You can have a "Movie" car without spending 100 grand....

In the same vein as the last post I had some people lamenting that buying or building a "Movie" car is so expensive that the "Average Joe" could never afford it. I think this came from someone advertising one of the "Eleanor" Mustangs from "Gone in 60 Seconds" ( To quote Tracie Thoms from "Death Proof-"That Nic Cage / Angelina Jolie bullshit, not the original" ) for $150,000. Anyway this person's "doom and gloom" attitude is unfounded. If you want a black and gold '77-78 T/A-ala' "Smokey and the Bandit"-I see nice ones on the internet all the time for around 20k. Or you could just buy a "regular" '77-78 T/A for about 12-15K and paint it!!  I'll admit that if you want a '70-71 'Cuda Convertible ( "Nash Bridges" ) or a '68-70 Charger ( "Bullitt", "Dukes of Hazzard", "Blade", "Drive Angry" and the "F&F" series ) then your going to have to step up and just pay the price.  However,there's quite a few other Iconic cars that you can build surprisingly cheap. Here's some of my personal favorites. # 1. "The California Kid". Pete Chapouris built this black and flamed '34 Ford for the 1974 TV movie of this name. It was set in 1958 and starred a young Martin Sheen as a Korean War vet who comes to town to investigate his brother's murder. Sheen thinks correctly that the crooked sheriff who runs the town with an iron fist may have run his brother off the road deliberately. The sheriff was played with wicked glee by Vic Morrow, and Michelle Phillips was a smokin' hot but lonely waitress who befriends Sheen. The final duel on a country road between the "Kid" and a '58 Fury Hemi Cop Car is still thrilling today. I'm not suggesting that anyone try to find and build a '34 Ford. However Factory Five Racing sells complete '33 Ford hot rod kits that start as low as $12,000. The "Turn Key" kit that comes with everything but an engine and tranny is $19,995. The suspension is from '79-2004 Mustangs so that's easy to find-and you can have the frame and motor mounts set up for a small-block Chevy,a small-block Ford, or a 4.6 liter Ford Mod Motor. For 25 grand you could have a badass "California Kid" replica. These cars only weigh about 2,200 lbs, so even with a stock 302 out of a "5.0" Mustang you'd have a 12 second ride. # 2. "Bullitt" Mustang. If you want to be really anal and absolutely have to have a 390 / 4-speed model, then your going to have to pony up the big bucks. Otherwise 15 or 20 grand will buy you a decent '67-68 289 fastback, and adding Torq-Thrust mags and Dark Highland Green paint is pretty easy. If you want more oomph there's more speed equipment for a small-block Ford than anything on the planet except a small-block Chevy. You could pump up the 289, or invest in a 347 or 363 inch stroker motor. Bottom line for about 25 grand you could have a pretty cool "Bullitt" clone. If you "gotta have" a 390-the price is going to go up substantially. # 3. "Rockford Files" Firebird. James Garner had a hit TV show about an L.A. Private Eye that ran from 1974-1980 and is still popular in syndication to this day. The first car was a Gold '74 Formula 400. Through the series run they went through later '75-78 models, all gold with Rally II wheels. Some were Formulas, some were Esprits. It's said that James Garner hated the restyled front end of the '79-81 Firebirds, so producers bought extra '78 models and used those through the series finale in 1980. This one is pretty easy. Find any '74-78 base model, Esprit or Formula Firebird and paint it gold. If it doesn't already have Rally II wheels their easy to find. # 4. "Death Proof" Nova. The sinister Nova that Kurt Russel's psychotic stuntman drove in this Quentin Tarantino homage to '70's "Grindhouse" action flicks is pretty easy to do. Get a '68-72 Nova ( you could use a '73-74 as well, but they have larger 5-mph bumpers. How anal are you? ) paint it primer black, get some Rally Wheels, jack up the rear end with air shocks or longer shackles and you've got the look. If you want to go further, you could put in the 8-point roll cage and fiberglass racing seats, and if want the sound and fury and performance their's more speed equipment for a small-block Chevy than anything else on the planet. # 5. "Mad Max" / "Road Warrior" Interceptor. Mel Gibson's Iconic ride was actually a tricked-out Australian 1973 Ford Falcon XB Sport Coupe. Although Ford made over 200,000 from '73-76-I'm not suggesting you go to Australia and have a 40 year old, right-hand drive Falcon shipped back!!  There's two ways you can do a "Mad Max" tribute. If you watch the movies the car sometimes looks like a '70-71 Torino and sometimes looks like a '71-73 Mustang. That's because the Australian Falcon took styling cues from both cars. I'd get a Torino or Mustang of the proper years and remove all the chrome trim and paint it monochromatic black. Some Black wheels and 50-series tires are easy to do, and there's a few companies that sell the upswept "Zoomie" chrome side-pipes. Or any competent muffler shop could make you some. Forget the fake blower that turns on and off-I'd use a real blower and have the power to back up the image!! Weiand, Magnussen, and Edelbrock and other companies sell Roots-type blower kits for small-block Fords. This one would certainly be unique and a head-turner if you did it right, and you wouldn't break the bank. # 6. "White Lightning" Ford LTD. Burt Reynold's "Whiskey Runner" was supposed to be a 429 with a 4-speed. If you've got the mechanical ability and the bank account to do that, more power to you. If you want to do it cheap, you buy a '71-72 Ford Galaxie / Custom / LTD 4-door sedan. Paint it Chesterfield Brown and put some black wheels with chrome lug nuts and white letter tires on it. Most will have 351C or 400C engines with a 2bbl carb and an automatic trans. An Edelbrock Performer intake and matching carb, and some dual exhausts with loud glasspacks will give you the sound, and the oomph to do smoky burnouts. A Hurst Auto / Stick 1 shifter will give you the look inside. It's that simple. If you want more power-Edelbrock and Trick Flow offer hi-performance aluminum heads for these engines and Crane, Lunati, etc offer cams. Or like I said you can go hog-wild and do a 429 /460 with a 4 or 5-speed if you can afford it.  The point is if you want to replicate some of your big-screen idols, it's not that hard or expensive. Mastermind        

If you can't afford your dream car....Build it!

The title to this post may sound like an oxymoron, but it's not. There are a lot of cars out there that bring over $100K in original or restored condition. No one uses a vintage musclecar as daily transportation, so a vehicle that is the 3rd or 4th car in a household having a pricetag of a house anywhere except New York or California isn't really feasible for 95% of the population. However you can start with a base model and build a car that you could never afford to buy if it was a "for real" original. I'll give several examples of how you can do this for 1/2 or even 1/3 of what the model you want would cost. #.1 1965-68 Shelby Mustang. You can't touch a decent "real" one for under 100 grand. However 15 or 20 grand will buy you a nice 289 fastback in any state in the union. Year One, Tony Branda, Phoenix Graphics and other companies all sell the scoops and spoilers and body trim, and stencils to paint. Wheel Vintiques and other companies sell the proper wheels. Personally I'd use Hooker Headers and an Edelbrock Performer RPM top-end package ( Heads,Cam,Carb and Intake ) on the 289, or if I wanted to get really badass I'd get a Ford SVT 347 crate motor. Or if you want it to be as "correct" ( as correct as a clone can be, I guess ) as possible-Tony Branda sells the original Tri-Y style headers, Shelby aluminum manifold and 715 cfm Holley carbs. Crane, Lunati and other companies sell the original solid-lifter cam if you feel you need it. The point being for 25 to 30 grand you could have a great looking and performing Mustang that people would only know isn't original if they checked the vin number, or you told them!!  That's 1/4 to 1/3 what a "real" Shelby would cost. I don't know about you, but when I'm roaring up a country road or powershifting in a "stoplight gran prix" I'm not thinking about vin numbers!!  "Man this cool, but it would be so much sweeter If I'd paid another 70 grand for this car." I don't think so!!  # 2. 1969-70 Boss 302 Mustang. Same Thing here. 15 or 20 grand will you buy you a decent '69-70 fastback Mustang. ( Ford built over 70,000 in 1969 alone; their out there if you shop the internet or Hemmings, or the want ads diligently ). The above mentioned resto houses have the spoilers, stripes, louvers, etc. Edelbrock and Trick Flow offer "Cleveland" style hi-performance aluminum heads that bolt up to Windsor blocks. Edelbrock has "E-Boss" intake manifolds that will work with these heads to create a "Mock Boss" engine. You could do a 302, or you could do a 347 inch 302 based stroker, or you could do a "Boss" 351, or a 351W based 392 or 427 inch stroker. The point being you can have a totally badass ride for 1/3 of what a for-real Boss 302 would cost. And-be honest-if you had 100K+ to spend on a "real" Boss 302, you'd be so goddamnded afraid of blowing it up or wrecking it, that you couldn't have any fun with it anyway!!  # 3. 1968-71 Hemi Super Bee. 25 grand will buy you a nice 383 powered '68-70 2-door Coronet or '71 Charger. 15 grand will buy a complete Mopar Performance 465 hp 426 Hemi crate engine. 20 will get you a stompin' 500-600 hp 472 or 528 inch MP Crate Hemi.  Phoenix Graphics has the stripes and emblems. By the time your done you'll have 40 or 50 grand invested; not chump change. However that's way less than the 100-200K that "real" Hemi Super Bees of this vintage bring. That's a 50-75% savings. # 4. 1971 GTO "Judge". Pontiac only built 357 Judge models in '71 so they obviously command a King's Ransom. However there are a lot of '71-72 LeMans models out there with the "Endura" ( read GTO ) nose and hood. Year One sells the spoilers and stripes and emblems, as well as Rally II and "Honeycomb" wheels. Even a 350 model would have the look, and with headers and a factory or aftermarket 4bbl carb and intake ( or a stock 400 ) you'd have the performance to back it up too-you wouldn't have to take crap from little boys in Honda Civics or soccer moms in Hemi Cherokees. If you had to go all the way and have a pounder 455HO-Kaufmann, and Butler Performance offer crank kits to turn a 400 into a 455, Edelbrock heads are exact replicas of RAIV / 455HO heads, and Ames and NPD sell repro RAIV / 455HO aluminum intakes. ( Or you could just use an Edelbrock Performer or Torker II ). Crane, Lunati, and Comp Cams all sell repro RAIII / 455HO and RAIV cams. Hooker has the round-port headers. The point being you could have a very unique car for probably less than 30K, which is about 1/2 of what any "real" Judge of any year will cost. You could also do '69-70 models-but they'd cost a bit more as you'd have to buy the "endura" front bumper and grille from Year One or the Goat Farm. ( '69-70 LeMans / Tempest models had a steel front end that's different. )  # 5. 1969 Pontiac Trans-Am. Only 697 were built this first year and they command six figure prices easily. However-15-25K will buy you a nice base-model '69 Firebird. Year One has the hood,spoiler,side scoops and graphics. Year One and Wheel Vintiques have the Rally II wheels. Again-a warmed over 350 model or a stock 400 would have all the performance anyone really needs. But if you want to "Bad to the Bone" you can easily build an RAIII or RAIV-spec 400, or a stompin' 433 or 461 inch stroker. ( Depending on whether you use a 421 / 428 or 455 crank ). Bottom line for 25-35K you've got a car that will turn heads anywhere and would cost you 3 or 4 times that much for a "real" one.  # 6. 1967-69 Z/28 Camaro. Since only 602 were built in '67, 7,199 in '68 and a high of 20,000 in 1969, and they had a lot of special equipment they command a King's Ransom. However-since Chevrolet built roughly 700,000 Camaros in this same 3 year period there's plenty of base models to start with. 15 grand will buy a decent base model of this vintage. Year One has the spoilers and stripes etc. Harwood sells "Cowl Induction" type hoods and scoops. Wheel Vintiques has the Rally wheels. For power I'd go with a 383 stroker. But if you "Gotta Have" a high-winding 302 Chevy like the "real" ones it's easy. GMPP, Eagle, and other companies sell 3.00 inch stroke crank and piston kits to make a 350 block into a 302. Crane and Lunati sell the solid-lifter cam,and GMPP sells the aluminum intake to this day. This one is so easy to do it's almost criminal. ( Well only if you try to sell it as an original. ) I'm sure there's a few I overlooked, but you get the point. There's a few purists who will harumph and turn up their noses at this saying that clones hurt the value of the real deal. Really?  Because Factory Five Racing and other companies have been selling Shelby Cobra replicas since the '80's, and last time I checked a for-real, numbers-matching 427 Cobra still went for $250,000 on up.  So don't cry that you can't afford your dream ride-go build it. Mastermind                   

A "Great Deal" isn't always a great deal....

One of the cable networks has a show called "Property Virgins" where they help first-time home buyers avoid costly mistakes. Maybe I should start one for neophyte car restorers. Anyhow here's some good advice for anyone when buying a vintage car. # 1. Make sure the car has a clear title. This should be a no-brainer, but you'd be amazed how many people fall into this trap. Having a car that you can't register or sell is no fun. # 2. Avoid cars with major body damage or fire or rust or flood damage. These are nothing but money pits. They will cost you five times what you think it will cost to fix them properly, if it can be done at all. 999 times out of 1,000, your much better off by just spending a little more money and getting a better car to start with. I used this example before, but it's worth re-visiting. A guy I know was looking for a 2nd generation Firebird to play with. We looked at two. One was a 1970 Formula that was priced at $500. It was also basically just a body. I mean the car was an engineless, transmissionless,radiatorless, gas tankless, interiorless hulk. The other was a 1973 Esprit that was priced at $2,500. However, it was a complete, running car. The 350 V8 fired right up,idled smooth, didn't smoke, the TH350 shifted nicely when we drove it, the brakes stopped the car without drama. You know-as it should be. The body was rust and dent-free. The only work it really needed was the blue paint was oxidized and the front bucket seats needed recovering. Otherwise it was all there. I told him to buy that one. Even though it was five times the price of the other one, it was a much better deal. All it needed was a paint job and some upholstery work. And he could have added an aftermarket carb and intake and headers or a cam if he wanted more power. I pointed out that it would cost way more than $2,500 and a lot of time to chase down all the parts necessary to get the other one in safe, drivable condition-which this one already was. See the point I'm making? Which brings up # 3. A rare or premium car missing a major component is not a deal at any price. Obvious examples would be a Hemi powered Chrysler vehicle missing the Hemi engine, or a Boss 302 or 429 Mustang missing the "Boss" engine. Others would be Ram Air IV or Super Duty Pontiacs missing the engine,L88 'Vettes and LS6 Chevelles sans engine, W30 and W31 Cutlasses minus engine, as well as Stage 1 Buicks, and Thunderbolt Fairlanes, and 409 Impalas and a few others I'm sure I missed. But you get the drift. Right now your saying-"Well, Duh" Anyone with common sense would know that". Maybe so-but people still spend big dollars on cars that are missing unobtainable parts. I'm not talking expensive-yes if your restoring a 1963 Corvette-I'm sure somebody has a BW T10 4-speed trans with 1963 date codes that they will sell for the right price or a Pontiac Tri-Power setup for that '64 GTO your thinking about. No when I say unobtainable-I mean there aren't any, period. Did you know that no one makes a replacement grille for a 1972 Ford Gran Torino? Where are you going to find a rear glass for a '71-73 "Boat Tail" Riviera?  A hood for a 1974 GTO? Or a 1977 Can-Am?  I'm not talking about the "Shaker" scoop; T/A resto shops have them, and Junkyards have them. I'm talking about the hood itself with the hole for the scoop cut into it, for a Ventura,  or a LeMans not a Firebird. Guess what? No one makes them. Now you can probably pay a good body shop an obscene amount of money to custom cut the hole into a generic LeMans or Ventura hood, but that's going to be a pain. Where are you going to find vertical chrome exhaust stacks for a Dodge Li'l Red Express pickup? A Hurst "Lightning Rods" shifter for an '84 Hurst / Olds?  # 4. Avoid "Regular" cars missing body parts or major components. We just talked about the difficulty finding parts for rare birds. Now here's the same problem for not so rare stuff. Sure-you can get anything you want or need for a '55-57 Chevy. But where are you going to find a 1/4 panel or a grille for a '56 Oldsmobile 88 or a '57 Bonneville? You can get anything you want for a GTO or a Firebird but what about a '62 Catalina? Or a '68 Gran Prix?  You can get anything you want for a Mustang, but what about a '65 Galaxie? Or a '68 T-Bird? Ditto for Mopars. You can get just about anything for a '68-74 Road Runner or Charger or Challenger. But what about a rear glass for a 1965 Barracuda? Or any body or interior trim for a '64 Dodge 330? Or a '69 Sport Fury? # 5. Avoid old race cars like the plague, unless you want to actually race it on the vintage racing circuit like at the Monerey Historics and similar events. I say this because many people buy these things thinking they can restore the car to streetable status or to original race-car glory and show it. Either way-it's usually way above their mechanical ability and their bank account. For example-you buy a 1969 Pontiac Trans-Am race car. Does it even have a legible, original VIN plate? Is it a for-real one of 697 made Trans-Am, or is it a generic '69 Firebird that someone gussied up? Even if it is one of 697 ever built-it's a gutted race car now. It would cost so much to make it streetable that you'd be better off just buying another restored T/A! Where are you going to find a complete RAIII or RAIV 400 Pontiac engine with 1969 date codes for sale, at any price? How are you going to chase down all the little interior trim pieces, marker lights, body trim pieces etc?  If you decide to keep it a race car and "restore" it that's even worse. Even if your a personal friend of Herb Adams-how are you going to find a 303 Pontiac race engine? They were rare and practically unobtainable in 1970; That's why the SCCA allowed Firebird racers to run 302 Chevys; Canadian Firebirds had Chevy engines, and they were much more plentiful. But how are you going to find a "DZ" code 302 Chevy engine that hasn't been snapped up by Z/28 restorers?  You'd have the same problem with old NASCAR racers-you could put a modern 426 Crate Hemi into that '69 Road Runner race car that King Richard drove or the Charger that Buddy Baker drove-but do you really want to spend 20 grand on an engine for a car that you have to tow everywhere? Jon Kaase racing will sell you a Boss-Nine Ford to go into David Pearson's old Montego for about 25 large ( of course that's over and above the price of the car!! ). You can see why they'd be more trouble than their worth unless you've got Jay Leno's bank account and enthusiasm. Just trying to keep people from making costly mistakes. Mastermind        

Still more one or two year wonders....

Here's some more one or two year wonders that might be fun and not break the bank.  # 1. 1982 Corvette. This one year had the "old" C3 bodystyle that had been around since 1968 and the "new" "Cross-Fire Injected" 350 V8 and 4-speed TH700R4 automatic powertrain that would power the totally new for 1984 C4 Corvette.  Performance was decent-sub 7 second 0-60 and 15 second 1/4 mile times-but the buff magazines had been saying the "aging" 'Vette needed a redesign for years and didn't review it well. They make a nice cruiser and they are unique.  # 2. 1982 Mustang GT. These had a 302 V8 with a 2bbl carb rated at 157 hp and a 4-speed manual or a 3-speed automatic. "5.0" collectors snub these cars in favor of the '83-86 models that had a 600 Holley 4bbl and were rated between 175 and 210 hp depending on year, and had either a 5-speed stick or a 4-speed automatic. On the upside I have seen decent running examples for as low as $1,000, and a 4bbl carb and intake is a very easy upgrade. # 3. 1983 Z/28 Camaro / Firebird Trans-Am. For this one-year only a lot of these cars had the "Cross-Fire Injected" 305 V8 backed by the 4-speed TH700R4 automatic. With a 3.06:1 low gear and a 3.23:1 axle ratio-the torque multiplication was equivalant to having an old Muncie Rock-Crusher and 4.56:1s. The overdrive 4th gear gave easy cruising on the highway. A buddy of mine had one of these, and it was pretty quick. It would lay 8-10 feet of rubber on the 1-2 shift. F-body afficionados snub these cars in favor of the carburated L69 "HO", and Tuned-Port Injected LB9 and L98 models, so you can buy them cheap, and the "Cross-Fire" system can feed a healthy 350 or 383 with a little tuning, if you need more oomph than the 305 has. # 4. 1984 Corvette. The all-new C4 was introduced as an '84 model in April 1983. ( There was no '83 model ). Power was the Cross-Fire Injected 350 backed by a TH700R4 or a T10 4-speed manual with an electric overdrive in the top 3 gears-effectively giving you 7 gears. It was called the 4+3. 'Vette collectors snub these cars in favor of the '85-91 "Tuned Port Injected" models. The upside is I've seen nice, running examples on used car lots for as little as $2995. The words "Corvette" and "Cheap" aren't usually in the same sentence, but these are a bargain. #5. 1987-91 Lincoln MKVII LSC. Often called a "5.0" Mustang in a Tuxedo. These cars had the 225 hp 302 V8 out of the "5.0" Mustang backed by a 4-speed automatic, 4-wheel disc brakes, 50 series tires on 16" wheels, Recaro seats, and a sinister monochromatic black paint job. Any performance parts that fit a Fox Mustang will fit these cars-so your only limited by your wallet and imagination. Dynamite if you can find one. Mastermind 

More one or two year wonders....

Here's some more one or two year wonders that might be fun to play with. #1. 1975 Plymouth Road Runner. For this one year only the Road Runner name was put on the Sport Fury platform. You got special badging, the trademark "Beep-Beep" horn and Rally wheels. 318 versions are dogs, but the 360 and 400 models can be made to run. Over 6,000 were built so their not a moon rock. # 2. 1977 Pontiac Can-Am. Trying to cash in on the Trans-Am's immense popularity, Pontiac came up with this performance / appearance package for the LeMans. You got a Cameo White paint job with multi-colored "Judge" style striping, a "ducktail" rear spoiler, a Trans-Am style "Shaker" hood scoop,front and rear sway bars, and body-colored Rally II wheels. Power was either a 400 Pontiac V8 in 49 states or a 403 Olds V8 in California backed by a TH400. They only lasted one season because GM downsized the "A" bodies-Chevelle,LeMans, Cutlass, Monte Carlo, Regal, and Gran Prix for '78. Pontiac collectors have driven the price up a little in recent years. Any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Chevelle will fit these cars, and their are a million ways to build power into a 400 Pontiac. They make a nice driver or base for a kick-ass hot rod, if you can find one.  # 3. 1978-79 Dodge Li'l Red Express pickup. These were a 1/2 ton 2wd short-bed pickup with a trick red and gold paint job,wood trim on the bed,Chrome wheels and semi-style vertical chrome exhaust stacks. Power was a 360 V8 backed by a Torqueflite and a 3.55:1 Sure-Grip rear end. They have kind of a "cult" following, but they are a cool, fun to drive truck if you can find one at a reasonable price. # 4. 1979 Chrysler 300. These were basically a hot-rodded and gussied up Cordoba, but they did a nice job. You got a special white paint job and grille, 15" Rally wheels, and a special red leather interior. Power was the E58 360 "Police Interceptor" V8 rated at 195 hp backed by a Torqueflite and a 3.21:1 Sure-Grip rear. # 5. 1984-86 Ford Mustang SVO. These had Recaro seats, a special suspension, 16" wheels and 50 series tires,4-wheel disc brakes, and a Turbocharged 4-cylinder engine that made between 175 and 205 hp depending on model year. The reason they didn't sell well was the "5.0" V8 models were both faster and several thousand dollars cheaper. They are a fun car if you can find one.  # 6. 1989 20th Anniversary Trans-Am. Only 1,555 of these were built so they command a king's ransom, but if you want one, their worth it. Pontiac took a WS6 Trans-Am GTA, and swapped in the Turbocharged, intercooled V6 from the ultra-badass Buick Grand National GNX. Not only were these engines more powerful than the LB9 and L98 TPI 305 and 350 Chevy V8s they replaced, they were about 150 lbs lighter. Taking that much weight directly off the front end helped the car launch better and handle better as well. A 4.6 second 0-60 time, and a 162 mph top speed backed up it's image in spades. Dynamite if you can find one, and afford it.  Mastermind

Some great one or two year wonders redux....

Had some people ask about some one or two year wonders I talked about in the past. There's many reasons why a certain model or option package only lasts a year or two-low sales, public didn't know about it, model changed or bean counters said it wasn't viable, whatever. Anyhow-here's a list of some very cool one or two year wonders that aren't priced in the stratosphere. That's why there's no Boss 429s or 302s or Hemi Darts on the list. I figured people would want to read about stuff that the average guy could afford without winning the lottery or mortgaging his house. # 1. 1970-71 Tempest T-37, 1972 LeMans GT.  The buff magazines called these the "Poor Man's GTO". It was a strippy Tempest coupe with bench seats, a 350 V8 and a 3-speed stick. However the 400 and 455HO engines were optional, as was a 4-speed or a TH400. For some reason in 1972 the name was changed to LeMans GT, but the package was basically the same.  # 2. 1970 Olds Rallye 350 Cutlass. These featured a super loud Sebring Yellow paint job, body-colored bumpers,a "Judge" type rear spoiler and a 350 V8 backed by a 4-speed or a TH350. 3,527 were made so there's a few out there. However-except for the paint job and the spoiler-their just a garden-variety 350 V8 Cutlass coupe-which you can buy a lot cheaper than these. Rumors persist that 10 or 12 were built with the vaunted W31 350 V8; however I have never seen a window sticker or build sheet for one, and no magazine or Olds engineer or sales rep has ever verified one. # 3. 1971-72 "Heavy Chevy". These were a two-door Malibu with a domed SS-style hood,a blacked out grille, slotted 14" Rally Wheels and "Heavy Chevy" emblems on the front fenders and trunk. Most are 350 powered which certainly isn't a bad thing. The 396 / 402 was an option, but expect to pay substantially more for a Rat-Motored version. 6,727 were built in '71, and another 3,000 or so in '72. # 4. 1971-72 Dodge Demon. Following the incredible sales success of the 1970 340 Plymouth Duster, the Dodge boys decided they wanted a piece of the action. These were basically a Duster with a Dart grille, a scooped hood, and cute little "Demon" emblems- a smiling little Devil holding a pitchfork, and the high-winding 340 V8. Chrysler caved into pressure from christian groups and the name was changed to "Dart Sport" for 1973. Since Chrysler later went bankrupt-where were all these "Christian" buyers then? # 5. 1971 Dodge Super Bee. For this one year only, the Super Bee was an option on the Charger instead of the Coronet. Hemi and Six-Pack models are priced in the stratosphere, but 383 versions are still reasonable. Over 6,000 were built so you might be able to find one. # 6. 1973-75 Pontiac Grand Am. Touted to have the Performance of a Trans-Am and the luxury of a Gran Prix. Except luxury buyers bought GP's and performance buyers bought T/A's. Based on the LeMans chassis-these had wrist-thick front and rear sway bars, front disc brakes, and 400 or 455 power. Dynamite if you can find one. With 34,000 built in '73 alone, you should be able to. # 7. 1974 Pontiac GTO. Often called the best Nova ever built. That's because for some reason Pontiac decided to move the GTO nameplate from the "A" body LeMans line where it had been since 1964 to the "X" body ( read Nova ) platform. They had front and rear sway bars,a Trans-Am style "Shaker" hood scoop and a 350 V8 backed by a 3-speed, 4-speed, or a TH350. They weren't bad performers for the time-15 second 1/4 mile times-but the buff magazines howled to the high heavens and derided the car. A GTO with an engine under 400 cubes? Blasphemy!!  7,058 were built-and the upside is a 400 or 455 is a bolt-in swap since Pontiac engines are identical from a 326 to a 455.  All unique cars if you find them. Mastermind

More on the point of diminishing returns...

In the last post I talked about the point of diminishing returns. Here's some more examples of people searching for the "last ounce" of performance that it backfired on. I may have touched on these before but their worth re-visiting. A guy I knew had an '81 Trans-Am that had a 305 Chevy V8 and a 4-speed. The first thing he did was swap in a stompin' 350. Nothing wrong with that-that's exactly what I'd have done. Then he got some 17" Snowflake wheels from Year One and some 275 / 40ZR17 BFG Comp T/A tires. That would have been my next move. Then he went overboard. He installed a roll cage and subframe connectors and braced the front subframe to the firewall, and then installed solid bushings throughout the suspension. The car went faster than a Porsche 911 Turbo around Reno-Fernley Raceway. However, on anything but glass-smooth pavement it was undrivable. Every little ripple, every little bump was transferred to the drivers seat or the steering wheel with bone-jarring force. I mean you'd piss your pants in a mile because it jarred your kidneys so much! Now if he'd gone with urethane bushings instead of aluminum, it might have been a little stiff, but it wouldn't have rattled your fillings loose! He sold the car to a guy who made it into a race car-because you couldn't drive it on the street without beating your brains out. And the guy who made it a race car put rubber and urethane bushings back in it, so it wouldn't beat him to death on the track!  I also talked before about a guy who had a '74 Malibu with a strong 454 in it. The car ran 12.80's with 2.73:1 gears. He figured he'd swap in some 4.11:1s and run low 12s or high 11s. He was severely disappointed when after changing the gears the car only ran 12.40s. Further-now instead of easily cruising at 2,500 rpm or so at 75 on the freeway and having major top-end speed-5,500 rpm with the 2.73:1 gears was something like 143 mph-now the motor was buzzing at 3,500 rpm on the freeway and the top-end was all done in by like 115!!  How can this be? Well, for one thing-because he had the 2.73:1 gears-the guy who built his engine built it for max torque. When you've got 500+ lb ft of torque right off idle, you don't need to rev to 6,500 or 7 grand. So the 4.11:1 gears didn't help that much because the car had enough torque to launch the car with alarcity in low gear regardless of gearing, but because his cam and carb and intake and everything else was geared to make maximum low-end and mid-range torque, he ran out of rpm toward the end of the 1/4. And that's why his top speed was so diminished. To go 140 mph with 4.11:1s the engine would have turn about 7,000 instead of 5,500, and his combo wasn't set up for that. So now he faced a real dilemna. To get the 1/4 mile speed he wanted, and to take full advantage of the 4.11:1 gearing he'd need a bigger cam. But, going to a bigger cam that would allow him to make power to 7 grand, would mean he'd need a higher stall speed torque converter, and would be giving up quite a bit of idle quality and low-end and mid-range torque for top-end rush. And he'd still be buzzing at 3,500 rpm on the freeway. He decided to switch back to the 2.73:1 gears and enjoy the car the way it was-it would blow off  99% of the stoplight challengers he'd encounter anyway-12.80s is pretty damn quick-and the hell with the other 1%.  Another thing I may have talked about before was the buff magazines raving about the Edelbrock "Air Gap" Performer and Performer RPM manifolds when they came out. By raising the plenum and allowing air to flow under it, they gained 15-20 hp over the standard design. This worked great in sunny California. However-many readers in the midwest and Rocky mountain states who ran out and bought these manifolds after reading the article-because hey-you "gotta have" that extra 15-20 hp-were furious. Their cars absolutely would not start and run in cold weather. Many had problems with carburator icing, and many said they had to let the car idle for 20 minutes before driving it or it would cough, spit, stumble and die. That 15 hp didn't look so good then!!  The point being think carefully and make sure the "Pros" of your proposed addition outweigh the "Cons". Mastermind      

The point of diminishing returns.....

I know gearheads are always looking for "every last ounce" of performance, but sometimes in chasing that last ounce you actually end up losing performance and drivability,and / or spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on parts that give a negligible gain, or even a loss of performance. For example I wrote in an earlier post about Hot Rod magazine hopping up a ZZ4 Chevy 350 crate engine. The ZZ4 was an awesome street engine. It was rated at 355 hp and 405 lbs of torque. However-what made it such a killer was its broad torque curve. It made more than 350 lbs of torque from 2,200-5,200 rpm! The engine was pretty hopped up to begin with-10:1 compression Keith Black pistons, L98 aluminum heads, a hydraulic roller cam with .474 / 510 lift, and a 770 cfm Holley on an aluminum Z/28 / LT1 style intake. They picked up about 25 hp with a single-plane intake and a larger carb, and another 30 or so hp with a bigger cam. That put them over 400 hp easily and the package still had good drivability. To me-mission accomplished-you got 50+ hp out of an already hot package. They wanted more-so they installed a set of Trick Flow aluminum heads. They picked up another 40 hp-at 6,100 rpm. The noticable gain-more than 20 hp didn't occur until above 5,000 rpm.  However-this info was printed clearly on the dyno sheet-the "antiquated" L98 heads were within 5 hp and 5 lbs of torque at every rpm from idle to 4,600 rpm!! At some rpm levels there was no gain, or the difference was only 1 or 2 hp!!  Now in a daily driver or even a weekend street / strip machine-how often are you going to be above 4,700 rpm?  Further-the Trick Flow heads cost $1,400!! For a lot less than $1,400 there's plenty of things that would give you more than a 40 hp gain in a 1,000-1,400 rpm window!! The first thing that comes to mind is a well-thought out nitrous system. Then maybe a higher stall speed torque converter, some stiffer rear end gears, or some traction bars. I had a ZZ4 in my Hurst / Olds for a while. On street tires it ran mid 13s and got 16 mpg. Some buddys suggested-( correctly ) that if I invested in a hotter cam and a bigger carb and intake and maybe a higher stall converter I could easily drop into the 12s. That's true-but in doing that the car wouldn't have been nearly as pleasant to drive-the larger cam would have a much rougher idle-which would have necessitated the larger converter-and the car would have gotten 8 mpg instead of 16. Plus I'd have traded quite a bit of low-end and mid-range torque for top-end rush.  The other thing is drivetrain and brake upgrades. I'm all for safety-but the magazines go total overkill. Why does every single project car have to have a custom Currie 9 inch Ford rear end??  Never mind a Dana 60-I've never, ever seen anyone break a Chrysler 8 3/4 rear!!! Not even my buddy who has a Duster with a nitrous-fed 505 inch stroker that runs in the 9s!!  I have had 400, 4-speed 70's Firebirds and popped the clutch at 4,000 rpm and powershifted through 30 hard 1/4 mile passes a weekend for 5 years and never broke the 8.5 inch GM 10 bolt posi!!!  I know Fox bodied Mustang racers that run 10s who have never had an ounce of trouble with the stock 8.8 inch rear end. Ditto for brakes. Why does every project car have to have a Brembo or Wildwood 4-wheel disc brake system worthy of a NASCAR Nextel Cup champion?  Are they saying that the front disc / rear drum or 4-wheel disc systems that came stock on 70's, 80's and 90's cars isn't adequate to safely stop the car in daily driving or on a weekend trip to the drags? Puhleeze. Again-I autocrossed some of my '70's T/A's. My friends and I discovered that if we used Bendix or Wagner or Ferodo "Police Spec" semi-metallic D52 front pads and Dot 5 fluid that the brakes never faded-even on back to back to back runs. Ditto for a friends "Street Stock" circle track Camaro. I've seen him run an 8 lap heat race, a 20 lap semi, and a 50 lap main event back to back to back on a 1/4 mile track that had the rotors glowing red at the end of the main event and the brakes never faded!! In fact-sometimes if the race car needed front pads and we couldn't get the "Police Spec" pads-we'd just run generic, auto parts store D52 pads, and as long as we used the Dot 5 brake fluid-we had no problems. The cheaper pads would wear out quicker-but the car still stopped properly. The main thing was the fluid. Dot 3 fluid would boil and then you'd get a mushy pedal. While on the subject of circle track racing-I know guys who have raced small-block Chevys and Fords for 30 years and I have never, ever seen a stud pull out of a head!!  I've seen broken rocker arms, broken pushrods, broken valve springs, and jumped timing chains-but in 30+ years I've never seen a stud pull out of a head. Ditto for a broken crank. I've seen spun bearings,and I've seen rods out the side of the block,but I've never seen a crank break-like in pieces!! So just think hard before you spend your hard earned money on some "Gotta Have" that you don't really need!!  That's all I'm saying. Mastermind