FUEL SYSTEM FUNDAMENTALS
December 13, 2022
THE AUTO BUILDER
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REDEEMING THE FORGOTTEN Y-BLOCK
When Ford introduced its Y-block engine in 1954, it labeled the engine the worthy successor to the venerable Flathead. The Flathead gained a loyal following of hot rodders and racers, but the big Cadillac overhead-valve V-8 and Oldsmobile’s Rocket 88 were stealing Ford’s thunder in terms of power, so something had to be done, and Ford decided to respond. The answer was a clean-sheet V-8 design, featuring overhead valves and improved cooling compared to the old Flathead. It was dubbed the “Y-block” because of the way it looked and because of its deep skirt and tall cylinder heads.
THE LONG HAUL
Around 1993, Bob Marion purchased a ’40 Ford cabover cab, but at the time he didn’t have anything he could do with it. He didn’t worry about it; he just thought of plans here and there, and after a full decade of on-and-off planning he finally decided it was time to do something with the old cab. He took it to Rich Brandl Sr. at Superior Custom Classics Inc.
Ford Fever in the Smokies
Every September, the Smoky Mountains turn Ford blue when the F-100 Supernationals takes over Sevierville, Tennessee. This isn’t just a truck show—it’s the largest gathering of classic Ford haulers on the planet, and it’s been pulling fans in for decades. If you’ve never been, imagine rows of F-series as far as you can see: bone-stock survivors, slammed shop trucks, high-dollar builds, lifted 4x4s, and everything in between. Other Fords are welcome too, so whether it’s a compact pickup or a big block Mustang, there’s a spot for every Blue Oval fan.
Instrumental Insurance
All of your hard work and efforts could go up in smoke before you have a chance to do anything about it. That is, unless you have a quality set of gauges to monitor initial and ongoing engine parameters. Gauges allow you to know exactly what is going on within
Hot Stuff
When I got a call from Craig Lieberman, marketing director of MagnaFlow Performance Exhaust, to tell me about the company’s new Ti line, I was totally stoked. Not because it had anything to do with titanium, but because I was going to get a firsthand look at what the new
THE BIG SHOW AT 58
When a particular car show carries a popular tradition for nearly 60 years, it’s really saying something about the organization that puts the show together. For 58 years, hot rod enthusiasts have been attending the Grand National Roadster Show, now located in Pomona, California, to witness the finest cars in
Too Cool
When Billy Durant approached Louis Chevrolet about designing a new automobile, Chevrolet was a famous race car driver whose exploits in the Indianapolis 500 were legendary. The year was 1911 and Durant, who could see the writing on the wall for his horse-drawn buggy business, figured who better to design
Product Spotlight: Dynamat Xtreme Bulk Pack
If your ride still sounds like a tin can at speed, it’s time to get serious. Dynamat Xtreme isn’t a luxury add-on — it’s a foundational upgrade for builders who want their cars to feel tight, solid, and finished. This is the same material trusted in high-end customs, competition cars,
GRAND DADDY
It doesn’t matter whether this event is held in Oakland, San Francisco or San Mateo—it still gives builders the incentive to strive to win the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) title. For the past two years, the Grand National Roadster Show has been held in San Mateo, just south of
SENSUOUS AT SUNSET
It’s a mammoth effort—building world-class street rods, that is, and to accomplish the goal generally means employing the skills of craftsmen from all across the country. Dave Tucci Jr. is one of the “young gun” rod builders on the scene right now, but he has enough experience to know that
REVVIN’ UP AT THE ’07 AUTORAMA
Regardless of our residential location, there seems to be a specific show that we just can’t stand to miss. It’s a show we anticipate all year long, and we can’t imagine a season without attending it. It certainly isn’t the city it is held in that’s alluring; it’s the quality
THOROUGHLY MODERN MUSTANG
As a longtime automotive enthusiast, Susan Alonso was looking to make a statement with a car she had admired ever since it set off the pony car craze over 36 years ago. After all, the 1965 Mustang still has a fresh a look today, and being that this particular example
LITTLE DEUCE COUPE
LEGENDARY. For something to become a true legend (which actually may be a contradiction in terms), it must survive a certain amount of time. Our Funk & Wagnalls tells us this: “Legend (lej’end) n. 1. An unauthenticated story from earlier times, preserved by tradition and popularly thought to be historical.
THE AUTO BUILDER
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GNRS 2026 Truck Showcase
Hot rodders used to scoff at the idea of trucks stealing the show. Not anymore. The 2026 Grand National Roadster Show (GNRS) proved that custom trucks aren’t just workhorses—they’re rolling showcases of power, design, and pure cool. From slammed classics to full-throttle modern bruisers, trucks dominated the floor, making it clear: the truck takeover is official.
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.
Short of a Restoration
By name alone, Reflections Restorations attracts enthusiasts whose worlds revolve around period-correct classics, muscle cars and other favorites built in the Motor City over decades past. Then again, not all of the exquisite creations emerging from this Cabot, Arkansas-based creative shop reflect originality, as an equal number of customers these days prefer a more modern approach to the cars they’ve found and have been attracted to for so long.
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Instrumental Insurance
January 26, 2026
No Comments
All of your hard work and efforts could go up in smoke before you have a chance to do anything about it. That is, unless you have a quality set of gauges to monitor initial and ongoing engine parameters. Gauges allow you to know exactly what is going on within
Hot Stuff
January 26, 2026
No Comments
When I got a call from Craig Lieberman, marketing director of MagnaFlow Performance Exhaust, to tell me about the company’s new Ti line, I was totally stoked. Not because it had anything to do with titanium, but because I was going to get a firsthand look at what the new
THE BIG SHOW AT 58
January 21, 2026
No Comments
When a particular car show carries a popular tradition for nearly 60 years, it’s really saying something about the organization that puts the show together. For 58 years, hot rod enthusiasts have been attending the Grand National Roadster Show, now located in Pomona, California, to witness the finest cars in
Too Cool
January 16, 2026
No Comments
When Billy Durant approached Louis Chevrolet about designing a new automobile, Chevrolet was a famous race car driver whose exploits in the Indianapolis 500 were legendary. The year was 1911 and Durant, who could see the writing on the wall for his horse-drawn buggy business, figured who better to design
Product Spotlight: Dynamat Xtreme Bulk Pack
January 16, 2026
No Comments
If your ride still sounds like a tin can at speed, it’s time to get serious. Dynamat Xtreme isn’t a luxury add-on — it’s a foundational upgrade for builders who want their cars to feel tight, solid, and finished. This is the same material trusted in high-end customs, competition cars,
GRAND DADDY
January 15, 2026
No Comments
It doesn’t matter whether this event is held in Oakland, San Francisco or San Mateo—it still gives builders the incentive to strive to win the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) title. For the past two years, the Grand National Roadster Show has been held in San Mateo, just south of
SENSUOUS AT SUNSET
January 14, 2026
No Comments
It’s a mammoth effort—building world-class street rods, that is, and to accomplish the goal generally means employing the skills of craftsmen from all across the country. Dave Tucci Jr. is one of the “young gun” rod builders on the scene right now, but he has enough experience to know that
REVVIN’ UP AT THE ’07 AUTORAMA
January 12, 2026
No Comments
Regardless of our residential location, there seems to be a specific show that we just can’t stand to miss. It’s a show we anticipate all year long, and we can’t imagine a season without attending it. It certainly isn’t the city it is held in that’s alluring; it’s the quality
THOROUGHLY MODERN MUSTANG
January 9, 2026
No Comments
As a longtime automotive enthusiast, Susan Alonso was looking to make a statement with a car she had admired ever since it set off the pony car craze over 36 years ago. After all, the 1965 Mustang still has a fresh a look today, and being that this particular example
LITTLE DEUCE COUPE
January 9, 2026
No Comments
LEGENDARY. For something to become a true legend (which actually may be a contradiction in terms), it must survive a certain amount of time. Our Funk & Wagnalls tells us this: “Legend (lej’end) n. 1. An unauthenticated story from earlier times, preserved by tradition and popularly thought to be historical.
THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
Rock Crawling the Sport That Defines Champions
February 14, 2024
Beyond Restoration
June 17, 2024
FINALLY, A JON MOSS SPECIAL EDITION
May 19, 2025
HOW A G-MACHINE WORKS
Not your ordinary Hemi Challenger, this low-slung, force-fed, Hemi-powered G-Machine has more going for it than meets the eye, although what you see initially ain’t all that bad. The R/T hood and subtle R/T markings don’t begin to tell the whole story. Designed by Jason Rushforth, this E-body Mopar has some serious long and fat legs.
SMOKIN’ SS – Part 5
If you’ve ever built a car from scratch, then you know that getting the basic body and chassis together is not the tough part. What’s tough are all the details that eat up hours, days and weeks, but without this attention to detail, the project would suffer.
SUBTLE STANDOUT
From the low-key approach applied to this ’55 Chevy, it’s obvious that Jack and Gail Jenkins’ reasons for building it were based around applied craftsmanship, when you take into account the subtle style it displays. While the bodywork and paint are flawless, there’s little sign of the modifications beneath it, or the effort that went into them.
Spotlighter
Instrumental Insurance
January 26, 2026
No Comments
All of your hard work and efforts could go up in smoke before you have a chance to do anything about it. That is, unless you have a quality set of gauges to monitor initial and ongoing engine parameters. Gauges allow you to know exactly what is going on within
Hot Stuff
January 26, 2026
No Comments
When I got a call from Craig Lieberman, marketing director of MagnaFlow Performance Exhaust, to tell me about the company’s new Ti line, I was totally stoked. Not because it had anything to do with titanium, but because I was going to get a firsthand look at what the new
THE BIG SHOW AT 58
January 21, 2026
No Comments
When a particular car show carries a popular tradition for nearly 60 years, it’s really saying something about the organization that puts the show together. For 58 years, hot rod enthusiasts have been attending the Grand National Roadster Show, now located in Pomona, California, to witness the finest cars in
Too Cool
January 16, 2026
No Comments
When Billy Durant approached Louis Chevrolet about designing a new automobile, Chevrolet was a famous race car driver whose exploits in the Indianapolis 500 were legendary. The year was 1911 and Durant, who could see the writing on the wall for his horse-drawn buggy business, figured who better to design
Product Spotlight: Dynamat Xtreme Bulk Pack
January 16, 2026
No Comments
If your ride still sounds like a tin can at speed, it’s time to get serious. Dynamat Xtreme isn’t a luxury add-on — it’s a foundational upgrade for builders who want their cars to feel tight, solid, and finished. This is the same material trusted in high-end customs, competition cars,
GRAND DADDY
January 15, 2026
No Comments
It doesn’t matter whether this event is held in Oakland, San Francisco or San Mateo—it still gives builders the incentive to strive to win the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) title. For the past two years, the Grand National Roadster Show has been held in San Mateo, just south of
SENSUOUS AT SUNSET
January 14, 2026
No Comments
It’s a mammoth effort—building world-class street rods, that is, and to accomplish the goal generally means employing the skills of craftsmen from all across the country. Dave Tucci Jr. is one of the “young gun” rod builders on the scene right now, but he has enough experience to know that
REVVIN’ UP AT THE ’07 AUTORAMA
January 12, 2026
No Comments
Regardless of our residential location, there seems to be a specific show that we just can’t stand to miss. It’s a show we anticipate all year long, and we can’t imagine a season without attending it. It certainly isn’t the city it is held in that’s alluring; it’s the quality
THOROUGHLY MODERN MUSTANG
January 9, 2026
No Comments
As a longtime automotive enthusiast, Susan Alonso was looking to make a statement with a car she had admired ever since it set off the pony car craze over 36 years ago. After all, the 1965 Mustang still has a fresh a look today, and being that this particular example
LITTLE DEUCE COUPE
January 9, 2026
No Comments
LEGENDARY. For something to become a true legend (which actually may be a contradiction in terms), it must survive a certain amount of time. Our Funk & Wagnalls tells us this: “Legend (lej’end) n. 1. An unauthenticated story from earlier times, preserved by tradition and popularly thought to be historical.
