ack in the early days of hot rodding, necessity was the mother of invention, as crafty gearheads would fabricate their own speed parts due to a lack of aftermarket support. Now, we have a tremendous offering of components at our fingertips, but even then, the aftermarket doesn’t support every build and every application. When this is the case, custom fabrication steps back into the fold, allowing for handcrafted fitment and custom design. While some fabrication projects can be tackled by a beginner, others get a little more complicated. We’d classify custom long-tube stainless steel headers as a pro-level task, but with the proper tools, skills, and patience, it can be done.

We recently had the opportunity to follow along as Old Anvil Speed Shop in Orange, California, built a set of headers for a wild ’67 Nova, which has an LS engine topped with a tunnel ram and two four-barrel carburetors. This old-school combination is bolted to an aftermarket subframe, but it’s still a tight fit in the small Nova engine bay. Nick Andreos and Brandon Gerringer at Old Anvil Speed Shop handled the fabrication job, starting with 304 stainless steel 180-degree mandrel bends. There are a few options for header flanges, but the custom look of the cast stainless steel flanges is hard to beat.

e know. We know. Horsepower is the sexy member of the family. Horsepower gets all the attention and is all anyone wants to talk about at parties. But hear us out: Torque is where it’s at. Few things in life are more fun than a great car with gobs of torque on demand every time you touch the throttle. Torque is what mashes you back in the seat. Torque is what makes the car squat on acceleration. Torque is what allows that most magical thing known as “burnouts.”

And that’s the goal for this build. We’re at the shops of Prestige Motorsports in Concord, North Carolina, where they are building a competition-level LS for a drifter. Top-level drifting is a pretty demanding—and unique—sport. But no matter if you are a drifter yourself, a grudge racer, or just a street brawler, an engine that produces mountains of torque all the way through the rpm band is tough to beat.

fter years of overdrive-transmission swaps, we don’t need to waste words on extolling their highway-cruising virtues, but when it comes to adapting the popular TREMEC five- and six-speed transmissions, there have been compromises.

For five speeds, the TKO500 and TKO600 work well with old-school small-blocks but aren’t well-suited for the higher-revving capabilities of LS and LT engines. When it comes to six-speeds, there are basically two choices: the production-based T-56 and aftermarket-intended and T-56–based Magnum. Used T-56 units are getting scarce and for most vintage Chevys the shifter replacement typically requires modifying the trans tunnel. The relatively bulky Magnum also requires modifying the tunnel—and usually it’s to create room for the Magnum’s wide case and not just the shifter.

To address those fitment challenges, TREMEC introduced the TKX about four years ago. It’s a five-speed specifically designed for retrofit applications. It has a slimmer profile that slides into most vintage cars’ trans tunnels with little or no clearance issues. There are even specific versions for GM and Ford applications, with unique case patterns and inputs, along with integrated transmission mounts.

he small-block Chevy has now come full circle. When the GM LS Gen III small-block debuted just before the start of the 21st century, pundits immediately began foreshadowing the death of the Gen I small-block. But as Mark Twain once observed, “The rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated.” So it is with the small-block Chevy. It is way too popular to rust its way into obscurity.

The demand for this ubiquitous V-8 is so great that the clamor for usable engine blocks has now reached a critical point. Are they still out there? Of course. Does your brother-in-law have six, four-bolt main, standard bore, 350 blocks sitting in the corner of his shop pining for a new home? Probably not, unless he’s a hoarder. The point is that good one- and two-piece rear main seal standard bore 350 blocks are no longer lining junkyards in America.

In order to supply the continuing demand for this ubiquitous engine the folks at Blueprint Engines (BPE) invested in making their own block. Working with Summit Racing, these two companies collaborated to produce what is looking like the nicest small-block casting to come out of the aftermarket once GM decided it was no longer interested in carrying on the tradition.

or more than 20 years, the NHRA Motorsports Museum has poured its heart and soul into honoring drag racing history with nostalgia drag racing events. These events were once called Hot Rod Reunion, but the Bowling Green, Kentucky, event was officially renamed to the Wally Parks NHRA Nostalgia Nationals. The rebranding of the event was not a departure from its roots, as it still features intense nostalgia drag racing action, a huge show-and-shine area, a swap meet packed with vintage speed parts, and more.

The Wally Parks NHRA Nostalgia Nationals is always held on Father’s Day weekend, and you can count on toasty temperatures and a heavy dose of humidity in Bowling Green. The property at Beech Bend Raceway is perfect for an event of this nature, as it features an enormous footprint with rolling hills, shade trees, and plenty of parking for participants and spectators.