Were you to park a ’14 Chevy Malibu next to a ’56 Bel Air and open the hoods of each, the contrast would be remarkable. The Malibu’s short, wide engine bay is so full of plastic covers, tubes, hoses, wires, bottles and other equipment that the car’s four-cylinder engine is barely visible—if at all. The Bel Air’s Turbo-Fire V8, on the other hand, stands out in the ’56 Chevy’s spacious engine compartment, covered in bright orange paint and hooked to a canister air cleaner, a couple of radiator hoses and little else. Ask any shadetree mechanic why he prefers to work on old collector cars over today’s computer- and emissions-controlled vehicles and the answer usually comes down to: “They were so much simpler then.”
September 1, 2014
You might be able to start a nail with a screwdriver, but it’s a whole lot easier with a hammer. The proper tool makes any task flow more smoothly—and automotive machining and modification are certainly the beneficiaries of tool and equipment innovations. A wealth of working gear was introduced in the New Products Showcase at the 2013 SEMA Show. We’ve gathered them together on the next few pages for your review and enjoyment. There may be a gem here that can make your next undertaking more of a joy and less of a job.
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