More "Factory Freaks"......

I guess people like to hear about weird combinations-so here's a few more. # 1. "Turnpike Special" Pontiac GTO / Olds 442. For some insane reason-in 1967-68 at the height of the Musclecar era when gas was like 29 cents a gallon-the GM brass got the bright idea that the public would like to buy a GTO or 442 with a two-barrel carbed 265 hp 400 V8, an automatic, and 2.93:1 gears instead of the standard 350 hp 4bbl models with a 4-speed or automatic and 3.36:1 or 3.55:1 gears. Like "New Coke" back in the '80s-they were sadly mistsaken. No one wanted a badass-looking machine that couldn't get out of it's own way, and no one cared about a car that got 16 mpg instead of 12. Porsche tried to same thing with the 912-a 911 body with a 4-cylinder VW motor. The sports-car crowd was not amused either. If you run across one of these-"Turnpike Specials" and can buy one cheap-they are a "real" GTO or 442-and installing a 4 bbl carb and intake and stiffer gears is a no-brainer to get back the performance you want-by all means buy it. But don't pay top dollar for one-their not worth anything-other than being a good-condition GTO or 442 body. And there not collectible like a Tri-power '66 model or a Judge or Hurst / Olds regardless of what the idiot selling it says. # 2. Small-block "SS" Chevelles. From 1966-1970-the "SS" emblems on a Chevelle or El Camino meant it was Rat-Powered-either a 396 or a 454. For whatever reason-declining sales-or rising insurance rates on big-block cars, in 1971-72 Chevrolet decided to offer the "SS" package on any V8 Malibu. So it was possible to have a Chevelle SS with a domed hood, rally stripes, and fat tires on Rally Wheels-powered by a 307 inch V8 with a two-barrel that wheezed out 130 hp. I have never seen one with a 307, but I have seen quite a few with the 165 hp 2bbl 350 or the 175 hp 4bbl 350. Again-there not worth anything other than what a good 2 dr Chevelle is worth-don't pay a premium price for one-the big-blocks even a 240 hp LS3 402 or 270 hp LS5 454 are worth a lot more. # 3. 302 1971-73 Mach 1 Mustangs. In 1969-70 the Mach 1 package meant performance-the standard engine in '69 was a 351W rated at 290 hp, and in 1970 the new 351C rated at 300. Both years the mighty 428 was optional. ( So was the Boss 429, but their ultra-rare and priced out of most people's reach ). However in 1971-the Mustang became longer, wider, and much heavier. The 351C was still available and in 1971 a few were built with 429s. However the standard engine was a 302 with a 2bbl that wheezed out 139 hp. Even with an automatic and 2.80:1 gears a 351C Mustang is capable of enough acceleration from a light to annoy a traffic cop. But, If you have a 3,700 lb 71-73 Mustang with a 140 hp 2bbl 302-you'll annoy exactly two people-yourself and the person behind you. Again if you can buy one cheap-get it-and there's a million ways to build power into a 302 Ford-but don't pay the same money as you would for a 351 version. Again-their not collectible-just weird. # 4. Small-block Olds 442s. I touched on this briefly the other day. From 1965-69 a 442 had a 400 inch V8. In 1970-71 the standard engine was a 455. In 1972 the 442 package became an "Appearance and Handling" option any Cutlass model. So you could have a badass-looking car with a 2bbl 350 that made 160 hp. And after '72 it got worse. I guess the Olds brass just gave up on performance and wanted to concentrate on luxury. Why, I don't know. Just as Pontiac kept the L78 400 alive in T/A's and Formula Firebirds until 1979-and Chevy kept the L82 350 in Corvettes until 1980-Olds could have kept a W30 455 in it's basic form until at least 1979. However the vaunted "W30" 455 was dropped at the end of 1972-and the last 455 Cutlass-that wheezed out 190 hp-was built in 1975. In '76 the 455 was still available in big cars and wagons-but not in a Cutlass. The 403 that made 185 hp was the top engine option. A far cry from the 390 hp of the '68 Hurst Olds or the 365 hp of the '71 model. The "A" body continued until 1977, as did the 442 "Appearance and handling" package. So it gets worse. It was possible to have a 76-77 442 with an "economy" 260 inch 2bbl Olds V8 that made about 135 hp!! In a 4,000 lb car?? That's where the crude car business axiom- "Couldn't pull a sick hooker off a tricycle" came from. Most of them had 350s-and a few had 403s-but there was no manual transmission offered after 1974-so with a slushbox and 2.41:1 gears-they were dogs too. The upside is the Olds Cutlass was the best-selling American car in the '70's so there's a lot of them left, any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Chevelle fit these cars, and there's a ton of aftermarket speed equipment for 350 / 403 Olds motors, or a 455 is an easy swap. But don't pay big money for any 442 built after 1971-especially if it doesn't have 455 cubes under the hood. # 5. 1977-79 301 Firebird Formula and Trans-Am. Most T/A's and Formulas of this vintage have either a 400 Pontiac or a 403 Olds under the hood. However-for some reason a few people saved $150 off the sticker price-on a car that cost $10,000 in 1979 dollars-and took a 301 V8 instead. The 2bbl version wheezed out 135 hp, the 4bbl version a whopping 150. Again-in a 3,800 lb car-do the math-SLUG is the only word that comes to mind. I've even seen loaded black and gold SE models with T-Tops and every option known to man-and this anemic, "Economy" motor!!! There is zero aftermarket performance parts for these engines-( They were only produced from '77-81 ) , nothing interchanges with the "traditional"-i.e.-326-455 inch Pontiac V8s, and their unreliable as well as having no power. The only upside is the motor mounts are in the same place and the oil pan is the same as is the bellhousing bolt-pattern. So you could swap in a 400 or 455 Pontiac pretty easily if you wanted to. But other than being a good Firebird or T/A body-these cars aren't worth squat. # 6. 1980 305 Corvette. GM had a lot of trouble with the EPA and emissions standards in the late '70s and early '80s that's why they played musical engines-Olds Cutlasses with Chevy engines-Buick Regals with 301 Pontiacs, Chevy Monte Carlos with Buick V6s-etc. They'd stuff any engine that they could get to pass federal or high-altitude or California emissions into any body so they could sell the cars. Californians really got screwed. You couldn't buy a Camaro, Corvette, or Firebird with a 4-speed after 1974. In 1980, in the other 49 states the standard engine in a Corvette was the L48 350 rated at 190 hp. The optional engine was the L82 rated at 230 hp. In 1980- for some reason Chevy had trouble getting 350s California certified. So they threw 305s in everything destined for the Golden state. Now in an Impala or a Monte Carlo or even a half-ton pickup that didn't really matter. But for a short time-the only powertrain you could get in a Corvette in California in 1980 was a 145 hp 305 with an automatic!! California dealers, customers and the buff magazines raised Holy Hell. A Corvette that couldn't break out of the 17s in the 1/4??? ( The L48 / L82 models were running 15s-decent for the time ). Chevrolet quickly got the L48 Certified with a 4-speed or an automatic and the L82 certified with an automatic only, and the great disturbance in the force was quelled. Every once in a while-you'll see some moron advertising his "Super Rare" "One year Only" 305 Corvette for an outrageous dollar amount-Like it's an L88 or a Fuel-Injected Split-Window-in Hemmings or some 'Vette enthusiast mag. Here's your sign. If you ever run across one and can buy it dirt-cheap-and then swap in a 350 or 383 GM performance crate motor-that might be a bargain. But otherwise-something about a ten-foot pole.....Mastermind