FordMuscle Coverage of the SEMA Show
Images and Details by C. Asaravala &
Jon Mikelonis
Day 1
 We
flew in to Las Vegas this morning on a 7am flight. The day in
Vegas starts with picking up our rental car at Hertz. As a Hertz
Gold member I was expecting no less than a Ford vehicle. Of
course they stuck us is a gutless Toyota Solara. That didn't
stop us from immediately slapping on a FordMuscle sticker on
the trunk, and committing to return the car in need of new front
tires.
Vegas merchants are keenly aware of the incredible gouging opportunity
that is created by the over 100,000 SEMA attendees which descend
upon the city. We were jabbed immediately while trying to get
breakfast at the Marriot. Because it is a block away from the
convention center, where SEMA takes place, the hotel has decided
to charge twenty bucks just to park in their lot. We're starved
from being up since 5am so we chalk it up to the cost of getting
the story.
Yahoo! debuted their first, and
likely last, attempt to be a part of American automotive
culture. Yahoo Auto Customs, or whatever they call it,
taps into all that we dislike about the SEMA show and
the "tuner" scene. |
After a decent recharge at the buffet we change into our FM
business wear in the parking lot and stroll over to the mass
of automotive consumerism that is gathered outside the Las Vegas
convention center. As we approach we're quickly reminded of
the side of SEMA that disagrees with us - the "tuner"
movement. The tuner movement is apparently a rapidly growing
segment in the automotive industry that is focused on pure materialism.
It's epitomized by the Hummer on 26" spinner wheels. For
whatever reason this year all of this short-lived B.S. was placed
right smack in front of the entrance to the show, with the biggest
eyesore being the "Yahoo! Auto Customs" booth. If
you're at all aware of what "Nopi" means, maybe you
can picture it. I have no idea what Nopi is, but apparently
it is "cool" amongst the import and tuner crowd. Yahoo!
Auto Customs is just a glimpse of the desperate turn some
of the internet giants have taken in attempts to capitalize
off the automotive culture. Yahoo! believes that throwing money
at scantily clad women with silicone aftermarket parts is their
best first step into reaching the automotive enthusiast.
After retrieving our media badges, and catching a glimpse of
the Overhaulin's Courtney Hansen, we headed down to the performance
parts section of the show. Ford, as usual, had the largest and
most prominent booth at the show. In fact it technically isn't
a booth but more like a third of the entire exhibit area. This
year the noteworthy item is a 2005 supercharged Mustang sitting
on a chassis dynamometer. Every hour or so attendees are selected
to drive the car on a simulated drag strip, with the fastest
driver's name posted high above the exhibit floor for simulated
kudos.
 Everyone
knew the new Shelby Cobra Mustang would be present and a big
hit. However we're not sure everyone knew Carroll Shelby himself
would be attending the show. We first caught sight of him at
the Paxton-Vortech booth, where they are displaying the new
Vortech supercharged CS6
Shelby Mustang that Shelby Automotive will be offering in
2006. We got a chance to corner Shelby and he was kind enough
to sign an FM business card for us.
Professional Products debuted their
cast aluminum 4.6L 2V intake manifold. We'll be dyno testing
this in the near future. |
After the initial oohing and ahhing, and allowing the sensory
overload condition to settle down a bit, we proceeded to start
with the business at hand. We came across a variety of new parts
that had us throwing around tech article ideas for next year.
Professional Products, for example, had on display an aluminum
Mustang 4.6L 2V intake manifold. This is significant because
the stock manifold is plastic and prone to cracking with nitrous
or blower use. Furthermore, as a plastic intake, the stock piece
offers no opportunity for porting. The ProProducts piece, due
out sometime early next year, can be ported like any conventional
manifold. In fact, the three piece design, offers great access
to every square inch of the runners. Preliminary reports indicate
10-13HP over stock. We wont take these numbers with any sort
of credibility until we've got our hands on one to test objectively.
Mark Campbell of Crane Cams explains
how Mikronite treated gear sets gained eight horsepower
over non-treated versions. |
We had an interesting conversation with our friends, and engineering
pioneers, over at Crane Cams. Next year you'll hear more about
a very interesting technology called Mikronite®.
Mikronite is a metal surface treatment process which yields
unprecedented strength and component life. By placing high-stress
prone parts, such as valve springs and rocker arms, through
a reverse centrifugation process whereby the part is grazed
with walnut shell media, the surface of the part becomes "compacted"
and virtually immune to corrosion. The smooth, mirror-like,
finish reduces heat and friction and increased power. We'll
give you the details on this in an upcoming article.
Day 2
The second day at SEMA is always a bit more relaxed and focussed.
You've already seen the biggest distractions and now realize
you have to buckle down and concentrate on what is important.
For us that was a day full of meetings, but we forced time to
take a look at some more interesting vehicles and products.
The 40 GT features a modern Ford
GT drivetrain. |
The biggest eye catchers were a pair of "rat rods"
on display by Ford. We were particularly taken by the Kirkham
Motorsports "40 GT", which is a sort of play on
words. The 1940 Ford concept actually features a 2006 Ford GT
(previously GT40) powertrain. Under the hood is the very same
500 horsepower 5.4L modular blown motor, and six speed transmission,
found in the GT supercar. The entire body is fabricated from
pure .060" thick copper. The copper body panels were actually
fabricated in ex Soviet MIG fighter plane factory in Poland.
One could stare at this work of automotive art for hours without
losing interest.
Dan Webb's Wedge Roadster blends
modern performance and stance with classic lines. |
The second rat rod is the Wedge Roadster. Based on a drawing
by legendary automotive artist Thom Taylor, the Wedge Roadster
by Dan Webb, signifies a blending of classic and modern styles
and technology. The '32 Ford body was replicated in aluminum
and placed on a chrome moly chassis. The drivetrain selected
is a Ford 2.3L four-cylinder DOHC motor, controlled by a F.A.S.T
EFI system. The stance is established by 20x12" Dayton's
out back and 17x6" in the front, wearing Pirelli P-Zero
Corsa tires.
We promise this URL doesn't lead
to more rants about gouging by Vegas parking lot attendants. |
Okay, gethoned.com
is not about gouging practices by Las Vegas merchants, but
rather it is Extrude Hone Powerflow's new website. The company
now offers brand new Edelbrock intake manifolds which have
gone through the Extrude Honing process. While their technology
isn't new, surprisingly we've never used it in a FM engine
build or tech article. For an upcoming issue we're planning
to put together a tech article featuring, and testing, components
which have been Extrude Honed. While we've heard of great
results in power from Extrude Honing, we're curious if the
ultra smooth surfaces create any fuel atomization issues in
carbureted manifolds.
 |
Crower Cams
is one of several companies already touting a line-up
of cams and valve springs for the new 05 and 06 Mustang 3V
motors. Crane and Comp also had theirs on display. They all
indicated early 2006 dates for specs and catalog listings,
so we'll check in on them in the months ahead. Incidentally,
it seemed as if every other exhibitor at SEMA had a 2005 Mustang
of some sort in their booth. Companies plan well in advance
their trade show booth tactics for drawing-in the crowds.
The vast majority were nothing more than a hideous display
of ill conceived body effects and neon PPG paints. Clearly
the new Mustang is refreshing to the aftermarket industry,
but boy are they wearing it out thin.
Check in for more on Friday, the third and final day at SEMA.
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