For most attendees of the...
For most attendees of the PRI show that were of the Blue Oval persuasion, the centerpiece of the show floor had to be Ford Racing Performance Parts' crate-engine display.
Every year racers from all walks of life, performance enthusiasts, and businesses catering to them both brave the icy winter in early December to display and drool over the latest in performance-only gear at the PRI show in Indianapolis, Indiana, from hardcore stuff like race car bodies and frames, to performance hardware, engine components, and even shop machinery. It's smaller than the SEMA show held in Las Vegas every year, but it doesn't include the fluff of neon wiper blades and chrome valve-stem caps, getting right to the meat and potatoes of performance for your street or race car from bumper to bumper.
As luck would have it, the PRI show recently signed a 5-year contract to hold the show in sunny Central Florida at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. While Orlando may not be as centrally located in the eastern U.S. as Indy, it does do away with all that nasty weather and puts the event square in ol' Walt's back yard-Walt Disney, that is. With a more family-friendly destination and warmer climate, the folks that put on the PRI show were hoping for increased attendance by both exhibitors and attendees, not to mention that the new Orange County Convention Center is huge, dwarfed only by the Las Vegas Convention Center. We've seen exhibitors set up practically in broom closets and bathroom stalls in Indy, so it was nice to have the show in one large room with ample aisle space.
Did the show exceed the last Indy show in size and attendance? We know for a fact that the number of exhibitors increased (and the show still didn't fill the whole center floor plan), and from what we've heard from exhibitors, the attendee count was up as well. With Orlando just a short hour and change away from the palatial M&F offices, we took a day trip to Orlando to check out the PRI show and report on any cool findings our readers may be interested in. So read on, and take in the coolness of these great new parts for your classic Ford project!
When we stopped by Canton...
When we stopped by Canton Racing [(203) 481-9460; www.cantonracing.com], the guys at the booth were sure proud of the recently-released retro-finned small-block Ford accessories, including these cool valve covers, air cleaner lids, and matching oil pans.
While many are going with...
While many are going with EFI for their restomod, multiple carburetion is still cool in any car guy's book, and the crew at Demon Carburetion [(706) 864-8544; www.barrygrant.com] has just the setup to make everyone at your next cruise night or car show jealous with its new SixShooter for small-block Fords.
If you need to cool off a...
If you need to cool off a little, give the people at Flex-a-lite [(800) 851-1510; www.flex-a-lite.com] a shout and learn about the latest product additions, including its new line of Flex-a-Fit radiators.
If you like to have the official...
If you like to have the official stamp of Ol' Henry on performance parts, you can finally get off your butt and upgrade to that serpentine conversion you've been lusting after now that Ford Racing Performance Parts [FRPP; (586) 468-1356; www.fordracingparts.com] has its own system for Ford small-blocks.
When it comes to wheels, everyone...
When it comes to wheels, everyone has their favorites. We passed the Forgeline...
...[(800) 886-0093; www.forgeline.com]...
...[(800) 886-0093; www.forgeline.com] wheels booth and turned back for a second look.
The staff at Harland Sharp...
The staff at Harland Sharp [(440) 238-3260; www.harlandsharp.com] let us in on its next Ford product: a 460 with a sweet shaft-mount rocker system. The 460 is shown here with standard rocker arms.
When we stopped in to see...
When we stopped in to see our friends at Holley [(800) HOLLEY-1; www.holley.com], we were happy to hear they finally filled out the company's full line of Voodoo cams from Lunati for the Ford engine families.
It's always nice when companies...
It's always nice when companies have us restomod fans in mind. Case in point: the new Mod-6 ignition controller in the MSD Ignition [(915) 857-5200; www.msdignition.com] booth.
We've used Pro-Gram Engineering's...
We've used Pro-Gram Engineering's [(330)745-1004; www.pro-gram.com] billet-steel main caps on several builds in the past, and we're happy to say they've held up to many a dyno and drag-strip beating.
We've seen billet adjustable...
We've seen billet adjustable timing pointers for the small-block for several years now, but it was refreshing to see that Reichard Racing [(410) 610-5567; www.reichardracing.com] is now offering an adjustable timing-pointer setup for the 429/460 big-block to complement its line of small-block pointers.
If you're thinking about building...
If you're thinking about building a new engine for your classic Ford but are confused by the stack of catalogs on your bookshelf and contradictory information between parts companies, then why not purchase the complete reciprocating assembly from one company?
If you're looking for additional...
If you're looking for additional gauges for your classic Ford or are considering a custom dash and require all new gauges, then the updated line from Stewart-Warner Performance [(866) 797-7223; www.sw-performance.com] is something to consider.
If you're like me, you like...
If you're like me, you like your retro looks with a modern twist in power and reliability. If so, you'll probably drool at the thought of these trick fuel-injection systems from TWM Induction [(805) 967-9478; www.twminduction.com].