hot auto review

Dirt and grease buildup on the battery, wire harness, and spark plug wires can seriously degrade electrical and ignition system performance.

Most hot rodders keep their engine compartment clean primarily because, well, it looks cool and is downright sanitary. But there are definite performance advantages in keeping oil and grease off the ignition wires, as well as acid buildup off the battery. Not only will it keep electrical parts from deteriorating more quickly, but sometimes debris and acid buildup can actually create its own weak current-path. The resultant current leakage can cause shorts, misfires, and even mysterious battery discharge problems. You can use a spray-can of Gumout carburetor cleaner (www.gumout.com) and a rag to wipe-down grungy wires. Although it takes a little more effort, a milder household cleaner like Formula 409 (www.formula409.com) also works. Clean up the battery case with some Arm & Hammer (www.armhammer.com) baking soda mixed with water.

Dirt and grease buildup on the battery, wire harness, and spark plug wires can seriously degrade electrical and ignition system performance.

Most hot rodders keep their engine compartment clean primarily because, well, it looks cool and is downright sanitary. But there are definite performance advantages in keeping oil and grease off the ignition wires, as well as acid buildup off the battery. Not only will it keep electrical parts from deteriorating more quickly, but sometimes debris and acid buildup can actually create its own weak current-path. The resultant current leakage can cause shorts, misfires, and even mysterious battery discharge problems. You can use a spray-can of Gumout carburetor cleaner (www.gumout.com) and a rag to wipe-down grungy wires. Although it takes a little more effort, a milder household cleaner like Formula 409 (www.formula409.com) also works. Clean up the battery case with some Arm & Hammer (www.armhammer.com) baking soda mixed with water.

Not getting to run in the Silver State Classic.

Well, the plan was sound. Matt Markstaller at Hot Rod Conspiracy in Portlan, Oregon, built a new Charger to go race the Silver State Classic Open Road Race in Ely, Nevada, and asked if I wanted to drive. Didn't have to ask twice. Silver State is an open race on a 90-mile, closed-off section of Hiway 318 in Nevada (about two hours northof Vegas) and it attracts mostly Corvettes, Vipers, and exotics, but there are all kinds of vehicles present, including some musclecars. Matt had set the SRT8 Charger up with Mopar Performance coil-overs, big wheels and tires, a big wing on the trunk and a splitter for less front-end lift, then bolted a Vortech blower to the 6.1L Hemi. A cage, harnesses, Recaro seats, and a fire extinguisher got us through tech. Our speed class, because we were newbies, was 110 mph, with a 124 mph tech speed. The idea is to run as close to your class speed (winners are within half-a-seond of their perfect time!) and you're not allowed to run faster than your tech speed at any time.

Silver State organizers have added other events over the years to make it an all-weekend deal, so on Friday we ran the 0-100-0 event and Saturday was the standing mile (since we were new, we only ran the standing half-mile). Sunday was the big race so everyone carravaned out to the highway and got in line. We were about 100 cars from the front.

After they had started about 20 cars word came from the airplane scouting the course that a car was upside down and on fire. The race was red-flagged, and then came 5 hours of mass confusion, misscommunication, and the Nevada DOT flexing its muscle. The road had to reopen to the public at 4:00pm, so everyone was getting anxious to get it cleaned up and re-started. They finally did, and we started moving up the line. At 3:15, when we were 13 cars from the start, they determined that we couldn't finish in time so they stopped the race. That really sucked.

The good news is that we followed our new friends Danielle Sarna and Rick Crane, who had been parked right behind us all day in their 996 Porsche, and had more fun than we would have during the actual race, exceeding our tech speed by a whole bunch. As Rick yelled out his window when we split up in Vegas, "Who says we didn't race today!"

It was a good  end to a really disappointing day, and we'll be back. For our effort, hopefully they'll let us run as fast as possible. I'm thinking the 160 class.

Have you ever dreamed of owning an original, all-American muscle car?  Now's your chance!

The Actron and Sunpro "Musclecar Sweepstakes" has arrived!
One lucky winner will drive away in a beautifully restored '69 Dodge Coronet R/T armed with a 375 horsepower ,440 Magnum-powered Mopar legend!
 The Actron and Sunpro "Musclecar Sweepstakes" will commence June 1 and conclude November 30, 2008.  To be eligible, contestants must complete an official entry form available at retail locations where Actron- and Sunpro-brand products are sold, at select shows and events and online at www.musclecarsweepstakes.com.
You can find entry forms at Advance Auto Parts, AutoZone, Pep Boys, or Sears.

Or better yet, at these great shows and events- including all stops on the HOT ROD Power Tour:
     - 2008 HOT ROD Magazine Power Tour; June 7-14; all tour stops; www.hotrod.com
     - Carlisle All-Chrysler Nationals; July 11-13; Carlisle, Penn.; www.carsatcarlisle.com
     - MOPAR Nationals; August 8-10; Columbus, Ohio; www.moparnats.org
     - Goodguys Blue Suede Cruise; September 5-7; Norwalk, Ohio; www.good-guys.com
     - Goodguys East Coast Nationals; September 12-14; Rhinebeck, N.Y.
     - Goodguys Southeastern Nationals; October 24-26; Charlotte, N.C.
     - 2008 SEMA Show; November 4-7; Las Vegas; www.semashow.com
      
For official rules - as well as details of the grand prize '69 Dodge Coronet R/T - visit www.musclecarsweepstakes.com.

Wanna see the cars that will be on the 2008 HOT ROD Magazine Power Tour from June 7-14?  Check out this wicked long-roof at the Flowmaster Mufflers booth, co-sponsor of the HOT ROD Power Tour®.

Donald Hardy of Don Hardy Race Cars will be traveling with Flowmaster with this '61 Ford 2-door Ranch Wagon. Fitted with a 312 Y-block, the car sports a pair of four-barrel Edelbrock carbs, and the combination is backed up with a T-5 manual transmission and a Ford 9-inch rearend. Baer Brakes are found at all four corners inside 18- and 20-inch American Torq Thrusts with BFGoodrich tires.

The PPG paint was applied by Soncy Road Body Shop. Inside, Dooley and Sons stitched the seats. Of course a 2-1/2-inch Flowmaster exhaust system moderately handles the thumping exhaust. See it on the HOT ROD Magazine Power Tour in the Flowmaster booth.