The SEMA Show is an event we look forward to every year. Last year was the first-ever virtual version, and it was a welcome distraction from all the craziness of 2020. Still, we were more than excited to make our way back to the Las Vegas Convention Center and return to our regularly scheduled programming – where the entirety of the automotive aftermarket convenes to showcase its wares and the world-class builds it produces alike.
This year, we caught up with a number of manufacturers, but one that really stood out to us was Classic Performance Products. As always, the brand’s booth did not disappoint. We caught up with Javier Nunez of Classic Performance Products and got the low-down on everything new from CPP.
Javier immediately launched into their new product offerings, “Basically, what we’re doing is using the old platform but integrating new bearing technology. It’s the same as all your late-model vehicles, GM found out these new hub bearings run a lot better than your traditional spindle/pin with inner and outer bearings which are really small. These handle really well for autocross. We’re pretty much going in that direction with pretty much all of our applications, and we can do so affordably. And the really good thing about this too is that you can use it on pretty much all your classic cars. This spindle happens to have an offset so you can actually move the wheels in and out more than a half-inch. We call it hybrid offsetting. The spacer is what moves it and you can just adjust how much by using different spacers. This is particularly useful for people who may have purchased the wrong set of wheels. We offer that spindle in stock form as well as a two-inch drop, and a variety of bolt-patterns.”
For those of you that prefer a different flavor of hot rod, CPP offers a new set of ceramic coated street rod headers. Javier elaborated, “We’ve also got a new line of early headers, especially for the early street rods which run the Mustang II front clip. We offer them for the small blocks as well as the big block.”
It didn’t stop there. For people in the market for a smaller disc brake conversion kit, Javier offered this insight, “Of course, we have a new disc brake conversion kit for 14-inch OE drum brake wheels too. most of the disc brake conversion required you to get into a bigger wheel or a disc brake accomodating wheel. And yet, a lot of these classic car owners are really attached to their factory wheels. They have that look and want to retain a factory hubcap or what have you. So, this particular brake kit keeps the wheel in the same location and allows them to use that original 14-inch wheel. It’s also made with a 2-3/4-inch piston which is really nice compared to the normal size which is a 2-3/8-inch piston. By upgrading it, we give the end-user 25% additional clamping force.”
Just when we thought they’d run out of innovations, Javier showed us yet another new product! “Another item of ours that is really popular right now is our hydraulic brake assist. A lot of hot rodders have engines with really large cams which creates a low amount of vacuum and that can have an effect on braking power. So, with this, it runs off of the power steering pump and it’s equivalent to what we’d use on a 1-ton dually or an RV. So, it produces quite a bit of assistance in terms of braking power. Users can use a stock power steering pump – our hydraulic unit needs about 1,200 psi of pressure to operate which is what a traditional early-GM power steering pump will accommodate.”
And lastly, CPP brought a new power steering flow valve kit. Javier continued, “A lot of times when people are running a rack and pinion or hydraulic brake assist, they have pressure issues, and this will allow them to dial it in. Rather than swapping out a whole pump, this allows them to change the flow and the characteristics of the way the vehicle steers. Many times steering can get a bit touchy and after installing one of these, it will really make it more pleasurable to drive.”
So, if you’re in the market for the latest and greatest in hot rodding technology, you’d be missing out if you didn’t head over to cpp.com.