Some alternative bodystyles that can be way cool....

There's a lot of cool cars that everyone overlooks when their searching for their "dream car."  Here's a few I thought of.  # 1. 1960-68 Full-size Pontiacs. While 99% of Chevy Impalas,Caprices, and Biscaynes of this era are small-block powered, and 396, 409 and 427 versions bring a King's Ransom-the Pontiacs are a steal. Every single Catalina, Bonneville and Gran Prix built has at least 389 cubes under the hood, and depending of year-some have 400, 421 or 428!! 1965 and later models with automatics will have the excellent TH400.  Any suspension or brake upgrades that fit an Impala will fit these cars. # 2. 1963-69 Full-size Fords. The '63 Galaxie hardtop is still a great looking car 50+ years later, and the later models are cool too. '60s Fords had luxurious interiors, and most have 390 cubes under the hood. Later LTDs had hidden headlights and 428 or 429 motivation. # 3. 1969-76 Pontiac Gran Prix. While Rat-Powered Monte Carlos are rare and expensive, GPs had 400 cubes standard all years and a fair number of "SJ" models had 455s. Wrist-thick front and rear sway bars made them amazing handlers for a big car. # 4. 1967-69 Thunderbird. I personally think this is one of the best-looking cars Ford ever produced. 390, 428 or 429 cubes for power, and luxurious interiors. I like the 2 dr models, but the 4-door versions with the "Suicide Doors" have a following too. # 5. 1966-69 Buick Riviera. These had the swoopy, fastback,hidden headlight styling of the revolutionary Olds Toronado, but were still rear-wheel drive. With 430 cubes under that long hood they move pretty good too. # 6. 1969-72 Plymouth Sport Fury. Peter Graves drove one of these on "Mission Impossible". With 383, 400 or 440 cubes under the hood they have great potential. # 7. 1967-69 Cadillac Eldorado. These cars styling still looks futuristic today. And with 429, 472 or 500 cubes they've got the torque. A little heavy to be a hot rod, but man what a great cruiser. # 8. In the same vein-I really like the 1972-76 Lincoln MKIV. Hidden headlight styling,luxurious interior and 460 cubes for motivation. Too heavy to be a serious hot rod, but a great, comfortable cruiser that looks cool.  Mastermind

Some overlooked gems...

There are a lot of overlooked gems out there with potential that people don't think of.  # 1. 1976-77 Olds Cutlass 442. The last W30 455 went away in 1972, and by '73 the 442 became an "Appearance and Handling" package on the Cutlass. The "Station wagon" 455 hung around til '76-but their rare and wheezed out 190 hp-a far cry from the 370 of the of the '70 model and the 300 of the '72. However-the graphics were cool, and the suspension, with wrist-thick front and rear sway bars made the cars handle better than anything except a Pontiac Trans-Am. The body was so aerodynamic that Richard Petty switched to a Cutlass after his 1974 Charger body was outlawed. Their fenderwells will accomodate huge tires-up to 275 / 60 R15 on 8 inch wheels. The 350 and 403 models are the ones to look for. Edelbrock claims 397 hp and 400 lbs of torque from their Performer RPM package on a 350. On a 403 you'd be well over 400. The other thing you'll need is an axle-ratio change. These cars came stock with 2.41:1 gears. Switching to something in the 3.23:1 to 3.73:1 range will give you a huge improvement in performance. So much that this should be your first step, or the only step even if you leave the motor bone-stock.  # 2. 1977-81 Z/28 Camaro. Seeing the monumental sales success of the Firebird Trans-Am-( Pontiac sold nearly 50,000 in 1976 alone; and another 68,000 in '77. "Smokey and the Bandit" was released in May 1977; that sales bump wouldn't be felt until the '78 model year when they sold 93,000 ). Chevrolet hastily resurrected the Z/28 which had been on a 2 1/2 year hiatus since 1974. It was a good package featuring T/A style spoilers and graphics, and upgraded suspension with front and rear sway bars. Power was the ubiquitous 350 V8 backed by a T10 4-speed manual or a TH350. 4-speeds got 3.73:1 gears and automatics got 3.42:1s which really put the power to the ground and put some "Right Now!" into acceleration. '78 models got Firebird style urethane bumpers replacing the ugly steel ones of the '77.  1980 brought back "Cowl Induction" a vacuum-operated hood scoop that opened at full throttle and sounded cool, and bumped power by 10 hp to 190. 4-speed models had 3.44:1 1st gear ratios and 2.28:1 2nd, with a 3.08:1 rear axle. This gave better acceleration, higher top-speed and better gas mileage than the 2.64:1 low gear / 3.73:1 axle of the '77-79 models. Automatics still got 3.42:1 gears. For some perverse reason in 1981-you could only get a 350 with the automatic. If you wanted a 4-speed you got a 305 which wheezed out 145 hp. It wasn't emission laws-you could still get a 350 / 4-speed combo in an '81 Corvette. If you have or want to buy a 305 model-a 350 is a bolt-in swap. There's more speed equipment for a small-block Chevy than anything else on the planet so these cars have awesome hot-rod potential.  # 3. 1980-81 Pontiac Trans-Am. These are only bargains if your considering an engine swap. Here's why-you had 3 engine choices. An anemic 301 Pontiac that wheezed out 135 hp, a 301 with a Turbo that was rated at 210-but had nowhere near the performance of the '79 and earlier 400s that supposedly had 220. Hot Rod's 400 / 4-speed '79 test car ripped off a blistering 14.61 second 1/4 mile. Popular Hot Rodding's '79 Formula ran a 15.0.  Their 1980 Turbo test car could only manage a 16.3!  Yet it's only down 10 hp? Riiigggghhht.  The third choice was a 305 Chevy. The upsides are a 400 or 455 will bolt right in place of a 301, and a 350 or 383 Chevy will bolt right in place of the 305. # 4. 1982 "5.0" Mustang. For this one year only you got a 302 V8 with a 2bbl, and 4-speed stick or a 3-speed automatic. Theirs a ton of speed equipment for small-block Fords, so these have great potential. Ford guys snub them in favor of the '83-86 models which have 4bbl carbs, 5-speed sticks and 4-speed automatics. But it keeps the prices on these dirt-cheap, and a 4bbl carb and intake change is a no-brainer. # 5. 1984-86 Olds Cutlass 442. These "G" bodies have cool graphics, great handling suspensions and gorgeous interiors. Power is unfortunately a 307 Olds V8 that wheezes out 140 hp. The upside is a 350 or 403 Olds V8 is a bolt-in swap. Backed by a TH200R4 and 3.42:1 axle that came with the 442 package-this combo could be a real sleeper.  # 6. 1989 20th Anniversary Trans-Am. These cars have the WS6 suspension and the vaunted Turbo 3.8 V6 out of the fearsome Buick Grand National. The Turbo V6 is both lighter and has more power than the 305 and 350 Chevy V8s, so the already stellar handling is improved as well as acceleration. These will bring a King's Ransom-but their worth it.  Mastermind        

"Magnum Force" is easier and cheaper than you think....

If your a Mopar guy and your looking for some major power for low bucks I have the just the ticket. There's millions of them in junkyards. From 1992-2003 millions of Dodge trucks and vans and Jeep Grand Cherokees had 5.2 and 5.9 liter "Magnum" V8s. The 5.2 ( 318s ) make nice drivers and could be really quick in very light car like a Duster / Dart. For serious power you need the 5.9 ( 360 ). I've always liked the 360 Mopar as a performance engine. The "hot" setup for small-block Chevy racers has always been slant-plug heads and 6 inch connecting rods. Mopar LA engines have angle-plug heads and 6.123 inch rods from the factory. The "Magnum" heads breathe better than any other factory head and many aftermarket ones. They will bolt up to earlier ( 1971-91 ) blocks. You will need a "Magnum" bolt-pattern intake and Edelbrock has you covered. The "Magnum" engines have roller cams from the factory. Crane, Comp Cams, Lunati and others offer high-performance roller cams. Eagle and other companies offer stroker crank kits to get 408 inches. With proper cam, intake and headers, it's pretty easy to get 400 hp and 450 lbs of torque from a "Magnum" engine. That's enough to make any street car an absolute rocket. So think outside the box-you don't always need a 440 or a Hemi to make big power. Mastermind  

I don't disparage anything....I just tell the truth!!

Sometimes people get on me for being "down" on certain makes and models. I'm not "down" on anything; I just give my readers my honest opinion, which I hope will help them make informed decisions before they spend a large amount of money on a project. Lately several people have asked why I "Hate" Fords. I don't hate Fords; I've owned two Ford Pickups both bought brand-new and paid off and kept about 8 or 10 years. I've owned two Mustangs one a '66 289 GT  the other an '83 "5.0".  I'd love to have a 390 powered '67-70 Cougar if I could find one that wasn't priced in the stratosphere. Ditto for a 1970-71 429 T-Bird. If I buy another used work truck it'll probably be a '70's, '80's or 90's F150 or F250.  I don't "hate" Fords. Some people got this impression from a few posts I wrote several years ago. One was about classic movie car chases. I talked about "Bullitt".  Everything I said was from an interview with Stunt Coordinator Carey Loftin from way back in 1987.  Ford had a contract to supply cars for movies with Warner Brothers.  Steve McQueen didn't want two Fords in the chase. He thought it would be hokey that both the cops and bad guys would be driving Fords. Chrysler and GM wouldn't give them any cars, citing Ford's contract with Warner. Loftin and McQueen went to a Bay Area Dodge dealer and bought the Charger with their own money. The Charger was a 440 / 4-speed. The five Mustangs supplied by Ford were 390 / 4-speeds. A little history-when GM debuted the Camaro and Firebird in late 1966 for the '67 model year Ford was caught with their pants down. The 302 Z/28 would run circles around the 289 Mustang. Worse yet-you could get a 396 Rat Motor in a Camaro and a 400 ( the same engine in the mighty GTO ) in a Firebird. All a 289 Mustang would see of a 396 Camaro or 400 Firebird is the taillights. Ford hastily dropped the 390 in the '67 Mustang. However-unlike the 396 Chevy or 400 Pontiac-the 390 was not a high-performance engine. It was a low-revving high torque towing engine used in "big" cars like LTDs and station wagons, and trucks. One of the buff magazines tested the big-block pony cars and the Chevy and Pontiac ran off and left the Mustang. I mean badly-by half a second or more. The Mustang ran something like a 15.6 in the 1/4; the automatic Firebird ran a 15.1-a five car length drubbing, and the 4-speed Camaro ran something like 14.7-a nine car length drubbing. Anyhow-in early practice the 440 Charger would run off and leave the Mustang so badly that they couldn't film it. Steve McQueen was furious. Loftin and his mechanic Max Balchowsky hopped up one of the Mustangs with headers, an Edelbrock intake and double-pumper Holley carb and a Mallory distributor. Now McQueen and stuntman Bill Hickman ( who drove the Charger ) could successfully play cat and mouse. However-bounding over the streets of San Francisco at speeds up to 115 mph-the Mustangs were falling apart-breaking shock towers and suspension parts, door handles coming off etc. Loftin and Balchowsky worked every night taking parts off the other cars to keep the camera car running. That's why only two of the five still exist; the other three were crushed. Meanwhile-the Charger with it's torsion bar front end and Dana 60 rear had no problems other than throwing hubcaps off. If you watch the film-the Charger loses 8 hubcaps in the chase. People say this really "bashes" Fords. How?  It's the truth straight out of the mouth of the man who lived it. What did they want to me do? Lie?  The other things I've been called out on are saying that Ford's are a nightmare when swapping engines. Guess what? They are. Unlike a small-block Chevy or a Pontiac or an AMC or a small or big-block Chrysler where almost everything interchanges regardless of model-every Ford is different. A 390 in a Mustang uses a different oil pan and accessories and mounting points than a 390 in an LTD, which is different from a 390 in a T-Bird, which is different than a 390 in an F100 Pickup!!  A 289 / 302 has a different bellhousing bolt-pattern than a 351C, which is different from a 390 / 428, which is different from a 429 / 460.  Not the same as bolting a TH350 from a '79 Camaro into your '65 Chevelle and not having to change anything !!!  ( A Powerglide and a TH350 are not only the same length and have the same bellhousing bolt-pattern, but also use the same rear trans mount and driveshaft yoke!! ).  I just stated an irrefutable fact-Ford stuff does not interchange as easily as GM or Chrysler stuff. That's good advice for novice engine swappers to know, not a "slam" on any product. The other thing I've been taken to task for is when discussing carburators I've said the Autolite 4300 was the worst carb ever made. Guess what ?  It Is!!!!  My dad and I worked for Ford in the '70's. If you had a 351C Mustang or Torino, or a 460 T-Bird or Lincoln ( all of which used that awful 4bbl ) you enjoyed hard starting, especially in cold weather-hesitation, stumbling, crappy gas mileage, ( I mean 5-8 mpg on a brand-new car ) and all around awful performance. They were terrible when they were brand-new. Some of these cars didn't have 5,000 miles on them. If the customer bitched hard enough Ford Dealers would replace the 4300 with a 600 cfm Holley with an Electric Choke and cover it under warranty!!  The part number was 6619 or 6919; I think the throttle linkage was the difference-one for sticks and one for automatics.  I remember because as a parts guy I ordered so god damnded many of them!! With the Holleys the cars ran like a champ!!  The main reason GM and Chrysler musclecars ran so good was they had decent carburators. GM used the great Carter AFB until 1966. Early Q-Jets ( '66-67 ) had a few problems but they were ironed out quickly. Through the late '60's and all of the '70's Quadrajets were bullet proof. ( Some Chevys had 3310 Holleys and they worked good. )  Mopars had the excellent Carter AVS until 1971. The Thermo-Quad worked good on 340, 360 and 400-440 engines in the '70's. Meanwhile-Boss 302s and 429s had Holleys as did 428CJ's; some 429CJ Torinos actually had Quadrajets. Everything else limped along with that awful 4300. Again-what do people want me to do? Lie and say they were great?  I've said many times that Chrysler was light-years ahead of GM on automatic transmission technology when they introduced the Torqueflite in 1962. It was far superior to GM's hydramatics and Powerglides. The TH400 introduced in 1965 was just as good; but oddly they were only available in "big" cars. If you wanted a GTO or a Chevelle or 442 with an automatic you got the awful Two-Speed Powerglide / ST300 !!! A TH400 wasn't available in an SS396 or GTO or 442 until 1967!! In a Corvette until 1968!!  I'm sorry if the truth hurts some people's feelings. Here's another example-a lot of people say I'm "Biased" to GM stuff. Again-not true I already stated my feeling on Fords. I've owned "Bullitt" Chargers. I'd love to find a "Vanishing Point" '70-74 Challenger, a Charger-based 383 '71 Super Bee, or even a '78-79 Li'l Red Express Pickup.  I like Mopars fine. But yet I've been called out for saying that nothing makes as much power for as little money as a small or big-block Chevy. Again-that's an irrefutable fact. Their's more speed equipment on the market for a small-block Chevy than anything else on the planet. The small-block Chevy is usually the test mule for anyone introducing anything new!!  Like it or not they offer the most "bang" for the buck. Sure, a 360 Mopar, or 360 AMC or 350 Olds, or 351W or 351C Ford can run every bit as strong as a 350 Chevy. At 2 or 3 times the cost. Ditto for the big-blocks. Like it or not-Nothing makes more power for less money than a Chevy Rat Motor. Yes a Chrysler Hemi or Boss Nine Ford can make as much or more power-at two or three times the cost. Cases in Point-GMPP sells 454HO crate engines for $5995. Their rated at 440 hp and 500 lbs of torque. A Mopar Performance 426 crate Hemi makes 465 hp and 490 lbs of torque. And sells for $ 14,995.  GMPP's "King Kong" Rat-the 572-makes 720 hp and sells for $17,995.  Mopar Performance's 528 Crate Hemi makes 625 hp and sells for $22,725.  Jon Kaase has a 600 inch Boss-Nine that makes 912 hp and 826 lbs of torque. For the tidy sum of $36,999!!!   The same goes for other restoration parts-be it body parts, interior trim, suspension parts, etc. GM stuff if going to be the cheapest, followed by Chrysler, then Ford. AMC people have a real rough time. A Chevelle or GTO is going to cheaper to restore than a Road Runner. A Mustang is going to be way easier and cheaper than a Javelin. Like it or not that's the state of the business right now. Parts companies are in business to make money. Your going to sell a lot more stuff for a '70-81 Camaro / Firebird than you are of something that only fits '72-73 Mercury Montego GT's!!!  The same for sports car guys. A Triumph Spitfire or MGB is cheaper to restore than  a Datsun 240 / 260 / 280Z, which is cheaper to restore than a Porsche 911, which is cheaper to restore than a Ferarri 308 GTS !!  So I'm not "Bashing" anything when I'm giving advice; I'm trying to save people money and frustration!!  If that's "Biased" then I guess there's nothing I can do about it. Mastermind              

Little things can become big things....

In the same vein as the last post, I can't stress enough how important it is to fix little things before they become big problems. Here's a good example. I touched on it before, but it's worth re-visiting. Back in the '90's when I had a custom restoration shop I had a good customer base. They brought me big projects; however most of them got their oil changed at Jiffy Lube, or their tires rotated at Big O. Sometimes these repair places would try to sell my customers huge repairs, and often they'd come to me for a 2nd opinion. One was a guy with a '77 Trans Am. It had a 400 Pontiac backed by a TH350, the standard powertrain that year. ( A 4-speed was a no-cost option ). One of the big tire chains told him he needed a new transmission. I drove the car, and it did shift erratically and very hard when it did. Upon inspection I changed the fluid and the filter. I also discovered that the rubber line to the vacuum modulator was severely cracked and spewing fluid. I replaced the modulator and the rubber line. Now the car shifted smoothly at part-throttle, and under full-throttle would lay 8-10 feet of rubber on the 1-2 shift. I charged him for the fluid change and the modulator and the labor to change that. He was escatic. Instead spending over $1,000 for a rebuilt TH350, which he was almost sure he was going to have to spend, he got off for less than $200. The symptoms certainly indicated that the tranny might be toast-but it turned out to be the modulator-a minor repair. The other case was guy with a 396 Impala. Another shop told him he needed a new engine. I drove the car, and for a big-block Chevy it was definitely a "dog". It couldn't even spin the tires on dry pavement and just fell flat on it's face under acceleration. I did a compression test and all 8 cylinders were within 5 to 10 psi of each other. Upon further inspection I found multiple problems. None insurmountable-the car was just suffering from terminal neglect. The automatic transmission kickdown wasn't hooked up, the carb was way too rich, the timing was way too slow,the plug wires were bad, and the vacuum advance was unplugged, and the points were closing up. I fixed these minor problems-i.e. installed new, properly gapped points and wires, plugged in the vacuum advance, leaned out the carb, set the timing to spec, and hooked up the kickdown. Now the car would smoke the tires all the way across an intersection, get rubber into 2nd, and pull like a Rat Motor should. The owner was so happy that he tipped me $100 over the bill I charged him. He was ready to spend a couple grand or more on a new engine, and got a new lease on life for a couple hundred instead. The moral of the story is fix the little things before they become big things. The guy with the T/A-his bad modulator would have eventually caused the trans to lose enough fluid that it would burn up, and need to be replaced. The guy in the Impala could have limped along long enough that his over-rich carb and slow timing could have washed oil off the rings or caused it to spin a bearing or the cam to go flat. I had a guy with a '74 Nova SS bring his car to me one time. It was a cute Nova hatchback and it had a 350 with a 4-speed. It too, was a "dog" that fell flat on it's face under acceleration, and it sounded like a garbage disposal. It had headers on it and dual exhausts and an Edelbrock Performer intake with a 625 cfm Carter AFB carb. It should have been a screamer. Upon opening the hood I saw the problems. It had massive exhaust leaks. The header gaskets were totally blown out, and whoever had installed the intake manifold hadn't blocked off the EGR!! With massive vacuum leaks like that, I was amazed that it ran at all. I replaced the header gaskets. Edelbrock manifolds usually come with EGR plugs. I had some laying around because I installed so many in my shop. After sealing the leaks and adjusting the carb and timing a little, I went for a drive. Now it would rocket off the line, spinning the tires most of low gear. Powershift, get the satsifying rubber-in-second screech, and keep going. Now it pulled hard to 5,500 rpm, and would spin the tires with ease in low gear. The car's owner was doing handsprings. He couldn't believe the fix was that simple. I had another guy that had a '72 El Camino with a very expensive 383 crate motor that didn't run much better than the tired 307 with a 2bbl that it replaced!! There was nothing wrong with the engine. It sounded badass, and felt like it had a ton of torque. But the car wouldn't run very fast, and the gas pedal felt really, really stiff. I discovered that the throttle bracket was bent and the cable was sticking. So bad that it wouldn't allow the secondaries on the carb to open at all. It was restricted to maybe half-throttle. I got a new bracket and cable and adjusted it so the throttle linkage would open fully. The test drive after was mind-blowing. Now the Elky would literally spin the tires as long as you wanted to stay on the throttle. When it had traction, it was a rocket. I told the owner he'd have to play with launch technique to get the best start, but the car now had more than enough power!  Yet one simple thing was killing it's performance. So don't let something minor cause you a major problem. Mastermind    

Don't put the cart before the horse....

A lot of people ask what's the 1st thing I should do to get more performance out of my musclecar? Or what one modification offers the most "bang" for the buck?  Every car line is different, so there's no one pat answer. However there are things you can do to greatly increase your car's performance without throwing major bucks and tons of parts at it. Here's the things I'd do BEFORE I pull out my Visa card and call Summit, or PAW or Jeg's!  # 1. Make sure it's running properly, even if it's bone-stock. I can't stress this enough. I see so many musclecars limping around on 6 or 7 cylinders. And I'm not talking beaters, rat rods or works in progress. I see it every Hot August Nights-cars with $5,000 paint jobs and $2,000 worth of tires and wheels that can't smoke the tires on dry pavement or pull 5,000 rpm in low gear!  These cars have bad plug wires, the vacuum advance is inoperable or not hooked up,the points are closing up, the timing is way too advanced or way too retarded, the carburator is way too lean or way too rich,the throttle linkage is sticking or not opening all the way, the automatic trans kickdown is not hooked up, the vacuum modulator is disconnected or spewing fluid. I talk to these people-and they'll have $40,000 invested in the car-and they can't tell you the last time they changed the spark plugs and wires or the points , distributor cap and rotor or the fuel filter!! Even on a stock engine bad tuning or excessive neglect can cost you as much as 50 hp. Make sure everything is right before you start spending money or changing things. # 2. Intake and exhaust. Regardless of make and model I'd say here is where you get the most "bang" for the buck. Especially if the car has a 2bbl carb and single exhaust to start with. A factory or aftermarket 4bbl carb and intake setup will really "wake up" any 2bbl motor. Besides much more power, you'll have better drivability and probably better gas mileage. Even if you don't want headers, a good, free-flowing dual exhaust system can be worth as much as 30-40 hp on a stock engine with iron exhaust manifolds. Look at the car's under side on the rack. Many factory "dual" exhaust sytems are not true duals, and are very restrictive. I hate the "crossflow" muffler used on '67-74 Camaros and Firebirds. They cost the stock engines 25-30 hp. That's why the RAIII and RAIV 400's are rated at 335 and 345 hp in a Firebird or Trans-Am and 366 and 370 hp in a GTO. The GTO's duals all the way back were worth 25-30 hp bone-stock!! If you read road tests of a 71 455HO Trans-Am and a '71 455HO GTO-the GTO is nearly 1/2 a second quicker in the 1/4, even though it's a slightly heavier car!! ( 4,070 lbs vs 3,731 ). Some other "geniuses" will tell you about GM's 10 lb per hp rule-but their full of shit. 1st off-this rule apparently didn't apply to Corvettes-a mid '60's Stingray weighs about 3,300 lbs and you could get a 427 with 390, 425 or 435 hp!!  Ditto for Chevelles. A '65 Chevelle weighs about 3,400 lbs, yet was available with a 375 hp 396. As was the supposed "3,250 lb" '67-69 Camaro!!  The 10 lb per hp rule is a guideline used to beat the insurance Nazis. Most of the engines were actually under-rated!!  A W31 Cutlass with special heads,an aluminum high-rise intake, special exhaust manifolds, a special flex-fan and a hot 308 degree cam that doesn't make enough vacuum to operate power brakes and requires a 4-speed and 3.90:1 or 4.33:1 gears only makes 325 hp when the standard "station wagon" 350 makes 310??!!!  Puhleeze. And I've never seen ANY Cutlass that weighed 3,100-3,250 lbs, not the original '64, and damn sure not the larger '68-70 models which like the GTO were pushing 4,000!!  My dad and I worked for Pontiac back in the day-and no 400 Firebird ever weighed 3,250 lbs!!! ( The standard 400 was rated at 325 hp;the same engine in a GTO or Grand Prix had 350 hp ). The Firebirds were 3,500 on up all day-especially with power steering, disc brakes, etc, which most of them had. Other geniuses will talk about a tab on the carburator restricting throttle opening to limit power. I have seen these cars come off the truck and have PDI'd them when brand-spanking new, and I have never seen one. Regardless-Ford Mustangs-even 390 and 428 models had restrictive exhausts as well. True duals all the way back will help any car regardless of brand. # 3. Mechanical advantage. Gears make it go. Most '70's cars have salt-flats gearing like 2.56:1 or 2.73:1. Switching to something in the 3.23:1-3.73:1 range will give you a huge boost in acceleration without hurting fuel economy or drivability too much. If you have an automatic transmission a mild torque converter upgrade can help immensely especially with small-blocks. Most stock torque converters have a stall speed of 1,200-1,700 rpm. Upgrading to one with 2,000-2,200 stall speed will give you a jackrabbit start without excessive wheelspin. Converters with 2,500-3,000 stall rpm on up are fine if you have a radical cam and 4.10:1 gears; however especially with big blocks you may blow the tires off without slicks or drag radials. Conversely, if you use a 3-grand converter with 3.23:1 gears-you may burn the transmission up! Your 65 mph cruise rpm will be less than the converter's stall speed which will create slippage and excessive heat. If your cam has less than 220-225 degrees duration ( @.050 ) you don't need a high-stall converter. And you have to remember most industry "guidelines" are based on a 350 Chevy; a cam that's "too radical" for a small-block Chevy might be a sweetheart in a 440 Mopar, 455 Pontiac or 460 Ford. See what I'm saying?  Another easy improvement is a shift improver kit for automatics. I personally like the TransGo kits the best; I have also used the B&M kits and they are excellent as well. I wouldn't use an "off brand". Use the "Street" or "Street / Strip" setting to get firm,precise shifts. If you use the "Competition" setting you will get excessively hard shifts even at part-throttle and the car will be practically undrivable.  # 4. Electronic Tuning. If you have an '80s Camaro / Firebird or Corvette or Buick Grand National or "5.0" Mustang there are things you can do to really help 0-60 and 1/4 mile times without spending big bucks. If you have a carburated LG4 / L69 305 Camaro or Firebird an Edelbrock Performer EGR intake will make a huge improvement. I'd also use some Hedman Shorty headers with 02 hookup. The electronic Q-Jet will self-adjust to these minor changes so you won't have to re-jet the carb. I'd also switch to a 160 thermostat ( and on L69 cars get the switch from Summit that turns the electric fan on at 185 instead of 220 ). If you have an L98 or LB9 Tuned-Port Injected engine, the first thing I would do is get a 160 thermostat and the fan switch that turns the fan on at 185 instead of 220. These engines at 220-are on the edge of vapor lock and often stumble under acceleration. By reducing running tempurature to 185-nearly 40 degrees-your getting a cooler, denser fuel charge. No more stumbles, and smooth acceleration all through the range. The other things you can do-Accel and Edelbrock offer ported baseplates and runners that will ad 20-25 hp and don't require any changes to the stock ECM. These simple things will give you a HUGE improvement in performance and drivability. The same goes for Regal T-Type / GN owners. By going to the 160 thermostat and changing the fan switch you'll knock 3 /10s off your 1/4 mile time. 40 degrees cooler fuel charge on a Turbocharged, Intercooled engine can make that much difference. I'd also run 91 octane Chevron or Shell gas and a can of octane booster. The ECM is programmed to detect detonation and retard the timing accordingly. You'll get way better performance with brand-name 91 and octane booster than you will with 87 octane cut-rate gas. It sounds too simple-but you'll feel it in the seat of your pants. This isn't electronic but the performance boost will be huge. Most '83-95 "5.0" Mustangs, either stick or automatic, have either 2.73:1 or 3.08:1 gears. Switching to 3.55:1 or 3.73:1 gears will give you a stunning improvement. And not just off the line-you'll feel it in 2nd, 3rd and 4th as well.  When I swapped the 3.23:1s in my Hurst / Olds for some 4.10:1s  I didn't notice any improvement in low gear. Apparently the 455 had enough torque to launch the car regardless of gearing. However, the difference in 2nd and 3rd was monumental. The gear swap is the first thing I would do to a "5.0". After that-Edelbrock and Trick Flow offer ported manifolds, larger throttle bodies,cylinder heads, cam kits etc. The Trick Flow top-end kit-( heads, intake,and cam ) claims 350 hp. Quite a bump from the stock rating of 225!  Hope this helps everyone out. Mastermind            

More on the path of most resistance.....

I guess since the majority of the 117,000 T/A's sold in 1979 ( only 10,000 had the 400 Pontiac / 4-speed powertrain ) were 403 Olds / TH350 models-a lot of people are interested in converting them to a stick. As I apologized for in the last post-there are aftermarket flywheels available. You still have to chase down a bellhousing, the linkage, the pedals, and the shifter, as well as the disc, pressure plate and throw-out bearing. Like I said in the last post one monkey wrench I see is most L80 403 cars had 2.41:1 or 2.56:1 axle ratios. A few WS6 cars had 2.73:1 or 3.23:1 gears. 3.23:1s would be perfect. The others not so much. However- even with 2.56:1 gears there's a couple ways you can go and still have the acceleration your looking for. Borg-Warner ( and Richmond today ) made T10 4-speeds with a 3.44:1 1st gear and a 2.28:1 2nd. These were used in 1980-81 Z/28 Camaros, 1981 Trans-Ams ( behind a 305 Chevy ) and 1982 Z/28 Camaros and Trans-Am Firebirds. The 2nd choice is also a T10 that was used in 1980-81 Corvettes. These have a 2.88:1 1st gear and a 1.91:1 2nd.  Summitt Racing and PAW and other parts companies also sell both of these new. The low ( higher numeric ) gearing in 1st and 2nd will give you the torque multiplication to get going quickly. By 3rd and 4th the car will be going fast enough that it won't matter, and the 403s 325 lbs ft of torque will keep pulling. Top speed will be something like 135 mph at 4,500 rpm, and you'll have easy freeway crusing. The 403s had 325 lbs of torque at 1,600 rpm. Much lower than the 400 Pontiacs 320 lb peak at 4,000 rpm. You'll have to play with launch rpm to see which gets you out of the hole quickest. I'd start with 2,500 rpm and go from there.  The 403s tractor-like torque curve will demand 4,500-4,800 rpm shift points for best performance. I speak from experience on this. My 403 powered '77 T/A ran quickest when I shifted manually at 4,900 rpm ( 1-2 ) and 4,400 rpm ( 2-3 ). After I installed headers and a Holley Street Dominator intake and switched from R46SZ plugs ( an .080 gap ) to R45S ( a .040 gap ) it would pull to 5,400 rpm. However, because of the lazy stock cam it didn't really make any more power above 5,000; I was just beating up the valvesprings. Even with the intake and exhaust upgrades ( which helped immensely ) it still ran best with sub-5,000 rpm shifts. Obviously if I'd put a bigger cam in it, that would have changed. Anyhow-you can make this conversion work, and it will be fun to drive, especially if you invest in an Edelbrock Performer intake ( the Holley Street Dominator is out of production, but their great if you can find one at a swap meet ) and matching cam, and headers and dual exhaust. Not to be Devil's advocate-but like I said previously-if you did those engine mods and then swapped in some 3.23:1 or 3.42:1 gears and a shift kit and 2,000 rpm converter in a TH350 model, you'd have the same or better ( less wheelspin ) performance with a lot less expense and grief. Or you could just buy a 400 / 4-speed Pontiac model. But if you "gotta have" a 4-speed in your 403 'Bird, it is possible and relatively easy ( mechanically speaking ) to do. You could use a Muncie or other T10s-but 2.20:1, 2.43:1, or 2.52:1 low gear and 1.61:1 2nd won't have nearly the acceleration of the 2.88:1 or 3.44:1 low models. The other question I get a lot is people asking about multi-carb setups. I personally love multi-carb setups. My dad had a '59 Catalina with the Tri-Power 345 hp 389. He also had a Tri-Power 376 hp 421 powered '65 2+2. He was a wizard at tuning and synchronizing multiple carbs. I spoke in a previous post about him being recruited to tune both cars in a match race. One was a 440 / 4-speed / Six-Pack GTX, the other was a 426 Hemi / Torqueflite Road Runner.  The Road Runner won by 1/2 a fender length. He also had big following of Import customers-tuning the multi-carbs on Jaguars, Datsun 240Z's , Porsche 911s, Ferraris. I had dual-quads on My Judge. A buddy had a 440 / Six-Pack Super Bee, and another guy I hung out with had a Tri-Power 435 hp 427 'Vette- ( that my dad tuned ). The buff magazines say a single 4bbl is better because their easier to make idiot-proof. I'm serious. I see it every Hot August Nights. Doesn't matter if it's a Hemi Mopar, or a 427 Stingray, or a 409 Impala, or a Tri-Power GTO or whatever. Guy has this pristine, restored car that he's so god damnded afraid of blowing up that he drives like grandma on Prozac, if he drives it more than on and off the trailer! The car never sees the high side of 3,000 rpm. Then, the second it fouls a spark plug, they start screwing around with the carburators. Pretty soon it won't even start. Now-if these guys had any sense they'd do one of two things. ( A ) Once in a while-like the GTO song-you need to "Turn it on, wind it up, blow it out". Make a full-throttle run down the freeway or through the gears. Or ( B ) If your going to drive like a little old lady-then go a range or two hotter on the plugs to keep them from fouling. If you decide to take a long trip or go the drags-changing the plugs to the proper heat range is easy. Anyway-multiple carbs look and sound cool and make as much or more power than single 4bbl setups. Besides the factory setups Edelbrock sells Tri-Power and dual-quad manifolds for small and big block Chevys, small and big-block Fords, Mopars , and Pontiacs. Redline sells 4-Weber setups for small and big-block Chevys and small and big-block Fords. I worked on a Monster Truck that had 4-Webers on a 454 Chevy burning alchohol!!  It shook the earth, and won the truck pull!! The main thing is err on the side of caution. If you've got an 11:1 440 Mopar with a 4-speed and 4.10:1 gears, dual 750 AFB's or Edelbrocks will really rock. On a 9:1 289 Ford with an automatic and 3.25:1 gears, maybe three 2bbl 160 cfm Edelbrock 94s or two lean-jetted 450 Holleys or 500 AFBs would be a better choice!!  Manufacturers, both Import and domestic went to single-carbs and later fuel-injection because of ever-tightening emission standards, not lack of power. If you decide on a multi-carb setup, spend the money to get an expert to tune it, and then leave it alone!!  The other thing that hot-rodders screw up on is "We shall overcam". They'll listen to some idiot in an auto parts store and get something way too radical for their application. Obviously, larger engines and manual transmission cars can tolerate more "cam" than small-blocks and automatics. Regardless of engine size or transmission it's better to err on the side of caution. In general-if you have 225 degrees or less duration ( @.050 ) lift-you'll have a good idle and can use a stock torque converter. If you go more than that you'll need a stick or a 2,500+rpm torque converter and some low ( higher numeric ) gears. The Cam manufacturers catalogs give good guidelines-i.e.-works with stock converter, or needs 3.42:1 gears, etc. You have to take the whole package into account, not just engine size. Here's a perfect example. Two Pontiacs. One, a '68 GTO, the other a '78 T/A. Both guys install the vaunted "Ram Air IV" cam which has 231 / 240 duration ( @.050 ) and .470 lift. The '68 GTO will absolutely rock with this cam. The '78 T/A will not idle, will cough and spit and not run as good as stock. Here's why. Both have 400 V8s. The '68 GTO has 10.75:1 compression, a 4-speed and 3.55:1 gears. The '78 T/A has 8:1 compression, a TH350, and 2.56:1 gears. The hot cam will make the GTO Rock, and the T/A stumble. See what I'm saying?  Anyhow-build your car however you want-it just may cost more than you'd like. Mastermind        

I stand corrected....But I still wouldn't attempt it....

Since I'm very good at crowing when I'm right, I feel obligated to admit when I'm wrong. In the previous post I said no one offered a manual transmission flywheel for a 403 Olds engine. A friend sent me a Summit Catalog and a company called Ram-that makes high-performance flywheels for various vehicles does offer a manual trans flywheel for 330-350-403 Olds engines. So-to the guy with the Disco-era T/A who wanted to convert his 403 / TH350 'Bird to a 4-speed-it is possible. However-the hassle and expense of chasing down a Muncie or T10 trans, a manual trans crossmember,a Bellhousing,the clutch fork and linkage, the pedals,the disc, pressure plate and throw-out bearing, the shift linkage, and cutting a hole in the floor for the shifter is still the monumental pain in the ass and the wallet that it always was. Further-most L80 403 / TH350 T/A's had 2.41:1, 2.56:1 or 2.73:1 gears, none of which will work well with a stick. You'll need to swap in some 3.23:1 or 3.42:1 gears to get the performance increase your looking for. And here's the "Catch 22" on that-if you put 3.23:1 or 3.42:1 gears, a TransGo or B&M shift kit and a 2,000-2,400 rpm converter in the TH350 model-you'd have a spectacular improvement in 0-60 and 1/4 mile acceleration, and a lot less expense and grief of doing the stick change-over!!  So my original advice is still good advice-if you "Gotta Have" a manual transmission Firebird-just buy a T/A or Formula 400 that has a stick from the factory!  On the same subject someone had asked me about putting a manual trans in a '78-88 "G" body-i.e.-Grand National, Monte Carlo, Gran Prix, Cutlass, etc. Their rare, but GM did offer stick shift models in the late '70's and early '80's. I personally know 3 people that had them. A friend had a '78 El Camino with a 350 and a 4-speed. A guy I worked with had a '79 Gran Prix with a 301 V8 and a 4-speed, and a neighbor had an '81 Monte Carlo with a Turbo V6 and a stick. Check the Hollander Interchange Manual ( the "Bible" that junkyards use to know what parts interchange on what vehicles ) and see what you can find. Also-I would think the much more plentiful '82-92 Camaro / Firebird linkage would adapt to a "G" body pretty easily, as well as '64-77 "A" body stuff. If you just "Gotta Have" a 4 or 5-speed in your "G" body you can certainly do it-depending on the combo you want to run. If your putting a T5 behind a 305 or 350 Chevy-that's probably a snap-just find a wrecked stick-shift 305 '82-92 Camaro / Firebird and pirate everything. If your putting a Rock-Crusher behind a 454 Chevy or a 455 Olds or Pontiac-you may have to do some fabrication!!  It's possible-but it may not be cheap or easy.  I also had a couple people ask me about trans-planting fuel-injection systems. Again-you can do it, but it's going to be a major pain in the ass. If you "Gotta Have" a "Tuned Port Injected" small-block Chevy in your car I suggest going to a junkyard and finding an '85-91 Corvette, Camaro or T/A that has an L98 350 or LB9 305 in it, and get the whole engine, the wiring harness, the fuel pump, everything you can. If that's not possible, then get the induction system, the distributor, and the wiring harness. A company called Painless sells complete wiring harnesses to make this conversion easier. Edelbrock and Accel offer ported baseplates and runners, and BBK offers larger throttle bodies and higher flow per hr injectors. You can make these systems feed a 450 hp engine reliably; it just takes some time and effort. Ditto for Ford guys-find a wrecked "5.0" Mustang and get the whole engine if you can; other wise get the induction system and all the wiring. Painless offers wiring kits for this swap into other Ford bodies, and Edelbrock and Trick Flow and Ford SVT offer ported manifolds, larger throttle bodies, etc that can feed up to 400+ hp engines. Mopar guys-there are zillions of Dodge Trucks and Jeep Cherokees with 318 and 360 "Magnum" engines in them in junkyards. Get the whole shebang if you can, or at least the wiring harness, fuel pump, etc.  These system swaps work great when their done right; however a simple 4bbl carb and intake will make as much or more power, be dead reliable, and cost about 1/3 of the price and about 1/10th of the grief!!  Anyhow the path of LEAST resistance is still the way to go. As Jimmy the Greek once said-"The race may not always be to the swift, or the battle to the strong, but that's the way to bet".  Mastermind