Making a Statement in Steel and Patina:
Hodson Motors Ford F600 Dually

Say what you will about the patina craze we see at SEMA but the distinct weathered ‘n’ worn look just works on certain builds. The trend has come full circle as we’ve seen multiple examples of perfectly fine truck bodies get primered and scuffed up on purpose.

But the father and son duo at Hodson Motors in Las Vegas, NV handcrafts miracles out of the forgotten American iron from decades past. And just when you thought you have seen every iteration of Ford F-series pickup, this 1956 Ford F600 Crew Cab creation rolls in.

“We’ve had this truck for almost seven years,” son Riley Hodson jokes. “It’s always been the ugly duckling in the collection, always been a nightmare to drive. Now it’s excellent and fits in with our other trucks.”

…“the father and son duo at Hodson Motors in Las Vegas, NV handcrafts miracles out of the forgotten American iron from decades past,”...

EVs at SEMA 2022

The Electric Age is Upon Us

EVs were one of the major topics at the 2022 SEMA Show. With a dedicated space called “SEMA Electrified”, several EV manufacturers displayed their stock to modified creations. The all-new Ford Lighting was featured with an overland theme. And you can’t miss the abundance of Teslas sitting on air ride suspension.

SEMA 2022: Impressions

SEMA is Finally Back to Its Full Potential

You never know how much something will be missed until it’s gone, and the SEMA comeback continues with pent-up demand for the world’s wildest custom cars, trucks, and everything in between. After pandemic hiccups, 135,000 attendees this year pointed out that the show content and overall vibe felt as bullish as any before. Mix in a few hot platforms like the Nissan Z, the revised Toyota GR86, and exploding trends in the safari car, big truck, and offroad world, and all the ingredients for a killer SEMA Show were present.

The fiery Nissan Z is in high demand, and there were dozens of examples in all stages of modification. A few Z-cars already had widebody kits and high horsepower while many owners are still waiting for deliveries or suffering dealer markups nearly double the sticker price.

We can’t forget legendary platforms like the Mazda RX-7 FD, Subaru STi, Toyota Supra or the Nissan GT-R. Whether a current-gen or throwback creations like the all-carbon R32 GT-R that Garage Active shipped from Japan. This carbon fiber creation is over 1000hp from the HKS-equipped RB30 feeding a sequential gearbox. Their latest carbon fiber masterpiece misted with Midnight Purple paint was just stunning and only rivaled by Pagani V12-powered FD RX-7 that had us conflicted.

SEMA wouldn’t be SEMA without a battalion of lifted trucks, SUVs, and Jeeps in the outdoor lots. Whether built to be a mallcrawler or a legitimate overland contender, most were too pretty to run into a puddle. Every possible approach to truck modification was on parade, right on down to a tub -chassis old school Toyota 4Runner with a big-single 2JZ, a ‘Yoda widebody pickup with exposed suspension geometry, along with Domestic V8 rigs running monster tires and tank tracks.

The 2022 edition of SEMA hosted many driving demos in the lots surrounding the Las Vegas Convention Center and hosted a new Influencer Award that was bagged by photographer, Larry Chen. While the SEMA numbers appear healthy, we expect the current trends to be further boosted by dwindling gas prices and a stable economy.

SBN All-Female Bronco Build Graces SEMA 2022

The Ladies at SBN Show off their Hard Work

The 2021 Wildtrak Bronco is beefed up with Ford’s Performance EcoBoost power pack performance calibration, TurboSmart Kompact EM Plumb Back Valve VR19, aFe Power Momentum GT Cold Air Intake with a Pro 5R Filter, and AWE Tuning 2.7L Cat Back Exhaust suite.

For the chassis, it’s fully equipped with ICON Vehicle Dynamic’s 3-4” Lift Stage 8 Billet suspension system, Bronco Duster stage 3 Billet Aluminum Housing and Bushing kit, and Steersmarts Yeti XM Bronco Rear Adjustable Track Bar.

It features a custom designed and installed wrap done by Terra Strada Design. Equipped with Advanced Fiberglass’ 2” flare, 1” rise fenders, quarters and ram air hood, Baja Forged’s full-size Crawler front and rear bumpers with full size skid plate, Warn VR EVO 10-S winch, Factor 55 Ultra hook and Cascadia 4×4 Hood Solar Panel, Air Compressor, TRED Pro Recovery Boards and Jack by ARB; 37” Spare tire mount, Ford Accessories LockNLoad roof rack, Yakima Skyline tent, Ford Research and Advanced Engineering Lit Bronco Grille, Oracle Lighting, Brackets & Switches, and MEK Magnetic products.

As for the interior, it is furnished with Katzkin Seat custom leather seat covers, Goose Gear rear seat delete and icebox module with storage drawer, Ford Performance 50 QT Classic Fridge by ARB, all-weather floor mats, Molly bags, and In Vehicle Console Vault by Ford Accessories.

It rolls on ICON Alloy’s 17″ Satin Black Thrust wheels wrapped in the all-new 37” Milestar Patagonia M/T-02 tires. Tying everything together are McGuard’s Black Lug Nuts with a custom engraved SBN logo.

Products and companies that supported the build include Ford Motor Company, PPG paint (Paint Supplies), Seymour Paint (Undercoating Products), Summit Racing (Miscellaneous Supplies), Adenna PPE Supplies, TRAC Tire assistant products, UTI Long Beach, CA (Paint Facilities), MRT Performance (Facilities, Fabrication & Paint Supplies), 5 0’ Clock Garage (Build Support & Miscellaneous Supplies), SEMA Garage (CA & MI Facilities), and Duralast Battery donated by AutoZone.

Shop Talk With Demello Offroad: Navigating the Rough Trails of Small Off-Road Business

Jason Demello of Demello Offroad in Riverside, California is pretty much a household name in the Toyota off-road community. Today, the Demello brand offers bulletproof armor for Tacoma, Tundra, 4Runner, FJ Cruiser, select Lexus GX models AND the brand new Ford Bronco. Bumpers and sliders are Jason’s game when it comes to fabrication, and as far as suspension and installation goes, his team can handle it all at their SoCal location. From overlanding to rock crawling and everything else in between just happens to fall right inside of Demello Offroad’s all-encompassing wheelhouse.

Has it always been THIS good for Jason Demello though? Nope. Not even close. As what seems to be the story for most successful small businesses, trials and tribulations are prerequisite in order to make it on over to the sunny side of the street. Sure, there are always day-to-day operational obstacles to wrangle with but surviving just to face the problems of an established, profit-turning business is a struggle and right of passage on its own.

We had the opportunity and pleasure to chat it up with Jason, as he filled us in on his personal experience through the long days and longer nights associated with starting a passion-fueled business and keeping Demello Offroad afloat for so many years. You may have known bits and pieces of his story, but we were able to get down to the very bottom of where Demello Offroad all started and where its headed.

State Of Speed: Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for us, Jason. First off, tell us about your experience during the first phase of starting Demello Offroad. 

Jason Demello: I started in my apartment garage in South Orange County but within two weeks, management served me a notice that there were multiple complaints about the noise I was making. Hindsight looking back, it was silly to think that would last. Those garages were meant for storage in a fairly new and rather high-end complex, and I was plugging in my 110 welder into the same outlet as the garage door opener. I learned where the breaker reset was real quick.

During that time I was working a full time job doing shipping and receiving for a small genetics start up company, and after hours I had to resort to bouncing around from the garages of friends and family who would let me work on my project. I cut all the material and bent the tube with my Harbor Freight bender, and frankly, those first three sets of sliders I made by hand were pretty bad—SO bad that someone on the TTORA (Toyota Tacoma Off Road Association) forum called me out for having piss poor welds and called me ‘amateur hours’, which I guess I was.

SoS: That’s harsh. How did you take that criticism? 

JD: It stung but that guy was right. I made the choice to then make the best, be the best and take criticism as a way to grow instead of allowing it to push me back. I also made weld quality my top goal, so I practiced day and night to get better. Often after work on a Friday night, I’d sit in 2+ hours of traffic going to San Bernardino where one of my first business partners (Frank) lived. He had a small garage at his house where we could work. I’d camp out there all weekend working non-stop from morning into the night building sliders and bed bars. Good friends like David Hale and Dan Lilo also helped make things possible by agreeing to work for lunch, dinner or whatever else I could offer for their time.

SoS: Teamwork does make the dream work, huh? What platform truck did you start out building for and what year was this all happening? 

JD: It was mostly Tacoma based back then in 1998-2000 even though these trucks were still relatively new in the off-road world. Most of the guys and companies focused on older Toyota trucks and considered the Tacoma a Camry with big tires.

SoS: So nothing for Chevy, Ford or Dodge trucks back then? 

JD: In those early years we experimented with S-10s, Nissans, Fords, and basically anything we were requested to make but I’ve always been a Toyota guy. I’ve always been familiar with them and if I don’t know something about a Toyota off the top of my head, I can usually find the answer real quick.

SoS: How long did you spend working in other people’s garages?  

JD: We got out first shop in 2002-2003-ish. I ‘clocked in’ there after work every day since it was now just down the street from my full time job. I even had one or two employees at the time cutting material all day or spray-painting sliders for me until I went full time in October of ’03 just after my son was born in June of that year. It was an exciting and tough time that’s for sure.

SoS: That is a big commitment going full time. What were some notable hurdles you ran into and what advice could you give to someone looking to turn away from 9-5 life to start their own shop: 

JD: Wow, there are so many hurdles! I don’t think small business is for everyone and I really wouldn’t recommend it for most people. You really need an advantage to get ahead and stay on top. You need family money, a house to pull money out of, a dad with knowledge, a dedicated shop space, tools—ANYTHING that gives you an advantage. I didn’t have any of those things. All I had going for me was being too dumb to know when to give up.

I once heard Will Smith say in an interview something about running on a treadmill. He’s so competitive, that if you were to challenge him to see who could run farther and longer, he may die trying to beat you. That’s how I felt about building stuff. I don’t know how to stop. I I know I’m not the best, and I make mistakes but was so lucky to be blessed with the ability to blindly go forward when working on something. 

It’s also worth noting that I had no shortage of good friends over the years that helped promote and build the business with me—I couldn’t have done it without them.

SoS: Sorry to focus on the bad times, but can you recall one specific issue that really knocked you back on your ass? You know, “the things that didn’t kill us, made us stronger” type of scenario?

JD: 2008 in general may have been the toughest notable problem. We were just hitting our production stride. The FJC had come out and we bought a new one in the hopes that we could make enough money off it to make the monthly payment. That vehicle blew up and we got slammed with orders. We moved into a bigger shop, hired more employees, took on more expenses and suddenly it was all cut off like the world had stopped turning overnight!

We had to make some tough choices, lay off important people at the shop and really had to evaluate what our shop space was going to be used for. I realized that I wasted a lot of time on my dream rock crawler and race truck projects I was never going to finish. I also didn’t need the lathe that still had no power running to it. I allowed myself one project at a time and sold everything else off. 

I also subbed out stuff instead of trying to bring it all in-house, which is a common mistake I see a lot of shops do. It’s tempting in the short term. It makes sense—even in the long term but the problem is doing it at the right time. I’ve seen really large companies in this industry go from 300 in-house employees to reducing to just a fraction of that in one day. We’ve hit many roadblocks, but this was the biggest eye opener for me.

SoS: So you’d say that 2008 was harder to deal with than the impact of COVID? 

JD: Yes and no. It was a great to have a surge in business during these last two years but it threw everything else out of whack. It permanently raised the prices of so much stuff in our industry. Customers think that we are making a killing because our prices keep going up but honestly looking around the room and seeing what everyone’s charging for similar products, we are all most likely losing money or at lease making less than we were before it all started.

SoS: So taking this into consideration, what would you consider is now Demello Offroad’s bread and butter items/services? 

JD: Bumpers for sure. We are trying to focus on installations because over our 20 years in business, we’ve seen a shift. In the beginning, we often offered free install because honestly people would do it themselves but now people want cheap and fast but they don’t want to get their hands dirty. Unfortunately we are seeing people buy cheaper products made overseas or offered by big box stores. I’ve seen this coming for a while, and I hope I am wrong but because of this we have been currently pushing installations a lot more and just carrying more products.

SoS: Well, folks are going to need a shop to install that eBay lift kit that didn’t come with proper instructions, right? What trends in the current marketplace do you particularly like/dislike and what would you like to see more/less of in the future?

DM: The trend of pushing Toyota towards being a follower and not a leader worries me. If you cut me, I will bleed Toyota but when I saw the new Bronco coming out, I ordered one over two years ago. I swear they took every complaint from a Toyota FJC and Toyota 4Runner owner over the last 20 years and built them exactly what they wanted—minus the reliability and symbol on the hood. We got our Bronco and honestly it’s a home run. I’m just jealous that Ford did this and not Toyota because I don’t see Toyota coming out with a real frame SUV with a removable top, front and rear lockers sitting on 35s, and with tons of power to spare. I mean the new 4Runner is nice but it still falls short of the Bronco in my opinion BUT reliability has its place too. I wonder how long that will play a factor though with warranties extending way out and people trending towards more features and caring less about reliability. I’m just curious where this will lead.

SoS: Ford did not play around with the Bronco release, that’s for sure. Well, are there any new products we can expect to see from Demello Offroad in the near future? 

JD: Oh yeah, rear 4Runner bumpers for ’03-current, rear GX bumpers, and finally a Tacoma rear bumper. Oh, and of course Bronco parts, which I am personally working on at home and on the weekends so I don’t cut into the production of new Toyota parts.

SoS: We’ll keep out eyes open for all of that freshness! Well, thanks for chatting with us for a minute Jason. Is there anything that we didn’t cover or something you’d like to add? 

JD: I’d just like you for the opportunity to tell my story. I’m not a large business owner with a huge bank account or big ego that needs stroking. I’m just another guy who likes to go off-roading. While you may go into an office everyday or we may have completely different types of jobs, we are still the same. So please, if you see me on the trails come say hi. I started doing this because I love everything off-road. I love the outdoors. I love meeting new people who enjoy the same as me. 

SoS: Thanks for keeping it real, Jason.

To stay up to date on product releases and news updates from Demello Offroad check in online at demello-offroad.com or give them a follow on Instagram @demellooffroad. If you prefer a live phone conversation, give them a ring at 866.333.6525 or if all else fails drop by at 12785 Magnolia Ave., Riverside, CA 92503. Either way, they’ll be glad to hear from you. 

Dirt, Mud, Sand & Beyond: Demello OffRoad’s Solid Axle Swap 2005 Toyota Tacoma

In the world of custom trucks, there’s basically no limit on what can be done. This goes for throwing parts, hours of labor and/or cold hard cash into a project. As a grand example of just what we mean, we reached out to Jason Demello of Demello Offroad in Riverside, CA to get a closer look at his very special 2005 Toyota Tacoma 4×4 double cab that he affectionately calls “Big Red”. 

Yes, this truck is quite big—and red BUT this truck is so much more than that. We had an opportunity to spend some time in the dirt with Jason to see what his Tacoma was all about because at first sight, it’s apparent that it’s not like the rest. “Long story short, we wanted to be the first to do a solid axle swap (SAS) on a new Tacoma back in 2005, so a ‘friend at the time’ bought a new truck and dropped it off at the shop”, Jason says. “We started cutting off the front suspension while it still had paper plates on. It was brought back to us in 2011 to add a rear 3-link, and we ended up acquiring the truck outright in 2020 with plans to give it a complete facelift, which it so badly needed.” 

Now, for those who are familiar with Demello Offroad as a company, you’ll know they specialize in the Toyota Tacoma platform, as well as 4-Runner, Tundra and FJ Cruiser and Lexus GX models. Jason started the business in his garage and continues to deliver bulletproof armor options as well as full off-road builds for enthusiasts and trucks of all levels from extremely capable overland machines to mall crawlers—and he does so without judgment, even in the latter direction. He just loves working on these types of vehicles, which is why he’s been at it for so long. 

…He just loves working on these types of vehicles, which is why he’s been at it for so long...

“The most frequent question I get asked from trucks owners is how much a truck like our SAS Tacoma would cost”, Jason admits. “There really isn’t a correct answer for that. What I do is counter their question by asking how much money they are willing to spend, and how capable they are of doing some of the work on their own. This Toyota is pretty extreme and it’s definitely not for everyone.”

Now, Jason will be the first guy to talk you out of wasting your hard earned money at his shop. “You don’t need a truck this crazy to go off-road”, he admits. “Hell, most 4×4 Toyota trucks and SUVs are more than capable of taking you places you never thought possible!” Now with that information in mind, do remember that even though ditching a Tacoma’s comfortable IFS suspension for a front solid axle swap isn’t exactly everybody’s cup of tea, Jason and other likeminded folks who are addicted to scaling wicked rocky terrain, gaining crazy front wheel articulation is of utmost importance. “The best advice I can give anyone is to build what you can and enjoy it!” 

What Jason truly enjoys is climbing rocks. That is clear to see with the Tacoma’s custom front and rear 3-link systems with ARB lockers, solid axle front and rear Currie RockJock 60 setups and a fully customized frame front to back, as well as the Marlin Crawler box, which just happens to be Jason’s favorite part of the build. “It really is cheating. The Marlin Crawler makes rock crawling so much easier and is a definite must-have.”

This Tacoma obviously screams that it can go anywhere it damn well pleases with ease, and to assist in that are the Patagonia M/T tires from Milestar. These rugged hunks of rubber are designed to conquer rocks, mud and dirt without missing a step. The more treacherous the terrain, the harder these tires work, which is a huge component in the Tacoma’s ability to provide pure off-road bliss. 

…This Tacoma obviously screams that it can go anywhere it damn well pleases with ease, and to assist in that are the Patagonia M/T tires from Milestar...

Now, when Jason took ownership of this truck, he planned on making it look like a completely different truck than before. The Tacoma was originally silver in color, but the fresh Toyota Radiant Red paint looks so much better on it. So do all the 2022 Tacoma panels from McNeil Racing. Of course, Jason made sure to showcase Demello Offroad’s own products with the new front bumper, sliders and roll cage that was finally finished up years after it was started years ago in the shop. “Our lead fabricator worked his magic on that cage I began back in the day, and together, I think what we accomplished with truck since we’ve owned it has created a whole new attitude that it was begging for”, Jason says of the job well done. 

As extreme and over-the-top as this Tacoma may be, it’s the exact truck Jason needed it to be to both as a visual representation that potential customers can see what’s possible through Demello Offroad, as well as an adventure rig that he can whip around on his free time and at expo events. Speaking of events, Jason has a great story to tell about the first time this Tacoma debuted back in 2005. 

“We had to roll the truck into the Off Road Expo that year due to a missing 3^rd link bolt, which was replaced at the last minute with a grade-5 bolt from Home Depot. That detail was forgotten about until the first time it was taken off-road at the Gate Keeper at Duran Falls in Calico, CA. The front axle broke loose when that bolt failed in front of a crowd of 100 people. Needless to say, we were embarrassed BUT it was a humble reminder to never overlook the ‘small’ things in any scale of truck build.” 

Milestar XPDN4 Cascadia: An Overland Trek Through Oregon’s Many Exciting Landscapes

Evil 1956 Jeep Willys:
The Ultimate Off-Road Adventurer

There comes a time in one’s life when “fitting in” takes a back seat to being unique and truly different than the rest of the pack. Pat Soffe (@offpvmt) of St. George, Utah found himself in this exact category while figuring out what vehicle to build. His major prerequisite was one that could keep up with his off-roading, rock crawling habits—but that all changed before he even began.

…Just make sure to measure the height of the door before you get started though…

As the sun started to set on Pat’s time with his 2001 Jeep XJ, he began weighing the pros and cons of building a newer Jeep—a JL. Unfortunately, the cons quickly posed a very real sign to go into a different direction. “The first deterrent of building a new JL was the price of a new JL”, Pat admits. “Purchasing a brand new stock condition vehicle that would need so much additional money invested to match the capabilities of our old Jeep was just too cost prohibitive.”

With the towering monetary barrier causing Pat to find another way forward, he began scouring the used JL market, but was soon hit by another block in the path. “We took our old XJ to three JP Magazine Dirt & Drive events among other meets throughout the years, and something that kept telling us to stray away from going with a Jeep JL was that literally EVERYBODY else had a JL. I wanted something that would get noticed and stand out.”

While Pat still didn’t know exactly what kind of rig to build next, he did start watching past Four Wheeler magazine’s Ultimate Adventure videos in hopes to find nudge in a certain direction. “I was going through hours of coverage to get some bit of inspiration, and then there it was”, Pat says excitedly. The vehicle he spotted was a 1949 Willys truck, and it belonged to JP Magazine’s own Verne Simons. “I was instantly hooked. I soon found myself literally taking screen shots of as many photos as possible of Verne’s truck. As luck would have it, I had a chance meeting with Verne at the Lucas Oils Off Road Expo in Pomona, California. It was that exact moment that solidified my decision to build a 1956 Jeep Willys truck.”

With the big picture crystal clear in his mind, Pat soon embarked on his own Willy’s build—starting with a 1997 Jeep TJ frame. “We literally started with a blank slate”, he says. “The humble beginning allowed for the build process to move ahead rather simply.” First, that TJ chassis was stretched at the top of the rear axle rise and extended 42 inches to provide a proper place to mount the bed, as well as obtain a 118-inch wheelbase. The front Dodge Dana 60 Kingpin and the rear GM 14-bolt axles were then built up before the custom front 3-link Skyjacker suspension setup, as well as a rear 4-link system that both feature TJ 2.5-inch dual rate springs and ADX reservoir shocks were assembled.

To handle the terrain shredding, rock climbing duties Pat was after, he selected a set of TR Beadlock HD17 wheels and 40×17-inch Milestar Patagonia tires that are well known for their established prowess out in the wild. So far, Pat’s Willys project was showing some real promise while on the ground floor. Next, he would begin the process of finding an adequate power source to fuel the level of adventure he had in mind for his soon-to-be assembled pickup.

Pat could’ve run with many different engine options but he ultimately chose a 2002 GM 5.3L LS power plant, as well as a Monster TH400 transmission to propel his truck through the elements. The LS provided modern reliability, as well as more than enough horsepower and torque to get him out into the great wide open and back home again. To keep the engine cool even during the hottest day in the desert, a Champion 3-row aluminum radiator with a Spal fan was selected, which is actually a Jeep CJ V-8 conversion that fit the bill perfectly.

…The first deterrent of building a new JL was the price of a new JL…

Now as far as the ’56 Jeep Willys truck cab, front end and bed, Pat didn’t do a whole lot to prep it for installation onto the frame. The natural 66-year-old patina, which is impossible to duplicate otherwise, was left in place as a nod to the experience this truck has seen in action. Pat did include many new conveniences to the Willy façade in the way of a front and rear bumpers, a Warn winch and a whole arsenal of Rigid LED lighting, which is required equipment for the environment Pat tends to frequent.

Next, the interior space within the cab was completely Raptor lined before it was outfitted with a set of Corbeau Baja XP seats, light gauge sheetmetal door panels and aircraft style toggle switches. The Willys’ cabin is comfortable enough to allow Pat to navigate his truck through some pretty rugged terrain without feeling like he was roughed up too badly at the end of the day.

Now that we see a physical manifestation of Pat’s latest rig build, the many questions regarding the ‘how’s’ and ‘where’s’ behind the project begin to surface. While he does have some fabricating experience, he didn’t put the truck together at a professional shop. “This truck was built in its entirety in a two-car garage”, he says proudly. “While I did have some know-how to go on, not so much with our old XJ, which was put together with mostly off-the-shelf parts, I never put together anything of this magnitude before.”

Once the dust settled, Pat begin to look right where he started to prove that his creation was ready to take on the Ultimate Adventure—the very event that gave him the inspiration to put the truck together in the first place. While he was told that the unique and not-often-seen trucks are usually selected to participate in the event, his truck was not chosen the first time he applied. He did, however, get in on it the next year. “It truly was an adventure of a lifetime”, he states. “During the entire 6 days of the event, we only encountered two problems—a rock hole in the trans pan and a shorted wire in the ignition switch. It was great to see how it performed in the event that ultimately pushed me to build it.”

Pat did share with us that his first real trip in the truck (even before the whole Ultimate Adventure experience) was a rip through the famed Rubicon trail, which he completed in one day—14 hours. The truck was mostly untested at that point, but he just had to get out there and match his build up against the realest of proving grounds.

“I couldn’t have made it to this point without seeing what Verne Simons did with his Willys truck first”, Pat says with great pride. “Once I got started with my truck, I gathered a lot of support from some very awesome manufacturers. A huge THANKS goes out to Milestar Tires, Skyjacker Suspension, TR Beadlock Wheels, Motive Gear, Rigid Industries, PowerTank and Warn Industries. Here is proof that you too can build a legit rock crawler in a two-car garage. Just make sure to measure the height of the door before you get started though.”

Mike’s One-of-a-Kind Bosozoku Van

Mike’s van is one of those vehicles that literally everyone has an opinion on. Not just car enthusiasts because it’s fairly uncommon to see a RHD vehicle in the states, more uncommon to see a Hiace and obviously a one time event to see Boso-style Van like this one.

Mike imported it basically as-is from Japan so it fits in with the “vanning” style over there a lot more than some of the vans that were built over here to mimic the Japanese machines. This one is as real as they come.

Bosozoku style is loud, colorful, and strange. It translates to “running-out-of-control” and originated in the ‘50s when gangs of young people would drive around recklessly with bikes and cars that were flashy and strange enough to draw everyone’s attention as they did it. They wanted to be seen defying the laws and their vehicle was a huge help.

This subsect is known as ‘vanning’, and while some vans clearly pull from the visuals of Bosozoku, they’re a super niche sector that doesn’t even fully conform to Boso criteria. Some of the vans have been used by Bosozoku gangs for transporting bikes on longer rides, particular to meets and shows. Even though they are closely related to Bosozoku they are still viewed to be part of vanning as a primary definition.

…It translates to “running-out-of-control” and originated in the ‘50s when gangs of young people would drive around recklessly with bikes and cars that were flashy and strange enough to draw everyone’s attention…

Something that seems to separate Japanese car culture from others is that they are more collectivist and it shows in the way they build vehicles. America lands a 91 on the individualism scale, being unique matters greatly here, demonstrating who you are matters here and we use every outlet from pet, to shoe, to car to tell the people around us who we are and how we differ. We want to seem and feel special. Japanese culture has similar style sectors but you seem to see more strict rules played out throughout the modification process in order to maintain group cohesion.

When I approach a story I usually ask myself what does this car say about its owner or how is it unique, what is the covert meaning? When I asked myself the same question of this van it was clear that it wasn’t designed to say a lot about its owner but it was designed to compliment and contribute to the vanning culture at large.

The primary purpose of these builds, it seems to me, is a sense of culture and group cohesion. On their own they seem outrageous and unique but when a group gets together, a true spectacle is made.

…it wasn’t designed to say a lot about its owner but it was designed to compliment and contribute to the vanning culture at large…

Seeing Mike’s van over here is super out of place and that makes it perfect for American individualism. Vanning builds community in Japan and shows uniqueness in the states, it just goes to show how car cultures evolve and change and grow as they cross borders.

I think I’m not the only one who would love to see a Japanese-style close-knit Vanning club put down roots on this side of the ocean, but for now Mike’s will have to fly solo.

JDM Classics take the Spotlight at State of Speed Los Angeles

March’s State of Speed Los Angeles event was presented by Milestar Tires and was in collaboration with Sonkei Blue Social & OCJM, so it was a special one to say the least. The chosen theme was Japanese Classics, which usually make a pretty big appearance at the meets, but this time around the organizers wanted to specifically highlight that collector community. 

While the cars were the centerpiece, hanging out with friends while sipping Commodity Coffee and eating vegan donuts was, as always, equally important. 

…hanging out with friends while sipping Commodity Coffee and eating vegan donuts was, as always, equally important…

The cars that were spotlighted needed to be 20 years or older. Some incredible examples made the early morning trek out which can be seen in the gallery below.  

The Hot Wheels race track (which has made appearances before) was brought back out for the event and was a total hit with kids (big and small). By 7:30 a.m the whole lot was filled up and the event stayed full and energized until the very end. While Japanese classics were the main attractions, great examples of American muscle, exotics, and everything in between came out.

State of Speed continues to attract consistently high quality vehicles and an ultra- enthusiastic crowd. They plan to continue to host themed events and collaborations for the remainder of the year. Their next spotlight is expected to be BMW v. Mercedes and won’t be one to miss.

Hodson Motor’s 1965 Jeep J60 Dually:
One of a Kind, One at a Time

You’ve seen their trucks before (and are most likely obsessed with one or all of them if you’re anything like us). Their personal collection of insanely cool, larger-than-life custom pickup creations are definitely labors of love, and each one is an example of equal parts creative vision, healthy obsession and attention to detail and purpose.

Of course, we’re talking about the legendary father/son combo Derrick and Riley Hodson. The Hodsons call the outlying dessert landscape of Las Vegas home, which is just far away from the bright lights of the big city to give them all the peace and quiet they need in order to dream up these large-scale truck build before getting down and dirty bringing them to life.

Classic, rare medium-duty trucks are the Hodsons’ forte, and over the years, they have truly developed a design perspective that is uniquely their own—you’ll know a Hodson truck when you see it. The truck itself will be an industrial-grade pickup of some sort that wasn’t meant for the everyday consumer to hold the keys to, but that’s half of the appeal. Once the guys zero in on a truck they want, they located it, dig it out of its long-time place of rest, and apply their own special sauce to the equation. So far, this process has yet to let them down.

…you’ll know a Hodson truck when you see it…

Even though Derrick and Riley specialize in legitimate medium-duty trucks, they also like to drive the trucks they built—otherwise, what’s the point, right? To allow them to have a get more seat time behind one of their own creations, they sat down and developed what they now affectionately call the Jeep J60—essentially a 4-door J10 pickup. If you’ve never heard of this particular model before, don’t fret—it has never existed. Well, until now.

This particular project was designed to be more of a real-world daily driver. Now, don’t get us wrong—each and every one of their builds is painstakingly designed to function well on the road. Broken down, the Hodson’s Jeep J60 consists of a Jeep Wagoneer 4-door that has been sliced at the back of the cab and sealed up with the back wall of a J10 pickup cab grafted in. The rear doors received a great deal of metalwork to further give this creation the appearance of a true 4-door pickup.

…each and every one of their builds is painstakingly designed to function well on the road…

The front of the cab features a 60’s-era Gladiator grille that resides front and center, as well as wide front fenders from Autofab. The rear features a custom bed, a big side step tailgate, and step side fenders that have been widened a whopping 10 inches! The paint color of choice that makes all those cool customizations gel in complete harmony is Ford Raptor Lead Foot grey—and man, does it look good.

Paint isn’t the only Ford component to be incorporated into the creation of the J60, however, as the full-custom body was laid atop a 2004 Ford F450 dually chassis complete with a 6.0 Powerstroke engine and 5-speed automatic transmission. This truck sounds just as good as it looks with that big diesel rumbling underneath the hood, and to give the truck the oversize appearance that is synonymous with all Hodson trucks, 22-inch American Force wheels covered in 37X13.50R22 Milestar Patagonia X/T tires were bolted into position. The roll bar the guys went with is as burly as it looks—even more so, actually. While a lot of roll bar setups are fabricated out of hollow tube pipe, the stuff used here is solid through and through.

Hopping up into the cab is made easier with AMP Research Powerstep running boards, and with just one glance inside the cab, you’d be blown away by how clean the interior space is. Black and grey upholstered seats and other paneling from TMI Products helped make all the difference in updating and upgrading the entire confines of the J60. Creature comforts are never spared in any of the Hodson one-off pickups. While this truck already boasts an impressive lineup of high-end amenities, the guys wouldn’t dare one of their projects be considered finished without Dakota Digital gauges, a full audio system, power windows and door locks, and of course, ice cold A/C.

While the J60 is hardly alone as the single shining star in the deep Hodson stable, it does stand as one of their favorites. This truck does get a little more road time than some of the others, but that was the point of building it. Unless the guys are just planning to go for a cruise without making many (if any) stops, any selection from their lineup would do just fine, but the J60 has been dialed in to give them everything they love to put into their projects, in a slightly more compact package—even through there’s really nothing small about it.

Five years have been invested into this build, and a talented supporting cast in Nefarious Customs, 6651 Customs, Airth Defined, Cheyenne Ruether, Jeeprecyclers.com, and more were sourced to bring it all together. Trucks like these don’t just appear out of nowhere—they require a lot of imagination, skill, patience, and a sh*tload of parts.

Top 10 Air-Cooled Porsches

From 356 to 993, These are the Cars that Built a Teutonic Legend

The air-cooled, horizontally-opposed engine design that Porsche used with great success over decades had humble beginnings as a four-cylinder development of the original Volkswagen powerplant, but grew to become one of the most iconic engines ever found in both sports cars for the street and pure race cars. Here are ten milestones that cover the 50-year history of Porsche air-cooled boxer street cars.  

1948 – Porsche 356

From the rubble of war-ravaged Europe, a small, lightweight, rear-engine sports car based on the basic powertrain design of the pre-war Volkswagen “People’s Car” was created, dubbed the 356. The flat-four engine grew in displacement (from 1.1 to 1.5 liters), valve count (the 4-valve Carrera became optional at the end of 1955) and horsepower (29kW/39HP initially, 118kW/160HP in the most highly developed version) over the 356’s 76,000+ unit,19 year production run.

1964 – Porsche 911

With the 356 still selling but at the end of its development potential, the automaker introduced a new design, retaining the rear-engine layout but adding an additional two cylinders, which bumped the displacement to 2 liters and power to 96kW/130 horsepower. You may not have heard of this obscure model, as production only continued through 1989, but it represented the cornerstone of Porsche’s business model, with a legacy that continues to this day.

1965 – Porsche 912

Concern over the increased cost of the new 911 model compared to the outgoing 356 led to the introduction of an ‘entry-level’ version of the platform powered by a holdover flat-four sourced from the latest versions of the 356. Lighter, less expensive at $4,700 list price, and offering 66kW/89HP, the 912 substantially outsold the 911 at first, but by 1969 production facility realignment and stricter looming emissions requirements in the critical US market led to the decision to end 912 production in favor of the 911 and 914. In 1976, the 912 name was revived for an “E” model to replace the 914 as the bottom step of Porsche’s three-rung performance ladder until a proper successor came on-line. Just shy of 2,100 total 912E models were manufactured during that single model year, and were only sold in the US market. 

1969 – Porsche 914

Born out of a contractual obligation to provide developmental support for Volkswagen and the need to phase out the 912 in favor of a new model, the 914 was originally conceived as being sold as a VW when powered by a flat-four and a Porsche with 6-cylinder power. Concern about the US market and potential brand confusion led to Porsche marketing both models, bringing the long-standing ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ between the two companies to a sour conclusion. The car itself was a success, outselling the 911 and pioneering a rear-mid-engine powertrain layout that placed the engine ahead of the rear axle instead of behind it as it had been in the 356, 911, and 912. Though more than 118,000 were sold worldwide during the eight year production run, a bare 3,300 914/6 models would be produced. Largely overshadowed today by the runaway success of the many 911 models that appeared subsequently, the 914 was in many ways the blueprint for the modern Boxster/Cayman platform. 

1973 – Porsche 911 Carrera RS

The Rennsport (‘racing sport’) version of the classic 911 is widely considered to be one of the most desirable models from a collector’s standpoint, thanks to their improved performance and relatively low production numbers. Porsche, looking for a competitive edge in racing organizations that demanded a minimum number of cars be built and sold to the general public, created the RS as a ‘homologation special’ with a bigger and more powerful 2.7 liter six delivering 154kW/207HP. Other changes from the standard production model were an upgraded suspension, wider rear wheels and tires, more capable brakes, and aero mods that included the now-iconic “duckbill” rear decklid spoiler. In addition to these features of the “Touring”-spec RS, buyers could also tick the Sport Lightweight box on their order form which substituted thinner body panels and glass, saving an additional 220 or so pounds over the already-light 2,400 pound curb weight of the RS Touring.

1974 – Porsche 930

Though officially referred to as the 930 in the US, this variation was universally known worldwide as simply the “911 Turbo”. Introduced with a 3.0 liter engine rated at 190kW/260HP, the 930 had grown by 10 percent in displacement and another 40 horsepower by 1978; while 300 ponies doesn’t sound like much by modern sports car standards (or even compared to some crossovers), in a lightweight chassis with extreme rear weight bias and legendary turbo lag, it was more than a handful to drive. Even comically-wide rear fender flares to cover enormous rear tires and a giant whale tail spoiler could only partially correct the car’s off-throttle understeer/snap oversteer handling characteristics, and perhaps no vehicle in history other than the Beechcraft Bonanza has actively tried to kill as many doctors, investment bankers, and trust fund kids as the original 911 Turbo. Nevertheless, it remains an object of pharmaceutical-grade desire for anyone who was aware of cars in that era.

…perhaps no vehicle in history other than the Beechcraft Bonanza has actively tried to kill as many doctors, investment bankers, and trust fund kids as the original 911 Turbo…

The 930 had a hiatus in the US market due to emissions issues from 1981 until it was reintroduced for 1986, and by then the car was long in the tooth in terms of engineering, but it was still hugely profitable for the company. Porsche squeezed every bit of sweet, sweet juice out of the Turbo nonetheless, introducing the ‘slant nose’ version towards the end of production in 1989.

1989 – Porsche 964

Marketed as the “Carrera 2” and “Carrera 4”, the internally-designated 964 platform carried over just 15% of its design from the ‘classic’ 911, and was the first version to offer all-wheel-drive; as a matter of fact, the original 1989 model was only available in Carrera 4 configuration with the Carrera 2 coming on-line a year later. Power came from an equally new 3.6 liter air-cooled flat six designated the M64 rated at 184kW/247HP, and the suspension design made the radical shift from torsion bars to coil springs, with the ubiquitous MacPherson strut configuration up front and an independent semi-trailing arm rear. Coupe, Targa, and Cabriolet body styles were offered, and power steering and ABS were introduced as standard features. Buyer demand in the US led to an RS America version for 1993 and 1994, based off of the Carrera 2, featuring a whale tail spoiler, de-contented interior, and lower 2,954 pound curb weight, among other changes. Overall, the naturally-aspirated 964 spanned just half a decade of production but racked up 63,762 cars built among all the configurations.

1990 – Porsche 964 Turbo

With the introduction of the new chassis and naturally aspirated motor but a successor to the previous Turbo’s powerplant still under development, the 930’s engine was used as a stopgap. Changes increased rated power to 235kW/376HP but blunted a bit of the turbo lag, which along with the revised chassis and suspension made the car much easier to drive at the limit than the previous Turbo, but still not particularly forgiving of large changes in throttle position mid-apex. 1992 saw the debut of the Turbo S, which had the same peak power but detail revisions to the tune, a lightweight interior similar to the RS America, a manual steering rack, and lowered suspension. Only 86 were produced, making for one of the rarest road-going 911 models ever offered. By 1993, a new boosted M64 was finally available for the Turbo 3.6 model with 265kW/355HP on tap, but the 964 was nearing the end of its abbreviated lifespan and only one model year and less than 1,500 total cars were produced to that spec. 

1994 – Porsche 993

For the 1995 model year, Porsche once again mutated the 911 DNA to produce another generation with minimal (claimed less than 20%) carryover from the 964. Major frame and suspension design changes improved handling and further tamed the inherent snap-oversteer characteristics common to rear engine designs, and once again both 2 and 4 driven wheel models were offered. While the M64 engine design was carried over, this generation gained a sixth gear in the manual transmission and a bump to 200kW/268HP at introduction. Coupe and Cabriolet body designs were manufactured, along with a complex “greenhouse” roof marketed as a Targa but with a power-retractable glass panel in place of the previous removable section. Production ended in 1998 thanks to the air-cooled design no longer being able to reasonably meet emissions and noise standards, but not without one final model to properly put a coda on the end of the air-cooled 911 symphony…

1995 – Porsche 993 Turbo

Everything came together in the last air-cooled Turbo 911, with a 3.6 liter twin-turbo M64 cranking out 300kW/402HP, the first all-wheel-drive layout for a 911 Turbo, wider rear bodywork, and of course a whale tail spoiler. All the nasty surprises of the original 930 had been eliminated, creating a car that was more forgiving when pushed, not a carnival ride in bad weather, and shockingly quick under all circumstances. The ante was upped in 1997 with the Turbo S’ uprated engine delivering 424 horsepower, and another homologation special, the GT2, was produced and sold in small numbers, making it highly sought-after by collectors. All things considered, the 993 Turbo was a fitting conclusion to the first part of Porsche’s 911 evolution. 

Online Car Buying – The Next Big Thing?

Your Next New Car could be Made to Order and Delivered Straight to Your Door

Over the past twenty years, untold billions of items have been purchased over the internet, and nearly as many articles have been written about the effect of online retail on traditional brick and mortar businesses. Even before the handbrake got yanked on in-person retail due to Covid-19 concerns, it was already possible to buy anything from groceries from the local supermarket to electronic components of questionable quality direct from the manufacturer in China, delivered straight to your door or mailbox. 

With so much commerce going on via the web, there are still some things that aren’t so easy to buy with the click of the mouse, though – One of them is a new car or truck. The complications involve both the unique aspects of vehicle purchasing and some long-standing laws that were originally designed for consumer protection against manufacturer monopolies, but now mostly shield those who are heavily invested in traditional dealer networks from competition.

Today, we’re going to take a look at the current state of online car shopping, explore the reasons why the status quo exists, and make some predictions about what the future holds for those who’d like to be able to buy a new vehicle with the same convenience you’d expect when ordering Pad Thai because you just can’t bear the thought of cooking again tonight. 

Dont Four-Square Me, Bro…

As far back as the year 2000, almost half the people who responded to a J.D Powers and Associates survey said they would opt to buy cars directly from the manufacturer, even if it didn’t save them any money, and it’s unlikely that near-majority of customers would be less likely to do so today. Clearly, the traditional brick and mortar new car dealership system has a serious problem when so many people would prefer to avoid it entirely even if there was no cost advantage to doing so. 

Today, there are more resources available than ever for car shoppers to do their research, revealing invoice costs, rebate and financing offers, and even once-esoteric hidden seller profit sources like ‘dealer hold-back.’ Nevertheless, the average person may buy a handful of new cars over the course of their entire life, while the dealer literally sells them every single day. Even with better-educated customers closing the information gap, sellers still hold a huge advantage in experience, and the psychological manipulation that is often part of the game is well-documented. It should come as no surprise then that many would-be buyers would welcome the chance to spec out and price a new vehicle the same way you can order a new laptop, with zero interaction (or hard-sell pressure) from ‘helpful sales professionals.’

Manufacturer-Direct Pricing

Another 2001 study on the effect of auto buying referral services in California estimated that on average, those services saved consumers almost 2% compared to traditional sales channels, even though a middleman was still involved in the transaction. Direct sales from auto manufacturers offer even more potential savings, eliminating a lot of the financial ‘friction’ inherent in the current system that requires a huge infrastructure to store, merchandise, and eventually deliver new vehicles to their owners. 

So if nearly half of all potential customers would prefer to buy direct, and it would make new cars less expensive, why do dealerships still exist? There are several reasons, some good, and some bad. One primary obstacle is legislation that specifically prevents OEM sales to consumers outside of the dealer network – only a few states don’t either directly prohibit it or place extensive restrictions on the practice. This dates back more than a century when many of these laws were first enacted, ostensibly to prevent ‘vertical integration’ of the new vehicle market.

At the time, long-standing monopolies in many forms of business were being vigorously dismantled by ‘trust-busters’ in the name of consumer protection. Allowing car and truck manufacturers to completely control the market from raw materials to delivery was seen as unacceptable, and considering the limited range of choices available in the market and the low bargaining power of buyers, a network of dealers/middlemen was seen as the lesser of two evils. Today, there is a LOT of money tied up in the current system, from the real estate and buildings required for dealerships to the inventory they carry on their books and in their lots, so resistance to direct online sales is strong and well-funded. 

What is it Even Good For?

On the positive side for dealers, most new car buyers are going to insist on being able to test-drive vehicles prior to purchase, and the dealership sales model is well-suited to providing that opportunity. This is especially true when consumers aren’t set on the make and model of car that best fits their needs and want to cross-shop, but even the die-hard Corvette guy who knows exactly what he wants is going to make sure ‘his’ car drives properly before taking ownership.

This “showrooming” problem became apparent in the early days of online commerce, where consumers would go to big box retailers or specialty stores to hold something in their hands, then go and order it on the internet for a lower price. The physical store was stuck with all the costs of infrastructure and inventory, with no sales to show for it. 

One possible solution comes from what’s already been tried in countries without restrictions on direct manufacturer sales, where franchised dealers receive a commision for online sales in their exclusive territory as a way to cover the costs of maintaining a sales and service network and providing the “last mile” of vehicle preparation and delivery.

Speaking of service, warranty work, ongoing maintenance, and parts sales turn out to be a significant revenue source for new car dealers, one that even outweighs the profitability of car sales themselves. According to the National Automobile Dealers Association, over a ten-year period studied the average new-car dealership’s sales department varied between over $150k in profit and almost $50k in losses, while the service and parts department were continuous money-makers with net profits growing from $150k per location to over $300k. Much like the old business strategy of giving away razors to sell more blades, it seems that the most consistently profitable part of a new car dealer’s operations lie in taking care of vehicles rather than selling them. 

…it seems that the most consistently profitable part of a new car dealer’s operations lie in taking care of vehicles rather than selling them…

What About Tesla?

At this point, the only new vehicle manufacturer actively making direct-to-consumer sales is Tesla Motors, and in order to do so they’ve had to come up with convoluted custom legal work-arounds in almost every jurisdiction. In some places, Tesla showrooms can offer test drives and answer questions, but any talk of pricing or ordering is as taboo as saying “bomb” in the airport. In others, the number of Tesla sales locations is limited to a handful per state, or the semantic distinction of not having any ‘franchised dealers’ allows the company to simply ignore laws originally written to protect traditional sales outlets.

Regardless of how Tesla has managed to make direct sales work, any traditional manufacturer with an established dealer network is going to have to fight with their existing franchise owners to allow consumers to skip the usual baffling ordeal that is the new car purchasing experience. It seems inevitable, though, given consumers’ strong preference for online buying and the significant savings possible. Traditional dealers will be faced with choosing to hang on to an expensive business model their customers hate that has been made obsolete by technology, or pivoting to provide the profitable services that will still be necessary when large-scale direct sales become a reality.

Canyon Carving on a Budget

Top Tips for Making the Most Out of Your Sunday Drive

Let’s get this out of the way right from the beginning: We do not condone operation of a motor vehicle on public roads in an unsafe manner, or the violation of traffic laws. Streets are not a racetrack or dragstrip, and bad things can and do happen with greater frequency and more severe negative outcomes as the result of that kind of behavior.

With that said, however, we understand that one of the major joys of having a car that’s fun to drive is driving it in fun ways, and a relaxing, yet spirited romp down a challenging road is a fine way to spend a Sunday morning. A car that doesn’t get driven is like a stuffed lion in the natural history museum instead of running free in its natural habitat. 

Keeping all that in mind, we’ve come up with a short list of ways to get the most out of your safe, socially-responsible leisure time behind the wheel at minimum cost. It’s not comprehensive, but it is all born from experience, and sometimes painfully and expensively learned experience at that. 

A car that doesn’t get driven is like a stuffed lion in the natural history museum instead of running free in its natural habitat…

Mechanical Mods

Tires

We’ve said this before, and we’ll say it again – nothing affects your car’s performance (acceleration, braking, and cornering) more than the four small places where tread meets asphalt. Even stock wheels can benefit from upgraded tires biased toward performance, and the key thing to look for here isn’t necessarily what DOT-approved rubber is the latest and greatest in terms of maximum grip. Instead, you want a tire with approachable limits and forgiving characteristics that provide feedback with plenty of traction left in reserve before breaking free. On a racetrack, another 0.1g might be worth dealing with razor-edged traction, but out in the world, there aren’t many safe runoff areas or gravel traps to let you find out where the limit is without having a really bad day. When choosing tires, the manufacturers’ marketing materials may help a little bit, but the best bet is to look to owners’ groups for your make and model so that you can leverage the experience of others.

Brake Pads

When people discuss brake mods, the talk almost always is about big, slotted rotors and six-piston calipers peeking out of large-diameter aftermarket wheels. But like tires, brake pads are another routine consumable that you will have to replace on a regular basis anyway, and spending a little bit of extra money and a few minutes researching your options will pay huge dividends. Even stock calipers and rotors can be inexpensively upgraded with a change to a performance pad compound, and there are multiple companies making drop-in replacements for pretty much every interesting car built in the last 30 years. Characteristics like cold coefficient of friction, initial “bite,” and resistance to fade are all customizable with off-the-shelf pads using different friction material. For optimum results, new stock or stock-replacement rotors properly bedded in using the pad manufacturer’s instructions are the way to go. But even if you forego replacing rotors and just clean and scuff the still-serviceable discs you have now, it will make a world of difference in brake performance.

An honorable mention here goes to flushing the brake system with new fluid, a proper bleed job, and even an upgrade to inexpensive but still DOT-approved braided stainless brake lines that won’t balloon under pressure to replace the worn out factory rubber ones.

Seat Belts

Here’s another mod that’s relatively inexpensive but pays big. Proper restraints, fastened and adjusted correctly, eliminate the steering wheel isometrics and knee-wedging that we end up doing unconsciously to remain in position during cornering and braking. Factory seatbelts are designed for comfort (mostly to increase usage) and to work as part of the supplemental restraint system in a crash, with belt pre-tensioners, precise attachment point geometry, and even sections of belt designed to stretch or extend via sacrificial stitching. None of this actually helps you prior to the rapid unplanned deceleration, however. Options here include SFI-style racing harnesses in 4 or 5 point configurations, and aftermarket belts designed specifically for the street, some of which even have DOT approval. Keep in mind, however, that just like removing and replacing a factory airbag-equipped steering wheel, you are defeating a safety device and the potential consequences are on you and you alone.

Here’s a completely free “mod” for cars with seatbelts that have a solid connection at the base of the B-pillar and a belt that passes through a slotted buckle before continuing to a retractor at the shoulder: Push yourself firmly back into the seat in the position you want to be in, run the waist part of the belt across your body while taking out any slack, and put a twist in the belt before clicking the buckle into place. It may take a few tries to get it the way you want it, but ‘free’ is the best price of all, and a snug fit across the waist will get you some of the advantages of costly race harnesses in terms of resisting side g loads with no real downside in safety. 

Sway Bars and Bushings

Sure, you might have a full set of double-adjustable coilovers on your wish list, but in terms of making a difference you can really feel, replacing the worn-out bushings in your factory anti-roll bar mounts and end links is incredibly cheap and rewarding. If you can stretch your budget just a little bit, stiffer bars (or even adding a rear bar to a car not factory equipped with one) will also radically improve handling. The best part is that as long as you stick with polyurethane bushings and don’t make the mistake of running solid bearings and heim joints on the street, it’s another mod with no downside to your car’s practicality for daily driving. Just be aware that factory anti-roll bars are calibrated to provide understeer at the limit on purpose, and making wholesale changes with roll stiffness can do unpleasant things to even the tamest car’s cornering balance. Pay attention to what the bar manufacturer recommends to steer clear (pun intended) of this issue. 

Preparation Matters

The Driver Mod

What’s something that only costs a modest amount, never wears out, and will make any car you drive for the rest of your life quicker? The legendary “driver mod,” of course! While this is often talked about in the context of a weekend bombing around the track at a race driving school, it doesn’t have to be that complicated and expensive if you live within reasonable distance of a local autocross venue. The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) is probably the best-known national group that organizes these parking lot events, but there are plenty of other opportunities as well, from big car shows to brand-specific clubs. For a few bucks, you’ll get to test yourself and your car in a controlled environment and learn where the limits are without worrying about exceeding them. Many events will even provide experienced drivers to coach first-timers from the passenger seat, and if you really want a humbling experience, switch places and let them show you just how much faster your car is with somebody behind the wheel who really knows what they are doing.

Preflight Check

Here’s another not-mod that you really shouldn’t skip, for obvious reasons. Before you head out to the twisties, take just a moment to make sure your fluid levels are ok, nothing’s coming out from where it shouldn’t be, tire pressures are correct, and all the random junk in your back seat is left at home just in case. Grab the top of each of your front tires (or as close to it as you can, for those with sick stance and zero fender gap) and give them a nice hard wiggle to check for wheel bearings ready to give out or slop in the steering rack. Yes, it sucks to have to cancel your weekend fun because there’s something that needs attention, but it sucks a lot less than dropping a ball joint mid-corner and having to pay for a tow from way out in the boonies. 

Pre-run It

Even if the road is one you’ve driven a thousand times before, and you know every apex and straight, conditions change. While it might not be very exciting, prerunning your route at a leisurely pace before returning along it at a more spirited clip will let you find things like oil, coolant, water, rock slides, and even the occasional car on its roof (obviously driven by somebody who hasn’t read this article) with plenty of room to avoid them. It goes without saying that this is also a good way to gauge the current law enforcement level of interest on that road as well. More importantly though, this will significantly reduce the chance that you’ll yeet yourself off a cliff and into the afterlife because you only discovered an obstacle or puddle of oil once you got up close and personal with it. 

It goes without saying that this is also a good way to gauge the current law enforcement level of interest on that road as well…

We’ll end with one last thought – keeping a low profile and being respectful of other road users is extremely important. Nobody likes having a car in a ditch in front of their house every weekend, and loud exhausts, screeching tires, and aggressive driving in normal traffic lead to increased traffic enforcement or even nastiness like rumble strips and speed bumps. Enjoy the drive, but don’t be the reason things get ruined for everyone else.

The Big Squeeze: High Compression vs. Low Compression

One of the defining characteristics of an engine is the compression ratio, which in simple terms is a comparison between how much volume there is inside the cylinder when the piston is at its highest and lowest points (don’t get me started on Wankel rotaries – they’re basically witchcraft). Compression ratio interacts with a lot of other factors to produce power, and can be changed to some extent by selecting different components for the same basic engine during the build. To add another plot twist, the mathematically-calculated static compression of a particular combination can differ significantly from the engine’s dynamic compression in operation, thanks to sophisticated intake and exhaust design, forced induction, or even EGR (exhaust gas recirculation). 

A Real World Application for High School Geometry

To start calculation compression ratio, you need to know an individual cylinder’s displacement. This is the area of the cylinder multiplied by the length of the crank stroke. But you’re not done yet, because you also have to know how much space there is in the cylinder head with the piston all the way up as well. The difference between the maximum volume with the piston at bottom dead center and the minimum volume at the top is the compression ratio. This is, of course, a huge over-simplification, but it will give you an idea of what a number like “9.5:1” means – there is 9.5 times more volume inside the cylinder at BDC than there is at TDC.

Designs with long crank strokes relative to their bore diameters tend to also have high compression ratios. Diesel engines, which rely on very high compression to ignite the fuel and air mixture, are a typical example. But there are other factors that have a major impact on compression ratio. The design of the cylinder head’s combustion chamber is a big player here, as the smaller volume it incorporates, the higher the CR will be. Another significant way to alter compression ratio is through piston design – a ‘dished’ piston will have lower compression than a flat one, all other things being equal, and a domed one will have higher compression. Even things like the thickness of the gasket between the head and the block and whether the valves are dished will affect compression ratio.

Though it’s possible to math most of this out with a little applied geometry (or plug the appropriate numbers into an online calculator like a lazy internet tech writer would), the volume numbers for the piston and the cylinder head have to be actually measured, if they’ve been altered in any way from how the manufacturer delivered them. A head that has been “decked” by having material removed from the surface that contacts the block will have a higher static compression than an unaltered head, and pistons can be milled to lower compression, either on purpose or as a side effect of cutting pockets for larger diameter valves. While measuring actual piston dish/dome volume is kind of a pain, doing the same for a combustion chamber is actually quite easy, only requiring a measuring device with accurate markings in cubic centimeters, a piece of clear plastic with a hole drilled in it, some tinted water, and a bit of grease to seal the valves and where the plastic covers the combustion chamber. 

Compression Consequences

Now that we’re solid on what static compression ratio is, let’s take a moment to discuss why it’s important. In general terms, high compression (which is a relative term itself) is desirable because it enables more power production. Each cylinder-full of air/fuel mixture will have more room to expand and do work, making the engine more efficient. As mentioned before, diesel engines take advantage of very high compression to operate very efficiently compared to gasoline engines. But the same thing that makes diesels work in the first place – compression ignition – is also a big limiting factor for how much compression ratio a gas-powered engine will safely tolerate. 

In general terms, high compression (which is a relative term itself) is desirable because it enables more power production. Each cylinder-full of air/fuel mixture will have more room to expand and do work, making the engine more efficient…

120 or so years ago at the dawn of the automobile, engines were typically very low-compression compared to modern designs. The Ford Model T had a 2.9 liter inline four cylinder engine that produced a whopping 20 horsepower with a compression ratio of just 3.98 to 1. While the power output wasn’t all that thrilling, the low compression was a necessity during that time period when fuel was of uncertain quality and highly variable octane rating (we’ll get to more on that in just a minute).

As oil companies began to create standards for pump gas, compression rose to take advantage of better fuel, and the Second World War really turned up the wick on engine design. Because of ‘high test’ fuel, naturally aspirated engines for trucks, tanks, and especially aircraft became lighter and more powerful, and turbo and supercharged engines were finally practical. Even so, after the war when the first small block Chevy V8 engines were introduced in 1955, they ran compression ratios as low as 8.2:1 for durability. 

No-Knock Entry

The limiting factor on how much compression an engine can run is the knock-resistance of the fuel, commonly referred to as the octane rating. It gets its name based on a comparison of how hard it is to ignite relative to pure octane, a specific hydrocarbon fuel – gasoline rated at 93 octane in a particular test is easier, while 100 is comparable and 110 is more difficult. You’ll sometimes hear people say that what happens inside a cylinder is an “explosion” but if that’s what is happening, something has gone terribly wrong. It’s actually a ‘deflagration’ – rapid, but controlled burning. When fuel is compressed too much, it will spontaneously ignite and lead to preignition, detonation, or simply knock. Whatever you call it, it has the potential to very quickly melt spark plug electrodes, burn holes in piston tops, break the ring lands off the sides of the piston, and push out head gaskets. None of these are desirable outcomes

The limiting factor on how much compression an engine can run is the knock-resistance of the fuel, commonly referred to as the octane rating…

It’s possible to compensate to a degree for lower-octane fuel by running less ignition timing, but that’s a compromise at best. Because it takes a non-zero amount of time for an engine to completely burn a cylinder of fuel, all but the lowest-RPM designs incorporate some amount of ignition advance, firing the spark plug before the piston reaches top dead center on the compression stroke. As the flame front moves away from the spark plug towards the edges of the combustion chamber, it compresses the remaining unburned fuel and air, and if it squeezes it too hard, it can spontaneously and nearly instantly ignite instead of a smooth burn. This is one example of the dynamic compression we mentioned earlier.

Every engine has an ignition timing “sweet spot” that produces the best power when it is fed fuel with sufficient knock resistance, but it can run successfully, though with lower performance, if the ignition timing is retarded to later in the compression stroke to keep peak pressure in the cylinder below the knock threshold. You’ll often see modern vehicles with manuals that advise “Premium fuel preferred – 87 octane minimum” because they have sensors that listen for knock and pull out timing if they’re fed Regular instead of Premium. They’ll make more power on high octane fuel not because the gas is more powerful, but because they can operate at their designed ignition timing settings.

VE Made EZ

Another source of increased dynamic compression comes from an engine’s volumetric efficiency, which is a way of expressing how completely the cylinder fills with a fresh charge of air and fuel on the intake stroke. A 500cc single cylinder engine that ingests exactly 500 cubic centimeters of air per cycle is running at 100% VE, for example. Now, if you were raised to respect the laws of thermodynamics, you’re probably saying, “no mechanical system is 100 percent efficient!” and you are absolutely right, but there’s an interesting caveat. While the restrictions posed by the intake tract do indeed cause naturally-aspirated engines to normally operate below 100% VE, very clever engineering can allow an all-motor design to achieve over 100 percent under certain specific operating conditions.

This is possible because air, while not being very dense, does have mass, and moving mass has inertia. Careful design of the intake and exhaust manifolds, combined with specific valve timing, can take advantage of positive and negative pressure pulses reflected through the system in a narrow RPM range to ‘internally supercharge’ the engine and push VE over 100%. Though this was once confined to racing powerplants, increasingly sophisticated factory designs with variable valve timing and lift and variable intake geometry have made this effect worthwhile for mass production.

The net result of pushing VE over 100 percent is that the total compression ratio the engine experiences can be higher than the calculated static CR. Taken to the extreme, adding boost in the form of turbocharging or supercharging throws even more dynamic compression into the mix. Careful tradeoffs have to be made with forced induction engines to balance out the effect of boost with reduced static compression in order to keep detonation at bay – the efficiency lost by running lower compression ratios is more than offset by the increased power offered by intake pressurization. 

Approaching the Limit

Modern engine designs have seen compression ratio increased across the board, even for factory forced induction, and this is largely thanks to a much better understanding of what happens inside the combustion chamber during a power stroke. One look at a current engine’s piston and combustion chamber design will show you just how far technology has come from the days when the two-valve hemi head, with its combustion space shaped like half an orange peel, was the state of the art. Features like ‘squish bands,’ swirl-inducing peaks and valleys, and stratified charge strategies allow today’s engines to run compression ratios that would make those of just 20 years ago go ‘pop’ on the very same fuel. By figuring out what it takes to create a margin of safety for the knock threshold but still increase compression ratio, engineers continue to squeeze (pun intended) more and more out of every cubic inch of displacement. 

The Differential Difference

Adding the Right Traction to Your 4WD Truck

Before we dive right into how to turn up your truck’s traction ability, let’s first ponder a question that should be answered honestly. How do you anticipate driving your truck? Will it spend most of its time on the road, and will the off-roading you do plan on doing be mostly on gravel or compacted dirt? Will you be doing any driving on icy, snowy or wet conditions on pretty advanced off-road terrain? Do you anticipate driving through trails where very uneven ground, rocks and other obstacles and holes will be present? Taking these questions into consideration will greatly impact your decision-making when looking to upgrade your truck’s differential system(s). 

If you answered ‘yes’ to the first question above—congratulations! If you plan on sticking to mostly streets and highways or surfaces that are hard but not technically paved stretches of land, you really don’t have to worry about messing with your truck’s factory-equipped open differential, which is great. We understand the temptation to buy new parts is hard to fight off sometimes, but consider this a win and save yourself some time and money, and enjoy your truck as-is. 

We understand the temptation to buy new parts is hard to fight off sometimes, but consider this a win and save yourself some time and money, and enjoy your truck as-is…

For those who answered ‘yes’ to the second and/or third questions with the anticipation of driving through surfaces impacted by inclement weather that also feature more severe terrain, then you might want to consider shopping around for limited-slip or locking differentials. There are plenty out there to choose from, and it is best to still keep your personal driving scenario in mind when wading through these waters. 

Now, also keep in mind that whichever type of traction-adding components you choose will have a direct effect on different types of driving, wherein lies the importance of staying true to what you will actually be using your truck for. Bragging about having the latest, greatest, most expensive performance gadget on the market won’t do you a lick of good if it’s not used correctly, so do pay attention and choose wisely. 

Bragging about having the latest, greatest, most expensive performance gadget on the market won’t do you a lick of good if it’s not used correctly, so do pay attention and choose wisely…

Most light off-road duty adventures will be greatly improved with a rear limited slip differential, or better yet both a rear and front limited slip. These are the most widely used and common types of diffs since they cover such a wide application spectrum. What the limited slip does is shift a percentage of the torque to the wheel that has the most traction while limiting the slip on the wheel experiencing the least amount of traction (the one that is stuck in the air or free spinning on a patch of black ice). Torque is not always balanced between the wheels here, which will allow your truck to power through less than ideal surface situations with less of a chance of getting stuck. Icy, wet or uneven ground will pose less of a threat with the limited slip differential, so if you plan on encountering any of these foes on a regular basis, this traction-adding upgrade will definitely be money well spent. 

A locking differential will take your rig further than any limited slip setup can—no question. Now, do you absolutely, positively need to install a locker? Well, that all depends on if you want the power of a true 4×4, which means that all four wheels are getting power to the ground. Anything less than that might very well leave you stranded when attempting to take on some serious mud pits or extremely rough country. If you still plan on driving your truck on regular surface streets when you’re done on the trail, you’ll want to look into selectable lockers specifically. This will allow your truck to fire on all 4 wheels while off-roading, while still having the ability to flip back to an open or standard (stock) diff configuration with the flip of a switch. You’ll be able to beat the piss out of it off road, and still actually be able to drive it comfortably on surface streets just like normal. 

Within the realms of limited slip and locking differentials are other options to consider, naturally. There isn’t one system out there that can meet the demand of every driver of every truck for all conditions, so don’t get your hopes up. If you know and understand exactly what you’re asking of your truck, however, then you should already have a better idea of what side of the traction fence you’ll need to invest time and money into. The rest is merely addressing the details of personal preferences in order to fine-tune your driving experience. 

Layin’ Frame

Some Basics On Slamming Your Ride

So you want to go low, huh? Ok, well there’s “just a few inches” low and then there’s “pavement pounding” low. Both are cool and have their place on certain vehicles, and while a modest drop in suspension does go a long way in terms of appearance, nothing compares to laying your car or truck out on the ground. Granted, there is quite a lot more to take into consideration if you’re interested in the latter option, but if you’re serious about taking your daily or show vehicle to the next level, it can be done, no matter what you’re driving. 

Asses the Situation

All vehicles are different, which means that the modification process to get said vehicle on the ground varies as well, as does the list of parts needed. Clearance plays a big role, especially with modern cars. With only so much available space at the front and rear, you may just have to get creative and pay close attention to tire selection as well as important wheel specs (width, offset, etc.). Every half of an inch counts, so do be sure to examine just which parts and pieces will need to be trimmed, relocated or cut out altogether in order to clear a path for adequate suspension travel. Classic cars in general have lots more room to work with at both ends, so take that in mind when deciding how to move forward with your project. 

Trucks, on the other hand have much more clearance space to play with at the rear. With only a bed floor standing in the way of axle and chassis clearance, there are just so many more options. Chopping up the bed is a necessity when ‘bagging a truck, with the easiest solution being to either cut out a portion of the floor that’s in the way, essentially. From there, you’ll have to decide to leave the area exposed, build a covered “bridge” or raise the entire floor up to keep a “stock” appearance. There are lots of ways to get the rear down on the ground with a truck, which makes this particular scenario mighty interesting. 

Equipment

If you’ve never ‘bagged any of your vehicles before, there are a few key components you’ll have to familiarize yourself with while prepping your ride for lower lows. Assuming that you will be ‘bagging your car or truck since hydraulic setups aren’t all too common these days (but they are out there), the air system is only as complicated as you make it. Air management systems have come a long way since the days of having to individually piece every single component out when building an entire air setup. 

The airbag itself is an essential component of the system, but it is not the most important (or even the most expensive). You’re going to find out quick that quality air management systems are worth every buck, as many of them have all the system’s ECU, valve manifold, and pressure and height control (in some premium packages) all built right into a small and convenient, easy-to-mount unit. From there, you’ll need to select an air compressor (or two) to keep the system supplied with enough air at all times. Figuring out air line plumbing can be a tedious process, but one that can still allow for creativity. Once everything is wired up and checked for problems, accessing this orchestration of components is made simple though a programmable controller, or if equipped, an app installed on your phone. 

The airbag itself is an essential component of the system, but it is not the most important (or even the most expensive)…

While that does sound like quite a bit to worry about, it is—to an extent. There used to be much more involved, but there are lots of plug-n-play type units that helps simplify installation. 

Alterations

Cutting and altering the chassis and other factory components (depending on the vehicle) is essential when it comes to “laying frame”. While it’s a big step to take, it’s important to not take these steps lightly, and ensure that an experienced person take the lead, even when it comes to simple rear frame notches. Using a plasma cutter, cut wheel and drill all require some know-how to deliver the best results (which includes your safety). Always remember the golden rule when working with these tools—measure twice and cut only once!

Half and Full Frame Packages

A lot of classic muscle car and truck projects have the luxury of a wide selection of well-crafted front, back and full chassis systems on the aftermarket. These take a lot of guesswork out of building the best air ride setup possible. Since the existing frame on vehicles of a certain age can be “iffy” at best, selecting these options could really come in clutch. These types of setups do offer far more than the ability to go up and down, as optimum ride quality is the ultimate objective with these, which will only make your project better in the long run. These kits do run on the high side when it comes to suspension components, but they are definitely worth the dough. 

‘Bagging your ride is a big step, that’s for sure, but once it’s done and all the kinks are worked out, it really is worth the effort. Nothing gets more attention on the road than a car or truck that can change the height of their ride with a simple push of a button. Even at rest, there’s nothing quite as cool as a vehicle resting on the ground with the wheels and tires tucked far into the fenders. Your ride will definitely catch all the attention in the parking lots at work, at the grocery store, as well as at any car show you take it to. 

Nothing gets more attention on the road than a car or truck that can change the height of their ride with a simple push of a button…

Don’t fall into the trap of investing only the minimal amounts of money and time when slamming your vehicle. You definitely get what you pay for as far as parts and components go, and there is no such thing as “cheap” quality labor (unless you’re doing the work or have a friend or relative willing to help out).

Don’t Call It a Comeback:
The Resurgence of the Compact Truck

By “compact” truck, we really are discussing the modern, smaller-than-full-size pickup that is commonly referred to as a “midsize” model. Long gone are the days of the true mini-truck, so if you’re thinking those are making another appearance at new dealer lots, keep dreaming. The classic S-10, Ranger, Tacoma, Hardbody trucks are machines of a past generation. They had a great run, and are great projects if you can get your hands on a good specimen, which are still readily available. “Mini” sized price tags are also a thing of the past, as today’s compact/midsize truck models can enter full-size budget territory pretty darn quick, but there are some bright sides to that reality. 

“Mini” sized price tags are also a thing of the past, as today’s compact/midsize truck models can enter full-size budget territory pretty darn quick…

The Chevy Colorado is still going strong, and it is larger than ever. In 2019 Ford rereleased the Ranger back onto the market, which is great to see, but it too, is much larger than its last generation that phased out in 2012. Oh, and the Tacoma? It most certainly leads the midsize pickup scene, as it remains one of the most popular on the market. There are other established players in this category that boast devout followings and comparable specs, roomy cabs and available bed lengths that justify their respective MSRP figures, and there are new models trying their best to compete for a place in this very interesting segment. 

So what makes the midsize truck marketplace so exciting, anyway? Well, automakers really are looking to deliver the most bang for your buck in this category. Even though we can all complain that the cost of modern midsize truck are catching up with full-size pickups, these slightly smaller models will come in cheaper than their larger counterparts at the end of the day—there’s no doubt about that. A little sacrifice of space is par for this course with these models, however, these trucks can be jam-packed with features, which make maximizing their function and catering them to meet your exact needs becomes the fun part. 

…automakers really are looking to deliver the most bang for your buck in this category…

Right off the bat, midsize trucks are easier to maneuver than the big ones given their natural nimble size. Just because they’re a tad bit smaller though, don’t move too fast and assume these compact haulers can’t pack a punch to contend with the true heavyweights, because they absolutely do. If you need them to haul stuff around or tow heavy loads, they’ve got you covered. Looking to hit the trails and head off-road? You can do that with these trucks, no question. If you need a commuter vehicle, but want the true utility that only a pickup truck can offer, there are engine configurations with these midsize wonders that are ultra efficient and sip lightly at the pump. There really is a compact truck for every driver out there. 

Since muscle is an obvious concern when truck shopping, let’s take a look at some of the beefier compacts in the field. The Nissan Frontier, which is a familiar face in the compact genre, received a standard option motor upgrade last year, in the form of a healthy 3.8L V6 with a respectable 310HP output along with 281 lb-ft of torque. This engine will most definitely make its presence known while hauling, towing and ripping around off the beaten path. The Ford Ranger also puts up some impressive numbers from its 2.3L turbo 4-banger—270HP and 310 lb-ft of torque. It has proven to also tow and haul great, which is definitely something to consider when comparing to a full-size brute to get the same job done. 

Suspension wise, the Colorado/Canyon with its off-road-ready ZR2 package, is an upgrade that brings the price of admission up a bit, but don’t feel too guilty about over spending on your dirt hobby here, as the the ZR2 equipment also earns rave reviews on paved roads as well. The two-inch suspension lift utilizing quality components and the 3.5-inch wider track is an investment rather than an added expenditure, as the premium suspension package will serve its owner well during work and play. Same goes for the Tacoma with its TRD package, or better yet, its TRD Pro tier option. The latter selection comes correct with an upgraded skidplate under the engine, Fox internal bypass shocks, an electronic locking differential, an inclinometer with pitch and roll displays, 16-inch wheels with beefy A/T tires, improved off-road driving modes—and the list just keeps on going from there. 

While most buyers are interested in midsize trucks that do big truck things, there is another crowd that is interested in overall value and efficiency. These are mostly the folks who don’t intend to work their truck too hard, or play too rough with it either, but still want to have the utility of a truck on hand without it costing too much to operate. For these guys and gals, Ford has released an ultra affordable wildcard onto the market that may get mixed reviews from the truck audience. The Maverick is less expensive than the Ranger right off the lot as MSRP starts under $20K. The standard hybrid powertrain and impressive MPG will only continue to keep more money in wallets. Before this truck is prematurely written off for its lack of power, just know that Ford’s new budget-minded midsize truck is also available with a 2.0 turbo I-4 that boasts 250HP and 277 lb-ft of torque—definitely no slouch.

The variation of standard and optional equipment in the realm of midsize pickups is more than enough to assist in piecing together the right truck at a lower price of a comparably equipped full-size. This is what has made this segment of vehicles such a hot commodity among today’s truck buyers. While there may not be too many outright steals to be had at the dealership, there is plenty of room to better budget your money to get the exact truck that you need/want. Bigger isn’t always better, and the ever-growing fleet of midsize wonders are looking to drive that point home with everything in their power. 

Build an Off–Road Truck With a $10K Budget

Get the Parts You Want and Need

$10,000 is just the right sum of money that can be stretched a very long way when spent correctly. Think about it—if you’re in the market for a new truck, that $10k can quickly evaporate on dealer upgrade packages that aren’t really worth that much money when it comes down to it. It may buy a good amount of factory ‘premium’ add-ons and accessories, but they might not even be the key items you’d need to work towards building the legit off-road truck you want. Instead, you can take that cash and strategically spend it on quality goods from reputable aftermarket manufacturers who specialize in products that you actually want and need. 

Even if you’re looking to outfit an older truck that you may have had around for a while or have finished making payments on, that same $10,000 will come in clutch with turning things around for the better. It’s cheaper than going out and buying another brand new truck, that’s for sure. So why not invest some money into an older pickup and starting having some off-road fun with it? 

…$10k can quickly evaporate on dealer upgrade packages that aren’t really worth that much money when it comes down to it…

Rolling Attire

Tires

There are a few key categories of parts you’re going to have to start shopping around in if you plan to make a go of transforming your truck into an off-road worthy rig. Right out the gate, you’ll want to address your truck’s tire situation. You’ll want to still steer clear of dealer-upgraded rubber here, as whatever tire they’ll try to sell you will still be geared toward on-road above off-road performance every time. Instead, take a look at tires that are designed to take on dirt, mud, sand, and rocks—all the types of terrain that you’ll be looking to combat while out in the great wide open. Specially designed tread patterns and beefier sidewalls will most definitely be your friends here, and will totally be worth the money you’ll invest in them. 

Wheels

While you can put bigger, better tires on just about any wheel, it’s probably wise to spend some money on a set that is designed to better handle off-road situations. Bead lock equipped wheels will prove to be invaluable when you’re out on the trail as they provide clamping power to maintain the tire seal instead of relying on inflation pressure alone to keep them held onto regular wheels. This is quite an advantage since lower tire pressure is often used to improve traction on rough terrain. Plan on spending a few thousand of your budget on new wheels and tires. Of course, you could spend a lot more on them but that’s all based on your own personal preference and taste. 

Ride Height

Suspension

You can get away with spending minimal money on an entry-level leveling kit here and still be able to fit larger wheels and tires all around, and get the look of an off-road truck. While that may make your rig look the part (kind of), you could (and should) go a step further and look into more complete lift kits that will get both ends of the truck up a few inches higher, thus giving your truck the added ground clearance that is imperative in true off-road situations. While you don’t have to get your truck crazy jacked in the sky or anything, even a 4-inch lift will do. 

Shocks

Whichever way you end up lifting your truck, don’t forget to upgrade the factory shocks with a set designed to take on and handle increased dampening abilities. Even if you think you might need remote-reservoir shocks, invest in them. They can take much more abuse, and a lot of them can be manually adjusted to better fit the specifics of your particular truck. Of course, they cost more than simple upgraded OEM replacements, but are well worth the money. 

Underbody/Rocker Protection

With a truck sitting at a higher than stock altitude, its underbelly becomes more susceptible to damage from debris and other obstacles while bombing the trails. To keep vital parts and systems protected from an unforeseen accident, there are plenty of panels and skid plates available that bolt on and offer peace of mind while you’re out having fun. These aren’t a requirement, however, but a strong recommendation when it comes to defending your rig against the elements. 

Accessories Make the Truck

Lighting

Even if you don’t plan on being out in the middle of nowhere past sundown, upgrading your truck’s headlights to brighter HID/LED output wouldn’t be a bad idea. Heck, while you’re at it, it couldn’t hurt to wire up some bright auxiliary lighting sources as well. LED light bars, spotlights, or any other type of bolt-on light housing will end up getting a lot of use even if you don’t intend to use them often. You’d be surprised at just what kind of pitfall you could avoid with sufficient nighttime illumination in pitch-black visibility.  

Winch

You really don’t ever need a winch until you absolutely need one. Whether it’s your truck that gets stuck, or a buddy’s rig that needs to be pulled out of a sticky situation, you’ll be glad to have a dependable get-out-of-jail pass at your disposal.

Brakes

A proper off-road truck definitely deserves an upgrade or two in the braking category. Larger, heavier wheels and tires can rob your truck’s factory braking system of precious stopping power. Aftermarket rotors and calipers are an easy solution, and if your truck is still equipped with rear drum brakes, converting them to discs will dramatically improve braking abilities.

Performance

HP & Torque

There are a lot of combinations to choose from in this department ranging from simple air intake systems, custom exhaust, digital programmers, and a ton of other products designed to make more power. Pricing and level of skill required for at-home installation vary, so choose wisely and know when it’s best to fork over the extra cash for a pro to handle the install. 

Locking/Limited Slip Differential

You may not think this upgrade is necessary until you experience the struggle to make enough traction firsthand. Installing a locking or limited slip diff will allow for your truck to spin both wheels on an axle, which really comes in handy while keeping or regaining precious momentum on tricky types of terrain. The boost in confidence of where your truck can go after installation will astonish you. 

The Great American Pickup Trucks

Examining Chevy C/K & Ford F-Series Platforms

While this is not meant to be yet another Chevy versus Ford truck debate, it is more of an examination of some of the differences, the similarities, and what made both so popular among their individual fan bases. Now, the battle between Bow Tie and Blue Oval groups will never die—surely you’ve experienced some degree of it over the years. When it comes down to the core of the situation, it really is a brand preference thing—Coke VS. Pepsi, Duracell VS. Energizer, Burger King VS. McDonalds, you get the idea. While the decision of what vehicle to purchase far outweighs what to eat or drink for lunch, there is something to be said for the slight modifications between competing brands and what they bring to the table. 

Both C/K and F-Series pickups were the flagship vehicles in the work truck segment for both Chevrolet and Ford respectively. Both brands held the top shares of sales back when C10 and F-100 model trucks were brand new, and they have since laid the foundation for modern Silverado and F-150 models to still rule supreme in today’s marketplace. 

Both C/K and F-Series pickups were the flagship vehicles in the work truck segment for both Chevrolet and Ford respectively…

Ford’s first generation F-series pickup went by the F-1 name, which was introduced in 1948 and lasted until ‘52, when the F-100 title was put into place just one year later. For 31 years, Ford’s F-100 pickup helped hard working Americans earn their livings behind the wheel of a truck that was one of the top selling models in the country. For diehard Ford enthusiasts, the F-100 was the only game in town when the time came for purchasing a pickup, while neutral consumers who bought one did so based on its own merit. While the F-100 had a pretty good run for itself, it did help pave the way for Ford’s F-150, which hit the streets in ’75. In its first 9 years (while the F-100 was also still for sale on the market) the F-150 quickly rose to even higher popularity, which led to the F100’s graceful exit in ’84. 

While Ford did have a jump on the pickup market in the early 50’s with their updated F-Series truck, it wasn’t until 1960 when General Motors rolled out what was arguably the most popular American pickup during its run. When the C/K platform began rolling out at dealerships throughout the country, the buzz behind GM’s sleeker looking, smoother riding pickup truck was growing at an impressive rate. The C-10 era C/K rode out 27 years, and finally gave way to a new generation, the OBS (old body style or original body style), which ran a 10-year span until the Silverado was released in ’99, and we all know how well that changeup went over. 

While there were other pickup trucks available to consumers during the CK/F-Series heyday (we see you Dodge fans), it was these two that sat alone with a commanding market share. At first glance though, both the Chevy and Ford trucks in the 60’s and into the 70’s didn’t really stand out that much from each other. Sure, you could easily tell one apart from the other, but there were no glaring differences like what a Jeep Gladiator would look like in direct comparison. Both Chevy and Ford models offered two similar bed styles, the Fleetside and Stepside (or Styleside and Flareside as Ford dubbed their versions) but those didn’t really make much of a difference from one make to the other. Small exterior changes like headlight shapes and grille styling (and constant restyling) help greatly in determining one year from another. It’s really all on how you look at these two trucks during these times and which particular style speaks to you more. Either way, they were both uniquely qualified to share the spotlight as America’s best looking working class sweethearts. 

C/K and F-Series pickups were looked at as being very modernized, forward-designed versions of what many thought of trucks at that point, which was simply clunky and overly utilitarian. To help change this rationale, both Ford and Chevy designed their chassis to improve overall ride quality with and without full payloads. The F-100’s 2WD model was given a twin I-beam front suspension with coil springs while the C10 featured an independent front suspension while utilizing torsion bars, which were soon ditched for coils as well. Chevy soon added independent coil trailing arms to their C-10 platform, giving it improved feel, especially while carrying a full load. Both companies were always looking for new ways to give their fans new solutions when development permitted. It was these early upgrades that eventually led to the technological wonders we have in place today in the form of highly evolved suspension systems in pickup trucks. 

In the age of restoration and customization, the C10 and F-100 platforms are nearly sitting on even ground, although the slight advantage might lean a bit in Chevy’s favor. The aftermarket support for both trucks is huge, making it easy and less stressful to order the parts needed for a full suspension rebuild, body and interior renovation, as well as rebuilding or replacing the factory engine. The simple fact is that classic Chevy and Ford trucks are still as popular now as they were back when they were new. Newly developed products have allowed builders to not only build them to ride and handle better than ever, but they can now be so finely tuned to meet individual needs down to the smallest of details.

The simple fact is that classic Chevy and Ford trucks are still as popular now as they were back when they were new…

There is no runaway winner of the timeless debate between Chevy and Ford trucks, and there really doesn’t have to be. Devout fans and customizers, no matter which brand truck they choose to build, are the true champions because of their unwavering dedication to preserving the machine of their preference. Whatever the make, model or year of the truck, there are parts to make it not only whole again, but better than any member of the Ford and GM engineering teams could’ve ever dreamed possible for these old, yet highly desirable work horses. 

Getting Ratio’ed

The Importance of Power to Weight

How do bees get airborne? How do hummingbirds gracefully hover? How do helicopters chase you out of your favorite spot at 2:30 on a Sunday morning with that stupidly-bright spotlight? Lots of power moving as little weight as possible. 

Horsepower to the tires has big implications for automotive performance, but like everything else about going fast, it’s not about one number. What’s more important is how many pounds each horsepower has to move around, and the overall power-to-weight ratio is the real determiner of more than just how quickly a car accelerates. Today, we’re going to talk about some things you might not have considered before when thinking about how much power you need to achieve your performance goals, or on the flip side, how light your car has to be with the horsepower you currently have.

What’s more important is how many pounds each horsepower has to move around…

Defining Terms

Power to weight ratio is just what it sounds like – how much power is available, compared to the mass of the vehicle. You can express it in any unit of measure you prefer; our European friends will like kilowatts and kilograms, but US readers will probably find it easier to relate to how many pounds each pony has to carry around, so that’s what we will stick to here. To give you some perspective, here are a few examples of production car power to weight ratios, based on factory figures:

• Toyota Prius (2022): 121 HP (net power), 3,010 pounds curb weight = 24.9 pounds per HP
• Honda CRX Si (1987) 91 HP, 1,953 pound curb weight = 21.5 pounds per HP
• Mazda Miata (1997): 129 HP, 2,180 pound curb weight = 16.9 pounds per HP
• Dodge Challenger SXT V6 (2021): 303 HP, 3,858 pound curb weight = 12.7 pounds per HP
• Honda S2000 Club Racer (2008): 237 HP, 2,765 pounds curb weight = 11.7 pounds per HP
• Acura NSX Type R (1992): 270 HP, 2,712 pound curb weight = 10.0 pounds per HP
• Chevrolet Corvette 1LT Z51 (2021): 495 HP, 3,366 pound curb weight = 6.8 pounds per HP
• Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock (2021): 808 HP, 4,429 pound curb weight = 5.5 pounds per HP

Just for fun, let’s throw in a couple of fairly tame sportbikes:

• Kawasaki Ninja 400 (2022): 45 HP, 541 pounds curb weight (includes 175 lb rider) = 12.0 pounds per HP
• Kawasaki Ninja 650 (2022): 67 HP, 598 pounds curb weight (includes 175 lb rider) = 8.9 pounds per HP

We can draw some initial observations from these examples right away. First of all, the two motorcycles shown are generally considered pretty weak sauce by two-wheel standards, but they are still in a totally different realm than most cars. Second, there are some cars we’d all consider “fun to drive” that don’t have very good power to weight ratios – more on that in a minute. Finally, the top of our list has a Challenger model that is an absolute whale, but thanks to an equally gargantuan engine, is in a class of its own in terms of power to weight.

The point to be made here is that cars (and motorcycles) that are lighter in absolute terms tend to be more enjoyable for enthusiasts even if they are only middle-of-the-pack in horsepower. That’s because weight, or more correctly mass, affects more than just straight-line acceleration. 

Massive Implications

Because inertia applies in all directions, not just to acceleration, with all other factors being equal a car that weighs less overall will need less tire, less suspension, and less brakes to achieve the same results as a heavier but more powerful one with the same power to weight ratio. Conversely, better tires, suspension, and brakes will be more advantageous on the lighter car as well. 

As time has passed, increased safety requirements for side impact air bags, crush zones, and a hundred other advances, combined with customer demand for things like heated power-adjustable seats and Bluetooth-connected in-car entertainment systems have inexorably pushed curb weight up, even for cars built to be lightweight. The 2014 5th Gen Camaro Z/28 is a good example, being available without air conditioning or a stereo, but the need to incorporate government-mandated audio feedback for turn signals, seat belt warnings, and whatnot meant that it still had to have at least one speaker.

So far, though, the increase in curb weight of the average car has been more than offset by the increase in average horsepower. But it also means more capable (and more expensive) suspension, tires, and brakes are required. It’s also often said that “light costs money” and that’s very true when you are trying to achieve the same results with less weight, like substituting an aluminum block of comparable strength for a cast iron block in the same engine design. On the extreme end, carbon fiber body panels, aluminum frames, and other semi-exotic materials and manufacturing methods can be employed by the factory.

Simplicate and Add Lightness

Fortunately, even if you’re on an instant ramen budget and spending a ton of money on featherweight aftermarket parts isn’t in the cards, all is not lost. Manual cloth seats from a base model car can replace the seven-way heated leather ones you have, for example, and you may even end up money ahead by selling them to some would-be baller looking to upgrade. AC deletes, while trending toward the hardcore end of the spectrum, are typically good for some significant weight savings, and if you still want to keep cool and not make your own gravy while sweating out the summer, we bet that without even trying too hard the typical enthusiast could find at least 20 pounds of loose junk in the car that you have been Ubering around for free. Those passenger seats sitting in the pits at the local autocross or dragstrip grudge night take zero dollars to do, and they give you a place to sit and hang out with your friends in comfort while you wait for your run group.

Fortunately, even if you’re on an instant ramen budget and spending a ton of money on featherweight aftermarket parts isn’t in the cards, all is not lost…

There’s something really satisfying about making your car faster without adding a single pony under the hood, and all it takes is a little bit of imagination and some elbow grease. As a bonus, you’ll be able to corner harder and brake later – sure, it’s not as sexy as putting on a turbo or jetting up the nitrous, but it’s a tried and true speed not-so-secret. 

Mid Travel vs. Long Travel Off-Road Suspension

Which Is Right For You?

Every truck and its owner are different. While that may sound like stating the obvious, it is very much true, and determines the relationship of how someone drives their pickup. Most folks are more than fine with leaving their truck bone stock, and hardly ever venture far from paved roads. Modern trucks are easy to drive, and are often treated as a regular car—with a handy bed that comes in clutch during those sporadic trips to Home Depot. While this picture comes off as being dramatically domesticated, it’s really not that far off from how it really is, except for the truck owners that have a sharp taste for far more action and adventure. 

Now, the type of action we have in mind here is off-road adventure, and what exactly that means to each individual truck owner. While a good percentage of them tend to lean toward the mild side of things (which isn’t a bad thing at all) there are a slimmer number of truck fiends that crave the most capable, unstoppable setup imaginable. Of course, we’re talking about the timeless debate between mid- and long travel truck suspension systems, and what it really means to build and drive them. 

The Deciding Factor(s)

Which is the right one for you? Well, only you can really answer that question. There’s a lot to take into consideration—some are the obvious cost and labor issues, and others may be less glaring and require careful attention. You’ll have to seriously address the pros and cons of how mid- and long travel suspension systems stand to benefit your particular situation and how they could possibly negatively affect you world as well. 

Materials

While there is no real “negative” surrounding either of these suspension upgrades as they are both far superior than factory specs if you plan on doing any type of off-roading—even in the slightest. Mid-travel setups are far more accessible than their long-travel counterparts, as most basic front kits consist of at least an aftermarket uni-ball upper control arm, a quality coilover with reservoir, an upgraded leaf spring pack, axle flip kit, and a reservoir-equipped shock. All are fairly straightforward to install, and all of these components bolt right into place. 

Mid-travel setups are far more accessible than their long-travel counterparts…

On the other end, long travel setups are far more involved as you’re looking at aftermarket upper AND lower uni-ball control arms, an extended axle shaft, tie rod extension, coilovers with reservoir, and strategic weld-in reinforcements in the way of braces/gussets for optimum strength. You’ll see a beefier leaf spring pack here at the rear, which will be placed underneath the axle. This means that bolting on shocks in their factory mounting points will not be possible. You’ll have to get creative here to make it work, whether that means relocating the mounts somewhere else of going right through the bed utilizing a bed cage. Don’t expect things to be as easy as with mid travel setups here, it’s far more work, but there is a larger payout here once the dust settles. 

Cost

Long travel suspensions cost much more to build, obviously, but in more ways than you might think. Aside from the suspension components themselves, you’ll also have to take factory fender panels out of the equation, and think about wider, fiberglass options instead since the width of the front suspension is extended and the rear travel is extended so much over stock. On the bright side, you’ll be able to run comfortably with 35” tires without having to endlessly cut and trim until there’s nothing left of those original fenders anyway. 

Type of Driving

Think of mid travel suspension good for casual trail cruising, some moderate rock climbing, and increased general access to rougher conditions that wouldn’t otherwise be comfortable in a stock truck. You’ll have a lot more options open to you as far as terrain you’ll be able to take on, but take those options and multiply them—that is the true capability of long travel. But is long travel feasible for daily driving duties? Sure, why not? It’s really a personal preference with the additional width up front and all, but it’s just like anything else, you’ll adapt. 

Bottom Line Pros and Cons

Let’s start with mid travel first. You’ll be able to install the suspension components comfortably at home without any specialty skills or tools. The parts involved are fewer and relatively inexpensive, and you’ll still be able to upgrade tire size—think 33s without having to cut/trim fender wells too extensively. While you’ll be able to comfortable drive your truck daily and still have more confidence off-road, you will still be limited to more extreme conditions that only a long travel will be able to handle.

Long travel suspension parts do add up fast and installation isn’t always for the everyday DIY builder at times. You’ll most likely have to do some welding, so if you don’t have this skillset under your belt, you may have to outsource or wrangle a buddy who can help out. Save part of your budget for replacement fender panels, and prepare to lose valuable bed space for that bed cage and probably a spot to throw your spare. Don’t let all those factors stop you from seeing the job through—once everything is done, the off-road landscape will be your oyster. 

…once everything is done, the off-road landscape will be your oyster…

In the end, you’ll have to make the decision of just which scenario is right for you. Are you down for the higher cost and more in-depth installation of the long travel? Is it really worth the extra money and extra headaches? Are you fine with still being able to having more paths opened to you while still being limited to only where long travel-equipped trucks can travel? Weight it all out, sleep on it, talk it over with your better half, and then start building the truck that is right for your own personal situation. 

Ten Euro Standouts

The Most Influential US Imports from the Old World

After the end of the Second World War, America emerged unchallenged in terms of manufacturing and industry. All the domestic car companies who had turned their might to supply the “Arsenal of Democracy” were quickly pivoting back to products designed to fill pent-up civilian demand. And yet, in Europe just as in Asia, war-ravaged economies saw the US domestic market as a way to jump-start their own reconstruction, despite formidable barriers. 

…war-ravaged economies saw the US domestic market as a way to jump-start their own reconstruction, despite formidable barriers…

For the next five decades, German, Italian, English, and French manufacturers worked to solve the puzzle of selling stateside. While there were many misfires and failed attempts along the way, we also received a lot of cars that stood out for their innovation, performance, or just plain lovable weirdness. These weren’t the Porsche and Ferrari sports cars, but often very ordinary designs that rose to greatness. Here’s ten Euro cars that all made their mark on the United States, for a lot of very different reasons. 

1949 – Volkswagen Beetle

A literal “people’s car” designed for a dystopia that thankfully never fully came to be, the Volkswagen Type 1 finaly reached mass production just in time to help a shattered Germany get back on its feet. It went on to see more than 21 million cars sold worldwide over its very long production run, and although it started out as underpowered and unsophisticated even by 1930s standards, the Bug went places nobody could have imagined. In every form of motorsports from road courses to drag strips to Baja, the VW was embraced and found success. In the driveway, it taught Boomers to wrench without fear (and how to drive stick – once you master a VW transmission, everything else is cake), and it’s pretty safe to say that as long as there is gas to burn, somebody will be turning out new air-cooled flat-fours for them.

1960 – Austin Mini

Not everyone knows that the UK spent almost ten years after WWII with rationing of certain items still in effect – the war had taken a high toll in manufacturing infrastructure and massively disrupted public transportation. Against that backdrop, the Austin Mini debuted in 1959 and a year later, left-hand-drive versions began export to the US. While the total numbers that made it to our shores weren’t spectacular (approximately 10,000 over seven years), the impact they had is hard to understate. Here was the first widely-available transverse engine front wheel drive economy car most people ever experienced, and its space-efficient two-box profile and drivetrain layout set the standard for tens of millions of cars from dozens of makers in the subsequent years. 

1968 – Fiat 124 Spider

Designed by Pininfarina, the little convertible Fiat somehow managed to be an Italian sports car in the same mold as England’s classic roadsters, but with ever-so-slightly better reliability. First appearing in the US in 1968, the model managed to soldier on all the way into the early 1980s, with upgrades in engine displacement along the way. Many say that the Mazda Miata was an homage to those English roadsters, but the commercial success of the Fiat Spider made it a more direct ancestor (even if it wasn’t good enough to keep the company in the US market.)

1974 – Fiat X1/9

This toon town caricature of Italy’s vaunted mid-rear-engine exotics never made more than 75 horsepower from the factory, was undrivable by anyone taller than six feet, and was abandoned by its parent company in 1982 to be picked up by Bertone and limp on in the US (the car’s largest market by far) through 1987. It was also a riot to drive, and foreshadowed the MR2 and even the Fiero as an affordable mid-rear two-seater.

1982 – BMW E30

It’s not throwing shade on BMW to call the E30 3-series their version of the Civic. It revived the market formerly served by the classic 2002 for enthusiasts who wanted a compact car that was fun to drive and affordable. In the secondary market, it became a tuner superstar thanks to its easy availability and the fact that all the fundamentals were done right. 

1983 – Audi Quattro

If you like the GT-R, EVO, and WRX STi, you can thank (at least in part) Audi for blazing the trail. The original Quattro hit the US market at a time when the only other car with full-time AWD was the AMC Eagle. While the Eagle was special in its own way, it was no performance car, and the Audi’s turbocharged inline 5-cylinder and rally pedigree were something totally new in America. Though the first Quattro sold in miniscule numbers in the USDM, it was the vanguard of things to come worldwide.

1983 – Mercedes W201

Not to be outdone by their rivals at BMW, Mercedes jumped right into the compact market with the 190-series “baby Benz,” gifting the W201 chassis with a sophisticated suspension and a rev-happy inline four cylinder engine in various displacements. While it didn’t gain the same traction with street tuners in the US that the E30 did, it found great success in road racing worldwide and changed Americans’ conception of Mercedes as either Gullwings or diesel-powered living room couches to a viable performance brand.

1983 – Volkswagen Golf/Rabbit GTI

Though the VW Golf Mk1 arrived in the US in 1975 (and was called the Rabbit, for reasons which are not entirely clear) and overseas markets got the hot rod GTI version a year later, Americans would have to wait until 1983 to get a Rabbit GTI. While the 90 horsepower 1.8 liter engine (uprated to an even 100 for 1984) is nothing special by today’s standards, in the light and well-engineered Mk1 chassis it was a paradigm shift in economy car high performance. Looking back, the “hot hatch” category was inevitable, but Volkswagen got it right first, and created a legend that continues to this day.

1984 – Volvo 760T

Sure, the Volvo 122S/Amazon had European rally cred in the 60’s, and the P1800 looked exotic and cool to American eyes (and even had a star turn as Roger Moore’s ‘hero car’ in The Saint TV series), but by the mid-Eighties, the Swedish car-maker was known for safety and cars that could be accurately modeled with LEGO blocks. Then, in 1984 US buyers were offered the turbocharged 760T, which not only led to the widespread misuse of the word “intercooler” but more importantly gave us a quick, practical, and safe car with a bulletproof boosted RWD drivetrain. To this day, “turbo bricks” still have a small but very enthusiastic owner base in America.

1985 – Merkur XR4Ti

You knew you weren’t getting out of this without us throwing in at least one really weird one, and the Sierra XR4i from Ford’s European branch certainly checks that box. Rebadged and rebranded as the Merkur XR4Ti in America and sold through 800 or so Lincoln/Mercury dealers, you wouldn’t mistake one for anything else thanks to the ‘aero’ nose, biplane spoiler, and notch-profile 3-door hatchback body. The FR drivetrain layout was motivated by a 2.3l iron-block inline four topped by a turbo pushing 14 PSI – the same engine in the SVO Mustang and Thunderbird Turbo Coupe, minus the charge cooler, with 175 horsepower on tap in manual transmission cars. Ultimately, sales didn’t justify updating the model to meet increasingly tight safety regulations, and the strong Deutschmark didn’t help. The short-lived experiment left a bad taste with Ford US, and we wouldn’t see another Euro-manufactured model from the Blue Oval again until the Ford Focus RS arrived in 2016.

So there’s our list – we’ll admit that it’s subjective, and reasonable people can disagree over things like this. What USDM cars imported from Europe would you put on your own list of most influential models? 

What is VTEC?

How Honda Created a Legend With a 10mm Pin

What does it take for one specific bit of simple, yet brilliant technology to achieve meme status? In the case of Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control (better known as VTEC), it started out as a way for Honda to offer better performance while still meeting emissions standards and displacement limits at the start of the 90s and arguably gave the company’s automotive division the same kind of high tech street cred their motorcycles already enjoyed. 

The original VTEC led the way for a whole new slate of variable valve actuation systems from practically every major manufacturer, with a wide range of complexity and effectiveness seen today. Back in the day, it would be hard for anyone to imagine that a simple pin moved by a hydraulic actuator could become such a legend, but in retrospect it seems like one of those “why didn’t I think of that?” inventions.

Best of Both Worlds

To understand the impact of VTEC on the automotive world, it’s worthwhile knowing exactly what it is and what it isn’t. Conventional piston engines rely on one or more camshafts, turning at one-half engine speed, to control the motion of the intake and exhaust valves. No other single aspect of engine design has a bigger effect on performance, economy, or emissions than the timing and intensity (for lack of a better word) of valve events, and for engines without some sort of variable valve control, every compromise gets carved in steel at the factory and can’t be changed without getting into the ‘wet’ part of the engine. 

This is important because the physics involved in getting air and fuel into the cylinder and exhaust out mean that a cam lobe design optimized for low-end grunt is going to be unhappy at high RPM and vice versa. At lower speeds, cylinder-filling is improved by having relatively small valves with low lift, trading away some pumping losses in exchange for keeping velocity up in the intake tract, but towards the upper end of the RPM scale, bigger is better and low lift will kill airflow. Similar tradeoffs for valve duration (the part of the 720 degree four-stroke cycle when the valve is open to a meaningful extent) and valve overlap (degrees of crank rotation during which the exhaust valve is still closing while the intake valve starts to open at the end of one cycle and the beginning of the next) also have a big effect on how the engine delivers power. 

With a traditional camshaft, it’s one and done since whatever specifications were ground into the lobes at the factory are all you have to work with short of a swap. Hot rodders came up with some work-arounds, of course – part of the skill set of the traditional pushrod V8 racer was ‘degreeing the cam’ which involves using an adjustable timing gear set to move the cam’s timing earlier or later in the cycle, and dual overhead cam engines can use the same strategy plus change the intake and exhaust timing relative to one another to get some adjustability for overlap, but this was strictly something done in the shop rather than on the fly while the engine was running. More crucially, it didn’t change the cam lobes’ profile or lift.  

A Stroke of Genius

The solution seems obvious now, but at the time it required asking what sounds like a dumb question – “If the engine runs best with one cam design at low speed, and another at high speed, why not give it two cams?” At its core, that is all VTEC is – a way to put two completely different camshaft grinds into the same engine, and switch between them on demand. That’s much easier said than done, though, especially when whatever you come up with has to be simple enough to produce economically, durable enough to last for a hundred thousand miles or more, and designed to fail ‘gracefully’ and not leave you stranded if something goes wrong. 

… that is all VTEC is – a way to put two completely different camshaft grinds into the same engine, and switch between them on demand…

In 1984, Honda launched the New Concept Engine program with goals that included increasing torque and horsepower for their car engines across the RPM range, with an eventual benchmark of achieving 100 horsepower per liter of engine displacement for production engines. Initially, the NCE initiative led to powerplants like the DOHC ZC (forerunner of the D-series engine) as early as 1985, but the real breakthrough came when previous research begun in 1983 into a system intended to improve fuel economy was rolled into the new project. 

One of the main players in the NCE project was Ikuo Kajitani from Honda’s First Design Department in their Tochigi R&D Center. “Characteristically,” Kajitani said, “four-valve engines are known as high-revving, high-output machines. And for that reason we knew it would be quite difficult to achieve low-end performance if the engine’s displacement were too small.” He was certain that a solution to the problem could be found in the work done on the fuel economy project in the form of an engine that could change valve timing and lift dynamically during operation.

This capability took shape as a very simple but elegant system that uses only a few additional parts compared to a conventional valvetrain. At the beginning, the team had considered around thirty different methods of achieving this goal, but to narrow down the field, priority was given to systems that relied on proven technology rather than novel approaches that might have unforeseen show-stopping flaws. With a mixture of caution and optimism, ideas that seemed promising but had a high risk of being developmental dead-ends were set aside. One of the most important goals was to have a mechanism that could handle 400,000 cycles without failing. In the end, the team settled on the system we now know as the original VTEC.

For each cylinder, instead of a single cam lobe to control valve events, there would be three: Two low-speed lobes with a single high-speed lobe between them. With the system deactivated, each valve would be controlled by its own low-speed lobe, while a third cam follower with no direct connection to the valves followed the profile of the single high-speed lobe. On computer command, a hydraulic valve would send oil pressure to move a pin into place to connect the outer followers to the inner one and lock the whole assembly together, causing the valves to follow the more aggressive center cam lobe profile. 

No Magic Involved

Though the concept was simple, there were still significant technological hurdles to overcome. One major example of this was the fact that they needed to squeeze three lobes into the space originally occupied by one, and those lobes would also be operating the valvetrain under higher loads and engine speeds than they’d previously been engineered for. Solving this issue required improvements in both metallurgy and design, but the team achieved their goal (and then some) in time to confidently introduce the new technology for the 1989 model year. 

While VTEC in its original incarnation does allow an engine to operate in ways that a fixed valvetrain simply can’t, there’s a widely-held misconception that it’s some kind of super-science that works like hitting the switch on a nitrous system. In reality, what it did was allow Honda to build engines with the ability to change between a cam designed for efficient, clean, and fuel-sipping performance to one with the grind the engineers wanted to use in the first place. As a matter of fact, it’s not uncommon in race applications to use a single-grind camshaft that actually defeats VTEC in order to increase tolerance for abuse and reduce complexity and weight. When street driving isn’t high on your priority list, the flexibility and broad powerband that VTEC allows isn’t as important, but it makes a huge difference in your daily driver.

…it’s not uncommon in race applications to use a single-grind camshaft that actually defeats VTEC in order to increase tolerance for abuse and reduce complexity and weight…

The Bigger Picture

For all the popularity of “VTEC just kicked in” memes, the system actually does what it was intended to do – Allow small-displacement engines capable of high fuel economy and low emissions during test cycles and normal driving to also provide exceptional horsepower when run hard. In the process, Honda managed to turn cars like the Civic from quirky but reliable transportation devices into ones that were actually fun to drive fast. Whether it was their intention or not, you can argue that the evergreen popularity of all the generations of Civic that followed were a direct result of the NCE project and the development of VTEC. 

Today, every manufacturer has implemented some sort of variable valve timing setup, even for old-school pushrod V8 engine designs. There’s a veritable alphabet soup of acronyms used to describe all the different proprietary ways manufacturers have come up with to adjust valve timing, intake versus exhaust cam phasing, and so on, and Honda has gone on to improve their own engines with VTEC-E, 3-Stage VTEC, i-VTEC, and i-VTEC with Variable Cylinder Management. But the real special sauce – changing to a completely different cam profile on demand – remains at the core of VTEC technology. Until we reach a point where camless valve actuation via pneumatic or electronic direct control finally makes its way from the cost-is-no-concern pressure cooker of Formula One racing to the street, Honda’s approach will likely remain as the best way to change lift and duration on the fly. 

You Bought A New Track Car – Now What?

Essentials for Hot Laps on a 5k Budget

So you’ve taken the plunge and bought yourself a dedicated track car. You did your research, found what you were looking for in sound mechanical condition and not already so far from stock that you’d have to rip everything out before doing it the way it should have been done in the first place, and you’re eager to get it prepped and put some laps on it. But you’re not made of money, and your meme stocks only got you into low earth orbit instead of to the moon, so you have a $5,000 budget for everything you’re going to need. 

Some hard choices will have to be made, because every dollar spent in one area means a dollar less to spend somewhere else. Here’s how we would allocate those 50 Benjamins most effectively – while your priorities are going to vary from ours, having a plan is the difference between a car on the track and yard art on jackstands for another year because you ran out of money and motivation.

Helmet – $350 ($4,650 Remaining)

Yes, we know you already have a helmet you bought off Craigslist. Yes, we know you are the one driver who will never, ever crash. This is still non-negotiable. Every reputable track day event organizer will insist on an ‘in-date’ skid lid that meets an accepted testing standard. Most often this is Snell SA or its equivalent – some sanctions will accept a Snell M-rated helmet, but the DOT-only models are almost always not considered good enough, for a reason.

Helmets designed to meet the SA and similar ratings have features that make them better suited for automotive use, where sharp impacts with objects that can penetrate the shell are more likely than the types of forces involved in motorcycle crashes, and they’ll have a fire-resistant liner. The “in-date” part is important too; the impact-absorbing liner has a finite lifespan, which gets shorter the more it is exposed to temperature extremes or solvent and gasoline fumes. 

While it’s possible to get an open-face helmet that carries a SA2020 tag for as little as $160, we recommend a full-face model, and as the list price goes up you’ll also get better fit and finish and improved comfort, which is important when you’re trying to concentrate on-track. Throw in another $40 or so for a fire resistant head sock (also good for comfort, as well as keeping the liner of the helmet cleaner) and $350 is a reasonable starting point for this critically important item.

Tires/Wheels – $2000 ($2650 Remaining)

We’re assuming that if you’re limited to a $5k overall budget for track car upgrades, you’re probably not going to trailer to and from events. We’re also going to assume that you will want a separate set of wheels and tires so that you’re not burning through expensive high-performance tires daily driving on them (though mad props to you if you are hardcore like that – we’ve been there ourselves). Like everything else on this list, wheels aren’t an area where you want to cut corners, but it’s entirely possible to get into a set of four new, quality wheels from a reputable manufacturer for around a grand. For that price, you are looking at cast rather than forged wheels, so the tradeoff is slightly higher weight for a lower price, as well as not being as forgiving or repairable when tweaked during inevitable encounters with debris or curbs.

Like everything else on this list, wheels aren’t an area where you want to cut corners, but it’s entirely possible to get into a set of four new, quality wheels from a reputable manufacturer for around a grand…

Tires are consumables, and depending on how hard you run them and what your level of compromise is between grip and longevity, these may have to be replaced several times a season. Fortunately, it’s often possible to find a well-heeled fellow enthusiast who always has used tires that have ‘gone off’ for full-boogie competition purposes but still have plenty of laps left in them for less serious use, so we’re compromising and putting a cost of $250 a corner out there to give some wiggle room for that initial set. Like always, your experience may vary, and cars with uncommon fitments or really big meat will tend toward the more pricey end of the spectrum. 

Brake Upgrades – $1250 ($1400)

Here’s another area where there is a wide range of possibilities – if your track car has decent stock brakes, all that may be necessary for anything less than full competition use might be a change to a different brake compound, braided stainless flex lines, new rotors, and a fluid flush and bleed. On the other hand, most cars of interest to the track day crowd have a lot of bolt-on options at surprisingly reasonable prices. If you don’t go totally nuts, our budget should at least cover a front caliper upgrade in addition to the other things mentioned above, plus a spare set of pads to be bedded in and brought with you if you’ve chosen a soft-but-grippy compound and a tight course to run on for a mid-day swap.

if your track car has decent stock brakes, all that may be necessary for anything less than full competition use might be a change to a different brake compound, braided stainless flex lines, new rotors, and a fluid flush and bleed…

Suspension upgrades – $1400

We’re going to take the last of our remaining budget and allocate it toward suspension. On the less expensive end of the scale, a complete, properly engineered and matched set of quality replacement springs, dampers, anti-roll bars, and polyurethane bushings can set you back as little as $750, while the sky is the limit for a complete competition-spec coilover conversion with multi-way adjustable dampers. We’re splitting the difference here, but odds are you will come in either substantially above or below our average estimated price. Depending on what kind of tracks you prefer, you may prioritize suspension above brakes, or the other way around, and adjust your spending on these last two categories accordingly.

One thing you absolutely do not want to do under any circumstances is to cheap out here; there are a lot of janky ‘lowering kits’ and coilover conversion setups with suspiciously low price tags and brand names you have never heard of, but spending any money on components of dubious quality and unclear origin can only lead to disaster. 

That Money Went Fast…

As you can see, it doesn’t take a whole lot to blow through $5k getting your new toy set up properly, but going into it with clear expectations for the cost and effort involved can keep your dreams from dying before you ever get to the track. Keep in mind that this is just a start, and in order to keep your racing fun sustainable, it’s a good idea to set aside money for every event you attend in some place where you won’t spend it, to be used for future consumables like tires, brakes, and maintenance items. Budgeting is never fun, but it makes the fun stuff possible, and helps you to drive more and dream less. 

Hot Swaps

Engine And Chassis Combos Limited Only By Imagination

Engine swaps might seem like a recent thing, but OG hot rodders did it back in the 1950s, putting the then-new small block Chevy V8 into Ford Model T chassis, and when Cadillac created a long-stroke 500ci version of their corporate big block in 1970, wrecked Eldorados became a prime target for drag racers looking for as many cubes as they could get. Today, despite tightening regulations that threaten to make any kind of automotive modification illegal, let alone a complete motor swap, mixing and matching cars and drivetrains has never been more popular. Let’s look at some of the most common types of hybrid chassis and engine combinations (and we mean that in the cool way, not the electric motor ‘hybrid’ sense) and the reasons behind them.

All In The Family

In terms of sheer numbers of completed swaps, updating (or backdating, in some cases) a particular car with an engine from the same manufacturer takes the top position. In the import and sport compact world, the most common swaps involve upgrading Hondas with more powerful engines – the trend began with taking lightweight Civic or CRX shells originally equipped with fuel-sipping but low-output D-series four cylinder engines and replacing them with more powerful B-series engines from models higher up on the price and performance ladder. With the introduction of the even more powerful and versatile K-series, those became the donor engines of choice, despite being somewhat more complicated to swap due to the necessity of changing transmissions as well. The extra effort is worth it, though; 200 horsepower or more from a completely stock engine in a late-90’s Civic that tips the scales at under 2,400 pounds makes for very entertaining performance at an affordable price.

In terms of sheer numbers of completed swaps, updating (or backdating, in some cases) a particular car with an engine from the same manufacturer takes the top position…

Honda engine swaps have become so popular that you can find ready-made components like engine and transmission mounts, headers, and ECU adapters for pretty much any reasonable (and more than a few unreasonable) combination of engine and chassis. With the trailblazing handled, potential compatibility issues have all been sorted out by somebody somewhere. It just takes a bit of research to come up with a proven recipe to follow, and entire books have been written on the subject covering every last detail.

Another common form of swap involves putting an engine not available in the US market into a chassis that was sold here, with the first example that comes to mind being the Nissan 240SX. Known in Japan as the 180SX and Silvia, when the company brought this fun little RWD coupe to America, they decided to replace the JDM CA and SR series turbocharged engines with KA series naturally aspirated ones. This decision was likely based on the fact that the KA engines were already “federalized” for US emissions regulations and would be less expensive than bringing in a new powerplant without an existing approval. Though well-suited for mainstream buyers, since these engines had previously been used in Nissan’s Hardbody line, they were derided by some as ‘truck engines’ unworthy of the car’s sporty image.

Of course, enthusiasts care not for things such as EPA regulations, and many CA and SR engines got strapped to pallets in Japanese wrecking yards and shipped to the west coast to be reunited with S13 and S14 240SX models here. Some particularly ambitious souls went as far as to cram RB26DETT twin turbo inline sixes from the JDM Skyline GT-R (among other applications) into that chassis as well.

Speaking of legendary Japanese turbo sixes, let’s not forget the Toyota 2JZ-GTE. This engine powered a whole generation of the company’s flagship performance models, but only came to US showrooms in the Mark IV Supra Turbo. This engine has found its way into a number of different swaps, including both Lexus IS300/GS300/SC300 models as a replacement for its naturally-aspirated sibling, the 2JZ-GE, as well as other non-Toyotas with engine bays long enough to accommodate the sizeable inline six. 

Could Have Had a V8

Don’t think this is just limited to import brands, either. When Ford ended production of their classic pushrod 5.0 liter V8 engine in the mid-90s and replaced it with the high-tech overhead cam Modular family, it was only a matter of time before those engines started to find their way into Fox-body Mustangs and even classics. One of the disadvantages of overhead cam cylinder heads in a V-configuration engine layout is that compared to pushrod designs of similar displacement, they inevitably end up larger in width and height. Adding cams and timing gear to the top of the cylinders makes them inherently taller than engines that simply have to accommodate rocker arms beneath the valve covers. In a bit of irony, older muscle cars with their large engine bays have more room to accept Modular V8 swaps, making them somewhat easier to work on than modern factory Fords with cramped under-hood layouts. 

While Ford was breaking ties with their previous engine architecture, GM took a less radical path, introducing the first LS-series engines. These successors to the original small-block Chevy V8 and its follow-on “Gen II” LT replacements are in many ways a “what might have been” look at the direction Ford could have taken with their own small-block pushrod architecture. Though the Gen II engines had a lot of problems including a notoriously unreliable optical ignition pickup and were widely panned by gearheads, the Gen III/IV LS family turned out to be a huge success.

Lightweight, powerful, durable, plentiful, and cheap, they quickly replaced the venerable SBC as the engine of choice for GM swaps. Like the aforementioned Honda engines, a huge aftermarket has developed to make putting an LS into an older car easy, right down to complete kits that handle ignition and carburetion should you choose to go old-school and ‘downgrade’ from EFI. Another factor that led to their popularity was that they were manufactured in both iron and aluminum block form, so that those in search of an inexpensive and bomb-proof bottom end could simply grab a low-compression iron block truck motor from the local pick-a-part and feed it a decent amount of boost or nitrous without a lot of drama.

Cross Breeding

While mixing and matching engines and chassis from the same manufacturer often makes things somewhat easier because of shared mechanical and electronic components, taking an engine from one maker and stuffing it into another company’s car has been popular forever as well. As we mentioned before, early hot rodders who started out by putting Ford Flathead V8 engines into Model Ts embraced the original small-block Chevy with great enthusiasm as soon as they started turning up in junkyards. Today, purists will howl in outrage about LS-swapped Fox Mustangs, but a dispassionate look at it shows this is the same kind of thing gearheads have always done. Mustang engine transplants aren’t limited to just Chevy engines either – Most famously, the notable 2006 documentary film The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift included a 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback with a Nissan RB26DETT as a ‘hero car.’

Today, purists will howl in outrage about LS-swapped Fox Mustangs, but a dispassionate look at it shows this is the same kind of thing gearheads have always done…

Like Honda swaps, the popularity of the LS Fox combination has led to an entire range of aftermarket parts to make the process close to turn-key, and all the information necessary to make it happen successfully is easily accessible online and in print. In fact, there has been a strong “LS all the things!” movement in the enthusiast world, with practically every rear wheel drive platform becoming a candidate for a Gen III/IV GM V8 swap. It’s even reached the point where a backlash has occurred against it – many people see the commonality of the LS as a detriment to the originality and creativity of Pro Touring builds, preferring original or at least period-correct engines. Odds are that any SEMA resto-mod build that isn’t intended to specifically highlight another engine will have some flavor of LS power, to the point where it’s become a running joke among writers and photographers.

Regardless of one’s feelings about LS engine transplants, they’re going to be with us for the foreseeable future, and not just in cars. They’ve become the weapon of choice for inboard-powered boats of all kinds, as well as aircraft and even homebuilt helicopters. But eventually something new will come along, and it’s entirely possible that we may one day see all-electric powertrains with ‘universal’ designs developed to simply drop in place of an internal combustion engine and transmission. While one-off attempts at this have come and gone, as the hardware becomes standardized for OEM use (and thus also becomes more affordable) and battery technology advances to increase energy density, peak output, and cruising range, garage mechanics who want something completely different under the hood will embrace these swaps as well. 

About the Author: Paul Huizenga is a California-based freelance contributor who has owned, raced, and written about everything from Subarus to Mustangs to Corvettes over the last two decades. He is currently studying the feasibility of an LS4 engine and transmission swap into a Fox-body to convert it to Chevy power and front-wheel drive, because some men just want to watch the world burn.

Restore or Restomod?

What To Do With Your Classic Chevy C-10 Truck

Ultimately, the decision of what you decide to do with your truck is up to you—it should be, anyway. Don’t get caught up in the hype of what your pals are doing or what you constantly see in magazines or on social media. At the end of the day, the truck parked in your garage should best represent what you want to see out of it, not just what current trends say it should be. 

With that said, you’re going to have a lot of different avenues when it comes to prepping your truck to get back on the road. Now, some guys might only be concerned about whipping the engine back into shape and driving it as-is, with the original paint/patina and replacing parts with only factory OEM product when available. If OG parts can’t be sourced, using pieces that are designed to resemble original equipment is the only way to go for some Chevy purists. 

Going this route leans into the restoration realm of doing things, and there isn’t anything wrong with it at all. It’s pretty cool seeing an old truck maintain its heritage, and look like a time capsule piece of how it would’ve looked back in the day when it was the new truck on the block. There’s a much stricter guideline to follow going this route, as say going full-on custom, but there’s a place for every type of build out there. It’s just as impressive hearing about where a guy had to go to score rare original parts than it is seeing parts designed to fit but look completely different than stock. This is what truly makes both sides of the spectrum so interesting to see.

With a restomod project, builders celebrate their truck’s age and history while modernizing it to function and feel like a vehicle that better fits today’s standards. Updated creature comforts like stereo systems, aftermarket bolt-on products, non-OEM paint selections—now, these are on the modest side of things. Just wait until you get the urge to do some heavy custom bodywork, air ride suspension, and drop-in an LS performance engines. Stuff like this blows the covers off more straightforward restoration books, because there really aren’t any rules here. Every modification is geared toward personal style and demand. It’s all about picking up where the factory left off decades ago and building a truck that is more unique and personal. 

Sure, current trends keep a majority of restomod C10 trucks looking somewhat uniform, as low suspension stance (air ride or static) and large-diameter wheels have seemingly become a standard for street-styled trucks, but even so, there is still a lot of room to be unique and stand out from the crowd. These trucks are perfect candidates to outfit for street track driving with more responsive coilover chassis setups. There’s even room to go completely against the grain with a restomod, as there are a big number of C10 and C20 trucks that rock lifted suspensions complete with proper off-road wheels and tires to match. 

As with all types of classic or collectible vehicles, there is the question of value when the time ever comes to resell. There are still bone stock C10 “barn find” trucks out there for sale that haven’t seen the road in years, let alone any type of upkeep or customization. These tend to get a lot of attention because most builders would prefer to start with an untouched gem, without having to redo potential shoddy work done by a previous tinkerer. When pitted against each other, it’s fairly common to see a well-done restomod truck selling for more than a clean restored C10. The more of the high profile builds that are featured in all the magazines as well as a SEMA appearance, make it to the auction block and sell for impressive amounts. Now, it might be fractions of what was actually spent in parts and tons of billable hours of fabrication work, but full custom trucks are in demand, especially for someone looking for a completed truck who doesn’t want to start one from the ground up. 

Are restored trucks still valuable? Well, yeah, of course. If there’s a guy out there looking for the exact same truck like his dad or grandpa had when he was a kid, you’d better believe he’s going to lay down some good money to buy something that takes him back to his childhood. Nostalgia sells, especially when it comes to vintage vehicles. Guys looking for the no-frills route, or plan to customize on their own, might also look to this market for the right truck to purchase. 

Nothing is more valuable, however, than having something that has been carefully crafted to suit your specific taste. Now, that could come in the form of a beautifully restored or totally customized pickup—only you can determine that value for yourself. Either way, you’ll have to invest time and money into whatever route you choose to take. And if you don’t even plan to flip the truck, then resale value goes completely out the window. 

Most everyone has one similar goal when building any type of classic truck, and that is for it to be their own, and to reflect their own wants/needs and personality. Think about it—just how many C10s do you see on a daily basis? Not too many, right? Now, think how many completely restored or customized C10s you see. Unless there’s a car show in town, or you just happen to catch that one guy in the neighborhood who has one, chances are you just aren’t going to see them as often as you’d think. Given that fact, your truck is going to be unique no matter what you end up doing with it, and you’re still going to have a blast putting it together—and that’s what really matters once the dust settles. 

Springs vs. Coilovers vs. Bags: What’s the Difference?

Are Springs, Coilovers, or Air Suspension Best for Performance?

It might seem like common sense that having more choices when it comes to just about any decision is a good thing. In many circumstances, that’s true, but when presented with too many options, ‘decision paralysis’ can set in, making it harder instead of easier to choose the right path. Instead of making life easier, it causes anxiety, slows down or even stops decision-making, and can even lead to remorse after the fact as you churn through all the possibilities you didn’t pick. 

When it comes to upgrading a car’s suspension for high performance street or track use, we’ve reached the point where for many popular platforms, there’s no clear winner for every situation out of a wide variety of aftermarket setups. While we can’t guarantee you’ll avoid ‘paralysis by analysis,’ we might be able to help clarify your priorities with the following look at the pros and cons of the three basic categories of mods: Spring and damper replacement, coilover conversion, and air suspension. 

Springs and Shocks/Struts

This category encompasses replacing the factory-spec springs and dampers (whether those are conventional shock absorbers, MacPherson struts, or a combination of the two) with upgraded aftermarket parts.  

Pro:

• Likely to be the least-expensive option, both to buy and to install (if you don’t do it yourself)
• Properly-engineered matching suspension kits take the guesswork out of picking the right spring rates and compression/rebound settings
• Durability is often as good as or better than factory parts
• Some high-end kits offer limited damper adjustment for fine-tuning
• Fewest compromises in ride quality and noise for dual use street/track cars

Con:

• Limited range of spring rates for applications ‘out of the mainstream’
• Systems on the most affordable end of the spectrum usually offer no ride height or damping adjustment

The Bottom Line:

Usually the least-expensive and most-available option, but with significant compromises in adjustability and performance as the tradeoff.

Coilover Conversion

For the purpose of this discussion, we’re going to define coilovers as a complete replacement of the factory spring and damper setup, whether those are individual components or struts, with aftermarket alternatives. This is the most typical choice for serious track applications, but also has a wide fanbase for street/track use as well – partially because of the serious race cred and the ‘hardcore’ aura that goes with the tradeoffs involved. 

Pro: 

• Short of a completely re-engineered suspension right down to the control arms and chassis attachment points, coilovers offer the best possible handling and the widest range of adjustment, as well as more precision and repeatability when changing settings
• Good coverage from multiple manufacturers for the most popular car applications
• Narrower coilover units can offer more clearance for wider wheels and tires without fender modification
• Adjustable ride height without altering spring rates
• Dampers available in configurations from non-adjustable to 4-way (high/low speed compression and rebound)
• Relatively simple and easy to change spring rates with ‘universal’ springs to suit different track conditions

Con: 

• A very, very wide range of quality/price, from pro level down to “I bought this off of Wish – why doesn’t it fit?”
• A whole new form of decision paralysis – lots of adjustment often means more ways to get it wrong
• Systems intended for track use can be noisy and harsh on less-than-perfect pavement
• Expect to either replace or rebuild the dampers on a regular basis, as they are usually designed with longevity as a lower priority
• Less-common performance cars may need to have coilover sets pieced together from components if ‘all in one box’ kits aren’t available

The Bottom Line:

Not the best choice for comfort or street driving, but the de-facto standard for full-race use. Beware of pitfalls in quality at the low end of the scale, and excessive complexity at the high end.

Air Suspension

Commonly referred to as “bags,” today’s performance-oriented air suspension systems are a far cry from the lashed-together rigs that pioneered the technology. Once strictly an option for “stance” and car shows instead of performance, it’s now a solid contender for track-oriented builds.

Pro:

• Adjustable ride height is the main attraction here – modern air springs offer a wide range of spring heights selectable simply by adding or reducing pressure, and clever design of the air bags themselves achieves this without significant changes in spring rate
• Compatible with multi-adjustable race-spec dampers for suspension tuning
• Systems with quality air springs rival conventional factory steel springs for durability
• A great choice for cars that will see use on both the race course and the street, making low ride height that would be a disaster with a ‘static’ coilover suspension achievable in a car you can still drive to and from the track
• Complete, ready-to-install kits are available for more applications every day

Con: 

• Trends towards the expensive end of the scale compared to anything but full-race coilover systems
• Additional hardware like compressors, tanks, solenoids, and pressure gauges required for adjustment on-the-fly, which adds expense and weight
• Modern air springs only allow changes in ride height while spring rate remains the same, requiring complete replacement of a relatively expensive component to alter it
• Like coilovers, less-popular applications may require ‘a la carte’ component selection instead of an off-the-shelf solution

The Bottom Line:
The king of adjustability, at the expense of additional weight and cost. Limited (but growing) off-the-shelf choices.

Wrapping it Up

There’s no one-size-fits all solution to picking the right path for the suspension on your project car or daily driver, and the wide variety of choices (made worse by conflicting advice from all directions) doesn’t help. Hopefully we’ve made it a little bit easier for you to organize your priorities, from the cost involved to the complexity of installation and tuning to your personal intended use (which often turns out to be somewhat different from where you actually end up in practice). Relax, take a deep breath, and consider the options we have set before you as a starting point in your search for the perfect suspension.

What’s the Next 240sx?

Filling The Iconic Tuner Car’s Shoes Won’t Be Easy

Unappreciated in its day, only available in the US with the much-maligned KA24 “truck motor,” and canceled Stateside before we could get the S15 version, Nissan’s 240SX has finally gained the popularity among enthusiasts it deserved from the start. Unfortunately, the days of picking up an unmolested, factory-original Nissan 240sx for sale for next to nothing are long gone, leaving us to wonder what might be the next platform to take its place in our hearts as the true 240SX alternative. 

After much beard-scratching and somber contemplation of the question, we’ve come up with five possible candidates for “the next 240SX.” We’re sure that not everyone will agree with our choices, but we’ll try to list the pros and cons of each so that at least you know why we picked the cars we did. Now, in no particular order, here’s our best guesses:

SN-95 Ford Mustang (1994-2004)

Before you get all bunched up about a domestic pony car being on our list, hear us out. These cars are cheap, plentiful, available with an OHC V8 in 2-, 3-, and 4-valve per cylinder layouts depending on year and model, and there’s an enormous performance aftermarket for practically every important component from driveline to suspension. They’re relatively light for their size, especially the V6 models, mechanically uncomplicated compared to more modern cars, and if you really want a turbo 4 or V6, all the show-stoppers involved in an EcoBoost swap have more or less been figured out. 

The only real knock on this platform is that the vast majority were solid-axle cars (but so was the AE86…) and even that can be addressed with a factory IRS rear end swap from a 1999-2004 Cobra or as a complete kit from Ford Performance Parts.

NA/NB Mazda Miata (1989-2005)

Here’s another potentially controversial addition to our list. The first and second gen Miata, despite having all the right elements put together in a very competent manner, labor under the stereotype of being a “chick car” – and that’s about the nicest way to say it. Nevertheless, they’re a ton of fun to drive, there’s an endless assortment of upgrades available thanks to a very substantial presence in club racing, and if you want more power than the standard naturally-aspirated 1.6 or 1.8l engine delivers, there’s always the 178-horsepower factory turbocharged 2004-2005 Mazdaspeed model. There were even people building complete kits to drop 5.0l pushrod Ford V8 engines into them before LS-swapped 240s were a thing.

On the downside, there is the fact that even without the optional hard top or the standard cloth roof up, the Miata is cramped at best, and an interference fit for drivers on the taller half of the adult American bell curve. Even so, the clearest signal that these cars are on the upswing in popularity is the fact that it is getting harder and harder to find them for sale in reasonable condition at bargain prices. If you fit, and you are secure enough in your identity to just laugh off the haters, these Mazdas are worth serious consideration.

Z33 Nissan 350Z (2003-2008)

After Nissan basically had the 300ZX priced out of the US market in 1996, the Z32 platform lingered until 2000 in its home country, but no replacement was immediately forthcoming. It took Renault’s purchase of a huge chunk of the company and the installation of automotive visionary/international fugitive from justice Carlos Ghosn as Nissan CEO to get the Z back into production. The result was a very competent sports car that took the nameplate back to its roots after the previous generations had gotten progressively softer and more oriented toward the “grand tourer” paradigm.

The VQ35 N/A V6 provided ample power from the outset and got better as the Z33 model years progressed, starting at 287 horsepower, then getting a bump to 300 for 2005 and finally 306 for the final two years of production. ‘07-’08 models are also generally agreed to have the best gearboxes out of the bunch as well. Needless to say, there’s an enormous amount of factory and aftermarket parts support, and these cars have always been popular with tuners so competent setup and modification isn’t exactly blazing a new trail.

Unfortunately, when the Z34/370Z was introduced, these cars saw a large enough drop in price in the secondary market that even though they were relatively new, they were still cheap enough to be chewed up en mass by owners and shops not entirely focused on treating them respectfully. As a result, those that escaped rough handling can be hard to find and somewhat pricey, but if you are willing to do some searching and possibly undo previous mods made with more enthusiasm than skill, the 350Z is a good candidate as a replacement to the 24osx.

Toyota 86/Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ (2012-2020)

When the Subieota twins were introduced in the US under both Toyota’s Scion sub-brand and Subaru badging, the expectations among enthusiasts were sky-high. So high, in fact, that despite getting all the fundamentals right, the car wasn’t a huge hit, with US combined sales peaking at just under 27,000 units in 2013, and dwindling to under 5,000 by 2020. Some of that can be attributed to the belief that a turbo version was just around the corner, but the only engine available was a N/A 2-liter flat four from the Subaru parts bin that only delivered 205 horsepower.

Some automotive journalists are still betting on a second generation eventually going into production with Subaru’s turbo 2.4 and an additional 55 or so horsepower, but current events and ever-declining sales numbers during the initial run bode against that. Since there’s little mechanical difference between the first and last models and depreciation has had almost a decade to work its magic on the price of early cars (which were never really overpriced new, at least once dealers stopped adding on additional markup) these may be an up-and-comer for the title of “next 240SX.” Aftermarket parts selection is OK but not extraordinary, and there are relatively straightforward engine swaps to Subaru’s more desirable engines being done on the regular. We’ve even seen a “BRZ-06” with a Corvette LS under the hood, though we suspect that replacement rear tires for that car will cost more than the conversion in the long run…

Hyundai Genesis Coupe (2010-2016)

Here’s one we almost guarantee wasn’t on your radar before this – Hyundai’s first RWD sports coupe is one of those, “oh right, I remember that!” cars that never really got the attention it deserved, in our opinion. Available with a choice of 2.0l turbocharged four cylinder or 3.8l V6 power, it was mostly lost in the shadow of its contemporaries like the aforementioned Toyobaru and even the then-current V6 Mustang and Camaro. The 2013-up turbo four delivered 275 or so horsepower, complete with a bit of boost lag not seen much any more (but highly nostalgic in its own way). The GDI version of the V6 that dropped in 2013 also picked up substantial power compared to its multiport-injected predecessor, rated at just shy of 350 ponies and putting it on par with the 370Z NISMO, if you can believe it.

Aftermarket support is sparse but not non-existent, and these typically carry a late-model used car price tag, but you can be assured that you won’t be lost in a sea of Genesis Coupes at your local cruise night, and they are a ton of fun to drive, with even the N/A V6 models being surprisingly tossable much like the Nissan 240sx. 

That concludes our conjecture for now, and as we draw the veil over our crystal ball until next time, we wonder what your predictions are for the enthusiast successor to the 240SX…

State of Speed Los Angeles: An August Affair

Three shows down and hundreds of cars rolling through, we are incredibly pleased with the turnout of the State of Speed Los Angeles Car Show, presented by Milestar Tires. From the beginning, we knew the local car scene had a ton to offer, and that the monthly meet would end up being a melting pot of incredible builds and bonafide gear heads of all stripes.

This time around, the Los Angeles automotive enthusiast heads came out in droves.

First, The Cars!

Dusting off then gassing up your ride and heading to the event early is indeed the way to go. Cars start rolling in before the clock hits 7 AM to grab the prime spots, and of course, the glorious early morning photo op!

Most of the time you’ll hear them before you see them, and it’s a guessing game as to what is about to pull in next. It doesn’t take much time before the lot starts filling up with builds of every interest. Restored classics and restomods to old school JDM’s and some serious off-road machines —  there’s sure to be something for every taste.

The People

Great builds take more than some spare change, and it’s the car owners that bring these projects to life.

They’re out there answering questions about each and every minute detail of their ride; whether you’re just genuinely interested in the labor behind someone’s rotary swapped Datsun, or are looking for some recommendations on a bigger turbo, each and every owner is more than happy to chop it up about their ride.

A Day Well Spent

As the shows continue to take place each month, and the crowds continue to grow, we are excited to see the scale of State of Speed Los Angeles in the times to come. We’re grateful to collaborate with Milestar Tires to bring this event to fruition, and there isn’t a better place out there to hold the event than the Tireco headquarters in Gardena, CA.

So for those that have previously shown up for State of Speed Los Angeles, we look forward to seeing you again, and for those who haven’t, stop by, grab a coffee, and bring your ride!

Hodson Motors’ Forest Service Ford F-250 Restomod

In our last feature installment starring the father and son duo at Hodson Motors, Derrick and Riley Hodson, we explored their amazing beast of a truck—the ’83 Jeep J10 they affectionately refer to as the JRT10. Outfitted with a V-10 Viper engine, SRT10 interior, a full 4-inch lift and all the fixins, along with a unique visual appeal that has become the Hodson’s calling card, the JRT10 is staying put in the permanent Hodson collection. However, the truck is always in high demand when fans are able to take a closer inspection. 

“Dad comes up with these crazy concepts for truck builds, briefs me on his vision, and sends me off to make it happen.”Riley Hodson

With so many impressive completed and in-progress projects to look at, we’ve decided to reserve some space on the Internet to take a well-deserved peek at a truck that means a lot to Derrick. “This 1964 Ford F250 is something particularly cool that my dad wanted to build”, Riley says. Now, for those who aren’t up to speed on how the Hodsons operate their shop, their method is pretty straightforward and very effective. “Dad comes up with these crazy concepts for truck builds, briefs me on his vision, and sends me off to make it happen”, adds Riley. This is the truck that really kick started Derrick’s truck collecting and established Riley’s work flow to make said trucks come to life. 

In the case of this F250, the plan was to dig up something quite rare, which is now par for the Hodson course, and add some special parts to really make it come together, which is also a common ingredient in the family recipe. “This truck here is actually a factory F250 4×4 short bed”, Riley admits. “But what really makes it unique is that it was a custom ordered short bed, as it was a brush fire truck with a water tank in the bed. These kinds of trucks were used at National Parks by the Forest Service.” 

The first step in the project was to first locate one of these trucks out in the wild, which is a process Riley now has down to a science. “The hard part is not really finding these trucks, it’s the actual digging them out of the far off, remote locations they are usually in, and dragging them back home to our shop in Las Vegas that poses the real challenge.” While we aren’t at liberty to discuss where this particular F250 was found, we can share the details about what was done to the truck to make it come out they way it did. 

Even though the truck is a rare bird as-is, the first thing Riley and his crew at Hodson Motors did was cut it up. The rear fenders were stretched three inches wider and 6 inches longer, and F600 medium duty fenders were grafted into place up front, as was a front clip from the same truck. To give the roof another six inches of additional headroom, an F800 tall cap was worked into the equation. 

To further make the truck their own, Riley and his crew built a completely custom bed for the F250, and also installed a unibody big back window to help brighten up the inside of the cab. Now, you may be wondering where the heck these guys are able to source so many killer parts from obscure trucks. Well, let’s just say the guys have been doing some healthy hoarding over the years, and know exactly where to get more.  

When all the metal work was done to the truck, it was sprayed with a green primer and left that way for quite some time. The guys started getting used to that green color, and ended up mixing a custom gunmetal gloss green hue to finish it off while keeping the looks of it somewhat familiar.  

To increase the big look of the truck shell itself and give it that Hodson Motors classic touch, the suspension was lifted a full four inches all around. The original frame and axles were utilized in the overhaul, and the roll cage you see—it’s made from 4-inch pipe, not hollow tube, so it’s super heavy and damn near bulletproof. To capitalize on the taller ride height, a set of 20-inch Method NV wheels were selected, as was a set of 38-inch Milestar Patagonia M/T tires to ensure the truck was as capable to handle rough terrain and not just look the part. 

Powering the F250 is a Lincoln 460 big block with a few add-ons in the way of a Sniper EFI self-tuning fuel injection system, and a C6 transmission. The engine compartment is clean and tidy, and is designed so to keep function a top priority. Also designed with function in mind, is the F250’s interior space, although a ton of form has also been thrown in for good measure. Freshly distressed leather was used on the bench seat, center console, and door panels for an plush vet vintage looking appearance. As with all the builds that Hodson creates, a lineup of usual creature comforts in the way of Dakota Digital gauges, full air conditioning, and power windows were included to modernize the feel of the interior. 

Imagine what the forest rangers back in the 60’s would say about what has become of one of their old work trucks. The Hodsons work their magic time and again in order to dream up and build the type of trucks that are now directly associated with their name. If this Ford gives you any tingles (as it should), check out some of the other Hodson Motors’ creations, and be sure to stay tuned to their social accounts for future projects that will be sure to push the envelope even further. 

Inaugural State of Speed LA Car Show Recap

Incredible builds, delicious coffee, great people — what more could have come from a successful inaugural State of Speed Los Angeles car show? First off, let’s start off by saying thank you to each and every person that showed up for the event, Milestar Tires for sponsoring the show, and Clutch and Coffee for providing the fresh brews.

It’s refreshing to know that a group of gearheads that share the same passion for their rides can come together for an extraordinary time!

Now, let’s dive on into the turnout of immaculate builds that showed up for the State of Speed LA event! As stated before the event, this was most definitely not a run of the mill car show. It was expected that a truly diverse group of cars would show up, from JDM and Euro to Off-Road and Mini Trucks. There was no shortage of any, either.

Once the clock hit 7 o’clock, people were rolling in to collect their limited edition State of Speed Los Angeles t-shirts, and boy did those go quick! Once parked and hood popped, the next most important thing to do was grab a cup of coffee, and a delicious one at that. Clutch and Coffee supplied the goods, and it was a hit!

By 9AM, the Tireco parking lot was popping, but no, not audibly. A huge thanks to everyone for also being respectful of the show and keeping the engine noises to a minimum! The lot was packed, and the three hours flew by, but there was plenty of time to check out each car and talk to the individuals behind the builds. Once 10AM came, cars slowly started to head out while bystanders headed towards the exits to hear the sweet tones of each car as they departed.

Overall, our inaugural State of Speed LA show was a huge success! Another thank you goes out to our lead sponsor, Milestar Tires, our coffee vendor, Clutch and Coffee, and most importantly, those who showed up with some killer rides. We look forward to the next event and hope everyone can make it out, so stay tuned!

Hodson Motors’ Viper-Powered Jeep JRT10

Lifted trucks, classic trucks, rare trucks—if you consider yourself a fan of either or all of these categories, then you’ve surely heard of Hodson Motors out of Las Vegas, NV. Derrick and his son Riley Hodson operate their modest shop in the middle of the desert that houses parts and pieces from some pretty not-often-seen medium duty pickups from the past. Crew cabs that you never even knew existed are there, as well the other key ingredients required to create their insanely cool one-off machines. 

So the way Derrick and Riley operate is pretty simple—Derrick comes up with the grand ideas, and then brainstorms with Riley and lets him loose on figuring out how to make those ideas come to life. The guys have come to rely on a network of tightly knit shops to assist in their builds over the years, and in that time the Hodsons have amassed quite the personal truck collection, including this 1983 Jeep J10 that they affectionately call the JRT10. Derrick started on it seven years ago alongside local Las Vegas off-road fabricator, Cameron Chin, who owns and operates Nefarious Kustoms. Wanting to finally button up the build, they kept running with their vision of a rarely seen Jeep pickup model beefed up and customized to meet their specialized criteria. Also on the docket were a couple of imported tricks to make the J10 truly different from the rest. 

In the end, the time-consuming engine swap was well worth the effort just for the sake of saying that the Jeep now has an SRT-10 mill under the hood…

With an engine swap already in the stars for the Jeep, the guys narrowed the running down to a Viper SRT-10 engine. Yeah, that’s quite the jump, and a little more in-depth than Riley had initially anticipated. “The install was complicated”, he admits. “The firewall had to be chopped, and the radiator actually had to be relocated back to the bed if you can believe that. It just didn’t fit in the engine bay, so we had to run stainless tubing for the water underneath the truck.” In the end, the time-consuming engine swap was well worth the effort just for the sake of saying that the Jeep now has an SRT-10 mill under the hood—and, it lent a hand in creating a pretty catchy nickname for the truck. 

Since the Hodsons have been building cool trucks on a more frequent basis over the past six years or so, they’ve whipped up their own winning recipe that is applied to all of their projects, which always includes a killer suspension setup. The Jeep now sits on a full front and rear 4-link suspension system complete with a caged rear frame and Radflo long travel remote reservoir coilovers, so you just know this thing rides comfortably—even on the rough stuff. 

With the all-around lifted ride height, a healthy set of rubber could be thrown into the mix without any clearance issues. 37-inch Milestar Patagonia M/T tires were selected for their tried and true all-terrain exploration capabilities. While tires of this stature are commonplace in the lifted truck scene, so is the use of stock fenders, unfortunately. Hodson Motors has come to appreciate the importance of keeping proportion in mind when incorporating large tires, and to do that they like to go with larger fenders to keep up. To give the JRT10 correct proportional balance, AutoFab wide body fenders were utilized up front while the bedsides were widened six inches with fresh three-inch wider rear fenders to boot. Now, give the truck another look. All that extra bodywork makes much more sense when understanding the method to their madness. 

With the truck getting closer to paint, the guys started debating what color to have it sprayed. A specific Lamborghini color caught their eye, but it turns out they don’t typically release the actual codes to their paint—go figure. Instead, Matthew Miller of Nefarious Kustoms had to trust his eyeballs to match up an opal blue metallic pearl color that came pretty damn close to the Lambo shade. He then sealed it up with an eggshell matte clear coat, and blacked out all the exterior trim for good measure. The original front end was swapped out with a Gladiator Rhino grille conversion, and new LED lighting was wired up for updated looks and increased nighttime visibility. 

Other items that were scavenged from the SRT-10 donor were the black suede power bucket seats and dash cluster, which look right at home inside the Jeep. “All of our builds also feature what I usually refer to as creature comforts”, Riley adds. “These are just the common modern amenities such as power locks and windows, and air conditioning—all those little things that we enjoy in our daily drivers should be included in custom classic builds as well.” With the added Bluetooth stereo system, push button start, leather-wrapped steering wheel and dash, and a whole lot more, the cab space feels much more plush than one might expect from the Jeep at first glance. 

While the JRT-10 is a permanent part of the Hodson Motors collection, it does serve as a representation of what type of truck Derrick and Riley enjoy building and driving. If their custom trucks are good enough to make them happy, it’s a safe bet the ones they create for their customers will be finished off even better. If you’re looking to check out some crazy off-road rigs that perform just as good as they look, Hodson will surely scratch the itch of the uncommon utility truck fanatic.

The Cleanest ’75 Ford Bronco On Dirt

Jeff Godbold admits that his time owning this ’75 Ford Bronco surely hasn’t been the most exciting era the truck has ever seen. Actually, since its lengthy, in-depth rebuild, the Bronco really hasn’t been worked all too hard, but that’s mainly due in part because of how clean it has come to be. Jeff purchased the Bronco from the guy who invested the time to completely blow it apart and piece back together again with parts and products that would ultimately allow it to perform and look better than it has in its 47 years in existence. And who’d want to go and get those kind of results muddy? 

“I purchased the Ford Bronco completely done in 2012”, Jeff says. “The guy I bought it from was an older retired police officer, who spent several years doing most of the work himself. With the exception of waiting a couple years for the bodywork and paint to be completed, he did his part in pretty good time.” 

Time, in fact, was something that the previous owner put a large emphasis on. When he sold the Bronco to Jeff, he also included a rather extensive parts and cost list, as well as a well-organized log of billable hours that accounted for everything from the 13-hour engine and transmission rebuild job on 1/20/2009 right down to the 2-hour wash and vacuum back on 10/10/2005. Every other imaginable modification in between is also accounted for, as you could imagine, which is awesome to see actually. This very detailed record keeping has given Jeff a level of insight most folks don’t get when buying someone else’s project vehicle. 

High on the list of completed chores was the rebuild of the 347ci stroker engine that has all the bells and whistles any gearhead would flip over, and to capitalize on all the extra performance gains, Jeff added an overdrive transmission after he took ownership of the Ford Bronco to make it more freeway-friendly. Also on the logbook is a 2-inch body lift with all new mounts and bolts, as well as new American Racing wheels, center caps, lug nuts and locks and finished off properly with 33-inch Milestar Patagonia M/T tires. 

This ’75 is basically a brand new rig, and has been built to easily conquer rugged terrain, although it has only been assigned light duty work since its completion. Don’t go pointing fingers at Jeff for this, as the previous owner also kept the Bronco in the garage most of the time since he thought it turned out too nice to have to power wash every weekend. 

It’s just one of those rare gems that is a direct product of someone’s grand vision, and in this case fueled by a period of his absolute mania.

“We’ve towed the Bronco with our motorhome and driven it around some during our outings, but nothing too crazy”, Jeff admits. “I’ve also taken it to a car show, even though that’s not really my thing, but the response to it was nothing short of amazing”, he adds. Even though the Bronco has been equipped to handle the trails, the quality of its reworking has placed it in the show vehicle category, which wasn’t the original intent. Either way, there’s something to be said about owning a classic off-road truck of this caliber. It’s just one of those rare gems that is a direct product of someone’s grand vision, and in this case fueled by a period of his absolute mania. 

At the end of the all-encompassing parts and labor list is a grand totaling of just about $63k, which sounds about right. There may have been some other costs that slipped by the last owner, but he didn’t seem like the type to leave anything out. Jeff didn’t pay that much to bring the Bronco home, naturally, but in today’s current market for vintage Ford Broncos, this number sits somewhere on the low end considering the extent of its rebuild. With the release of the new 2021 Ford Bronco, there seems to be an undeniable uptick in sales of classic models that could be peaking right now due to timely nostalgia. That’s what we’ve come up with anyway, but that sure would explain the spike in resale value. 

You’d be hard pressed to find another Bronco that has been restored to this ‘75’s pedigree. There’s always new evidence to be found of it with every inspection, and of course when pouring through the list of modifications that has been compiled during its transition. Jeff has had quite a number of custom vehicles in the 25 years that he’s been into cars, and even though he might not drive the Bronco as much as any of the others, he has appreciated the time spent with it. 

The moment has come for Jeff to release the ’75 Ford Bronco into the care of another owner, and he can only hope it might get more use in the dirt as it is certainly equipped to handle it. On the other hand, he wouldn’t blame them for deciding to continue the tradition of keeping the Bronco as clean as can be. What would your driving habits be with this machine if you happened to find yourself its next lucky owner?

Click Here to view the 1975 Ford Bronco on Bring A Trailer.

A Definitive Guide To 37, 38, And 40 Inch Tires

The number one question from 4×4 owners is what size tire fits on my rig. Designers used to leave some room in the wheel wells of most trucks; if you have an older model you can probably go up in size with just a little sheet metal trimming. On a 1990’s Ford F series for instance, 37’s will fit with no trimming needed. On newer vehicles they closed things up in order to provide better aerodynamics (less turbulence), around the wheel wells. This limits how large a tire you can run without a lift, or sheet metal trimming, and cut-out fender flares. Since it now takes much more effort to run bigger tires, why do so many truck owners run them, and what’s the difference between 37’s, or 38’s, and even 40 inch tires? For many people, they say the bigger the better.

Looks aside, your tires are the only thing between you and the ground — if you’re doing it right.

Most of us who modify our vehicles are concerned with function, but we also care about aesthetics. You wouldn’t purchase an expensive truck if you didn’t care about how it looks. There are also many who fall into the category of “form follows function,” who don’t necessarily prefer shiny paint, and chrome. These people still want their truck to look like it performs. Nobody wants to drive a silly looking truck, or one that looks like a pile. I’m not talking about patina. It shows that the vehicle is weathered, and probably has a few stories to tell. Patina is cool, but rusted out garbage is not. Despite which camp you fall into, when you see big tires on a 4×4, it makes the truck look amazing, and capable at the same time. You picture it climbing over rocks, and ruts, or anything else for that matter. 

Looks aside, your tires are the only thing between you and the ground — if you’re doing it right. Your tires might provide the appearance you’re after, but they are also vitally important to how your vehicle performs. Traction gets you through all types of terrain; mud, sand, snow, etc., but it’s also very important for stopping and steering. I’m sure some have been in the situation where you are hard on the throttle with the wheels turned, but the truck just goes straight. This can be anything from an annoyance, to a life threatening occurrence. All of a sudden, stopping becomes the number one priority. The bottom line is that your tires are important, and there are several reasons why bigger tires are better. 

It doesn’t matter how high the body is if your differential cover is excavating a trench.

First let’s talk about minimum ground clearance. The word minimum is important here. You can jack your truck up with 12 inches of lift if you want. That will get the body and frame high enough off the ground to clear a lot of obstacles. The problem is that the minimum ground clearance is between the differentials, and the ground. It doesn’t matter how high the body is if your differential cover is excavating a trench.

Eventually you will get hung up on something or high centered on the diff. If you are running independent suspension with four wheel drive you may have more ground clearance at the pumpkin, but your a-arms, traction beams, or uprights are still going to be in harm’s way. There are only 2 solutions for increasing the minimum ground clearance on your vehicle; running exotic planetary, or portal gears on each wheel, or taller tires.

Taller tires are the easier solution. Planetary gears attach to the housing ends on a straight axle, or are built into the suspension upright or spindle on an a-arm type suspension. You can gain several inches of minimum ground clearance this way but it causes other problems like a redesign of your steering linkage. They can also cause severe axle wrap on leaf spring suspensions. I’m not trying to dissuade you from going this route because portals are very cool, and functional, but you better have deep pockets, or your own machine shop and cad design program in order for it to be feasible. Just buy the taller tires.

There is also one other benefit of larger diameter tires, and that’s contact patch. The contact patch is the amount of tire rubber making contact with the ground. As the tire gets bigger in diameter, the contact patch grows. This has nothing to do with tire width; it’s more a product of circumference. The wider the tire, the greater the contact patch is in a let’s say east, west direction. The bigger diameter tire you have, the bigger the contact patch is in a north, south direction; or front to back if you’re looking at your rig. If your truck came with 31 inch tires from the factory, and you made the necessary changes to run 37’s, your contact patch would grow proportionately. Even more with a 40 inch tire. When you also increase the width, your performance can increase substantially. That means steering, and braking are also enhanced. 

Now you might suspect that there is a down side to running bigger rubber, and you would be right. You only need to know Newton’s Third Law of Motion to figure out that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Pushing those bigger tires down the road will negatively affect your fuel mileage. It will also require more torque to turn them. This creates a chain reaction that may have you modifying your entire drive line.

Axles, CV joints, drive shafts, gear sets, even your automatic transmission or clutch, if you have a manual gearbox, might have to be upgraded. But wait, there’s more. Once the outside diameter of your tires has increased, your brakes might not be up to the task. The greater circumference has to be taken into account. All the gains in braking control from an increase in contact patch might be negated if your brakes can’t stop you. Last but not least, you turning radius will also increase. That gets you closer to the edge of the trail when you’re doing a 3 point turn with no brakes. 

Before you freak out and give up on running 37 or 40 inch tires, just know that there are solutions to all the down sides. Your axles may hold up fine to bigger rubber. You may be able to do a gear swap in your differentials to bring your final drive ratio back to what it was. Bigger brakes are almost always a great enhancement to any rig. The bottom line is that 37, 38, or 40 inch tires are worth an investment in your rig to run them. They will take you places that people with smaller tires may never get to. Your rig will be much more capable when the terrain gets challenging.

Top 5 Affordable Supercars

Let’s say you’ve come into some money. Not life-changing, private island money, mind you. More along the lines of catching a hedge fund in a short squeeze, getting into (and out of) cryptocurrency at just the right time, or even just scratching a particularly good lottery ticket. While a new Lamborghini isn’t going to be in the budget, what are some head-turning cars that you can actually drive and enjoy, but are within your financial reach?

We’ve come up with a list of a few different ideas, should you want to scratch that supercar itch without paying a price tag that’s more in line with real estate than something you can park in a garage. It’s not all-inclusive, and we’re sure that many readers will have their own top choices, but daydreaming is always fun and it’s even better when those dreams are within the realm of possibility.

Honorable Mention: “Component Cars”/Replicas

Though ‘kit cars’ got a bad reputation decades ago when they were mostly based on aircooled Volkswagen or Fiero chassis and a LOT of optimism about your own fabrication skills, the industry has come a long, long way in terms of quality and value-for-money. Companies like Factory Five Racing and Superformance offer the chance to own cars like a Cobra, Daytona Coupe, Corvette Grand Sport, or GT40 that would simply be out of financial reach if you wanted an original. As a plus, with modern components and drivelines, they’re going to be a whole lot more reliable and drivable than the originals (and potentially a whole lot faster on the track), and you can customize them to suit your own must-have list.

You will need a warm, dry, comfortable place to work, a bitchin’ set of tools, some mechanical aptitude, and an unusually high level of patience if you chose this route, though. If you are like the author and are the kind of person who loses interest in the 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle after the edges and two out of the three kitten faces are done, this is not for you. 

#5: 996 Porsche

For a lot of people, the Porsche 911 family defines the idea of an aspirational sports car. Many of those reading this article had a poster of the original 911 Turbo on their bedroom wall as a kid. None of those reading this article can afford one, and even if you could, it would try to kill you the first time you drove it. 

Fortunately, though, the long history of the marque offers some choices that are within our parameters for affordability and that are actually reliable and fun to drive. We’ve singled out the 1998-2004 996 as our favorite in this category because it’s about the least expensive way to get into a Porsche that you can actually be proud of (apologies to those 914, 924/944, and 928 peeps out there. You know we’re right.) A little history explains why these cars are what they are – they represent a radical shift from previous 911 models, trading a new water-cooled flat six for the old air-cooled design that was no longer capable of meeting ever-stricter environmental and noise standards, and sharing a ton of parts with the less-expensive Boxster that had just been introduced. Porsche purists clutched their pearls in dismay, but despite the somewhat meh styling, the 996 was a huge hit with new car buyers and a ton of them were produced in many variants. 

While there are a lot of keyboard warriors who make a big deal out of the faulty design of the intermediate shaft bearing that can do expensive damage to the M96 engine in non-GT2, GT3, and Turbo 996 models if it fails, by now most of the cars susceptible to this problem have already been either junked or fixed – just be sure to get a car with a verifiable service history that shows it has been corrected, or budget another two grand or so for a shop to replace it with the improved design.

#4: V8 Ferraris

Is there a manufacturer more closely-associated with the term “supercar” than Ferrari? And yet, thanks to the miracle of depreciation, you can get yourself into a good one for less than a new optioned-out Ford F150. While the Italian carmaker is known for their screaming V12 engines, bargains can be found if you can live with four fewer cylinders. 

In the ‘classic’ (or at least classic-adjacent) category, we have cars like the 308 GTB/GTS from 1975-85, which will make you feel like Thomas Sullivan Magnum III every time you turn the key, its improved successor, the ‘86-’89 328 GTS which is actually known for its (relative) reliability and easy maintenance, and the 348 which replaced those in turn for the 1989-1995 model years if you want Testarossa strakes on a budget. 

Moving on to more recent V8 models, prices start to rise, as you might expect, but you can still get an awful lot of Ferrari for the money with cars like the F355 (produced from 1995-1998), the 2000-2004 360 Modena, or even the front-engine 2009-2014 California if you can stretch your budget to six figures.    

The caveat here is that maintenance costs are not for the faint of heart, and depending on where you live, even finding a mechanic who has ever even seen one of the Ferraris you just bought off of Facebook Marketplace may not be possible. But hey, even a broken Ferrari in your garage is still a Ferrari in your garage, right?

#3: Nissan R32 Skyline GT-R

The EPA giveth, and the EPA taketh away – while there’s currently a fight going on to preserve the right to even work on your own car, let alone modify it, there’s also the 25-year rule that turns unimportable pumpkins into glittering carriages as soon as they hit the quarter-century mark. And no forbidden fruit was quite so attractive to an entire generation raised on racing video games than the original Godzilla, the 1989-1994 Nissan Skyline GT-R. 

Over the course of the production run, Nissan cranked out more than forty thousand R32 GT-R models in a variety of specifications, and since 2014 every one of them has been legal to own in the US (at least as far as the Feds are concerned; your state may suck like the author’s does and impose its own restrictions). As far as all-wheel-drive turbocharged cars designed in the late 1980s go, they’re reliable and have a robust supply chain plus plenty of folks here in the ‘States who know how to work on them. 

Despite their large production numbers, though, prices are on the rise and we predict that before long they’ll exceed what’s sensible for a car you actually want to drive on a regular basis. Get in now if one of these right-hand-drive dream cars is on your wishlist.

#2: C6 Corvette Z06/ZR1

The 2005-2013 Corvette earns our ‘bang for the buck’ award on this list, especially in the form of the naturally-aspirated LS7-powered Z06 and supercharged LS9 ZR1 models. When these cars were new, there was nothing that could touch them in terms of performance per dollar spent, and the arrival of the C7 for the 2014 model year helped drive down their resale value. Throw in the introduction of the mid-rear engine C8 for 2020 and the bottom got knocked out of prices for used sixth-gen Corvettes, making them the performance bargain of the 21st century. 

The Z06 and ZR1 have very different personalities; the 505-horsepower LS7 in the former is about as good as a non-forced-induction big displacement V8 engine gets, and the car was clearly aimed at track performance with a first-for-Corvettes full aluminum chassis and suspension tuning that owed a lot to the experience earned in competition with the previous C5’s near-interchangeable underpinnings. The 638 horsepower ZR1 is a T-Rex of a car, and driven hard you’ll find yourself unexpectedly bumping the redline because the blown powerplant just doesn’t nose over and run out of breath as it climbs the tach.

Another big plus with these cars is their reliability and serviceability. Maintenance and repair is well within the ability of a home mechanic, and if you’d rather have somebody else take care of it, literally any Chevy dealership on the planet can get parts. There’s a huge aftermarket if you want to upgrade the suspension or engine as well. While some Z06 models had issues with the LS7 dropping valves, by now they’ve all either been fixed under warranty or they’re not going to fail. About the only downsides are that the interiors are just “good for a Chevy” rather than extraordinary, and you will also be required by law to wear jorts and white New Balance tennis shoes while driving one.

#1: First-Gen Acura NSX

You knew this one would make the list, since part of the original mission statement for the 1990-2005 NSX was to be the original ‘affordable supercar.’ The goal was to match the performance of the Ferrari 328/348 without the reliability issues or the price tag, and the styling was closely based on the Pininfarina-penned HP-X concept car. Honda being Honda, the NSX would also avoid all the ergonomic woes common to other mid-rear exotics, with decent interior room and really excellent all-around visibility from the driver’s seat.

The NSX started out with a 270 horsepower 3.0 liter V6, which was replaced for 1997 with an improved 3.2 liter, 290 horsepower engine. In such a light car (depending on model and year, curb weight was between 2,800-3,160 pounds) this made for plenty of performance, and in 1992 a NSX-R variant was introduced with a focus on track use, trading away a little bit of street manners. 

The car got a facelift for 2002, most easily recognizable by the replacement of the original pop-up headlights with less-fun fixed projector HID units, and beneath the skin there were some changes to the suspension calibration with stiffer springs front and rear and a higher-rate rear anti-roll bar. Regardless of the model year, these cars have held their value well and remain insanely fun to drive while still being about as practical as a mid-rear two seat sports car can be. Best of all, even though they’re “just” a Honda/Acura, they still turn heads thirty years after they hit the market, punching way above their weight class in terms of coolness.

So that’s our supercar list – like any of these things are, it’s subjective, and your opinion may place other cars higher than the ones we’ve picked out here. The important thing, though, is that there are more affordable, desirable supercars available on the used market today than there have ever been, so being on a budget doesn’t have to mean living with something boring in the driveway. 

C10 Terminology: Understanding the Basics

The Chevrolet C10 pickup line spans nearly three decades with three distinct generations released in that time. Each generation is uniquely different with a devout following of fanatics behind each one. While the Chevy C10 was one of the best selling pickups during its time on the market, the C10, across all generations, remains one of the most modified trucks to this day. The aftermarket support for these trucks is utterly amazing, which makes customizing them exciting and attainable for novices and experts alike. From suspension and performance products to exterior and interior styling items, there really is no limit to what can be done with these timeless American trucks. 

Now, whether you’re in the market for a Chevy C10 truck or are an avid admirer of one of the most popular American pickups to ever hit the streets, you’ll always run into specialized vernacular that describes in better detail the particular specimen you happen to be drooling over. In an effort to help familiarize you with these key terms attached with the C10 platform, we’ve gathered a small group of widely used descriptive words to assist in sifting through classified ads or to just having a better understanding for these classic pickups. 

The C10 Name

While some generic truck terms are easier than others to pin down and understand, there are others like the actual C10 name that can leave both newcomers and some well-versed enthusiasts equally stumped. While the name of these trucks has become familiar in many automotive circles, the C10 title is actually a bit coded. GM introduced the C/K truck platform in 1960, with the “C” prefix standing for  “conventional” signifying the truck is a 2WD model, where the “K” models would indicate a 4WD pickup. 

To further differentiate GM’s truck offerings, another commonly seen model, the C20 was also made available, which was capable of carrying a ¾-ton payload compared to the C10’s ½-ton abilities. While there are other differences between C10 and C20 models including towing capacity, suspension components and varying engine options available in some years, payload is the main separation point between the two. 

Bed Length 

Aside from three different Chevy C10 generations (1960-1966, 1967-1972 and 1973-1987), there are universal terms that place them into separate subcategories based on the bed type each happens to be equipped with. The most popular among builders these days is the short bed over the long bed. The less lengthy bed has a sportier aesthetic that simply looks and performs better on the autocross course, but if all you can find for sale are long beds (which are usually cheaper anyway), don’t fret—converting long into short is a very common modification these days. It all really comes down to preference in looks and specific hauling needs, but the difference between the two is important to take note of. 

Bed Styles

While we’re on the topic of beds, let’s also examine two style variations: Fleetside and stepside. The Fleetside is the sleeker of the two as it features flat paneled sides with the wheel wells concealed within the bed. Other automakers have their own terms for this particular style (Styleside and Sweptline are used by Ford and Dodge respectively), but GM’s Fleetside term has taken precedence over them all and can be used interchangeably unless you like to stick to each brand’s own technical term. 

The stepside model bed features a more utilitarian (think farm truck) look and function with the wheel well placed on the exterior, making a body recess with a built-in step just behind the cab to allow easier access to the bed. This style was actually the only truck bed option with GM trucks produced between 1947-1959. It wasn’t until the introduction of the Chevy C10 in 1960 when the Fleetside became the new “standard”. The two styles create significant difference in side profile appearance, and while the majority tends to prefer the Fleetside option, the stepside has its own charm and dedicated sect of fans. 

Generation “X”

Chevy’s first generation C10 proved to be a major shift in both appearance and performance from their truck models that preceded it. Although there really hasn’t been a sweeping nickname given to Chevy trucks made between 1960-1966, the second-generation C-Series trucks did get one, although you’ll rarely ever hear it used.

The handsome, modern styled trucks released from 1966-1972 came to be known as the “Action Line” as creature comforts not often associated with work trucks became available to cater to a new breed or truck owners. A much-improved coil spring trailing arm suspension system also played a role in the new name as it helped achieve a car-like ride quality, and a handful of interior amenities and the inclusion of disc brakes went a long way into creating an appealing overall package that stands as one of the most attractive classic truck models in the crowd today. 

As the third generation of Chevy C10s rolled out in 1973, so did a more descriptive name for the new rounded body style—the square body. While this wasn’t the official name given to this model (Chevy actually dubbed it the Rounded-Line), it’s the one that has lasted throughout the years and been embraced by 3^rd gen enthusiasts. The boxy body features a wider profile with rounded edges, which was a vast change from the 2^nd generation’s sleek streamlined design. While the change was different in appearance, it wasn’t different in popularity as even more in-demand cab options like power windows and door locks were made available to consumers. The C10 pickup was no longer seen as merely a vehicle used only by the working man—it was now more appealing than ever to those looking for an alternative to driving a “regular” car. 

While there are a lot of other more specialized terms associated to Chevy C10 model trucks, knowing which bed is attached to what generation will tell you a lot about a pickup without even seeing it. No doubt, these terms will help narrow down your truck search or simply allow you to further your knowledge about the line of classic Chevy pickup trucks that you’ll be seeing at shows and on the road for many years to come. 

Toyota Land Cruiser: Born From War

The history of the American Jeep is well known. Used by soldiers in World War II, it earned a reputation for toughness that endures today. Many will be surprised to learn that the Toyota Land Cruiser has a similar pedigree. During the war, an American Bantam Mk II was captured in the Philippines, and sent to Japan. The military ordered Toyota to reverse engineer it and they came up with the AK model. It was purposely designed to look differently than the Bantam. The Japanese Imperial Army named it the Yon-Shiki Kogata Kamotsu-Sha (type 4 compact cargo-truck). The AK was made in few numbers, and rare photos exist of them in action. In 1942, the AK10 came along. It also used reverse engineering from the Bantam and this time was much closer in looks to the Bantam.

In 1950, Japan was still occupied by US forces after it surrendered in 1945; ending World War II. The goal of US occupation was to create political stability and spur economic growth. When a new conflict began on the Korean Peninsula, US forces looked for military vehicles that could be produced in Japan. The AK design was further refined into the model BJ. It was the BJ that later became the Land Cruiser. The BJ was called the Toyota Jeep. It looked similar to the Willys design with its vertical grille bars, flat fenders, and boxy shape. The Jeep name was a registered trademark of Willys-Overland, so Toyota apologized for the use, and dropped the name. It became simply the model BJ with many conjecturing that the J was for Jeep; although that has never been substantiated.

The Jeep name was a registered trademark of Willys-Overland, so Toyota apologized for the use, and dropped the name.

Toyota was building trucks long before World War II. They had parts and tooling available that could be adapted to the new military vehicle. The chassis of the BJ came from Toyota’s model SB one-ton truck. The same truck donated its rear axle to the BJ. The SB rear axle was modified as a steering axle, and adapted for use in the front. The model SB had only a 995cc (60.7 cubic inch) 4 cylinder engine which would not suffice, so they dropped in the type B 3389cc (206.8 cubic inch) six-cylinder engine that produced 85 horsepower and 156 lb-ft. of torque. The BJ was offered in five configurations; touring liaison, two pickup truck variations, a mobile communication truck, and outfitted for firefighting.   

The Toyota BJ was built and subjected to several tough trials that included climbing to the 6th station of Mount Fuji, a feat that had never been done before. Despite the impressive demonstrations, the initial design was rejected. The contract was awarded instead to a Mitsubishi-built Willys-Overland. Undaunted by the first rejection, Toyota went after utility companies, and other fleet operators. After continued development, the BJ was adopted by the Japanese National Police Agency in 1953.

In 1954, the name Land Cruiser was adopted. Then in November of 1955, Toyota created the Model BJ25. It was a complete redesign of the Model BJ Land Cruiser. They also introduced the FJ25 that used the F engine. The original BJ was intended to be a military vehicle. The new BJ, and FJ Land Cruisers were targeted towards the general public. Toyota shortened the wheelbase for better maneuverability. Also intended to be more user friendly, the truck’s transmissions were equipped with syncromesh. The interior dimensions were increased, and the suspension was revised to provide a smoother ride. Gone were the crude one-ton truck parts that were originally used on the BJ model.

The truck became a world-wide success. In 1955, Toyota was exporting to 14 countries. Of those exports, 98 were Land Cruisers. The following year those numbers expanded to 518 Land Cruisers sent to 35 countries, and in 1957 2,502 Land Cruisers were sent to 47 countries around the world. The list of countries included the United States. One single Land Cruiser was sold in the states in 1957, but the humble beginnings would later develop into a huge market. US sales in 1960 had grown to 162 trucks. By 1987 the US numbers were an impressive 8,858 units sold. Toyota production worldwide had reached over 1.1 million trucks.

Several styles of truck all shared the Land Cruiser name. Foremost was the FJ40 which was so good, it remained basically unchanged from 1960 to 1984. The long wheelbase FJ40 evolved into a new design; the FJ55. Built with typical Toyota quality, the FJ55 was a wagon, but still had a fully boxed frame, and excellent suspension for offroad use. It could comfortably cruise at 80 miles per hour on the highway. Over the years, the Land Cruiser wagon morphed into several models, but sadly FJ40 production ceased in 1984. It was replaced by the FJ70 that was never imported into the United States.

In 2003, a retro looking mid-sized SUV was unveiled by Toyota as a concept car at the North American International Auto Show. The FJ Cruiser took design ques from the FJ40, but departed heavily from the original design. Gone was the straight axle front end (and the unique feature of having both front, and rear pumpkins on the same side which allowed you to dodge rocks). The basic utilitarian vehicle had grown into a bloated monster that was difficult to see out of. It was popular with a new group of owners, but did not resound with the traditional FJ40 enthusiast. Original FJ40’s and their FJ55 cousins demand high prices on the used market. Several companies exist that restore originals, or will build a new one from scratch. Either option will cost you 6 figures.     

The 2JZ-GTE: What Cars Have The 2JZ Engine?

There’s no magic behind the success of Toyota’s most popular powerplant, the 2JZ, just sound engineering and a focus on getting the basics right.

Toyota’s 2JZ-GTE is legendary among car enthusiasts for its durability and power potential, capable of reliably delivering 700-plus horsepower without ever touching the factory long block, and four-digit dyno numbers with the right internals. A product of 1990s Japan’s economic boom, saving money on its design and construction was nowhere near the top of the priority list, and the result was an engine fit to be Toyota’s flagship in the secret JDM horsepower war of the era.

It certainly didn’t hurt this engine’s reputation to be paired with the MKIV Supra; a whole generation of enthusiasts grew up with Toyota’s ultimate sports car as an ‘aspirational vehicle’ the same way 80s kids had posters of the Lamborghini Countach on their bedroom walls. A certain movie franchise that will remain unnamed here helped fuel that fire, and even if you didn’t know a wastegate from a blowoff valve, if the 90s were your formative gearhead years  you could recite the factory 2JZ-GTE specs by heart like your older brother could rattle off the Konami code.

While even casual US fans of import performance hold the 2JZ in high esteem, unless you’ve torn one apart and put it back together again, all the details both large and small that earned its bulletproof reputation may not be a part of your knowledge base. To rectify that, we’re going to look at why this twin-turbo inline six became a world-beating engine, starting from the very basics.

Getting That 6-Pack

To begin with, there’s the cylinder layout. Today’s 6-cylinder engines are almost exclusively V-block designs – this layout makes for a very compact engine that is well suited for short engine bays in cars with longitudinal drivetrain designs (where the engine’s crankshaft runs front-to-back) as well as in front wheel drive transverse setups (with the crankshaft running side-to-side). Unfortunately, V6 engines offer significant challenges in terms of firing order, requiring either ‘split’ rod bearings on each of the three pairs of crank throws to even out the timing of each power stroke, or an “odd-fire” crank design with the cylinder pairs sharing a single throw, but the firing events at uneven intervals of crank rotation.

Another option is a flat-6 design, favored by Porsche and Subaru. This also gives a very short engine from the crank snout to the flywheel, but a very wide one. Firing intervals aren’t an issue in what effectively is a V6 engine with a 180 degree cylinder bank angle, but this layout has inherent imbalances in the reciprocating and rotating planes because of the offset of the cylinders.

The 2JZ, however, is a classic inline-six. This engine geometry offers ‘perfect’ primary balance and silky-smooth operation at any speed–an important consideration for a powerplant intended for use in Toyota’s premiere performance cars. The firing order, with evenly-spaced firing intervals and overlapping power strokes, also lends itself to turbocharging as it smooths out pressure delivery to the turbine(s).

Materials Matter

Another critical factor in the 2JZ’s high threshold for abuse is the cast-iron block. While it’s certainly possible to build a durable all-aluminum engine for forced induction, iron is more forgiving of stress, with less thermal expansion and a defined fatigue limit. The latter sounds like a bad thing, but it’s the reason springs are made from steel and not aluminum – when stressed below its fatigue limit, an iron block can handle an effectively unlimited number of load cycles without metal fatigue, while aluminum gets a tiny bit closer to failure every time stress is applied. There is a price to be paid for the 2JZ’s iron block construction, though; it’s one of the major reasons why a fully-dressed engine tips the scales at over 500 pounds.

Speaking of that block, it’s a seven-main-bearing design with a deep skirt at the bottom that extends past the crank centerline. Many engine blocks are designed in such a way that the main part of the structure ends right at the crank midline and the main bearing caps project beneath it. While less expensive to cast and machine, this type of block usually needs reinforcement of the main bearing journals for high performance use. In classic domestic V8 engines, you’ll hear about “four-bolt mains” where each cap has an additional pair of bolts, often splayed at an angle to the primary pair, to cure this weakness.

While the 2JZ has two-bolt main caps, they are inset into the block’s thick main web, which gives them extra support without needing an additional pair of bolts. Nissan addressed this issue in the 2JZ’s arch-rival, the RB26DETT, with a ‘girdle’ that incorporates all the main caps into a single structure, and modern V8 engine designs like the GM LS and Ford Modular families use deep-skirt blocks with cross-bolt main caps. Compared to these other fixes, Toyota’s approach is elegant and simple, and hasn’t proven to be an issue even when the 2JZ is pushed far beyond its original horsepower and torque output.

A cast cover with a separate small, stamped metal sump for oil control rounds out the bottom end of the 2JZ, with the cover acting as a stressed component of the block rather than simply keeping all the oil from falling out the bottom of the engine. Having a fully “boxed” crankcase is another intentional choice by Toyota to make the block assembly as strong and rigid as possible, without introducing additional complexity or expense.

The stock 2JZ crankshaft is another strong point of these engines. Because inline-six cranks are, by necessity, relatively long compared to most other engine layouts, there’s the potential for them to act like torsion bar springs, twisting along their axis and even having issues with destructive feedback if the frequency of the power pulses lines up with the harmonics of the crank. Knowing that this was a potential weak spot, Toyota’s engineers specified a forged, rather than cast crank, with relatively large 62mm main and 52mm connecting rod journals. While aftermarket billet cranks are available, for all but the most extreme builds they’re simply unnecessary–that’s how good the factory crank is.

Heading up the block, you’ll find special GTE-spec rods that are stronger than the ones found in naturally-aspirated 2JZ-GE engines, plus turbo-specific cast pistons with a slight dish to lower compression ratio to a boost-friendly 8.5:1. The underside of the pistons are cooled by oil squirters fed by a gallery at the bottom of the cylinder bores to help prevent detonation caused by hot spots as well.

Getting a Head

Where the block meets the head, the 2JZ uses a ‘closed deck’ design that fully supports the cylinder bores. Compared to an ‘open deck’ block, this leaves less room for coolant passages, but it is a far better way to prevent head-gasket-killing bore shift under boost and maintain the head-to-block seal. Speaking of head gaskets, the stock 2JZ comes with a multi-layer steel gasket of the type typically used as an aftermarket upgrade as another way to prevent combustion leaks. The head is secured with 14 bolts, arranged so that each bore is surrounded by fasteners on all four corners. Replacing these factory parts with upgraded bolts or studs is a relatively inexpensive way to make an already-stout engine just a bit more durable – since the factory fasteners are single-use ‘torque to yield’ bolts they will need to be replaced anyway once the head comes off for any reason, so you might as well upgrade while you have the engine apart.

The bore and stroke are “square” at 86mm each for an actual engine displacement of 2,997cc. The bore diameter leaves plenty of room in the pent-roof combustion chamber for a pair of 33.6mm intake valves and two 29mm exhaust valves. Those valves are activated by a pair of belt-driven cams; while the JDM Aristo and 1998-2002 Supra got VVT-I variable cam timing on the intake side, the 2JZ-GTE in the US-spec MKIV Supra did not. To keep valvetrain mass to a minimum, the cams activate “bucket” tappets that act directly on the valve stem instead of through any kind of rocker, with lash adjusted by shims of variable thickness between the buckets and valves. Though not as quiet or maintenance-free as a valve drive with hydraulic lash adjusters, this system, which is almost universally used in high-performance motorcycle engines, is incredibly reliable and doesn’t require a ton of spring pressure to control valve motion at high RPM, reducing frictional losses. The wide buckets do limit max valve lift and cam lobe design to some extent, but the 2JZ is less sensitive to cam grind limitations than a naturally-aspirated engine would be thanks to forced induction.

Fuel and Spark

Sequential electronic fuel injection was standard, with JDM versions getting 440cc injectors and the US import 2JZ blessed with larger 550cc models. Even with elevated fuel pressure, these can be a bottleneck for power production, but fortunately Toyota used the common top-feed design and aftermarket injectors with much higher flow are common and relatively inexpensive.

One of the quirks of the 2JZ design is in the ignition. Many people think it’s coil-on-plug, but it’s not. The engine uses what’s known as a ‘wasted spark’ setup where two cylinders that are 360 degrees out of phase in the firing order share a single coil. One cylinder gets the coil perched atop the plug at the center of the pent-roof combustion chamber, while the other spark plug is connected to the same coil by a short high-voltage lead. Both cylinders receive a spark when the piston is just about to get to top dead center; one is on the compression stroke, while the other is on the exhaust stroke, and that spark is ‘wasted.’ It’s a clever way to make three coils do the job for a six cylinder engine, and while it’s possible to replace the entire ignition with an aftermarket setup that has individual coils for each cylinder, experience has proven that the stock coils in good condition provide a spark that’s “hot” enough to reliably prevent misfires even at elevated boost.

It’s worth mentioning that the 2JZ-GTE also employs dual knock sensors, which are transducers screwed directly into the engine block that act like a microphone to detect the first signs of detonation. The ECU can then act to protect the engine from serious damage by pulling ignition timing advance, reducing boost, or both in response.

Making Good Things Even Better

The 2JZ-GTE as implemented in the US MKIV Supra delivered 321 horsepower and 315 pound-feet “at the brochure” and featured a novel sequential twin turbo setup that reduced boost lag by relying on just one unit at low RPM to make the most of available energy in the exhaust stream, then bringing the second identical unit up to speed as the revs climbed to supply sufficient airflow. The result was an amazingly well-balanced power curve, but about an hour after the first Supra was sold in US dealerships, somebody was already pulling off all the intake and exhaust plumbing to install a big single turbo and ditch the dinky side-mount air to air intercooler for a giant FMIC. As the years have passed, pretty much everything you can think of in terms of a turbo setup has been tried on the 2JZ, and hitting an arbitrary horsepower target number is as straightforward as looking to see what’s worked in the past and using that as a blueprint.

It’s a tribute to just how right Toyota got this engine that here, almost 20 years after the last one was produced, people are still building and racing them, parts are widely available, and they pretty much just aren’t wearing out. While newer designs that are lighter, smaller, or cheaper to produce have taken the 2JZ-GTE’s place, it’s doubtful that any of them will earn the same bulletproof reputation or fanbase as Toyota’s legendary twin-turbo inline six.

Will the Tesla Cybertruck Keep Up Off-Road?

Elon Musk created a stir when he announced the launch of his latest vehicle; the Tesla Cybertruck. The fully electric powered vehicle has a bed out back, and can be had with up to three motors on an all-wheel drive platform. Its unique shape comes from the physical limitations encountered while forming the body panels. The 1/8th inch thick 30X Cold-Rolled stainless-steel structural skin cannot be stamped like conventional car bodies; only bent in straight lines.

The Tesla truck concept has some definite potential for off road travel. The electric motors create incredible torque, and smooth power delivery to the wheels. The towing capacity is as high as 14 thousand pounds, and it has a range of 500 miles on the triple motored configuration. The location of the batteries, low in the chassis, keeps the center of gravity down where you want it when on side hills, or steep inclines. The water fording capabilities could be astounding. With the ability to deliver enough electric power to run tools, it would be an incredible asset to search, and rescue operations, and for remote building sites. The question is if it’s a capable off roader, or a scissor lift with a sexy body on it? The vehicle weight is estimated by some to be around 10 thousand pounds. With an advertised ground clearance of 16 inches, it looks to be capable of going off road, but it seems more suited for the overflow lot at the golf course than racing in the Baja 1000 as touted.

It would be amazing if the engineers at Tesla could do some Nye Frank, outer space, no holds barred type of breakthrough design work on the Cybertruck, and to be fair, maybe that’s in the works. At first glance though, it looks just like your typical soccer Mom SUV.\

…it seems more suited for the overflow lot at the golf course than racing in the Baja 1000 as touted.

The flat bottom of the Cybertruck is perfect for rock crawling, how about a more off road capable option with portal axles, and larger tires? The instant torque would require beefy components, but just think of the slow crawl speeds it could maintain. I wouldn’t worry about the break over angle with the long wheel base as much with such a flat belly pan underneath.

Regenerative braking already exists; how about regenerative suspension cycling? If they are racing it in the Baja 1000, the San Felipe section alone should be more than capable of topping off the batteries with power to spare. The air ride suspension sounds interesting, but one drawback to air is that it expands when it gets hot. Air shocks become pogo sticks when subjected to rough terrain at speed; is the same true for the air ride suspension on the Cybertruck?

A PTO option seems simple to incorporate into one of the electric motors so that winching would be possible. You have to consider a recovery at some point, and with the estimated weight, you would need a crane to get it out if you ran into trouble. That brings up another shortcoming, the lack of recovery points, and the inability to mount much of anything to the truck.

The question is if [the Cybertruck is] a capable off roader, or a scissor lift with a sexy body on it?

Where is the spare tire, or tires? The LED lights in the front look sleek, but how effective would they be once you got off the pavement? Here’s an idea, why not have some strategically placed nutserts on the body so that modular components could be fitted like lights, cargo racks, or additional gear? We saw the awkward introduction to the unbreakable, breakable windows; do they roll down? What do you do at the drive through?

It’s easy to be critical of a new design; especially a concept like the Cybertruck, but I would think that the same man that is able to put rockets into space could build something that pushes the envelope, and takes more advantage of existing off road technology. Let’s hope they continue to refine the design into something truly innovative.

Safari 911: Are Porsche’s More Fun Off-Road?

When most people hear the word Porsche they usually think of the 911, even though the first cars were designated the 356. The 356 hit production in 1948, and ran until 1965. Interestingly, the 911 which would replace the 356 was launched 2 years earlier in 1963. Despite the difference in model designation, the outside envelope and drivetrain configuration of both cars were very close. The familiar shape and mechanical layout conceived by the car’s designer, Ferdinand “Ferry” Porsche are still in use today. The 2020 Porsche Taycan is an all-electric sports car that still resembles the familiar 911 shape. The 911 is an icon, and people don’t like anyone messing with an icon. The 911’s original air cooled engine design was so coveted by enthusiasts that there was much controversy when it was retired in 1998 to be replaced with more conventional water cooling. I wonder if the Taycan has the battery bank laid out in a “flat six” configuration.

Most people drive their Porsches on the street. Although the 911 was known for simplicity, and driving pleasure, they were still luxurious, and rather expensive. They were out of reach for many. That fact created envy, and also spawned the Porsche snob. It’s easy to be a snob when you are so successful. Racing on pavement, Porsche has earned an impressive 19 overall wins at Le Mans to go with over 50 class wins. They also have endurance wins including 18 at the 12 Hours of Sebring, and another 18 at the 24 hours of Daytona. They have won the FIA World Endurance Championship three times, and own 12 manufacturer, and team titles in the World Sportscar Championship.

While no Porsche snob in their right mind would get their prized 911 muddy, there were those who were quite successful competing in the dirt; including the factory. While some wanted luxury and status, the cars durability and performance made them perfect for rally, hill climb, and offroad competition. Off the pavement, Porsche has four Monte Carlo rally titles, and a couple of Dakar Rally wins. The exotic all-wheel drive Porsche 959 was originally developed to compete in Group B rally competition but was never realized due to the cars cost. The 959 did however take 1st, and 2nd place at the Paris-Dakar rally in 1986. Porsche already won the Paris-Dakar rally in 1984 with a 911 RS/SC 4×4. The win in 1986 was with the same driver, Rene Metge in one of the two 959 models entered.

If you wanted to run a rally today, you would probably contact the Tuthill Porsche team. They outfit Porsche 911’s for rally competition. In 2013, they built 17 vintage 911’s for the East African Safari Classic Rally in Mombasa. 15 of the 17 cars finished the grueling rally. A Safari 911 that you need to check out belongs to Kelly-Moss Road and Race Director of Operations, Andy Kilcoyne. His 911 is extensively modified for the dirt.

So are these 911 Safari builds just to thumb their noses towards Porsche purists, or are they legitimate offroad performers? Certainly Porsche’s own success in the dirt would demonstrate that the latter is the case. Surprisingly, one of the 911’s greatest weaknesses on pavement makes the car superlative in the dirt; Trailing Throttle Oversteer. Those three words strike fear into 99 percent of Porsche 911 owners. Because the engine is mounted in the rear, the back end of the car outweighs the front. The ratio for the 911 varies from 58 to 60 percent of weight on the rear wheels. The most extreme case was the 1979 930 turbo. It had 63.8 percent of the weight in the back end. When you cut the throttle sharply on a rear engine car, the heavy rear end can act like a pendulum. The back end will come around, and cause uncontrollable oversteer. Uncontrolled Trailing Throttle Oversteer on pavement is bad. Controlled Trailing Throttle Oversteer in the dirt with grippy offroad tires is a blast. Just let off the gas for a second, flick the steering wheel opposite to where you want to go, and then bury the throttle to drift through the corner. On the pavement the goal is to drive at the limits of your tires adhesion without going overboard. On the dirt, it’s much more fun to hang it out in the turns, but that’s not all.

It’s common knowledge that the Porsche has many similarities to the Volkswagen which was designed by Ferry Porsche’s Father, Dr Ferdinand Porsche. The rear engine configuration, light weight, independent rear suspension, and torsion bar springs are shared by both cars. Those attributes made them extremely capable offroad. Many offroad racers were VW based. VW’s were also used extensively during the fiberglass dune buggy craze during the 60’s. Unlike the Porsche, Volkswagens were inexpensive, and produced in massive numbers. By making a few simple changes, any 911 can become a solid offroad performer. Some Porsche bodied cars where raced offroad, but mainly in the highly modified unlimited classes. They were somewhat of a novelty, however the platform is well-proven. The latest unlimited, open wheeled race cars competing today are rear engine designs with an independent transaxle driving the rear wheels, just like the 911.

So what’s holding most people back from building such a fast, proven, and fun car for the dirt? It’s the cost. Anything with a Porsche badge on it has skyrocketed in value in recent years. While you might find a rough example that needs work for a reasonable price, most well-kept 911’s, no matter what the year can go for anywhere from 60 thousand to well over a hundred thousand dollars. A quick internet search for let’s say a 1976 Porsche Turbo Carrera came back with a lovely example for the bargain price of 229,900 dollars. To be fair, you can find 1974 to 1977 models for good prices, but the 2.7 liter engine had problems that can be costly to fix. As long as you are not concerned with originality, a 3.0 liter engine can be bolted right in. If you are going to tweak the suspension, and fit larger tires why not? The offroad 911 will grow in popularity, it’s just too fun to drive to ignore. Then there will be those who build one just to bother the Porsche snobs out there. Whatever your motivation, you will have a unique car that attracts attention, and is a blast to drive.

More on this Safari 911 build here.

Burning Man: Wheels on Fire

Black Rock Desert, Nevada, is hallowed ground to car people as it is the current home to the land speed record. Set in October 1997 by Andy Green driving Richard Noble’s Thrust SSC, the record stands at 763.035 mph(1227.985 km/h), over one mile. Back then less than 100 people used up many miles of the 1,000 square mile flat dry lakebed for the record attempt. Nowadays, the desolate lakebed sees a seven square mile, densely populated “city” appear every August for the Burning Man event.

Burning Man can trace its roots back to Baker Beach, San Francisco in 1986 when Larry Harvey and Jerry James built the first eight foot ‘Man.’ The move to Black Rock came in 1990 and back then, thirty years ago, it was a small, word-of-mouth event with just 100 or so participants.

“The Mutant Vehicles are where art meets architecture—whether a bathtub or a ship in motion—ours was called ‘The Grime Machine.”Catherine Dart, Artist and Photographer.

Over the next couple years the event grew to several hundred, and by 1996, 8,000 people participated. Coincidentally with the astonishing growth, Burning Man became a pedestrian, bicycle, art-car-only event—attendees were not allowed to drive willy-nilly around the playa—a restriction that made obvious sense. What now became the ultimate pop-up city also gained a city-like lay out and structure so that emergency vehicles could be directed to an address. Architect Rod Garrett who passed away in 2011 designed the circular grid. The driving ban except for approved ‘Mutant Vehicles’ and service vehicles was an instant success and the ‘Man’ now enjoys an excellent safety record.

That’s quite an accomplishment considering the event has grown from 35 people to a staggering 80,000 in 2019. In the beginning, the event was free. Ticket prices for this year’s event start at $475.But what of those ‘Mutant Vehicles?’ In truth, they’re a little like Rose Parade floats with a lot of visual substance but very little below the surface. Artist and photographer Catherine Dart said, “The Mutant Vehicles are where art meets architecture—whether a bathtub or a ship in motion—ours was called ‘The Grime Machine.’”

Indeed, the regulations are quite extensive and emanate from the ‘Department of Mutant Vehicles’ (DMV) say, “Mutant Vehicles, often motorized, are purpose-built or creatively altered cars and trucks. Participants who wish to bring motorized mutant vehicles must submit their designs in advance to the events own DMV for approval and for physical inspection at the time of the event. Not all designs and proposals are accepted.

“The event organizers, and in turn the DMV, have set the bar high for what it deems an acceptable MV each year, in effect capping the number of MVs at around 600. This is in response to constraints imposed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which grants permits to hold the event on federal property, and to participants who want to maintain a pedestrian-friendly environment.

One of the criteria the DMV employs to determine whether an application for a proposed Mutant Vehicle is approved is “can you recognize the base vehicle”. For example, if a 1967 VW van covered with glitter, dolls’ heads, and old cooking utensils can still be recognized as a VW van, it is considered to be “decorated not mutated” and is less likely to be approved.” Despite all the well-intentioned rules, some of the MVs are recognizable despite being built on chassis ranging from a bus to an airport fire truck.

According to photographer John Rettie, the cars pictured here use GMC, Honda, Ford Crown Vic’, Ram truck, Range Rover, Toyota and VW Beetle chassis as well as three large truck platforms.You can decide which is which. Unfortunately, Burning Man has been postponed due to current events, but we look forward it in the future!

Top Driving Ferraris

In the early 1980s, I worked with a woman who told me her sister worked at Ferrari in Maranello, Italy. We often joked about it until one day I asked, “Kay, does your sister really work at Ferrari as I’m going to the Turin Auto Show and I’d love to get the tour?” “She does,” She replied, “and she’s secretary to somebody important.”

They are in no particular order, as some prefer the early, models of the 60s that were controlled by hands, feet and brain while others prefer the later models that are controlled by computers.

That somebody important was Enzo Ferrari and the sister turned out to be the infamous Brenda Vernor. Needless to say, my long time friend Tim Parker and myself got the tour many times when tours were reserved mainly for owners. Tim is the consummate Italophile and knows his Ferraris, however, rather than just our jaded journalistic picks we consulted other Ferraristas including Stewart Bassett, Tom Brockmiller and Tex Otto. This, therefore, is our combined list of the top driving Ferraris.

They are in no particular order, as some prefer the early models of the 60s that were controlled by hands, feet and brain while others prefer the later models that are controlled by computers. Also, our opinions are ours alone; other people might well prefer the driving characteristics of other models.

 1959-1965 250 GT Berlinetta Short Wheel Base (SWB)

Last of the Ferraris that could be raced and comfortably driven to and from the track. Very successful race history and beautiful Pininfarina design.

1959-1961 250 GT California Spyder (SWB)

Most desirable convertible version of the Ferrari 250 chassis due to its elegant design and open bodywork.

1963-1964 250 GTL Lusso

Beautiful body built on the proven 250 chassis. 

Notes: These three 250s were all built on SWB chassis that were conventional but well sorted by the early 60s. What was not to like about 250 horsepower from a ‘ripping silk’ V-12 with a four-speed and disc brakes? All the cars are simply gorgeous Pinin Farina designs (PininFarina was two words back then as that was Farina’s name).

Perhaps the most famous 250 is the 1962 GTO owned by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason. Nick apparently paid £37,000 for his in 1977 and its now valued north of $50 million.

1964-1967 275 GTB

Beautiful flowing shape followed the lines of the 250 GTO. Independent rear suspension increased handling for a true grand tourer.

1971-1975 365 GTC/4

Basically a four seat Daytona that is more street friendly with power steering. Beautiful throaty exhaust sound unique to this car.

1968-1972 365 GTB/4 Daytona Coupe and Spider

Grand tourer that followed the 275 GTB.

Notes: The 275/365s can be loved as group, too. The cars are bigger in every way over the 250s with a little more grunt, comfort and ergonomic “improvements.” Series of cars well suited to the 1970s. Better? Sure. Just not so visceral, perhaps.

1969-1974 246 Dino

Named after Enzo’s first son the Dino is lovely handling coupe or ‘targa top’ spider with a sensual shape. However, the 246 has a high-revving V6 and offers a lightweight, sweet handling, mid-engine configuration that is faster than it looks.

1973-1980 Dino 308 GT4

Unbeknown to many this first 308, a mid-engine V8 2+2, is a superb driver. It has excellent ergonomics with a little more elbowroom than the GTB/GTS. Same clever chassis and worthy to be grouped with the Dino 246.

1984-1996 Testarossa

After the Berlinetta Boxer (BB) the Testarossa was near perfection, however, it too is a big car with those distinctive strakes down the side. Love ’em or hate ’em, the Testarossa (red head) offers good driver fingertip control and massive performance from its ‘flat-12’ that sounds just awesome.

Notes: Think Crockett & Tubbs and the Miami Vice TV show except in the early episodes they were Corvette-based kit cars that Ferrari was not happy about. Eventually Ferrari donated two 1986 Testarossas to the show.

1994-1999 F355

Beginning of the modern era Ferraris with impressive power and handling. Best sounding Ferrari V-8 ever.

Notes: My old friend Boyd Coddington of American Hot Rod TV fame would let me drive his black Spider convertible. With 375 hp, a six-speed manual and a curb weight of only 2.976 lbs it had great power to weight ratio. If you could find the door handle that was hidden in the side scoop that is.

1987-1992 F40

Ferrari’s answer in the first round of ‘Super Car’ wars and the last car that Enzo personally approved before he died in August 1988. Its twin-turbo V8 produced incredible power in Ferrari’s first major use of carbon fiber and Kevlar. Amazing power-to-weight ratio.

Notes: “We had several F40s back in the day,” said Stewart Bassett, CEO of USAutomotive.co.uk. “It was brutal, a racecar for the road that we used to thrash up the M10 in England. It was the first road car ever to officially exceed 200 mph and believe me we tried.”

2008-2009 430 Scuderia

This was he last iteration of the F430 model with minimum appointments for maximum performance but it was still comfortable as a road car. In fact, the whole F430 line is also good, but the Scuderia is the ultimate version.

2010-2015 458

The last of the naturally aspirated, ‘no-lag’ mid-engined V-8 Ferraris. And there was a new in-house design direction featuring clean bodywork devoid of the large side intakes of subsequent models. In Tim’s opinion, “more Lotus that you might think.” 

2013-2016 LaFerrari

The beginning of the hybrid era combining a big V-12 with two electric motors for nearly 1,000 hp. LaFerrari is often acclaimed as ‘near perfect.’

2017-Present 812 Superfast

Potentially the last naturally aspirated V-12. Performance of the 879 hp ‘front mid-engine’ V12 surpasses the previous F12 TdF in an elegant road car. Massive performance in a superbly comfortable yet drivable car.

10 Engines That Changed the World

We take a lot of things for granted today – engines that start with the turn of a key, deliver abundant horsepower from minimal displacement, squeeze every mile possible out of a gallon of gas, and run for a hundred thousand miles and beyond with only routine maintenance. But over the last century or so, there have been some definite turning points where new technology and fresh ideas have radically changed how we drive. Here’s a look at ten of them that deserve recognition.

Ford Model T – 1908

Henry Ford’s car for the masses was one of the few vehicles in history that actually got simpler and cheaper over its long production run, and the basic 144 cubic inch inline-four under the hood, delivering a whopping 20 horsepower, was the perfect powerplant for the job. With a 3.98:1 compression ratio, this side-valve engine wasn’t all that sensitive to fuel quality, which was an important selling point in a world where the availability of highly-refined gasoline was pretty much non-existent.

Everything about the Model T’s engine was simple by design. There was no fuel pump, with the single sidedraft carb relying on gravity feed much like a lawnmower engine, and spark was provided via magneto and four “trembler” coils to step up the voltage. After an initial short run of a few hundred engines equipped with a water pump, Ford switched to a ‘thermosiphon’ cooling system that relied on the natural circulation of hot water. Hand crank starting was supplemented with an optional electric starter in 1919.

Although Model T production ended in 1927, the engine continued to be manufactured all the way up through the fall of 1941 for use in industrial and marine applications to power pumps and generators. 

Ford Flathead V8 – 1932

Though the V8 engine configuration, with two banks of cylinders sharing a single case and crankshaft, dated back to the turn of the 20th century, Ford’s original 221 cubic inch “Flathead” V8 was revolutionary in 1932. Most widely-produced car engines up until that time were either inline four or six cylinder designs, and even luxury cars with powerful (for the time) eight cylinder engines almost always were inline block layouts. The relatively compact Flathead was initially rated at 65 horsepower, then improved via an increased compression ratio to 85, and the design morphed into a number of different displacements ranging all the way up to a 337 cubic inch version and shrunk down to a diminutive 60-horsepower 136CI model.

Despite having cooling issues stemming from the necessity of routing exhaust passages through the block, and the general inefficiency of the valve-in-block cylinder head design, it’s impossible to understate just how important the Flathead was as an automotive powerplant. It was the engine that spawned the original hot rod movement, and countless aftermarket performance parts, up to and including overhead valve “Ardun” cylinder head conversions. Eventually overshadowed by more modern V8 engine designs, the Flathead still remained in production (albeit in highly-modified form) all the way up until the mid-1960s, and it continues to be popular with hot rod builders interested in retro or period-correct power.

Volkswagen Flat Four – 1936

Designed during the era of German nationalism that metastasized into the Nazi Reich, the horizontally-opposed, air-cooled flat-four engine from the “people’s car” ended up powering decades’ worth of vehicles that became synonymous with peace and love, and remained in factory production for more than 50 years, eventually spawning a water-cooled successor and laying the groundwork for Porsche’s legendary aircooled 6-cylinder “boxer” engines.

Despite its uber-simple design, which utilized a horizontally opposed layout to make it as compact as possible and fan-driven air cooling to eliminate the need for complex castings incorporating passages for liquid coolant as well as the weight of a water pump and radiator, the VW flat-four featured some remarkably sophisticated engineering for the era. The heads were manufactured from aluminum, while the finned cylinders were cast iron, and the crankcase was made from lightweight but strong magnesium.

With displacements ranging from 1.0 to 2.0 liters, and horsepower ranging between 24 and 99+ in factory trim, the VW flat-four found its way into a lot of vehicles other than the iconic Beetle – vans, the mid-engine Porsche 914 and “entry level” 912, countless dune buggies and kit cars, and even aircraft. As a matter of fact, its similarity to the widely-used Continental and Lycoming horizontally-opposed air cooled aircraft engines led not only to conversions for experimental kit planes, but even certified versions for aviation use. Its simplicity, durability, and tuner-friendly nature mean that the VW aircooled four will be popular for as long as internal combustion engines still exist.

Jaguar XK6 – 1948

There were inline-six engines before the Jaguar XK, and there were dual overhead cam engines before it as well. But the 3.4L engine that first appeared in the Jaguar XK120 sports car (their first sporting model since the unpleasantness on the Continent ended production of the SS100 in 1939) was the engine that all subsequent I6 designs and all DOHC powerplants of any cylinder count worth mentioning can claim as an ancestor.

When Nissan, Toyota, and even BMW set out to build their own I6 powered sports cars, the XK6 provided the archetype, so if you are a fan of the RB, 2JZ, or M30, you owe a debt of gratitude to this seminal design.

The XK6’s iron block was topped by an aluminum cylinder head; the material had been selected not only for light weight but also for its ability to efficiently move combustion heat into the cooling system, which allowed a higher compression ratio without detonation (and took advantage of the massive increases in fuel knock resistance that the war had brought). Widely-spaced, large valves and ports designed to increase intake charge swirl let it breathe, and the XK6 quickly went from a rated 160 horsepower to 210, then 250.

The Jag 6 was the result of a generation of engineers who had been pushed hard for a decade to defeat an existential threat to their nation turning their now-razor-sharp skills on making the best auto engine they possibly could, and between 1948 and the end of its run in 1992, the design in all its variations and displacements made its way into dozens of different Jaguar models, and even powered the Scorpion and Scimitar armored fighting vehicles.

When Nissan, Toyota, and even BMW set out to build their own I6 powered sports cars, the XK6 provided the archetype, so if you are a fan of the RB, 2JZ, or M30, you owe a debt of gratitude to this seminal design.

BMC A-Series – 1951

The Austin Mini holds pride-of-place as the car that first put together all the elements of the modern automotive transportation appliance in the same package: All the bulky mechanical parts out ahead of the passenger compartment, with a transaxle powering the front wheels driven by a transverse inline-four engine. The diminutive car required a similarly-tiny engine, and the BMC A-Series, ranging in displacement from 0.8 to a whopping 1.275 liters, was the perfect companion.

While outside of Japan’s Kei sub-sub-compacts, almost every other FWD car is huge compared to the original Mini, but they all draw inspiration from it. Nissan’s CA family can show a direct engineering family tree to the BMC A-Series, having been built around a licensed version of the little Austin’s blueprints. The A-Series inline four wasn’t anything particularly revolutionary in terms of performance or mechanical engineering, but it led the way in how engines would be packaged in the future to free up maximum space for people and things on the inside of the vehicle, making an impact on the automotive world that was as enormous as the engine itself was small.

Chrysler Hemi – 1951

Born from an experimental aircraft engine design that reached maturity just a bit too late to contribute to the Allied war effort in 1945, Chrysler’s hemispherical cylinder head concept was, at heart, the engineering solution to the problem of fitting the biggest possible pair of valves into any given cylinder bore diameter. Once civilian car production re-started, the company took what they had learned in developing that engine and applied it to their FirePower 331 cubic inch V8 that debuted in 1951, delivering between 180 and 300 rated horsepower depending on configuration.

Thanks to the design’s wide bore spacing, displacement grew throughout the decade, and DeSoto Fire Dome and Dodge Red Ram and Power Dome versions of the same architecture were introduced. But the second-gen Hemi, introduced in 1964 and displacing 426 cubic inches, was what put the name on the performance map. The over-the-counter version available to the driving public from 1965 to 1971 was rated at 425 horsepower (gross, with no accessories like a water pump drive or alternator to put parasitic drag on the engine) and 490 pound-feet of torque. In competition, NASCAR and professional drag racing teams embraced the enormous (and enormously powerful) Hemi, and there are still traces of the original 1964 Hemi DNA in today’s nitromethane-burning supercharged Top Fuel and Funny Car engines.

While the name was revived (rendered in all caps – “HEMI” – don’t you forget it!) for a third generation in 2003 that continues in production today, the engine bears little resemblance to its forebearers – a true hemispherical combustion chamber as seen in the second-gen engines, while allowing very large valves, ends up with a “squish” space that looks like an orange peel. This makes the design sensitive to fuel quality and ignition timing to make sure that large, thin volume of compressed gas and air burns smoothly and completely. Modern multi-valve “pent roof” cylinder heads with four facets for a pair of intake and exhaust valves, plus a fifth for the spark plug, achieve the same airflow advantages of a two-valve Hemi head while allowing more efficient combustion chamber shapes. Nevertheless, Chrysler’s Hemi remains as an iconic turning point in performance engine design.

Small Block Chevy – 1954

Arguably the most popular engine of all time, the original “small block” Chevy V8, first introduced in the 1955 model year Corvette and Bel Air, caught lightning in a bottle, and its descendants continue to be manufactured today for use in cars like the mid-rear-engine C8 Corvette. Unlike the Flathead, Chevy’s V8 utilized an overhead-valve cylinder head that allowed for higher compression, a more efficient combustion chamber design, and improved cooling.

The original 265 cubic inch design eventually grew into 400CI factory engines with the same bore spacing, and the SBC was one of the first production engines to deliver more than one horsepower per cubic inch of displacement. Over five separate generations, there have been countless changes to the original Chevy V8, including various mixes of cast iron and aluminum blocks and cylinder heads, distributor-fired and coil-per-plug ignition, carburetors, mechanical fuel injection, and EFI, and even cylinder deactivation for “displacement on demand” and variable valve timing.

Through all these changes, from the original 162 horsepower Gen I in 1955 to today’s naturally aspirated Gen V LT2 rated at 490 horsepower in the 2020 Stingray and the 638-horse supercharged Gen IV LS9, the SBC has retained one archaic design feature (with the exception of the unique Lotus-designed DOHC 1989-1995 LT5) – a single cam located in the center of the vee, with pushrod valvetrain actuation. In a world dominated by overhead cam designs, GM’s venerable cam-in-block design continues to prosper in everything from trucks to sports cars.

Wankel Rotary – 1964

Out of all the engines on our list, the Wankel is definitely the most revolutionary (pun intended). Forgoing the conventional piston-engine layout, the design originally conceived by Felix Wankel and patented way back in 1929 is a graduate-level education in geometry and physics. Instead of reciprocating, all the internal components in a rotary spin in the same direction, and although it operates in the same general way a four-stroke piston engine does, it has the power delivery characteristics of a two-stroke, with one power “event” per turn of the output shaft for each rotor assembly.

…but whenever there’s a need to pack a huge amount of horsepower in a high-RPM engine the size of a pony keg, the Wankel is ready to answer the call.

German manufacturer NSU was the first to bring a semi-practical design to mass production, but it took Mazda to really embrace the Wankel, licensing the patents and working out many of the unique challenges posed by the design, which included developing combustion seals for the rotor apexes and between the rotors and housing sides that would be durable enough to compete with piston engine technology that had several decades’ head start. Legendary Mazda cars like the Cosmo, RX-2, -3, -4, -7, and -8, and even a compact pickup (which was singularly unsuitable for rotary power in practical terms, but an awesome example of Mazda’s “Wankel all the things!” enthusiasm) featured rotary power, and many US manufacturers considered using variations of the design for everything from subcompacts to Corvette concepts.

Unfortunately, some inherent drawbacks remained hard to overcome – apex seal lubrication required a small, but continuous consumption of oil as there was no crankcase to separate lube from the combustion process, and although Wankel rotaries are very compact and mechanically simple compared to piston engines that deliver the same power, they’re also thirsty thanks to the thermodynamic inefficiency of their continuously variable combustion space. In the end, even Mazda more or less gave up on rotary engines for production vehicles, but whenever there’s a need to pack a huge amount of horsepower in a high-RPM engine the size of a pony keg, the Wankel is ready to answer the call.

Honda B-Series – 1988

Where would a list of the Ten Engines that Changed the World be without the Honda B-series? For one thing, the author would be risking violence at the hands of a pitchfork and torch wielding mob of Honda fans, but this particular inline four earns its place on merit. It’s arguably the most-popular modern inline four in history, and it combined all the features and technology we take for granted in high-tech engines today. Although it was never intended for turbo– or supercharging, it proved itself to be readily adaptable to boost, and there’s no small-displacement engine family that can boast as much aftermarket support as Honda’s killer B.

With displacements ranging from 1.6 to 2.0 liters in factory trim and rated horsepower from 126 to 190, there were a wide range of variations in both short and tall deck versions, with a panoply of different details like cylinder head design. But the big thing Honda gave the world with the B-series was the widespread introduction of VTEC, their term for a system to switch cam profiles through the use of a hydraulically-actuated cam follower setup. Activated by a signal from the ECU, VTEC allowed the engine to flip between valve timing, lift, duration, and overlap optimized for fuel economy to higher performance and back again, foreshadowing all the current variable valve control technology incorporated into state of the art engines today.

Like the Ford Flathead and classic Small Block Chevy, the Honda B-series has become a favorite of racers and enthusiasts due to the broad availability of performance parts and the extensive tuning knowledge gained over the past thirty years (has it really been that long?)

Nissan VC-Turbo / Mazda Skyactiv / Hyundai Cvvd – Today

It might seem like a bit of a cheat to give the last spot in our top ten list to a whole group of modern engines, but there are so many new technologies being introduced to production internal combustion engines that we can’t simply ignore their effect on the landscape. Gasoline direct injection (GDI) was the first to become relatively commonplace, offering both performance and fuel efficiency increases, but compared to what’s come after, it seems almost quaint – after all, Diesel engines have more or less always been direct-injection.

Nissan’s recently-released VC-Turbo engine uses a multi-link connecting rod assembly to provide a continuously variable “static” compression ratio, from 8:1 for turbocharged operation under boost to a miserly 14:1 under low load and atmospheric intake pressure for maximum efficiency.

Mazda introduced a whole range of new technology under their “SkyActiv” trademark, from the aforementioned GDI to a low-compression (14:1) advanced diesel with two-stage turbocharging to eliminate a large percentage of the particulate and NOx emissions normally associated with compression-ignition engines. They’ve even rolled out a gasoline “SkyActiv-X” engine with two-stage direct fuel injection and variable spark or spark-plus-compression ignition that promises 20-30% greater fuel efficiency.

The “camless” engine has been the holy grail of powerplant design since the middle of the last century, and while certain exotic-but-impractical designs have been proposed or used for pure race engines, and some production engines like BMW’s N55 have implemented systems that can dynamically control cam phasing and variable lift, Hyundai’s Continuously Variable Valve Duration (CVVD) technology comes as close as we’ve seen so far to offering complete control over when and how much a conventional tappet valve opens. While it still relies on mechanical contact between a cam lobe and a follower, it’s a good compromise between practicality and theoretical “perfect” control of valve motion.

We’ve done our best to pick the most significant engine designs without prejudice or favoritism, but we’ve undoubtedly left some of you scratching your heads as to why we overlooked your personal selection in our Top Ten. Make your case in the comments below, and we might just revisit the topic in a future article to mend the error in our ways…

The Palatov D2 EV

Electrifying From Pikes Peak to Bonneville

Bonneville Speed Week 2019 will go down in the annals of land speed racing as one of the most miserable weeks ever. Rain the night before the event turned the salt into a mushy sponge that was almost impossible to race on, almost unless you went over to the mile-long rookie course where there were a lot less competitors and a lot firmer course.

We spent a couple days running there getting one of our young team members licensed all the way up to his 175 mph ‘A’ license. While we waited in line I couldn’t help but notice a rad little grey sports car with the familiar name Palatov Motorsport across the rear fender. I knew the name from my time in Portland, OR, building the World of Speed museum as Palatov is based in Portland.

Dennis Palatov (DP), a life-long car guy who sketched cars as a kid and began his career in the computer industry, founded the company in 2008. He quit his regular job as a chief technology officer for a California computer company in 1997 and moved north to Portland. This was not an idle move, DP knew that Portland had its own, city-owned racetrack, Portland International Raceway; just minutes north of downtown, where he wanted to pursue track driving.

From his numerous blogs, you can see that DP progressed through a number of cars and projects from an M-series BMW to a Megabusa-powered Westfield kit car to an 430 hp V-8 Ariel Atom described by Road & Track magazine as, “A British-built exoskeleton sports car” and, eventually a Lotus Elise S190 that obviously served to inspire him.

As he journeyed the road less traveled (not many of us can build our own cars) Dennis honed his skills designing and building a number of wildly different track cars. It didn’t take long for DP to realize the dream of building his own car not surprisingly named dp1.

Dp1 was actually started in 2002 with some simple sketches of a Hayabusa-powered, four-wheel drive single seater weighing just 800 lbs. He also consulted with fellow Portland engineer Lee Stohr who is well known in SCCA D Sports racing circles. With what they felt was a viable project DP moved forward and finally had a car up and running in September 2006. Yes, it takes that long and on November 1, 2008, with seed money from Karl Asseily, Palatov Motorsport LLC was formed in a 4,000 sq ft building. Their primary goal was to develop and sell track cars.

It was soon after the formation of the company that DP shifted away from the ‘infernal’ combustion engine and at the end of 2008 announced a new electric vehicle (EV) program dp1/e. Initially, the dp1/e was fitted with a 24 Odyssey PC680 lead-acid batteries and a 100KW RMS controller from Cascadia Motion.

Cascadia Motion is a combination of AMRacing and Rinehart Motion Systems that provides electric prolusion systems for a wide range of vehicles including professional motorsports and motorcycles. They have supplied Drayson, Lola Cars, Peugeot, Nissan and several F1 teams.

After a huge learning curve and many hours of track testing it was decided in 2012 to try the annual Pikes Peak hill climb in Colorado Springs, CA, with their Hayabusa-powered DP4PPS. Well, guess what, with David Donner driving Palatov won the Unlimited Class and placed fifth overall (out of 160 competitors) with a time of 10:04.652 which was only 18 seconds off the new overall record. That was a fantastic result for a first-time effort especially when they found out that they were running on only half an engine.

Palatov returned to the ‘Mountain’ in 2015, ’16 and ’17 and again in 2019 with their latest vehicle the D2EV driven by six times Pikes Peak champ Greg Tracy. In fact, they had not one but two cars the second D2 driven by David Meyer. One problem they encountered was figuring out how they would charge the car at their rental house base. They inspected the house’s wiring, identified the kitchen-stove circuit as the best option and went to Home Depot to get the right plugs, cable and adapter. They had power.

“Our goal with the electric D2 has all along been to do Pikes Peak at the end of June and then Bonneville at the start of August. We knew it was ambitious…”Dennis

Actually, D2EV has 1,000KW of power, which is exactly 10x what the 2008 car had and was totally new with experimental suspension. It weighed in at 3,500 lbs, 1,000 lbs heavier than they’d ever boxed before, nevertheless, on a clean paved surface with racing slicks it accelerates 0-120 mph in 5.1 sec and only takes 500 feet to do so. Despite the advances, the car was pretty much untested when it was time to head east to Colorado and the Mountain is not the best place to test. In order to make it work shocks had to be overnighted back and forth to Penske for re-valving and new softer A7 tires were overnighted by Hoosier.

Things quickly improved but DP was still not happy. Despite the setbacks, Tracy ended with a time of 9:55 minutes, which was good enough for second place in Unlimited and a ninth overall. By the time David was lined up in the second car it had started to rain and he smartly elected not to run. This was not the result DP was hoping for but for a brand new, experimental electric race car it was an amazing achievement.

From the dizzying heights of Pikes Peak the team’s next target was the Bonneville Salt Flats and a totally different environment. As DP said, “Our goal with the electric D2 has all along been to do Pikes Peak at the end of June and then Bonneville at the start of August. We knew it was ambitious and that changes would be required to the car in between events. Didn’t realize just how ambitious and the full extent of the changes at the time, but that’s the case for all memorable endeavors.”

This was not the result DP was hoping for but for a brand new, experimental electric race car it was an amazing achievement.

Like the Mountain, the Flats are a very difficult place to race even more so this year due to the rain and the abysmal track conditions. To make matters worse, the team only had a month to completely reconfigure the car, DP saying, “If we change the gearing in the diffs to 3:1 (from 5:1), the car will be capable of theoretical top speed of 265mph. We have the power to do it, 1,300 hp is about what it would take. Aero stability is the big unknown. We know we’ll have to keep the wings but can set them flat to reduce drag while still providing some down force.

“With only 9 days to go until we are scheduled to leave for Utah, tech inspectors stop by. The list of what they want changed is daunting, neither of them seems to think we can get it done.” Racing is racing but the requirements and disciplines of hill climbing are totally different from the needs and rules of 300 mph land speed racing.

Bonneville is an old school, gasoline-fueled playing field where electric race cars are classed by weight: E1: Under 1,099 lbs, E2: 1,100-2,200 lbs, and E3: 2,201 lbs and over. The 3,500 lb D2EV would fall into 3E where the current record is 314.958 mph set in 2004 by Roger Schroer driving the Ohio State University’s Buckeye Bullet.

Tech inspection of the D2EV at Bonneville took some time, as this was a new car to the inspectors; nevertheless, compliance was achieved if only by the judicial use of some old license plates to block an interior hole. Eventually, Tracy, who has raced motorcycles at Bonneville to a speed of 210 mph, got to make a rookie pass over the one-mile course with a speed of 159 mph. Despite a rough and wet track he made two more passes at 167 and 174 mph. The next day Tracy ran a staggering 196.960 mph.

Unfortunately Speed week was cancelled the next day and the Palatov team had to pack up and head home to Portland. Despite some disappointments, Palatov and his associates and sponsors had had a fantastic year racing the ends of the spectrum from the dizzying heights of Pikes Peak to the squishy, salty flats of Bonneville and in both places proved the capability and versatility of Dennis Palatov’s electric race car. For more information visit Palatov.com

10 Amazing JDM Cars, and How We Got to Buy Them Here

The Japanese domestic car market has produced a lot of innovative, cool models over the years, creating JDM gems that never make it to our shores. It doesn’t take huge numbers of cars sold to make a car a success in Japan – in 2019, just shy of 5.2 million cars were sold there in total, of which nearly 2 million were “Kei” cars designed specifically around a set of tax and registration rules that make these miniature vehicles less expensive to buy and own. 

To put those numbers into perspective, between the Ford F-series, Dodge Ram, Chevy Silverado, and it’s twin the GMC Sierra, Americans bought more than 2.4 million full-sized domestic-brand pickup trucks alone. While there is plenty of money to be made in the US by Japanese manufacturers (especially if they have plants located stateside), the volume of sales required to make an imported car successful absolutely dwarf what would be considered a hit in the home market.

“Federalizing” an imported model to prove that it meets US crash performance and emissions standards is not an inexpensive or quick process, and as a result many of the wild and wonderful JDM-only models we all lust over were never brought to our shores as new cars. But the ones we did get tend to fall into a few very specific categories that made them worth the effort for Japan to export and sell in US showrooms. 

The Halo Cars

The first entries on our list are cars that didn’t have to sell in huge numbers in the US (even though some turned out to be wildly popular) because their purpose was to act as flagships for the brand – performance cars that, through association, would help sell the bread-and-butter commuter cars.

Datsun/Nissan Z

By introducing American enthusiasts to the 240Z in 1969, Nissan (known in America as Datsun back then, but that’s a tale for another time) proved that Japanese imports weren’t exclusively cheap, boring economy cars, and that a world-class sports car didn’t need to be expensive, unreliable, or temperamental. After six generations in the US, the lineal descendant of the original Z, the Nissan 370Z, remains popular, though the mantle of performance and technology leader for the company has finally passed to the GT-R in the US.

Mazda RX-7

Following the trail blazed by the Z-car, Mazda introduced their own sports car to the US market a decade later with the first-gen RX-7. With a unique Wankel rotary powerplant that set it apart from anything else available then or now, it built Mazda’s performance reputation in North America through three generations. At the close of the 20th century, Mazda finally began to step away from the rotary due to emissions and fuel economy concerns that were inherently harder to solve than in piston engine designs. The 2003-2012 RX-8 was the last hurrah for Mazda’s line of flagship sports cars, and even that was more of a grand tourer; a far cry from the light, flickable first-gen cars. 

Toyota Supra

Starting out as simply a stretched version of the Celica, the Supra found its true Kung Fu in the third generation cars introduced in 1986 that were split out into their own model line, and a turbocharged engine was offered for the first time. But the Mark IV Supra would be the defining version of the mark, and from 1993 to 2002 the Supra would arguably rule the Japanese performance car market in the US. A diminishing US demand and no new-generation JDM model put an end to the Supra, but Toyota revived the name for a rebadged car based on the BMW G29 platform used in the Z4 in 2019, to a decidedly mixed reception among enthusiasts.

Honorable Mention: Acura NSX

When Honda launched the Acura sub-brand in 1986, the first ‘high end’ badge for a Japanese carmaker in the US market, their product line was limited to what were essentially optioned-up, very nice versions of the same cars in Honda dealerships. Much like the Spanish Inquisition though, nobody expected the first-gen NSX in 1990, sold as a Honda in the home market but badged as an Acura in the US. This mid-rear two-seat sports car was legitimate competition for many exotics of the time, and was certainly far cheaper and more reliable than your average ‘90s supercar. Though it was never a huge sales success in and of itself, it certainly provided a lot of eye candy in Acura showrooms for customers to drool over while the salesman worked his four-square sheet to get them into a nice Integra or Legend with the undercoating and extended warranty rolled into a single monthly payment…

The Cool Cousins

This next group of enthusiasm-worthy cars made it to US shores because they had a much more sensible relative they could rely upon to help them get a foot in the door. These models are the JDM performance versions of the manufacturers’ bread-and-butter models, adapted for US regulations and let in because their sensible relatives already did most of the hard work. 

Subaru WRX/STi 

In 1993, Subaru first brought the Impreza to America as their sensible family car, with an uninspiring 1.8 liter, 110 horsepower naturally aspirated flat-four under the hood. A 2.2 liter optional engine was quickly added, and in 1998 we got the 2.5RS – a toe dipped in the water to see if America was ready for the real thing. After the second gen Impreza hit US showrooms, there was finally a turbo WRX model available alongside the more pedestrian naturally aspirated Imprezas, and sales of Subaru’s performance flagship were high enough to ensure it remains in their US lineup to this day.

Mitsubishi Evo 

While Mitsubishi had gone through a “Turbo All The Things!” period in the late 80s and early 90s in their US imports and joint ventures with Chrysler, by the end of the century they’d pivoted to crossovers and commuter cars. Their perpetual JDM rival Subaru had shown there was money to be made in bringing performance models across the Pacific with the WRX, and in 2003 the Evolution VIII was offered to US buyers for the first time. Two subsequent generations followed in North America, but 2016 saw the end of Evo production for all markets worldwide, and Mitsubishi seems focused on SUV, truck, and crossover models to the detriment of their legendary performance car heritage.

Nissan 240SX

You know a car model is successful when the company making it keeps the old model in production while simultaneously bringing out a new version, which is exactly what Nissan did with the 180SX and its successor the S14 Silvia in the Japanese domestic market. Nissan hedged their bets with the USDM 240SX, substituting their tried and true naturally aspirated KA24 “truck motor” for the turbocharged CA18DET in the 180SX, deftly sidestepping the need to gain EPA approval for a different engine unique to this particular model. Nevertheless, the S13 and S14 generations of the US 240SX sold well between 1989 and 1999, inspired untold numbers of amateur drifters, and were the recipients of countless LS engine swaps. 

Honorable Mention: Lexus IS 300

Built on the Toyota N platform, which it shared with the SC 400/300 sports coupe that had been in the US market for almost a full decade, the IS 300 debuted as a 2001 model year car in America, and came with the same naturally-aspirated 220 horsepower 2JZ-GE engine found in the earlier non-turbo MKIV Supra. This four-door platform, in addition to allowing you to comfortably terrify more than one passenger at a time (unlike the Supra, with its vestigial back seat) also introduced the world to clear “Altezza” tail lights, and things would never be the same. The IS is still in the Lexus lineup in the US market, now in its third generation and available with a 241 horse turbo inline 4 or a 311 horsepower naturally aspirated V6, but the original Altezza hit the sweet spot where performance, practicality, and JDM street cred overlapped.

the [JDM cars] we did get tend to fall into a few very specific categories that made them worth the effort for Japan to export and sell in US showrooms.

The Unicorns

Finally, there are some cars that made it to the US despite the fact that there was no way they were ever going to sell in big numbers, or even well enough to amortize the costs involved in getting them approved for sale in America. Three of them on our list are based off of popular mainstream cars, while the fourth is just… weird. But for all these rare and wonderful vehicles, there had to be somebody behind the scenes who stuck their neck out and said, “I know these won’t make us a pile of money, but Americans deserve to have them anyway.”

Mazda 323 GTX

In the days before the WRX or the Evo, and before most US enthusiasts had even heard of rally cars, Mazda built a homologation special version of their Familia/323/Protege, a very sensible little three-door hatch that was doing a pretty decent job in the Americas as a frugal commuter car. In place of the standard naturally-aspirated 1.8 liter, 100 or so horsepower front wheel drive setup was a 1.6 liter, 132 horse turbocharged engine coupled to a manual transmission and AWD drivetrain with a lockable center differential and viscous limited slip. The engine took to tuning like tigers on sardine oil, and it was easy to tweak the revvy little turbo motor to 180 horsepower and beyond. Only 1200 or so made it to the US in 1988 and 1989, and the vast majority of them lived short but glorious lives under the heavy right foot of enthusiast owners, so they’re rarely seen today. Nevertheless, all credit where credit is due to whoever it was at Mazda that decided America needed this insane little hatch.

Toyota Celica All-Trac Turbo

The Celica and Supra, once based on the same chassis, had parted ways in the 1986 model year, with the Supra becoming its own RWD model and the Celica going to front wheel drive. Toyota didn’t completely abandon Celica performance models, though – in the domestic market, they introduced the GT-Four all-wheel-drive system with an advanced-for-the-time electronically controlled center differential, and fitted it to a number of different models, including a turbocharged Celica. Though they’re rare as hen’s teeth in America today, the first-gen Celica All-Trac Turbo made it to the US market for the 1988 and 1989 model years, then surprisingly survived the Celica’s generation change for 1990, but only about 1,600 were sold in the States through the 1993 model year. Making a solid 200 horsepower (compared to the next-best N/A Celica’s 135 or so) and with a stout 5-speed manual gearbox coupled to a rally-tested all wheel drive system, the All-Trac was the Eclipse GSX/Talon TSi AWD/Laser RS Turbo AWD two years ahead of the wildly-popular DSM triplets. But the price premium and lack of visual distinction from other Celicas doomed it to obscurity among all but true enthusiasts.

Mitsubishi Galant VR-4

Speaking of the Eclipse GSX, for the 1991 and 1992 model years, Mitsubishi also decided that America should receive a version of their sensible, highly respected, and strong-selling Galant 4-door sedan that shared the same turbo all-wheel-drive layout as the first-gen DSM coupes. This proto-Evo delivered 195 horsepower to all four corners with a sophisticated (for the ‘90s) driveline using a viscous coupling center differential and 4-wheel “in phase” steering that could turn the rear wheels as much as 1.5 degrees in the same direction as the front at speeds above 30 miles per hour. As a technology and luxury showcase, it also incorporated now-common features like a fade-out dome light and the ability to operate the power windows and sunroof for a half-minute after turning off the ignition. The Galant VR-4 was ahead of its time in many ways, and it’s a shame that after just two years and around 3,000 cars imported to the US, its tenure in the American market was over. 

Subaru SVX

This might just be the king of the fantastic beasts on our list – in 1989 Subaru debuted the Alcyone SVX (pronounced “al-SIGH-uh-nee” because reasons…) at the Tokyo Auto Show, and followed up with a production model for the 1992 model year. As the flagship of the Subaru line, it represented the best in luxury and performance, and unbelievably they managed to sell more than 14,000 of them in America (more than half of the total worldwide sales) through the 1996 model year. A naturally-aspirated 3.3 liter naturally-aspirated flat-six engine that was basically an EJ22 with two extra cylinders sat under the hood, sending power to an automatic transmission, as none of Subaru’s manual gearboxes at the time had the capacity to reliably handle the rated 231 horsepower and 228 pound-feet of peak torque. All-wheel-drive was standard, of course, and the swoopy styling included fixed side windows with small, inset retractable panes, a la the Lamborghini Countach and the DeLorean. For a company known in the early ‘90s for quirky, small economy cars that happened to have AWD, the SVX was a wild departure from the norm, and the styling has actually aged pretty well over the decades.

So there you have it – our list of the top cool Japanese cars that we actually got to buy here in the ‘States. Our sincere thanks go out to the anonymous decision-makers and influencers working inside those manufacturers’ head offices who took a risk in bringing cars that might not have made a lot of money to our showrooms, but gave us some of the most amazing and wonderful cars the Japanese Domestic Market has to offer. 

Is the Future of Automotive Fully Charged?

Electric VS. Internal Combustion Engine Debate

I have seen the future, and it is electric. This might not sound like good news for the tuner scene, old-school hot rodders, and racers, but it actually is (though not for the reasons you might think). To see how I have reached this conclusion, it’s necessary to understand what hurdles electric cars have yet to overcome, and how they require a fundamental change in the way we think about getting from point A to point B.

Companies like Tesla and Toyota have proven that pure-electric vehicles don’t have to be boring, slow, or impractical, and nobody can really argue with the results that General Motors has already achieved with the eCOPO purpose-built electric-powered drag race Camaro. But we’re still a long way from seeing the end of internal combustion, despite what lawmakers in certain states believe. Once you look past the mechanical differences between electric and fossil fuel power for personal transportation, the main issues come down to power storage and infrastructure.

Density Matters

When the Horseless Carriage first began its conquest of the world’s roads, nobody knew what a car was “supposed to” be, and different ideas flourished. As the 20th century began, it wasn’t clear what technology would prevail, and both internal combustion and electric cars found eager (though mostly rich) buyers. In short order, though, piston-engine cars proved to be more practical, and one of the main reasons was that the best battery technology of the time was the lead-acid wet cell, which only offered very limited range.

Of course, we still use lead-acid batteries today to start our cars and to power things like forklifts and golf carts, because the batteries are relatively inexpensive, offer a decent service life, can deliver very high power output for short periods, and are tolerant of a good deal of abuse without failing in horribly dangerous ways. But the amount of energy that can be stored per pound of lead-acid battery is pretty miserable when compared with even very inefficient internal combustion engines, which puts a hard limit on its practicality for personal transportation. A typical 12-volt car battery has an energy density of about 30-40 Watt-hours per kilogram. Gasoline, on the other hand, has an energy density of over 12,000 Watt-hours per kilo. To put it in more relatable units, a 15-gallon fuel tank holds about the same potential energy as more than 700 average 40-pound car batteries.

Obviously, driving around in a car that has a 14-ton battery pack isn’t really a practical option to get the same amount of available energy as a gas-powered car, and fortunately battery technology with far higher energy density has been developed, with commercially available lithium-ion batteries offering as much as 200 Watt-hours per kilo. But even at a five-fold increase in energy density, you still end up needing a battery pack that weighs 5,700 pounds to contain the same energy as less than 100 pounds of filled gas tank. This is the heart of the problem for electric vehicles – barring some scientific breakthrough that improves battery power density by an order of magnitude, the amount of total energy available in a reasonable electric vehicle chassis is always going to be far below that provided by an internal combustion drivetrain.

Companies like Tesla have proven that pure-electric vehicles don’t have to be boring, slow, or impractical…

The current gold standard for practical electric cars is the Tesla Model 3. It’s available in “standard” and “long range” versions with Li-Ion battery packs assembled from a large number of individual, commercially-available cells in capacities ranging from 50 to 75 kilowatt-hours. Estimated range on the EPA drive cycle for the Model 3 varies accordingly, from about 250 miles to about 320 between fully charged and fully discharged, which is an astonishing accomplishment considering how little energy the battery packs contain, compared to a tank full of gas. The quoted mass for the Model 3 long range pack is 480 kg, or about 1,060 pounds – more than a quarter of the total curb weight of the vehicle.

Tesla manages to achieve decent range by keeping the non-battery mass of the vehicle as low as possible, and by employing regenerative braking to recapture a portion of the energy spent getting the car moving to help stop it. It also helps that electric motors are very efficient in terms of converting input energy into useful work compared to internal combustion engines, which rarely operate in the narrow range of engine speed and load that is most effective in turning gasoline into motion. On the flip side, though, an ICE-powered vehicle won’t lose a significant portion of its potential range as the result of brief, aggressive application of the right-hand pedal, but this will absolutely murder the miles-to-empty on an electric vehicle.

We’ve been using Tesla as our example here because to be honest, it’s the only pure electric mass-produced vehicle most enthusiasts would even consider owning. Nissan, GM, Fiat, and many others have offered their own all-electric models, but they tend to occupy the part of the market that is only concerned with efficiency. Nevertheless, they also have practical unrecharged ranges that are a fraction of comparably-sized gas-powered cars. Chemistry and physics both dictate just how much electric power can be stored on-board a practical car, and barring huge breakthroughs in battery technology, this will continue to be a primary challenge for the future of all-electric transportation.

Power to the People

The second major hurdle electric cars have to clear is the infrastructure required to recharge them. Utilities have built out their generation, transmission, and distribution networks without the additional load from car recharging in mind, and ‘time of use’ becomes a major issue. Electric power consumption from residential consumers peaks in the late afternoon and early evening, drops down overnight, then rises again during the day, while industrial demand is primarily concentrated during working hours. The grid is designed to cope with peak demand (hopefully – your experience may vary if you’re in California during the summer months) so the good news is that during off-peak times, there’s a considerable amount of additional capacity available for battery recharging. The bad news is that ‘green’ power doesn’t operate on a convenient schedule – wind happens when it happens, and solar output is dependent on time of day, the season, and weather.

The traditional approach to planning generation capacity is to have the ‘baseline’ load taken care of by relatively inexpensive, large-scale fossil fuel power plants that run constantly but can’t react quickly to changes in demand, supplemented by smaller plants that are less efficient and cost more per kilowatt-hour but that can be quickly brought on-line or shut down as needed. Nuclear power once promised ‘electricity too cheap to meter,’ but as we all know, the technology wasn’t exactly ready for prime time in terms of safety. Improvements to reactor designs have made proposed future nuclear plants safer for people and the environment than any other electric power source, including wind and solar if the complete life-cycle of the system from mining raw materials to decommissioning are considered, but the stigma attached is simply too great for massive new nuclear projects to be viable from a public acceptance standpoint.

So, the challenge is, “how do you charge all these electric cars without building a bunch of new fossil fuel plants or doubling the capacity of the transmission and distribution grid?” Big solar generation plants are one possible solution that takes advantage of the economies of scale offered by centralizing power production, but as was previously mentioned, solar doesn’t run on a convenient timetable. That means that, just like electric cars themselves, power storage becomes an issue. Battery storage on a massive scale appropriate for a power grid would be absurdly expensive and/or take up a huge amount of space, but “pumped storage” is one potential option.

The idea behind pumped storage is a lot like keeping a grandfather clock ticking by pulling weights up to the top, then letting them run the mechanism by slowly dropping down on their chains. During the day, solar energy is used to run pumps that fill a man-made reservoir on top of a hill, then when power is needed and the sun isn’t shining, the pumps run backwards as turbines to generate power by letting the water flow back down into the lower reservoir. Overall, the process isn’t very efficient, with the majority of the power supplied by the solar generation lost to friction, resistance and heat, but it has the advantage of being both very cheap compared to batteries and very easy to scale up, simply by digging bigger reservoirs.

…solar doesn’t run on a convenient timetable. That means that, just like electric cars themselves, power storage becomes an issue.

In the end, though, electric cars themselves may be the solution to the generation and storage problems they pose. Thanks in large part to government grants and tax credits to offset costs and outright building code requirements to include photovoltaic panels in new construction, businesses and homes are adding solar generation to their roofs at an increasing rate. In some sunbelt states, so much excess capacity is being added during daylight hours that electric utilities are now faced with having more power than they need being fed into the grid. More electric cars on the road would mean more batteries on wheels, parked during the day and ready to soak up that solar-generated electricity from a distributed network of roof-top solar panels at work and at home, but it will require a significant shift in the way we think about keeping our personal vehicles “topped up.”

Think “Phones” not “Cars”

We’re used to the idea that cars can be driven until the needle is on “E” and then quickly brought up to their full range capacity in just a few minutes at the pump. You can even see this in the way Tesla markets their vehicles, highlighting that the Model 3 can get up to 75 miles of additional range in just five minutes at one of their “Supercharger” stations, though normal charging to full battery capacity takes hours – 30 to 44 miles of range per hour on the typical home charger. Rapid charging is also inefficient and very hard on batteries, which last a lot longer when they’re charged and discharged at slower rates.

Without realizing it, though, Apple, Samsung, LG, HTC, and all the other phone manufacturers have been training the rest of us for a smooth transition into future electric car ownership…

But almost all of us carry around a battery powered device that has the same kind of charging quirks as a Tesla; smart phones like being slowly charged and discharged, and their batteries last longest when they never drop below 20% charge or rise above 80%. If you’re the kind of person who is perpetually at 10 percent charge on your iPhone, you are probably going to face the same kind of challenge keeping an electric car powered up. Without realizing it, though, Apple, Samsung, LG, HTC, and all the other phone manufacturers have been training the rest of us for a smooth transition into future electric car ownership, where we will apply the same methods of keeping our car battery charged – keep it plugged in whenever you’re not using it, and never pass up an opportunity to throw it on the charger for a few minutes.

The Future of High Performance

With these factors in mind, what does the future of “enthusiast” cars look like? Well, it’s a sure bet that for normal transportation needs, electric vehicles are going to take over the market despite their drawbacks. Fossil fuels are a finite resource, and whether ‘peak oil’ happens in ten years, or fifty, or a hundred and fifty, it will happen. There is no foreseeable end to the availability of fuel for internal combustion engines, though – even if the last drop of crude oil was pumped from the ground tomorrow, it’s still possible to synthesize gasoline and diesel from other sources, albeit in a very expensive way. For applications where the energy density of liquid fuels is important, like commercial aircraft, long-haul trucking, or military vehicles, there’s simply no viable electric alternative on the horizon, either.

The good news is that as more of the mundane duties of personal transportation are taken over by electric vehicles, demand for gasoline will drop, stretching out the availability of relatively inexpensive fuel. It’s likely that in the near future, the most popular form of car will be a plug-in hybrid like the ones available today that derives most of its day to day range from electric power drawn from the grid, with a small ICE power plant to act as a range-extender for trips that exceed the storage capacity of the on-board battery. Another option will be pure-electric vehicles that are designed with the ability to connect to a small trailer equipped with a generator and fuel tank; for daily driving you’ll rely on normal battery power, but if you want to go on a road trip to take the family to see your cousins three states away, you’ll be able to rent the range-extender tag-along so you can keep driving for as long as your bladder will allow. Either option will require the continued existence of an infrastructure to keep them fueled.

New internal-combustion-only cars will become rare, limited to niche markets and buyers with deep pockets, but with the proliferation of clean, primarily solar-powered electric cars taking the pressure off of fossil fuel consumption and limiting the ecological impact of personal vehicles, there will be room for hobbyists and racers to maintain, build, and drive cars with combustion engines, and do it guilt-free.

Changes to the way we get from point A to point B day to day are inevitable; while the timeline is up for debate, the switch to electric cars is going to happen. Fortunately, it’s not necessarily a disaster for car enthusiasts. It will just take some adjustment, and some sound public policy that acknowledges the fact that gearheads want a better future too, and can keep their passion alive while still achieving that goal.

Why Is Overlanding So Popular Now?

Overlanding is not new. Travelling cross country with a vehicle is as old as the wheel. When you look at the some of the first overlanders, they travelled in wagons, or rode horses. Nomadic tribes, sheep herders, and the pioneers of the old west all lived on the move, and had to carry their entire belongings wherever they went. That’s what overlanding means to many people; being able to go anywhere while being self-contained. When the automobile showed up in the 1900’s, overlanding followed. The country still had large swaths of open, undeveloped land with plenty to explore. People had leisure time, and transportation.

American’s fascination with offroad travel has never waned. The same can be said for exploring the wilderness. One reason why overlanding has become so popular is because it’s a diverse crowd. You can find people overlanding in everything from a million dollar, purposely built big rig to an all-wheel drive car with a roof top tent. Can you still overland in a car? Sure, but one prerequisite of overlanding in many people’s minds is the ability to go off road. Not just down a graded dirt road, but beyond man-made roadways and off onto challenging trails. Whether you can accomplish that in a car is up to you, but I’ve seen it done. In fact, it’s typical in Mexico to be miles outside of any town, or so you think, and see a local chug past in an old car with bald tires through the same silt bed that just trapped your fancy 4 wheel drive for the last hour with hardly a care. The fact is, most offroad race vehicles are 2 wheel drive. The venerable VW beetle is an example of a very basic, 2 wheel drive vehicle that is capable of going just about anywhere offroad. Don’t expect it to carry a bunch of gear though, but that leads us to the next topic; comfort.

Overlanding has many levels of comfort. It all depends on your budget, and how far off the beaten path you care to venture. Some of the most extreme overlanding vehicles have everything a typical home would contain; a kitchen, bath, bedroom, even laundry facilities or a garage. The finishes inside will reflect the cost of the build. When money is no object, you get marble backsplashes, microwave ovens, and big screen TV’s. The more luxuries you bring, the more payload your vehicle needs to carry. At some point, your offroad capabilities become compromised. That’s why many prefer to trade convenience, and comfort for capability. True overlanding in my opinion has to do with getting off the beaten path. With that said, the terrain you will be exploring also has a lot to do with the size rig you can use. In deserts, and dunes, the bigger rigs are fine. If you’re navigating through thick forests, or tight mountain trails, a smaller rig is the only way to get around. There is no single vehicle that will serve every purpose.

Overlanders for the most part fit into two categories; those who do it for recreation, and others who live full time on the road. Many people say that overlanding is just a fancy word for camping. That might be true, but those who live full time on the road will argue that it takes a lot of commitment to cut ties with a conventional existence. Their choice of vehicle, and what to outfit it with, will be different than that of someone who is just out for fun for a couple of days. You can rough it for a while car camping, but as soon as you are forced to take shelter for a couple days due to weather, the contrast between full time, and for fun becomes clear. There is no going home to get out of the elements when you live on the road. You can always pack up and leave, but your choices are more limited. Staying warm or cool, dry, and fed can be challenging at times.

…it’s typical in Mexico to be miles outside of any town, or so you think, and see a local chug past in an old car with bald tires through the same silt bed that just trapped your fancy 4 wheel drive for the last hour…

So what has created all the renewed interest in overlanding today? You’ll probably be surprised by the answer, but it happens to be technology. While that may seem like some type of an oxymoron, it’s actually the existence of current technology that makes getting away from it all easier than ever. The ability for primitive man to use fire was revolutionary to survival. Today, it’s the satellite, the cell phone, and solar panels. Current explorers may not even own a flannel shirt. They have technologically advanced clothing that keeps them warm, or wicks the sweat from their bodies to keep them cool. Satellites give you your current location, and detailed information about what lies on the other side of that ridge ahead of you. They also allow you to make phone calls from just about anywhere. Even without a satellite phone, cell phone communication continues to expand. Proposals have been put forth to go completely nationwide by using the commercial airplanes flying overhead as mobile hotspots. Being able to connect to the internet from almost anywhere has led to people working remotely, myself included. This frees them up to travel full time. Many full time travelers make their living by sharing videos of their adventures on the internet; technology at work again.

Watch Brad from Trail Recon catalog one of many overland adventures in his Jeep JK Wrangler:

The one thing that most of us just can’t live without is power to run our electronic devices. You can’t make videos, call anyone, or check on your current location without electricity. The accessibility of inexpensive, and reliable solar power has allowed people to roam freely, and to live off the grid. 12 volt appliances, low draw LED lighting, compact electronic devices, and the continuing advances in vehicle technology have made it possible for us to get out to remote locations while being safe and comfortable.

As more people head out to remote locations, they will no longer be remote. You can see this phenomena happening right now. As with any trend, I predict that some people will want to go against the crowd. We may see a return to actually roughing it outdoors. The purists will travel in a vintage truck with a tent, and wear flannel shirts around the camp fire again.

Business in the Front, Party in the Back

The Chevy El Camino

The pickup truck is as American as apple pie and the Chevy El Camino is apple pie à la mode. Of course, being an agricultural driven country the pickup has been the vehicle of choice for generations and as we have often seen, GM was caught back footed when Ford introduced their Ranchero in 1956. The Ranchero was based on a two-door, station-wagon platform that had an integrated cab and pickup bed unlike a regular pickup that has a separate cab and bed.

But wait, the history can be traced to Australia where Ford offered two roadster pickups in 1932, one with a straight-side bed known as the Standard Utility Car or ‘Ute’ for short. The popularity of such a beast caused one lady to apparently write to Ford Australia asking for “a vehicle to go to church in on a Sunday and which can carry our pigs to market on Mondays”.

The letter caused Ford designer Lewis T. Bandt to begin work later that year on marrying a coupe to a pickup. His happy marriage appeared in 1934 when a coupe body was joined to an integrated pickup bed. The Ute was only ever really popular in Australia until the Ranchero was invented to meet the same needs for a comfortable pickup that could do double duty as a utility vehicle and a cruiser. While the concept was sound, sales for 1957 did not reach 22,000. Nevertheless, its mere introduction caused GM to take notice.

While GM was behind Ford, there were some directional indicators in 1955 when Chevy introduced their factory-customized Cameo Carrier pickup. Although based on Chevy’s regular pickup, the Cameo had many car-like features including car-like interior, optional engines, automatic rather than stick transmissions and power-assisted brakes and steering. The big difference initiated by designer Chuck Jordan was the ditching of the running boards and the use of fiberglass bedside panels to afford a more integrated appearance. Chevy sold some 5,200 units in ’55 but sales slumped in ’56 to 1,460 and in ’57 to 2,240. Only 500 were sold in ’58 and the model was dropped.

The new-for-’59 Chevy El Camino, which means “the path” or “the way” in Spanish, was based on the Brookwood two-door station wagon as was the sedan delivery and it emulated the styling of the full-size Chevy Impala. Up front there were twin intakes above a full-width grille flanked by dual headlights. The greenhouse featured a huge wrap-around windshield and an unusual and dramatic “flying wing” top that was an abbreviated version of the tops on full-size cars.

The rear was equally wild with sweeping airplane influenced “batwing” fins that emanated from just behind the cab and ran the entire length of the bed—it was about as far as fins would go. Wide “cat’s eye” taillights were split along the bed line. This was no hog-hauling pickup this was cruiser personified.

The new-for-’59 Chevy El Camino, which means “the path” or “the way” in Spanish was based on the Brookwood two-door station wagon…

Under the vast hood, Chevrolet offered a 3.9L 235 ci straight six, the 4.6: 283 ci V8 and the Turbo-Thrust 5.7L 348 ci V8 producing a max of 335 hp. Three or four-speed manuals were available as was a two-speed Powerglide auto.

Sales of the ’59 El Camino were brisk at 22,246 units but they were by no means staggering and they fell off the following year to 14,163. “The road” came to an end, at least for the time being.

As Ford persisted with the Ranchero, Chevrolet had little choice but to reintroduce their version in 1964, however, it was based on a mid-size platform rather than the preceding full-size platform. Car design had moved away from the fins of the fifties and the new Camino was a very clean design based on the Chevelle two-door wagon. Indeed, it carried both badges.

Under the hood there was three optional sixes plus two versions of the 327 rated at 250 and 300 hp. The hot version featured a high, 10.5:1 high-compression, a larger 4bbl carb and dual pipes.

For the following year the Chevy El Camino was subject to the same facelift as the Chevelle with a sharper V’d front end behind which you could get a new L79 327 producing 350 hp. At the dragstrip it could run the ¼ in the low 15s at 90 mph.

We recently dropped in on Kevin Elliott of Kev’s Rod & Custom, La Habra, CA, where they recently completed the full restoration of a ’65 for Charlie Currie of Currie Enterprises.  “This was quite a rust bucket,” said Kevin “We had to replace everything but the roof, the firewall and the front fenders. You know when you send a car out for blasting and only part of it comes back? Well, nothing came back. It has a complete new floor and we had to make special tools to repair the bed.”

Under the hood, Kevin installed a 331 ci Gen I L79 fitted with Edelbrock induction and MSD ignition. It produces 334 hp at 5,500 rpm and 362 lb-ft of torque at 3,800 rpm. There’s a GM 4L60E tranny and, of course, a Currie Enterprises F9 rear axle. The wheels are E-T Classic Vs: 17×8.5 in front and 18×9.5 in back.

From Kev’s the Currie El Co went to Mickey Larson at Twins Custom Coaches that, at the time, was located in Pomona, CA. There it was painted at Mick’s Paint but not by Mick’s Paint. The color is GM Arrival Blue by PPG.

Finally, in 1966, Chevy dropped in the 6.5L 396 that could put out a max of 375 hp and now run the ¼ in the 14s. It was a hot rod truck alright. Besides the engine there was new bodywork, a new dash with horizontal sweep speedo, optional tach and optional Strato swiveling bucket seats.

In 1967 there was another facelift and minor changes but the big news came in ’68 with the introduction of the Super Sport SS-396 of which the L78 version had solid lifters, large-port heads and an 800 cfm Holley 4bbl carb. As it did in 1966, the L78 produced 375 hp. The vehicle was now longer but still based on the Chevelle station wagon with a 116-inch wheelbase and overall length of 17 feet, three inches.

More minor changes came in 1969 and ’70 when the body became a little squarer. The latest SS396 was now actually 402 cubic inches or 6.6 liters; however, there was a honking 454 ci engine that produced 450 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque pushing the El Co through the ¼ in the 13s at more than 100 mph.

Recently, we were able to check out a ’70 El Co SS built for Amir Rosenbaum of Spectre Automotive at the SO-CAL Speed Shop. The truck was built to compete in autocross events, specifically the Optima Ultimate Street Car Challenge, and features a set-back 7.0L 427 ci Corvette Z06 LS7 engine. It produces 650 hp and almost as much torque transmitted through a Tremec six-speed manual trans. The suspension came from Global West, the six piston brakes from Baer and Italian five-spokes from OZ. The truck, featured on the TLC TV show ‘Hard Shine,” was painted in single-stage black with silver stripes at Micks Paint, Pomona, CA.

New front-end styling came in for 1971 but emissions controls were lurking and the dreaded ‘smog pump’ was added strangling performance. For example, the LS5 454 only produced 365 hp and the LS6 454 was nixed. The switch to ‘net’ figures came in and the 402 ci 396 was rated at 240 hp while the 454 that was only available in the SS model, was rated at 270 hp.

By the time of the fourth Generation, 1973-’77, the El Co was breathing hard, constricted by smog devices and getting heavy. It was middle age spread and the vehicles no longer looked svelte and cool. Gen IV was the largest El Camino and they had wide bumpers like boat transoms and optional fake wood grain side trim. Sales of Gen IV started well at just under 65,000 units for ’73 but by the end of the run in ’77 they were down 10K units.

Things did improve for Gen V (1978-’87), however, the El Co now shared a frame with the Malibu and V6 engines replaced the big-blocks. Those days were done. Nevertheless, overall the car looked better after it’s Weight Watcher’s program, more clean and sharp edged and a lot less boat-like.

Things got smaller under the hood too when the standard engine became the 3.8L V6 producing a whopping 110 hp. California, meanwhile, got the anemic Buick V6. And, the SS model was now shipped out to Choo Choo Customs of Chattanooga, Tennessee it did not, however, get the L69 engine of the Monte Carlo SS.

In 1985, GM moved production to Mexico but the public had lost interest and sales slumped to a total of 13,743 units for 1987 and a mere 420 for 1988. What killed the Camino? Why, the new Chevy C/K pickup introduced in April 1987 as an ’88 model. The C/K was a hot rodder’s dream and it was the end of the road for the Chevy El Camino.

Million Dollar

Vicious Mustang

There’s something about early Mustangs that just gets the heart pounding and the blood pumping. Despite their obvious age, now almost 60 years, they never seem to go out of fashion. Like a good pair of 501s, they look better with age, they feel comfortable and to paraphrase Rod Stewart, they wear it well.

The other cool factor regarding early Mustangs is that it doesn’t seem to matter what people do to them they always look good. Take, for example, the Vicious Mustang designed and built by Timeless Kustoms, Camarillo, CA, and said to cost a cool mil’. Timeless began the million dollar build with an original ’65 Fastback that was stripped to its shell for a total makeover that incorporated numerous Dynacorn body panels. The base for the creation was a chassis from Art Morrison fitted with a Corvette C7 front clip and an Art Morrison multi-link independent rear suspension. Triple adjustable coil-over shocks from Ridetech are fitted to all four corners.

Quite often, modifiers of early Mustangs will lean toward the more traditional powertrain with a small-block Ford with twin 4bbls, quad Webers or some similar historically accurate induction. However, in the case of the Vicious Mustang the owner opted for not only a supercharger but also twin turbos for what he terms as compound forced induction.

The base engine is a 5.2L Coyote ‘Aluminator’ from Ford Performance fitted with an Aviad four-stage dry sump system. Internally the block is fitted with Dart Big Bore 3.7-inch sleeves, Manley 2618 forged pistons and Pro-Series rods and a Comp cam and a Ford Performance Coyote Boss 302 forged crank. Meanwhile, the GT350 heads were CNC ported. And there any similarity to other modified Mustangs ends because between the heads squats a serpentine belt-driven Magnusson TVS Magna Charger for low rpm boost. Supplementing the blower for high rpm boost is a pair of exhaust-driven Precision 64/66 ball bearing turbochargers.

Employing a MoTeC engine management system and an Aeromotive fuel system comprising Eliminator pumps, Pro Series EFI Regulator and fuel rails with a trunk-mounted custom fuel cell, the engine produces 1,003-wheel horsepower and 784 lb-ft of torque on E85. Backing up the power plant is a Centerforce DYAD Clutch, an EMCO CG46 sequential six-speed transmission and a 9.75-inch Strange Engineering aluminum independent axle.

To stop this beast Vicious is fitted with 15.5-inch Brembo carbon-ceramic rotors with six-piston front calipers and four-piston rears. The wheels are Forgeline GT3C Centerlocks: 19×11 in front and 19×13 in back. The tires are 305/30ZR19 in the front and 355/30ZR19 out back.

The other cool factor regarding early Mustangs is that it doesn’t seem to matter what people do to them they always look good.

Those big tires are wrapped with some expressive hand-crafted bodywork including integrated fender flares and an aggressive deep front air dam fitted with twin coolers and a F-40-inspired rear end diffuser. Incidentally, the grille contains machined inlets for the turbos and the cool satin paint is a custom PPG mix called ‘Vicious Titanium Silver’. The main body color is accented with a red-edged ‘over the top’ black stripe in traditional style.

Contrasting with the subtle, semi-gloss exterior color is a wild, blood red leather interior handled by @ethorcustoms within Timeless Kustoms. It features a full tube-steel roll-cage and TK-branded Sparco Pro2000 seats fitted with DJ Safety five-point harnesses. DJ Safety also supplied the fire suppression system while the climate control was provided by Vintage Air. A MoTeC digital dash cluster sits behind the quick-release, three-spoke Sparco R325 steering wheel that is fitted with paddle controls.

As early modified Mustangs go, Vicious has to be one of the wildest from its triple-blown engine to its blood red interior. To compliment the build and the public’s enthusiasm for all things Vicious you can visit ViciousStang.com and check out the related clothing line. You can also follow them on Instagram and Facebook and watch the vids here.