Story ideas for PHR.. input wanted

[Stu Seitz]

Try some more affordable late 70's-90's cars.

I understand where you are coming from, as I am a college student and I’m stoked when find a quarter on the ground, but I think you need to take stock in what you are asking for.

First off, affordable 70 - mid/late 80's power plants, which perform and still meet smog? Good luck, check out g/28, and what, I think was an over a 7000 dollar engine that didn’t make much power because of smog (CA smog?). I think people just need to educate themselves on EFI; its better now and it will be better in the long run.

Yeah the LT1/LT4’s and LT5’s were great engines, which made great power for there day, but the price of swapping an LS engine is getting close to building up a SBC or swapping and LT1. And that’s just the power plant.

With today’s chassis (90-2006) do you really think that it is more cost effect to start of with a dated chassis and modify it to compete with today’s, already more capable cars? Would I like to see a Vega tear up a road course? Hell yeah, but that could get really costly; especially when you’re up against a stock corvette.



I do not mean this post to be a personal attack, and I am not questioning you’re intelligence, but have you ever looked at a 98-02 F-body or a non Z06 corvette. If you are really looking for the best bang for your buck, you should at least give some attention to these cars. As they can be had for really cheap, not to mention their aerodynamic and cornering advantage and they still can make power while still meeting smog.

Because of those reasons I would like to see more of these cars, rather then chassis from the 70’s, that so many other magazines feature **cough** fox/sn95**cough**.

/rant

Edit: How about more Grassroot Motorsports and less Super Chevy?

[LowBuckX]

How about 4 wheel disc brakes with 13x1.25 inch rotors upfront for under $400 ..

[BonzoHansen]

…but have you ever looked at a 98-02 F-body or a non Z06 corvette. If you are really looking for the best bang for your buck, you should at least give some attention to these cars. As they can be had for really cheap, not to mention their aerodynamic and cornering advantage and they still can make power while still meeting smog.

GM High Performance caters to newer cars. PHR is about older cars. At least that is what I expect from it.

…I'd be happier with a 72 Firebird Esprit converted to a LS1 (and 6 speed) with free flow exhaust and intake that gets 30 mpg...

All of what he said. BTW, this reminds me, the recent article “Put An LSx in Anything’ only showed me how to buy parts. Real letdown on that one.

[jy211]

what about doing stories on smaller no name/local shops?

[Steve1968LS2]

GM High Performance caters to newer cars. PHR is about older cars. At least that is what I expect from it.

All of what he said. BTW, this reminds me, the recent article “Put An LSx in Anything’ only showed me how to buy parts. Real letdown on that one.

Yea, we do a few new cars.. not tooooo much.

The "put an LS2 into anything" was just a last moment supliment to the stock engine dyno story. Thought it would be good to show some of the stuff already on the market to support transplants of the newer mill. Can't say that I love what they named it though.

I am just starting to install my LS2 today and there will be a story that should be more detail and less "sales pitch". And while it will be "how to put an LS2 into a first gen Camaro" the basics apply to just about any car with things like where to tap in for oil pressure, temp, water and all that.

[Steve1968LS2]

How about 4 wheel disc brakes with 13x1.25 inch rotors upfront for under $400 ..

I would LOVE to do a "super cheap" brake story.. I think it would be fun and to be honest I don't think the big brake companies would mind since they know guys with $$$ will buy thier stuff because they want the best they can get.

[KWIKND]

How about a LS based 5.3L build up/upgrade. I would think there are alot of these available.
Dan

[BonzoHansen]

I am just starting to install my LS2 today and there will be a story that should be more detail and less "sales pitch". And while it will be "how to put an LS2 into a first gen Camaro" the basics apply to just about any car with things like where to tap in for oil pressure, temp, water and all that.

Can't wait.

How about a modern OE engine review? For instance, there are LS-derived motors in cars, trucks, SUVs, etc. What is the difference between them? I am talking physical attributes, like mounting bosses (how do the FWD 5.3 blocks differ?), parts ‘swappability’ (can I put LS6 heads or intake on a 5.3?), accessory locations (will the Monte 5.3 fit my 67 better because the AC is better located?), maybe year to year things (ie GM changed design of part A due to previous durability issues – think TPI with & w/o 9th injector) that the hot rodder should be aware of. Maybe with vin info for yard searches. I don’t need to know what SLP and World sell – their ads and websites do that for me; I want to know what GM made, which one I want for my application, and where to find it.

[chet]

I sub to an australian 4wd mag and I like the way they do comparisons. They actually go out and BUY the products so the mfg does not know they are doing an article. that way you ar enot getting an item that has been triple checked to make sure its good before it gets to you. Go to a parts store and buy a carb and see how many have crap in them.

Also if a product sucks tell us. Screw the mfg. if their product sucks they need to fix it. maybe work with them to make it better? I want to here about the bad stuff to stay away from as much as the good stuff.

More articles on hopping up inline sixes.

Also throw a truck in the mag every once in a while! :D

[MStennes]

Element180 I like your suggestion I also noticed you left out Holleys Commander 950 Pro wideband; 1.In depth aftermarket ECU comparrison such as BigStuff3 vs Autronic vs Accel DFI vs AEM EMS vs Electromotive.Stuff like ease of tuning,in depth feature comparrison,pros & cons of each (other than just price)

If I had that a year ago I wouldnt have wasted all my time on that 950 system. I would have gone LS2 sooner now its summer and I'm installing a LS7 guess it worked out better.
Anyway heres my idea start calling tech help lines and see which really help you on a "so called problem" or pass the back or leave you scratching your head when you hang up. I can name a few who are totally worthless, when you ask for a superior you get the run around. Maybe if they saw it in print they might work to change it. See who leaves you on hold the longest hoping you will hang up. I have had some who go above and beyond to help you and others who just down right stink. I like the idea of buying your testing stuff and call it as you see it. I know of a few who have gotten stuff after tests only to wonder if it was the same product. How about real life gear ratio setups for power, economy?
Just a few.
Mike

[Damn True]

Your post reminds me of a discussion we had nearly a year ago in which we discussed magazines taking on something of a role as consumer advocate as well.

[edit below]

...actually it was over on Lat-g, here is my post:

There are a few things Id like to see:

a) More emphasis on performance. For example, in this article http://popularhotrodding.com/features/0406phr_owen/ you guys emote about how fast the car is. Yet you never actually tell us HOW fast it is. Let's see some lap times. Perhaps a comparison between Owen's best time @ Laguna or Sears vs. GT1, GT2 or NASCAR? Sure he most likely wouldn't be faster, but it would ad some real nice insight into the quality of his build to see how close he is. Did a guy build a '98 Mustang to race in SCCA SoloII? Well, how's it run? Did a guy build a '55 Chevy drag car? How's it run? Don't just show me a nice paint job and give me his dyno numbers at the crank. Show me the end result of the total package. If possible, more, more, more track cars. There are tons of superbadass auto-x and open road racing machines that would be great to see in print. More go, less show.

b) More actual cost information. I think most of us would benefit from knowing how much stuff is REALLY going to cost us. Not only to purchase something, but to have it installed or dyno tuned. How much is it going to cost a REAL consumer (not magazine guys or connected guys with sponsorships who get "bro-deals") to do a basic strip & repaint, install an 8 point cage or the like. Now I know labor cost vary. But it wouldn't be that tough to forge an agreement with a few shops (one in SoCal, St. Louis and Phili perhaps) who could provide an average cost estimate for purchase and installation of a given gizmo or service. Include the cost estimates in a sidebar along with a disclaimer that costs vary based one location and quality/depth of work contracted for and you will do all of us regular guys and a lot of the shops a favor. I'm sure most shops would prefer to answer one call from you than 27 from consumers in their area about pricing.

c) Test more stuff. I think it would be very helpful to the consumer to see how well a given car, individual part or system works against stock or competitors products. The more performance comparisons the better. I think your readership would be well served by you, and the other mags for that matter, taking on more of a role as consumer advocate in terms of exposing what does and does not work. Which companies do and do not serve their customers well. For instance, if you are going to do an article on a new product from Procharger, don't call them and say "Hi, this is Steve from Popular Hot Rodding and blah, blah, blah." Call them as Joe Sixpack from Temecula and see what kind of service and delivery they provide in addition to how well their stuff works.
I understand it puts you guys in a tough spot as a commercial entity to call into question the quality of service or workmanship provided by a current or potential advertiser. Or to say how great brand "X" is when brand "Y" just bought a full page ad. But, if said advertisers knew going in that they would be held accountable by you it would raise the bar for all of them in terms of doing what they do, and doing it well. Not that car porn is all bad, I enjoy perving out on a great looking car or product as much as anyone else, but there is an opportunity to provide much more than that.

[BonzoHansen]

..True..that gets back to how the rag makes $$. They aren't making it off my $10 for 2 years deal. So if they piss off the ad buyers, well, someone ain't getting paid.

Consumers Reports ain't cheap, but they got no ad support. (but people do donate money to their organization, which I find a bit odd).

[TonyHuntimer]

This book, written by one of our moderators [Tony Huntimer] is exactly what you're looking for:



http://www.racehome.com/books.htm

Thanks Ralph. I appreciate the support.

Tony Huntimer
RaceHome.com

[camaro608]

how about how my high school is building a 69 camaro drag car?

[element180]

I also noticed you left out Holleys Commander 950 Pro wideband

I'd like to say I left it out on purpose or something but truthfully,I only listed the ones that popped into my head at the time

[element180]

I also left out MoTeC,Haltech,MotoTron,FAST,Edelbrock,SDS EM-4,Wolf V500,TSI Pro Sequential,A'PEXi Power FC and I'm sure there are many I have'nt heard of not to mention all the piggy-back systems out there

[ScotI]

Cheap big brakes w/back to back testing vs stock stuff.
Cheap (?) FI swaps from a running carb set-up.
More late model engine retro-fits & "how to do's" .
OD tranny comparisons (man & autos); swap-tech & tips.
Cooling system engineering (cooling better w/less).

I really enjoy the current articles & they would be even better w/some real performance #'s to show. Keep the cars & info real world.

Taking the time to quiz your 'peers' is a great idea & shows your devotion to our hobby. Thanks!

[MStennes]

I'd like to say I left it out on purpose or something but truthfully,I only listed the ones that popped into my head at the time

LOL I thought it got left as you think the same of it as I do....

[bingham72]

See if you could walk into a swap meet/ car show with say $5k and walk out with all the parts for a running car.
Buy a shell over here, a motor over there, throw in a tranny, some cheap swap meet wheels and drive it home!

[element180]

I'd like to see more PT trucks and older SUV's like a certain yellow '56 Suburban (can't remember who owns it) that I drool over everytime I see it