Like Steve Martin used to say- "Exxxcuuuusssse Me!"

Got some angry and flippant correspondence on the last post about GM A-bodies. These people were pissed that I didn't list all the models available. I did that for a reason-I was listing the ones that are easily obtainable at a low price. I personally have a 73 Hurst / Olds. One of 1,097 ever built. Is that worth listing? I didn't think so-because anyone who has one knows what it is, and if it's for sale their going to want 15 grand on up. Pretty stupid when I have seen rough-but-running 73-77 Cutlasses for as low as $500, and anything over 2 grand is usually pretty nice. The same goes for Hurst / SSJ Gran Prix's-they built what-558 of them in 3 years-1970-72. What's the chance of someone finding one of those, at any price? The same goes for the one-year-only-1977-Pontiac Can-Am. It was a cool performance package for the LeMans-but how many are out there?  As for SS454 1973 Chevelles, or one of the 4,806 1973 GTO's built or a 400, 4-speed LeMans GT, or a 454 Laguna S3, or a 455 Buick Century GS-These are a buy-it-if you-can find-it at a decent price thing, or if you want to spend what the seller is asking. The reason is the way GM marketed the cars- after 1971 The 442 was no longer a separate model-it reverted to option status on the Cutlass Supreme. It basically became a handling and appearance package. Which means you can find a 442 with a 160 hp 2bbl 350 V8 under the hood!!  The same for Chevelles after 1970-"SS" didn't automatically mean "Rat motor" anymore. The SS package was available on any V8 Malibu. Which means you could have a tough-looking machine with a 130 hp 307 V8 or a 165 hp 350 2bbl. That's why I wrote the article the way I did-I'd rather have a 454 Monte Carlo than a 350 2bbl Chevelle SS. I'd rather have a 1977 Cutlass Supreme with a 403 V8 than a 442 with the 260 inch "economy" V8-that option combination was possible-believe it or not. I'd rather have a Gran Prix SJ with a 455 instead of a LeMans GT with a 350, or worse yet- a 301. Some people said I unjustly ranked the Pontiac Gran Prix # 1.  How?  I was rating the cars on "Bang for the Buck"  in stock trim, and for "restification" potential. The GP was number one because it was the ONLY one that came STANDARD with a big-block. All the others had small-blocks in 99% of the examples. So, Mullet-head,- forget that you bleed Chevrolet Orange and that you have a Calvin peeiing on a Ford logo sticker on your pickup. Comparing- "Apples to Apples"-whether your driving it stock or modifying it- would you rather start with a '76 Gran Prix with a pavement-ripping 400 or 455, or a '76 Monte Carlo with a 145 hp 305?.   That's why I didn't put much weight on the "Performance" monikers-"SS", "442" "GS", etc- because they didn't necessarily mean that the car was anything special. If I was talking about "X" bodies- ( Nova based models ) the "SS" moniker on a 1976 Nova with a 2bbl 305 really doesn't mean the same as it did in 1969 on an SS396 model does it?  Does anyone really consider the 1977 Volare' a "Road Runner" even thought it has that nameplate on it? That's all I was trying to convey. Mastermind

1973-77 GM "A" bodies- Get 'em while you can!!!

Everyone wants the 1968-72 bodystyle of the Chevelle, LeMans / GTO, Cutlass / 442, and Buick Skylark. Even the base models are getting grossly overpriced. If you want a viable GM musclecar for a low price it might behoove you to consider the 73-77 models. Popular Hot Rodding did a 1975 Chevelle Laguna in Nascar style that's immensely popular with readers. These cars are great buys because their still underpriced, they have body-on-frame construction, front disc brakes, tough 8.5 inch rear ends, and their engine bays will swallow any small or big-block GM ever made including the monster 720 hp 572. Some are better buys than others-but there all screamin deals and make a good base for a hotrod. Here's how I'd rank them. # 1. 1969-76 Pontiac Gran Prix. This is a no-brainer for one reason-while all the others have 350 V8's as their standard engines, the GP walked tall. The mighty 400 Pontiac was standard all years, and a fair number of 1970-76 models have 455s!  Ditto for the 1973-75 Grand Am-400 power standard with the 455 optional. # 2. 1973-77 LeMans- While a lot of these have 350 cubes under the hood, there are quite a few out there with 400s. There are a million ways to build power into a Pontiac V8, and any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Chevelle will fit these cars. # 3. 1973-77 Chevelle / Monte Carlo. These cars were the scourge of NASCAR in the late '70's. Most have the ubuiqitous 350 Chevy for power, and you can't ask for a better base for a street machine than that. Some 1973-75 models had 454 cubes, but they are going to be higher-priced. On the upside, swapping in a big-block is easy.  # 4. 1973-77 Olds Cutlass. These were the best-selling American car in the mid-'70's, so you should be able to find one pretty easy, and they were usually bought by older people, so they won't be as abused as your average Chevelle or Monte Carlo. Cutlasses usually had upgraded interiors compared to the Chevys and Pontiacs, and there is a ton of speed equipment out there for a 350 Olds. Some 73-76 models had 455s, and some 77 models had 403s. Or you could cross-breed. Who cares if you stuff a snarling 500 inch Rat motor into a 75 Cutlass?  Models with the 442 package will be pricier, but will have F41 sport suspension, swivel buckets, and are more likely to have a 403 or 455 instead of a 350.  # 5. 1973-77 Regals and Centurys are usually more luxurious and better maintained than the others because they were bought by older people originally. I rank them last because while the Buick 455 was available until 1976-most models had the 350. And of the "other" 350s-i.e.-non Chevrolet-the Buick is the weakest one-their not only not as powerful as the Olds and Pontiac engines in stock trim-there isn't nearly as much speed equipment available-Edelbrock doesn't even offer a Performer Manifold for a 350 Buick. ( They do for the 400-430-455s ). Like I said-there's alway cross-breeding no one is going to storm your house with torches if you put a 455 Pontiac or a 454 Chevy into a '77 Regal.  All of these cars offer tremendous bang for the buck. Mastermind  

Sorry guys.....These cars don't exist!!

I've had a lot of people asking me to tell them if certain cars exist or not. The reason is schysters are trying to sell them some generic musclecar as something really rare. Here's a few I've had to de-bunk lately. # 1. There are no Ram Air IV 1968 GTOs. There was the Ram Air II package which is exceptionally rare. The RAII package featured round exhaust port RAIV-style heads, and exhaust manifolds, and they had the 308 / 320 duration cam with 1.5 rockers which netted .470 lift. They also had an iron intake manifold. The RAIII package was actually milder-they used standard D-port heads, and the cam had 301 /313 duration and .414 lift, with a 4-speed. Automatics used the slightly milder 288 / 302 duration "068" cam. The RAIV package was introduced in 1969 and included forged pistons instead of cast, a high-volume oil pump, the 308 / 320 duration "041" cam with 1.65 rockers, which increased lift to .520". It also included the round-exhaust port heads, and a special aluminum high-rise intake manifold. Were they under-rated? Well let's see-the D-port, mild cammed, iron intaked RAIII was rated at 366 hp. All that extra stuff-bigger heads, bigger cam, new intake, special exhausts, etc is only worth 4 hp?? ( RAIV's were grossly under rated at 370 hp. Most put it's true output about 450-on par with the LS6 Chevelle. )  This engine was optional in GTOs and Firebirds in 1969 and 1970 only. There's some confusion because '69 models are coded L67 and '70 models are coded LS1, while the standard 350 hp 400 is coded L78, and the 366 hp RAIII is coded L74. Apparently someone was trying to sell this gentleman a 1968 with a "Prototype" RAIV. Puhleeze.  # 2. There are no 1972 LS6 SS454 Chevelles. The LS6 continued for 1971 in the Chevelle line and was also installed in about 1,200 Corvettes that year, with a lower 9.0:1 compression ratio ( down from the 11.0:1 of 1970 ) and a 425 hp gross hp rating. ( 325 net ). 1972 was the year the industry went to net hp ratings exclusively. The top engine in the SS Chevelle was the LS5 454 which was rated at 270 net hp and had oval-port heads, a hydraulic cam and an iron intake manifold and a quadrajet carb. ( LS6's had rectangular-port heads, a solid-lifter cam, an aluminum intake and a 780 Holley carb.) You could buy the LS6 as a service replacement / crate engine until 1991, so there are a lot of these engines out there. So, a guy may have a real SS454 1972 Chevelle, and it may in fact have a "real" LS6 in it-But it wasn't factory built-some hot rodder stuffed it in there later, and other than the badass / fun factor it's probably worth less than an LS5, because it's not original.  # 3. There were no 1972 Boss 351 Mustangs. The Boss 351 was a one-year-only option and only 1,806 were built in 1971. They used a solid-lifter cam,an aluminum intake, 11.3:1 compression, were rated at 330 hp,and were only available with a 4-speed and 3.91 or 4.30 gears. In 1972, there was a 351 "HO" package that had a solid-lifter cam, functional Ram Air, 8.8:1 compression and was rated at 285 hp, and was also only available with a 4-speed. This is the same engine used in early Panteras. They are extremely rare in Mustangs.  99% of 1972 4bbl  Mach 1 Mustangs have the 351CJ which has a hydraulic cam, 8.0:1 compression, and is rated at 266 hp. and was available with a stick or an automatic. This engine was also used in '72 and later Panteras, and some Torinos and Cougars. # 4. There were no 455 HO Pontiacs built after 1972. The 455 HO was arguably Pontiac's greatest street engine-it had the free-breathing RAIV heads and intake, but with the milder "068" cam it idled smooth and produced tons of low-end and mid range torque-like 500 lbs ft as low as 2,700 rpm!!  In 1975, when emissions and catalytic converters just KILLED everyone's performance- the most potent engine available in a Trans-Am was a 400 with a paltry 185 hp- down more than 100 hp, from the 290 hp SD 455 of the previous year. Enthusiasts and magazine writers howled to the heavens about the demise of the SD 455. Pontiac shamelessly put a station wagon engine in the T/A and called it the "455 HO" Performance  Package."  It had 7.6:1 compression, and wheezed out about 200 hp. Only 857 were built ( Out of 23,000 T/A's sold that year, in spite of the performance dip.)  and they all had 4-speeds and 3.23:1 gears.  But it had nothing in common with the legendary 455 HO or SD engines of 1971-74.  The magazines howled even more about this, and for 1976, It was simply called the "455 Performance pack", and the shaker scoop lettering simply said-"455". Again they were all 4-speeds and over 7,500 were sold that year-out of the 46,000 T/A's built.  # 5. There were no Olds W30 engines built after 1972. The W30 455 Olds was a monster with special heads, and aluminum intake, a thumpin' 328 degree duration cam ( with a 4-speed, automatics got a slightly milder 308 degree cam ) special exhaust manifolds, and it rip-snorted out 500 lbs ft of torque like its Pontiac cousin. However, the Pontiac ran out of breath about 5,500 rpm because of the mild cam. The badass W30 could rev to 6,200!!. Many people say it's the equal of the LS6 Chevy in performance. Like the RAIV Pontiacs, they were horrendously under-rated at 370 hp. In 1971-72 compression was lowered and they were down-rated to 300 net hp, but they still had all the other goodies, and if you ordered a 442 right, you could still be pretty much king of the street. However after 1972-any 455 in a Cutlass or a 442 was just a garden-variety 455. That didn't stop the bean counters from shamelessly putting the W30 moniker on some of these,( even if they only wheezed out 190 hp ) and the nameplate hit an all-time low in 1979 when they labeled the 160 hp 350 in the downsized, "G" body Hurst / Olds ( that wasn't even built by Hurst, it came off the assembly line in  Lansing ) a "W30".  Anyhow, that's why they say- "Buyer Beware."  Mastermind                       

Great Ideas that never were.....But we sure wish they'd built them!!

GM , Ford, Chrysler and AMC engineers all had great ideas from the 60's to the '90's, that for some reason were killed by the upper management either because they weren't cost-effective, or the bean counters thought they wouldn't sell, or just plain stupidity. Whatever the reasons-I thought you might enjoy reading about some of the best ideas that never came to pass. #1. 1970 and later LS6 Camaro SS and Nova SS. Initially, Chevrolet was going to offer the mighty LS6 454 in the Camaro and the Nova as well as the Chevelle. Since the 396 was already an option on those cars it would have been a drop-in. The low hood line of the Camaro is why the intake manifold on the LS6's was so flat. It actually lost 10-15 hp over the 1969 Corvette 4bbl 427 manifold, but it was made that way to clear the low hood. This is also why, contrary to many people's mistaken beliefs-there were no 1970 LS6 Corvettes. Zora-Arkus Duntov fully expected the more radical LS7 to make production as the 'Vettes top dog, so the LS6 wasn't offered. At the last minute the brass decided to cut down on model proliferation-and the LS6 was offered in the Chevelle line only. Too bad-Motion performance showed us how badass LS6 Camaros and Novas could have been.  # 2. 1972 and later 429 / 460 Mustang and Cougar. When the Mustang was redesigned for 1971-the engine bay was made to fit the big dogs, mainly because Ford knew Pontiac was allowing the 455 in the Firebird line, and they thought Chevrolet was going to allow the 454 in the Camaro. Plus, Chrysler had the 383, 440 and 426 Hemis optional in the 'Cuda / Challenger line. Any of these cars would crush a 351 Mustang in a "Stoplight Gran Prix." There were a very few 429 Mustangs built in 1971 but not many, and for whatever reason, the option wasn't continued for '72. Too Bad-460 Mustangs and Cougars might have given the 400 and 455 T/A's a run for their money a couple years later.  # 3. 1971 and later 440 Magnum Javelin AMX. Althought Mark Donohue won the Trans-Am Championship in a Javelin, on the street the 390 and 401 AMC engines could never compete with the big dogs from GM, Ford and Chrysler. One of the AMC engineers got the bright idea that since AMC used Chrysler transmissions-( The automatic was called "Torque-Command" instead of Torqueflite, but that's what they were.) if they could buy the big 440 Magnum and stuff it in a Javelin, they could finally give the finger to those arrogant GM guys in their 454 Chevelles and 455 Olds 442s and GTO's. Chrysler execs considered it-they could have turned a tidy profit-especially if they also offered it in trucks and Waggoneers. Ultimately, AMC brass decided against it. Too bad- how cool would a 440 Javelin have been?  # 4. 1973 and later Pontiac "366".  Herb Adams and some other Pontiac engineers built a 366 inch Nascar engine and campaigned it in a Grand Am. The reason was the 427s had to have restrictor plates. Engines 366 ci or less did not. This is why Bobby Isaac canpaigned a 351C Torino, and why some teams went to 350 Chevys and 360 Mopars. After racing it, Adams thought it would make a great production engine with all the strengths of the Pontiac V8-massive low-end torque-but without the inherent weaknesses-large-journal cranks that broke under stress. He even built a street-style prototype and dyno'd it, and was right. Built with a 3 inch main crank and 6 inch rods ( slightly shorter than the 6.625 "regular" Pontiac rod ) and Ram Air IV style heads-the 366 made more power and torque than a 400 or a 455, revved higher, and got better economy. Adams and the others wanted this to be Pontiac's flagship engine for the future. Think of how cool an '80's T/A would have been with a 366 inch, 6 inch rod, "Tuned Port Injected" motor? The lazy and skeptical brass didn't believe Adams and associates that the 366 was more powerful and more reliable than the 400 and 455 engines which were based on a 1954 design. They were laughed out of the office. The phenomenal success of the modern GM LS motors tells us Adams was right. # 5. 1989 $30,000 Dodge Viper. After seeing the phenomenal success of the new for 1984 C4 Corvette-Chrysler engineers wanted a Corvette fighter as far back as 1985. They liked the idea of a racy 2-seat sports car-and they thought if they kept the price under 30K they could sell a lot of them and compete with the Corvette, Porsche 944 and Nissan 300ZX Turbo. Using a 360 V8 and a five-speed out of a Dakota pickup with a Hurst shifter, they built a two-seater using off-the-shelf parts. It performed well-about as good as a Corvette in 0-60 and 1/4 mile sprints, and it handled good. But Iaccoca listened to Carroll Shelby and others who wanted the Viper to be "Better" than the 'Vette. Thus all the delays and the development of the V10 and the six-speed, and all the other stuff., including the $65,000 in 1990 dollars pricetag. Considering that a Ferarri 328 Quattrovalve was only 68K at the time, this was not a good move-No one was going to pay Porsche or Ferarri prices for a Dodge Anything-no matter how bad ass it was. That's why Vipers never sold well. If they'd built the 30K two-seater, I'll bet they'd have sold like hot cakes. To all these we say-"We would have liked to know you......."  Mastermind           

It's ok to use stock parts.....In some cases it's better!

In every enthusiast mag and on the internet there's article after article about the "Gotta Haves" when restifying your musclecar. It's your car, and if you have the money for the very best of everything, then more power to you-build yourself an awesome car and don't care what it costs. But the rest of us that have husbands and wives and kids and mortgages, sometimes a car project has to take a backseat or wait while other things are taken care of-medical bills, schooling, whatever. That's why you read sometimes that it took somebody five years to finish a car-it took that long for them to scrape up the money. These people can't put a hundred grand into a car like you read in the magazines. For some of these people even $25,000 is really stretching it. I talked about the guy that had a really nice Olds Cutlass-that was almost apologetic that it wasn't more radical. Here's some really good advice for the average car-restorer, regardless of what kind of car your restoring. You have to realize that magazines go double overkill on everything. For example-why does every single magazine project car have to have a Custom 9 inch Ford rearend? A recent one-"Project Disco" that Hot Rod did-was a 1979 Z/28 Camaro that of course they put a modern LS engine in-I thought they were going to do a '70's style Rat motor-but regardless they put a Custom Currie 9 inch Ford rear end in it. Why? Late '70s Z/28's come from the factory with an 8.5 inch ring gear 10-bolt limited slip axle with either 3.42:1 or 3.73:1 gears. You couldn't ask for a better rear end for a street machine. And, their tough.  I personally have had 400, 4-speed Pontiac Firebirds that I drag-raced and popped the clutch at 4,000 rpm incessantly on, and never broke this style of rear. A complete Currie 9 inch with GM mounting points retails for about $3,300. That's 3 grand that they didn't have to spend, that could have been used elsewhere for a crate engine-or paint and bodywork, wheels and tires, whatever-but they didn't need to upgrade the rear end!!  I know a guy that has a 505 inch Mopar wedge in a Duster that run's low 10 second 1/4's with slicks, and he's never, ever had trouble with the 8 3/4 rear end. Try to keep a straight face while telling me how all-important that extra 1/4 to 1/2 inch on the ring gear is. Puhleeeze. The same goes for brakes. Why does every single project car have to have a Wildwood or Brembo aftermarket 4-wheel disc setup? If your Autocrossing, or hot-lapping at Laguna Seca in vintage car races that's one thing;  But are they telling us that the stock front disc / rear drum or 4-wheel disc setups on most '70s and '80's cars are inadequate to stop the car safely in daily driving or on the occasional weekend trip to the drags?  Come on. There's another 2 or 3 grand that you don't have to spend. Yes, I'm all for safety-but honestly-if the master cylinder and power booster aren't leaking, and the calipers are in good shape and you install new pads and hardware-I think the stock front disc / rear drum setup on a '72 Chevelle will keep you safe in a panic stop-even if it's sporting a snarling 620 hp 572 under the hood. Anything-even a '64 GTO or a '68 Dodge Dart with 4-wheel drums will stop good from high speed- ONE time. It's repeated high-speed braking that causes brake fade. So-like I said-since your not running 200 mph for 500 miles at Daytona-you don't need the brake system of a NASCAR Nextel Cup Racer. The third is overdrive transmissions. To me, reducing your 65 mph cruise speed by 500-600 rpm isn't worth the 3 or 4 thousand dollars that the 5 and 6 speed stick, or 4,5 or 6 speed automatic conversions cost. I'd say keep your 4-speed stick or 3-speed automatic and spend this elsewhere where it will do you more good-paint and bodywork-or engine work. Here again-they put a six-speed in "Project Disco"-Again-Why? 1979 Z/28's had either a 2.64 1st gear BW T10 4-speed or a TH350 with a 2,400 rpm converter. Either one a stellar street / strip trans that would have bolted up and held up just fine behind their 400 hp LS3. Even if the stock trans needed a rebuild-in Southern California you can get a T10 or a TH350 rebuilt for a helluva lot less than the $3599 that the Tremec conversion cost!!!  From Summitt Racing a brand-new T10 is $1499, and a new TCI Streetfighter TH350 is $1039!!. So the argument of  "Well, the old trans was shot anyway so...." Won't fly because they still could have saved between $2,100-$2,400 with a brand-new "disco-era" tranny!!  Another thing is rolling stock.  Most wheel manufacturers-Cragar, American Racing, Year one, Wheel Vintiques etc- sell their "Classic" styles in 15, 16, or 17 inch sizes. This means you can have a "Period Correct" look, AND the good performance and handling of modern VR and ZR rated performance tires. You don't need to spend a ton of money on 19 or 20 inch wheels, and they look like crap on a Musclecar anyway. Lastly-you can build a stock engine that runs really, really good. If you can afford a badass crate engine, or aluminum heads and a roller cam conversion, or whatever you want to do, good for you. If your on a tight budget, don't despair. Magazines talk about cylinder wall thickness, nickel content, four and six-bolt and cross-bolted mains, screw in rocker studs, this engine has a weak oiling system, this one tends to detonate, etc till your brains run out your ears and you don't know what to think. Here's what to do- Forget all the "Gotta Haves" in the magazines. Again-if your building a NASCAR engine that has to go 8,000 rpm for 500 miles at Daytona, yes you need all the beef you can get. In a street / strip vehichle or weekend cruiser that's never going to see the high side of 6,000 rpm, your fine with a two-bolt main block and a cast crank, and a stock oil pump. In over 30 years of building and racing various street machines, and circle track and drag race "hobby stock' or "street stock" race cars-I have never, ever seen a stud pull out of a head. Broken valve springs, pushrods, and rocker arms, yes, but I've never seen a stud pull out of a head, and these engines are far more abused than the one in your pride and joy ever will be.  Even the non-Chevy big blocks that everyone says blow up at high rpm say a Buick, Olds, or Pontiac 455- their practically indestructible as long as you don't try to run them over 5,500 rpm. And with 400+ lbs ft of torque on tap from idle on up-why would you need or want to? Chrome accesories-i.e. valve covers, timing cover, alternator, etc look cool, but they don't make you go any faster. Ditto for stainlees steel hoses or sleeveing for the hoses. Anyhow, I hope this helps everyone out. Mastermind                

It's a money pit!! But it's an LS motor!! So that's ok!!

Once again I am disgusted by magazine writers infatuation with the GM LS engines. In the current issue of Super Chevy, the staff decided to put an LS engine in a 1965 Chevelle. Since it was a garden-variety 2dr post coupe, not a Z16 SS396 or anything special, I didn't have a problem with that, so I kept reading. What I DID have a problem with started almost immediately. They wanted to go low-budget, so they started searching junkyards. They bought a 5.3 out of a Tahoe that had 150,000 miles on it, and needed a rebuild. Since they only paid $200 for it, they thought it was a screamin' deal.  Then they figured out it was a 4.8, and were disappointed, because the 4.8's make substantially less power than the 5.3's, either stock or modified. Ok, stop right there. Why didn't they take it back to the junkyard and demand their money back? Even if the junkyard refused to refund their money-for $200 I'd have just gritted my teeth, tried to re-sell it to someone else, and started looking for a 5.3, 5.7 or 6.0. Think about it- if you were looking for a 350 and a junkyard sold you one that turned out to be a 305, wouldn't you take it back and demand a refund, or that they at least get you a 350 which is what they promised?  I certainly would. What I wouldn't do is just go "Ok, now I guess I'll just build a 305, which isn't going to have half the power of a 350, yet cost the same to build."  Well they decided to proceed. They thought they could just do a rings-n-bearings, cam replacement type freshening. Turns out, it had piston damage, crank damage, and cylinder head damage. Again-right here-I would have cut my losses and started searching for another engine. They'd only be out $200, and perhaps a more careful search and a few more dollars would find you a much better engine to start with. One that wouldn't need an expensive rebuild or one that ran good enough that you could just put some hot rod parts on it-intake, exhaust, maybe a chip or a cam, and go with it. I just think they were posessed-"Dammit, were building THIS engine if it's the last thing we ever do!"  But that kind of thinking can get expensive and not net the best performance results.  Mastermind            

"Good deals" should be what the average guy can find in junkyards and swap meets, not "Moon Rocks".

I know I have a rep for being a cynical bastard, and I try to not always be negative, but lately something has been bugging the crap out of me about some of these "Budget" buildups you see in all the enthusiast magazines. You know the ones I'm talking about- "400hp for $1,000" or "12 seconds for 1,200" or whatever. Your reading, thinking-their's no way they can build this thing for the dollars their saying-then-wait for it-"Hey-what about that set of ported and polished Brodix Aluminum heads we almost forgot we had?"  Or "Joe's brother not only gave us the disc-braked, 3.73:1 geared posi rear end out of his wrecked Trans-Am, he even helped us put it in the Camaro and bought the beer!" Gag.  I know we've all run across screamin' deals. A friend of my dad's once gave me a complete Pontiac tri-power setup for a GTO I was restoring. That would bring $1,500 or more at a swap meet now. I once bought an L82 long block core from a Pep Boys store for $160, since some fool with a '74 Corvette with a lot of miles on his running car had their service dept install one of their $699 350 Chevy specials and turned in his old engine for the core. I paid the manager the $160 core charge and turned handsprings all the way home. Don't get me wrong, I don't care if they say they bought an Edelbrock manifold at a swap meet for $60, or a set of used headers for $50, what drives me up the wall is stuff like the buildup in a Mopar enthusiast magazine. After securing a 440 block out of a wrecked Chrysler Imperial, they decided to use the forged steel 440 crank and complete set of "Six-Pack" rods that they had "Laying around." AArrrgghh!! ( If I buy a Nova for $500 and stuff in the $4800 ZZ4 Crate engine and $1200 B&M TH400 that I have "laying around" in my garage and it runs 12 second 1/4s, I can't claim that I built a 12 second car for $500!!! )  Since a forged Eagle 440 crank retails for $1049 through Summit Racing, and a complete set of Eagle rods costs $650 through the same source, I thought-"How fortunate that they had $1,700 worth of premium parts "Laying around".  Worse than that was a Super Chevy article titled "10 seconds for $10,000."  The $7995 for a 500 hp 383 stroker motor was fine. What sent me over the edge was the "engineless"  '79 Camaro they bought to put it in, that had an 8 point roll cage, a TCI-built Powerglide with a 3,800 rpm converter, a 4.88:1 geared 9 inch Ford rearend, an ATL safety fuel cell, and a full set of Weld Wheels and Moroso drag tires and slicks. For $2,700!!!  Gee, I'd love to buy a car with 7 grand worth of premium parts in it for $2,700!  If they'd bought all that stuff retail-( A Complete Currie 9 inch rear with GM mounting points is about 3 grand by itself ) and put it into a $200 Camaro they'd have been about 6 grand over budget instead of $700!!.  If your going to include "good deals" in these buildups it needs to be stuff that the average Joe can find in the average town, not a "Moon Rock."  Or some unmatchable deal.  Mastermind    

If you want to win races, even "Stoplight Gran Prix's"....You have to practice!!

I know a lot of people that got their ass kicked by a supposedly "slower" car because they didn't know how to drive their own car. Launch technique and shift points being optimized can make as much as 3/4 of a second difference in the 1/4 mile. If the rule of thumb is 1/10th equals one car length-then this can mean a swing of 6 or 7 car lengths. Enough for a "faster" car to get beat by a "slower" one. The launch is critical-because if a guy jumps you 2 or 3 car lengths off the line, unless you've got some SERIOUS mid-range and top-end horsepower, your not going to be able to catch him and pass him. Big burnouts look cool, but actually kill your e.t. The trick is to launch with as little wheelspin as possible, or just enough to get the car moving and the engine up on it's torque curve. It's easier to do this consistently with an automatic-the converter's going to stall at the same speed EVERY time. This is why automatics are so popular with serious bracket racers-the key to winning is consistency. However, there are guys ( and girls ) that are artists with a clutch and can launch a stick-shift car quickly & consistently. This is the stick's major advantage as long as traction isn't a problem. You can launch at any rpm you desire. The trick is finding that "sweet spot" where you have just enough wheelspin to get the car moving quickly, with out bogging the engine, or overdoing it and frying the tires and ruining your e.t.  And there is no rule of thumb. Every car is different, even if they have the same size engine. For example-My GTO Judge and one of my Trans-Ams were both 400 / 4-speed combos. The Judge ran the quickest if I let the clutch out easy at 2,500 rpm. Over that and it would just fry the tires. By contrast-the WS6 T/A I had ran best by revving to 3,500-4,000 and dropping the clutch hard. This was probably because the Judge had 150 more hp, and 100 lbs more torque, but still-the difference in technique was required to get the best performance from both vehicles. This is true even in cars that are very similar Two buddies-one had an '83 Camaro with a 305, a 5-speed and a 3.73 rear end. The other had an '85 Mustang with a 302, a 5-speed and a 3.08 rear. They were both mildly modified-Edelbrock intake, and matching cam, headers and dual exhaust. The Camaro ran the best if my pal popped the clutch at 4,500-4,800 rpm. The Mustang would come off the line best at 2,500-2,800 rpm. Anything over 3 grand, and it would fry the tires. Ditto for shift points. The Camaro ran quickest if my buddy shifted about 5,600 rpm. The Mustang ran quicker if it was shifted at 4,800-5,000. The engine would rev to about 5,700, but because of the engine's torque curve it ran a quicker e.t. if it was short-shifted. The same goes for automatics. You can't really control launch rpm much ( You can a little by powerbraking ) without changing converters, but you can alter shift points with the modulator or the governer or simply by shifting manually. My 403 Olds / Fire-Am would rev to 5,400 rpm, but drag racing it, it ran faster if I shifted at 5,000. By contrast, my Hurst / Olds-even though it's a 455-( although it does have a hot Lunati cam, and an Edelbrock Torker intake ) will shift automatically about 5,200. However, the car runs quicker if I shift it manually at 5,800-6,200.  With the ZZ4 Chevy SBC crate motor-10:1 compression, .474 / .510 lift roller cam, aluminum heads, Z/28 / LT-1 intake,-the engine will rev past 6,000 easily, but the car runs faster if I shift about 5,600. You just have to play around with shift points and launch rpm to see what works best to give your car optimum performance. But it's worth it, becuase once you know the technique you can often "holeshot" and outrun a supposedly "faster" car just because the other guy smokes his tires too much or shifts at the wrong rpm. And that's a lot of fun. Especially if the guy's read a magazine article or something and thinks his car is WAAAy quicker than yours, when it would really only be a tenth or two under the best of conditions. Mastermind                       

Old vs New, or Old Vs Old, like the internet, just because it's in a magazine doesn't make it true or fair!!

Got a lot of people sprouting road test results from the '60's to the present after yesterdays post. Apparently they didn't even read the title of the post. "Apples to Apples" means comparing things that are exactly the same, or very close. Like the moron who's apparently an AMC enthusiast that quoted a 1973 "Ponycar" comparison done by Motor Trend. Yes, the 401, 4-speed, 3.54:1 geared Javelin AMX was the fastest 0-60, and in the 1/4 mile. Chevrolet didn't have a Z/28 in their test fleet at the time, so M/T took a Rally Sport Camaro in it's place. Never mind that the Z/28's standard engine was the L82 'Vette motor rated at 250 net hp, and that you got either a 4-speed with a 3.73:1 gear or an automatic with 3.42:1 gears, THAT wouldn't run any faster than the 165 hp L48, automatic, 2.73:1 geared RS model would it? Apparently the Motor Trend staff didn't think so.  As for the Pontiac-they didn't test a 310 hp SD-455 Trans-Am, or even a 250 hp L75 base 455 T/A. They tested a Firebird Formula 400, with an automatic and 3.08:1 gears. Gee, do you think either of the 455 T/A's or even a 4-speed, 3.42:1 geared Formula 400 would have shown it's tallights to the Javelin?  And of course their was the Mach 1 Mustang that had a 177 hp 351C with a two-barrel carb, an automatic, and 3.25:1 gears. You don't think that with either a stick or an automatic, that the 266 hp 4-barrel 351CJ would have went any faster do you?  It seems like the deck was stacked to make the Javelin win. It wasn't;  Motor Trend just took what was available in everyone's test fleet at the time. However they were comparing a top-of-the-line AMX with the most potent powertrain available against base models or mid-level models of the others. I have nothing against AMC's -but honestly-had they tested a Z/28 or a Trans-Am, or a 4bbl-Mach 1-top of the line vs top of the line-"Apples to Apples" the Javelin would have finished last or next to last. Got a similar spittingly hysterical letter about how magazines have been GM biased for years-this guy quoted a road test where a 440 Six-Pack Road Runner outran both a 429 SCJ Torino and a 454 LS6 Chevelle. He said the guy writing the article said the comparison wasn't really fair to the Chevy. Yes, all 3 cars were automatics; however this guy didn't take into account that the Plymouth had a 4.10:1 geared Sure-Grip rear end and the Chevy had a 3.31:1 open rear end, and the Ford had a 3.91:1 traction-lok rear end. Even with the stiffer gears the Road Runner was only 2 or 3/10ths faster. If the Chevelle had a 4.11:1 posi intead of an open 3.31:1 rear the results would have very different.-Again "Apples to Apples"-  That's all the writer was pointing out, he was not "GM Biased". Another writer accused Motor Trend of being "Totally Biased against Fords."  He quoted a 1973 Comparison test of "Sporty Intermediates".  His gripe was the fact that the Dodge Charger had a 440, the Pontiac Gran Prix had a 455, the Chevelle Laguna had a 454, and the Ford Grand Torino had a 351CJ. Apparently he didn't read the article past the first paragraph. The M/T writer explained-yes-the other competitiors all had big-blocks. The 440 Charger was rated at 275 net hp, the 455 GP at 250 net hp,and the 454 Chevelle at 245. The Torino had a 351CJ rated at 246 net hp. The object was to get each car with the most powerful engine available. Yes, you could get a 429 in a Torino, but they were a "station wagon" motor that was rated at only 205 hp; substantially less than the others. Ford engineers told the staff at Motor Trend that the 351C was the most powerful engine available in the Torino, and they thought it could compete with the others favorably. That's why the test car had a 351; not any editorial bias against Fords. And anyone who's ever driven a mid-70's Torino with a 429 or a 460 will tell you- for a big-block, their a dog-the 351C versions will run off and leave them in a drag race. The way the test ended up was the Pontiac won-it was not only the fastest-it had the best handling and the nicest, most luxurious interior. The Charger was second-fastest, but the writers didn't like it's handling or cheesy interior, so they rated the Torino higher for it's better ride and handling and nicer intierior. The Chevy finished third, and the Dodge last in the voting. If you've ever driven a 455 powered '70's Gran Prix-you'll know what the M/T staff was talking about. It rode and handled easily as good as a top of the line Olds, or Buick; yet when you hit the loud pedal it felt like a GTO. The Torino finishing 2nd could hardly be called "biased". The Mopar finished last-because let's face it-in the '70's they did have cheesy, plasticky interiors and they rattled even when new-a Charger can't compare to a Gran Prix in drivability. The Chevy was basically the same car as the GP-except the staffers liked the upscale Poncho a little better. If they'd tested a 454 Monte Carlo-maybe the voting would have been different, or at least closer-but again-they had to take what GM offered in the test fleet-the writers felt that a 454 Chevelle was a better match than a 350 Monte Carlo which is what they were initially offered. The other big theme was guys sprouting about "Ringers", but not admitting they were ringers. Several people again said-"The Dodge Li'l Red Express" pickup was the fastest production vehicle in 1978."  This is because the "Prototype" tested by Car and Driver in Novenmber 1977 blew the doors off both a WS6 Trans-Am and an L82 Corvette. However-the "Prototype" engine which was a 360 V8 with Nascar-style "W2" heads, a hot camshaft out of the old 340 six-pack, and a 600 cfm Double-Pumper Holley carb mounted on a single-plane Holley Street Dominator aluminum intake-obviously because of smog laws-never made production. Production examples used a garden-variety 360 with standard heads, a stock cam, and a Carter Thermo-Quad mounted on an EGR equipped  cast-iron intake. Needless to say, production examples were substantially slower than the prototype, and Li'l Red Truck drivers who challenged Corvettes and T/A's saw taillights. The other good one was the guy saying that the Olds 442 was the fastest American car in 1973. I own a 1973 442 Hurst / Olds, and he's wrong.  He's quoting a "Performance Preview" done by Cars magazine in late 1972, where a silver and red 442 blew the doors off a 454 Corvette, a 455-SD Trans-Am, a 440 Charger SE, and a Ford Pantera in drag races.  It was ascertained that the Olds engineers wanted to mess with the Chevy and Pontiac engineer's heads, and that this 455 / TH400 powered Cutlass has been "massaged" a little. A "little" meaning W30 heads and intake, a 328 degree duration cam,  as well a 2,800 rpm Hurst "Shotgun" torque converter, a Hurst shift kit, and a 3.42:1 posi rear end. Needless to say-production examples with garden-variety 455 Olds engines rated at 250 hp with a stock torque converter and 2.73:1 or 3.08:1 gears weren't nearly as fearsome. Shocker. This is also the issue where they voted the SD-455 1973 GTO the "Car of the Year".  We all know the SD 455 ended up in the F-bodies only, and only 295 were made-252 in T/A's and another 43 in Formulas.  We all love to "bench race" and speculate on "what if?" but like I said-before you start arguing a case, make sure your information is accurate and that your comparing "Apples to Apples."  Mastermind                     

Old vs New.....You have to go "Apples to Apples."

If your a football fan I'm sure you get tired of hearing about Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Terrell Ownes, Chad Ochocinco, and all these other superstar wide recievers who played their whole career under the current rules where you get a flag if you look at one wrong, much less actually hit him. The debate is how would these Divas fare back in the '70's when you could hit the reciever all the way down the field ( now the rule is five yeards ) when fearsome DBs like Jack Tatum, George Atkinson, Cliff Harris, and Mel Blount spent Sundays practically decapitating pass-catchers? And conversely, how awesomely unstoppable would '70's star recievers like Lynn Swann, Lance Alworth, Drew Pearson,Paul Warfield, and Cliff Branch have been if you couldn't hit them?  The way this applies to musclecars is the debate over whether the "King Kong" cars of yesteryear could compete with the "King Kong" cars of today. Well just like there's the rule change asterisk comparing Lance Alworth to Jerry Rice, the same goes when comparing an L88 Corvette to a Z06. Tire technology has changed the game drastically. The L88's were drag-tested on bias-belted F70-15 tires. Times varied on whether you smoked the tires halfway down the track or all the way down the track. How would a new Z06 do on F70-15 bias plys? And how would the L88 do with 12 inch wide 335/35/ZR20s?  Musclecar review drag-tested a pristine reader-owned L88 a few years ago with BFG drag radials-and it ran a blistering 11.88 at almost 120 mph. About the same as a new Z06 with a professional driver. Hot Rod's May 1970 LS6 Chevelle test car ran a 13.44 on F70-14 bias-plys. A new Camaro SS runs 13 flat on 275/45R20 Z-rated tires. Obviously, the LS6 could easily dip into the 12s with better tires. What would the new Camaro run on F70-14 Wide-Oval Coker tire repros?  The same applies to cornering as well as drag racing.  A 1978 WS6 Trans-Am is regarded as the pinnacle of '70's handling. Car and Driver tested one that pulled .82G on the skidpad on 225/70R15 Goodyear Polysteel Radials. By comparison Road and Track's 2010 Camaro SS test car pulled .88G, and the 2010 SRT8 Challenger pulled only .85G-on 245/45R20 front and 275/45R20 ZR rated BFG Comp T/A's. Again-what would the old T/A do with modern Z-rated performance tires?  The point I'm making is, there were some awesome cars built in the '60's and '70's and there are awesome cars being built now. But if your going to compare them-at least keep the playing field as fair as possible. Mastermind            

"Stealth" modifications that can really increase performance!

I get a lot of people asking me how can I make my car go faster and still look stock?  Here's a list of "hidden" modifications that can drastically increase performance. I'll try to start with the cheap and easy ones and progress to the more time-consuming and expensive ones. # 1. Ignition. You'd be amazed that some of the musclecars running around will even start, much less run decent. They'll have the timing way advanced or too slow, the vacuum advance unplugged, the points closing up, the rotor burned, and the wires so old they snap in two if you try to pull one off to check a plug. Make sure the timing is right, that the points and condenser are new and set right, and the cap and rotor and wires also need to be replaced if they haven't been in the last 30,000 miles. Petronix and other companies make electronic ignition conversions that fit under a point-type cap, if you want to go that way. If you drive like grandma on prozac, then go a range or two hotter on the plugs and change them to the recommended heat range if you take a weekend trip to the drags. Pay attention to what tuners say about your particular engine. For example, I had the strongest 403 Olds / Trans-Am anyone had ever seen, and it was the plug gap that did it! I gave it the Herb Adams VSE "Fire-Am" treatment-headers and real dual exhausts, and a Holley Street Dominator aluminum intake manifold. The engine had noticabely more power and torque, but just like the stocker, it started wheezing around 4,400 rpm and was all done in by 4,700. I noticed the recommended AC plug was an R46SZ-an .080 gap plug. This was done for emissions- a longer spark burns cleaner. But even the mighty GM HEI couldn't jump .080 at high rpm. Pre-1975 Olds engines used the R45S AC plug- a .040 gap. After changing to the .040 gap plugs, the engine pulled hard to 5,400 rpm!! This made a huge difference in performance. Which brings up....# 2. Induction.  The first thing the average idiot does as soon as his car fouls a plug is start screwing around with the carburator(s).  Don't. Make sure the float is set properly and that the accelerator pump is getting full range of motion. Make sure there's no restriction in the linkage, that your getting full-throttle opening and have a fresh filter. Jetting can vary due to engine type and carb type, but this is good basic advice regardless of the car. As for intake manifolds, they can make a big difference in performance. GMPP makes a cast-iron version of the original Z/28 / LT-1 Small-block Chevy intake. This is an excellent choice for racers whose class rules mandate an iron manifold, or for street rodders that want an extra 30 or 40 hp while looking stock. Pontiacs from 1967-74 have an excellent stock intake. However, the 1975-79 models have a restrictive throttle opening which limits power above 4,000 rpm. If you have one of these engines, I'd switch to the earlier factory manifold or get an Edelbrock Performer and paint it blue. That's a good stealth trick regardless of make-paint an aftermarket intake the factory color. # 3. Gears. Unless your car came stock with gears in the 3.08 -4.10 range- You need to change gears. This is the problem with most '70's cars-they have salt-flats gearing like 2.56:1.  Something in the 3.23 to the 3.73 range will drastically improve performance.  # 4. In the early '60's Chrysler found more performance not in the engine, but the transmission.  If you have an automatic, a shift-improver kit and a mild converter will drastically improve 0-60 times. By mild I mean around 2,000 rpm. This will give 500-800 more rpm stall than most stock converters and not hurt driveability. A 3,000 on up stall converter isn't necessary unless you have a stompin' engine with a really big cam.  # 5. Cylinder heads. Luckily, modern, free-breathing heads will bolt on to older blocks. I.E.- "Vortec" heads for a small-block Chevy and "Magnum" heads for small-block Mopars. Or you can get aftermarket aluminum heads for just about anything and paint them the factory color.  #6. Stroker cranks. I put these last because they require pulling the engine and tearing it down. You can make a 302 Ford into a 347, or a 350 Chevy into a 383, a 360 Mopar into a 410, and dozens of other combinations. All other things being equal, more cubes means more power. On the other hand, yes, it's possible to get 454 inches from a small-block Chevy, but wouldn't it be easier and cheaper to just buy a 454 either MkIV or V?  Anyhow, hope these tips help out. Mastermind

Forgotten cars that may be cool

There are a lot of cars out there, that for whatever reason didn't sell well when they were new, but are a great bargain used. In the musclecar realm, these can be great finds. Here's a few that people don't think of but offer tremendous bang for the buck. # 1. 1973-75 Pontiac Grand Am. Touted to have the "Performance of a Trans-Am and the luxury of a Gran Prix" this car tanked for two reasons. It was introduced at the height of the 1973 Arab oil embargo, and performance buyers bought T/A's and luxury buyers bought GP's.  However, if you want a high-performance GM A-body, they are a screaming bargain. 400 cubes standard all years and a fair number had 455s. Wrist-thick front and rear sway bars and "Radial Tuned Suspension" make them awesome handlers. # 2. 1973-74 Olds Omega. Often overlooked, these have the classic ( 68-74 ) "Nova" body that everyone wants, and quite a few have the 350 Olds "Rocket" 4bbl V8. Just about any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Camaro, Firebird or Nova will fit these. Or you could swap in a 403 or 455 pretty easily and have a real sleeper. # 3. 1974-76 AMC Matador. These new for '74 coupes actually had modest success in NASCAR racing, thanks to the swoopy, fastback body. With 360 or 401 cubes under the hood, they can be made to move pretty good too. # 4. 1977 Olds 442. "The Last of the Mohicans"-The final 442 to be based on the Gm "A" body with an engine larger than 400 cubes. Any speed parts that fit a 350 Olds will fit a 403, and swapping the stock 2.56:1 axle ratio for a 3.23 or 3.42 will work wonders for performance even with a stock engine. Or you could swap in a 455 pretty easily. Richard Petty's last Daytona 500 victory came in this bodystyle after he switched from Dodge to GM.  Of the zillions of Cutlasses that were built this year, more than 11,000 had the 442 package, so you may be able to find one in decent shape.  # 5. 1987-92 Lincoln MKVIILSC. These cars had a racy body, a badass monchromatic paint job, 16" wheels and low-profile tires, Recaro-like seats, and the snarling 5.0 Mustang engine under the hood. Just about anything that fits a Fox-bodied Mustang or an '80's T-bird fits these cars, so aftermarket performance support is great.  # 6. 2003-2004 Mercury Marauder.  Based on the Crown Vic police interceptor-it goes beyond "Cop tires, Cop shocks,...."  with 18" tires and wheels and the snarling 302 hp 4.6 liter V8 pirated from the Mustang Cobra. It also has a high-stall converter and Auto Meter guages in the custom leather interior. These were bitchin' cars, but Ford never promoted them, and then wondered why they didn't sell like the Impala SS they were supposed to compete with. #7 2004-2006 Pontiac GTO. The best car no one bought. The heart of a 'Vette, the handling of a BMW and the styling of a Rental car.  GM hoped to sell 18,000 a year, they never did. '04 models have the 350 hp 5.7, the '05-'06 models have the 400 hp 6.0.  I have seen these as low as $8200 at auctions.  These may be just the ticket if you want something unique for a good price. Mastermind         

It's Ok to build a mild, depemdable cruiser!! In fact it's smart!

I talked to a guy the other day that had restored a 1964 Olds Cutlass coupe. It wasn't a 442, but it was a nice, clean, rust-free 2 door body.  The interior had bucket seats and a console, and it was nice. He had upgraded to front disc brakes by using '70's F-body spindles, rotors, calipers, booster and master cylinder, etc. He had also replaced the 330 V8 / Super Turbine 300 ( read 2-speed Powerglide ) automatic powertrain with a later-model 350 Olds V8 and a Turbo 350 trans. It ran like a champ. I thought it was a great car, and told him. He was almost apologetic. "Yeah, thanks a lot." "I like it, and my wife likes it." "Everybody says I should have gotten a 455 and a Richmond 5-speed stick, and a Global west suspension, and Wildwood 4-wheel disc brakes." "But I didn't have that kind of money, and my wife and I like to drive it to car shows or take it to the drags occasionally." "It only runs in the 14s, but it's still a lot of fun."  "Buddy-I said-"You don't have to apologize for buidling a cool car, your way on a limited budget and then enjoying the hell out of it ." "Everybody else" reads too many magazines, and can spend other people's money and time real easily by running their mouth." "You like it, and that's all that matters."  "And guess what-I'll bet you have just as much fun running in the 14s, or more-because your not worried about blowing up some megabuck motor than the blowhard that's running 11s and telling everyone else what they should do with their car."  "It's funny-your the first person I've talked to that said "That's cool." "Everyone else says I should get a modern LS motor ( AAAAuuuGGhhhhh!!!! ) or a Modnello built 425 or 455, or even a Big-block Chevy."  "But screw 'em." " "I have a 403 Olds that I got out of a wrecked Firebird that I plan to put in "someday", but it runs so damnded good and is so much fun to drive, that I can't bring myself to park it long enough to do the engine swap-even though it'd probably only take a day- a 403 and a 350 are virtually identical."  "Hey-drive it till the wheels fall off buddy." "I will."  We should all follow this guy's lead-sometimes simplicity is the best way to go.  Mastermind 

Some "Junkyard Jewels" to consider.....

We all talk a lot about numbers-matching cars, and we talk a lot about the high-performance crate engines that GM, Ford, Chrysler, Edelbrock,and places like Smeding and Blueprint engines offer. But the fact is, there are a lot of people restoring or restifying old musclecars that don't have the original engine, and don't have a chance of finding one-( Where are you going to find a 327 Chevy with 1962 date codes or a 406 Ford with 1963 codes for sale, at any price? ) and can't afford a mega-buck crate engine. Their only solution is to find a SIMILAR engine of the same family and build that. Here's some that are relatively plentiful in junkyards that make a good base for a hot rod engine and that no one will know isn't original unless you tell them, or they crawl under the car and check the numbers on the block. Obviously a lot of people are going to build 350 Chevys to go where a 283 or 327 once rested or a 302 or 351W in place of a 289-duh. I'm talking about some that people might not think of, but would work great. Here's some diamonds you may find a deal on.  # 1. 400 Pontiac. Just about every Pontiac built from 1967-78 had a 400 under the hood. Since Pontiac engines are externally identical from a 326 to a 455, you could put one in a '63 Gran Prix, a '68 GTO, or a 73 Firebird and no one would know it didn't grow there. Great aftermarket support-Kauffman and Edelbrock offer aftermarket aluminum heads, and Eagle and others offer stroker crank kits to turn a 400 into a 455. If you have a 389,421,428 or 455 by all means use it. But if your searching to buy a used Pontiac engine- the 400s are the most plentiful. # 2. 390 Ford. These were used in just about every full-size and mid-size Ford from 1963-70, and were used in trucks until 1976. An "FE" series-they look like a 352 or a 406 or a 428. This way-if your building a tri-power '63 Galaxie, a Thunderbolt clone, a "Bullitt" replica, or a GT500 clone, no one will know it's not original. Good aftermarket support-aluminum heads are available from Edelbrock and cams, headers, intakes, etc are plentiful. # 3. AMC 360. Used in Jeep Grand Wagonneers until 1992-these are relatively plentiful in junkyards. Decent aftermarket support-aluminum heads, cams etc are available. If your restoring a Javelin / AMX or Rebel Machine, that doesn't have the original 390 / 401-this may be your only choice. # 4 Ford 351-400M. Used from 1975-82 in zillions of cars, trucks and vans, these can make big power if their built right. Good aftermarket support-Edelbrock makes intakes and cams for them, and if you can't find a 351C, these might be the next best thing. They have the the same bellhousing bolt-pattern as a 351C, and a 429 / 460-so swapability is good. I'd look for a 351C or buy a 351W and put aftermarket "Cleveland" heads and intake on it to make a clone "Boss" 351 / "Clevor",  But if your car has one of these engines in it, or your short on cash and can buy one for a couple hundred bucks to rebuild because you can't find the 351W or 351C, their good, solid performers that make big-block like torque at a small-block price. # 5. 1990-up MKV Chevy "Rat" motor. These are plentiful in junyards in trucks, vans, suburbans, etc. The "Peanut" heads breathe plenty good for a street engine that's never going to see the high side of 6,000 rpm. When you have 454 or 502 cubes, pumping out 500+lbs ft of torque, you don't need to rev to 8 grand. There's tons of aftermarket support so you can build these anyway you want, really. I mention them because these engines can be bought way cheaper than a used MKIV 396, 427 or 454. If your on a tight budget, this may be the only way you can afford a Rat motor for that Chevelle or Camaro of your dreams. And they don't leak oil like the old ones.  # 6. 1992-up Dodge "Magnum" V8s. Gazillions built, as besides Dodge trucks they were used in Jeep Cherokees for several years. 318 or 360 cubes, but obviously the 360s are more desirable for performance work. The upside is the "Magnum" heads breathe better than any factory Mopar head and some aftermarket ones, and they will bolt up to the older-1971-91 blocks, but you'll need a Magnum style intake. No worries-Edelbrock offers dual and single-plane Magnum-compatible intakes. A great way to have a powerful, low-budget small-block for your Duster or Cuda / Challenger. # 7. 403 Olds V8. Although they were only built from 1977-79, they were GM's "Corporate" big block at the time and were used in millions of Old, Buick and Pontiac models, so there's a lot of them around. Externally identical to a 350, but you get the extra torque of 53 more cubes. Could be dynamite in an early Cutlass / F85 or a '73 or 74 Omega, or other light car.  Anyhow, I thought these sometimes overlooked gems might be the only choices for some people on a limited budget that still want high performance and to look original. Mastermind               

Like Tom Petty- "I won't back down."

Got a lot of flack for the last post, with some people asking why I have a deep-seated obsessional hatred for the modern fuelie motors. For the last time, I don't hate them. I think their wonderful. If my credit rating wasn't ruined by my divorce I would definitely be driving either an Alpine white Hemi / six-speed 2011 Challenger R/T or a black and red 2012 Boss 302, or a 2011 Camaro SS, depending on whether GM , Ford or Chrysler Motor credit had the best lease deal.  Their all 3 so awesome, it would be hard to choose. That aside, I do not understand why people will spend double or triple the money it costs to build a conventional "Old-school" engine and ruin the value of a classic at the same time. Like I said-it's never a beater '69 LeMans-its always a numbers-matching Judge or something else really cool that some moron has to bastardize. And even if you weren't messing up a numbers-matching Z/28 or Trans-Am- I still don't get it. Here's a little math for you-Summitt Racing and Scoggin-Dickey sell the "Fast Burn 385" crate motor for $4399. This is a 350 Chevy based on the ZZ4 short block with a hot roller cam, "Fast Burn" heads, aluminum intake, and is complete from distributor to oil pan. It's also rated at 385 hp.  The "E-rod" emission legal LS motor package developed by GM and Edelbrock costs $8278. It's the 400hp LS3 and the necessary wiring. No more power ( Don't insult me and tell me you can "feel" the difference between 385 and 400 hp ) Yet almost double the price.  If you want more than that-let's say you want to be "King Kong" -Summit and Scoggin- Dickey sell the 620 hp 572 Rat complete from carb to oil pan for $13,000. The 638 hp supercharged LS9 that comes in the ZR1 'Vette is available as a package from GM for $24,900. I can already hear it-"Yeah but not everyone buys a brand-new crate motor."  True. Try this math on for size-Super Chevy did it-for $699 you can buy a generic, pre 1986 350 Chevy "Short-block" from any auto parts store-I.E.- Autozone, Pep Boys, Checker etc. For $650 you can buy a pair of brand-new Vortec heads from GMPP. After they added a cam kit, an Edelbrock carb and intake, headers, and a rebuilt HEI distributor-they had a motor that put out 400 hp and 415 lbs of torque that cost $2,600, and had all brand-new parts. Go used-$500 will buy you a conventional small-block Chevy V8 at any junkyard in the nation. A 5.3 LS truck motor with 100,000 miles or more on it will bring $1,500. Triple the price, and that's before you start rebuilding or hot-rodding it.  And the Pickup / Tahoe 5.3s  aren't the desirable ones; everybody wants the Camaro / Corvette / GTO motors. The "Old-school" 400 hp, 350 we built using all new parts for $2,600?  That same $2,600 might get you a used 350hp, 5.7 LS motor out of a wrecked '98-up  Z/28 or 'Vette from a junkyard with 100,000 miles or more on it, that the junkyard can't guarantee doesn't have a cracked head or something. Then you have to rebuild it. If you want a 400 or 430 hp 6.0 or 6.2 out of a later model with low miles- say less than 60K- they bring 4 grand on up, if you can find one used. (They get snapped up pretty quick.)  Even if you have a Pontiac-and want to keep it a "Real" Pontiac-Car Craft did one they titled "Junkyard Jewel" They built a 400 that made 460 hp and 440 lbs ft of torque, for $4,400, which included $1,995 for aluminum Edelbrock heads. Just for giggles, they put the 6X iron heads back on it, which would drop the price to $2400-and it still made 402 hp and 430 lbs of torque. The same for the Fords. For $3495 you can buy a complete 345 hp 302 crate engine. The 412 hp "Coyote" in the new Mustang GT retails for $12995. I'm sure you can squeeze an extra 67 hp out of the SVO 302 crate motor for a lot less than 8 grand!!. I know, the "Coyotes" are too new to compare to the hated Chevys. But either new or used-the 4.6 mod motor that's been used in zillions of cars and trucks since 1996 is still way more expensive to buy or build than a conventional 302 or 351W, and doesn't make any more power. Ditto for the Mopars- even a 345 hp 5.7 Modern Hemi out of a 2005 Charger, 300 or pickup that has 100k miles or more on it will still bring blood and a first-born child. The 425 or 460 hp 6.1 or 6.4 SRT8 Hemi? Like MC Hammer said- "Can't Touch This". At least not for less than 6 grand on the used market and nearly 15 new. Blueprint Engines sells a 360 based 408 stroker with 390 hp and 460 lbs ft of torque for $3,500. Hell, if you want a $15,000 Hemi, Mopar Performance Sells the 426 Elephant rated at 465 horses complete from distributor to oil pan. Like that famous poet said- "I will rage, rage against the dying of the light." I will never, ever say it's cool that some jack ass with more money than brains stuffed an LS motor into his Judge or a Coyote into his Shelby GT350. If the modern fuelie motors were cheaper than the old school engines and made twice the power-I could see it.  Like a guy who builds a 289 /302 Ford for his '32 Deuce coupe project instead of a Flathead. That's a perfect example. But 350 Chevys, and 400 Pontiacs and 302 Fords and 383 Mopars aren't obsolete like a Ford Flathead, and there's zillions of speed parts still available for them and will be for years to come, and you can build a 400 or 500 hp version of any of them for less than half what the 5.0 Coyote, 6.2 LS and 6.4 Hemis cost either new or used!!  That's why, like Tom Petty said-"Stand me up at the gates of hell, and I won't back down."  Until the prices of these electronic wonders comes way, way down, and the horsepower producing ability-which is about even with the "oldies" right now-goes way up, I won't endorse them as a deal or the greatest thing since sliced bread. Mastermind     

Can we please stop with the F*&^%ing Chevy LS Motors??!!!

I once made a wise-ass remark to the brass at Petersen Publishing. I said that instead of Hot Rod and Car Craft, and every other mag on the market featuring page after page, month after month, modern fuel injected engines in vintage iron, to Just start another magazine and call it "Modern Fuelie Swap Monthly." This way they can feature these abominations to their heart's content, and the other magazines can continue with tradtional hot rod style coverage. Well, they took my advice and did it. It's called "Engine Swaps" and I still found it offensive for two reasons. I've said it a million times, but I'll say it again. No one cares if want to drop an LS motor and a six-speed automatic into a beater Malibu, or even an Olds Cutlass, or Pontiac Tempest, or one of the millions of  beater 1970-81 Camaros and Firebirds out there. What drives me up the wall is the guy featured in Popular Hot Rodding that did this to a 1 of 458 ever built Lucerne Blue and white, 455HO, 4-speed 1972 Trans-Am.  Or the "For-real, numbers-matching, 4-speed, 1969 SS396 Chevelle". That Hot Rod, besides the LS motor-gutted the interior and installed a roll cage and a 9 inch Ford rear end. ( The stock 12-bolt posi wasn't strong enough? Puhleeze. ) Anyhow, in this "Engine Swaps" current issue we have a clown with way more money than brains that put a modern Chevy LS motor and drivetrain in a Real,numbers-matching 1965 Pontiac GTO CONVERTIBLE!!! I looked up where he bought this high-performance 575hp LS crate motor, and it cost $12,000. Jim Butler performance-one of the leading names in "Real" Pontiac power will build you a 455 Pontiac guaranteed to have 500 hp, and run on 91 octane pump gas for $7,500!!.  If you want to be a real sleeper, if you supply the block and induction system, for the same price, he'll also build you a tri-power 389 that looks bone-stock, but puts out 450 hp-100 more than the factory's 348 hp rating-and is guaranteed to run low 12s in the 1/4 and is warrantied for three years!!!  Now if I was restoring a '65 GTO-that's the way I'd go-instead of spending five grand MORE to bastardize it.  In the same issue-we have a guy that put a new 470 hp, 6.4L SRT8 Hemi in a '70 Challenger. Again-the new SRT8 motor and wiring and everything cost nearly 20 grand! For 14 grand, Mopar Performance sells a complete 426 Hemi crate engine rated at 465 hp, that will basically bolt in, provided you have a B / RB crossmember and motor mounts. Now just about every Mopar freak I know and quite a few GM and Ford guys would sell their souls to indulge their Kowalski fantasies in a 426 Hemi Challenger, but would rather walk barefoot over hot coals or have their fingernails pulled out with pliers than drive a modern fuelie "Bastard".  If I wanted a new fuelie Hemi in a retro Challenger, I'd go down to my local Dodge dealer and buy one!!!  To me-"Hemi Challenger" will always mean a dual-quad 426 inch monster. The one that offended me the most- and I'm not really a Ford guy-was a freaking 6.0 Chevy LS motor stuffed into a Fox-Bodied Mustang. God this makes me sick, and is so wrong, on so many levels. The only worse case was the asshole that put a Toyota Supra Turbo drivetrain in a 1967 Camaro. Anyway, I do not understand the reasoning behind this swap in any way, shape or form. The LS motor doesn't go any faster. I've seen thousands of 5.0 Mustangs either normally aspirated, or with blowers and / or nitrous that run in the 9s or 10s consistently, and reliably. It's not cost-effective. Even if you buy the motor out of a wrecked car or truck in a junkyard, you still have completely re-wire the car, change the transmission, the engine mounts, the trans mount, the driveshaft yoke, and countless other details I can't think of now. Even if you car has a blown engine-It's a lot easier and cheaper to go to a junkyard and get another 5.0 out of a Mustang, T-Bird, Cougar, or Lincoln MKVIILSC, than it is to convert it to LS power, even if your using junkyard parts. I certainly hope you love it, because you just made the car sale proof.  Ford guys  won't touch it with a ten foot pole, Chevy guys don't want it for free, and the uninitiated neophyte that thinks he might want a hot rod is going to ask- "Why would I want a Ford with a Chevy engine in it?" "Isn't that kinda stupid?" I've looked at several issues of this mag-and it's all the same- Chevy LS motors in Datsun Z-cars, in Mazda Rx-7s, in Dodge Darts, for god's sake!!!  I'm glad all you magazine writers think these are the greatest thing since sliced bread. And I agree, they are the wave of the future. If the new stuff was cheap and plentiful, I could understand the hero-worship. But it's not cheap, it's more than triple the price of old stuff.  Right now, you can build an "old-school" small-block Chevy that makes just as much power for about 1/4 the price. Think I'm lying? You can buy a complete, from carburator to oil pan used 350 Chevy from any "U-pull-it" junyard in the nation for $200. Try to buy a running 5.3 / 5.7 / 6.0  or 6.2 engine anywhere for less than $1,500. Then buy the hot-rod parts. be it heads, cam, induction, exhaust, whatever- the LS stuff is substantially more than the old-school stuff. Then you have to do all the electronic wiring. To me, the LS motor is like Kim Kardashian-admittedly hot-but what else does she do that's so great, and why is the public so infatuated with her?  Mastermind               

Don't fall for the Overkill that magazines feature!

I've see a lot of cars where people mimic a car they've seen in a magazine and then are disappointed with it. The way to avoid this is to err on the side of caution. With most musclecars less is more anyway. Here's what I mean:  #1. Induction-multi-carb systems look and sound cool. If you want a Tri-power system ( 3-2bbl carbs ) on your GTO, Corvette or Road Runner, I'm certainly not going to talk you out of it. When their tuned right, they work great. The problem is, as soon as the car fouls a spark plug, the owner starts screwing around with the carburators. Pretty soon it won't even start. The same goes for dual-quad ( 2-4bbl ) setups. They work well if their tuned right. These are kind of a buy-it-if-you-like-it decision. As for performance-think about this-If a Super Stock Firebird can run 11.30s with a Quadrajet on a stock iron manifold, why do you need a tunnel-ram and dual 660 Holleys?  # 2. "We shall Overcam" seems to be the hot-rodders motto. 50 years ago-say about 1962-when "American Graffiti" was set-High-performance engines used solid-lifter cams. This was because the hydraulic lifters of the time would "pump up" and the engines would run out of rpm about 5,000. Solid lifters allowed racers to rev to 6,500 or 7,000 and beyond, but made noise and required frequent adjustment. Modern camshaft and lifter design has come a long way since then, and you can run a flat-tappet hydraulic cam that requires no adjustment, runs quiet, and pulls hard to 7,000 rpm. Crane, Competition Cams, Lunati, Edelbrock and others have excellent performance hydraulic cams for most popular engines. However, now roller cams are all the rage. If you have a 1987 and later Chevy V8, a 1986 and later Ford, or a 1992 and later Chrysler "Magnum" engine ( Why are you running these in a '60s or '70s musclecar anyway? ) that had a roller cam from the factory, then that's the only way to fly. But if your engine didn't have a roller cam stock-the parts to convert the valvetrain often run as much as $1,800!! That's a lot more than the $300 or so that most flat-tappet hydraulic cam kits cost. If your building a drag racer or a Nascar racer that has to go 7,800 rpm for 500 miles at Daytona, yes you need all the beef you can get. But for a street / strip engine that's never going to see the high side of 6,500 rpm it's a total waste of time and money. # 3. Too much Converter. "Hi-Stall" converters came into being in the late '50's and early '60s to help racers with automatic transmissions whose car's small, high-revving engine didn't have enough torque to launch the car properly. Again-were talking a 301 Chevy ( bored-out 283 ) with a 1.76:1 low gear Powerglide or a 289 Ford with a C4. If you have a  mild big-block-even a bone-stock 396 Chevelle or a 383 Road Runner, all a higher stall speed converter will do is blow the tires off-create excessive wheelspin which will actually make you run slower. You have to realize the benchmark for rating converters is 230 lbs ft of torque. About what a stock 1984, 8.0:1 compression, LG4 4bbl 305 Chevy has. If you have a 455 Pontiac that has 480 lbs ft of torque at 2,700 rpm-what's going happen if you put a 3,000 rpm converter behind that? Your going to blow the tires off. Here's the rule of thumb for replacing a stock converter-If your camshaft has less than 225 degrees intake duration at .050 lift-( about 280 advertised duration ) you really don't need a performance converter. Remember a larger engine can take more cam without ill-effects-i.e.-hurting idle or driveability. Here's some good examples.  A cam that absolutely kills a 305 Chevy-i.e. the original "350 hp 327 Corvette" grind- will work pretty good in a 350 with a stick, and be really sweet in a 383 / 400 regardless of tranny.  A "Ram Air IV" cam will kill a 350 Pontiac, be a little lumpy in a 400 but good with a 4-speed, and be absolutely awesome in a 455 with a stick or automatic. Follow the cam manufacturers recommendations for axle ratios and converters-there's a reason a Boss 302 Mustang or an RAIV GTO only came with 3.90:1 or 4.33:1 gears!! Which brings up..... # 4. Not enough Gear. This is the problem with most '70's cars. Manufacturers went to higher ( lower numeric ) gearing to reduce emissions. But it really screws up the neophyte hot-rodder. Here's why-a 1968 GTO with a 10.75:1 compression 400 and 3.55:1 gears is so strong-that you really can't kill it-even if you went with a big cam and a single-plane intake ala' Torker II-the loss of bottom-end torque would actually help you launch with less wheelspin, and the increaed top-end rush will help you cut a lower e.t.  Do the same thing to your '77 "Bandit" T/A with an 8.0:1 400 and 2.56:1 gears and it's a dog-it won't even run as fast as it did stock. Your choices with the T/A would be to run a milder cam and a dual plane intake, or increase compression to about 10:1 and add 3.42 or 3.73 gears. If your car has salt-flats gearing-2.56:1 or 2.73:1 then you need to change to something in the 3.23:1 to 3.73:1 range. If your car has 3.08:1 or lower ( higher numeric ) then your probably ok unless your just going hog-wild with the engine to the point where you'd need 4.11:1 or 4.56:1 gears. If you remember the "Less is more" rule when building a street driven car- you'll be ok. Mastermind                  

The final word on what is and isn't a "Street Machine"

It seems every enthusiast magazine on the market has irritating articles about 7, 8 or 9 second street machines. A car that has an 8 or 10 point roll cage, a safety fuel cell, is powered by a 12:1 compression, 500 ci , 650 hp engine + the 300 hp nitrous system, backed up by an automatic with a 4,800 rpm stall converter and a trans-brake that does over 140 mph in 7 seconds is a race car. Period. End of story. It must irritate you too. At these "Real Street" Eliminator events, how many of these cars arrive on Trailers? There not street machines, their race cars with liscence plates.  Here's why- # 1-Most states require any vehicle built after 1978 to have some kind of smog and or safety inspeciton which includes checking for equipment like catalytic converters, EGR valves, etc. How does one get a 572 inch, 720 hp 1986 Monte Carlo SS legally registered?  # 2. Even if you go old school-i.e. a '68 Road Runner-even with 4.56:1 gears you need to cut those blistering times, your 60 mph cruise rpm is going to be well below your 4,500 rpm race converters stall speed.  If these cars are streetable-just how far toward soccer practice can mom go before she burns up the tranny?  # 3. There not daily drivers, I get that. Neither is my 442 or my brother's GTO. But we can drive those cars pretty comfortably to the mall or on a 200 mile trip. In Larry Larson's 7 second drag week champion Nova? Clambering around the roll cage has to get old every time you get in or out of the car. And "Don't step on the nitrous bottle, honey, daddy'll get you to school on time!"   I've had this argument with the editor of Hot Rod.  Yes, anything is DRIVABLE, depending on what the driver is willing to tolerate. I've said it before-a friend had a Cobra replica with a blown big-block in it. It ran something like 9.80 in the 1/4 on it's first pass. But-you had to crane your neck to the left to see around the blower to drive, it overheated if it idled for more than a minute, driver's and passengers alike banged their head on the rollbar and burned their legs on the sidepipes,it had no top, no power steering, no power brakes, and about every 5th run it would spit a half-shaft out the Jag rear end and have to be towed home. Not a pleasant driving experience, away from the strip. Since a new Mustang GT or SS Camaro can run 12s off the showroom floor and with a little work or a shot of nitrous even hit the low 11s or high 10s, I'm not going to categorize so much by 1/4 mile times as by drivability. Here's the guidelines to what isn't streetable:  If you can't enter or exit a high-school parking lot or negotiate a shopping center speed bump without breaking the exhaust system or smashing the oil pan, it's not a street machine. If you can't drive the car 30 miles without burning up the tranny or overheating the engine, it's not a street machine. If you can't SEE around your induction system or hood scoop, then it's not a street machine. If you can't drive it up a curvy road at 10 miles per hour over the posted speed limit in the rain, then it's not a street machine. These are all things that any 30 year old Honda Civic could do with a teenage driver. If your car can't do those, it's not a street machine. If you think of motorcycles- The guys at Orange County Choppers on TV don't try to say their bikes are "Touring" models. Robbie Kneival doesn't describe his jump bike as a "Sport Bike".  Thanks, I just had to vent that. Mastermind