You hold in your hands our annual power-themed issue, which we have labored over for hours, days, and weeks. We have dissected just about every way, shape, and form we can for you to make additional power from whatever project you may be working on; or we have at the very least offered ideas, solutions, and ways to seriously up the fun factor from your project. Whether you are doing the engine build on a budget or spending every last reserve of your income, there is sure to be something here for everyone.
One topic in the news quite a lot these days is the ever-increasing cost of fuel, whether it is gasoline or diesel. I guess one could make the argument, why would Truckin' show its readers how to make more power, which generally means more fuel consumption and greater demands on one's wallets? You could ask these questions, but having lived through even higher gas prices than we all face, the question then becomes: How important is it really that gas prices are going up and there doesn't seem to be anything we as consumers can do about it? Yes, we have all seen the internet gossip sheets about only filling up your tank halfway on Mondays, or my personal favorite, the all-country boycott of a particular brand of fuel. My next question is: Who actually came up with the original idea and who is actually following through and can post results to see what little effect these actual ideas have had?
Until this country offers alternative fuel sources (and I'm not talking about hybrid technology), we will all have to suck it up and pay the higher fuel prices, as our government administration seems to be constantly looking the other way when we reach record prices, and there seems to be zero collusion between the oil companies according to the latest survey. So, that being said, I do not want to go and drive a small compact car that gets great mileage but won't hold half of my junk I routinely use on a daily basis. Nor do I want to drive a small vehicle that rattles or jumps lanes on the freeway as a big 18-wheeler truck goes barreling by me at highway speeds.
So the reason we are doing our power-themed issue is really simple. Damn The Man! You can still make power and in most cases increase fuel mileage at the same time by selecting the right combination of parts. Utilizing a less aggressive approach to driving on a daily basis and then doing the usual proper tune-up techniques should yield increased fuel mileage. Then, when the time is right to mash the throttle to the floor for whatever reason you may have and that new rush of power is at hand, just remember where you learned that technique to make power and not feel ashamed about it. That's right, you learned it in Truckin', the "World's Leading Truck Publication." So read this issue and devour its thoroughness, because if we don't care anymore about fuel prices, why should you? After all, truck-building is our hobby, our passion, our job, and our life, so like I said at the beginning of this paragraph, damn The Man.