There's nothing wrong with buying an already finished car....

So many people talk about buying and building their dream car. However-90% of these people are not bodymen or mechanics by trade. The chances of "Joe Average" being able to do a frame-off restoration or even just an engine and tranny swap properly are almost nil. The buff magazines are to blame for a lot of this. They constantly talk about how "easy" it is to swap engines or transmissions. Really? How many people have actually pulled an engine out of a car, disassembled it, rebuilt it, and put it back in the car, and had it fire right up and run perfectly?  And that's if you took, say the 350 out of your Chevy truck and put it back in! Don't get me started on swtiching from a small-block to a big block, or swapping a stick for an automatic, etc. Truckin' magazine is a big offender here. They had an article on someone restoring a '55 Ford F100. The guy was doing what "restifiers" ( restore / modify ) have been doing with these trucks for years-using a '74-78 Mustang II front clip. Which gives you front disc brakes and power rack&pinion steering, and motor mounts for a modern 302 / 351W.  Ford guys hate it, but I have also seen these trucks with a Camaro or Chevelle front clip-and a 427 or 454 Chevy Rat Motor under the hood. Again they said how "Easy" it was to put modern steering and brakes on a 60 year old truck. Really? How many people have the garage space and the tools and welding equipment and the skill to actually cut the old frame off the truck at the firewall, cut the subframe off the donor Mustang or Camaro and then weld it onto the truck perfectly straight?  See what I'm saying?  Also avoid engineless cars. And I'm not just talking about a Boss 302 Mustang or a Hemi 'Cuda. Say you buy a '69 Road Runner or a '69 GTO without an engine. Where are you going to find a 383 or 440 Chrysler engine. or a 400 Pontiac?  The 383 has been out of production since 1971 and the 440 since 1978. The last 400 Pontiac was built in November 1977. ( L78 400s were stockpiled for '78-79 Trans-Ams. ) Where are you going to find a complete, running, or at least rebuildable engine that's 38 years old or older??  I know-everyone knows a guy who has one. ( I have a 428 Pontiac in my garage that I took out of a '69 Gran Prix. ) Ok-this friend of a friend sells you a 383 Mopar or 400 Pontiac block. Your going to run Edelbrock heads on it anyway. Fine and dandy. Pray tell-where are you going to get an oil pan, timing cover,valve covers, distributor, intake manifold, carburator, exhaust manifolds or headers,a water pump, a fuel pump,a power steering pump. a starter, an alternator, all the brakcets to mount those accessories, the bolts and nuts, a radiator, hoses, belts etc?  Sure you can probably buy all that stuff-but it gets expensive. And that's on something as generic as a Small-block Chevy or a 302 Ford or 400 Pontiac. God help you if your trying to chase down alternator and power steering pump brackets for a 401 AMC Javelin, or a 428 Thunderbird or a 455 Olds 442. Trust me-it's nice to have all that stuff already on the engine. With most competent shops charging $100 per hour or more-if your not a mechanic and the car needs major work-you can rack up a $10,000 or $20,000 bill pretty quick-and that's not including the purchase price of the car. For a lot of people they'd be better off both financially and in terms of not pulling their hair out in frustration by just buying an already finished car. This past Hot August Nights-yes-I lamented that I didn't see any Hemi Superbirds or Thunderbolt Fairlanes or Boss 429s or Super Duty Catalinas. But barring ultra-rare stuff like that-I saw tons of Mustangs, Camaros, GTOs, 396 Chevelles, Chargers, Challengers,Firebirds, etc that were really nice and had "For Sale" signs on them. If I could have swung a personal loan-( dammitt! I couldn't ) I'd have bought a nice '69 GTO done in Judge style.  ( It was a for-real GTO, it just wasn't an original Judge. Regardless of paint scheme-it was a screaming deal for $16,000!!! ). There's tons of stuff like that out there if you look past the end of your nose. There's no shame in saying that you bought something really cool already done. It doesn't make it less cool that you didn't build it from the ground up!!  Mastermind        

Fine Lines: 1961-71 Ford Thunderbird....

1961-71 Ford Thunderbirds are great drivers and good performers. While the Pontiac Gran Prix and Chevy Monte Carlo and others blossomed in the '70's, the T-Bird was the original personal luxury / performance car. 1961-63 was the "Bullet Bird"-so nicknamed because the tailfin / taillight assembly looked like-well a bullet. Even 55 years later, they are still a good looking car. And with 390 cubes under the hood, they moved pretty good too. Steven Seagal drove one in the action flick "Hard to Kill," and Paul Walker of "Fast&Furious" fame drove one in "The Skulls". 1964 brought a complete restyling and I personally think this is the least attractive of the '60's T-Birds. This the "Thelma&Louise" style-Susan Sarandon drove one in that movie. They had 390 or 428 cubes under the hood. This style ran through '66. In 1967 they were restyled again. I think the '67-69 T-Bird is one of the best-looking cars Ford ever produced. They had hidden headlights and a slick body that was remarkably devoid of chrome or doo-dads. I like the 2 dr coupes best, but they also offered a 4-door model with "Suicide doors" that has kind of a cult following. You can't go wrong either way. the 390 was standard, with the 428 optional. In 1968 the 429 was introduced. This was much more modern design that the "FE" 390 / 428s. It was also the base for Ford's Nascar efforts. 1969 was pretty much a carryover year. 1970 brought another restyling and these were great looking cars too with a swoopy, Nascar-inspired body. This was also when American car makers started to care about handling-so they had big front and rear sway bars and handled surprisingly well for a big car. And with a 375 hp 429 under the hood, they moved good too. '71 was the same escept for a few new colors. These were the last of the performance T-Birds until the Supercharged 1989 model. For some insane reason Ford restyled the T-Bird in 1972, and put it on the much heavier and uglier Lincoln MKIV platform. Even with 460 cubes under the hood-they were just too heavy to be anything other than slugs. If you want a cool, good performing vintage ride, a '61-71 T-Bird is hard to beat. Mastermind

Fine Lines: 1960-68 Full-Size Pontiacs....

The Beach Boys had a hit with "409"-singing about a 409 Impala. However the reality is 99% of Impalas,Caprices and Biscaynes built in the '60's are 283 or 327 small-block powered. 396, 409 and 427 versions are rare and priced accordingly. By contrast-every Bonneville, Catalina or Gran Prix built from 1960-68 had at least 389 cubes under the hood, and some had 400,421 or 428!!  The Pontiacs had upgraded interiors as well. The excellent TH400 automatic debuted in 1965, a stunning improvement over the old "Slim Jim" Hydro-matic. If you want one today they make excellent drivers. Their are a million ways to build power into a Pontiac V8, and any suspension or brake upgrades that fit an Impala will fit these cars. Mastermind  

What part of Alternative bodystyles did you not get??,,,

Some people have complained that my "Fine Lines" series wasn't exactly like Car Craft's. Like Steve Martin used to say on Saturday Night Live-"Well Excuuuse me!!"  I said I wanted to highlight cars that people didn't normally think about that were great bases for a hot rod. So sorry-I didn't include Mustangs and Camaros and Chargers and Chevelles-the cookie-cutters that we see at every "Show and Shine". I'd much rather see a '65 Galaxie done in NASCAR style than I would an umpteenth '65 Mustang with a Fuel-Injected "5.0" and a T5 five speed!!!  I didn't include 1970-74- Chrylser E-bodies? Why? Because Chrysler screwed up big time. First off the big-blocks were discontinued after 1971. From '72 on your engine choices were a 150hp 318 with a 2bbl or a 240 hp 340. Replaced by the 360 truck engine in '74. Pontiac made major bank even before "Smokey and the Bandit" because the Trans-Am was the only game in town if you wanted a musclecar. Even Chevrolet was stupid-the Z/28 took a 3 year hiatus from 1974-77, and was only resurrected because T/A's were selling at a record pace. The 440 was available in trucks and "big cars" through '78. If Chrysler had done with the Cuda/ Challenger what GM did with the Camaro / Firebird-not change it-do you think a 440 / 4-speed Challenger could have competed with a 400 / 4-speed T/A??  Ditto for the Javelin / AMX and the Olds 442. AMC and Oldsmobile could have kept the 401 and the 455 going until 1979 like Pontiac did with the 400. But they didn't. They listened to the bean counters. Anyway-no I'm not going to say how great '67-'69 Camaros are or '68-72 Chevelles. The focus is on bodystyles people didn't normally think about.  And if you don't like that I'm sorry. Mastermind

Fine Lines: 1966-69, 1971-73 Buick Riviera....

In 1966 GM introduced the Oldsmobile Toronado. A revolutionary luxury car-it had futuristic swoopy fastback styling, hidden headlights and it was front-wheel drive. Even 50 years later, they are still a great-looking car. "George Stark" the killer in the Stephen King movie "The Dark Half" drove a sinister black '66 Toronado with a bumper sticker that read "A High Toned Son of a Bitch".  However-I always liked the cousin Buick Riviera better. The Riviera had the same fastback, hidden headlight body-but the styling was much cleaner-a lot less chrome and doo-dads. I always thought the 1966-67 Rivieras were one of the best-looking cars GM ever produced. And the Rivieras were still rear-wheel drive. Much better from a performance standpoint. And with 430 cubes under their long hoods, they moved pretty good too. 1967 was basically unchanged from '66. Front disc brakes became available-a much-needed option on a 4,000+ lb car with a 430 inch motor!  1968 saw minor changes to front end and bunper, although they retained the hidden hedlights. I personally don't think it was an improvement-I like the cleaner style of the '66-67 model-but they are still a great-looking car. And they still had the big 430 V8 backed by a TH400-a stellar combination. 1969 was a carryover year. Maybe a couple different colors were added but everything else is the same. No one knows what Buick was thinking for 1970. While Olds kept the '66-69 body of the Toronado through 1970-Car Life's 455 powered '70 Toronado GT test car-while weighing 4,700 lbs-blasted through the 1/4 mile in 15 seconds flat, Buick completely changed the Riviera. And they were ugly. They looked like a LeSabre or any other big GM boat. That's why Riviera enthusiasts want either the '66-69 model, or the '71-73 models. 1970 versions are snubbed like the plague, and with good reason. 1971 brought a complete re-styling again, and this one was a hit. This is the famous "Boat Tail" design, with big fastback rear window that looks like a "V". 455 cubes were standard equipment, so you got Cadillac like luxury and GTO like acceleration. A great combination for the expanding "Personal Luxury Coupe" market which Pontiac had started with the re-designed Gran Prix in 1969, which now also included the Chevy Monte Carlo, the Plymouth Sport Fury and others. 1972 and '73 were basically carryover years. Why mess with success?  Well in typical GM fashion-they did in 1974-making the Riviera much bigger, heavier and uglier. And then wondered why Chevrolet and Pontiac were still selling Monte Carlos and Gran Prix's as fast as they could make them. Because other than minor changes-they didn't mess with a good thing!!  Anyhow if you want one today they make very nice drivers-and Edelbrock offers Aluminum heads and Performer Intakes for the 400-430-455 Buick engines,Crane and Comp Cams offers cams so you can upgrade the performance. It's blasphemy to Buick freaks, I know-but I always envision a Jet-Black '66-67 Riv with fat tires on 17" American Racing Torq-Thrusts, and a snarling GMPP 572 inch Rat Motor under the long hood!! All you'd need are some Impala motor mounts and a Chevy bolt pattern TH400. ( BOP engines have a different bellhousing bolt pattern than Chevy engines ). These are a great alternative bodystyle if you want something cool that you don't see every day. Mastermind      

Fine Lines: 1964-77 Chevy El Camino....

The car / truck hybrid El Camino was actually introduced in 1959 on the Impala Chassis. It was discontinued after 1960. It re-appeared in 1964 on the Chevelle platform. Engines included a 230 inch six-cylinder and the 283 and 327 V8s. After the GTO burst onto the scene the other GM divisions scrambled to fight back. Olds responded in 1965 by doing exactly what Pontiac did-stuffing the 400 inch "big car" V8 ( Pontiac's was 389 inches ) into the Cutlass 442. ( 1964 442s had 330 inch V8s ). Chevrolet only built 200 396 Chevelles in 1965. In 1966 they sold 77,000 SS396 models. It's hard to say how many El Caminos were sold with this engine because until the mid-'70's GM lumped Elky sales in with Chevelle numbers. But anything that was available on a Chevelle was available on an El Camino. Curiously-not many people used them as trucks, but they did have quite a following with the musclecar crowd. 1967 saw only minor changes-mainly the grille-and for the first time the excellent TH400 automatic was available-a huge improvement over the old two-speed Powerglide. 1968 brought a major restyling for the Chevelle / El Camino line and this body ran with minor changes through 1972. These are the most popular models. The TH350 3-speed automatic debuted this year and was used behind the small-block V8s. The 396s got TH400s. 3 and 4-speed manuals were available as well. Front disc brakes were a much-needed option. 1969 was a carryover year. The 350 replaced the 327 as the workhorse small-block. The 325 hp and 375 hp 396s were optional. The big news for 1970 was the introduction of the 454. The base 454 was rated at 360 hp and the mighty LS6 was rated at 450. Again-I can't say how many LS6 Elkys were built because their counted as Chevelle sales-but there were some built. In 1971-compression ratios were lowered to run on low-lead fuels and hp ratings dropped. Pontiac / GMC dealers starting selling "Sprints"-which were basically an El Camino with GMC badging. All the engines were available including the 454. Their kind of a novelty-you don't see a lot of them-but their not worth any more or less than a same-year El Camino-like I've said many times rare disn't automatically mean valuable. But if you find one in decent shape at a reasonable price their certainly worth having. '72 was a carryover year. In 1973 GM re-designed all the "A" bodies-Chevelle, Cutlass, LeMans, Skylark, etc. And that included the El Camino. The 396 / 402 was dropped, but the 454 was still optional. You could also get swivel bucket seats. This bodystyle, with minor trim changes would last through 1977. In 1974 the 400 small-block became an option on top the 350s. In '75 the 454 was dropped, and catalytic converters killed everyone's performance. 1976-77 were basically unchanged. In 1978 the mid-sizes were downsized and the party was over. The standard engine was a 3.8 liter V6 with a 2-bbl, the upgrades were a 305 that wheezed out 145 hp and a 350 that wheezed out 160. After '79 the 350 was dropped. The line soldiered on until 1987-the GMC's were called "Caballeros" instead of Sprints-but there was never another performance version. ( I don't consider a 170 hp 305 powered Elky with a Monte Carlo SS front clip a performance car). Anyhow-if you want one for a hot rod-the '64-77 models are an excellent base for a street machine. Their engine bays will accept any GM engine up to and including the 720 hp GMPP 572, and any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Chevelle will fit the Elky. I always wanted to buy a beater '68-72 Elky, put a GTO front clip on it, drop in a 400 or 455 Pontiac and make a "Judge" "Sprint". Or do a Cutlass 442 / Hurst / Olds Elky.... Anyhow their a great base for a street machine. Mastermind

Fine Lines: 1970-76 Ford Torino...

Ford had won a lot of NASCAR races in 1968 and '69 with their fastback Torinos. The Boss 429 was only sold to the public to homologate it for racing. Since Ford didn't race Mustang bodies in NASCAR-( they did use Mustangs in Trans-Am, but the cubic inch limit was 305 inches. ) I have no Idea why they didn't build Boss-Nine Torinos instead of Mustangs. Must have been a loophole in the rulebook I don't know about. Anyhow the Torino the body was redesigned for 1970 and it was swoopier and slicker than ever before. When I first saw "Mad Max" and "The Road Warrior" I thought the Interceptor made famous by Mel Gibson was a '70-71 Torino. ( It was actually a 1973 Australian Ford Falcon XB coupe-which looks very similar) A full range of  V8 engines was available including a 302, the mighty 351C, and the 429CJ / SCJ models. Curiously-likeI said-even though Ford raced Torinos-( The Wood Brothers ran Mercury Cyclones ) that were Boss 429 powered-their was no production option. The Boss 429 was only available in the Mustang. There was also a "Ranchero" version-( basically Ford's competitor for the El Camino ) available as well.  1971 only brought minor trim changes, otherwise everything was the same. In 1972-Ford completely re-vamped the Torino. Instead of unit-body construction like they had been-they went to a body-on-frame platform. The car was longer, lower and wider, and rode and handled better than ever before. They were good-looking too. ( The car in the Clint Eastwood movie "Gran Torino"-was a 1972 model. ) Unfortunately-1972 was the year that Ford lowered compression ratios and switched from gross to net hp ratings. You could get a 429 in a Torino-but it was a "station wagon" engine that wheezed out 205 hp. A far cry from the 375-of the '70-71 models! The most powerful engine available in a Torino that year was the 351CJ-rated at 246 hp. ( The same engine in a Mustang Mach 1 was rated at 266 hp; I don't know what the difference was, maybe just the rating-they wanted the Mach 1 to be the performance leader. ) In 1973 they changed the grille and added 5-mph bumpers, but otherwise it was unchanged. Bobby Isaac and Bud Moore ran a 351C Torino in NASCAR that year. 1974 brought changes to the front end and taillights, but the basic body was the same. This is the style driven by Paul Micheal Glaser on "Starsky and Hutch". You could now get a 460-but again it was basically a station wagon / truck engine that made about 220 hp. The 351C was still the most powerful engine available. They also introduced the "Gran Torino Elite" that was supposed to be a luxury model. It had opera windows, and looked like a re-badged Cougar-which it was.  1975 brought catalytic conveters and really killed performance. And the 351C was dropped. Most models had the 351 / 400"M" engines with 2bbl carburation and single exhaust. These had the dual attributes of no power and crappy gas mileage. You could still get a 460-but they didn't even make 200 hp. In 1977 The Torino / Elite models were dropped. The Ranchero soldiered on until 1979, based on the LTD II platform. If you want one today for a peformance project-their a good base. The engine bay will swallow anything from a 302 to a 460-and their's tons of speed equipment available for small and big-block Ford engines. They were a great car; it's just too bad they were introduced just as the musclecar era was winding down, and that Ford just gave up on performance. ( The 4-cylinder and V6 Mustang II?? ) Just like Pontiac kept the mighty 400 in the Trans-Am until 1979-Ford could have done the same with a decent 460 or the 351CJ in the Torino-but they didn't. Too bad. Anyhow a Torino / Ranchero might make a nice project instead of the cookie-cutter Mustangs you see everywhere. Mastermind

Fine Lines....1970-74 Plymouth Duster / Dodge Demon / Dart....

By 1969 Insurance companies were really jacking up the prices on musclecars, especially anything over 400 cubic inches. In 1970, Plymouth hit a home run. They introduced the Duster 340. It was based on the lightweight Valiant / Dart platform, but had a swoopy, semi-fastback body and menacing front grille. They stuffed in the high-winding 340 V8 out of the Barracuda and backed it with a 3 or 4-speed manual or a Torqueflite. They also had a blacked out hood, stripes and large "340" emblems on the hood and 1/4 panels. With a curb weight under 3,000 lbs-they easily ran low 14s-they were faster in the 1/4 mile than a 383 Road Runner. A lot of big-block cars were shocked by the lightning quick Dusters. They were a huge hit. Dodge realized their mistake in not having a Duster clone. ( You could get a 340 in a 1970 Dart Swinger-but they were the square, grandpa looking Valiant style. ) In 1971 Dodge came out with the Demon. It was basically a 340 Duster with a twin-scooped hood and a Dart grille. It had cool graphics featuring a smiling little devil holding a pitchfork. "Speed Demon" get it?  You also got a Go-Wing spoiler and Rally wheels. Mr Norm's Grand Spaulding Dodge offered Demons with the "Six-Pack" 3-2bbl induction system that the Challenger T/A and 'Cuda AAR used, and he offered them with Paxton Superchargers as well. The Mr Norm Demon "GSS" models are rare today. In 1972 the compression ratio was dropped from 10.5:1 to 8.5:1 to accomodate low-lead fuels. Horsepower dropped from 275 to 240. They were still good performers-CARS magazine's 1972 340 Duster test car ran a 14.34 e.t. in the 1/4 mile. For 1973 a bunch of Christian groups complained about the "Demon" decals and Chrysler stupidly caved in to the pressure and the name was changed to "Dart Sport". Since Chrysler later went bankrupt- where were these devout Christian "buyers" then?  Anyhow in 1974 the 340 was discontinued. It was the last vestige of performance-it was the basis of Chrysler's 1970 Trans-Am effort. It was replaced with the 360 truck engine-which while rated at 245 hp-5 hp more-it wasn't the same as the high-winding 340. That would be like Chevrolet trying to replace the LT-1 Corvette engine with the 400 small block from the Impala!!!  It didn't work. The line soldiered on until 1976-and was replace by  the Volare / Aspen line in 1977-another of Chrysler's "better ideas". Anyhow-a 340 Duster is still a great buy if you can find one in decent shape. And- if you can't 318 versions are the proverbial dime a dozen-and a 380 hp Mopar Performance 360 crate motor would be a bolt-in-and Mopar Performance sells crossmenbers and motor mounts to install a 440!! Since a new base Hemi Charger or Challenger is over $30,000-A Duster / Demon-excuse me Dart Sport is still a great buy. It will not pass this way again.  Mastermind.  

Fine Lines: 1968-74 Chevy Nova...

The Nova was introduced in 1962 as an economy car to compete with the Plymouth Valiant and the Ford Falcon. Initially they were only available with a 6-cylinder engine. The 283 V8 was optional until '65. My cousin had a hot-rodded 283 powered '63 Nova that was a dragstrip terror; because of their light weight and short wheelbase they made good drag racers. In '66-67 the bodystyle was changed and the mighty 327 was optional. However, Novas really bloomed in 1968. They were completely restyled and shared the underpinnings with the Camaro that was introduced the year before. The 327 and 350 V8s were available and for the first time-a big-block was optional. The 396 that was in the vaunted SS396 Chevelle was optional in the Nova SS. Their were two versions-the hydraulic cammed,10.25:1 compression, "Station Wagon" engine that had oval-port heads and a Quadrajet on an Iron manifold. These were rated at 325 hp, and in a light Nova hauled ass. The upgrade was the L78 396 that had 11:1 compression, a hot solid-lifter cam, rectangular port heads and a 780 Holley on an aluminum manifold. Basically all the components of the 425 hp 427 Corvette motor on a 396 block. They were grossly under-rated at 375 hp. Weighing roughly 600 lbs less than the average Chevelle or GTO yet packing the same amount of power-a 396 Nova was a fearsome street fighter. Even B-body Mopars that had 426 Hemis and 440s under their long hoods-weighed 500-600 lbs more, so any power advantage was negated by the weight difference. If you optioned it right-there wasn't much that was going to outrun a 396 Nova in a drag race!  1969 and 1970 models were basically unchanged. However, Chevrolet brass made a decision that all us gearheads wish they hadn't. Initially the mighty LS6 450 hp 454 was slated to be optional in the Camaro SS and the Nova SS as well as the Chevelle. Since the 396 was already an option-it would have been a bolt-in. How badass would that have been? Remember the average Chevelle weighs 3,800-4,000 lbs. The average Nova weighs 3,200-3,400 lbs. A 600 lb weight advantage!  Take 600 lbs off an LS6 Chevelle-can you say 12s off the showroom floor?  Alas, the brass decided for some unknown reason to cut down on "model prol;iferation" and the LS6 was only offered in the Chevelle line. That's why there were no LS6 1970 Corvettes. Zora-Arkus Duntov-chief Corvette engineer-fully expected the much more radical LS7 to make production as the 'Vette's top engine option, so the LS6 wasn;t offered.The 360 hp "station wagon" LS5 454 was optional in the Corvette, making the 370 hp LT-1 small-block the most powerful 'Vette engine that year. The LS6-with 9.0:1 compression instead of 11:1 and a 425 hp rating instead of 450-was offered in 1971 Corvettes. Anyhow-a 396 was the biggest engine you could get in a 1970 Nova. For some reason-maybe pressure from the safety Nazis and insurance companies-in 1971 the 396 was dropped. The largest engine available in a Nova SS was a 350 with 270 hp. 1972 was basically unchanged. This was the year that automakers switched from gross to net hp ratings so it looks on paper like power really dropped off. In reality the '71 and '72 engines are identical.  In 1973 a hatchback version was introduced. Hot Rod magazine tested a '73 Nova SS that Nickey Chevrolet-a Chicago dealer-had swapped an L88 427 into. It ran something like 11.88 in the 1/4. 1974 was basically unchanged-the workhorse L48 350 that made about 180 hp was the top engine option.  In 1975 they were completely restyled, catalytic converters ruined performance, and Chevrolet let it revert to a price leader compact. The standard engine was a 250 inch six that wheezed out 120 hp,the optional ones were a 130 hp 262 V8, a 145hp 305 or a 160 hp 350. The "SS" package was basically a tape stripe package. The line soldiered on until 1979-but the '75 and later models are ugly with emasculated engines, salt-flats gearing and 5-mph bumpers. Everyone wants the '68-74 models. Any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Camaro will fit the Nova-so you can build a drag racer or a corner carving "G" machine. The engine bay will accept any small or big block Chevy-so they make a great base for a hot rod. I'd also consider '71-74 Pontiac Venturas. They were Pontiac's version of the Nova-and the 350 Pontiac models run great- and a 400 or 455 is a bolt-in. If they have a Chevy six or V8 in them-some of them did-no problem-a 350 or 383 Chevy would be a bolt-in. A Nova might be a good alternative to the cookie-cutter Camaros and Firebirds out there. Mastermind

Fine lines : 1967-73 Mercury Cougar....

I always thought the Cougar was to the Mustang what the Firebird was to the Camaro-the better buy of the two. While the base-model Mustang had a 200 inch six,the Cougar had a 289 / 302 standard. Cougars had upgraded interiors, power steering, front disc brakes, hidden headlights etc. I always thought the '67-68 Cougar was one of the best-looking cars Ford ever produced. The 289 /302 was standard and the 390 was optional. In 1969 the body got a little bigger and wider, but the styling was very similar. Engine choices expanded-the 351W, and the 428 were also available in the "Eliminators". Not much changed for 1970. In '71-the body was changed again, just as the cousin Mustang changed. Now the biggest engine was a 351C. They were good performers-but in the "Personal Luxury" coupe market-the "A" body based Chevrolet Monte Carlo and Pontiac Gran Prix could be had with a 454 or 455 V8 respectively. All a 351C Cougar was going to see of a 455 GP or a 454 Monte was the taillights. Ironically-although the '71 Mustang was longer, lower and wider than ever before, and the 429 was an option on the Mach 1-it wasn't available in the Cougar.  For some reason-Ford bean counters saw the Thunderbird as the competitor for the GM offerings. However-after 1971-the T-Bird was based on the much heavier and uglier LIncoln MKIV platform-which even with 460 cubes-would again only see the taillights of a 454 Monte or 455 GP. Pity- a 429 Cougar would have been cool and might have competed. Alas-not to be. The line soldiered on through the '73 model year-the Ford Torino and Mercury Montego were also comptetitors. In '74 the Mustang became more Pinto / Capri than Mustang-( Except for a barefoot Farrah Fawcett-Majors perched on the hood of one for a "Charlie"s Angels" promo-does anyone care about the '74-78 Mustang II?? ) Sadly-Ford put the Cougar name on a re-badged MKIVplatform-and performance Cougars were gone forever. Anyhow- they are a nice alternative to the cookie-cutter Mustangs. Especially if someone did one in Trans-Am style-radiused whellwells, Minilite wheels, a snarling "Mock Boss" 302 and and a T-5 five-speed.... Mastermind  

Fine Lines: 1969-77 Pontiac Gran Prix...

In 1969 Pontiac moved the Gran Prix nameplate from the "big car" platform-i.e.-Catalina, Bonneville, to the mid-size "A" body-i.e. Chevelle, LeMans, Cutlass, etc platform. It was an immediate hit-112,000 units sold. In 1970 Chevrolet responded by introducing the Monte Carlo, and the "Personal Luxury / Performance" coupe craze was started. The Gran Prix is to the Monte Carlo what the Firebird is to the Camaro-the better buy of the two, for the same reason. 99% of Monte Carlos built from 1970-77 are 350 small-block powered. The 402 was discontinued after 1972 and the 454 was dropped in '75. By contrast GP's had 400 power standard all years and a good number of '70-76 "SJ" models had 455s!!  My sister had a 400 powered '72 GP, and my cousin had a 455 powered '74 model in high school. Both of these cars had power everything, and they felt like a GTO. And both of them showed their taillights to many a shocked Camaro, Chevelle and Mustang driver. They have front disc brakes and wrist-thick front and rear sway bars standard-which makes them surprisingly good handlers. Their big wheelwells will accomodate 275 / 60R15 tires on 8-inch wheels all the way around for a mean look, and any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Chevelle / LeMans will fit these cars. 1977 California and High-Altitude models will have 403 Olds engines, but like I said in the Firebird post-there's plenty of speed equipment available for them. If you can't find or afford a big-block Chevelle, a Gran Prix is a great alternative.  Mastermind

Fine Lines Re-Visited....'70's Pontiac Firebirds....

Back in the '80's Car Craft magazine had series of articles called "Fine Lines". Each month they'd feature a make and model that in their opinion offered the most bang for the buck for a hot rodder looking for a project. I thought I'd do something similar, to maybe help people consider a car they wouldn't normally have thought of buying, or help them get a deal on one they did want. Anyhow-a car that I think offers a ton of potential is 1970-81 Pontiac Firebirds. A Firebird is a much better buy than a Camaro for one reason. 99% of Camaros are small-block powered-a big-block was only offered until 1972 and they were produced in limited quantitys. By contrast-the 455 was available until 1976, and you could get a 400 in a Firebird Formula or Trans-Am right up until 1979. If you can't find a good deal on a 400 Firebird, you aren't looking past the end of your nose. This is why they were so popular in the late '70's and '80's. ( Pontiac sold nearly 50,000 T/A's in 1976 and 68,000 in 1977; "Smokey and the Bandit" wasn't released until May 1977-it's impact on sales wouldn't be felt until the '78 model year-a record 93,000 sold ). Stock or modified, a big 400 or 455 cubic inch Firebird had little to fear from a 350 Camaro or 351 Mustang. They had great suspensions and brakes to start with and there are a ton of aftermarket upgraded shocks, springs, sway bars, and brake kits out there if you want to build a corner-carving "G" machine or a front-wheel pulling drag racer. Their wheelwells will accomodate huge tires without modification. I would stick with 1970-78 models-as most of these will have 400 Pontiacs under the hood. These offer the most bang for the buck. 4-speed models had 3.23 or 3.42:1 gears, which is a perfect compromise between jackrabbit starts and reasonable freeway cruising rpm. Automatics, however had salt-flats gearing like 2.41:1 or 2.56:1. If you have one, or can buy one cheap-swapping the 2.41:1 rear axle ratio for something in the 3.23:1-3.73:1 range will offer a stunning improvement in acceleration without hurting drivability or fuel economy too much. An Edelbrock Performer intake and headers and dual exhausts really wake up these engines. Edelbrock and Kauffman offer aluminum heads, and Crane, Comp Cams, Crower and others offer cams. There are a million ways to build horsepower into a Pontiac V8. Car Craft built a 400 with Edelbrock heads-they called it "Junkyard Jewell"-and it made 440 hp and 460 lbs of torque for very low bucks.  Some '77-79 Formulas and T/A's will have 403 Olds engines. In stock trim, these made about the same amount of torque as the 400 Pontiacs. And, like their Pontiac-engined cousins-an axle-ratio change is the biggest upgrade you can do. ( Most had 2.41:1 gears; some WS6 Formulas and T/A's had 3.23:1s, but not many ). If you have or want to buy a 403 Firebird,-any speed equipment that fits a 350 Olds will fit a 403. Edelbrock claims 397 hp and 400 lbs of torque from their Performer RPM package, and that's on a 350. Magazine writers spout numbers flippantly-but Pontiac or Olds power, 400 honest hp will turn any street car into an absolute rocket. I'd stay away from 1980-81 models unless they were dirt cheap and you were planning an engine swap anyway. I say this because these had either 301 Pontiacs or 305 Chevys that wheezed out 150 hp. Either way a big power injection requires an engine swap. On the upside-a 400 or 455 will bolt in place of the 301-the motor mounts are in the same place and the oil pan is the same. ( Otherwise 301s share very little with the 326-455 "traditional" Pontiac V8s ). And if you have a 305 Chevy model, obviously swapping the 305 for a stout 350 or 383 Small-block Chevy would be an easy way to big hp. There is so much speed equipment still available for these cars that your really only limited by your wallet and imagination. That's what makes them a "Best Buy".  Mastermind    

"Cold" August Nights is here again....

I hate to sound like a broken record, But once again Hot August Nights is disappointing. 1st off-the organizers and the casinos have gotten cheap. I lived here back in 1986 when it started. Up until a few years ago they'd book great entertainment like the Righteous Brothers, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, The Beach Boys, John Kay of Steppenwolf,Grand Funk Railroad and even John Fogerty. The last few years we don't even get people like Gary Puckett and the Union Gap or Paul Revere and the Raiders. I can't name anyone that's performing this year. Pardon me-Peter Noone and Herman's Hermits?  Really? How many people want to hear "I'm Henry the Eighth I am". Oh yeah there featuring the Monkees this year-except Davy Jones has been dead for several years!!  Used to we'd have real 1/4 mile drag races at the Stead Airport or at the old Fallon dragstrip. Now they do 1/16 of a mile in the Nugget Parking lot. Really??  A 330 foot drag race?  You might as well not even race the big-block cars-they'll spin the tires for 200 feet!!  The Reno-Fernley raceway is a state of the art facility with a circle track, a road course and a 1/4 mile drag strip. Motor Trend tests cars there sometimes. The big casinos should get together, rent the track and do it up right. Have different classes, and cash prizes for the winner of each class. And the "Show and Shines" are all cookie-cutter cars. All the big casinos have them. But there all the same. The Ford section is all Mustangs. I saw one '67 T-Bird, one '68 Cougar, and one '57 T-Bird. No 406 Galaxies, no Thunderbolt Fairlanes, No Torino Cobras, no Mercury Cyclones, no Mercury Marauders. No Shelby Cobras.  The Mopar section is all '68-70 Chargers, and '70-71 E-bodies.  I saw one GTX and one Super Bee. No Plymouth Superbirds or Charger Daytonas, no Max Wedge cars, no 340 Dusters or Demons,no Hemi Darts, nothing but cookie cutter B and E bodies. The GM sections are all Camaros and Chevelles. I saw one '69 Hurst / Olds, and one '69 GTO Judge. A few other GTOs and Firebirds, and a few '55-57 Chevys. No 409 Impalas, no 421 Super Duty Catalinas, no Olds 442s or Rallye 350s, or Gran Sport Buicks, no 427 Impalas or Corvettes. Certainly no Yenko Cars or Baldwin-Motion cars or Royal Pontiac cars like we used to see. It's sad. Sad because apparently the city fathers allowing the motels to quadruple their rates, and not allowing the big cruises, not allowing booze outside the casinos, and allowing the police to write thousands of tickets have put a sour taste in all the high rollers mouths. If New Orleans can keep Mardi Gras safe without resorting to Gestapo tactics, Reno ought to be able to manage Hot August Nights properly. Attendance has been down every year for the last few years because of all the factors I just listed.  If they don't make some drastic changes, their big cash cow is going to wither and die. And it's too bad, because it used to be really cool. Mastermind