5th Annual State 2 State Cruise/Havasu Spring BreakEntering its fifth year of existence, the State 2 State Cruise is on the move again. For 2005, we've moved the location, the size of the event, and the fun to beautiful Lake Havasu City, Arizona. The show will be brought to you by Truckin', Sport Truck, and Mini Truckin' magazines, with presenting sponsorship provided by Chevy Trucks and Vortec Engines, and official tire sponsorship provided by Toyo Tires. The cruise and show previously held in Las Vegas at the Fremont Street Experience has simply gotten too large, so a new venue was sought. With much forethought, Lake Havasu City was picked as our final destination point and the culmination of the 5th Annual State 2 State Cruise. Please plan on attending this event on Friday, March 18, 2005 as well as entering the Havasu Spring Break Nationals on Saturday and Sunday, March 19 and 20, 2005. This weekend is also the biggest spring break weekend during the month of March.
With an average of 300 custom trucks and SUVs, the State 2 State Cruise participants will be welcomed at five different aftermarket manufacturers facilities with a shop tour, goody-bag items, a chance at a raffle prize, and a poker card for the poker run. The cruise will officially end at Lake Havasu City at a culmination party hosted by AIM Industries.
As if that were not enough, on Saturday, please make your presence felt with attendance at the Havasu Spring Break Nationals located at the London Bridge Resort Golf Course once you've left the confines of our host hotel, the London Bridge Resort. This is a show-'n'-shine event that promises to pit the best of the best trucks, tow rigs, classic trucks, SUVs, golf carts, and mini-trucks against one another. In addition, there will be a manufacturers vendor village with live samplings of their products as well as installation displays, a super-wild bikini contest, and a live-entertainment concert Saturday night, with the band to be announced later. This will be held at Kikomo's, the host bar for the entire event. Plan on attending the in-water boat show located on the beautiful beaches of the Lake Havasu channel; this is a spectacle that simply must be witnessed. Joker's Wild Promotions will be hosting an in-water poker run for any participant or manufacturer's boat wishing to participate. This poker run will be separate from the State 2 Sate Cruise poker run, so please plan accordingly.
For more information about 2005's super-exciting event, please contact Amber Pierce at Truckin' magazine/Primedia and keep checking back each month as we add even more exciting details.
For more information, contact: amber.pierce@primedia.com; www.truckinweb.com.
Ford Racing Performance Parts Offers Limited Warranty On Performance Crate EnginesFord Racing announced at SEMA that its line of performance and production crate engines are now sold with a 12-month/12,000-mile limited warranty. Engines covered under the warranty include the FRPP Performance- and Production-series powertrains. The Performance series includes small-block 302s all the way to big-block 514s. Production motors in the catalog include the 4.6L DOHC V-8s from the SVT Mustang Cobra, Mustang Mach 1, and Lincoln Aviator, as well as the 5.4L DOHC from the Lincoln Navigator. The four-cylinder Duratec and Zetec engines from the Focus and Ranger will be covered under the warranty, too. More details and specifics about the warranty can be found in the Ford Racing Performance Parts catalog and on its Web site at www.fordracingparts.com.
Shell Opens First Combined Hydrogen And Gasoline Station In North AmericaShell Hydrogen opened the first hydrogen dispenser at a retail gasoline station to service a fleet of six fuel cell vehicles from the General Motors Corporation. Located in northeast Washington, DC, the station is part of a collaboration between Shell and GM to demonstrate hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and refueling infrastructure technology, an important contribution in making fuel cell vehicles an everyday reality. Shell will offer both compressed and liquid hydrogen at the Benning Road station.
According to Larry Burns, GM's vice president of research and development and planning, the only way the hydrogen economy will come about is if local communities, government, energy companies, and automotive companies work together.
The hydrogen station is the centerpiece of a partnership between Shell and GM to develop hydrogen-fueled vehicles on a commercial scale. The companies are also working together on the U.S. Department of Energy's Infrastructure Demonstration and Validation Project, which was announced in last April by Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham. For further information, visit www.shell.com and www.gm.com
Ford Brings Bolt-On Whipple-Supercharged Kit To Ford LightningFord enthusiasts looking to add some extra supercharged ponies under the hood of their sport truck should check out the Ford Racing Performance Products (FRPP ) new screw-type supercharger "swap" kits. The first truck kit available from FRPP will be for the '99-'04 SVT F-150 Lightning. Ford Racing worked with Whipple Industries on the development of the screw-type supercharger swap kit. The kit will include a new screw-type supercharger to replace the production roots-type unit, including all necessary hardware for direct bolt-on installation. The kits are direct swaps and do not require engine management programming changes. The power increase is expected to be approximately 20 percent compared with the factory-installed roots-type supercharger.
Ford Racing's future plans for kits based on the screw-type supercharger technology are to cover a wide range of Ford car and truck powertrains. The first stand-alone supercharger kits will be for the new '05 Mustang's 4.6L 3V V-8 and for the '04-'05 F-150's 5.4L 3V V-8. After that, development work will turn to the last-generation F-150 and Expedition's 5.4L SOHC V-8. Ford Racing will then continue with truck applications, including the 6.8L 2V and 3V V-10s. More information can be found at www.fordracingparts.com. Ford Racing Performance Parts are sold without warranty and are for off-road use only.
Mopar Unleashes More Hemi Options And New Performance PartsMopar, Chrysler Group's parts and accessories brand, launched an extensive number of authentic Mopar Performance Parts at the 2004 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show, led by an all-new 5.7L Hemi crate engine and crate versions of classic Hemi engines from the past. Offered in multiport injection (MPI) and carbureted versions, the Mopar 5.7L Hemi crate engine represents the marriage of modern technology to classic Mopar muscle - everything from classic 1960's and 1970's Chrysler musclecars to late-model Dodge trucks.
The theme of Mopar's display was "Muscle, Street, and Speed," which it says describes the three attitudes of Mopar Performance and its enthusiast base of customers. Hey, we can relate.
Here's the scoop on the most recent additions to the Mopar Performance Parts lineup:
Mopar Performance 5.7L Hemi Crate EngineThis crate engine features a cast-iron cross-bolted cylinder block with aluminum Hemi twin-plug cylinder heads and is made at the Saltillo (Mexico) engine plant. It is then modified to include an integrated plug-and-play engine controller for easy installation into most vehicles. The Mopar Performance 5.7L Hemi crate engine produces 360 hp at 5,700 rpm and 360 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 rpm.
Mopar Performance 540 Aluminum Hemi Crate EngineFor hard-core performance-minded sport truck enthusiasts seeking the biggest and most power available in a crate engine, Mopar delivers the new 540ci aluminum Hemi crate engine. It's available carbureted, blown, or show-polished. No matter how you order the outside, on the inside, the 540ci aluminum crate engine still generates 650 to more than 900 hp, depending on the engine configuration.
Mopar Performance 528/472/426 Hemi Crate EnginesFirst brought to the market in 1991, Mopar introduces all-new versions of the classic 426 Hemi, now producing an advertised 465 hp and 486 lb-ft of torque; the 472 Hemi, with 525 hp and 540 lb-ft of torque; and the massive 528 Hemi, boasting 610 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque.
Each of these Mopar Hemi crate engines include all-new components built to original specifications, and are delivered completely assembled, from the intake manifold to the oil pan.