There's been renewed interest in altered wheelbase cars lately, and why not? They're sick to look at, fun to drive, and years away from becoming belly-button passe. The few original cars that surface every now and then are too valuable, too frail, or are ridiculously dangerous to be driven or raced, but who needs an original? You can build one yourself, and we're here to show how using basic construction techniques and a little bit of freestyle ingenuity.inline_mediumwraptextright31055682/techarticles/chassis/hrdp_0503_diy_altered_wheelbase_carhrdp_0503_01+1964_ford_fairlane+DIY_altered_wheelbase_car.jpgTrue

Last month, HOT ROD embarked on a mission to run 11s with a brand-new '10 Camaro SS. With a few bolt-ons, Nitto 555R drag radials, and a shot of nitrous, the HOT ROD test car blistered to a best of 11.96 at 115 mph. On the chassis dyno, it kicked out 514 rwhp (on the sauce), up from the stock numbers of 374 rwhp. Off the bottle, the bolt-ons were worth 23 hp and made 397 rwhp. After some practice on the dragstrip, car owner Robin Lawrence power-shifted his way to a best of 12.73 at 108 mph-sans nitrous. This month, we want to see how fast we can make it in naturally aspirated trim.inline_mediumwraptextright31004418/techarticles/engine/hrdp_0912_2010_camaro_bolt_onshrdp_0912_01+2010_chevy_camaro+bolt_ons.jpgTrue

Here's a typical hole-in-the-hood Camaro. It sits like a truck. The wheels are dated, the valve covers were hip when Reagan took office, and it sucks enough gas to implode OPEC. This represents everything that magazines, and good taste, have banished for 20 years. All told, it's virtually flawless.inline_mediumwraptextrightWe very nearly went to jail for this photo. Read more about that in Holeshot next month. But true to street machine form, the Crusher now blazes the tires with ease.31002867/projectbuild/hrdp_0912_first_gen_camaro_makeoverhrdp_0912_01+1967_chevy_camaro+street_machine_makeover.jpgTrue