Six high school automotive teams competing at the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow National Championship at the 2010 SEMA Show will be awarded $202,000 in scholarships.

The School of Automotive Machinists (SAM) will award $202,000 in scholarships to six high school automotive teams competing at the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow National Championship at the 2010 SEMA Show. Team MSD from Eastern Oklahoma Tech Center, Team Auto Meter from Loara High School, Team ARP from East Ridge High School, Team PRW from Fremd High School, Team Edelbrock from North Orange County ROP and Team Painless from Lakeshore High School will all be competing in the National Championship Playoffs November 2–5, 2010, in Las Vegas.

“SAM is happy to support high school automotive students who are excited about the automotive industry,” said Judson Massingill, founder and director of education at SAM. “This competition is about engine building, and that’s what we teach our students to do—build engines that make a lot of horsepower and stay together to win races. We hope these students will continue their automotive training and go on to work in the high-performance and racing industries,” said Judson.

Students must properly disassemble the engine using only hand tools, utilizing proper detorque and disassembly procedure, including the air cleaner, carb, distributor, plug wires, spark plugs, manifold, headers, heads, lifters, rocker arms, push rods, timing chain and cover. Then the oil filter, oil pan, oil pump, plus all eight pistons are removed. The cam and crank remain in the block. The team then returns behind their bench and waits for the judges to call them back. Teams then begin working to reassemble once again with the correct assembly procedure and torque specs, all while being viewed by judges and spectators. Time-added penalties for dropped components, improper disassembly, assembly, sportsmanship, etc., will be added to ensure correct assembly. All procedure penalties are in the rule book provided to the schools at the start of the school year. The engines, when reassembled, would fire up and run if gas, water and oil were added. The team with the fastest time, including penalty minutes, wins.

SAM was founded in 1985 by Linda and Judson Massingill. SAM is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) and is approved by the Department of Education. The School’s curriculum focuses on the design, theory, machining, building and testing of high-performance engines. The students are taught by experienced instructors and trained on industry-standard machines.

SAM graduates go on to work for race industry leaders, including Penske Racing, Warren Johnson Enterprises Inc., Hendrick Motorsports, John Force Racing, Roush Fenway Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing and Dart Machinery just to name a few. For more information about SAM and how to start a career in the high-performance motorsports industry, call 713/683-3817 or visit www.samracing.com.

This Tire Works semi-automatic tire changer will be auctioned off on eBay Motors at the 2010 SEMA Show.

A semi-automatic tire changer specifically designed for industry professionals, Tire Works model Teco 28TI/UPH/BPS/PO, will be auctioned off on eBay Motors November 1–10, 2010, with proceeds going to SEMA Cares.

The tire changer, donated by SICE USA/Teco Automotive Equipment, is a large-capacity 28-inch machine with a unique patented multiposition bead breaker. The machine will be equipped complete with a pneumatic bead assistant to handle tough tire/wheel combinations, including low-profile and run-flat applications. Additional optional equipment will also be provided, including a mounting head quick-disconnect device and both a steel-mounting head with cosmetic wheel protection inserts and the cosmetic (poly) mounting head. Also included will be a complement of cosmetic wheel protection items for the clamping jaws and the bead breaker. The unit, which has a suggested user price of approximately $10,500 and was shipped direct from Italy, will be on display at the 2010 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

To bid on the tire changer and support SEMA Cares, visit www.ebaymotors.com beginning November 1. SEMA Cares was established by the SEMA Board of Directors in 2007 to bring the voice and resources of the SEMA community together to make a positive difference in the lives of others. Funds are currently being raised to support Childhelp and Victory Junction Gang Camp children’s charities.

This Tire Works semi-automatic tire changer will be auctioned off on eBay Motors at the 2010 SEMA Show.

A semi-automatic tire changer specifically designed for industry professionals, Tire Works model Teco 28TI/UPH/BPS/PO, will be auctioned off on eBay Motors November 1–10, 2010, with proceeds going to SEMA Cares.

The tire changer, donated by SICE USA/Teco Automotive Equipment, is a large-capacity 28-inch machine with a unique patented multiposition bead breaker. The machine will be equipped complete with a pneumatic bead assistant to handle tough tire/wheel combinations, including low-profile and run-flat applications. Additional optional equipment will also be provided, including a mounting head quick-disconnect device and both a steel-mounting head with cosmetic wheel protection inserts and the cosmetic (poly) mounting head. Also included will be a complement of cosmetic wheel protection items for the clamping jaws and the bead breaker. The unit, which has a suggested user price of approximately $10,500 and was shipped direct from Italy, will be on display at the 2010 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

To bid on the tire changer and support SEMA Cares, visit www.ebaymotors.com beginning November 1. SEMA Cares was established by the SEMA Board of Directors in 2007 to bring the voice and resources of the SEMA community together to make a positive difference in the lives of others. Funds are currently being raised to support Childhelp and Victory Junction Gang Camp children’s charities.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is updating its “Green Guides,” which are intended to help marketers avoid misleading environmental claims. The Guides were first issued in 1992 but have not been revised since 1998. The Guides cover: 1) general principles that apply to all environmental marketing claims; 2) consumer perception of claims and marketing substantiation of claims; and 3) avoiding consumer deception.

A recent consumer marketing study found that most people thought a “green” product was recyclable, biodegradable, made from recycled materials or made with renewable materials. Since very few products, if any, have all of these attributes, the FTC’s Guide revisions are intended to clarify and limit the claims. The proposed revisions would require companies to provide more specific information about claims, such as renewable energy, carbon offsets and biodegradability. A new section in the Guides would require third-party certification of a product’s environmental claims to be treated as an endorsement with qualification language that is clear, prominent and specific. The FTC is expected to finalize the updates next year.

For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is updating its “Green Guides,” which are intended to help marketers avoid misleading environmental claims. The Guides were first issued in 1992 but have not been revised since 1998. The Guides cover: 1) general principles that apply to all environmental marketing claims; 2) consumer perception of claims and marketing substantiation of claims; and 3) avoiding consumer deception.

A recent consumer marketing study found that most people thought a “green” product was recyclable, biodegradable, made from recycled materials or made with renewable materials. Since very few products, if any, have all of these attributes, the FTC’s Guide revisions are intended to clarify and limit the claims. The proposed revisions would require companies to provide more specific information about claims, such as renewable energy, carbon offsets and biodegradability. A new section in the Guides would require third-party certification of a product’s environmental claims to be treated as an endorsement with qualification language that is clear, prominent and specific. The FTC is expected to finalize the updates next year.

For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

Masters Entertainment Group Inc. has announced a new programming concept as its latest national television series. The 13-week series “What’s in the Garage” will debut on Fox Sports Network (FSN) National in the second quarter of 2011 and be televised on Sundays at 11:30 a.m. and repeat on Mondays at 4:30 p.m. nationwide. AUTOGEEK.NET will serve as the program’s series entitlement sponsor.

“The idea behind the series came from traveling across the country and seeing so many garages with beautifully restored vehicles sitting in the driveways,” said Butch McCall, executive vice president of Masters. “The question we always ask ourselves is ‘I wonder what other cars they have in the garage?’”

The series will discover what people have in their garage by actually going to their homes and into their garages.

“We want people to send us an e-mail, along with a photo and tell us what they have in their garage,” McCall stated. “Be sure to give us your address and, who knows, we could be coming to your door asking, “What’s in the Garage?”

The series will be archived on Masters Entertainment Group’s Internet Television Network. “If our audience misses an episode they can log on and catch up on the vehicles they missed. They can also download any episode free of charge,” McCall continued.

“As a ‘car guy,’ I’m excited to help bring this new show to an ever-growing population of fellow car enthusiasts. Traveling to new locations and checking out ‘What’s in the Garage’ of authentic, grassroots car guys and bringing their cars and story to our viewers is going to be a blast,” said Mike Phillips, director of training for AUTOGEEK.NET.

If you are interested in having your car featured on “What’s in the Garage,” send an e-mail to masters@masterstv.com describing your car, with a photo, and your address.

A Wisconsin-proposed regulation to prohibit the registration of certain imported collector vehicles has been put on hold. Members of the Senate Transportation Committee voted by ballot to send the proposed rule, Trans 123, back to the Department of Transportation for revisions due to the vocal opposition of Wisconsin enthusiast groups, including members of the SEMA Action Network (SAN). Under an agreement reached with department officials, the rule will not be resubmitted but will be considered by lawmakers in the 2011 legislative session. The measure threatened to prohibit the registration of imported vehicles manufactured after 1967 that did not meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).

U.S. law specifically exempts imported vehicles that are 25 years old and older from these standards. The Wisconsin proposal would have been inconsistent with federal law and prohibited the registration of vehicles coming in from other states that have already been proven safe on U.S. roadways. SAN also objected to the proposal on the grounds that it provided no way for vehicle owners to prove a vehicle’s safety other than conforming exclusively to the FMVSS and failed to take into account the fact that these vehicles are usually brought into this country by collectors and are overwhelmingly well-maintained and infrequently driven.

For more information, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

A Wisconsin-proposed regulation to prohibit the registration of certain imported collector vehicles has been put on hold. Members of the Senate Transportation Committee voted by ballot to send the proposed rule, Trans 123, back to the Department of Transportation for revisions due to the vocal opposition of Wisconsin enthusiast groups, including members of the SEMA Action Network (SAN). Under an agreement reached with department officials, the rule will not be resubmitted but will be considered by lawmakers in the 2011 legislative session. The measure threatened to prohibit the registration of imported vehicles manufactured after 1967 that did not meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).

U.S. law specifically exempts imported vehicles that are 25 years old and older from these standards. The Wisconsin proposal would have been inconsistent with federal law and prohibited the registration of vehicles coming in from other states that have already been proven safe on U.S. roadways. SAN also objected to the proposal on the grounds that it provided no way for vehicle owners to prove a vehicle’s safety other than conforming exclusively to the FMVSS and failed to take into account the fact that these vehicles are usually brought into this country by collectors and are overwhelmingly well-maintained and infrequently driven.

For more information, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

This collection of photos from www.enjoythedrive.com highlights some of the most exotic custom creations that were on display at the 2009 SEMA Show. Custom rods, buggies, choppers, scooters, side-by-sides and more one-of-a-kind metal make appearances in this collection.

The photo gallery on www.enjoythedrive.com is searchable by exhibitor's name, vehicle make, vehicle model, category and more.   

This collection of photos from www.enjoythedrive.com highlights some of the most exotic custom creations that were on display at the 2009 SEMA Show. Custom rods, buggies, choppers, scooters, side-by-sides and more one-of-a-kind metal make appearances in this collection.

The photo gallery on www.enjoythedrive.com is searchable by exhibitor's name, vehicle make, vehicle model, category and more.