PERFORMANCE UPGRADE
July 30, 2024
THE AUTO BUILDER
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2026 Pigeon Forge Spring Rod Run
When Pigeon Forge hosts the Spring Rod Run, it doesn’t just put on a show—it takes over the entire town.
From April 16–18, the LeConte Center at Pigeon Forge was ground zero for some of the cleanest, hardest-hitting builds in the country. Inside, it’s all business—high-end restorations, pro-touring muscle, detailed customs, and serious contenders chasing Top 25, Ultimate 5, and King of the Hill. It’s the polished side of the Rod Run, where the bar is set high and the details matter.
BRIGHT ORANGE
When Mitch Meyers was but a pup back in 1986, he experienced one of the greatest days of his life: He received his first ride, a ’71 Dodge stepside pickup. Now, the truck wasn’t anything like the one shown here, but it wasn’t a bad canvas for a cool high school cruiser, and the $700 purchase price was just right.
Cimtex Super Cameo: Part 11
Here’s Part One Of Two On Chopping The Top Of Our Twin-Supercharged, ZR-1-Powered ’56 Chevrolet Big-Window Pickup
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Pyramid Optimized Design: The Builder’s Secret Weapon
November 20, 2025
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When a build needs to go from “cool idea” to “everyone’s talking about this,” the pros call Pyramid Optimized Design. They’re the team behind some of the most talked-about show cars on the planet — using custom automotive design services to transform raw ideas into fully engineered, show-winning, road-ready components. Pyramid doesn’t just make parts. They bring visions to life, concept to completion.
INSIDIOUS
March 24, 2025
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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.
A 2000 EL CAMINO
December 12, 2024
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Regardless of where high school student Wyatt A.K. Freitas of Makawao, Hawaii, drives his very unique ’83 Chevrolet El Camino around the island, he always gets the same response: “I didn’t know that Chevrolet made a 2000 El Camino.” Of course, we know that they didn’t, but maybe Chevrolet should have.
XTREME LEE
September 23, 2024
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To the uninitiated, this may look like the General Lee ’69 Charger featured in varying numbers on “The Dukes of Hazzard” television show. A closer review tells of an even greater historical connection. Xtreme Lee is as much a statement of intent as it is the car’s moniker, and when you’re pressed into the seats, there’s little question it lives up to its name.
Classic Looks For A Classic Camaro
September 24, 2022
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Back in ’69, the average Camaro came with an instrument panel that most people today would find pretty pointless. Aside from the speedometer and fuel gauge, there wasn’t much going on in the way of information. Most functions, such as oil pressure and engine temperature, were monitored by a series of dummy lights, which meant you were pretty far gone by the time they blinked. By then most of the damage had been done. We don’t know what the auto experts at the time were thinking of…maybe saving a nickel. In an effort to fix all that and to update the instrument panel so that it would provide information, H&H turned to Covan’s Classic and AutoMeter gauges. They have created an up-to-date yet nostalgic instrument panel containing all the customary gauges with a look that is right for this project.
Dress Up Your 496
July 16, 2023
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There’s no denying that the MerCruiser 496 has been a success. But no one is claiming that it’s a sexy beast. The plastic engine cover has been referred to as a George Foreman Grill or a turtle back. Vortech Engineering thought it could help out in the visual area, and the company’s new dress-up kit is a big improvement.
Included in the kit is a Vortech flame arrestor as well as a new polished billet engine cover that transforms the look of the 496. Maveric Marine had a 25-foot Cole in the shop that was darn good-looking, but the owner hated the black plastic engine cover. As soon as Maveric owner Eric Bortman heard about the new Vortech kit, he made plans to install one.
CLASSIC RECONSTRUCTION
February 28, 2024
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Kinney Lazarus has owned several Jeeps over the years, and he had an interest in owning one of these vintage Willys pickups. While searching the Internet one day, he came across a running ’52 Willys 4WD pickup in Arkansas. He purchased the pickup online and had it shipped to his home in Georgia. Once he had possession of the truck, he quickly found that the performance of the original flathead four-cylinder engine left a lot to be desired by today’s standards. Also, being accustomed to a more modern ride, he found that the outdated suspension was less than desirable. In general, this classic Jeep was no fun to drive.
FORD HANDLING GUIDE
December 12, 2022
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Although modifying a car to handle well can often seem like a black art, virtually every aspect of handling comes down to three things: the weight of the vehicle, the traction generated by the tires, and the distribution of weight on each particular tire at a given moment.
CIMTEX SUPER CAMEO: PART 9
July 16, 2023
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After 1-1/2 years of preparing a rock-solid foundation for our Cimtex Rods-constructed ’56 Chevrolet Super Cameo pickup, the time finally came to hang sheetmetal, but not without experiencing a few major disappointments. “All I can say is, before you buy a truck cab or any kind of old car body, look before you leap,” commented Darrell Cimbanin of Cimtex Rods after picking up our ’56 Chevy big-?window cab from True Grit Sandblasting in Hutto, Texas. This cab was in worse condition than we originally thought. It’s easy to disguise what appears to be a good-looking truck cab with plastic filler and a nice paint job. Sometimes even the experts can be fooled.
JEEP INVASION 2026: THE SMOKIES GOT CRAWLED
September 10, 2026
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For three wild days in August, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, didn’t just welcome the Jeep community—it was completely overrun by it. The 2026 Smoky Mountain Invasion stormed into the LeConte Center August 20–22, bringing an army of Jeep owners, clubs, builders and aftermarket heavy hitters from across the country.
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: SuperMatic 4L75-E Four-Speed Automatic Transmission
June 27, 2025
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If you’re stuffing big power into a classic muscle car, restomod, or street bruiser, don’t let your transmission be the weak link. The SuperMatic 4L75-E REMAN from Chevrolet Performance is the no-nonsense, overbuilt four-speed automatic your LS-powered project has been begging for—and Gandrud Performance Parts has them in stock and moving fast.
THE BIG ONE
August 6, 2026
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Extreme weather temperatures and high gasoline prices didn’t keep participants from attending the Street Rod Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky, on the weekend of August 3-6, 2006. Street rods from all over the country drove to the Street Rod Mecca, and all 11,664 rods and participants were in for a pleasant surprise. On Thursday the weather was hot and humid, but a cool front rolled through and the rest of the weekend featured Chamber of Commerce weather with temperatures in the mid 80s.
