Car Craft

[SuperBuickGuy]

This month's magazine featured all the editors and TV personality of MTOD vehicles. I get it when Hot Rod and Fashion Magazine does it... but I thought CC was for regular folks...

[Loren]

The blue Camaro (pp 66) is a good friend's...somewhere I have a pic of it from 1978, sole transpo car at the time, primer-gray and slot mags...it's done many many 1/4-mile passes over all these years, some even at a drag strip...

[Gateclyve Photographic]

The October 2017 issue of Car Craft has plenty of good grassroots stuff . .. the 302 versus 305 dyno test. ... The Texas True Street Shootout feature. ...The NextGen Performance repurposing of warranty take-off LSA superchargers ... Adding Vintage Air "knee-knocker" AC . . . .Steve Gray's '67 Camaro and Troy Aves' '67 Turbo Hemi Dart . . . .

And even the Project Car update story has plenty of content on several real world (not unlimited budget TV) grassroots project cars, such as Truck Norris, CC/Malibu, Lucky Costa's Fury wagon, CC/Underbird, and CC/Olds.

Please don't hate CC because it has the good fortune of getting awesome content from hardcore guys like Kevin Tetz (Project Zedsled) Steve Magnante, and Mike Musto (House of Muscle Gen I Monte Carlo), who just happen to have TV gigs.

John McGann is pouring his heart and soul into Car Craft to make it as down-to-earth as humanly possible.

[SuperBuickGuy]

I like Lucky and think it's awesome that he got love from Ridetech and Hooker header - hell, I wouldn't have sent it back either... however, I think you're missing the point about how this sounds to the reader. As someone who is impatiently waiting for funds to become available to buy his solid roller cam for his Corvette (hoping for October) and doesn't even look at the Ridetech stuff simply because it's beyond the budget... as the reader don't pee on me and tell me it's rain by telling us all about the free Mopars, the free go-fast parts, the free trips, the cars built with manufacturer freebies in Car Craft by the editors and TV personalities employed by TEN. Hot Rods (and Fashion), it's expected that you'd do such fluff stuff and self-aggrandizing drivel....

The biggest issue to me is this, if it doesn't work it simply goes to the back of Freiburger or Dulcich's garage until enough regular folks get screwed by the parts and they stop selling them. You can tell us all about your one lap of America in the car given to you buy Mopar and filled with parts given to you buy all other manufacturers... then demand we pay to see it. That's great, that's the American way - but you folks are starting to sound like Marie Antoinette (the woman who liked her cake more then her head).

And real world - it's real people who get to pay extra for parts so that you folks can get freebies. After all, how many articles about installing a suspension on a Chevelle do we need to hear? Have there been any updates to either the Hooker stuff, the earl's hoses, or the Ridetech suspension that would justify the marketing expense? We get all excited when Painless does the $100 off every year... imagine what it'd be like if those sponsors knocked a thousand or two off a suspension for people who actually use them by reducing their freebie budget. CC should be about the people - not the editors.

for those who have no idea what I'm talking about....

All that said, if DSE happened to ship me their complete suspension kit for the 64-82 Corvettes - I'd be eternally grateful. Of course, knowing the way this works, all I'll see out of this is Finnegan getting a new suspension from DSE and a Chevy crate motor for a car he wanted to throw into the hole at the Corvette Museum. Oh well, I guess my revenge will be posting as I do it myself and making that tech accessible to anyone with the internet.

All the other stuff. I like Kevin Tetz and his painter series. McGann's greatest attribute is his humanity - the trip in the Malibu with his kid is the epic stuff you can't make up and the world needs more of. Steve Magnante is great at what he does... and here's one for you, I had no idea who Mike Musto was until they did a blurb on Youtube about a new show.... I didn't watch all of the teaser, I'm sure he's a nice guy but not something I'd finish watching or watch again.... and, outside of that 30 seconds, I've no idea who he is and not sure I'd care if I did. Sorry.

And last, this isn't even about Ridetech, I really appreciate how Ridetech spends a great deal of time helping people who will never buy their stuff.

[SuperBuickGuy]

and the supercharger... needs its own post. Wasn't that the same Supercharger that HRM, I think Freiburger, mentioned in his editorial and said that you'd be better off simply buying from any of the comparable manufacturers because by the time you fix the supercharger, buy the missing parts and install it on your car that you'd be in the same financial place as you would be had you bought new? best of all, you'd then have a warranty. ($3600 v. $4500 for an Edelbrock, $6500 for an Eaton, or $4000 for a Vortech)

[Gateclyve Photographic]

I wouldn't assume that everything in Car Craft Magazine is a product placement or "freebee," though. CC operates on a fraction of Hot Rod's budget and advertiser "love" isn't spread across the board.

Sure, there's some "at cost" and other "deals" on some of the CC project cars. But some of them -- CC/Underbird and CC/Olds, for example -- are built with retail parts (and if they weren't they'd both be a lot further along now) . . . . Roadkill probably spends more on the Corona budget than is going into some of these project cars (out of the "editors'" mostly empty pockets . . . .)

There's good stuff in the magazine.

Note; Other than McGann, an art director, and a masthead full of bosses, Car Craft operates these days mostly with a select group of freelance "contributors". The days of large staffs of in-house "editors" are over, at least at CC. That's not to say that SBG doesn't have a point about perceptions.

[Gateclyve Photographic]

The current economics of print require a certain amount of hanging around and writing about what others are doing.

[SuperBuickGuy]

There's good stuff in the magazine.

I wouldn't subscribe if there wasn't.... of course, as I've said before, if they lose Krass and Bernie then I would re-evaluate.

Hanging around writing about what's happening in your own shop is a bit .... umm... I won't say 'lazy' but it's certainly pretty low-hanging fruit.

[SuperBuickGuy]

and thank you... I finally figured out what bothers me about it.

Nothing done in the TEN network is cutting edge - a 302 v 305 build? what is this 1980? I know there is much angst and hatred against Velocity programs like GMG, Vegas Rat Rods and such - but every one of them (except Fantomworks) is people doing new stuff - especially ones like Vegas Rat Rods where his canvas is cars. I hate the drama of it, but I can say without fear of contradiction that I've incorporated more of what they did to their cars then I have in all of my past subscriptions to magazines. Perhaps now that the media arm of TEN has merged with Velocity that will change. I cannot wait for the first, forced co-build between the various stars.... it'll be like Celebrity Death Match but real instead of claymation.

*Fantomworks is creative bitching about your job. "OMG, they brought stuff to us to fix" don't be Fantomworks, be Gas Monkey.

[Gateclyve Photographic]

It's sure expensive "low-hanging fruit," especially when 50-80% of the budget for a story goes into paying ordinary retail prices for parts (not to mention the hours and hours of build time).

Hey, it's a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll . . . .

[Gateclyve Photographic]

SBG, if there's something "cutting edge" you'd like to see in CC, why not suggest it?

The challenge of editorial for a grassroots car magazine is that it has to appeal to the masses who live in the paycheck-to-paycheck carb/intake/cam/header bolt-on world, while providing an accessible level of "novelty" and innovation (and selling enough advertising to keep the lights on). Unlike the 1960s and 1970s, Detroit and consumer product companies aren't showering "build" magazines with ads these days. "Cutting edge" about 70% of the time is a synonym for time-consuming and expensive.

You can be sure than nearly every project car story in the magazine has hours and hours of work behind it (many magazine project cars go together slower than other builds because of the photographic requirements . And they're often being built by hamfisted scribes who write and shoot better than they fabricate and wrench).

[Barry Donovan]

and thank you... I finally figured out what bothers me about it.

Nothing done in the TEN network is cutting edge - a 302 v 305 build? what is this 1980? I know there is much angst and hatred against Velocity programs like GMG, Vegas Rat Rods and such - but every one of them (except Fantomworks) is people doing new stuff - especially ones like Vegas Rat Rods where his canvas is cars. I hate the drama of it, but I can say without fear of contradiction that I've incorporated more of what they did to their cars then I have in all of my past subscriptions to magazines. Perhaps now that the media arm of TEN has merged with Velocity that will change. I cannot wait for the first, forced co-build between the various stars.... it'll be like Celebrity Death Match but real instead of claymation.

*Fantomworks is creative bitching about your job. "OMG, they brought stuff to us to fix" don't be Fantomworks, be Gas Monkey.

they have an article i called famous...they were playing with old 305 and vortec heads.

1999?

the vortec 305 out did all previous years of the 350 except some lt1 yenko nova.

maybe they are reviving the real workhorse history for 90% of the rest of us that lived it.

[nonhog]

I still have my first HR magazine from 1974? I at one time subscribed to 8 magazines (late eighties) then they all seemed to have individual personalities. Slowly I got down to 2.
HR and CC. Now its just HR. I am considering not re subscribing next go around. Too corporate. Tired of an overabundance of coverage of the same old same old. I will say I enjoy ever other issue. Just me?
Internet has watered down my excitement in getting an issue in the mail. I feel for guys who have to keep corporate happy. I get it but its a shame.

[SuperBuickGuy]

SBG, if there's something "cutting edge" you'd like to see in CC, why not suggest it?

The challenge of editorial for a grassroots car magazine is that it has to appeal to the masses who live in the paycheck-to-paycheck carb/intake/cam/header bolt-on world, while providing an accessible level of "novelty" and innovation (and selling enough advertising to keep the lights on). Unlike the 1960s and 1970s, Detroit and consumer product companies aren't showering "build" magazines with ads these days. "Cutting edge" about 70% of the time is a synonym for time-consuming and expensive.

You can be sure than nearly every project car story in the magazine has hours and hours of work behind it (many magazine project cars go together slower than other builds because of the photographic requirements . And they're often being built by hamfisted scribes who write and shoot better than they fabricate and wrench).

You mean I get to say "why don't you just?" I know you're not being snarky so I'll answer.

how about a SB427 v. BB427 build? GM and Ford. Build a GM one for a Camaro and a Ford one for a Mustang. Nothing grass root about that. If you really want to change it up, throw them in a car and do corners with it. You could milk that for months if not years of tech. In the GM arena, you're going to be pointing out that torque, and hp can make one faster then the other. A friend of mine and I are building C3 Corvettes. The only real difference will be the motors, he's putting a SBC 427 in his and I'm doing a knuckle-dragging BBC 427. Lunch is bet and I am going to get fat because he's french and knows how to make a proper lunch (and he reads this stuff so I'm sure I'm going to hear about this later). If you really want to get tech, then compare the SBC 427 and the BBC 427 with a LS 427.

and you'll get zero sympathy from me - I blog my builds here - all I get from doing such builds on the internet is grief and hate* with an very occasional "thanks." I've never received anything monetary for doing it (matter of fact, it actually costs me in photography and storage of those photos) - so that particular argument really isn't going too far.... sorry, I'm a heartless bastard.

As for showering... didn't they just shower Lucky with about 10k worth of parts? I know, it's tough being you...

signed
HB
aka SBG

*the latest being a rooftop a/c unit on a Suburban that's run with solar power.... "you can't do that" "why are you ignoring me" "you're a terrible person" "stop gloating"

[nickleone]

Real car building no tool throwing and fake drama. Plus a great shop dog

http://www.mavtv.com/shows/automotive-reality/full-custom-garage

I don't get MAVTV any more

Nick