Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2023 i Hemmings Muscle Machines

We car enthusiasts tend to find certain vehicles to really connect with… A few of the cars and owners we’re highlighting in this issue got me to thinking about the concept of the “ultimate” car. In this case, ultimate would be used to mean the owner’s idea of the most perfect iteration of his or her chosen model. We car enthusiasts tend to find certain vehicles to really connect with, and from there it seems a natural progression to start thinking about the best version that can be imagined — and then possibly setting out to make it real. The owners of some of our feature cars all appeared to be motivated by that drive in one way or another, and I think it’s a mindset many of us can…

MODIFIEDSPOTLIGHT: B-O-P BOB BACHMAN’S INFATUATION WITH PONTIACS, and more specifically, GTOs, started when he was a youngster called upon to work on weekends. While most kids look to avoid work when they’re not in school, Bob didn’t mind his “job” at all. “When I was a kid, I would spend my Saturday mornings doing something I loved,” Bob explains. “Those days were spent with my grandfather, who had a very important job as far as I was concerned. He was a salesman at Jones Pontiac in nearby Lancaster, Pennsylvania, our local Pontiac dealer. He would bring me in and let me tag along, following his every move as he did his job. I loved hanging out with him and of course, getting to check out the finest cars in the…

GM MINI STARTER INSTALLATION Q: I have a small-block Chevrolet 305-cu. in. engine and a 168-tooth flywheel. I am trying to get a mini starter for it. Many of the open-nose starters I have researched have a two-bolt, straight-across bolt pattern; however, my block uses a staggered two-bolt pattern. Do you have any idea why this is, or am I looking for the wrong application? Tony Li Via email A: For an open-nose starter, we would suggest you locate a Powermaster Powermax Plus 1.4-kw unit (#9112), which incorporates both the open nose and a three-bolt pattern, allowing you to use either installation set-up. A 2.2-kw unit is also available from Proform (#66267) for higher compression engines with the same three-bolt pattern. Powermaster units are available from many automotive retail suppliers,…

… I kinda prefer a collection of scars, a little rust, and a lifetime guarantee. Ever since the first humanoid, still wet behind the ears with primordial ooze, realized he needed something to cut, scrape, stab, or whatever, tools have been around. From rock to bronze to steel, a tool is a tool, and we still need ’em today — perhaps more than ever. Plus, for a car person, tools are like jewelry — that’s why we keep them in a box. Tools develop in lockstep with social and mechanical evolution. As new products are released to the market, new tools are required to fix them. It’s a natural progression. Wagons evolved into the automobile, and wagon tools worked nicely to repair them both at first. As the automobile became…

SPOTLIGHT: B-O-P THERE’S CONSIDERABLE CONSENSUS THAT the muscle car era reached its peak in 1970. After that, it seemed the government and insurance companies actively conspired to bring the fun to a halt. Tamed engines outfitted with additional smog equipment were deemed necessary to save the planet, while rising insurance premiums on performance machines sought to save corporate profits… and maybe to save us speed demons from ourselves. With few exceptions, compression cuts, more conservative camshaft profiles and ignition curves, and other rudimentary emission stopgaps were put into effect across the board by auto manufacturers as they yielded to government mandates. And as any gearhead worth his or her chrome valve covers already knew, these changes resulted in lower performance and higher fuel consumption as the compromised engines struggled to…

Letter of the Month: Collecting Keepers Reading Terry McGean’s editorial “Shifting Standards” (HMM #233, January 2023) and “Restoration Education” in the January issue of your sister pub, Hemmings Classic Car, really brought back memories of my early interest in cars that began when I purchased my first car in 1968: a ’64 Falcon Sprint hardtop for $500 (I still have it). After taking it to a service station for some engine issues that were not resolved, it became apparent to me that in order to keep a car on the road, I would need to learn how to do the maintenance work myself. And learn I did. Over the next two decades I bought more than 65 cars, most for less than $500; did mechanical work, body and paint work,…

STOCKSPOTLIGHT: B-O-P INPUTS WE RECEIVE DURING OUR YOUTH VERY OFTEN set the tone for direction in adult life, and for Jim Mueller and the Oldsmobile marque, that sentiment certainly holds true. You see, Jim grew up surrounded by Oldsmobiles during his formative years, so it’s of no surprise that he might own a Lansing classic as an adult. Yet what is surprising is the fact that until this particular ’66 showed up on his radar screen in 2017, he’d been without his own Olds since his very first car — a ’66 Cutlass four-door he purchased in 1973. “I’ve always been into cars and trucks, but for whatever reason, I really gravitated to the Jeep scene for my adult-owned vehicles,” Jim says. “More recently, I wanted to get back to…

E-85 COLD START Q: I have a 2015 Silverado with 110,000 miles on it. Due to price of fuel, I have been using E-85 for about five months. It costs me about 2-3 miles per gallon in mpg, but seem to have plenty of power. Lately, when the temps are lower in the mornings (22-23 degrees F), the truck seems to need to crank over more before firing off. My question is, will I be able to use E-85 all winter in Iowa, or could new plugs and wires help? I don’t want to blend fuel. I’d appreciate your thoughts. Merle Hoppenworth Slater, Iowa A: Ambient temperature does affect how various fuels will perform. E-85 does not vaporize as easily as even E-10. In most parts of the country…

HELLEPHANT HIGHLIGHT SPEED DAWG • 866-906-7801 • SPEEDDAWG.COM • $89.95 The Mopar Hellephant 426 Crate Racing Stripe Shift Knob is a new addition to the licensed Mopar series of knobs dedicated to the popular behemoth Hellcat engine. Measuring at a 2 ⅛-inch diameter, the shift knob is adorned with inlaid black racing stripes, a blue Mopar 426 Crate logo on top, and Hellephant logos on both sides. All graphics are subsurface, so there is no way to scrape or wear off the design. The polymer resin knobs are made to meet performance level torque and temperature requirements and they have a 16 mm x 1.50 solid brass insert that comes with a threaded brass adapter and jam nut in your choice of more than a dozen thread sizes. Each weighs…