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All summer you’ve dreamed of passing all those boats that have blown by you since June. Now that time has come. You plunk down a large stack of greenbacks for a nasty supercharger and wrench all weekend bolting it in. Now comes the moment of truth. As you tear down the lake, all eyes are on the gauges, and the oil pressure is heading south too quickly. What could be wrong? You let off the throttle for a bit and all the vital signs return to normal.

We’ve ran into this exact scenario before. We installed an R-Tech Supercooler on the ProCharged Dorr’s Marine Engine 502cid motor in our Baja 250ES. The install was a huge success with a whopping 9mph increase in top speed. The boat worked well, but what we weren’t expecting was the huge increase in oil temperature from the gain in horsepower. If we had stayed on the throttle for a good 5,000-plus-rpm run, the oil temperature would have shot for the moon and oil pressure would have dropped to an uncomfortable level, forcing us to back out—what fun is that?

Remembering Angelo Giampetroni: The Bridge Between Detroit Speed Shops and Ford Motorsport

The automotive and motorsports world has lost one of its most influential figures with the passing of Angelo “Junior” Giampetroni. A pioneer, promoter, and passionate builder, Angelo helped shape the hot rodding and drag racing scenes from the postwar boom through the modern era. His impact can be felt not just in Detroit, but across the globe—from gritty speed shops to high-level factory performance programs. Angelo wasn’t just part of the culture—he connected it all together.

SUM OF THE PARTS

Jason Whitfield never intended to hot rod a station wagon. It just sort of happened. You see, he had this Mitsubishi Diamante wagon that Rage Performance and NuFormz used as a parts-getter. After a few runs, the guys decided that the car needed some better tunes. As the parts pickup runs got longer, they decided to add TVs. When a few extra parts were lying around—like a Turbonetics T04/T03 turbo and an intercooler—they just sort of made their way onto the car. The parts were already paid for, so why not use them?

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Drop ‘N’ Stop

Superior Spindles’ 2-Inch Drop Mixed With Wilwood Brakes

Author

Bob Carpenter

Story & Photography

Why Disc Brakes Are a Must for a ’55 Chevy

Getting a ’55 Chevy to sit at the right ride height is as easy as installing a set of 2-inch drop spindles, such as those from Superior Spindles and others. Getting the big ol’ car to slow down offers many more choices as well, and as long as you’re swapping spindles it is an excellent time to install those long-overdue disc brakes. When you think about it, it doesn’t make good sense to put a newly rebuilt tri-5 Chevy on the same road with stock OE cars with ABS four-wheel disc brakes. If ever you came upon a situation where a car ahead of you had to stop in an emergency situation, the performance of even a stock set of disc brakes will far “outdistance” your drum setup, meaning you would not be able to stop in time and could well end up in the trunk of the car ahead of you. Not good.

Stage I, Stage II, and Stage III Brake Options Explained

The standard swap (let’s call it Stage I) involves installing a 10-1/2-inch rotor, and that’s plenty for most people. The next step up (Stage II) is to use a kit to install a 12-inch 1LE Camaro rotor and a ’79–’81 Camaro caliper (also used on the Astro van). This kit typically sells for around $600, but it will widen the track a bit, so wheel selection is somewhat affected. Another step up (Stage III), involves using a 12-3/16-inch two-piece rotor and aftermarket Wilwood calipers. Superior Spindles’ version of this kit sells for around $1300, and it does not widen the track because Wilwood’s hat doesn’t use any adapters.

Installing Superior Spindles and Wilwood Brakes on a ’55 Bel Air

It just so happens that we knew of a shop that was about to install a Superior Spindles kit on a ’55 Chevy two-door Bel Air, so we elbowed our way into the place and set up camp with our cameras and notepads. This car already had a cheap set of drop spindles on it and a ho-hum set of 10-1/2-inch rotors, but the owner was definitely not happy. The braking performance, while better than the stock drums, was not nearly as good as he had hoped it would be, and he swore that he could feel the flimsy caliper mounts flex during braking. Whatever the reason, he wanted them off, and he brought the car to T&R Performance in Simi Valley, California, to get the work done correctly.

Stage II vs Stage III—A Real-World Comparison

Tim and Ron Porco also happened to have a Stage II kit in stock, to go along with the Stage III kit ordered for this car, so we took the opportunity to install both, giving you a nice comparison. Superior Spindles uses 4140 heat-treated chromoly for its spindles, and the kits include everything needed (seals, bearings, pads, and braided lines). The rotors in the Stage III kit are drilled and slotted for a more aggressive look.

Clean Install and Proper Fitment

The installation was surprisingly smooth and quick, or maybe it’s just that we are used to so many other installs having glitches and quirks that it made us take note when it all bolted right on and everything fit. Follow along and we’ll show you what is involved to swap in the Superior Spindles and Wilwood brakes on a car that was not up to par.

1. This ’55 is not stock, but it needs more help in the braking department.

2. A backside view shows that this car has air bags and plenty of wheel clearance for bigger rotors.

3. The stock spindles with 10-1/2-inch rotors added are marginal, and the ill-designed mounts flex during hard braking. The owner wanted to upgrade, and we concurred.

4. Since the usual tap of a hammer on the side of the tie-rod end wouldn’t knock it loose, Tim Porco uses a pickle fork.

5. The old spindle is removed and tossed into the garbage bin.

6. The new spindle from Superior Spindles is installed onto the ’55.

7. Tim threads on the spindle-mounting nut.

8. Tim slips the 12-inch rotor over the spindle.

9. Bearings are included in the kit. They must be packed with grease before assembly.

10. After the spindle nut is tightened, the dust cap is tapped on.

11. Tim slides the caliper into position.

12. Using a wrench, Tim tightens the caliper.