Hot Rod Power Tour

We were lucky that this year’s Hot Rod Power Tour finished up in Madison, WI, RockAuto's hometown. Cars from the 1930's to 2008 filled the lots at the Alliant Energy Center. Whenever we said, “I haven’t seen a … yet”, a short time later there that car would be. The cars were from all over the US and Canada and many had been with the tour since it began in Little Rock, AR. Great weather, car lover camaraderie, and the melody of powerful motors revving on the Dynomax dynamometer helped make the Madison show an unforgettable experience.

Forum Of The Month

SaturnFans.com is home to the Web's largest and most active Saturn community on the Internet. More than 40,000 owners, enthusiasts, and skeptics have joined the site to discuss the latest Saturn news, reviews, and rumors. Members log in every day to ask questions about their cars, talk about the development of future Saturn vehicles, and share their individual ownership experiences. The site is also fortunate to have many knowledgeable Saturn technicians and owners who sign in to offer advice. In addition, SaturnFans.com hosts the largest Saturn photo gallery and Web links database. The site is the premier source for Saturn news and information, and has been referenced in a variety of periodicals, such as Automotive News, USA Today, and the New York Times. Stop by and visit SaturnFans.com to talk about anything and everything related to Saturn!

If you are the administrator or member of a forum and you would like to see your website featured in an upcoming newsletter and receive a discount code to share with your members, contact jessa@rockauto.com.

Repair Mistakes & Blunders

About twenty years ago I had a 3-speed 340 Plymouth Duster and lost 1st and 3rd gear. So I drove it into my garage, putting the front wheels up on ramps and then jacking up the back end and slipped jack stands in. I pulled the transmission out, replaced a broken shifting fork, and put it all back together. During the course of the reinstall of the driveshaft, I had to turn the differential yoke in order to get everything to line up. Naturally, to be able to do this I released the parking brake so that I could turn the yoke. So far so good, right?

I jacked the back end up to remove the jack stands. Then I lowered the jack and was 'surprised' to find that the car obeyed the laws of gravity and rolled backwards off the front ramps. No problem right, just back away quickly and all will be well. Nope, because naturally the pickup truck I was temporarily driving during the course of this repair was parked in the driveway right behind my Duster. I came to a sudden stop, unlike the car, which continued on until making contact with the front bumper of the pickup truck. My knees were turned sideways in-between both bumpers. Fortunately, the rear bumper of the Duster had those bumper guards that extend out a few inches and are topped off with rubber pads. Those bumper guards also gave just enough bounce for the car to move forward a few inches, allowing me to fall out of the way. Needless to say, my knees were extremely sore for a few weeks.

Some time later, I did measure those bumper guards that saved my knees from being crushed, they extended out three inches. I then measured across my knees, they were four inches. Now where did that extra inch go?

Rich in Massachusetts

Tell us about your most infamous auto repair blunder. Use your woe to help others avoid similar mistakes. Please email your story to flamur@rockauto.com. Include your mailing address and shirt size (large or extra large) and we will mail you a RockAuto "Do it yourself?" t-shirt if we publish your story. The story will be credited using only your first name and your vague geographic location (state, province, country, continent, etc.) so you can remain semi-anonymous!

Is It Late 1969?

Camaros, Mustangs, and Challengers and even some four door, rear wheel drive sedans have over 300 hp under the hood. Government regulations loom that will likely make such new cars impossible in just a few short years. Is it late 1969? Yes, but it might also describe 2009.

The 307 V8 in the 1973 Camaro packed only 115 hp. Many car nuts wake up every day wishing they could roll back the clock and put their lifetime earnings into buying nearly every car model produced in 1969. A new Camaro convertible cost less than $3000 back then!

So I am wondering if I should rush out and buy up 2009 cars with 300 hp. Will a 2015 Camaro have less than 100 hp or Flintstone style leg holes?

Yes, new 300 hp cars cost around $30000. The median, US family income in 1969 was $9433 so families back then could have purchased three cars and maybe had a little money left over for necessities like income taxes. Today’s $50000 median income would not even buy two new 300 hp cars.

Maybe the best advice is to wait a few years and hope those 2009's become good used car deals. It is a little risky to wait, but remember the used car opportunities during that 1980 gas price bubble when some people rushed to trade in their 1969 Chevelles on new Chevettes. There is also a chance that new exotic technology will someday make possible 300 hp cars capable of meeting government regulations. 2009 Camaros might be traded in on new 300 hp electric Camaros.

I have not forgotten about global warming and the cost of gas. Cylinder deactivation, 6 speed transmissions, and other tricks let some new 300 hp cars get relatively good mileage. Every energy usage choice has trade offs. Are you going to burn cooking oil in your diesel Mercedes? Every gallon of cooking oil will cook at least five pounds of french fries. So what poor slob is going to eat five pounds of french fries for every 20 miles you drive? If every commute to work requires eating five pounds of fries then we will soon need 300 hp just to handle passenger weight.

Will gas mileage really matter at all in 40 years? If gas continues to increase at the current rate of 50% a year then in forty years today’s $4 gallon of gas will cost more than $44 million! A 2009, Pontiac G8 might be able to go 25 miles for $44 million and a 2009 Prius hybrid might be able to travel 50 miles for $44 million. I am guessing both cars will not leave the garage very often.

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

This is my 1959 Porsche 356 Convertible "D". The "D" stands for Drauz, the coachbuilder that manufactured this particular car for Porsche. If you know early Porsches, there are A's, B's and C's. This car is an A with the same body as the famous Speedster. However, the Speedster is the stripped down version, lighter weight, faster performance, etc. This car is called the Convertible and had more finishing touches: taller windshield, crank side windows and some slightly different trim.

Our car has some non-stock items too: Notice the factory rollbar. Hard to find. Other additions and safety upgrades include a 12 volt conversion, disc brakes, an extra oil cooler, and modern radials. It also has Speedster seats and a wooden and aluminum Nardi steering wheel. Aluminum Fuchs Alloy wheels, from a slightly later (mid 60's) 911, are the tip of the stealth hot rod that this is.

The original engine was 1600cc and made about 50hp. This car has a 3.0 liter 911S engine and 5-speed transmission! Making over 250 hp and weighing in at about 1800 lbs. It is fast and a ton of fun to drive. Quite a crowd pleaser at the car shows too. There is a badge on the rear that a jeweler friend of mine made which says "3000 Super". The original badge is "1600 Super", this is my inside joke to those who know these cars.

Lots of parts from RockAuto on this car.

Rick in Illinois

Share Your Hard Work
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