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THE AUTO BUILDER
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TPI: TODAY’S PERFORMANCE INCREASE
There are few modifications that can be made to an engine that can give both increased performance and better fuel economy. In these days of increased gasoline prices (nearly $4.50 per gallon), fuel mileage is an important consideration for vintage trucks that owners consider their daily drivers. For many reasons, vintage pickups are becoming not just weekend toys but also weekday workers. And one of the best ways to increase both performance and mileage is with an electronic fuel-injection system.
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: Flaming River’s 88-98 Chevy/GMC 1500 Series Power Rack & Pinion Cradle Kit
If you’re looking to take your 1988-1998 Chevy/GMC C1500 truck’s steering to the next level, you need to check out the Flaming River Power Rack and Pinion Cradle Kit for 88-98 Chevy/GMC 1500 series pickups. This power rack and pinion cradle kit is a total game-changer, designed for a direct bolt-in installation. Ditch that outdated steering and get ready for the precision and modern handling you’ve been dreaming of.
FERRAMBO
Every creative endeavor, from fine art to mechanical invention, requires some type of high-wire act—a unique and delicate balance between vision, creativity and capability. When the cogs align, and the elusive look rises to the forefront, there’s no questioning the purity of its origin.
Spotlighter
2026 SEMA Product Showcase
The Next Must-Have Parts and Accessories for Your Build
We walked the SEMA Show in Las Vegas looking for parts and accessories we’d put on our own build lists. Here are the upgrades that earned a spot.
Author
The Auto Builder Staff
Photos by Scott Killeen
One of our favorite things about walking the SEMA Show is finding a part that solves a problem we’ve been working around for months. You stop at a booth, ask a couple of questions, and suddenly that job you’ve been putting off feels a whole lot more doable. That’s what we went looking for in Las Vegas, along with the upgrades that make you want to get back in the garage and start turning wrenches.
We spent time in the booths and in the New Products Showcase asking the same questions we’d ask before spending our own money. What does it fit? What comes in the box? How much fabrication or wiring is involved? Seeing the hardware up close and talking with the people behind it gives you a better idea of what it’ll take to put it to work.
Whether you’re starting a build from scratch or sorting out the last few details on a car you already drive, here are the parts and accessories that earned a spot on The Auto Builder’s list.
Brian Tooley Racing (BTR)
Anyone who’s pieced together a small-block Chevy front drive knows how quickly a belt swap can turn into a hunt for the right brackets, spacers, and pulleys. Brian Tooley Racing’s HyperDrive SBC puts the alternator, water pump, A/C compressor, and power steering pump on a single machined manifold. With the accessories located off the same plate, pulley alignment is built into the assembly. The result is a cleaner front of the engine with one serpentine belt.
BTR carried over the accessories from its LS HyperDrive and gave the small-block Chevy its own crank pulley. That means the SBC gets the same 150-amp alternator designed to maintain output at idle, along with a cartridge-style water pump, a compact seven-piston A/C compressor, and a Saginaw Type II power steering pump with a baffled reservoir. The system wears BTR’s True Black finish, and the shared accessories make sourcing replacements simpler.
Brian Tooley Racing
Providing top quality high performance parts for late model muscle cars. Most parts are in stock and ship same day.
Edelbrock
There’s still something right about a four-barrel sitting on top of a blower. Edelbrock’s E-Force 122 Supercharger Kit brings that setup to a traditional small-block Chevy, and the new black powder-coat version (#15513) carries the finish across the blower, intake manifold, manifold lid, and snout-support bracket. Edelbrock also offers the kit in a polished finish (#15511). Both versions are made in the USA and use an Eaton H122 Roots-style rotor assembly.
The number that got our attention was 507 horsepower at approximately 5 psi. That’s what Edelbrock recorded on a modified 350 during testing. The kit fits 265–400 cu. in. small-block Chevys with the standard 1957–1986 intake bolt pattern and is designed around a long-style water pump, factory-style V-belt accessories, and a non-HEI distributor.
Edelbrock supplies the matched intake manifold, standard-length drive snout, and dedicated six-rib blower drive, plus the mounting hardware and gaskets. The carb pad is set at a 4-degree angle and accepts a standard-flange four-barrel carburetor, which is sold separately.
Edelbrock Performance
Established in 1938, Edelbrock is the nation's premier designer, manufacturer and distributor of performance/replacement parts for the automotive and motorcycle aftermarkets. Edelbrock is a proud member of the Edelbrock Group family of brands.
Flaming River
Manual steering is fine once you’re rolling. It’s backing a hot rod into a tight parking spot that makes you wish for a little help. Flaming River’s Hot Rod Power Assist Mounting System (FR40201) adds electric assist while letting you keep your existing manual steering box. The kit mounts the Microsteer motor at the firewall on the engine side and adds support for the steering column and shaft.
The kit includes the motor, ECU, wiring harness, and a rotary control that lets you dial in how much assist you want. Flaming River also supplies inner and outer mounting plates, a bushing insert, two steering U-joints, and a metal shroud that covers the connection at the base of the column. Microsteer can also vary the amount of assist with vehicle speed when connected to a wheel-speed signal.
Installation calls for shortening your existing steering column or ordering a new one from Flaming River. You’ll also need additional steering shafting and U-joints to complete the connection to the steering box.
Flaming River
Quality Steering Products for Hot Rods, Street Rods, Muscle Cars, Performance Vehicles, & Jeeps
Gorilla Cargo Control
If you’ve ever had a hook fall out of a trailer anchor while you walked around to tighten the strap, you’ll appreciate Gorilla Cargo Control’s Cap Lock hooks. The caps help hold the hooks in place while you take up the slack. Gorilla also uses molded ratchet grips and PVC-coated webbing edges to help resist fraying, and some models come in a reusable case that keeps the straps together between hauls.
On the 1¼-inch by 16-foot sliding-ratchet strap, the ratchet moves along the webbing so you can keep the handle within reach and off the cargo. That model has a 1,000-pound working load limit per strap. The 1-inch by 16-foot retractable model winds the webbing back into its housing when you release it, saving you from rolling up a loose strap at the end of the day. Its working load limit is 500 pounds per strap.
For covering parts or gear in an open bed, Gorilla also offers Tough and Max Tough tarps. Both lines use UV-treated material and reinforced D-ring corners, and Gorilla lists them by their finished dimensions. The Tough line goes up to 12 by 20 feet, while the heavier 14-mil Max Tough comes in sizes from 6 by 8 feet to 10 by 14 feet.
Gorilla Cargo Control
For the Toughest Jobs on Planet Earth. Incredibly Strong Tarps and Tie Downs.
Intellitronix
An LS swap gets plenty of attention under the hood, but you still need a dash that can work with it. The Intellitronix AP6005 gauge cluster is designed for 1988–1994 OBS Chevy trucks and supports LS swaps and compatible EFI systems. The cluster handles those connections itself, saving you from finding room under the dash for a separate interface box.
Along with an odometer and trip meter, the AP6005 includes a 12- or 24-hour clock and performance data recall, so you can review recorded data after a run. Intellitronix also offers an optional gear-shift indicator package for builders who want gear position displayed at the dash.
Intellitronix
an industry-leading manufacturer of best-selling designed automotive electronics
Jenvey Dynamics
WINNER Street Rod & Custom Car Product of the Year
Eight intake stacks will change the look of any LS3 engine bay. With Jenvey Dynamics’ LS3 Downdraft Short SDS52 ETA4 Kit (CKCT04S-ETA4), each cylinder gets its own 52 mm tapered throttle body. The display setup pairs those throttles with long billet intake horns and Jenvey’s ETA4 electronic actuator, giving the eight-stack setup drive-by-wire control.
Jenvey moves the injectors farther upstream, where fuel can mix with the air disturbed by the throttle blades at part throttle. The kit comes assembled and balanced with a pair of EFI intake manifolds and two billet aluminum fuel rails. If you’re planning the swap, budget for an aftermarket ECU and long-body Bosch injectors. Those are the requirements Jenvey lists for the short SDS52 setup.
Jenvey Dynamics
Design, develop, and manufacture Motorsport fuel injection throttle bodies and induction systems for clients worldwide.
Kelsey Tire
The right tires can make a restored car look like it just rolled out of an old showroom photo. At the Kelsey Tire’s booth made the point with five very different sidewalls, from a skinny 19-inch wide whitewall to a Goodyear Eagle with bright yellow lettering. Kelsey is the exclusive distributor of the Goodyear Collector Series, a lineup of more than 80 designs spanning the 1920s through 2004. The tires are made in the U.S. using original Goodyear mold designs and period specifications.
For muscle car builders, the F60/15 Goodyear Polyglas GT brings back the raised white letters and bias-belted construction of the early ’70s. If your project calls for a period radial, Kelsey lists GR70/15 Steelgard and GM Custom Tread reproductions in raised-white-letter and white-stripe versions. That’s where it pays to look past the size stamped on the sidewall. The lettering and stripe can matter just as much when you’re matching the look of a particular model year.
The booth also featured a 4.75-19 All-Weather with a nearly three-inch whitewall, a 6.00-16 NDT military tire, and the P225/60R16 Eagle #1 NASCAR with raised yellow letters. That’s a spread that covers everything from wire wheels to a vintage military rig to a late-model NASCAR tribute.
Kelsey Tire, Inc.
For over 50 years, Kelsey Tire has been the exclusive distributor of the Goodyear Collector Series. So, if you’re looking to restore your classic car to its original glory, Kelsey Tire is your go-to shop for period-correct original equipment tires.
McLeod
Media’s Choice Award Winner
McLeod’s booth had several driveline pieces worth a closer look, from a three-disc clutch for a four-digit Mustang to a new take on the Muncie four-speed. The McLeod RXT 3D and Silver Sport M22-style four-speed both earned Media’s Choice Awards.
McLeod RXT 3D Triple-Disc Clutch
The RXT 3D uses three ceramic friction discs and is rated for up to 1,650 hp. The version on display was set up for 2011–2017 Ford Mustangs running a TREMEC Magnum. McLeod designed it for street and track use, with an emphasis on smooth engagement at that power level. The kit includes the flywheel, pressure plate, floater plates, hardware, and hydraulic release bearing.
Read more about the McLeod RXT 3D
McLeod RST HD Twin-Disc Clutch
The 950-hp RST HD uses two hybrid discs, each with full-face organic friction material on one side and segmented ceramic on the other. The organic side helps the clutch engage smoothly in traffic, while the ceramic side adds bite when you lean on it. McLeod offers versions with a dedicated flywheel or an adapter ring, depending on the application.
See McLeod’s RST HD applications
Silver Sport M22-Style Four-Speed
Silver Sport’s take on the Muncie “Rock Crusher” keeps the close-ratio layout, with a 2.20:1 first gear and a direct 1:1 fourth. The 10-spline input versions are rated at 400 lb-ft and come with either a driver- or passenger-side mechanical speedometer provision. The 26-spline version steps up to 425 lb-ft, uses a 32-spline output, and puts the speedometer connection on the passenger side.
Compare Silver Sport’s M22-style four-speeds
Roadster Shop
You expect to see chassis at the Roadster Shop booth. At SEMA 2026, the company gave us a good reason to look at what bolts to them. Alongside a row of new stainless steel headers, Roadster Shop laid out a complete first-gen Camaro exhaust over a drawing of the chassis it was built to fit. If you’ve ever spent an afternoon trying to snake tailpipes around a rear suspension, you can appreciate seeing those bends worked out ahead of time.
RS Design Stainless Steel Headers
The new RS Design Headers lineup includes mid-length and long-tube options for both GM LS and LT engines. Seeing them side by side made the difference easy to spot. The mid-length versions tuck the collectors closer to the engine, while the long-tubes carry the individual primary tubes farther before they merge. Where that collector lands matters when you’re figuring out how to get the rest of the exhaust past the transmission crossmember and under the floor.
Roadster Shop also displayed three application-specific designs. The CYT-64 is for the 1964–1970 Mustang, the LS-CAM3 is for the 1970–1981 GM F-body, and the CYT-200 is for the 1979–1993 Fox-body Mustang. With all seven designs lined up at the booth, you could see how the tube routing and collector placement changed from one application to the next.
Bolt-In Exhaust for the 1967–1969 Camaro SPEC Chassis
Roadster Shop’s new direct-fit stainless steel exhaust is a complete bolt-in system for its first-gen Camaro SPEC chassis, running from the headers to a pair of low-profile 3-inch outlets. Roadster Shop designed the routing in CAD, built the system in precision fixtures, and used 3D scanning and fit checks to verify alignment and clearance. That’s the part that saves you time under the car.
A high-flow X-pipe helps balance flow between the two cylinder banks, while stainless steel mufflers are designed to handle the exhaust demands of high-horsepower engines. Electronically controlled bypass valves let you change the volume and tone at the push of a button. Open it up when you want to hear the engine, then dial it back for the ride home.
Look closer and you’ll spot the braided stainless steel flex bellows and high-temperature polymer isolators. They let the system expand as it heats up and move with the drivetrain while helping keep exhaust vibration from traveling into the chassis. Those are easy details to miss on the show floor, and exactly the kind you appreciate an hour into a highway drive.
Tucci Hot Rods
Ford’s 427 SOHC Cammer made a name for itself on the dragstrip, and those big valve covers still tell you what you’re looking at from across the pits. Tucci Hot Rods’ 427 SOHC Coyote Valve Cover Adapters bring that look to a modern Gen 1 or Gen 2 Ford Coyote V8. The CNC-machined adapters let you mount 427 SOHC valve covers while keeping the Coyote’s factory variable valve timing.
Tucci worked out the details you’d otherwise have to solve one at a time. The adapters seal against the heads with O-rings and use factory-style seals at the spark plug openings and VVT plugs. Each side has an AN-threaded port for crankcase ventilation. The driver’s side gets a threaded oil-fill cap, and the passenger side keeps the dipstick in its factory spot. Tucci includes a fresh set of OEM seals, and you’ll source the 427 SOHC valve covers separately.
