February 2022

Hot Rod

Oriented to High Performance, Personalized Cars and the Sport of Hot-Rodding

Hot Rod3 min readIndustries
Mega-Sized Big-Block Just a Phone Call Away
@john.mcgann Never in a million years would I have guessed that Chevrolet Performance would be bringing a mega-sized big-block Chevy crate engine to market, yet just this week, it announced the 1,004-hp ZZ632. Insane! And insanely cool. In a time whe
Hot Rod3 min read
The HOT ROD Archives
February 2002: 116 pages, $3.99 The Collector’s Anniversary Issue verbiage at the top of the cover let to snarky commentary by Editor David Freiburger in his column and in the Roddin’ at Random department. DF questions whether labeling something as c
Hot Rod1 min read
Hot Rod
Performance Group Director Douglas R. Glad Editor-in-Chief John McGann Managing Editor Rusty Kurtz Features Editor Timothy Bernsau Technical Editor Johnny Hunkins Technical Editor Steven Rupp Staff Editor Jordon Scott Social Media Editor Cyril Solima
Hot Rod1 min read
Rare nascar Photos From The 1960s
Stock car racing got its start in the rural South, but by the time NASCAR arrived at Riverside International Raceway in the early 1960s, the sport had achieved national success. Southern California was a long way from the sands of Daytona Beach, Flor
Hot Rod4 min read
Just What The Doctor Ordered
Some pills are more bitter to swallow than others, but imagine receiving a prescription from your primary care physician recommending a course of treatment comprised of a five-day road trip in your favorite car. Sign me up! Anyone reading this would
Hot Rod3 min read
Product showcase
SEMA vehicles often negotiate a very curvy, and often curious, path from obscurity to having a spot in a manufacturer’s booth on the floor of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Many display cars at the show are privately owned and loaned to the various
Hot Rod2 min read
Barn Find 1937 Ford Truck
Have you ever hidden away some cash and forgotten all about it, only to find it years later? Well, that’s Bill Wyckoff’s story, but instead of cash it was the 1937 Ford truck that he cruised in during high school. “Fifty-five years ago, I parked my h
Hot Rod1 min read
Lost To Time
One of the earliest dragstrips in California is fading from memory. For more than two decades, Santa Maria Dragstrip, on California’s Central Coast, was the main place to go in the region if you wanted to drag race. Locally, legal drag racing had bee
Hot Rod7 min read
Big Mopar, Light Weight
In the spring of 2013, we set out to equip our 1968 Plymouth Valiant project car with big-block Mopar power, something the lightweight A-Body compact never came with from the factory in any significant numbers. Big engines in lightweight cars are the
Hot Rod1 min read
Specifications
Block: Indy Max aluminum Bore: 4.375 Stroke: 4.125 Displacement: 500 cubic inches Deck height: 9.98 inches Main caps: Indy billet Main bearings: Mahle Clevite 1795V Rod bearings: Mahle Clevite 537HN Main clearance: .0035 inch Rod clearance: .003 inch
Hot Rod1 min read
Over the Long Haul
Almost eight years after the build-up and dyno test of our 500ci Indy Max Wedge, we have had ample opportunity to live with this extraordinary street beast, both on the highway and to a lesser degree, at the dragstrip. Remarkable for what is ostensib
Hot Rod2 min read
Rock Solid
The unsung hero of your driveline is the rear axle, specifically the center section or third member. It takes all the power your engine is spinning out and makes it do a 90-degree turn to your wheels. It’s a brutal job that’s made even more demanding
Hot Rod1 min read
Pumped-up power
LS7s make great engine swap candidates, but what if 427 cubic inches just isn’t enough displacement for you? Well then, what you need is a stroker. With that in mind, American Heritage Performance (AHP) came up with a recipe to turn this LS7 into a 4
Hot Rod2 min read
Turn By Turn
Steering gearboxes are set up with ratios that affect how many times you have to turn the steering wheel to get the front wheels to pivot a given number of degrees. In a wide-ratio box you have to turn the steering wheel many times to get the front w
Hot Rod5 min read
It Has Been a Privilege
Roadkill @davidfreiburger My first byline in HOT ROD magazine appeared in the February 1992 issue. Now, 30 years later, the February 2022 issue will likely carry my last. This is my final editorial column. My life in print began in 1989 when Kevin Wi
Hot Rod1 min read
Bring the Noise
Rarely does an automotive part offer the best of both worlds, but we think exhaust cutouts can often deliver on that promise. Generally, we all like loud exhaust, but there are times when 90 dB is just not cool. Cutouts give you the option to shatter

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