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