Mopar

We are working away on a new Hot Rod Wiring book, done with long time collaborator, Dennis Overholser from Painless Wiring Products. In the summer Dennis spends much of his time on the road going from show to show with boxes of catalogs and a nice big booth.

This last weekend found Dennis in St. Paul, which created a perfect opportunity to have him proof-read the new book manuscript and make suggestions.

Look for a new Wiring book from Wolfgang Publications this fall, authored by our old friend Dennis Overholser.

The show that brought Dennis to town is the Car Craft Summer Nationals, which are not to be confused with just one more street rod show. The cars ran the gamut from 55 Chevys to late model ‘Vettes. Which might seem at first like no big deal. Until you understand that these 55 Chevys have two, four-barrel carbs sticking through the hood; and the Corvettes have an aftermarket blower installed, good for at least another hundred ponies.

The new blowers install so neatly under the hood of the late model ‘Vettes that without notice it’s easy to miss them entirely.

If you happen to be an old Mopar nut, like some people I know, the fairgrounds are kind of like Nirvana. More old GTXs, Road Runners and Dodge Darts than I’ve seen since 1972. And the Gasser look was much in evidence at the event, I even saw one early 60s Comet with the front end jacked up, a huge pair of slicks on the rear and some very serious rumblings coming from under the hood as it rolled past.

Back in the day there were muscle cars, and then there were Mopars. Nice to see the old war-horses out on the street where they belong.

If street rod shows are getting a little too tame for your tastes, try one of these. Instead of a thousand cars idling around in parade formation with everyone on their good behavior, the bad boys and girls with the old Mopars, GTOs and ratty Chevy pickups are just itching for a chance to let ‘er rip. They come by in first gear, running maybe 3000 rpm, the motors just at that point where they’re coming on the cam and really want to run. The driver stabs the loud pedal for just a second, the tires chirp and squeal, and then it’s back to 3000 rpm. Watching all the cars roll past, there’s this pervading sense of raw, unmitigated horsepower just waiting for a deserted street or just the right car in the other lane.

Lots of blowers, and plenty of tri-five Chevys.

So if you’re bored with car shows, or your testosterone level’s a little low, just spend a day with the crazies and their overpowered machines. The smell of burned rubber and unburned hydrocarbons is sure to make you drive like a NASCAR pro on the way home, and fill your head with a whole new bunch of fantasies – some of which you can even share with your wife.

More blowers, and plenty of Camaros. Looking at this I can’t help but think that it would be fun to take it for a ride, at least through the first two gears.

There is nothing so funky that you can’t convert it into a gasser – the funkier the better.

If the SEMA show isn't the biggest trade show in the country, it's certainly the best, at least from a motorhead's perspective. SEMA includes everything that's even remotely automotive, from A to Z, enough to fill the three halls at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Though a lot of people predicted a poorly attended show, the motorheads of the world turned out in force for this year's SEMA show.

If you don't like Tuner cars, that's OK because there are plenty of good old American hot rods – some with a twist. Like the old Chrysler wagon that's hardly recognizable as a Mopar. The more typical hot rods are there in force as well. Early Fords line the aisles. Some in raw steel, some in glass, some finished and painted. If you want a steel roadster body, there are at least two manufacturers at SEMA who can hook you up.

This old Mopar was just too cool.

There are just as many stories as there are cars and motorcycles. Like James Levey, who built the bike with the radial engine. If you ask why, he laughs and explains that he's trained as an airplane mechanic. "I had this bike planned out in my head for years and years," says James. "I built the first one, and thought that would be the last, but then I got this phone call so we built another and then another. Now we're up to bike number four." The airplane theme is carried over to the paint.

The radial engine bike, with builder/designer James Levey, and painter JoAnn Bortels.

JoAnn Bortels painted the "panels" and the rivets that hold them together. She also added the requisite WWII fighter painted on the back fender and pin-up on the gas tank.

As you can see here, JoAnn is a very talented airbrush artist.

The other young man living his dream is Scott Chenoweth, designer of the one-off exotic you see here.

Scott did the all-American thing, went to college like Mom and Dad wanted, earned good grades, qualified for scholarships, and graduated. After graduation he got the good job in Corporate America. Was he happy? No. Did he quit the good job? Yes! "My mom cried when I called and said I'd given my notice," explains Scott.

After quitting the good job Scott and his wife moved to California so he could attend the College of Art and Design. After that, it was back to the Midwest where Scott landed the job of designing the Caccia, seen in a nearby photo. Building the body started with a 1/5th scale clay model. Those dimensions were transferred to foam so a full size body from glass could be crafted. "If there's enough interest James Hunt, the owner, will have a mold manufactured so we can build four or five cars," explains Scott. "But at this point it's a one-off creation."

 
At SEMA, there's a story behind every new carburetor, cylinder head or brake caliper. They say the hot rod business is fueled by gasoline, but I think in truth it's fueled by dreams and passion.

This is Scott’s first full design job, though likely not his last. Everything except the Chevy engine and some borrowed components like the light assemblies, is hand crafted.