Okay CarCraft, put up or shut up.  I'm calling #### on you.

1.  White Camaro - running 14's?  That is pathetic.  What's more pathetic is your hair-brained scheme to put nitrous on it and run 13's.  That sounds like something out of Bernie and Krass - or god forbid - Hot Rod (juiced and blown GTO anyone?).  I know its a project car, but $5,000 better be faster than 14's.  It really looks dumb when you have a 10-second El Camino in the issue just pages away.  What's next, bling-wheels, a wing, some subs, graphics, and more poseur-wannabe-slowpoke, don't-race-me crap?

2.  Disco Nova - who really own a race car?  I don't even want to imagine trying to justify that to the wife.  If the readership is anything like me, and I've been a reader for over a decade and I'm only 21, (raised on Car Craft and Hot Rod), then the project car isn't some saturday-night special race car - it's something that we can take out on the the weekends, take to the cruise night, chirp the tires around the block, annoy some neigborhs, and take to the track a couple of times per year.  Some of us, with bigger budgets and more forgiving families may even have a bad-ass street-car that REALLY scares the neigbors.  What you won't find is a pure-bred race car by any means. 

3.  Disco Nova's original power plant - by the looks of last issue's engine articles, you guys are builidng some 13.5-1 compression small-block for the nova.  Stop it.  Yet again you are getting away from the roots of your readership, doing things that we can't or won't.  I'm from Illinois and all we have is $2/gal 91 octane, or maybe $4/gal 100 leaded, if you know where to look.  106 octane?  Forgetaboutit.  Keep it on pump gas.

4.  Bench-Rebuilt TH350.  That is an article I could use.  Then I would learn something.  Instead you farm it out to some shop, which may have done a terrible job (water in the tranny?  WTF?). 

5.  Car Craft racing series - under any of its various names.  Drop it.  Ever since the fiasco with the claimer rule a while ago, you've lost all your credibility when it comes to sponsor ship.  And you guys still haven't fielded a car in your own race series.  What makes things worse is that the cars are running 9's, which is ridiclously fast, much too fast for any DIYer.  Once you get things like the roll-cage, the physical, and the license, it is simply too much for your average reader.

Some suggestions -

I.  Where is the massive big block you promised years ago?  I remember something about a 632ci that looks like a 400.  It was a debate between twin-turbo small block and mega-cube sleeper big block.  Here's a solution - twin turbo megacube big block sleeper.  Deep down, you've always wanted a 1,500hp motor, so build one - bet you can't do it for less than 15 grand. 

2.  Find a project and stick with it - I loved SuperNova.  At first I thought it was going to be a yawn-fest, super chevy style, but I was hooked.  Take a car, build it up, and keep us updated. 

3.  AMC's rule.  Keep it up.  More Mopars, less Hemi.  The stroker 383 you guys built was awesome.  It would be more awesome in a duster. 

4.  Primer Camaro - Beater-Craft is back.  That car is quitessential CC.  Keep 'em coming.

Thanks for your time.

i just wanna make a comment on the 13.5:1 compression thing.  I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU. but i think $4 per gallon of race gas is actually prices of about 5 years ago.

anyways, that car will get MAYBE 10 MPG. and even at $4 per gallon, that 50 cents per mile IF YOU KEEP YOUR FOOT OUT OF IT!!! WHOS GONNA DO THAT!? that means for me to drive to wal-mart or something and back again itll cost me $10-20, depending on how hard i drive it? i dont even live that far from wal mart. sorry but that just flat out sucks.

Totally agree with both of you. CC has been losing it for acouple years now. If I wanted Hot rod magazine, I'd be buying it instead! I'm into Pontiacs & the reason I started  buying CC again was the tec articles on Ponchos. Where'd they go? Put your ducks in a row, CC. And get Marlon back even if you have to kidnap him!  

"Where is the massive big block you promised years ago?  I remember something about a 632ci that looks like a 400.  It was a debate between twin-turbo small block and mega-cube sleeper big block.  Here's a solution - twin turbo megacube big block sleeper.  Deep down, you've always wanted a 1,500hp motor, so build one - bet you can't do it for less than 15 grand."

Some of us would settle for a piddly . . .

1000 h.p. turbo big block!

BTW, the Disco Banana race car project isn't as unreasonable as you suggest (of course both of my next door neighbors are drag racers).   With 12s easily achievable in the current "power adder" and DOT radial era, it makes sense to focus editorial resources on strip safety modifications (cage, fuel system, rear axle) and on budget strip suspension set up. 

 HOWEVER, I agree most CCers are street-oriented and on a budget. Thus, if CC does a strip-only car, it should fully explain and quantify the various trade-offs between a street/strip car and a dedicated bracket car.

Finally, there is definitely room in CC for an emissions-legal (or legal-appearing) project car.  But perhaps the goals for Project Birdturd are a little too modest for a number of CC readers.

Okay CarCraft, put up or shut up.  I'm calling #### on you.

1.  White Camaro - running 14's?  That is pathetic.  What's more pathetic is your hair-brained scheme to put nitrous on it and run 13's. 

It's a Firebird, and it's hare-brained, noit hair-brained. Sadly, it costs a lot to go fast smog-legally. Sure we could throw a carbureted 383 in it, but that's not what people ask us for on TPI cars. And we'll go 13s NA and nitrous it to the 12s.

2.  Disco Nova - who really own a race car?  I don't even want to imagine trying to justify that to the wife. 

Lots of people have weekend racers and response to the car's proposed use has been good. Besides, lots of what we'll do easily trasfers to anyone's weekend warrior. The main problem is that we can't somg this turd in LA, so it's a track-only car.

3.  Disco Nova's original power plant - by the looks of last issue's engine articles, you guys are builidng some 13.5-1 compression small-block for the nova.  Stop it.  Yet again you are getting away from the roots of your readership, doing things that we can't or won't. 

Once compression motor in how many years of pump-gas stuff? Get over it. However, since we're building another engine after King wanted his back, we are going to go pump gas with a bigger cam. But you probably won't like that, either.

4.  Bench-Rebuilt TH350.  That is an article I could use.  Then I would learn something.  Instead you farm it out to some shop, which may have done a terrible job (water in the tranny?  WTF?). 

You'd spend more on tools to do the job than we did on the entire trans.

5.  Car Craft racing series - under any of its various names.  Drop it.  Ever since the fiasco with the claimer rule a while ago, you've lost all your credibility when it comes to sponsor ship.  And you guys still haven't fielded a car in your own race series.  What makes things worse is that the cars are running 9's, which is ridiclously fast, much too fast for any DIYer.  Once you get things like the roll-cage, the physical, and the license, it is simply too much for your average reader.

How come we get 9-second, caged readers rides mail every day?
What fiasco? And would it be fair for us to field a car?

Some suggestions -

I.  Where is the massive big block you promised years ago?  I remember something about a 632ci that looks like a 400.  It was a debate between twin-turbo small block and mega-cube sleeper big block.  Here's a solution - twin turbo megacube big block sleeper.  Deep down, you've always wanted a 1,500hp motor, so build one - bet you can't do it for less than 15 grand. 

You think a rollcage is unaffordable and 9 seconds is too fast, but a $15,000 big-block is ok?

2.  Find a project and stick with it - I loved SuperNova.  At first I thought it was going to be a yawn-fest, super chevy style, but I was hooked.  Take a car, build it up, and keep us updated. 

And how is that different from the Disco Nova?

3.  AMC's rule.  Keep it up.  More Mopars, less Hemi.  The stroker 383 you guys built was awesome.  It would be more awesome in a duster. 

Stoker AMC coming.

4.  Primer Camaro - Beater-Craft is back.  That car is quitessential CC.  Keep 'em coming.

Glad you liked it.

DF

". . .  and it's hare-brained, not hair-brained."

But when it comes to MULLETS and BLONDE JOKES, it IS hair-brained!

(Oops, I've just offended about half of the Camaro owners on here. Sorry, Man!)

Bitchin mag, DF! Just too many bitching readers . . . .

Even as a Ford guy, I like the Nova articles.  Mainly because they are leaf sprung, adn what applies to them, will likewise apply to my leaf sprung Ford.  Most car crafting principles are universal, very few are specific.  Anyway, I love the new Car Craft, reminds me of why I subscribed again during the reign of the King and Project Super Nova....I get all pumped up over a bunch of Chev Nova articles...imagine what would happen if they were Fords, lol.  By the way, Freiburger, your choice of bright yellow for the Disco was primarily responsible for my choosing yellow for my `57 Custom.....Gawd, it looks good... 

I agree. there are too many *** readers. its ok to have a complaint or two, but there is no need 2 make a list. I'm sure i could look a persons car and make a list of what i dont like about it, but i aint gonna tell them. If they ask me what i think, i'll say cool car.(unless of course its an import, or a ford). and they do build ups close to what average crafters could do. if they do a project you like, but add a thing or two you dont like to it, change it yourself. dont like 13:1, make it 10:1. its that simple. your not going to make an exact copy of what they do at home anyways.  

At least you got something to *** about, I havent recieved my Aug 05 issue in the mail and no I dont live in some hick town where the mail comes in on cart and buggy, PHX, AZ ..... I guess I'll call teh subscription dept and *** at them since I dont know whats going on in the mag

"Sadly, it costs a lot to go fast smog-legally. Sure we could throw a carbureted 383 in it, but that's not what people ask us for on TPI cars. And we'll go 13s NA and nitrous it to the 12s."

Although I'd be more excited about a Mustang, Project BirdTurd has its place in CC.   At least a dozen populous states have draconian emission/inspection regs. Not every CCer wants to be an outlaw or a gross polluter.  So information on smog-legal (or legal-appearing) modifications is useful.

Of course, CC needs to face the fact that BirdTurd will never be very fast naturally aspirated.   What some of us would like to see is:

1. Maximize the "all motor" combination without high compression (e.g. SLP-style bolt-ons, heads with an E0#, cut weight, more gear, tuned suspension);

2. Modest N20 (I expect the spindly rear axle to blow about now--replace it with stronger one featuring an Auburn ECTED electric locking differential);

3. Emissions-legal centrifugal supercharger (ATI/Procharger, hopefully) and serious ignition upgrade, but without triggering the spray; 

(Note: I strongly suspect the car would be faster for similar money if CC had started with a supercharger.  However, the "cheap street" crowd would have gone apoplectic);

4.  Supercharger AND small amount of spray;

5.  Supercharger and modest amount of squeeze (probably will need a rear gear change, too);

6. Rebuild/o-ring engine for insane amounts of nitrous (in stages) + supercharger.** Add stealthy alcohol injector (I'm not aware of any with an E0#) and crank it up (another  rear gear change may be necessary);

7. Paint job and cosmetics.  And maybe an OVERDRIVE TRANSMISSION!

8. (Optional) Give it away to readers in a contest or let HOT ROD steal it.

**my untested theory is that really, really large amounts of N20 and boost (with alcohol and conventional intercooling) could partially compensate for the weak heads, wimpy emission-legal camshaft and plugged exhaust on a properly built short block (Sure, it won't be nearly as strong or efficient as an optimized combination because the increased N20 will dramatically worsen the exhaust scavenging and EGT problems. However, most serious N20 buildups optimize the heads, cam and exhaust before shooting heavy amounts of spray. Therefore, I haven't seen any reliable data on using a huge shot on a supercharged emissions-legal engine. I'm also curious about the rpm limit of such a combination.

I'm fairly new to this board and would love to hear some details on your '57 custom -- motor, transmission, rearend, e.t.s etc. My ride is a '55 Ford Mainline sedan I've had since high school (I'm 26 now). It currently has a 351 W, cast iron World heads and a Tremec five speed.

And I like the Disco Nova. Small block power and leafsprung rear on a budget = information that's relevant to a lot of people's projects.

love the disco nova!!are you guys gonna try spray??Call Vic up...i'm sure he could hook you guys up.......lol!

alan

Dig the new car craft.  even bein a ford guy, i dug the beater camaro story.  how 'bout more off the beaten path models of non-brand X marquee's?  beware the burnoput pics and video that are on its way!  keep cc goin in the  current direction, I LOVE IT!

McFord 

Ok I can *** now, I got my Aug issue in the mail yesterday (finally) and damn it, I got nothin to *** about, another good issue Frie .... btw, when you come back to PHX lemmie know, I WILL take you on a hidden treasure tour of the area and take you to some junk yards with some great hidden tresures. Thats all I do is snoop around thru alleys and yards looking for hidden finds

Don't listen to them, they just want to whine. That's what happens when you don't have a race car or work for a hot rod mag.