Classic Car Blog

Welcome to our classic car blog

admin — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 02:59:21 +0000

Welcome fellow car nuts, we are here to help you and possibly entertain you too. We are two car guys who felt it was time to have a FREE classified site out there where you could sell your car, parts or other automotive items.

ClassicJunkYard.com has been around since 2003 and we are always striving to make the site better. The newest addition to this site is this blog which we hope becomes a favorite place for our visitors to learn something about the classic car hobby.

Let’s meet our hosts…

Kevin Schappell is a mechanical engineer and the computer geek behind this site. He works as a machine shop supervisor at a Reading PA company. He has been online since 1999 with AutoEducation.com helping people learn more about how their car works. His real love is classic cars, and his current project is a 1953 Ford F-100.

Dave Lehr is the motivation for this website. In 2003 Dave came to Kevin with an idea to allow visitors to sell parts off of their vehicles, instead of having the sell the whole vehicle on Ebay. He knew that there were plenty of people who like him, dabbled in selling classic car parts. In 2006 Dave took his car parts business full time and is actively selling his parts on ClassicJunkYard.com and Ebay. If you would like more information on his story click here.

Total Cost Involved, but not totally the parts needed !

admin — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 00:56:39 +0000

Alright, I usually don’t jump on a company for a mistake, especially when they make good on it, but this is the second problem with a product from TCI in as many purchases from them. They are 0 for 2… and I am not happy.

The first was a missing weld from the top air spring hat on my Mustang II suspension kit. I could not even weld it as the surrounding ring restriced access. So they shipped me a new hat kit problem solved.

Tonight I go to bolt on my sway bar kit, and some of the bolts are missing, a spacer for the air spring control arm is not there, and the sway bar is the wrong one. On each end of the bar is a 1/2 NF threaded holes, but the heim joints and bolts are 3/8″!!! It’s bad enough I get no time to work on the truck, but then have to deal with parts that don’t fit, really boils my blood.

My last complaint is the horrible instructions included with most of their parts… they have photocopied images which are washed out and impossible to use for reference. When installing my rear suspension, I had to call their tech line and have them email me pictures so I could see how to install the kit. The tech I spoke with admitted the directions left a little to be desired.

Newsweek Article on Finding Parts Online

admin — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 00:05:26 +0000

Check out the article from Newsweek. A well written and researched article about how the internet has changed the parts marketplace. They even interviewed Denny Aungst a regular contributor to the forum and a friend of Dave Lehr.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21207748/site/newsweek/

Nitrous Oxide

admin — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:09:06 +0000

Are you huffing the silly juice? Not sure how it works? I would like to take a few minutes to explain the gas and why it’s so popular with the speed freaks. Nitrous Oxide is not a flammable gas as some think… when exposed to high temperatures in the combustion chamber it releases it’s oxygen molecule and helps to burn more fuel. This extra oxygen gives the same effect as increasing displacement or adding a supercharger or turbo charger. To make more power, you just need to get more air and fuel into the engine. When you add a turbocharger or a supercharger, you are compressing the air coming into the engine and cramming more oxygen into the same space. The downside of forced induction is that the compression process creates heat in the intake charge which costs you power. This fact makes nitrous much more atractive since when sprayed, the nitrous creates a cooling effect and cools down the intake charge. Also remember that if you are bringing more oxygen to the party, you will need to also bring more fuel for the oxygen to consume. Just like a kegger, if you have too many people (oxygen) and not enough beer (fuel) things are going to get a little dicey. Small shots of nitrous 50 - 75HP usually do not require a dedicated fuel solenoid since the stock system whether fuel injected or carburated can compensate and supply the additional fuel needed. Once you get over 75 HP you need to use a seperate solenoid to feed fuel to the engine and keep the oxygen happy.

If you have a need for speed and want a quick and safe (if done properly) way to increase HP, take a look at nitrous. It’s simple science and a great way to add a few HP.

Kevin

CJY SPONSORS MANY OTHER DIRT OVAL CARS

admin — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 17:31:07 +0000

Classicjunkyard.com is involved many other dirt cars in our area. At Big Diamond, over the years, we have also sponsored the 06 Champion in the Sportsman division, Gary Wagner’s # 47. In 07, Gary moved up to the Small Block Modified division and finished 8^th in the points in his rookie year. Other car we sponsored in the Small Block Modified division were Ken Eckert’s # 29M & Neil Hubber’s # 178. We also have sponsored Sterling Moyer’s # 03 Road Runner.

We also sponsor Enduro racing at Big Diamond. We sponsor Kevin Holland’s #66 & Chris Holland’s # 8 in the 4 cyl. Class and Ricky Bender’s # 29 B in the 8 cyl. Division.

At Selinsgrove in Pro stock, we sponsor Dan Jensen’s (Andy’s older bother) purple 66 Chevelle. As you can see, our name is everywhere in the local racing seen. Most sponsor ship has been in the form of cars, parts, or use of a trailer although some times it’s $$$ also. It should be obvious to you that we at CJY like racing.

David H. Lehr

President of CJY

CJY SPONSORS KEVIN & CHRIS HOLLAND’S # 66 ON THE DIRT OVEL OF BIG DIAMOND RACE WAY

admin — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 17:30:30 +0000

Kevin started racing Road Runners at Big Diamond 6 seasons ago in 2002. At the time, I thought Kevin was nuts for wanting to race dirt. We were always street racers. Kevin was well known at the time for his 9 sec. Street legal, no NOS 71 Vega. Influence from a mutual friend and winning Road Runner Driver Dave Miller + Kevin’s own Father’s racing history at the Reading Fair Grounds was fueling his desire.

With a lot of input from Dave Miller’s year’s of experience at Big Diamond, Kevin’s Grandfather’s (PAP) old school ingenuity, and Kevin’s commitment to detail, Kevin built his 1^st first Road Runner, the car he still runs today. See Big D Road Runner Rules > http://www.bigdiamondraceway.com/Roadrunner%20Rules.doc%20(Read-Only)1.pdf

I remember our first race. As the date got closer to opening day, Kevin asked me if I would be his crew chief. I didn’t have much interest in dirt track racing at the time but thought “Sure, What the hell, it’s something different to do on a Friday night”. I remember our very first race. I told Kevin to just ride around the back of the field for a few races till he gets the hang of circle track racing. He agreed. But, if you know Kevin, you know he’s not happy unless he’s competing. He drove around the back of the pack for 2 laps, then started passing cars, heading for the front. On the last lap, I had my eyes closed when he went from 7^th to 4^th by splitting the 5^th & 6^th place cars as they battled for position in turn 3. Kevin’s 4^th place finish in his very 1^st race was a sign of things to come. Kevin ran well that year but was deployed to Germany half way through the season, which cost him the Rookie of the Year award.

While Kevin was away, his wife Pam, son Chris, his PAP, Dave Miller, and myself prepared the car for the 2003 season. We finished 3r^din the points that year and ran good but did not score any wins. In 2004, we were on fire with 10 wins of which 3 were taken away from our record due to rule infractions. We missed the championship by 35 points. 2005 was another good season with 4 official wins. We came back from a large deficit in the points to finish 2^nd in the Championship, 35 points & 1 rain out away from capturing the title.

As for 2006, Kevin’s effort was fruitful. We used to get Booooed. Now we got cheers. We were even guests on a radio show. http://www.pitratlive.com/index.php?page=radioshow We had 3 wins and with the exception of 2 DNF’s (did not finish), we finished inside of the top five every race. Just like the 2005 season, Kevin had to recover from a point deficit that year. 2 DNFs (one when our jack broke during a pit stop & one for a snapped axle) had Kevin as low as 13^th in the points. With a few races to go in the season, the points leaders got in a wreck and got hauled off the track on the hook. Kevin had damage also and had to come in. A large zip tie was the fix. Kevin entered the field in 16^th position, a half a lap behind the rest of the field. Kevin’s maturity as a driver shined that night. With 11 laps to go, he reeled in the field and like a surgeon, meticulously passed 10 cars up on the “high groove” to finish 5^th and take over the point lead. The following week, with a bent upper A arm, Kevin drove a crippled car to a 3^rd place finish to extend his point lead. On the final points race of the year, Kevin only needed to finish 13^th or better to clinch the Championship. On lap 4, his competition pulled into the infield with Trans problems. Kevin didn’t know it and continued to run hard for a 5^th place finish and the 06 Road Runner Championship. For 2007, Kevin’s 17 year old son, Chris took the wheel of the old reliable #66. He had tough shoes to fill in a car that had over 2500 laps on it. Chris’s season started out a little rocky but he quickly started pulling off top 10 finishes, then top 5’s and eventually, his best finishes were 4 consecutive 3^rd place finishes. He also lead many laps and won 3 heat races. I was very impressed with the fact that Chris only had 1 DNF, which was not his fault. He’d show great car handling ability while staying out of the many wrecks that occurred each week. Chris finished out his rookie year 6^th in the points and placed higher in the points standings that many of his veteran competitors.

CJY SPONSORS ANDY JENSEN’S 7 SECOND STREET LEGAL 67 CORVETTE & LOW 6 SECOND TORBO 64 VETTE

admin — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 17:28:37 +0000

Andy’s earliest involvement in racing came through his older brother, Rich Jensen, who, when Andy was about 12 years old, started competing in one form or another of motor sports, from go-carts to drag racing, modifieds and late models. Lacking the financial resources to race himself, he participated by helping Richie in any way possible.

By the time he turned 16, the need to build a racecar of his own was finally fulfilled. He purchased a 1968 Camaro and built his first engine, which promptly blew up before leaving the garage. (He has since learned a great deal about engine oiling). From that point on, it has been a constantly rising learning curve. Whenever he could scrape together some cash, it went into a newer, faster engine for his car.

CJY sponsors Andy’s racing efforts. His racing team consists of a 1967 Corvette Pro Street car. This car originally started out with nitrous oxide and ran a best e.t. of 6.66 at 208 m.p.h. He has since removed the nitrous fogger and are running a naturally aspirated small block Chevy power plant, which in 2004 ran consistently in the 7.40’s at over 180 m.p.h. For 2005 Andy went to running a 481 c.i., naturally aspirated small block, that was designed specifically to run without nitrous.
Andy’s other racecar is a 1964 Corvette, powered by a single turbo-charged Chevy small block. These high tech, high horsepower cars are becoming very popular so Andy built one to figure out how to make them work. 2004 was his first year with this car. It ran a best e.t. of 6.28 at 218 M.P.H., and he weren’t even close with the tune-up.

Check out Jensen’s Engine Technologies at http://www.jensensenginetech.com/

In 1985, at age 20, Andy was working full-time in an industrial machine shop and part-time in an automotive machine shop. For 7 years he maintained this 2-job status, getting plenty of experience machining and building performance racing engines.

Andy gave up the part-time job in 1992, bought some equipment and opened his own engine shop. For the next 3 years the shop stayed part-time and produced a number of winning race engines, from Street Stocks to Late Models, even nitrous drag engines, one of which produced well over 1,000 hp (from 434 cu. in.), and pushed his 68 Camaro into the 7’s, making it the first small block street car to achieve such an outstanding performance.

On January 1, 1995 he gave up his full-time machinist job, bought more equipment (including a near-new Hines engine balance), and took on a partner, the late Tom Larnard who ran the parts counter. We were now a full-time operation and learning at an ever increasing pace.

Now, 20 years later, Jensen’s Engine Technologies is a very successful operation with a new 3,800 sq. ft. building and all of the equipment needed to build or rebuild engines from every aspect of the performance automotive field. At J.E.T. they build race engines for drag, oval, marine, and even mud boggers. They also build performance engines for street use and restorations. They can perform all automotive machine shop operations in house for race or stock jobs, all with a level of precision and craftsmanship that you will not find anywhere else at any price.

CJY SPONSORS THE BEAVER SPRINGS DRAGWAY 100 MPH CLUB

admin — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 17:25:53 +0000

Because I grew up as a street racer and was always involved in the street racer underground in my area, The 100 MPH Club at Beaver Springs Dragway has been a perfect match for CJY sponsorship. The 100 MPH Club is a list of cars that can run 100 MPH or faster in the ¼. http://www.beaversprings.com/100mphclub.html

Every year, CJY buys jackets for the top 10 fastest Street legal cars in the 100 MPH Club at the Beaver. To earn one of these jackets at Beaver Springs, you need to be able to run better than 135 MPH in the ¼ mile, in street legal trim (mufflers, DOT tires, current tags & inspection). Sorry, no full tube chassis. The # 1 position is called the president. To be the president, usually requires better than 155 MPH. In 2004, Rob Felegie set the record with a 167 MPH pass in a Pa. street legal 69 Camaro.

The history of the 100 MPH Club digs deep into the history of a local car club called the Keystone Garage Club. The Garage Club started renting the track from Beaver Springs Dragway track owner Bob McCardle in the mid 90’s to beat the crap out of their cars and see who was the fastest. It was preparation for the only streetcar shootout in the state at the time, King of the Street at Maple Grove Raceway. When Maple Grove decided that King of the Street was a waste of their time, the Garage Club & Bob quickly came up with the Mean Street Nationals. The popularity of the Mean street Nationals quickly sparked Friday Night Street Racing at the track and the 100 MPH Club. The now legendary Pa. street racer, The late Tom Larnard dreamed up this concept. Tom was well know for driving a 10 second, street legal 69 Camaro every day on his 60 mile, one way commute to work. At the time, his 68 Camaro was the fastest street car at Beaver Springs (running high 8s) for which he got nothing official from the track.

Most drag racing programs reward consistency and that’s …….. nice, but CJY knows the real street racer is only concerned with one thing! HOW FAST IS IT? Points systems don’t reward the fastest machine on the street, but CJY does because we’re street racers too!

Trans-Am Suspension System

admin — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 16:57:10 +0000

The guys at Highland Daytona Racing have come up with a cool suspension system for the 1970-81 Pontiac Firebird / Trans-Am. If you want your Firebird to handle like it’s on rails check it out.

The company I work for is producing the kits for HDR and I can vouch that the kit is top notch. All tubing is Chrome Moly and every flat part is laser cut and bent on CNC equipment. The kit comes powdercoated in a variety of colors and bolts on with minimal trouble.

The kit was unveiled at the Bandit Run and was installed on the HDR Trans-Am as well as the Restore-A-Muscle-Car Trans-Am (pictured above)

HDR (pictured to left) is also putting the finishing touches on the front suspension system for the car. This will be a tubular Chrome Moly system which will compliment the rear system. Look for other vehicles to follow (1st gen Camaro, Mustang etc.)

HDR also just got done taping a show at the HorsePower TV set so look for a feature show sometime in October.

Cool rear ends…

admin — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 13:47:49 +0000

New from DMC2 Products is their line of fabricated rear end housings based on the Ford 9″ Center Section. Available for Street Rods, Muscle Cars and Full Blown Race cars of all types.

Currently the rears are being run in a 1000+ Horsepower Pro-Mod car, street rods, trucks and door slammers. The design can be adapted for many uses, and a lightweight version is being offered for road racing applications.

The rear end housings boast fully TIG welded construction. 3″ - 3 1/2″ Axle tubes are available in Chrome Moly or Mild steel depending on your preference. Full floater ends or standard bearing ends are available also. Each rear is custom designed for the customer and prices start at $1400 for a fully welded rear with 4-bar brackets, back brace and big Ford axle bearing ends.

Buy a Ford 9″ Rear Today