9 New Products from SEMA 2024

Flashy feature cars garner a lot of attention at the SEMA Show, but the event is really about the manufacturers that help make our project cars and daily drivers better with innovative new products. While we have to admit that we were wowed by the beautiful builds, there were lots of new products that had us thinking about possible projects of our own. Here are nine that are worthy of sharing, and maybe one of them would help you find some inspiration in your own efforts.

Compact SBC

Even 70 years after its debut, the small-block Chevy is still relevant. For example, take a look at the engine Holley put together. The Hi-Ram intake uses a Gen IV LS throttle and is built to fit under Gen 1, 2, and 3 Camaros with a small cowl hood. We also have to point out the front accessory drive. It uses a proprietary water pump and mounts all of the accessories so that the pulleys end up on the same plane. It makes for a compact, tidy solution that updates the belts to a serpentine system. This makes for a Gen 1 small block that’s even easier to swap into tight engine bays.

Identify that weatherstripping

Steele Rubber Products has all sorts of weatherstripping and seals to help with your repair or restoration project. If you’ve got a popular car they’ll know exactly what you need, but for some projects, you might not know precisely how tall or wide your weatherstripping is. To help you figure out the perfect solution, Steele Rubber Products now offers several packs that feature a dozen products with similar applications that you can test fit yourself before buying the several feet you’ll need to complete the job. Each bag will set you back $5, but that includes shipping, too—a small price to pay to make sure you get what will work right for you.

That extra step in keeping it clean

Meguiars always has several new products that it debuts at SEMA. This year they brought a new trim restoration kit and an iron remover that eats away at those specks that cause rusty spots, but we liked the bundle they put together for finishing up your car after using a drive-through car wash. This box of products is meant to take the guesswork out of picking products and the bundle, priced at $30, costs less than if the products were purchased separately. If you know someone who takes their daily driver through a touchless wash, this might be a good gift as it includes something to finish off the glass, tires, interior, and paint, keeping their ride looking its best.

End link control

SDI’s E-Link works with the company’s E-Clik semi-active suspension and replaces the Jeep Wrangler or Gladiator’s solid sway bar end link and allows it to flex off-road while operating like a solid link on-road. The E-Links are controlled by an in-cab panel that can switch operation through several modes, including one that will automatically allow flex over bumps while keeping it stable through turns. While aftermarket sway-bar disconnects are nothing new, they usually require climbing underneath the vehicle, and it’s not something you’d choose to do frequently on the same trail.

Making your bed

TMat offers a simple, drop-in solution for organizing your truck’s bed floor. The X-shaped divots in the mat accept a wide range of modular chocks and brackets. The price for the mat for a long-bed pickup is just under $400, and it’s less for the short beds that are more common on crew cabs. Accessories include mounts to use a 2×4 as a divider, and both stationary and adjustable “blockers” that can securely hold boxes and other cargo. Whether you use your truck to haul tools or your playthings, there are a lot of possibilities to customize your loadout just the way you like.

F-body subframe sophistication

As owners ask for more modern performance from their vintage cars, the limit often becomes the factory suspension geometry, which was not built with modern tires in mind. Ridetech’s new first-gen F-body front subframe gives ’60s Camaros and Firebirds improved camber gain and reduces bump steer, while also adding the ability to run coilovers or air suspension. It’s built to accept a Fox-body rack and pinion for more modern steering, and the design allows for two-inch wider tires per side without changing the track width or steering radius. The subframe starts at $6,495 and will be available early in 2025.

Transmission mockups

Speedway has impressed us with its small-block Chevy and LS engine mock-ups in the past, and it seems that they’ve been popular, as they’ve expanded their offering to include the legendary Toyota 2JZ inline-six. Now, they also offer a Tremec T-56 to give builders an entire mock powertrain to help dial in mounts and shifter locations without wrestling the mass of the real thing. The transmission mockup lists for $250 and the adjustable bell housing is an additional $100.

Pressure for your Coyote

ProCharger offers a serious boost to the newest 5.0-liter Coyote V-8 used in the latest Mustang GT and the new Dark Horse. This $9,900 kit includes a P-1X supercharger, a blow-off valve, a huge charge cooler, and ducting to get the boost into the V-8’s twin throttle bodies. ProCharger will also help with the proper tune to deliver 325 additional horsepower on 93-octane pump gas.

Eight-speed crate powertrains!

We saved a potentially game-changing new product for last. Blueprint Engines, builders of small-block and big-block crate engines of all sorts, have worked with ZF transmissions to offer crate powertrains that include ZF’s fantastic 8HP eight-speed automatic. It’s the same transmission family used by automakers for a wide range of applications, from sports cars to pickup trucks and from Audi and Aston Martin to Ram and Rolls-Royce. Each transmission is tuned to the engine it will be matched to, and the one they had on display was a 427-cubic inch LS. This is a big deal in the aftermarket, as most automatic swaps use a four-speed due to the ease of installation. Modern, computer-controlled transmissions are far more sophisticated, and can’t just be dropped in behind any engine. Blueprint will have several crate powertrains available using the 8HP, so we expect to see some high-end restomods with one of Blueprint’s new combos at SEMA next year.