he old adage about making power goes: “There’s no replacement for displacement.”

Every dyed-in-the-wool car guy knows it. We’ve all heard it. And we all know the rejoinder is: “Unless you have boost.”

Yes, boost is the answer when it comes to helping little engines make big power. Whether it’s a supercharger or turbo, boost makes magic happen. So, what happens when you have both? What happens when you already have boost and add displacement? That, friends, is the question of the day.

here’s nothing cooler than taking your hot rod out for a cruise. On the other hand, there’s nothing worse than driving a hot rod with one eye on the road and the other on the temperature gauge as it climbs up the scale. That’s because overheating an engine always comes with consequences—it may be as simple as having to clean up the mess from dumping coolant out the overflow to substantial engine damage. Severe overheating can cause pistons to expand enough to scuff or even seize in the cylinders, rings can lose tension, stick, or literally weld bits of themselves to the cylinder walls, exhaust valves may stick in their guides, heads can warp, head gaskets can develop compression and water leaks, and blocks and heads can crack. In short, a good engine can become an even better boat anchor if it gets too hot. But thanks to a number of experts on the subject, we’re going to help you keep your hot rod cool.

How Hot is Too Hot?

f this were a big pharma ad, right now we’d be telling you about a silent killer of early Chevys and try to scare the pajamas off you. But really, this is a somewhat common malady with older Chevy muscle cars that you may not even know is a problem. Driving around under city lights at night, there’s plenty of illumination on the boulevards and freeways so that dim headlights aren’t a major issue. But take a cruise across the western desert or in the Midwest on a moonless night and you’ll soon discover that anything over 50 mph becomes an issue with outdriving your headlights.

The modern solution has been to upgrade to LED headlights and several companies offer excellent bulbs that project a piercing bright light like a brand-new Lexus. The only problem for guys like us with a four-headlight Chevelle or El Camino is that it will require an investment of over $400 to cover new LED headlights. Thankfully, there’s another solution.

We decided to upgrade our headlights with a simple American Autowire kit that will use a pair of relays to put maximum voltage into the headlights, which will bypass the voltage drop through the headlight switch. The headlight switch then becomes merely the trigger to complete the circuit through the new relays.

onfident stopping power is a must in a high-performance Chevy. In addition to big rotors and multi-piston calipers, the power-assist system helps deliver that feeling of immediate responsiveness.

From the factory, the power braking system on almost all classic Chevy models comes in the form of vacuum assist—a simple and effective method that uses vacuum generated by the engine to multiply the driver’s force on the brake pedal. On stock, naturally aspirated engines it is an excellent system and, apart from the occasional failed diaphragm or faulty check valve, it’s largely bulletproof.

The dynamics change with performance upgrades such as an aggressive camshaft with big duration specifications or a power adder such as a supercharger or turbocharger. They typically reduce or all but eliminate the vacuum necessary for effective power braking assistance. The same goes for diesel engines.

ast month, we concluded the installation of a Gen 5 Vintage Air SureFit kit in our 1957 Chevy Handyman Wagon by installing the evaporator unit. The defroster vents were installed and hoses attached, as was the center vent, and hoses were routed in preparation for the side vents. The drain was in place to route any condensation outside the vehicle and the four hard lines were installed and routed through the firewall. It would seem that we were on the downhill slope, and for all intents and purposes, we were, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.

For starters, we still need to install the radiator and condenser unit. The previous small-block that was in our 1957 had a meager mechanical fan that pulled just enough air to keep the mild motor happy. With the installation of a hot-rodded LS3, this obviously wasn’t going to do, so we turned to DeWitts to help us sort out our cooling requirements. Since the addition of the A/C and its requisite condenser will add some additional heat load to the overall system, it’s paramount that the cooling system be at peak performance to ensure the A/C system blows air as cool as the Arctic snow. DeWitts’ recommendation of their LS Swap Aluminum Radiator with included electric fan filled the required void with room to spare