Best New Products from Goodguys 24th Summit Racing Nationals presented by PPG
The top hot rod parts manufactures put their latest and greatest components in the ring during the Goodguys 24th Summit Racing Nationals presented by PPG to duke it out to claim the Best New Products of the Year title. Maybe it’s not quite a cage match, but the New Product Showcase is an excellent opportunity to check out some of the coolest new products available to help with your hot rod or muscle car build.
The Showcase is broken down into eight product categories ranging from electronics to tires, suspension and more plus there’s a People’s Choice and a Best Display award during the event. There were a lot of innovative components on display, but the best of the best came to the surface after Goodguys team of industry peers reviewed all of the entries. Here’s a look at the product and companies that took home the Best New Products from Columbus – Congratulations!
Best New Engine and Transmission Component
Bowler Performance Transmissions’ 1988-95 C1500 Hydraulic Master Cylinder Kit
Bowler is making it easy to upgrade your manually shifted 1988–95 Chevy/GMC C1500 truck or full-size Blazer. The kit is based on a new Wilwood master cylinder that bolts in the stock location with an OE clutch pedal to retain the correct pedal geometry. Bowler supplies all the lines, fittings and hardware and you can choose between a plastic or billet aluminum reservoir.
Best New Tires & Wheels
Cooper Tires’ Discoverer Rugged Trek Tire
With the increasing popularity of vintage SUVs and 4x4s, Cooper Tire nailed it with their latest offering, the Discoverer Rugged Trek tire. With its aggressive looks, the tire features deep tread to help grip in mud or sand complemented by larger shoulder scoops and lugs to dig into tricky terrain. Built with off-road performance in mind the tires feature their Stable Trac Technology to enhance traction on the road.
Best New Body Components
Wilwood’s 1955-57 Tri-Five Chevy 2-inch Drop Spindle
If you’re working on a tri-five Chevy, Wilwood can help achieve a lower stance while improving the braking performance with their new 2-inch drop spindle. The spindles are cast from a proprietary grade of steel and feature integrated steering arms to retain the OEM turning geometry. The spindles are designed to work with Wilwood’s disc brake kits.
Best New Paint and Car Care Products
Griot’s Garage’s Ceramic Family Kit
Griot’s Garage stepped up their Ceramic Family Kit line with an inclusive kit that includes their Ceramic Headlight Restoration Kit along with their popular All-in-One detail kit. The entire package is supplied with their Ceramic Wash & Coat followed by the 3-in-1 Wax and Trim Wipes, the Headlight Restoration Kit, microfiber washcloths and towels along with two polishers; the G13 Mini Orbital and the GR3 Mini Rotary model to get into more tight spaces.
Best New Garage & Shop Tools
Trick-Tools’ 20-ton Benchtop Press Brake
Looking for a press brake to help fab brackets, panels and more but are light on space in your garage or shop? Trick-Tools offers a Benchtop Press Brake as a solution to bend small sections of sheet metal as well as heavy plate steel. The assembly features a small footprint and works with a common 20-ton bottle jack so there’s no worry about a power source or special pumps.
Best New Suspension, Chassis & Brake Components
Ridetech’s 1965–79 F100 Front Suspension System
Fans of Ford’s dent sides, bumps sides even earlier will be excited to see RideTech’s bolt-in front suspension system that can be fitted with airbags or coilovers. The kit includes a strong crossmember, tubular control arms, a Mustang steering rack, beefy sway bar with motor mounts for nearly any Ford engine (and even an LS option).
Best New Interior Components
Vintage Air’s Streamline Heater
Vintage Air is all about keeping you cool, but they also want to keep you warm in your hot rod and their new Streamline Heater kit is a great solution. With classic art-deco styling, the compact assembly mounts to the firewall and features an electronically operated heater control valve with a 3-speed fan to send warm air to both sides of the cabin.
Best New Electrical Components
Dakota Digital’s Retrotech Gauge System for 1933-34 Ford Cars
Looking for modern technology with vintage style for your ’33 – ’34 Ford? Dakota Digital’s latest addition to their RTX series is a direct fit system for the classic Ford. A machine turned bezel secures the gauges for stock looks but from there on, it’s all modern tech including a full color message center, adjustable LED lighting and a central control module to make wiring a breeze.
People’s Choice Best New Product
Classic Instruments’ 1960–63 Chevy C10 Truck Gauge Set
Second and third gen C10s seem to get all the hype these days, but let’s not forget the first gen of the popular C10 pickup. Classic Instruments introduced a direct-fit gauge cluster for the 1960–63 model which features an electronic speedometer, tach, fuel, oil, temp and volt gauges plus a quartz clock. The kit includes sensors and uses their versatile Zeus Speedometer Technology.
Best Exhibit Display
Roadster Shop
You could practically hear the gears turning in the minds of every hot rodder that stood with their draw dropped in the Roadster Shop display. Not only did they have a row of crazy-cool builds surrounding the display, but inside were several chassis including their latest creation for OBS trucks (the same one that is under our 2023 Giveaway OBS Truck!). Plenty of trick chassis and components to check out along with a staff ready and willing to help answer any application questions and recommendations.
