More on taking advantage of the "Original Type" rule...

The last couple posts weve talked about the Pure Stock drags,Musclepalooza, etc and how people maximize their performance and still stay within the rules. Once you've made your decision on a car-a '71 Chevelle might be a better choice than a '68-since you could get a 454 in a '71 model and the largest engine available in a '68 was a 396. On the other hand-a 3,400 lb '65 GTO with a 389 bored to 404 inches,a hot cam and ported intake and exhaust manifolds,and reworked 3-2bbls with mechanical linkage,a 4-speed and 3.90:1 or 4.33:1 gears will probably run a lot quicker than a 4,070 lb '71 GTO with a 455HO, a TH400 and 3.55:1s!!  Weve been over that-let's assume you've chosen a car-whatever it may be-and now you have to get it race-ready. There's several areas where a little tweaking can net you big gains. # 1. Induction. The rule saying the carburator has to be the original type allows you some room. For example the Carter AVS 4bbl that came on 383-440 Mopars from 1966-71 had very crisp low-end throttle response and good drivability. However-they only flowed about 585 cfm. A 440 V8 with a 585 cfm carb is like a 250 lb man trying to run while breathing through a straw. Fortunately Edelbrock's Thunder AVS series will fit nicely inside the rules and their's an 800 cfm version available. Simply switching to the 800 cfm carb will help you pick up as much as 25 hp and 30 lbs of torque. You can also play with spacers and jetting. Some cars run best with no spacer-some run better with a 1" or 2" spacer under the carb. Some cars run better with an open spacer, and some run better with a 4-hole spacer. You just have to invest the time to see what combination gives you the best e.t. The Carter AFB 4bbl that was on many 389 and 421 Catalinas and '64-66 GTOs, 409 Impalas, and many Ford and Chrysler applications in the '60s only flowed 500 or 625 cfm. Switching to a 750 cfm AFB or Edelbrock Performer ( which is an AFB under the Edelbrock name ) will give you a substantial gain. Ditto for dual-quad applications. Your 409 Chevy, 421 Pontiac or 426 Hemi will breathe better by switching the 500 or 625 cfm carbs for 750s. Especially for 4-speed applications-switching from vacuum to mechanical linkage on dual-quad and tri-power setups is usually good for a few tenths. The second part is the intakes. For example if you have a disco-era T/A or Formula Firebird with a 400 Pontiac-the 1975-79 intakes have a very restrictive throttle opening-the EGR valve intrudes so much that a spread-bore Holley carb won't bolt on. They severely restrict power above 3,500-4,000 rpm. The rules say the intake has to be the original type. That's easy-an Iron manifold that mounts a Quadrajet. Their are millions of Pontiac Q-jet intakes in junkyards and swap meets of '67-74 vintage that will bolt right on and allow the engine to pull hard to 5,700 rpm. This isn't an isolated example. Since the LS6 454 was slated to be available in the Camaro and the Nova as well as the Chevelle-the intake was lowered to clear the low hood of the new for 1970 Camaro. The intake is so flat that fuel has to flow UPHILL from the carb to the intake ports!! Since the early '70's stock class LS6 racers figured out that the taller '66-69 aluminum intake used on L78 and L72 396s and 427s is worth 20 hp and 25 lbs of torque over the flat LS6 intake. And their easy to find-GMPP sells this rectangular port high-rise intake to this day. If your building a "Tribute" or clone-remember cars don't have to be numbers-matching-you can run any engine / drivetrain combo that was optional on that model that year. Like I said in an earlier post you could put a Mopar Performance 426 crate Hemi into a '68 Dart if you wanted to. Let's say your building a Super Duty 421 Catalina clone. The chances of you finding a running or rebuildable 421 with 1962 or 63 date codes is almost nil. You have a better chance of being struck by lightning on the golf course. However their are millions of 400 Pontiacs out there and Kaufmann and Butler performance and others sell cranks and rotating assemblys to turn a 400 into a 428 or 455. Your allowed 15 inches from stock. You could easily build a 434 inch Pontiac with 6.8 inch rods ( stock is 6.675 ) and custom pistons. The heads have to be the original type-cast iron. You don't have to run '59-66 "Bathtub" heads with tiny ports and 1.96 / 1.66 valves. You could run 6X's ( which breathe better than any factory head except RAIV's ) with 2.11 / 1.77 valves. Your never going to find an original dual-quad Super Duty intake. However-Offenhauser made an excellent dual-quad Pontiac Intake up until a few years ago-I had one on my Judge back in the day, and I have one in a box in my garage right now. And Edelbrock still sells their excellent P65 dual-quad Pontiac intake. Either of these would fall under the "Original Type" rule. So would an Edelbrock Dual-quad intake for 348 / 409 Chevys or one for Chrysler Hemis. If you were building a Thunderbolt Fairlane clone-you could use a 390 instead of a 427 ( FE engines are externally identical ) and put a pair of Holleys on an Edelbrock intake. See what I'm saying?  # 2. Cylinder heads. Original type means exactly that. So if your car had iron heads from the factory-you can't use aluminum ones. But like I pointed out-you could put 6X heads off a '77 T/A on a 389 in a '64 GTO if you wanted to. Their both cast iron-but the 6X's breathe way better than the '64 heads!!  Like I mentioned the guy wanting to build a Nova-you can use Vortec heads on a small-block Chevy. You could use '92 and later "Magnum" heads on a 340 or 360 Mopar. ( They will bolt up to '91 and earlier blocks. You will need a "Magnum" style intake. ) Ford racers have known for years that "Explorer" heads-that came on late '90's and early 2000's 302 powered Explorers breathe better than any factory 289 / 302 head-even "GT40s" sold by Ford SVT. These would give your '60's 289 Mustang or late '80's "5.0" quite a boost. If you have a T/A or Formula Firebird with a 403 Olds V8-you can use the heads off a '68-72 350 Olds. Their 70cc combustion chambers will boost compression from 7.9:1 to 9.0:1 ( 403s have 83cc chambers ), and the earlier heads have larger 2.00 / 1.60 valves. You'll have to re-tap the bolt holes-'75 and later Olds 350 / 403s use larger bolts than '74 and earlier models but any machine shop can easily handle that. I think the difference is either 7/16 to 1/2 inch, or 1/2 inch to 9/16; I'll have to look it up. Also the Edelbrock catalog and Mondello Performance's catalog has this information as well. You'll have to use an Electric fuel pump if you do this-but you can also put 455 heads on a 350 / 403. ( You'll need custom pistons to get any kind of compression however, but it's do-able ) You can see regardless of manufacturer-you have a lot of leeway with cylinder head choices to make maximum power. # 3. Cams. This is easy-if the car had a hydraulic cam originally you have to run a hydraulic cam, no solid lifters. If the car had a solid-lifter cam from the factory you can't run a roller. That's it. Their's no limit on lift and duration. So you can run as radical a cam as your combination can handle. Because you have to run stock exhaust manifolds a lot of guys run dual-pattern cams-that have more duration and lift on the exhaust side to compensate for the restricted exhaust.  # 4. Exhaust. You have to run "stock type" exhaust manifolds which usually means cast iron. But their are several companies that sell "Ram Air III" exhaust manifolds for Pontiacs, and ported and extrude-honed manifolds for small-block Chevy, Ford and Chrysler stock class circle track racers. Any machine shop can port-match your manifolds to the heads. After that-you can run 2 1/2 or 3" inch pipes with a crossover and any mufflers you like. The exhaust won't be nearly as restricted as you think. # 5. Drivetrain. If you have an automatic-you can run a higher stall speed torque converter and still be legal. You can also run any axle ratio as long the rear end is the stock type. So let's say you had a '69 SS396 Chevelle with a TH400. Your saying it's an L78 spec car. You've already got the good aluminum intake and 780 Holley, and since you can run a solid lifter cam you've upgraded from the mild L78 cam to the super-hot L88 cam. To take full advantage of these changes you'll also need a 3,500 rpm converter and some 4.56:1 gears. Trust me-trying to run an L88 cam with 3.31:1 gears and a stock converter-the car would fall flat on it's face-it would actually be quicker stock!!  The entire combination has to be coordinated. See what I'm saying?  # 6. Driving technique. Here's where you have to do a lot of trial and error. If the car is a 4-speed does it launch better by dropping the clutch or by slipping it? At 2,000 rpm? or 3,000? or more? If it's an automatic-does it launch better by just floorboarding it, or by loading the converter against the brakes?  You have to play with shift points and see what gets you the best times. I know with one of my 403 Firebirds it ran fastest if I shifted the TH350 manually at 4,900 rpm ( 1-2 ) and 4,400 rpm ( 2-3 ). A buddy had a "5.0" Mustang. It would rev to 5,800 rpm or so-but he found he cut quicker 1/4 mile times by short-shifting it at 5,200. My brother's GTO would shift automatically at 5,400 rpm, but he went quicker if he held it in gear to 5,800-6,000 and shifted manually. So you can run just as fast as the guys in the magazines-but you'll have to put in a lot of work. Mastermind            

Choose your car carefully if you want to win at Muscle Car drags...

After the last post I had some people ask me what car I thought would be the best to run at the Pure Stock drags or MusclePalooza, etc. The fact is there's no easy answer. The main thing is to read the rulebook carefully on what is and isn't allowed. And sometimes it's just simple math-power to weight ratio. I remember a few years ago I was at one of these events and a guy in a '66 L79 Nova was matched up against a guy with a '70 W30 442. Even the announcer made a joke-"A small-block Nova tugging on Superman's cape?"  The crowd,the announcer, the 442 owner and everyone but me was shocked when the Nova won easily. I said before the race that the Nova was going to win. My friends grilled me, thinking I had some inside information. I didn't. I just did the math. A 1970 442 W30 has a 455 V8 rated at 370 hp and weighs about 4,000 lbs. A 1966 L79 Nova has a 327 V8 rated at 350 hp and weighs about 3,000 lbs. All other things being equal-the 350 hp 3,000 lb car is going to run faster than the 370 hp 4,000 lb car. 20 hp isn't enough to overcome 1,000 lbs of extra weight!!  Now factor in a couple of things we didn't know before we talked to the owners of the cars-the 442 was an automatic with 3.42:1 gears and the Nova was a 4-speed with 4.11:1s-it really comes into focus. Unless the guy in the Nova redlighted or missed a shift, the 442 had no chance. The Nova had the same amount of power, 1,000 lbs less weight to pull and the mechanical advantage of 4.11:1 gears. I talked with the Nova owner for a bit. His car was a for-real, numbers-matching L79. He said however that he was going to buy another '66-67 Nova-maybe even a six-cylinder car-and build an even nastier racer for the next year. He explained that he knew the rulebook backwards and forwards, but he didn't want to modify the L79. He said he could build another 327 to the letter of the rules that would easily have 450+ hp instead of 350 and still be legal. I asked him to explain. Like we discussed in the last post-the rules allowed quite a bit of leeway. Since the cars didn't have to be numbers-mtaching-he was going to get a 350 block and use a 3.25 inch stroke crank with 6 inch rods ( stock is 5.7 ) and custom pistons. The heads have to be the original "type"-which means Iron-no aluminum. However he could get a set of Iron Vortec heads-their 64cc combustion chambers would give him 11:1 compression with his custom pistons, and we all know that Vortecs breathe better than any other factory head and many aftermarket ones. The heads alone would be worth 30-40 hp over stock 327 / 350 heads. He'd need a Vortec bolt-pattern intake-but again the rules say the manifold has to be the original type. He's claiming to build an L79 spec car-they had aluminum intakes from the factory. And GMPP sells aluminum high-rise Vortec bolt-pattern intakes for small-block Chevys. He could probably slip an Edelbrock or Weiand through-the original "type" rule doesn't dictate brand-and Mopar guys with 340 and 440 Six-Packs have Edelbrock intakes and Shelby Mustang owners have Shelby intakes-but with a GM part number there'd be no argument whatsoever. L79s had Holley 4bbls from the factory-so he could run a 780 cfm 3310, or he said-since the rules again said-"Orignal Type"-he could get away with running an 850 cfm Double-Pumper!!  The rulebook said nothing about how many accelerator pumps the carb could have!! Ditto for the cam-it would have to be a flat-tappet hydraulic design-no rollers-but he could a super-hot Comp Cams 292H Magnum-that would make quite a bit more power than the old "350hp" 327 factory cam. To take advantage of all this extra power he was going to use 4.56:1 gears instead of 4.11s. Now that would be one badass ride that would smite a lot of big-block cars in biblical fashion!!  Am I saying that a '66 Nova is the best choice? No, I'm saying think of the total package-always remembering power to weight ratio. Think of this-cars don't have to be numbers-matching as long as the engine / drivtrain combo was optional on that car that year you can build it-so-you could put a Mopar Performance 426 crate Hemi into a '68 Dart-think that would dominate??!!!  Also-think of this-a 1971 Formula Firebird would be a much better choice than a 1970 model. Because the body is exactly the same-the car is pretty light for a Pontiac-about 3,600 lbs-less than later models with heavy 5-mph bumpers-and the 455 was available in '71. The largest engine available in 1970 was a 400. Remember the rules-15 inches-think a 'Bird with a 470 inch Pontiac V8 with longer rods,12:1 compression,a stompin' cam and ported intake and exhaust manifolds with a TH400 and a high-stall converter and some 4.33:1 gears wouldn't be Jules' Wallet?  ( For those who haven't seen "Pulp Fiction-that means "Bad MotherF$%er" )  And a lot quicker than a 416 inch '70 model?  Or how about a 1969-1970 Nova SS? A 396 Rat motor was optional those years-'71 and later, a 350 was the biggest engine available. For Ford guys a '69-70 Mustang might be the best choice-the mighty 428CJ was the top dog. ( No one is going to build or buy a Boss 429 for this stuff ). In '64-66 a 289 was the big V8. In 67-68 you could get a 390-and most '71-73s have 351C's. ( The 429 was optional in '71, but it would be hard to build one. ) So in my mind the '69-70 would be the first choice. And the 15 inch rule goes both ways-so you could get a 390 truck block bore it .060-.080 over and use a custom crank and pistons and have like 415 inches-within 13 of 428-so still legal. A lightweight '71 340 Duster might be a better choice than a heavy 440 '74 Charger. See what I'm saying?  So read the rules religiously and then decide-the "bigger is better" axiom isn't always true. Mastermind      

As "Harry Hogge" said..."There's nothing stock about a stock car..."

I've had a lot of people ask me how participants of the Pure Stock Drags and other similar events run such blistering times-often a full second or more quicker than any road tests from magazines back in the day. There are many reasons for this and I'll explain them. In the Tom Cruise racing blockbuster "Days of Thunder"-grizzled crew chief "Harry Hogge"-brilliantly played by Robert Duvall-said-"There's nothing stock about a stock car." Truer words were never spoken. # 1. The Rules. Often the rules for these events are based on the NHRA's Stock Class or Super Stock class rules. These guidelines give builders quite a bit of latitude. I'll use a couple of recent champions to illustrate. One was a Ram Air IV Firebird. The rulebook says that engines have to be within 15 cubic inches of original. Pontiac 400s are actually 401 cubic inches. So he can build an engine 416 cubes and still be legal. 400 Pontiacs have a 4.12 inch bore and a 3.75 inch stroke, and connecting rods 6.675 inches in length. He achieved 416 inches by boring the block .030 over and by using a custom 3.79 inch stroke crank. He also used 6.800 inch connecting rods and custom pistons. This may sound like small "technicalities" but experienced engine builders will tell you that a longer stroke and longer connecting rods build a lot of torque all through the range. This why small-block Chevy racers in NASCAR have used 6 inch rods for years. ( Stock length is 5.7 ). So already-with a little machine work on the bottom end this car has a substantial advantage. All other things being equal-do you think an engine with 15 extra cubes and longer rods is going to run harder than a bone-stock one?  The rulebook say the cam has to be the "Original Type". What this means is if the car had a hydraulic cam from the factory then you have to run a hydraulic cam-no solid lifters. If the car had a solid-lifter cam from the factory, you can't run a roller. The loophole is their are no limits on duration and lift. An RAIV from the factory has a cam with 308 / 320 advertised duration ( 231 / 240 @.050 ) and .470 lift with 1.5:1 rockers. ( .520 with 1.65:1 rockers.) This guy was running a cam with 253 duration ( @.050 ) and .575 lift with 1.5 rockers. Think an extra .105 in lift will make some extra power? Especially on the top-end?  The rulebook says that cylinder heads have to be the original type. Meaning if the car had iron heads, you can't run aluminum ones. For Pontiacs it says the minimum combustion chamber volume allowed is 62cc. 1969-70 RAIVs had 10.75:1 compression with 72cc combustion chambers. By milling the heads to get to 62cc-he effectively raised compression to roughly  12:1. The intake manifold has to be the original type. RAIV's had an aluminum intake-so he can run a factory RAIV / 455 HO piece or run a repro RAIV intake from AMEs or NPD or other Pontiac resto houses. However-the intakes can be port-matched, and the only limitation is the stock hood has to close-no scoops or bulges allowed. That means he can use a 1" or 2" inch spacer under the carb as long as the air cleaner clears the hood. The carb has to be the original type-a Quadrajet-but he's running a custom one that flows nearly 1000 cfm ( stock is 750 cfm ) and has a larger .149 needle and seat so he can run extra fuel pressure-9 psi. ( Stock is 5-6 psi ). He's running a 4,300 rpm torque converter and 5.14:1 gears. Now do you see the difference? Of how this car, with 15 extra cubes,a much hotter cam, higher compression ratio, a ported intake, a larger carb,extra fuel pressure, a high-stall converter and 5.14:1 gears can run low 11s while a stocker with 3.90:1 gears can only run in the 13s?  The other example is an L88 Corvette. This one also runs low 11s. Now L88s were pretty radical from the factory-they had 12:1 compression, a hot solid-lifter cam and an 830cfm Holley on an aluminum intake. However- the rules allow up to 13.5:1 compression for L88 spec cars!!  Again-the cam has to be a flat-tappet solid lifter design-but there's no limit on lift or duration. The Chevrolet "off-road" cam has something like 258 duration ( @.050 ) and over .600 lift! He's got a port-matched intake, and the custom Holley carb flows over 950 cfm. He's also running a 4,500 rpm converter and 4.88:1 gears. That's how he rips off consistent 11.40s while the stocker tested by Hot Rod with a TH400 and 3.36:1 gears back in the day ran mid 13s. ( Another L88 / 4-speed 'Vette test car with 4.56:1 gears did run in the 12s; but that's still a far cry from 11.40s ). Are these guys cheating?  No-they are within the rules to the letter. Are their cars "Pure Stock?"  Hell no!!!  # 2. The second factor is tuning and testing. These guys spend umpteen hours tuning and testing. The grand champion a few years ago was a 428CJ Mustang. Musclecar Review had an interview with him. He had changed cams a lot and found that Lunati's version of the factory CJ cam gave him much more power than the stock Ford cam or the Crane "Blueprint" series or the Comp Cams version, epecially above 5,000 rpm. That's costly and time-consuming, but the edge it gave him was undeniable. His intake and exhaust manifolds were port-matched and extrude-honed for maximum flow. He re-jetted the carb for altitude and specific conditions at each track he raced on. He had changed leaf springs many times- and found that a set originally off a 390 Cougar gave him the best launch. He played with shift points and found that the car ran hardest if he shifted the C6 manually at 6,200 rpm ( 1-2 ) and 6,500 rpm ( 2-3 ). All this work will definitely give him an edge over another 428 Mustang or LS6 Chevelle or Six-Pack Road Runner or whatever-who just goes to the event, pulls to the line and punches it!!!  So you can go that fast-if you want to invest the time and money. But don't feel bad if your lovingly restored stocker can't come close to these "Ringers".  Mastermind         

Be honest with yourself about what you really want....You'll be much happier in the long run...

Maybe my last few posts confused some people. I'm not saying don't get an ultra premium model, and I'm not saying "settle" for something lesser. I'm saying be reasonable about what your actually going to do with the car. If you want a $100,000 piece of garage jewelry that's only driven on and off the trailer or to shows then get whatever you want. If your not driving it, then it doesn't matter what equipment it has. If you only want a race car-it's only use is going to be at the Pure Stock Drags or similar events-then you can buy or build anything you want. For example-you could put a Mopar Performance Crate Hemi in a '71 Charger and run that because a Hemi was AVAILABLE that year. They don't require that cars be numbers-matching. That's how the current champ got his "L88" 'Vette in. It was a 390 hp car, and he rebuilt the engine to L88 specs. On the other hand you couldn't run a 454 in a '69 Chevelle or a 455 in a '69 GTO because those engines weren't optional in those cars. You could however run an L72 spec 427 in a '69 Chevelle because their were a few 427 cars built in the COPO program, and Don Yenko and Nickey Chevrolet built a few. You could run a Ram Air IV spec 400 in the GTO because the RAIV was an option. Under these circumstances the sky is the limit. But if your going to drive the car at all-I know no one is using these cars as daily transportation-but a lot of people like to take a 200 mile trip on a Sunday, or after drving an econobox or an old pickup to work all week-just want take the hot rod out and like the GTO song-"Turn it on, Wind it up, blow it out" up a country road. For those people-you need have some common sense. I've touched on it before it's worth re-visiting. If you live in Arizona or Florida or Las Vegas or anywhere that it gets 100 degrees in the summer-it might behoove you to get a car with working or at least repairable Air Conditioning. If you live in a big-city with a lot of stop-n-go traffic like San Francisco or Los Angeles-an automatic transmission might be a better choice than a 4-speed. If you live out in the country 30 or more miles from the nearest town-and do a lot of highway driving-a car with 3.23:1 gears is going to be a lot more pleasant to drive than one with 4.10:1s!!  And a base-model may make a nicer driver. For example a '69 GTO with properly tuned 350 hp 400, a TH400 and standard 3.36:1 gears or a 4-speed and 3.55:1s is going to be plenty fast. The engine will idle smoothly and it will literally spin the tires as long as you want to stay on the throttle. If you really, truly "need" something faster-then you "need" a top fuel dragster, a competent therapist, or a cage. Now a Ram Air IV model is going to be a handful. There's a reason they were only available with 3.90:1 or 4.33:1 gears. They have a rough idle,if you launch below 2,500-3,000 rpm itll bog; 3,000 or more and you'll fry the tires. ( Automatics had a special 2,800 rpm converter from the factory; you still have to be careful-"powerbrake" it too long and you'll fry the tires badly ). Your giving up quite a bit of low-end and mid-range torque for top-end rush. Yeah, it's faster in a drag race. Under any other conditions it's a pain in the ass. This is not an isolated example. Like I said in an earlier post-a Boss 302 is peaky-has very little torque below 3,000 rpm, and isn't any quicker than a 351W or 351C Mach 1. The 351W that's the standard engine in a 1969 Mach 1 is rated at 290 hp-the same as the Boss-yes I know the "Boss" was under-rated just like the 302 Chevy in the Z/28-but the 351W has 385 lbs of torque. It's a much better street engine, idles smoother, has gobs of torque, is perfect with an automatic and really sweet with a 4-speed. If your going to drive the car at all you'll be much happier with the 351 Mach 1. A lot of people don't realize that the Chrysler 426 Hemi was invented to do one thing-go 200 mph at Daytona. Nascar rules back then said if you wanted to race them, you had to sell a certain number to the public. Either in Nascar or NHRA Drag Racing-no one disputes the Hemi's "King Kong" status. But a 440 or even a 383 is a much better street engine. Read old road tests-often the 383 and 440 models are quicker in the 1/4 and have much better drivability. The huge Hemi ports and valves that helped attain that incredible speed at Daytona are actually a hindrance in a street car. Popular Hot Rodding tested a '69 Charger with a Hemi and a Torqueflite and 3.23:1 gears. They said it was like running with one flat tire. They couldn't break out of the 14s and went through the traps still in 2nd gear. They said the car needed a 4-speed and some 4.30:1 gears to really run to it's potential, or at least a higher-stall converter and some 4.10:1s. Meanwhile-the 440 GTX they tested was raved about as was the 383 Super Bee. They said both were better street machines than the Hemi Charger, and were quicker even though they too had 3.23:1 and 3.54:1 gears. Ditto for the Boss 429. It was invented strictly as a Hemi Fighter for Nascar. In street trim,with muffled exhausts-they don't run as fast a the 428 wedge. They don't run as fast as a 390!!  Be brutally honest with yourself about what you really want, especially since your spending major bucks. Mastermind          

Did you marry your wife because you thought she'd give you an easy divorce??

You may laugh at the title of this post, but I ask that question a lot. The reason is I am sick to death of people making decisions on whether or not to buy a certain car, or paint it a certain color or change the wheels or whatever based on how it impacts the cars resale value. Why is everyone so damn worried about what the car will be worth if or when they get rid of it?  And you know what? Barring major butchery-like the idiot that "Pro Streeted" a '63 Split Window Stingray, or the guy who put a 389 Pontiac into a '57 T-Bird-pretty much anything you do isn't going to affect the value of the car that much. Think about it-if your looking for a '69 GTO is the fact that it does or doesn't have the hood tach a deal breaker? What about a vinyl top? What if it has Cragar S/S mags on it? Are you really going to not buy a numbers-matching, 4-speed LS6 Chevelle because it has a Hurst shifter instead of the awful factory Muncie unit?  Or an HEI distributor instead of a point type?  Are you going to turn up your nose at a documented, for real Boss 351 Mustang because it has a 750 Holley Carb on it instead of the awful Autolite 4300 4bbl??  Or a set of headers?  Probably not. I've touched on this before-but is a '65 GTO worth more or less with a Tri-Power setup on it, even if the car didn't have it originally? 999 out of 1,000 people would say more. So screw the one guy who says it isn't. Then let him either chase down an iron Pontiac intake and a Carter AFB with 1964 or 65 date codes and put it back to original if he buys the car, or he can just not buy the car and keep searching for one that meets his exacting standards!!  Here's a few cases of this insanity. A guy I knew had a '79 Trans-Am with the 403 Olds / TH350 powertrain. We were looking at an issue of High Performance Pontiac magazine and they had an article on the "Macho T/A's". "Man I love the graphics and color scheme of those cars."' he said. "Even today, they look badass just sitting still." "Dennis Mecham authorized Phoenix Graphics to sell the stencils for people restoring a "Macho" or anyone who just likes the look." "You could paint your car like that." I said. "And ruin it's value??!! he said, aghast. "I hate to break this to you-but nobody cares that much about a 403 / automatic disco era T/A that it's going to matter if it's painted a non-original color." "I'm not trying to insult your car-I had a 403 T/A I really liked, that was originally blue that I had done in black and gold SE style-but it's not like it's a 400, 4-speed, 4-wheel disc braked, WS6, 10th Anniversary model." "Or a white and blue 1970 Ram Air IV, or a Buccaneer Red SD-455 '73." "Those I wouldn't change the color on, any others, who cares?"  Another guy had a Verduro Green '69 GTO. I hated that color back in the '60's. That's about the ugliest color GM ever came up with, and unfortunately a lot of GTOs and Firebirds got that color in the late '60's. My cousin has a '67 Firebird that was originally a 326 and was that color. It's now red and has a 400 under the hood. He likes it much better now, and so do the people who offer to buy it every Hot August Nights, even though it's not "just as it left the factory". Anyhow, back to the guy with the green GTO. He was saying how much he loved the look of a Carousel Red Judge that we saw at HAN. "Your cars's got black interior, and Year One sells the spoiler and stripes and emblems." "Do yours that way." Again-he acted like I'd slapped his mother. "And ruin it's value?"  "You'd actually increase it's value." I said. "Trust me-I know a ton of Pontiac enthusiasts-and every damn one of them would much rather have a Carousel Red GTO in full Judge regalia-even it's not a "real" Judge over an "original" green one." "I wouldn't." he sneered. "Then you one out of a million." "Personally, I wouldn't drive around in a car painted a color I didn't like, just so some asshole who may or may not want to buy it will deem it "correct". I've also seen people pass up cars they loved, because again-some asshold told them a different model will be worth more at resale time. That's shrewd-spend thousands of dollars on a car you don't really want-so you can recoup your investment when you get rid of it!!  Idiot # 1. fell in love with a gorgeous 340, 4-speed red and black '71 Dodge Demon that had bucket seats, the "Pistol Grip" Hurst shifter, a "Tuff" steering wheel, the Go-Wing spolier, and brand-new T/A radials on Center Line Auto Drag wheels. It was a great-looking car. And it had headers on it, and a "Six-Pack" setup, and sounded nasty. On the advice of his asshole buddy who claims to be a Mopar "expert"-he isn't-he passed on it and bought a drab brown, dog-dish hubcapped,bench seat,column-shifted automatic,383 '69 Road Runner. Because his buddy told him that "B" bodies are the most valued Chryslers-and the "A" bodies aren't worth anything. Really?  Then why do I see restored 340 Dusters selling for $30,000 in Hemmings? Or 383 Darts for $50,000??  Anyhow-for months afterward-we'd see the red Demon driving around town, and every time he'd say "Damn!" "I should have bought that car." "That is the coolest looking little car." He was really crushed one day when we pulled up next to the guy at a light, and the Demon outran his "high value" Road Runner!  "Why did I listen to that asshole??!! he said, pounding his fist on the dash of the Road Runner,which did nothing but bruise the side of his hand. "I asked you that question back in August". I said. F%6k you! was his response. Idiot # 2. Passed up a gorgeous 400, 4-speed, T-Topped '77 Formula and paid more money for an automatic, hardtop '403 Olds / TH350 '78 T/A-because some "expert" told him that T/A's are always worth more than Formulas. Idiot # 3. Wanted a red and black 71-73 Mach 1 Mustang with Magnum 500 wheels, and a two-tone red and black interior. He passed up a nice blue and silver, 4-speed,Q-code 351CJ '73 because he just "Had" to have the red and black combo. We actually found a '72 Mach 1 with that exact color combination and interior on a "U-sell it" car lot. We called the number and the owner came over, and the price was quite reasonable. He didn't buy it, because the engine was a 351C with a 2 barrel carb!!!  I tried to talk him into it. "For god's sake" I said. "An Edelbrock Performer intake costs about $200 through Summitt,and a Holley or Edelbrock 4bbl costs about $350." "For less than $600 this car will really rock." "Where are you going to find another one with this exact color combo in great condition at a fair price?"  "It don't get better than this." He passed it up!!!  And then bitched about it for about two years after. "I should have bought that car." You think???  So use your head-and get the car YOU want-not one you think some other asshole MIGHT want to buy down the road!!!  Mastermind