Don't pass on a great car because of one option that it does or doesn't have...

A lot of people liked the "No Used Car Factory" post. It's just common sense. Yet I still talk to people almost every day that whine about not being able to find a decent car at a decent price. Then, they'll tell me about some screaming deal they passed on because the car had or didn't have one thing!!  UGH!!  Here's some stupid things that these people pass over great cars for. # 1. 2bbl Carburation. Back in the '60's and '70's a lot of base models and even mid-level models had V8s with 2bbl carbs as standard equipment, and the 4bbl and premium engines were optional. There's a lot of 289 and 351 Mustangs and Cougars with 2bbl carbs,a lot of 350 Camaros, Firebirds,Chevelles, and Cutlasses with 2bbls on them. And it's not just small-blocks either. I've seen 390 Mustangs, T-Birds, and Fairlanes with 2bbls, 383 and 400 Chargers, Coronets, and Satellites with 2bbls, and 400 Firebirds, LeMans and Gran Prix models with 2bbls. And again-it's not just base models. I've seen Mach 1 Mustangs with full regalia-i.e. front and rear spoilers, blacked out hoods, stripes, "sport slats" ( rear window loovers ) and Magnum 500 wheels that have a 2bbl 351W or 351C under the hood, that's numbers-matching!! I've seen for-real SS Chevelles and Olds 442s with 2bbl 350s under the hood. I've seen GTOs and 442s with 2bbl 400s under the hood. ( GM's "Turnpike Specials"; whose Idea was that? ) The point I'm making is, are you really going to pass up a great deal on a great car because it has the wrong carburator??!!  And seriously-An Edelbrock Perfomer intake costs about $200 for most popular engines and a matching Edelbrock carb is about $350 from Summitt. So for less than $600 you can have the tremendous power and drivability upgrade of a 4bbl carb and intake. If your an anal type and want to keep the car more or less "all original" junkyards and swap meets are full of people selling Chevy, Pontiac,Olds, Ford and Chrysler factory Iron 4bbl intakes, for sometimes as low as $50!! New or used, or rebuilt-finding a Quadrajet for GM, or Carter AVS or Thermo-Quad for Mopars is easy, as is finding a Holley or Carter AFB for Fords. ( Or use an Edlebrock-their identical to the AFB. ). I can't imagine anyone in their right mind wanting an Autolite 4100 or 4300 carb on their worst enemy's car, but if you do their out there. The point is factory or aftermarket, changing from a 2bbl to a 4bbl is an easy, cheap fix. Yet I've seen people pass up great 2bbl cars, and pay 3 or 4 grand more for a 4bbl model that isn't as nice. Are you kidding me?  Serial numbers on the CARBURATOR are worth 4-grand to you??  # 2. 3-speed Sticks. A lot of cars had 3-speed manuals as standard equipment and the 4-speeds and automatics were extra-cost options. Popular Hot Rodding's 1969 GTO Judge test car was a Ram Air III, with a 3-speed!!  I've seen quite a few 389 and 400 GTOs with 3-speeds, and quite a few 383 Road Runners, 'Cudas and Challengers with 3-speeds. I've seen a lot of 340 Dusters and Darts with 3-speeds, and more than a few 350 Camaros and Firebirds. I've seen a few Formula 400s with 3-speeds. I've seen a lot of 289 and 302 Mustangs with 3-speeds, and even a few 390 Mustang and Fairlane models.  You can address this one of two ways. If you just "Gotta Have" a 4-speed-thankfully the factory did most of the work for you. The clutch linkage and pedals, etc are already there. Most Saginaw,BW, and Muncie 3-speeds are the same length and share a common rear trans mount with their 4-speed cousins. Ditto for Ford and Chryslers. Swapping a 3-speed for a 4-speed is practically a no-brainer if you have any mechanical ability at all-or even if you don't most shops would only charge you the "R&R" labor time-less than 4hrs on most cars-if you had all the parts. The other way to look at it would be you have a 3-speed auto with a high-stall converter and a badass shift kit. Think. You can launch at whatever rpm you want. If you pop the clutch at 2,500-3,500 rpm-isn't that going to give you a spectacular launch? If you have a good Hurst shifter, you can powershift at whatever rpm you desire. Doubtless a 383 Road Runner or 400 GTO would be more fun with a 3-speed stick than it would be with a slushbox, right??  And it would fall under the "weird, but kinda cool" option packages that a lot of '60's and '70's cars had. The point is, I wouldn't pass up a screaming deal on a car I wanted because of the transmission!! # 3. GM cars with 2-speed automatics. For some reason in the '60's GM was lagging behind on automatics. Fords had the excellent C4s and C6s, and Chryslers had the excellent Torquflites-all 3-speed autos that performed flawlessly. However, for some insane reason, ( although the TH400 was introduced in "big" cars in 1965 ) up until 1967 or '68 depending on model-if you wanted an automatic, you got the awful 2-speed "Powerglide". Even in a 396 Chevelle or 389 GTO, or-gasp-in a 427 Corvette!!  Luckily-the solution is easy. A TH350 is exactly the same length and has exactly the same rear trans mount and driveshaft yoke as the Powerglide / ST300. That means a TH350 is a bolt-in swap. You can even use the stock shifter. ( You won't be able to manually engage low gear, but with a good shift kit that's not a problem ). The difference in performance will be stunning. The reason is Powerglides had either a 1.76:1 or 1.82:1 first gear and a 1.00:1 second. TH350s have a 2.52:1 first gear,a 1.52:1 second, and a 1:1 third. Even with the same rear axle ratio, your 0-60 and 1/4 mile time will drop substantially. Save the old tranny in case you ever want to sell the car to a "just as it left the factory" type, and if he wants to change it back, he can after he buys it!!  But don't let one option stop you from getting a great deal on a great car. Mastermind