A lot has changed since Cadillac introduced the first practical electric starting system almost 100 years ago. That system employed a starter, generator, lights, and a lead-acid battery. Today, lead-acid chemistry is still at the heart of the automotive battery. That doesn't mean all automotive batteries are the same; there are important options to consider when it's time for replacement. First however, we'll look at how to preserve and test your batteries.

Eighty percent of the brake rotors sold in this country are made outside the United States. A lot of the companies making these rotors are only concerned about fit. Their thinking: If the rotor fits on your Corvette, then it's a good rotor. The actual performance of the rotor is secondary. Then we have any number of Corvette owners who shop for the lowest price.

Some of the most popular Corvettes ever built were the chrome-bumper cars from '56 through '72. Within that model lineup, Holley carburetors saw service from '65 through '72. In some of those model years ('67 is a good example), Holleys were used exclusively. And in the aftermarket, Holley has offered-and still offers-hundreds of different carburetors targeted at different vehicle combinations. Plenty have been retrofitted to Corvettes of all model years, too.

The exhaust system is responsible for evacuating the spent gases and other byproducts of combustion from the engine. If you consider the intake system, be it carburetion or fuel injection, as the "inhale," then the exhaust system is the "exhale" when it comes to engine breathing. And easier breathing equates to more power and a better running engine.

In a perfect world, there would be no need for ignition advance curves. As soon as the piston in your vintage Vette reached top dead center and the engine built maximum compression, you'd light the fire. Kaboom. Job done. Unfortunately, this isn't a perfect world.

Early in the '66 model year, the 427ci L72 engine was rated 450 hp at 6,400 rpm. Not long after production began, the rating was lowered to 425 hp at 5,600 rpm. There were no changes to the engine, but Chevrolet's central office apparently realized that 450 hp would attract the attention of safety minded politicians and insurance companies. Also, there seemed to be an unwritten agreement between Ford, Chrysler, and GM that no engine would be rated over 425 hp no matter how powerful it was. In 1967, Chevy broke that rule by rating the L71 (triple two-barrel carb, solid-lifter, 427ci) engine at 435 hp. The L71 was identical to the '66 L72 except for the intake system. The L72 had one four-barrel carburetor compared to the L71's Tri-power setup.

An epidemic of cam failures has plagued owners of older cars recently. That part of the story is well established. The controversial part concerns the causes for the rash of prematurely worn camshaft lobes. This article will examine three conditions, each of which separately may put cam life in jeopardy, but in combination can make the "perfect storm" to sink your engine. If a flat-tappet cam resides in your car, the information presented here may help prevent expensive engine work. If it's already too late, as was the case for this writer and many thousands of others, this article will show how to recover from a wiped cam. New parts options and other related work will also be featured.

More power. That's always been the cry of Corvette owners. We may never use all the power we have, but we still want more.

Changing the rocker arms in your C5 or C6 Corvette may not deliver the dramatic results that a cam swap can, but it's a lot less work. And the power increases you'll experience make the change a good value for the money.

The moniker "Blue Devil" is familiar to anyone following the performance aspirations within Corvette Engineering. Granted, while the new C6 Z06 is hot, the rumored '09 SS Corvette (or Blue Devil, Z07, or Stingray) with the brand-new LS9 at 650 hp is going to be a fireball. The car should produce around 546 rwhp. Production of this $100,000-plus supercharged Vette will probably be limited to 1,500 to 2,000 units during the first year of production. However, many Z06 owners don't want to wait or pay the premium that will be tacked on to this limited-edition Vette.

One of the interior pieces of a Shark that is particularly susceptible to looking "ratty" through age, use and normal wear-and-tear is the heater/air control assembly found in the shifting console. Surprisingly, this particular component is often overlooked when doing an interior restoration or refurbishment, and leaving it in its stock condition can seriously detract from an otherwise pristine interior re-do.

The mothership of all Corvettes in Bowling Green is the best at what they do. But as gearheads, we just can't leave anything alone. Fortunately, neither can our fellow gearheads at the Mr. Gasket brand of Hurst Performance. That's why they came up with an improvement over the stock OEM shifter. It's the Hurst Billet/Plus Short Throw Shifter (PN 391 5085) for '97-'04 Corvettes with the T-56 six-speed manual transmission, and it's a big improvement. But don't take our word for it, check out the photos of the OEM shifter sitting next to the Hurst piece. Go ahead, we'll wait.

In the hypothetical world, a fan wouldn't be required if a Corvette was constantly driven at high speeds (definitely an enticing concept, but not too practical). Airflow from the vehicle's velocity would be sufficient to allow for adequate airflow over the radiator surface, with the result being proper cooling. After all, that's pretty much how World War II aircraft with liquid cooled engines worked (good examples being the P-51 Mustang, Spitfire, Warhawk, and so on). While this would be an ideal situation, it's seldom possible-or realistic. Because of this, a fan of some sort becomes a necessary evil.

For the average paint job, the work is done once the paint guns are put away in the booth and the masking tape is pulled off. In the world of custom or show-quality paint, there is still work to do if the goal is to approach perfection. No matter how clean the paint booth might be, and no matter how skillfully the paint is sprayed, there will be flaws. If everything was done to top shelf standards, the texture will be minimal, and the paint surface will have very little contamination, but a glass-smooth surface with a mirror finish demands just that little bit more.

Imagine a brake swap so obvious it will leave you breathless just thinking about it.

There are many things that separate an average Corvette from the standout cars that make people turn their heads and take notice. The overall paint finish ranks right up at the top of what counts when it comes to the visual statement that speaks loudest. No matter how worthy your machine might be in other qualities, it's the paintwork that makes the first impression, whether rolling down the road or under scrutiny on the show field. In fact, often the key feature a car is judged by is the appearance of the paint. How often is a car described disparagingly as a 20-footer, meaning that it might look good from 20 feet away, but falls short under closer scrutiny?

When it comes to the world of automotive refinishing, it seems as though the varied specialized products are nearly endless. When considering the types of primers below and the color and possible clear coats that may follow, there certainly are a wide range of product types, and it pays to become familiar with them. Each manufacturer of paint products offers their own specific line of primers and paints, providing a "system" approach to refinishing. The logic here is simple, basically providing a blueprint for taking an automobile body through the refinishing process. This blueprint provides recommendations on compatible products within the product line from the first layer of primer through to the final application of top coat. From the standpoint of utilizing a proven process in refinishing your Corvette, it's hard to argue with the logic of following the manufacturer's directions from start to finish.

The debut of the LS1 engine, which happened just before the introduction of the C5 Corvette, came with all the usual GM hype at a New Jersey press conference. "This is the new Corvette motor." Yeah, right. We all knew this was really a new truck motor, but the food was good. We also liked the fact that the Corvette would get the first LS engines released by GM. The trucks would have to wait.

Recently, we've heard of a number of car trailer thefts, with several including the theft of the entire rig. The most recent was at a hotel right across from where we were staying, which got us thinking that there were additional security steps we could-and should-be taking. I used to think that the focus of thieves would be the car inside the trailer, but lately it seems some thieves have found it easier to just steal the whole rig.

Jeff Lilly of Jeff Lilly Restorations in San Antonio, Texas, has been a contributor to Corvette Fever for some time. A while back, Jeff ran across these photos of a '72 LS5 chassis that he had built years ago and asked me if I could use them in some way. I decided that our annual concours restoration issue would be a great place to publish these incredibly detailed photos of this C3 chassis. This is how a C3 can be built to look correct and still hold up to the elements. Enjoy!

When Corvette Fever editor Alan Colvin asked me to put some thoughts together on this subject, my first reaction was that most everyone already knows how to go about selecting a restoration shop. But the point was made that there have been many folks who have either had poor experiences, or who are new to the hobby. While directed mainly to people new to restoration work, and possibly old hat to those having gone through a restoration, hopefully we'll touch on a few new ideas for both.

A Place to Paint
We've all heard of cars that received a fantastic show-winning finish while being sprayed in a garage, barn, or even a driveway or carport. The fact is that quality painting requires a quality environment to work in-and safety recommends the use of a professional spray booth for all painting activities. True, few of us have the good fortune of a pro-quality paint booth for our one-off project ambitions, but nearly anyone can find access to a booth with a little legwork. Often a pro facility will be willing to rent booth time to hobbyists at a nominal fee. A pro facility will usually come with a professional-level air supply, the specific lighting needed, and most importantly, the proper ventilation system that ensures a safe paint project. The modern paint booth contains high powered fans that draw the air through filters, and downward, taking the unwanted overspray away from the vehicle being painted.

For the eighth year running, we again present our annual 2010 Corvette Fever Top Shops Directory. This directory makes it a little easier when you're trying to get your Corvette fixed. As always, the directory continues to be one of the most requested components of Corvette Fever. As in years past, we have continued to compile your recommendations over the last year into a directory we hope you'll refer to again and again, and as always, the updated directory will also be posted at www.corvettefever.com. These Corvette businesses range from full-blown restoration shops to places you can go to for routine day-to-day maintenance.

In an effort to educate automotive enthusiasts on common car care conundrums, Meguiar's announced today the debut of its "Quik Tips Series." This collection of nine short and easy-to-digest video tutorials is the perfect way for consumers to achieve Meguiar's famous show car shine from home and provide the ultimate protection for their car year round.

Like all things mechanical, the serpentine belt tensioner and idler pulley on C5 engines will eventually wear, develop play, and require replacement. A slight squeaking noise coming from either the tensioner pulley or the idler pulley-or both-is a good indication that it's time to install new units.