Take a look at what it takes to do some basic maintenance and part replacements for a 40+ year old classic, turning it into a project car you can drive back and forth to the shop. These basic steps will keep your project car running strong and durable until you’re ready to swap the powertrain.
Drivetrain
All The Tips And Tricks To Get Your First Project Car Up And Running
by
Kevin McIntosh
on
January 31, 2012
Centerforce University #2 – Proper Clutch Break-In Procedures
by
Clifton Klaverweiden
on
January 30, 2012
In this, the second installment of Centerforce University, we will go over how to properly break in a new clutch once you have it installed. We will also discuss some of the ugly consequences of failing to properly break in your clutch. So step inside, because class is back in session…
Centerforce University #1 – Get Schooled on How a Clutch Works
by
Clifton Klaverweiden
on
January 10, 2012
Welcome to Centerforce University, where we will bring you all the clutch knowledge your gear-filled head can hold. In this, the first of five installments of Centerforce University, the experts at Centerforce give us a quick rundown of the basics of exactly how a clutch operates.
You know it as well as I do—a stick transmission is the only way to go in a Mustang. Especially in the Fox-body 5.0 days, opting for an automatic just killed performance. From the junk yard to the race shop, we help you pick what to buy for your late-model manual Mustang with help from Tremec.
Biting the Bullitt ’65 Mustang Update: Installing the Drivetrain
by
Mark Gearhart
on
January 4, 2012
Our 1,000 horsepower, Paxton supercharged 427ci ’65 Mustang project is really beginning to take shape. With the front and rear suspension installed, we move on to fitting the engine and transmission, along with a few other pieces as we get close to starting it for the first time.
The intrigue of how, when, and where a high performance product that we have is designed and manufactured has driven many companies with the resources to do so to create shop tours and behind-the-scenes videos guiding current and potential customers through a process they may never see otherwise,
Modern differentials come in many flavors—open, limited slip, locking, and spool (which is not even a differential). The open differential is not really “geared” for performance, so it’s out as is (see drop-ins below for open carrier upgrades). That leaves three. Here’s everything to know which works for you.
Installing short shifters in cars is something muscle car enthusiasts have been doing since the dawn of motoring time. We wanted to add some additional flare to Coyote’s relatively stock-looking interior while updating the problem-prone stock shifter assembly.
Upgrading the Rear Suspension of our 1965 Mustang to Handle 1000 HP
by
Mark Gearhart
on
October 21, 2011
The rear suspension of a vehicle shouldn’t be a place to cheap out. With 1000 HP, we needed a way to transmit all that power to the pavement. We installed an Autoworks mini tub kit, 9-inch from Strange, suspension from Calvert, Wilwood brakes, and Weld wheels rapped in M/T drag radials into our ’65 Mustang
The Tremec’s T-56 Magnum has all the improvements. And yes, in some dimensions, it’s bigger. So now, we can have six speeds, and allow our better engines to use more of their improvements doing what they like to do: pushing pavement behind us.
Quick Tech: Fluid Pump-Integrated ATI SCS-30 Transmission Cooler
by
Jefferson Bryant
on
July 27, 2011
In between rounds, the transmission can heat soak because the hot fluid sits stagnant in the case heating all those parts up, much like how the engine temperature will rise after being shut off. The ATI SC-30 cooler pump kicks in when the vehicle turns off. Check out the tech article inside!
Team Z Motorsports’ has released a trick new Outlaw 9-inch rear end housing and also we discuss proper rear end geometry for getting the most out of your ride on the race track with Team Z’s head honcho Dave Zimmerman.
Building a hard-hitting engine is always the flashy, fun thing to talk about, but without the proper gearbox to back up all that power, you’re big and brash big block won’t have anywhere to go. We’re working on Killer Kong’s powertrain a little backwards to emphasize how crucial the rest of the package is.
Thanks to the efforts of manufacturers past and present, lockup torque converters are experiencing a resurgence in the world of high horsepower drag racing, and to learn more about the history and inner-workings of these controversial units, we reached out to some of the brightest names in the business.
Think building a hard-hitting Mopar is just too expensive? Watch as we take a 9 3/4 rear from junkyard scrap to a bad ass in just a day! Thanks to Currie Enterprises, Killer Kong’s budget Dana 60 is transformed into a tire-burning rear worthy of 1,000-horsepower!
When it came time to pick a transmission for our All Air Camaro project car, we wanted one that would work for serious drag racing and could be mounting behind any engine combination that we could hang in front of it. The GM Powerglide is a tried and true gearbox for the track with its simplicity and toughness.
The race-intended TCI C4 improves upon the reliability and durability that the C4 has long been known for, which is just what we’re looking for to mate with our naturally-aspirated, 427-inch Windsor motor producing nearly 700 horsepower. Join us for an in-depth look at TCI’s take on the C4.
Torque converters are the component that made the modern automatic transmission possible, transferring power from the engine to the rest of the drivetrain without the use of a clutch. Even though we’ve all used them, few of us understand what’s actually going on inside or how they’re built.
You can have all the power in the world, but if you cannot transmit that power to the rear tires properly, it doesn’t do you any good. When it came to putting a rear end into our Project MaxStreet Nova II, we turned to Moser for that reliability, including their new Wavetrac differential.
If you’ve spent any time around the sport of drag racing whatsoever, you’ve more than likely heard the name Neal Chance Racing Converters, seen the decal on the side of a car, or even had the pleasure of running one of their torque converters in your own race car.
Because this is a serious drag car build – we’re shooting for low nines – we needed to be equally serious about how the engine and transmission mated up to the chassis. Having a ton of power isn’t worth a damn if all it does is rip the motor mounts out, so we turned to Madman & Co. Racing for a motor plate setup.
Our All Air Project Camaro is up in the air on the lift, so that can mean only one thing – more progress is imminent! We don’t want to keep you waiting too long for the update, so we thought we’d tease you with some shots of what we’ll be working on next.
This super sleeper project (and unofficial husband of Project Grandma), Grandpa has already been modified well beyond its stock specifications, including a full Spohn Suspension to improve handling as well as a fully-built Dart 509 engine to replace the ancient 305 small block.
Installation of TCI 6X Six-speed transmission in project “MaxStreet” Chevy II
by
Andrew Wolf
on
July 3, 2010
If four forward gears is good, six must be better, right? That is what TCI is thinking, with the release of their 4L80E-based 6X six-speed automatic high performance transmission. For our powerTV Project MaxStreet Nova II, the 6X was right up our alley. We needed a transmission that can handle 850hp+ that will be produced from our Edelbrock/Musi 555 big block Chevy and F2 Procharger, while cruising at low RPMs on the highway as well.
The Keisler Perfect Fit Kit provides an easy way to transplant a modern transmission into your classic musclecar, no matter your engine choice. We did a tech review on an install of this Tremec 5-speed into our LSA-powered ’71 Nova
When we upgraded our ’03 Mustang Cobra to 850hp we wanted to make sure we had a clutch that can handle that much power and also be easy to drive on the street. We decided to go with the RXT clutch because it can stand up to 1,000 horsepower and has a very reasonable pedal pressure. Read more to find out the details on the RXT clutch and watch how we installed it.
In order to fit the new tubes and supports in place for welding in our new cross-member on Project Grandma, the drive train needed to be mocked up, and we’ve just been dying to get the Edelbrock/Musi big block crate motor into the engine bay along with the TCI Pro-X Glide. Plus, we figured we’d show off a little bit of our new Lemon’s race headers.
Depending on who you speak to, we lose 10- to 20-percent of our torque due to friction losses in the drivetrain. Naturally, no one likes losing torque after spending so much money and working so hard to create this rotating force. This is, after all, the force we use to move the car and no matter which class you run, the name of the game is to move the car. So if we’re going to be good racers, one of the many questions we must ask is, “What can I do to reduce torque loss due to friction in the drivetrain? In this article we show you a few ways.
Project 666 Mustang is moving along, with the hairy goal of putting down 666 horsepower and running 10s. With power comes great responsibility, and we knew the tired old T-5 stock transmission and wimpy clutch just wouldn’t be up for the job. So after 25 years of service, it was removed from our mighty four-eyed ’86 Mustang to make room for a fresh, durable TKO-600 transmission from Tremec and a fresh SPEC clutch.
Project All Air has been under the scalpel undergoing a series of internal organ transplants. It is well on its way to becoming a nine second wheels up drag car. To help harness that power, we are installing the latest Moser M9 package, complete with Moser’s F-Body Torque Arm – and are capping it off with ChassisWorks shocks. Check out the steps and photos to installing this package.
We all know that big power means big money. Making cars go fast isn’t just an issue of adding ‘go power,’ but making sure the car can withstand the beating. The axle always bears the brunt of the abuse, so let’s compare different aftermarket 9-inch bolt-in rear-ends available on today’s market – and no you don’t always have to break the bank.
When it comes to trying to run low 8′s, you can have all the horsepower in the world, but your rear end and transmission need to be bulletproof. So when it came time to select a transmission for Project Grandma – our infamous ’78 Malibu – we made a call to the transmission experts over at TCI. They recommended one of their Pro-X Powerglide transmissions, and you’re about to learn more than you ever dreamed about what it takes to make a serious ‘Glide.
Selecting a bulletproof rear end for your car may seem easy, but there are a lot of different builders, and hundreds of options from wild to mild. A name that has always been at the top of the list is Currie, and they have released a new fully fabricated 9-inch housing – the F9 – for hardcore drag racing applications. We got a first hand look at the F9 as they build one for our Project Grandma.
