Saturday, July 9, 2011

Still more one or two year wonders

I did some more thinking, and came up with more one or two year models that might be fun to play with, and would cost less than a more popular-( i.e.-GTO, Road Runner, etc ) musclecar. #1 1967-68 "Turnpike" edition Pontiac GTO and Olds 442. For some insane reason, in these two years you could get a "Step-down" option on a GTO or 442. Instead of the standard 350hp Pontiac or Olds 400 cube V8 with a 4-speed or THM400 and 3.36 or 3.55 gears, you got a few hundred bucks credit on the sticker and got a two-barrel carbed 400 rated at 265 hp, a TH400 and 2.93 "Economy" rear axle. Yeah-they got like 16 mpg instead of 11!  These aren't really worth anything today other than the fact that it may be a clean GTO or 442 body, and changing the gears and adding a 4bbl carb and intake is pretty easy.  # 2 1977 Pontiac Can-Am. Based on the LeMans platform, these cars had a T/A style "Shaker" hood scoop, a white paint job with orange and silver stripes, a "Ducktail" style rear spoiler, and body-colored RallyII wheels. Power was a 400 Pontiac or 403 Olds V8 backed up by a TH400 and a 2.56 or 3.23 limited slip rear end. All the GM intermediates were downsized for '78, so this one year is it.  # 3 1982-83 Cross-Fire Injected Z/28 Camaro and Pontiac Trans-Am. Enthusiasts like the later Tuned Port Injected models better, so these are dirt-cheap. However, swapping the 305 for a 350 or 383 stroker would be easy, and the trick for induction is to port match the manifold to the heads, and use two 454 truck throttle-bodies, and use a Corvette or Hypertech PROM chip in the ignition. # 4 1984-86 Mustang SVO. These had a swoopy body, Recaro seats,upgraded suspension, 16 inch wheels and tires and a Turbocharged 4-banger rated at 205 hp.  The cheaper and faster "5.0" was more popular, so these are kind of rare, yet don't bring a ton of money. Turn up the boost, and have some great fun.  # 5 1984 Corvette. This was the only year of Cross-Fire Injection and the 4+3 manual transmission. 1985 and later TPI models are more popular, but these make nice drivers, and can be hopped up easily.  Mastermind        

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