Tech

You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers. We work with the Summit Racing tech department to help you tackle your auto-related conundrums. In this week’s Mailbag, we’re answering several questions about an Olds 350 engine build. Q: I am building a 1977 Olds 350 that I will be installing in a 1976 Nova. The engine has 9.5:1 compression pistons,

I have a 383 c.i. small-block Chevy that I recently rebuilt and installed in my ’72 El Camino. Unfortunately, it appears that the rear main seal is leaking. I’m pretty sure I installed the seal the right way, but it’s obvious from how bad the leak is that it’s going to have to be replaced.

Karen Salvaggio of Thunder Valley Racing is no stranger to building and racing Factory Five Racing MK4 Roadsters and Type 65 Daytona Coupes. So when Factory Five wanted to beta test the race-ready ‘R’ version of the Gen 3 Daytona Coupe, she got one of the first kits—#002, in fact. The Daytona Coupe-R represents the

With some exceptions, namely older diesels and Corvettes, most tachometers use electrical pulses from the ignition system to indicate an engine’s rpm. Though this method delivers an accurate reading, installing a new tach can be confusing because of the different ignition systems used by the OEMs and the aftermarket. Tachometer installation can be as simple

You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers. We work with the Summit Racing tech department to help you tackle your auto-related conundrums. In this week’s Mailbag, we discuss upgrading valvetrain components on a 1976 Toyota FJ-40 powered by a 350 small block. Q: I have a 1976 Toyota FJ-40 Land Cruiser with a 350 small block from a 1973 Camaro.

Tunnel ram manifolds made their debut in the early 1960s. The first ones were actually small block Chevy jobs patterned off a Rochester mechanical fuel injection intake manifold (drag racer Carroll Caudle should be credited for the invention). Soon after, a company owned by Ralph Ridgeway cast a commercial example, followed shortly thereafter by other

Q: I recently replaced the 305 engine and TH-200 transmission in my 1985 Monte Carlo for a 350 with a mild cam and a TH-350 transmission. My question is about the tranny. It was in a friend’s strip car, and had about 15 passes on it before I got it. The transmission has some kind

I have a 496 Chevy and I want to go with a tunnel ram. What is the largest cam I can go with? It is going in a rat rod gasser. R.F. Jeff Smith: This is like asking “How high is up?” Generally, we like to answer questions that are a bit more focused, but

Q: I have a Holley 800 cfm double pumper carburetor on the 454 in my 1971 Corvette. The carburetor worked fine when I first installed it. But after the car spent six months in the garage, the engine dies when I go around a corner or when under normal to hard braking. At regular and

Louvers are a quintessential hot rod thing. Not only do they look old school cool, they also serve a purpose. They were originally applied to vehicles to help let hot air out of the engine compartment. Later they were used to make roadster bodies more aero-friendly by letting trapped air escape from under the body