1. Wilwood’s Mike Hamrick torques the fasteners securing the six-piston caliper to the Heidts front suspension that will be under the Eddie Motorsports 1972 Chevy Nova.

ith all the options available today there are some critical questions to ask when selecting an aftermarket brake system. When the team at Eddie Motorsports needed help deciding what components to use on their LS-powered 1972 Chevy Nova they turned to Wilwood Disc Brakes’ Mike Hamrick for advice.

The first question Hamrick always asks is, “What are you going to do with the car?” In this case the Chevy would primarily be used on the street for “spirited driving” and occasionally compete in an autocross, but not see open track use. Of course there was an aesthetic consideration, as they were after the retro muscle car/Pro Touring look. To accomplish the goals set forth, Hamrick recommended their six-piston Narrow Forged Superlite 6R caliper kit up front with 12.88-inch SRP, drilled-and-slotted rotors. Because less rear braking is needed in a street car application, he suggested a four-piston rear caliper. In this case Narrow Forged Superlite 4R calipers were used as they are made from the same forgings as six-piston calipers, so they perfectly match those up front. Rotors were also 12.88-inch in the rear.

o much of life is about being at the right place at the right time. The same is also true about ignition timing for internal combustion engines. For an engine to make great power it must have all the right parts, including camshaft, cylinder heads, compression, induction, and exhaust. But if the ignition timing is too late or too early, the engine will run poorly and there’s the potential for catastrophic damage.

There is also the time-honored tuner’s advice that we’ve seen played out a hundred times that proclaims, “Ninety percent of carburetion problems are ignition related.” That may be overstating the case slightly, but it’s true enough to take to heart.

This story will outline the three components of ignition timing for engines with distributors and how they all interrelate to bring out all the potential power and efficiency your engine has to offer. We will focus on street engines with carburetors and distributors with an abbreviated nod toward fuel-injected engines with computer control of the ignition. The approaches to obtaining the right ignition curve are the same for all engines—EFI just gets there using a much more precise digital approach.

o to any automotive event and chances are the cars with the most outrageous features will draw the attention of the casual onlooker. But for true enthusiasts it’s the subtle details, like the extra effort put into body fit and panel alignment that catch the eye of the knowledgeable. These are the cars that get better the more you look at them, which is typical of the cars that come out of MetalWorks Classic Auto Restoration in Eugene, Oregon.

Case in point is a 1963 Chevy II. This GM line of compact cars was meant to compete with the likes of the Rambler, Ford’s Falcon, Chrysler’s Valiant/Lancer, and a number of GM products, including Chevy’s own Corvair. Like all the cars in this class, the Chevy II was affordable with a base price around $2,100.

Like most cars of the era, Chevy’s quality control was described by some automotive writers as “lacking” in 1963. Poor door and window fit were common complaints and body panels were often gapped and aligned poorly. But one of the most noticeable issues with the Chevy II shown here was the mismatch between the headlight bezels and the front fenders. It makes one wonder if the team designing the fenders and those responsible for the headlight bezels ever met. There was no way the crew at MetalWorks was going to let something like this go unresolved, so master metal man Dave Williams was assigned the task of making things right.

ith the old SBC/Muncie combo removed from our buddy Bruce Valley’s 1957 Chevy and the LS3/4L60E resting in its place, it’s time to sort out shifter requirements as well as our pedal options. Valley liked the floor shift setup of the Muncie and wanted to retain said location of shifter. Easy enough. But when it came to pedal options, that got a little more muddled since the stock throttle pedal would not be compatible with the LS3’s drive-by-wire requirement. As luck would have it, Lokar Performance Products had options for that as well as the floor shifter, even going so far as to offer an upgrade to the original brake pedal that would result in not only a better-looking pedal arm, but the ability to match a pair of throttle/brake pedal pads.

Pulling the existing carpet up, and with the Muncie shifter removed, exposed a fairly large hole in the floor, with a few previous repairs being evident. That would make installing a Lokar floor-mounted shifter a little easier, but the previous “repairs” meant we had a little bit of sheetmetal work that would be required once the shifter was in place. Thankfully, mounting the shifter is as simple as picking a location, drilling the four mounting holes, and bolting the shifter in place. Next, a slot in the floor needs to be cut for the shift lever. From there, it’s a matter of trimming the threaded rod and connecting the shifter to the trans. A few more adjustments and the installation is complete.

he 2024 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, the aftermarket automotive industry’s most highly anticipated event, once again dazzled with cutting-edge custom vehicle innovations, professional builds, and the latest aftermarket performance products. Held annually at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) Show is where car enthusiasts, manufacturers, and industry professionals converge to showcase, learn, and celebrate the latest in automotive technology, design, and performance.

On November 5-8, 2024, this year’s SEMA Show drew over 150,000 attendees from the United States and across the globe. The show carries a ripple effect on the aftermarket auto industry that influences build style while driving the future of the industry, which in our case, we’re talking about the latest in everything related to Chevy performance.