Installs & How-To's
The F150 is a great truck, powerful, stylish, durable and affordable. The F150's factory intake and exhaust systems, however, are not so great. They might be fine for a work truck or a fleet truck but with their overly restrictive design and appliance sty
Rust is the nemesis of all classic cars. If left unchecked, it will spread like cancer and destroy precious and often irreplaceable parts. In the past, rust removal involved harsh abrasives or caustic acids which could ruin delicate parts, but Orison Mark
The Holley 600cfm vacuum secondary four-barrel (PN 0-1850) offers a good balance of performance and fuel economy on most small-block powered street rods, and used examples can be found on shop shelves and at swap meets around the country. We thought Holle
After 175,000 miles, I had about 5/8" of front spring travel. This article shows how to install V-Code leaf springs on a 2000 Ford Excursion to gain 1.5" of additional frontend lift over stock.
Until recently, the most common remedy for a camshaft-induced poor idle has been for engine builders to drill a hole in each butterfly or throttle plate within the carburetor.
The goal of this install is to improve factory shifting to firm, crisp shifts in all gears. The Factory Tech Valve Body is a complete accumulator re-calibrated for shorter shift duration, which decreases heat generated and reduces slippage and wear.
Few will argue the '65-66 Ford Mustang Fastback is a gorgeous car. Its long hood, short rear deck, and the graceful, sweeping curve of the roofline are representative of classic automotive form.
This "how to" article was performed on a 2000 Ford Excursion with the 7.3L Powerstroke Diesel. My CAC hose had been leaking for a few months and while nothing severe, it was leaving drops on the garage floor and making a mess of my engine compartment.
Heavy haulers-people who tow big boats, 5th wheel trailers cabover campers and such-swear by modern diesel-powered trucks. They tow a load up the grades much faster than gas rigs, getting significantly better fuel economy too.
This "how to" article was performed on a 2000 Ford Excursion but will apply to all other Sterling 10.5" rear axles. The concepts will also apply to virtually any other differential fluid replacement as well.
After a ride around the block we're quite sure that we were in the presence of an honest 10-second street car. So what was the mystery under the hood? We'll give you a clue; it wasn't under the hood at all.
The handling of the Ford Excursion has been suspect since day one of the 2000 Excursion all the way to present day (2005 models as of this writing). Ride handling is notibly improved with LANDYOT radius rods.
These days, buying a new vehicle that isn't already equipped with power door locks and windows can be a challenge. Power accessories are usually bundled in an option package, and most car dealers stock surprisingly few "stripper" models on their lots.
Applied Rotor Technology provides a 10% discount to SuperMotors subscribers. Having had my factory rotors machined 3 times, it was time to replace them.
Yeah you've got power, looks and a lot of tire, but how fast can you power through the gears in a 4th Gen F-body? The answer: only as fast as the shifter will travel.
Rear wheel horsepower is the result of the combination of fuel and air, coupled with quality performance engine parts. Sometimes the simplest and least expensive performance upgrades can provide several additional horsepower with minimum effort.
The goal of this install is to prolong the life of the transmission by adding an external, replaceable transmission filter kit. I also opted for the filter gauge so I know for sure when the filter needs replacing.
The engine is not only your classic Ford's powerplant, it's usually the make or break point of your restoration. It's very common to see a car that looks great on the outside, but lagging behind under the hood.
The goal of this install is to show how to remove an existing alternator and replace it with a new or refurbished alternator. This "how to" article was performed on a 2000 Ford Excursion with the 7.3L Powerstroke Diesel.
If you remember way back to the Premiere issue of Legendary Ford Magazine (November 2003), our very first tech story was entitled "Floorpan Resto." That piece was about coating your slightly rusty floorpans with a miracle cure rust "paint" called POR-15.
The goal of this install is to show how to replace the OEM rubber ESOF lines which often times become brittle and cracked, causing vacuum leaks in the ESOF system. Braided lines will not deteriorate like rubber lines.
This article shows you how to replace the OEM batteries with Optima D34 series Yellow-Top batteries.
Increase airflow, performance, and fuel economy by replacing the OEM intake & filter with an AFE Stage II intake and Pro-Guard filter. AFE claims an increase of 50 horsepower @ 1900 RPM and 112 ft-lbs torque at 1900 RPM.
From the moment we cracked the hood open to the moment we slammed the hood was no more than 60-minutes and required only a handful of tools. The instructions were straightforward, as we would expect and everything fit like it was OE.
Installs & How-To's
By combining K&N's High-Flow Air Filter / PowerLid combo, Muzzy's Titanium exhaust system and a little jet work on the dyno, we woke up our Z400 to the tune of 33 rear-wheel horsepower, a whopping 11% increase in horsepower over stock.
Installs & How-To's
The Suzuki Hayabusa has made a name for itself as one of the fastest modern production sport bikes in existence, and coincidentally the most commonly modified.
Engines
Ford's Total Performance mantra was enhanced by the introduction of the Cleveland engine (named for the Cleveland Engine Plant) family. Referred to by their engineering designation "335 Series", Cleveland small-blocks were originally tuned...
In 1958, Ford introduced their new FE big-block, designed to replace the Y-block. Offered in factory displacements up to 428 cubic inches, the 4-inch plus bore allowed for larger valve sizes.
Closely based on the 317 cubic inch OHV engine introduced in the 1952 Lincoln, Ford's Y-block was introduced in 1954. Overall engine design goals included room for increased displacements and compression ratios.
No doubt about it, the Windsor series of Ford engines are some of the finest in the world. With their introduction in the 1962 model year at a modest 221 c.i.d. in the then new intermediate Fairlane, all the way up tot he ground pounding Boss 302...
Ok, if you were to name the top ten engines Ford has built over the last forty years...Ok, ok, let's say the top five engines Ford has built in the last forty years, this one has to be on the list. You've got the Boss 302, Boss 249, the 427 "high riser".
Events
Competitors awoke to an intense rain on Saturday morning in Jellico, TN for the UROC Extreme East Series Finals. A storm had rolled through overnight and into the morning, which caused trees to falla cross the obstacles and turned dirt into sticky mud.
Feature Vehicles
In an attempt to take and solidify the lead in the brewing horsepower race of the 1960s, Ford introduced the Starliner, with their 352-inch Super V-8 boasting 360-horsepower.
Many owners of custom cars claim their rides are true "reachers" capable of traveling long distances reliably. While the definitions are as varied as the cars being described, some cars have proven themselves beyond any question.
In the booming post WWII years, American auto manufacturers embraced the aerodynamic styles made popular by the developing aerospace industry.
ICON. Few cars ever achieve this status, however the '59 Cadillac is just that. The pinnacle of the finned car era, with the largest fins ever on an American production car and distinctive bullet shaped taillights, the '59 Cadillac clearly set it apart...
While waiting to tee off on the 14th hole of a Myrtle Beach, SC, golf course, Gordon Peters was admiring the scenery around him when he saw a conspicuous shape hiding beneath a tarp in an adjacent backyard.
The History of hot rodding is full Of stories about the good old days. Countless tales of dirt cheap and deadly quick '32 Fords, T-buckets, Willys coupes, and '57 Chevys regularly fill the air at any given gathering of guys who were there.
From humble beginnings...In Surrey, England, in early '62, the first prototype CSX2000 (Carroll Shelby Experimental) mated a 221 cubic-inch V8 engine to the chassis of an AC sports car. After completion, the car was air freighted to California. In the bac
Back in 1960, a car was a car and a truck was a truck. In 1960 people bought cars to transport their families, and when work needed to be done, a truck was in order. Pickup trucks back in 1960 were built to work. Built to serve farmers, businesses, and
There's no denying the growth in popularity of the once-lowly station wagon body style. These oversized heavyweights are finding favor with many, as the combination of vintage style and functional space has grown past long-held notions of wagons being com
Ford's Thunderbird was launched in 1955 as a truly American sports car. Unlike it's European predecessors, it was not designed to offer minimal comfort in exchange for increased performance. On the contrary; it had good performance while offering a level
The flowing lines of the late-'30s/early '40s Fords have been appreciated by enthusiasts since they were new. Now, some fifty-plus years later, the stylish curves of the pre-war Fords are still being personalized, but always with respect to the original d
Imagine a warm and sunny day in July. You walk out to your Torino GT, power the top down, and install the top boot; which is beautifully seamless with no exposed snaps. The striking Gulfstream Aqua paint glimmering in the sunlight is accented by the coo
Looking back on the '60's, we think of some of the most awesome muslce cars ever built. Sure, today we're seeing production cars hitting the 500hp plus mark, but it was the 60's cars that got us thinking we needed the best looking and fastest...
Ford's success tory of 1962 was the fairlane - re-invented, re-sized, and priced within reach of hundreds of thousands of new-car buyers... 297,000 new-cars buyers, in fact. For 1963, Fairlane wasn't changed much, but there was an important new...
When you think of "70s musclecars" what comes to mind? Retina-searing color hues? Asphalt-shredding torque? Over-the-top graphics and stripes? Wings and spoilers everywhere? How 'bout all of the above...
What's with the "sledgehammer" monker? To be totally honest, this full-size Ford is the automotive equivalent of a sledgehammer. Take a look at it. This is NASCAR parked in a back alley. Black steel wheels, dog-dish caps, giant racetrack-style meats..
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