"G" may be the way to go for low-budget muscle.....

In 1978 GM downsized all the "A" bodies-Chevelle,Monte Carlo, LeMans, Gran Prix, Cutlass and Regal-and for whatever reason called them "G" bodies. Although they were 600 lbs lighter than the models they replaced they were saddled with anemic powerplants and salt-flats gearing. A '77 Monte Carlo with a 350 is still capable of enough acceleration from a light to annoy a traffic cop. A '78-88 Cutlass or Regal with a 231 inch Buick V6 with a 2bbl backed by a slushbox and 2.29:1 gearing is going to annoy exactly two people-yourself and the driver behind you!!  However, all is not lost-there are some that make excellent hot rods-you just have to know what to look for. Here are my personal favorites-# 1. 1978-87 Malibu / Monte Carlo / El Camino. From 1978-80 you could still get a 350 / 4bbl in these cars. That gives you a great base for a hot rod, or you could swap in a snarling 383. The '81 and later models could only be had with a 305, but thats not a big deal because a 350 or 383 or 406 would be a bolt-in. # 2 1983-87 Pontiac Gran Prix. The ones to look for are the 305 Chevy powered models for the reasons listed above. And the Pontiacs had Radial Tuned Suspension-front and rear sway bars, and upgraded interiors. They make nicer drivers than their less-loaded Chevy cousins. # 3. 1978-87 Buick Regal. A lot of these had the anemic 231 V6 under the hood, but a fair number of '78-81 models had 301 Pontiacs under the hood. Pontiac engines are externally identical-so this means a 400 or 455 would be a bolt-in swap. Beef up the 200R4 and put some 3.73 or 4.11 gears in the rear end and you'd give those smug Grand National owners a surprise they'd never forget!!  The 1982-87 models had the 307 Olds V8 as an option. This means a 350 or a 403 would be a bolt-in swap. Same thing-Edelbrock claims 397 hp a 400 lbs of torque from their "Performer RPM" package-and that's on a 350 test mule. A 403 would easily have 425 hp or more-and that would be enough to torture GN owners mercilessly.  # 4. 1978-87 Olds Cutlass. Some 1978-80 models had 350 Olds engines, and some had 305 Chevys or 301 Pontiacs. For some reason-probably because the Cutlass was the #1 seller and GM was playing musical engines because of smog laws-there's more variables on these than the others. However-you can swap accordingly-It's easier and Cheaper to swap a snarling 350 or 383 small-block Chevy into a 305 model than it would be to turn it back to "real" Olds power and then hop it up. See what I'm saying?  The '81 and later models used the 307 V8-so like I said about the Regals the easiest HP infusion is to swap in a 350 / 403.  If you want to be really low-budget-there was a guy who was selling motor mount kits to swap 1968-76 472 / 500 inch Cadillac V8s into these cars. Check the Internet -he may still be in business. Anyhow these cars would make great "sleepers" for a relatively low price. Mastermind    

More about automakers pricing themselves out of business...

People asked about some things I said in the last post about automakers pricing themselves out of business. Here's why-history repeats itself. Back in the '70's and much of the '80's the Datsun 240Z and later the 260Z, the 280Z and the 280ZX was a reasonably priced, great performing sports car. Then when the 300ZX debuted, they went crazy. By 1993 when the last 300ZX Turbo rolled off the assembly line-they cost $45,000!!!  In 1993 dollars??  Hello?  A Pontiac Trans-Am with an LT1 that was faster stickered for about $28,000. A Corvette that was faster stickered for about $36,000. A Mustang GT that was faster stickered for about $25,000. A Mitsubishi 3000 GT VR4 that was faster stickered for about $36,000. A Porsche 928 was about $50,000. Excuse me? I'm going to pay 45 grand for a Datsun that can't outrun a screaming chicken Firebird or a Fairmont based Mustang? When I can buy the top of the line Porsche for roughly the same money or a Corvette for less?  Toyota did the same thing with the Turbo Supra. They were cool and blisteringly fast. But by 1992 they were over 30 Grand. Again-a "5.0" Mustang that was just as fast was about 15 grand. An L98 Corvette engined Trans-Am GTA was about 25. A Porsche 944 Turbo was about 35K. And you wonder why the Toyota didn't sell??  The same thing is happening now. Forget the Hellcat-a loaded Challenger R/T is over 40 grand. Ditto for an SS Camaro. The Mustang GT starts at 32K but it's pretty easy to get over 40K with a few options. I have a good job and make decent money for my industry and level of education. And I COULD afford one of these if I really wanted it. But I don't-and I'm a hardcore musclecar guy-and I can't justify in my mind spending $1,000 a month-when you factor in gas, insurance, payments, etc-so once in a blue moon I can jump some clown from a light or pass him up an on-ramp. I'm much happier in my Subaru Forester that gets 30 mpg, has plenty of room and runs like a champ. I don't need a love affair-I need an appliance-like my clothes dryer drys clothes. My dishwasher washes dishes. My Subie gets me to work and back. Or over the hill without chains when there's snow. With my 46 mile commute and mountain weather here-I don't need a rear-wheel drive 400 hp musclecar that gets 11 mpg. If I want one of those-I'll buy a beater 1970-81 Camaro / Firebird and put a 454HO crate motor in it for about ten grand total investment!!  I hate to be elitist-but seriously- $70,000 for a Dodge Challenger or ZL1 Camaro??  If I'm going to spend 70 grand on a car-It's going to be a new Jaguar F-Type, or a low-mileage Ferrari, Porsche or Aston-Martin!!  Not a freaking Camaro!!!  That I can't see out of and has no headroom, and rattles like a Cruze!!!  Or a Dodge with a blower on it and a cop-car interior!!  Mastermind              

Automakers beware...Your pricing yourselves out of business...Again....

I was talking to a salesman at the Subaru dealer I work at. We were standing next to a new WRX STI. That had a sticker price of $39,000 and change. And that's not the greedy dealer "Market Value" sticker-that was monroney. "This car-" he said "Is absolutely coveted by people who can't afford it." He continued. "If I take one to lunch it causes a complete work stoppage at Jack in The Box, or McDonalds, or Subway." "Guys 18-25 drool over it." "But even if they've got good credit, or a parent or spouse with good credit to co-sign for them, they can't afford $600 a month payments and another $150 for insurance." "Guys from 30-50 who can afford that much are more likely to buy a BMW 3-series,a Mercedes C-class,a Lexus IS350,or a Cadillac CTS."  "Not an Econobox with a Turbo and a rally car suspension." He made me think a little-and all the other high-performance cars that the magazines are raving about are in the same boat, only worse. Think about it- it's a cliche'-Old guy in a Corvette-but their the only one's who can afford them. Yes a Z06 Corvette is an absolute rocket and can hold it's own against Ferraris, Porsche 911s, Nissan GTRs, Audi R8s etc. And it also has a $100,000+ price tag like all those. Except for New York or California, that's the price of a house. The Challenger Hellcat and the ZL1 Camaro-$70,000 grand. My younger brother who's in his 40's and grew up with me watching "Vanishing Point" "Bullitt", "The Seven-Ups", "Smokey and the Bandit" etc-who loved the Judge I had in high school and has a '69 GTO if his own, would love to have a Hellcat Challenger. But like he said-"If I'm going to spend an extra $1,000 a month-I'll buy a rental house or condo and build something for my retirement, not buy another car that I don't need."  So it's only rich guys in their 50's and 60's who have to have the biggest,and best of everything no matter what it costs. Young guys can't afford to play. And that's sad. When my dad was 20 in 1959 he bought a new Tri-Power 345 hp 389 Pontiac Catlina. When I was 22 in 1984-I had a '78 Trans-Am because I was raised in a Pontiac Household and there was no substitute for 400 cubic inches. My cousin had an '83 Camaro with a 305 and 5-speed. If I had wanted a new L69 / 5-speed '84 T/A or a "5.0" Mustang." I could have easily afforded the $250-300 per month payments on a $12,000 car. I actually bought one of the first Fieros from the Pontiac dealer I worked at. My 21 year old son cannot afford the $600 per month a new 435 hp $32,000 Mustang GT would cost. And that's sad. Like Bunkie Knudsen said-"You can sell a young's man car to an old man, but you can't sell a old man's car to a young man." That's true. But $60,000 Musclecars aimed at aging Baby Boomers-the only people who can afford them-makes me quote Danny DeVito from "Other People's Money". "Get an increasing share of a shrinking market." "Down the Tubes."  This is what killed the Camaro and Firebird back in 2002. A loaded Z/28 was $38,000 in 2002 dollars. A BMW 3 series was cheaper, as was a Lexus IS300. A Nissan 350Z was $26,000. A V8 Mustang GT was $25,000. More than 10 grand cheaper. The average mullet-headed 24 year old couldn't afford $38,000 2002 dollars for a car. The automakers never learn....Mastermind          

Old-School "David" beats Modern "Goliath"......

An arrogant rich kid got a great comeuppance the other day. It was recorded on my buddy's cell phone If I could upload it here I would. Anyway a guy with a Supercharged 662hp Shelby GT500 2014 Mustang got his doors blown off by a '72 Camaro with a normally aspirated 350 and a 4-speed. The Camaro did have the Edelbrock Performer Rpm package-Heads,Cam, Carb and intake etc. According to Edelbrock this makes 410 hp. So how did the 400 hp car beat the 660 hp car?  Good old drag racing prowess. The Camaro driver dropped the clutch about 2,500 rpm getting just enough wheelspin to get the car moving and up on it's torque curve, spinning the tires for maybe 50 feet. The Supercharged Mustang incinerated his tires through 1st and 2nd. The Camaro jumped out to about a 5 car length lead. Even finally getting traction in 3rd gear and having nearly 700 hp pulling hard-the Mustang couldn't catch him. The Camaro still beat him at the end of the 1/4 by about 2 car lengths. Now if the Mustang had had slicks or drag radials and a more competent driver it wouldn't have even been a race. But that's what makes it so cool. My Hurst / Olds that had a 355 hp Chevy ZZ4 crate motor in it beat a Subaru WRX in drag race. The Subie owner spouted Motor Trend's road test where their WRX test mule ran a 5.4 second 0-60, and a 13.8 second 1/4. My Cutlass had run a best of 13.92. He was sure he was going to win. Except the M/T driver dropped the clutch on the WRX at 5,500 rpm and powershifted it, shocking the AWD system so bad that all the traction control nanny lights went off as all 4 wheels spun off the line. Without the brutal launch-the times increased to 6.6 seconds 0-60 and 14.4 seconds in the 1/4. Still quick, but not as blisteringly quick as the quoted time. And honestly-the average Joe isn't going to drop the clutch at 5,500 rpm and risk his $5769 transaxle to jump some clown from a light. I came off the line even, and then pulled away in 2nd gear. The Subie driver was aghast. How could a heavier car with not much more power ( 3,731 lbs with 355 hp vs 3,330 with 305hp ) win?. Same way- my 2,800 rpm B&M Converter and 255/60R15 Comp T/As allowed me to launch with about 30 feet of wheelspin, and then the 418 lbs of torque-350 or more of which is available from 1,800-5,200 rpm took over. I beat him by about a car length and a half. That's the oldest drag rcing adage in the world "All the Power in the world doesn't do you any good if you can't put it to the ground."  Anyhow-it was fun to watch. Mastermind      

Like "Get Carter"..."The Truth Hurts"....

Got some flack over the last post about the guy who wanted 75K for a 1971 SS396 Camaro. A lot of people thought I was overly harsh bagging on the car's value and performance. I don't think I was. Here's why. Motor Trend's test of a 1972 SS396 Camaro ( The '71 and '72 models were identical except for gross and net hp ratings. The '71 had 300 gross hp, the '72 240 net hp. The engines were identical with no changes according to GM literature and service bulletins. ) showed a 0-60 time of 7.2 seconds and a 1/4 mile time of 15.7 seconds. According to Motor Trend today-my 2014 Subaru Forester with a 4 cylinder engine, all-wheel drive and a 6-speed manual transmission does 0-60 in 7.5 seconds and the 1/4 in 15.8 seconds. Another road test of a 2000 360 Jeep Cherokee showed it did the 1/4 in 15.7 seconds. This tells me that this "Ultra-Rare" $75,000 Camaro would be beaten or given a helluva race from a light by a soccer mom in a 14 year old Jeep Cherokee or a by a 52 year old guy in a new Subaru Suv!! ( Not a Turbo WRX!! ) But going back to my comment of it's rare because nobody bought them when they were new-here's why. In 1971 a fully loaded SS396 Camaro cost about $5,500. With a 396 truck motor. The LS3 had oval-port heads, a mild hydraulic cam, a Quadrajet on an iron intake, and was optional in Impalas, Monte Carlos, Chevelles, Pickups, Suburbans and various wagons. It was a "Towing" motor. Conversely for the same or less money-the base price on a Pontiac Trans-Am was $4255.75-and it had a 455 inch V8 with RAIV heads and round-port exhaust manifolds, and aluminum intake and the vaunted "068" cam and made 480 lbs of torque at 2,700 rpm. And ran 0-60 in 5.7 seconds and the 1/4 in 14.27.  More than a full second faster than the SS396 Camaro. The Z/28 Camaro tested in 1972 by Motor Trend against a Datsun 240Z in a "A Z verse Z shootout", Ran a 13.92 second 1/4. With a 350 V8 with "202" heads, a solid-lifter cam, and a 780 Holley on an aluminum intake. A 383 / Torqueflite '71 Road Runner ran a 15.35.  For the same $5,000 plus dollars you could also buy in 1971 a 429 / 4-speed Ford Torino, a Boss 351 Mustang, a 370 hp 440 4bbl Dodge Challenger or a 385hp 440 / Six-Pack Plymouth Road Runner, a 425hp LS6 Chevelle, a 426 hp Hemi Charger, or for way less money- a strippy 340 Duster-( Which ran a 14.34 in a 1972 test with a Torqueflite!! )  or a 400, 4-speed Tempest T-37-all of which would suck up and spit out this truck-motored Camaro in a drag race or "Stoplight Gran Prix." That's what I was pointing out. A lot of them weren't sold because they were underpowered and overpriced. Same thing for 1984-86 SVO Ford Mustangs. They had 16" wheels, Recaro seats, a special suspension and a Turbocharged 4-cylinder engine that made between 175 and 205 hp depending on model year. Except they cost $17,000 in 1984 dollars and the V8 "5.0" Mustang-which cost about $12,000 in 1984 dollars-was not only 5 grand cheaper, it was faster to boot!!  Ditto for the $14,000 L69 305 / 5-speed Z/28 Camaro and Pontiac Trans-Am. Gee, why didn't they sell?  That's what I was saying-It was "rare" because no one bought them new. They were priced higher than similar cars that had better performance-the Z/28 Camaro,the Pontiac Trans-Am, the 440 Charger, the Mach 1 Mustang, et. al.  If I had 75K to spend on a musclecar I would buy a Ram Air IV Judge,or an LS6 Chevelle, a 428CJ Mustang, a 440 Six-Pack Super Bee,a Boss 302, an SD 455 T/A or a 427 Stingray, not an 8.5:1 compression iron manifold, Q-jet carbed '71 Camaro that can't outrun my wife's Jeep Cherokee!!! That's all I was saying. You can ask a million dollars for your car-doesn't mean it's worth it. Mastermind.      

Just cause you think it's the Cats meow, doesn't mean it's worth a mint....

Saw an ad on the Internet for a 1971 Camaro SS396. It was a 4-speed, and it was immaculate, and fully doumented. However-the seller wanted $75,000 for it!!!  Hello?  It's an LS3 396 / 402 with 8.5:1 compression,a hydraulic cam, an iron manifold with a Quadrajet, and a rating of 300 gross hp, which was lowered to 240 net hp for 1972 for the exact same engine. It's a truck / station wagon engine, Which was used in Millions of Monte Carlos, Impalas, and pickups in that era. It's not an 11:1, solid lifter, rectangular port head, aluminum manifold, / 780 Holley high performance motor like the vaunted L78. Excuse me? I've seen people asking the same or less money for documented LS6 454 Motion cars, or documented 427 Yenko cars!!!  I've seen people asking less for SD-455 / 4-speed Trans-Ams!!!  A rare turd, is still a turd. Honestly I can buy a beater 1970-81 Camaro for 3 grand in any state in the union and for 6 grand more stuff a 454HO in it and have a badass Camaro that runs 12s or 11s with a little shot of nitrous. If I can have an 11 second Camaro for nine grand, why would I pay 75K for one that can't break out of the 15s???  Because it's "Rare?"  It's "rare" for a reason! No one wanted to buy the overpriced, underpowered piece of shit when it was new!!!  For the same or less money they wanted for this ill-handling "truck motored" Camaro, you could get a Z/28 which had a fire-breathing LT1 350 with a solid-lifrer cam,"202" heads, an aluminum manifold and a 780 Holley that would rev to 7 grand and make power all the way there!! You could buy a Pontiac Trans-Am that had a 455HO with RAIV heads and intake, an "068" cam and a "Rock Crusher" for the same money!! You could buy a Charger or Challenger with a 385 hp 440 / Six Pack, or a 425 hp 426 Hemi!!  So, yeah-no one bought this 240 net hp " truck motored"  turd. Just because it's immaculate doesn't make it worth a mint. Is a 403 Olds/ TH350, 2.41 geared '79 T/A that's mint, worth more than a 1978 WS6, 400 Pontiac, 4-speed, 3.42 geared, documented, one of 203 Mecham "Macho T/A's" that needs a little work?  Or a 1973 Formula 455??  It was a nice car-but it wasn't a Yenko or Motion car-and in my mind not worth $75,000. It wasn't anything special-I mean you can buy Shelby Mustangs or Hemi 'Cudas or Boss 302s for 75 k!!  And this guy wants this king's ransom for a garden-variety Camaro?  To each his own. Mastermind

For the last time....People building clones doesn't affect the value of the "Real" thing....

Got into a heated debate with a couple of  "Just as it left the factory" types the other day. They were bitching that people building clones out of base models "ruins" the value of the real deal. Huh?  How?  "Explain to me" I said-"If that's true then how come a real 427 Shelby Cobra is still worth $400,000 when there's hundreds of thousands of kit car replicas out there from Factory Five and others?" "How come an original 426 Hemi powered '70 Challenger is still worth $150,000 when you can buy a Mopar Performance 426 Crate Hemi for 15 grand and stuff it in a 318 model that you bought for five grand? "  "If I buy a '69 Mustang Fastback and stuff in a Boss-Nine crate motor from Jon Kaase Racing, that's not going to hurt the guy who has a real Boss 429 that's worth $500,000!!"  How does the fake affect the real one in any way shape or form, except if anything make the real deal MORE valuable?" If I put a GMPP ZZ427 crate motor in a '69 Chevelle and paint it like a Yenko,or put a 454HO in a '73 Camaro and paint it like a Motion Phase III car, it doesn't make a real, documented Yenko or Motion car worth a penny less!!  Then they started in about people selling fakes as the real deal. Well I'm sure that some schysters have screwed a few people doing that-it's the stupid buyer's fault. Think-if I'm going to pay $50,000 or more for an LS6 Chevelle I'm going to make damn sure it's a real LS6 / SS454, not a Malibu that some clown dressed up like an SS and stuffed in a hotted-up 454 out of a '75 Suburban!!  If I'm buying a Ram Air IV Judge-I'm going to make double sure it's a real Judge and a real RAIV backed by an "OW" TH400, not a LeMans with an Endura bumper and an L78 400 and a TH350 out of a '77 Trans-Am!!  Wouldn't you?  And conversely-the clone route is the only way most of us can have something really cool. For example $15,000 will buy you a damn nice 289 / 4-speed '66 Mustang fastback. With help from Year One, and Tony Branda you can build a GT350 copy that you can't tell the difference from the real deal without checking serial numbers, and your total investment would be less than 25 grand. A fully restored original '65-66 Shelby GT350 will bring 100K easily. A Ram Air IV '69 Trans-Am was for sale on RK motors website for $399,000!!!  The also had a Ram Air III model that went for $109,000. 15 grand will buy you a decent 400 powered '69 Firebird. You can buy the hood, spoilers and trim from Year One or Ames performance. Edelbrock heads are patterned after the RAIV heads,and the Performer RPM cam has the same timing and lift as the RAIV cam. You can buy the aluminum RAIV / 455HO intake from Ames or NPD. Your total investment would be less than 25 grand. You can't touch a basket case "real" '69 T/A for 25K, that needs another 25 worth of work!!  For $15,000 you can buy a nice '69-70 Mustang fastback. Edelbrock has aluminum "Cleveland" style heads with the proper bolt pattern and water jackets to go on a 302 Windsor block and "E-Boss" intakes so you could build a clone "Boss 302" for about 20K total investment.  A "Real" Boss 302 will run you $80K on up. And when your running up through the gears and smoking the tires-will you be thinking about serial numbers?  If you buy the stencils from Phoenix Graphics and paint a '78 T/A like a "Macho T/A"-I seriously doubt that Dennis Mecham is going to sue you, or that anyone who owns one of the 203 "Real" 1978 DKM Machos is going to be distressed!!  Get over yourselves people!! Mastermind        

Some less than premium or "off year" models that can be a bargain....

If your willing to lower your sights a little you can still find some screaming deals. Here's several good examples. # 1. 1976-79 Pontiac Trans-Am / Firebird Formula 400. I see 1970-74 RAIII,RAIV, 455HO and SD-455 T/A's priced at 40, or 50 grand or more all the time. However-a Disco-era bird can be a screaming bargain. I saw on Trans-Am Specialties website the other day a 1978 400, 4-speed, WS6 T/A with 44,000 original miles for $17,950!!  They had a '79 Formula with 33,000 original miles for $22,000. These cars were mint and flawless. They had a rust-free driver quality 10th Anniversary T/A for $13,000. Do the math- only 3,196 T/A's were built in 1970, 2116 in '71, 1,286 in '72 ( the year of the UAW strike ) and 4,802 in '73. There were 46,000 T/A's built in 1976, 68,000 in '77, 93,000 in 78 and 117,000 in '79. The later ones are going to be way cheaper and with minimal work-intake, exhaust and an axle-ratio change on automatics-( 4-speeds usually have 3.23 or 3.42 gears, while the slushboxes have 2.56s ) they can equal or surpass the performance of the much pricier early models.  # 2. 1971-74 Dodge Charger. Everybody and his brother want' the "Dukes of Hazzard / Bullitt" '68-70 model. However they are scarce and pricey. You can buy a nice '71-74 model for what people want for a rust-bucket '68-70. Seriously-I saw an interview with the Stunt coordinator of the "Fast&Furious" movies and he said he paid $16,000 for a basket case '69 Charger they were going to wreck in "F&F 5". He said they paid over $30,000 for a decent one that was going to be the camera car with the fake blower. By contrast a buddy of mine bought a really nice 440 powered '73 model for $6,000. I saw a nice 383 powered '71 Super Bee model in Hemmings for $8,500. There's a lot of them with 383,400 or 440 cubes under the hood for bargain prices. 318 models are dirt-cheap-and you can swap in a storming 360 or a big-block. # 3. 1977-80  Camaro Z/28. No they don't have a fire-breathing LT1, but they do have a 350 V8 backed by a 4-speed or a TH350 and 3.08, 3.42 or 3.73 gears and F41 sport suspension very similar to the Pontiac Trans-Am. There's more speed equipment available for small-block Chevys and '70's F-bodies than anything else on the planet. # 4. 1971-73 Ford Mustang / Mercury Cougar. Everybody wants the '67-70 models, and the high prices reflect this. However-the '71-73 models are a screaming deal-and almost all of them have the venerable 351C for power.  # 5. 1967-68 Chevrolet Impala SS. People fight with with machetes for the 1962-66 models, yet these are largely overlooked. And their fairly plentiful-75,000 were built in 1967 and another 38,000 in 1968. 427 models command a King's ransom but 327 and 396 models can be bought relatively cheap.  Any of these cars make great drivers and cost less than half of their more sought after brothers.  Mastermind      

Don't want to risk grenading a numbers-matching engine? Try these "Junkyard Jewels"....

A lot of people want to race their musclecars, but are afraid of throwing a rod out the side of a numbers-matching block. So you have a badass machine that never sees the high side of 4,500 rpm because the owner is afraid of breaking it.  The way around this dilemna is to put your precious original engine in a plastic bag on an engine stand in your garage, and then build a second, stompin' one based on something you could care less about if you blow it up.  Here's several great examples. # 1. 1996-2001 "Vortec" 350 Chevy. These were used in millions of Chevy and GMC trucks, vans and SUVs, so theirs no shortage of them in junkyards. The bonus is the "Vortec" heads breathe better than any factory head and many aftermarket ones. Edelbrock, Weiand and Holley offer intake manifolds that are compatible with these heads, and the engines have roller cams from the factory. Super Chevy magazine built a 400 hp "Vortec" 350 for $2,600!!  A dynamite substitute for an L79 327 or L46, LT-1 or L82 350.  # 2. 1991-current 454 / 502 Chevy. There are millions of these in 3/4 ton Suburbans, Pickups and vans and even Avalanches. Hardcore drag racers snub them because they like the '90 and earlier MKIV-the MKV and MKVI's have hydraulic roller cams and a heavy valvetrain that doesn' like to rev over 6,000 rpm. If you want 700+ hp that's problem. But you can build a 500 hp 454 or 502 that has a glass-smooth idle and makes gobs of torque, and pulls hard to to about 5,800 rpm with out any valve float problems. When you've got 500 ft lbs of torque right off idle-you don't need to rev to 7 grand. And GMPP and Edelbrock make performance aluminum heads and roller cams for these engines. Truth be told-if you build one of these right-it will probably run just as quick or quicker than the L34, L35 or L78 396 or L72 427 or LS5 or LS6 454 that your trying to protect!!  # 3. 1992-2003 Dodge 360 "Magnum" V8. There are millions of these in Dodge Ram trucks, Dakotas, Durangos, and Jeep Grand Cherokees. The "Magnum" heads breathe better than any factory iron head and some aftermarket aluminum ones. Edelbrock makes 4bbl intakes for these engines. A hotted-up 360 Magnum would run circles around a stock 340-Mopar Performance sells a 360 Magnum crate motor that's rated at 390 hp and 460 lbs of torque. Quite a bit more than the 275 hp a 1970 340 made- and equal to the legendary 440 / Six-Pack.- but you don't need to spend the money on a crate motor you can build a nasty one cheaply-with a stroker crank to give you 408 inches-you can easily make more than the 425 hp of the mighty 426 Hemi. And if it blows up-go to the junkyard and raid another Cherokee for a replacement!!  # 4. 1985-97 Ford 302 / 351W. There are millions of these in junkyards in Ford trucks and vans. Ford SVT and Edelbrock and Trick Flow offer high-performance aluminum heads for these engines and there's stroker kits to turn a 302 into a 347 or even a 363, and kits to turn a 351 into a 392 or a 427. Edelbrock even offers "Cleveland" style heads and  "E-Boss" manifolds so you could build a clone "Boss" 302 or 351 if you wanted to. Think what a rocker a 427 inch "Boss" motor would be!!  That should make your Mustang, Torino, Fairlane or Cougar fly. # 5. 1961-76 Ford 390. There were tens of millions of these used in various Ford cars and trucks. Edelbrock makes aluminum heads for them and their "Performer RPM" package boasts 450+ hp. Magazine writers spout numbers flippantly-but 450 honest hp will turn any street car into a rocket. And they look identical to a 427 or 428 if your building a Thunderbolt or Shelby clone, or just don't want to risk blowing the 428 CJ in your Torino, Fairlane, or Mach 1. # 6. 1977-79 403 Olds V8. Although they were onlu used 3 years-there were millions of them put in Pontiac Firebirds and Trans-Ams,Catalinas and Bonnevilles,Buick Park Avenues and Electras, Olds 88s and 98s, and tons of big BOP wagons. Anything that fits a 350 Olds fits these-so hot rod parts are readily available-and 53 extra cubes in your Cutlass would make it a real sleeper. Edelbrock claims 397 hp and 400 lbs of torque from there "Performer RPM" package and that was on a 350 test mule. The 53 extra cubes would put hp in the 425 to 440 range-more than the 370 a vaunted "W30" 455 was rated at!!  #7. You'll notice there's no Pontiacs on this list. The reason is they've been out of production since 1978. And-with a few exceptions-389, 400, 428 and 455 Pontiacs were used in virtually every model. There's nothing special about them-and something like 15 million were produced from 1965-78. If you have a Ram Air IV 400, or a Super Duty 421 or 455 or a 455 HO, you know how rare it is, and you've probaly already gone to a junkyard and gotten a generic 400 block out of something to play with. So go build a mean motor and get to the strip.....Mastermind            

There is no "Used Car Factory".....You might have to "Settle" for something that's not "Exactly" what you want!!!

When you hear people lamenting that they've been searching for a car for five years, and can't find one-it's simply that there unrealistic. The chance of you finding a 40 year old car in the exact color you want with all the exact options is almost nil. You have a better chance of being struck by lightning. Every person I ever met that had this problem was way too picky. I know many people who passed up very cool cars in good condition at fair prices because it wasn't "Exactly what they were looking for".  Idiot #1 wanted a '68-70 GTO with the 400/ 4-speed powertrain. He passed on a gorgeous '68 model because it didn't have the hood tach and it didn't have disc brakes. He passed on a nice '69 Judge ( for $16,000!!?? ) because it was an automatic. He turned up his nose at a 455HO / 4-speed '71 LeMans Sport CONVERTIBLE done up in Judge style because it wasn't a "real" GTO. He also passed on a numbers matching, rust-free '70 model ( for $12,000!! ) because it had a 400 and a 3-speed stick. 3 years later-he's still "looking".  Idiot # 2. Wanted a '65-68 GT350 Shelby Mustang. He passed up a gorgeous 390 / 4-speed '67 Fastback done in "Bullitt" style right down to the green paint and Torq-Thrust Mags. When he passed on a slightly rough, but running and rust-free '66 GT equipped with the 225 hp 289, factory a/c, factory front disc brakes,the Pony interior, Rally-Pac guages, and the original "California Megaphone exhaust with date-coded mufflers intact ( for $2,500!!! ) because "Its still not a Shelby" I wanted to slap him. I'm not a Ford guy, and I bought the damn thing and sold it for a tidy profit a couple months later. Idiot # 3. Wanted a '68-70 Charger with a big-block. He passed on a '69 model with a rip-snorting 440 in it because the engine wasn't "Original". He passed up a gorgeous, low-mileage, one-owner '68 model because it had a two-barrel carb on the 383!!!  He also passed up an awesome 440 / 4-speed '70 Super Bee because it's "Not a Charger". # Idiot # 4 wanted a '70-72 LT-1 Corvette. He passed up a gorgeous blue '72 model because it had the LS5 454 / TH400 combo instead of the 350 / 4-speed LT1. He passed on a 70,000 mile unrestored but exceptionally well maintained L82 / 4-speed '74 model for $3,600!!!-because "It wasn't an LT1" and had the plastic bumpers instead of steel. Remember the Rolling Stones song- "You Can't Always Get What You Want"....But if you try sometime, you just might find, you get what you need...... Mastermind  

Can't find the Big-block Chevy of your dreams? Try a Pontiac....

Yes, I know that GTO's command just as much of a King's Ransom as SS Chevelles, sometimes more. But with that exception-all through the lines the Pontiacs are a way better deal with better features for less money. Don't believe me? Consider these irrefutable facts. # 1 1960-68 Full-Size models. About 95% of the Biscaynes, Bel Airs, Impalas and Caprices of this vintage have 283 or 327 Small-Block motivation. 396, 409 and 427 versions are rare, and thus pricey. By contrast-every single Catalina,Ventura,Bonneville,and Gran Prix built during this period had at least 389 or 400 cubes under the hood, and a fair number had 421s and 428s. That alone makes them a better deal-but the Pontiacs are usually priced lower to boot. # 2. 1969-76 Gran Prix. The GP was downsized to the "A" body chassis for 1969, and it was an immediate hit. Chevrolet countered with the Monte Carlo in 1970-but a Gran Prix is a way better buy. Same reason. 99% of Monte Carlos built from 1970-75 have 350 small-blocks under the hood. 396 / 402 /454 versions are rare and thus pricey. Gran Prix's have 400 cubes standard all years, and a good number of '70-76 "SJ" models have 455s!  Any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Chevelle fit these cars. GTO like performance, and Cadillac like luxury. Dynamite. # 3. 1967-79 Firebird / Formula / Trans-Am. The Firebird is to the Camaro what the Gran Prix is to the Monte Carlo-the better buy of the two. While the 396 was only available in the Camaro from 1967-72 and sold in very limited quantities-and with the exception of the Yenko and Motion and COPO cars-all rare and pricey-there were never 427 or 454 versions. By contrast-you could get a 400 in a Firebird,Esprit, Formula or Trans-Am right up until 1979. If you can't find a deal on a 400 Firebird-you aren't looking past the end of your nose. And from 1971-74 the 455 was available in the Formula, and in the Trans-Am until 1976. # 4. 1971-77 Pontiac Ventura. While most Novas of this vintage have six-cylinder or small-block motivation, the screamin' deal here is a Ventura with a 350 Pontiac V8. The reason-Pontiac V8s are externally identical from a 326 to a 455. That means a 400 or 455 is literally a bolt-in swap. And any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Camaro or Firebird fit these cars-so you can build a drag racer or a corner-carver if you want. And a Ventura weighs about 600 lbs less than a same-year Firebird. When I wrecked my '77 Trans-Am I took the 400 and stuffed it into a '71 Ventura. It was quite the sleeper and smoked a lot of people who thought they were messing with a small-block Nova. I have nothing against Chevys-but the Pontiac cousins offer way more bang for usually less bucks. Mastermind      

The key is "Biggest motor you can AFFORD".....

A lot of the buff magazines give the advice- "Always build the biggest motor you can afford."  The key word is "AFFORD" and a lot of gearheads lose sight of this. Let me explain. In some instances it's a no-brainer-for example-a 350 Chevy makes substantially more power than a 305, yet costs no more to buy or build. Ditto for a 360 Mopar versus a 318. However in other applications the waters become murky. For example-a 400 Pontiac with the Performer RPM package makes 422 hp and 441 lbs of torque. On a 455 it makes 460 hp and 500 lbs of torque. Is 38 hp and 59 lbs of torque worth another 3 grand? Which is about what it costs for the crank, rods, pistons, rings and bearings, and machine work to turn a 400 into a 455. Don't throw away a good 396 Chevy or 383 Mopar and then spend four grand you don't have rebuilding a junk 440 or 454. See what I'm saying?  A 302 or 347 Ford makes as much or more power than a 351W for less cost. Consider it all. Mastermind    

There's no such thing as a 7 second "Street" machine....

I get sick of magazines talking about their "Real Street" heroes and "World's Fastest Street Cars"- that run the 1/4 in 7 seconds. I'm sorry guys-that's not a street car, it's a race car. What else would you call a car with an 8 or 10 point roll cage,rolling on 29 inch slicks, powered by a 12:1 compression 500 inch, 600+ hp engine backed by an automatic with a 5000 rpm converter and a trans-brake?  Mom's grocery-getter?  Yes, I know anything is drivable depending on what the driver is willing to tolerate-but let's be reasonable. A lot of people have hot rods that aren't daily drivers. I understand that. But a street machine should be something you could take on a 200 mile trip if you had to. Larry Larson's 7 second Nova that was featured in Hot Rod? Sure-you can drive it around the block. But any farther- even with 4.56:1 gears-your 60 mph cruise rpm is going to be less than your torque converter's stall speed. How far toward soccer practice can mom go before she burns up the tranny? "Be careful climbing over the roll cage, honey, and don't step on the nitrous bottle." Most states require any car built after 1975 to have some kind of smog and safety inspection which includes checking for equipment like catalytic converters, EGR valves, AIR pumps, etc. Pray tell-how does one get a 572 inch 720 hp '86 Monte Carlo SS legally registered?  Even if you go old school-i.e. a '68 Chevelle-it's still an undrivable beast. Call me a candy-ass if you want-but most strips require anything that runs the 1/4 faster than 11.50 to have an 8-point roll cage. And the motor buzzing at 4,000 rpm on the freeway and paying seven bucks a gallon for race gas while getting 5-8 mpg gets old real quick. And those big,fat slicks or drag radials are awesome in the rain. These people are pleading a losing case. A new Mustang GT cost 32 grand and runs 12 second 1/4's off the showroom floor with A/C, CD player, cruise control etc. A Camaro SS and a Dodge Challenger R/T cost a little more, but offer the same performance and luxury. And if you step up to the ZL1 or the GT500 or the Hellcat-you get a blower with 580-707 hp!! These cars will idle all day in traffic with the A/C on and still rip off an 11 second 1/4 mile blast on street tires!!  If were being honest-if you really NEED to go faster than that-then you need a Pro Stock drag car, a competent therapist,or a cage. I like old-school musclecars too. But honestly-if I buy a '70's Firebird with a 400 and put the Edelbrock Performer RPM package on it-it will make 422 hp and 441 lbs of torque-on a 400-if I use a 455 those numbers will jump by about 40 each. If I've got a good posi and gears between 3.23:1 and 3.73:1 that will easily put me in the high 12s. A shot of nitrous will put me in the 11s easily, and the car will be dead reliable and except for getting 10 mpg I could drive it from California to New York in relative comfort. Try that in one of the 7 second "Street" cars that are featured in all the magazines. That's all I'm saying. Build a fire-breathing monster if you want-but don't call it a street machine. A stripped down P-51 race plane is an airplane, but no one calls them "Commuter" planes!!  Mastermind        

Thunderbirds with actual thunder.....

Originally concieved as a two-seat sports car to compete with the Corvette ( 1955-57 ) from '58 on the T-Bird evolved into a personal luxury performance car. Some are gorgeous and great performers, and others are ugly and / or slugs.  Here's my personal favorites. # 1. 1961-63. Often called the "Bullet Bird" because of the design of the rear fenders and taillights-these cars still look cool 50 years later. And with 390 cubes under the hood, they move pretty good too. # 2. 1967-69. This is one of the best-looking cars Ford ever put out. Hidden headlights, racy styling and 390 or 428 cubes under that long hood. I personally prefer the two-door models, while some people like the 4-door models with the "Suicide" doors. You can't go wrong either way. # 3. 1970-71. This was about the time American automakers started to care about handling-so these cars are surprisingly nimble for such a big car. Racy, Nascar-inspired styling, and 429 cubes under the hood make these tough customers, and nice drivers. The '72 and later models had 460 cubes, but compression ratios were lowered, power was down and they were based on the heavier and uglier Lincoln MKIV platform. To get a cool T-Bird again you had to wait until....# 4. 1983-88. Bill Elliott won the NASCAR title in this bodystyle. Unless, for some perverse reason you want to try to hop up the 2.3 liter Turbo 4-banger-the ones to look for are the 302 V8 models. Virtually anything that fits a Fox Mustang will fit these cars-so there's great performance potential.  #5. 1989-97. The ones to look for are the Supercharged V6 models or the 302 V8 models. Some '96-97 models had 4.6 Modular V8s-but we know they didn't have as much power as the old "5.0", and theres not nearly as much speed equipment for them. # 6.  1999-2004. This is the two-seat convertible that looks like a '57. Halle Berry drove one in the Bond flick "Die Another Day". They have the 3.9 liter Jaguar V8 that was used in the Lincoln LS and MkVIII. It makes 280 hp, which moves the little 2-seat cars out pretty damn quick.  Any of these make nice drivers or weekend cruisers. Mastermind      

All I need now is a Megabucks win.....

A buddy that works in a Ford dealer let me drive a 2014 Stage 3 Roush Mustang. They wanted $67,000 for it, and I'd say it's worth every penny if I had that kind of bucks. It had the "Aluminator" 5.0 Coyote engine with the Supercharger-675 hp!!. It also had special sway bars, springs and shocks, and Roush even worked with Cooper Tires, developing special tires. The car is like driving a Nascar stocker with air conditioning and more comfortable seats. Roush claims 4.0 seconds 0-60-and I believe it-except it would be quicker if you weren't frying the tires all the way through 2nd gear!!  You can't take off and not fry the tires. If you slip the clutch and hit it 20 feet out, you fry the tires. It's Jule's wallet from Pulp Fiction. Once you get traction-it's a rocket. Its only a couple tenths faster than the 435 hp GT model in the 1/4 but that's because of traction problems. From 60-100 and from 100 to 140 the difference is like 10 car lengths!!  I'd put this bad boy up against anything from a rolling 20-Z06 'Vettes, Nissan GTR's, Porsche 911s-It's that powerful. And if you had a set of drag radials-I'd put it up in a drag race. And the exhaust system-it's loud-but it's the sweetest sound for a gear head, and except for a NASCAR pit, or a truck pull where someones running a Rat Motor on alchohol-you won't hear anything that sounds more badass. Sadly-for 2015 Roush is offering appearance and handling packages for the 4cyl ecoboost,the V6, and the "5.0"-but no engine mods yet. Hopefully they'll add the blower option mid-year. And hopefully I hit a big Keno ticket or a Megabucks slot jackpot. If I do-that Bad, blue Roush is coming home with me, and I can give the finger to my neighbor who has a Boss 302 and a Pantera....Mastermind    

The WORST Movie chases.....

I've talked before and a lot of people have asked about the best movie chases feturing musclecars and weve talked et al- about "Bullitt" "Vanishing Point", "Gone in 60 Seconds", "White Lightning", "Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry" etc. But some people have asked about the worst, most unrealistic ones, and I feel compelled to oblige.  Here's the worst in my opinion. # 1. "Wanted". Even a breifly naked Angelina Jolie couldn't save this stinker. Her and James Macavoy are driving a Dodge Viper, and the bad guy can miraculously keep up in a UPS truck. Not a real UPS truck-but you know what I'm talking about. A GM Box van. Puhleeeze. A Viper would leave that in half a block.  # 2. "The Driver" This is actually one of Quentin Tarantino's favorites, and I have to admit I liked it up until the finale. Ryan O' Neal is a Getaway driver who drives criminals away from crimes eluding the cops. There's a lot of good automotive action, but the finale sucks. O' Neal is chasing a 1976 Pontiac Trans-Am in a 1976 Chevy Pickup!! For argument's sake, if the truck was a 454 it would be competitive in a drag race; but there's no way a truck could corner or brake with a Trans-Am!!!  The T/A would lose him in three blocks!!  And the Ironic thing is-earlier in the film O' Neal was driving a '77 or '78 Firebird.  Now if he was chasing the T/A in that, that would have been believable.  # 3. "Marked for Death" This Steven Seagal stinker is almost as bad as "Wanted". Seagal and Keith David are chasing a BMW 633CSI in a Dodge Ramcharger. If you don't know- A Ramcharger is a 4WD Chevy Blazer / Ford Bronco type SUV.  One of the slowest, most Ill-handling vehicles ever built. A BMW 633CSI is one the fastest, best handling sport sedans ever built. The Bimmer would lose the Dodge truck in two blocks. And-earlier in the film, Seagal was driving a sinister looking black '73 Mustang Mach 1!!  Why didn't they have him chasing the Bimmer in that??  That would have been cool, and beleivable. # 4. "Basic Instinct" Most people remember Sharon Stone getting naked a lot and the famous leg-crossing scene in the police station. I remember Michael Douglas ripping Jeanne Tripplehorn's clothes off and bending her over the couch as much hotter than any scene with Sharon. Anyhow-even though Douglas' Detective character drives a '92 "5.0" Mustang throughout the film- in the one chase scene he tries to stay up with Stone-who's driving a Lotus Esprit-on a two-lane road in a Dodge Diplomat 4-door cop car. The Lotus would have smoked him in under a mile. Puhleeze. Again-why not the Mustang?  # 5. "Fast&Furious". There's two stinkers here. One, Paul Walker and Vin Diesel completely smoke a Ferarri 360 in a drag race in an '89 Toyota Supra. Riiiggghhhttt. I know, the Supra was supposed to be all pumped up. Even if the Supra had 500 hp, ( They had about 250 stock ) the Ferarri-that stock did 0-60 in like 4 seconds flat and the 1/4 in like 11.8-according to Car&Driver- would still have given it a helluva race. It wouldn't have been the ass-whippin they showed. And the end-where Walker driving the same Supra stays dead-even in a drag race with Diesel's 6-71 Supercharged, 426 Hemi powered 1970 Charger!!!  I don't think so!!!   Mastermind            

The 442 turns 50...

In 1964 Pontiac turned the automotive world on it's ear. When they dropped the "Big Car" 389 onto the compact Tempest and created the GTO, the musclecar era was launched. Olds quickly countered with the 442 Package which stood for 4 barrel carb, 4-speed transmission, dual exhaust. The 330 V8 Cutlasss 442 was a nicely balanced package-but just like a 327 Malibu-couldn't really compete with a 389 GTO. The minions at Chevrolet waited for an official ruling from GM-that's why the SS396 Chevelle wasn't introduced until 1966. The renegades at Oldsmobile figured- screw 'em-Pontiac broke the rules-DeLorean griping about Olds offereing the 330 as a step-down engine in the 88, and saying the GTO was an "Option" skirting te small car / small engine big car / big engine rule. In 1965 they put their big 400 inch V8 in the Cutlass 442 making it competitive with the GTO. Oddly-Maybe Olds didn't advertise like Pontiac did-I don't know-Pontiac sold 75,000 GTOs and Olds only sold 25,000 442s. In 1966 Olds even offered a 3-2bbl version just like Pontiac did. However- again-they are quite rare. In 1967 Disc brakes were offered, the Hurst Dual / Gate shifter, and many others. In 1968 all the GM "A" bodies were redesigned. The 442 had a 400 V8, but the Hurst / Olds-concieved by George Hurst had a special silver and black paint job and flouting GM's rule that intermediates couldn't have engines larger than 400 cubes-had the fire-breathing 455 from the Toronado. Only 515 were built, but the performance image was there. Same for 1969 except the H / O was white and Gold. 1970 was the pinnacle year for the 442. The "W30" 455 V8 had an aluminum intake, special heads, a 328 degree cam and was so hot it was only available with a 4-speed and 3.90 or 4.33:1 gears, and no power brakes-because it didn't have enough vacuum at idle to operate power brakes or an automatic transmission!! It was GROSSLY under-rated at 370 hp, and could easily compete with the 450 hp LS6 Chevelle. 1971 brought lowered compression ratios across the board. 1972 had the H /O as the Indy pace car again, but only 629 were built. Sadly-like Pontiac with the GTO, the 442 reverted to option staus on the Cutlass. Thus it was possible to have a mean-looking machine that wheezed out 160 hp with a 350  with a 2bbl!!!  Olds just gave up on performance and concentrated on luxury. The "W30" package-with a few changes-could have lasted until 1979 just like the 400 Pontiacs in the Trans-Am. But they gave up. The 455 was optional in the Cutlass until 1976-but by then it wheezed out 190 hp, and there was no manual transmission option, and the stiffest axle ratio was a 2.56:1!!  Gee, why was Pontiac selling T/A's with 400s and 455s with 4-speeds and 3.23:1 or 3.42:1 gears that ran???  In the '70's and '80's Olds put the legendary 442 Moniker on a bunch of slugs. The worst was 1985-87. You got a 2 door Cutlass with a tape stripe appearance package, "Monte Carlo SS" suspension, and a 307 inch Olds V8 that wheezed out 140 hp and could only be backed by a 4-speed automatic. While Buick was making Grand Nationals on the same platform that ran low 14s or high 13s off the showroom floor!!!  Why didn't Olds lobby for a version of that??  Because they didn't care. The Cutlass was the best-selling American car for many yers in the '70's and '80's. They just didn't give a shit. The Rental-car fleet money was rolling in, and the baby boomers were aging and not caring about muscle-so Olds didn't. But Like Danny DeVito said in "Other Peoples Money" "Get an Increasing Share of a Shrinking Market" "Down the Tubes."  That's why theres no mor Oldsmobile and there's still a Chevrolet and Buick. They changed with the times. Olds didn't. And that's sad-because while it lasted- a 442 was a cool alternative to an SS Chevelle or a GTO.  Mastermind    

The GTO turns 50.....

In late 1963 GM handed down it's famous ban on racing. This was going to hurt sales immensely-especially at Pontiac-who had climbed from sixth to third in total US car sales mainly because of their high-performance image. That's where the term "Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday." came from. Smokey Yunick and Fireball Roberts were unstoppable in NASCAR in their fire-breathing Pontiacs. Roberts won 22 races in 1961-62 a feat unequalled until Richard Petty won 27 in 1970. Mickey Thompson and Hayden Proffit dominated stock class drag racing in their 421 Catalina. Up until then performance cars were primarily full-size cars. At that time-GM also had a rule-big cars got big engines, small cars got small engines. No intermediate could have a standard engine over 330 cubic inches. Oldsmobile dropped the 330 V8 into the 88 sedan and dropped the price-a direct assault on the Pontiac Catalina. This angered DeLorean, who was working with Jim Wangers and Pete Estes to develop a perfromance street car since racing wasn't allowed. They dropped the 389 V8 out of the big cars into the compact Tempest and called it the GTO. DeLorean had hoped to sell 10,000 units; it was a huge hit-even though it was a mid-year option they sold 32,450. The other GM divisions howled to the high heavens and demanded the car be killed. Oldsmobile quickly countered with the Cutlass 442 performance package-but with only 330 cubes under the hood, all it would see of a GTO would be the taillights. DeLorean said-and rightly so-the rule was no intermediate could have a STANDARD engine over 330 cubes. The GTO package was an extra-cost OPTION. And, the GM brass never argued with sales success so the car was here to stay. In 1965 they changed the bodystyle a little and Both engines got more hp the 4bbl 389 was bumped from 325 hp to 335, and the Tri-Power version got bumped from 348 hp to 360. Sales more than doubled-75,000 units were sold. The Goats were king of the street. A 406 Ford Galaxie or a 409 Chevy Impala or a 413 Plymouth Belvedere-all full-size cars would get their lunch eaten by a GTO. The 389 had almost as much power-but the Tempest was several hundred pounds lighter. A 327 Chevelle or a 289 Mustang had little chance in a drag race with a GTO. Olsmobile quickly followed Pontiac's lead and dropped their 400 inch V8 into the 442-which made them competitive but they only sold 1/3 of the units-25,000. In 1966 the freight train rolled on. Sales hit 96,000 units, an all-time high. Chevrolet finally countered with the SS396 Chevelle-and with a dealer network twice the size of Pontiac's-could only sell 77,000 units. 1967 brought some good changes. The body was still basically the same as the record-setting '66 except for the taillights. Front disc brakes became an option for the first time, and for automatic buyers the crappy two-speed ST300 ( read Powerglide ) was replaced by the excellent 3-speed TH400 and could be had with a Hurst Dual / Gate shifter. Engine size was increased to 400 cubic inches, and the heads were completely re-designed to breathe much better. However the 3-2bbl Tri-Power option-which had been a Pontiac Performance staple since 1959 was dropped. GM had said they wanted no more multi-carb options. Zora-Arkus Duntov and Chevrolet defied the order-the 427 Corvette had a 3-2bbl option until 1969-but everyone else toed the line. The buff magazines cried bloody murder. You could order all the parts through dealership parts departments and the '65-66 setup would bolt up to the new engines, and some dealers like Royal Pontiac would even install them if you paid extra. In reality-the 400 4bbl was actually a BETTER perfomer than the 389 Tri-Powers. sales dropped a little-but they still sold 81,000 units. By 1968 the musclecar movement was in full swing. The body was completely re-designed and Motor Trend named it the "Car of the Year".  Chrysler introduced the Road Runner-basically a taxicab stripped down Satellite with a hopped up 383 V8 as standard equipment and the 440 and the 426 Hemi optional. Dodge had the Super Bee-basically the same package on the Coronet. Ford stuffed the 390 V8 into the Mustang, and Chevrolet had introduced the Camaro in 1967 and you could get a 396 in it. Pontiac of course got the Firebird-their version of the Camaro and you could get a 400 in a Firebird. With all this competition they still sold 87,000 units. 1969 brought the introduction of the Ram Air III and Ram Air IV engines and the "Judge" package. However-the other car companies were busy too. Ford stuffed the Police Interceptor 428 into the new Mustang Mach 1, and Chrysler introduced the legendary 440 "Six-Pack" in the Road Runner and the Super Bee. Some dealers-like Nickey Chevrolet, and Don Yenko were stuffing L72 Corvette 427s into Camaros and Chevelles. Still sales were strong-72,225 units. In 1970 GM lifted their stupid rule that intermediates could only have 400 cubic inch engines. Chevrolet immediately stuffed a 454 in the Chevelle-the LS6 had a rip-snorting 450 horses, and that was probably under-rated. Oldsmobile put a 455 into the 442-the "W30" package had an aluminum intake,a 328 degree cam and was so hot it could only be ordered with a 4-speed and no power brakes-it didn't have enough vacuum at idle to operate them! It was grossly under-rated at 370 hp. Buick even got into the fray with the GS455 Skylark, and the Fire-breathing GSX. Chrysler introduced the 'Cuda and Challenger-basically Camaro / Firebird fighters-and they could be had with any engine including the 426 Hemi and the 440 Six-Pack. Strangely, probably because DeLorean had left-Pontiac didn't use the 455. You could get a 455 in a GTO-but it was a generic, "Station Wagon" engine. The high-performance engines were still the RAIII and RAIV 400s. If Pontiac had put the RAIV heads, intake and cam on the 455 block-they could have been competitive with these other monsters. But they didn't, and for the first time there were a lot of cars that could put a GTO on the trailer-something that just didn't happen in the first five years. And Insurance companies were cracking down on performance cars-often the insurance premiums were as much as the car payments!!  Sales dropped way off-40,149 units were sold-almost half of 1969's production. In 1971 due to ever tightening emissions standards and invention of low-lead gasoline-compression ratios were lowered across the board by all GM divisions. Pontiac did build a performance 455-the 455 HO used the heads and aluminum intake from the RAIV, with the milder "068" cam. It was under-rated at 335 hp and 480 lbs of torque. Didn't help-sales dropped to 10,000 units, a 1/4 of 1970's, which was half of 1969's. In 1972 the GTO was no longer a separate model-for the first time since 1964 it reverted to being an option on the LeMans. The 455HO was still available, but sales dropped to a meager 5,807 units. A United Auto Workers strike in 1972 probably didn't help either. The GM "A" bodies were all redesigned for 1973-the hated "Collonade" hardtops. With 5-mph bumpers-they were just plain ugly. 4,806 units were sold-the lowest ever. It was clear to everyone that the Trans-Am was now the flagship. In 1974 the engineers decided to return to it's roots-a big engine in a small car. The GTO was made an option on the "X" body-( read Nova ) platform. Since Pontiac engines are externally identical from a 326 to a 455-and the 350 was an option in the Ventura-the engineers wanted to put a 400 in the Ventura GTO. Now that would have been a rocket!!  ( I know, because I stuffed the 400 out of my wrecked '77 T/A into a '71 Ventura and it was quite a sleeper ). A Ventura weighed 3,200 lbs-about 600 lbs less than a Firebird. A 400 Ventura / GTO would have blown the doors off even an SD-455 Trans-Am-and that couldn't happen-the T/A was the cash cow. So the GTO got a 350 V8 that wheezed out 200hp. The buff magazines cried bloody murder. You could still get a 400 with a 4-speed or a 455 with a TH400 in the LeMans and the Grand Am-which were more GTO-like than the gussied up Ventura. So the car that started it all was put to rest. T/A sales soared in the late '70s, and remained the flagship until GM killed the F-bodies at the end of 2002. In 2004 GM put the GTO name on the Australian Holden Monaro. It had the 350 hp 5.7 liter LS1 'Vette motor and a great suspension. In 2005 they upped the ante with the 400hp LS2 'Vette motor. They didn't sell. The problem was the styling. It looked like a Grand Am with fat tires. Car and Driver called it the "Best Car Nobody's Buying". They hit it right on the head-"It runs like a Corvette, handles like a BMW, and looks like a rental car."  If Pontiac had done what Ford did with the Mustang and Dodge did with the Challenger-go retro and make it look like a '60's or '70's model-they's have had people lined up around the block-Ford can't build enough Mustangs fast enough, and the Challenger is selling like hot cakes. A sad end to a great idea. But if you want a GTO-you'll have to find a '64-72 model.  Mastermind            

"Subjective" is Bullshit....We need to be Objective.....

I'm sorry to deride magazine writers because I sometimes write for magazines-but I just have to vent this. We have to stop the Calvin ( Of "Calvin and Hobbes" comic strip fame peeing on a Ford or Chevy emblem ) pissing shit. I love how magazine writers can rank one car ahead of another because they personally like it better-even though the numbers show otherwise. Here's a couple examples. I work in a Subaru dealership so this one really pisses me off. Car and Driver had a "Sport Sedan" showdown comparing the base model WRX ( not the STI ) against the VW Jetta Hot rod, the Mazda Speed 3, the Honda Civic SI,and the Ford Focus ST. The WRX was the fastest 0-60, the fastest in the 1/4 mile,had the highest top speed,the shortest stopping distance from 70 mph, the fastest lap time around Willow Springs Raceway,and the highest "G" rating on the skidpad. Basically it was #1 in every performance category, and except for the Honda, had the lowest price!!!. Yet the writers rated it #2 behind the Volkswagen!!!  Huh?  How does that work? What math are they doing?  This is not an isolated example. A couple years ago Motor Trend compared a Mustang GT against a BMW M3. They even titled the article "America's M3". The Mustang had 412 hp, the BMW 414. The Mustang was equal or better in every performance category-0-60, 1/4 mile, 70-0 braking, lap time around the track etc-and the Mustang cost $29,000 versus the M3's $64,000 price tag nd they still rated the BMW #1.  Excuse me? The Mustang was equal or better in every performance category and was half the price, and you still rate the Bimmer #1??  How does that work?  I remember a "Crate Motor Shootout" that Hot Rod did back in the '90's same thing. The Chevy was a '69 Camaro with a ZZ3 350 crate engine and 4 speed, the Ford was a '92 Mustang with a 345 hp SVO 302 and a 5-speed, and the Mopar was a '73 Duster with a 360 MP Performance crate engine with a Torqueflite. Even though it was an automatic and the other two were sticks, and they all had basically the same hp rating-The Chevy and Ford were both rated at 345 hp and the Mopar was rated at 360-when the Duster blew their doors off by by a wide margin-more than half a second-which in a drag race-is about 5 car lengths-the editors said that the Mopar had a "rough idle" and only had 10 inches of vacuum at idle!!  Excuse me?  Is your Magazine not called "Hot Rod?"  We weren't comparing a Toyota Camry and a Honda Accord and a Ford Taurus in a "Family Sedan Showdown".  I fail to see how "Idle Quality" factors into a "Hot Rod Crate Motor Shootout". But of course-even though it was the slowest-they said they liked the Chevy best. Shocker!!!  Anyhow-numbers don't lie-we need to remember that and grade accordingly in "Fair" comparisons. Mastermind      

For major bucks it better be perfect....Part2...

Like Dennis Miller used to say-"Sorry to get off on a rant here" but I can't help it. I can't believe the prices some people are asking for piece of shit musclecars. I guess some people are paying it, because that's the market. But I see total crap priced the same as diamonds. Here's a good example-I was searching for GTO's on the 'net. I found a numbers matching, original, 69,000 mile Ram Air IV GTO with the special "OW" TH400 and 4.33:1 Posi rear for $45,000. That's a screaming deal. On the same website some idiot wanted $39,000 for a base-model 1968 GTO that's been "in storage" but hadn't been started or driven since 1991!!! How do you know then engine isn't locked up?  Or the Tranny toast? Or the wiring harness chewed to death by rodents in 23 years of storage??!!  And the owner want's 40 freaking grand for this piece of crap??!!!  When I can buy a running, low-mileage, documented RAIV for 5K more???!!!  Here's another one-more Pontiacs-sorry I love them-but it still drives the point home. These two were both pristine-but the price difference was staggering. A 1978 400, 4-speed, WS6 T/A with 44,000 original miles for $19,900!!!  Or a 1976 400, 4-speed T/A with 36,000 miles for $39,995!!  Hmmm? Which line would I be in?  I guess it comes down to "Buyer Beware". And buyer have common sense. At the last Hot August Nights Auction here in Reno I saw the stupidest thing ever. A "Clone" 1970 Challenger T/A sold for $32,000. The seller admitted it wasn't numbers-matching, that it was a gussied-up 318 model with a 360 crate motor and the "Six-Pak" induction setup. Some moron paid 32 grand for it. About an hour later, at the same auction-a "Real" numbers-matching-albeit a tad rougher-but still in really good shape for a 44 year old car-Challenger T/A went through for 24K.  Hello???!!! Someone paid 8 grand MORE for a FAKE than you could buy the real deal for??  When did 2+2 equal 3?  In Hemmings motor news in the Ford section I saw a 1969 Shelby GT350 Mustang for sale for $75,000. In the same issue-and they had pictures-and it was hard to tell which one was nicer-I saw another one for $44,000!!!  Neither amount is not chump change-but the red one didn't look 30 grand nicer than the blue one!!!!  All I can say is take Smokey Robinson's advice- "My Mama Told Me, You Better Shop Around".  Mastermind          

For major bucks it better be perfect......

I'm amazed at the musclecars that people are asking insane prices for-and the cars are screwed up. RK motors in North Carolina sells a lot of classic cars. They were advertising a 1970 Hemi Charger for $79,000. It wasn't a "Real" Hemi car-then the price would have been 150K. This was a 318 model that someone put a Mopar Performance Crate Hemi in, and a 4-speed and a Dana 60 rear end. But it had 4-wheel drum brakes!!!  Yeah, I want a 4,000 lb car with 465 hp and brakes that fade after one hard stop!!!  Not!! I mean the builder couldn't spend another 800 bucks putting front disc brakes on it?  Like Ditka says-"Come on,Man!!".  They had a 1968 SS396 Chevelle for sale for $49,995. It had no power steering. Anyone ever try to park a car or truck with a big-block Chevy in it and manual steering? Not a pleasant experience. I don't care if it's numbers-matching and "Came from the factory" that way. For 50 grand, it should have power steering and be decent to drive. And again-adding a power box, pump and hoses would have cost what-a grand? And would the value of the car really be "Compromised" by having power steering???  Trans-Am Specialties was trying to sell a 1973 Firebird Formula 455 that was supposedly a numbers matching car, for $38,000. They showed a picture of the dash and the gas guage clearly said "Unleaded Fuel Only". Except-Catalytic Converters and unleaded gas didn't debut until 1975!!  What-you couldn't spend 100 bucks at Year One or NPD and get a correct guage? You had to get one out of a junkyard from a '75-81 model??!!!  And hope no one notices???  For damn near 40 grand it better be perfect!!  They wanted 40 grand for a 455 / 4-speed '73 T/A-that had a big rip in the driver's seat!!!  For god sakes-you can't spend 100 bucks at an upholstery shop getting it patched, or a couple hundred with Legendary for a replacement cover??!!!  If these cars were "fixer uppers" that they wanted 5 or 10 grand for I'd understand, but if I'm going to lay out 40 or 50 grand for a car it better be right. Would you pay 40 grand for a BMW with ripped seats??  Unbelievable. Mastermind        

Some "Muscle Trucks" that might be cool....

If you want to go fast, but occasionally need to haul or tow stuff, there's a lot of cool trucks that make great muscle machines. Here's some of my favorites that can be bought reasonably. #1. 1967-79 Chevy / GMC 2wd 1/2 ton. Small-block versions can be made to run, but the ones to look for are 396 models- ( '67-72 ) and 454 models ( '73-79 ). There is a ton of suspension and brake upgrades, and nothing makes more power for less money than a big-block Chevy. # 2. 1972-78 Dodge 2wd 1/2 ton. The ones to look for are the 400 snd 440 versions. Not as much speed equipment available as the Chevys, but a 440 V8 in a 3900 lb machine is a potent ride whether it's a '70 Road Runner or a '78 Stepside. The '78-79 Li'l Red Express models have a "Cult" following, but their pricier and only have a 360 under the hood. # 3. 1967-79 Ford F100 / F150. The ones to look for are the 390 models ( '67-72 ) and 460 models ( '73-79 ). # 4. 1989-93 Chevy SS454. These had a sinister black paint job,fat tires on chrome wheels and a 454 backed by a TH400 or a 700R4 and 3.73:1 or 4.10:1 gears. Dynamite if you can find one. # 5. 1992-95 Ford Lightning. These had a special lowered suspension, a hotted up 351W and cool monochromatic paint. These have a ton of aftermarket equipment available. # 6. 1998-2003 Dodge Dakota R/T. Mother Mopar stuffed a 360 V8 in the lightweight Dakota pickup, gave it a lowered suspension, fat 17" tires and wheels and a 3.92:1 posi rear. 0-60 in six seconds flat and the 1/4 in the high 14s made these way cool. # 7. 1997-2003 Ford Lightning / Harley Davidson F150. These had cool graphics, special seats, lowered suspesnions and 18" or 20" wheels and a snarling 380 hp Supercharged 5.4 liter V8. Jules' Wallet that can haul plywood. Any of these are a great way to go fast and have some utility. Mastermind

Mustangs in movies......

After the post about Trans-Ams in movies I had quite a few people ask about Mustangs in the movies. Mustangs are fairly prevalent as they've always been a popular car. Here's some of the Instances I remember. # 1. Bullitt. Obvisusly the most famous one-The Highland Green '68 390 Fastback with Torq-Thrust mags has been copied for more than 40 years, and they still look cool.  # 2. "Diamonds Are Forever" James Bond Flick with a convoluted plot and two homosexual asassins after Bond. The only redeeming qualities are a young Jill St. John spends a lot of time barefoot in a bikini, and her and Sean Connery lead the bad guys on a decent chase through the streets of Las Vegas in a red '71 Mach 1. Otherwise its one of worst Bond Films. # 3. "The Mechanic". Charles Bronson should have got an Oscar for his portrayal of a lonely hitman who suffered from insomnia and migraine headaches, who takes the reckless son of one his victims under his wing. Great action, and his protege-a young Jan-Michael Vincent-drives a red '72 Mach 1. # 4. "Gone in 60 Seconds". To quote Tracie Thoms in "Death Proof"-"The original H.B. Halicki classic, not that Nic Cage / Angelina Jolie bullshit"  40 full minutes of automotive mayhem in a Yellow '73 Mach 1 nicknamed "Eleanor". # 5. "Charlie's Angel's" Farrah Fawcett and later Cheryl Ladd drove the white Mustang II fastback with blue stripes. Jaclyn Smith drove an orange Mustang coupe, and poor Kate Jackson got stuck with a Pinto. Come on Ford, even David Doyle ( "Bosley" ) got a T-Bird. Let's be honest no one gave a shit about the cars-guys from 14 to 40 tuned in droves to see Farrah, Jaclyn or Cheryl barefoot in bikinis, or occasionally chloroformed and tied up. Not only did she get screwed driving a Pinto-poor Kate-the "smart" one always had to stay dressed and help Bosley save the others when they were in peril. Hey-we didn't have internet porn back then, so it lasted 5 seasons.  # 6. "Basic Insticnct" All everyone remembers is Sharon Stone getting naked a lot. I remember the scene where Micheal Douglas rips Jeanne Tripplehorn's clothes off and bends her over the couch as hotter than any scene with Sharon. I also remember him bounding up hills in a '91 "5.0" Convertible after "Roxy" tries to kill him with the black Lotus Esprit. # 7. "The Getaway" 1994 version. Sorry guys-a then 41 year old Kim Basinger, while still hot in a Milf / Cougar way-compared to the 24 year old Ali MacGraw in the original? No contest-Ali all the way. In fact Steve McQueen left his wife for her, and she left producer Robert Towne for Steve, so torrid was the affair they had while filming the 1972 original. I'm not just picking on Kim-Alec Baldwin dreams he's as cool as Steve McQueen, and Michael Madsen-while good in Reservoir Dogs-can't touch Al Lettieri as the evil, sexually deviant gunfighter Rudy. And Roger Donaldson vs Sam Peckinpah for director? To plagairize MC Hammer- "Can't touch this."  However Baldwin did drive a '93 "5.0" Convertible, and James Woods was way more evil than Ben Johnson, as Jack Benyon-but that couldn't save it. The original is still way better. # 8 "Hannibal". This sequel to "Silence of the Lambs" brought back Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter, but had Julianne Moore as Clarice Starling. I think Julianne Moore is sexy-and if you read the books, is way closer to Author Thomas Harris's vision of Starling than dykey Jodie Foster. Anyhow- she drove an '88 Roush Mustang in the book and the movie, but sadly no car chase action. #9 "Marked for Death" This Steven Seagal stinker has him driving a sinister black '73 Mach 1, that gets wrecked, and then the big chase is between a Dodge Ramcharger and a BMW 633CSI. Yeah, right-a 318 Ramcharger could stay with a 633CSI for about half a block. Gag. I probably missed some, so feel free to chime in. Mastermind

You don't tug on Superman's cape, you don't spit into the wind...Or "So many A#$%oles, so few bullets"....

Here's an annoying phenomenon that I'm sure everyone who drives a musclecar has experienced. Everyone wants to race you or keep you from passing them. And I don't mean just other musclecars or sports cars, I mean EVERYONE. It's maddening because yes, when I was driving my Hurst / Olds, or my Trans-Am, or my 400 Powered Ventura, or my brother's GTO, etc I would gladly risk a big speeding ticket to put a "5.0" Mustang driver or Dodge Charger driver in their place. Ditto for those arrogant 'Vette drivers, and Nissan 350Z owners, Mazda RX-7 owners and especially 3 and 5 series BMW owners. I'd do it because it was fun, and it was fun because those people are used to winning 99% of the "Stoplight Gran Prix's" they initiate,and I got great joy seeing their eyes widen and jaws drop as I passed them. I have no problem with these people, because their cars are actually fast, and like me their just enjoying their car's performance whether they win or lose. The ones I hate are every thing else. Let me explain, and I'll even break them into groups. # 1. Import subcompact drivers. I'm not talking about Subaru WRX's, ( Which again-are actually freaking fast ). And spare me the "Fast&Furious" rap about 11 second Honda Civics and Nissan Sentras. I have never in my life run across one. But I have run across thousands of VW Jettas, Honda Civics, Nissan Sentras,and Toyota Corrolas with lowered suspensions, fat tires, and exhaust systems that sounds like a broken chainsaw. These people make New York Cab drivers look like safety instructors. They blast from light to light at full-throttle, and cut traffic mercilessly pissing everyone off in their wake. Except their cars aren't fast. One punk with a Honda Civic that worked at the Autozone store I worked at was always challenging my Hurst / Olds to a race. Until the night I blew his doors off in a drag race from a light in my wife's 318 Jeep Cherokee!!!  He was crushed when he reverently said "I had no Ideas those Jeeps were that fast." and I responded-"Sorry to burst your bubble Ringo-the Jeep isn't that fast-your econobox is slow." Another little asshole in my neighborhood drove a VW Corrado with a supercharged V6. Every day for like a month he'd have to blow by my H/O either on a city street or on the freeway and blow the horn and cut me off as he did it. Finally one day I pulled up next to him at a light that turned left and went onto the freeway. Once I stopped smoking my tires and got straight on the on-ramp I put the hammer down. 455 cubes responded and as I pulled even with him the TH400 laid about 30 feet of rubber into 2nd gear and I gave him the "finger" as I pulled away. I kept my foot in it until 5,700 rpm in high gear which with the 3.23 gears was something like 138 mph. Needless to say I smoked him by about 10 car lengths. Funny, every time I saw him after that he would drive like a little old lady or act like he didn't see me and turn right. Anyhow these little shits-( Their always males 18-25 years old ) are like flies that land on your face-they won't stop until you squash them. # 2. Penis Compensator Pickup and SUV drivers. These macho assholes are every bit as annoying as the little boys in the wanna-be rice rockets. No, their more annoying because the little boys will just drive away chagrined. Once in a while you'll have to get out and kick one of these guys asses after they "road rage" you and follow you where your going. These traffic bullies don't know physics. Their actually shocked when their 6,000 lb vehicle with 35" inch tires get's it's doors blown off by something with "less" power. The best one was the guy with the crew-cab SRT-10 Dodge Pickup. If you don't know Chrysler stuffed the 500 hp Viper motor into a few pickups a few years ago. He was utterly aghast when my brothers GTO showed him it's taillights. Hmm-you got 500 hp, but in a vehicle that weighs 5,700 lbs. My brother's GTO weighs 3731 lbs, and ( with the Edelbrock Performer RPM package-according to Edelbrock has 422 hp ). Guess what doofus-78 hp can't overcome an extra 2,000 lbs. My other personal favorite was the asshole with a monster F250 Ford Pickup that had a 460 with a tunnel-ram on it that both my 400 '72 Ventura and my buddys hopped up '83 Camaro sucked up and spit out in a 3-way drag race. "I've got ten grand in the motor of this thing!" he whined. Yeah but it weighs 6,400 lbs and has the aerodynamics of the Chrysler building!! Think that makes a difference.....# 3. Soccer moms in SUVs. V8 Cherokees,V8 Ford Explorers, V8 Toyota 4Runners, Turbo Subaru Foresters, Turbo Volvo XC90's, doesn't matter. Why I want to rape and kill these bitches and not in that order is while their going 70 on a city street where the speed limit is 35 to keep you from passing them or going over 100 on the freeway to keep you from getting over-they usually have two or three little kids strapped in child seats in the back seat!!!  If you blew a tire, or someone pulled in front of you at that speed, what's going to happen to your kids you dumb, miserable bitch??!!  # 4. German car owners. We all know BMW stands for "Break My Windows" right?  BMWs, Audis, Mercedes, VW's, they all drive like assholes and act like everyone else should get out of their way immediately, no matter what. Back in the '80's my cousin had a badass Camaro that had a vanity liscence plate that read 911 EATR. The hilarious thing was-once in a while we'd get in an impromptu drag race or game of cat and mouse on the freeway or a curvy road with a 911 driver, and win lose or draw, the 911 guys would usually laugh and gives us a thumbs up or ask us to pull over and shoot the breeze about cars or follow them to a sports bar for a beer. Typical gearheads. However, that plate mortally offended every other German car driver. He would be cut off, passed, blown the horn at and given the finger by every single asshole who drove a Mercedes, BMW, Audi, or VW. Their all dying off now, but I would go 10 miles out of my way to give the finger to a Mercedes or BMW driver with a "Holocaust Survivor" bumper sticker. You know what I'm talking about-if you accepted every challenge you get every day in your musclecar you'd lose your liscence in a month. But every once in a while, you have to smite one of these insects in biblical fashion because they so richly deserve it. Just had to vent that. Mastermind                    

Hey Hollywood.....I'm available as a consultant....And desperately needed!!!

Musclecars are often featured in movies and T.V. shows, but Hollywood incessantly screws up when referring to them. Maybe for someone who knows nothing about cars it's not a big deal but for us gear heads it's maddening. Here's a few glaring gaffes that I found just this week on cable tv. # 1. "The Butcher". This made for cable action flick stars Eric Roberts as an ex-boxer turned mob enforcer who has to defend himself against the cops and other gangsters when he's wrongly blamed for robbing and killing a rival mob boss. The story and the action are ok, and everyone wants to buy his 1969 Dodge Charger. Except it's a '73 model!!!!  Yet, everyone in the film, including Roberts, says it's a '69!!  And several people say it's a 4-speed, yet when he's driving it, you clearly see an automatic column shifter!!  Arrrrggghhhh!!!!  # 2. "Love Ranch" This flick stars Joe Pesci and Helen Mirren and it's thinly veiled as "not" the story of boxer Oscar Bonavena's murder at the Mustang Ranch brothel outside Reno. They say it's 1976 at the beginning of the film ( which is when it really happened ). What drove me up the wall was they had the boxer driving a 1979 Trans-Am!!  Why? For god's sake they couldn't find a '75 or '76 model?  # 3. "Cold Case". This episode was about the 1972 murder of a teenage boy. On his bedroom wall was poster of a barefoot Farrah Fawcett-Majors sitting on the hood of a white and blue Mustang II, and the famous wet-t-shirt poster of Jacqueline Bisset from "The Deep". Both of them are completely wrong. Here's why. The one with Farrah is obviously a promo shot for "Charlie's Angels". I know because I had the same poster when I was in high school. Except Ford didn't introduce the Mustang II until 1974, and "Charlie's Angels" premiered in September 1976!!!  The "Deep" poster with Bisset wearing only bikini panties, a wet-t-shirt which clung to her awesome rack and showed her large nipples, and a scuba mask was also a best seller. Except the movie and the poster were released in 1977!!!  So how did this kid have them in 1972???  Ugh.  #4 "Vegas". This only lasted one season, probably because it was such a major offender. It starred Dennis Quaid as real-life sherriff Ralph Lamb,Michael Chiklis as a Chicago Gangster who owns a casino and Carrie-Anne Moss as the District Attorney. However, the series was set in 1960. Yet Moss drove a '63 T-Bird, Chiklis drove a '62 Continental with the Suicide Doors, and Quaid drove a 1964 Dodge pickup!!!  # 5. "The Dark Half". This Stephen King thriller pissed me off as both a book and a movie. The Killer drove a 1966 Toronado which is a cool enough ride,but in both the book and the movie they refer to him spinning the rear wheels!! How, when Toronados are all FRONT-WHEEL DRIVE!!!  And in the book they talk about him having a Hurst-shifted 4-speed in it!!! Except all Toronados are automatics!!  They should have had him driving a '60's Pontiac Gran Prix-which is rear-wheel drive,had a lot of power with 389,400,421 or 428 cubes under the hood, and was available with a 4-speed stick. # 6. "White Lightning". This is one of my favorite action flicks and one of Burt Reynolds best. Except when he gets the car from the feds and they show him the engine-He says "Looks like a 429 with dual quads..."  Except you clearly see one Holley 4-barrel under a Weiand Lynx air cleaner. And in some scenes it's a 4-speed-they show the Hurst shifter and him shifting it. In others it's an automatic-you see him put it in park in one scene, and in another Jennifer Billingsley slams it into drive and takes off. Nit-picky, I know, but still.... # 7. "Smokey and the Bandit". Another Burt Reynolds classic with the same problem. In some scenes the T/A is a 4-speed, you see the clutch pedal and him shifting it. In others you see the automatic shifter next to the CB radio on the console. Rumor has it that Sally Field couldn't drive a stick, and that Burt and director Hal Needham just gave up trying to edit it, figuring no one would notice. Well we did. Why doesn't Hollywood hire someone who knows cars to help edit this stuff??  Mastermind                      

"X" might just mark the spot.....

If your looking for a cheap hot rod one that's often overlooked are the GM "X" bodies. I know '68-72 Novas have a "cult" following, but the others are largely overlooked. 1971-77 Pontiac Venturas, 1973-79 Olds Omegas and Buick Apollos can be bought dirt cheap. What makes them a great base for a street machine is the subframe and suspensions are the same as the "F" bodies. That means any factory or aftermarket suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Camaro / Firebird will fit these cars. You can build a "G" machine that corners like a Trans-Am or a Corvette, or a drag racer that will pull the front wheels on launch. The other great thing is the engine bays will accept any GM engine. The Pontiacs are the king sleepers-Pontiac engines are externally identical from a 326 to a 455. That means a 400 or 455 will literally bolt in place of the 350. And a Ventura weighs about 600 lbs less than a Firebird / Trans-Am. If you want to stay brand loyal-a 455 Buick Apollo or a 455 Olds Omega would be a rocker. Or you could swap a small or big block Chevy into any of them, or a late-model LS motor. They have a ton of potential for very low bucks. I took the warmed-over 400 out of my '78 Trans-Am that I wrecked and put it a '72 Ventura back in the '80's. I smoked quite a few people who thought they were messing with a small-block Nova. And I had like $1,500 bucks in the whole car. A "X" body might be just the ticket for high performance for low bucks.  Mastermind  

"I like it, I love it, I want some more of it".....

      Country singer Tim McGraw was talking about sex with a new girlfriend, but I think it applies to a new batch of cars. Dodge is releasing the Hellcat Challenger that has a superhcarged Hemi with 707 hp!!  Chevy has put the 638 hp ZR1 'Vette motor in the Camaro. I was at a Ford dealer the other day and saw a Roush Mustang with a blown 5.0 with 600+ hp. Old-school guys-Listen up-even if your allowed slicks and open headers-these cars will eat the lunch of your LS6 Chevelle or Hemi 'Cuda, or L88 'Vette on street tires. Give the new ones drag radials-and it's not even close. That may be a bitter pill for some to swallow-but it's evolution. The small-block Chevy replaced the flathead Ford as "The" hotrod engine. Deride the new cars if you want-but except for electronic fuel management and ignition timing-it's still old-school hot-rodding. 11:1 compression, more cubes, more cam,putting a big motor in a light car, etc. And it's not only middle-aged rich guys who can afford a $60,000-100,000 car that can play. For 24K you can buy a Ford Mustang with a 305 hp V6 that does the 1/4 in less than 14 seconds. Ditto for a 323hp Camaro. For $27K you can buy a Subaru WRX that does the 1/4 in 13.8 seconds. A Nissan 370Z offers similar performance with it's 332hp V6 for 29K. In my mind-this is the golden age of automotive performance.  Like I've said-I'm a Pontiac guy-I'd love to buy a '78 400, 4-speed WS6 T/A to play with, or a '72 Ventura or a '69 Gran Prix. But I'd also like to have a new Mustang, or an '80's Porsche 944 or a '70's Datsun 240Z. Like Vin Diesel said-"I appreciate a fine body no matter who makes it."  Embrace these new monsters, and buy them if you can!! Keep the flame burning!  Mastermind    

Trans-Ams in movies......Besides "Smokey and the Bandit:......

After the last post espousing the Trans-Am's importance to musclecar history and survival some people asked if T/A's were featured in other movies either with or without car-chase action. Here's the list of some I remember. # 1. "McQ". John Wayne was offered "Dirty Harry" and turned it down. After it made Clint Eastwood a mega-star-( Clint was well known for the "Spaghetti Westerns" of Sergio Leone-"A Fistful of Dollars" "For a Few Dollars More" and "The Good, the Bad and The Ugly", but "Dirty Harry" really put him on the map ) he realized his mistake and decided to make a modern Cop drama. It actually had a good story about corrupt cops in Seattle and no one plays a tough guy like the Duke,but it was released at the same time as "Magnum Force"-with Clint as Dirty Harry battling corrupt cops in San Francisco. "Magnum Force" was a Mega-hit, and "McQ" got critical acclaim but didn't do much box office. It's still a good action flick and John Wayne drove a Brewster Green 1973 Trans-Am. # 2. "Thunderbolt&Lightfoot." This one featured Clint Eastwood as a Master Thief and Jeff Bridges as his younger protege'. Early on Bridges steals a white '73 T/A. Later him and Clint dump it and steal a '73 "Boat Tail" Riviera. Not one of Clint's better pics-the story dragged and was too convoluted to make sense of.  # 3 "The Star Chamber" featured Micheal Douglas as an Idealistic Judge who's seen too many murdering dirtbags go free on technicalities. His pal Hal Holbrook initiates him into a secret panel of Judges that vote and mete out the death penalty to killers who have gotten off via their personal hitman. There's a cool chase in a parking garage and the bad guys do the most awesome burnout you'll ever see on screen in a 455 powered '73 T/A.  # 4. "An Eye for an Eye". Chuck Norris Martial-Arts thriller filmed in San Francisco. Chuck kicks a lot of ass and drives a Buccaneer Red '73 T/A, but sadly no car-chase action. Chuck had a good chase in "Code of Silence" driving a beater '75 Formula 400 if your interested. # 5 "The Hunter". Steve McQueen's last movie-with the King of Cool playing real-life Bounty Hunter Ralph "Papa" Thorson. He steals a black and gold '79 T/A that gets blown up after a little chase. # 6. "Georgia Peaches". This was a CBS made for TV action flick. It's notable for some good car chase action in a '79 10th Anniversary T/A, ( Which gets blown up ) and a young Tanya Tucker has a cool bondage scene. ( Not quite as cool as Maureen McCormick's ( Marcia Brady!! ) in "Moonshine County Express" but still sexy. ) ( Call me a perv if you want-you same people who wore out your "pause" and re-wind" buttons going slo-mo on Jennifer Billingsley's VERY dirty bare feet in her scene teasing Burt Reynolds by the river. Just shut up and rent the flicks. )  # 7. "Blue Thunder" Action Thriller with Roy Schieder as a Viet Nam Vet turned Police Helicopter pilot who steals an experimental attack chopper from the Army and uncovers a conspiracy and several murders. He drives a Black and Gold T/A that in some scenes is a '79 with a "Shaker" hood and in others is an '81 Turbo Model. The only chase involves Candy Clark eluding the bad guys and the cops in a Vega while Scheider smites them from the air. ( It actually works on screen ). # 8 "Hooper" This comedy starred Burt Reynolds and Jan-Michael Vincent as rival stuntmen. In their movie within the movie they do a bunch of stunts in a rocket-powered red '78 T/A.  I'm sure there's more I missed, so feel free to write in and tell us about them. Mastermind      

The most important musclecar...

Musclecar Review asked readers to write in about what they thought was the the most important musclecar of the last 50 years. Here's what I wrote. The Pontiac Trans-Am is the most important musclecar of the last 50 years. People will argue Hemi 'Cudas, LS6 Chevelles, Boss 429s, blah,blah,blah. Think back to 1974 at the height of the Arab oil embargo. By 1975 the Charger, Road Runner,'Cuda and Challenger were no more. The Javelin AMX was no more. There were no more SS Chevelles, the Z/28 was no more,and the largest engine you could get in a Corvette was a 350, and you couldn't even get a 4-speed in California. The Mustang was more Pinto / Capri than Mustang. Yet you could still get a 455 in a Trans-Am until 1976 and a 400 was available until 1979. Gee, why did T/A sales double or triple every year after 1973? Musclecar buyers didn't go away, the carmakers stopped making cars that they wanted to buy. T/A sales went from 4,800 in 1973 to 10,000 in 1974, to 23,000 in 1975 to 46,000 in 1976 and to 68,000 in 1977.  After "Smokey and the Bandit" 1978 sales went to 93,000 and 1979 sales to 117,000. Chevy realized their mistake and resurrected the Z/28 in April 1977 and '78 was a record year. But he bottom line was-if you wanted a badass musclecar in the late '70's you had one choice-a Trans-Am. Scoff at their 6 second 0-60 times and 15 second 1/4 miles. Yes I know a V6 Toyota Camry can do that now. But in the darkest days when catalytic converters were new-they were the fastest cars available. The T/A like Buford Pusser standing up to corruption in the South, stood Janus-faced against all comers while Motor Trend and Car and Driver were espousing front-drive econoboxes-Patrick Bedard won't admit it now- but he actually raved about the Chevy Citation in 1980. If it wasn't for the Trans-Am we would'nt have had "5.0" Mustangs in the '80's, Buick Gran Nationals, or LT1 or LS1 'Vettes and Camaros or Impala SS's in the '90's. And we wouldn't have 400 hp Mustangs, Challengers and Camaros now. Next time you turn on TNT thank Burt Reynolds and Pontiac for keeping the faith and bridging the gap between the '60's and the '80's. Otherwise-like the "Cat in the Hat" Movie we'd all be driving Focuses.  Mastermind  

"Cold" August Nights......

Hot August Nights is here again and every year I get more disappointed. Maybe it's the economy and people aren't traveling from as far away anymore,or Maybe it's the city of Reno being assholes-Like the Highway Patrol writing tickets on I-80 between VerdI and Reno as you come into town. Yeah,a $200 ticket before I even get into town will make me want to come back!! And the greedy motel and casino owners raising the room prices from the-rest-of-the-year $39-$89 a night to $100-$200 a night during HAN. Yeah, that puts a good taste into people's mouth. And because some Bay Area gang-bangers started a riot 15 years ago, the Police just HAVE to restrict alchohol sales downtown and not allow cruising. And while Vegas has people like Celine Dion and Elton John and Shania Twain and Britney Spears and Toby Keith Headlining at their casinos we get Frankie Avalon and Fabian and the Beach Boys. The "I can't believe I'm not dead tour". Not Faith Hill or Beyonce' or Keith Urban, or even Jerry Lee Lewis or Eric Burdon or John Fogerty or John Kay of Steppenwolf-you know people that actually have hits on MTV and the radio now, or at least had them in the musclecar era and the last 40 years that people actually want to see!! And besides that-I don't care what the organizers say attendance is WAY down from the past few years. I can tell because you don't see any cars anymore. A few years ago-the town looked like it was transported back to 1970. There was '50's and '60s cars all over the streets. Now once in a while you'll see a classic driving around. And the "Show-n-Shines" suck too. Used to you'd see all kinds of cool stuff-Cobras,Plymouth Superbirds,Thunderbolt Fairlanes,W31`Cutlasses,428 Mustangs, 455 Trans-Ams, 396 Novas etc. Now it's cookie cutter the Chevy section is all '55-57s, and 68-72 Chevelles and 67-69 Camaros. You never see a '57 Vette, or a '63 Split Window Stingray or '69 427 Stingray-you hardly see any 'Vettes at all. And no 409 Impalas or 427 Impalas,no Nova SS's no '70's Camaros, no V8 Vegas, No Chevelles or Impalas done in "Gasser" style-radiused wheel wells, straight front axles etc. Ditto for the other makes. The Ford section is all Mustang. Very few if any Torinos,Cougars,Cyclones,Rancheros,T-Birds. Hell I'd rejoice if I saw a hot-rod Falcon!!  Same for Mopar. It's all 68-70 Chargers and Road Runners and a few '70-74 E-bodies-'Cudas and Challengers. No early '60's Max Wedge cars,no Hemi Darts,no Superbirds,no Sport Furys, no Super Bees, again-I'd cheer if I even saw a nice 340 Duster or Dodge Demon!!  It's just sad, because I remember when it was fun. And 1/8 mile drag races in parking lots?  Puhleeze. Come on you cheap bastard Casino owners pay the extra insurance premium and have real 1/4 mile races at Reno-Fernley Raceway or at the Stead Airport like they used to. An 1/8 mile elinimates all the big-block cars from winning. You know that-how many times have you had some punk in a 302 Mustang or 350 Camaro or 340 Duster jump you off the line and then about 60 mph-your 440 Road Runner, 396 Chevelle or 400 Firebird in a beautiful display of mid-range torque-catches and passes him while you giggle like a fiend. An 1/8 mile-if they'd let me enter it-I could dominate in my Subaru!!  Sorry just had to vent that. Maybe the orgainizers will wake up and stop killing the Golden Goose. Mastermind  

Still more cool one or two year wonders.....

For whatever reason-poor sales, bodystyle changes,smog laws whatever-some really cool stuff only lasted a couple years. But on the upside not many people know about them, so sometimes you can get a real bargain on a unique car. Here's some cool rides, mostly later model stuff but still fun. I've listed them in no particular order. #1. 1975 Plymouth Road Runner. For this one year only Chrysler put the Road Runner nameplate on the Sport Fury platform. They had a "Tuff" steering wheel, bucket seats, special badging and the famous "Beep-Beep" horn. 318 versions are dogs, but the 360 and 400 models can be made to run strong. Roughly 6,500 were built so you should be able to find one. # 2. 1977 Pontiac Can-Am. Wanting to capitalize on the Trans-Am's skyrocketing sales and image the engineers came up with this performance package based on the LeMans body. Appearance items included a special white paint job with "Judge" style striping,a ducktail rear spoiler,a Trans-Am style "Shaker" hood scoop,body-colored Rally II wheels and a Gran Prix instrument panel. Performance items included front and rear sway bars, a 400 Pontiac V8 ( 403 Olds in California ) a TH400 with a shift kit, and a positraction rear end. The "A" bodies were all downsized for 1978 so it only lasted one season. Cool if you can find one. # 3. 1983-86 Mercury Capri. That's not a typo. Most people hear "Capri" and think of the 4-banger / V6 econoboxes of the '70's. For these few years you got a 302 V8 with  real tube headers,a 600 Holley on an aluminum manifold,a five-speed stick or a 4-speed automatic and sport suspension-basically a re-badged "5.0" Mustang. Obviously anything that fits a Fox 'Stang will fit these cars so there's tons of potential. I'd remove the "5.0" emblems to make it a real sleeper. # 4. 1984-86 Ford Mustang SVO. These had Recaro seats,16" wheels and tires,sport suspension and a Turbocharged 4-cylinder engine that made between 175 and 205 hp depending on year. They didn't sell well because the "5.0" V8 models were both faster and several thousand dollars cheaper. However you can buy them fairly cheap today,and the 2.3 Ford is virtually bulletproof-you could turn the boost way up and get more power without ill effects. # 5. 1984 Chevrolet Corvette. This was the first year of the C4 body that lasted until 1996. Power is a "Cross-Fire" injected 350 backed by a 4-speed automatic, or a 4-speed manual with an overdrive-the "4+3"-you can engage the overdrive in 2nd,3rd or 4th effectively giving you 7 gears. 'Vette collectors snub these cars in favor of the '85-91 "Tuned Port" injected models which keeps prices low. My brother in-law bought a rough-but running one for $1,200 and I've seen nice ones on used car lots for $2995!!  There is more speed equipment for a small-block Chevy than anything else on the planet so ramping up performance should be easy. # 6. 1989 20th Anniversary Trans-Am. These cars had a special white and blue paint job,Recaro seats,WS6 suspension and the nasty Turbocharged V6 out of the Buick Grand National. The Turbo GN motor not only had more power than the LB9 and L98 small-block Chevy V8s, it was a couple hundred pounds lighter. So these cars were not only faster than a regular T/A, they handled noticeably better too. Dynamite if you can find one. # 7. 2003-2004 Mercury Marauder. These were based on the Marquis / Crown Vic platform. You got Police Interceptor suspension,fat 18" tires and wheels,a monochromatic paint job,and a snarling 302 hp V8 pirated out of the Mustang Cobra backed by a 4-speed automatic with a special high-stall torque converter. Inside were special seats and Auto Meter guages. Ford never promoted these cars,and never had the buff magazines test one, and then wondered why they didn't sell. Jennifer Garner drove one on "Alias" in a decent car chase, but even that didn't help. Cool if you can find one. # 8. 2004-2006 Pontiac GTO. The best car nobody bought. These had either a 350hp 5.7 V8 ( 2004 ) or a 400 hp 6.0 V8 pirated straight out of the Corvette backed by a six-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic. Car and Driver summed it up perfectly "It runs like a Corvette, handles like a BMW and looks like a Rental Car." The bland styling is why they didn't sell. If Pontiac had done what Ford did with the Mustang and what Dodge did with the Challenger-go retro '60s or '70's style-they'd have sold like hot cakes. The upside is Cops won't notice you unless your being really obnoxious. I've seen these on used car lots for as low as 8K so they are a bargain if you want one. Mastermind