American Hot Rod Foundation http://www.ahrf.com Tue, 15 May 2012 18:33:42 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Part Of The Week http://www.ahrf.com/cool-stuff/part-of-the-week/2012/05/15/part-of-the-week-19/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=part-of-the-week-19 http://www.ahrf.com/cool-stuff/part-of-the-week/2012/05/15/part-of-the-week-19/#comments Tue, 15 May 2012 18:33:42 +0000 admin http://www.ahrf.com/?p=27119 Read More]]> Just what the world needs is another new set of cylinder heads for the Ford Flathead V8. If we turn the clock bach to 1948 that’s exactly what we find. Hotton and Sullivan out of Detroit brought you these heads engineered for Truckers, Police, Marine and Industrial use. They were engineered by Ford techinical men and were cast out of  special aluminum alloy and put out 105 horsepower versus the standard 98 or so of stock 59A heads. H&S claimed better economy, less gas, more pay load and higher speed for police work. These heads could be had for $45 a set. 50 sets came to the west coast and only two were sold so that tells you how good they were.

]]> http://www.ahrf.com/cool-stuff/part-of-the-week/2012/05/15/part-of-the-week-19/feed/ 0 http://www.ahrf.com/cool-stuff/part-of-the-week/2012/05/08/27112/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=27112 http://www.ahrf.com/cool-stuff/part-of-the-week/2012/05/08/27112/#comments Tue, 08 May 2012 19:37:03 +0000 admin http://www.ahrf.com/?p=27112 Read More]]> If you were a serious rodder one part that was a must have for your car was a tachometer so you could monitor engine R. P. M. as you buzzed through the gears. Another upside of a Tach was after a tuneup you could see if that change in carb settings, timing, plugs etc gave you a couple of 100 more revs or not. Stewart-Warner was the king in this department and its kit contained a 0-8000 R.P.M Instriment head, a drive takeoff and a 72″ cable. You even got a light with it to read the gague during your night street races. It took 15 minutes to install and only set you back $52 back in ’55. You could also stup up for an additional $2.50 and get one of those hi-tech all electronic models.

]]> http://www.ahrf.com/cool-stuff/part-of-the-week/2012/05/08/27112/feed/ 0 Part Of The Week http://www.ahrf.com/cool-stuff/part-of-the-week/2012/04/30/part-of-the-week-18/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=part-of-the-week-18 http://www.ahrf.com/cool-stuff/part-of-the-week/2012/04/30/part-of-the-week-18/#comments Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:27:10 +0000 admin http://www.ahrf.com/?p=27102 Read More]]> One of the most important parts found inside of an engine is the piston and one of the oldest aftermarket company in the field is Jahns that came into being back in 1912. They manufactured their pistons completely in house, from design, casting and finish machining. We see one of their cast pistons made for a ’57-’58 Chrysler Hemi V8. You could get an off the shelf set for a bore of 4″, 4 1/16″ or 4 1/8″  and it would only set you back a whopping $96.80 back in 1960. Some of the hotdogs that used them back in the day were “TV” Tommy Ivo, Ak Miller, Eddie Hill and Max Balchowsky.

]]> http://www.ahrf.com/cool-stuff/part-of-the-week/2012/04/30/part-of-the-week-18/feed/ 0 Part Of The Week http://www.ahrf.com/cool-stuff/part-of-the-week/2012/04/24/part-of-the-week-17/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=part-of-the-week-17 http://www.ahrf.com/cool-stuff/part-of-the-week/2012/04/24/part-of-the-week-17/#comments Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:04:31 +0000 admin http://www.ahrf.com/?p=27095 Read More]]> In the ’50 a lot of people jumped on the “I can make fuel injection too” and one was Al Gonsalves. Here is a shot of one of his Algon Chevy V8 units. He listed 20 unique features as to why his creation was better than the others. Topping the list was that that his unit had adjustable nozzles and that each quarter turn of his adjusting knob equaled a .002 inch diameter change. Other features included being able to switch from gas to fuel to nitro without having to spend any money. Al also clained half second ET lowering with the use of his unit. The injectors were available for Chevy, Chrysler Olds, Buick and Ford OHV engines along with Henry’s venerable V8-60. Out the door a Small block Chevy would set you back $325 plus $16 for ram tubes. Dealer net was $243.75 and $12.

]]> http://www.ahrf.com/cool-stuff/part-of-the-week/2012/04/24/part-of-the-week-17/feed/ 0 Part Of The Week http://www.ahrf.com/cool-stuff/part-of-the-week/2012/04/17/part-of-the-week-16/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=part-of-the-week-16 http://www.ahrf.com/cool-stuff/part-of-the-week/2012/04/17/part-of-the-week-16/#comments Tue, 17 Apr 2012 04:07:22 +0000 admin http://www.ahrf.com/?p=27085 Read More]]> One part that everybody forgets about when it comes time to make your car faster is tires. We’re looking at Firestone’s hot new Super Sports Stock car tire formulated for use by NASCAR stock cars at Daytona back in 1961. Back in the day these tires were considered really wide and featured shock-fortified nylon cord for greater protection against high speed impacts. They also featured a new and improved tread design with heavier tie bars for improved wear charistics and multiple shoulder vents for cooler running. At that time Firestone spent tons of time testing tread compounds at Daytona, Darlington and Indy to give their users the most reliable tire they could. A 7.10/7.60 x 15 could be had for $42.50 and a 8.00/8.20 x 15 for $49.00. That doesn’t sound like much today for a race tire today but if you transpory yourself back to the early 60′s when you were pumping gas and maybe making a buck an hour these puppies were expensive.

]]> http://www.ahrf.com/cool-stuff/part-of-the-week/2012/04/17/part-of-the-week-16/feed/ 0 Part of the Week http://www.ahrf.com/cool-stuff/part-of-the-week/2012/04/10/part-of-the-week-15/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=part-of-the-week-15 http://www.ahrf.com/cool-stuff/part-of-the-week/2012/04/10/part-of-the-week-15/#comments Tue, 10 Apr 2012 18:55:15 +0000 admin http://www.ahrf.com/?p=27057 Read More]]> One of the really early suppliers of hop-up parts in the Los Angeles area was the Weber Tool Company that traces its roots back to Harry Webber and 1925. At first they were known for their cams but soon became the go to guys for their custom flywheels. We’re looking at one of their Aluminum Flywheels made out of 40E material that had a tensile strength of 44,000 PSI. They even went the extra mile in production and dynamically balance ever one they made. The victims of their usage were ’32 to ’50 Ford and Merc flattie V8′s with an occasional six thrown in. These would set you back $30. If you had a V8-60 they said for boat use only.

]]> http://www.ahrf.com/cool-stuff/part-of-the-week/2012/04/10/part-of-the-week-15/feed/ 0 Part of the week http://www.ahrf.com/cool-stuff/part-of-the-week/2012/03/28/part-of-the-week-14/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=part-of-the-week-14 http://www.ahrf.com/cool-stuff/part-of-the-week/2012/03/28/part-of-the-week-14/#comments Wed, 28 Mar 2012 21:31:19 +0000 admin http://www.ahrf.com/?p=27023 Read More]]>
The choice for rodders in the Gauge department has traditionally been Stewart-Warner. Back in the day if you ponied up $60.50 you could purchase what they called the “Custom” Hot Rod Panel that included the works. In the center was the special mechanically driven 0-8000 RPM Tach that went for $20.50. The oil pressure gague was $5.50, the Ammeter $3.50, the Fuel gague (6 volt naturally) for $62.5 and the water temp for S6.95. The chrome surround was $9.00 and the engined turned faceplate $7.20. For those who wanted to be really cool you could step up and get the optional Standard “Electric” Tachometer good to 4500 rpm for $36.75, the “Special” that went to 6000 rpm or the “Custom” good to 8000 rpm. The last two went for $42.95. If you were lucky enough to be making a buck an hour you can see these puppies weren’t cheap.
]]> http://www.ahrf.com/cool-stuff/part-of-the-week/2012/03/28/part-of-the-week-14/feed/ 0 Part Of The Week http://www.ahrf.com/cool-stuff/part-of-the-week/2012/03/19/part-of-the-week-13/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=part-of-the-week-13 http://www.ahrf.com/cool-stuff/part-of-the-week/2012/03/19/part-of-the-week-13/#comments Mon, 19 Mar 2012 04:01:12 +0000 admin http://www.ahrf.com/?p=26791 Read More]]> For the Chevy 6 fans here’s the part for you. For a $79.50 exchange or $99.50 outright you could get your choice of a 7.4:1 milled head or an 8 to 10.1 filled and milled head from the shop of Harry Warner. Heads were milled .1 and the combustion chambers reshaped for better efficiency. New seats were installed and ground and new guides were also part of the package. 1 15/16″ intake valves would fit with larger bores and the ports were cleaned up for better flow so there was no trace of detonation with the premium Ethyl gasoline of the day. From a 1954 Wayne Engineering Catalog. JMC_3641 © AHRF

]]> http://www.ahrf.com/cool-stuff/part-of-the-week/2012/03/19/part-of-the-week-13/feed/ 0 Land Speed Record http://www.ahrf.com/hot-rod-history/books-category/2012/03/15/land-speed-record/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=land-speed-record http://www.ahrf.com/hot-rod-history/books-category/2012/03/15/land-speed-record/#comments Thu, 15 Mar 2012 16:06:26 +0000 admin http://www.ahrf.com/?p=26960 Posthumis & David Tremayne, 1985, Second edition. (Land Speed)

]]> http://www.ahrf.com/hot-rod-history/books-category/2012/03/15/land-speed-record/feed/ 0 Salt Of The Earth http://www.ahrf.com/hot-rod-history/books-category/2012/03/15/salt-of-the-earth/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=salt-of-the-earth http://www.ahrf.com/hot-rod-history/books-category/2012/03/15/salt-of-the-earth/#comments Thu, 15 Mar 2012 16:05:30 +0000 admin http://www.ahrf.com/?p=26957 Jenkins, A.B..  1939, First edition. (Land Speed)

]]> http://www.ahrf.com/hot-rod-history/books-category/2012/03/15/salt-of-the-earth/feed/ 0