Special Editions that aren't really special.......

Had some people ask for more one or two year wonders that they might find at a reasonable price. I came up with a few-their not particularly rare or valuable, they just have cool options, or are just plain weird. But if you buy them right they can be a lot of fun. Here's some in no particular order of importance. # 1. 1965-67 Corvette with automatic transmission. I have no idea why Chevrolet did this-especially with the big-blocks, but you could buy a Corvette with a 327, 396, or even a 427 with a two-speed Powerglide automatic. I don't need to tell you that their performance was considerably less than the four-speed models. I find it strange because the excellent three-speed TH400 was introduced in 1965-and if you bought an Impala with a Rat motor-you got a TH400. From 1968 on in the 'Vette-you got a TH400 even with the base 300 hp 327 or 350 engines if you wanted an automatic. This went on until '71 or '72 when power ratings dropped and the small-blocks got TH350s, and the TH400 was reserved for 454 models. These Powerglide equipped '65-67 models fall into the category of  NOT rare or collectible, just weird. They aren't worth anything-( other than the fact that it is a '65-67 Stingray ) so don't pay a premium price for one. Vette collectors snub these cars like the plague so you might actually find a deal on one. On the upside, a TH350 will literally bolt right in-they even use the same rear trans mount and driveshaft yoke. You can even use the stock shifter and linkage-you just won't be able to manually engage low gear. With a proper shift kit from TransGo or B&M, this is a non-issue. This would give the car an incredible boost in performance over the "Powerslide" with no other changes. TH350's are incredibly tough; even in bone-stock trim they can stand up to a 400 hp engine. With very little work they can stand up to 500 or more hp easily.  # 2 1967-68 Olds 442 and Pontiac GTO "Turnpike" editions. For some reason, even though gas was like 29 cents a gallon and the musclecar movement in full swing-( Chrysler introduced the wildly successfull Road Runner and Super Bee models, Ford put 390s in Mustangs and Carroll Shelby and Bob Tasca put 428s in them ) some genius in GM marketing thought it would be a good idea to replace the GTO and 442's standard high-compression 350 hp 400 4bbl V8 engines and Muncie 3 and 4-speed manual trannys, and 3.36:1 or 3.55:1 gears with a low-compression, 2bbl 400 V8 with 265 hp,a TH400 automatic, and 2.93:1 gears. It flopped because no one wanted an emasculated GTO or 442, that looked badass but couldn't back up the image on the street, and no one else really cared about a GM "A" body coupe that got 16 mpg instead of 12, and cost way more than a base-model Malibu, Tempest or Cutlass. If you find one cheap they can be good investments-it doesn't take much to swap rear-end gears, or install a factory or aftermarket 4bbl carb and intake for a massive power gain. However they aren't worth squat-other than the fact that you may have a rust-free GTO or 442 body. # 3. 1977-79 Pontiac Trans-Am  Gold SE or Black and Gold SE. These are just a garden-variety T/A with pinstriping and maybe T-tops. After "Smokey and the Bandit" came out Pontiac sold almost 70,000 T/A's in 1977 alone. 15,000 of those were black and gold SE's just like the movie. Because of that raging success they came up with the Gold SE. But they are nothing special. # 4. 1978 Silver Anniversary Corvette. All 50,000+ 'Vettes built that year had Silver annivesary emblems on them. Some also had a nice Silver / Charcoal Grey two-tone paint job and a silver leather interior-but they are just a garden-variety 'Vette, nothing special. The same goes for....#5. 1978 Indy Pace Car Corvette. These were supposed to be limited editions, but Chevrolet decided to build at least one for every dealer; since their were over 7,700 dealers across the country back then- even though not every dealer got one, today they aren't that rare. Besides the pace car paint and decal package the only special feature is the seats which are the upgraded 1979-82 style. I have seen these for sale for as low as $5999 so don't overpay for one ( unless it's an L82 / 4-speed model; most are L48 / automatics ). # 6. 1975-76 "Starsky and Hutch" Gran Torino. Because of the popularity of the TV show, Ford decided to cash in. However there's nothing special about the cars; their a garden-variety 2 -door Torino with the red and white stripe paint job and 70's style slot mag wheels. Most have bench seats and a 351M with a 2bbl, backed by an automatic. It's not like they were all 460 / 4-speeds or anything. If you want one- I'd just buy a plain Torino and paint it that way and put those wheels on it for probably a lot less than people will ask for these "Special Editions".  Hope this saves people some money. Mastermind            

Still More one or two year wonders.....

Here's some more cool cars that were only made for one or two years and might still be reasonably priced-not in the stratosphere like a 1971 Boss 351 Mustang or a 1987 Buick Grand National GNX.  # 1. 1970 Olds Rallye 350 Cutlass. These cars had a super loud Sebring Yellow paint job, a "Judge" type spoiler, and had a 310 hp 350 V8 with either a Muncie 4-speed or a TH350. 3,527 were built so you see one for sale once in a while. Rumor has it that 10 or 12 were built with the vaunted "W31" Hi-Performance 350 that was grossly under-rated at 325 hp, but I have never seen one or the build sheet for one, and no Olds engineer or car magazine has ever verified one.  # 2. 1970-71 Tempest T-37 / 1972 LeMans GT. "The poor man's GTO."  These had a 350 V8 and a three speed stick as standard equipment, but you could get a 400 or a 455 with either a 4-speed or a TH400 as well. For some reason the "T37" moniker was dropped and the "LeMans GT" name adopted in 1972, but the package was basically the same.  # 3. 1967-68 Ford Mustang "California Special". These coupes had Shelby-style taillights  and scoops and spoilers. A lot were 289 powered, but some had 390s. Quite a few were built, so you can probably find one. And their way less expensive than a "Real" Shelby.  #4 1969-70 Shelby GT350 Mustang. These have the 290 hp 351W Mach 1 base engine with either a 4-speed or an FMX automatic, and I think the best-looking of all the Shelby bodys. I have seen nice examples at auctions for around 35-45K. That's not chump change, but try to touch any other Shelby for under 100K.  # 5. 1971 Dodge Super Bee. For this one year only, the Super Bee package was based on the Charger instead of the Coronet. Hemi versions are in the stratosphere as always-but 383 versions are quite reasonable. Over 6,000 were built so you can probably find one.  Mastermind  

Some one or two year wonders that you might consider....

There are some cars that for whatever reason-poor sales, bodystyle changes, marketing decisions-only last a year ot two. Sometimes, there's nothing wrong with them, they just don't catch on. Some are actually pretty cool and can be great performance / cruiser / daily driver bargains.  Here's a few that I like.  # 1. 1971-73 Buick Riviera. The famous "Boat-Tail" design. 455 cubes standard all years. GTO-like performance, Cadillac like luxury.  # 2. 1973-75 Pontiac Grand Am. Marketed to have the performamce of a Trans Am and the luxury of a Gran Prix. Except performance buyers bought T/A's and luxury buyers bought Gran Prix's. If you can find one, their a great ride based on the LeMans "A" body chassis-400 power standard all years with the 455 optional. Front disc brakes, and wrist-thick front and rear stabilizer bars also standard. Their rare-but you could even get the 400 with a 4-speed. However-for some reason they only sold 4806 GTO's in 1973, but they sold 34,000 Grand Ams-so their more plentiful than you think. # 3. 1977 Pontiac Can-Am. Trying to cash in on the Trans-Am's immense popularity-the engineers came up with this Apperance / Performance package for the LeMans. Appearance items included Rally II wheels, a ducktail type rear spoiler, a T/A style "Shaker" hood scoop, and "Judge" style striping. They were actually a cool-looking car. Performance items included a 400 Pontiac or 403 Olds V8 ( for California or High-Altitude emissions ) a Turbo 400 with a shift kit, Radial Tuned Suspension, and a 3.23:1 posi rear end. The package only lasted one season mainly because the "A" bodies- ( LeMans, Monte Carlo, Cutlass etc. ) were downsized for 1978. Dynamite if you can find one at a reasonable price.  #4 1977-78 AMC AMX. The Javelin had been defunct since 1974, but the AMX nameplate was resurrected on the Hornet platform. Say What?  They actually put a great handling suspension on it, and a cool appearance package-i.e. blacked-out grille, spoilers, striping, and chrome wheels. The down side is the top engine was a 304 V8 with a 2 bbl that wheezed out about 120 hp. I mention this car because of the hot rod potential. Like Pontiacs-all AMC V8's are externally identical. This means that a 360 or 401 is a bolt-in swap. With a curb weight about 2,900 lbs, this would be a dynamite sleeper. # 5. 1978-79 Dodge Li'l Red Express truck. Except for the Pontiac Trans-Am and the Chevrolet Corvette, this short-box, tricked-out half-ton 2wd pickup with a hotted-up 360 V8 was the fastest American car in 1978. They have kind of a "Cult" following but their cool if you can find one at a decent price. # 6. 1984-86 Ford Mustang SVO. These cars had Recaro seats, Koni Shocks, and 16" performance tires and wheels as well as a Turbocharged 4 cylinder engine that put out between 175 and 205 hp depending on the year. They didn't sell well because the "5.0" V8 models were both faster and several thousand dollars cheaper. However if you can find a used one in good shape, they can be great fun. The 2.3 liter Ford four is practically bulletproof, so you could turn the boost way up and /or add nitrous and have some serious fun tormenting "real" musclecar owners and Porschephiles. Just a few cool sleepers to consider. Mastermind            

More cars that never were....That you can build!!

There's a lot of cars that would have been cool if the manufacturers had continued to make them. However-you can build them on your own with the help of the aftermarket.  Here's some of my personal favorites. # 1. 1971-73 "Boss 302" Mustang. 351 Cleveland powered Mach 1s of this vintage bring a king's ransom, but 302 powered coupe and fastback models can be bought relatively cheap. Edelbrock and Trick Flow offer aluminum "Cleveland" style heads that will bolt up to a 302 block, and Edelbrock makes a Performer RPM intake manifold that's compatible with the Cleveland heads and shorter ( than a 351C ) deck height of a 302. With the right cam, headers, and gears, ( I'd go with 3.90:1 or 4.11:1 ) one of these "Mock Boss" engines could really rock. Back it with a C4 and a 3 grand converter or a T5 out of a later "5.0" and I think you'd have a dynamite performance car. Some Boss 302 style graphics would look badass too.  # 2. 1974-77 Pontiac LeMans GTO. We all know the last "A" body GTO was built in 1973, and the GTO ended it's legendary career on the X-body Ventura ( read Nova ) platform in 1974. But what if, instead of making the Trans-Am the flagship, Pontiac continued building the Goat on the "A" body LeMans  platform?  Well, you can build one! All you have to do is find a 2 door LeMans, LeMans Sport, or Luxury LeMans model. The 400 was plentiful in most models through 1977, and the 455 was optional until 1976. These cars have the excellent "Radial Tuned Suspension" from the factory, and any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Chevelle or Monte Carlo will fit these cars. They also have big fenderwells that will clear huge tires-you can run 275/60R15 tires on 8-inch wheels all the way around without modifying the body or the suspension. Like the T/A's of this vintage, all you'd need to do to get some real musclecar performance out of one of these cars is change the salt-flats 2.56:1 gearing for something in the 3.23-3.73:1 range, add an Edelbrock Performer intake ( the stockers from 1975-79 have a restrictive throttle opening that really limits power above 4,000 rpm ) a B&M or TransGo shift kit ( if you have an automatic ) and a decent dual exhaust system. Or you could build a stompin' 455-Edelbrock and Kauffman offer aluminum D-port and RAIV style heads, and Eagle makes a stroker rotating assembly to turn a 400 into a 455. Black out the grill and some of the chrome, add some "Judge" or "Macho T/A" type graphics and some "GTO" emblems, and you'd have a unique, head-turning ride with the power to back up the attitude, at a price far less than you can buy an earlier GTO or even a decent '70's Firebird for. # 3. 1976-77 Olds Cutlass "Hurst Olds". You can buy 73-74 "H/O" graphics ( the bodystyle is the same ) from Phoenix Graphics. Like the Pontiacs-an axle ratio change will work wonders-these cars have 2.41:1 or 2.56:1 gears stock, you need something in the 3.23:1 to 3.73:1 range-this will give you a good compromise between jackrabbit starts and decent freeway cruising rpm. There is a ton of speed equipment available for the 350 / 403 Olds engine, or you could get a 350 Diesel block and bore and stroke it to 440 inches, ( Mondello Performance sells a kit ) or you could just drop in a 455.  Any brake or suspension upgrades that fit a Chevelle or Monte Carlo wiil fit these cars.  # 4. 1978-83 Buick "Grand National". We all know the GN was only built from '84-87, and that only the fuel-injected, intercooled '85-87 models are worth having. ( The carburated 1984 models had way less power, and more reliability problems. ) I'm not suggesting that you try to Turbocharge a V6 base model-that would cost a mint.  No,-the way to go is to find a 1978-83 Regal with either a 301 Pontiac or 307 Olds V8-a lot of them were built with these engines. Don't start-I know these engines were lightweight "economy" motors that wheezed out maybe 150 hp. But, and it's a HUGE but-a 400 or 455 Pontiac will bolt right in place of the 301-the motor mounts are in the same location. Ditto for the 307- a 350 or 403 Olds will drop right in for an instant power and torque infusion. A monochromatic paint job, some fat wheels and tires, ( and again- an axle-ratio change ) and you could give those smug "real" GN owners a run for the money they'd not soon forget for very low bucks. # 5. 1978-83 Malibu SS. These "G" bodys are still relatively cheap. The real bargains are the '78-80 models that had 350s in them from the factory. The '81 and later models had 305s, but that's okay-you'll probably swap in a snarling 350 or 383 anyway. "Honest Charley" and a couple other places sell the Aero "Monte Carlo SS" front clip that will bolt right onto these cars and give them a badass look. I like this treatment way better on the semi-fastback, smooth-sided Malibu over the formal roofline and scallopped sides of the Monte. Being 600 lbs lighter than the 73-77 models they replaced, one of these could be an awesome sleeper with the right equipment.  Any one of these cars would make a unique, fast, cool project that you don't see every day. Mastermind      

Playing with junk.....And building cars that never were....

I have a buddy that owns a junkyard and we were talking about building some "cars that never were" out of clunkers.  The first ones that come to mind are GM musclecar wagons. The easiest of course are the Pontiac LeMans and Olds Cutlass wagons built from 1968-72. Back in the days before SUVs were rampant a lot of people that towed trailers used wagons. Thus, while the two-door coupes were mostly 350 models with drum brakes, a lot of LeMans and Cutlass wagons had 400 or 455 cubes under the hood, TH400s, and front disc brakes as standard equipment. It wouldn't take much trim from Year One to make a "GTO", "Judge"  or "442" or "Hurst / Olds" wagon.  You could also build an SS396 or SS454 Chevy wagon, but these may cost more-for some reason-unlike their Pontiac and Olds cousins, most Malibu wagons had 350 motivation. Which means you'd have to find a suitable Rat motor and swap it in, besides doing the body and interior trim. They'd be a great ride-a wagon actually makes a good drag racer because of it's excellent weight distribution, and you'd have the passenger and storage room of a modern SUV.  Another good GM toy would be a "GTO" "442" or Buick GS El Camino. Buy a beater '68-72 El Camino and then put the appropriate front clip and drivetrain on it. You could probably build a 455 Olds, Buick or Pontiac version for WAAY less than a decent SS396 or 454 version would cost to buy. Also way cool would be an "X" body ( Chevy Nova, Pontiac Ventura, Olds Omega ) styled like a '60s Trans-Am or '70's IROC racer. Any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Camaro / Firebird will fit these cars, so making a real handling "G" machine out of one is easy. Monster rubber, radiused and flared fenderwells, maybe even a T/A style "shaker" hood scoop. The Ventura would be a great sleeper because Pontiac V8's are externally identical from a 326 to a 455. A 400 or 455 would literally drop in place of the 350 that some of them have. What about a 403 powered Olds Omega with Trans-Am style suspension?  Mastermind  

Answers about the "Cadzillas"....

Had some inquiries as to why more people don't make the 472 / 500 Cadillac V8 swap. Yes, anything with 472 / 500 cubes is going to have massive low-end torque-like 500 lbs ft at 2,700 rpm. But other than the cubes and low-end grunt, your not going to get anywhere near the performance offered by the big-inch offerings of other GM divisions or Ford and Chrysler. There's a couple reasons why-the main one being that they are not high revvers. And I don't mean that they won't go 8 grand like a 427 or 454 Chevy, or 429 Ford, or that they should be redlined at 5,700 like a 455 Pontiac or Buick because of the large main bearings. The big Cad engines are all done in by about 4,500 rpm. This is because they were built to haul the 6,000 lb land-barges of the late-'60's and early '70's that may even be towing a trailer behind them. This is why they make such massive torque from idle to about 4,000 rpm. But there was no factory "performance" model like the W30 455 Olds or Stage 1 455 Buick. The factory never made a hot cam or performance intake or exhaust.  The second problem is there is almost zero aftermarket performance parts available.  Edelbrock makes a Performer intake manifold that will theoretically make power up to  5,500.  I say theoretically, because there's no cams, headers, nothing to increase power like there is for most other engines. But like I said-for a low-budget swap there alright. But you won't be throwing fear into the hearts of any LS6 Chevelle or RAIV GTO or 440 Road Runner owners. Mastermind   

a Budget "Cross-Breed" resto we can all appreciate..

I often rail about people putting modern Chevy LS engines and trannys in old GM Iron at five times the cost of restoring the powertrain that came in the car. I saw a car in "Street Rodder" the other day that was quite refreshing. The guy had a gorgeous red 1961 Impala coupe. For power it had a 500 inch Cadillac engine out of a '76 Eldorado backed up by a BOPC ( Buick, Olds, Pontiac, and Cadillac all share the same bellhousing bolt-pattern, only Chevrolet is different )  TH400. He also had the better 1970-73 heads, an Edelbrock Performer intake and some TTI headers on it. Needless to say with 500 cubes and a TH400, it ran a lot better than it did with the old 348 / Powerglide combo and cost a LOT less to build than a 348 / 409. The car was good-looking, fast, and "Old school" enough-i.e. an engine with a distributor and a carburator instead of coil packs and injectors,-and a tranny that had a vacuum modulator instead of sixteen electric shift solenoids that someone who wasnt a gearhead couldn't tell it wasn't stock. That's what made it so cool. While were on the subject, a 472 or 500 Cad engine is a good, cheap way to infuse some massive torque into a low-budget project. They don't rev like a 454 Chevy or even a 455 Pontiac, but boy do they have ungodly torque--like 550 lbs ft at 3,000 rpm.  There was a company-I'll try to look them up that made a motor mount kit to put the 472 / 500 motors into the '78-88 GM "G" bodies-i.e. Cutlass, Monte Carlo, Regal etc. What a dynamite low-budget sleeper that would be!  Mastermind       

A brand-new Tri-Five Chevy, what's not to like?

This months "Street Rodder" magazine has an article on building a '55 Chevy from the ground up. Hot Rod did a similar aarticle on '57 a few months ago. The place to call is "Woody's Hot Rodz". They have access to frames and brand-new '55-'57 Chevy bodies. The basic kit is like 13 grand. Even if you spent 4 grand on say a GMPP ZZ4 crate motor, $1,500 on a new BW T10 4-speed, $3,300 on a Currie 9 inch rear with GM mounting points, a grand on seat covers and interior trim, and a grand on a Pete and Jakes straight front axle and disc brake kit, and 2 grand on paint and bodywork, you'd only have 25K in the whole project, and you'd have a badass, '60's style gasser look and the performance to back it up. You'd never find a restored '55-57 for anywhere near 25 grand. Like the guy in "Hot Rod" said-his was built with a nasty Rat motor-you don't care about cutting up the wheelwells  for monster meats, and you don't care about abusing it-if you hit a guardrail drag-racing it-it's not like you wadded up a $100,000 original. Just fix it. Even if you totalled it, you could build another one for about 15K-assuming you could salvage the engine and tranny and other parts from the wrecked one. I'd love to build one of these-I've got a ZZ4 crate engine and a Chevy TH400-I'd just have to pull it out of the 442 and put the 455 Olds / BOP TH400 back in it. Anyhow-if you always wanted a a badass, "American Graffiti / Two-Lane Blactkop" '55 ( Both movies used the same car )  nows your chance to have one for about the price of a strippy Honda Accord.  Mastermind       

A$#%*&le of the Month.......

Hustler magazine used to have a column titled "Asshole of the Month"  where they chronicled celebritys, politicians, sports figures and anyone who made the news for doing something incredibly stupid, or hypocritical-like Larry Craig and his gay-bashing, then getting caught trying to pick up a guy in an airport men's room. I nominate the guy who had his '70 Chevelle featured in not one, but two magazines. This guy goes beyond the LS engine swappers, or any other heinous act of classic automotive destruction you can think of. The moron that put a 389 Pontiac in a '57 T-Bird? Not even close. The jerk that bought a concours show-quality, one of 1,286 1972 Trans Ams and not only put an LS motor in it, but butchered the body, interior and suspension? Child's Play.  No, this clown spent $250,000-that's not a typo I didn't mean to write 25K, he spent a QUARTER MILLION putting a pumped-up GM Duramax Diesel engine and Allison transmission out of a 2011 GMC one-ton pickup into a 1970 Chevelle!!!  Blaspehemy most foul!! Carroll Shelby and Zora-Arkus Duntov, Vic Edelbrock Sr., Bill Jenkins, and any other deceased legendary hot-rodders are spinning in their graves like the Tazmanian Devil. It had a tricked-out suspension and 4-wheel disc brakes, and custom paint, and it was fast. But 250K??!!  That's the price of a 4 bedroom 2.5 bath, 3- car garage house anywhere except New York or California!!  That's the price of TWO Aston Martin Vantages, or 3 Z06 Corvettes!!. I don't get it, no way, no how. For 50 grand he could have built one with a 720 hp 572 inch rat, that would have at least been both badass and cool. I don't care how fast it is, a Chevelle with a diesel truck powertrain is not cool, it falls into the more-money-than-brains category. How is he ever going to get his money back? I wouldn't buy it for $10,000. That's like "Fart in the Wind"  ( Hustler's award for the second biggest asshole of the month ) Jay Leno converting a 1966 Toronado to rear-wheel drive and putting a Chevy engine in it. If he liked that body and wanted it on a rear-drive platform why didn't he just start with a 1966-67 Buick Riviera? Their rear-drive, and the hidden headlight, fastback, swoopy body is almost identical  in styling. In fact the Riv body is actually cleaner and sexier in my opinion. And a Rat motor would only require a Chevy bolt-pattern TH400 and some Chevy Impala motor mounts!! Not actually fabricating a whole new different chassis from the ground up!!  I think I'll plagiarize Mr Flint and report here regularly on people that butcher classic iron like these two clowns with way more money than brains. Or to avoid a lawsuit maybe we'll just call ours the "Shit for Brains" page. Mastermind           

T.V., Movie and literary screw-ups.....

I have an eye for detail so it really drives me up the wall when something stupid is done in a big-budget movie or T.V. show. The most recent one that really irks me is "Vegas" starring Micheal Chiklis ( "The Shield", "Fantastic 4" ) Dennis Quaid, and and Carrie Ann Moss ( "The Matrix" trilogy ). The series is set in 1960. Yet, Quaid drives a 1964 Dodge pickup, Moss has a 1963 T-Bird, and Chiklis has a 1962 Lincoln with the suicide doors.  Arrrrrggghhh!!!  In one episode a gangster robs a bank and torches the getaway car-a 1964 Dodge 330 sedan!!  Yet the series is supposedly set in 1960!!  And the executive producer is Nicholas Pileggi- who did "Goodfellas", and "American Gangster".  You'd think they could afford to hire someone who knew what cars to use!!  This isn't an isolated incident, Hollywood does it all the time. I guess they just don't care, but it really takes something away from the movie or show for me. A few examples-in "White Lightning"-Burt Reynolds brown Ford whiskey runner-in some scenes it's a four-speed; the camera shows the Hurst shifter and him shifting it. In others, they show him putting the automatic column shifter in park. The same for "Smokey and the Bandit" in some scenes the black T/A is a 4-speed,-again the cameras occasionally show the clutch pedal and him shifting it.  In others you can clearly see the automatic shifter on the console. In "Bullitt" the Charger loses 8 hubcaps in the chase, and they pass the same VW three times. On the "Rockford Files" which ran from 1974-82- James Garner's "Mike Hammer" type- Private Eye initially drove a '74 Pontiac Firebird Formula 400 with the Ram Air hood and rear spoiler for the first few seasons. Then it was a '77 or '78 base model with a flat hood and no spoiler, and finally an '81 Formula with the simulated scoops. The '70-81 F-bodies were basically the same, but the front end, taillights and hood is where all the changes were! Plus the '74 model had the flat rear window, the 75 and later models had the wraparound rear glass. I guess since they were all gold with Rally II wheels the producers figured no one would notice. Well, we did!  In the original "Fright Night" ( The classic with Chris Sarandon and Roddy McDowell, not the remake with Colin Farrell ) hero William Ragsdale drives a '65 Mustang fastback, that his mother, his girlfriend and shop teacher refer to constantly as a "'68".  In "The Butcher" Eric Roberts plays an ex-boxer turned mob enforcer. Everyone he meets comments on his "Original" 1969 Charger; the only problem was the car on screen was a '73!!  In the Stephen King  thriller "The Dark Half" the killer drives a Jet-black 1969 Olds Toronado. That's all well and good.  However King alludes to it being a Hurst-shifted 4-speed as a "Macho Man" like George Stark wouldn't have it any other way, and talks about him smoking the rear tires. The problem, if you don't know is every Toronado ever made since they were introduced in 1966 has had an automatic transmission and is FRONT-WHEEL DRIVE!!!  He should have had Stark drive a Pontiac Gran Prix-which is rear-wheel drive, had engines either 400 or 428 cubic inches, and was available with a Hurst-shifted 4-speed from the factory.  Do some research guys!!! Mastermind                  

Movie review...

Saw "Killing them Softly" this weekend. What a colossall waste of time. Even top-notch actors like Brad Pitt and James Gandolfini ( "The Sopranos", "The Last Castle" ) couldn't save this stinker. Brad Pitt is a hitman for some unknown organization, that's never revealed. James Gandolfini is a fellow hitman that Pitt recruits for a job and then betrays because the guy's a drunk. Ray Liotta ( "Goodfellas" "Heartbreakers", "Narc" ) is totally wasted as one of Pitt's targets. He's only in two scenes-one where he's brutally beaten by two thugs and one where he's brutally murdered in a drive-by bt Pitt. You don't even really know why the "organization" wanted him whacked, or why Pitt ws trying to talk the go-between out of it. There's some cool cars one thug drives a 1968 GTO, another has a 1971 Buick GS Skylark, and Pitt's ride is a Jet-Black 1968 Olds Toronado ala-"The Dark Half".  However there's no car chase action, no real action at all outside of Liotta's slo-mo "Sam Peckinpah" style murder, and it ends with Pitt demanding more money for the job from his contact. You never know who any of these people were, who Pitt was working for, or why they needed to be whacked. The one funny scene is a political argument where Pitt pontificates on what a hypocritical asshole Thomas Jefferson was. This speech rivals his classic one in "Fight Club"-  ( "We are a nation of consumer slaves, were kept chained to jobs we hate to pay for shit that we don't need." ) Too many unanswered questions, and not enough action.  Maybe "Jack Reacher" will be better.  Mastermind  

Stop being a pre-1972 snob......You sound like an idiot!

I am sick to death of the pig-headed morons who claim that no "real" musclecars were built after 1971. It's true that 1972 was the year that the SAE ( Society of Automotive Engineers ) switched from gross to net hp ratings. What these morons don't realize is the net ratings are a much more accurate reading of the engine's true output. The LT1 Corvette engine for example was rated at 330 gross hp in 1971 and 255 net hp in 1972. The engine was unchanged from 1971 to 1972. It still had 9:1 compression, "2.02" heads, a solid-lifter cam, an aluminum intake with a 780 Holley carb, and the famed "ram's horn" exhaust manifolds. It didn't "lose" 75 hp; the rating system was simply changed. The same went for everything else-a 400 4bbl Chrysler engine in a Road Runner that was rated at 260 net hp for '72 wasn't down 40 hp from the 300 hp rated 383 of '71, they changed the rating system. In fact-with the extra 17 cubic inches, new for '72 electronic ignition and 800 cfm Thermo-Quad carb ( as opposed to points and the 585 cfm Carter AVS or 600 cfm Holley used on the '71s, ) the '72 model probably had a little MORE power rather than less, if the rating system was apples to apples. The LS5 454 Chevy engine that was optional in Chevelles, Corvettes and Monte Carlos was rated at 365 hp in 1971 and "only" 270 hp in 1972. Again, the engines are identical; they didn't "lose" 95 hp, it was the different rating system!! What about the Pontiac 455 HO and SD engines of 1971-74? The 455 HO had Ram Air IV heads and exhaust manifolds as well as the RAIV's aluminum high-rise intake and special 800 cfm Quadrajet carb, the milder "068" cam made it a torque monster and one of the best street engines ever made. They still dominate stock drag racing classes to this day. The 455 SD went even further with bigger round-port heads, a special iron intake and 850 cfm carb and ran the legendary 308 /320 RAIV cam. ( That was later changed to to the slightly milder 301 /313 degree RAIII cam for emissions testing ).  Do you really believe that the 389 in your 65 GTO, with its small-valve "bathtub" chamber heads,( That aren't nearly as good as even the standard '67 and later D-ports or '70's 6x castings ) standard 273/289 degree cam, iron intake and 625 cfm Carter AFB really has 45 MORE hp than a 455 SD?  You people don't consider a 400, 4-speed , 3.42:1 geared, WS6 Trans-Am or an L82, 4-speed, 3.70:1 geared Corvette a musclecar?  You don't consider a Buick Grand National or a "5.0" Mustang a musclecar?  Really??  Even though these cars with their sneered at low-15 or high 14 second 1/4 mile times were just as fast as whatever your beloved ride is!! Don't believe me? Try these facts on for size-# 1.  The reason is 99% of these "Purists" that deride anything post 1971- didn't then and don't now own a Hemi 'Cuda or an LS6 Chevelle, or a 428 CJ Mustang or a W30 Olds 442, or anything else that ran 13s off the showroom and with only slicks and headers could hit the low 12s. No, these people had what we call "entry level" musclecars-i.e.- 383 Road Runners, 396 Chevelles, 389 GTOs, etc. Tales of being pushed back in the seat, laying third-gear rubber, and pulling the front wheels seem silly when someone pulls out a yellowed, dog-eared copy of Car Life or Hot Rod and we read that the machine in question ran in the 14.60s.  I hate to break this to you guys but forget the new 400+hp Boss 302 or Camaro SS, a V6 Mustang or Camaro will blow the doors off  95% of you snobs' "pride and joy."  Car and driver's V6 Mustang ran a 13.9 second 1/4!! Their V6 Camaro ran a 5.9 second 0-60 time and a 14.4 second 1/4!!  Road and Track tested a V6, six-speed Honda Accord coupe that ran a 14.60!!  I'd love to see one of you snooty bastards in your "Just as it left the factory" pre-1972 "Real Musclecar" Road Runner, Chevelle or whatever get your ass handed to you by a kid in a a Honda!!  Or worse yet-a soccer mom in a 4-door V6 Toyota Camry ( R&T 's Camry test car ran a 14.7 ). Or a V8 Jeep Cherokee!!  I love the old iron as much or more than anyone, but I also appreciate performance and style regardless of who built it or what year it was built. I think the new Challenger is awesome, and I also love the Nissan 370Z.  Are you guys going to say that you wouldn't have sex with Cindy Crawford or Pam Anderson because their over 40 now?  Puhlleeeze. So next time you see a '79 Trans-Am or an '85 Mustang GT or a '94 Z/28 don't turn up your nose and act like you smelled a fart-the driver may show you his taillights!!  Mastermind                  

More about diminishing returns....

Some people took that post wrong-"If you want a smooth idling driver, then go buy a Camry".  I like badass cars as much or more than anyone. But there comes a time when you've gone too far, and the car isn't any fun to drive even around the block. I knew a guy that had an '81 Trans-Am with a 305 Chevy and a 4-speed. He swapped in a snarling 350 ( First thing I'd have done ) but then he went crazy. He also swapped in a Richmond 5-speed, and subframe connectors, an 8-point cage, braced the front subframe to the firewall, and installed all solid bushings in the suspension, and 17X9 wheels with 275/40ZR17 Comp T/As. It went around Reno-Fernley Raceway faster than a Z06 Corvette and a Porsche 911 Turbo on track day; however on anything but glass-smooth pavement every little bump or ripple was communicated to the steering wheel and the driver's seat with bone-crushing force. I mean you couldn't drive it around the block without pissing your pants because it jarred your kidneys so much. Now if he'd used rubber and urethane bushings instead of aluminum, it might have been a tad slower on the track and still a little stiff, but it would have been at least tolerable on the street; it wouldn't rattle your fillings out. As it was he ended up selling the car to someone who made it a race car, because he couldn't stand to drive it. Another guy did that with a 1962 Corvette. He built a 12:1 solid-lifter 427 that shook the earth and backed it with a Rock-Crusher 4-speed and 4.88 gears. On street tires it ran "only" a 12.47 because it literally smoked the tires all the way through first and second and into third. The car was going about 90 when the speed of the tires finally matched the speed of the road. With slicks it ran something like 10.60; then it broke the rear end on it's fourth or fifth pass down the strip, and was banned for not having a roll cage and a driveshaft safety loop. ( Required for any car that runs faster than 11.50 ) This monster overheated at every stoplight, handled like a UPS truck, and the 4-wheel drum brakes would barely stop it the first time. God help you if you didn't let the brakes cool off for 20 minutes between runs. It got 5-8 mpg while using two cans of octane booster per tankful, and the motor was buzzing at 4,000 rpm on the freeway. Drivers and passengers alike burned thier legs on the sidepipes entering or exiting the car. Does that sound like a pleasant driving experience to you?  He sold it and bought a '67 Vette that had power steering and disc brakes. He got into the 12s with 3.70 gears, a much milder 396,and was a LOT happier. Sometimes you just have overkill-you wouldn't hunt rabbits with a .44 Magnum-a .22 rimfire will do the job nicely. Same with cars-it doesn't have to be as fast as an NHRA Pro Stocker to be cool. That's all I was saying. Mastermind         

Upcoming movie musclecar mayhem....

The holiday season always brings a slew of action flicks-I've seen a few good trailers. Tom Cruise brings "Jack Reacher" to the big screen and in the trailers drives a red with black stripes 1970 SS Chevelle. Didn't see the emblems close enough to see if it was a 396 or 454 model, but it looked authentic down to the guages and ( unlike "Faster" at least this one had a 1970 taillights and bumper, not a  71-72 setup ). Sadly, it looks like the car gets wrecked. Even sadder, if you read the books by Lee Child, "Jack Reacher" is 6' 5" not 5' 6".  Maybe they should have cast "The Rock" or John Cena instead of Tom Cruise. It might be worth a look.  Brad Pitt plays a hitman in "Killing them Softly" and drives what appears to be 1971 GS455 Buick Skylark. Its an ugly green color however.  Anyway this one looks ok.  The most promising in my estimation is "Bullet to the Head" starring Sylvester Stallone, the Asian dude from the "Fast&Furious" movies, the uber-sexy Sara Shahi ( "Fairly Legal", "The L Word" ) and directed by Walter Hill ( "48 Hrs", "Last Man Standing", and "Undisputed" ).  Stallone is an aging hitman who wants out of  "The business" and goes on a campaign of  vengance after his partner is murdered; the Asian guy from "F&F" ( I can't remember his name) is a cop whose partner was murdered by the same people. Sara Shahi is Sly's daughter; when the bad guys threaten her; hitman and cop team up to smite them in biblical fashion. Lots of action and "48 Hrs" style reluctant partner-buddy humor. And Sly drives an SRT8 Charger for at least part of the film. The only downer is Shahi is made up to look like Kat Von D ( Jesse James' tattooed slut that he left Sandra Bullock for ). Why I don't know; Shahi has no ink on her flawless bod in real life. Maybe Hill is trying to send a social message-if your dad's a criminal you end up a tattoed whore with a bad attitude. Maybe she at least gets naked, and they couldn't show it in the trailer. ( We can hope; she got naked a lot on the L word )  Anyhow, I'll probably go see all 3 and I'll give a detailed review here for all you musclecar / action movie buffs.  Mastermind          

The point of diminishing returns......

No matter how fast our cars are, hot rodders are always looking for "Just a little More." However, especially if your planning to drive the car at all-i.e. it's not a show car or a race car-sometimes you hit the point of diminishing returns. This is where the gain in power or drop in 1/4 mile e.t. isn't justified by the loss of idle quality, or driveability or smooth ride or whatever. Here's a few good examples. # 1. My own car-a 1973 Hurst / Olds 442. After blowing the crank out of the 455 3 times, I put the numbers-matching block and BOP bolt-pattern TH400 in plastic bags in my garage and installed a ZZ4 Chevy crate engine and Chevy bolt-pattern TH400. For those of you that live in a cave-the ZZ4 is GM's best-selling crate engine. It's a 4-bolt main 350 block with a steel crank, "pink" rods, Keith Black Hyperuetic flat-top pistons that give 10:1 compression with the aluminum L98 Corvette heads, a hot hydraulic roller cam, and an aluminum intake that's an exact replica of the original Z/28 / LT1 manifold. It's rated at 355 hp and 405 lbs ft of torque. What makes it such an awesome street engine is the fact that it has more than 350 lbs ft of torque from 1800-5200 rpm. It has 17 inches of vacuum at idle, works with a stock torque converter, idles at 800 rpm, and pulls hard to 6,000. The car runs mid-13s on street tires through the mufflers, and gets 16 mpg, which isn't bad for a 3,731 lb musclecar. Anyone that drives it thinks it still has the 455 in it. No one believes that a small-block Chevy has that much torque. Of course, some of my friends have great advice on how to make the car go faster. I'm not being a wise-ass; the advice is sound. Yes, the car would run faster with a bigger cam and maybe a single-plane intake and a bigger carb. But that would mean decreased idle quality which would also necessitate a higher-stall converter, and probably stiffer gears. Now the car would be running in the 12s, but it's wouldn't be nearly as pleasant to drive, and would get 8 mpg instead of 16. See what I'm saying?  If I wanted a race car with liscence plates, I'd have built one in the first place.  # 2. A friend has a 1966 GTO with a 400 out of a '74 Gran Prix and a TH350 that replaced the  two-speed ST300 ( Read Powerglide ) tranny. The short-block is stock, but he has Edelbrock aluminum heads, and a Performer intake and matching 750 cfm carb, and matching Performer cam, as well as Hedman "shorty" headers with stepped primarys. This car will literally spin it's tires as long as you want to stay on the throttle. It's an absolute blast to drive, has 15 inches of vacuum at idle, and purrs like a kitten. Until you hit the loud pedal. Edelbrock claims 387 hp and 439 lbs ft of torque with this combo. Since he often gives 400 hp modern Camaros, Mustangs and Chargers fits, I'd say this is about right. Another friend suggested he "upgrade" to the "Performer RPM" package which has a taller dual-plane manifold and a much hotter cam that's actually an exact copy of the legendary factory Ram Air IV cam. The "RPM" package makes 422 hp and 441 lbs ft of torque.  A gain of 35 hp and 2 lbs of torque. However, this gain is all above 4,500 rpm, the cam has only 10 inches of vacuum at idle, has a very rough idle, and actually makes LESS power and torque than the other one under 4,000 rpm. Your giving up quite a bit of bottom end and mid-range torque for top-end rush. He'd definitely need a 2,500 or higher rpm converter, and he'd probably need to change his 3.23:1 gears for something stiffer.  There's a reason the factory only offered them with 3.90:1 or 4.33:1 gears!  And honestly- without slicks or traction aids-how much faster is the car REALLY going to go with 422 hp as opposed to "only" 387?  Not too much, maybe 3 /10s. Which in my mind is not worth giving up the glass smooth idle, and easy freeway cruising of the 3.23 gears and broad torque range of the "base" Performer Package for a choppy idle, LESS power under 4 grand, and  and the motor buzzing at 3,500 rpm on the freeway because of the 3.90:1 or stiffer gears, so I can drop 3/10s at the drags and gain  35 hp between 4,500 and 6,000 rpm!  "Bigger" is not always Better! So think carefully before you go for the "Max" on everything. You might not like the results. Mastermind    

Proper cam selection......

We touched a little on proper cam selection in the last post, but I thought I'd expand on it more to help people not "overcam" their cars and actually have worse performance than stock, rather than better. Here's two general rules that will save you a ton of grief. # 1. Larger engines can tolerate more "cam" without ill effects because they generally have more low-end torque to begin with, and can afford to lose some in exchange for a mid-range and top-end power increase.  Here's a couple of good examples-the old standby-the "350 hp / 327 Corvette cam  ( p/n 3863143 ) ( how's that right off the top of my head? )  will absolutely kill a 305, works pretty good in a 327 with a 4-speed, better in a 350, and is really sweet in a 383 / 400 regardless of transmission. The vaunted Pontiac "Ram Air IV" cam ( p/n 9794041 ) "hits" like gangbusters about 3,000 rpm and pulls hard to 6,500 in a 400. The truth is, you give up quite a bit of low-end and mid-range torque for top-end rush.  It only makes 10 inches of vacuum and has a badass lope at idle in a 400.  It works best with a stick and stiff gearing. That's why they were only available with 3.90:1 or 4.33:1 gears from the factory!  Automatic versions had a 2,500 rpm converter from the factory.  Put this same cam in a 455, and it smooths out quite a bit. It still has a noticeable idle, but it will work with an automatic with a stock converter and 3.23 to 3.73 gears, and pulls hard from 1,500-5,700 rpm. The factory initially put this cam in 1973 SD-455 T/As with 3.42:1 gears with either a 4-speed or a TH400. ( The 308 / 320 duration cam barely passed emissions, but it was too close for Pontiac and the EPA's liking. It was swapped for the slightly milder 301 / 313 duration RAIII cam, and the hp was down-rated from 310 to 290.)  # 2. A lot of manufacturers use "advertised duration" to make the cam look "bigger" than it really is, and obviously sell them to the unsuspecting, ininformed public. Don't go by advertised duration. The industry standard measures duration at .050 lift, and these numbers are more "apples to apples". For example the above mentioned RAIV cam has 308 / 320 degrees advertised duration. At .050 it measures out to 231 / 240 degrees. Duration is the length of time the valve stays open. Since an engine revolution is 360 degrees, you can see that 240 degrees is a lot of duration. A good rule of thumb is this-if you have 350 or more cubic inches and your cam has less than 225 degrees of duration, then you don't need a high-stall torque converter. The other factor is manifold vacuum at idle. For most cars with power brakes and other accessories you need at least 10-12 inches of vacuum at idle to operate properly. 14 or more would be better for a street machine. Most cam manufacturer's catalogs will list these specs and tell you-"Works best with 3.55 or stiffer gears"  or "Requires 3,000 rpm converter with automatic" or whatever.  # 3. Consider a modern aftermarket cam. You have to realize that GM , Ford or Chrysler, most factory performance cams and their exact replicas ( Crane "Blueprint" Series ) are based on 1964 camshaft profiles and are not computer optimized. Competion Cams Xtreme Energy series is excellent, as is Lunati's Voodoo and Streetmaster series. Sometimes a short-duration, higher lift design is the way to go. The Edelbrock Performer / Performer RPM / Torker-Plus series is an excellent choice as well if you follow the catalog's recommendations. The right cam can make or break an otherwise great engine's performance. Mastermind          

Proper Tuning / Building part 2........

To expand on the last post-there's a lot of  "hidden" power in your car that people lose because of bad tuning or simple neglect. And when guys do modify their cars, they often buy or build the wrong combination, which sometimes results in a car that doesn't run as good as it did stock. Here's some tips to avoid these problems. # 1. Exhaust. Like I said in the earlier  post-I see so many cars with $5000 paint jobs and $2000 worth of tires and wheels, and the exhaust system is crushed, rusted out, or leaking. Even if your running stock exhaust manifolds a good, free flowing dual exhaust system can add 30 or 40 hp. If your car is a 1975 and later model and you live in a state that has smog inspections that check for equipment, don't despair. The law says you can't REMOVE the catalytic converter, it doesn't say you can't ADD one. This is how the Mecham brothers slipped the "Macho T/A's" through. Research has shown that the bottleneck is not the converter itself, but the fact that the exhaust goes into a single pipe before going into the converter. This why modern high performance cars like the Mustang GT, Camaro SS, Hemi Chargers and Challengers, and Corvettes have two converters- one on each side. And no one will say these cars don't run. Summitt Racing sells EPA legal, high flow catalytic conveters, so you could build a legal, free breathing system for your '78 Z/28 or '85 Monte Carlo SS or whatever relatively cheap. # 2. Carburation / Induction.  A lot of people don't realize that if you install headers and dual exhausts, ( or just duals ) Your carb will more than likely ( unless it was over-rich to begin with ) be too lean. Some electronic carbs i.e-L69 Camaros and Firebirds, pre-'87 "5.0" Mustangs-will automatically adjust to minor changes like this, and the car will run fine. However, if you have an old-school-i.e. non electronically controlled carb you'll probably have to re-jet the carb a little richer to compensate for the freer-breathing exhaust. Here's another area where people screw up. An aftermarket intake and properly jetted carb can add as much as 50 hp, if it's the right setup. I've seen guys put a single-plane Edelbrock Victor Jr. and a 750 Double-Pumper Holley on an other wise stock '72 Camaro with a stock 8.5:1 compression  L48 350, an automatic, and 3.08 gears, and then wonder why it doesn't run as good it did stock. After all ( Insert magazine name here-Hot Rod, Car Craft, Popular Hot Rodding etc ) said the Victor Jr / 750 Double-Pumper combo made the most power on a dyno test. They forgot that the test engine was an 11:1 compression 383 stroker with a .500 lift cam, and aftermarket aluminum heads, and it was going in a car with a 3 grand converter and 4.11 gears!! A Victor Jr. is basically a Nascar manifold designed to make maximum power between 3,500-8,000 rpm, and probably LOST 25-30 lbs of torque below 3 grand compared to the stock intake! Not something you'd put on a mild street car. The guy would have been way better off using an Edelbrock Performer that's designed to make power from idle-5,500 rpm, and re-jetting his Quadrajet, or using a vacuum-secondary 600 cfm Holley or Edelbrock carb. The bottom line is it's pretty hard to out-perform a dual-plane manifold and a vacuum-secondary carb on the street. I said this to a friend back in the 1990's when "Pro Street" was all the rage-"If a Super Stock Firebird can run 11.30s with a Quadrajet on an iron manifold, why do you need a tunnel-ram and dual 660 Holleys?"  A single-plane manifold and a double-pumper would be good on a light, stiffly geared car with a stick where you could pop the clutch at 3,500-4,000 rpm.  Especially if you have an automatic transmission ( which means you can't rev the engine at the line / stoplight to clean it out ) you need a carb that comes off the line cleanly with no bog. The twin accelerator pumps and mechanical secondarys open on a Double-Pumper if you even look at the throttle, and it dumps gas down the engine's throat like flushing a toilet. An AVS-type carb where you can adjust when the secondarys open are much better for a car with an automatic, a stock converter and high ( low numeric ) gearing. # 3. "We shall overcam" seems to be the amateur hot-rodder's mantra. Unless you have a four-speed and 3.73:1 or stiffer gearing, it's better to err on the side of caution when choosing a cam. I had a customer that was kind of a do-it yourself mechanic. He wanted more power for his 350 Suburban that he towed his boat with. I told him to buy some 1 5/8 inch headers, and to get an Edelbrock Performer intake and matching cam. I told him this package would give him a big improvement in low and mid-range torque-which is what you need for towing. He goes and listens to the idiot working the counter at AutoZone, who sells him the Performer "RPM" package and  headers. He spent the whole weekend installing these parts, and then griped at me that the truck wouldn't idle and  he had no power brakes, and it didn't run as good as it did stock!!  I informed him ( and showed him the charts in the Edelbrock catalog ) that the reason the truck wouldn't idle and ran like crap at low speed is the "RPM" cam has 234 / 244 duration ( at .050 lift ) and .488 / 510 lift, and only makes 10 inches of vacuum at 1000 rpm!!  For a reference point this cam has MORE lift and duration than the Vaunted Pontiac Ram Air IV cam and the Olds "W30" cam, both of which were designed for engines 400 or 455 cubes, and were only available with 3.90:1 or 4.33:1 gears in a GTO or a 442!! This cam has more lift and duration than the solid-lifter cam in an LS6 454 Chevelle!!  Definitely not a cam you'd put in a small-block work truck. I showed him the "regular" Performer cam had 204 / 214 duration ( at .050 ) and .420 / .442 lift, and had 15 inches of vacuum at idle. This would have given him the improvement in low-end and mid-range torque he was looking for, and operated his power accesories easily. I traded him a Performer manifold I had laying around for the "RPM" manifold ( I'm always looking for Chevy and Pontiac parts, and have friends that are too ) and since he'd installed it, he had to eat the cam. But after he bought and installed the milder cam and intake he agreed-the truck had way more power and actually got better gas mileage-16 mpg instead of 12. I asked him-"Didn't you read the box where it says "Designed for high performance vehicles only." "Not recommended for vehicles over 3,600 lbs, or for towing applications?" "But the guy at Autozone said--" he started-and I cut him off.  "The 10 dollar an hour idiot at Autozone knows more than I do, and more than Vic Edelbrock and his team of  engineers?"  He had to laugh. "When you put it that way, it does sound crazy." "I should have listened to you, or at least read the Edelbrock catalog for their recommendations."  You think?  Anyway-most cam manufacturer's-Lunati, Crane, Competition Cams, etc-will give you good advice in their catalogs on what cam works best with a certain engine size, carb and intake, compression, and whether or not it will work with a stock torque converter. If you follow these guidelines-not the advice of some self-proclaimed "expert" whose never raced a car or built an engine in his life, you'll be very happy with your car's performance. Mastermind                       

Before you start modifying it, tune it right!!

I've touched on this before, but I've had enough people asking me for advice this week that I thought I'd revisit it. Had a guy bring his 77 Z/28 into the shop the other day. He was upset that he'd installed an Edelbrock Perfromer intake manifold, and the car didn't seem to run any better. In fact, it wouldn't even spin the tires if you powerbraked it. It would just bog and sputter.  I looked at it, and the timing was way too advanced, the vacuum advance was complletely unplugged, the secondarys on the carb wouldn't fully open because of a linkage problem, and the plug wires were so bad, that when I scoped it, it was running on 6 cylinders. After I put a new set of plug wires on it, hooked up the vacuum advance, re-set the timing, and un-stuck the throttle linkage-Surprise!  It idled smooth, even sounded better, and duh-ran much better. Now, if you wanted to smoke the tires, you didn't even have to powerbrake it. Just punch it, and it would lay down a good 30 feet of rubber, and another 8-10 ft on the 1-2 shift. The owner was utterly amazed. "It hasn't run that good, ever!".  "Even when I first bought it." Which meant it wasn't running up to par when he got it. I see this all the time-guys will have a $5000 paint job, $2000 worth of tires and wheels, and because they didn't spend $60 on a Distributor cap, rotor and wires, the car is chugging around on 7 cylinders. Or the carb will be too rich or too lean, the timing will be too retarded or too advanced, the points will be closing up, the transmission will be slipping, if it's a 1975 and later model, the catalytic converter will be stopped up. People don't realize it, but bad tuning / criminal neglect can cost you as much as 50 hp even on a bone-stock engine. Proper tuning and the right combination can mean as much as 1/2 second at the drags, and help a "slower" car beat a "faster" one. Here's an instance- I had a 403 Olds powered '77 Trans-Am with an automatic and 2.56:1 gears. I drove the car five years and I never got beat in a street race by a 400 Pontiac model or by a "5.0" Mustang. Here's how-I did have headers and dual exhausts-( but so did a couple of "Machos" that I flabbergasted ). I also had a Holley Street Dominator intake manifold and a TransGo shift kit. Funny-after installing the aftermarket intake the car had noticeably more power but it still ran out of breath at 4,700 rpm. Reading the owner's manual I found out the recomended plug was an AC R46SZ-an .080 gap. I figured that even GM's mighty HEI ignition would have a problem bridging that long gap at high speeds. I was right.  I changed the plugs from an AC R46SZ ( an .080 gap plug) for an R45S ( a .040 gap plug one range colder ). Now it pulled hard to 5,400 rpm! The other thing that made a huge difference was the shift kit. I like the TransGo kits because if your speed dips below 20 mph, the trans would automatically downshift to low gear. This helped acceleration immensely-especially if you slowed down to 5-10-15 mph for a light and it turned green. Do the math-if I was having a stoplight gran prix with a 400 Pontiac / automatic version that DIDN'T have a shift kit-it would only go into low gear after coming to a complete stop. This means my car would be in low gear and the other one in second. Who's going to take off faster? It wasn't a rocket, but it would run 14.90s all day in 95 degree heat and never miss a beat and it's best time was a 14.78. This substantiates my claim-W72 T/A's from the 78-79 period even with a 4-speed-ran 1/4 mile times ranging from the fastest of 14.61 ( Hot Rod ) to a slowest of 15.62 (Road and Track ).  The fastest 5.0 Mustangs were the fuel-injected '87 and later models-they run the gamut from a 14.72 to a 15.29. You can see how my T/A would give the drivers of these supposedly "faster" cars fits. A buddy of mine had an SS396 Chevelle that blew the doors off every other big-block Chevelle in town-even a couple of SS454's. That's because his ignition was perfectly tuned, his carburator was perfectly jetted, his valves were adjusted perfectly, his cooling system was perfect, and his transmission was perfect. You'd be amazed at the cars running around like I said-with $5,000 paint jobs that have the points closing up, bad plug wires, a bleeding over carb, vacuum leaks, a slipping tranny or clutch, etc-and then their aghast when some car that they would have beaten easily if theirs was properly tuned shows them their taillights. I blew the doors off a much modified ( aftermarket intake, and hotter cam in addition to the regular "Macho" upgrades ) "Macho T/A" one day and the owner was aghast. He was a friend, and knew he should have beaten my car, so he brought it to the shop, complaining that the trans wasn't shifting properly. Turns out he was 3 quarts low on transmission fluid!! Think that'll have an effect on performance?  "When's the last time you checked the fluid?" I asked. "I don't know." I wanted to slap him. So before you start buying aftermarket parts by the boatload-make sure it's like the Army ad-"All that it can be" in stock trim. You might be surprised. Mastermind                

Still more musclecars in movies and t.v.....part 2

Seems everyone has an insatiable appettite to know about movies and shows that feature our beloved muscle machines, so I'm happy to oblige. Here's some more That I didn't think of while writing the last post.  # 1. "Impulse" directed by Clint Eastwood's ex-grilfriend Sondra Locke, this cool thriller never got the critical acclaim or the box-office success it deserved; it should have been a blockbuster like "Basic Instinct".  Sexy Theresa Russel- ( "Whore", "Black Widow", "Physical Evidence" ) gives a badass performance as a strung out detective on the verge of banktuptcy and termination from the police force. When her Bright Blue IROC-Z Camaro gets a flat one night, she goes to a bar while the tire is being fixed. When a rich guy mistakes her for a high-priced-hooker and offers her 5 grand to have sex with him, she agrees and goes home with him. Except he's a big-time drug dealer, and his enemies rub him out while she's there. Instead of calling it in, she takes the money and runs. Both the police and the bad guys figure out that the guy wasn't alone and start searching for the missing witness. Luckily, she gets assigned the case. Russel trained hard for this movie; she wasn't as buff as Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2, but she was lean and hard, and showed her athleticism when again working undercover as a high-priced hooker, the assasins find her. Before they can react, she rips off the bottom of her cocktail dress, kicks off her heels, and dives into the elevator, where she pulls a .44 Magnum out of her purse. The killers take the stairs to the parking garage and get there just in time to see her sprinting up the ramp to the street. She leads them on a stunning running gunfight that ends in a small, hole-in-the-wall liquor-store. Barefoot and out of ammo, she uses some "Jailhouse Rock" ( an up-and-down the body fighting style that came out of the prison system; it's good for fighting in tight spaces, like jail cells ) moves to finish off the final two guys. When the Internal Affairs shooting investigator chides her for having a non-department issue weapon, and not calling for backup she sneers-"So give me a couple days off for violating procedure." She's even defiant to the shrink that IA makes her go to; she knows she's a bitch and a whore with a gambling and drug problem and doesn't care. She really can't understand why IA is on her ass; she closes a lot of cases-that's all that should matter. She's headed for a brick wall and doesn't take her foot off the gas. The IROC-Z gets a little chase action. Refreshing in that there's no cutesy redemption at the end; she's as messed up as when we started.  # 2. "Nash Bridges"  Years after "Miami Vice",  Don Johnson had another hit playing basically the same character. Sonny Crockett was a cool-ass detective that drove a drug dealer's confiscated Ferarri. Nash Bridges was a cool-ass detective that drove his long-lost brother's 1970 Hemi 'Cuda Convertible. Except the car has the '71 style grille, and their all  really 360 / automatics, except for the close-up car-and Johnson's favorite-that one's a 340 / 4-speed.  We can forgive all that however; Cheech Marin is a riot as Johnson's neurotic partner, and Yasmine Bleeth ( "Baywatch" ) is his sexy girlfriend and there's lots of chases and shoot'em up action. It lasted 5 or 6 seasons, which you can buy on DVD.  # 3. "Burn Notice"  This USA series features Jeffrey Donovan, Bruce Campell ( " Evil Dead" series ) and the smokin' hot Gabrielle Anwar as disgraced spies that are always in trouble. Donovan's character drives a sinister black 1973 Charger with Cragar mags. Lots of gunplay and car chases, just mindless fun for action fans. # 4. "NCIS." Mark Harmon is a Naval Criminal Investigator who sometimes drives a new Hemi Charger, and sometimes drives a yellow 1970 Challenger R / T with a 440. Cote' De Pablo and Micheal Weatherly are hilarious as his bickering underlings that can't admit they want to have sex with each other.  # 5. "NCIS: Los Angeles"  This spin-off stars Chris O' Donnel and LL Cool J as a Crockett-and-Tubbs type investigator team. LL Cool J drives a Black 2011 Hemi Challenger R / T with a magnussen blower on it, and is restoring a 1970 Challenger R / T-he mentions "Vanishing Point" and Kowalski frequently, and gets in a lot of chases in the new one.  # 6 "The Good Guys"  Dabney Coleman starred in this action-comedy series about Atlanta Cops. It only lasted one season, however it's notable that one of the cops ( I can't remember the actor's name )  drove a 1979 "Macho T/A".  T/A's get a lot of screen time in movies and shows, but this is the first time I've seen a "Macho" featured.  # 7. "Heart Like a Wheel". Stars Bonnie Bedelia ( "Presumed Innocent" "Die Hard" 1 and 2 ) as Shirley Muldowney-the first woman to ever win a Top Fuel drag racing championship. Lots of '60's and '70's musclecars and drag racing action. The movie made her look like a bitch and a whore; she leaves her husband and kids for Top Fuel Champion racer Conrad "Connie" Kalitta for no other reason than to further her racing career. She dresses like a hooker and calls herself  "Cha-Cha" early on to get attention from the Car magazines and national newspapers; then later screams about how sexist the racing business and car magazine are!. The Ironic thing is-the real Shirley Muldowney was an associate producer of the film!!  She was obviously trying to make herself look good, so I can't imagine what an asshole she was in real life. However, after the film came out both fellow racer Don Garlits and Bonnie Bedelia said she was "Beyond Bitch" and even worse than the film portrayed her. Yikes!  So there-go make a run to the video store or redbox machine. Mastermind           

Still more musclecars in movies and T.V......

Here's some more musclecars in movies and T.V. shows whether their was a chase or not.  # 1. "Faster"  Mean revenge tale starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Billy Bob Thornton. The Rock shows some real acting chops playing a heartless career criminal, and the smokin' hot Carla Gugino is wasted as Billy Bob's partner. Two musclecars in here-a 1970 SS396 Chevelle with the round taillights of the '71-72 models in the bumper-Arrrgghh!!  And a Gold 1967 GTO with a Hurst Dual / Gate shifter that's in a flashback chase. Refreshing in the fact that every character in here is an asshole; there's no real "good guy" that's falsely accused or any of the other usual Hollywood dreck. Just a good old-fashioned Jim Thompson style  ( the Getaway, the Grifters, ) crime thriller with vile characters and the kill ratio of an arcade game.  Speaking of vile characters and arcade-game kill-ratios-that brings up  # 2. "Sons of Anarchy."  Often called by critics "The Sopranos with Harleys" -this excellent FX series chronicles the exploits of the "Sons of Anarchy" a Hell's Angels type motorcycle gang.  Ron Perlman drives a 1970 SS396 El Camino, while Maggie Siff-who plays Jax Teller's wife has a 1966 Olds 442. Real-life Hells Angel and movie tough-guy Chuck Zito-( he was in HBO's excellent prison drama "Oz",)  and is most famous for kicking Jean-Claude Van Damme's ass over a stripper in the now-defunct SCORES strip club in New York, has been guest-starring, and when he's not on a Harley, he's driving a red 1979 Trans-Am. # 3. "Lights Out".  This was another excellent FX series about a retired boxer who has to fight again because he's in tax trouble. I loved the show, Holt McCallany was excellent as the boxer, as was Stacy Keach as his father / manager, and he drove a 1971 SS454 Chevelle. The fight choreography was awesome, as were the storylines.  I have no Idea why it wasn't renewed for a 2nd season; the critics raved.  # 4. "Argo". Thriller about the 1979 Iranian Hostage crisis starring Ben Affleck. Ben drives a 1964 GTO, but sadly there's no car chase action.  # 5. "Memphis Beat." TNT network Cop show set in Memphis that's filmed in post-Katrina New Orleans. Wh0's idea was that?  Balding, skinny, Jason Lee ( "My Name is Earl" ) is unbeleivably annoying as an Elvis-impersonating detective. ( Kurt Russel, Don Johnson, and Andrew "Dice" Clay are the only actors who can do a decent impression of the King ) The fact that he drives a 1964 GTO can't save this train wreck. # 6. I'd almost forgotten "Demolition Man" until it was on cable this week. Action-comedy starring Sly Stallone, Sandra Bullock and Wesley Snipes about the future where were so politically correct that even swearing or eating high-cholesterol food is against the law. Lots of action and laughs-Bullock is especially funny flubbing catch-phrases, and Stallone having to correct her. Bullock after Sly opens a major can of whip ass in a fight- "You really licked his ass."  Sly-"KICKED his ass!!"  "You mean kicked his ass!"  Anyway-there's a chase with Sly and Sandra driving a 1970 W30 Olds 442 that they stole from a museum and Snipes driving a Smart-car looking thing that's pretty funny.  # 7. "Dark Blue"  TNT cop series Stars Dylan McDermott as the head of a rogue, undercover modern "Hat Squad" type L.A. P.D. unit. Much better than "Memphis Beat";-it's actually filmed in L.A., and Mc Dermott drives a black 2010 Hemi Challenger SRT8 that he smokes the tires on a lot, and when he's not doing that or shooting bad guys, he's having sex with the smokin' hot Tricia Helfer. ( Charlie's girlfriend Chelsea's roommate on "Two and a Half Men" that Charlie had a dream sequence of a threesome with Chelsea about-hilarious ). Tricia drives a bright blue Hemi Charger, so Mopar fans will really like this one. Hope it comes back for a 3rd season. Mastermind         

More musclecars in movies that weren't utilized.....

It appears everyone has an appettite for movies with musclecars whether there's a chase or not-so here's a few more. # 1. "I, The Jury"  ( 1982 version ) Best "Mike Hammer" adaptation ever done. A young Armand Assante is totally badass as Hammer, who wins by atrrition-he kills more bad guys than they can send after him. Ultra-sexy Barbara Carrera is great as a sinister psychiatrist ( of course Hammer gets her naked ) Voluptous Laurene Landon is his faithful secretary Velda, and Paul Sorvino ( "Goodfellas" ) is his Police Captain  friend Pat Chambers who may or may not be dirty, but has the best line in the film when he tells Hammer-"Try to only kill two or three people today, okay?"  Hammer's ride is a Chesterfield Brown 1979 Z/28 Camaro, but the only chase involves a Jeep Cherokee and a Ford Fairmont. # 2. "Knight And Day". Stars Tom Cruise as a rogue CIA agent on the run who kidnaps and frequently drugs Cameron Diaz so she passes out before he commits acts of murder and mayhem. Plenty of chases and shoot-em up action involving motorcycles, trains, and suvs, and Lotus Elises. However Camaron Diaz-when she's not screaming and running with Cruise-drives a Gold 1966 GTO with a 4-speed.  # 3. "The Punisher" this flick starts out great with an awesome gunfight at a family re-uinion between Hero Thomas Jane, his father-played by the always great Roy Scheider in one of his last performances, and a group of assasins sent by drug kingpin John Travolta. Jane's whole family is massacred and he's shot several times and left for dead. He lives, and decides to get revenge. He even builds a nasty, bulletproof 1968 GTO. Then the wheels totally come off. The Goat gets wrecked, not even in a real chase, and they spend waaayyy too long focusing on his quirky neighbors that include a fat guy, a pierced, tattoed, computer nerd and Rebecca Romjin-who doesn't get naked and is totally wasted.-Jane doesn't even have sex with her-and the country-singing hitman that comes after him who drives a yellow 1970 Super Bee.  A total train wreck after a good beginning. #4.  "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot".  Another train wreck that stars Clint Eastwood, George Kennedy and Jeff Bridges. Eastwood is a retired master thief, Kennedy is his old partner that thinks he has the loot from their last job that coincidentally sent Kennedy to prison. If he want's Clint to give him hidden money-why does he spend the 1st half of the movie trying to kill him?  Bridges is a young hustler who wants Clint to teach him safe-cracking. Slow-moving and convoluted, and disappointing-Eastwood is usually great in crime capers, even if they don't involve Dirty Harry-("The Eiger Sanction", "Tightrope "). Early on he and Bridges steal a 1973 Trans Am, and then swap that for a 1973 Boat-Tail Buick Riviera. #5  "Blue Velvet"  Typical David Lynch mess, but entertaining in a sick way, the way Lynch's stuff usually is.  Dennis Hopper plays a nitrous-oxide sniffing madman who spends most of the movie sexually absuing Isabella Rosellini-while the aghast Kyle Maclaclan looks on.  But he also drives a green 1969 Dodge Charger and smokes the tires a lot. Rosellini spends most of the movie naked, or barefoot in a blue velvet robe that falls open often, showing her boobs. Maybe that's where Lynch got the title. Honestly-the Charger is the coolest thing in this mess.  #6  "Malone". Burt Reynolds gives a knockout performance as a retired CIA hitman who just wants to be left alone. He drives a 1969 Mustang Mach 1, and gets stranded in an Oregon town run by white supremacists when the tranny goes out. The kindly town mechanic and his teenage daughter let Burt stay at their house while their fixing the car. When Burt maims three of the town badasses protecting the girl, it get's ugly. Especially after they murder Lauren Hutton-his sometime lover and ex-CIA partner who may have come to help him or kill him. One of Burt Reynold's best ever performances-he's a serious, suicidally depressed badass with migraine headaches-none of the cutesy, self-deprecating jokes, of "Hooper" or the "Gator" movies-it's even darker than the excellent "Sharky's Machine" that launched Rachel Ward's career. Why it wasn't a big hit, I don't know. I guess his fans always want the "Bandit". Lots of action, none involving the Mustang except crashing the gate of the Nazis hideout.  # 7. "Physical Evidence." This one also stars Burt Reynolds as an alcoholic "Dirty Harry' type detective who may or may not have murdered a suspect in cold blood. Sex-Bomb Theresa Russel            ( " Whore", "Black Widow", "Impulse" ) is his lawyer. Of course Burt is innocent, and he and Russel work to find the real killer and have a steamy affair while the trial is going on. Best line in the movie-Burt calls Russel's yuppie, Wall-Street boyfriend "His Gucciness". Not as good as "Jagged Edge"-the same writer wrote both screenplays-but entertaining. And Burt drives a red 1974 Z/28 Camaro, but no automotive mayhem. # 8 "The Getaway". ( 1994 ) Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger tried to remake Sam Peckinpah's 1972 classic about a husband and wife criminal team on the run. Except nobody is as badass as Steve McQueen in his prime, Al Leitteiri- ( "The Godfather" "Mr. Majestyk" ) was way scarier than Micheal Madsen as sexual deviant gunfighter Rudy, and the then 42 year old Kim Basinger- while still hot in a MILF /  Cougar way-couldn't touch the raw beauty and sensuality of the then 24 year old Ali McGraw-and since her and McQueen were having a torrid affair right under producer Robert Towne's nose ( who was also McGraw's husband ) the lovers-on-the-run chemistry lit up the screen way better than bored marrieds Baldwin and Basinger ever could.  Especially the scene where Doc slaps Carol senseless after he figures out how his freedom was bought. Seing Ali bloodied and crying, and begging for forgiveness was so powerful, that I wanted to kick Steve McQueen in the balls, and I'm a huge fan. The updated, politically correct for the 1990's "I-am-woman-hear-me-roar"-scene has Basinger slap him back harder, say "Fuck you" and storm off. This only made me want Baldwin's character to slap the arrogant, cheating bitch some more.  Anyhow, Baldwin's character drives a '92 5.0 Mustang GT convertible. And the only chase involves a taxicab LTD. I know some of you will run right to the video store now. Mastermind                                    

30 grand for a car with "mechanical issues?" "Come on, man!!"

I guess people are still watching old reruns of the Barrett-Jackson auto auctions on the speed channel from back in the craziness. Besides just trying to stay up on things I'm actually looking for a musclecar to buy. I think  I said in an earlier post-I'm considering a '68-70 GTO or a '70's T/A.  Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of stuff out there that's in great condition and is reasonably priced. For example on the internet I saw a 1970 RAIII Formula 400 Firebird for 19K that had been restored and had factory a/c,, a numbers matching engine, and functional ram air.  I saw a 1979 Nocturne Blue T/A with 21,000 original miles for $22,900 and a 400, 4-speed model the same color for $18,900. I also saw an unrestored, but very well maintained '70 GTO for 13K, and another '70 model with a 400 and a 3 speed stick ( kind of weird, but std equipment and rare ) that was painted like a Judge for $18,000, and really nice '69 Goat that was a Judge clone for $16,000!!  There was also some stuff that was grossly overpriced-a 1977 SE T/A with over 100,000 miles for $73,000???  A Ram Air IV '70 Judge for $139,000???  Puhleeeze. By contrast-I also saw a 1978 WS6 SE T/A with 20,000 orignal miles for $34,000, and a 1969 RAIV GTO with 53,000 original miles, the numbers-matching engine and trans, and PHS documentation for $45,000. All of these cars were in excellent condition so it was just a matter of whether you could swallow the price or not. As much as I love 'em- 140K for a 42 year old Pontiac?  That's the price of a nice house anywhere but New York or California!! Even if I won the lottery I think I'd shop around-I saw another '70 RAIV Judge-it was even the same color-for $59,995!!!  Anyhow-what killed me was the grossly overpriced ones that needed work, or were'nt original. For example a guy wanted $49,000 for a 1969 Judge that he said in the ad had a non-original engine, and that PHS said had 4.33 gears, but now had a 3.55 geared rear end out of a Chevelle!!!  Excuse me?  You want 50 grand for a car with the wrong engine and rear end? Another guy wanted 30K for a FAKE Judge that had a 400 and a 4-speed, except the engine and tranny were out of a '79 Trans-Am!  Another laugher was the guy who wanted $25,000 for a '68 GTO that had factory air, except the compressor and all the hoses were missing!!  Are you kidding me?  Your asking 25 grand for a car and not only does the a/c not work, it's missing the compressor and the plumbing???!!!  Then there was the guy that wanted 35K for a 68 GTO that supposedly had 42,000 original miles, but the car had been sitting in a garage and had not been registered or driven since 1978!!  Hello??  35 grand for a car that may not even start, because the engine is locked up from not being run for 34 YEARS!!!  And you wonder why people aren't beating down the door to buy these cars?  Then there was the $29,995 1974 Formula 400 that had "some mechanical issues".  I'm sorry, but I don't care if it's a new Honda Accord or an old musclecar-people spend 30 grand on a car because they DON'T want any "mechanical issues".  If I wanted a Firebird with "mechanical issues" that I had to fix, I'd buy my cousins rough-but running 1967 Firebird 400 convertible for $6,500!!  I damn sure wouldn't spend 30 grand on a car with "issues"!!!    If your asking a premium price then the car should be in prermium condition, a $5,000 car is a "fixer-upper" ; a $20,000 on up car should be in pristine, "show-ready" or at least "road ready" shape. Mastermind                     

The "Rodney Dangerfields" that you don't want.....

In the last post I talked about some engines that sometimes got an undeserved bad rap, that could be viable powerplants for your musclecar-especially if you already had one in the car. There are others, however that DO deserve their bad reputation, and that are worth nothing to a musclecar owner even if you have the engine in the car. I'll list them and and then explain why they should only be used as boat anchors.  #1. 305 or 307 Small-block Chevy V8. These share no parts with the legendary 302 Z/28 engine of 1967-69. That was a pure hot rod engine that used a 327 block and a 283 crank to get it under the 305 inch limit for Trans-Am Racing. With Four-bolt mains, a steel crank, 11:1 forged pistons, 202 "Corvette "fuelie" heads, a hot mechanical cam, and a 780 Holley 4bbl on an aluminum manifold, this was a beast that could rev to 7,000 rpm all day, and was grossly under-rated at 290 hp. Buff magazines of the day put it's true output at at least 350 hp. Both the 305 and the 307 use two bolt mains, a cast crank, and have about 8:1 compression, and never made more than about 150 hp ( Except for the L69 and LB9 versions in Z/28's and Trans-Ams from 83-92 ). They acheived nearly the same displacement by slightly different means.  The 307 uses a 283 bore and a 327 crank, and was used from 1968-73,  the 305 uses a small bore and a 350 crank, and was used from 1976-92. The thing they have in common is they share the dual bad attributes of no power and crappy gas mileage. Chevy car and truck owners quickly realized that a 350 got similar gas mileage, but had substantially more power. You can't even really hot rod a 305 or a 307 if you wanted to, because the big-valve heads necessary to make any real power can't be used-the valves will hit the block. Further-building a 350 or even a 383 costs no more in parts to build or re-build, yet they make about double or triple the power depending on equipment. The TPI ( Tuned Port Injected ) 305 engines used in T/A's and Z/28s from 1985-92 made 205-230hp-but if you have one of these cars and the engine needs a rebuild and you want more power-the easy way is to drop in a 350 or 383. The TPI system will bolt up, and Edelbrock, Trick flow, and others offer ported baseplates, larger runners, larger throttle bodys, and higher lb per hr injectors to feed an engine up to 450 hp. The bottom line is a 350 costs no more to buy or build, but makes substantially more power. And-no one really cares if you have a numbers-matching 307 motivated '69 Malibu or a 305 powered '77 Camaro. The car will actually be worth more with the larger, more powerful "non-original" engine. # 2. 301 Pontiac V8. This was a lightweight "economy" motor used from 1977-81.  Except for the water pump, nothing interchanges with the "traditional" 326-455 inch Pontiac V8s. They only made about 150 hp, except for the ill-fated "Turbo" engine used in 1980-81 Formula Firebirds and Trans-Ams. These were rated at 210 hp, but had nowhere near the power of the 400 Pontiac that was rated at 220, or even the 403 Olds that was rated at 185, that were used through 1979. Popular Hot Rodding's 400 powered '79 Formula test car ran a 15.04 in the 1/4.  Hot Rod tested a 1980 Turbo model that ran a 16.3. Big difference for supposedly losing "only" 10 hp. The problem was the fledgling electronically controlled spark and carburator. If you set the timing where it would run decent, it would try to ping itself to death. If you backed the timing up where it didn't ping, it had no power. Same thing with the carb-if you set it where the car would run-it wouldn't pass smog. If you leaned it out to smog- it wouldn't run. The Buick T-Types and Grand Nationals didn't get badass untill they got Multi-Port Fuel Injection in 1985. Their carburated,1984 and earlier models were pretty much dogs too.  You can't hop-up the Turbo 301's by turning up the boost-because they are a lightweight, economy engine to begin with-the crank, rods and pistons can't take the extra pressure-you turn the engine into a grenade. And there's no aftermarket heavy-duty replacement parts available. As for a normally aspirated one-same thing-no hot rod parts available. On the upside-the motor mounts are in the same place as the traditional Pontiac engines-so a 350,400 or 455 will drop in it's place pretty easily. That's the way to infuse power into your 301 Firebird, LeMans or Gran Prix.  If you have a 1980-81  "Turbo Trans-Am" and you want it to be actually turbocharged and have some balls-I'd look for a wrecked Grand National to pull the engine and tranny out of !!  # 3. 307 Olds V8. Same thing-a lightweight, "economy" motor that never made more than 150 hp,and really has nothing in common with the "real" 330-350-403 Olds "small-block"  V8. There's not much aftermarket speed equipment out there for the 307. I've seen people try to adapt Edelbrock aluminum heads, and other stuff,  but why? A 350 or 403 will bolt right in and have substantially more power either stock or modified, and theres lots of parts available. Or if you want to be really badass-you could get a beefy 350 diesel block and stroke it to 440 inches-or you could just build a 455.  But the 307 Olds is not really any better than a 301 Pontiac-a doorstop.  # 4. 351 / 400"M" Ford V8. Used from 1975-82, these have the triple-axel of being big and heavy, having no power, and getting crappy gas mileage. Really. They weigh as much a 429 /460, and suck gas like one, but don't have near the power of even a 351W or 351C. They were used primarily in trucks and "big" cars-so unless you have a 1976 Torino with one of these slugs-you needen't worry-they were never available in Mustangs, Cougars,( before 1976 ) Montegos, Fairlanes or anything remotely resembling a performance platform. I wouldn't even take one for free. A 351W or 351C can be built way cheaper, and there's tons more speed parts available. Or if your going to spend big dollars on a heavy engine then I'd certainly build a 460 and get the monster power and torque to justify the expense. Hope this helps you not spend money on a boat anchor.  Mastermind                   

Some "Rodney Dangerfields" you may want to consider-.

There are some engines that don't get the respect of others in the same car line, and often it's not that there's anything  inherently wrong with the engines, it's just the circumstances and the models they were available in.  However, some of these can make a very viable musclecar powerplant for those of us on a tight budget, or if you happen to have one already in the car. Here they are in no particular order of importance.  # 1. 400 Small-Block Chevy. Introduced in 1970 as a "towing" engine with two-barrel carburation,low-compression, single exhaust,and stuck in 4,500-6000 lb Malibu and Impala wagons with 2.73:1 gears, they got a reputation as a "dog" compared to high compression, 4bbl 327s and 350s that were also in lighter cars. Further-they got a reputation for overheating that really wasn't fair. The problem was the siamesed bores with steam holes in the block and heads to aid cooling. The "overheating" problem came from the shade-tree mechanics wanting to hot rod them. They'd put "2.02" heads off a 350 on them ( which were not factory drilled with the steam holes ) that would block off the steam holes in the block and cause the engine to overheat. Or they'd buy a generic "Small Block Chevy" head gasket set-i.e.-283-307-327-350- which did not have the steam holes in the head gasket-and have the same problem. And because of the siamesed cylinder bores, they can only be bored .030 over. They also have a 5.565 inch connecting rod instead of the small-block's normal 5.7 inch size. And-from the late '70's until now-the hot setup became a cut-down 400 crank in a 350 block to make a 383. If your building a small-block Chevy from scratch-the 383 crank and piston kits are so cheap that it's really the only way to fly-it doesn't really cost any more to build than a 350, but makes substantially more power and torque with the same equipment.  However-if you have a 400 block in good condition or can buy one dirt-cheap-then by all means build it. They were used in various cars and trucks until 1980. You can buy crank kits with longer 5.7 rods and shorter pistons to add even more torque-and with some Iron Vortec or aftermarket aluminum heads drilled for the steam holes-with the right cam, carb and intake, etc- you'll get big-block hp and torque levels in a small-block package. Or you can step up and buy a brand-new 400 block from Dart that can be bored and stroked to 434 inches!!  # 2. 403 Olds V8. Although they were only built from 1977-79, there are millions of them around. Besides being used in countless Pontiac Firebirds and Trans-Ams, they were also used in Pontiac Bonnevilles, Buick Rivieras, Olds Toronados, 88s and 98s, and all the big GM wagons except Chevrolet. Same story as the 400 Chevy-with low (even by late'70's standards) 7.8:1 compression, a lazy cam, and  saddled with a slushbox and 2.41:1 salt-flats gearing, they got a rep as a slug.  However- in the Trans-Am and Formula Firebirds the vaunted W72 Pontiac 400 made 320 lbs of torque at 2800 rpm, and the 403 made 325 lbs-ft-as low as 1600 rpm!!. The main difference in performance was the W72 / WS6 Pontiac-engined versions got 3.23 gears with an automatic, and 3.23 or 3.42s with a 4-speed, while the Olds-engined versions got 2.41 or 2.56 gears. The good features of the 403 are they are basically a bored-out 350-huge 4.351 bore and 3.38 stroke. 6 inch rods are the hot setup for small-block Chevy racers-403s-have 6 inch rods stock. With a set of headers, a mild cam and an Edelbrock Performer intake you can make 290-325 hp and 350 lbs ft of torque on an otherwise stock engine. This may not sound like much, but it's quite a hike from the stock rating of 185 hp!!  You can use 1968-72 350 heads for a full one point boost in compression to 9.0:1. ( These have 70cc combustion chambers compared to the 403s 80cc.) However you'll have to re-tap the bolt holes for larger 9/16 bolts used on '75 and later engines. Mondello peformance sells a kit to do this. With a set of headers, an Edelbrock Performer RPM intake and matching cam-Edelbrock claims 397 hp on a 350-the extra 53 cubes of the 403 should put you over 400hp easily. If you want more than this-you can also use Edelbrock aluminum 455 heads. You'll have to use an electric fuel pump-( they won't clear a stock mechanical one, and if you try to clearance the heads you'll hit water ) and have them milled to 70cc to get proper compression ( the Edelbrock heads have 84cc chambers stock ) but they have a thick enough deck to handle this. You'll also need to use a port-matched Edelbrock Performer RPM manifold with the 455 heads. (Mondello sells these too.). The only glitches are the RPM manifold won't clear a Trans-Am shaker scoop-you'll have modify the scoop or use the "regular" Performer and give up 25 hp and 30 lbs of torque on the top-end. Also if you going to shoot for more than 400 hp or rev it over 5,500 rpm-the "windowed" mains on these engines may not hold up. However, Mondello sells a kit for strapping the mains that will allow them to rev to 6,500 and beyond. If you want to build a high-revving 403, I'd use this kit and a nodular iron crank from a 350 Olds or a forged steel one from a 330. The 330 cranks use a different flywheel than the 350 / 403s, but again- Mondello to the rescue-they have billet flywheels and flexplates that can use the 330 crank in a later 350 / 403 block. With these modifications your "smog dog" T/A can give those smug 400 Pontiac owners a lesson in humility, or you'll have a great sleeper to swap into a 350 Cutlass. # 3. 360 Mopar V8. Everyone, including hard-core Mopar-philes lamented that the legendary 340 was a much better performer. Of course it was-with 10.5:1 compression, a 4bbl, dual exhausts, and a hot cam. The 360, introduced in 1971 in trucks and vans- had 2bbl carburation, 8.5:1 compression, a lazy cam and single exhaust!!  They didn't even get a 4bbl option until 1974, and catalytic converters ruined perfromance futher in '75. So comparing a 340 to a 360 really isn't fair. However, 360's are a great base for a hot rod engine. For example the hot setup for 350 Chevy Nascar racers is angle plug heads and 6 inch connecting rods. 360 Mopars have angle plug heads and 6.123 inch rods stock. Mopar Perfromance sells a 360 crate motor with 380 hp and 410 lbs ft of torque. And, there is a ton of aftermarket speed equipment for these engines, intakes, cams, heads, etc. Eagle, Scat, and others offer stroker cranks to get 408 cubes. 1992 and later "Magnum" heads breathe better than any factory and many aftermarket heads. These will bolt up to '91 and earlier blocks; but you'll need a "Magnum" style intake manifold. No problem, Edelbrock has you covered. A properly built 360 would be absolute dynamite in a Duster or Dart, really strong in a Challenger / 'Cuda, and torquey enough to move a Charger or Road Runner fast enough for all but the most hardcore street freaks. Unless your building a 440-you'd be hard pressed to get more power than a properly built 360 could deliver.  # 4. 350 Pontiac V8. This "Rodney Dangerfield" really gets no respect because it's overshadowed by it's 400 and 455 inch brothers.  And, because Pontiacs are externally identical from a 326 to a 455-most people just chuck the 350 and literally bolt-in a 400 or 455. However-there are hundreds of thousands of LeMans, Tempest,  Firebird and Ventura models out there from 1968-77 with 350s under the hood. If you want 500 hp, then yes, you need to swap in a 400 or 455. However, if you want a reliable, powerful engine for your daily driver or weekend cruiser, or you can live with "only" about 325-350 hp and 400lbs of torque, then by all means use the 350 thats in the car. The limiting factor on these engines is the small bore. Unlike their Chevy and Olds cousins that are both oversquare designs-( big-bore, short stroke ) the Pontiac has a 3.875 bore and 3.75 stroke. The big-valve, big port heads of the 400 / 455s can't be used because the valves will hit the block. This limits the amount of power you can make. Also, the long stroke design makes lots of low-end torque, but limits high-rpm capability. Thus-what you do is simply accentuate what Pontiac did to start with-make big torque at low rpm. and redline the engine at 5,500 rpm. And when you've got 350-400+ lbs of torque from idle on up, you don't need to rev to 7 grand. Since a lot of these engines had 2bbl induction, the 1st and easiest upgrade is a 4bbl carb and intake manifold. The intakes off a 400 or 455 will bolt right on, and the factory Pontiac 4bbl intakes from 1967-74 are quite good. The '75 and later models have the EGR valve protruding into the throttle opening which severely limits power above 4,000 rpm. If you have a 75 and later engine I would get the earlier factory manifold, or use an Edelbrock Performer. Headers and dual exhausts really wake up these engines. Pontiac heads can be milled up to .060 to get a full one-point boost in compression. You also have to mill the intake side so the manifold will fit properly. As for cams-the Edelbrock Performer is an excellent choice for a 350, as is the factory "068" cam. While the timing and lift of these cams may seem mild. For a 400 or 455 they might be,trust me they are much more aggressive than they sound, and a 400 was the test mule.  My eager research bears this out.  The last thing is gears. The strongest engine in the world will seem like a slug when it's saddled with 2.56:1 gears. Stick with something in the 3.23 to 3.73 range. With these mods people will think you've swapped in a 400. They'll never believe a 350 runs that strong. Hope this helps some of you save money and go fast!  Mastermind               

De-Bunking "Gotta Haves" to save you money!!

I know the last couple posts have been cynical, but I've seen this go on since the '70's. A magazine will feature an article "Smokey Yunick's Tips for building a high-hp Small-Block Chevy."  In the article, Smokey is talking about building a 700 hp engine that has to turn 7,800 rpm for 500 miles at Daytona in a Winston Cup NASCAR race car.  If that's your objective-then yes-you need a four-bolt main block, a forged steel crank, heavy duty "Pink" rods, forged pistons, screw in studs in the extensively ported heads, etc, etc. If your re-building an engine for your daily driver, work truck, street / strip machine or show car that's never going to see the high side of 6,500 rpm even on a weekend at the drags-you don't need all that extra beef and expense. I have raced SBC-powered circle-track "Street stock" and "Hobby Stock" cars for years and never had any trouble using two-bolt main blocks, cast cranks, a stock oil pump, cast pistons, and stock heads. Yes, we had a few DNF's do to mechanical failure-but more often than not that was because the water pump blew, the fuel pump quit, the clutch let go, the ignition control module quit, etc. I NEVER didn't finish a race because we lost a main or rod bearing, or a piston failed, or anything related to the bottom end. As for valvetrain failure-once in a while we'd lose a rocker arm or a pushrod or pop a valvespring, but in 20 years-I NEVER saw a stud pull out of a head.  But "Joe Average" reading the article doesn't know this-he figures-"Smokey Yunick is THE Chevy performance guru, so if he says you need all that stuff, then you probably do."  But-and it's a HUGE But- He was talking about building a RACE CAR. I guarantee if you asked Smokey to build you a reliable 400 hp street engine and guarantee it for a year-he would tell you to go ahead and use a two-bolt main block, a cast crank, and cast pistons, a stock oil pump and stock heads. He'd tell you-instead of spending a ton of money on unnecessary beef and machine work-to save that money for a high-quality performance cam kit, a set of headers, a performance carb and intake, and maybe a higher-stall converter and some gears to put all that newfound power to the ground. John Lingenfelter said the same thing-"I would only recommend forged pistons if you were going to run a blower or nitrous." "And then I would ask-"If you have that much money and need to go that fast, why aren't you building a 454 instead of a 350?"  The same goes for other stuff. Read any Mopar Magazine and they'll tell you that you "Gotta Have" a Dana 60 rear end. Well, if you have a 700 hp Hemi with nitrous, a 5 grand converter and a trans-brake, and your running wrinklewall slicks bolted to the rims with 15 psi in them, I'd say that's probably good advice. But for anything else-I know a guy that races a Duster with a 505 inch stroker that's never had an ounce of trouble with the 8 3/4 rear. In fact I know guys with Road Runners, Chargers, 'Cudas, etc with 383s and 440s with 4-speeds that pop the clutch and powershift on 30 dragstrip passes a weekend with no problems. Honestly- in 30+ years of working on cars I've never SEEN or even heard of anyone actually breaking a Chrysler 8 3/4 rear end!!  That's like the people that say the Borg-Warner T5 transmissions can't stand up to performance use. No, they won't stand up to a 600hp 454 Chevy or 460 Ford. But I know guys with "5.0" Mustangs that run in the 12s with the stock T5 and have no problems. I know guys that have yanked the 305 out of their '80's Camaros and replaced it with a stout 350, and run low 13s, spinning all of low gear and these trannys have lasted two or three years. Up to about 350 hp, you should be fine with a T5 in a street car. If you build 400 or more hp, then I'd upgrade to a Tremec or Richmond 5-speed. But the average guy doesn't know any of this. He innocently buys a used IROC-Z Camaro and when he says he wants more power-a bunch of "experts" who have never raced or even owned a Camaro start telling him he's "Gotta have" a $3,000 TKO conversion because he wants to put an Edelbrock intake and matching cam on his L69 305!!  See what I'm saying?  I think magazines should be clearer about the intended usage of a part before they declare it a "Gotta Have."  Mastermind