The Mecham Macho Machines

Since I've mentioned them in a few posts, people have me to talk about the Macho T/A. Here's the story. In 1976, a guy named Dennis Mecham had a 1975 Pontiac Trans-Am that he had mildly hot-rodded. Everyone who drove or rode in his car raved about how cool it was, and said the factory should make them that way. His father owned Mecham Pontiac in Arizona and his brother Kyle was a mechanic at the dealership. Just for kicks, they tricked out a new T/A similar to the way Dennis had done his, and put it on the showroom floor. It sold for full sticker, plus the upgrades in one day. They did another, and it sold in one day. By the end of the model year, they had 27 or 28 of them rumbling around the Phoenix area. This encouraged them to try to go nationwide. They formed DKM Inc.-( for Dennis and Kyle Mecham) in 1977 and started promoting the cars to magazines like Car and Driver, Hot Rod, Car Craft, etc. "Macho" was a popular term back then-The Village People's first big hit was "Macho Man." Thus a Trans-Am on steroids was a "Macho T/A."  They started by opening up the shaker hood scoop and rejetting the carb, as well as re-curving the HEI distributor. Hooker Headers were added, as well as a real dual exhaust system that consisted of two catylitic converters, 2 1/4  inch pipes and two resonators, but no mufflers. Needless to say they sounded wicked. DKM claimed these mods added 50-70 hp. The Macho package also included special graphics either with or without the big hood bird, and the suspension was lowered slightly, and Koni shocks installed. Four-speeds got the stock shifter upgraded to a Hurst Competition Plus unit, and automatics got a TransGo shift kit. You could also upgrade the transmission to a Doug Nash 5-speed manual. Stiffer rearend gears could be ordered, and you had your choice of the factory Snowflake wheels or Center Lines, American Racing or Compomotive wheels. A Hooker chrome rollbar was installed, and Recaro or Scheel seats could be ordered. The magazines loved them. In 1978 Hot Rod tested a stock WS6 T/A against a Macho at the dragstrip. The stocker ran a 15.20 et. Not bad for the late '70s when performance was at an all time low for everyone. The Macho ripped off a blistering 14.29 second blast, nearly a full second quicker, and within one-tenth of the 14.17 e.t. recorded by Car and Driver's Ram Air III 1970 T/A test car. Pretty impressive. All the buff magazines raved about them. They couldn't build them fast enough to meet demand. They built about 200 in 1977, another 300 in 1978 and about 300 in 1979. In 1979 the automatic cars all had 403 Olds engines, and the modifications gave very good, if not spectacular results, like the four-speed Pontiac engined models. They started doing Z/28 Camaros in a similar fashion and calling them The "Macho Z". They even did a few Corvettes and called them the "L82S".  Then the party was over. Because the Machos were modified, GM wouldn't give an MSO-Manufacturers Statement of Originality. This caused several states to not allow their dealers to sell them. The Mecham brothers skirted this in every state but Colorado, by saying that they bought the cars from Mecham Pontiac, tricked them out and re-sold them, to other dealers as used cars, who re-sold them to the public as used cars. California and several other states wanted to outlaw them. Then Pontiac announced that the 400 big-blocks would not be available after 1979. The 1980 models had the ill-fated 301 Turbo, and in California and High Altitude areas a 305 Chevy that wheezed out 145 hp. The 301 Turbos could not be modified with much success because of the then-fledgling electronically managed distributors and carburators. The Mechams were Mormon, and Kyle Mecham had to go on his Mormon mission for two years, which just about killed DKM. Denniss was the salesman and promoter that got the magazines and everyone hyped up, and designed the graphics and modification packages, but Kyle was the guy who ran the shop that actually did the work. Very few 1980 Machos exist, and the last time I corresponded with Dennis Mecham, he said there were no 1981 models.  In 1982 GM changed the bodystyle. In 1983-84, the brothers tried again with the "MSE" Trans-Am-which stood for "Mecham Special Editon." However, this was basically just an appearance package, as the only engine available was still a 305 Chevy that put out about 165 hp. Or 190 hp in "High Output" trim. Again, those horrible mid-80's electronic quadrajets and distributors prevented them from extracting any real power. Remember
"Carburator Dwell" and "Transmission Controlled Spark".?  Anyhow, that was the story of the short, but glorious life of the "Macho T/A."  If your restoring one, or just want to paint yours like one, Dennis Mecham has liscenced Phoenix Graphics to sell the stencils and stripe kits. They were and still are cool, because as Dennis said in 1978- "Their great because you can live with a Macho every day." "They look tough, their fast enough to back up the image, the engine idles smoothly, the seats are comfortable, and the suspension won't rattle your fillings loose."  Sounds like a good musclecar to me. Mastermind    

No you didn't- Part Two!!

I took a bit of heat for my last post from people demanding that I apologize for calling them Idiots. I will not apologize and they are still idiots, and their angry emails proved it. Here's a few examples-"I had a 1969 Mustang Mach 1 with a 351 and a four-speed, Magnum 500 wheels and the rear window louvers." "A friend had one with an automatic." "You don't know what the hell your talking about." Really? I said I was tired of people claiming they once owned a Boss 302. Ford produced over 70,000 fastback Mustangs in 1969, and the standard engine in a Mach 1 was a 351W. Like I said, stupid-you did NOT own a Boss 302!!!  Moron # 2 ranted- "I have a 1969 427 Corvette and dozens of other guys in my local Corvette club have Stingrays from all years." "Your dumb ass." I'm a dumb ass?  Pray tell how many of the "dozens" in your little Vette club have Split window fuel-injected 1963 models? When I asked this question of this genius-he responded "I have never seen a Corvette of any year with a split window, and everyone knows that 1982 was the first year fuel-injection was offered."  When I responded that the first fuel-injected Corvette was built in 1957, and that the Beach Boys hit "Shut Down" released in 1964, talked about a drag race between a fuelie Vette- and a Super Stock Dodge. "Two cool shorts, standing side by side." "A fuel-injected Stingray and a 413"..... He responded to that with "I never heard that song." And by the way, his car is a 390 hp base-model, not a 435 hp Tri-power or an L88. The crown jewel was the retard that told me he went to his local Pontiac dealer in 1977 and bought a Firebird Formula with a 400 and a 4-speed, T-tops, and black and gold two tone paint and snowflake wheels right off the showroom floor. That's nice. When Pontiac introduced the new graphics package in 1976, Formula sales increased by 33%.  But a Formula isn't a "Macho T/A" is it?  Here's some advice for people perusing this site. When something early in a post rubs you the wrong way, stop reading and immediately vent your anger. Use profanity so I know you mean business, and are really intelligent. If I respond with proof that you are wrong- like citing a sentence or paragraph you failed to read, or producing factory sales figures or service bulletins, you are under no obligation to apologize. This is they internet. You can spew insults at any one, and slink away until the next time you want to rant and rave and call people names without having all the facts. I stand ready to apologize for anything I say that can be proven wrong with documentation other than "My cousin Jethro had one just like that."  Mastermind      

No you didn't!!!

I have owned many rare cars, and i know people who own ultra-rare cares, and we get sick of Idiots swearing that they or a friend or relative of theirs "Had one just like that." I have a 1973 Hurst / Olds. One of 1,097 ever built. I have talked to at least 500 people who swear they "had one just like that."  It's not possible. These morons may at one time have owned a two-door 1973 Cutlass, but I guarantee they did not have a Hurst/Olds with the L77 455, swivel captain's chairs, Hurst Dual/Gate shifter, digital tach, Hurst Super Air shocks, etc.  Ditto for some of my friends. One guy I know has a 1970 429 SCJ Torino Cobra. It has the blacked out "Shaker" hood, the rear window louvers, everything. Hundrerds of people tell him they had one "just like it."  No, you had a 1970-71 Torino or Fairlane coupe with a 351. I would bet my house, that none of these jerks had a 429 SCJ Torino Cobra!! My two personal favorites are the numerous morons that looked at a friends 1969 Boss 302 and made that claim. Ford built 1603 Boss 302's that year. How is it then, that every Tom, Dick , or Harry, that wanders into a car show had one? A fastback 69-70 Mustang, ok. But a Boss 302?  I think not. The other one is a buddy's 1978 "Macho T/A." These cars got a lot of press back in the day from the buff magazines, but Dennis and Kyle Mecham only produced about 300 of these cars per year from 1977-79. They have a "Cult' following to this day-there are even websites devoted to them. Since Pontiac sold about 280,000 T/A's in those 3 years, there's a fair chance that this yahoo might have owned a T/A of that vintage, but I seriously-like 99.99 percent seriously-doubt that these car show lookee-loos actually had one of the 8-900 of these cars ever built!!  I think their jealous and are trying to "show" the cars owner- "Hey buddy-you don't have anything special".  Or maybe show their pal or the woman with them, "Hey- I'm just as cool as that guy." "I had a badass car once."  I mean if you said you dated Angelina Jolie before she met Brad Pitt no one would believe you, so you don't say it. And if you had, you'd damn sure produce old pictures or a letter or card she'd written to you to prove it!! Guys don't brag that they had sex with Eva Longoria before she hit it big on "Desperate Housewives" because you sound like an idiot. Yet they think it's perfectly ok to lie about having owned a "Moon Rock" of a car. Why don't you say you walked on the moon before Neil Armstrong while your telling me about the Hemi Cuda convertible you bought for 500 bucks!! Arrrrrgggghhhh!!!!! Just had to vent that. Mastermind

You don't mess around with......a GTO!

My brother and I were cruising in his 69 GTO one night. His car is "Restified" with the Edelbrock Performer RPM package which includes the Ram Air IV spec cam as well as the manifold. The 400 in his car also has ported 6X heads with 1.65 roller rockers, Hooker headers, an MSD electronic ignition, and an A1 prepped Turbo 400 that shifts like a racing trans. It's programmed to shift at 6,500 rpm, but sometimes it shifts between 6800-7100 rpm. On street tires, this results in smoking the tires for about 75-100 feet on the 1-2 shift and about 8-10 feet on the 2-3 shift. The car is usually going about 90 before the speed of the tires matches the road! Needless to say he has given an attitude adjustment to a lot of Corvettes, Buick Gran Nationals, and even the occasional BMW M3. This particular night a Toyota Celica Supra was messing with us. A rice rocket tugging on Superman's cape? This guy had obviously seen the "Fast and Furious" movies too many times. We agreed to go at the next red light. The Toyota jumped us a half a car length out of the hole, and held that lead to the top of ( our ) low gear. In 2nd, we pulled even. As we barked the tires into third, the Supra driver looked surprised that we were still neck and neck. Both cars were going way too fast now, but neither my brother nor the Supra driver would let off. This happened two ore times exactly the same way. The Supra would jump us off the line, we'd pull even in 2nd gear, and then neither car could gain another inch. He flagged us to pull over and we did. He said he'd never seen an american car that fast. He also asked us if we were overheating or running out of nitrous, because he was. We laughed and said, no, our temp guage was 180 degrees like always, and we opened the hood and watched him shake his head in disbelief when he saw we had no nitrous plumbing. He was further crushed when he said his car ran "10 second" quarters ( I told you he saw the movie too many times ) and we laughed, and showed him a 12.47 slip my brother had. A 12 second Supra is impressive, but I love these guys who've never been to the track sprouting the blistering times they THINK their cars run! I think of that Jim Croce hit- "you don't tug on Superman's cape, you don't spit into the wind, you don't pull the mask off the ol' Lone Ranger and you don't mess around with Jim." My brother doesn't call his car "Jim", but you get the point. Mastermind    

Kid Rock is an "American Badass!"

I get tired of movie stars and rappers and football players and their Mercedes, Bentleys, Porsches and BMWs. Where's your pride in America, that's the only country in the world that you can ply your trade in and make millions of dollars so you can afford to live like a king? And you show off in foriegn cars? At least Elvis always drove Cadillacs, or Pontiac Gran Prix-based custom Stutz Blackhawks. Frank Sinatra always drove Cadillacs or Lincolns, and had one of the few legendary Ford Ghias built in the early '60's. Joe Namath had a Dodge Charger. Jan Berry, of "Jan and Dean" fame was nearly killed when he wrecked his 427 Corvette. At least Kid Rock stays true to his Detroit roots. He has a Supercharged Hemi Super Bee that is legendary among the Michigan State Police, who don't even try to pull him over anymore. In the video for his latest hit- "Born Free" he rides a Harley and cruises around in a gorgeous customized 1964 Pontiac Bonneville convertible. He's been on the speed channel driving NASCAR racers and Top Fuel dragsters, and testing musclecars on the show "Top Gear."  He's been derided for saying that anyone who drives a hybrid is a dork. Mostly by dorks that drive hybrids-like Leonardo Di Caprio or Alexandra Paul. He goes hunting with Ted Nugent and Hank Williams Jr, and doesn't care what liberal Hollywood thinks of him. He doesn't want to adopt third-world orphans or abolish nuclear weapons, or push his beliefs on anyone else. Your right, Kid, "We never met a mother @#$er like you!"  Wish there were more. I know this is a little off-topic, but If I see another movie star or basketball player on MTV Cribs or in "Rides" magazine with 4 Bentleys or 5 Bimmers, and  drug or rape charges hanging over his head, talking crap about freedom and civil rights, and being a good American, I'm gonna vomit.       

A "Sister" car can be a great deal!

Like I talked about a Cougar being a great, lower priced alternative to a Mustang, GM guys have a lot of choices. For example, if you can't find a good deal on a Chevelle, you might consider a Monte Carlo. They share the same chassis as the A-body Chevelle, so any aftermarket suspension or brake upgrades will fit. And, compared to non-SS Chevelles, Monte Carlos from 1970-77 are especially good deals. This bodystyle dominated NASCAR in the '70's. The Montes generally have more cool options like cruise control,factory A/C, and upgraded interiors. Most Monte Carlos have 350 power under the hood, and we all know there is more speed equipment on the market for the small-block Chevy than anything else on the planet. 402 and 454 versions can be bought substantially cheaper than a same-year big-block SS Chevelle. Or you could swap in the Rat Motor of your choice-a GMPP 502 crate motor for example-very easily. Or an even better deal is a Pontiac Gran Prix. Gran Prix's from 1969-76 are awesome buys even if your not a Pontiac collector. 400 4bbl power standard all years, and a fair number of 70-76 "SJ" models had 455s! I've said it before, but my sister had a 1972 SJ in high school. This car had power everything, and it felt like a GTO. If you want a big-block Camaro, it might behoove you to consider a Firebird. 99% of Camaros have 350s under the hood. Rat-motored Camaro SS models were only produced in small numbers from 1967-72, and are thus pricey. By contrast, you could get a 400 in a Firebird Formula or Trans-Am right up until 1979. There are hundreds of thousands of them around. If you can't find a good deal on a 400 Firebird, you aren't looking past the end of your nose. The same applies to early and mid-60's full-size muscle cars.  Most Impalas, Bel-Airs, and Biscaynes built from 1960-68 have either six-cylinder or 283 or 327 small-block motivation. That's why 396,409, and 427 versions bring a King's ransom. However, Pontiac Catalinas, Bonnevilles, and Gran Prix's of this vintage all had the venerable 389 as standard equipment, and a few had 421s or 428s! My mom had a 376 hp Tri-power 421 1965 Catalina 2+2 when I was in high school. I had a GTO Judge. When people challenged me to a race, I used to say- "I don't need the Judge to beat you." "I'll beat you with my mother's car."  Quite a few Camaros, Mustangs, and Chevelles accepted this challenge, and were utterly shocked when this "Big" car blew their doors off. One of the best races I ever had in that car was with a wise-ass from another school who was doing the same thing in his dad's 1967 385 hp 427 Impala SS. It was too close to call, and we were both suprised that neither of us could pull away. If your a Nova fan, and can't find a good deal, I'd check out a Pontiac Ventura. This was Pontiac's version of the Nova from 1971-77.  A lot had six-cylinder Chevy engines in them, and some had small-block Chevys, but the ones to look for are the 350 Pontiac versions. With very little work they can really haul ass, and if you want a Super "Sleeper" a 400 or 455 is a bolt-in swap. 99% of people will think your driving a small-block Nova, and that there going to blow your doors off. Imagine their surprise when all they see is taillights! And, since the Nova / Ventura shares the same basic subframe as the Camaro / Firebird- ( Any factory or aftermarket suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Camaro will fit these cars ) they aren't just drag racers, they can be made to handle like a BMW.  Something to think about.  Mastermind        

Crazy About the Mercury!

Crazy about the Mercury was a classic '50's rock song. The singer was talking about a '49 Mercury Coupe, but it applies to the musclecar era as well. Like the Chevy Nova, the Comet was sold as an economy car, but since they were light and cheap, they made good drag racers. "Dyno Don" Nicholson campaigned a string of Comet racers in the '60's. Seventies models are basically a re-badged Maverick, but that's not a bad thing. "Dyno Don" campaigned Mavericks and Pintos in Pro Stock in the '70's. 289 / 302 models can be really quick, but if you want to be a real badass, I'd swap in a 302 based 347 stroker, or a 351W-based 392 or 427 stroker. The Cougar is to the Mustang what the Firebird is to the Camaro-the better buy of the two. Cougars built from 1967-73 have racy styling, and usually have more cool options than a same-year Mustang. By cool I mean upgraded interiors, factory air, front disc brakes, and bigger motors. Most non GT or non Mach 1 Mustangs of this period have six-cylinder or 289 / 302 motivation. There were no six-cylinder Cougars made- the 289 /302 was standard equipment. A good number of 67-68 models have 390s under the hood, and are substantially cheaper than a same-year 390 Mustang. A lot of 69-70 models have 351Ws or 351Cs as standard equipment, when again, the standard engine in a Mustang was a 200 six. 1960-70 428 "Eliminator" models can be just as pricey as 428 Mustangs however. Most 1971-73 Cougars have 351C power. However, 351C's share the same bellhousing bolt-pattern as the 429 / 460 family, and that makes swapping in those behemoths easy, and makes a great sleeper. The Cyclone/ Montego is basically a Torino/Fairlane. Again, the Mercs are generally more loaded than the Fords, and are usually cheaper. 428 and 429 versions will be pricey, but you can steal a 351W or 351C version. In 1979, and from 1982-85, ( The V8s took a two-year hiatus in 1980-81 ) You could get a Mercury Capri that was basically a re-badged 5.0 Mustang. Again, for some unexplainable reason, they are cheaper than their Ford Mustang cousins. And any aftermarket engine or chassis or brake upgrades that fit a Fox-bodied Mustang also fit these cars. If your a Ford fan, you may want to consider a Mercury. Mastermind        

Just buy the damnded car you want!

The title to this post seems like a no-brainer, but you'd be amazed at the number of people that buy a small-block Chevelle, with the intent of putting a big-block in it, or a car with an automatic and talk about changing it to a stick or vice-versa. It's like they get excited and think their never going to find another car, ever, other than the one their looking at. Two guys I know both had 1970 Pontiac Firebirds. One was an Esprit, and the other was a Formula 400. However, the Esprit had a 400 under the hood, and they were both blue with blue interior! The Formula was a 4-speed and the Esprit was an automatic. These geniuses decided to trade transmissions. Me and everyone else that knew them- said "Why don't you guys just trade cars?!!" No, these idiots tore both cars apart and swapped transmissions. Pretty pointless if you ask me, because now neither car was original. I knew another guy who bought a 1971 318 Charger with the intent of swapping in a 440. He did it, but he spent a ton of money and time doing it and chasing down parts. And shortly after starting this project, he ran across a 1973 Charger that had a 440 in it from the factory, was just as nice as the the other one, and was priced only about $1500 more than he paid for the 318 model! And believe me, it cost him way more than $1500 to convert the 318 model to 440 power! Same thing for a guy who bought a four-cylinder 89 Mustang and tried to convert it to V8 power. Why? The V8 models are the proverbial dime a dozen, and again, he could buy a nice "5.0" for way less than the cost of converting a 4-banger to V8 power. It just seems to make more sense to take the easy way. Mastermind 

"Family" swaps are Period correct

I've talked before about "Period Correct" modifications, but I had a conversation with a guy yesterday that got me thinking, and I felt compelled to write this. He asked me to look at a hot rod he was thinking about buying. The car was a 1964 Pontiac Tempest. It had a killer 425 inch Olds motor built by Mondello Performance ( Joe Mondello is THE Olds Guru, like Smokey Yunick with Chevys or Dick Landy with Mopars ) a B&M Turbo 400, and a 9 inch Ford rearend with 4.30 gears. It had big-n-little ( 14X6 front, 15X8.5 rear ) American Racing Torq-thrusts, and a gorgeous black paint job. And the guy selling it had timeslips from his local strip showing that the car ran a best time of 11.88 at 121 mph! The car had "badass" written all over it. If I didn't already have too many cars, I would have bought it. The buyer was apprehensive over the Olds powertrain. I told him-"Hey, it's a Tempest, not a GTO, so who cares?" "And, that's the beauty of GM cars, everything interchanges." "And people did this all the time in the '60's and '70's." "Motion Performance and Baldwin Chevrolet, that built L88 427 and LS6 454 Canaros in the early '70s offered the same conversion to Firebird owners." "High Performance cars even road tested an LS6 Firebird in 1972, and raved about how cool it was." "I've seen countless Firebirds, Cutlasses, and LeMans's with big-block Chevys in them." "I've even seen a Buick Skylark and a Chevy El Camino, both with a 455 Pontiac engine under the hood."  "If you want this car, buy it." "I mean, if the emblems on the fender said "Cutlass" instead of "Tempest" you'd be jumping up and down over your great find." "Ditto if had a 421 Pontiac under the hood instead of a 425 Olds." "GM has always done this." "How many Olds Omegas, and Pontiac Venturas had Chevy engines in them from the factory?"  "Thousands of Pontiac Firebirds from 1977-79 had 350 Chevy or 403 Olds engines from the factory."  So if you find a great deal on a GM car and it's been "Cross-breeded" don't panic. I probably wouldn't buy a 69 Judge with a Rat motor in it, but a 68 Tempest, hell yeah, if it was done right. Something to think about. Mastermind

Why "Period Correct" is Important!

If you were watching a movie that was set in a certain time period, wouldn't something completely out of place just ruin the film for you? Like if in the "True Grit" remake the Coen brothers had Jeff Bridges carrying a Glock 21 instead of a Colt Peacemaker? Or if In Saving Private Ryan, the air strike showed F14 jets flying over instead of WWII vintage P51s. Pretty stupid,huh?  Would you buy a 2011 Charger R/T , yank the fuel-injected Hemi and electronically controlled 5-speed automatic and install a carburated 440 and a three-speed Torqueflite? Would you buy a 2011 Camaro SS and yank the LS3 / Six-speed Tremec combo and install a carburated, solid lifter 396 and a Muncie four-speed?  Spend 50 grand on a 2011 Shelby GT500 and yank the Supercharged 5.4 V8 in favor of a 428CJ? What kind of moron would do that?  The same types that do the reverse to vintage Iron. I swear to god, why doesn't Peterson Publishing cancel Hot Rod and Car Craft, and just put out "Modern Fuelie Swap" monthly, since every month we have to have pages and pages of SRT8 Hemis in '60's Mopars and LS Chevy engines in vintage GM Iron. Replacing the crappy Inland shifter in your Impala SS with a Hurst shifter is cool, just like it was in 1965. Putting an electronically controlled 4L80E trans in is not. A 1970 Monte Carlo with '70's style Corvette Rally wheels is cool. The same Monte with massive 22"'s looks like shit. Does everybody understand now? Mastermind 

You can't fix stupid!

Comedian Ron White uses that line as a catchphrase in his stand-up act. Sadly, it applies to some people who like musclecars. I know the Foreign sports car nuts have griped for years about guys putting small-block Chevys in Datsun Z cars, or small-block Fords in Jaguars, but in those cases, the American V8s were lighter, had twice the power, and cost way less to buy or build than the six-cylinder engines they replaced. I saw an article in a magazine about a guy who installed the powertrain out of a 1998 Toyota Supra Turbo into a 1967 Camaro. Yes, the car was fast. But he spent way more money swapping in this drivetrain and all the electronics necessary to run it, than he would have if he just bought or built a small or big-block Chevy. And I have to say, he did ruin the value of the car. No musclecar enthusiast wants a Camaro with a Toyota engine, and doesn't want the expense of trying to change everything back. The Import tuner crowd doesn't want a Camaro, period. They want Honda S2000s, Mazda RX-7s, and RX-8s, Toyota Supras, (the whole car, not the engine and tranny stuffed into an old musclecar) and Subaru WRX's. If he does decide to sell it, who's going to pay him anywhere near the 50 grand he's got invested in this frankenstein monster?  No one I know. I saw another one where a guy put a Chevy LS3 in a 1990 Mustang GT. Why? A Fox-bodied 5.0 Mustang can be made to go just as fast as anything else. You see them all the time with 10 second or 9 second time slips in magazines all the time. And again, Chevy guys don't want it, Ford guys don't want it, so you spent a bunch of money building a car that no one but you thinks is cool. I guess that's ok, I mean whatever floats your boat, but how do you come to that decision?  "Hey-why don't I spend twice as much money and three times as much time as it would take to build a stompin' 347 Ford stroker, to install a Chevy engine in my Mustang that won't run any faster than the Ford would have?" "Won't that be badass?"  The best was the guy that wrote to Hemmings Classic Muscle Machines magazine and asked why they didn't feature old musclecars with modern fuel-injected powerplants swapped in. Did you miss the "Classic" in the title? He's probably the same guy who wrote to Playboy asking why they didn't have pictures of girls wearing high heels in their magazine titled "Barefoot Beauties." You can't fix stupid!! Mastermind     

How it starts.....

I remember when my son and daughter were little and i'd take them places in my 442. They'd tell their grandmother or aunts-"Daddy's car goes "Rump-rump". My son, who's now 17 lusts after a new Camaro SS convertible. I remember being a little kid, and "Tween" I think they call it now. My dad had a 64 GTO. His best friend had a 63 split-window Corvette. Another friend had a 67 Firebird with a 400 and a 4-speed. One of my uncles had a 70 Hugger orange Mustang. ( it wasn't a Boss 302 ) Another uncle had a 1970 Charger. These cars and how cool they were are indelibly burned into my memory, as I rode in all of them, and later got to drive a few. My first car was a Carousel Red Ram Air III, 4-speed,4.33 geared 69 GTO Judge! To this day, my mother swears my dad bought the car as much for himself as for me. She's probably right. From riding in the Judge, when my little brother got old enough, he went out and bought a 69 GTO! ( He couldn't find or afford a Judge, but that's the breaks ). It may be in the DNA, or maybe it's an acquired taste. Anyone want to weigh in on this theory? Mastermind

Another Movie Musclecar screw up!!

Saw a movie on Cable the other night called "The Butcher" starring Eric Roberts. He was playing an ex-boxer turned mob enforcer. The movie was made in 2006. He was driving a 1971 Dodge Charger. However, all through the movie people kept offering to buy it from him, and calling it a 69!!!  Worse yet, they said several times it was a four-speed, but showed a column-mounted automatic shifter. He even put it in park in one scene! Plus, his character said he bought the car brand-new. Roberts' 40ish character was supposed to be 22 when he won a boxing title in 1979.  If the car is supposed to be a 69, how did a 12-year old buy a new car?  For god's sake, why can't they do math, or buy the proper cars?  Mastermind  

Another convert!

I just had to post this. A friend, who has raced Mazda Miatas in their semi-pro racing series, and owned Porsches, MGs,Datsun 240Z's and other legendary sports cars and always scoffed at American muscle recently decided that like a lot of middle-aged men, the one thing missing in his life- for some it's a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, for others it's a musclecar-that he had to fill this need. He asked my advice. Since he had a sports-car background, and I knew handling was important to him, I recommended a 1970's Pontiac Trans-Am. Even though he's always been a "stick" guy, he bought a 1974 T/A with a 400 V8, Turbo 400 automatic and 3.08 gears. Since he goes between L.A. and Vegas a lot for his business, this was perfect. Here's a transcript of a message he left on my voice-mail. Ihad to listen to it about ten times because i was laughing so hard. "Hey man-I bought that T/A." "It's like I'm Kid Rock or something." "Everywhere I go people give me a thumbs-up or say "Nice car." "Now I know what your talking about." "I'm used to high-revving sports cars." "It was such a trip to feel the torque driving the car instead of high rpm horsepower." "If I wanted to pass an old lady, I just stepped on the gas." "I didn't have to downshift two gears and rev the motor to 7 grand." "On my last rip to Vegas, I got a ticket and didn't care." "I was skating along at 100 or 110, and it felt like I was going 75." "The cop told me what a nice car he thought it was, and how it easy it is to speed in such a car, and that he felt bad, but since I was over 100, he kind of had to cite me." "He said he'd feel like Burt Reynolds too, but to take it easy." "Thanks for recommending the T/A." "I love It."  You can't get a better testimonial than that for buying a musclecar. Mastermind.   

GM,Ford,Chrysler and Toby Keith give the world the "Bird"!!

Country singer Toby Keith took a lot of heat for the "Courtesy of the Red,White, and Blue" song, and the lyric- "We'll put a boot in your ass, it's the American way." But he's right, and it's never been more true than now when your talking about performance cars. Motor Trend compared the $30,000 412hp Mustang GT to the $64,000 414hp BMW M3 and in every performance category, it was too close to call. The $200,000 Ferarri F430, Lamborghini Diablo, or AMG-tuned SL65 Mercedes all run high 11 or very low 12 second 1/4 mile times and sub-4 second 0-60 times. So do the $75,000 Z06 Corvette and the $64,000 Cadillac CTS-V. The $65,000 Lexus ISF sedan runs sub 5 second 0-60 times and low 13 second 1/4 mile times. So does the $44,000 SRT8 Hemi Charger and SRT8 Chrysler 300 sedans. Pipe-smoking, tweed -cap wearing Europhiles, can shut-up, when they try to say "There's more to performance than straight-line speed. These American cars hold their own on skidpads and around the Nurburging-Germany's most challenging racetrack, and the benchmark where sports cars the world over are tested. All the snobbish magazine writers can gripe about our primitive suspensions and "dinosaur" V8s. We just kicked the crap out of your way more expensive, technological "Wonders". Here's the deal- in this world of political correctness, and the nanny state, and everyone's victim mentality, and your an asshole if you don't drive a hybrid, standing Janus-faced, Like Tom Petty- "Stand me up at the gates of hell, and I won't back down" is the archaic, throwback American Muscle car, that simply won't go away. I have to plaigerize Brock Yates, who originally said it about Harley-Davidson motorcycles, but it applies here. "If that rumble, that roar, that paen to rugged individualism, that death threat to collectiveism, and conformity ever goes away, then it will truly be time to turn out the lights."  Amen. Mastermind         

America's # 1 Muscle Car!

Muscle Car Review magazine-where i am a frequent contributor-has asked their readers to write in and give their opinion on the most important musclecar in history. It doesn't have to be the fastest or the rarest, but they want a detailed explanation why you think it's the most important. For me, there is only one choice, and I think it's obvious. The #1 Musclecar of all time should be the Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am, and here's why. By 1975 The Javelin was history, as was the Challenger, Cuda and Road Runner. The Charger was a re-badged ( ugh! ) Chrysler Cordoba. The Mustang was more Pinto than Mustang, the GTO was history and the largest engine available in a Corvette was a 350, and you couldn't even get a four-speed in California!. The Z/28 took a two-year hiatus. ( 1975 and 76, before being re-introduced in mid-77.)  Here's where the automakers screwed up. Performance car buyers didn't go away after 1974, the car manufacturers stopped making cars these people wanted to buy! Like Buford Pusser standing up to corruption in the south, one car "Walked Tall" against ever-tightening emission controls and insurance regulations and flourished because of it, and is the sole reason that we had 5.0 Mustangs and Buick Grand Nationals in the '80's and SS Impalas in the '90's and why we have 400 hp Challengers, Camaros, and Mustangs today. If you wanted a rear-wheel drive sporty car with a big V8, you had one, and only one choice. That car is the Pontiac Trans-Am. You could get a 455 until 1976, and the 400 was available right up until 1979. T/A sales doubled or tripled every year from 4800 in 1973 to 10,000 in 1974, to 23,000 in 1975 to 46,000 in 1976. After "Smokey and the Bandit" was released in 1977, T/A sales skyrocketed, selling 68,000 in 1977, 93,000 in 78, and 117,000 in 1979. Scoff at the 79 T/A's 220 hp 400. The largest engine available in a Mustang was a 302 with a two-barrel that made 135 hp. The "AMX" was now based on the Hornet and it had a 2bbl 304 V8. The "Road  Runner" was based on the Plymouth Volare and it's 318 wheezed out about 150 hp. The Z/28 Camaro, which Chevy brought back because of the T/A's phenomenal success, had a 170hp 350. Yes, a 2011 V6 Camaro will outrun one in a drag race. But if it weren't for the immense popularity and Icon status of the late 1970's T/A's, there would be no 2011 Camaro!! Simply because it was the "Last Man Standing" and kept the faith in the darkest days, the Trans-Am deserves to be the #1 musclecar. Mastermind    

Wouldn't you really rather have a Buick?

The title to this post was an advertisement Buick used in the '60's and well into the '70's. With the exception of Ford and Mopar fans, Everyone wants a Camaro / Firebird, or a Chevelle / GTO / 442.  The A-body based Monte Carlo and Gran Prix have loyal followers. Early to mid-60's Impalas and Biscaynes, and Bonnevilles and Catalinas have a "cult" following of people who love full-size muscle. However, Buicks are often overlooked, even by hardcore GM guys.  For this reason they are great deals. The 1963-65 Buick Riviera is widely regarded as one of the best-looking cars of all time. With 401 cubes under the hood, they moved pretty good, too. Patrick Swayze drove one in the action flick "Roadhouse." Won't be dirt-cheap, but you can still find one for way less than a same-year Impala SS or Gran Prix or 2+2.  Ditto for the 1966-69 models. These cars had the swoopy, futuristic styling of the revolutionary Olds Toronado, but were still rear-wheel drive. And 430 cubes under that long hood gave them some balls, too. The 1970 Riviera is a one year "Ugly Duckling". The 1971-73 models were the famous "Boat-Tail" design, and had 455 cubes for motivation. These cars offer Cadillac like luxury and GTO like performance. The GTO set the car market on it's ear in 1964. Olds quickly responded with the 442, but Chevrolet and Buick waited until 1965 to counter. If you want a GM A-body of this vintage and are on a tight budget, the Skylark and Century models from 1965-72 share the same basic bodystyle as the Chevelle / GTO / Cutlass, but are usually priced lower. I think the reason for this is the Buicks didn't have quite the fire-breathing performance of their Chevrolet, Olds and Pontiac cousins. Their not "dogs" by any means, but the 400 inch Buick engines really didn't have the same amount of power of the 396 Chevys, 400 Olds, or 389 Pontiacs. Ditto for the small-block models. The early 300 and 340 inch "Nailhead" style Buick small-blocks didn't have the power of a 327 Chevy or 326 Pontiac, or 330 Olds. The redesigned for 1968 350 Buick engine was a great step forward, and they ran good, just not quite as good as a 350 Chevy, Pontiac or Olds. 68 and 69 models will either have 350s or 400s. In 1970 the 455 was introduced into the Buick A-bodys, and the legendary Stage 1 GSX could certainly compete with the W30 442s and Ram Air GTOs.  But less than 1,000 of these were built, and they are thus pricey. The thousands of others will have 350s or "station wagon" 455s. On the up side, the Buicks usually had much nicer interiors than the other lines, and more luxury options-i.e.- factory air, power windows, cruise control, disc brakes. And T/A performance and Edelbrock offer cams, heads, intakes, etc, to hop up the engines. 1973-77 Century models were more luxury than performance oriented and most had 350 power. However there were some 455 models built through 1975, and some 1976-77 models may have 403 Olds engines, which isn't a bad thing. On the upside, any aftermarket suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Chevelle or Monte Carlo also fit these cars. If you like a little extra style and luxury with your performance, and want to save money, maybe you would really rather have a Buick. Mastermind        

Options add to the cars value, they don't reduce it!!

The title to this post seems like a no-brainer, but you'd be amazed at the heated arguments I've heard from people regarding adding options to cars that didn't originally have them. I'm not talking radical changes-like stuffing a Hemi crate motor in a Dart ( what's wrong with that? ) to build a clone of something you could never afford.  No, I'm talking adding trim pieces or other stuff that was available as a factory option on a particular car, but yours doesn't have it. Let's say you have Z/28 Camaro. But it doesn't have Rally Stripes. Or a Trans-Am without the big hood bird.  By adding the bird or stripes have you hurt the car's value, really? Or what about wheels? So your T/A came stock with Rally II wheels. If you like the "Smowflake" style better, put them on. What is hurt by that?  If you want a "Go-wing" spoiler on your Cuda or Duster, or a "Bumblebee" stripe on a Charger or Challenger does it "ruin" the car?  If your Mustang needs a new interior anyway, and you want to add reproduction "Pony" seat covers, what harm is there in that?  This you can't change a thing, because it will compromise the value crap has to have a limit. Are we car guys, or stockbrokers?  Does everything have to be geared to getting the most money when you re-sell it? If your not going to drive it or show it, and all your effort is geared to try to sell it for a huge profit, then why buy it in the first place?  If that's the case, don't you think adding options would up the price?  Why sell a 440 Road Runner for $20,000 when you could spend $2,300 on a Six-Pack setup and get $30,000 for it?  The same goes for paint. Don't you think a red SS Chevelle or GTO will bring more money than a drab brown or Olive Green one?  Even if the color isn't "original?" I've said it before-anyone who even thinks of cutting up the trunk of a Hemi Cuda for wheel tubs ought to be dragged out into the street and shot, or my personal favorite, entrails cut out and burned. But you did not "ruin" a 66 GTO because you scrapped the 4-barrel and installed a tri-power setup you bought off E-bay!! Mastermind  

A carburator and intake is not worth 2,3 or 5 grand!!!

I touched on this briefly in an earlier post, but I've talked to 100 people since, and it appears stupidity is more rampant than I thought. Comedian Ron White said- "You can't fix stupid." And he's right.  I have talked to tons of people who passed up great buys on excellent cars because they had a 2bbl engine, and paid more money for a car not as nice because it had a "factory" 4bbl!!  You think I'm kidding. Let me give you some examples of stupidity to the max. Moron # 1 wanted a 70's Pontiac Firebird with a 400. Didn't have to be a Trans-Am, but he didn't want a 350 model.  He passed up an immaculate, unrestored, but exceptionally well-maintained 1970 Firebird Esprit that had the Formula ( Read Trans-Am ) steering wheel and full guages, factory air, and a perfect interior, because it had a 400 V8 with a 2bbl carb. He paid more money for a rougher 71 Formula 400 that the standard "Luxury Cushion" wheel, no guages, no A/C, and ripped front seats because it had a "Factory" 4bbl engine.  Moron # 2 Wanted a 1965-66 Mustang. He passed up a very nice 65 coupe with factory air and the "Pony" interior because it had a 2bbl 289. He paid more money for one that wasn't as nice because it had a 4bbl. And no, it wasn't the 271 hp solid-lifter version with a 4-speed, it was the hydraulic-cammed 225 hp model backed by a C4 automatic.  Moron #3 passed up a great 1970 Malibu CONVERTIBLE that had factory air and factory front disc brakes with a 350 2bbl, for a 70 Malibu hardtop with no A/C, drum brakes, and a 350 4bbl.  Moron # 4 Almost didn't buy the proverbial little old lady bought it originally, kept it immaculate, and now her kids are selling it after she died, 1968 Charger because it had a 383 with a 2bbl.  These cars are often great buys, in great condition, because they were bought by older people and women instead of gearheads, and therefore weren't wrecked, abused and raced like their 4bbl brothers!  And- if you want the extra performance of a 4bbl-for god's sake- Edelbrock sells Performer Intake manifolds for every American V8 on the planet for about 200 bucks. For about 300-400 bucks you can buy a Holley or Edelbrock 4bbl carb. Assuming you can do the labor yourself, that's only 600 bucks!!  Why on earth would you pay 2,3,4, or 5 thousand more for the same car just because it "originally" had a 4bbl?  If it had to be "Factory Orignal" there's dozens of swap meets and websites where you could find a GM, Ford, or Chrysler 4bbl carb and intake setup for just about anything ever built.  Get over yourselves people!! Mastermind      

If you want top dollar.....Learn what your selling!!!

Experts like me always tell you to know what your looking at when trying to buy the musclecar or project of your dreams. This can be a problem if the seller doesn't know what their selling! A lot of times, especially if your going to drive 100 miles or more to look at a car, you want to know if it's worth the trip to look at it. Phone calls to an uninformed seller can be maddening. Especially if the seller is arrogant and flippant, or you get the wife or girlfriend. A few examples. A customer of mine wanted me to look at a 1969 Chevelle Malibu. We called and put the call on speakerphone in the shop. "Do you still have the Chevelle for sale?" "Yes." "Which engine does it have?"  ( exasperated sigh ) "A small-block Chevy." "Is it a 307, a 327, or a 350?  "I don't know." "Which transmission does it have?" "An automatic." "Is it a two-speed Powerglide or a three-speed Turbo 350? ( Another exasperated sigh ) "I SAID it's an automatic! "Does it have disc or drum front brakes?" "How the hell would I know?"  "Okay, maybe we'll call you back." Another guy wanted me to check out a '70 Cuda  that was advertised with a "700 hp Hemi." Here's that call-"Is the Cuda an original Hemi car?" "How would I know?" "Can you read me the VIN number?" "The what?" "The vehicle identification number." "Should be on the title." "I don't know if I can find the title." "Then how are you going to legally sell it, and how is the buyer going to register it?" "I'll find the title if someone wants to buy it." "Is the engine original?" "I don't know." "Is it a 392 Hemi or a 426 Hemi?"  "It's a 383." "Chrysler never made a 383 Hemi." "If it's a 383, it isn't a Hemi." ( exasperated sigh ). "My husband said it's a Hemi car." "Is he home?" "No." "Can you look under the hood and tell me one thing?" "Why?" "So I know if it's a hemi or not." ( Exasperated sigh ) "How would I tell if it's a Hemi?" "Are the spark plugs in the valve covers?"My husband's a mechanic!" "I'm not stupid!" "Why would the spark plugs be in the valve covers?" "Obviously you don't know anything about cars!" ( Click ).  The last one was when my mother wanted to buy a used 1977 Pontiac Firebird Esprit. "Which engine does the Firebird have?" "A V8." "There were several V8s optional in 1977." "I think it's a 350." "Is it a 350 Pontiac or a 350 Chevy, or a 350 Olds?" "Why would a Pontiac have a Chevy or an Olds engine?" "Because GM used a lot of different engines across the product lines because of smog laws." "Oh." "What does the sticker under the hood say?" "5.7 liter V8." "That means 350 cubic inches." "Oh." "Can you read me the vin number?" "Why?" "Because an "L" in it means it has a Chevy engine, and a "P" means Pontiac." "Shouldn't a "C" stand for Chevy?" "That's just GM's coding system." "It's stupid." "Yeah, thanks, maybe we'll call you back."   You might have to educate the seller, but you might find a bargain, if you can stand the stupidity. Mastermind    

Don't go by "Prototype" or "Pre-Production' performance figures!

The other day I read two road tests of a 2011 "392" SRT8 Hemi Challenger. The "Pre-production" example tested by Mopar Performance magazine ripped off a blistering 12.38 1/4 mile time. The "Regular"  392 Hemi Model tested by Motor Trend was more than a half-second slower at 13.0. A "Prototype" 2011 V6 Mustang tested by Car and Driver ripped off an incredible 13.7 second blast,-quicker than the previous years V8 GT model!  C/D tested a later production example and it ran a 14.5 second 1/4.  Not bad for a V6, but nearly a full second slower than the "prototype." This is nothing new. In 2005, Jim Wangers admitted what we already knew. The GTO that rocketed to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds and through the quarter in 13.1 on 7.75-14 bias-ply redline tires that were ablaze for half the track, in C/D's May 1964 issue was a ringer. Royal Pontiac had pulled the 389 and replaced it with a blueprinted 421.  This happened many times in the intervening years. The manufacturers wanted to sell the cars, so they made sure the ones tested by the press were like the Army ad-"All that they could be." Others that weren't in the "Press Fleet" often tested substantially slower, for a variety of reasons. Here's some of the more entertaining stories. In 1969 Chrysler introduced the 440 Six-Pack. Their tests at the factory proving ground showed the car running the quarter in the high 12s and very low 13s, which they advertised in national magazines. The test mule was driven by Pro Stock drag racing champion Ronnie Sox ( of "Sox & Martin" fame.) It also had 4.30 gears and was shod with slicks. Think "Joe Average" with street rubber and 3.54 gears might go a tad slower? In 1973 Hot Rod tested a 1973 Pontiac Trans-Am that ripped off a sizzling 13.15 e.t.  It was an early prototype that had the Ram Air IV cam with 308/320 duration and .470 lift. They also recalibrated the governor on the Turbo 400 to bump shift points from 5,000 to 5,800 rpm, opened the "Shaker" hood scoop, bumped the timing, and swapped the stock tires for M&H slicks. No wonder production models that had the much milder RAIII cam with 301/313 duration and .414 lift, closed scoops, stock trannys and street radials ran about 14.05. In 1977 Car and Driver tested a "Prototype" 1978 Dodge "Li'l Red Express" pickup that ran a faster quarter mile time than both the L82, 4-speed, 3.70 geared Corvette, and the 400, 4-speed 3.42 geared WS6 Trans-Am tested the same month!! This little red truck had a 360 V8 with W2 heads, a Holley Street Dominator single-plane aluminum intake manifold, topped with a 600 Holley Douple-pumper carb, the camshaft out of the old high-performance 340, and catylyst free dual exhaust. No surprise that the production models that had stock 360s with iron intakes and Thermoquads, stock cams and heads, and catylitic converters ran like a second and a half slower!! In 1979 Every Z/28 tested by the buff magazines ran about 15.60.  Popular Hot Rodding tested a Z/28 Camaro that ripped off a blistering 14.11 e.t.  With a 170 hp L48 350?!! Turns out this Z/28 was sold by Mecham Chevrolet / Pontiac in Arizona-the home of the "Macho T/A". It was given the "Macho T/A" tune-up-Hooker Headers and real dual exhausts with two catylitic converters, a re-jetted carb and recurved distributor, and a "mild" Crane Cam of undisclosed specs. Yeah!!  So before you sprout road test results or challenge someone to a race, make sure of all the factors! Mastermind                        

"Reborn" Classics that might be cool!

There are some classic rare cars that can be very expensive for original versions, but entrepenuers tried to revive them in the '80's and '90's. These "Fakes" might be a way for the "Average Joe" to have a totally unique and cool ride for a fraction of the price of the originals. #1 "1963" Studebaker Avanti. These swoopy, cool-looking cars had a "Cult" following. In the '80's and '90's several companies brought them back. They had small-block Chevys  for power. Since their not original anyway, you could hop it up. There's more speed equipment available for small-block Chevys than anything else on the planet. Most of these I've seen are priced over 10 grand, but thats better than the 30 or 40 a "real" 63 Avanti brings.  #2 1965 "427" Cobra. There are dozens of companies that made these kit cars, but the best ones are made by Factory Five racing. The Base kit is about $12,000 and the deluxe one is $19,900, less engine. They come with everything else. They use a 1986-93 Mustang 8.8 rear end, and front suspension, and the frame will accept 5.0 or 4.6 / 5.4 mod motors. They only weigh about 2,400 lbs. Take 800 lbs off your average 5.0 Mustang. Think they haul ass? People that build these generally have $25-35K in them, but often you can see them for sale for around 20 grand. That's a lot better than the 250-500K that real 427 Cobras bring.  # 3 Factory Five also makes similar kits for a similar price that have a GT40 body. Again, 25 grand is a lot better than 100k on up for an old GT40 race car. # 4 There's also a company that makes 1953 Corvette replicas. These use a shortened GM G-body frame, and small-block Chevys. Ditto for 1965 Gran Sport Corvette Replicas.  # 5 There's also 55-57 T-bird replicas that use small block Fords and Mustang II suspensions. How about a screamin' 347 stroker in one of these? No one would dare do that to a real 55-57 Bird, but it's a fake, so who cares? And it didn't cost you 50 grand like an original either. Mastermind

Great Musclecars that are underpriced!

For some unexplainable reason, and it's not always performance or exclusivity, some muscle cars bring exorbitant prices, and others don't. However, the ones that don't are great buys for people who know a steal when they see one. Here's the list- # 1 1967 Pontiac GTO.  For some reason, the general public, and even Pontiac freaks all fight with machetes for the 1964-66 models, and 1968-70 models. The 67s aren't nearly as popular or expensive, and I don't know why. The styling was cleaner than the '66-especially the taillights. The tri-power 389 was discontinued at the end of '66, but the 400s in 67 made just as much power. And if you wanted an automatic, the 67 models had the excellent Turbo 400 3-speed automatic, while 64-66's had the two-speed Super Turbine ( Read Powerglide ) 300.  They were lighter than the 68-70 models. If you want a GTO, these are one of the best, but they are priced way less than the others.  # 2 1969-70 Shelby GT350 Mustang. Yes, a Shelby made a "Bargain" list. I say "Bargain" compared to other Shelbys. 1965-67 GT350s in excellent condition bring 100 grand. Ditto for 1967-70 GT500s. However, I have seen 1969-70 GT350s in top condition for around 30-45 grand. Not cheap, but less than half the 100 large the others bring! And again, it's hard to explain. The GT500s have 428s so that's a factor. But the early GT350s had 289s rated at 306 hp. The 69-70 models had the 290 hp 351W that was standard in the Mach 1. The '70 models, were leftover 69s with new vins and paperwork which is why they didn't have 351C's. But they had the swoopy Shelby styling and interior upgrades, and the 351W was a much more tractable engine for a street car than the solid-lifter hi-po 289s or Boss 302s. This may be the only way a mortal man can own an original ( Not a clone ) Shelby. # 3. 1973-74 Z/28 Camaro. Good Camaros are never dirt-cheap, but these can be bought for way less than the 70-72 LT-1 models. The "loss" of performance was not that much. The only difference between an LT-1 and the L82 used in the 73-74 models is they used a quadrajet on an iron manifold instead of a 780 Holley on an aluminum one, and they used a hydraulic cam instead of a solid-lifter one. The hydraulic cam was the L46 grind, used in 1969-70 350 hp Corvette engines. It had roughly the same lift and duration as the LT-1 cam. The 72 models were rated at 255 net hp, and the 73-74s were rated at 245. Yeah, a huge drop. And you still got a 4-speed and 3.73 gears or a Turbo 350 and 3.42s.  But they are priced way less than the earlier ones.  # 4 1972 Plymouth Road Runner. These can be bought way cheaper than the 68-70 models. Oddly, even though the styling is identical, they can be bought for substantially less than the 71s. Yes, they lowered compression and horsepower in 72, and the Hemi and 440 Six-Pack was no longer available. But the standard engine was still a 400 ( a bored-out 383 ) and the 440 was optional. For some reason a 340 was an extra-cost option, even though it made less power than the 400. But regardless of engine, they are still great cars, and a bargain, whether your a Mopar freak or not. #5 1974-75 Pontiac Trans-Am. The 1970-73 models are priced in the stratosphere. So are the 943 SD455 models built in 1974. But Pontiac built 10,255 T/A's in 74, most with the L78 400 or L75 ( non-super duty) 455. Transmisiions were a Muncie 4-speed or Turbo 400.  In 75, They sold 23,000 units. The 400 was the only choice, except for 857 "455HO" models produced late in the year. The 4-speeds were either Muncies or BW T10s and to clear the catylitic converters, the automatics were Turbo 350s. For some reason these cars are snubbed by Pontiac collectors, but I don't why. Thus, they are about half of the price of any other '70's T/A. The 1976-79 models will bring more money, even though a lot of them have 403 Olds engines, not "Real" Pontiacs like the 74-75s. Grab one of these bargains while you can. Mastermind