You know.....You guys make your own lives hard sometimes!!

I've always been the kind of guy to take the path of least resistance but that's apparently not the case with most hot rodders. It's like they have a masochistic streak. If building a car doesn't require a certain amount of suffering, then they can't enjoy the finished product. It's like they go out of their way to make the job difficult. I was discussing this with a friend the other day, and he didn't have a solution other than self-abuse either. Here's some examples of people that took the hard way when they didn't have to.  # 1. The undisputed title goes to these two clowns that I knew in high school. They both had 1970 Pontiac Firebirds. One was a Formula 400 with a 4-speed, and the other was an Esprit with the 400 / TH400 powertrain. They were both blue with blue interior, and they both had white vynil tops and Rally II wheels. Except for the scooped hood on the Formula, you wouldn't have been able to tell them apart from five feet away. These geniuses get in their heads that their going to trade transmissions because for whatever reason, the guy in the Esprit now wants a 4-speed and the guy in the Formula now wants an automatic. I, along with several other mutual acquaintances tried to be the voice of reason and sanity.  "Why don't you guys just trade CARS? " "For god's, sake, their even the same color." "What you guys are attempting is a bitch of a job, and then your cars won't be original anymore either." (This was importsnt even in 1979 ). "Who wants a Firebird with a slushbox that used to be a stick, and one with a stick that used to be an automatic?"  "For Christ's sake, just trade cars!!"  Nope. These two spent two weeks working nights and weekends, and since the cars were identical, and side-by side in the same garage, they did get it done. Then they spent two weeks trying to see who could do the biggest burnouts. Why? They'd done this when they first met and it was too close to call. They felt they had to do it again. The guy in the Formula would powerbrake it to roast his tires, and the guy in the Esprit would pop the clutch about 3,500 rpm to fry his, until they both got exhibition of speed tickets in a school zone and lost their liscences for a while. Like I said, they weren't rocket scientists. To this day I can't figure out why they didn't just swap cars. Even their parents told them that swapping cars was the easy way. # 2. This genius wanted a Fox-bodied Mustang to hot rod. He got a screamin' deal on an '85 SVO Mustang. These had 16" wheels, Recaro Seats, and a Turbocharged 4-banger that put out 175 hp. They were fun to drive, but (this is the reason they didn't sell many of them when they were new ) the "5.0" V8 model was both faster and several thousand dollars cheaper. He loved the car, but wanted more speed. I suggested he read up on Turbos, or perhaps contact Gale Banks, or Ak Miller, or Kenne-Bell or someone who specialized in Turbos and get good advice on how to turn the boost up without turning the engine into a grenade. Nope. He gets the brilliant Idea to swap in a V8. "Just sell the car and buy a "5.0" I said. "V8" Mustangs are a dime a dozen." "You could probably trade your SVO for a nice one, and not have to come up with any cash." Any one who's ever tried to convert a 4-banger Mustang to a V8 knows what a nightmare it is. He ended up selling the car and abandoning the project. Idiot # 3. Had a 79 Trans-Am with a 403 Olds / TH350 powertrain. He decided that the car would be a lot more fun if it had a 4-speed. My friends and I told him-just sell it and go buy a '74-79 T/A with a 400 or a 455 and a 4-speed. I'll give him credit for tenacity-he did search junyards far and wide, and rounded the clutch linkage,flywheel, and bellhousing from a '70's 350 Cutlass. He got it done, and yes the car was a blast to drive-what 400 inch, 4-speed Firebird isn't?  But the time and money he spent, he could have just went to any used car lot around and traded it for what he wanted and saved six months of scrounging and grief. ( This was the early '80s, disco era T/A's were everywhere. ) Some people just like pain and suffering I guess.  Mastermind