2025 Detroit Autorama: A Gearhead’s Dreamland
March 7, 2025
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INSIDIOUS
David Salvaggio at Perfection Autosport says the intent behind its latest project, “Insidious,” was to do as Dodge is about to: rework an original ’70 Dodge Challenger with a range of insightful alterations intended to build on a solid resume.
BLOWN AWAY
In 1994, Denny and Dawn Johns picked up a ’55 Chevy two-door sedan. Along with Dale Johns, the couple runs Van Buren, Arkansas’ D&D Specialty Cars (479/414-2654), so it was no huge deal to think they would quickly rebuild the ’55 into something very special; after all, they had sold the car and its rebuild to Ed Johns, Denny’s father.
But about a year later, a major tornado tore through Van Buren, and along with most everything else, it left the ’55 demolished from bumper to bumper. Since the car wasn’t the only thing destroyed in the tornado’s path, it took a back seat as the Johns family rebuilt their homes and their business. Then in 2003, Ed sold the ’55 back to Denny and Dawn, and the couple decided to rebuild the car for themselves. Apparently the original plan was to build a nice driver, but once under way, Denny says, “We couldn’t find a good stopping point.” So they didn’t—stop, that is—until three years later.
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: CFI Enforcer Series Classic
You can teach an old carb new tricks. The CFI Enforcer Series Classic adds electronic fuel control to your existing carburetor, delivering modern driving convenience without a complete fuel-system rebuild.
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: Gandrud Chevrolet Performance L8P Crate Engine
There’s something satisfying about an engine that brings plenty of cubic inches to the party. Add modern fuel delivery, a performance-focused valvetrain, and some Corvette DNA, and things get interesting fast. The Chevrolet Performance L8P crate engine delivers 523 horsepower and 543 lb.-ft. of torque, combining the L8T’s heavy-duty foundation
Product Spotlight: BMP Aluminum 440 Wedge Engine Block
The Bill Mitchell Products BMP 088550 Aluminum 440 Wedge Engine Block gives your next RB build a fresh foundation with 357-T6 aluminum construction, billet steel main caps, and replaceable cylinder sleeves. Bring the big-block ambition. This is where you start bolting it together.
Product Spotlight: BTR 5.7L Red Hot 580HP Power Package
The Brian Tooley Racing 5.7L Red Hot 580HP Power Package gives the smaller LS a serious naturally aspirated attitude adjustment, with a combination built to keep pulling upstairs. BTR reports 580.9 horsepower at 7,425 rpm and more than 450 lb-ft of torque. That’s enough to make “it’s just a 5.7”
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: Intellitronix Analog Gauge Panel for 1964–1966 Chevy Trucks
A classic Chevy truck’s dashboard deserves the same attention as its paint, stance, and engine compartment. It’s where every drive begins—and where tired instrumentation can leave an otherwise finished interior feeling unfinished.
The Intellitronix AP6002 analog gauge panel gives 1964–1966 Chevy trucks a fresh focal point with a direct-fit replacement
Product Spotlight: BTR Godzilla Truck Norris Camshaft
Godzilla already has the displacement. Truck Norris brings the attitude. If your idea of a good truck involves a rumbling idle and a healthy appetite for throttle, Brian Tooley Racing’s Godzilla Truck Norris Camshaft deserves a spot on your build sheet.
THE NSRA NATS WEST 1983
In 1983 when the NSRA rolled into Merced, California, they would be celebrating the sixth-ever NSRA Nats West and the final year to visit this rod friendly town. Merced always welcomed the hot rods and this year 1,797 hot rods passed through the gates to tree lined streets of the
Bucket Brigade: AutoZone’s Popular Giveaway at Cruisin’ the Coast 2026
There were hot rods worth a second mortgage, muscle cars with horsepower to spare, and enough swap meet parts to turn “I’m just looking” into an expensive afternoon. But one of the most popular take-home items at Cruisin’ the Coast 2026 didn’t have chrome, a camshaft, or even moving parts.
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: ALL NEW Classic GM 350 from Gandrud
Say “350” around a group of car people, and you probably won’t need to explain yourself. For generations, the GM 350 small-block has been the engine under the hood of a first truck, a favorite cruiser, or the project that taught someone how to turn a wrench. It’s familiar, straightforward,
CRUISIN’ THE COAST 2026: DAY 6 – Bay St. Louis, Pass Christian, & Ocean Springs
By Friday, October 9, Cruisin’ The Coast 2026 was heading into its final weekend, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast was still overflowing with vintage iron. Six days into the 30th anniversary celebration, hot rods, muscle cars, customs, and classic trucks continued turning the coastal highways into one enormous rolling car
