Tag Archives: Videos

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Mar 30, 2021CRASH & BURN, MISC, TECH, Videos

Ever Wonder Just How Strong A Set Of Jackstands Really Is? Watch As They Are Put Through Their Paces In A Giant Hydraulic Press

We always take jackstands for granted, because they are one of the go to safety items in every garage. When there was a recall on some of them from Harbor Freight last year it was crazy how many people were up in arms. I have lots of Harbor Freight jackstands, but none that fell under the recall, no pun intended. With that said, we all throw a set under the car and climb under without much concern as long as they are sitting flat when we let the jack down on them. And nobody ever thinks about just how much load is on them or how much load they are rated for.

With most weight rated items there is a safety factor. I’ve been told this is 3 times the rating, but I’m not sure if that is true. So just how much will a jackstand hold up compared to its rating? And does the design really matter? Are aluminum stands really strong enough to use with your muscle cars, trucks, etc? Watch this video and you will find out just how strong they really are. And just how catastrophic their failure can be! The destruction ends with a broken window in the hydraulic press room.

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Redline Rebuild: Here Is The Long Awaited Cadillac V8 Time Lapse Video!

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Mar 27, 20211320 Drag News, 1320 Event Coverage, 1320 Spotlight, BangShift 1320, DRAG RACES, Event Coverage, RACING & ACTION, Videos

Our FREE LIVE Streaming Video Coverage Of The Spring Fling Million In Las Vegas Continues Today! 5-Days Of FREE RACING!!!

That’s right folks, we’re SUPER excited to be bringing you 5 days of awesome bracket racing from The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway at the 2021 K&N Spring Fling Million presented by Optima Batteries. While the big show starts on Wednesday, we’ll be live on Tuesday afternoon for the American Race Cars, Todd’s Extreme Custom Paint, Dragster Shootout Race. The winner will take home a rolling American Race Cars 240″ Dragster chassis with a complete custom paint job by Todd’s. This is a big shootout for 32 cars and will be the perfect way to start off the weekend here in Vegas.

We will be live Tuesday afternoon, and then all day Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday for all the racing action. Check out the flyer below for details on the payout and event prizes, but know that Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday racers will be going after $30,000 to win. Friday is the big money Million race which has a guaranteed purse of $250,000 to the winner regardless of entries. We’re pretty sure this race is going to be off the hook based on our last west coast race this year. Given the fact that all the heavy hitters are heading cross country for it as well, this promises to be one hell of an event.

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Built as a homage to the best era of Formula 1 the latest Pagani makes power the old-fashioned way.

Horacio Pagani has been a fan of racing all his life, and his favorite driver was also critical to the success of his cars. A fellow Argentine automotive genius was J.M. Fangio. He brokered the deal to allow Pagani to run Mercedes-Benz V12 engines. But now that the V12 is exclusive to Maybach, something new was needed.

With a goal of building the world’s most incredible V12, the challenge was answered by a legend. Hans Aufrecht founded AMG back in 1967 and he considered retiring once Mercedes-Benz bought him out. Because he knows a thing or two about building reliable power, his team at HWA Engineering have delivered a masterpiece.

“The new engine had to have the charm, romance, sound and simplicity of the F1 engines of the 1980s, while incorporating state-of-the-art technology available today.” Horacio Pagani

Weight was a critical aspect, so instead of the chassis supporting the engine, the engine forms the backbone of the car’s rear suspension. Even dealing with this additional stress it only tips the scales at 436 lbs. So you will have the weight of a V6 with 850 horsepower at 8,250 rpm. Between 5,500 and 8,300 you will have 553 lb-ft of torque, no turbos or supercharger required. Such high-strung machines normally need intense maintenance after each race, but Pagani says it only needs to be inspected every 6,000 miles. It doesn’t get any better than this, so click the button to learn more. Be sure to check out the Pagani Huayra R unveiling for more amazing details of their latest hypercar.

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Mar 17, 2021OTHER, TECH, Tech Stories, Videos

Cheap And Easy Tire Balancing At Home: Balancing Drag Radials And Slicks Made Easy!

I grew up in auto shops and at race tracks where tires were always balanced after being installed on a set of wheels. At my Grandpa’s or my Uncle’s shops it was super common place and I learned at my Grandpa’s on an old fashioned Bubble Balancer. Later on I would learn to use a Hunter rotational balancer at my Uncle’s shop, and would mount and balance wheels all the time. But the bubble balancer never went away, because every single Firestone, Goodyear, or Mickey Thompson slick that my dad ever had installed at the track was balanced with a bubble balancer. And if you go to the track today, Goodyear, MT, and Hoosier all have bubble balancers in their trailers and use them for slicks. Some of them do have newer digital rotational balancers as well, but these can only be used for smaller tires. In the drag radial world there are even folks who claim no balancing is needed. I don’t happen to subscribe to that philosophy myself, as I want a smooth drive on the road and no shaking when going fast on the track.

In this Tech Tip Tuesday, Doug from Motion Raceworks shows you how he balances his drag radials for his VERY low 7 second Nova and what he uses to do it. He also has some tips on weights for racing. Watch and learn and go buy a balancer.

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6.7L Of LS To Go! Watch This Katech Built Endurance Racing Engine Get Tortured On The Dyno

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Feb 19, 20211320 Videos, BangShift 1320, ENGINES, Videos

Pontiac Power Video: 535ci Of Butler Performance Built Blower Motors Cranks Out More Than 800hp!

This is the cure for the common LS engine. You are going to watch an awesome 535ci, Butler Performance built Pontiac engine whine and grunt out more than 800hp and more than 850 lb/ft of torque on the dyno. The insane thing is that the torque peak is made at 3,8000 RPM according to the Butler guys so that would make this thing an awesome street engine in every way. It will mangle tires from here to eternity. We have no idea what model of Pontiac this engine was headed for but we can only guess it is a GTO of some form or fashion. We’d love to see it in a Bonneville or Catalina but we likes ’em big. That’s just our thing.

Note the fact that this thing has a damned AC compressor hooked to it as well. That means whoever is driving around with this monster under the hood is also going to be doing it in comfort. How cool is that?! Far be it from us to suggest modifying he awesome work done by Butler Performance but if one wanted to make some more horsepower in a pretty quick fashion they could swap out the wagon-wheel sized top pulley on the blower, load the thing up with good gas, and really let it eat. Dumb for a street engine but interesting for the occasional trip to the strip, right?

We love the fact that people still crave engines like this and the fact that Butler Performanc is still a thriving performance business even a decade after Pontiac ceased being a thing. Who needs an LS engine, right?

Press play below to see this Butler Performance Built 535ci Pontiac make 800+

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MAHLE Motorsport Introduces Ford 5.0L Modular 4-Valve Coyote/Voodoo PowerPak Plus Piston Kit

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Hybrid and EV technology is watching gasoline ride off into the sunset. The new 2022 McLaren Artura is the beginning of a new era, as we watch V6 engines have now made the V8 look obsolete. If you watched the reveal with us, you are likely smiling at the notions of an all-new chassis.

Using the 600LT as a benchmark, the new carbon fiber monocoque is lighter and stronger while also accommodating a battery pack. Another incredible leap forward is the V6 engine. Instead of firing the cylinders at 60 or 90 degrees, the cylinder heads are 120 degrees apart. This wide-angle offers perfect balance without needing heavy counterweights on the crankshaft.

The engine itself offers 577 horsepower and 431 lb-ft of torque, and it is supplemented by the latest in hybrid assistance. A compact battery is rated at 7.4 kWh, and it allows the car to have a total output of 671 horsepower and 531 lb-ft of torque. Cutting weight in every component allows this car to offer a curb weight of 3,303 lbs. This allows it to reach 60 mph in 3 seconds, 124 mph in 8.3 seconds, and 186 mph in under 22 ticks.

The electric motor offers a range of 19 miles, and swapping the polarity allowed engineers to build a new dual-clutch transmission without a reverse gear. Nothing about the Artura is shared with its predecessors except for the brand’s logo. Every car will arrive with a host of other performance-minded goodies that don’t add weight. From an electronic differential to Pirelli Cyber Tyre technology, you will truly be amazed it can all be offered at a starting price of $225,000. This car will undoubtedly be the beginning of a new series, so stay with us for all your McLaren news.

Images (C) McLaren Automotive

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Jan 27, 20211320 Project Cars, OTHER, TECH, Tech Stories, Videos

Fitzee Shows Us How To Build Rust Repair Panels From Scratch. This Stuff Isn’t As Hard As You’d Think!

Fitzee’s Fabrications is building a car that he calls Crusty, because it is just that. Because the car is getting built into a cool drag car, and a ton of the rusty crusty bits have to be cut out anyway to build the chassis, cage, floors, firewall, and tubs, it was no big thing. Luckily Fitzee is a specialist at sheetmetal fabrication and repair, and he not only makes it look easy, but also explains how you too can make it easy. His tips and tricks, methods, and attitude are enough to inspire anyone to do rust repair. I have learned so much from watching him and a couple other guys online that I know I’ll be more comfortable doing rust repair and sheetmetal fabrication than I’ve ever been. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve done rust repairs, body mods like shaved handles, and plenty of fabrication, but I’ve never been a body guy. I have done repairs and made them ready for bodywork, but I would never have considered myself super comfortable with it. But Fitzee is confidence inspiring!

Seriously, watch this, learn, be inspired, and check out the new project. It’s a 1970s Corolla, that’s going to have a custom chassis, cage, turbo LS combo, with leaf springs out back and  a Mustang II up front. This is going to be a fun little car and we totally approve. He’s planning to stretch and resize the rear wheel openings because he’s going to have more tire than will fit the stock opening, and the entire project is being built on a budget. Anything that can be fabricated instead of being bought, will be, and we love him for it.

Watch and enjoy and be inspired to do something.

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Road Tour Episode 3: 1500 Miles In Epic Hot Rods Like This '70 Chevelle and '63 Impala

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Jan 19, 20211320 Drag News, 1320 Videos, BangShift 1320, BangShift News, HISTORIC, MISC, RACING & ACTION, Videos

The Rad Man Wins: Watch Connie Kalitta’s Historic Victory In Top Fuel At The 1994 NHRA US Nationals

When it comes to people who personify guts, endurance, and an incredible will to succeed, Connie Kalitta’s name is going to be in the conversation. As a guy who started an air freight empire with a dragster and an airplane he bought from Ted Halibrand, it has been dogged determination and hard work that have continued to propel him to this day. Connie Kalitta had been trying to win the US Nationals since the late 1950s and over the years he came close, but had never actually won the race. Astonishingly it took him all the way to the mid 1990s before he was able to claim a proper win at The Nationals. As a guy who had done and continues to do so much for the sport, this was a moment of celebration no just for him but for the many people he had helped and influenced over the years.

It was fitting that Eddie Hill was on the other side of the track on this late night finish. Why? It made this pair the oldest TF pass in the history of the sport by virtue of the drivers’, ummm, life experience.

The run is great and the top end interview is even better. You can tell how much this one means to the big guy.

Hit the image of Connie to watch him win the 1994 NHRA US Nationals – Legendary stuff!

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Peak 80s Goodness: This United States Hot Rod Association Promotional Video Is A Gearhead Highlight Reel That We Love

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Jan 16, 20211320 Engine Tech, 1320 Tech Story, 1320 Videos, Apex Engine Tech, Apex Tech Stories, Apex Video, ENGINE, ENGINES, Tech Stories, Videos, XL Engine Tech, XL Tech Stories, XL Videos

Small Block Ford Intake Testing – Single vs Dual Plane On Both 351 Cleveland And Windsor

The world of intake manifolds is a diverse one, where dual plane, single plane, tunnel ram, IR, cross ram, long runner and short are available for just about every popular engine combo. And because modern intakes have gotten more and more modular, there are lots of ways to configure intakes for your particular application. But with the increasing number of throttle body fuel injection systems, and the still much larger number running carburetors, the age old discussion of dual plane vs single plane is a valid one. There has always been a belief that single planes are for racing and dual planes are for street cars, but with the ever increasing performance potential that we take advantage of, our street cars are getting more and more powerful all the time. So does the rule still apply? Is single really only good for the race track? Are dual planes only good for a cruiser?

Thanks to our friend Richard Holdener, we’re going to see the results of some testing with both a 351 Cleveland and a 351 Windsor on the dyno at Westech Performance Group. Watch, look at real data, and listen to the conclusions Richard has come to after years of dyno testing. Then use the info to help you make the right parts decisions for your bitchin Ford build.

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Jan 01, 2021TECH, Videos

Best of 2020: This Guy Built His Own Prosthetic Hand Setup With Aluminum!

Call it a toll of war, call it experience by years, but it is just a true, frank statement: I know way too many people who are missing limbs. Many have lost hands, feet, legs, eyesight and in many cases their minds as well. And that’s before we get into other issues, such as disease, accidents and the C-word that I can say in public. When humans started out on this planet, missing limbs all but promised that you were not going to eat well, and that if a big cat suddenly decided you were dinner…well, so long. Then it became a matter of public hindrance, a disability. Peg-legged sailors, riflemen with the sleeve sewn shut where an arm should have been. Nowadays, prosthetics are borderline unreal. From a basic foot extension that assists with balance to the radical neuroprosthetic technologies that are being studied and tested, what you can get away with via prosthetic devices today is nothing short of amazing. Handicapped? Not as much as you might think.

The amazing thing about this home-built aluminum hand…itself, a pretty loaded group of words…isn’t that it was built at home, or that it functions as well as it does. The fingers can splay, they can grip, they can form a fist, that’s pretty solid for a home-built unit. No, the impressive thing is that it was built at home by your narrator…you know, the man who actually needed the prosthetic because he is missing a good portion of his hand? As he shows off the latest generation of his device, you’ll pick up on the improvements he’s made along the way, such as the move away from 3D-printed fingers (too fragile).

“I built my own artificial hand, and it works great.” How do you follow up a gem like that?

Thanks to Kevin Brown for the tip!

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