Project "Heavy Metal" redux...

A few years ago Car Craft built a 1965 Impala with a fuel-injected mega-inch Rat Motor,upgraded suspension and brakes and called it "Project Heavy Metal."  It was wildly popular with readers; unfortunately the car was stolen and never recovered.  I have some Ideas for a similar project that I think would be very cool and could be built relatively cheaply. Maybe if enough people write to Popular Hot Rodding or Hot Rod-maybe they'll serialize the build in the magazines. Anyhow here's the Ideas. # 1. 1965-66 Pontiac Catalina / Bonneville / Gran Prix. These cars had gorgeous styling, cool interiors and at least 389 cubes under their long hoods. You could easily adapt front disc brakes with spindles from a later model-or just buy an aftermarket kit-anything that fits an Impala will fit these cars. Ditto for suspension-Pontiac built ambulances and hearses in the '60's-the wrist-thick sway bars and heavier springs from one of those would work-or again just get aftermarket pieces for an Impala. That's the beauty of '60s and '70s GM stuff-almost everything interchanges. I see one with a snarling 467 inch Pontiac with either 3-2bbls or 2-4bbls backed by a 4-speed or the ubiquitous TH400 with a Gear Vendors overdrive, and 16" or 17" Torq-Thrusts with modern Z-rated rubber.  # 2. 1967-69 Olds Delta 88 Coupe. These cars have cool fastback styling, sumptuous interiors and 425 or 455 cubes under the hood. Some of these even have factory front disc brakes. You could go two ways-a Pro-Touring style "G" machine-or a '60's drag-racing "Gasser" tribute-remove that big front bumper, radius the wheel wells for monster slicks or drag radials. Their long wheelbase and excellent weight distribution would actually make them a good drag racer.  # 3. 1966-69 Buick Riviera. These cars have the swoopy styling of the Olds Toronado but are still rear-wheel drive. With 430 cubes under the long hoods, they move pretty good too. I see one jet-black with either a pumped-up 455 Pontiac-( the BOP TH400 would bolt right up ) or a snarling 572 Rat Motor-( all you'd need is some Chevy motor mounts and a Chevy bolt-pattern TH400 ). Some people may frown on the prospect of cross-breeding-but like it or not the reality is there's way more speed equipment for Chevys, Olds and Pontiac motors than there are for Buicks. I'm looking at the bang-for-the buck factor here. And it's not like your "ruining" a '70 GSX-no one cares about old Rivieras anyway.  # 4. 1965-67 Ford Galaxie. These cars have the racy "Coke Bottle" flanks very much like the '65 Pontiacs-and most have 390 cubes under the hood. Edelbrock claims 452 hp with their "Performer RPM" dual-quad package. It would not only look and sound badass-it would be. Magazine writers spew numbers flippantly-but 450 honest hp will turn any street car into a rocket. Just a thought. Mastermind  

Good advice for 1st time restorers......

One of the cable channels has a show called "Property Virgins" where pros help first-time homebuyers get the best deal and avoid costly mistakes. Maybe there should be one for classic car buyers. Anyhow here's how to avoid spending unnecessary money and causing your self untold grief that you don't need.  # 1. This should be a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised at the people that fall into this trap. Make sure the car has a clear title. No matter how cheap it is, a car without a title is not a deal. Something that you can't legally register or sell is a nightmare. I bought my 442 off a used car lot, registered it, and drove it for 18 years on sunny days and during Hot August Nights. When I decided to sell it I couldn't find the title. No problem-I'll just call DMV and get a duplicate, right? Wrong. Because a DMV clerk transposed 2 numbers on the VIN when I registered it initially 18 years ago-they wouldn't give me another title-even though I had registered and insured the car for 18 years!!  It took me nearly two years and several hundred dollars in lawyer fees to get a title for a car I legally owned for 18 years!!  God help me if the car come from a junkyard or had a salvage title.  # 2. A "Basket Case" is not a deal no matter how low the price is. Even if you are a professional mechanic or bodyman by trade-a car with major body or rust issues, frame damage, water damage, fire damage etc-is a nightmare and a money pit. 99.999% of the time your better off spending more money and getting a better car to start with.  # 3. A rare or special car missing key components is not a deal at any price. Obvious examples would be a Chrysler Hemi car without the Hemi engine or a Boss 302 or 429 Mustang without the "Boss" engines. The cost of finding an engine and all the accesorries would be so prohibitive-that even if you had Donald Trump's bank account-you'd be financially ahead of the game by just finding a complete car and buying that. Others would be '57-65 Fuel Injected Corvettes or a '57 Pontiac Bonneville without the Fuel Injection system-If you can find a complete Rochester Fuel Injection setup for a '63 Corvette-how high in the stratosphere do you think it will be priced?  Again-you might be better off just getting a more complete car. # 4. Get the options you want, even if you have to pay a little more for it. For example-if you want an SS396 Chevelle with a 4-speed-then search until you find one. Don't buy a small-block Malibu with an automatic because "Its a deal" and then think you'll "convert" it later. You won't, and it'll cost too much in time and money. The same goes for front disc brakes, or power steering or air conditioning. It's much easier and  more cost-effective to just find a car that has that already on it than it is to add it later. # 5. Consider different models or sisters / cousins of the same car. I'd much rather have a 400, 4-speed, T-Topped '77 Firebird Formula than a '79 403 Olds / TH350 Trans-Am. If you a Mopar fan-don't pass up a reasonably priced, pristine Super Bee because your looking for a Charger. I'd rather have a loaded 390 powered '68 Cougar than a strippy 289 '68 Mustang. You may not be able to afford an L88 427 Corvette, but you might find a deal on a 390 hp L72 version. See what I'm saying?  # 6. Stay away from "Freaks." By this I mean cars with weird options. Two-speed automatics,three-speed sticks, column-shifted bucket seat cars, two-barrel step-down engines,etc- aren't collectible-their just weird. I mean do you really want a "Turnpike Special" '68 GTO with a 265 hp 2bbl  400 V8, an automatic and 2.56:1 gears that can't outrun a V6 Camry from a light?  Or a 427 Corvette with a Powerglide 2-speed automatic?  Hope these tips will save somebody some money and aggravation. Mastermind
           

The Path of Most Resistance....Part 2.....

  Had a few more people come up with very hard project ideas after the last post that were disappointed because I told them their ideas weren't cost-effective. Just because something is POSSIBLE doesn't mean it's a good idea or financially feasible. I mean they were genuinely offended. Angry man # 1. Asked about Turbocharging a mid -'80s Camaro or Firebird. I said if he wanted a Turbo Firebird to look for an '89 20th Anniversary Trans Am. They came stock with the badass Turbo V6 out of the Buick Grand National. They were both faster and handled better than the LB9 305 and L98 350 Chevy V8s. He didn't like that idea. He wanted to Turbo his LG4 305 V8. I said that Turbos were not only expensive-they did not work well with carburators and they really didn't work with '80's electronically controlled carburators. I pointed out that the ill-fated '80-'81 Turbo Trans-Ams were dogs as were the carburated 231 V6s in Buick Regal T-Types through '84.  The '85-88 Grand Nationals kicked ass-because they had Multi-Port Fuel Injection and knock sensors. If he had to have forced induction I suggested he find a wrecked GN and salvage the engine, tranny and wiring harness. I also suggested he might try to find a Supercharged 3.8 V6 out of a '90's Bonneville SSEI or Buick Riviera. They had 240 hp stock-about 100 more than his LG4 305- and could easily get 100 more than that with a pulley change. The 700R4 in his car would probably have the multi-fit GM bellhousing so he more than likely wouldn't have to change trannys for this. I also suggested a Weiand or B&M underhood Roots-Type Blower-that would add about 175 hp to his 305, although he'd have trouble making it smog in some states. He didn't like any of those ideas. He wanted a to Turbocharge a small-block Chevy. I said again-that trying to Turbocharge a carburated 305 or 350 would be hard to do, expensive to build, and probably wouldn't run as strong a a normally-aspirated 400 hp or 450 hp GMPP ZZ5 or ZZ383 crate motor. If he HAD to have a Turbo V8-I said he'd be better off going to a junkyard and getting the engine, transmission and wiring harness out of a Chevy or GMC truck with a fuel-injected 5.3 or 6.0 liter LS engine, and then contact Gale Banks about a suitable Turbo setup, because the electronic fuel and ignition management would work great with a Turbo, and that the six-bolt main bottom end of an LS is virtually bulletproof.  "But" he said- "Doesn't Holley and Edelbrock both make carbs designed to work with Blowers?"  Ugh!  "Roots-type superchargers and Turbochargers are totally different." "A Superhcarger is belt-driven,is usually under the carb,which can be custom-jetted, and the blower makes boost on it's own right off-idle and the power level is determined by boost, which is determined by pulley size." "A Turbo uses exhaust gases recycled to make boost." "That's why they generally don't have low-end power like a blower,usually don't "hit" until 3,000 rpm or higher, and the exhaust heat being forced into the intake superheats the fuel charge-that's why they need intercoolers and electronic fuel management." Like talking to the wall. "I'll find someone who knows Diesel Turbos and adapt one of those." Hello? Diesels have direct fuel injection and electronic management, and intercoolers, and don't have freaking carburators!!!!  Here's your sign. Angry Man # 2. Wanted to wanted to put a Boss 429 into a Fox Mustang. My first question was-Do you have a Boss Nine engine? "No." "Do you realize that Jon Kaase Racing and Ford SVT sell them-for $20,000 plus, just for the engine?" "Then you'd have to do a ton of custom fabrication work to install it." "I know guys that run in the 11s with 302 V8s or 302-based 347 strokers." "I know guys that run 10s with Superharged 302s and 347s." "Do you really need to go faster than that?"  "What about a regular 429 or 460?" he asked. "That's do-able." I said-"Hooker and Ford SVT offer motor mounts and headers to do this-" But it's a lot of work and fabricarion-and honestly-unless you spent 20 grand for a 600+hp 514 stroker-a 460 is not going to run any faster than a blown 302, and is going to handle and brake like shit because it's so nose-heavy." "If you've got the bankroll and want a Boss-Nine Mustang, I'd buy a '69 or '70 Mustang fastback, get a Kaase Racing crate motor and build a Boss 429 clone." "It will probalby cost you 50K to build, but that's better than the $250,000 plus people want for "Real" Boss Nines." "What about putting one in a '90's T-Bird?"  "That's not any easier or cheaper than a Fox Mustang-it's probably harder and more expensive!!!  His response-I'm just a naysayer that's negative on everything."  Only on unfeasible projects that are way above people's bank accounts and mechanical abilities!!  Excuse me for trying to be the voice of reason and sanity. Like I said before-anything is possible-including manned space flight but's it not easy or cost-effective!!  Mastermind              

The Path of Most Resistance....

Football coaches and architects, construction workers and military strategists talk about taking "The Path of least resistance." In other words, the easiest way to do something. Sometimes I think car guys are the opposite-they want something to be hard-like it's somehow better if it was difficult to do. Here's a few examples of this type that left me scratching my head. Genius #1. Had a 1979 Pontiac Trans-Am with the 403 Olds / TH350 powertrain. He asked me what would be the best way to convert it to a 4-speed stick. I said sell the car and use the money to buy a disco era T/A or Formula Firebird that had the 400 Pontiac / 4-speed powertrain from the factory. "No,Really?" he asked. "No, Really." I replied. "1st off-converting a car from automatic to stick is a big pain in the ass." "You'll have to buy the pedals and clutch linkage,the disc,pressure plate and throw-out bearing, a stick flywheel, the bellhousing,and the shift linkage." "And that's if your doing an apples to apples conversion like a small-block Chevy." "The 403 Olds was never offered with a manual trans in any GM body." "So no one like Scheifer or Hays makes a flywheel for them." "A 350 Olds Flywheel may interchange-I'll have to do some research." "But even if a 350 Olds flywheel will work-Olds didn't offer a stick in a 350 V8 Cutlass or Omega or anything else after 1974." "So the chance of you finding a usable 41 year old flywheel in a junkyard or at a swap meet is almost nil" "You have a better chance of being struck by lightning on the golf course." "403 Firebirds can be made to really run-the main thing would be swap the 2.56:1 rear end gears for some 3.23:1s or 3.42:1s, and add headers and dual exhausts and maybe an Edelbrock Performer intake." "Those easy mods would give those smug 400 Pontiac owners a surprise they'd never forget." "I know because I had one back in the '80's. " "But if you "Gotta Have" a 4-speed T/A-honestly-the best way is sell your car and buy one." He wouldn't give up. "There's got to be a way." he said. "I just told you the way and how hard it would be." "Yeah it's possible-we know manned space flight is possible-but it's not exactly easy or cost-effective is it?"  Genius # 2. Was considering buying his neighbors '89 Mustang that the neighbor had since new and had kept garaged, put very few miles on, etc. Yeah it was a diamond. But it was a 4-cylinder model. He wanted to know how much trouble it would be to put a V8 in it. "More trouble than it's worth." I said. "Plus '87-93 "5.0" models are the proverbial dime a dozen." "I've seen rough, but running examples as low as $800 and anything over two grand is usually pretty decent." "Anything over 3 or 4 grand is usually really nice". "If you can't find a good deal on an 80's or 90's "5.0" Mustang then you aren't looking past the end of your nose." I might as well have been talking to the wall. "But what would it entail?" "More trouble than it's worth, like I said."  "You'd have to find a 302 V8 complete out of a '79-93 Mustang, and get the wiring harness, you'd need the bellhousing and the transmission-the 4-banger tranny won't hold up behind a V8." "If you didn't get a complete assembly out of a Fox Mustang-your really in trouble. "You'd need a different starter, alternator, fuel pump, water pump, power steering pump,all the brackets and pulleys, a different oil pan, and  all the tin." "By the time you were done-you'll have spent enough money-where you could have just bought a decent "5.0" from an individual or off a used car lot."  "And that's not including what your paying for the 4-banger model." He would not give up. "Ford made a Turbo 4-cylinder model in the '80s, right?" "How about putting a Turbo on it?"  Ugh. "Same deal." "Nothing interchanges." "Just look for an '84-'86 SVO in the want ads and buy that." "But there's not many of them-they didn't sell when they were new because the V8 models were both faster and several thousand dollars cheaper."  "You want a 5.0 liter Mustang go buy one for God's sake!!". "But trying to convert a 4-banger is a nightmare and that's if your a Master Ford Technichian." "Your not."  Genius # 3. Wanted to put a 572 GMPP Rat motor in his '85 IROC-Z Camaro. Do-able-Hooker offers motor mounts and headers to put Big-Block Chevys in '82-92 F-Bodies. I told him he'd have to invest in a TH400 conversion kit and get a custom driveshaft and a 9 inch rear end from Currie enterprises. He asked-dead serious-why couldn't he just use the T5 5-speed stick and the rear end that was in the car?  "Because" I said-"1st off-the bellhousing won't even bolt up to a Rat motor, and the T5 was only offered with 305s because it only has a 300 lb ft torque rating." "Thats why L98 350 IROC's and T/A's were all automatics-GM didn't think it would hold up to the 350's 340 lbs ft of torque." "If it won't hold up to 240 hp and 340 lbs of torque from a low-compression 350, how is it going to live behind 620 hp and 650 lbs of torque a 572 inch Rat makes?" "A TH400 is the easiest,cheapest and best way to go." "If you "gotta have" a stick-then you need to find an old-school '70s Camaro / Chevelle bellhousing, modify the floor pan for clearance, then find an M21 or M22 Muncie 4-speed or you need to invest in a Tremec or Richmond 5 or 6-speed and a custom driveshaft." "The 7.5 inch ring gear rear end in those cars break behind 305s." "How are they going to stand up to a 572?"  Then he says-"What if I didn't get on it too hard?"  AAAUUUGGGHHHHH!!!!  "Let me get this straight-your going to spend $15,000 on a 600 hp engine, and then not get on it hard enough to break the drivetrain of a 30 year old 190 hp Camaro?"  "What would be the purpose in that?"  I hate to be such a know-it-all bastard all the time-but guys-when a pro with 35+ years of experience tells you soemthing isn't feasible or cost-effective, do you think maybe you should listen?  Mastermind                

I guess Sports-Car guys really are smarter....

I've said it until I'm blue in the face and I've written to every Buff Magazine editor I can think of and implored them to stop glorifying the idiots who butcher rare, classic Iron with modern Fuel-Injected engines. What kills me is it's never a beater '72 Malibu or a '75 Firebird-it's always a for-real numbers-matching '68 4-speed SS396 Chevelle or a 1970 Judge that some asshole has stuffed an LS motor and a 4L80E in!! Some bonehead had done this to a Split-Window 1963 Stingray!!  The reason I think Sports-car guys are smarter-is you NEVER see a 1965 Jaguar XKE with a supercharged 5.0 liter V8 out of a 2009 XKR. You NEVER see a 1969 Porsche 911S with the engine and tranny out of a 2013 Cayman!  You don't see restored Datsun 240Z's with the engine and tranny out of a 2012 370Z.  You might see some upgrades-wider wheels with modern ZR rated tires, Koni Shocks,Weber Carbs, performance exhaust systems-but their period correct for the cars. Motorcycle enthusiasts are the same. You never see a 1965 Harley Sportster with a 2010 Buell fuelie motor and six-speed tranny. You never see a 1969 Honda CB750 with the engine and tranny out of a 1990 Hurricane. You never see a 1973 Kawasaki Z1 with a 2012 Ninja powertrain. You buy something old because it's different from what's new. You wouldn't buy a WWII vintage .45 and put laser sights on it would you?  Any how-apparently sports car guys are smarter because they don't desecrate vintage iron. Mastermind  

You got beat by a "slower" car? Here's why and how to fix it.....

Talked to some people the other day at a Mustang club "Show&Shine".  A few of them were griping how they'd lost "Stoplight" Gran Prix's to cars that magazine road tests said were substantially slower. Listening to some of these cars run when they started them, I wasn't surprised. I hear this complaint all the time at "Show&Shine's" and it doesn't matter if the club is GM, Ford, Mopar or AMC.  Here's the problem's that cause this and how to fix it.  # 1. A major engine problem. Do a simple compression test. Even an 8:1 "smog" motor will have 120 psi of compression; higher compression engines will have 150 or 175 or more. The main thing is all 8 cylinders should be close-within 5-10 psi of each other. If one or more cylinders only has 80 or 90 psi of compression-you've got a major problem-bad rings, a blown head gasket, or burned valves. This is more common than you think-I see dozens of Musclecars limping around on 6 or 7 cylinders. # 2. No high rpm power. I'm not talking 7,000 or 8,000 rpm-many cars don't have the bottom end or valvetrain for that. But a 318 Dodge with a 2bbl and 100,000 miles on it will rev to 5,000 rpm or so. If your car starts popping or missing above 3,000 rpm or won't rev past 4,000 or 4,500 you could have a flat cam, weak valve springs, or major timing chain slop. You'd be amazed at the number of musclecars running around with $5,000 paint jobs and $2,000 worth of tires and wheels that can't pull 5,000 rpm in low gear. #3. Bad Ignition setup / tuning. Even on a bone-stock engine bad tuning can cost you as much as 50 hp. I see it all the time-the vacuum advance is unplugged or inoperable, the points are closing up,the timing is way too advanced or way too slow, plug wires are arcing, etc.  Again-guys will tell you about their $5,000 paint job-but they can't remember the last time they changed the plugs and wires, or the cap ,rotor and points!!  #4. Bad Carburators / tuning. I see this all the time. The carb is jetted way too rich or way too lean, the float is sinking, the throttle shafts are warped, the throttle linkage sticks or doesn't open all the way. Think about it-do you really expect a 45 or 50 year old carb to be working flawlessly? The solution is simple-get a new carb. Even some Concours show organizations have changed their rules to allow the carb to be the "Original Type"-i.e.-your 1970 Z/28 is ok if it has a 3310 Holley on it-but it doesn't have to have 1970 date codes. Your '68 440 Charger is ok with an Edelbrock AVS on it-it doesn't have to be a 1968 Carter. The other thing is a lot of these cars are trailer queens / garage jewelry. Their only driven on and off the trailer or for a few weeks a year in the summer for Hot August Nights or the Hot Rod Power tour or whatever. The owners are so damned afraid of blowing it up that the car never sees the high side of 3,000 rpm. Then, the second it fouls a spark plug-they start screwing around with the carburator(s). Pretty soon it won't even start. Have a professional jet the carb(s) for you and then leave them alone!!  If the car is going to sit for extended periods and your going to drive it like grandma on Prozac then go a range or two hotter on the plugs. Then if you decide to take a trip or go to the drags changing to the recommended heat range is pretty easy. And like the GTO song-once in a while you have to "Turn it on,wind it up, blow it out! ". Nobody's saying you have run your Hemi to 7 grand and risk blowing it up; but a run through the gears to even 4,500 rpm or so once a month or a good old-fashioned full-throttle run down the freeway once in a while goes a long way to keeping carbon buildup and sludge out of the fuel system. # 5. Bad transmissions / tuning. I see tons of musclecars running around 2 qts low on transmission fluid, with slipping converters,vacuum modulators un-hooked, sticking governors etc. If you have an automatic trans-change the fluid every couple years even if you don't drive it 5,000 miles a year. Make sure the vacuum modulator is working and that your kickdown linkage is hooked up and working properly. Make sure the cooler isn't plugged up and put a B&M or TransGo shift kit in it. It makes a huge difference. The same goes for sticks-the clutch is slipping or not engaging properly, the shift linkage hangs up or get's caught between gears-these are relatively easy fixes-a new clutch setup or a new Hurst shifter is not that hard to do. # 6. Bad exhaust. Again-you'd be amazed at the number of cars I see with $5,000 paint jobs-that sound like an old school bus. The exhaust system is rusted out or crushed and has multiple leaks-which hurts performance. The worst offenders are the guys who will spend $1,000 bucks on a Flowmaster or Dynomax dual setup and mufflers-but the headers / exhaust manifolds have huge leaks under the hood!! Changing the exhaust manifold / header gaskets and tightening the bolts once in a while goes a long way to keeping the system leak-free-which keeps you from losing large amounts of power. Anyhow-these simple tips will keep your car running like it should and not embarrass you next time you decide to smite some kid in an import or a soccer mom in a V8 Cherokee!!  Mastermind            

Why NASCAR sucks now.....And the way to fix it.........

The letters stand for National Association of Stock Car racing. Now there's people who like Robert Duvall's Harry Hogge character in "Days of Thunder" will argue-that since the '50's-"There's nothing stock about a stock car." Their half-right. Yes-NASCAR racers have always had roll cages and beefed up suspensions and hopped up engines. But the fact remains-that the motto-"Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday" came from NASCAR success. Pontiac surged from sixth to third in U.S car sales in the late fifties and early sixties for two reasons. One-the new president of Pontiac-Semon E. "Bunkie" Knudsen-had a motto-"You can sell a young man's car to an old man, but you can't sell an old man's car to a young man."  Two-Smokey Yunick and Fireball Roberts were the scourge of NASCAR in their Fire-Breathing Pontiacs. Roberts won a record 22 races in the 1961-62 season-a record that stood until Richard Petty won 27 in 1967-68. People wanted to buy cars they saw their heroes driving. And many of our great performance cars came about only because the manufacturers wanted to homogolate them for racing-be it NASCAR, Trans-Am or NHRA drag racing. If it weren't for that there'd have been no Hemi Mopars, no Boss 302 or 429 Mustangs, no Z/28 Camaros-no Big-Block Chevys, no Ram Air IV Pontiacs-the list goes on and on. The bottom line is-yes-Grand National cars were Race cars, not street cars-but you could go to your local dealer and buy a Pontiac Catalina with a 421, a Ford Galaxie with a 406, a Plymouth Belvedere with a 413, and a Chevy Impala with a 409. Later in the '60's you could go to your local dealer and buy a 426 Hemi Charger. You could buy a Torino with a 429, a Chevelle with a 396 or 427. You could buy a Z/28 Camaro or Boss 302 Mustang just like Mark Donohue and Parnelli Jones drove. In the 1970's- even after the Hemis and big-blocks were outlawed you could buy the same cars your heroes drove at Daytona and Talledega-Richard Petty ran a 1974 Charger with great success until 1979. You could buy a Chevelle or Monte Carlo with a 350 V8, just like Cale Yarborough drove. You could buy a Mercury Montego or Cougar with a 351C just like David Pearson drove for the Wood brothers. You could buy an AMC Matador with a 360 V8. When Petty's Juggernaut Charger was outlawed for 1980-NASCAR rules said cars couldn't be more than 5 years old-he switched to a '77 Olds Cutlass-whose fastback roofline and slope nose was more aerodynamic than the flat nose Malibus and notchback Monte Carlos the other GM teams were running-and he kicked ass. The other teams protested because Team Petty was running the ubiquitous small-block Chevy race engine. They argued that he should have to run a 350 Olds engine-which would have been un-competitive. Petty successfully argued that GM was playing musical engines with their production cars-that you could buy off a dealer's lot-a Pontiac Firebird with a 350 Chevy or a 403 Olds engine,an Olds Cutlass with a 305 Chevy V8, a Buick Regal with a 301 Pontiac, and a Chevy Monte Carlo with a Buick V6. NASCAR ruled correctly-that since GM was selling cars to the public that way-race teams could run any GM engine in any GM body. Several teams switched to Cutlasses to keep up with Petty. Even in the 1980s-you could buy a Monte Carlo SS with a V8 just like Dale Earnhardt drove. You could buy a Thunderbird with a V8 just like Bill Elliott won the championship in.  Things went to hell in 1989 when GM discontinued the rear-drive "G" bodies-i.e.-Olds Cutlass, Buick Regal, Chevy Monte Carlo,Pontiac Gran Prix. Now GM still built Camaros and Firebirds which were rear-drive through 2002. Why NASCAR GM teams didn't run Camaros and Firebirds-I have no Idea. Instead the rules were changed and they started running Luminas and Berettas and stuff. Plastic bodies of Front-drive compacts on a tube chassis. Instead of running Mustangs and T-Birds-Ford started running Taurus bodies. Chrysler-who had no rear-drive cars at all started running Dodge Intrepids. So from the early 90's on you've had a '90's front-drive econobox body on a race car chassis that's running 1965 technology. Carburators? Flat-tappet cams? Pushrod engines??? When Toyota wanted to play-instead allowing them to run the I-Force V8 in a Lexus body-NASCAR forced Toyota to basically build their own small-block Chevy replica and run it in a Camry body. The Ford V8s in the Fusions are not 5.4 OHC Mod Motors or 5.0 Coyotes like you get in a Mustang or an F150. Their "Clevors"-again 1969 technology-351W blocks with big-port Cleveland heads. The Chryslers aren't modern 5.7 or 6.1 or 6.4 Hemis-there old-school 360s-a 1967 design. The Chevys aren't LS Motors like you get in a Camaro or a truck-their old-school 350s-just like they were running 40 years ago in 1975. The "Fuel Injection" that was finally allowed in 2014 isn't direct fuel injection like all cars have-it's a 4-barrel throttle body on a Edelbrock Victor Jr manifold-a glorified carburator. NASCAR needs to change the rules-cars need to be based on production models. GM guys could run LS engined Camaros, Ford guys Coyote Mustangs, Dodge Guys could run Hemi Challengers and Chargers, and Toyota could run a Lexus body. Nissan could play with a Infiniti body and the big V8 from the Titan Trucks. People would indentify with the brands and be excited again. Now you've got a bunch of cookie-cutter cars-( they all look like a Camry ) buzzing around with 1960's technology under their phony skins. Ho-Hum. If teams had to run what was in production that would energize things. Maybe if enough people write NASCAR they'll listen.....Mastermind