RETURN of the LITTLE BOOK Drift Mania
Canadian Championship
1915 Bub Wasp
Vol.9 #4 •
WINTER 2009 • 25c
Canadian Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement #40609642
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Performance in Motion 1100 The Queensway Toronto, ON M8Z 1P7 Phone: 416-259-3678 Fax: 416-259-6433
EDITOR/PUBLISHER Bob McJannett bmcj@sympatico.ca Phone: 416-259-3678 PRODUCTION DESIGN Rob McJannett CONTRIBUTORS Thomas Anderson Bert Faibish John Lawrence Jeff Norwell Bob McJannett Robert Michaelson Jover Papag Leonard F. Slye Paul Sontrop with Bonnie Staring as the Reluctant Passenger PROOFREADER Spike “The Machine” LaVigne Moving? Let us know! moving@performanceimprovements.com Return undeliverables to: 1100 The Queensway Toronto, ON M8Z 1P7 PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40609642 • PERFOR MANCE IN MOTION is published four times a year: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. Circulation is 30,000+ (ISSN 1703-8421) Copyright ©2009 All rights reserved by Performance In Motion Publishing. The fine print: We respect your privacy, and do not sell our mailing list. All opinions are those of the usual gang of idiots, most of whom sniff gas fumes. The information presented via said gas sniffers from which there can be no responsibility by the Publishers as to legality, completeness and accuracy. Recycle this magazine - give it to your friends. If you enjoy our magazine, be sure to let us know! This magazine may not be reprinted without permission of Performance In Motion Publishing. (We’re nice guys, just ask!) • Thanks for everything Mr. D • • • None of this would have been possible without you •
Table of Contents Editorial.................................................5 The Bub Wasp of 1915.........................7 Drift Mania Championship............... 11 Classics in the Country..................... 12 Roadmates Corn Roast..................... 16 Book Review: DRAG RACING The Worlds Fastest Sport................... 18 Performance Directory.....................20 Route 66 Trip....................................... 21 Reluctant Passenger Prepping for the Off Season.............22
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WINTER 2009 • Performance in Motion •
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Editor’s Note
H
ow do you like our new size? We have been trying to find a way to make our magazine different from the rest of the herd. We came upon a stash of the “little books” from the 50s and 60s, the ones we used to read at school hidden in our textbooks. Why not? So, now you are holding our new format. By going to this size, we accomplish a number of things. First, we will be using less paper, killing fewer trees. Our attempt to save the earth, one tree at a time. We will also be able to lower our display ad rates, making Performance in Motion a more attractive ad buy in our current economy. We certainly encourage you to support our advertisers. They have stepped up to support the Canadian enthusiast, without them there would be no FREE magazine. What we are not going to do is lower the quality. We will continue to print on highquality glossy stock. We will continue to offer exclusively Canadian coverage. We will continue to support Canadian events, Canadian car builders and to provide simple hands on technical tips to help you make the improvements you want to your vehicles. We will also keep you informed of government issues that could hurt the car enthusiast population. I trust you enjoy our new format; we have had fun changing the look. Hope you like it too!
WINTER 2009 • Performance in Motion •
o
Bub
Story by: Bob McJannett • Photos by: Paul Sontrop • Performance in Motion • WINTER 2009
Wasp B
efore anyone had ever heard the words Hot Rod or Hot Rodder, there were car nuts. People who would not be satisfied with the vehicle they owned and would spend hard-earned money and countless hours changing things to make them faster and unique in appearance. Many of these “nuts” went on to become amazingly successful businessmen. The Bub Wasp was involved with a number of these pioneers of speed. During its life, the Model T Ford was said to have “Put America on Wheels.” It was the car that got people moving. The first T came off the line in late 1908, and the last one in 1927 an unprecedented run of nineteen years on the same basic model. Before he knew it, Henry was building the most successful car on the planet. As with all things, there was a group of people who could not leave well enough alone. They were the first hot rodders. The Bub Wasp is the product of the fertile minds of the hot rodders in the early era. You simply removed the original T sheet metal and replaced it with a speedster body. Here is an excerpt from the literature of the day.
WINTER 2009 • Performance in Motion •
BUB SPEEDSTER BODY
“-with its rakish windshield and classy top; individual fenders and military step; additional disc wheel which flanks the hood; luxuriously upholstered slope seat cushions; honey-combed metal false core and nickeled radiator shell, stands supreme among custom-built body models for Fords. Colour scheme optional – any two colours. For slight additional charge over regular price, body will be covered with your choice of Fabrikoid. Consult the dealer in you territory or write us direct regarding complete specifications and price. Be the first in your locality to drive one of these exclusive speedsters – get in touch with us TODAY. BUB BODY CORPORATION, 336 South Water St., MILWAUKEE, WIS.” This “Bub Wasp” is the restoration completed at “Cardude Vehicle Restorations” of Niagara Falls, Ontario. When it was originally built in 1915, it was destined to be raced at Indy. • Performance in Motion • WINTER 2009
When it arrived at the shop, it was a basketcase, some of the parts had gone astray, but most were there. Over a period of months, Jim McBurney “The Cardude” restored it to better than its original condition. Power comes from a 176.7 cubic inch Model T engine that produced 22 HP originally. The “Bub Wasp” engine features a Frontenac overhead valve conversion (by the Chevrolet Brothers). Model A crankshaft and pistons were fitted, along with an Atwater Kent distributor and a stainless steel exhaust. Horsepower has been raised to 64! That is a whopping increase. The engine is mated to the Model T transmission and rear end. The chassis rides on 6 ft. wide track axles with Roof Racing knock-off wheels. Once completed, Jim loaded it up and took it to Daytona Beach where he participated in the 16th annual Beach Parade that retraces the original Daytona 500 course of half beach and half highway. Hats off to the “Cardude” for keeping automotive history alive.
WINTER 2009 • Performance in Motion •
DRIFTTHING Story by: Bert Faibish • Photos by: Jover Papag
N
ever question a gear head’s love for fast cars, burning rubber and screeching tires. Once again, the Toronto leg of the Drift Mania Canadian Championship grew in size and popularity, and was witness to some killer slides along the way. The day began as a scorcher and the weather managed to maintain the whole day, giving the excited capacity crowd even more to cheer about. There were plenty of hometown Canadians for the fans to cheer on, and even though the Canucks put in some great rounds, in the end
it was a Yankee that took home the crown. Matt Waldin won his second straight DMCC event and Drift Brigade continued its dominance of the drifting circuit. Feel-good story of the day and local hero Pat Cyr wowed the crowd with some great technical turns and sweepers in his Toyota AE86, but his day would end in disappointment when he suffered crippling drivetrain damage and was forced to drop out of the final race. It wasn’t all bad for Canadians, however, as Claude Poirier of BFGoodrich Drift Team snagged his second
10 • Performance in Motion • WINTER 2009
straight podium finish after grabbing second place, in what was only his secondever race. Even though none of our home-grown talent was able to take first place in Toronto, the growing popularity of drifting and the hosting of such events will only lead to more Canadian drivers entering these competitions. While an American may be at the top of the drifting game for now, he’d better not lose sight of some up and coming young Canucks in his rear-view mirror.
WINTER 2009 • Performance in Motion • 11
Classics in the Country
12 • Performance in Motion • WINTER 2009
Story and Photos by: Leonard F. Slye
O
n the Sunday of the Labour Day weekend, the Mississauga Classic Car Club holds their annual Classics in the Country event. Held just outside of Hillsburgh, Ontario, at the farm of one of their members, they have room for lots of cars and as always there were many in attendance. Club members run the whole event and use it to support local charities. This year they supported both the local Boy Scouts and the Barth Syndrome Foundation of Canada. With more than 300 cars in attendance, the day had to be considered a roaring success. One of the things I have noticed is the large number of late model cars that they attract. Not just the ‘57 and down crowd, but a wide variety of 60s and 70s muscle cars. In fact, even newer models than that arrive. Great place to see some of the latest trends in enthusiast cars.
WINTER 2009 • Performance in Motion • 13
Classics in the Country
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Roadmates Corn Roast
16 • Performance in Motion • WINTER 2009
Taylor-PerfInMo 1/2-Aug 05
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oadmates Car Club holds an annual corn roast on the Saturday of the Labour Day weekend. This year’s event featured the popular Roadmates hot dogs and fresh corn for all participants. Space is limited with only so many parking spots available. The weather was spectacular, and the cars turned out early to ensure they got a spot to park. There seemed to be a number of new cars, cars not seen before, attending this year. There were also quite a few younger car builders in attendance. The future for us car nuts looks great. Check out a few of the vehicles at the event.
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WINTER 2009 • Performance in Motion • 17
Book Review:
I
n just over 200 pages Canadian author Tim Miller takes you through the growth of Drag racing from the early 50s until today. Loaded with great photos, a number of which never before published, Tim takes us through the days of the ATAA, AHRA, IHRA, even a sidebar describing NASCARs mid 60s foray as a drag race sanctioning body. Of course there is a full history of the growth of the NHRA. Tim also provides a Racing 101 section that explains the intricacies of the business of drag racing. After reading this section even a novice would have a good understanding of the art of the sport. He has a section describing the differences between the classes with detailed explanations of all the complexities each one brings to the line. Add in seventeen in depth essays on todays drag racing heros, a section describing women in drag racing and another section providing a look at the legends of the sport. All in all Tim’s book would make a great gift for anyone with even a casual interest in the sport of Drag Racing. Best of all Tim Miller is a Canadian author so there are
more mentions of drag racing on this side of the border. Burn rubber, eat smoke and feel the earth rumble in Drag Racing.
DRAG RACING The World’s Fastest Sport Author Timothy Miller • Published by Firefly Books Published in hard cover • Priced at $34.95
WINTER 2009 • Performance in Motion • 19
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66 Story by: Len Sly
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Photos by: John Lawrence
n our summer issue we featured John Lawrence’s recently completed 1956 Chevrolet. In the text, John described his plan to follow route 66 with the car. Well, that’s exactly what he did. He and Betty-Jean left Toronto for the west coast visiting as much of what is left of old Route 66 as possible. After arriving in Santa Monica, Ca, they took in as much of the coast as time would allow, before beginning the return run. With a side trip to the Bonneville Salt Flats, they covered 9,600 km in 30 days. Congratulations to them both! As my friend Amir would say, a real Hot Rodder has a moving odometer. You are real hot rodders.
WINTER 2009 • Performance in Motion • 21
Prepping for Off Season T
here are times when a driver has to lift his head out from under the hood and realize summer’s over. Especially with the lack of iced cappuccino promotions at certain coffee shops. Any way you slice it, cooler weather presents drivers and passengers alike with incredible opportunities: driving with the top up so you can actually have a conversation, an open Saturday evening as cruise nights disappear from the calendar, or—heaven defend us—a chance to plan any off-season enhancement activities. Of course, “off-season enhancement activities” mean different things to different people. For the purpose of this article, we’ll assume that these relate to automobiles, and not shopping for wardrobe bargains. Sigh.
Plan it, Janet Ensure that your vehicular virtuoso has a plan before he lifts out that tranny. Like all good stories, most car repairs involve a subplot or two. A small leak may signal the failure of some well-buried gasket or seal. That little squeak could reveal the need for new bushings or suspension mounts. Yeah, it’s kind of like a Dan Brown novel, except all the symbols are completely covered in oil. Decide on moola, Voula You may be in a situation where you both have “off-season enhancement” budgets. Goody for you. For the rest of us who have to choose between new rims and, say, the kids’ tuba lessons, this is a discussion that needs to happen before the first lug nut is yanked on. Wiggle room only works when you’re adjusting the distributor, not the household finances.
22 • Performance in Motion • WINTER 2009
Think timeframe, Elaine There is no such thing as a five-minute fix even if you have a scan tool and a ShamWow. Smart passengers also know when to stick their head into the garage and provide encouraging yet meaningful one-hour, half-hour and ten-minute warnings if the driver needs to be somewhere later on. A megaphone could be a wise investment. You need space, Grace You can have the plan, the budget, the tools and the time, but if there’s no space, not much is gonna happen. How much space will your driver’s project require? A simple equation is to take the amount of room the part currently uses and multiply it by about... a gazillion. Then add a few square feet for the tools, parts tub, degreasers, the trusted Haynes manual, a radio tuned to songs like
“In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” and “Are You Experienced,” and snack foods. Try squeezing that into the spare bedroom, I dare you. Get in the know, Flo Sometimes you need to gently suggest that your car nut seek advice from the outside. As in outside of his
own head. Whether through a phone call, a visit to a friendly automotive retailer (hint, hint) or an intervention, many “off-season enhancement” disasters can be avoided with a little help. This is especially true when it comes to engine overhauls, alignments and transmission work.
Follow these simple steps, and the off season won’t seem so long and cold after all. Well, we can always hope. Enjoy the ride.
About the Author: Bonnie Staring is a comedian, ad-
vertising copywriter and one of those people who enters all kinds of contests. To see what else she’s been ranting about, visit her website: www.bonniestaring.com
Illustration created by Jeff Norwell • website: www.jeffnorwell.com WINTER 2009 • Performance in Motion • 23