All you "Devil's Advocate's" know where you can go......

Got a lot of heat lately about where I get my knowledge and why I'm so arrogant and smug in my knowledge. A lot of these people were quite abusive, and judging from their spelling and use of language, I figure they went to the Internet School of Correspondence, that has three major rules:  # 1. If something early in a post rubs you the wrong way, you are under no obligation to keep reading. Stop and vent your anger immediately. # 2. Use profanity so I know you mean business. # 3. If the writer responds with proof that you are wrong-i.e.-by citing a sentence or paragraph you failed to read, or by producing a window sticker, build sheet or other irrefutable fact, you are under no obligation to apologize. This is the internet! You can simply slink away until the next time you want to spew your ignorance on someone.  As for where I get my knowledge- Like legendary shootist Elmer Keith said about the hunt for Bonnie & Clyde, and the development of the .357 Magnum and the .44 Magnum- "Hell I was There!"  My dad is a gearhead and worked in car dealerships and drag raced all through the '60's and '70's. I started in the '70's and have never stopped.  Let me give you some examples of why I'm right most of the time. # 1. You can't trust factory sales literature. A couple of glaring examples. The 440 Six-Pack is listed in early 1972 sales literature as optional in the Charger and the Road Runner, rated at 330 hp, down substantially from 1971's 385 hp rating.  However, the engines had trouble passing the stiffer 1972 emissions standards and the option was scrapped. Ditto-for the Pontiac SD455. Originally it was listed as available in the Firebird,GTO, Grand Am, Gran Prix and LeMans lines. High Performance Cars magazine even named the 1973 GTO as the "Car of the Year".  But the engines had trouble passing emissions with the RAIV cam, which was changed to the slightly milder RAIII cam, and the horsepower rating was changed from 310 to 290. Then they had trouble with the EGR valves, and the connecting rods failing. Ultimately, the SD455 was certified for use in the Firebird line only in April 1973. This is why there were only 295 made-252 in Trans-Ams and another 43 in Formulas, and this is why the production dates are all in May or June. # 2. Just because a magazine road tests a prototype doesn't mean that stuff is going to make production. In 1978 Car and Driver tested a Dodge Li'l Red Express pickup that blew the doors off a 400, 4-speed 3.42 geared Trans-Am and an L82, 4-speed, 3.70 geared Corvette.  This "Prototype" had a 360 V8 with Nascar-style W2 heads, a hot cam out of the old 340 engine, a single-plane Holley Street Dominator intake and a 600 cfm Holley Double-Pumper carb, and catlyst-free dual exhaust. Needless to say, the production examples with a garden-variety 360 with stock heads and cam, and a Carter Thermo-Quad on an iron intake with EGR and catylitic converters were substantially slower!!  # 3. Option packages change without notice. In 1978 Trans-Ams with the WS6 option were supposed to get special sway bars, teflon bushings, a 3.23 or 3.42 axle ratio and special 8 inch wide "Snowflake" wheels, AND 4-wheel disc brakes. They didn't get the rear disc brake option in time, so the WS6 package was sold with rear drum brakes. 1n 1979, the 4-wheel discs were standard with the WS6 option, but still hard to get. On window stickers, Pontiac would credit the WS6 option and and ADD a WS7 option which was the package with the standard rear drum brakes. These performance packages also included the "W72" 220 hp 400 Pontiac engine. However, if you lived in California or a high-altitude area you got the 185 hp 403 Olds engine. And you couldn't get a 4-speed in California. If you bought a 1973 Hurst / Olds you got the "L77" performance package which included the old "W30" 328 degree cam, a 3.23 posi, and a 2,800 rpm Hurst "Shotgun" torque converter. Unless the car had Air Conditioning, at which point you got the milder 308 degree "W32" cam, a 3.08 open rear end and a stock converter. # 4  Even the good Buff magazines make mistakes. In 1977 Car and Driver and Hot Rod both said the Trans-Am they tested had a "Rock Crusher" 4-speed. The "Rock Crusher" is the nickname for the Heavy-Duty M22 Muncie 4-speed. It has straight-cut gears and makes a sound like a kids rock polisher. It's also about 30% stronger than the M20 and M21 which have helical-cut gears and run quieter. The M22 was only available on Z/28s, 427 Corvettes,RAIII,RAIV, 455HO GTOs and T/A's,W30 442s and some 396 and 454 Chevelles. 1975 and later T/A's had BW T10 4-speeds, or some had Muncie M21s. But an M21 is not a "Rock Crusher."  # 5. Manufacturers used "Ringers" in Road tests to sell cars. Jim Wangers finally admitted what we already knew. Car and Driver's May 1964 GTO test car that ran a blistering 4.6 second 0-60, and a 13.1 sec 1/4 ( on 7.75-14 Bias plys smoking all the way down the track) had the 389 swapped out by Royal Pontiac for a Blueprinted 421!!  The "Professional Driver" in Plymouth's promotional ad for the Six-Pack Road Runner was NHRA Pro Stock Champion Ronnie Sox of "Sox&Martin" fame!!  Just because it's in an old magazine, or on the 'Net, doesn't mean it's true. Check your facts before you start telling people they don't know what their talking about!! Mastermind