s hot rodders, we’re driven to embrace factory offerings while always seeking to increase performance and add plenty of cool features to our rides. With today’s engineering and technology, the aftermarket has raised the bar in every aspect of our hobby, from platform upgrades to suspension dynamics and increased braking capabilities. One of the most important parts maintaining the heartbeat of your LS is the management system of how the accessories are driven off the front of the engine. There are numerous options available if you’re looking to update your existing system, take on an engine swap, or address a full rebuild. Gone are the days of feeling stuck using the unattractive factory mounting brackets requiring you to use multiple belts to support A/C, power steering, alternator, and fan.

We’re here to tell you that the engineering and design team at Eddie Motorsports have upped the ante with the development of their exclusive S-Drive 6-Rib Serpentine Pulley Kits for Chevy LS, big-, and small-block engines. Utilizing cutting-edge technology fused with meticulous attention to detail, they’ve produced an excellent system for the LS.

On a recent visit to Chris Cerce Customs (CCC) in Taunton, Massachusetts, we met with shop owner Chris Cerce who was preparing to outfit a fresh Chevrolet Performance LS3 long-block packed with plenty of factory performance. With Eddie Motorsports offering a number of different combinations for the LS, he selected their Elite Series in a bright polished finish, complete with upgraded polished billet aluminum power steering reservoir and Powermaster 220-amp alternator. For a truly custom look, the systems are available in seven finishes to suit your build style.

am changing is the classic approach to building any kind of performance engine, especially for LS engines. Bone-stock LS cathedral port cylinder heads flow so well that a simple cam and valvespring swap to an otherwise-stock 5.3L LS engine can be worth as much as 80 to 100 more horsepower. There are hundreds of examples of these successful swaps. We stuffed a cam into a stock 4.8L (293ci) LS and with a carbureted intake and headers made an excellent 420 hp.

But what most of the YouTube videos don’t tell you is how to make this happen. For the LS engine veterans, you already know the drill. But for newcomers, a cam swap even on an LS engine can be intimidating. To minimize any concern you may have, this story will walk you through the process. To prevent this from becoming too tedious, we will assume you have some basic mechanical skills and metric hand tools, but you will still need a few specialty tools to pull this off.

The good news about the specialty tools is that if engine wrenching will be a major part of your future, these items will make your life easier for years to come. A good three-jaw puller like the Posi-Lock version we use is useful for many other related automotive tasks. Sometimes we make our own tools to save both time and money. As an example, we used a pair of 5/16-inch steel dowel rods roughly 24 inches in length to act as lifter retainers for when you want to swap cams on an older LS engine. All LS engines come with plastic lifter holders that will capture the lifters in the “up” position if you spin the engine over several times with the rockers and pushrods removed.

n adjustable proportioning valve. We are willing to bet that most of our readers are at least vaguely familiar with this part of a brake system. But do you actually know its purpose? OK, but do you know how it works? Did you know it’s not just for high-performance Pro Touring builds destined for an autocross track?

Let’s take a step back. Brakes are important, we all intuitively know that. But it’s not often a situation arises when you need to utilize the full capability of your brakes during normal street driving. Modern cars have forward collision warning systems to help reduce unforeseen collisions and advanced antilock braking system (ABS), which can manage tire slip up to 100 times per second. Our old muscle cars simply don’t have that. So, it’s our responsibility to make sure our brakes are set up as well as possible.

A few issues back, we talked about the differences between brakes that are too touchy or too hard. With help from Paul Bosserman at Old Anvil Speed Shop, we solved our issues by installing a properly sized Wilwood manual master cylinder. Now that we have adequate control over the braking effort, the last piece of the puzzle is the front to rear brake bias. Too much front brake and you’ll lock up only the front tires in a panic, removing your ability to steer. Too much rear brake and you could slide the car sideways into whatever it was you were trying to avoid.

ver the years automobile manufacturers have gone to extraordinary lengths to play hide and seek with the fuel tank filler. Cadillac went so far in 1949 to conceal it under the hinged driver side taillight. Chevrolet did the same thing in 1956 with a unique flip-down taillight. For those old enough to remember hiding the gas cap, this was not only a slick styling trick, it was also the origin of a classic gas station gag. There was always an old-time pump jockey who would flip open the taillight of one of these cars and tell the new kid at the service station “that’s where you add blinker fluid.” No telling how many trusting young men were sent to a parts house to ask an amused salesman for a gallon of the stuff.

Recently we were talking to Chadly Johnson, our man on the scene at MetalWorks Classic Auto Restoration in Eugene, Oregon, when he mentioned they were installing a hidden gas tank filler behind the taillight of a 1966 Chevy Nova. That sounded like a cool idea, but what piqued our interest was hearing this was not a kit. All the modifications made to modify the taillight and hide the fuel filler were designed and fabricated by their own Dave Williams. We had to see how it was being done.

Williams began the transformation by removing the inner support structure of the original taillight. He then fabricated a housing from sheetmetal to mount the fuel tank’s relocated fill pipe. A hinge was fabricated from flat stock that mounts an LED taillight that now swings open to access the gas cap. A cable-operated gas door latch from a Nissan holds the light tight to the body when in the closed position. All of these modifications required some crafty engineering.

hen wrapping up a project, it’s common for a few loose ends to linger, especially if they don’t affect how the vehicle looks, runs, or handles. Case in point: our 1971 Camaro, “Project Orange Krate.” The car has performed flawlessly for years, but it never had a functioning parking brake. To be honest, the pedal assembly was missing when we bought the car, and replacing it simply kept getting pushed down the priority list.

Not surprisingly, we found it’s sort of important to have a properly functioning parking brake, especially in a car equipped with a manual transmission. Being the car is armed with a T56 six-speed, I always had a 2×4 on hand to use as a wheel chock so I could warm up the car without having one foot on the brake pedal. Not ideal and not totally safe, but it got the job done … kind of. Plus, having a block of wood banging around the back seat area while on an autocross or road course is a bad idea. Ask me how I know.

Finally, after years of putting off installing a manual parking brake mechanism, I figured it would be a great time to up the technology and go with an electric parking brake system. I headed over to the Summit Racing website (SummitRacing.com) and picked up an E-Stopp Electric Parking Brake System to replace our “Fred Flintstone-era” system that we’ve relied on for the past 15 or so years.