More one or two year wonders that might be cool...

A friend reminded me of some other overlooked one or two year wonders that I didn't include in the previous post.  Here they are, in no particular order. # 1. 1967-68 "California Special" Mustang. These coupes had Shelby-style side scoops and taillights, special striping and rally wheels. Most were 289 powered, but a few had 390s. Their a little cooler than a base-model Mustang, but I wouldn't pay Shelby money for one-other than the taillights and scoops their really nothing special, but they are unique.  # 2. 1968-70 "W31" Cutlass / F85. These "Insurance Beaters" ( Insurance companies were jacking up the rates on musclecars; especially anything with an engine 400 cubes or more ) were a base-model Cutlass-contrary to popular belief-they are NOT a 442 in any way, shape or form. They have a 350 V8 with special heads, a hot 308 degree cam, an aluminum high-rise intake, special exhaust manifolds, and was so radical that it was only available with a 4-speed and 3.90:1 or 4.33:1 gears! They were grossly under-rated at 325 hp. ( The standard "station wagon" 350 had 310 hp; all that trick stuff was only worth 15 hp? Please.)  The "Catch 22" is-Olds collectors covet them so badly, that they usually bring the same amount of money as a 400 or 455 powered 442. Dynamite if you can find one at a reasonable price.  # 3. 1971-72 Dodge Demon. After the phenomenal sales success of the 1970 340 Plymouth Duster-the Dodge boys decided they wanted a piece of the action. The Demon was basically a Duster with a Dart grille, a scooped hood, a go-wing spoiler, and striping and a cool little grinning Devil holding a pitchfork emblems. And the high-winding 340 V8. Some Christian groups griped about the "Demon" name and the emblems, and Chrysler caved into the pressure and the name was changed to "Dart Sport" for 1973. Since Chrysler went bankrupt a few years later-where were all the "Christian" buyers they were supposedly catering to?  Anyhow-they are cooler than a 340 Duster if you can find one.  # 4. 1977 Pontiac Can-Am. Trying to capitalize on the Trans-Am's immense popularity, Pontiac came up with this performance package for the LeMans. Power was a 400 Pontiac V8 ( or a 403 Olds in California or High Altitude areas ) backed by a TH400 with a shift kit. Styling touches included a Trans-Am style "Shaker" hood scoop, a "Ducktail" rear spoiler, a Gran Prix dash panel, body-colored Rally II wheels, and "Judge" style striping. Since the GM "A" bodies-Chevelle, LeMans, Cutlass, Monte Carlo, Regal, etc were downsized, and for some odd reason re-named "G" bodies-for 1978-it only lasted one season. They have a ton of potential if you can find one. There are a million ways to build power into a Pontiac V8, and any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Chevelle will fit these cars.  # 5. 1979 Chrysler 300. These were based on the Cordoba platform and included an E58 360 Police Interceptor V8, a Torqueflite and a 3.21:1 Sure-Grip rear end. Trim included special Rally Wheels, a special white paint job and a red leather interior. If a gussied-up Cordoba tickles your fancy-here's your ride. # 6. 1984-86 Ford Mustang SVO. These had a Turbocharged 4-cylinder engine with 175-205 hp depending on year, 16" aluminum wheels, 4-wheel disc brakes, and Recaro seats. Since the "5.0" V8 models were both faster and several thousand dollars cheaper the SVO's didn't sell well when they were new. If you can find one today they are a fun ride, and the Ford 4-banger has a bulletproof bottom-end if you want to turn up the boost.  # 7. 2003-2004 Mercury Marauder. These were supposed to be a tribute to the old full-size musclecars like the Pontiac 2+2, the Impala SS, and the original Mercury Marauder. Ford hoped they'd sell as well as the LT1 Impala SS did in the '90's.  They were based on the Crown Victoria platform and included the 302 hp 4.6 liter V8 out of the Mustang Cobra, a 4-speed automatic with a high-stall converter, 18" chrome wheels and fat tires, and a special interior with Auto Meter guages. Strangely-Ford never promoted the cars-I don't think I ever even saw a single road test in any of the buff magazines. Then they were shocked when they didn't sell!!  If you can find one-they are better performers than a "cop car" Crown Vic.  Mastermind        

Some "Rodney Dangerfield" One or Two Year wonders that might be cool....

Comedian Rodney Dangerfield always joked that he got "No Respect". There are a lot of muscle cars out there that for whatever reason only lasted one or two model years and are often overlooked, but can be great fun and a good bargain. Here's some of my favorites in no particular order. # 1. 1970-71 Pontiac Tempest T-37, 1972 LeMans GT. Often called "The Poor Man's GTO" the T-37 was a strippy Tempest that came standard with a 350 V8 and a 3-speed stick, but the 400 and 455 engines were optional, as was a 4-speed or a TH400. For some reason, the name was changed to "LeMans GT" in 1972, but the package was basically the same. These are a good way to get GTO performance at a lower price. # 2. 1971-72 "Heavy Chevy". These were a base-model Malibu with a domed "SS" style hood, a blacked out grille, 14" slotted Rally Wheels and decals that said "Heavy Chevy" on the fenders and rear deck. Most were 350 powered, but the 396 / 402 was available. Obviously-the Rat-Motored versions will be pricier, but their still cheaper than an "SS" model. And if you get a 350 version, besides a lower purchase price-there's more speed equipment for a small-block Chevy than anything else on the planet. 6,727 were built in '71 and another 3,000 or so in the strike-shortened year of '72.  # 3. 1973-75 Pontiac Grand Am. Based on the LeMans platform-these cars were touted to have the performance of a Trans-Am and the luxury of a Gran Prix. Unfortunately-luxury buyers bought GP's, and performance buyers bought T/A's. However-they were and are a great performance buy. 400 cubes standard all years with 455 optional. Wrist-thick front and rear sway bars and front disc brakes ( "Radial Tuned Suspension ") made them great handlers too. Dynamite if you can find one.  # 4. 1974 Pontiac GTO. Often called "The Best Nova Ever Built". For '74 Pontiac changed the GTO nameplate from the "A" body LeMans platform to the "X" body ( read Nova ) platform. The buff magazines howled to the high heavens and made fun of the car. However-they weighed about 600 lbs less than a Firebird and the 350 V8 moved them along pretty good, and they had cool syle points like a Trans-Am style "Shaker" hood scoop and a Hurst shifter with the 3 or 4-speed manuals and the TH350. A great thing-Pontiac engines are identical from a 326 to a 455-which means a 400 or 455 is a bolt-in swap, and any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Camaro / Firebird will fit these cars. How badass would one of these 3,200 lb "X" bodies be with an aluminum-headed 468 inch engine, and Trans-Am sway bars and 4-wheel disc brakes be?  7.058 were built.  # 5. 1975 Plymouth Road Runner. For this one year only the Road Runner was based on the Sport Fury platform. You got Police Interceptor suspension, a 3.21:1 Sure-Grip rear end and the famous "Beep-Beep" horn. 318 versions are dogs, but the 360 and 400 models can really run with very little work. Over 6,000 were built, so their not a moon rock.  # 6. 1982 Mustang GT. These had a 302 V8 with a 2bbl carb and a 4-speed manual or a C4 automatic. Ford guys snub these like the plague in favor of the 4bbl / 5-speed stick / 4-speed auto '83-86 models or the Fuel-injected '87-93 models. So you can buy them cheap, and a 4bbl carb and intake is an easy upgrade to get a vast increase in performance. In fact-except for the Camaro / Firebird, there is probably more speed equipment for Fox-bodied Mustangs than anything else on the market, so hopping one up is both cheap and easy.  # 7. 1982 Corvette. These were the last of the C3 bodystyle that ran from 1968-82, and the first to have the "Cross-Fire" injected 350 and the 700R4 4-speed automatic. For some reason-'Vette collectors snub these cars in favor of the carburated '81 and earlier L48 and L82 models, or the '84 and later C4 models, which means you can buy them at a reasonable price. Their performance isn't bad-mid-15 second 1/4 mile times-and again there's a million ways to build power into a small-block Chevy. I have seen these on used-car lots as low as $3995.  "Corvette" and "Cheap" don't usually go in the same sentence, but if you want a bargain on a C3 'Vette, you'll be hard pressed to find a better deal than one of these. # 8. 1980 Z/28 Camaro. For this one year only you could get a 190 hp L48 350 V8 with a 4-speed stick that had a 3.44 1st gear and a 2.28 2nd and a 3.08:1 posi rear end. This gave much better off-the-line acceleration than the previous years 2.64 1st / 1.75 2nd and 3.73:1 rear cog, and had a higher top speed and better gas mileage on the freeway. The best of both worlds. Automatic versions got 3.42:1 rear ends, which kept performance near the level of the 4-speed models. They also had "Cowl Induction" hoods-a vacuum-operated flap that opened under full-throttle acceleration and sounded cool. Since Pontiac had dropped the 400 V8s-( The Turbo 301 T/A was a dog ) and you couldn't get an L82 'Vette with a 4-speed-this Camaro was the fastest american car that you could buy in 1980. For some insane reason-in 1981 you could only get a 4-speed with a 305 that wheezed out 145 hp. If you wanted a 350 you had to get a slushbox. Why-I don't know-'81 emission standards were not any different than 1980, and oddly enough-you could get the 350 / 4-speed combo in an '81 Z/28 in Canada! If history has taught us anything-it's that GM has never made rational decisions on marketing anything.  Mastermind    

More "A$%^oles of the Month"......

Hustler magazine used to have a column titled "Asshole of the Month" where they would make fun of people like the politician that railed against gay marriage and then got caught trying to pick up a guy in an airport bathroom, or the woman who founded M.A.D.D. ( Mothers Against Drunk Drivers ) who took a six-figure sales job with Seagram's, or the gun-control advocate who shot an intruder in his house with a unregistered handgun. These people richly deserve the derision they get. As do some of the people I get crap from, over stuff I posted 3 or 4 years ago!!  Anyhow-for the millionth time-I don't "hate" modern cars or their powertrains. Last year I tried to buy a Roush Mustang with a 674 hp, supercharged, "Aluminator" 5.0 Coyote. I couldn't swing the loan, but I damn sure would have loved to have had that car!!  I love driving my friend's 2016 650 hp ZO6 Corvette. My brother is considering buying a Hellcat Challenger. These new muscle cars are totally awesome, and if you can afford one, by all means buy one before the EPA and the safety Nazis find a way to outlaw them. And for ther millionth time, If you want to put an LS engine in a beater LeMans, or a 5.7 / 6.1 / 6.4 Hemi into a beater Duster or Satellite, or a Ford Coyote into a beater Mustang or Cougar no one cares!! Have fun!!  I just cringe when some idiot does it to a numbers-matching Judge, or a for-real, Six-Pack Super Bee, or a Shelby GT350!! And-yes I have seen these exact swaps in magazines or for sale in Hemmings or on the internet!!  Forget the monthly award, or a yearly award-Here's some winners of the "Asshole of the Century" award.  #1. This car was featured in two different buff magazines. This clown bought a one of 458 ever built, show-quality 455HO / 4-speed, 1972 Trans-Ams and butchered the body and interior, and put an LS engine and a six-speed automatic in it!!  Now why couldn't he have bought any one of the millions of beater 1970-81 Camaros and Firebirds out there and used that?  Or if he HAD to have a Trans-Am-he couldn't buy one of the nearly 300,000 built from 1977-79 and fuck that up? No it had to be one of 1,286 '72 models ever made!! ( The other 828 were automatics ). Hell-why didn't he buy one of the 252 SD-455 '73 models or one one of the 88 1970 RAIV models??!!!   # 2. This car was also featured in several buff magazines. This guy should have been dragged out into the street and shot and his house burned to the ground. He bought a pristine, numbers matching, show-quality 1963 Fuel-Injected, 327, 4-speed, Split-Window Corvette and gutted it, put a roll cage in it, a 454 with a Tunnel-Ram backed by a TH400 with a trans-brake, and a narrowed 9 inch Ford rear and 33 inch slicks for a "Pro Street" theme!!!  Again-he couldn't have bought one of the millions of small-block '68-82 'Vettes out there that no one cares about and butchered that? Or if he "Had" to have the '63-67 body-there was a Kit Car company selling 1963 "Gran Sport" replica bodies that fit on to the '68-82 chassis, or he could have bought a beater '64-67 model and people wouldn't have been nearly as pissed off.  But a numbers-matching, fuelie, Split-Window??  Again-the only thing worse might have been a for-real fuel-injected '57 'Vette, or maybe one of the 116 '69 L88 models!!!  # 3. This guy pissed off GM and Ford Guys alike, by putting a 389 Pontiac engine into a pristine '57 T-Bird!!  Yes, it was faster than the ancient 312 "Y-Block".  If he wanted more performance he couldn't have at least went with a 390 Ford??  Or a 302 / 351W / C4 combo?  # 4. This guy managed to get TWO groups of enthusiasts storming his house with torches-musclecar guys and import tuners alike-because he managed to slaughter not one, but TWO sacred cows!!. This genius put the engine and drivetrain out of a 1998 Toyota Supra Turbo into a 1967 Camaro!!  And he really couldn't understand why everyone wanted to kill him!!  # 5. This dope spent $250,000-that's not a typo-I didn't mean 25K-were talking a quarter million-building a 1970 Chevelle with a Duramax Turbo Diesel engine and Allison transmission out of a modern GMC Truck!!!  Why??  I think the question should be-like the puppet dictator in "Team America" asked-"Why is everybody so F%^kin' Stupid??"  Or why specifically are American Car enthusiasts so willing to butcher classic Iron!!  I've said it before-you never see a 1967 Jaguar XKE with the engine and tranny out of a 2012 XKR or a 1969 Porsche 911S with the powertrain out of a 2014 Carrera 4, or a 1971 Datsun 240Z with the drivetrain out of a 2010 370Z!!. You don't see a 1957 Harley-Davidson Sportser with the fuel-injected engine and six-speed out of a 2011 Softail, or a 1973 Kawasaki Z1 with the powertrain out of a 2012 ZX-14 Ninja, or a 1969 Honda CB750 with the engine and tranny out of a 2005 CBR!!  You don't go to a gun show and see a WWII vintage Colt .45 with Laser Sights on it!!  So if you want to put a Supercharged "5.0" Coyote into a '71 Maverick, go ahead!!  But please don't do it to one of the 1,806 "Boss 351" Mustangs ever made!!  Are we finally clear on this issue? Mastermind                              

"The Fate of the Furious"...should be..."No more, Please!!"

Took my 13 year old nephew to see the "Fate of the Furious" and even he said the action had too much CGI and was way over the top, and that they need to quit. The old saying-"Out of the mouths of babes.." is true. They should have quit three movies ago. The 4th one was alright with Dom and Brian ( the late Paul Walker ) going to Mexico to avenge Letty's murder. The car action was mostly do-able. The fifth one was unnecessary-and them dragging the safe through the streets of Brazil was a little over the top. 6 and 7 were awful. Paul Walker died in a car wreck before the 7th film was finished, and they should have just scrapped it. They didn't, and since it grossed a gazillion dollars-we knew an 8th installment was inevitable. I just can't buy into it. First off-how did "Dominic Toretto" ( Vin Diesel ) morph from street racing thug into James Bond?  In the last three movies-Hobbs- ( Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson ) and then "Mr Nobody " ( Kurt Russel ) recruit him and his buddies to save the world from terrorists and master criminals and nuclear disasters. Really? The FBI, the CIA, Homeland Security, and the entire U.S. Military is helpless-but Diesel and his crew can stop these international criminal masterminds? Puhleeze. And wait-Dom and Brian went and killed the drug dealer "Braga" in F&F 4 because his henchmen had killed Letty ( Michelle Rodriguez ) Dom's longtime love. But wait-she re-appears in F&F 6 with the soap-opera theme-she wasn't dead, she had amnesia and couldn't remember who she was!! So now she and Dom are married and having their honeymoon in Cuba. This is where "Cypher" ( Charlize Theron with hair extensions-why she needed them is beyond me-she's smokin' hot regardless of hairstyle ) recruits Dom to do dirty deeds with something that she has on her cell-phone. It's never explained who she is or where she came from, or why she's a master computer hacker that wants to steal nuclear weapons. So Dom turns on his friends and helps her steal a nuclear device, leaving the Rock to go to jail-that's never explained-he's a hotshot FBI agent with a high security clearance and he was asked to steal the device before Cypher could get it! Dom also steals launch codes from a Russian diplomat because-surprise-remember the hot Brazilian cop that he had an affair with in F&F 5 and most of 6, before cruelly dumping her for the back-from-the-dead, amnesiac Letty? Guess What? Cypher has her and her maybe 6 month old baby hostage-and the baby is Dom's!!  Huh? F&F 5 was released in 2011, and F&F 6 was released in 2012. F&F 7 was being filmed in 2013 when Paul Walker died, and they re-shot some scenes and delayed the release from 2014 to 2015. Anyhow-the kid would be five or six years old at least-unless Dom was cheating on Letty with his former flame-who in F&F 7-they implied she was having a relationship with the Rock!! Remember him shielding her and crashing out the window after he and Jason Statham had their big fight??!!  So he goes to New York to rip off launch codes for the nuclear device. This scene is ludicrous-Cypher can hack into cars and make them drive themselves!!! So she remotely causes about a hundred car wrecks, even dropping cars out of tall parking garages to derail the Russians' motorcade. Dom's buddies show up to try to stop him,-including Jason Statham-who was the villian in #7-but is now working with the good guys- and Letty takes the briefcase with the launch codes and runs. Because Dom didn't shoot his own wife, Cypher kills the hot Brazilian girl and threatens to do the baby if Dom crosses her again. Next they go to Russia to steal a nuclear submarine-where again-where in the hell is the Russian Military, the U.S. Military, NATO forces, etc-the Rock and the rest of Dom's pals have this cars vs trucks, snowmobiles, and planes, and yes-the submarine on the frozen Tundra of remote Russia. Dom and crew save the day, and everyone lives happily ever after. And Letty happily welcomes this baby that he had with the other woman!! Right. The first 4 were ok with the street racing being funded by electronics theft and drugs, etc. But now-what's next "Furious in Outer Space??"  The sad thing is-if this stinker grosses 100 million or more-which it probably will-that means there will be an F&F 9 and 10!! God, I hope not.  Mastermind    

Ya gotta love the internet.....Part 2...

Got a smart-ass email from someone-I love this-"Unknown" who didn't sign his work-but wanted to gripe about a post I made like 3 years ago!!  I was griping about how tired I was of seeing in every buff magazine-which I sarcastically said-should change their name to "Modern Fuel Swap Monthly" since all they ever featured was Numbers-matching SS396 Chevelles, GTOs,Dodge Chargers,etc-with LS motors and modern Hemis swapped in. I've said it a million times-If you want to put an LS motor and a 4L80E in a beater '68 Cutlass-go ahead and do it!! No one gives a shit. But don't do it to one of the 515 Hurst / Olds models ever built!!  Anyhow this arrogant asshole-their always so arrogant-chided me by saying that LS motors AREN'T CHEVYS and If I was as smart as I thought I was, I'd know that!!  Would he like to go for Double Jeopardy where the scores can really change?  The LS engine is a Chevrolet design from conception to production. They debuted in the 1997 Corvette, the '98 Z /28 / Trans-Am, and the 2000 Chevy / GMC Pickups. The fact that they put them in Pontiacs, Buicks, and Oldsmobiles-doesn't change the fact that they are Chevys! Just like the 3.8 / 3800 V6 that powers millions of GM cars is a Buick. The Northstar V8s-while available in Oldsmobiles-was a Cadillac design. The Quad 4-was a Pontiac. This is nothing new. GM has played musical engines since the '60's. The standared engine in most GM cars-be it a Firebird, LeMans, Cutlass, Regal, Ventura, Omega, etc-since 1967 was a 250 inch Chevy straight six. In the late '70's it became the 231 inch Buick V6. In 1977 alone you could get a Pontiac Firebird with a 231 inch Buick V6, a 301 Pontiac, a 305 Chevy, a 350 Chevy, a 350 Olds, a 350 Pontiac, a 350 Buick, A 400 Pontiac, and a 403 Olds!!!  Only the one 350 and the 400 were "True" Pontiac engines-i.e-dating back to the original 287 inch V8 from 1955-and sharing parts with the 326-455 engines that were so prevalent from the '63-79 period!!  You could buy an Olds Cutlass in the '80's with a 305 Chevy,a 301 Pontiac, or a 307 Olds V8. In the early 90's you could buy a Cadillac Fleetwood D' Elegance or Buick Roadmaster with a 350 Chevy!!  Yes-GM played musical engines for 40 years because of smog laws and less "model proliferation"-does anyone believe that an Olds Bravada was anything other than a re-badged S10 Blazer??!!!  But your 1992 Cadillac Fleetwood does not have a 5.7 liter "Cadillac" V8!!!  It's a 350 Chevy just like the one in your neighbor's Blazer!!!  Anyhow- I welcome all input-even misguided or inaccurate wise-ass comments. But if your going to be sarcastic-do some research and make damn sure your right before you publiucly rebuke someone who HAS done the research!!!  Mastermind  

R.I.P. Pete Chapouris....

I was saddened to hear about the recent passing of Pete Chapouris due to a stroke. He was 76. He was a major partner in "Pete&Jakes" a company that sold street rod and hot rod parts-straight axles with disc brakes for '55-57 Chevys, block hugger headers, rack and pinion steering setups etc.  However he's probably best known as the builder of the "California Kid" the Iconic black and flamed '34 Ford driven by Martin Sheen in the movie-duh-"The California Kid".  It was made in 1974 for ABC TV as a "movie of the week"-they had that back then. It was a simple revenge tale, set in 1958 but it had a lot of star power. Vic Morrow was a sadistic small-town sheriff who ran speeders off the curvy mountain road outside his town in his hopped up Hemi-powered cop car. Ironically-this followed his turn as a-you guessed it-maniacal sheriff chasing Peter Fonda and Susan George in "Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry." Talk about typecasting. Martin Sheen was the older brother of one of his victims who comes to town seeking vengenance. Nick Nolte was the bullied town mechanic who teams up with Sheen to get the sheriff after his own little brother is killed, in an "accident" running away from Morrow. Michelle Phillips is both sexy and sad as a lonely waitress who wants to have an affair with Sheen, but circumstances don't allow it. The final showdown on the country road plays well even today. Although it was a low-budget made for TV flick-it was a huge hit, and really boosted Martin Sheen's career. He went on to star in "Apocalypse Now" and many other movies, as well as playing the president on the hit TV show "The West Wing".  Nick Nolte went on to stardom in "Rich Man, Poor Man", "The Deep" and "48 Hrs".  Michelle Phillips was on the "Dallas"-spin-off  "Knots Landing" in the '80s. Sadly, Vic Morrow was killed in 1982 while filming a "Twilight Zone" movie. A helicopter in an action scene crashed, killing the pilot,Morrow, and two child actors who were in the scene. Anyhow the movie has a "cult" following to this day, and the car still exists-you see it at a lot of hot rod shows, escpecially in southern California. Pete was a pioneer who showed that "Old School" was still cool, and remained active in racing and hot rodding until his untimely demise. May he rest in Valhalla!  Mastermind