BEL AIR, GAUGES

Hi, welcome to horsepower TV.

Drag racing is one of America's favorite motor sports. And through the years, Chevys have won more than their share of races. And what we got here is a 65 Malibu Ss that runs in the Superstock P class. The 220 horse 2, 83 under the hood has made it to AM

four speed. And when this thing launches get this, it's revenant over 10,000 RPL. Oh man. Now that's a violent launch one that I'm sure is hard on parts. But you gotta admit it's a whole lot of fun watching this and carry the front wheels for about the 1st 100 ft. Now, we're taking a little bit different approach with our 66 Bel Air. Now we're using a whole lot more cubic inches,

a lot less RPM and an automatic transmission to turn it into a consistent bracket racer.

We started with a GM performance parts, 502 short block,

then added a comp cams full roller set up

Edelbrock performer heads

their RPM air gap intake

and 800 CFM carb.

The transmission is a four LAE from jet performance.

Then we finished up the drive train with a curry nine inch rear end.

That thing's gonna see a lot of street duty too. So we need a good high flowing exhaust to work with the hooker headers. We've already hung on the engine.

This American thunder system is from Flowmaster and well, since they don't make one for a bel air, we ordered this one for a Chevelle with a similar frame set up. We'll do some modifications on it later.

Now, the pipes are 2.5 inch mandr

bit.

And for mufflers, we're using their 70 series for big blocks

before we attack that exhaust though. Let's go ahead and install the drive shaft. You may remember a couple of weeks ago, we showed you how to measure for one and then we call those numbers in to our friends at the drive line shop.

Now, what we got back was this massive four inch diameter drive shaft that's made from lightweight aluminum to reduce rotating mass and help us get off the line just a little bit quicker.

Now, let's see if it's gonna fit.

All right, let's see what happens here. That's a good sign. The front

right in.

Well, on the back end lined right up,

this thing fits perfectly. I guess I must have read the tape right the first time.

Now, anytime that you're ordering a drive shaft or a high horsepower car, make sure that you specify

the non grea

heavy duty U joints. Now, they're not drilled for the grease passages, which means they're solid steel and have some extra strength.

Yeah. Well, why don't you, uh, share your strength with me and help me hang this exhaust. Let's start with the mufflers. All right. Let's get it up in a place.

Then with our mufflers supported on stands, we connect the head pipes

with the headers.

Well, next, we can test fit this tail pipe and

uh, oh,

it's like we got a big problem here. This pan rod is right in the way. So

rather than run the pipe over the axle, like we planned,

we're gonna fab one up to run under it and

state it all out.

Well, here's what we came up with. It's a 2.5 inch s pipe with a four inch drop.

Now, once we get everything into position like we want it, we can start welding the system into place

with a converter that stalls higher than stock, plus all those burnouts will be doing at the track.

And we're really gonna need this trans cooler that we got from B and M that's specially designed for race cars. Now to do its job properly, we need to mount

it in front of the radar. But first, I've been up some lines that run from the cooler to the transmission.

I'm gonna install them while the car is in the air.

We're getting mighty close to putting some fire in the hole of this Bel Air bracket racer. But before we do, we gotta finish the wiring Owen. Wait until you see the cool set of gauges we got for this thing

and you will right after the break. So, stay with us.

Hi, welcome back to the horsepower shop. Well, we're getting awful close to firing up this 502 and Chuck's Bella

Bracket racer. But before we can, we gotta take care of some electrical work for the fuel pump, ignition. And right now the transmission.

That's right. We're using a four L AD E which is an electronic transmission.

Now, a couple of weeks ago, we mounted the computer under the seat and to finish the job, we need to make our power connections

and install his throttle position sensor. The first step though is to tap into the distributor so we can give the computer an engine speed signal.

The hookups vary according to the type of ignition that you've got. So make sure that you read your instructions carefully. Now, we're using an MS D ignition so we can tap right into these green and purple wires. Of course, to make the job a little bit easier, we're gonna use these quick connectors that come in the kit,

just position them on the wire and squeeze them to lock them into place.

Then plug in the engine speed leads from the main harness.

Well, now we can power up the computer using a 12 volt source that's hot only when the key is on. Now to do that, we'll use another one of these little connectors

and we'll just tap right in here to this wire

that's used to activate our MS D ignition.

Now, it passes through the firewalls you see here and we'll connect it to the fuse box. Once we find a lead that's hot with a switch on

to locate that lead. We'll use our continuity tester. Now, with the switch on,

we'll find a connection that lights up the tester.

Ok.

Then when we turn the switch off and probe the same connection, if it doesn't light up the tester,

well, we found a good lead.

Of course, we also need to hook the computer to a constant 12 volt source. So it'll hold its memory

to do that. Just use the same procedure as before probe the fuse box until you find a lead that's hot all the time.

Our throttle position sensor is next. It controls shift points and line pressure which affects the firmness of those ships.

Now, this TPS comes with lots of cables. So finding a place to mount it is no problem. In fact, I think we'll mount it right here on this fender. Well, once we fab up a couple of L brackets,

once the TPS is in place, you can mount the cable bracket to a carb stud,

then snap the cable into the bracket,

connect the cable into the carb linkage

and you're ready to adjust cable preload

and you do that by removing all the slack out of the cable, you want about 1/16 to an eight inch tension at idle. Then at full throttle,

make sure you have an inch and a quarter to an inch and 3/8 movement with no binding or interference.

That will get your throttle position sensor adjusted close enough to run and drive. But first chance you get,

you need to take this thing by a professional shop.

They've got an electronic scan tool there that will give you an accurate reading to verify wide open throttle

if the TPS needs adjustment. Well, you just press down on this lock tab,

move the cable back and forth in the bracket until you get the right readings. All right. Well, that's gonna take care of our wiring for the transmission and the MS D.

Yeah, but it doesn't take care of all of our electrical work. We still need to get power to our fuel pump.

Really. It's a pretty simple operation though. It's a two wire deal and I've already connected one of them to the ground back on the fuel pump. Now, this red wire will run inside and I'm gonna hook it to this toggle switch and from there we're gonna go find another switch, 12 volt source at the fuse box.

Well, that takes care of all of our electrical work. Now you'll notice that I mounted the switch right here. Where it's convenient in case I need to cut the fuel off quickly later on.

So I guess all that's left now is to top the engine and trans off with fluids. And

hey, wait a minute, that reminds me those valve covers don't have any breathers or a way to add oil. So

I guess I better get on that

once we determine a suitable location, we use an inch and a quarter holes saw

to make our holes

then snap in the grommets

and the breather

for trans fluid. We're using this royal purple synthetic A TF in the Bel Air

jet recommends a

detron two or three in their system and this fluid meets those specs while giving us improved lubrication and resistance to heat breakdown. Of

course, we're gonna be using their synthetic engine oil later on. But right now, once I get these valve covers on, we'll top the engine off with a petroleum based oil so the rings will see properly.

All right.

Sounds pretty good. And it's great to hear a white lightning in here. Finally make some thunder. It sure is. Of course, once we get it broken in, we're gonna take it to the track and dial it in. See what kind of numbers it'll put up. Yeah. Well, you're gonna have to put up with us a little more today. There's more horsepower TV, ahead. So stay tuned.

It's the bow

tie festival of the year in West Palm Beach. We'll take you there next on the show.

The Bow

Ties.

Where's the Fords? Well, nowhere around here, that's for sure. In fact, this is the All Chevy show at Moroso. And if it doesn't have a bow tie on the body,

it better have one under the hood.

I think the Chevy fan is a die hard fan. Just like, um, you know, the Dale Earnhardt fan, you know, they love Dale, they love Chevrolet.

It's, you know, it's a, it's a passion with them that they're always gonna have as part of their daily life.

What do you drive?

I have a Camaro

this year's all Chevy Show was a record breaker with quarter mile street car drag racing in several classes.

And we do mean street

Mike. The co drives his 34 Roadster with the track where he competes in the combo class. Car runs like high nine,

about 100 and 30 mile an hour. I could take it out and drive it on the track and then drive it home

and hit the street.

So how do you keep your street? Chevy's parts? Tough enough for this kind of abuse.

Well, just ask Chevelle owner, Don Olmstead who's been racing here for 30 years. The Pistons and Rods have been in four blocks

and they're still like new

and

that's all. And just how you fit them. You got a hand, fit them, massage them. They're like a, they're like a good woman. You gotta take care of them. William

Pamali also competes in the combo class in his 68 Yanko Camaro. Come on now

is a Yanko look alike.

Um, I put like seven years of hard labor to the car

and, um, I got it more or less where I'm running at right now.

She's running nine, seventies at 100 and 40.50 mile an hour.

And, uh, hopefully she'll do pretty good today.

Ok. Hold everything. I know a mustang when I see one. What the heck are you doing here? Well, it is a mustang with 86 Celine,

but it is powered by a small black Chevrolet engine

with a Turbo four Horner transmission

and aluminum bow tie heads

and a little power adder on top just to help it out.

Mike Rose races, another half breed. It's a consistently quick Trans Am. He's been racing for the past year. It's a 5, 11 cubic inch big block Chevrolet.

And, uh, it's probably somewhere in the vicinity of 750 to 800 horsepower.

And depending on the weather, it runs ECs or

anywhere from

eight, seventies to eight nineties.

The bow

ties show cars were an eye full with everything from numbers matching Fabulous 50 sevens to supercharged Vegas

and all kinds of cool Camaros.

I tell the bow

ties that drive meanwhile or the early model stingray, well, check this one out. It's a 67

with a completely restored beautiful red interior got four on the floor and just as gorgeous outside. Plus the original 427 big block. I always wanted this.

Meanwhile, back in the pits, here's the big winner of last year's heads up dot class competition.

Bill Tookie Swales with his 70 nova powered by a 600 cube big block.

The motor itself makes um almost 1000 80 horsepower. I get a two stage nitrous oxide system on it in

which, um, you know, the cow weighs 3300 pounds. It's gone as fast as 820 at 100 and 64 on street tires.

Well, this year his et was higher 883 but enough to win a second consecutive championship

here at this annual bow

tie batch

where if you bring a mot

car or a Ford, you're a fool

because here once a year, Chevy

rules

horsepower T V's Quick Tech is brought to you by

Wyotech.

Hey, let's face it a lot of times. Factory gauges just don't tell you all that you want to know about what's going on under the hood

and even if they did well, is that information accurate and reliable?

Well, chances are it's not. And that's why a lot of gear heads like us choose to install aftermarket instruments like these from auto meter. Now, the first step is to decide which gauges you really need.

While some measure everything from fuel pressure to boost pressure, you can usually get by with four basic instruments, the tachometer,

water temperature,

oil pressure and something to keep tabs of the electrical system. Now, personally, I like to measure volts.

Next, you need to choose what type of gauges you wanna install. Electrical or mechanical. Now, mechanical are reliable and they don't need an electrical source to operate.

Plus they also give you a wider sweep for an easier read,

but the downside is they're harder to install since you have to bore sizable holes in your firewall for things like this capillary tube to pass through.

On the other hand, electrical gauges use small gauge wires for all their connections and you can usually pass them through an existing grommet or boot on the firewall. However, they don't give you the same sweep as the mechanical gauges and well, 90 degrees is about their limit

when it comes to tax. The old mechanical cable drive units are pretty much history.

The new electronic tax however, can be either pretty basic like one that measures only RPM or more sophisticated like this one

that has a peak RPM memory and a bright shift light that allows you to keep your eyes on the track instead of the tack.

Regardless of whether you choose electrical or mechanical gauges, you're still gonna have to install a sending unit or two on the engine.

Now to prevent leaks. When you do, you can either wrap the scenting units with Teflon tape like this or apply some thread sealer. Now, another consideration is when you pass any wires or tubes through the firewall, make sure they're protected with a grommet to prevent cutting or chafing.

The final determination is where best to mount your gauges. Most people like to mount them on the dash like that. But if you do make sure they clear all moving objects like the shifter here

and for the tack, most racers prefer to mount it on the dash so they can keep an eye on it and the track at the same time, personally, I prefer the steering column

where it's out of the way

yet, still plenty visible without blocking your view of the road.

You know, that could come in handy and heavy traffic, especially with somebody like you behind the wheel man. Well, at least I'm not a loose nut behind the wheel

if you want some extra power in your race car, but nothing seems to pan out. Well, maybe you should check out this affordable steel wets up pan from B and B

now fits most stock chassis cars and comes with this built in scraper and

unidirectional screen

to reduce windage and oil wrap up on your crank

that also comes with a specially designed pickup and magnetic drain plug.

Now, if you want one for your small block, Chevy, better plan on draining about 200 bucks from your budget a little more for your big block.

Well, how about a little more air for your engine regardless of its size. These new rush performance filters use a pleated aluminum mesh that sandwiches a special cotton gauze for maximum airflow.

Now, they also use a biodegradable oil to make them washable for repeated use.

Of course, they come in just about every shape and size to fit most popular applications. And hey, they'll fit your budget pretty easily too. Prices start at about 30 bucks, but here's something to fit the needs of most erasers out there. C si makes these trick billet feeler gauge holders with neural handles for a solid grip. They're also color coded and more

for intake and exhaust. And they make this single one for you guys who set both valves at the same dimension. Now, they come with an assortment of feeler gauges that fit right into the holders. Well, hey, I tell you what, I'd rather have a valve lashing than a tongue lashing any day. How much are those things? Well, 40 bucks for the pair 20 for the single and that's hard to beat.