THE AUTO BUILDER

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Kirby Kennedy grew up around street rods in his hometown of Selmer, Tennessee. His father, David, had several rods and even operated his own shop. Kirby hung around Kennedy’s Kustom Auto Shop and helped with many of the projects. He also learned many of the required skills to build a rod along the way. Once Kirby reached high school, he knew quite a bit about the history of hot rodding and had developed a fondness for traditional hot rods. His school required each graduating senior to complete a project before they reached graduation. While only a sophomore, Kirby decided to build a traditional-styled hot rod.

A New Kind of Cool

For most, street rodding is a celebration of creativity expressed in what they build and drive. Some enjoy it for the visceral pleasure that comes from screaming horsepower and boiling rubber, while others benefit more from the family environment this hobby provides.

Beyond the Lift: Navigating New Heights with Upgraded Steering

Steering is one of the two most important systems on any vehicle, along with the brakes. Unfortunately, steering is often neglected for modifications that yield more visual impact, such as suspension lifts and larger tires. These are the exact modifications, however, that make attention to steering so important. Suspension lifts can alter steering geometry while big, heavy tires may cause increased wear to steering components, particularly if the tires are out of balance.

After a springover conversion was performed on the Dana 44 front axle in our ’67 Toyota Land Cruiser, the new spring location interfered with the steering geometry. The draglink was then bent as a temporary fix, but this sacrificed strength and resulted in poor steering angles.

Spotlighter

Product Spotlight: Proform’s Super-Street GM LS Aluminum Roller Rockers

Unlock Maximum LS Power with Super-Street Roller Rockers

Author

The Auto Builder Staff

Photos Courtesy of Proform Specialty Auto Parts U.S.A.

When you’re chasing horsepower, every ounce of wasted motion is power left on the table. That’s why the Super-Street GM LS Aluminum Roller Rockers are worth a hard look. Proform went back to the drawing board and rebuilt their rocker lineup from the ground up—stronger, smoother, and better-looking than ever.

These beauties are machined from lightweight aluminum, anodized in that unmistakable deep blue, and laser-etched with the Proform “P” and 1.7 ratio. But the real magic is inside: full cage bearing trunnions keep things planted at high RPM, while steel roller tips slice friction like a hot knife through 10W-30. The result? More efficiency, more valve lift, and more of that glorious LS top-end pull.

Designed for Gen III LS1/LS6 (1997–2004) and Gen IV LS2/LS4 (2005–present) V8 engines, these self-aligning rockers are a straight bolt-on with the included M8 hardware and pedestals. They’ll even clear valve springs up to 1.400 inches in diameter, giving you room to get rowdy with your cam choice later.

Why We Love Them: Race Tech for the Street

Because it’s not just about making power—it’s about making power reliably. These rockers reduce friction, sharpen valvetrain response, and look good doing it. They’re engineered to handle the abuse of big cams and high RPM, yet still right at home in a street-driven LS. In short: race-bred tech without the “only on Sundays” attitude.