend, well about $1,800. Before we get this thing on the ground, we'll fill this thing up with some of this synthetic gear lube.
(Chuck)>> And I'm gonna bolt up our csi gear reduction starter, the B&M trans cooler, and hook up our O-2 sensor.
(Joe)>> Now I know we promised you'd get to hear Blue Thunder rumble today. But before we turn the key, we gotta finish hooking up the fuel injection system starting with the wiring. This job also includes fuel injectors, water temperature sensor, our maf sensor, and a Lokar TPL throttle cable.
(Chuck)>> We're gonna light this monster off with an MSD ignition and mount the 6-AL box away from heat and vibration right up here on the fenderwell. Now, you may remember we had this custom quick disconnect harness made by M&H Electrical Fabricators and it plugs into the box just like that.
(Joe)>> Next we can add the vital fluids to the engine and trans. Hook up all the hoses. Add fill the radiator with coolant.
(Chuck)>> Alright, well, that's about it. Now I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready to hear this rat rumble. [ engine revving ]
(Joe)>> Sounds pretty good for now. Well, once we get our driveshaft back and put some break-in miles on this thing, we'll bring it in for a test on our chassis dyno in a few weeks. Hey, but stay with us. More horsepower TV is ahead. (Joe off camera)>> Just ahead, hitting high quarter mile speeds, on a low budget. When we come back.
[ music ]
(Joe)>> Hi, welcome back. You know it takes more than fast cash to run a seven-second pro street car like this one. But there is a way to get low et's on a low budget in a class that has its roots on the back streets of the 50's. [ music ] (Joe off camera)>> Welcome to ez street. It's one of today's fast-growing entry level, heads up drag racing classes with rules that keep the cost low while the thrill level stays high. In this NMCA class, tires are 11 and one-half inch dot's, engines run on a single four barrel with only one stage of nitrous. No fuel injection, no lenkos, nothing but good ole cheap thrills.
(Bob)>> I like the aspect of stock suspension with the dot tires. And that's a car. I mean you know it's a street car. I can take it out and go to the grocery store if I want with it.
(Gary)>> It's a good class. Everybody's friendly. Come out and have a good time. You can win some races. Have a good time and make some money. (Joe off camera)>> Gary Rohe's won scores of ez street races, cash prizes, and championships in his 1980 Mustang that was only recently raced on the strip.
(Gary)>> I bought it in April 1990, drove it to high school, college, work, here and there and everywhere, street raced it, everything. (Joe off camera)>> Of course when it was time to get serious about racing ez street was the route to take to go fast without going to the poor house.
(Gary)>> 358 cubic inch Ford. Got a flat tappet camshaft, cast iron Dart heads, BG 950 carburetor, stock block, stock crank, ain't nothing special, nothing fancy. Just parts that work. (Joe off camera)>> EZ Street works for Bob Joysey who often runs in the low nine's with his '71 Camaro. Bob saves a ton of money on tech support 'cause his whole tech crew is his dad.
(bill)>> With nitrous you can hurt the motor real easy and I've hurt a lot of them. But it's sort of my job to keep this thing going so we're there for the final round. (Joe off camera)>> Bill's retired from his own weekend racing but gets plenty of thrills guiding his son to the finish line. That is, when the driver pays attention.
(Bill)>> You know how fathers and sons are. Son never listens to the dad. But we disagree on a few little things, but we usually come around together. What I enjoy is seeing a good number come up on that scoreboard and seeing a win light. That's what I enjoy. (Joe off camera)>> Well, here's the inside story on how Bob and his small block Camaro nail one of those low nine e-t's.
(Bob)>> And I just come up into the burnout box and my dad rolls me through the water, pulls me out of the water a little bit and I'm in first gear. Then when they tell me to spin, I rap the throttle and it get it up about five grand into first and I hit second gear and mat it and bring it back and hold it about 6,500, 7,000 and I come flying by my dad, past the light, just smokin' the tires big time. When I stage my two lights and he's got his two lights staged, I press this button and mat it. When I see a flicker of yellow, I lift, and this car will explode, just violently. When this shift light comes on, I hit second gear. Going down track I hit third gear, put my hand on the wheel, go across the line, I shut my nitrous off, turn my fan on, leave it in third, start slowing down. Hopefully, I'll be pulling this lever right here. That's for the parachute. That'll mean I'll be going real fast. (Joe off camera)>> And having a real blast doing it. Classes like EZ Street are an easy way into heads-up racing. Whether it's a stepping stone to faster classes or a final destination to low buck, high horsepower excitement.
(Gary)>> I'd really like to run super street, but it's getting out of hand and you've got to have a big budget to do it, and I don't have it, and I'm pretty happy where I'm at. [ music ] (Joe off camera)>> Next the brief, but exhaustive look, at headers when Horsepower TV returns.
[ music ]
(Joe)>> Hi, Welcome back. Headers have a positive effect on horsepower, torque, and fuel economy, whether you're driving a race car, street rod or even a tow vehicle. Well today to show you some of the differences, we brought in an assortment of headers here from Hedman.
(Chuck)>> That's right. We've got everything from these top fuel flame throwers to street rod block huggers. Now, the top fuel header here is pretty straight forward. As you can see, the primaries are huge and relatively short in length. And, at the risk of over simplification, their main job really is to just get the exhaust away from the engine and into the atmosphere.
(Joe)>> Well next, we have a pro stock header. Now, the configuration is fairly critical on a normally aspirated engine, so while the primary tubes are large - over two inches - they're all of equal length. Now the length and diameter of the primaries and even collector, affect power and torque peaks.
(Chuck)>> Now, generally, large diameter, relatively short primary tubes and collectors are gonna enhance upper rpm horsepower and well that's the kinda header you're gonna find on a race car.
(Joe)>> That you will. I've noticed and perhaps you guys have too that the longer, smaller diameter tubes are usually found in street applications. And the reason is, they move the horsepower peak down the scale, which is where you want it out there.
(Chuck)>> Now, be sure to match your header design to your engine's size and application. Of course, clearance problems can also be a factor when you're designing headers. And Hedman's come up with a couple of solutions - their shorty headers and their block huggers. Now check out the way the primary tubes come together on this one.
(Joe)>> Of course, you can keeping your headers looking good while making power thanks to metallic ceramic coatings from companies like Jet Hot. And if you don't like the chrome look here, well you can get your coatings in color.
(Chuck)>> And, as you can see, an expeditious exhaust is a whole lot more than just a pipe dream.
(Joe)>> Well, we've about exhausted our puns for now at least. But stay with us. Hot Parts is next.
(Narrator)>> Now Horsepower's Hot Parts. Brought to you by Summit Racing Equipment. Your source for high performance parts for 30 years.
(Joe)>> It's a simple equation. If you up the amount of air into your engine, you can bring down your e-t. But here's a high-flow induction system for late model LT One's from Moroso that increases the air flow, adds about 20 horsepower, and can knock off two-tenths from your quarter mile time. Now, it replaces the stock piece without any fabrication and features this extra large air duct and a low restriction filter that mounts outside the engine compartment for a cooler charge. And here's the coolest part about this bolt-on, at $220 bucks, well, that's only about $10 per extra pony.
(Chuck)>> Now, how about a look at a wide body. No, I'm not talking about mine, I'm talking about these rollers here. Now, they're wide body roller rockers from Crane and they're designed for big block Chevys in extreme applications like drag racing or off shore competition. They're fifty percent stronger in the fulcrum area than Crane's standard gold rocker and that mass is concentrated right there too rather than on the nose or the push rod seat area to help minimize reciprocating weight. 'course they'll take a little weight out of your wallet, too. A set of these'll set you back about $370 bucks.
(Joe)>> The makers of some new engine treatment claim you can add a couple of extra horsepower just by adding a bottle of this stuff to your street machine. If you do, you'll be in good company. Some of Nascar's leading crew chief's swear by it.
(Chuck)>> Yeah, it's called X-1-R and it's designed to add engine life while reducing noise, wear, and even operating temperatures. Now you just pour this stuff in next time you change oil and the best part is it'll only cost you a little bit of pocket change, about $14 bucks.
(Joe)>> Well here's something that makes sense. Watching our show next week. [ music ] For years Hemi's have ruled the roads and strips. We'll build one of these high powered Hemi's, a 572 cubic inch monster that'll make over 900 horsepower. Plus we'll take you to the track where everything that's old is new again in the fast, fun, and memorable world of nostalgia street racing. ( )>> This is the best class ause we're nostalgic just like the cars. [ engine revving ]
(Joe)>> In two weeks we'll show you how to make nearly 20 horsepower in a stock '91 Firebird. It's a high performance tune up that includes a new manifold, ignition upgrade, underive pulleys, and a computer chip. We'll show you how to detail your trunk in no time flat, and take you to a new hot rod hang out down in Orlando.
(Chuck)>> And remember, high performance fun is what this show's all about.
(Joe)>> Wait a minute, wait a minute, remember our bet? You know I bet you the hood wouldn't fit? And you're gonna lose. You owe me a steak dinner.
(Joe)>> No you owe me a steak dinner. I know why you got this hood made.
(Chuck)>> Why?
(Joe)>> Cause the stock hood doesn't fit.
(Chuck)>> We didn't say stock hood. We said the hood would clear and look, here it is. It's gonna clear it. Watch my paint now.
(Joe)>> Oh I'm watching your paint. It looks great, it's a beautiful hood, except it's not the hood.
(Chuck)>> This is the hood. As far as I'm concerned it's the hood. It's not the hood we bet on. You owe me a steak dinner. I want a nice big 20 ounce filet or T-bone, all the trimmings.
(Chuck)>> I'll get you a filet. A fish filet down here at the fish joint, how about that?
(Joe)>> And you're not cooking steak either. I've had enough of your bologna steak for now.
(Chuck)>> Wait a second now. There ain't nothing wrong with bologna steak.
(Narrator)>> Horsepower TV is an RTM Production.
Show Full Transcript
(Joe)>> Today on horsepower TV, more project Blue Thunder with a new rearend for our '71 Chevelle along with suspension pieces and a new fuel system. We'll go to the track to show you how to run with the top guns on a paltry budget. And we'll help you get ahead of the exhaust game with some header tech. So hang on for horsepower TV. [ music ]
(Joe)>> It's 23 feet long, built for speed, and the fastest small block Chevy on the planet. Hi everybody and welcome to the Horsepower shop. This is the famous Vesco Family Streamliner, built back in 1957 now making its run at the records at the hands of Nish Motorsports out of Salt Lake City. Oh, and speaking of records, it holds twelve in various classes, and check this out. Each and everyone of them was set with fuel-injected small block Chevys. Now the most recent record was over 344 miles an hour at Bonneville running methanol.
(Chuck)>> Now that's what I'd call a real alky-hauler. Of course, not all Chevrolets are fuel- injected small blocks, nor are they built to run on the salt flats. For instance this '70 Camaro has a 454 big block and a trio of traditional Holley carburetors. And, well you can bet it sees its fair share of street action. Now our latest street fighter is this '71 Chevelle here, and we call it project Blue Thunder. And you're gonna find out why later on in the show. Now we rescued this thing from a junkyard and turned it into a jewel with a fresh coat of paint. Then we built a GM Performance Parts 502 horse 502, topped it with an Accel super ram fuel injection. Then, we bolted up a B&M turbo 400 trans.
(Joe)>> Well today you're gonna hear old Blue Thunder roar. That is, after we install this nine-inch rearend and keep it in place with a new high performance suspension setup.
(Chuck)>> That's great. We're also gonna add this new fuel tank, plumb the fuel system, and, finally, finish up the wiring and put some fire in the hole. Now, I gotta tell ya, man, I can't wait to hear that big block come to life.
(Joe)>> Well, let's spin some wrenches. [ mechanical humming ] [ drill spinning ] Now we disconnected our brake lines, control arms, and shocks so this whole rearend's about ready to come out. Now before you crawl under your vehicle, make sure you support it with jack stands first.
(Chuck)>> Man, this transmission jack is sure gonna make life easier. Hey Joe, give me a hand steadying this.
(Joe)>> You bet.
(Chuck)>> Alright, now we could have used this old rearend here, but quite honestly we don't know what kind of shape it's in. Here let's swing it around like that. Now what we do know though is we've got over 500 horsepower we gotta put through this thing. We're gonna need a solid rearend.
(Joe)>> What we've got here is a nine inch Ford rearend modified by Currie Enterprises to fit our Chevelle. Now we ordered ours with a 3.50 gear and their torque sensing limited slip differential. It oughta give it solid traction and good performance on the street or strip.
(Chuck)>> You bet it will. Now to make it all work in the Chevelle, Currie's gone ahead and stamped up all these new brackets located among the rearend housing, then welded them in place. The axels are heavy-duty thirty- one spline pieces that have redrilled for that Chevy four and three quarter bolt pattern.
(Joe)>> Here's something to give extra piece of mind. The stock Chevelle rearend came with these puny nine and a half-inch drums. Our Currie comes with these massive eleven inchers. Now that ought to be enough to stop Blue Thunder once she gets rolling.
(Chuck)>> To keep our rearend solidly in place beneath our car we're gonna replace these stock stamp control arms for these trick pieces from Hotchkis. Now, they're fully welded tubular steel construction and they've got greaseable urethane bushings. Now on the upper control arms, they're even adjustable, so you can optimize your pinion angle for maximum traction. The whole thing comes as a kit and includes new springs, rear sway bar, and these diagonal braces. [ ratchet clicking ]
(Joe)>> Now with the upper and lower control arms in place we're now installing these diagonal chassis braces. Now they bolt up just like this one to strengthen the chassis and eliminate flex.
(Chuck)>> The sway bar attaches to the lower control arm just like the stock one does. And, well, now we're ready for the spring. It sits on top of the axle housing just like that.
(Joe)>> Of course the shocks come next and we decided to go with these Monroe Sensitracks. They're gas shocks with valving that automatically adjusts to different driving conditions. And after Chuck installs these, we can bend some lines for brakes. There you go.
(Chuck)>> Hey man, speaking of breaks, don't you think we're about ready for one?
(Joe)>> Okay, but you stay right there. We'll come storming back with more Blue Thunder right after this. (Joe off camera)>> Just ahead, headers. And how you can choose the right pair for your rod. Plus, later don't let your drag racing dreams go up in smoke. We'll show you a low budget road to lower e-t's.
[ music ]
(Joe)>> Hey, welcome back to the Horsepower shop and to more of project Blue Thunder. Well, now that we have our nine inch rearend installed, we can tackle another important task and that's measuring for the driveshaft. Looks like Chuck's got a head start. Hey, how's it going?
(Chuck)>> Hey, pretty good. Now, I called our buddy Carl over at the driveline shop in Springfield, Missouri. You remember him, don't ya?
(Joe)>> Oh yeah, he helped us with our Camaro last year.
(Chuck)>> Right. Well, here's what he said to get the right measurements for a drive shaft. You start here at the back of the tailshaft housing and you measure to the center of the trunion on the rear pinion.
(Joe)>> Looks like 58 inches.
(Chuck)>> Then, measure the u-joint width between these two locating tabs. Look's like about three point six to me. And finally we measure the cup size of the u-joint. Looks like about one point one inches to me.
(Joe)>> Ok got it. That's it?
(Chuck)>> That's it. Let me have those dimensions. I'll give 'em to Carl. We oughta have our driveshaft in about a week.
(Joe)>> Good deal.
(Joe)>> All fuel injection systems, including our super ram setup, have two requirements. First of all, the fuel has to be clean so the injectors can do their job. And, it's a high pressure system, so we need a pump that's gonna provide the pressure and fuel quantity we need. Course, any fuel system begins with the tank and that's the first thing we're gonna replace. [ drill spinning ] [ metal clanging ]
(Chuck)>> We'll replace that old tank with this new one from Original Parts Group. It's an inexpensive way to keep the rust, crud, and corrosion out of your fuel system and from clogging up your injectors. Now we're also gonna go ahead and install a new fuel pickup and sending unit. Just drops in the hole, something like that. I also got real lucky. The new tank has this built-in vent that we're gonna use for our fuel return line.
(Joe)>> Now once that tank gets installed, we're gonna plumb it with these new lines we got from Russell Performance. We'll use the steel braided line here from the tank to the fuel pump and hard lines like this from the pump into the engine compartment. By the way, the pump we're using comes with the super ram kit and cranks out 70 gallons an hour at 40 psi. Well, looks like I got here just in time 'cause you're about done.
(Chuck)>> As usual, Elmore, your timing is impeccable. But guess what? There's still plenty of work to be done and guess who's gonna get their hands dirty for a change?
(Joe)>> Okay, I get the picture. Well actually our next job is to find a suitable place to mount this fuel pump. We'll run it close to the gas tank, because it pushes fuel better than it pulls it. Of course, you wanna avoid any interference with suspension or other moving parts or hot exhaust. Tell you what, this'd be a good spot right here. We just bend this flange back 90 degrees, we'll be in business. [ drill spinning ]
(Chuck)>> Of course, a good in-line filter will complete our plumbing job and we're mounting this one downstream from the pump. Now I've gone ahead and fabbed up this little bracket and once we get it attached to the frame, we can go ahead and run our hard line up into the engine compartment.
(Joe)>> That oughta do it. Now the work we've done so far today oughta take you and a buddy the better part of a weekend to complete. And, well, moneywise, the fuel lines and tank set us back about $300 bucks, suspension components another $700, and our rearend, well about $1,800. Before we get this thing on the ground, we'll fill this thing up with some of this synthetic gear lube.
(Chuck)>> And I'm gonna bolt up our csi gear reduction starter, the B&M trans cooler, and hook up our O-2 sensor.
(Joe)>> Now I know we promised you'd get to hear Blue Thunder rumble today. But before we turn the key, we gotta finish hooking up the fuel injection system starting with the wiring. This job also includes fuel injectors, water temperature sensor, our maf sensor, and a Lokar TPL throttle cable.
(Chuck)>> We're gonna light this monster off with an MSD ignition and mount the 6-AL box away from heat and vibration right up here on the fenderwell. Now, you may remember we had this custom quick disconnect harness made by M&H Electrical Fabricators and it plugs into the box just like that.
(Joe)>> Next we can add the vital fluids to the engine and trans. Hook up all the hoses. Add fill the radiator with coolant.
(Chuck)>> Alright, well, that's about it. Now I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready to hear this rat rumble. [ engine revving ]
(Joe)>> Sounds pretty good for now. Well, once we get our driveshaft back and put some break-in miles on this thing, we'll bring it in for a test on our chassis dyno in a few weeks. Hey, but stay with us. More horsepower TV is ahead. (Joe off camera)>> Just ahead, hitting high quarter mile speeds, on a low budget. When we come back.
[ music ]
(Joe)>> Hi, welcome back. You know it takes more than fast cash to run a seven-second pro street car like this one. But there is a way to get low et's on a low budget in a class that has its roots on the back streets of the 50's. [ music ] (Joe off camera)>> Welcome to ez street. It's one of today's fast-growing entry level, heads up drag racing classes with rules that keep the cost low while the thrill level stays high. In this NMCA class, tires are 11 and one-half inch dot's, engines run on a single four barrel with only one stage of nitrous. No fuel injection, no lenkos, nothing but good ole cheap thrills.
(Bob)>> I like the aspect of stock suspension with the dot tires. And that's a car. I mean you know it's a street car. I can take it out and go to the grocery store if I want with it.
(Gary)>> It's a good class. Everybody's friendly. Come out and have a good time. You can win some races. Have a good time and make some money. (Joe off camera)>> Gary Rohe's won scores of ez street races, cash prizes, and championships in his 1980 Mustang that was only recently raced on the strip.
(Gary)>> I bought it in April 1990, drove it to high school, college, work, here and there and everywhere, street raced it, everything. (Joe off camera)>> Of course when it was time to get serious about racing ez street was the route to take to go fast without going to the poor house.
(Gary)>> 358 cubic inch Ford. Got a flat tappet camshaft, cast iron Dart heads, BG 950 carburetor, stock block, stock crank, ain't nothing special, nothing fancy. Just parts that work. (Joe off camera)>> EZ Street works for Bob Joysey who often runs in the low nine's with his '71 Camaro. Bob saves a ton of money on tech support 'cause his whole tech crew is his dad.
(bill)>> With nitrous you can hurt the motor real easy and I've hurt a lot of them. But it's sort of my job to keep this thing going so we're there for the final round. (Joe off camera)>> Bill's retired from his own weekend racing but gets plenty of thrills guiding his son to the finish line. That is, when the driver pays attention.
(Bill)>> You know how fathers and sons are. Son never listens to the dad. But we disagree on a few little things, but we usually come around together. What I enjoy is seeing a good number come up on that scoreboard and seeing a win light. That's what I enjoy. (Joe off camera)>> Well, here's the inside story on how Bob and his small block Camaro nail one of those low nine e-t's.
(Bob)>> And I just come up into the burnout box and my dad rolls me through the water, pulls me out of the water a little bit and I'm in first gear. Then when they tell me to spin, I rap the throttle and it get it up about five grand into first and I hit second gear and mat it and bring it back and hold it about 6,500, 7,000 and I come flying by my dad, past the light, just smokin' the tires big time. When I stage my two lights and he's got his two lights staged, I press this button and mat it. When I see a flicker of yellow, I lift, and this car will explode, just violently. When this shift light comes on, I hit second gear. Going down track I hit third gear, put my hand on the wheel, go across the line, I shut my nitrous off, turn my fan on, leave it in third, start slowing down. Hopefully, I'll be pulling this lever right here. That's for the parachute. That'll mean I'll be going real fast. (Joe off camera)>> And having a real blast doing it. Classes like EZ Street are an easy way into heads-up racing. Whether it's a stepping stone to faster classes or a final destination to low buck, high horsepower excitement.
(Gary)>> I'd really like to run super street, but it's getting out of hand and you've got to have a big budget to do it, and I don't have it, and I'm pretty happy where I'm at. [ music ] (Joe off camera)>> Next the brief, but exhaustive look, at headers when Horsepower TV returns.
[ music ]
(Joe)>> Hi, Welcome back. Headers have a positive effect on horsepower, torque, and fuel economy, whether you're driving a race car, street rod or even a tow vehicle. Well today to show you some of the differences, we brought in an assortment of headers here from Hedman.
(Chuck)>> That's right. We've got everything from these top fuel flame throwers to street rod block huggers. Now, the top fuel header here is pretty straight forward. As you can see, the primaries are huge and relatively short in length. And, at the risk of over simplification, their main job really is to just get the exhaust away from the engine and into the atmosphere.
(Joe)>> Well next, we have a pro stock header. Now, the configuration is fairly critical on a normally aspirated engine, so while the primary tubes are large - over two inches - they're all of equal length. Now the length and diameter of the primaries and even collector, affect power and torque peaks.
(Chuck)>> Now, generally, large diameter, relatively short primary tubes and collectors are gonna enhance upper rpm horsepower and well that's the kinda header you're gonna find on a race car.
(Joe)>> That you will. I've noticed and perhaps you guys have too that the longer, smaller diameter tubes are usually found in street applications. And the reason is, they move the horsepower peak down the scale, which is where you want it out there.
(Chuck)>> Now, be sure to match your header design to your engine's size and application. Of course, clearance problems can also be a factor when you're designing headers. And Hedman's come up with a couple of solutions - their shorty headers and their block huggers. Now check out the way the primary tubes come together on this one.
(Joe)>> Of course, you can keeping your headers looking good while making power thanks to metallic ceramic coatings from companies like Jet Hot. And if you don't like the chrome look here, well you can get your coatings in color.
(Chuck)>> And, as you can see, an expeditious exhaust is a whole lot more than just a pipe dream.
(Joe)>> Well, we've about exhausted our puns for now at least. But stay with us. Hot Parts is next.
(Narrator)>> Now Horsepower's Hot Parts. Brought to you by Summit Racing Equipment. Your source for high performance parts for 30 years.
(Joe)>> It's a simple equation. If you up the amount of air into your engine, you can bring down your e-t. But here's a high-flow induction system for late model LT One's from Moroso that increases the air flow, adds about 20 horsepower, and can knock off two-tenths from your quarter mile time. Now, it replaces the stock piece without any fabrication and features this extra large air duct and a low restriction filter that mounts outside the engine compartment for a cooler charge. And here's the coolest part about this bolt-on, at $220 bucks, well, that's only about $10 per extra pony.
(Chuck)>> Now, how about a look at a wide body. No, I'm not talking about mine, I'm talking about these rollers here. Now, they're wide body roller rockers from Crane and they're designed for big block Chevys in extreme applications like drag racing or off shore competition. They're fifty percent stronger in the fulcrum area than Crane's standard gold rocker and that mass is concentrated right there too rather than on the nose or the push rod seat area to help minimize reciprocating weight. 'course they'll take a little weight out of your wallet, too. A set of these'll set you back about $370 bucks.
(Joe)>> The makers of some new engine treatment claim you can add a couple of extra horsepower just by adding a bottle of this stuff to your street machine. If you do, you'll be in good company. Some of Nascar's leading crew chief's swear by it.
(Chuck)>> Yeah, it's called X-1-R and it's designed to add engine life while reducing noise, wear, and even operating temperatures. Now you just pour this stuff in next time you change oil and the best part is it'll only cost you a little bit of pocket change, about $14 bucks.
(Joe)>> Well here's something that makes sense. Watching our show next week. [ music ] For years Hemi's have ruled the roads and strips. We'll build one of these high powered Hemi's, a 572 cubic inch monster that'll make over 900 horsepower. Plus we'll take you to the track where everything that's old is new again in the fast, fun, and memorable world of nostalgia street racing. ( )>> This is the best class ause we're nostalgic just like the cars. [ engine revving ]
(Joe)>> In two weeks we'll show you how to make nearly 20 horsepower in a stock '91 Firebird. It's a high performance tune up that includes a new manifold, ignition upgrade, underive pulleys, and a computer chip. We'll show you how to detail your trunk in no time flat, and take you to a new hot rod hang out down in Orlando.
(Chuck)>> And remember, high performance fun is what this show's all about.
(Joe)>> Wait a minute, wait a minute, remember our bet? You know I bet you the hood wouldn't fit? And you're gonna lose. You owe me a steak dinner.
(Joe)>> No you owe me a steak dinner. I know why you got this hood made.
(Chuck)>> Why?
(Joe)>> Cause the stock hood doesn't fit.
(Chuck)>> We didn't say stock hood. We said the hood would clear and look, here it is. It's gonna clear it. Watch my paint now.
(Joe)>> Oh I'm watching your paint. It looks great, it's a beautiful hood, except it's not the hood.
(Chuck)>> This is the hood. As far as I'm concerned it's the hood. It's not the hood we bet on. You owe me a steak dinner. I want a nice big 20 ounce filet or T-bone, all the trimmings.
(Chuck)>> I'll get you a filet. A fish filet down here at the fish joint, how about that?
(Joe)>> And you're not cooking steak either. I've had enough of your bologna steak for now.
(Chuck)>> Wait a second now. There ain't nothing wrong with bologna steak.
(Narrator)>> Horsepower TV is an RTM Production.
