Downshifting installment for Rat Rod Magazine from issue 11

"Up for a Show?"

Downshifting for Rat Rod Magazine Issue 11 by Geoff Johnson

I don't count the number of full-blown, official car shows I go to each year, but I think my average is about ten.  I am not including the cruise nights or fun runs or the ‘just because’ drives where you take the back roads home.  It didn't take long for me to realize an odd phenomena.  Once I noticed it, I got thinking--why was it that sometimes the nicer cars were in the parking lot instead of the show itself?  Maybe you have seen the same thing or even done this yourself.  But here is the real question--why does someone go to a show but not want to be part of it?

I think there are several reasons why someone wants to be part of a show.  Every show works with sponsors big and small to do what they can to entice participants to sign up.  Bigger, fancier shows (with bigger fancier entrance prices) can provide swag bags complete with event t-shirts, calendars, discount coupons, etc.  Medium sized shows will often give dash plaques or windshield stickers and sometimes something extra special to the first fifty rides through the gate.  Smaller shows often give you the chance to show off your work and bond with other rodders on a summer morning, but do you really need anything more than that?  I can't think of anyone I know who goes to a show for the free stuff.  It has more to do about supporting a club or a cause.  

Providing yourself the motivation to get that project done, and on the road to the show, can be the best cause to support. The deadline of having a show barreling down on you does wonders for getting your creative, day-dreaming part of your brain to work with the technical, mechanical side.  Get it figured out, and get it done.  Mark the day on one of your free car show calendars, stick it up on the workspace wall, and get doing.  The only shame that will fall on you is in not trying to finish.  I’ve been there.  I know how a simple master cylinder swap can turn into a full brake rebuild, or how replacing a fuel filter soon becomes a carb disassembly.  This is what it is all about.  Keep planning, keep moving, keep watching that calendar.

Downshifting installment from Rad Rod Magazine Issue 6

“Swappers: The Brave and the Bold”

by Geoff Johnson

Originally appeared in Rat Rod Magazine Issue 6

The engine swap holds a certain mystique for every hot rodder I know.  Swapping is the one thought always waiting already etched in the back of their minds.  When that chunk of bolted together iron won’t turn over, has piston skirts in the oil pan, or burns more oil than gas, you have to figure something else out.  Rebuilding is one option, but swapping is a braver and bolder way, the rat rod way.  Thankfully some help is out there.  Floyd Clymer published many popular motor books during the 50s and 60s. One that stood the test of time is his Handbook of Engine Swapping.  I firmly believe he helped a generation of hot rod builders create what Detroit wasn’t always willing or able to offer.  

While there are other technical books out there, The Handbook is full of expert swapping advice and detailed examples of popular swaps from the era that doesn’t leave you short on the fine details.  Rodders contemplating an engine swap are forced to look at the whole process, not just how cool the end result would be.  What keeps your current engine running will still be needed to keep your new engine going: fuel, spark, cooling, and a transmission to convert all that noise into momentum.  A swap under the hood should include more that just what goes under the hood to do it right.

Never underestimate what goes into a swap. Fitting that new oil pan between the frame rails is only the beginning.  The physical dimensions from valve cover to valve cover and water pump to bell housing also need to be considered. The vehicle you are swapping into only has so much room to work with. This will rule out what you can and can’t do (unless you are down with some serious cutting and welding).  If you have your heart set on a favorite make and model, do your research.  Sometimes a year or two older or newer can make your swap much easier or infinitely harder depending on the measurements of the inner fenders, the firewall setback, or how close the quarters will be around the steering, but I guess you could always swap that out, too.

The examples of actual swaps discussed in the book (complete with pictures of real build-ups from Rod and Custom issues) included dropping Caddy power into a ’49 Ford and referring to it as a Fordillac and for builders looking to make a stronger impression on the street or strip, fitting a Chrysler Firedome V8 under the hood of the same generation Ford. You already guessed the name they gave it: the Fordsler.  Don’t forget to check out the Thunderbird 312 put in a ‘40 Ford,  a Corvette small block into a Studebaker, and the 260 small block Ford forced into a Simca coupe.  Clymer was sure to cover all the components a builder needed for a complete engine swap.  In the chapters before and after each of the build-ups, readers are told what other vehicles they should look at to find the missing parts they need to finish.  He even gives you diagrams of what motor mounts to use and how to redrill where they mount depending on how you plan to use them.  This beats trial and error every day.

So, what do you want that you can’t do now? Most builders consider a swap as a quick and easy way to boost some rear wheel horsepower. Have you considered rebuilding what you have? A fresh motor with freshly tuned carb might do more than you expect. It doesn’t give you that feeling at the cruise night though—when the passerby asks you what is under that rat rod’s hood.   Lastly, when it comes to swapping, don’t do something you’ll regret later. This is your ride—build it the way you want it, build it to drive it, and try something new knowing you can always change it next year. Don’t do a swap because someone tells you to, and don’t do a swap because someone tells you not to.  It takes your hands to build it and your feet to break it.  Enjoy, and don’t be afraid to bring Floyd Clymer with you along for the ride.

Welcome to Almost 2017

Stay tuned for some classic columns from my installments of Downshifting in Rat Rod Magazine.

I have written a regular column for Rat Rod for over five years and will be giving you the chance to relive the early days of the column.

Also, look for other reviews of classic automotive literature here.

Finally, I will be posting pictures of shows I've attended over the years.

Enjoy!