Street Trucks
When dismantling your project car, you probably ran across the crumbling remnants of the original insulation. Old cars are notoriously “leaky” when it comes to heat and sound barriers, making them louder and hotter than the typical daily driver. Sometimes a loud exhaust system overrides the road noise, but you’ll always notice when your air conditioning system never seems to keep the cabin cool. If you’re in the midst of an interior refresh, or a full restoration, it’s a great time to consider new insulation.
There are many ways to add flash to your truck, but some of them are time consuming, expensive or overpowering. Then there’s a product such as Grippin’ Billet door handles. Grippin’ Billet handles will not only add a little sparkle to an otherwise bland part, but they will do so in an easy way without breaking your budget.
Rearview mirrors with LED turn-signal indicators are relatively new, but you will be seeing more and more of them, especially on luxury SUVs and pickups. They are already standard equipment on some models, and probably part of an upgrade premium package on others. They are also now available in the aftermarket.
Always hard at work in the never-ending pursuit to do something just a little different, Darryl Nance and the crew at D&P Classic Chevrolet in Huntington Beach, California, recently added a pair of Chevy Cobalt taillights to one of the mid-’50s pickups that they have been working on. The Chevy is a frame-off project that was completed to exhibit all of the tricks that the D&P team can throw at it, and we were on hand when they installed the late-model lights to the old-time treasure.
Dean Brown was looking for another street rod to build after selling his ’40 pickup truck when he heard about a ’52 Chevy panel delivery for sale. As he’d always been fond of these trucks, he decided to take a look. When he saw the panel delivery he found that it was in reasonable condition and was still running fine with the original six-cylinder engine. The truck’s history showed that it was a Helms Bakery truck in the ’50s and had never been modified.
Most enthusiasts drive a newer car or truck for daily transportation, and we would dare say that most of them are equipped with power steering, power brakes and air conditioning. These are conveniences that most people take for granted and enthusiasts believe their street rods should have the same features.
Smart boat owners know that diesel-powered towing vehicles are wise investments. A diesel powerplant’s premium price is eventually recovered through better fuel economy and engine longevity, and nothing quite compares to the off-the-line towing pull provided by a late-model oil-burner.
While the small-block Chevy is the popular engine choice for many enthusiasts, many are now relying on a Blue Oval heart for their performance bodies. With its link to Ford, the original body manufacturer for many of the classic cars we see today, the small-block Windsor-style Ford engine offers several advantages. When compared to Chevy, the lack of firewall clearance for a number of Chevy engine swaps is due to the rear distributor position of the engine. The front-mount distributor position is the more logical place to drive the distributor and the oil pump. Not to mention, it’s much more convenient.
One of the most misunderstood performance components on any engine has to be the camshaft, or camshafts in the case of our overhead-cam 4.6-liter Ford engine. The difficulty is only compounded when you add forced induction to the mix. From an anatomical standpoint, the camshaft can be likened to the brain, as the cam profile determines how effectively (when and where) breathing takes place.
If you are towing your rig with a ’99-’06 General Motors truck, or a Chevy or GMC vehicle, there’s a good chance you have experienced a strange clunking noise when making slow turns. The clunking noise seems to originate from within the steering column, and some owners can actually feel a small vibration in conjunction with the clunking. If you have encountered this problem, it’s not your imagination, as there appears to be a unique conundrum associated with Chevy and GMC pickups, and their corresponding SUVs.
