More one or two year "Last" models that may be cool.....

Here's some more one or two year models that may be bargains for some of you. #1. 1971-72 Pontiac GTO. These aren't as snubbed by Pontiac collectors as the hated '73, but their treated like Rodney Dangerfield and I don't know why. They still have the classic '68-72 bodystyle that everyone loves, they still have 400 cubes standard under the hood, with the vaunted 455HO optional. And-even though their kinda rare-they only made 10,000 in '71 and 5,807 in '72-they are priced way lower than a '69 ( 72,225 built ) or '70 ( 40,149 built ). These are a screaming deal if you want a 1968-72 GM "A" body-they seem to be cheaper than Chevelles and 442s of the same years-yet the Pontiacs have 400 cubes standard and the Chevy and Olds had 350s as the base engines. Weird.  # 2. 1972 Plymouth Road Runner. These are the exact same bodystyle as the '71 that people pay way more for. Part of it is the '71s still had high-compression and the Hemi and 440 six-pack was still available. However, if your looking for a bargain, your not buying a Hemi or Six-Pack car anyway. The 383 was bored to 400 inches and got electronic ignition. Since the '71 383 was only rated at 300 gross hp, and the '72 400 was rated at 260 net, I don't think you lose any real-world performance. The 340 and the 440 4bbl was still optional as well. For whatever reason, you can buy one of these way cheaper than a '71 model, even if were talking standard engines. # 3. 1977 Olds 442. The last "Real" 442-built on the "A" body chasiss with an engine over 400 cubes. Sadly-Olds put the legendary moniker on a lot of junk in the '80s including a 4-cylinder Calais in '85 or '86. Yuk.  However in '77 you could get a 403 with F41 suspension, and cool graphics. Richard Petty won some races in this body after he switched from Dodge. With a little work-intake, exhaust, and an axle ratio change-( 2.41:1 was the standard gear ) they can really run. About 12,000 were built.  # 4 1982 Corvette. The last of the C3 bodystyle. Some had carburated 350s, but the ones to get are the Cross-Fire Injected models with the then-new 700R4 4-speed automatic overdrive. 'Vette purists kind of snub them in favor of 78-80 L82 models or the '84 and later model ( There was no '83 'Vette, the '84 debuted in March 1983.) which is why you can get a deal on one. Their not dogs-7 second 0-60 and 15 second 1/4 miles were good for the time-but they aren't as fast as some of the more sought after earlier ( L82 ) or later ( L98 ) models. Still it's not often you hear "Corvette" and "Bargain" in the same sentence. # 5. 1985-86 "5.0" Mustang. Everyone wants the fuel-injected '87-93 models. However, if you want some old-school snarl in a Fox Mustang-these had factory headers and a 600 Holley 4bbl on an aluminum manifold. A friend bought one of these brand-new and it was badass. It would literally spin the tires as long as he wanted to stay on the throttle. And the fuelies being quicker-I beg to differ we never got beat in a street race by one.  Maybe one of these will be your next dream machine Mastermind     

The Last of The Mohicans......

Well the first year of anything usually brings a king's ransom, often the last year can be a good buy for the sharp-eyed collector. Here's some "Last Year" bargains to look for. #1. 1973 Ford Mustang. In 1974 the awful Pinto-based Mustang II debuted and tortured us until it's demise in 1978. Yet the '73 models are like Rodney Dangerfield-a '71-72 will bring way more money at auction-although the bodystyle is identical except for the placement of the park lights in the grille, and minor trim pieces. Most have the mighty 351C for power in either 2 or 4bbl form, which isn't a bad thing, and the 302 models can be hopped up easily. If you want the last "Real" Mustang before the "5.0" era these can be a screamin' deal, and there's really nothing wrong with them.  # 2. 1974 Dodge Charger. Richard Petty won a ton of races in this bodystyle and the 400 and 440 V8s were still available. If your willing to settle for a 360 model-you can really save some money.  In '75 Chrysler desecrated the name by putting it on re-badged Cordoba. Yuk.  # 3. 1974 AMC Javelin / AMX. Ironically-they made more Javelins this year than they did any other year since '71 when this bodystyle debuted. Look for a 360 or 401 powered version; the 304's are slugs. I always thought these were a great-looking car.  Don't pay extra for something stupid like "Pierre Cardin" interior-their not collectible, their just weird.  # 4. 1974 Chrysler E-body. This was the last year for the 'Cuda / Challenger-and the glory days were gone-no more Hemis, or 440 Six-Packs, or even a 383 Magnum. Even the 340 was gone after '73-replaced by the 360.  On the upside you can buy them way cheaper than the earlier models, the 360s were decent performers, and you could always swap in a big-block.  # 5. 1979 Pontiac Trans-Am. This was the last year of the 400 cube engines. 1980-81 models had the ill-fated 301 Turbo or a 305 Chevy. However, of the 117,000 T/A's sold this year-only about 10,000 were 400 / 4-speeds. The majority of the rest had 403 Olds engines backed by a TH350. For this reason they are snubbed by Pontiac purists and can be bought way cheaper than a '77-78. On the upside-the 403 models ran surprisingly strong-the Pontiacs were quicker-but not THAT much quicker-that's how they sold so many. I had a 403 Olds T/A that I gave the Herb Adams "Fire-Am" treatment to-headers and dual exhausts, a Holley Street Dominator aluminum intake, re-curved distributor, re-jetted carb and open hood scoop, and a TransGo shift kit.  I surprised quite a few musclecars when they saw the tailligthts of my "smog dog" T/A. There's plenty of speed parts-anything that fits a 350 Olds will fit a 403.  # 6. 1980 Z/28 Camaro. For this one year only-you could get a Z/28 with a 350, a 4-speed with a 3.44 low gear and a 2.28 second, with a 3.08 rear end. These were actually faster than the '77-79 models which had 2.64 low gear T10s and 3.73 gears.  And they got better gas mileage and had more top speed.  Automatics had 3.42:1 gears which gave them a little accelerati rapidus maximus attitude too. Cowl Induction was brought back this year too-a vaccum-operated hood scoop that opened under acceleration and sounded like the "Vanishing Point" soundtrack. Inexplicably-in 1981 if you wanted a 4-speed, you got a 305 that wheezed out 145 hp. If you wanted a 350, you got an automatic. One of these "Last-year" models might be just the ticket for you. Mastermind      

Two-barrel performance? It can be done!

Had a guy ask me a question pertaining to yesterdays post. He said he shows his cars in concours, and some of them have two-barrel engines, and the rules don't permit changing the intake and carb. Yet he'd like more oomph. The advice I gave on putting in slightly stiffer rear end gears and maybe a mild converter is still good. As for more power-check this out-there are a lot of circle track racing classes that require two barrel carbs. Don't scoff-these cars go awful fast. Get a magazine devoted to circle track racing and check out the ads in the back. There are a lot of companies that sell extensively ported two-barrel manifolds for most popular engines, as well as re-jetted, and reworked carbs, for these racers. There are also cams designed for two barrel racers, and ported exhaust manifolds. I know a guy that pulled one of these engines out of a "hobby stock" Chevelle, put it in a street Nova, and ran low 13's!!. How'd you like to have your ass kicked by a guy running iron intake and exhaust manifolds and a two-barrel carb?  Where there's a will, there's a way. Mastermind 

Concours guys want performance too!!

Had a couple inquirys from the Concours crowd on how to go faster, and yet not lose points at shows. # 1, this depends on the rules. I've seen organizations that dock you points if you have the wrong kind of hose clamps on your radiator hoses, and I've seen others that are ok with replacement parts as long as it's the same type-I.E.-They won't dock a '70 Z/28 points for not having a correct carb as long as it's a 3310 Holley, even if it doesn't have 1970 date codes. Check with your individual club or organization-A Mustang club may have different rules than a Chevelle club. You can tailor your "stealth" mods to fit the spirit of the rule, if not the letter. That aside, here's some general advice that you can get away with when building a Concours show car. # 1. Stroke it. Extra cubes always means extra power even with a bone-stock engine. Most show judging organizations will check numbers on the block, but they don't tear engines down. So you could make your 350 Chevy into a 383, or your 389 Pontiac into a 421 or 400 Mopar into a 451, and no one would be the wiser unless you told them.  # 2. Camshaft. Judges don't have X-ray vision, so no one can tell if you upgrade to a slightly hotter cam in the search for more grunt. # 3. Induction. Here's where you have to check the rules-some organizations demand that the manifold be dead stock right down to the date codes. Others are ok with a "Stock Type"-i.e. you won't lose points on a '68 GTO because the manifold is off a '72 Catalina-it's an iron Pontiac intake that mounts a Q-Jet, so it's considered "proper". I have also seen the "Stock Type" rule allow some aftermarket intakes-i.e.-since a '70 Z/28 had an aluminum intake from the factory, they allowed a Holley #300-36-which is an exact replica of the original Z/28 / LT1 intake. I have also seen a Pontiac Concours club allow an Edelbrock P65 Dual Quad intake on a SD389 restoration and a Performer on a Ram Air IV GTO because the factory intakes were aluminum, and the aftermarkets qualify as "Stock Type" replacements. I have also seen Chevy clubs dock serious points off an awesome '71 SS454 El Camino because the iron intake came off a '69 396. Yet if you want to buy a service replacment iron MKIV Oval-port Q-jet 4bbl manifold from GMPP-there's only one part number listed from 1967-72.  Like I said each organization has it's own rules. You could also do some port-matching from the manifold to the heads.  #4. Head work. Judges will spot aluminum heads a mile away, but you can port stock iron heads. Depending on make, for example the difference between "standard" small block Chevy heads and "Hi-Performance" heads is hi-perf heads have 2.02 intake and 1.60 inch exhaust valves and screw-in rocker studs. "Standard" heads have 1.94 intake and 1.50 inch exhaust valves and pressed in rocker studs. The port sizes are the same. Any competent machine shop could put the larger valves in standard heads for a nominal fee. Ditto for 350 Olds heads-the vaunted "W31"'s had larger valves, but the port sizes were the same as standard heads. Pontiac heads can be milled as much as .060 inch to gain a full point boost in compression. # 5. Mechanical advantage. In 1971 when compression ratios were lowered across the board and power down, GM lowered axle ratios on most musclecars to minimize performance loss. They advertised this as "Tractive Force"  "The net result of all the drivetrain components."  You can do the same. If your car has Salt-flat's gearing like 2.56:1 or 2.73:1, switching to something in the 3.23 to 3.73 range can drastically improve acceleration without hurting driveability too much. If you have an automatic, a mild performance converter can help immensely. By mild I mean a stall speed of  no more than 2,000 rpm. This will give you a much better "holeshot" than the stock converter ( which will stall anywhere from 5-600 rpm less ) without hurting driveability. A 3,000 rpm converter is a waste behind a basically stock engine; it will hurt low-speed driveability and on anything 360 cubes on up, you'll just blow the tires off, which is not conducive to quick acceleration.  All of these tips will help your "Show Queen" develop some claws that no one can detect, while their looking at tailllights, and wondering how it happened. Mastermind   

Do research before you start spewing insults.......

Had several idiots email me after yesterday's post telling me I was "dreaming" about the idea for low-budget fuel-injected Pontiac and Olds engines. The one genius said that although the intake off a 350 Seville would fit a 350 / 403, it wouldn't work for high performance, since the late '70s Sevilles weren't known for their blistering acceleration. 1st off-the late '70's Sevilles weighed about 4,200 lbs, had 8:1 compression, and 2.41:1 and 2.56:1 axle ratios. I proposed a 78-88 "G" body Cutlass which weighs about 3,300 lbs, and I said "With proper cam, compression and gearing you could run in the 13's and get 20 mpg."  That means a 3.42:1 or 3.73:1 axle ratio, an overdrive transmission, 9.5:1 compression, and a "Torquer" cam-ala' Edelbrock Performer.  As for the fuel injection system- this one works like a big two-barrel carb-you could port-match the intake to the heads, for a little extra airflow, and Cadillac used the same throttle body to feed the 425 and 500 inch engines in the Deville and Eldorado lines from 75-78. If it could feed a 500 inch Cad engine properly, it should have no problem feeding a mildly modified 350 or 403 Olds. And-duh-you can use an electric fuel pump and a pressure regulator to adjust fuel pressure. to the engine's needs. Plus-your only accentuating what Olds and Cad engineers did to begin with-make big torque at low rpm. The engine would probably be redlined at 5,200 rpm max. This would actually be a pretty easy project to do, if you could find a Seville donor car for the engine, or at least the induction system in a junkyard.  As for the Pontiacs-the Offenhauser Dual-Quad 4bbl manifold has a spread-bore bolt pattern. I have seen people use Carter AFBs, Edelbrock Performers, Holleys, and even Quadrajet carbs on these manifolds. It wouldn't be hard to buy or make an adapter to bolt up 454 Chevy TBI throttle bodies to the carb pads. Nor would it be hard to fabricate a progressive throttle linkage. Since Corvettes used large-cap HEIs until 1989-it wouldn't be hard to hook up a 1984-"Cross-Fire" injection PROM to a Pontiac HEI distributor, or if you had to use a small-cap HEI for clearance, a 1990 and later TPI 'Vette Prom or a 1990-93 SS454 truck PROM would provide the fuel curve you'd need for a 400 inch engine. Plus Hypertech and other companies will make you a custom PROM chip for a reasonable fee. It wouldn't be a bolt-on like the 350 Olds setup, but it's not rocket science either. Any competent mechanic could probably do it.  The other setup I proposed would be even simpler-a high-school metal shop or foundry could cast a baseplate from the bottom of a Pontiac intake and the top of a Small-block Chevy TPI baseplate. Edelbrock offers hi-flow runners and trick flow and other companies offer 58mm throttle bodies, and high-flow injectors. Many people run TPI systems on 383 inch Chevy engines, so it can feed a 400 Pontiac pretty easily. Again-this would be a torque monster-I'd set shift points at 5000-5,600 rpm depending on the engines state of tune. Use a Corvette PROM, and the 85-88 MAF system which is infinitely more adjustable and adaptable to modifications than the 89-92 Speed Density system.  I wouldn't have a 16 year old attempt it, but a competent mechanic could make it fly pretty easily.  I'm thick-skinned, but I wish people would think before they start spewing about wrong you are. Mastermind     

You want to be really innovative....Do it on the cheap, with junk!!

We all get sick of seeing cars in magazines with the best of and state of the art everything and a $100,000 or higher build price. They don't impress me-anyone can buy a car and make it fast or cool if you throw enough money at it. What I think would be cool is build something really unique on an alternative bodystyle. I.E,-not a Camaro, Chevelle, Mustang or Challenger with an LS motor, a Coyote, or an SRT8 Hemi. What about a 1987 Olds Cutlass? A 350 or 403 Olds V8 would bolt right in place of the anemic 307. What if you used the fuel injection system off a 1976-79 Cadillac Seville? ( Sevilles had 350 Olds engines these years, with a Bosch K-Jetronic style throttle-body injection system that worked damn good. The fact that you still see them running around occasionally 30+ years later is a testament to how reliable they actually were. ) With the right cam,compression, and gears-including an overdrive trans-you could easily run 13 second 1/4s, get 20 mpg, and have a build price of 15-20K, including the purchase price of the car. Now that would impress me. What about a 2WD Dodge Dakota pickup from the '90's with a 5-speed stick and a 318? Or a 360 powered Dakoka R/T?  See how fast you can go AND remain Emissions-legal. How about a mid-'80's Firebird or Trans-Am with a 400 Pontiac engine with aluminum Edelbrock heads-and a custom made fuel-injection system. I don't mean a $3800 aftermarket setup from Accel or Edelbrock, I'm talking casting a base-plate that will bolt to REAL Pontiac heads and use Tuned Port Injection runners and electronics. Or taking an Edelbrock or Offenhauser Pontiac Dual Quad manifold and adapting two 454 Chevy truck throttle bodies-ala' "Cross-Fire Injection", except they'd be inline on the manifold.  How cool would that be?  How about a 1977-79 Ford Ranchero with a fuel-injected 460 under that long hood?  What about stuffing a 351W based 392 or 427 stroker into a 1991-95 Thunderbird in place of the 302? What about taking the Supercharged 3.8 V6 out of a wrecked Riviera or Pontiac Bonneville and putting it in a '90's Firebird and turning up the boost and adding nitrous? Stuff like that would impress me far more than another LS motored, $100,000 piece of someone elses garage jewelry. Mastermind          

Other one or two year models that might be cool......

Here's a few other one or two year models that are worth having, if you can find them at a reasonable price. # 1. 1977 Pontiac Can Am. This LeMans based performance package included a 400 Pontiac V8 ( a 403 Olds if you lived in California ) a TH400 with a shift kit, a ducktail spoiler, a T/A style "Shaker" hood, "Judge" style striping, and radial tuned suspension. The "A" bodies were downsized for 1978, and the largest engine you could get in a 78 LeMans was a 301 Pontiac or 305 Chevy.  # 2. 1977-79 "Macho T/A".  The buff magazines raved, and Dennis and Kyle Mecham sold about 700 of these "Smokey and the Bandit" T/A's on steroids. A re-curved distributor. a re-jetted carb, and opened shaker scoop, and Hooker Headers and real dual exhausts added 50-70 hp, and cool options like Recaro seats and a Doug Nash 5-speed could be ordered. These cars have a "Cult" following to this day, but despite the upgrades, they aren't priced any higher than the other disco-era T/A's that everyone wants to restore now.  # 3. 1984 Corvette. These "Cross-Fire" injected models are snubbed by 'Vette collectors in favor of the "Tuned Port Injection" used from 1985-91.  For this reason they are usually way cheaper, even if their in better condition. The 'Vette collectors are being snobbish about the later TPIs- These run plenty fast; 6-second 0-60 times and 15.0  1/4 mile times were the norm when they were new. There is a ton of speed equipment for the SBC, and if you use two 454 truck throttle bodies you can feed up to about 400 hp.  # 4.  1984-86 Ford Mustang SVO.  These had swoopy styling, Recaro Seats, 16" wheels with low-profile tires and a Turbocharged 4-cylinder that produced between 180-210 hp depending on year. The reason they didn't sell is the "5.0" V8 models were both faster and cheaper. If you can find one, and like to play with turbos, they can be made to really run; the 2.3 liter OHC Ford 4-banger is bulletproof and can take a surprising amount of abuse if you want to turn the boost way up or add nitrous. # 5. 1989 20th Anniverseray Trans Am. For this one year only-GM stuffed their best engine in their best chassis. They took the Kickass Turbo V6 out of the vaunted Buick Grand National and stuffed it into a WS6 Trans-Am. Grossly under-rated at 250 hp and 355 lbs of torque-these Limited-edition 'Birds could rip off very low 14 or very high 13 second 1/4s right off the showroom floor.  The downside is only about 2,500 were ever built, and their usually priced accordingly.  If you can find one, and swallow the asking price, they are absolute dynamite.  Good hunting. Mastermind            

One-year models that are underpriced....

For some reason, some models just don't bring the money that another model year of the same car does. Sometimes it's bodystyle, other times it's option availability, sometimes it's just public perception which certainly can't be explained. However, for the sharp-eyed collector you can often save thousands of dollars by buying one of these "off years."  #1. 1967 Pontiac GTO. I personally love these cars. The front and rear styling is much cleaner than the '66, automatic buyers finally got a 3 speed TH400 instead of the horrible ST300 two-speed-( read Powerglide ) that was in the '64-66 models. Front disc brakes were an option for the first time, and the engine size was increased from 389 to 400 cubes. Some enthusiasts were pissed that the tri-power ( 3-2bbl carbs ) option was dropped, but the hp rating was the same- 360-and according to the buff magazines of the day performance didn't suffer. Over 81,000 were built, and their cheaper than both the 64-66 and 68-70 models. Dynamite.  # 2. 1969 Shelby Mustang GT350. You don't usually see a Shelby on anyone's "Bargain" list and bringing prices of 40-60K, their not cheap, but try to touch any other Shelby for under 100 grand. They had cool styling and were powered by a 290 hp 351W-the Mach 1's base engine. This may be the reason-all the Ford and Shelby "Purists" wanted the monster 428 of the GT500, or the solid-lifter, screaming 306 hp 289 of the previous generation GT350. Some leftover '69s were re-badged and sold as 1970 models. This may be the only chance for a man without an NBA player's income to own a "Real" Shelby.  # 3. 1971 Dodge Charger Super Bee. This was the only year that the Super Bee package was offered on the Charger instead of the Coronet. The 440 Six-Pack and the Hemi were still available, but those are priced in the stratosphere. However, you can still find a deal on a 383 model. Nearly 7000 were built, so there not so rare as to be pricey just on principle. # 4. 1970 Olds Rallye 350 Cutlass. These had a super loud Sebring Yellow paint job, a "Judge" type rear spoiler, body-colored bumpers and Rally wheels. They were powered by the standard 310 hp 350 4bbl. Some people claim that 10 or 12 "W31" versions were built-but I have never seen one, nor have I ever seen a window sticker or build sheet for one, and no Olds engineer has ever verified one for a magazine. 3,527 were made, so their unique, but not a moon rock, and they don't bring the high prices that a 442, W30 or Hurst / Olds does.    # 5.  1973 Pontiac GTO. People hated the colonnade hardtops when they came out and I can see why-this car really doesn't compare to a '69 or '70 Model in interior or exterior style. Still-they had  400 or 455 cubes under the hood and Radial Tuned Suspension. 4,806 were built, and they were the last "A" body based Goat-they downsized to the "X" body platform for 1974. Which brings up....# 6. 1974 Pontiac GTO. Often called the best Nova ever built. These had front and rear sway bars, a Trans-Am style "Shaker" hood and a 350 V8 backed by a 4-speed or a TH350. On the upside a 400 or 455 is a bolt-in swap. 7,058 were built.  One of these may be a screamin' deal for you. Mastermind

Some "Little Brothers" might be a good buy.....

While everyone fights with machetes for the premium models, there are some "Little Brothers" that can put a big smile on your face with the money you saved and their good performance. #1 1968-72 Buick Skylark GS350. Buick fanatics fight with machetes for the 400 and 455 inch versions, but these are largely snubbed. I had a 1971 GS 350 and I loved it. They have the classic Chevelle / GTO / 442 bodystyle, but with a classier interior. # 2. 1968-72 Olds Cutlass. A "W31" will bring a King's ransom, but the base model 350 4bbl was rated at 310 hp,and there's plenty of speed equipment available. # 3. 1971-77 Pontiac Firebird Formula 350. Trans-Am's and Formula 400's can be pricey, but you can get these at bargain-basement prices. These cars are a screamin' deal as minor mods-( 4bbl carb and intake, dual exhaust, shift kit in the trans ) really wake them up, or a 400 or a 455 is a bolt-in if you so desire. "Esprit" models are basically the same, except they have a flat hood instead of the twin-scoops of the Formula.  # 4. 1970-79 Rally Sport / Type LT / Berlinetta Camaro. While Z/28's steal all the thunder, there are millions of these around, and nearly all of them have the mighty 350 Chevy under the hood, and you can't ask for a better base for a street machine than that. You might ask about a couple of glaring omissions-I didn't mention Chevelle or LeMans base models because so many of them have been turned into SS and GTO clones, and this practice continues to drive the price of the base models up higher than they should be. If you find a good deal on a small-block Malibu or LeMans, by all means buy it; I'm just saying their getting harder and harder to find at fair prices. Ditto for 318 Challengers and Barracudas-the ones that haven't been converted to "B"/ RB" power are getting pricier by the minute. Same advice-if you find one at a reasonable price, get it. Mastermind      

If you really do want a "driver".....here's some good choices!

While a lot of us want a weekend toy or a show car, there are some people that would like a dependable old car with a little hot rod style, that they can use as daily transportation. Here's a list of my favorites and why. # 1. 1970-81 Camaro / Firebird. These cars make nice, fun drivers. Most have either a 350 Chevy or 350 Pontiac for power backed by the bulletproof TH350. There is a ton of aftermarket equipment for these cars so you can tailor it any way you want. Models WITHOUT  T-Tops rattle a lot less. # 2 1969-76 Pontiac Gran Prix. 400 power standard all years, and the 455 was optional on 1970-76 models. Since this was the top of the line these cars usually have power everything. My sister had a '72 GP in high school; it had power everything and it felt like a GTO. # 3 1970-77 Chevy Monte Carlo. This body was the scourge of Nascar in the '70's. Monte Carlos are a better buy than Chevelles because they usually have A/C, stereo, power windows, cruise, etc. Most have the ubiquitous 350 for power. # 4 1967-73 Mercury Cougar. Cougars usually have more cool options and bigger engines than a same-year Mustang, while usually being lower priced. # 5. 1972-76 Ford Torino. These models have body on frame construction, which makes them ride and handle way better than their unit-body predecessors and rattle less. Probably most famous as the ride of ""Starsky and Hutch".  Most will have 351C or 351 / 400M power which isn't a bad thing. # 6. 1983-87 Monte Carlo SS. Cool styling, and great handling and comfort. With the 305 / 200R4 / 3.73 rear end combo-they move pretty good too. # 7. 1987-92 Lincoln MKVIILSC. Recaro type seats, the suspension and heart of a 5.0 Mustang, and a badass monochromatic paint job. While none of these is a blazing hot rod in stock trim, they can be with very little work, or you could just enjoy a reliable, powerful, comfortable daily driver with some old-school style.  Mastermind 

An old race car is a money pit and a pile of frustration....

I've touched on this issue before, but I feel it's worth re-visiting as I've had a guy ask me me about helping him restore a 1969 Pontiac Trans Am race car, that he was thinking about buying.  He's all excited about it, but for the wrong reasons. I asked him- "Do you want to sell it to some museum like Floyd Garrett's or the Peterson Auto museum?" "No."   "Do you want to race it at vintage car races that they have at the Monterey Historics, or at Reno-Fernley, or Laguna Seca?"  "No, I want to restore it to original and drive it on the street.".  "Forget about it." "You'll never finish it, and you'll want to kill yourself, and you'll eventually give it away for less than you have invested." "Why would you say that?"  "Because I know people who have done it."  "What does it have for an engine?"  "A 302 Chevy." "You lost half the value right there."  For it to be worth anything to a museum or a vintage race car collector it would have to have a 303 Pontiac V8. As far as I know-there were only between 50 or 100 ever built, and a lot of them blew up in Trans-Am and NASCAR Baby Grand races between 1969-72. You'd have to be able to prove that Milt Minter or Jerry Titus or whoever finished 2nd at Lime Rock or whatever in this VERY car, with this VERY engine. Herb Adams and a group of other Pontiac engineers hand-built the 303s. They took a 400 block, had Moldex make them a special 2.84 inch stroke crank, Carillo make them special 7.08 inch connecting rods and TRW make special pistons to destroke the 400 to 303 cubes. Plus they used Ram Air IV heads which are rare as hell. It's not like-I'm restoring a 1966 GTO-all I have to do is find a 389 with late 1965 or early 1966 date codes cast into the block. These were never a production engine, so you can't find one at any price, and the cost to build a fake would be enormous. Moldex doesn't stock 2.84 inch stroke Pontiac cranks. Edelbrock or Kauffman aluminum heads won't fly; Where are you going to find a set of 72cc Iron RAIV heads? At any price? The SCCA allowed privateers to run the Firebirds with Chevy engines because no one outside Herb Adams's inner circle could get the Pontiacs, and Firebirds in Canada had Chevy engines. "If you want to race it in vintage races, at least there's tons of parts out there for Small-block Chevys."  "Yeah but I want to make it streetable"  Groan. First off-where are you going to get a title? Race cars don't have titles.  You cannot imagine the DMV nightmare you face trying to get a title for a 40 year old car that was never titled or registered anywhere. Good luck with that. Secondly-Do you know what a nightmare you face chasing down taillight lenses, marker lights, wiring harness, every little nut and bolt and screw it takes to put an interior back in a gutted race car?  Heating and or air conditioning ducting under the dash, sound deadening and carpet. Window regulators to make the windows roll up and down. After of course you cut out the welded shut doors and fit new door hinges, latches and mechanisms. What about a drivetrain? Is it an original RAIII car or an RAIV? Is there even an original VIN number on the car? How do you know if it's one of 697 ever made for real 1969 T/A's that was made into a race car? It could be a base-model Firebird that somebody raced back in the day.  He didn't have the answer to any of these questions, but he clung to the fantasy like a man falling off a cliff holding onto that last blade of grass. I made what I thought were two very viable suggestions. "Here's what I'd do-take the money it would cost to restore that thing to streetability- for 35-40K you can buy a for real '69 Trans-Am in good shape."  "Or if you want the race-car tribute look-buy a running, registered, titled,  beater base-model Firebird, put the spoilers and paint and numbers on it, put an 8-point cage in it, and build either a stompin' small-block Chevy or 400 Pontiac, and have fun with it. That car you COULD drive on the street AND play with  at vintage car races, and since it's a clone anyway-you won't want to kill yourself if you put it itno the wall at 120 mph some Sunday afternoon."  Didn't make a dent. Like the posessed Keith Gordon crying over the totalled Plymouth in "Christine" he was completely unreasonable. "I can fight DMV and chase rare parts." "You'll see." "Wait till you see it all done!!" He wailed.  I have to quote Buddy Holly- "That'll be the day."  Mastermind                      

Some real Southern Racing shenanigans and tenacity!!

We've all seen the famous fist-fight between the Allison Brothers and Cale Yarborough at Daytona on the Wide World of Sports, and guys like A.J. Foyt and Smokey Yunick have certainly been accused of "bending" the rules. Back in 1966 or 67 Dick Guldstrand was running a 427 Corvette in the 24 hr Daytona race. They were running in the top 10, when the radiator blew. Undaunted-a crew member saw a big-block 'Vette in the parking lot just past the pits. They decide to steal the radiator out of the spectator's car, and pay him for it later. While thier doing this, just as they got the radiator out, apparently the guy was sleeping in the car, woke up, and being a big guy, decided to beat the crap out of the theives. While the 'Vette owner fought with the one crew member-the other ran toward the pits with the stolen radiator. The 2nd crew member managed to run as well, with the enraged 'Vette owner in hot pursuit. Just as all 3 of them reach the pits, the lead guy throws the radiator over the fence into the pits, and him and his fellow crew member both tackle the furious 'Vette owner. They explain the situation, and the Corvette owner climbs into the pits, and agrees to sell them his radiator for a dollar amount to be determined later, and the privelige of spending the rest of the race in their pit. They put the stolen radiator in the race car, and get back into the race. Then the headlights go out on the car. The drivers say screw it, and don't even pit. They just follow the taillights of the car in front of them, braking when he does. Turns out to be the Team Ferarri Car that was running 2nd overall!!  So they finished 3rd with a stolen radiator and no headlights. Now that's tenacity, and not giving up!!  Mastermind   

"That's my story and I'm stickin' to it"

The last couple posts started some heated debate, about what is and isn't "Right", but I'm sticking with my position. Which is, for the record-if something was available as an option on your car in that model year, I feel it's ok for you to add it, even if your car didn't come with it originally.  I mean, if some guy puts a hood tach on a '67 Firebird is it the end of the world?  Or adds a "Bumblebee" stripe to a '69 Charger? Even further- To me, if a guy has a 1968 Cutlass and stuffs a 455 / TH400 powertrain in it out of a big 98, paints it Peruvian Silver and Black, installs a Hurst Dual / Gate shifter and some Year One emblems-as long as he doesn't try to sell it as an original Hurst / Olds-more power to him. If you want a 4-speed in your 1970 Monte Carlo, then put one in it. Their rare, but a 4-speed stick was optional on the Monte Carlo from 1970-72. In fact, a 3-speed stick was the standard tranny, with the 4-speed and automatic optional. Ditto for Pontiac Gran Prix's-their scarce-but you could get a 428 with a 4-speed in 1969. From 1970-72, you could get a 4-speed with a 400, but not the 455. The same goes for 1973-75 Grand Ams. In 1973 only 187 Grand Ams had the 400 / 4-speed combo. Now is it a crime if some guy slaps an M20 and a Hurst shifter into one of the 34,000 others built?  If a guy buys a '73 Chevelle SS with a bench seat- and swaps in the swivel buckets-has he "Ruined" the car?  Better yet-what if it was a base-model Malibu, and besides the seats, he swapped in a 454 and added the SS trim pieces? Did he "ruin" anything?  I know a guy that has a gorgeous triple-white 1971 LeMans Sport convertible, with the "Endura" ( read GTO ) front end and hood.  He added the spoiler, the stripes and some Honeycomb wheels, as well as a hood tach. Every Hot August Nights, people "Oooh" and Aaah" over his "Judge" drop-top. He loves it, and honestly-who has he hurt? Any serious Pontiac collector can see it's a fake in about 2 seconds-( the most glaring thing being the 400 ci engine instead of a 455 HO ) and if or when he ever sells it he'll get more money for it because it's so damnded good-lookin'.  Far more than he'd get if it was Verduro Green with Green interior and a tan top. See what I'm saying?  If you buy a beater 1970 Satellite, swap in a junkyard 440 and put a reproduction rear wing and "Superbird nose on it, that's your perogative, and even though it's a "Fake" ( Superbird ) I'll bet if you sell it, you get way more than an "All-original" Concours-quality 1970 383 Satellite with documentation up the ass. Anyhow, this site is a dictatorship, not a democracy, and I'm not debating this anymore. A 1970 Z/28 is not "ruined" because somebody put a 750 Holley Double-Pumper carb on it and lost the original 3310.  Mastermind             

I'll just agree to disagree.....

Got some flack from the "Just as it left the Factory" crowd over yesterday's post.  I feel, as long as a color or an option was AVAILABLE on that model, that year, then your ok putting it on your car, whether it came with it originally or not. For example-if you want to put a tri-power setup on a 1965 GTO or a Six-Pack setup on a 1969 Road Runner, I think you'd be INCREASING the value of it, rather than hurting anything. Maybe changing engines or engine parts should be open to debate, but when it comes to other accessories-Puhleeze. If you buy a 1971 Firebird Formula 400 and you replace the cracked "Luxury Cushion" steering wheel with a "Formula" ( read Trans-Am ) wheel are you really compromising the value of the car?  Or if you put Rally II wheels on it when it originally had Honeycombs are you committing a cardinal sin? I think not. If you add or remove a vinyl top, or add or remove stripes, are you hurting anything?  If you put a Hurst Dual / Gate shifter in a GTO or 442 with an automatic, your adding value. What about disc brakes?  I'm not talking a 4-wheel Brembo setup worthy of a Formula 1 car, but what if you buy a '68 SS396 Chevelle or El Camino with 4-wheel drums ( They made them, I had one ) and put the spindles, rotors, calipers, master cylinder, booster, etc from a 1971 Chevelle on it, have you "ruined" the car?  No, you brought it to the top of specifications for that model year, since power front disc brakes were optional. What about transmissions?  Just because you could GET a Ram Air III 400 in a Firebird or GTO with a 3 speed stick, or a 383 Super Bee or a Road Runner with a 3-speed, doesn't mean anybody really wants one. Putting a 4-speed in would increase the value immensely. And what about carburators?  Quite a few Chargers had 383 V8s with a 2bbl carb-( My girlfriend had one back in the '80s ). A lot of Mach 1 Mustangs from 1969-73 had 351Ws or 351C's with 2bbl induction, and a fair number of Pontiac Firebird Esprit models had 2bbl carburated 400 V8s.  If you install a factory 4bbl carb and intake, or even an Edelbrock Performer and matching carb have you totally "Bastardized" the car? Honestly, excuse my language but are these people really saying that they wouldn't buy an otherwise pristine 40 year old car at a reasonable price because the f#4&ing carburator wasn't original?!!  Get over yourselves people!!!  And to go one step further-if I buy a beat-up six-cylinder, three-speed '69 Camaro and install a mild 350 and a Saginaw 4-speed put a "Cowl Induction" style hood on it and paint it like a Z/28-guess what?  I don't care if you don't like it, and neither does anyone else. As long as I'm not trying to pass it off as the real thing no harm done. And anyone with half a brain would know it's a fake after looking at it for about 30 seconds!!  As long as the stuff was available on that car, that year, it's ok. Mastermind          

It's only paint and graphics-do your car the way you want for God's sake!!!

Like comedian Ron White says-"You can't fix stupid."  I talked to someone the other day who had a '71 Chevelle SS they were restoring. He wanted to paint it red with black stripes, but the car was originally green. I had to ask-"Why is everyone so damnded concerned with what they might get if or when they ever sell the car, that they don't build it the way they want it?!  If you sell the car five years from now, and a potential buyer doesn't like the color-he's free to paint it any color he wants. Have a nice day.  If you want to put "Super Bee" graphics on a '71-74 Charger, go ahead. Yes, it was a '71 only option, but who cares? The bodystyle is the same, and If you like it, do it.  I write about this stuff, and I authenticate cars for people all the time, and the other day I told a friend to buy a fake Judge. It was a for-real 1969 GTO with a 350 hp 400 / TH400 powertain, but it wasn't a Judge, although it had a Carousel Red paint job and the spoiler and stripes and Judge emblems.  However, the interior was immaculate, it had brand-new BFG T/A radials on nice Rally II wheels, and it was amazingly clean and rust-free. And the asking price was only $16,000!!.  If I'd had an extra 15 grand laying around, or could get a loan for that amount, I'd have bought it!  That's a steal for a great condition '69 GTO regardless of paint!!  Guess what?  My buddy didn't buy it, and when he came to his senses and called the owner the next day-Shocker!  Someone else had bought it the first day. "I'm thinking I should have asked 20K for it" the now previous owner lamented.  He should have, because he'd have gotten it. The car was that nice.  This is what I'm telling you-magazine writers and restoration shops put too much stock on what is and isn't original. If you see an Immaculate Buccaneer Red 1973 Trans-Am with Rally II wheels for sale for a reasonable price-are you going to NOT buy it because you found out it was originally Cameo White and had Honeycomb wheels on it?  Get Real.  I love the look of the late-'70's "Macho T/A's" built by Dennis Mecham of Mecham Pontiac. Phoenix Graphics sells the stencils, so guess what-if I buy another '77-81 T/A to play with-I'm not sure what motor it will have-maybe a 400 Pontiac, maybe a 403 Olds, maybe a small-block Chevy-( my ZZ4 crate engine will bolt right in where 1980-81 models had a 305 ) but I know I'm going to paint it like a "Macho".  Here's a true story-a friend owned a used car lot and he put another friends 1970 SS396 Chevelle for sale on the lot on consignment. The car sat there for months and didn't sell. And it wasn't overpriced, and it was a for-real 4-speed SS 396. But it had bench seats, the crappy Muncie shifter, and it was green with a white Vynil top, and it had '70's style slot mags on it. Even though the numbers matched, people thought it was a cobbled up Malibu. I told the owner what to do. He removed the vynil top, painted it a bright blue metallic whith white stripes, and put some wheel vintiques SS396 repro wheels on it, installed a Hurst shifter, and RAISED the price 4 grand. It sold the first day!  Because it was way more attractively packaged, that's all.  So go ahead and add or remove a vynil top, change wheels or colors and add or remove spoilers or whatever to make the car as cool as possible. Your not "Hurting" the value of the car, your enhancing it.  Mastermind              

Some "Insurance Beaters" that kick ass......If you can find one!

As far back as 1967 insurance companies were gouging musclecar owners-especially drivers under 25-your core buyer back then-with cars with engines 400 cubic inches or more. Often the insurance premiums were more than the payments!  To combat this and keep their customers buying cars two of the big three-GM, and Chrysler-came up with some great "insurance beaters" that were just as fast as their bigger brothers, but flew under the insurance radar. For some reason, Ford never cared about this market niche.  Here's some to look for-they may be a little scarce and pricier than a base model-but since they weren't premium models to begin with their not going to bring the King's ransom that a Judge or an LS6 Chevelle or a Six-Pack Road Runner does. # 1. 1968-70 Olds "W31" F85. "Dr Olds" didn't even use a 442-they took a strippy post coupe Cutlass with a 350 V8 and hopped it up with Larger valves in the heads, freer-breathing exhaust manifolds, a cam with 308 degrees duration, and .474 lift, a low-drag flex fan, an aluminum high-rise intake manifold and a special Q-jet carb fed by Ram Air. They were rated at 325 hp which is low by 50 in my opinion. The standard 350 4bbl was rated at 310 hp. You really believe all that trick stuff is only worth 15 hp?  It was only available with a 4-speed and 3.90:1 or 4.33:1 gears. The term "Rocket V8" certainly appled here. If you can't find one-the upside is you could put a hot cam and an Edelbrock intake and some stiff gears in a base-model Cutlass and get the same results, although the car won't be as collectible.  # 2. 1968-69 Dodge Dart Sport. The high-winding 340 V8 in these cars was rated a ridiculously low 275 hp-I'd say they were underrated by 50 hp at least. In the lightweight Dart chassis they just screamed.  # 3 1968-69 Pontiac Firebird 350 HO / LeMans 350 HO. If you don't know, Pontiac wanted a "Budget" GTO to compete with the low-cost, high-performance, Plymouth Road Runner. The engineers proposed a lightweight Tempest coupe with a hopped up 350 V8. They nicknamed it the "ET" for "Elapsed Time."  The prototype outran a 383 Road Runner in testing, but John Delerorean said the GTO would never have an engine under 400 cubes. The "ET" eventually morphed into the Judge. However, the engineers liked the motor so much they made it optional in the Firebird and LeMans lines. It was rated at 325 hp-only 25 less than the 400, and came with a 4-speed or a Turbo 400. There are more of them in Firebirds than LeMans or Tempests for some reason. Dynamite if you can find one. If not-again-just put headers, an "O68" cam and an Edelbrock intake on a base model.  # 4. 1970-73 Plymouth Duster 340 / Dodge Demon / Dart Sport. The new for 1970 body was way sexier than the old Dart body,and loud paint and graphics shouted your attitude to everyone, but they were still light-around 3,000 lbs and they still had the screamin' 340 V8. Political correctness was around even back then-Dodge dropped the "Demon" moniker after 1972 because of pressure from religious groups whining about the little devil with a pitchfork emblems. # 5. 1970-71 Pontiac Tempest T-37.  Dubbed the "Poor man's GTO" by the buff magazines these strippy Tempests came with a 350 V8, a 3 speed stick and bench seats. Ironically, for an "insurance beater"- the 400 and 455 V8s were optional, as were a 4-speed stick or an automatic. The same package in 1972 was dubbed "LeMans GT. "  # 6. 1971-72 "Heavy Chevy"  This was a base-model Malibu with an SS-style domed hood, slotted Rally wheels, and special graphics. Any engine up to the 402 big-block was available, but most have 350 power. Nearly 7,000 were made in 1971 and a few more were built in '72, but other than the SS hood, their not really anything special over a base model 2 door Malibu. All of these cars fall under the buy-it-if-you-like it and can swallow the asking price category.  I say this because although they are cool, you could get the same performance from a hopped-up base model for probably less money.  Mastermind                        

The "King's" Ill-fated Pantera

I've talked before about some of the musclecars owned by celebrities-but here's one I bet you didn't know about. Elvis Presley had a 1971 Pantera! He bought it in 1974 for $2500, which was dirt-cheap even then-new Panteras were selling for 10-12 grand at the time. Typical hillbilly regardless of how much money he had. He thought he was getting a screamin' deal. The guy that sold it to him told him it had electrical problems. The guy that maintained the King's other vehicles said he could fix it. Well apparantly he couldn't. Memphis natives talk about seeing Elvis tooling around in the Pantera with then girlfriend Linda Thompson-who wanted the car in the first place. They also talk about seeing Elvis and Linda stranded several times and a furious Elvis trying to get a tow-truck. Apparently it would just shut off out of the blue, and after sitting for a while, start right up again. The car still has a bullet hole in the steering wheel where Elvis shot it in frustration one day. ( Presley had a reputation for shooting television sets or other devices that didn't work .) Apparently he was trying to sell it to someone who wanted to test-drive it, and when it wouldn't start, he shot it. According to Sonny West-hilarilously-it started after being shot and the guy drove it. Tired of it not running, Elvis told Sonny to get rid of it. It was sold to a Memphis car dealer who re-sold it for a tidy profit since he could prove Elvis once owned it. The car now resides in the Petersen Auto Museum in Los Angeles. The reason it's not in Graceland with Elvis's Stutz's and Cadillacs and Harleys is-according to a source at the museum-It was offered by a previous owner but turned down by the two main women in Elvis' life. Priscilla didn't want it there because he'd bought it for Linda Thompson, who was Elvis main love after their divorce.  Lisa Marie didn't want it there because she remembered it. She spoke about it in an interview. "I don't know if my mom didn't like it or not." "I don't think she ever saw it or rode in it."  "My daddy hated that car because it would never run." "Why should I have a car that he hated on display at Graceland?"  Mastermind       

Always check casting numbers on blocks and heads, and check factory service bulletins before you buy....Or before you call someone a liar

When your searching for a musclecar-even if it's a 1987 Buick Gran National-it's at least 25 years old-most of the other favorites are over 30 or 40 years old. The chance of them being perfectly original is almost nil. You have to remember that these were just cars, that people drove to work, and raced an abused just like you do with your 2006 Mustang GT. If a Do it yourself type mechanic blew the engine on his '67 GTO in 1975-chances are he'd go to a junkyard and yank a 400 out of whatever Big Pontiac was there, throw it in the car over the weekend, and drive it to work on Monday. So, now 37 years later your trying to buy this GTO and are pissed because it has a 400 out of a '72 Catalina.  This happened a lot-a buddy of mine grenaded his 440 Six-Pack Super Bee one night when he missed a shift. I mean, rods out the side of the block, grenaded. We went and got a low-mileage 440 out of a Chrysler Imperial in a junkyard. The only reason he did that instead of accepting a FREE 383 from a buddy was he wanted to keep the tri-power on it and intake manifolds don't interchange on "B" and "RB" engines. He drove it another 3 years before selling it. So, again-now some 30 odd years later some Mopar fan is pissed because it has Six-Pack vin numbers, and the induction system is on the car-but the block and heads say the motor came out of a '75 Imperial. And the owner is swearing that he bought it from the 2nd or 3rd owner. He did, except when my buddy offered the numbers-matching boat anchor to the guy he sold it to 30 years ago-that guy declined. Subsequent owners just assumed or never asked if it was original. Nobodys trying to screw anyone, that's just the way it turned out. On the other hand-a guy may not be lying if he says he has an LT-1 350 in a '76 Camaro, or an LS6 454 in a '68 Chevelle. No, they were never factory built. But long before crate engines became all the rage, you could go to any GM dealer and through the parts department buy a complete LT-1 or LS6 engine, complete with 11.0:1 compression, solid lifters, everything. Until the '80's you could buy the parts to build an L88 427 or an LS7 454 as well. I have a GM Performance Parts catalog from 1989 that advertises all of them. You could also buy a 1973-1980 L82 Corvette engine in short block or long-block form until 1991. So do some checking-the guy may not be a schmuck-he may have a for real LS6 in his Chevelle or El Camino or whatever and you may be getting a screaming deal-so check the block and heads before you call him a lying, cheating SOB. This isn't restricted to Chevrolets. You could buy a Boss 302 engine or a Boss 351 from a Ford dealer as late as 1981. I know, because I worked in a Ford dealer in 1981 and we sold them!!  As late as 1983, when I was working in a Pontiac dealership you could still buy complete Ram Air IV / 455HO heads, and the intake manifold and cam, lifters, pushrods, valve springs etc over the counter. That's because back then-the Big 3 stocked service parts for 20 years. They were pricey, but you could buy them. And-people do stupid shit with cars-especially if they don't have any money at the time-I got a 421HO out of a 66 Gran Prix for free one time, because it spun a bearing, and I gave the guy a running 389 that I had laying around in trade. I spun a bearing on my '68 SS396 El Camino-and swapped in the 327 out of my aun't wrecked Impala because my cousin gave it to me for free. I later sold the 396 to a guy who put it in a '78 Camaro. So when someone says-this car has a special engine-give them the benefit of the doubt and check the numbers-or you might miss out on the deal of the century. Mastermind    

The "Other" 350s....If you have to "Run what you brung."

We all know the small-block Chevy is the most successfull production engine in racing history, and  it's still number 1 today in the minds of many racers and hot rodders. However, from 1968-77 GM produced millions of Firebirds, LeMans, Ventura, Cutlass, Omega, and Skylark, Regal, and Century models with Buick, Olds, or Pontiac 350 V8s. If you have or want to buy one of these cars and want blistering acceleration the easy solution is to swap in one of the 400 or 455 inch larger brothers and build that. However-there are 2 downsides to this solution-the first being that the larger engines are getting scarcer by the minute-back in the craziness how many junk Bonnevilles or Catalinas gave up their 400s or 455s to being stuffed into base model Firebirds and Tempests to make GTO and Trans-Am clones? Ditto for the Olds 88s and 98s and Buick Electras and Park Avenues having their 455s swiped to make 442 and GS and GSX clones. The second being that since their getting scarcer-their also getting more expensive. Used to you could go buy a decent running, or at least rebuildable engine for $200 from any junkyard in the continental United States. Now people want $1,000 or more for junk, simply because they know it's a desirable musclecar replacement engine. Finding a usable core and then rebuilding it can be both frustrating and expensive. Yeah, T/A Performance, or Butler Performance or Mondello can build you a Thumpin' 455 Buick, Olds or Pontiac, and supply the core, but a lot of people don't have 8 or 10 grand to spend on the engine alone. So, if you can't find or afford one of the BOP Big Dogs-( I'm not just talking 455s, I'm also including the 400 inch BOP engines here, as well as the 425 Olds,the 428 Pontiac, and the 430 inch Buick from the late '60's as well ). Your choice is to run or rebuild the engine that's already in the car. Here's some tips on how to get the most "bang for the buck" from each one.  # 1. 350 Olds V8. Of the "Other" 350s-i.e.-non-Chevrolet-the Olds is the best one. They have a big bore / short stroke design, their bottom ends are tough, and there was a factory high-performance version-the "W31". There is a fair amount of speed equipment available-Edelbrock intakes,Crane,or Lunati cams, Hooker headers, etc-. So you can build a decent amount of horspeower and torque into them. By decent I mean about 325 hp and about 400 lbs ft of torque-about what the factory "W31" 's were rated at .  That's enough to push the average Cutlass to very low 14 or very high 13 second 1/4s depending on car weight and traction. You can put aluminum Edelbrock 455 heads on a 350 if you use a special port-matched Performer RPM manifold, but you'll need special pistons to have any kind of compression because of the 455 heads' larger combustion chambers. However-this begs the question-If you have that much money and need to go THAT fast-Why aren't you building a 455?   # 2. 350 Pontiac. Rodney Dangerfield here is dissed by even hardcore Pontiac fans becuase they don't even have a big enough bore to use the big valve heads without hitting the block. That aside, there are some modifications that can make people think you've swapped in a 400. # 1. Almost all of these engines have 2bbl carburation. Since Pontiacs are externally identical from a 326 to a 455 it's easy to find a facotry 4bbl carb and intake, or you could get an Edelbrock Performer. Either way, this mod really "wakes up" the 350 Poncho. Ditto for headers and dual exhausts. A Good cam to use in the 350 include the Melling "HO" grind with 212 @.050 lift, intake,224 Ehxaust and .442 / .465 lift. or something with similar lift and duration-. The Edelbrock Performer # 2157 cam is a good one for a 350 as well. Use small-tube-1 1/2 inch or 1 5/8 headers. Pontiac heads can be milled as much as .060 which will net a full one point boost in compression from 8.0:1 to 9.0:1 perfect for an iron-head, pump gas, street motor. You'll have to shave the intake side of ther heads too so the intake manifold will fit properly. If you don't try to run it over 5,500 rpm you'll have no problem. Your only accentuating what the factory did-make big torque at low rpm. These mods should give you between 300 and 340 hp, and around 400lbs of torque. More than enough to make any Firebird,Ventura or LeMans a really fun driver. The small-bore, long-stroke design-while building the gobs of low-end torque that Pontiac owners are used to-really hamstrings these engines as far as making any real power over about 350 hp.  I have heard of guys notching the cylinder bores to clear the big-valve heads and make more than 400 hp, but again-If you have that much money- then it would be better spent building a 400 or 455.  # 3. The Buicks rank last, not because I have anything against them but the rap on them is they have a weak oiling system, and either stock or modified, the Olds and Pontiac versions both make substanially more power and torque. However all is not lost. Since a lot of these engines had 2bbl carburation, the first thing to do to gain power is a 4bbl carb and intake. Strange, but Edelbrock doesn't make a Performer 4bbl intake for the 350 Buick-they do for the 231 V6, and for the 400-430-455 big-blocks. You can search junkyards and swap meets for a factory iron 4 bbl intake, and Jet and other companies sell rebuilt performance Quadrajets. I think T/A performance makes aluminun-high-rise intakes for the 350 Buick, as well as cams. Also, Isky cams and Cal Cams will custom-grind you a performance cam off your old core. To de-bunk the big raps against them- When people say they have a weak oiling system-their comparing it to a small-block Chevy-which can go 8,000 rpm for 500 miles at Daytona with a basically stock oiling system.  Not many production engines can do that. There's a lot of Buick 350s that go 150,000 or 200,000 miles on the street without a rebuild. As long as you don't run it over about 5,200-5,500 rpm, you'll be fine. Yes-the Olds and Pontiac models DID have more power in stock trim-But-and it's a BIG BUT-99% of the Buicks had 2bbl carburation and single-exhaust systems. A lot of the Olds and Pontiac Models had 4bbls and dual exhaust from the factory. You can have a nice, powerful driver-quality street machine with a 350 Buick under the hood. But if you want 450-500 hp or more-then step up for a 455 or swap in a big-block Chevy. Mastermind