There was a time when any “respectable” hot street car had a four-speed and at least a set of 4.10 gears with a high-revving engine under the hood. Troy Hudson lived in that era. His previous streetable rides included a 9,000-plus-rpm, dual-four-barrel, 327 cubic-inch small-block in a ’57 Chevy with a four-speed and 6.50 rear gears. Next came a 1960 283 cubic-inch, dual-four-barrel, four-speed Corvette with 4.10s. Times and technology change, and where four-speeds were once dominant, five-speed transmissions featuring overdrive are now the norm.
Driving a boring car every day just sucks. There are a lot of cool-looking cars out there that don’t have an exciting engine and transmission package, but thankfully that can be changed with some creativity and effort. Project Swedish Meatball is LSX Magazine’s newest build, and it’s our take on an elevated Volvo wagon.
“The Meatball” as we call it, started life as your typical 1994 Volvo 940 wagon powered by a four-cylinder engine that was backed by an automatic transmission. These cars are known to be total tanks and last forever, but that little four-banger and slushbox just wasn’t cutting it for us. Our plan: replace the tired 2.3-liter mill with a 5.3 LS engine, slap a TREMEC six-speed transmission behind it, and add a single 76mm turbo for good measure. The goal is to create a gnarly 700-horsepower daily driver that will last for a very long time.
Ed Iskenderian, the founder of Isky Racing Cams, is an absolute legend in the high-performance and hot rodding world. The parts that Iskenderian created helped push the fledging world of aftermarket parts to new heights, and his 1923 Model T served as a test bed for what he made. Dennis Taylor of Hot Rods by Dennis Taylor has created an amazing modernized version of Iskenderian’s iconic Model T.
The idea of building a tribute to Ed’s Model T started over a year ago when Dennis, his daughter Alex, and Nolan Jamora, COO of Isky started discussing the project. Ed’s original car is currently on display at the Speedway Motors Museum, so Dennis and Alex went there to take measurements and pictures of the car to get the process started. Dennis built the car like a young Ed would have if he time-traveled to the modern era, so the Model T is an interpretation of what he might have created.
Paul Lee and his McLeod Racing Nitro Funny Car entry return to Sonoma Raceway with DENSO and new marketing partner, Zurn Elkay Water Solutions. The team will host a full hospitality with his partners of Mainline Sales and Breen Design Group for the entire weekend of action. With progress with the tune up continuing in the right direction, the John Medlen and Jason Bunker led team head into Sonoma with the strategy of consistency.
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