
By Brian Brennan
1. Slim-Fitting Under Dash Louver Kit
The louver panel comes with brushed aluminum trim and can be painted to match the dash and interior. The underdash panel was designed to minimize intrusion into the occupancy space, with the louver bezel only protruding 3-1/2 inches below the dash.
Engineered for installation on any vehicle with a flat underdash area, the Under Dash Slimline Universal Louver Panel Kit includes four louvers with 2-1/2-inch hose adaptors to easily pair with Gen IV or Gen II evaporator systems. The passenger-side panel is 34 inches wide and incorporates two 3.8×1-1/2-inch louvers and a 2-1/2-inch passenger-side ball louver, while the driver-side panel houses a single 2-1/2-inch ball louver.
For more info, check out Vintage Air by calling (800) 862-6658 or visit vintageair.com.
For more info, check out Lokar Performance Products by calling (877) 469-7440 or visit lokar.com.
For more info, check out FiTech Fuel Injection by calling (951) 340-2624 or visit fitechefi.com.
CPP uses rod ends that eliminate the fixed position endlink bushings that limit tire size. The fully adjustable Heim joint endlink setup allows for multiple mounting positions and pre-load adjustments. The working portion of the bar is shorter to increase roll resistance. Rear sway bars will fit both stock and aftermarket rearends with a 3-inch axle tube.
Designed for most popular Chevrolet classic cars and trucks, the kits come standard with billet PolyPlus bushings and PolyPlus fully adjustable Heim joint endlinks.
For more info, check out Classic Performance Products by calling (833) 710-8791 or visit classicperform.com.
You can get an in-depth look at the Bare Block Performance Package LS in the Aug. Sep., and Oct. ’22 issues of Modern Rodding or in the build videos below. Either way, take a look at our Modern Rodding Bare Block Performance Package 5.3L GM LS parts combo and see what it took to build this engine.
The rotating assembly features a Summit Racing Pro LS crankshaft, Pro LS connecting rods, and Pro LS forged pistons. The crank is forged from 4340 steel and features profiled counterweights to reduce windage plus gun-drilled main journals and drilled rod journals to reduce weight and improve acceleration. The H-beam connecting rods are also forged from 4340 steel and feature ARP 2000 rod bolts.
The Pro LS pistons are forged from 2618 aluminum alloy and have a dished crown with two valve reliefs and piston skirts that are profiled to run tight piston-to-wall clearances for maximum ring seal and minimal friction. The pistons are fitted with Summit Racing Pro LS piston rings that have a 1.5mm plasma-moly coated top ring, 1.5mm ductile iron second ring, and a 3mm stainless steel oil control ring.
The factory oil pump was replaced with a Melling high-pressure/high-volume pump. It has a CNC-machined body and cover and longer hardened steel gears for additional oil flow. The pump’s drive and idler shafts extend into the cover to provide additional support and eliminate pump shaft deflection.
The GenX 205 cylinder heads also feature CNC-machined 58cc combustion chambers with 2-inch intake and 1.575-inch exhaust valves plus 1.300-inch beehive valvesprings rated to handle up to 0.600 inch of valve lift. The heads were secured to the long block with ARP High Performance Series head bolts and Chevrolet Performance MLS head gaskets.
The cylinder heads were fitted with Summit Racing Pro LS upgraded rocker arms. The 1.7 ratio rockers have heavy-duty cast steel bodies, a captive bearing design, and bearing steel trunnions for smoother action and longer life, and improved oil flow to the bearings. Completing the combo is a set of 7.4-inch-long TrickFlow chromoly pushrods. The one-piece pushrods are 5/16 inch in diameter and have 0.080-inch-thick walls to prevent deflection.
A Summit Racing Dial Bore Gauge was used to check the inside diameter of the main bearing caps to ensure they were within spec. Piston ring gap was set with a Summit Racing Piston Ring Squaring Tool and USA-1 Piston Ring Filer. The billet aluminum squaring tool is machined to be flat and parallel within 0.001 inch, so ring gaps are accurate and consistent.
Rounding out our toolbox is a Summit Racing adjustable ring compressor, a Powerbuilt harmonic damper installation tool, and a Comp Cams pushrod length checker.
For more info, check out Summit Racing Equipment by calling (800) 230-3030 or visit summitracing.com.

VOLUME 4 • ISSUE 28 • 2023