Fast Talk With Jeff Smith: Big Power Means Big Changes

Jeff SmithAfter graduating high school, I decided to attend a vocational automotive school at the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) in Ankeny, Iowa. During my first day of class, the head of the automotive department, Mr. Biner, addressed the class. I don’t remember much about my first few weeks there except for Mr. Biner’s speech because he made such an impression. He welcomed us and then launched into a well-practiced attack on hot rodders and guys who modify cars. My take on his speech was that he wasn’t at all impressed with hot rodders because all we did was abuse cars, tear up engines and drivetrains, and basically were a menace to society. He finished his speech by telling us in no uncertain terms that if there were any hot rodders among this new class – we should just pack up our stuff and go home. We weren’t welcome at his nice automotive facility.

After class dismissed for lunch, I struck up a conversation with several of my new classmates and it took about 30 seconds for us to realize that about a third of the class – about four or five of us – were hard-core hot rodders. Just the cars from our class constituted a ’70 340 6-Pak AAR ‘Cuda, an SS396 ’66 four-speed Chevelle, a small-block ’70 Nova, and a couple of other small-block performance cars. We decided that we weren’t going to quit  – we all wanted to stay in school and learn something. I knew that this was going to be the quickest approach to learning how cars really worked. I was only 18, but I’d spent much of my previous eight years learning everything I could about cars – that is when I wasn’t chasing girls with the rest of my time!

The prevailing attitude at school seemed to be that if Detroit designed it, that was the best way. There was no reason to try and make it better. I know that all 18 year-olds tend to think they know it all, but even my limited experience with cars showed me that the factory often did not get it right – especially in the early ‘70s. My view of high performance was quite a bit different than Mr. Biner’s. Sure, performance enthusiasts tended to abuse their equipment. And yes, we break parts. But for me, the performance thing was and always has been about improving the breed. A little more horsepower has always been an excellent goal. But just as much was the goal of better efficiency. Why not shoot for all of it and have more power and better fuel mileage. As soon as I build and test an engine, the first things we try are to improve the power. This has led to a constant demand for more information. The learning experience is just like engine testing. As soon as I learn about something new, this leads to both a better understanding but also more questions about why it works that way.

This just comes from natural curiosity. I remember a story I read in Hot Rod magazine when I was a kid – perhaps back in 1970. I read a story in the magazine that stated something like “If you install headers, then you need to richen the jetting.” I accepted that information as truth but at the same time it left me hanging because my first response was – “Okay, fine- add jetting. But tell me why.” I kept reading, but the writers never explained why. So when I became an automotive writer, by goal was to not just report the results and say “We added jetting and the motor made more power.” But to then add a line or two that explains why.

So here I am, nearly 35 years later still writing about high performance cars and how to extract more performance out of each system in the car. It’s been a great trip so far, and yet there is so much I still want to know. It seems like rarely more than a week goes by where some new challenge awaits or a new process is worth exploring. I am also blessed with having many sharp people who are willing to share what they know with others so that everybody can benefit from their knowledge. This is actually a fantastic time to be involved with cars, as there are passionate people both on the aftermarket and the OE side that are cranking out some amazing cars and parts. I think one really pushes the other and that just goes back and forth. And we enjoy the fruits of that dynamic.

The point to all this is that the learning process should never stop. The one statement you should never hear and certainly never utter is “That’s all there is to know about that. There’s nothing left.”

In my experience, about a day after that statement escapes your lips will be when quick draw hand will come along with a new idea that bumps that approach to a whole new level. Another way to look at all this is to go back and read some of the tech stories written by the car magazines back in the ‘50s and early ‘60s. Those were state-of-the-art approaches to what was going on back then. To read those stories now borders on a combination of comical and painful. Of course, the logical extension of that is to project another 50 years and think: “I wonder what a hot rodder in 2065 will think of the stories we’re writing now?”

Hopefully, they won’t be laughing too hard.

– Jeff Smith

 

About the author

PPN Editor

Power & Performance News is the source for news, tech and products that help you get more performance from your vehicle. If powertrain performance projects and hardcore technical content are your interest, Power & Performance News is the publication designed for you. Our acclaimed editorial staff covers all aspects of engine and driveline upgrades with a mission of presenting information that is both interesting and achievable for the “average car guy”.
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