Cool stuff at 2012 SEMA

The boys at Ford are feeling a bit reminiscent. Eighty years ago the ’32 Ford Roadster and Ford V8 were born. Twenty years later, the ’32 Ford Roadster was reborn as one of America’s greatest cultural contributions to the world – the hot rod. Ford held hands this year with So-Cal Speed Shop in Southern California to squeeze its 5.0-litre DOHC V8 inside the nose of a ’32 roadster. Big engine, little car and that’s timeless perfection.

Ford also announced the availability of ’40 Ford ‘Business’ Coupe reproduction steel body shells through a partnership with Ford Restoration Parts and Real-Deal Steel. The panels are stamped in Taiwan in 19 gauge steel and assembled in the US by Real-Deal Steel. A full body with doors and deck lid costs $US15,450 plus postage – 72 years of rust not included.

Beside the cars, SEMA is also about cool new tools and show girls. But we’ll talk about a cool tool called the Ratchet Tech with a 90-degree pivoting head and a 30-degree ratcheting jaw. It fits in very tight spaces to save knuckles and the f-word fine around the workshop. A seven-piece metric set costs $US89.99.

Here’s one for the tool box. Called the Pipe Master from Profiler Inc, this sleeve of stainless wires profiles the exact shape you need to cut before joining two tubes. If you fabricate tube chassis or rollcages, this little gadget will save hours of time and yield a perfect join. Available in sets or individually, prices vary depending on diameter.

OK, so the new Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ rear-drive coupes stay stuck to the road, but beyond that they need more power before anyone can suggests they’re supercar-exciting. Australian company Sprintex is at SEMA to reveal a supercharger and intake manifold package for both cars’ Subaru-based 2.0-litre boxer engine. Stage 1 (without intercooler) lifts engine performance by about 40 per cent; Stage 2 (with fluid intercooler) lifts performance beyond 60 per cent. In the US and Australia, pricing starts at $3495 for Stage 1 and $4695 for Stage 2. Pricing includes reflashing of the ECU. Bullet Supercharger in Brisbane will distribute throughout Australia.

It’s OMG cute. Just when you thought about how cool it would be to personalise the sidewalls on your tyres, here’s a printing system designed to reproduce four-colour graphics on any tyre from 12.6 inches to 33.5 inches in diameter. Considering dogs and other dangers to tyres, LAC Corporation Japan claims the image will last more than a year and costs about $4 per sidewall.

For about $500 and a day’s work, consider wrapping your car in plastic. Both Avery Dennison and 3M have expanded their colour range of wrap film in matte, satin, gloss, metallic, gloss metallic, brushed metallic and carbon-fibre. Or try French company Hexis for crocodile skin, coloured chrome and the bizarre. Most films are guaranteed for a year or more for an affordable new look for your aging ride.

What’s happening with that old Holden in the backyard? Chevy Performance (previously known as GM Performance) is offering its crate engine, four-speed automatic transmission and electronics in a Connect & Cruise System that is emissions-certified. The crated E-ROD package is inexpensive horsepower from Chevy and offered in 6.2-litre LS3 (315kW) and 6.2-litre LSA (405kW).

Still talking Chev LS – find one in a salvage yards and the worry has been how to wire the EFI system and coil ignition. MSD’s solution is brilliant. The Atomic LS is an incredibly simple package that replaces the standard EFI system from fuel rails to ECU. Atomic LS is preprogramed with every LS engine fuel and ignition map (including Holden), so all you do is hook it up (takes a few hours) and scroll through the menu with a handheld programmer to select your LS engine type. No PC needed. Atomic LS allows for custom tuning including forced induction. Try atomicefi.com for more information.

Anywhere a tank can go the DTV Shredder from BPG Werks can follow. Weighing about 100kg and powered by a four-stroke engine, it tops 40km/h. Think mutant jetski/snowboard and you’ve the right idea of how to ride this bad thing. The fuel tank tucks into the steering arm and the suspension, engine and whatever else drives the rubber tracks under the board. No quote on cost but it is coming to Australia soon.

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