hile LS swaps remain as popular as ever, LT swaps are gaining traction as the latest in technology and factory-engineered performance—with the supercharged LT4 emerging as a popular choice.

Of course, it’s the engine that powered the C7 Corvette Z06 and sixth-gen Camaro ZL1, and it is available as a crate engine from Chevrolet Performance. With a little more than 9 pounds of boost generated from an Eaton 1.7L R1740 TVS supercharger spinning at up to 20,000 rpm, the LT4 cranks out an impressive 650 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque.

ven when Flatheads dominated in the early days of hot rodding, the side effects of a hopped-up engine meant that dealing with stripped ring-and-pinion gears, broken axles, and hubs with sheared keys was almost guaranteed. Things only worsened in the early ’50s as overhead valve V-8s pushed the Flathead Ford and other early engines aside. The cure for rearend woes was often those wide and heavy assemblies found under Oldsmobiles and Pontiacs (both were out of production after 1964) until Ford unknowingly came to the rescue. Since its introduction, Ford’s 9-inch rearend has become the preferred performance axle assembly for modified vehicles.

Produced from 1957-86, the Ford 9-inch is Hotchkiss style, which is to say the case containing the third member with the ring-and-pinion assembly is removable as a unit, making gear changes relatively simple. Of course, the real reason for the popularity of the Ford 9-inch is its strength, primarily due to the relationship of the ring-and-pinion gears. To provide increased tooth contact the hypoid distance, which is the offset between the ring gear and pinion centerlines, is greater than that found in most rearends. However, while this greater tooth contact does increase strength, the design has some drawbacks; a certain amount of efficiency is lost due to increased friction, and gear noise increases noticeably (often referred to as nine-whine).

he last article examined the outstanding chassis Roadster Shop built for Gerry Kerna’s ’30 Ford Model A Sedan. This time, we’ll look at the equally impressive body modifications by Roadster Shop.

While the sedan has a traditional look, there has been a lot of attention paid to every detail, and a great deal of careful work was put into getting the proportions just right and sculpting the sheetmetal panels to a very high level of precision.

Most of the roof above the windows was in such poor condition that it made sense to replace it with new metal. The original driprails were removed and a beautifully shaped bodyline was made to replace them, giving the roof a much smoother look.

dding a small detail to a car project, such as a recessed instrument cluster or taillight lens, will make a specific part of a car stand out from the crowd. These projects can be accomplished with basic fabricating equipment. Still, as with any job, the work needs to be done with a certain degree of care and precision since the human eye will quickly find any line that is even slightly crooked or out of alignment. In this episode, we’ll follow Jason Scudellari, part of the In The Garage Media team, as he adds these details to his Model A roadster project. Scudellari has many years of experience with metal fabrication, and there is much to learn with his no-nonsense techniques.

He selected a Classic Instruments five-gauge instrument set, and the first step was deciding how to arrange these instruments in the dashboard. He chose to cluster the four small instruments behind the steering wheel and position the speedometer on the right. Several layouts were made to find the best spacing, and once the layout was finalized, it was transferred to a piece of 16-gauge steel. Hole saws are the tool of choice for making round cutouts in sheetmetal, but the job could be done with a jig saw and a file in a pinch.

get that things change. It’s part of a normal day; from sunrise to sunset, there is a lot that we come to take for granted, but we must also prepare ourselves for change. Any of us who have been around for any length of time in hot rodding live by change … most of which is of our own doing. But here is one change that I would imagine will “cut to the quick” for many of us.

Come the last quarter of 2024 (November), Chevy lovers’ beloved model will cease to exist. The Malibu, introduced in 1964, has undergone a few stops and starts, but is now leaving the lineup for good. What started in 1964 continued until 1983, then it suffered a hiatus until 1997 when it was reintroduced and produced until 2024. Over 10 million Malibus rolled off the assembly line during its lifetime. While the Malibu at one time was a trim level designation for the Chevelle, it became its own model in 1978. Also, what began as a rear-wheel-drive muscle car by 1997 had become a front-wheel-drive mode of transportation.