CURE FOR A CLUNKER
November 28, 2022
THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
Keeping Your Cool
Even though we all dream of blasting through the desert at 130-MPH like Robby Gordon, most of our 4×4 adventures take place at a much more reasonable pace. Unfortunately for our engines crawling along a boulder strewn dry river bed or climbing a goat trail through a mountain pass does not always allow enough airflow to keep our engines cool with a belt driven mechanical fan. Belt driven fans are designed to keep your engine cool when traveling down a street or highway not while crushing boulders at 3-MPH and 1,500-RPM. So what can we do to keep our rigs from boiling over this summer? Follow along with us as we install a pair of 11-inch electronic cooling fans along with a programmable fan controller both from SPAL USA.
CHEVY TRUCK ID: 1934-1972
Most of our truck-building buddies can date and identify any truck you can come up with from any distance, even from deep in a grove of trees and clear across a fairground show-’n’-shine. That’s what truck guys do: They enjoy identifying a rusted old fender at a swap meet…
CANDY LEXUS
The Lexus IS300 is not only stylish in its outside appearance, but because of its acceptance as a true sports sedan by most tuner enthusiasts, it’s a desirable starting base for creating a potent street performer. This RWD Lexus is factory-fitted with the rugged 2JZ-GE 3.0L DOHC inline V-6 engine, as used in Toyota Supra models in past years and updated with VVT-i Variable Valve Timing. It also features double wishbone front and rear suspension systems, as equipped from the Toyota factory. A limited-slip differential option helps put the power to the ground, and the edgy Lexus body produces an impressive 0.29 coefficient of drag. This is definitely a slippery package with both good looks and ample performance.
Spotlighter
Winter WOW
World of Wheels Chattanooga Kicks Off the Show Season
Just after New Year’s, when the cold really starts settling in, one of the first major indoor car shows of the year rolls into town. The O'Reilly Auto Parts World of Wheels Custom Auto Show has become a yearly tradition—mixing hot rods, customs, and classics with a dose of pop culture to create a winter event that gives the whole family a reason to get out of the house.
Author
Jamie Dent
Photography by Scott Killeen
58th Annual Chattanooga World of Wheels
The 58th annual Chattanooga edition took place January 9–11, 2026, inside the spacious Chattanooga Convention Center. Held every year during the second weekend of January, the event transforms more than 100,000 square feet of exhibition space into one of the South’s premier indoor showcases of custom automotive craftsmanship.
A Stop on the Legendary World of Wheels Circuit
Part of the legendary World of Wheels circuit, the Chattanooga stop brings together an impressive mix of hot rods, customs, classics, motorcycles, and radical builds—all polished and displayed under bright convention hall lights. For builders and enthusiasts across the Southeast, it’s a chance to debut winter projects, connect with fellow gearheads, and kick off another year of car show season.
A Winter Tradition for Car Enthusiasts
Blending serious automotive creativity with entertainment and family-friendly attractions, World of Wheels continues to deliver the kind of high-energy indoor show that has kept it a winter tradition for nearly six decades.
