More about diminishing returns....

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