Reviewed by Scott Ross

Photos by Patrick Hill

Have you ever seen a parts catalog in hardcover? We hadn’t, but when GM Performance Parts’ latest Catalog (PP Number 20) came out in that form, we could see why.

It’s not just a roundup of the current GMPP hardware, software, wearables and collectibles, but there’s plenty of historical photos and information laced throughout the book.

After a history of GMPP, the next 200 pages are devoted to crate engines—smallblocks like the 350/290, ZZ4 and ZZ383, the modern-day LS Series (LS1 through LS7), big blocks from the 454HO and 502 HO through the Anniversary Edition 427, Ram Jet 572 and ZZ572s, as well as racing engines-in-a-crate and budget powerplants from GM Parts.

It’s a celebration of GMPP’s 40th Anniversary, and you’re getting the present!

GET IT:

GM Performance Parts Catalog (PP Number 20--Commemorative Edition)

GM Performance Parts www.gmperformanceparts.com

List price: $12.00+ shipping

Reviewed by Scott Ross
Photos by Patrick Hill

Drag racing.
It sounds easy top to—just mash the go-pedal and hang on, right.

Wrong.

There’s more to it than just using your right foot. Kevin McKenna’s How To Drag Race (new from Car Tech Books) is a how-to that takes you through the basics of how to drive on the strip, what safety equipment is needed, tire selection front and rear, how to improve your performance, driving and tuning aids, plus there’s chapters on the basics of bracket racing and advanced bracket racing strategy that make this book worth the cover price by themselves. (And that’s before the chapters on the psychology of drag racing and racer math, plus appendices that include a glossary of terms and a track locator!)

If you’ve got the need for speed a quarter-mile at a time, this is the book that you should read first—or next.

GET IT:

How To Drag Race

Car Tech Books 800/551-4754, www.cartechbooks.com

List Price: $24.95 + shipping

There's more than one way to get a full-zoot Vette in your garage.

One way is to build it yourself.

A quicker way is to buy it already done.

Starting on January 7th, you'll have your chance to bid on this one--and take it home if you're the lucky high bidder!

Thanks to the U.S. Marshals Service, this Corvette is going up for bid on January 7th.

Here's the info from the Marshals/GSA website. (Sorry if its all caps, but just imagine an old-school

Town Crier standing on the courthouse steps belting this one out.)
------------------------------------

2005 Corvette coupe….Sale/Lot number  41QSCI09136005 …..Current bid: 100 USD……Auction start time 01/07 12:10 PM CT……

YEAR: 2005
MAKE: Chevrolet
MODEL: Corvette
VIN: UNLISTED
MILEAGE: 1 


2005 CHEVROLET CORVETTE (SPECIALTY CAR), BLUE FACTORY PAINT, SHOWS

WITH LAMBO-STYLE DOORS AND HEAVILY MODIFIED ENGINE AND DRIVELINE.

ENGINE IS A LT1 WITH PROCHARGER (15 POUNDS OF BOOST) AND CLOG PULLEYS,

CUSTOM-INSTALLED TURBO 400 TRANSMISSION AND CUSTOM CAT-BACK EXHAUST.

FACTORY CAST ALUMINUM STYLE WHEELS.

MILEAGE IS UNKNOWN.

BODY SHOWS AS NEW.

WIRING SYSTEM IS TAKEN APART AND NEEDS TO BE PARTIALLY

REWIRED FOR VEHICLE TO RUN.

NITROUS OXIDE TANK WILL NOT BE SOLD WITH THIS VEHICLE.

THIS ITEM REQUIRES A BID DEPOSIT OF $3500.

BID DEPOSITS MUST BE IN THE FORM OF A CASHIER'S CHECK OR

MONEY ORDER AND SHOULD BE MADE OUT TO G.S.A. AND MAILED

TO: GSA, 4QSCC,

401 WEST PEACHTREE STREET, SUITE 2700, ATTN: TONYA DILLARD

ATLANTA, GA 30308.

PROSPECTIVE BIDDERS MUST PROVIDE THEIR BIDDER'S NAME,

ADDRESS, TELEPHONE NUMBER, AND E-MAIL ADDRESS.

ONCE BID DEPOSIT HAS BEEN RECEIVED, BID RIGHTS WILL BE

ASSIGNED.

THIS ITEM WILL BE SOLD "AS IS, WHERE IS", WITH NO WARRANTIES

AND NO ATTESTATION AS TO THE ACCURACY OF THE DESCRIPTION

AND THE CONDITION.

NO REFUNDS WILL BE ISSUED.

THIS TERM SUPERSEDES THE SALE OF GOVERNMENT PROPERTY--

ONLINE SALE TERMS AND CONDITIONS--DESCRIPTION WARRANTY

AND REFUND SECTION WHICH YOU AGREED TO WHEN YOU REGISTERED.

ALL BID DEPOSITS WILL BE RETURNED VIA FEDERAL EXPRESS, NEXT DAY

DELIVERY WITHIN FIVE BUSINESS DAYS FROM THE CLOSING DATE OF

THE SALE.

IN ORDER TO RECEIVE BID RIGHTS ON THIS SALE, ALL BID DEPOSITS

MUST BE RECEIVED BY 12 NOON ON JANUARY 21, 2009.

IN ORDER TO BID ON THIS SALE, ALL BIDDERS MUST BE REGISTERED

VIA THE GSAAUCTIONS.GOV WEBSITE.

CREDIT CARDS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED FOR BID DEPOSITS.

REPAIRS MAY BE REQUIRED.

The successful bidder of this lot will be required to sign a Buyers Information Sheet

for the US Marshals Service. This form must be signed before full payment can be processed.
 
THE CONDITION OF THE PROPERTY IS NOT WARRANTED.

Click here for pricing guides.

Special Inspection Information: INSPECTION WILL ONLY BE ALLOWED ON JANUARY

15-16, FROM 9 AM UNTIL 4 PM. BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. BIDDERS MAY ALSO

CALL JOHN MORGAN OR MATT BANCROFT AT NUMBER LISTED ABOVE.

Please contact the custodian for inspection dates and times and for removal arrangements.

Successful bidders are cautioned that they will be responsible for loading and removal of any

and all property awarded to them from the exact place where the property is located, as indicated below

Property Location and inquiries/questions regarding removal:

Boulevard & Trumbull Towing
2411 Vinewood Street
Detroit, MI  48216
Contact: Mike Lucas
Phone: 313-202-1700 ext 503  

(FYI: Storage location is just west of I-75/I-96 split on Detroit’s west side…

one block west of West Grand Boulevard, between Michigan Avenue & Vernor Highway.)

For inquiries/questions regarding payment and contractual issues, contact the following

GSA Sales office:

GSA, FAS, 4QSCC SALES OFFICE
SUITE 2700
401 WEST PEACHTREE STREET
ATLANTA, GA  30308
Phone: 404-331-0040
Fax: 404-331-7584
E-Mail: GSAAuctions.SoutheastSunbelt@GSA.GOV

Reviewed by Scott Ross
Photos by Patrick Hill

Not too long ago, we brought you Will Handzel’s How To Build High-Performance Chevy LS1/LS6 V-8s. The folks at Car Tech Books have updated it in a brand-new edition that adds lots of color (556 color photos in all) to a modern-day must-read about The General’s latest high-performance engine family.

Information included in the previous edition is in this one, including the development history of the LS engines, engine basics, production parts for power and performance, bolt-on upgrades, and the removal and installation processes. There’s also chapters that detail four different LS-series engine builds at four different power levels--from a 100-horsepower upgrade of a bone-stock engine through the building of a 1300 horsepower stormer.

Car Tech Books also has a new how-to devoted specifically to The General’s 700R4 and 4L60E overdrive automatic transmissions. Cliff Ruggles’ GM Automatic Overdrive Transmission Builder’s And Swapper’s Guide is filled with chapters on the history of GM’s overdrive automatics and how to identify them, as well as lavishly-illustrated-with-photos chapters on disassembly, rebuilding (repair as well as upgrade) and reassembly. It’s also got chapters on high-performance modifications using both factory and aftermarket parts—and there’s a special section devoted to swapping these later-model gearboxes into earlier cars and trucks that were built with  Powerglides, TurboHydraMatics and other non-OD automatics.

GET IT:
How To Build High-Performance Chevy LS1/LS6 V-8s
GM Automatic Overdrive Transmission Builder’s And Swapper’s Guide
Car Tech Books 800/551-4754, www.cartechbooks.com
List Price: (both titles): $24.95 + shipping

n2a Motors Inc. debuted its latest model, the Anteros, at the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 2, 2008. Continuing a tradition of unique styling and impressive performance, the Anteros is built on the new ’09 Corvette platform and features a body reminiscent of iconic Italian designs. Built from modern, lightweight, carbon fiber, the Anteros is available with a variety of performance and appearance options. The company delivered the first customer vehicles in January 2009.

n2a Motors displayed the first production convertible and coupe versions of the Anteros in its exhibit. The black convertible is built using a stock ’09 Corvette donor car, featuring the 430hp/424 lb-ft torque LS3 V-8 engine that gets 16 mpg city and 26 mpg highway. The silver coupe is based on an ’09 Corvette Z06 and is modified with Lingenfelter’s 630hp performance package. All base models include a carbon composite body, a hand-stitched leather interior, three-piece aluminum wheels, and a custom after-cat exhaust. Chevrolet’s 100,000-mile powertrain warranty remains completely intact, and the Anteros can be serviced at any GM dealership.

n2a Motors has partnered with Lingenfelter Performance Engineering to provide performance upgrades ranging from 525 to 1,000 hp. Lingenfelter is the most respected name in Corvette tuning and brings an extensive racing and performance pedigree to the n2a Motors brand. Most Lingenfelter packages are backed by an industry-leading, three-year, 36,000-mile warranty.

Each Anteros takes approximately 12 weeks to build from the time of order. n2a Motors starts by removing the donor Corvette’s body panels and installing the new carbon-composite Anteros body, a process that takes nearly 800 hours for n2a’s coachbuilding craftsmen to complete. The interior panels are upholstered in supple leather, while the wheels and exhaust are removed and replaced with n2a’s custom-made components. The turnkey Anteros

Coupe starts at $149,500, and the Anteros Convertible starts at $154,500. Anteros coupes built on the Z06 platform start at $176,500. The Anteros is the follow-up to n2a Motors’ 789 model that debuted to critical acclaim at the New York International Auto Show in March 2008. Inspired by the designs of the ’57, ’58, and ’59 Chevrolets, the 789 was hailed as “merely the coolest car . . . on the planet” by the New York Times. The 789 is also built on the C6 Corvette platform and utilizes a carbon composite body. Coupe 789 models starts at $139,500, and the convertible base model is $144,500. Contact n2a Motors at 714/480-0404 or www.n2aMotors.com.

Reviewed by Scott Ross
Photos by Patrick Hill



Whenever you’ve got the hood of your vintage Vette open, doesn’t it draw a crowd?  That’s’ the way it should be at shows, on fun runs, or when you’ve got friends over. But NOT when you’ve had to pull off the road because something broke or went wrong on your car.

A new title in the Motorbooks Workshop series gets right to the point—How To Keep Your Collector Car Alive. Josh Malks’ book covers potential problem areas as oils, lubrication and fuels (and how best to use the modern ones in your vintage rides); electrical systems, brakes, reliable starting, lighting, maintenance (inside and out), plus a detailed chapter about storage—and the right ways to do it.

This book is not only of value to the Corvette enthusiasts who drive their Vette(s) regularly, but also for those who only drive theirs once in a while. That includes those of you who’ve got your fiberglass-bodied finery put away for the winter.


GET IT:
Motorbooks Workshop: How To Keep Your Collector Car Alive
Motorbooks 800/826-6600 motorbooks.com
List Price: $25.99 + shipping

The DynoMax Power to the Wheels Dyno Tour, sponsored and managed by a manufacturer, was

created to test the horsepower and torque of muscle cars outfitted with DynoMax exhaust
systems and mufflers. The 2008 series included two separate car classes, including Power-Adder and All-Motor.

The 2008 DynoMax Power to the Wheels Dyno Tour concluded during its Championship Shootout at the Street Machine Nationals in Springfield, Mo. To qualify for the Championship, thedrivers had to dyno run their vehicle at a Qualifying Event during the Power to the Wheels series that started back in May.

The Qualifiers hailed from all over North America – from Challis, Idaho, to Great Bend, New York, to Dufresne, Manitoba, Canada, to Social Circle, Ga. – and their dedication to the DynoMax Power to the Wheels Dyno Tour made the event an exciting moment in automobile
history.

Danny Tyner and his 1963 Ford Falcon edged out last year’s Champion Brian Anderson by almost 40 horsepower to take first-place in the Power-Adder Class when he posted 1766.52 horsepower. Darren Tedder and his 1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda blew the competition away in the All-Motor Class when he pulled 956.83 horsepower. “These cars are an unbelievable tribute to our mufflers and exhaust products,” said Jason DeNardo, product manager, aftermarket performance, Tenneco.

From 512 horsepower in a nearly stock ‘88 Chevy Corvette to a completely redone ’63 Ford Falcon, the Championship was the culminating event to an unreal Power to the Wheels season…and they were all built around DynoMax. You can’t mess with those cars, their horsepower numbers and our mufflers!”  

The Top 5 Qualifiers of each car class were invited to participate at the Championship Shootout. The Top 5 Qualifiers in the Power-Adder Class were Danny Tyner, Great Bend, New York; Brian Anderson, Kathleen, Ga.; Brian Wall, Dufresne, Manitoba, Canada; Jim Plimpton, Franksville, Wi.; and Mark Gjavenis, Apple Valley, Minn.

The Top 5 Qualifiers in the All-Motor Class were Darren Tedder, Social Circle, Ga.; Richard Burdette, Conley, Ga.; Jim LaRoy, Challis, Idaho; and Cory Gallus, Prior Lake, Minn.
 
Power-Adder Class Results

Danny Tyner
1766.52 horsepower
1963 Ford Falcon
DynoMax Race Bullet Mufflers

Brian Anderson
1724.12 horsepower
1964 Rambler Classic
DynoMax Bullet Mufflers

Brian Wall
1487.33 horsepower
1967 Chevy Camaro
DynoMax Ultra Flo Welded Mufflers

Jim Plimpton
1443.53 horsepower
1988 Ford T-Bird
DynoMax Race Collector Mufflers

Mark Gjavenis
1146.49 horsepower
1965 Chevrolet Chevelle
DynoMax Ultra Flo Mufflers

All-Motor Class Results

Darren Tedder
956.83 horsepower
1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda
DynoMax Ultra Flo Mufflers

Richard Burdette
749.69 horsepower
1969 Dodge Dart
DynoMax Race Bullets

Jim LaRoy
696.48 horsepower
1972 Dodge Demon
DynoMax Bullets

Cory Gallus
512.43 horsepower
1998 Chevrolet Corvette
DynoMax Bullets

Cory Gallus’ ’98 Corvette which was featured in the May 2008 issue of Corvette Fever was the only car to qualify and participate in the 2008 DynoMax Power to the Wheels Dyno Tour Championship Shootout that actually drove there. As noted above, Cory and his Corvette participated in the All-Motor class and finished with 512 horsepower. As mentioned in the CF article, he also runs E85 fuel.

DynoMax is one of North America’s leading suppliers of dyno-proven exhaust technologies for passenger cars, light trucks and sport utility vehicles. DynoMax products are available through thousands of leading North American exhaust dealers and retailers. For more information about the DynoMax “Power to the Wheels” Dyno Tour or DynoMax products, go to www.dynomax.com, contact your nearest DynoMax supplier or call 1-734-384-7806.

Reviewed by Scott Ross
Photos by Patrick Hill

Motorbooks isn’t just a place to score historical works about Corvettes and other rides. It’s also where you can get their Motorbooks Workshop series of books with plenty of how-to information for your next project, be in DIY or one you have a specialist do.

In How To Paint Your Show Car, Stefan Gesterkamp takes you inside today’s paint systems, shows you how to do flawless metal/body work and paint prep, how to match OEM colors and refurbish original paint and bodywork, how to choose a quality paint—AND a quality painter, and much more. There’s also a chapter devoted to painting carbon fiber—something that’s not been seen in many (if any) how-to painting books.

Even if the closest you ever come to one of today’s downdraft paint booths, HVLP spray guns or basecoat/clearcoat paint systems is your checkbook, Gesterkamp’s book is a must-read before you begin planning that eye-grabbing show-and-go Vette’s color scheme.

GET IT

Motorbooks Workshop: How To Paint Your Show Car

Motorbooks 800/826-6600 motorbooks.com

List Price $29.99 + shipping

Katech Performance, drawing upon 30 years of  unrivaled engine-building expertise and more than 50 driver’s and manufacturer’s championships in the world's most prestigious racing leagues, can add another notch to its win list following the stunning performance by driver Eitan Zidkilov in his race-prepared Katech Performance C6 Corvette at the Asia Supercar Challenge.

At the event held recently in Sepang, Malaysia, Zidkilov, driving for Dyna Ten Motorsports, took the pole and a First-Place finish on day one and another First-Place finish on the second day of racing. His Katech Performance Corvette beat a field of Ferraris and also recorded the fastest lap during the two days of competition. “We’re always proud and excited when Katech-powered race cars score a win, but when it happens on the first and second events the car has ever competed in, that’s even more exciting,” says Jason Harding, a salesman at Katech Performance. “This accomplishment points to the driving skills of Eitan and serves as one more example of the advanced technology, experienced personnel and racing heritage of Katech.”

Zidkilov's Corvette was prepared entirely by Katech Performance, specifically for the Asia Supercar Challenge. While the car is actually a C6, it has a Z06 body with World Challenge front splitter, hood, and wing; a rollcage; Katech's “Track Attack LS7” engine; a six-speed racing gearbox; a Moton Motorsport suspension; Brembo GTR brakes; HRE competition wheels; and a Dailey 4 stage dry-sump system.

The Asia Supercar Challenge (ASCC), organized by the Supercar Club Hong Kong, is widely
recognized as one of the most popular racing events in Southeast Asia. For more information, visit www.supercarclub.com. For more info about Katech Performance, call 866-KATECH1 or visit www.katechengines.com.

The all mighty 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport is often referred to as one the most fascinating enigmas in motor racing annals and certainly the most valuable. As General Motor's contender to Ford's venerable Shelby Cobra, the Grand Sport reached mythical proportions by taking on other fierce competitors such as the Ferrari GTO, the Ford GT40 and the Chaparrals.

Envisioned by the legendary "father of the Corvette" - Zora Arkus-Duntov, these top secret, hand-built, race cars were designed to win at FIA endurances races and ultimately the 24 Hours of Le Mans.  Only five Grand Sports cars were eventually built, out of an expected 120 car run, before General Motors management pulled the plug on all its competition activities in early 1964.  The cars miraculously escaped the head office order to be destroyed and found their way into the
hands of private racers.

Starting out as a coupe, #002 was converted into a roadster making it the lightest and fastest Grand Sports of all. Aluminum was used extensively and sparingly. Combined with a lightweight tube frame and special ultra-thin fiberglass body, the Grand Sports tipped the scales at under 2000 pounds - 1100 pounds less than production Corvettes.  Other than its similarity with the new Sting Ray body style for 1963, there was nothing underneath its skin that bore any resemblence to it's
assembly line cousins. Most significant was its full-race aluminum 377 cubic inch engine that kicked out over 550 horsepower.

Competing in the 1966 US Road Racing Championship, veteran racer George Wintersteen and chassis #002 delivered impressive results at Bridgehampton, Watkins Glen and Mosport. In the book "Corvette-Grand Sport" by Dave Friedman, former owner of Grand Sport #001 and #002 Roger Penske, was quoted as saying "when you really stood on the gas, the front end would come off the ground like a dragster".  When passed by a Grand Sport, A.J. once said "It went by me like I was stopped!" 

From this elite fraternity, Grand Sport #002 with its original un-restored race body, is being offered for the first time at auction, at RM's "Vintage Motor Cars of Arizona" event - January 16, 2009 at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix.  This legendary car will be presented along with one hundred extraordinary automobiles and motorcycles from the glory days of motoring.  www.rmauctions.com

Reviewed by Scott Ross
Photos by Patrick Hill


Got that coffee table built yet? You know—the one for those big coffee-table books on Vettes that you were going to build?

Here are a couple more titles for it…to go along with the Corvette-exclusive ones you’ve got on there now. (Or you will have, once you get the table done.)

Randy Leffingwell and Darwin Holmstrom teamed up a couple of years back on Muscle: America’s Legendary Performance Cars, and it became an instant classic. Not just for David Newhardt’s museum-quality photography, but for the stories behind each car (and type of car) portrayed. The presence of “America’s Only True Sports Car” is laced throughout the book, in Zora Arkus-Duntov’s contributions to the Chevrolet line-up, as well as a benchmark for other car makers to judge their rides by. (There’s also a nice bit about the L88 and ZL1 Corvettes of the late ‘60s…see for yourself!)

The big news here is that Muscle will be out in paperback as of April 15th, bringing all the images and info in the hardcover edition into a more-affordable, yet coffee-table-ready paperback.

While Muscle is a historical work, Muscle Car Dream Garages documents how a number of notable muscle-car enthusiasts (including custom motorcycle builder Billy Lane, former Green Bay Packer NT Gilbert Brown, Thomas DuPont of DuPont Registry fame and hip-hop artist/customizer FunkMaster Flex) keep and show off their treasures, be they Vettes or steel-bodied rides. (There’s a LOT of Corvette’s steel-bodied cousins from “Your Chevrolet Dealer’s Sports Department” in there, by the way.) Simon Brown captures each owner’s personality through the cars in each collection, as well as the spaces they’re kept, stored and shown off in.

GET IT:
Muscle: America’s Legendary Performance Cars
Muscle Car Dream Garages
Motorbooks 800/826-6600 motorbooks.com

List Prices:
Muscle (Paperback edition) $24.95 + shipping
Muscle Car Dream Garages $35.00 + shipping

Back in 1967, the first SEMA Show barely took up room in the concourse at Dodger Stadium. This year, it once again filled the Las Vegas Convention Center from wall to wall…and beyond.

A big reason for car-lovers interest in the show over the years is the high-performance parts that were first shown there. That goes for this bunch of new Vette-related items, which include plenty of hardware for under your hood.

World Products has something for Vette Rodders, plus those who race using the Warhawk and LSX blocks: their new Warhawk LS7X CNC cylinder head.

It’s the first CNC-ported, six-bolt-per-cylinder LS7 cylinder head designed for use with those blocks. (Warhawk and LS7X heads,  that is…we can understand if you’re still a little sleepy from your Turkey Day feast.) take another look at them, especially if you run a supercharger or turbocharger with a lot of boost—there’s a lot of “there” there on these heads, so they’re right at home in a high-boost engine. (So there!)

GET IT: World Products 631/981-1918, www.worldcastings.com

From the company with one of the most delightfully descriptive names around (Painless Performance Products), comes their integrated fuel injection AND chassis wiring harness for The General’s LS1 engines.

That’s right…it’s the one wiring harness you need to make that Vette Rod build of yours get done before spring. It operates all fuel injection, transmission systems, plus there’s a 26-circuit chassis wiring harness built in.

If you’ve ever installed a Painless wiring harness in place of a worn out OEM one, you’ve got an idea of just how easy this will go in…connect up…and get that Vette Rod of yours on the road when the top-down weather returns!

GET IT: Painless Performance Products 817/244-6212, www.painlessperformance.com

There are thousands of new products showcased at SEMA each year, many that fall into the “better mousetrap” variety. This one you could call a “better-thing-to-hold-down-the-successor-to-the-mouse-with.”

Tin Man Fabrications specializes in hard-to-find and specialized engine mount kits for street rods, customs and other specialty vehicles. That includes this neat item, which fits the ’97-later LS engine series, and goes into just about anything (especially early Vettes.) The mounts are laser-cut, precision TIG welded and assembled using pressed-in, high-quality polyurethane bushings. Weld-on frame tabs and ½-inch mounting bolts are included with every kit.

GET IT:” Tin Man Fabrication, 763/753-4265, www.tinmanfabrication.com

-Trick Flow debuted two different “GenX’ cylinder heads for the LS engines at SEMA. One is their aluminum street head , which comes with a 205cc intake port and a 58cc combustion chamber, and it uses a 2.00-inch intake and 1.575-inch exhaust valve.

Their other new offering at SEMA ’08 was their GenX street/strip head for the LT1 engine, which features an 85CC intake port and a 54cc combustion chamber. Intake valves on these heads measure 2.020 inches, with a 1.600-inch exhaust valve.

GET ‘EM: Trick Flow Specialties 330-630-1555, www.trickflow.com

The numbers generated by the SEMA Show are staggering….but we’ll not get into them here. Instead, how about some more Corvette-related high-performance goodies?

These are all bound to grab the attention of you LS-series engine devotees. (We know you’re out there, and we know that you’re ready to start planning your next project/upgrade, now that Turkey Day is past.)

We’ll start with two items for Procomp. First is their new cylinder head for the LS6 engine. Fully CNC machined from 6061-T6 aluminum, it comes in ready-to-assemble form with bronze valve guides and hardened seats…or you can get ‘em assembled and ready to bolt on. 

Procomp also has a new EFI intake manifold to go between those heads—fabricated from sheet metal and completely hand-welded, and it's 100mm throttle-body-capable (ideal for you guys looking for big power in the 4500-8500 RPM range)

GET ‘EM: Procomp 909/605-1123, www.procompelectronics.com

For years, engine swappers have looked everywhere for just the right bellhousing to connect an engine and transmission that weren’t an OEM combination.That includes modern-day swappers and Vette Rod builders, looking to team up an LS-series engine and The General’s 4L60E electronic overdrive gearbox. QuickTime’s new bellhousing makes that engine/transmission combo go together, with a one-piece steel one that weighs just 21 pounds, yet is certified to SFI spec 30.1. QuickTime’s unique manufacturing process makes it the lightest steel bellhousing you’ll find anywhere—and it comes with a full engine plate and attaching hardware, and it works with 153-tooth or 168-tooth flexplates.

GET IT: QuickTime 641/673-4468, www.quicktimeinc.com



Street & Performance have been supplying underhood hardware to Vette Rod builders ever since the first Vette Rod was but a dream. This time around, they’re introducing two products for Vette Rodders—a neat valve-cover adapter and a full-zoot engine management system for the LS9 crate engine.

They call ‘em the “COT Covers,” and what they do is let you replace your LS-series valve cover assemblies with earlier-model valve covers for a different look, or more valve train clearance if you need it. Made from billet aluminum, these go on top of your LS-series engine’s heads, then you can bolt covers like the old-school “Corvette” script ones right on top of them, just like they were intended to go on the LS’s to begin with.

And while we’re talking about making something from one Corvette era right at home in a Vette from another one, there’s the LS9 engine management harness. Those folks at S&P knew some of you were going to do that swap, so they devised this device, which runs the new-for-’09 LS9 with a manual transmission or (optionally) the 4L70E or 6L80E electronic overdrive automatics, while utilizing the ’09 Corvette OEM engine control module.

GET ‘EM: Street & Performance 479/394-5711, www.hotrodlane.cc

Call it a gearhead’s supermarket…the world’s largest candy store…or the place where tomorrow’s tech meets the classics of the past…the SEMA Show is where a lot of new-for-2009 products got their introduction.

That includes these items, which restorers and Vette rodders alike will take note of..

Energy Suspension’s come up with plenty of new engine-mount kits over the years, each featuring long-lasting Hyperflex urethane instead of original-style (and prone to deteriorating) rubber. Their latest mount kit will let you install an LS-series engine into an earlier-model chassis that has smallblock Chevy engine mounts. It comes complete with a heavy-duty conversion plate, all the Hyperflex urethane mounts and attaching hardware needed..

GET IT: Energy Suspension 800/913-6374

Lightweight intakes don’t just come in cast-metal form anymore. FAST (Fuel Air Spark Technology’s) new LSXr 102 modular intake for LS3/L92 engines is made of an advanced molded polymer composite material, that cuts weight over typical light-alloy intakes. Its modular design makes best use of the 102mm throttle bore for plenty of horsepower and torque over stock.

GET IT: FAST 901/795-2400, www.fuelairspark.com

Lokar made their name by making must-have hardware pieces for street rodders, and their latest product is something for Vette Rodders: their LS1 throttle cable bracket.

This billet aluminum piece mounts to the side of the LS1 intake manifold, and is a small item that makes a big difference, regardless of what earlier-generation Vette you’re plugging that LS1 engine into. It’s available in single-stud form (for throttle cable only), or double stud (for throttle and cruise control cables)

GET IT: Lokar Performance Products 877/469-7440, www.lokar.com

Speaking of swapping a later-model LS-series engine into an early-model Corvette, that goes best if it’s a drop-in, plug-and-play operation, doesn’t it? Especially when you use the M-90 DBW engine control package from Mast Motorsports.

What you get is a main wiring harness, fuse/relay box, MAP/IAT harness, fuel pump controls, electric fan controls, A/C compressor controls, alternator controls, and starter circuit. It’s available with a variety of base calibrations, and the ECM is completely programmable when you use a communications cable and software kit.

It’s the most affordable and capable solution there is to get an LS2, LS3, L92, L76 LY6 engine (new-in-the-crate or used) up and running.

GET IT: Mast Motorsports 936/560-2218, www.mastmotorsports.com

Want to know the easiest way to upgrade the looks of your Corvette’s cabin? Add a set of Vette-logo floor mats to it, like these Corvette Racing logo ones from Lloyd Mats.

They’re available in front-floor and cargo-area mats, with their colors matched to your interior’s. There’s also a choice of 18 other new Corvette emblems, too.

GET IT: Lloyd Mats 800/729-6001, www.lloydmats.com

For a lot of Corvette lovers, each year’s SEMA Show is like Christmas, New Year’s, and every other holiday rolled into one. That’s before they start looking at the new products for their rides that make their first appearances there.

At the ’08 SEMA Show, if you were looking for new stuff for Corvettes, you found it. You also found your feet ready to fall off, after the miles of walking the show floor looking for all that stuff!

This installment of our what’s-new-at-SEMA spotlights some familiar brand names to Corvette lovers and Vette Rod builders alike.

Comp Cams had a big selection of new products making their debut at SEMA ’08. Their LSR hydraulic camshafts are designed specifically for radical street performance and all-out race applications, and their aggressive profiles take advantage of today’s newer and better flowing aftermarket cylinder heads. Comp Cams’ LSR camshafts also feature higher exhaust duration and overall lift, making them the right choice for engine builders looking for the most advanced camshaft designs you can purchase in an off-the-shelf cam.

Speaking of off-the-shelf cams, Comp Cams now has grinds available for LS engines in their “Thumpr” camshaft series. These are designed just for re-tuned EFI or carbureted 1997-2008 LS series (LS1, LS2, LS6 and LS7) engines, and they feature early intake valve opening and long exhaust duration create optimum overlap for a powerful, hard-hitting exhaust sound along with excellent street manners

Comp Cams also premiered their “Ultra Gold” aluminum rocker arms for the LS engines at SEMA, too. These feature improved oiling, plus they’ll fit under stock valve covers (so no need to get a set of tall ones just to clear your rockers), while increasing engine power and durability.  Also new for your LS valve train from Comp Cams: their LS3/L92 off-set 1.7 shaft rockers. Include them when you’re updating that LS engine, and you’ll get less valve train friction (which means more power), thanks to their optimum geometry and adjustability.

GET ’EM: Comp Cams 800/999-0853, www.compcams.com

“There’s no replacement for displacement,” goes the old rodder’s legend. To many engine builders, that means adding a crankshaft with a longer stroke when building an engine for more power. Eagle Specialty Products now offers a 4.375-inch long-stroke crank for GM’s LS-series engines, and it’s one serious piece of hardware. How serious? How about a  4340 steel forging that gets a multi-stage heat treatment, shot-peening, nitriding, Magnafluxing and sonic testing? It’s available with either a 24t or 58t reluctor.

GET IT: Eagle Specialty Products 662/796-7373, www.eaglerod.com

It wouldn’t be the SEMA Show without new items from Edelbrock, and the ’08 show was no different. Among the new items they presented was their XT EFI intake manifold for Gen III and Gen IV LS-series engines. It features a high-volume plenum, high-velocity runners and a 90mm throttle body that delivers a 25+ horsepower gain over the stock LS2 intake…and a flatter and broader torque curve from 1500-6500 repm

GET IT: Edelbrock 310/781-2222, www.edelbrock.com

The 2008 SEMA Show filled the Las Vegas Convention Center with zillions of (OK, maybe 3 million) square feet of manufacturers’ displays and show rides, highlighting the state-of-the-art in high-performance equipmemnt.

There was plenty of new stuff for Corvettes that was unveiled at SEMA, including these goodies:

Airaid introduced their new cold-air system for ’08-’09 LS3-powered Corvettes. It features their premium “Synthaflow “air filter, it delivers a 12 horsepower/12 ft./lbs torque gain, it comes with all the installation hardware you need,  and it’s backed by Airaid’s lifetime “no hassle” warranty.

GET IT: Airaid  800/498-6951, www.airaid.com

If you’re into Vette Rods, you’re very familiar with Billet Specialties. They had two new items of interest to those of you building (or rebuilding) your vintage Vette to include the latest hardware. That includes their latest Tru Trac serpentine system, this time for LS-series (LS1, LS2, LS3 and LS6) engines. It includes a Polished Powermaster 105 amp 1-wire alternator one-piece alternator fan and pulley, an Edelbrock LS water pump, a billet aluminum tensioner and polished billet aluminum water pump, crankshaft and tensioner pulleys. Tru Trac systems with A/C also include a polished Samden SD-7 A/C compressor, billet aluminum A/C compressor clutch cover and compressor manifold, while Tru Trac’s setups with power steering also give you a natural-finish Maval power steering pump with AN fittings plus a billet aluminum power steering pulley.
All of Billet Specialties’ Tru Trac pulley systems are engineered to clear crossmembers and steering boxes while keeping a compact, efficient profile, and they include polished ARP 12-point stainless steel fasteners, a Goodyear Gatorback 6-rib serpentine belt, and a comprehensive installation manual

Billet Specialties also debuted some dress-ups for your LS engine itself: these ribbed billet valve covers. Machined from a solid block of 6061 T6 aluminum, then given a mirror-finish polish, they take your LS-series engine’s appearance (and that of your engine bay) to the next level. The oil filler cap and polished ARP-12 installation hardware is included.

GET 'EM: Billet Specialties 800/245-5382, www.billetspecialties.com

To go along with their “Fusion” C6 Z06 exhaust systems, Billy Boat Performance Exhaust has come up with a set of long-tube headers for the C6 Z06. Made from 1 7/8-inch diameter CNC mandrel-bent T304 stainless steel tubing, they’re fully TIG welded and include 3/8-inch thick flanges.  

GET IT: Billy Boat Performance Exhaust 623/581-7600, www.bbexhaust.com

Advanced Clutch Technology (ACT) introduced its new GM twin-disc clutch kits for ‘97-‘04 and ‘05-07 Corvettes and the ‘06-‘08 Z06 that use the LS1, LS2, LS7 engines. There’s a wide range of street-friendly to race-ready kits with torque capacities from 850 – 1450 lbs/ft of torque. (And they’re certified to SFI Spec. 1.2.)

All of ACT’s twin-disc clutch kits offer twice the surface area for decreased wear, high heat capacity and long life, compared to same-size single disc units, and include ACT’s proprietary precision ground floater lift system, which allows for adjustment to compensate for wear.

Each kit offers your choice of three different clamp load designs for unparalleled performance and moderate pedal effort, plus you can choose disc
combinations that feature high torque capacities along with smooth consistent engagement.

All ACT twin-disc kits include a CNC-machined and dynamically balanced flywheel to ensure smooth, trouble free installation and operation.


GET IT: Advanced Clutch Technology (ACT) 661/940-7555 , www.advancedclutch.com

Doug Fehan Wins "From the Fans" Award, Mike West Named GT1 Mechanic of the Year

Corvette Racing won accolades in the American Le Mans Series award ceremony following the season finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan was presented the From the Fans award for the second time, and Mike West, crew chief for the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R, was named GT1 Mechanic of the Year. Jan Magnussen and Johnny O'Connell won the GT1 drivers championship on the strength of eight wins in 11 races with their No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R. Chevrolet took home the GT1 manufacturers championship trophy for the eighth straight year, and Corvette Racing claimed its eighth consecutive team championship title.

No brand in the American Le Mans Series is as iconic and recognized as GM," said Kelli Stavast, co-host of the award presentation. "If you don't believe it, then clearly you haven't seen the Corvette Corrals or the endless lines at the autograph sessions. General Motors is one of the most successful manufacturers in this series, with 68 victories and now eight consecutive manufacturer championships. General Motors has also proven to be a leader in Green Racing by campaigning its two C6.Rs on cellulosic E85 as a way to market its consumer product line through its participation in the American Le Mans Series."

Mark Kent, director of GM Racing, accepted the manufacturers championship trophy on behalf of Chevrolet. "Corvette Racing has achieved remarkable results in 10 years of competition in the GT1 category," Kent said. "The 2008 season marks the end of one chapter in Corvette Racing history, and the beginning of a new chapter as we move into the GT2 category in 2009. We look back at our past success with pride, and we look forward to new challenges with determination to succeed. We anticipate great competition, and I can think of no team that is better prepared for that challenge than Corvette Racing."

The From the Fans award, determined by ALMS fans in online voting, is presented to the person who has made the greatest contribution to sports car racing in the past year. Fehan first won the award in 2004, and he became the second repeat winner in 2008. Corvette Racing's program manager has been an ardent supporter of the Green Challenge initiative. In August, Fehan raised more than $6,000 in the Corvette Challenge Bike Ride to Fight Cancer to benefit the Lance Armstrong Foundation in a lighthearted bicycle match race with driver Oliver Gavin.

"Each and every one of our team members knows how to take care of our fans – not only our fans, but all fans," said Fehan. "Anybody who visits Corvette Racing knows that hospitality is our No. 1 priority. We try to make everyone feel at home."

Fehan and Corvette Racing team manager Gary Pratt also accepted the GT1 team championship trophy. "This marks our 24th year of working together," said Fehan as he acknowledged his long-time friend. "I think for those who understand the value of continuity and the value of teamwork, it becomes completely clear why Corvette Racing has been successful. This is the guy who makes it happen. The guys working in the trenches, led by this man, are the ones who have won eight consecutive manufacturers championships and five Le Mans victories. So Gary Pratt, thank you."

O'Connell won the GT1 drivers championship for the third time in his career, but his first with Jan Magnussen. O'Connell also came within three votes of winning the Most Popular Driver award.
"Jan and I were teamed together in 1999 with another marque, and we never got that second season," said O'Connell. "I'm so grateful to everyone at Chevrolet for giving us the opportunity to realize what I thought would have happened in 2000. I'm blessed that throughout my career I've had great teammates, guys that I could push and that could push me. To all the great champions, whether you won or not, it's an honor for all of us to compete with you week in and week out."

The GT1 Mechanic of the Year award is selected by the pit lane and technical staffs from IMSA, the sanctioning body for ALMS events. West won it for the first time after succeeding Ray Gongla, a two-time winner of the prestigious award, as crew chief for the No. 4 Corvette C6.R at the start of the 2008 season.

Corvette Racing’s next event is the season-opening Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Fla., on March 21, 2009.

America’s Largest Celebration of Corvettes and Customers

Mid America Motorworks hosted its fifteenth annual customer appreciation event the weekend of September 19-21. Corvette Funfest, held annually on Mid America Motorworks’ 150 acre corporate campus, is one of the largest gatherings of Corvette enthusiasts in the country. During the three-day celebration, more than 15,000 Corvettes were displayed and over 45,000 enthusiasts enjoyed the sights and seminars.

This year’s theme was the Corvette Challenge Series. Homage was paid to the many owners, drivers, and creators of the series. Dave McLellan, “the man behind the cars,” was the special guest for the weekend and participated in many seminars and Celebrity Autograph sessions. The Challenge Series theme was continued throughout the event on commemorative event posters and t-shirts given free to each registrant who brought their Corvette to the show.

Corvette Funfest 2008 was full of exciting new displays and events.  The Budweiser Clydesdales were in attendance throughout the weekend and were hitched as part of the Celebrity Choice Awards Ceremonies held at the new Field of Dreams area. The new Corvette Cantina offered guests an opportunity to cool off and enjoy a fun wine tasting, original art, and an automotive jewelry display. Another new display, the Performance Choice Do-It-Yourself tent, featured demonstrations by expert installers from Performance Choice. Two complete interior restorations were done, as well as several seat cover and console cushion installations.

On Friday morning, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to officially open the new Performance Choice facility located on the Mid America Motorworks campus. Performance Choice, a division of Mid America Motorworks that manufactures and installs custom Corvette interiors, had previously been located six miles south of the corporate campus. The move was completed in early 2008.

Corvettes from every model year of the marque could be seen throughout the weekend. Many were observed parking in “Club Field”, an area reserved specifically for Corvette clubs and members. This year 87 Corvette clubs from around the country attended Funfest. Special display parking featured the Corvette Challenge Cars, the Field of Dreams – a special display on only one Corvette of each year and color from 1997-2004, and “8’s in 08” displaying each Corvette decade ending with 8.

Enthusiasts were able to buy, sell, and modify Corvettes at Funfest. Dozens of major industry suppliers brought products and answered questions concerning proper installation and use. At the “Install Alley” over 200 customers had new exhaust systems installed by Corsa, Borla, B&B and Mid America Motorworks. Many other Corvette owners added high performance brake systems from Baer Brakes, SLP air intakes and American Car Craft dress-up items to their vehicles. Callaway Corvette, Bondurant Racing and Goodyear also set up special displays to educate and entertain Corvette fans.

Over 100 Corvettes were offered for sale by their owners in the “For Sale Corral.” Many changed hands, leaving the new owners searching for extra garage space. Those enthusiasts already prepared with unique garage space entered the “Best Garage & Corvette Themed Room” contest.

General Motors impressed enthusiasts with an extensive display of 2009 Corvettes. GM Engineers were also available to give escorted rides to the children, and children-at-heart, attending Funfest.

Although the planned Blue Suede Crew and Matt Poss and Rolling Thunder concerts were cancelled due to inclement weather, many enthusiasts hung around for the Sunday afternoon $50,000 Giveaway. Customers who were present on Sunday had the chance to win Mid America Motorworks gift certificates ranging in value from $50 to $5,000, totaling $50,000.

Throughout the weekend, many people headed to Mid America Motorworks’ Funfest Sales & Registration Building. Thousands took advantage of the 10% discount or free ground shipping offered on Mid America Motorworks products. Mid America Motorworks, where “Pursue your passion here” is the company slogan, helped thousands of Corvette enthusiasts to do just that at Corvette Funfest 2008.

Corvette Funfest 2009 will be a very special Funfest, as it will be a celebration of Mid America Motorworks’ 35th Anniversary. As of today, the dates and location are still being determined.

Beretta Takes Lead on Late-Race Restart, Notches Record 40th Career ALMS Win

Corvette Racing ended its final full season in the GT1 class of the American Le Mans Series with Oliver Gavin and Olivier Beretta claiming victory in the season-ending Monterey Sports Car Championships at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Gavin and Beretta lost the war for the GT1 drivers championship to their Corvette Racing teammates Johnny O'Connell and Jan Magnussen by 23 points, but they scored a victory in the final battle of the season. Gavin and Beretta completed 139 laps in the winning No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R, finishing 12 seconds ahead of the runner-up No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R of O'Connell and Magnussen.

The "race into darkness" became a long day's journey into night as the four-hour race was interrupted by a dozen caution periods, with five full-course yellow flags in the first hour alone. The restart after the 11th yellow flag proved decisive in the GT1 class as Beretta passed O'Connell on the front straight to take the lead with 45 minutes remaining.

With this victory, Beretta became the first driver in ALMS history to reach 40 career wins, including five victories at Laguna Seca. Gavin tallied his 31st victory in the series.
"With all the victories I have, I was lucky to drive for a good team and to have very good teammates," Beretta said. "I was not alone. "I didn't want to lose today," he declared. "I knew this was the last chance. I was thinking about the restart on cold tires and driving like I was in the wet. I put the power down and everything went okay. I could have spun because I put the power down very early, but the car stayed on the track and I managed to overtake Johnny."

Track temperatures on race day were 30 degrees cooler than during practice and qualifying. The cold track and frequent caution periods made tire management critical. "It was an interesting race," O'Connell said. "We got caught out in traffic and Olivier was able to get by, and then the car was looser than we needed it to be. "Congratulations to the No. 4 Corvette team," O'Connell continued. "I'm sure this makes it a little easier for them to go into the off-season. Our eye was on the big prize, which was winning the championship. Jan and I pulled that off, so it was a great year."
Magnussen started on the GT1 pole in the No. 3 Corvette C6.R, and Gavin took the first stint in the No. 4 Corvette. The first round of pit stops for fuel and tires came at 1:33, and both drivers stayed in their respective race cars. The No. 4 Corvette made its second and final pit stop at 2:37 with Beretta replacing Gavin, and the No. 3 Corvette pitted one lap later with O'Connell replacing Magnussen. With the pit stop exchange completed, the two Corvettes were inches apart on the track.

"I didn't get very many laps under the green in a two-and-a-half hour stint," Magnussen said. "It was difficult out there because guys were falling off the track, and getting going again after the tires have cooled off is really tough. In the first few laps after a yellow, it's very easy to get another caution. "My first stint on the Michelin tires we used in qualifying yesterday was probably my best stint," the Dane reported. "The car was working really well. When the temperature cooled down, we made a change in the tire choice. My lap times dropped a little, and with it getting cooler and cooler it was difficult to clean the pickup off the tires." "It was an absolutely bizarre race," Gavin said. "We'd just get the tires hot and then something crazy would happen, with drivers flying off the road. "The season has been frustrating with lots of misfortune and things going wrong," said the Briton. "It's really not been our year, but you have to put those things behind you. I'm really looking forward to developing and racing the new GT2 Corvette next year against stiff competition from Ferrari, Porsche, BMW, and all the rest."

The ALMS season finale marked the end of Corvette Racing's 10th year in competition. The team will begin its transition to the GT2 category following the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans.
"Today's event was not just a good race, but a great race," said Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. "When you see the lead changes, the pit stops, it was the quintessential representation of what we've worked on for a decade. The Corvettes were thousandths of a second apart on the race track and thousandths of a second apart in the pit lane. There's a reason why this team is regarded as one of the best sports car teams in the world, and we demonstrated that today."

With gift-giving time fast approaching, here are three books from Car Tech Books that’ll make great gifts to hands-on Vette lovers—even the one that looks back in the mirror at you!

Ralph Kalal’s Car Care For Car Guys is, as its subtitle says, filled with “Tips & Techniques Beyond Auto Maintenance 101.” It’s packed with plenty of photos and illustrations in each how-to chapter—ranging from tools and supplies you’ll need, how to life your car safely, to chapters on engine lubrication, the air intake system, the charging, cooling and ignition systems, drive belts, electronic engine management and diagnosing OBD-II trouble codes, and chapters on automatic transmissions, brakes and tires.

Much of this information, while not Corvette-specific, is applicable to C5s and C6s, as well as the daily-drivers you use during the week while your Vette(s) are parked.

There’s a bright yellow C6 on the cover of Harold Bettes and Bill Hancock’s Dyno Testing and Tuning, but that’s not the only reason it’s for Corvette lovers. It’s loaded with information that helps make the best use of both engine and chassis dynamometers in building and tuning for optimum power. Chapters include dynamometer history and basics, goals and objectives, tuning, testing tips on how to use a dyno, correction factors, troubleshooting, what to look for in a dyno facility, and how to read a dyno sheet. Give it, and you’ll make someone that much more knowledgeable a car guy/gal, one who’s not just a mere spectator on their car club’s dyno days.

Impressing spectators and show participants alike has been something that custom paint jobs have done since the first one was applied way back when. Pat Ganahl’s Custom Painting gets into how to choose the right paint for the job,  picking the right tools and supplies needed, body preparation, block sanding and color sanding—and that’s before it gets into chapters on how to apply candy colors, pearls and metalflake, how to do flames, scallops and other taped layouts, how to do fades, fogs and blended  colors, pinstriping, “suede” paint—plus the proper care and feeding of that paint job so it doesn’t fade and look like a faded-out relic.

GET IT:

Car Tech Books
800/551-4754
www.cartechbooks.com
List Prices:
Car Care For Car Guys: $24.95 + Shipping
Dyno Testing and Tuning: $24.95 + Shipping
Custom Painting: $24.95 + Shipping

You’ve got to love Motorbooks. Not just for their seemingly-never-ending selection of historical and coffee-table books, but for the titles they have for hands-on enthusiasts.

That includes these two Corvette-related titles: George McNicholl’s How to Rebuild Corvette Rolling Chassis 1963-1982, and our own Tom Benford’s Corvette Performance Projects 1968-1982.

If you plan on driving your dream C2 or C3 Vette, McNicholl’s book is one you’ll want on hand ASAP, if not sooner. That’s because of its step-by-step documentation of the rebuilding of four of his own Vettes (’65 and ’67 convertibles plus ’69 and ’72 coupes). His focus is on rebuilding them for daily-driver use, and there’s plenty of clear and concise information about each chassis system and sub-assembly: engines, transmissions, steering, front and rear suspension, frames, wheels, tires and brakes, plus the fuel, cooling and exhaust systems.

Meanwhile, Tom Benford’s book includes over 30 repairs and upgrades ranging from bodywork and interiors to brakes, suspension, cooling system and powertrain, plus some basic-maintenance projects like oil changes done the right way.  Each project is also rated as to how long it’ll take you, what tools you’ll need, what skill level it is (from absolute beginner to advanced fabricator), and which year Vette it’s applicable to.

GET IT:
Motorbooks
800/826-6600
www.motorbooks.com
Corvette Performance Projects 1968-1982: $19.95 + Shipping
How to Rebuild Corvette Rolling Chassis 1963-1982, $34.95 + Shipping

Another title for your Corvette bookshelf--this time, from one of the writers whose column graces Corvette Fever each month.

You’ve no doubt read Tom Falconer’s monthly “Right Hand Drive” columns in Corvette Fever for years—his adventures with America’s Only True Sports Car in the U.K. and in Europe. And, more than a few of you have read his previous book, Collector’s Originality Guide: Corvette 1953-1962, not only for its exquisite photography but also for the information you need to authenticate your C1, written in his most-informative style.

Now, Tom—with help from photographer James Mann and the folks at Motorbooks—have published Collector’s Originality Guide: Corvette Sting Ray 1963-1967. There’s a chapter for each year of the second-generation Vette, explaining and showing off the year-to-year changes as well as available powertrains, options, factory documentation (including numbers marked on various components during its manufacture) and plenty of other information you’ll need to make the task of authenticating your midyear—or one you’re interested in buying—that much easier.

The book’s final chapter covers restorations—explaining why they’re done, covering what areas of the C2 tend to need the most attention, what’s involved with restoring each component and sub-assembly. Instead of the usual assembly-manual writing, you get passages like, “When the body is finished, ten friends and neighbors is the ideal number to help with the body drop, and then celebrate with a barbecue. Completely ‘un-car’ people can become quite enthusiastic after this enabling experience, and even confirmed A to B people start to tell the office about how they helped to build a car.”

GET IT:
Motorbooks
800/826-6600
www.motorbooks.com
List Price: $24.95 + Shipping

Now for some Vette Books for the hands-on Corvette owners/devotees. 

This first bunch deals with those devices that many swear by while others swear at: Carburetors and fuel-injection systems.

Our own Dave Emanuel weighs in with How To Rebuild and Modify Carter/Edelbrock Carburetors: Performance, Street and Off-Road Applications. Each chapter covers a specific area such as carburetor types, carburetor selection (for your specific application—how to go about it the best), carburetor function, carb modifications and tuning, rebuilding tips, plus appendices showing “exploded” views of the Carter ThermoQuad, AVS, AFB and WCFB.

It’s of particular interest to restorers--whose pre-’66 Corvettes came with Carters as standard equipment--as well as to Vette Rodders. For the latter group, it includes info and images covering also the Edelbrock carburetors that came about as the result of Edelbrock’s acquisition of what was left of the Carter Carburetor Company during the ‘80s.

If your Vette came with one of these atop its engine—or you think it’ll be an improvement over what’s on there now—you need this book in your reference library (You know, the one out in your garage above your workbench, where you’ve got your old GM and Fisher Body manuals stashed.)

GET IT:
Car Tech Books
800/551-4754
www.cartechbooks.com
List Price: $24.95 + Shipping

If you can remember when GM’s Rochester Carburetor Division came up with the Quadrajet four-barrel carburetor, you likely remember the jokes you made about The General’s “imitation Holley,” or you put it down for its supposed lack of performance and ability to modify into a serious piece of high-performance hardware.

Shame on you.

Car Tech Books has these carbs covered in Dave Ruggles’ How To Rebuild and Modify Rochester Quadrajet Carburetors. Not only will you get the basics of Q-jet design, assembly and operation in this book, you’ll also get detailed tech info on rebuilding them, as well as how you can turn a much-maligned, mass-produced item into a carburetor that can flow the volumes of air and fuel you’ll need to make big power out of that V-8 below it.

It doesn’t contain jokes and put-downs you can tell about people who used to joke about and put-down Quadrajets. But, after digesting what’s in this book, you’ll come up with plenty of those yourself.

GET IT:
Car Tech Books
800/551-4754
www.cartechbooks.com
List Price: $24.95 + Shipping

If your Corvette came with a Holley under the hood as an OEM item (as they did from ’64-’72, depending on what engine the car was built with), you’ll want to get Des Hammill’s How to Build and Power Tune Holley Carburetors.

Now out in an updated and revised edition, it’s filled not only with detailed text, illustrations and photographs showing the various Holley carburetors’ workings and how to rebuild and tune them, there’s also a goldmine of information regarding how to identify (by look and by part number) the individual components that go into correctly-restored and properly-tuned Holleys.

As with the preceding carburetor books, it’s of interest not only to restorers—so their prized rides have a correct AND properly-functioning Holley—but also to Vette Rodders looking for the secret to building a period-correct piece of speed equipment to go on top of their crate/stroker/otherwise non-stock engine.

GET IT:
Veloce Books
www.velocebooks.com
List Price: $39.95 + Shipping

Does that late C3 or early C4 you just bought have a malfunctioning fuel-injection system that you’ve dubbed “Cross-Fire Rejection?”  Or are you looking to get the optimum amount of power out of the EFI system that’s on your daily driver? Charles O. Probst covers those areas, and lots more, in How to Understand, Service and Modify Corvette Fuel Injection & Electronic Engine Management: LB3, L98, LT1, LT4, LS1, LS6, ZR-1.

Packed with nearly 400 pages of information that includes over 100 pages worth of model-specific wiring diagrams, trouble codes and test specifications, it’s the definitive work on the workings of these fuel-delivery systems.

There’s a survey of the different types of fuel injection systems used, such as throttle-body injection (TBI), multiport fuel injection (MFI) and sequential fuel injection (SFI). You’ll also find chapters on engine control fundamentals, emissions and fuels, sensors, actuators, the electronic control module (ECM), and fuel delivery as well as ones on tuning, troubleshooting and servicing.

Probst also wrote detailed books on Bosch and Blue Oval EFI systems, so you know you’re getting top-grade information from someone who knows his subject matter very well.

GET IT:
Bentley Publishers
800/423-4595
www.bentleypublishers.com
List Price: $34.95 + Shipping

We get books that are best-described as “coffee-table” books—whose size, lavish visuals and historical information demand that they only be placed on the best coffee tables. (Yours.)

Here are some for yours—especially if you’re building the ultimate Corvette-related Coffee table.

This book that should be the first one on it: Jerry Burton’s Corvette: America’s Sports Car Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow. It’s big—in fact, it weighs almost as much as an aluminum smallblock cylinder head—and it contains one of the bigger treasure-troves of Vette photographs, illustrations, factory art work, etc., this side of The General’s archives.

You can thank Jerry Burton for the must-read stories in each chapter. The founding editor of Corvette Quarterly, who also wrote the definitive biography of Corvette engineer Zora Arkus Duntov, tells the complete story of the Corvette, from the EX-122 “Opel” prototype to the “Blue Devil” ZR1.

When we said treasure-trove if images, we mean it—over 400 in all, including factory photos (including shots of Styling clays and prototypes), on-track action photos, plus page after page of museum-quality Vette illustrations and photographs.

Get it, and you’ll know why Karl Ludvigsen (author of the classic Corvette: America’s Star-Spangled Sports Car) says, “Only owning a Corvette will offer more pleasure than owning this book.”

GET IT:
Universe Publishing (A division of Rizzoli International Publications, Inc.)
www.rizzoliusa.com
List price: $75.00 +Shipping

Sometimes the most eloquent ideas have the shortest names….so it is with Robert Genat’s new book Fuelies.

It’s a lavishly-illustrated history not only of the 1957-65 Corvettes that were equipped with the Rochester mechanical fuel injection system, but it includes info and pictures of steel-bodied Chevys and Pontiacs that also offered that system as an option.

One story regarding the fuelie’s option status in its last year is debunked in these pages. Robert says that instead of being discontinued when the 396 joined the Corvette option list in March of that year, the RPO L84 fuel-injected 327 was available throughout the entire 1965 model run. Another story relates to how a “test-fitting” killed the proposed four-seat Sting Ray…read it and see for yourself.

There’s also a chapter dedicated to the workings of the Rochester system that includes factory schematic drawings, plus close-ups of system sub-assemblies and individual-part photos of the components that made up the Rochester system—and which ones were updated from year-to-year.

GET IT:
Car Tech Books
800/551-4754
www.cartechbooks.com
List Price: $29.95 + Shipping

Just because GM stopped making the original smallblock V8 doesn't mean that there isn't loads of information out there, if that's what you're looking to build for your Corvette. 

Must-Reads For Old-Schoolers

Story by Scott Ross
Photos by Patrick Hill


Obsolete? Just because Chevy and GM aren’t stuffing the original smallblock Chevy V8 into production cars and trucks anymore doesn’t mean its days as a performance engine are done. Not by a long shot, what with many of the 66 million of those engines still around—and especially when you read these two tech books covering the venerable Mouse.

John Bachtel has revised his landmark work, now titled Small-Block Chevy Performance 1955-1996, and it’s yours from Car Tech Books. There’s now plenty of info on the updated 1992-96 Gen II engines, to go along with the goldmine of text, illustrations and data about the venerable ’55-’91 Gen I’s that was in the original book.

This should be a teaching text for you students of the Mechanical Arts who are taking Smallblocks 101—there are chapters on blocks (selection, inspection, plus block prep work like boring and decking) as well as crankshafts, pistons and rods, cams, heads, induction systems, oiling, exhausts. There’s an addendum covering the Gen II’s that lists the features and differences of these mills versus the original Mouse engines, system by system.

Also from Car Tech Books is Graham Hansen’s High-Performance Chevy Small Block Cylinder Heads.  This book picks up where Baechtel’s chapter on heads leaves off, and gives you plenty of information on airflow basics, flow benches and the test data they generate, aftermarket versus OEM heads, along with plenty of tips on porting, rebuilding and assembling.

The chapters on the different types of heads—which are arranged by small/medium/large port size--are worth the price of the book just by themselves. So is the info in the chapters covering GM-made heads—all about the early -production iron ones, later iron and aluminum heads, and especially the ’96-’97 Vortec heads--as well as the chapter on matching your heads to a particular camshaft to add up to a combination that’ll deliver all the power you’re ooking for, while keeping your budget from going kerblooie.


GET IT:

Small-Block Chevy Performance 1955-1996
CarTech Books, 800/551-4754, www.cartechbooks.com
List Price: $18.95 + shipping

High-Performance Chevy Small Block Cylinder Heads
CarTech Books, 800/551-4754, www.cartechbooks.com
List Price: $24.95 + shipping