Here at Wolfgang we're jamming along trying to get all of our new products finished for the Spring of 2006 (note the release dates posted to the right). The Spanish-Language edition of Advanced Custom Painting Techniques is at the printer and we hope to have finished copies available by mid-April. And one of our hot rod books, How to Wire Your Hot Rod, by Dennis Overholser, ships to the printer any day now and should be off the press some time in late April. Similar to a book Dennis and I did about eight years ago, this new book is all color, includes a variety of wiring schematics, and covers everything from the ins and outs of a typical starter circuit, to the installation of a complete wiring harness. Of all the jobs that are required in building a hot rod, wiring is often the most intimidating. Our new book is designed to eliminate that fear-factor so you can tackle the wiring with the same confidence you display while working on the more typically "mechanical" parts of the building process.

Road Trip, Part Two
Regular readers will recall the trip I made to Cincinnati for the V- Twin Expo, and that the route took me through Iowa on my way from Minnesota to Ohio. Part of the reason for driving instead of flying involved two stops I planned along the way.

The first stop, in Anamosa to see J&P Cycles, is already part of an earlier Blog. Near Anamosa is another little city, West Branch, home to Chassis Engineering. Chassis Engineering is a street rod company that manufactures and sells some very interesting and unique products to a certain group of four-wheel motor-heads. Their extensive line of high quality parts come from a physical plant that seems at first far too small. The proof, however, is in the pudding, or the chassis parts in this case. Not only do they manufacture and sell a large line of street rod parts, the facility also houses Roy's private shop. Roy Lewis, the man who started the company, is now retired which means he can spend a portion of each day working away on The World's Fastest Diesel. This long, bullet of a vehicle is powered by a 5.9 liter Cummins diesel, essentially the same engine found in Dodge diesel pick up trucks.

The difference, though, between Roy's diesel and the one in your Ram truck comes down to boost. The streamliner uses a hundred pounds of oomph to obtain a speed of 282 miles per hour, fast enough for the title World's fastest Diesel. The liner works fine (obviously) but of course Roy wants more speed, which means more boost. More boost means more heat, which tends to shorten the life of certain components like pistons and valves. During my visit Roy was working on water injection as a way to cool the beast and extend the life of those essential engine parts.

When asked "who drives it?" Roy answers simply, "I do." Which means Burt Munro isn't the only older gentleman to enjoy an obsession for speed. When I could finally pull myself away from Roy and his streamliner (and an substantial supply of old Chrysler Hemis) it was time to talk with old-friend Eric Aurand, and Roy's daughter Jean Donovan and her husband Jim, about some future collaborative projects between Chassis Engineering and Wolfgang Publications.

Before leaving I was even able to talk Roy out of a necessary part I need for a certain old Hemi in a certain old Henry J. Thus the road trip succeeded not only as an excuse to see old friends but also as a way to make some new ones. And no matter how many projects I find in shops and garages across the land, I never cease to be amazed at the creative power of the typical American motor-head.

Life on the road. Sometimes lonely but never dull.