Q&A

Q: I have a 1988 Mustang that will get a 1970 460 big block. So far, the engine has been bored .030 over, has TRW 10.5:1 forged pistons, ported and polished 1970 429 heads with 2.245/1.725 inch valves, and an Edelbrock Victor 460 intake port matched to the heads. The car has an 8.8-inch rear

I’m confused. I see all kinds of opinions about iridium and platinum spark plugs versus the normal copper plugs. Some say they’re good while others say not to use them because they’re only for late model cars that are concerned with emissions. I like the idea of spark plugs that could last longer. I have

Q: I have a 1970 El Camino that will be used as a daily driver performance car. I have a Chevy 350 small block that I want to assemble with the following parts: Summit Racing Engine Rebuild Kit (9.73:1 compression) Summit Racing Camshaft Kit (224° duration at 0.50″, 0.465″ lift) Stock heads with 1.94″/1.50″ inch

Q: I am in the process of rebuilding my 1967 Chevelle. I am looking for the formula to figure out the proper size carburetor. Do you know it? If so, would you please share that? A: We do, and we will. Carburetor CFM = (plannned rpm x cubic inches) / 3,456 For clarity, your carb

I recently purchased a’71 Camaro with a small-block and a 700R4 overdrive trans. The guy who I bought it from said the trans has a lockup converter and that everything worked great. But driving it now for a while, I don’t think the converter is really locking up. I have a buddy with a 700R4

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 calculating compression ratios and cylinder head volume on a modified 318 Chrysler small block.  Q: I am planning to rebuild a Chrysler 318 engine. I want to keep the compression to around

You’ve got questions. We’ve got answers. We work with the Summit Racing tech department to tackle your automotive-related conundrums. This week, we’re exploring why a 427 c.i.d. big block Chevy street rod engine would stop increasing power once it hits 4,000 rpm. Q: I recently built a 427-cubic-inch big block Chevy for my 1937 street rod

I have a ’66 Chevy II with a 355 cubic inch small-block and a Muncie four-speed. Over the years, I’ve made some small suspension modifications with Global West De-A-Lum bushings. On the freeway, the car can get into a violent front-wheel shake where the steering wheel wobbles really badly in my hands. It gets so

You’ve got questions. We’ve got answers. We work with the Summit Racing tech department to tackle your automotive-related conundrums. This week, we’re troubleshooting timing issues on a 400 c.i.d. engine swapped into a 1980 Firebird. Q: I have a 1980 Pontiac Firebird with a 400-cubic-inch engine out of a 1978 Trans Am. The engine was built

You’ve got questions. We’ve got answers. We work with the Summit Racing tech department to tackle your automotive-related conundrums. This week, we’re talking about swapping a 350 crate engine into an ’85 IROC-Z Camaro currently powered by a 305 TPI engine. Q: I have a 1985 Camaro IROC-Z with a 305 Tuned Port Injection (TPI) engine,