Glossary of Terms
C
Roof support bordering on the rear window or hatch.
Caliperr --A part which is a component of the braking system that converts hydraulic pressure in mechanical braking. The Caliper is the equivalent of a wheel cylinder.
Cam Carrier --The portion of an engine that holds the supporting bearings for an overhead camshaft.
Cam Cover --A part that is comparable to a valve cover in an engine that has an overhead cam.
Camber --The verticality of a wheel, or the relationship of a wheel to the perfect vertical line. For instance, negative camber would imply that the top of the wheel is closer than the bottom wheel to a car’s centerline.
Camber Compensator --A device used to control wheel camber under varying conditions on the road.
Camshaft --A part that is a component of the engine, and driven by the crankshaft. The camshaft dually functions to actuate the valves as well as drive other engine components.
Camshaft Timing --In terms of the relationship of the camshaft to the crankshaft, the phase which determines when the valves will open in the crankshaft cycle.
Canard --An aerodynamic device generally mounted at the very front of a race car.
Carburetor --A part that creates a combustible mixture through the mixing of fuel and air in a non-fuel injection induction system.
Carroll Shelby --The creator of the Cobra sports car and a famed race car driver forced into early retirement due to a heart condition. The Cobra sports car was originally created by combining the British AC Ace with a Ford V-8. The Coupe version of the Shelby went on to win the world sports car championship in 1965. Carroll Shelby also went on to develop the series of GT500 Mustangs in the ‘60s.
Caster --The angle of the swivel access of a steered wheel in relation to the fore/aft direction.
Catalina 2+2 --A car powered by a 421ci V-8 that stayed in production through 1967. The term also refers to the GTO formula applied to the ’64 Catalina coupe.
Catalytic Converter --A device within the exhaust system that reduces emissions by catalysis.
Catch Tank --A container that collects liquids (generally lubricant) so as to prevent the loss of important fluids. The Catch Tank primarily collects fluids vented from the engine, transmission, transaxle, or differential.
Center-Lock --A type of wheel/hub that is connected by a single central fastener.
Centrifugal Clutchr --A clutch that automatically engages when there is an increase of speed in the engine, and automatically disengages when the engine returns to a lower speed.
Chain Drive --A drive system in which power from the engine is transmitted through a chain and sprockets.
Challenger T/A --Mechanically identical to the AAR ‘Cuda, the Challenger T/A was a version of the ’70 Dodge Challenger that was also built to homogolate the car for the SCCA Trans-Am competition. Like the AAR ‘Cuda, it too featured a 340ci V-8 with Six-Pack carburetion.
Chapman Strut --A variation of the McPherson strut intended for use in a rear suspension when there was not a steering swivel.
Charger 500 --A car created with a flush front grille and flush rear window for better air management after the Dodge ’68 Charger proved to have poor aerodynamics in NASCAR races.
Charger Daytona --The first car to exceed 200 mph on a NASCAR super speedway. Created with the sole purpose of providing competition against the Ford Talladega, the Charger Daytona was built only in 1969.
Check Valve --A valve designed to prevent the flow of fluid in one direction while allowing unrestricted flow of liquid from the opposite direction.
Choke --A part that, when activated, helps to enrich the fuel/air mixture to assist cold starting.
Clinch Nut --A threaded fastener, distorted on one end, and possessing a gripping force that helps it stay tightly attached to a stud or bolt head.
Clone --A car not built by the original manufacturer of the car it has been built to resemble, but that resembles the car both mechanically and aesthetically.
Clutch --A part that allows the driver to either engage or disengage the power coupling between the engine and transmission or engine and transaxle.
Cobra --A name for the Carroll Shelby-created car that was a hybrid of the AC Ace and Ford V-8 small block. Since that time the name “Cobra” has went on to designate high-performance Ford models.
Cobra Jet --A term Ford used to designate its high-performance versions of the big-block V-8s during the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. This later translated to “Super Cobra Jets” to make the V-8s seem even more impressive.
Cockpit --The driver/passenger area in a car that houses the driver control devices, gauges, and seating.
Coil --The part in an ignition system that converts low voltage pulse into a sufficiently high enough voltage to bridge the gap in a spark plug, and initiate combustion in the engine.
Coil-Over-Shock --A shock absorber that is tubular in shape, contains top and bottom mounting locations for a coaxial coil spring, and is used to help support the weight of the car.
Cold Air Box --An attachment to an engine carburetor that provides ambient air alternate to that of the existing air in the engine compartment.
Compression Ring --An engine component that seals the gap between the piston and cylinder wall against pressure arising from compression, induction, or combustion.
Compressor (AC) --A pressurizing pump driven by the engine and residing in the automotive air conditioning system.
Concentric --The condition of two parts or objects sharing a common centerline.
Condenser (AC) --A portion of an automotive air conditioning system equipped to turn the refrigerant in vapor phase to liquid phase.
Connecting Rod --A part connecting a piston to a crankshaft so that it may convert the rotary motion of the crankshaft to a rotating motion of a piston.
Constant-Velocity Joint --A kind of universal joint in which the speeds of the input and output shafts are kept equal.
Cool Suit --A safety suit for the driver of a race car that can be cooled by a circulating liquid within.
Cooling System --Parts including hoses, fans, radiators, etc., that serve the function of the cooling the engine.
COPO --An acronym used within GM that alternately stands for “corporate office production option” or “central office production order.” The term refers to special purpose vehicles such as police cars, ambulances, limousines, etcetra. However, a few of the COPO cars were actually performance models, such as the L72-powered and ZL1-powered ’69 Camaros.
Cougar Eliminator --The ’69 and ’70 versions of the Mercury Cougar that were inspired by the Boss 302 Mustangs. The Cougar Eliminator also competed in Trans-Am racing.
Cowl Induction --An apparatus in the hood of a car that allows incoming air for the induction system to be ducted directly from the cowl area below the windshield.
Crank-Triggered Ignition --Is an engine ignition system which provides triggering pulses that are acquired from a pickup and wheel that are connected to the crankshaft, or a pulley.
Crankshaft --A part driven by piston/connecting rod assemblies that transmits torque from the combustion process to external coupling.
Crossflow Head --A cylinder head with intake and exhaust ports on opposite sides.
Crown --On a piston, the top face where combustion takes place.
Cyclone Spoiler --The car that Mercury's version of the Torino Talladega was based on. Though the two were not identical, they were said to have been equally successful.
Cylinder Liner (Sleeve) --An insert in an engine block that creates the path of movement for a piston.
