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“You’ll never find the barn. Meet us at the Dairy Queen in town. Call us when you get there.” Larry Fisette was about to embark on another old-car hunt, this one for Corvettes — both C1s — preserved on blocks in the same barn since 1973. Fisette, who lives in Wisconsin where he runs the De Pere Auto Center, got this phone call a week earlier from a man in Illinoi
Tools: standard socket set, standard wrenches, crankshaft socket, breaker bar
Tinware: new timing chain, new timing cover (optional), timing cover gasket, gasket sealer, oil pan gasket (optional)
Tip: Before getting started, check out the clearance between the oil pan and the crossmember to see if there’s enough room to remove the pan.
Performance gains: A new timing chain and sprockets will deliver consistent performance and reliability.
Time: 4-5 hours
Tools: standard socket set, standard wrenches, floor jack and jackstands, torque converter holding tool (optional), transmission jack (optional)
Cost: varies depending on tools required or transmission selected
Tinware: transmission fluid, transmission tailshaft plug, new transmission mount (recommended)
Tip: After removing the driveshaft from the rear of the transmission housing, install a stop plug over the tailshaft to avoid fluid from spilling out.
Performance gains: Transmission trouble is never fun. Whether it’s for repair, rebuilding, or all-out racing, a finely-tuned transmission is a cornerstone of performance.
You and I really love our old classics. We grew up with these cars and have had some history with them, but we really need to look to the future of what will be the next collector classics. One great example is the new Corvette Z06 Convertible– 2015 or 2016 model– this car will be a collector piece right off the showroom floor. As is typical, the value will drop for a while, but then it will start to rise. At some point, this will be another 1963 Split Window Coupe-type collector car.
Sometime prior to the first week of December, 1968, representatives of the famous Ford performance dealership “Hayward Motors” in Hayward, California, prepared an order for a “local promotion” vehicle under DSO item #8991. This placed into motion a series of events that resulted in the production of a 1969 Ranchero 428 Cobra Jet– a car destined to become coveted by collectors nearly 46 years hence.
Text and Photography by Jeff Ford
Time: 3-4 hours (approximately)
Cost: Approximately $45 for Eastwood’s Steering Wheel Restoration Kit (available at Eckler's)
Tinware: Dremel tool kit, or similar brand. Steering wheel puller, selection of putty knives, various sandpaper grits ranging from 80 through 600-800 grit
Tip: Thoroughly degrease the wheel before applying paint!
From the beginning, we knew the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro was going to be a performance powerhouse, especially for the money. Moving to GM’s Alpha platform opens up a world of possibilities for the Chevrolet pony car challenger.
Speaking of Challenger and, by association, Mustang, the main competition to the Camaro will have a formidable opponent on their hands, as Chevrolet has released official performance numbers for the 2016 Camaro.
OK, what’s with the infomercial you say? We apologize if that’s what it seems like!
However, this product has earned its way into our hearts for all its weatherstrip/black plastic protection/preservation factors.
It’s super-easy application is nice, too. Just spray it on a dry micro-fiber towel and rub onto the part. The instructions will tell you whether to wipe dry right away or let it sit for a minute or two before wiping (this depends on the part itself – plastic, rubber, etc).
Our 1957 Chevy Bel Air Sport Coupe DSU 258 (our British registration number) was imported into the UK in 1987. She was based in Essex and we purchased her in September of 2012 from Steve Feathers, who had owned her for the previous 13 years.
We had decided to buy a classic American car some two years earlier, but couldn't decide which make or model we wanted. That was until we attended a local classic car show where we came across Ron Steven's ’57 Chevy. After that there was no competition– a ’57 Chevy it had to be! We eventually bought DSU 258 via eBay from Steve, and so the obsession began…
