DAIMLERCHRYSLER, FORD, GENERAL MOTORS AND HOT ROD MAGAZINE WILL PARTICIPATE IN SEMA SPRING EXPO 2003

DIAMOND BAR, Calif. (Jan. 29, 2003) - SEMA Spring Expo 2003 will offer more chances 
than ever for attendees to get inside the heads of key automakers and magazine editors. 
A panel discussion titled Working With Modern Electrical Systems, a technology transfer 
presentation, and a Hot Rod Magazine engine buildup all will provide invaluable 
information to attendees of the trade-only event being held Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 13-
15, at the Nashville Convention Center.

At the Working With Modern Electrical Systems session, engineers from DaimlerChrysler, 
Ford and General Motors will give a short briefing on their respective electrical systems. 
Then they will open the floor to questions, so attendees can ask about anything they 
have encountered when working with various vehicles’ electrical systems. The panel 
discussion, sponsored by the Truck Cap & Accessory Alliance (TCAA), will be held 
Thursday, Feb. 13, from 2:45-4:30 p.m.

On Saturday, Feb. 15, from 9:00-10:30 a.m. in the Renaissance Hotel, specialty 
equipment manufacturers that are members of SEMA, the Specialty Equipment Market 
Association, may attend a special technology transfer presentation. Representatives from 
both the SEMA/Ford Technology Transfer program and the SEMA/GM Tek.Connect 
program will talk about these unique information-sharing initiatives that enable specialty 
equipment manufacturers to reduce the cost of R&D and eliminate the need for reverse-
engineering. The representatives also will hold a Q&A session, in which members will be 
able to learn first-hand what information is available on which vehicles and to provide 
feedback directly to the OEMs on the use of their technology programs.

Plus, on Friday and Saturday, Hot Rod Magazine will be working with Bill Mitchell Hard 
Core Racing to put together an exclusive article on the company’s new 454-cubic-inch 
small-block Chevy crate engine. Hot Rod Technical Editor Steve Magnante will be on 
hand to give attendees a feel for what is involved in producing an engine tech story. This 
demonstration will include dismantling the engine during the SEMA Spring Expo and 
taking numerous photographs, as well as talking about the features and benefits of the 
engine and its various components. The team then will reassemble the engine and send it 
back to Hot Rod’s Los Angeles office to be installed in a 1972 Chevy El Camino. In 
previous dyno tests, this engine produced 610 horsepower and, according to Magnante, 
"This is the most power you can buy over the counter."

Other seminars organized by TCAA are scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 13, while PRO, the 
Professional Restylers Organization, has organized its educational track for Saturday, 
Feb. 15. More information about SEMA Spring Expo 2003, including the list of seminars, 
exhibitors, activities, and special events, is available at www.semaspringexpo.com.