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His name is synonymous with what many believe were the golden days of drag racing. This was a time when factories were devising new engines, and some of the best minds in racing explored new and clever ways of applying these new developments to the dragstrip. The mid-’60s were truly revolutionary times in drag racing, and one of the most feared competitors at the time was “Dyno” Don Nicholson. Always the innovator, Nicholson was all about the details, poring over all aspects of his cars until everything was sorted out.

Locked Up

Now that the typical Chevy buildup cars (Novas, Camaros, El Caminos, Chevelles and so forth) are well over 30 years old, most have had several owners and lots of abuse. One important yet often overlooked area during a car’s lifetime is its locks, and by now, most early Chevys have mismatched or missing keys. Some don’t even have any keys or locks when you buy them. If you do find a car that still has its original keys, it is very unusual.

GOLDEN ARCHES

As enthusiasts, when we build our cars, we tend to stuff as much tire under those cars as possible. This is especially important for rear tires that hook the car to the ground while improving its stance. For those interested in drag-racing their cars, you will need to accommodate larger rear tires or slicks. The current hot trend is the 10.5-inch slick, which seems to work well on many applications, but depending on the make and model of your car, it may require modifications to enlarge the rear wheel openings to accommodate the larger rubber.

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MAINTAINING YOUR BATTERY

Increase the Life of Your Battery With a Maintenance Charger

Author

Garry McWhirter

Story and Photography

There is nothing more aggravating than having a dead battery, and it always occurs at the least opportune times. Our street rods are often stored or sit for periods of time. How many times have you decided the weather was perfect for an afternoon cruise and had a problem cranking the car? Better yet, how many times has the battery just died while you were out on the road? We often forget that there are small drains on the battery, such as clock and radio memory. These should not have much effect upon a battery, but we all know differently. It seems that batteries do not seem to last as long as they used to, but there is a reason for that. It is not that batteries are no longer made as well as they once were; it is that we do not maintain them as we should. Now the good folks at PulseTech have come to our rescue.

First, we must understand why the battery should be maintained. The reason why so many batteries seem to die at the worst possible moment is because they can no longer accept or release energy. The cause is an age-old problem called sulfation buildup. As your battery gets older or sits unused for periods of time, lead sulfates on the battery plates enlarge to the point that they can no longer accept a charge or release its stored energy. This buildup is the cause of over 80 percent of all battery failures.

Since it is not feasible to open up your battery to remove this sulfate buildup, PulseTech has developed a system that will help to prevent the buildup and restore the plates. Their ReNew-IT Pulse Technology has been proven by researchers to prevent sulfation buildup on all types of lead-acid batteries. Using a unique ion-transfer process that sends a pulsating DC current into the battery that prevents sulfation buildup. It will also renew a dead battery that suffers from sulfation buildup by removing existing deposits from the plates and enabling them to return to the battery acid as active electrolytes. With the plates clean, your battery will work harder and last longer than ever before. The PulseTech Xtreme Charge Maintenance Charger XC100 incorporates this technology into a compact package that is packed full of features to help maintain your battery.

When the XC100 charger is connected to the battery, it will first perform a test to evaluate the current condition of the battery. If the charger registers less than 7 volts of power on the battery, it will tell you that the battery is bad and will not perform. The charger illuminates a red “bad battery” LED indicator. Remember, this is a maintenance charger, not a quick-start charger. The charger will activate its pulse charging system if the battery can be recharged. A row of green LEDs lights sequentially as the charging occurs. The charger also continuously conducts tests on the battery to evaluate its condition. The state of charge will be indicated at 25, 50, 75 and 100 percent as the pulse charge continues. Once the battery reaches a 100-percent charge, the charger continues to monitor the condition of the battery. It will not overcharge the battery. If it detects a drop in the battery, it will return to charging, thus maintaining the battery at full charge.

Using a maintenance charger makes good sense if you store your street rod for any period of time. It can prevent unwanted and unexpected battery failures that occur after winter storage. The XC100 can also bring a failing battery back to life and help it last longer.