#jeff borgeson

[mitjalovse]

Tim Renwick works with a lot of people. However, he's mostly associated with Al Stewart who – I have to admit – is someone I've always heard of, yet I didn't really listen to that much. Thus, I sampled some of his works to notice he might be a singer I should've known by now. He reminds me of Gordon Lightfoot for some reason – I believe their lyrics share a slight overlap in their themes –, yet he seems to be closer to the 70's on those records of his I listened to than the already mentioned Canadian. I mean, the tune on the link appears to be an attempt at describing a pivotal moment in French history in the form of a 70's rock piece and I hear a tinge of the early Genesis. Still, a glossary might be needed here for some references.

[itsworn]

Hot Rod Crash Courses Taught Free Upcoming NSRA Louisville Nats

Presented by the SEMA Hot Rod Industry Alliance for street rodders that want to learn as much as they can about building a hot rod, custom car, or classic truck the right way in a short amount of time there’s a perfect opportunity coming up in early August. Its called Education Days held at the NSRA Street Rod Nationals in Louisville for 2018 and it’s a great occasion for enthusiasts, professional builders, and homebuilders to get first-hand knowledge from the experts themselves on products and installation. All of which is free to anyone who attends the NSRA Street Rod Nationals held August 2 -5 in Louisville, Kentucky at the Kentucky Exposition Center.

What is the HRIA, the Hot Rod Industry Alliance is a section of the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA). HRIA is dedicated to addressing the challenges facing this segment of the automotive aftermarket and to preserving and promoting the hot rod industry.

The HRIA’s primary objectives are to ensure the future prosperity of the hot rod industry and to advance and promote awareness of the hobby. Within this context, HRIA focuses on industry-specific issues, developing effective strategies and programs that will assist members in improving their business practices and procedures. HRIA also works with HRIA’s legislative staff to address those legislative and/or regulatory matters which may affect the hot rod industry, and provides a forum- through participation in Hot Rod Alley, a special SEMA Show section-through which member companies can take advantage of new business and marketing opportunities.

Education Days Schedule in Louisville for 2018

Thursday August 2, 2018 1. 9:15-10:15 FAST EFI – David Page (Understanding EFI) B101 2. 10:30-11:30 Fatman Fabrication – Brent VanDervort (Chassis Design) B102 3. 11:45-12:45 Borgeson – Jeff Grantmeyer (Power Steering Conversions) B101 4. 1:00-2:00 Classic Instruments – John McLeod (Instrumentation For Your Dash) B102 5. 2:15-3:15 Painless Performance – Dennis Overholser (Dos and Don’ts of Wire Harness Installations) B101 6. 3:30-4:30 Edelbrock – Cary Redman – (Edelbrock Has Your Fuel System Solutions) B102

Friday August 3, 2018 1. 9:15-10:15 Vintage Air – Rick Love (Basics of Air Conditioning)) B101 2. 10:30-11:30 Steele Rubber – Danny and Matt Agosta (Pros Tips on Weather Strips) B102 3. 11:45-12:45 American Autowire – Scott Hughes (Wiring Solutions) B101 4. 1:00-2:00 Wilwood Brakes – Bob Roese (Understanding Brake Systems) B102 5. 2:15-3:15 Lokar – Howard Cook & Jeff McClure (Being Prepared for the NSRA Safety 23) B101 6. 3:30-4:30 Total Cost Involved – Evan Dalley (Basics of Modern Suspensions) B102

The post Hot Rod Crash Courses Taught Free Upcoming NSRA Louisville Nats appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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[itsworn]

Sky-High, Hemi-Powered Plymouth Gasser Rules the Street

Ruling the Land in This Sky-Scraping, Hemi-Powered Plymouth

“I’ve always been in love with the street-freak look—you know, the cars so ugly they’re kinda cool,” admits Jeff Bornstein, a lifelong hot rod addict. And Jeff knows firsthand about these bizarro hot rods and “high and mighty” Gassers, as he belongs to the Dead Man’s Curve car club—a group of street warriors known for their bombastic builds and sky-scratchin’ mega-rides. The DMC members build their custom cars in the tradition of the wild and way-out “freaks” and Gassers first glorified on the street and strip battlegrounds of the 1960s.

Jeff’s got a few attention-grabbing rides back in his garage in Livingston, New Jersey. A day-two-styled 1964 Corvette coupe and a 1932 roadster boasting blown Bow Tie power have found permanent residence at his spacious auto abode. But a few years back he got the itch to build something that even the DMC crew didn’t have in its vast inventory of freaky street rides. So Jeff thought to figuratively scratch that incessant itch with an automotive brand he had no interest in.

This “plumb crazy” build started as a rust-free BB-1 Yellow 273 automatic car Jeff purchased from California. Not only was the body in great shape but many of the wearables and trim pieces were salvaged for the next stage in this B-body’s life.

Pentastars

Mopars were like kryptonite to Jeff. Nay a single Chrysler product had ever made its way to his garage over the years. To him, they were just rust buckets waiting for their next breakdown. But a certain body style started to creep its way into his GM-branded heart. His wife, Kathi, started to fancy the B-body offerings of the mid-1960s Plymouths and soon had a yearning for one of her own. Jeff started a hunt to locate a Satellite in decent shape for his next a petrol-fueled project.

That search culminated in 2006 when he spotted a nice 1966 Satellite online. Jeff took the chance and bought the car sight unseen. Luckily, his roll of the dice paid off. When the Plymouth arrived back in Jersey, it looked better than the photos. Once it was sent to Rich Conklin’s “Hot Rod Farm” and torn down, the initial findings were verified: this was one clean Mopar.

It then entered Rich’s world: a place where cars are stretched, pulled, and lifted skyward, receiving the contortions and proportions needed to make them into true Gassed-up street terrors. Rich has undoubtedly become the main East Coast hookup when it comes to creating muscular, jacked-up rides molded in true Gasser form.

When it comes to Gassers, it’s all about the suspension. Rich Conklin designed and built this one to Jeff’s specifications, lifting the Plymouth 1-1/2 feet over stock height at the nose. Add a 572ci, hell-raising Hemi powerplant up front, and you’ve got one crazy street freak.

Onward and Upward

As with any Gasser, it all starts with the suspension. The front end of the Satellite took shape by first removing all the stock components. The original K-frame was salvageable and reused, then Rich went to work. Frame connectors were added to the Plymouth’s unibody to stiffen the ride where it was needed most. Next, Rich lined up a pair of Speedway straight-axle leaf springs and mocked them up using a Tinny’s Rod Shop Zero Drop tube axle. He then modified the spring hangers to work with the K-member due to fitment issues. It started looking good at that point.

But issues arose when the Hooker headers were installed, as they interfered with the springs. Rich modified the spring setup to fix the issue. He called upon Jensen and Mitchell out of Jersey City, New Jersey, to build a new set of extended springs. Once that was accomplished, Rich installed a set of early Chevy spindles and Speedway GM intermediate disc brakes. A pair of NOS chrome spiral shocks, made for an early Corvette, handle the jounce duties.

Out back, the original 8-3/4 Sure Grip rear, stuffed with 3.91 gears, gets the power to the pavement. Rich reused the original heavy-duty B-body drums for added stopping power. But there were also spring issues out back. To get the height this ride needed, Rich mounted the original leafs on top of the axle instead of below it, but the springs soon went flat. So Rich ordered a new set, and they also went flat. Finally, he had the springs reinforced and re-arced. That was the ticket for getting the Satellite’s hind end up and in control.

Arruzza High Performance built the outrageous 572-cid Hemi, adding a few vintage touches along the way. The mighty 2×4-bbl polished tunnel ram is a mid-1960s Offenhauser casting. Once delivered to New Jersey, good friend and Mopar guru Todd Berghorn helped Jeff shoehorn the Elephant into the engine bay. He then went on to redo the electrical system and much of the mechanicals to get this beast situated and running in its new form.

Hemi King

For motor motivation to send this high flyer into orbit, Jeff went to the Hemi master, John Arruzza, to whip up a “King of the Hill” Street Hemi. The goal was to make at least 750 hp to the back meats on typical pump gas.

The Hemi started with a World Products 572 block, custom-machined at Arruzza’s, sporting a 4.5-inch bore and stroke. The cylinders were filled with Ross Firestone pistons, bringing the compression up to 10.5:1. A set of modified-aluminum Indy Hi-Po cylinder heads with 2.40/1.94 stainless-steel intake and exhaust valves help this big-block breathe.

An Engle cam with 0.539/0.521 lift and 282 degrees of duration gets the valves jumping. Isky springs, Maxx rocker shafts, and Rhoads lifters add to the high-caliber build. A custom set of high-clearance Arruzza valve covers keep it all under wraps, giving an original 1960s look to the build. To keep the vintage feel, an original Offenhauser tunnel ram topped with two 750-cfm Edelbrock carbs feed this beast the fuel it needs.

A Borgeson steering box was also used, but because it’s a Gasser, steering geometry had to be calculated—and then recalculated. Rich worked extensively on this issue, building custom steering arms. When it was all said and down, this Plymouth enjoys the real “high life”—it’s almost 18 inches up over stock!

Painter Rob Pillone sprayed the Satellite in PPG Perfect Purple, which is a more modern take on the Mopar hues from back in the day. The top was sprayed in Pearl White, accented with a panel paint pattern using Misted Silver highlights.

Jeff really wanted the body to look stock, so there were few modifications done, except the big opening for that immense tunnel-rammed Hemi. When it came to the exterior, he kept it simple. “I wanted to stick with the colors of the era, but add a little bling with it,” Jeff says. Good friend Rob Pillone finished the bodywork and sprayed the appropriate hue: Perfect Purple by PPG. He also managed some nice panel paintwork on top. Once the car was back from the shop, A&M interiors handled the new gut on the car. Amazingly, those are the original panels and seat skins, with just the carpet and headliner needing replacement. Jeff had the seats re-foamed, however.

The behemoth Hemi was installed with good friend Todd Berghorn, who also handled much of the tricky Mopar-based electrical work and mechanicals. Rob Johnson and Pete Griffin helped install the powerplant. USA Wheels took on chroming duties on the bumpers and other trim. To make this period-correct, Jeff sourced a set of period Ansen Sprint wheels, polished to a mirror finish. They are shod in true Gasser skins: those are Radir 1200 Slicks out back.

The donor car was in great shape and much of the interior was saved, including the seat skins and door panels. Jeff decided to keep the interior basically stock, only adding a vintage Sun tach to the steering column and some Moon gauges under the dash to keep an eye on vitals.

After eight years of toiling in the garage, the Satellite—aka “KatMobile” (named after Jeff’s wife)—is alive and on the streets. It made its first appearance at the Wild Hot Rod Weekend thrown by the DMC last September at the Sheraton in Mahwah, New Jersey. It was met with rave reviews and has joined the fleet of club freaks. Jeff’s special thanks go to Larry at Fatsco, John at A&M Interiors, and also Jeff at USA Wheels for all the chrome work. And, of course, special thanks to Kathi for her support during the build.

A set of period-perfect Ansen Sprint wheels keep up with the mid-1960s look. When it comes to Gassed-up rides, nothing looks more correct than a pair of piecrust Radir slicks to put the power to the pavement.

The things that “geardriven dreams” are made of. Jasper Hooks is ready for a showdown with his own “Hemi” ride.

The most notable part of any Gasser build is the straight axle. Gasser master Rich Conklin chose a Tinny’s Rod Shop Zero-Drop Axle for maximum height. Steering geometry can be a major problem with so much altitude, but Rich designed the right system.

What’s next for Jeff? How about another Mopar to add to his stable of rides? Maybe a lowrider this time around? Who knows: the answer is still up in the air––just like this crazy, sky-piercing Hemi ride.

Purple is the color of royalty, often associated with nobility, so it’s only natural this Gasser reigns over the kingdom of street-freak customs and sky-high Gassers.

The post Sky-High, Hemi-Powered Plymouth Gasser Rules the Street appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

from Hot Rod Network http://www.hotrod.com/articles/sky-high-hemi-powered-plymouth-gasser-rules-street/ via IFTTT