Glossary of Terms
S
A rare ’71 AMC Hornet powered by a 285hp 360ci V-8. Only 784 were made.
SC/Rambler --A product of Hurst Performance that was made for only one year. The SC/Rambler was essentially a ’69 AMC Rambler with 390ci making 315hp, a hoodscope, and trademark red, white, and blue graphics.
Scat Pack --A name used in advertising by Dodge in the 1970s to identify high performance cars they were building at that time. The cars included in the group were, the Coronet Super Bee, Dart 340 swinger, Charger R/T, and the Challenger R/T.
Scatter shield --A fixed safety device that protects the driver in the event of a clutch/flywheel failure.
Scraper --An attachment to an oil pan that controls the flow of lubricant by removing it from the rotating crankshaft.
Seal --A conformable sealing substance that is used to prevent the passage of fluids along the shafts of designated parts, especially those that are moving.
Seat Belt --A safety strap intended to protect the driver from injury as a result of violent acceleration/deceleration in a vehicle. The seat belt also normally possesses the attachment/release mechanisms for all other safety straps.
Section Width --A lateral cross section of a tire running from sidewall to sidewall.
Servo Assist --The use of primarily a vacuum- or hydraulic-type of mechanical assistance to reduce the amount of energy required from the driver.
Shaker Hood --A term used by Chrysler to denote a particular hood design in which a plastic intake scoop was bolted to the engine and then poked up through a sealed hole in the hood. This type of hood was especially prominent on ’70 and ’71 Dodge Challengers and Plymouth Barracudas. A similar scoop could be found on the ’70 through ’81 Pontiac Trans Ams and Ford Mustangs.
Shaved Tread --A cut or abraded tire tread. The act of cutting or abrading tread reduces tread depth.
Shelby --A series of cars designed and manufactured by Carroll Shelby. The aluminum-bodied 289 and 427 Cobra models and the subsequent Shelby Mustangs he built for Ford, made Carroll Shelby a household name in the 1960s.
Shift Fork --A component of the transmission of transaxle that moves gears into engagement/disengagement in response to other driver actions.
Shock Absorber --A device used to reduce the effects of road springs.
Shot/Glass Peening --A treatment in which small glass balls or beads are impelled into metal parts to reduce stresses in components.
Shoulder Harness --A safety strap that crosses diagonally from one shoulder down and protects the driver’s upper body from injury in the event of rapid reduction or forward velocity.
Side Marker Light --A small light fixture that is mounted to the side of a fender and serves the purpose of making the car more visible from the side.
Signal Light --A light fixture or assembly of lights that is used to signal turns or (often times) stops.
Six Pack --Six Barrel --
The name Chrysler gave to triple two-barrel carburetion, depending on whether the assembly was installed on a Dodge or a Plymouth.
Slave Cylinder --A component of a hydraulic system that converges hydraulic pressure to mechanical force, most commonly for the purpose of disengaging the clutch.
Snorkel System --A system of scoops connected to hoses or ducting that forces air into an engine.
Space Frame --An automotive frame comprised of several small tubes. See also Tube Frame.
Spark Plug --An engine component that utilizes the high voltage supplied by an ignition system to initiate the combustion of the fuel/air mixture.
Spherical Bearing --A load-bearing connector that has both a convex central portion and concave outer portion, providing the propensity for angular displacements of both axes as well as a wider range of rotation.
Spider Gears --In a differential gear assembly, the Spider Gears are considered any parts of the torque division section.
Spindle (Stub Axle) --A shaft that is integral in supporting a wheel hub, and often times, braking or other steering components.
Spoiler --A panel that can be attached to either end of the car, with the purpose of altering the airflow over that specific region of the car when in motion.
Spring Shock --A form of suspension assembly that contains a coil spring that surrounds a tubular shock absorber.
Spring Washer --A spacer that exerts force against securing pressures. By doing this, a Spring Washer has the capacity to reduce thread fastener separation of attached threads.
Sprocket --A gear that was made specifically to work with a drive chain.
SS --An acronym standing for “Super Sport” and applied to Chevrolet’s sportiest cars. The “SS” badge could first be seen on the ’57 Corvette SS concept car, and then later used in production on the ’61 Impala SS. Since that time the badge, “SS” has been used on virtually every other Chevrolet model in exception for the Corvette.
Stabilizer --A device that may be attached to the suspension system with the intention of aiding in the maintaining of the wheel alignment of a car. Stabilizers are not usually a part of the suspension assembly.
Starter (Self Starter) --A device that is able to initiate engine operation by means of electrical energy that is then converted to mechanical rotation of the engine.
Starter Ring --A gear on the outer edge of a flywheel that receives power from the starter and applies it to the flywheel.
Stayrod --A rigid reinforcement bar or rod that serves the purpose of supporting and connecting the opposite sides of the car in those locations that are structurally significant and thus needing reinforcement.
Steering Arm --The device within a steering system that serves as the link conveying steering actions from the steering gears and linkage to the wheel assembly.
Steering Column --The shaft that connects the steering wheel and steering gear. The Steering Column is responsible for transmitting the driver’s steering motions from the wheel to the steering gear.
Steering Linkage --Those parts of the vehicle that transmit the driver’s steering motions to the steered wheels. This excludes the gears, steering column and steering wheel.
Steering Lock --Refers to the degree of turning motion given to the steering wheel. For instance, “full lock” would be used to designate the maximum available turning angle in a steering wheel, and hence the steered wheels.
Steering Lock Mechanism --A device that can be used to lock the steering wheel to prevent theft when the ignition key has been withdrawn.
Streamlining --The act of modifying a car so as to smooth the airflow over a certain portion of the car.
Stroke --Refers to the distance, an engine piston travels from uppermost to lowermost positions.
Strut (Stabilizer) --An inflexible shaft mounted to the frame to aid in maintaining the proper location of suspension components when under load.
Strut Type Suspension --A strut type of suspension that is comprised of three pivoting points that contain an upper connecting point, and a spindle mounted on a telescoping post without any vertical movement at the top connecting point.
Sunroof --A movable glass panel within the roof of a car that may be opened partially or entirely. Sunroofs are not found in all vehicles.
Super Bee --Dodge’s variation of the Plymouth Road Runner.
Supercharger --A part of the induction compressor system that though the generation of positive pressure, provides a flow of fuel/air mixture into the engine.
Superbird --The formula for the Dodge Charger Daytona that was later applied to the ’70 Plymouth Road Runner.
Super Stock Dodge --A term made popular by the Beach Boys song “Little Old Lady From Pasadena” that was applied to Dodge cars built during the early to mid ‘60s for drag racing. The term does not refer to any actual formal model built by Dodge.
Surround --The quality of being enclosed on all sides.
Suspension Bushing --A part of a hollow cylindrical mounting that acts as a bearing. The Suspension Bushing also allows a certain level of controlled motion between a suspension part and an attachment point.
Suspension Control Arm --A beam or frame that limits the motion of a prescribed suspension part to a particular path of movement.
Swaged Fitting --A tubing fitting that forms a seal against leakage of pressurized fluid by utilizing a form of extrusion.
Sway Bar --A torsion control bar attached to a car’s frame, and to moving portions of the suspension. This bar is designed to manage body roll.
Synchronizer --A part related to transmission that possesses the ability to match the speeds of two gears upon their becoming engaged.
System --The assemblage of parts that all work together to serve an identifiable primary function.
