Get Down
How would you like to be able to be able to lower your '55-'57 Chevy by simply adding spindles, and keep your stock ball joints and steering arms, yet have the choice of a wide range of disc brake options? Classic Performance Products' new Modular Drop Spindles allow you to do just that. Precision cast from high-quality ductile iron and featuring 4140 chrome-moly CNC machined pins, they will lower your '55-'57 Chevy a full 2 inches.
The spindles will accept CPP's stock spindle disc kit, should you already have upgraded to it, and will also work with the company's Big Brake kit or Wilwood kits, while offering great tire to fender clearance. For more information contact
Classic Performance Products at (714) 522-2000 or www.classicperform.com.
Weld Done
It wasn't that long ago that TIG welders were the preserve of high-end fabrication shops, but we've seen them in use more and more in home shops recently, and HTP America's new Invertig 160DC will only increase their number. An affordable, fully featured TIG welder capable of handling steel and stainless 4130 chrome-moly tubing, as well as other ferrous metals, it's easy to operate and features amperage adjustment on the front of the welder or remotely with an optional foot pedal or torch mounted control, as well as a pulser that allows the operator to DC pulse TIG from 0.5Hz to 300Hz.
The Invertig 160DC welds up to 5/16-inch steel, weighs in at just 32lbs and operates on 110 or 220 volts. It also comes with HTP's 70 minute "Welcome to the World of TIG Welding" DVD. For more information contact
HTP America at (800) 872-9353 or www.usaweld.com.
Buick To Ford The Easy Way
It's been a decade now since Walden Speed Shop introduced their 6061-T6 billet hubs, which are direct replacements for old iron Ford hubs and allow easy fitment of Buick drums to Ford spindles as all the machine work has already been done. Featuring multi-lug patterns (5 1/2 1/2-, 4 3/4 3/4-, and 4 1/2 1/2-inch) for your favorite wheel selection, they are supplied with screw-on dust covers, as well as bearings, races, and seals.
Bobby Walden has these hubs on his personal '46 Ford sedan which has covered more than 133,000 miles, so you can be assured they've been thoroughly road-tested! For more information contact
Walden Speed Shop at (909) 623-3747 or www.waldenspeedshop.com.
They Did It Again
There are plenty of cars out there that have had their steering upgraded and now feature modern tilt columns but retain the period dash-and the billet type turn signal, shifter and emergency flasher knobs that come with the column may not suit the interior. Ididit, Inc. has once more made available a series of Retro knobs to complement their Standard and Deco knob ranges.
Available in chrome, black powdercoat, and brushed or polished aluminum, choose which style best suits your ride. For more information contact
ididit at (517) 424-0577 or www.ididitinc.com.
Flipping Out
If you're running aftermarket smoothie wheels and are having trouble finding hubcaps to fit, check out these new single bar flippers from Rally America. They're designed to snap fit and one size will fit both 14- and 15-inch smoothies.
The cap itself is chromed steel, with an aluminum flipper, and evokes images of early customs. For more information contact
Rally America at (559) 347-9665 or www.rallyamerica.com.
There And Back
In bumper-to-bumper or stoplight-to-stoplight traffic, fuel circulation is critical to prevent fuel from heating and percolating in the lines before it reaches the carburetor. At idle, fuel demand is low, but the pump continues to operate, and an electric pump can apply pressure, raising the boiling point of the fuel. The lines soak up heat and poor performance is the result as the fuel vaporizes at the carburetor. By circulating fuel back to the tank it never sits in the inlet line.
Quick Fuel Technology designed this Fuel Line/By-Pass Regulator combination to allow the fuel to constantly flow. It works for most 4150-style carbs and requires a fuel return line, which attaches to the bottom of the regulator, to help prevent vapor lock and erratic throttle response. For more information contact
Quick Fuel Technology at (270) 793-0900 or www.quickfueltechnology.com.
Consolation Prize
Impala Bob's is a leading supplier of restoration parts and accessories for classic Chevrolet cars and trucks, and continues to expand its range of hard-to-find restoration parts. In addition to consoles for '61-'62 4-speed and '64 Impala SS models, a complete console assembly is available for the '63 Impala SS, both 4-speed or automatic-equipped models.
The consoles include the storage bin, lid, and lock, courtesy lamp, SS emblem, and engine turned aluminum trim, and while the original mounting brackets can be used, often consoles are completely missing, so Impala Bob's has reproductions. Individual components can be purchased too, should you only have some parts missing. For more information contact
Impala Bob's at (480) 981-1600 or www.impalas.com.
Having A Ball
Let's face it, the cars we like are old now, and the shoebox Ford is celebrating its 60th birthday in 2009. If you're driving around with the worn kingpin-equipped front suspension, you're not exactly enjoying the most modern handling characteristics. Jamco's new Tubular A-arm Ball Joint Conversion eliminates the kingpins and uses a more advanced ball joint to provide better handling, improved steering, and an all-round better ride.
The kit includes tubular upper and lower A-arms, ball joints, cross shafts, seals, spindles, complete disc brake package with pads and hoses, coil springs ranging from stock height to 3-inch drop, and matching shocks. No modifications are required to fit this bolt-in kit. For more information contact
Jamco at (951) 549-1441 or www.jamcosuspension.com.
Wound Up
We showed you So-Cal Speed Shop's new Speedshock in our "Spring Rate versus Mounting Angle" story last month, and figured you may want a little more information on them as they've only just come on the market. Brush finished from 6061 aluminum, the coilovers feature a 10-position rebound adjustment, black powdercoated silicone wire springs-offered in 250lb, 300lb or 350lb spring rates-and a collar nut for quick pre-load changes.
For added strength the piston shaft is 9/16 inch, while the mounting eyes feature urethane bushings. For more information contact
So-Cal Speed Shop at (909) 469-6171 or www.so-calspeedshop.com.
Rockin' A Classic
You may have seen the intriguing advertisement for Rocket Racing Wheels in our November or December issues, wondering what was under wraps. The first wheel from this new company is a classic one-piece cast aluminum five-spoke design, precision crafted from A356 aluminum and designed and tested to meet or exceed U.S. D.O.T. requirements and SAE standard. The spokes are low maintenance matte finish while the rim is machined, with an aluminum O-ring center cap.
The wheels are available in a huge variety of backspacing and offset sizes, with diameters of 15-inch and 17-inch, to enable them to fit a number of applications, from highboy roadsters, through fat fendered cars and '50s and '60s cruisers and musclecars. For more information contact
Rocket Racing Wheels at www.rocketracingwheels.com.
Under Pressure
One of the most common problems associated with GM's overdrive transmissions has always been damage caused by throttle pressure cable problems, but now Gearstar Performance Transmissions has developed a fail-safe Maximum Pressure Valve Body System for 700-R4 and 200-4R transmissions which automatically reverts to high pressure in the event of a misadjusted or damaged throttle pressure cable, letting you know there is a problem and not allowing the transmission to burn down.
Gearstar's Vacuum Lock-Up System denies lock-up to the torque converter under aggressive throttle application, and their Level 2 small-block package is rated up to 400HP, the package including a 12-inch furnace brazed flanged hub converter with a carbon fiber lock-up clutch, TransGo Competition Reprogramming Shift Kit and Competition Kit, and 300m hardened steel input shaft and hardened expanded capacity clutch drum with billet race and sleeve. All Gearstar Transmissions are extensively dyno tested and calibrated for the correct shift points of your engine and set up for the correct type of speedometer you are using at no extra cost. For more information contact
Gearstar Performance Transmissions, Inc. at (800) 633-2353 or www.gearstar.net.