GRABBING THE CORNERS
Hold on Tight! We’ve Built This Modern Muscle Car To Handle Anything We thow At It!

Photos and Text By Matt Sprouse
Performance: a word that is practically extinct from Detroit’s current production models. With the exception of the Corvette and Viper super cars and the more moderately priced Mustang and Challenger, there seems little left for the traditional muscle car enthusiast. One overlooked jewel might just be Chrysler’s rear-wheel drive LX-platform, which contains 300-plus horsepower, fully independent suspension, and aggressive looks that rival any Euro sport touring sedan.
            The LX-platform encompasses the Dodge Charger, the recently retired Magnum, and the Chrysler 300. These models share the same suspension components, chassis design and best of all, they’re all available with the optional 5.7-liter Hemi V-8, giving them more than enough power to rival most GM or blue oval rides. Additionally, Hemi-powered LX cars have become far more affordable, and the automotive aftermarket has continued to support them with performance and appearance upgrades.
            We decided to really test the limits of the LX-platform with our 300C project car. Our direction seemed set from the beginning: the 300C had all the power we needed (at least for now), but the suspension was really set up for a softer touring car feel. Our goal was to refine the suspension and handling characteristics enough to make it feel at home on city streets or at the road course on the weekend. With all the right components intact—struts up front and a fully independent rear suspension— we were convinced that with a few changes we could have our 300C handling on par with some of the best. No aspect of the 300C’s suspension will go un-scrutinized as we work to transform the car’s sluggish feel in the corners into a corner carving g-machine.
Follow along as we select our components and build the new American “muscle car.” You might just change your mind about these sedans in the process...READ MORE

EMERGENCY RUSTECTOMY
What It Takes To Free Your Body Of Cancerous Corrosion

Photos and Text By Matt Sprouse
The decisions are never easy. You must determine your budget. You must consider what concessions you’re willing to make. You must be realistic in balancing your skills against what a prospective patient will require. So many factors come into play when choosing your next project vehicle. Yet sometimes there are no decisions to make at all. In those cases, it seems, a project car comes your way by fate. Even then you’ll be plagued by questions like, “Are there body panels readily available for this car? Do I have the know-how and skills to do the job correctly? Or can I afford to pay someone to do the work for me?”
            In the end, for us afflicted “car guys,” it seems another rusted out project always finds its way into our garages and our hearts no matter what the answers. Like many “next” projects, our ’62 Oldsmobile 88 spent the majority of its existence left for dead in one of America’s many auto graveyards. Likely years of potential owners/rebuilders passed it by because of its unflattering corrosion. It caught our eyes and our attention because we thought it would well represent what a lot of street machine enthusiasts encounter everyday. We brought it home and gave it a proper place in the Street Thunder shop.
            In our media blasting story “When the Dust Clears” in the September/October 2007 issue, we finally came to understand the real extent of our corrosion problems. We thought surface rust was our biggest issue, but it quickly bloomed into near-total rot of the lower half of every body panel on the car!
There was a nearly traceable line at the very height of the tall grass in its former habitat.
            We searched high and low for new replacement panels and canvassed local bone yards for good donors, but found none that offered organs in any better condition than our patient’s.We also came to realize that while more aftermarket replacement panels are becoming available everyday, these models will likely never see reproduction steel.
            While the lack of aftermarket sheet metal may be a deterrent for some, we just reached back to our hot rodding roots for the answer. In those days the philosophy “If someone doesn’t make it, then I will build it” prevailed. Using the techniques outlined in our hammer forming story “Homemade Hot Rod Parts” in the November/December 2007 issue along with some common shop tools, we’re going to build the patient new quarter panels. Along the way we’ll share details on proper hammer and dolly work and the right way to create patch panels. Follow along as we heal our ailing street machine’s body of cancerous corrosion by cutting out the old and replacing it with new...READ MORE

ADAPTING TO THE TIMES
Mating Vintage Engines With Late-Model Overdrive Transmissions

Photos and Text By Matt Sprouse
There’s little question about what the hottest trend in rodding is right now: traditional styling. Old speed parts and vintage powerplants have grown from an underground counterculture to one of the most popular trends in the industry. A rebirth of rodding’s beginnings and new manufacturing technology spitting out new-old parts have put higher horsepower vintage powerplants on the road.
            A lot of the early V-8 engines were fine designs and virtually bulletproof. Naturally, newer developments sent hot rodders scrambling for the latest goodies, and many of the great old powerplants were sent out to pasture. The final evolution of this mindset would mean small-block Chevy engines under everyone’s hood, which is pretty much what happened. Today, there’s a want to bring back the forgotten powerplants and some of the uniqueness they bring along.
            Unfortunately, the original transmissions backing these vintage engines aren’t up to current standards. While we can update the internals of a vintage engine to produce respectable power, the old transmissions simply aren’t up to supporting it. Furthermore, during the ’50s era, when V-8s were flourishing, automatic transmission technology was still in its infancy. Designed for smoothness, the early torque converters were horribly inefficient, and there was no such thing as an overdriven automatic. Early automatic transmissions,...READ MORE

CONCRETE INVESTMENT
Seriously Tough Floor Coating For Demanding Enthusiasts

Photos and Text By Matt Sprouse
Car guys are a special breed. We push the limits of technology on the track and street, often well beyond their normal use. We are always searching for parts that perform better and last longer for our vehicles, staying as close to the cutting edge as possible. Likewise, our garages are no different. Our tools, equipment, and workspace must stand up to the test when they're called into service. We understand it's just as important to preserve our home shop, as it is to preserve our rides.
The floor itself is often the most overlooked piece of equipment in the shop, however it should receive the same level of care as other equipment. Street Thunder's shop floor has taken a beating with numerous projects combined with the extreme temperature changes throughout the Minnesota seasons. Oil stains, chipped concrete, and stress cracks have plagued our floor. After much consideration, we finally decided to do something to help preserve it, and began a quest to locate a floor covering material that would hold up to anything we could throw at it.
           Epoxy floor systems are the most popular. They've been around for years, and many of us have had experiences with them. Unfortunately, for most, that experience has been less than perfect. Problems with epoxy have created a stigma that floor coatings are not for hardcore garage users. Epoxy floors are among the strongest there are, however this is also their downfall. Concrete floors contract and expand with temperature changes, and epoxy's 105-percent tensile limit means it can't move with the floor. This leaves small cracks that allow salt, water, and other contaminants to seep into the concrete. Ultimately, the epoxy will lose adhesion with the concrete, ruining the floor. Epoxy is really no more than paint, and is known for wearing quickly in high traffic areas. Epoxy also has issues with "hot tire pick-up," which is a condition that occurs when you pull into your garage with warm tires and the heat bonds the epoxy to the tire and pulls it away from the concrete. These systems also require a long cure time, often up to a week before driving on them. The Street Thunder shop is usually full of projects and equipment, so the thought of leaving it outside or moving it elsewhere nearly ground the project to a halt. The long list of reasons why not quickly outweighed the positives.
           Rather than throw in the towel, we set out to find an alternative product that solved the many issues we had with epoxycoated floors. We found our solution in a product made by Rock Solid Floors. Unlike the majority of the floor coatings on the market, their system has a polyurea base rather than epoxy. Unlike epoxy, polyurea is truly a coating by definition. Polyurea is the same material used in most pickup truck spray-in bed liners, and you've seen how well that stuff holds up! In fact, this coating material is so tough it's used in a host of industrial applications, from fuel storage containers to nuclear power plants. It has gained its popularity through its versatility, strength, and flexibility. It's also chemically resistant to salt, oil, gas, and other harsh chemicals unlike epoxy, making it perfect for industrial use or as a floor coating in a real car guy's garage.
           Rock Solid Floors offers two different coating systems in a variety of colors. We selected their Professional kit, which features a full chip coat for additional traction, an important factor for those of us who live in an often snowy or rainy part of the country. All of their kits have a formulated two-part polyurea basecoat, and the Professional kit has a clear topcoat. Both systems require a 24-hour cure time, which means your garage isn't off limits for long.
           Rock Solid's system is 98-percent more flexible than epoxy, which allows it to move with the concrete, eliminating the wear and cracking issues that plague epoxy coatings. Their system also adheres to concrete four-times better than epoxy, while eliminating the occurrence of hot tire pickup. Our kit included an acid-safe etching solution, which we used to prepare the concrete for better adhesion.
           Follow along as we work with Rock Solid Floors to install their Professional floor coating kit in the Street Thunder shop, and be sure to check out their line of DIY polyurea floor coatings. ...READ MORE

ETCHED IN METAL!
Using Acid Etching To Make One Of A Kind Marked Metal

By Matt Sprouse
Automotive enthusiasts can be a resourceful bunch, adapting techniques and ideas typically unrelated to the hobby, and using them for their benefit. Recently, we came across an at-home process derived from creating custom electronic circuit boards, which can be used to create custom body tags, emblems, or anything else you would want etched into metal.
          This process is a way to chemically etch non-ferrous metals such as brass, copper, aluminum, and zinc with ferric chloride, an acid that only dissolves these types of metals. Where imagination couples with chemistry is in a product called PNP-Blue, a printable substrate that resists ferric chloride and can be transferred to metal surfaces. Combining these two items allows you to etch exposed areas and leave masked areas untouched in whatever design you desire. How exciting is that?
          Here at Street Thunder, we thought this was such a cool idea that each of us decided to make something for our own project cars. So whether you want to mark a “V8” in your three-deuce zinc carb setup or make a custom badge for your late-model, we’re sure this process will get your three pounds of gray matter going and will result in something unique. Enjoy!...READ MORE

CASTING PLASTIC
Using Multi-Part Flexible Molds And Polyurethane Resin To Create OneOf A Kind Hot Rod Components

Photos and Text By Matt Sprouse
As a major focal point of a vehicle’s interior, a shift knob undoubtedly makes a statement of ownership and represents the owner’s tastes. Whether it is a modern billet aluminum piece, a traditional tiki head, or a menacing figure, it serves as not only a piece of artwork, but also as a connection between the driver and the drivetrain. Picking the perfect shift knob is an exercise in personal expression and should not be overlooked.
          While seeking out the appropriate shift knob for one of our Street Thunder project cars, we came across a number of options in the aftermarket, ranging from limited run plastic knobs to well machined aluminum handles, all of which would’ve been suitable for our application. However, because we would rather build something than buy it (if we’re capable), we thought we would design and create our own knob and share what we learned with our fellow NSMC Members.
          What we discovered is a simple and effective way to reproduce complex parts in polyurethane (plastic) by creating a multi-part mold out of flexible RTV silicone. To create the mold, we simply masked off half of the skull that we created andpoured our first section. After creating half of the mold, we repeated the process to form the other side and then jumped right into pouring the final casting.
          Most of the chemicals we used can be purchased at your local hobby shop or ordered online from an art supply store. While we created a custom skull shift knob, you can cast and mold most anything you can think of. So, use your imagination to create something unique for your street machine, whether it is a shift knob, badging, radio control knobs, or even taillight lenses.
          Follow along over the next few pages to learnhow to cast with plastic using a multi-mold process at home in your garage....READ MORE

WIDE WHITEWALLS ON A DIME
3 Ways To Get Wide Whites Without Breaking The Bank

By Matt Sprouse
A well-chosen set of tires, when used with the right wheels, of course, can make or break a desired style. Considering the options available today, an enthusiast can essentially choose which era in automotive history he or she would like to replicate. Whether it’s radials or bias plies, redlines or whitewalls, “pinner” whites or wide whites - the list goes on - choosing the correct tire based on the style you’re trying to achieve is of the utmost importance.
          When presented with the decision of which period we wanted our project ’62 Oldsmobile to characterize, it didn’t take long to settle on the style of tires it would have. Without a question, wide whites, all the way.
          With little budget to work with, we quickly came to terms with the factthat we couldn’t outfit our Olds with a top-of-the-line set of new whitewall tires. Knowing there are a number of NSMC Members working on a tight budget, we set out to find alternative ways to achieve our desired style of wide whitewall tires.
What we found were three vastly different ways of achieving essentially the same look without having to kill your budget to do it. We tried all three options and over the next few pages, we’ll outline the steps we took and explain what we found during our pursuit for budget-conscious wide whitewall tires.
So, follow along to find out how to outfit your street machine with wide whites without having to break the bank to accomplish it....READ MORE