s LS engine swaps continue to dominate almost all areas of hot rodding, Pro Touring, and more, one of the more creative and fast-evolving trends is dressing modern engines with accessories and components that give them a vintage appearance.

A few vintage-appearing accessories have been offered for the past few years, but momentum with the trend has accelerated so quickly lately that we felt it was worth examining and outlining the options. Thanks to retailers such as Speedway Motors and manufacturers including Lokar—with its LS Classic Series range of dress-up components—disguising an LS is easier than ever and can be uncannily authentic-appearing.

That can include everything from valve covers and air cleaners designed to look like those from vintage Chevy small- and big-block engines to kits to hide or disguise the ignition coils while emulating the appearance of a plug linked to a convincing-looking “distributor.” There’s even an intake manifold that mimics the style of the original Rochester system on early “Fuelie” Corvettes.

here are many reasons why a car might need a hood scoop. You may require additional cool air inside the engine compartment. Sometimes, the engine has an induction system that rises above the hood line.

On this 1971 Plymouth Duster project being built at BBT Fabrications, they installed a Dodge Hellcat engine, and the blower was taller than the hood. In this article, we’ll show how a scoop can be made for virtually any hood, and you can modify the construction details to suit your particular car.

One of the goals of this project was to retain the flavor of the original car, which has a nice raised “plateau” going down the center of the hood. They decided to reverse this detail in the scoop, making a valley but keeping the width and taper the same as the original hood. The car has a chamfered detail at the top of the front fender and door, and the sides of the scoop were positioned at an angle that complements that feature. Details like this go a long way toward making a scoop look like it belongs to a particular car, and it is important to give these styling cues sufficient thought before any metal is cut.

iding in hot rods can be like being in a noisy sauna on wheels; they can be hot and loud, making even the shortest trips unpleasant. Of course, there are a number of options when it comes to making the passenger compartment of any car more hospitable. One of the most effective and easiest to apply is Advanced Thermal Acoustic Coating (ATAC) from Design Engineering Inc. (DEI).

DEI is a major supplier of temperature control wraps, sheet-style insulation, and a variety of heat and acoustic control products, but their new ATAC is their first paint-on product that does both. The unique ceramic micro-sphere technology is a heat and sound barrier that is easy to apply to the interior surfaces of passenger compartments (ATAC is not for use in engine bays). ATAC can be applied to floors, doorskins, trunks, roofs, wheelwells, and any vertical or horizontal interior surface, as well as hard-to-reach areas such as trunk interiors, rear quarters, and inside body panels and doors.

here are more intricate details to MeKenzie Murphy’s Triple Crown of Rodding–winning 1932 Ford roadster than meets the eye. The good news for the DIY guy is these refinements require investing more labor than spending money. The truth is it takes more than just one step beyond normal preparation to mold a frame and smooth an engine in a show car for show-winning results, but “One Step Beyond” sounded like a cool title. Whether it’s stacking up points on a judging sheet or taking a judge’s trained eye to decide whether a car is a First Place winner, the intricate details add up.

The first thing a custom painter will appreciate when seeing Murphy’s 1932 Ford roadster in person is how perfectly aligned the flames pass over the louvers on the hood sides, maintaining a perfect flow. For a photographer, it’s how intensely the 1932’s candy pearlescent Magenta paint pops and lights up a photograph. For a ’32 Ford aficionado, it’s the front view looking face onto the black radiator shell that looks like a stock ’32 and then at three-quarter view bursts into black flames engulfing most of the body, ignoring the difficulty of flaming louvers in favor of a flowing design.

hen Colin and Sue Radford found this forlorn 1965 fastback Mustang it was obvious that major repairs were needed—being able to see the ground through the floor was one of the first indications of the problems to be dealt with. But the Radfords are not easily discouraged, and they knew everything needed to fix the Ford was available from Golden Star Classic Auto Parts. Based in Texas, Golden Star offers an array of high-quality replacement components for classic cars and trucks from GM, Ford, and Chrysler.

There was a time when making repairs to the damaged floor of a project car prompted all sorts of questionable creativity. Over the years, we’ve seen repairs made with license plates, road signs, galvanized sheetmetal, and odd bits of salvaged body parts. Often, these crude repairs were secured over gaping rust holes with a handful of sheetmetal screws. In this case, the previous owner had attempted to make repairs with actual patch panels, but they were installed so poorly that the only way to make things right was to remove the entire floor and start over.

e all have that unforgettable moment or place that ignites our automotive passion. For many of us, the journey began not in the family garage or a neighbor’s driveway but at a local dragstrip—the true mecca of speed. The visceral feeling of raw power, the intoxicating smell of burnt rubber, and the thunderous roar of engines are experiences that carve themselves into our memories, never to be forgotten.

This month’s Parting Shot column celebrates those unique dragstrips that launched countless dreams of speed and mechanics. For me, and undoubtedly for many others, it was Lions Drag Strip, nestled in Wilmington, California. Established in 1955, Lions, or “The Beach” as locals referred to it, quickly became a hallowed ground for hot rodders. On its opening day, an astonishing 10,000 spectators witnessed 400 eager racers tear down the strip, signaling that this place was destined for greatness. Over the next 17 years it wasn’t just a dragstrip, it was a vibrant community hub celebrating all things automotive. Dragstrips are more than just venues for competition; they are communal spaces where friendships are forged and passions are ignited. A trip to the dragstrip is often a rite of passage, a chance to share exhilarating experiences with friends and family. Each visit is rich with memories, creating a nostalgia that lingers well into adulthood.