Cool cars that were killed before they were launched....

There are a lot of cool rides that manufacturers considered and then, for whatever reason-fear of insurance and safety nazis, resistance from bean counters, whatever-caused them to change their mind at the last minute, which denied enthusiasts of some really cool stuff.  #1. Pontiac Banshee. In 1966 Pontiac was developing a two-seat sports car code-named XP-833 that closely resembled the Mako Shark show car-which basically became the 1968 Corvette. Two prototypes were built one with the 230 inch overhead cam six that was later available in the Firebird and one with a 326 V8. The one with the 326 was noteworthy because Pontiac V8s are externally identical from a 326 to a 455. This means they could have easily dropped in the mighty 421 into the light fiberglass roadster-which would certainly have been a competitor for the 427 Corvette, and would have undoubtedly cut into 'Vette sales. Chevrolet brass howled to the high heavens, and the project was killed. One good thing that came from this-when work began on the Mustang fighter-i.e. the Camaro-John DeLorean-then president of Pontiac- loudly protested and said since Pontiac had been screwed on the XP-833 / Banshee-that they damn sure should have a piece of the Camaro program. The Firebird was born-and the rest is history. If the XP-833 hadn't been killed, we might never have had the Trans-Am. Still, a 421 powered two seat Poncho sportster would have been cool.... # 2. 1970 LS6 Camaro SS and Nova SS. Initially the mighty 450 hp LS6 454 was slated to be optional in the Nova SS and the Camaro SS as well as the Chevelle. Since both cars already had the 396 as an option-it would have been a bolt-in. Development got so far as production LS6 Chevelles had a flat intake manifold designed to clear the low hood of the new for 1970 Camaro. Fuel actually had to flow uphill from the carb to the intake ports. The taller 1966-69 396 / 427 manifold is said to be worth 15-20 hp more than the low-rise LS6 intake. Also-Zora-Arkus Duntov-chief Corvette engineer-fully expected the much more radical LS7-( 12.25:1 compression, ultra-hot L88 cam, etc ) to make production as the 'Vette's top option, so he saw no need to offer the LS6. At the last minute, the brass decided to cut down on "model proliferation"-whatever that means-and the LS7 was nixed. It was sold as a crate engine over the counter to racers and enthusiasts for years. They also killed the LS6 for the Camaro and Nova, leaving only the Chevelle SS and and a Few El Caminos with the LS6. Oddly-things were reversed in 1971-the LS6 now rated at 425 hp with 9:01 compression instead of 450 and 11:1-was only available in the Corvette. It was listed in early 1971 Chevelle sales literature but never made production. Anyhow-since a Nova weighs 600 lbs less than a Chevelle-how badass would an LS6 Nova have been? Can you say 12s off the showroom floor?  11s with headers and slicks? Sadly-we'll never know. # 3. 1971 Boss 429 Mustang. 1969-70 Boss 429s were actually 428 models that were converted by Kar Kraft and Ford lost money on every one. The larger 1971 Mustang was designed to swallow a 429. The Boss Nine would have fit easily and could have been built on Ford Production lines. However-Ford decided to cut back on it's racing programs-both in Trans-Am and NASCAR. With no need to sell cars to the public to homologate the engines for racing-the Boss 302 and 429 were killed. Since you could get a 426 Hemi or a 440 in a Challenger or 'Cuda, and a 455 in a Firebird Formula and Trans-Am, Ford offered the "regular" 429 CJ in the '71 Mustang-but very few were built. For '72 the largest engine in a Mach 1 was the 351C. Too bad. The larger, longer, better balanced '71-73 Mustang would have awesome with a Boss 429. Damn.  # 4. 1977 AMX. By 1975-the GTO and Chevelle SS were no more, the 'Cuda and Challenger were gone, the Road Runner was an apperance option on the large Sport Fury, the Charger was a re-badged Chrysler Cordoba-yuk-and the Mustang was more Pinto than Mustang. The Javelin was no more-which was a mystery-like Pontiac did with the T/A-the Javelin could have continued unchanged until 1979-with a 401 V8 and a 4-speed or an auto and no competition!! But AMC stepped on their dick twice-once in 1975 when they dropped the Javelin and again in 1977 when they nixed a T/A fighter that would have succeeded. The largest engine available in a Corvette was a 350-and the Z/28 took a 2 1/2 year hiatus from 1974-77. Musclecar buyers didn't magically go away after 1974-the manufacturers stopped making cars that they wanted to buy. This was why Pontiac Trans-Am sales doubled or tripled every year since 1973. They sold 50,000 in 1976-and 68,000 in 1977-and that was BEFORE "Smokey and the Bandit" which was released in May 1977-it's impact on sales wouldn't be felt until the 1978 model year when they sold 93,000 units. Anyhow in April 1977-Chevrolet quickly resurected the Z/28 Camaro-with T/A style graphics and spoilers and a 350 V8 and a 4-speed with 3.73:1 gears or a TH350 with 3.42:1 gears to fight back. 1978 was actually a record year for Camaro sales.  Every automaker was scrambling to find a Trans-Am fighter. AMC came out with a handling and appearance package on the compact Hornet. Since AMC engines are like Pontiacs-externally identical from a 290 to a 401-the engineers got a brilliant idea-the 304 was available in the Hornet. The 401 was available in big cars like the Ambassador and Jeep Pickups and Waggonneers. If they stuffed the 401 into the compact Hornet-which weighed about 3,000 lbs-it would have blown the doors off a 400 powered Trans-Am that weighed about 3,800. It wouldn't have been sexy-but like the '68 Road Runner-it would have been a badass, stripped down street fighter. The AMC brass nixed it-saying the public only cared about appearance. The Hornet AMX was released with cool graphics and a great heandling chassis and a 258 inch six cylinder or a 2bbl 304 V8 that wheezed out about 120 hp. There wasn't even a manual transmission option. And they were perplexed that they didn't sell. Decisions like this are why AMC went bankrupt. #5. 1977 Hurst /Olds. A prototype was actually built with a 403 V8, a TH350 with a 2,400 rpm converter, 3.42:1 gears,NASCAR inspired styling-ala Richard Petty's Cutlass-and Trans-Am front and rear sway bars, and a killer silver and black paint job recalling the legendary '68 model. The buff magazines raved-saying it was faster and better handling than a T/A or a Z/28. Sadly- for whatever reason-it was never released by Oldsmobile.  # 5. 1989 Buick Reatta. Buick engineers wanted to make the swoopy Reatta rear-wheel drive and put the badass Turbo GN powerplant-which lived on in the 20th Anniversary T/A in it. Again-Chevrolet brass lost their mind-that would certainly hurt Corvette sales. The GM brass caved and killed it.  And again-like Delorean griped in 1966-the public lost. The Reatta was released as a front wheel drive two-seater with a normally aspirated 3.8 V6 that wheezed out about 140 hp. And they wondered why they didn't sell.  Anyhow-too bad ome of these cool cars didn't come to market. Mastermind            

More on avoiding the hard way.....

I thought I'd share some more stories of people who almost dove into impossible projects, mainly because their simply uninformed. One guy had a 1981 Turbo Trans-Am that he wanted more power out of. I suggested that he buy a 400 or 455 Pontiac for an instant power infusion. The motor mounts are in the same place, and all the tin and accesories would fit provided the bigger engine was a 1970 or later model. ( '69 and earlier use different motor mounts).  This would be the easiest and cheapest way. The 2nd easiest way would be go to a junkyard and get a supercharged 3.8 V6 out of a wrecked Bonneville SSEI or Gran Prix or Riviera. Get the wiring harness, and the fuel pump, and you'd be good to go. These engines had 240 hp stock-more than the ill-fated 301 he was replacing-and could easily be upped by changing the pulleys on the Roots-type supercharger. Of course he asked about hopping up the 301. 1st off- they were a lightweight "economy" motor that other than external dimensions and the valve covers, oil pan, and timing cover-absolutely nothing interchanges with a traditional-i.e.-326-455 Pontiac V8. There is zero aftermarket parts available for these engines. I mean nothing-no heads, intakes, headers, cams- nothing. He said why couldn't you just turn up the boost?  If they wouldn't hold up to seven lbs of boost when they were new-how is one 36 years old going to hold up to 15 lbs or more?  There's no forged pistons available, no heavy duty rods, nothing you could do to beef one up to handle a large amount of boost. My other suggestion was if he didn't like the first two-he'd have to get a Chevy bolt-pattern transmission-was drop a small or big block Chevy crate motor into it. I also suggested that if he absolutely had to have a Turbocharged engine that he buy a fuel-injected 3800 V6 and the wiring harness out of a late-model Buick Lesabre or Olds or Pontiac and contact Kenne-Bell or T/A performance. Both companies do extensive work with Buick Grand Nationals and could probably set him up with a Turbo setup fairly easily. I also suggested contacting Gale Banks-he's had great success Turbocharging big-block Chevys. What about turbocharging a 400 Pontiac? Part of the reason the 301 Turbo was a dog-as were pre-'85 Buick Regal T-Types-was it was nearly impossible to make the turbos work with a carburator and avoid detonation on cheap gas. Grand Nationals only got badass when Multi-Port Fuel Injection was adopted in 1985. It's much easier to map a Turbo fuel curve with electronic fuel injection than it is with a carburator. I might as well have been talking to the wall. "There's got to be a way to turbo a "real" Pontiac engine." Like there was a way for Harrah to put a Ferarri engine in a Jeep....The other guy I think I mentioned in an earlier post-wanted to buy his neighbors pristine 4-cylinder '89 Mustang and hop that up, by putting a V8 in it. I told him it would be much easier to just go buy a "5.0" Mustang. There's millions of them out there at reasonable prices-and swapping the 4-banger for a V8 would be a huge hassle and expensive-much more expensive than just buying a car with a V8 already in it!  Then he asks about turbocharging the 4-banger. Again-the easy way would be just go buy an '84-86 SVO Mustang that already has a turbocharged 4 in it-with between 175 and 205 hp depending on year-and you could turn the boost up and get 100 more easily. The 2.3 Ford 4-banger has a bulletproof bottom end and can handle it. So why couldn't he Turbo the normally aspirated '89? Because the myriad of parts you'd have to chase down-again the time and cost factor would be so prohibitive-plus-again this guys is not a dealership mechanic-he's a grocery clerk-who has no Idea how to map a fuel curve or set up a knock sensor-etc- would be better off just buying an SVO. Why he was obsessed with taking on this project I don't know-I have over 30 years experience as a mechanic and service manager-and If I wanted to play with a Fox Mustang, I would just go buy a "5.0" or an SVO!!!  Why amateurs want to attempt things that would make a pro cringe, I don't know. Like I said-I sometimes think sports-car guys are smarter-If they want a Datsun Z or a Porsche 944 with a Turbo-they scour the want ads and the internet and go buy one!! They don't buy a normally aspirated one and try to "convert" it!!  If they want a 6-cylinder 911 or a 914 / 6-they pay the price. They don't buy a 4-banger 912 or 914 and try to "build their own"!!  That's all I'm saying-don't bring untold frustration and financial disaster into your life when you don't have to. Mastermind        

I always suggest the easy way, not the hard way....

I was talking to some guys who had mid-80's GM "G" bodies. One was an '85 Pontiac Grand Prix and the other was an '86 Buick Regal. They asked my opinion on what I would do for more power. I told the GP owner to swap in a 350 or a 350-based 383 stroker Chevy and the Regal owner to swap in a 350 or 403 Olds. The reason for this is the GP had a 305 Chevy under the hood and the Buick had a 307 Olds. Both of these would be literally bolt-ins. Of course, they had to ask the questions of why didn't I recommend a 400 Pontiac or a 455 Buick. Because returning these cars to "real" Pontiac and Buick power would be more trouble and time than it would be worth. 1st off-Chevy and BOP engines have a different bellhousing bolt-pattern, so the GP owner would need a new transmission as well. Secondly-none of the accessories would interchange-a Pontiac engine uses a different starter,fuel pump, and water pump. The brackets for the alternator, power steering pump and a/c compressor are totally different. So is the oil pan, timing cover, valve covers, etc. Trying to chase all that stuff down through junkyards or parts stores would be expensive and almost impossible. Remember-the last 400 Pontiac was built in November 1977-40 years ago. ( They were stockpiled for use in 1978-79 Trans-Ams ) If he was dead set on "Real" Pontiac power-he'd have to find a car with a running Pontiac engine and get EVERYTHING. Except any decent '60's or '70's Pontiac is going to be fairly pricey. And I'm not just talking about GTO's and Firebirds. Anything from Say-a '67 Catalina to a '77 Gran Prix-is going to be fairly pricey if it's in any kind of drivable condition. So your going to spend anywhere from 5 to 10 grand on up so you can remove the engine and tranny and stuff it your '84 Gran Prix that's worth maybe 3 grand if it's nice??  Wouldn't it be a lot easier and cheaper to just buy a 350 Chevy crate motor and bolt it in in like 4 hrs and use all the accesories that are already on the 305 that's in the car?  As for the Buick guy-he wouldn't need a different tranny-the car already has a BOP bolt-pattern  trans. But otherwise he's in the same boat. A 455 Buick's accesories-the fuel pump, starter, water pump oil pan, valve covers, power steering and alternator brakcets, etc are completely different from the 307 Olds. However-the 350 / 403 Olds engines, are externally identical-and can use everything off their little brother.      And again-he's going to do what-buy a '60's or '70's Century or Riviera or LeSabre for major bucks-and then dump the motor into your worthless '80's Regal?  I mean seriously-who want's a non-Grand National '80s Regal?  I was simply telling them to take the path of least resistance, both financially and in terms of mechanical grief.  It's funny-people who come up with these ideas are never mechanics by trade. An experienced mechanic would know not to attempt it!  Another one is people see something in a magazine and want to copy it. Yes it's possible to put a 460 into a Fox-Bodied Mustang. But why? I know guys that are running 11s with 302s!! Besides being horribly expensive-again nothing from a 302 interchanges with anything on a 460, including the transmission-it's not going to run any faster than you could with a hot 302 / 347, and it's going to be nose-heavy and ill-handling. So why do it?  I don't mean to be cynical all the time-but I do try save people from taking on projects that are much beyond their mechanical abilities-stuff that would be hard for a professional mechanic in a state of the art shop-you definitely don't want to attempt in your home garage or driveway. Casino Magnate Bill Harrah once put a Ferarri engine in a Jeep Wagonneer. Yes, anything is possible-but it's almost never cheap or easy!!  I try to always recommend the path of least resistance in terms of both money and grief. I'm trying to help. Really. Mastermind  

"Rare" doesn't always mean "Valuable"....Some cars aren't collectible, just weird....

I get all kinds of emails from people asking me what I think think their "Ultra-Rare" car is worth. 99% of the time I have to disappoint them and tell them that their car is not collectible, it's just weird. This problem stemmed from the big three-( GM, Ford & Chrysler ) having huge options lists and many overlapping models, and dealers ordering "Price Leaders"-i.e. strippy models with weird option combinations. For example-you hardly ever see one-but the standard drivetrain on a Monte Carlo in the '70s was a 250 inch straight six and a 3-speed manual trans with a column shifter. I remember my dad worked at EZ Daivies Chevrolet in Redwood City, California in 1972-and Al Davies-the owner-bought a bunch of these strippy Monte Carlos from Chevrolet and sold them for $2999!!  Now who but a complete mooch wants a Monte Carlo with a six and a manual trans, and no A/C, no radio, etc??  He sold every one they had!!  A guy I knew bought a '72 Formula 350 Firebird off an old man back in the early '80's. It had no guages, no a/c, no radio, and dog-dish hubcaps on steel wheels. It had a 350 V8 with a 2bbl, and a 3-speed manual trans. Turns out the old guy wanted a "Sports Car" back in '72-and loved the look of the twin-scooped hood that Formula Firebirds had. He wanted a strippy base-model Firebird-and would have took one with the standard 250 inch six. The salesman told him-correctly-that the scooped hood was not available on base-model or Esprit Firebirds, and if he had to have it-he'd have to step up to the Formula line. The salesman tried to sell him a nice Formula 400 that he had on the lot-that had guages, a/c, an automatic, etc. Nope. Cheap old bastard ordered a strippy Formula 350-because they were cheaper than the 400 models by a couple hundred bucks-and would not order any options whatsoever-not even an am radio!! He kept it ten years, put very low miles on it-and then sold it to my pal when he failed his driver's test. My buddy swapped in a 400 and a 4-speed and had a nice, lightweight drag racer. One of the few times in my life I've ever seen a car with not a single extra-cost option, not even floor mats!  For some odd reason-back in 1967-68-the height of the musclecar era when gas was 30 cents a gallon some genius decided that replacing the GTO's and 442's 350 hp 400 4bbl engines with 265hp 2bbl models and swapping the standard 3.36:1 axle for 2.93:1 was a great idea. They called them "Turnpike" specials and lowered the price a couple hundred bucks. They were shocked when they didn't sell. Duh!!  No one wanted a GTO or 442 that didn't have any balls and got 16 mpg instead of 12!!  If you run across one today-they aren't worth anything-other than being a clean GTO or 442 body. And putting a 4bbl carb and intake on it, and changing the gears isn't going to "harm" it's value!!  For some odd reason-while GM and Ford were putting front disc brakes and power steering on nearly all their musclecars-if it wasn't standard-it was a low-cost option-like $42-Chrysler didn't. You see all kinds of GTX's with a 440 and a Torqueflite-with no power steering and 4-wheel drum brakes!! Ditto for Chargers and Road Runners. Why would you sell a 4,000 lb car with a 375 hp engine, and NOT have power steering or power brakes??  I spoke to a guy once who had a 1966 Corvette with the 390 hp 427 and a Powerglide!!  Now what moronic dealer ordered that?? And what was Chevrolet thinking in even offereing that combo?  From 1965 on in an Impala you got the excellent TH400 with the 327 or the 396 or 427. Yet the awful 2-speed "Powerslide" was the only auto you could get, even in a 396 Chevelle or the mighty 'Vette. The TH400 wasn't available in a Chevelle til 1967 or a 'Vette until 1968!!  Anyhow-when I suggested to this guy that swapping in a TH350 would be easy and would greatly increase the car's performance-he was aghast. "And ruin it's value??!!!"  Sorry pal-true, it has some value just being a 427 Stingray-but it's not worth anywhere near what a 4-speed, L68,L71,L72,or L88 or L89 model is, and it's not worth anywhere near what you think it is. I've had this argument with Mustang and Charger owners. No one cares about your 2bbl 351C or 2bbl 390 coupe, or your 2bbl 383 or 400 Charger that's "rare". Shut up and put a f&*%ing 4bbl on it!!  This crap continued up until the '80's. I've argued with people that their 301 powered Trans-Ams and 305 powered Corvettes, while admittedly rare, are not worth anywhere near what their 400 and 350 brothers are !!!  So let's be clear-two-speed automatics and 3-speed sticks,column-shifted bucket seat cars,4-speed bench seat cars, two-barrel step-down engines,radio and heater delete cars, etc are not cool, their just weird. If you have one or can buy one cheap and want to play with it-good for you. But it's not an "Investment". Mastermind      

I miss low-budget engine swaps and home-built nasty hot rods.....

It seems that people can't get enough of megabuck projects-if you believe the buff magazines-even Street Rodder who always clung to "old school" hot rodding is doing more and more features on high-dollar stuff. I get that they have to do what's popular to stay in business and please their advertisers but the same-old cookie-cutter cars every month gets old. I remember back in the '80's a lot of guys built low-buck hot rods that were really quick. I built a V8 Vega and I knew a girl who had a V8 Pinto. My cousin had an SPL311-The Datsun 2-seat convertible that looks like an MGB-that someone had put a 215 inch aluminum Buick V8 and a Muncie 4-speed into. It had homebuilt, fenderwell exit headers, and a 600 Holley on an Offenhauser intake. It sounded badass, and it was blisteringly quick. And, since the aluminum V8 only weighed about 20 lbs more than the 4-banger it replaced, it handled good too. Another guy we knew had a '65 GMC pickup with a 389 Pontiac under the hood that was really quick. Sometimes guys would just stuff an engine they had into a car they had. One guy I knew stuffed a 472 inch Cadillac V8 into an '81 Firebird. It was fast. Another guy put a 440 Chrysler into a '73 Javelin. AMC's used Torqueflite transmissions anyway-so he didn't have to swap trannys-it was relatively easy and the car was a LOT faster than it was with the 360 AMC that spun a bearing. I saw a Camaro with a 455 Olds under the hood, and an El Camino with a 455 Buick in it. If I remember correctly the 455 Buick powered Elky won the burnout contest at Hot August Nights one year. Another guy I worked with had a 2wd '78 Chevy Stepside pickup that was lowered and looked mean. With a 500 inch Cadillac V8 under the hood, it was mean. People might say these cars were "bastardized" but they were unique and a lot of fun to see, drive and drag race and bench race with. And who or what did we hurt? It's not like we cut up the trunk of a Hemi 'Cuda for wheel tubs, or chopped up a '63 Split-Window Stingray. Someone stuffed a Cad V8 into a Chevy pickup-who cares?  Carroll Shelby did it when he stuffed a 260 Ford V8 into an AC Ace and made the first Cobra. Plenty of guys my dad knew had 327 Chevys in Austin-Healey 3000s. The buff magazines called them "The Poor Man's Cobra".  I'd like to see more homebuilt engineering like this. Just a thought. Mastermind    

I miss Light,and lightning fast hot rods....

All the buff magazine lately seem to be embracing the "Bigger is Better" theory. Every car that is featured has a 500+ inch stroker motor. The "small-block" cars are 392 and 427 inch Fords based on 351Ws, 383,400,and 427 and 454 inch small block Chevys, 410 inch Chrysler "LA" engines, and 350 inch Olds engines stroked to 440 inches. Just because something is possible, doesn't mean it's worth doing. If you want a 454 inch Chevy-there's millions of them in junkyards in 80's and '90's trucks, as well as GMPP selling them as crate engines. Why bore and stroke a 350 to get 454 inches? Rather than getting a 350 Olds Diesel block and and spending bookoo bucks on machine work and cutting down a 425 crank, and using special rods and custom pistons to get 440 inches-I'd just buy a 455. They were used in every Olds model from 1968-76, so their not exactly a moon rock. The point I'm trying to make is I remember a lot of guys who had lightweight cars with small or medium sized engines that were blisteringly fast. My cousin had a '63 Nova that had a 283 bored to 301 inches that had a 4-speed and 4.56:1 gears that was an absolute rocket. He showed his taillights to many big-block cars. Another guy had a '64 Falcon with a 289 that was badass. A buddy of mine that had a restored 440 Road Runner got his doors blown off by a hot 302 powered '72 Maverick one night. I had 2 Pontiac Venturas ( Pontiac's version of the Nova ) that were great street racers. Venturas only weighed about 3,100 lbs. About 700 lbs less than most '70's Firebirds.  One was a '73 Hatchback with a 350 Pontiac. Dual exhausts and an Edelbrock P4B manifold and a rebuilt Q-Jet, and a shift kit in the trans made everyone think I dropped in a 400. I blew the doors off a buddy's '70 Chevelle that had a 300 hp 350 in it, and another buddys '66 Chevelle that had a 327 and a 4-speed. Because of the power to weight ratio, it was deceptively quick. I totally shocked a guy with a 351C powered '72 Mustang. The other one was a '71 model that had been a six-cylinder model. This one was really light-it had no power steering, no power brakes,no a/c and had small bumpers-the heavy 5mph bumpers weren't introduced until 1973. This one weighed about 2,900 lbs. I dropped the 400 and TH350 out of my wrecked Trans-Am in it. Weighing 900 lbs less than the T/A-( which weighed about 3,800 ) it was quite the pocket rocket. Many a challenger who thought they were up against a small-block Nova got quite a surprise.  Speaking of small-block Novas-another friend bought a little-old lady, pristine, six-cylinder / 3-speed '66 Nova. He swapped in the 350 out of his wrecked El Camino and a Saginaw 4-speed. With 3.31:1 gears and the 3.11 1st gear and 2.02 2nd-it was a rocket off the line. I did the math once-the torque multiplication was equivalent to having a 2.20 low Rock-Crusher and 4.88:1!s  And once he got 2 or 3 car lengths on you off the line-unless you had a really strong big-block-you weren't getting it back. Another friend of mine had a 1970 340 Dart Swinger that was really quick. He gave quite a few 396 Chevelles, 383 Chargers, and 389 GTOs runs for the money they never forgot, if he didn't win outright. His brother had a '64 Barracuda with a pumped-up 273 V8 and a 4-speed that was brutally quick. Don't get me wrong-I love big-block torque-I loved my GTO Judge, I loved my T/A's and I loved my Hurst / Olds. I always wanted a 427 Stingray. But I also appreciate a lightweight contender that can run with the big dogs. I'd like to see the buff mags feature a really quick '66 Mustang with a hot 289 or a '68 Nova with a 327,or a 340 Duster- rather than another Chevelle with a 572 inch Rat or a Charger with a 528 Hemi!!  Just once in a while. Mastermind        

Still more on budget building....

I hate to keep harping on the same point, but I thought of some more people who built cool cars for very low bucks. One guy bought a '71 Camaro that was a six-cylinder / 3-speed model. He dropped a 350 V8 in it, that a buddy had taken out of a wrecked "Hobby Stock" race car. It had headers and a hotter than stock cam, and because of the class rules, had a 2bbl carb!  He kept the 3-speed, but did add a Hurst shifter. We always joked that he could say he had an automatic with a high-stall converter and a manual valve body. It worked great-he could pop the clutch about 3,500 rpm and get the car moving with just enough wheelspin to get the engine up on its torque curve, yet not fry the tires too much, and then he'd shift about 5,800 rpm. It would lay 10-15 feet of rubber into 2nd,and really start pulling. The car was fast and fun. He never did change to a 4bbl carb or a 4-speed trans, because it was so much fun the way it was!  Another friend bought a '66 LeMans Convertible with the 326 / ST300 powertrain. He bought GTO emblems and trim from Year One. He also got the 400 and TH350 out of a '77 Trans-Am. Since Pontiac engines are externally identical from a 326 to a 455 the engine swap was a no-brainer. Since a TH350 is the exact same length and uses the same rear trans mount and driveshaft yoke as a Powerglide / ST300,the tranny swap was cake too. He even used the stock shifter, although he couldn't manually engage low gear. With his excellent TransGo shift kit that would automatically kick down to low gear below 15 or 20 mph, this wasn't an issue. He found a Tri-Power setup at a swap meet. The car was a great cruiser and fast enough to back up the image. Everywhere he went, people "oohed" and "ahhed" over his "GTO" ragtop. Another guy bought a '69 Camaro at an auction for $900. It was a 307 / Powerglide model. He bought a $699 "Long Block" 350 from a Pep Boys store, and added headers and an Edelbrock Torker II intake and a 625 cfm Carter AFB that he bought from a buddy. He bought a rebuilt TH350 from a local tranny shop, and got the proper "Horseshoe" shifter and console from Year One. He also bought a cowl induction hood and Z/28 emblems and painted it blue with white stripes and added Wheel Vintiques 15" rally wheels shod with BFG T/A radials. Total investment-$4,500, and everyone "oohs" and "ahhs" over his "Z/28". Even though "real" '69 Z/28's were only available with a 302 and a 4-speed, not a 350 and a slushbox. It's still a nice car, that's fun to drive and turns heads wherever he goes, that he built for a fraction of what a "real" Z/28 that needed restoration would cost!!  Another guy I know had a '73 Duster with the 318 / 3-speed powertrain. He went and got a 360 out of a wrecked police car. Through "Direct Connection" ( That's what Mopar Performance was called back then ) he bought the original 340 cam, lifters and springs, and the Edelbrock 340 "Six-Pack" manifold and 3 holley carbs, and throttle linkage and air cleaner. He also swapped the 3.21:1 gears for some 3.91:1s. This "360 Six-Pack" Duster was blisteringly fast. It would spin the tires most of low gear, but when it hit 2nd with those end carbs opened up, it pulled like a freight train. He always intended to put in a 4-speed, but I don't think he ever did. It was so freakin' quick the way it was, there was no need to.  Anyhow-those are the kinds of builds I'd like to see more of, not 100K trailer queens.  Mastermind    

More on budget customizing.....

In the last post I talked about customizing your car with junkyard parts. The other thing my friends and I did back in the '70's and '80's was adapt cool stuff-even if it came from another manufacturer. Some examples a guy I knew had a Firebird that had a "Pistol Grip" Hurst shifter ala "Vanishing Point". The stick would bolt up to any Hurst linkage, so it was pretty easy. It looked cool in the Firebird interior. Another guy had a Pontiac GTO / Firebird style Hood Tach on his Nova, and inside had a '70's T/A style console with a Hurst Dual / Gate shifter in it, and the T/A's "Formula" steering wheel. A guy I went to school with had swivel bucket seats out of a Cutlass in his '74 Challenger. Another guy bought a wrecked '72 El Camino and put a LeMans / GTO "Endura" front end on it, and dropped in the 400 Pontiac and TH400 out of the donor LeMans. He even transplanted the Pontiac dash and bucket seats and had a "GTO" Elky. It was unique, and cool and fast. And cheap to build. A Ford guy did the same thing with a '68 Ranchero. He put a '68 Cougar front clip on it with the hidden headlights and everything. It looked mean, and with a warmed-over 390 under the hood it was mean. I knew two guys-one had a '64 LeMans with a stompin' 425 Olds V8 under the hood-which had a Thunderbolt-style teardrop scoop on it-and a sinister black paint job and Cragar SST wheels, while the other guy had a '65 Cutlass with a tunnel-rammed 454 in it that was definitely Jules' wallet from Pulp Fiction!  A neighbor had a '61 Impala that was originally a 283 / 3-speed car. He swapped in a 396 and a 4-speed. It was seriously quick. Then there was the kid that had a 304 V8 Gremlin X. Since AMC engines are like Pontiacs-their all externally identical-putting in a 401 V8 out of a wrecked Matador Police car was a bolt-in swap. With it's short wheelbase and good weight distribution, it made a great drag racer. He shocked many supposedly badass Camaro,Chevelle, Firebird, Charger and Mustang drivers!! One guy built the slickest Ford Torino I've ever seen. It was a '70 or '71 model with the hidden headlights. He removed all the chrome trim and filled the holes in, and blacked out the bumpers and window moldings. He removed the chrome door handles and installed flush-fitting, body-colored Honda Accord door handles. They looked like they grew there. He installed a Pontiac Fiero GT rear wing-which was exactly the right width and looked like it belonged. It was jet-black and had black modular wheels and fat tires and a 'Cuda AAR-style side-exit exhaust that sounded wicked. With a pumped up 351C under that long hood-it could back up the image. The car was subtle, yet totally badass. I thought it was cooler looking than Mel Gibsons Falcon XB Interceptor from "Mad Max" and "The Road Warrior". The point I'm making is something doesn't have to cost a gazillion dollars to be cool. I groan every time I read a magazine and they say the guy's invested a 100 grand in the car their featuring. If you can afford that-good for you. But a lot of us dont' have an extra 30 grand on up to spend on a toy-that is probably a 3rd or 4th or 5th car in a household-especially if you have teenagers or college-age kids. Let's work to keep low-budget hot rodding going for the next generation. Mastermind          

Cheap Customizing is getting to be a lost art....

When I was younger a lot of "Do it Yourself" guys modified their cars and not always with conventional speed parts. Often we found stuff in Junkyards that really improved a cars performance. The Hollander Interchange Manual-the "Bible" that Junkyards use to know which parts interchange and fit different models was an invaluable tool. I've said it before-but I get sick of every magazine project car getting a custom Currie-built 9 inch Ford rear end and Wildwood or Brembo 4-wheel disc brake system worthy of a NASCAR racer, and Rack&Pinion steering, etc. I'm all for improving handling and stopping power,but we didn't do it by writing big checks. A buddy of mine had a '65 GTO that was really fast with a warmed over 421. However we all know the 9.5 inch drum brakes were woefully inadequate, and they weren't super handlers. He used '70's Firebird spindles-which will fit '60's and '70's "A" bodys-as well as the 11" rotors,calipers,booster and master cylinder. He now had the braking power of a '70's Trans-Am. He also installed front and rear stabilizer bars from the donor 'Bird, and used the "quick ratio" power steering box off an '80's WS6 T/A. It had a 12.7:1 ratio-which is even quicker than the 14:1 of '70's T/A's and way better than the 17.5:1 of a '65 GTO. This steering box will fit all GM "A", "F", and "G" bodies from 1964-1987. With Junkyard parts he made a '65 GTO into a corner carver that could challenge Corvettes and Porsches in the twisties as well as in a drag race. Another friend had a '69 Nova that he did in Trans-Am style-'60's SCCA racing style. Since anything that fits a Camaro or Firebird will fit the "X" bodies-Nova, Ventura, Omega, etc-it was easy. He used the sway bars from a '78 Z/28 Camaro and the disc-braked posi rear end from an '81 T/A. Another guy built an 12 second '72 Nova drag racer / street machine for peanuts that was originally a six-cylinder / 3-speed car. He found that a '70 Cougar uses a 9 inch Ford rearend-and that it's the same width and the multi-leaf springs are in the same place as the weak GM unit with monoleaf springs. It was practically a bolt-in,and eliminated any chance of axle breakage and wheel hop. He swapped the Saginaw 3-speed for a Saginaw 4-speed out of a '77 Vega. ( They are exactly the same length and use the same rear trans mount and driveshaft yoke ) These had a 3.11 1st gear ratio and a 2.02 second which really helped it rocket out off the line. The 350 he built used 58cc '81-86 305 heads-which bumped compression from 8.2:1 to about 9.7:1. He used the old "350hp" 327 cam and a used Edelbrock Scorpion intake and a 750 Holley, along with some used Hooker headers. With drag radials it ripped of a string of 12.40s with a best of 12.24. He had $3,500 in the car-including it's $850 purchase price. Even by '80's dollars-that was remarkably cheap. I knew another guy who built a V8 Pinto. The 302, C4 tranny and 8 inch rear end came out of a Maverick that had a front-end collision. The Maverick rear was an exact bolt-in, and was obviously much tougher than the Pinto unit. I had previously mentioned a couple guys who had hot rod '53-56 Ford F100s. The one guy infuriated Ford Purists-he used a Chevelle front clip-which allowed him to have modern power steering and front disc brakes-and install a stompin' 427 Chevy backed by a TH400. This truck was seriously quick. The other guy stuck with Ford stuff-using the front disc brakes and rack&pinion steering from a Mustang II as well as the 302 / C4 combo. It wasn't as fast as the Rat-Powered one, but it was a really nice cruiser. A couple guys built Cadillac-powered hot rods cheaply. One stuffed a 500 inch Cadillac V8 into an '81 Firebird. The other guy put a 472 Cad V8 into a '78 Buick Regal. Both were seriously fast for very low bucks. Another guy I knew put a 350 V8 into a Chevy LUV pickup that was brutally quick. The point I'm making is magazines used to feature stuff like that that regular guys built in their driveways. Now it's all megabuck stuff. Yes, guys like Boyd Coddington and Troy Trepainer are undeniably talented, and the cars they build are way cool. But I think it's much cooler for a young man or an old one-to scour boneyards and do research and build something cool on a tight budget than it is to just write a big check and polish your new trophy. I'd like to see the mags feature an old Falcon or Maverick done in '70's Pro Stock style or a '60's Olds or Pontiac done in Nascar style. Instead of another old Mustang with a Coyote or Camaro with an LS engine or a Charger with an SRT8 Hemi, and a DSE subframe and rack&pinion steering, and 4-wheel discs...please, no more. So pass on your knowledge to your sons and daughters so grassroots hot-rodding stays alive. Mastermind