Do you ever get that feeling like you’re constantly being pulled in different directions? That’s a rhetorical question, of course, because that’s the reality of our lives, thanks in part to automation, technology, and social media. Sometimes, you just have to hit pause for a day and take stock of things. There are a lot of moving parts to my job that require close attention. If not, things easily fall through the cracks. It’s January as I write this, but I’m already planning articles, engine builds, and events as far into the future as August, and this is a look at some of the things I’m currently working on.
Car Craft is actively working on three project cars: the CC/Malibu, the Cutlass drag car, and Truck Norris. I recently had to replace a broken ball joint on the Malibu to get it ready for a road trip to Tucson, Arizona, for Roadkill’s Zip Tie drags. As soon as I finished the suspension work, the fuel pump failed. Of course, we were filming a segment for The Daily Fix for Motor Trend On Demand at the time, because things like that always happen at inopportune times. Fortunately, former Car Craft editor Doug Glad had a spare pump that plugged right in, and we made the trip to Tucson and back with no issues.
Truck Norris is running well, but occasionally has hot-start issues. I replaced the starter and did a voltage drop test on the battery cables to see if I need to upgrade from the 1-gauge battery cables that are on it now to 0 or even 2/0 cables. There are some other minor issues with the C10: I need to hook up the speedometer and fix some weird electrical issue with the gauge cluster that is making the turn-signal indicators light up with the headlights switched on. I also need to add a fuel gauge of some sort to the fuel cell. So far, I’ve been eyeballing the fuel level and filling up when it looks about half empty.
The Cutlass needs some more serious work. It was running about a second off its previous best time, and a leakdown test indicated a problem with cylinder No. 4. Upon removing the valve cover, I found a bent pushrod on the intake side, and as most of you know, bent pushrods are usually accompanied by bent valves. In the interim, I’ll drop in the SP383 crate engine Chevrolet Performance provided to us for testing and do a complete rebuild of the 350 currently in the car. I’ll also fix the leaky axle seals and send the rear trailing arms to Southside Machine to be rebuilt.
In addition to the normal battery of engine builds and other tech articles we do, I’m covering the frame swap that HOT ROD Garage is currently filming for a series of upcoming episodes on YouTube. Tony and Lucky are dropping a 1965 F-100 body on a 2007 Crown Victoria frame. It’s an interesting swap that’s gaining popularity among the DIY crowd.
Lastly, I’m also in the process of planning my travel schedule for race season, starting with Lights Out 8 at South Georgia Motorsports Park. Last year’s race was incredible, and I expect this year’s will be even better. I’m also planning something different for the Car Craft Anti Tour, our annual road trip with the readers for 2017. The plans will be announced soon, but as a teaser, drag racing will be back in the plans. The Car Craft Summer Nationals will be moving to a new home at Beech Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky, this July. This is exciting because it will be the first time in as long as I can remember that the Nats will be held at a dragstrip. We’re currently in the middle of countless meetings and conference calls, brainstorming interesting things to do now that we have immediate access to a racetrack. This will be exciting.
With all these things going on, I still have to get a magazine out, get freelancers paid on time, plan upcoming issues, and still have time for friends and family. As frantic as things can feel some time, I’m still grateful to be doing something I love for a living.
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