SEMA 2008 Thursday Coverage

[mark@streetlegaltv]

It's the next to last day at SEMA and we are still there to bring you coverage. Check out some of the new products that we found today, including the new World "Mo-Hawk" block which uses LSX heads with a standard small block Chevy block.

You can fast forward to coverage of the show each day here:

• Tuesday New Products & SEMA Cars - Click here
• Wednesday New Products & SEMA Cars - Click here
• Thursday New Products & SEMA Cars - Click here
• Friday New Products & SEMA Cars - Click Here

We also shot over 30 videos during the SEMA show below is the list of videos shot on Thursday:

• Granatelli's New Direct Port Nitrous & S197 Cold Air - Click Here
• 1972 Cuda with Twin Paxton Superchargers - Click Here
• TCI releases Cutting Edge new 6-speed Transmission - Click Here
• STS Turbo's New ZR7 Corvette makes 750+ at Wheels - Click Here
• Garret Releases New GT551R Turbos for Lancer Evo - Click Here
• Afco Racing's New Suspension Systems at SEMA 08 - Click Here
• Afco's Newest Headers & Radiators at SEMA - Click Here

World Products New Motown LS Combines LSX Induction with Small Block Chevy Internals

World Products has released one unique block. It is a hybrid block between a small block Chevy and LSX. The idea is to have a conventional Chevy small block foundation and use it with modern-day head technology. This block does require a fair amount of custom parts.

It all starts at the bottom of the block, which is partitioned for all standard SBC cranks and clearance for a 4.00” stroke and accepts SBC rods. Caps are available in steel and nodular. From there, we move to the cam tunnel. The tunnel size is increased to 55 MM but comes with 50 MM bearings, and the oiling holes are now set to the 5 o’clock position. This helps oiling on high sprung engines by keeping the cam from forcing the oil hole closed if it is positioned on the bottom. The cam for this block will be a custom grind piece that they have been working with Comp Cams to develop.



Up on to the top. Piston will be an LS based piece. The cooling system has been redesigned to fit the LS heads. Besides the custom length push rods, the motor takes LS rockers and lifters. The block will be the same price has conventional small block Chevys, but will require an installation kit. This includes parts like a valley cover and coolant crossover plates for the front of the head (since the LS intake doesn’t have a crossover like the SBC does). World feels that this block will pick up 80 horsepower, 60 from the heads and 20 due to the SBC windage.

The only custom part you have to buy is a SBC cam with LS lobe positions.

Visit www.worldcastings.com for more information

[mark@streetlegaltv]

Detroit Speed has completely redesigned their A Body suspension kits. It all starts with the new 2-inch drop spindle that has been engineered for proper camber and castor. It is a single 4140-forged steel piece. There is a matching upper control arm with a stainless arm. The lower control arm is also new and accepts stock springs or their coilover package as a bolt and go affair.

Front sway bar is offered in a conventional or three-piece design. The three pieces allows for more clearance and the ability to swap out the center bar for different levels of stiffness. The front coilovers are offered in non-adjustable, dual, and dual external dampening with any spring rates desired.



For the rears they have another great bolt in package. Their arm technology is really awesome. The arms are two-piece and swivel against each other, 360 degrees. This gives the ability for the arms to spin freely and keep the minimal amount of load on the bushings. The kit also comes with a chassis stabilizer that ties the upper and lower arms together. They also offer a rear coilover that requires minimal modification. Detroit Speed makes a lower bracket for the rear end housing and the top requires two holes to mount the top of the coilover through the spring pocket.



Visit www.detroitspeed.com for more information

[mark@streetlegaltv]

Like all other LSX powered vehicles, it’s no surprise that aftermarket companies are quick to market with performance mods to make this sedan scream down the drag strip and to keep up with it’s rivals and related power-plant vehicles. The new G8 is loaded with performance potential with it's 6.0L LS engine, and all it needs is some nitrous.

ZEX Nitrous has put together the first G8 specific nitrous kit. The ZEX G8 Nitrous kit is a sure bet if you are looking for easy and inexpensive power. The kit offers a bolt-on 75 to 175 additional horsepower to the LS3 engine. The kit includes G8 specific mounting hardware for a perfect fit requiring no customization. Additionally, all the lines are custom length for the G8 application and the required fuel rail fitting.

An added technology to the kit, the ZEX Pontiac G8 GT Nitrous System incorporates an electronic throttle position sensor switch that ensures perfect activation at wide-open throttle every time by hooking up to the TPS signal wire.

Check out www.zexnitrous.com for more information.

[Chris DeMorro]

Air filters are an integral part of any car, and much has been done to improve the airflow on just about every car on the market. Air intake systems are often the first upgrade done to just about any car, but as far as the systems have come they can still become clogged with dirt and road debris and eventually will require replacement.

That is unless you put on an Outwears Pre-filter. Using a terraflow process, these pre-filters keep out most dirt and debris while promoting maximum air flow, extending the life of your filter and keeping down maintainence costs. These are especially useful for off-road or desert applications where dirt can quickly choke your engine and limit your performance. Outerwears currently makes pre-filters for just about any cone-shaped air filter application, and they are currently working on a flat filter system. They even make pre-filters for shop-vacs, which we checked at SEMA. If you want to save your Shop-vac's long life, check them out!

Visit www.outerwears.com for more information

[Chris DeMorro]

The Mustang II was known for many things, among them being a terrible low-performance car with a legendary name that ended up in junkyards rather than collector’s garages. But the one silver lining that came from these cars was there cheap and plentiful rank and pinion steering system, which many car guys cut out of the Mustang II and retro-fitted their hot rods with a cheap independent front suspension.

Using the Mustang II suspension, Flaming River has developed a decidedly improved version that provides greater strength and rack stability. With 6 inches of travel this new power rack provides the maximum turning radius while simultaneously shedding 12lbs of weight over the stock unit. It is also easier to install thanks to a low-profile pressure hose.



Flaming River is also now offering their keyless entry system integrated into one of their tilt column steering wheels. Using their existing keyless entry and start system, Flaming River has integrated much of the circuitry directly into the steering column, eliminating dangling keys and awkwardly placed push-button starters. It is a clean look that takes new technology and applies it to older cars for a more modern feel.



Visit www.flamingriver.com for more information

[Chris DeMorro]

It is no cake walk restoring any classic car. Original parts are hard to come by and every year the number of survivors dwindles. Anyone who has ever found a classic car rotting in the middle of a field knows the heartbreak of wasted potential. But thanks to the Original Parts Group, which specializes in reproducing parts for classic GM cars like the GTO and Chevelle enthusiasts have another place to turn to when trying to restore their classic.

To demonstrate their complete line of restoration products, OPG dug a 1968 GTO out of a New York field and according Tony Gentry, “It was a basket case.” JH Restorations out of Riverside, CA restored the car and essentially all they left on were the factory disc brakes although OPG even went so far as to supply new dash knobs and door skins for the restoration. In addition to providing restoration parts for Chevelles and GTOs, OPG is now providing parts for Buck Rivieras, Grand Prixs, and certain Cadillacs. Tony has always had a special place for Rivieras in his heart, but they waited until now to release a product line supporting them. “Its not just a matter of can you do it, but can you do it right,” he says.

Visit www.originalpartsgroup.com for more information

[Chris DeMorro]

Wiring a car can be a daunting task for even the most seasoned auto enthusiast. Thankfully there are companies like American Autowire which have taken a lot of the guess work out of rewiring your classic car. Their car-specific kits improve upon the OEM design by providing connections for classic parts or contemporary upgrades like halogen lamps and third brake lights. The kits come with all the stock connections and mostly fit in the stock locations and come with parts like the stock ignition and dimmer switch.

New for this year is a 61-64 Impala Classic Update Kit which comes with a cluster harness disconnect for easy service and assembly. The can be fitted to the original dash or any of a number of aftermarket gauge cluster packages from many major name brands. Additionally the harness can be connected to an engine harness from any number of modern GM engines, making swaps much easier. The harness comes extra long so it can be run in the original location or routed in a custom location. American Autowire also offers kits for ’67-68 Mustangs.

Visit www.americanautowire.com for more information

[Chris DeMorro]

Muscle cars are all about big power and straight line speed, and stopping power is often an afterthought for many enthusiasts. But even the fastest cars have to stop, and thankfully there are companies like Classic Performance Products which have developed brake kits for classic GM cars.

CPP is the exclusive supplier of Brembo brake kits for classic GM A, F, and X body cars. Using the same calipers as the Ferrari F40 and four sequential pistons, these 13” brakes are good up to 250 miles per hour. Using a “floating rotor” design which allows the rotor to find its true centerline during braking, CCP has managed to reduce heat and stress transfer. This is accomplished by using a directional two-piece rotor which also reduces about 8lbs of unsprung weight for better handling.

CCP also offers a more affordable SOS brake package for AFX bodies which uses the factory calipers and pads from GM SUVs and two 52mm ppistons. According to Danny Nix, an engineer for CCP, these rotors “can tolerate a lot of warpage.” The rotors come mounted to adonized aluminum hubs, and cost about half as much as the Brembo kits and come with all the necessary hardware to mount up to the stock spindles or CCP’s own drop spindles.

Visit http://www.classicperform.com for more info

[Chris DeMorro]

426 is the magic number for MOPAR guys, and HEMI is the magic word. But it has been a long time since Chrysler offered a 426 HEMI in any of their cars even with the return of the mighty Challenger and Charger, so it has come down to aftermarket companies like Wiseco and K1 technologies to fill the niche for Late Model enthusiasts looking to stroke their engine.

These stroker kits for the 5.7 and 6.1 liter HEMI engines use 4340 steel and have closely machined tolerances and are already very popular among the MOPAR crowd. While K1 technologies crafted the crankshaft and connecting rods for the kit, the piston design came down to Wiseco. Here the true genius of the stroker kit comes out as Wiseco was able to eliminate the common problem of piston slap in stroker motors by slightly offsetting the connecting rod pin.

They also managed to shave over 30 grams off of each piston which tremendously helps reduce reciprocating weight when the engine is running at high RPMs. These kits are already becoming very popular with hot rodders and HEMI enthusiasts alike, bringing back the magic 426 HEMI without resorting to carburetors or crate engines.

For more information, visit www.wiseco.com and www.k1technologies.com

[mark@streetlegaltv]

In a sea of purple, one stands alone. It’s bad. It’s powerful. It’s Black. Standing out from the normal ZEX purple branded Nitrous Kits comes a new visual treatment to the line up; ZEX Black Out.

Now we have nothing against Purple, in fact, many powerful icons are represented by the color purple; the Minnesota Vikings, The Incredible Hulks pants, and ZEX Nitrous kits, just to name a few. But ZEX has gone off it’s purple path to produce an entire line of black themed nitrous kits to accommodate those looking for a more moderate look.

***** VIDEO: ZEX Black Out Nitrous Kits & Challenger System ***



The ZEX Black Out kits are fundamentally the same as the regular ZEX kits but feature a few characteristics beyond it’s color that stand out. Each Black Out kit comes with carbon fiber themed nitrous lines with chrome accented nuts, black anodized nitrous plates, and black nitrous nozzles.

The new look does not only make it dark and mysterious. The coating used on the kit to “black-it-out” adds a scratch resistant property to keep from rubbing against other components. The Nitrous bottle also has a nice shinny black finish with a chrome valve. Expect the Black Out nitrous plates to start shipping in about 2-3 weeks and EFI Black Out kits to begin shipping in January.

Visit www.zexnitrous.com for more information