Classic Car Museums Need Our Support!

Today was a sad day to learn that yet another classic car museum will soon be closing it's doors for good. While we've heard of museums around the country being affected by the economic crunch, the Central Texas Museum of Automotive History closing hits home because it's right here in Rosanky, TX.

The Central Texas Museum of Automotive History was founded by Dick Burdick, a Texas businessman and car collector. The museum includes two different facilities, the original museum located in Rosanky, Texas which opened in 1980 and a second unit which was opened in 2009 in San Marcos, Texas named Dick's Classic Garage. The museum has a good size collection of American and European cars from the 20th century. The European cars and American cars before 1929 are displayed in the original museum. The original museum also includes a library of automotive materials.

Also founded by Dick Burdick, Dick's Classic Garage is located in San Marcos, Texas and is one of the two museums which comprise the Central Texas Museum of Automotive History.  Dick's Classic Garage showcases American vehicles and memorabilia from the 1930s though the 1950s. According to Wikipedia, it displays a 1948 Tucker Sedan with the chassis number 1050, the lowest mileage Tucker with only 0.4 miles on the odometer!  For more information on the amazing cars and the museum's history, read the Austin-American Statesman article.

Example of a 1948 Tucker Sedan

According to Greg Verret, museum Director, they "will be auctioning off nearly 90 automobiles and key pieces of automotive memorabilia at no reserve with the exception of four very special autos. The proceeds will be used to create an endowment for the ongoing preservation of automobile history for future generations at our other museum, Dick’s Classic Garage in San Marcos, TX." The auction will take place on Saturday March 3, 2012 at the museum's Rosanky location.

Please feel free to contact Motorheads Performance if you have questions or want additional information, or visit the non-profit museum's website at www.dicksclassicgarage.org. If you'd like to support the cause, consider a donation to help keep the history of classic cars alive for future generations who might not otherwise get the chance to see the incredible history of automobiles.

Are Trucks The New HOT Classic?

Antiques were sought after, classics from the 1950's were hot, then came the muscle cars, which have dominated the field the last decade or so. Now, with the economy in plunders, and the classic car industry taking a hit with prices and values falling, we get an eye-opening piece of news that was released today.  Old trucks are HOT!

For many years, buying and restoring an old truck was something done primarily only by those who truly love them. It wasn't seen as much of an "investment". Trucks have always tended to be an overlooked commodity, but I invite you to read the story which appeared in PickupTrucks.com. Perhaps you'll change your way of thinking about trucks!

To sum it all up, basically insiders were stunned at the prices that some of the old trucks were fetching at last week’s 2012 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction. A 1932 Ford pickup went for $250,000. The 1958 Chevy Cameo (shown in picture below) sold for $93,500. A total of 25 different trucks sold for more than $50,000 (including commission)! See the complete sale list by clicking the story link above.

“We have been watching classic pickup values steadily go up for a few years now, and this was definitely the year of the pickup in Scottsdale,” said McKeel Hagerty of Hagerty Insurance, which tracks auction sales throughout the country. “Compared to 2011, the average prices are up, and the buzz around pickups was talked about just as much as the multimillion-dollar sales.” (requoted from post by Mark Williams in PickupTrucks.com)

“Classic pickups are currently one of the hottest trends in collecting,” Hagerty said. “For many years, old trucks were primarily used for utility purposes, but collectors are now buying them to restore and show. The great thing about classic pickups is they are affordable, easy to work on, have great style similar to the cars of the era, and appeal to a wide audience.” (requoted from post by Mark Williams in PickupTrucks.com)

Motorheads Performance have always been interested in classic trucks, and Guy and I own four ourselves. Yet we've always heard the same old story, "Why waste your money on that!"  In the eight years we've been repairing, maintaining, upgrading and restoring all types of projects from the 1920's through the 1970's, we've had a great share of old pickup trucks that have been lovingly repaired and/or restored for our customers.  Not every old truck will attain values like those reported, but we're pleased that this may be a boost to the values these great, often overlooked, vehicles.

While the news may be good for those who already own an old truck, news like this certainly will bring about demand for them, and we may soon find ourselves with inflated costs to purchase them, raising prices on parts, as well as difficulty in finding parts. When certain "investors" get involved, they're doing so because they can pick something up cheap, fix it up and turn around to get big profits. We've seen it happen with the classics and the muscle cars. Will it now be the hillbilly hotrods?

Guy Algar and Andrea White are owners of Motorheads Performance, a classic car repair shop located in South Central Texas. They specialize in classic cars and trucks, muscle cars, antiques, hot rods and street rods.

1955 Chevy Couch Raffle

Guy and I wanted to share some news about a project with a very worthwhile cause.  Our friends at Central Texas Classic Chevy Club in Austin have been working on a club project, and we're calling on all our friends, customers and vendors to see what they can do to help out.


Lone Star is the club's single largest annual show/event! Every year, one of several Texas based Classic Chevy Clubs hosts the car show in their city. Classic Chevy's from all over Texas and surrounding states participate. This year, the Central Texas Classic Chevy Club is hosting a Statewide Chevy Convention in San Marcos at the Embassy Suites on IH35. The event is called " Lone Star XXX". The event will take place May 4-6, 2012.


The club's project for this event was the construction of a 1955 Chevy Couch, complete with working lights, and stereo. The couch is completed and is currently on display at Dicks Classic Garage in San Marcos. Dick's Classic Garage is part of the Central Texas Museum of Automotive History. This couch was 100% constructed from a real car and was made from contributions for this effort. Check it out:

100 % of the sale of raffle tickets will be turned over to the Laity Lodge Free Camp for Children.  Central Texas Classic Chevy Club will not receive one cent from this raffle. It is our way of giving back to the community. Dan Bowen, President of CTCCC, says, "If you have time, please go see the couch at Dick's Garage in San Marcos and buy a raffle ticket for this well worth cause." The tickets are only $10 each or 5 for $40. All ticket sales are tax deductible.

For more information about the event please visit Central Texas Classic Chevy Club.  Guy Algar and Andrea White of Motorheads Performance are pleased to support the cause, and encourage others to as well.

What Defines a "Classic" or "Antique" Vehicle?

Used to be that people would refer to an antique car or truck as one that was at least 45 years old.  A classic was 25-45 years old.  The problem is that as time goes by, these don't mean the same thing.  Can you imagine a 1986 Honda being considered a "classic"?  How about your 1985 minivan!  Is your classic 1956 now an antique?

I prefer to use consistent references to a span of specific years.  For antiques, I would consider anything from the invention of the automobile through the 1930's to be "antique".  The "classics" would cover cars and trucks of the 1940's through the 1960's.  Muscle cars seemed to dominate the 1960's through 1970's.  Mixed in there you have your street rods, hot rods, rat rods etc., but these terms seem to address more of how these vehicles are used.  For instance, you can have a 1930's rat rod, or a 1940 street rod...or just as easy the opposite. You can hot rod just about anything if you're referring to beefing up performance and power.

At Motorheads Performance, we specialize in vehicles from the 1920's through the 1970's. We see a variety of cars and trucks, and love the fact that our customers are so enthusiastic about their rides. I, for one, feel we need new terms for vehicles of the 1980's and 1990's. Many in this range are now over 25 years old, and it's just my opinion that it'd be a shame to lump these in with other true "classics"!

Great Cause Benefits San Antonio Kids

Motorheads Performance was pleased to make a pledge to the Elf Louise Radiothon today through WOAI's Joe Pags show.  We'd like to invite our friends and fans to join in on the cause and make a donation too. 

This worthwhile fundraising event directly benefits the kids and families in San Antonio by buying and delivering Christmas gifts to kids whose families have hit hard times and cannot give the gift of hope and happiness at Christmas.  For all those who are fortunate enough to have something to give, we urge you to do what you can and make a donation. 

Read more: http://radio.woai.com/pages/pp_joepags.html?_show#ixzz1fR1IrrMk. 
Joe Pags will be live at the North Star Mall tomorrow morning to wrap up the fundraising. 
Join Joe Pags Live ....or call 210-797-7700. 

The Right Ride

How do you know what classic car or truck is right for you?  For some the choice is obvious.  You've been lusting after a particular vehicle for as long as you can remember because it has really captured your attention.  For others, it may be a car that they had during high school or college, or one that they dreamed of owning back then.  Surprisingly though, some KNOW that they want a classic car or truck, but they're confused over how to decide.  It may be that they've got so many likes that nothing seems to jump out as an obvious favorite.  Or, it may be that the logical side of their brain steers them away from favorites that seem out of reach financially. 

At Motorheads Performance, we don't believe that there is any one "right" ride.  Everyone has their own likes and dislikes and it is important to listen to them when making your decision.  You don't have to feel like you need to go along with the crowd, get the most popular, think only of resale value, etc.  Take the time to look at many of the classics by visiting local car shows, going on-line to sites that specialize in classic or antique vehicles, look through magazines such as Hot Rodder, Classic Chevy, Corvette Fever, etc., as well as the many books laced with hundreds of classic car photos and descriptions.  One is bound to strike your fancy over all the others.

Choosing the "right" ride will make your project that much more enjoyable, and the money you invest will seem well spent.  If you need help finding your vehicle, give Motorheads a call, or visit our website at http://www.motorheadsperformance.com/. 

For the women in your life...

Just a note to all of you who follow us at Motorheads Performance.  Many of you have met Melissa, who has assisted us in the shop from time to time, and was a real hand at locating hard-to-find classic cars and original parts!

She has moved on to pursue her 8 year passion as a hair stylist specializing in hair extensions in San Antonio, and has opened her own specialty salon in Stone Oak. Check out her website at www.extensionsofyourself.com, and be sure to tell the women you know!

We wish her the very best.

Change of Hours

Motorheads Performance has changed its hours!  We've listened to customer requests, and have changed our hours to Tuesday through Saturday from 8am to 6pm.  While Sunday hours originally seemed like a novel idea, and one that many might appreciate, we've found that people still like their weekends for family and non-work obligations.Many customers needed more weekday availability in order to correspond and telephone us concerning updates, approvals on estimates, etc., and we've listened by adjusting our hours.  We hope these new hours work for you.  Please call us at 830-424-3883 or visit us at http://www.motorheadsperformance.com/  if there is anything we can help you with. 

Has Economy Affected Hotrodders?

We're seeing that while the down turn in the economy has affected some enthusiasts who have been saving up to do a restoration or upgrade to their classic car or hot rod, many are going ahead with their dream plans. We're seeing that the true enthusiast has included their project in their list of essential priorities.

Even if finances are tight, there are many ways you can proceed with your dream project without risking financial ruin. Motorheads Performance will be offering suggestions in upcoming articles which will help save you money on your project.

Motorheads Voted Top Corvette Shop
3rd Year in a Row

Motorheads Performance was once again named one of the nation's top Corvette shops, and one of only nine recommended shops in Texas! In fact, we're 1 of only 2 shops serving South Central Texas (including San Antonio, Austin & Victoria) that were listed.

We're proud to be nominated by our customers for this prestigious list that appears in the June 2009 issue of Corvette Fever magazine. "All shops listed here have been recommended by fellow Corvette enthusiasts," explains the article. It is one of the most requested components of Corvette Fever, and businesses listed range from "full-blown restoration shops to places you can go to for routine maintenance."

If you missed the article, you can log onto http://www.corvettefever.com/.

Thanks again for those who recommended us for the article, and to those who trust us enough to recommend us to friends and fellow enthusiasts!

Andrea & Guy

The History of Texas License Plates
By Rod Hemmick

Part 1 – The “pre-state” era August 1907 thru June 1917

This article is the first part of a series which will cover the history of Texas license plates. It is an interesting fact, that when the first laws were passed requiring that automobiles be registered, the states did not actually “issue” license plates to vehicle owners. Instead, it was up to the vehicle owners to provide the license plate (or plates) to display on their vehicles.

Each state, of course, passed its own laws at different points in the early 1900’s. New York was the first state in the Union to require that vehicle owners register their vehicles. Beginning on May 25, 1901, all motor vehicles operating in the State of New York were required to have their vehicles registered with the State. It is interesting to note that these first registration numbers consisted only of the vehicle owner’s initials. Most of the surviving examples today suggest that the majority of these “first” license plates consisted of metal letters attached to a leather pad. Since these first license plates consisted only of the owners initials, it did not take long for a great number of duplications to become in existence. For that reason, by 1903 a system of numbers replaced the use of the owner’s initials in the State of New York.

This time period, which varies for each state, when the vehicle owner was required to furnish their own license plates, is referred to as the “pre-state” period in license plate history. Pre-state indicating that the period was prior to the period when the states actually provided the license plates to vehicle owners when they registered their vehicles.

Once a state began to issue license plates with vehicle registrations, it entered the second period which is usually referred to as the “state-issued” period. Today, all fifty states in the United States issue license plates to vehicle owners when their vehicles are registered.

The registration of motor vehicles in the State of Texas came about as the result of House Bill #93 which was introduced during the 30th Legislature which convened in Austin, Texas on January 8, 1907. This bill did not pass during the regular session, and became a matter of priority during the special session which was called on April 12, 1907 (the same day the regular session ended). House Bill #93 was passed on April 15, 1907 and became law on August 10, 1907.

This act required that “All owners of automobiles or motor vehicles shall, before using such vehicles or machines upon the public roads, streets or driveways, register with the county clerk of the county in which he resides, his name, which name shall be registered by the county clerk in consecutive order in a book to be kept for that purpose, and shall be numbered in the order of their registration, and it shall be the duty of such owner or owners to display in a conspicuous place on said machine the number so registered, which number shall be in figures not less than six inches in height. The county clerk shall be paid by such owner or owners a fee of fifty cents for each vehicle registered.” (As a note of interest, speed limits were also set by this act at 8 miles per hour while driving inside any city limits and 18 miles per hour while driving outside of any city limits). Thus began the “pre-state” era of licensing of motor vehicles in the State of Texas which would continue until June 30, 1917.

Efforts had begun as early as 1903 to establish a central authority for regulating the State’s highway system in Texas. During the period from 1903 to 1916, there were eighteen different bills introduced in the State legislature to establish a State highway department, but none of them were passed. This was due mainly to a strong feeling among many of the State’s citizens that such a move would create increased taxation. Also, there were many who were opposed to any type of “centralization” of state government. Thus, at the time the 1907 law came into effect, everything was left up to the individual counties. There was no statewide registration system. Each county that had a county clerk (not all did at this time) maintained its own set of records which, of course, created a duplication of registration numbers in every county that was registering vehicles at the time.

Since it was the vehicle owner’s responsibility to display the registration number on his vehicle, a wide variety of means were used to achieve this end. It is conceivable that many types of homemade license plates were created and some very interesting types have survived to this day. Some owners simply just painted the registration numbers directly on their vehicles.

The following represents a listing of some of the types of Texas pre-state license plates that have survived to this day:

1. Hand painted numbers on a leather pad.
2. Aluminum or Brass numbers attached to a leather pad
(some had a metal frame and solid metal backing)
3. Aluminum or Brass numbers attached to a metal plate.
4. Leather numbers stitched to a leather pad.
5. Hand painted numbers on a wooden plate or shingle.
6. Aluminum or Brass numbers on a wooden plate
(some had metal frames).
7. Numbers stenciled on a heavy gauge tin plate.
8. Porcelain “kit type” plates.
9. Metal “kit type” plates.

The type of porcelain license plates that were manufactured in some other states consisting of a single porcelain surface on a metal plate (similar to a porcelain sign) were never produced in Texas.

METAL NUMBERS ON LEATHER PAD WITH CLIPS ON TOP Many of the leather plates were most likely made by the local saddle shop or blacksmith. Large aluminum numbers (most likely house numbers) were attached by means of rivets or spread-type metal cotter pins. As these leather plates became more popular, manufactured versions began to appear in stores.

METAL NUMBERS ON WOODEN PLATE WITH METAL FRAME
Many featured an iron frame stitched inside the edge of the plate with two clips at the top of the plate for attaching to the vehicle.

METAL NUMBERS ON METAL PLATE For the most part these license plates carried only the vehicle registration number, but a few examples have survived with the city or county names or “TEXAS” also affixed to the plate along with the registration number.

This practice of displaying a city or county name or “TEXAS” on the license plate along with the registration number became much more widespread with the introduction of “kit type” license plates.

“Kit type” license plates were “store bought” license plates which featured a rack containing all the numbers and a metal frame to attach the numbers to, thus allowing a vehicle owner to make their own license plate in a kit form. It was not uncommon for city, county and “TEXAS” inserts to be available along with the numbers so a vehicle owner could display their city or county on their license plate, or identify their license plate as a Texas license plate, if so desired.

There were two types of these “kit type” license plates available to Texas motorists. One of the “kit type” license plates consisted of a metal frame into which white-on-blue porcelain inserts were installed. A vehicle owner could purchase porcelain inserts with their city or county name or an insert with “TEXAS” on it which could be included with their registration number.

PRE-STATE PORCELAIN KIT TYPE These porcelain “kit type” license plates were manufactured by the Stafford Illuminated Auto Lamp and Number Company of Chicago, Illinois. Many of these plates have a patent date of the back while others read only “Patent Pending”. The earliest verified patent date is February 14, 1911.

A second “kit type” license plate featured a metal base to which metal numbers (with tabs on them) were fastened. The metal bases were painted black and the numbers were painted silver. An oval nameplate with tabs was also available which was painted black with the city name or TEXAS stenciled in silver.

PRE-STATE METAL KIT TYPE
This very interesting “pre-state” period for the issuance of license plates in the State of Texas ended on June 30, 1917 with the beginning of “State issued” license plates on July 1, 1917.

The early part of this “state issued” period for the registration of license plates in Texas will be the subject of our next article.

License Plate options for Classic or Antique Vehicles
By Rod Hemmick

For many people, part of the pride of ownership of a Classic or Antique vehicle or Street Rod is being able to display license plates on their vehicle that are not the “standard current issue” type that you find on every other car on the road.

Being able to have a special license plate that identifies your vehicle as a “Classic” or “Antique” vehicle is a nice way to show the pride that you take in your vintage vehicle. Many states, including Texas even allow the use of license plates to be registered on your vehicle that are the same year as your vehicle. This is commonly referred to as a Year of Manufacture (or YOM) license plate. For example, if you own a 1932 vehicle, you can register actual 1932 license plates on your vehicle. For many, this is the “ultimate” license plate to display on their vehicle which can be a finishing touch to the authenticity of your special ride.

Since each State has different laws regarding what type of license plates can be issued to Antique and Classic vehicles, there is no one single set of rules on how to get specialty (including YOM) license plates for your vehicle. Furthermore, it is always best to check with the proper authorities in your state as the final authority on these laws.

We will begin this series with the laws governing the issuance of Antique and Classic license plates for the State of Texas. In future articles, we will be covering these same laws as they apply to other states, as requested by our readers. It is important to keep in mind that this group of articles will be applying to the laws for the State of Texas only and should not be considered as a guideline for requirements for other states.

In the State of Texas, your vehicle must be at least 25 years old in order to qualify for special license plates and can be registered as a “Classic” or “Antique” vehicle, depending on your plans for driving your vehicle on public roads. The types of vehicles that qualify are passenger cars, trucks and motorcycles, and you can even register a vintage travel trailer with “Classic” plates.

In this series of articles we will begin by explaining the requirements for registering your vehicle as either a “Classic” or “Antique” vehicle. This will include how to get YOM license plates registered on your vehicle as well. To clarify, Year of Manufacture license plates are not a third category but rather you can opt to use YOM license plates under both the “Classic” and “Antique” registrations instead of using the currently issued Classic or Antique specialty plates. Links to Texas Department of Transportation website for forms and additional information are listed below.

Antique Vehicle Registration – A passenger car, truck or motorcycle that is 25 or more years old and is used exclusively for exhibition, club activities, parades, and other functions of public interest. The vehicle will in no case be used for regular transportation and will not carry advertising. A vehicle in route to and from a location for routine maintenance is allowed.

Applicants that have license plates, which are the same year as the vehicle may use those plates in lieu of Antique License Plates issued by the county. If the application is mailed, the applicant MUST have the license plates examined at their local County Tax Office before submitting the application. The license plates must be Texas license plates, the same year as the year model of the antique vehicle, be in good readable condition, and have the correct color scheme. A current valid inspection sticker is not required on your vehicle if it is registered as an Antique vehicle. Antique license plates are issued for five year periods. If your application is approved, you will receive a set of Antique License plates or a tab to attach to your YOM plates.

Classic Vehicle Registration - A passenger car, truck, motorcycle or travel trailer that is 25 or more years old may be registered as a Classic Vehicle. Vehicles must be fully registered like any other vehicle, which includes having an annual safety inspection done on the vehicle and displaying a current inspection sticker. Vehicles registered as Classic Vehicles may operate on any roadway just as a normal modern vehicle and may carry advertising. The same rules apply for YOM license plates for Classic Vehicle registration as described under the Antique Vehicle registration section.

Classic Vehicle plates must be renewed every year the same as standard license plates.

Year of Manufacture license plates – May be used in lieu of Antique or Classic plates and must be in good readable original condition or restored and must be the original color scheme and be the same year as vehicle.

Original 1936 license plate in good readable condition:

License plate professionally restored in correct color scheme as original:

The following link for the Texas Department of Transportation has information on special license plates for vintage vehicles. There is a separate “Antique and Classic” link on this page for each type of registration (i.e.: Classic Auto, Classic Motorcycle, etc.). Costs for each type of plate are listed as well as a link to download the necessary form for registration as well as address information for each County if you plan to mail in your registration paperwork. A fax number and instructions are also listed.

Under the links for Classic Auto, Classic Truck, Classic Motorcycle and Classic Travel Trailer, there is an option to order a personalized plate and even a search box to determine if your desired personalization is available. If ordering by mail, there is a section to include the standard fee and also the fee for a personalized plate.
http://rts.texasonline.state.tx.us/NASApp/txdotrts/SpecialPlateOrderServlet?grpid=10
Forms for these plates may also be downloaded from the following Texas Department of Transportation link. Click on the “Antique and Classic Vehicles” link at the top of this page:
http://www.txdot.gov/txdot_library/forms/citizen/drivers_vehicles/specialty_plates.htm#antique
If you have a specific question or problem you can reach the Texas Department of Transportation’s “Specialty License Plates” office at 512-374-5010. Be sure to get the name of the person that you spoke with, especially if they were helpful and/or knowledgeable about the registration process.

In summary, the basic guidelines for registering your vintage vehicle with “Classic” “Antique” or “Year of Manufacture” license plates are as follows:

1. Vehicle must be at least 25 years old.
2. If you are registering “Year of Manufacture” license plates, they must be the same year as the vehicle being registered and must be authentic license plates that were made by the State. (Reproduction license plates are not allowed).
3. Passenger car and truck license plates were issued in pairs for all years except 1945 and 1946 when only a single license plate was issued. This means that if you are registering a vehicle with “Year of Manufacture” license plates, you must have BOTH plates (unless the vehicle is a 1945 of 1946 vintage vehicle).
4. The license plates must be in good readable condition and they can be restored if they are not in good enough condition. The license plates can have some holes in them and/or some rusted areas, but the readability of the plates cannot be compromised by these holes or rusted areas.
5. The license plates must be the same color scheme as they were when originally issued.
6. If you are registering your vehicle as a “Classic Vehicle” for daily use, the vehicle must carry a current safety inspection sticker and proof of insurance is required.

A note about truck license plates: Prior to 1925, both passenger cars and trucks shared the same license plate, there was not a special license plate for trucks. In 1925, a different plate was issued to trucks, but they did not carry the word “Truck” on them. Instead they carried the work “COM” of them which stood for “Commercial”. These 1925 “COM” plates were a different color scheme than the 1925 passenger car plates. So if you are looking for license plates for your 1931 Ford Model A pick-up truck, you would need to have a pair of 1931 “CM” plates for your vehicle.
From the period from 1925 through 1942 “Truck” plates carried either “COM” or “CM” on them designating them as “Commercial” license plates. Due to the metal shortage created by WWII, small metal tabs were used in Texas in 1943 and 1944 to re-validate the 1942 plates. (Future articles will cover the complete history of Texas license plates so stay tuned). In 1945 the “COM” was dropped and the work “Truck” finally appeared on the license plates and remains to this day.

Note: According to the State, if you are registering a vintage truck, you must have either “CM” or “Truck” YOM license plates (depending on the year of your vehicle). You cannot register passenger car license plates to a truck.

While there have been some YOM passenger car license plates issued to vintage trucks, and you may have seen vintage trucks with YOM passenger car license plates, this is an oversight by the county that issued the plates. There are rumors going around that it is ok to register YOM passenger car license plates on a vintage truck, and it is even reported as ok by some web sites, but if the county where you get your plates registered is familiar with the rules governing the registration of YOM plates, they will not approve YOM passenger car license plates for use on a truck.

If you are planning on using original “Year of Manufacture” license plates for your vehicle and you do not have your plates yet, here are some guidelines to consider when looking for a suitable set of plates:

1. The “straighter the better” – plates that are badly dented or bent can be more difficult and costly to restore and generally will not look as good when restored as a nice “straight” pair of plates.
2. Avoid plates with serious rust damage if possible – Light surface rust is fine, but plates that are rusted to the point of being brittle or have parts missing due to rust damage (i.e.: one corner rusted off) can be a real challenge and very costly to restore. Also if the State feels that this rust damage can compromise the plate’s readability, they will not register the plates. Plates with “saw toothed” rust damage along the edges of plate are hard to repair and can cause problems when restored.
3. Extra holes in a plate are ok as long as they do not compromise the plate’s readability. These can be left alone or repaired during restoration.
4. If the plates need to be restored you can do them yourself (if you are up to the challenge) or you can have a professional restoration service do the plates for you.

If you elect to have your plates professionally restored it can be well worth the cost as a nicely restored pair of license plates can be the finishing touch to a nicely restored vehicle. A poorly done or very “amateur” set of restored plates, while they may be able to pass the State’s registration requirements, may not look so good and can even detract from the looks of a nicely restored vehicle.

We use and recommend Rod Hemmick for license plate restoration. Rod has over 15 years experience in restoring license plates and is also a has been member of the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association (ALPCA) since 1981. He is very knowledgeable about the types and colors of Texas license plates and has even been used as a reference by the State of Texas in one of their publications on the History of Texas License Plates. Rod has also agreed to help friends and customers of Motorheads with any questions they may have. He has a large inventory of YOM plates and may have the year you need for your vehicle. If he does not have the year you are looking for, he can advise you on ways to find the plates you need.

For information or quotes on having your license plates restored by Rod Hemmick, please e-mail him at: licplates@motorheadsperformance.com.

Editor’s Note: We hope you have enjoyed the first installment of articles on classic car license plates. Our next article will appear next month - Andrea

New Billet Float Bowls Prevents Hesitation, Stumble & Flooding!

Imagine attempting to drink….from a bowl….while blasting through a corner or ripping down the drag strip at full speed doing 60 feet in less than one second! This is exactly what your carburetor is trying to do. We've all experienced when our acceleration "bogs" when we least want it to.

The Holley carburetor has served us well for over 100 years, but the design is dated. The number one problem is the float bowl, a design that was proven on the dyno rather than the track. Fuel sloshes, splashes and spills under the high corning forces of today’s race cars. At best the fuel distribution varies from cylinder to cylinder by as much as 50%, at worst the car hesitates and stumbles.

Race Pumps new “Patent Pending” multi-chambered billet float bowls bring the Holley (still racings preferred carburetor) up to date! Each jet has it’s own fuel chamber, float, and needle and seat (the power valve uses a third chamber). The carburetor is changed from a pair of two barrels, each with a float bowl shaped like a bath tub, to four one barrels, each with a float bowl and float designed for high g-forces and angles. Carburetors equipped with the new Race Pumps float bowls maintain equal fuel distribution to each cylinder at acceleration forces up to 3gs and angles up to 45 degrees. Hesitation, stumble and flooding will be history. Best of all, Race Pumps new float bowls bolt right onto your favorite carburetor.

Motorheads is pleased to be a factory authorized dealer and installer for Race Pumps' new Billet Float Bowls and their entire line of race pumps and fuel systems. The new Billet Float Bowls will be available in March and can be purchased direct from Motorheads Performance. Visit us at www.motorheadsperformance.com or e-mail andrea@motorheadsperformance.com for ordering information.

Award Winning Car Cover
Costa Mesa, CA

The Touchless Car Cover is not your father’s car cover! The revolutionary new design in car covers was introduced and demonstrated at various locations during the collector car auctions in Scottsdale AZ after winning the coveted CAR ACCESSORY OF THE YEAR.

The Touchless Car Cover is A DRIVE IN-DRIVE OUT COVER. It addresses the various shortcomings of the traditional car cover. These issues include smudged windows, grinding dust into the finish, difficulty in use, cleanliness and storage. The Touchless Car Cover can be used indoors or outdoors thanks to a high rated UV coating and waterproofing. It also offers access to the car from either side while the cover is in place. Additionally, the Touchless Car Cover can fit more than one car and installs or folds up in less than a minute.

Developed by “car guys”, the Touchless Car Cover has been designed for automobile enthusiasts, collections and for those with a dislike of the old fashioned car cover. Jay Leno invited Touchless Car Cover to his famous “garage” in Burbank, California, where Jay filmed the TCC in action. The Touchless Car Cover has also had a writeup by Hemmings Motor News (http://www.hemmings.com/newsletter/newsletter.html?volume=4&issue=36&id=2103&refer=news&emlid=93307#2103).

Since the appearance with Jay Leno, the Touchless Car Cover has been improved and perfected through a series of prototypes. For more information, visit http://www.touchlesscarcover.com/ for online video demonstrations and a gallery of photos. The Touchless Car Cover is now available through Motorheads Performance or direct from TCC. Contact andrea@motorheadsperformance for more information.

Motorheads becomes Waldron's Antique Exhaust Installer

Motorheads is pleased to join forces with Waldon's to provide quality OEM Type exhaust systems for classic and antique cars, and specifically Waldron's IMPOSTOR™ Performance mufflers, DCE™ (Driver Controlled Exhaust) & VOE-2 dual-mode mufflers.

Waldron’s Antique Exhaust manufactures exhaust systems for cars & trucks built from the early 1900’s through the 1980’s. They have been reproducing OEM exhaust systems and manufacturing custom exhaust systems, exhaust pipes, Y pipes, H pipes, mufflers and resonators since 1960.

John Delorean originally invented the "Tiger Button" in the 1960's, and worked with Pontiac in trying to bring it into production. Cost of tooling the project (estimated to be about $40,000 for a $200 option), as well as changes to the 3x2 carburetor setup and other modifications kept the project out of production. It wasn't until 1970 that it appeared as an option in the GTO (Code W73/Option Order Code 611 for Vacuum Operated Exhaust).

What is DCE/VOE? Imagine your car's exhaust being unleashed into a powerful, head-turning rumble. Simply put, with the pull of a knob, an actuator on each muffler is opened, rerouting the exhaust for what Pontiac called a "special performance mode". But these are far more than basic exhaust cut-outs. Back in 1970, when the feds were strangling power from automobiles, the death of the VOE was quick. Only 233 GTO's were built with the option, and it wasn't until Waldron's got together with patent holder Jim Hall and re-invented the system.

As Waldron's explains, "For a brief period in 1969 & 1970, GTO buyers were able to purchase an option known as “Vacuum Operated Exhaust”. It was one of the industry’s most unusual options; dual-mode mufflers - controlled by the driver - that could be operated in “Quiet” or “Tiger” (Open) modes.

The VOE-2™ Model is available for 70-72 GTO/LeMans/Tempest. It is a close reproduction of the original GTO VOE muffler. It is also a “direct fit” for any 1970-72 Pontiac Tempest/LeMans/GTO with dual exhaust. If you are lucky enough to have a GTO that was originally equipped with the VOE option (it is one of the rarest of all GTO options), with or without Ram Air, you can restore the VOE function by purchasing the mufflers only, without the control kit. And, the good news is that the DCE™ "Universal Model" is designed and available for almost everyone else!

See the original GM commercial for '70 GTO aired in 1970 during Super Bowl IV which subsequently lead to GM pulling the commercial and being severely criticized for "blatantly promoting street racing": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGC3dlzQ8WQ

See and hear a DCE system installed and running: Waldron's Video on DCE & VOE-2 systems - Check out the rumble!

Motorheads is not only a reseller, but an authorized installer. If you would like more information, or would like to discuss installation of a system, contact andrea@motorheadsperformance.com.

New Series on Old License Plates Launches

For many people, part of the pride of ownership of a Classic or Antique vehicle or Street Rod is being able to display license plates on their vehicle that are not the “standard current issue” type that you find on every other car on the road. If you own a classic '55, a '69 muscle car, or a 30's truck for instance, it'd be great to proudly display a license plate from the same year.

Motorheads Performance is fortunate to have teamed up with an expert on the subject of old license plates and license plate restoration. Rod Hemmick has been providing professional restorations of YOM license plates for over 15 years, and has even been used as a reference by the State of Texas in one of their publications on the History of Texas License Plates.

Rod’s knowledge is extensive, and the quality of his restoration work is truly outstanding. He has graciously agreed to provide his services to Motorheads’ customers and friends.

Rod will be contributing articles on period license plates, and how you can get them for your ride. Different states have different requirements and laws governing the use of plates, and we're grateful to have an expert who is willing to share his knowledge with us. We begin this series with the laws governing the issuance of Antique and Classic license plates for the State of Texas. In future articles, we will be covering these same laws as they apply to other states, as requested by our readers, as well as articles covering the history of license plates, proper colors, how to find YOM plates, etc.

Please sign up to receive your feed to Hot Roddin' Texas Style by signing up at right, or visit http://www.motorheadsperformance.com/ to register.

Save on Plating & Polishing

Mention Motorheads Performance and save! We've been very happy with the quality of work and the pricing by C&D Plating & Polishing in San Antonio, and want to share this gem of a shop with others who need restoration of chrome trim pieces, want chrome, gold or brass plating, or polishing of aluminum, stainless steel or die cast.

Shop owner, Carlos, has offered a substantial discount when you take your chrome and trim to C&D when you mention Motorheads Performance this holiday season and for the start of 2009.

Call them at 210-653-5880 and see what they can do for you! (you can see samples of their work at http://www.myspace.com/canddpolishing1)

Fun Game for Muscle Car Enthusiasts

Motorheads Performance has acquired a copy of the first muscle car board game to hit the streets...American Muscle Challenge! And have we had so much fun with it that we wanted to share it with you.

As described on their website http://www.americanmusclechallenge.com/

"Remember when Saturday night was for "Cruising", a "Burn Out" had nothing to with stress and "Muscle Ruled the Road"? Cruiser Ken remembers and he's brought those days back in an exciting board game that challenges you to be the first to restore your muscle car. Just keep in mind you may have to spend more than you want to complete it and some bumps in the road may slow you down. Be smart when making deals, be quick off the line and always. . . watch out for the cops!

Kenny R. Schwark grew up during the height of the muscle car era and has been a muscle car enthusiast since the late 1960's. His love of muscle cars did not wane with the end of this classic period in the mid-'70's. Over the years, Mr. Schwark has had a growing interest in board games and in October 2000, the idea of combining a favorite pastime with his still-smoldering love for muscle cars began to germinate. By January 2001, the concept had evolved into development of an actual board game with a muscle car theme. The first "game" was completed in March 2001. It was hand-drawn and hand-written on pieces of paper that were taped together to make the board. On a part time basis over the next five years, Mr. Schwark experimented with various board designs and layouts, as well as, concepts and designs for other game components. Mr. Schwark began serious efforts to develop his board game concept in October 2006 and by May 2007, had a high-quality prototype and strategies for bringing it to market."

Ken Schwark ("Cruiser Ken") of American Muscle Challenge is running a free shipping special on his muscle car board game through December 17. The details are on the main page of his website. Check it out at http://www.americanmusclechallenge.com/.

Everyone will enjoy playing this fun game, whether they are enthusiasts or not. We played with my whole family who came to Motorheads for a visit in November. It was a fun way to let my dad and my daughters learn a bit about what we do, and for us to share our favorite muscle car stories.

Motorheads wishes you all the best this holiday season.

The Coaching Experience Catches On

Motorheads launched our "Coaching Experience" program over a year and a half ago, and it's been a very rewarding experience to all those involved. Not only have we had the owners participate in their vehicle's restoration or upgrade, but to date we've had the pleasure of uniting four father-and-son teams together in Coaching Experiences. Not only has it been a pleasure for them, but it makes us happy to bring along another generation of hot-rodders!

We listened when our customers asked to learn about their ride. We realize that sometimes you just need an extra hand, or guidance when you're trying something for the first time. Or, if you're facing the daunting task of a full restoration project, you often don't have the proper tools, time or knowledge to do the entire job yourself. Motorheads likes sharing our passion and knowledge with others, so coming up with the Coaching Experience program seemed like a natural fit.

How does it work?

At Motorheads we'll do the work for you, or we'll coach you and help you install your own upgrades, repairs or restorations! Whether you need just a bit of help, a second pair of hands, or this is your first attempt on a hot rod project, we'll help with the proper tools and guidance to get the job done right! Guy is a great instructor, with lots of patience, and a real knack for demonstrating or explaining what needs to be done and why.

Motorheads provides quality instruction and supervision at reasonable rates. You pay a small fee for the half-day or full-day rental of the garage bay. Then, you pay our hourly coaching fee for the time we spend setting you up and giving verbal and hands-on instruction. For items you can do yourself, we check in on your progress. If you need a second set of hands, need or want the extra help, we'll work on your project together.

The benefits are great. You'll have the opportunity to learn about your vehicle because you're doing the work! Repairs are easier, diagnosing future problems will be easier, and the satisfaction of doing the job can't be beat.

Coaching is given by appointment only, and is usually scheduled on the weekend. Because we're open Wednesday through Sunday from 8am to 6 pm, most people find our hours ideal.

Website Changes

We've been working hard at upgrades to our website to make it even more user friendly and packed with more information for you! Here are some of the many changes we've done to http://www.motorheadsperformance.com/ :

New Navigation Menus to help you find your way through our website with ease!

New menus give you access to any page from every page!

Condensing information and combining pages so you don't have to click through as many to find what you're looking for.

A Site Map page which gives you an overview of website content.

Updates to Our Projects pages so you can see what we're busy working on.

Sound bites! Hear audio clips of the engines in our projects by clicking on the tuner icon on the right of projects containing sound bites. And, move your cursor over the tuner icon and you'll get the specs of the engine.

In the coming weeks, we'll be adding:

A new Motorheads Search on our home page, and at the top right of each page that will search our entire site and give you links to pages that contain the information you're looking for!

Photo Galleries for each and every project. We've got several up and active right now, and we'll continue adding the Photo Galleries until they're all up so check back frequently. Now, when you visit Our Projects - and select either Hot Rod, Trucks or Engine Work, you'll end up on a page with thumbnail photos of each project. Click the thumbnail and it will take you to a Photo Gallery page containing a brief description of the project and one or more albums containing photos for each phase of work completed on the vehicle.

Customer Registration will give you access to member pages, access to your own private photo gallery of pictures we take every step of the way in work being performed on your vehicle, making PayPal payments on your account, reviewing invoices, as well as information specifically for customers.

Customer Forms will be available on-line for those who register. These will include Work Authorizations, Scheduling Requests, Parts Requests, Coaching Requests, as well as Policies & Agreements.

Eye Candy! is a page filled with photographic car art and photos taken at car shows. A feast for the eyes for all of us dreaming about our future projects or the rides we've been longing for.

Easy-to-use Contact Forms for requesting information, services, estimates, finding parts, or giving Feedback to Motorheads.

We hope you like the changes. If you'd like to see something special, please let us know.

October 2008 Update

So many wonderful things have been happening at Motorheads. It's been a very busy year, and Guy and I have been working hard to continue our quest to give our customers the best service and product available. We're busy with building and installing performance engines, performance upgrades, car and truck restorations, body-off restorations and repairs.

We've welcomed many new customers with exciting rides: several Corvettes including an all-original '62 Corvette Roadster, an incredible and extremely rare '69 GTO Royal Bobcat which has won the heart of my non-interested daughter and turned her into a true "Motorhead" (now we have the difficult task of finding one for her project car so if you know of one let me know!), a stunning red hot '70 Camaro SS will be finishing up soon with a 400 short block that delivers over 500hp, the '70 Chevelle SS that just got freshened with a beautiful custom paint job with airbrush detailing, a unique '30 Chevy Dually Pickup in for a total restoration, and a one-of-a-kind '72 Lincoln Mark IV Convertible with quite an interesting history.

And let's not forget about the projects that are being completed with the help of their owners! The '71 Chevelle SS was a father-son project that began as an engine swap, turned into an engine rebuild and performance upgrade, which lead to a custom paint job. We'll be posting pics of this beauty shortly. The '74 Charger being transformed into a '71 Charger Clone's engine work is complete and will be going in for bodywork and paint by year end. The Model A, complete with rumble seat, was fired up with the owner present to experience the moment he'd been waiting for for over 40 years...what a hot rod she'll be! She's scheduled for paint at the first of the year and will hit the road when done. The owner of the '58 Desoto, undergoing a total body-off restoration, painstakingly located and obtained all the parts and pieces for what will be an amazing transformation he'll take part in.

Hot rod heaven!

We're excited about the coming year, and what great things are in store and look forward to more frequent updates. We hope you'll join us regularly.

Warning: You Get What You Pay For!

I know we've all heard this old saying time after time, but darned if it isn't true! Once again, we see first hand of a person "just trying to save a buck" who took a short-cut that they probably shouldn't have.

We recently had a customer who we had done some performance upgrades for in the past. Not wanting to pay what he thought was an unjust amount of money for a professional paint job, he took his prized ride to "a local guy" (you know the type...a friend of a friend of a friend...who could "do the job cheap"). Well, the ghost flames he wanted for his ride didn't turn out quite right. In fact, they were horrible. Not only were they "off the shelf" flames, you could see where the paint was applied right over the stencils! This left unsightly ridges which provided something far from "ghost". The owner has brought the vehicle back several times, but I guess the shop just doesn't know how to make it right. After sinking a pretty penny into this "cheap" paint job, there's no money left to take it to someone who knows how to achieve a decent ghost effect.

We hear these horror stories all the time. We know it's not cheap to restore a vehicle, or to have a quality paint put on your ride...we've had to paint our vehicles too! It doesn't necessarily mean you have to spend an outrageous fortune on it either. There are some shops out there who still provide quality work at reasonable prices. Do your homework carefully and be wary of shops that sound too cheap, who can't tell you what brands of paint or primer they use, who don't use a spray booth, who don't strip down your car properly, or who rely solely on plastic fillers.

Remember, a paint job gone bad will end up costing you much more in time and money than a quality paint job done right the first time. And, you'll be a lot happier with the job done right!

Top Corvette Shop Award

For the 2nd year in a row, Motorheads received award from Corvette Fever Magazine. The May 2008 issue of Corvette Fever featured its annual list of "Where to get your Corvette fixed". Motorheads Performance was one of the top 100 shops nationwide selected to receive this recognition.

This annual list of "top Corvette shops you can trust" is one of the most requested components of Corvette Fever, and is eagerly awaited by its readers. As a matter of fact, it is the readers who nominate shops they've had good experiences with. Shops listed range from full-blown restoration shops to places you can take your Corvette for routine maintenance. A few, like Motorheads Performance, specialize only in the classics.

We're proud to be included in this very elite group of trusted shops. Motorheads Performance prides themselves in the individual attention we give our customers (you always talk with the person who is doing the work on your vehicle), the quality of service we give, and the friendships we build on a daily basis. We'd like to thank everyone who contributed to our receiving this honor.

Special thanks from both Guy & Andrea!

What To Inspect When You're Ready To Purchase Your New Hot Rod

Once you've made up your mind that you're ready to purchase your new ride, you've narrowed down the field to the make, model and year you are most interested in, and your ready to start looking, you're suddenly overcome with fear. Fear that you might end up one of the many unfortunate ones who have either paid too much (more than the actual value), bit off more of a project than you can fix yourself, or you find out too late that there were a lot of overlooked problems. Or, perhaps you've never even thought of the chance of this happening to you!

We've compared notes with other professionals like Motorheads Performance who are paid to inspect classic cars. We all agree that there is a standard list of items which are typically scrutinized. A buyer wants to be sure of what he is getting - this is why many are willing to hire a professional to look over a vehicle prior to purchase. The buyer has most often looked at many vehicles and has narrowed down his selection to just the one or two that have been his/her own criteria. Having a complete list will help reduce the list of "unexpected" repairs which will be needed down the road, give you greater bargaining power with the seller, and give you peace of mind that what you are paying is reasonable. With the prices of hot rods today, we find that there are many overpriced vehicles on the market just waiting for the unsavvy buyer to come along and fall in love with it.

You should be able to speak with the person who will be performing your inspection so that they can get a feel for what YOU feel is problematic or not. If doing the inspection yourself, be honest with yourself in asking: what will you be using the car for, are you willing to do work yourself, will you be hiring a shop to perform work for you (if so, what is your budget for this), etc. To some, a rotted floor may not seem a big deal, where a leaking transmission may end the sale right then. For another buyer, the opposite may be true. By this time, you should have a feel for what your abilities are, what you are and are not willing to do, and what your wallet will bear.

After rating all areas of the vehicle, you'll be in a much better position to make a good decision. In prior articles, we've looked at how to determine a car's actual value by consulting authoritative guides such as Kelley Blue Book http://www.kbb.com/, and other resources of information such as:

http://www.manheimgold.com/
http://www.nadaguides.com/
http://oldcarspriceguide.net/
http://www.hi-bid.com/
http://www.cote-sene.com/eindex.htm
http://www.galves.com/gal_industrylinks.asp

You'll rate the vehicle's value to cost before you even make an appointment to take a look at it. Once you have an appointment, you'll want to be prepared, not only with your list of mandatory items you want, but prepared to take a close look at all the things you don't want! You probably already know many of the basic things to look for. Using a checklist helps you organize your inspection, helps if you need to compare two or more vehicles, and keeps you from overlooking things in the moment of excitement as you're looking over a potential "winner". And, remember to keep a standard system of rating so the comparison is valid.

If you would like to receive the Vehicle Inspection Form we use at Motorheads Performance, please e-mail me at: andrea@motorheadsperformance.com.

Motorheads Performance provides inspection services for anyone interested in purchasing a car or truck from 1920 to 1979.

Choosing Horsepower and Driveability:
Make Sure Your Ride is Enjoyable

It's all too easy to get caught up in the quest for more horsepower. It's easy to forget that we also want to ENJOY our ride, and to enjoy it, we need it to be driveable.

With the recent rebirth of the muscle car craze, everyone is in search of MORE HORSEPOWER. Go all-out and install a killer big block, 560 cu 800 hp drag racing engine that's built for the strip and you'll have something that'll light up your tires off a stop light, but will probably be a royal pain to drive in city traffic. Most of us want something that will ride nicely on the street, allow you to feel the power, turn a lot of heads, and light things up every now and then! Sometimes easier said than done.

Going overboard is a common mistake. At Motorheads Performance, we ask all of our customers to be honest about your intended use. You should look hard at what you enjoy, and how much time you'll be doing each of the following:

1) Daily driver
2) Short weekend day trips about town (within 100 miles)
3) Occasional cruise to the coast or Hill Country (trips 100-500 miles, a few times a year)
4) Regular cruises and rod runs (trips 100 or more miles, monthly or more per year)
5) Long rod runs (cross country trips and national rod runs)
6) Only for show (car won't be seeing much pavement)
7) Short rides for an afternoon or night out.
8) Occasionally want to "punch it"
9) Like to try the drag strip once to "see what she'll do"
10) Occasional trip to the drag strip "for the thrill" (few times a year at most)
11) Regular trips to the drag strip to "better my time" (6-12 races a year)
12) Serious drag racing (weekly racing but "I want to drive there")
13) Serious drag racing (she'll be trailered)
14) Looks only (won't be driving it much - "I want an investment")
15) ...any other use not mentioned above

There are many things a good performance shop will consider in helping match you with the right engine. For instance, a beautiful, throaty, loping idle usually has a long-duration cam that makes plenty of top end power. It also kills low-end torque and throttle response because it may be putting out a power curve that runs from 4,500 to 9,000 rpm. Great for the drag strip, but not practical or desired for the street. A good street cam will have a power curve that runs from 1,500 to 5,500 so that you get the low-end torque to make street driving enjoyable. There are good street-strip combinations which operate in the mid range of these if you are planning on doing a bit of both.

You should consider reliability of your engine. This can become a concern as your horsepower goes up. Most V8 engines can easily handle an extra 50 to 150 hp without throwing a rod or blowing head gaskets under most driving conditions other than serious racing. Most drivetrains can handle moderate increases without mashing your rear end or grinding up your transmission.

Once you get into the higher horsepower performance engines, you need to start beefing up your drivetrain and other components to handle the torque and keep things from breaking apart.

If you're thinking of serious horsepower, your stock block may have to be upgraded from a two-bolt main to a four-bolt main. Appropriate head gaskets need to be used in order to keep the pressure where it belongs. Performance gaskets are usually used for 400-500 hp engines, while anything above this would require sealing the cylinders with copper O-rings. Stiffer valve springs and pushrods, a larger radiator or supplemental cooling fan, larger high-pressure clutch and U-joints, as well as a stronger rear-end to hold things together. You may need traction bars for control, as well as stiffer rear shocks and/or springs. Even your fuel pump needs to be considered in order to ensure that you get enough fuel to feed your hungry engine.

Speaking of fuel, you'll need to consider the type of gasoline you'll need to use with all your new-found horsepower! The highest common octane is 93. If you have a high compression engine, you may need more than this, and may need to add an octane-booster. If you don't use high enough octane, you may risk damaging your engine from detonation and preignition. With gas prices sky high, your wallet will feel it every time you take her out for a little ride so you'll need to consider this because it may keep you from enjoying your ride as much as you'd like to.

And, something which always needs to be considered is cost. You want to balance your "need for speed" with the fact that SPEED = MONEY. The more horsepower you want, the more money you will need to spend. And, as you've seen above, there are certain hp threasholds that increase your expenses dramatically. Keeping your budget in mind is one way of keeping from going overboard.

What this all means to you is to think carefully about your intended use. Find out what type of engine and horsepower will deliver this and you'll be much happier when the job is all done. Your ride is an expensive project and you want to be able to hit the road with a smile, not a scowl of frustration.

How to Get More Engine Power & Better Performance

There are lots of different ways to make an engine perform better. The better an engine performs, the more power it delivers. We’re constantly asked by customers how they can best increase horsepower and performance. Playing with the many variables to make an engine more powerful can be a daunting task. There is a lot of information to disseminate, and many theories and “favorites” to consider. Cost and fuel efficiency are big considerations. And, the biggest question of all…where to start.

First, let’s look at some of the tried-and-true methods of getting more power. We’ll start with the engine itself. If you’re considering beefing up your vehicle with performance horsepower, we highly recommend that you get help from experts such as a quality performance or machine shop. They not only have the level of expertise needed, but the professional equipment you’ll need to get the job done right. A machine shop can help you with an existing engine, or in the design of a new engine (often including engine balancing and blueprinting) for your vehicle. You’ll need to discuss what your goals are for horsepower, as well as your intended use so that they can get the right match for you. We'll discuss this more in the next article.

An alternative to a performance or machine shop is to go with a performance crate motor, available from Chevy, Ford and Dodge. Turnkey motors are affordable and come complete with everything you need, including hot cams, big heads (usually aluminum) and beefy intake manifold. Turnkey crate motors are designed to simply drop in, hook up and go. A great alternative if you don't currently have an engine.

Increase your Compression Ratio - Higher air/fuel compression ratios produce more power. However, the more you compress, the more likely it is to spontaneously combust before the spark plug ignites it. This is why high-performance vehicles (with engines that use higher compression ratios to get more power) need higher octane gasoline. Octane prevents early combustion.

Increase Displacement – Simply put, more displacement gives you more power because you are able to burn more gas during each revolution of the engine. Making the cylinders bigger or adding more cylinders increases displacement. This is why an 8 cylinder engine creates more power than a 6 or 4 cylinder engine.

Stuff your Cylinders - Cram more air/fuel into a cylinder and you’ll get more power (in the same way as increasing the size of the cylinders as we described above). This is one reason enthusiasts have turned to turbochargers and superchargers, which pressurize the incoming air. When the incoming air is pressurized, it literally stuffs more air into each cylinder.

Cool your Incoming Air – Your goal is to have the coolest air possible in your cylinders. The hotter the air, the less it will expand when combustion takes place and the less power created. Compressing air raises its temperature. The higher your compression ratio, the more you’ll need to cool your air. If you turbocharge or supercharge your vehicle, you’ll need a special radiator (called an intercooler) which the compressed air passes through to cool it off before it enters the cylinder.

Let your Engine take a Deep Breath – Air resistance robs power from the engine. It keeps your engine from taking a nice deep breath. It would be like an asthmatic person trying to suck in a deep breath while their throat is tight and restricted. Your engine is trying to take a deep breath as the piston moves down during the intake stroke. Air resistance can be lessened dramatically by using polished intake manifolds to eliminate air resistance there, by putting two intake valves in each cylinder, or by using bigger air filters, ram air and many other systems that are specifically designed to improve air flow.

Let your Engine Exhale Easily – Now imagine what it’s like to take in a really big breath and having your mouth and nose covered. It would be very difficult to exhale. Just as we need maximum air into the engine, we need an effective way for it to leave the engine. If air resistance makes it hard for the exhaust to exit a cylinder, it robs power from your engine. If your exhaust pipe is too small or your muffler has a lot of air resistance, it can cause back-pressure. High-performance exhaust systems use headers, big tail pipes and free-flowing mufflers to eliminate back-pressure in the exhaust system. Dual exhaust improves flow by having two exhaust pipes instead of one. Adding a second exhaust valve to each cylinder improves performance as well (a car with two intake and two exhaust valves has four valves per cylinder).

Make Everything Lighter - Lightweight parts help the engine perform better. Each time a piston changes direction, it uses energy to stop the travel in one direction and reverse it to the other direction. The lighter the piston, the less energy it takes. Aluminum heads and other lightweight components, although expensive, can give you added power and performance.
Ok, now that we’ve covered the basics, where do we start? A common misconception is that one would start at the beginning (the front), and work our way back. This, however, will give you problems if you are doing an upgrade in stages.

Imagine upgrading your intake system so that your engine can now breathe freely. Perhaps you’ve even upgraded the engine a bit, adding a bigger cam and increasing your compression ratios! (Wow, your thinking, I’m really doing great!) Things are going well until your engine tries to exhale. All the exhaust becomes bottled up at the rear end and all your power gains are out the window because it has nowhere to go. This is why we begin at the end (the rear) and work our way forward!

You’ll get the best bang for your buck if you start at your exhaust system and work your way forward to the intake. Do yourself a favor a resist the urge to do the work which will give you the dazzle you desire (who wouldn’t like that shiny new dual quad performance intake manifold), but won’t do a thing for improving power or performance. If you’re not sure where to begin, seek advice from a professional shop. Motorheads Performance specializes in performance upgrades for street or strip.

Classic Car Insurance Buys
Affordable Protection & Peace of Mind

Taking the steps to purchase a policy for an old classic car or street rod which may be far from "show room perfect" is usually avoided. Many fear high prices, poor coverage, or too many restrictions being placed on use. There are, in fact, many options out there and they're not as expensive as you might imagine. Standard auto premiums can cost up to 500% more than specialty insurance policies. And, you can usually find a policy which is just right for your particular needs.

Many people select a policy from their traditional auto insurance carrier, not realizing that this can be robbing them of valuable coverage not offered by standard auto insurance. Specialty insurance policies are also less expensive than those through your standard insurance carrier (even policies with multi-car discounts). Standard auto insurance typically pays "Actual Cash Value" (ACV), also called "depreciated book" or "replacement cost minus depreciation." The older a car is under this type of policy, the less value it has - regardless of the premium you pay. Some offer a "Stated Value" policy. These are better than an ACV policy because they allow youto "state" a value greater than its depreciated "book" value. But, the Stated Value policy still depreciates vehicles. The best collector policy is called "Agreed Value" - meaning the full insured value of the vehicle is guaranteed - no depreciation and no hassling with an adjuster trying to prove your vehicle's value.

One example is a policy offered by Grundy Worldwide Insurance called Collector Car Insurance. This insurance is very affordable, and YOU have control over much of the cost because you actually work with Grundy to arrive at an "Agreed Value" when your policy is written. If an accident or theft occurs, you receive the agreed upon value - no questions asked! A car with $20,000 in restoration costs could be insured for about $120 per year. There are no restrictions on the number of miles you can drive, or how often you drive, as long as it is not your daily driver. (See other insurance options below for daily drivers.)

Another policy for collector cars offers coverage while your vehicle is in the process of being restored. What's unique about Restoration Coverage is that the policy value can increase as the restoration continues. So, as the value of your car (and the money you have invested into it) grows, so does the amount of coverage on your policy. We think this is a terrific "peace of mind" policy, and embraces the gift of classic car restoration - to get out on the road and enjoy your ride!

For more information on insurance for your classic car or street rod, try contacting the following insurance companies who specialize in these policies.

Grundy Worldwide Insurance
www.grundy.com 800-338-4005

Hagerty Classic Insurance
www.hagerty.com 231-941-7477

J.C. Taylor Insurance
www.jctaylor.com 800-345-8290

Heacock Insurance Group
www.heacock.com 800-677-5171

Leland-West Insurance
www.lelandwest.com 800-237-4722

American Collectors Insurance
www.americancollectorsins.com 800-360-2277

Classic Auto Insurance
www.classicins.com 800-360-2277

Rally Insurance
www.rallyinsurance.com 800-801-1823

Condon & Skelly
www.condonskelly.com/ 800-257-9496

Northeast Classic Auto Insurance
www.classiccarinsurance.com 800-866-6440

"Chrome" by American National
http://www.anpac.com/ 800-333-2860

American Hobbist
http://www.americanhobbist.com/ 800-395-4835

Collector Car Insurance Agency
http://www.collectorcarins.com/ 800-787-7637

Sneed Insurance
http://www.sneedinsurance.com/ 800-619-7827

Motorsports Insurance Services
http://www.motorsports-insurance.com/ 310-301-0333


Other options exist as well, including policies for Daily Drivers which are usually far less than going through a traditional auto insurance company. Some companies do require that you own another vehicle for "daily use", but you do not need to have it insured through them. Some put restrictions on mileage while others do not (especially if you have another vehicle as your daily driver). And, just as some place mileage restrictions, some restrict what type of driving you do (i.e. parades or shows only), and age restrictions (most will not insurance drivers under 25 years of age...others 30!). Many companys offer all-in-one policies which insure all of your vehicles at significant savings.

Appraisals are usually never necessary, although most require photos of your vehicle to help determine value. Some insurers may dig a little deeper into the mechanical and aesthetic modifications made to your car, its horsepower, suspension system, paint, etc, but this usually helps to give you a higher Agreed Value if desired. At Motorheads Performance, we advise you to keep all of your restoration records (detailed lists of the work performed, photos, and the receipts for all parts and labor), as this will help greatly when establishing value.

At Motorheads Performance, we suggest comparison shopping, checking the agency's rating, their level of customer service, and details of the policies offered in addition to pricing. Research all programs before making a final decision. For such a low cost, collectors insurance is a worthwhile investment. We recommend Restoration Coverage for all of our customers while they are having partial or full restoration services at Motorheads.