Curing "Smog Dog" angst.....

I hear a lot of people griping that some of the buff magazines say what a great base for a hot rod the 1978-88 GM "G" bodies are, Except the engines are anemic "Smog Dogs", and GM was playing musical engines because of regional smog laws.  If you live in a cave-in 1978 GM downsized the "A" bodies-i.e.-Chevelle, Monte Carlo, Cutlass, Buick Regal, Pontiac Gran Prix etc. They were about 600 lbs lighter than the models they replaced and for whatever reason the moniker was changed from "A" body to "G" body.  If you want to hot rod one of these you just have to have a little ingenuity and take advantage of GM's famed parts interchangeability.  If you can, avoid the V6 models because you'll have to change EVERYTHING if you want to swap in a V8. There is one instance where you can use a V6 model, and I'll touch on that later. For starters let's look at the V8 models.  Here's the ones to look for.  # 1. 305 Chevy Models. Whether it's a Malibu or a Gran Prix or a Cutlass, or whatever-this is easy as pie. A stompin' 350 or 383 or 400 small-block Chevy is a bolt-in swap. Depending on model year the transmission will either be a TH350, a TH200R4 or a TH700R4, all of which can handle up to 500 hp with only the addition of a cooler and a shift kit.  # 2. 301 Pontiac models. These were dropped after '81 but you see a good number of GP's and Regals with 301s. I've even seen a Monte Carlo with a 301 under the hood. The downside is there is zero aftermarket parts available for the 301. The upside is a 400 or 455 is a bolt-in swap. The motor mounts are in the same place on the larger engines and they share the same oil pan and tin and water pump. A 3,200 lb "G" body with a 467 inch Pontiac under the hood?  That's a monster sleeper.  # 3. 307 Olds models.  These have great potential because a 350 or 403 Olds is a bolt-in swap.  Edelbrock claims 397 hp and 400 lbs of torque from their "Performer RPM" package on a 350. 400 honest hp in a 3,200 lb car?  That sounds like a rocket to me.  # 4. 231 Buick V6 models. These will be dirt-cheap because nobody wants them.  If you have one, or can buy one cheap, this is what I'd do. Go to a junkyard and find a late '90's Buick Riviera or Pontiac Bonneville SSEI or GP SSEI and get the supercharged 3.8 V6 out of it. These cars had sequential port fuel-injection with a roots-type belt driven blower on the engine. Get the wiring harness if you can, otherwise you'll have to contact Painless wiring. Ditto for the fuel pump. Anyhow they were under-rated at 240 hp stock-which is double what the normally aspirated V6 wheezed out, and you can get over 300 hp easily by changing the pulleys on the blower. Slap some 3.73:1 gears into the rear end and You could give those smug Grand National owners a run they wouldn't forget!  Ford and Mopar and AMC guys really cry the blues. But they just need to think outside the box.  There's quite a few '83-88 T-Birds and Mercury Cougars with 302 V8s under the hood. Anything that fits a Fox Mustang will fit these cars so there's tons of hot rod parts available.  1989-95 T-Birds could be had with a Supercharged 3.8 V6 or a "5.0" V8.   AMC engines are like Pontiacs-from a 290-401 they are externally identical. That means you could buy a late-'70's Hornet or Gremlin with a 304 V8, and a 401 would be a bolt-in. If you can't find a 401-there are millions of 360s in junkyards in Jeep Grand Waggoneers built through 1993. Edelbrock claims 433 hp from their Performer RPM package on a 360. In a Hornet or Gremlin that weighs 2,800 lbs?  Like Jules's wallet it's a Bad Mo#$%*ucker!!  Mopar guys could buy Dodge Diplomats and Chrysler Fifth Avenues from the late '80's and early '90s dirt cheap. Granted, their not sexy-but most have 318 motivation, which means a 360 Magnum out of a Dodge Truck or Jeep Grand Cherokee would be a bolt-in. A Diplomat with dog-dish hubcaps and a 408 inch 360 Magnum-based stroker?  Mastermind           

"You can't always get what you want..."

That was a big hit for the rolling stones. The chorus finishes with "But if you try sometimes,you just might find, you get what you need."  That applies to old cars as well.  I'm getting really tired of people bitching that they can't find a deal on a decent car, yet they've passed up ten absolute steals because they weren't "Exactly what they were looking for."  You have two choices you can search the galaxy for your dream car-and then pay way more than it's worth when you find it.  Or you can be reasonable and you may find a fantastic deal on a great car you'll love.  #1 Consider less than the premium model. This should be a no-brainer.  It isn't.  I know an idiot who wanted a 400 / 4-speed disco-era T/A. He passed up a 400 / 4-speed, T-Top equipped '77 Formula ( For $2,300 in 2006 dollars!!! )  That ran like a scalded cat and only needed a paint job. Guess what he said?  "It's not a Trans-Am"  I beg to differ-it damn well is except for the bodywork!!  The engine and drivetrain and suspension are the same. The interior is the same except the Formula has a wood grain dash panel instead of aluminum, but the guages are the same. Dumb ass. A Camaro lover did the same thing. Passed up a beautiful 350 / 4-speed, '78 Rally Sport Camaro because it "Wasn't a Z / 28".  If you just "Gotta Have" a Boss 302 I hope you've got $50-80K handy, because Ford only built 1,600 in 1969 and another 7,000 or so in 1970.  By contrast-Ford built over 70,000 fastback Mustangs in 1969 alone, most of which had 351W power, which is a much better street engine anyway. I've seen really nice '69-70 Mach 1s for $12-15,000. Anything over 20K is usually amazing. About 1/3 or 1/4 of what you'd pay for a restored Boss 302.  I saw a Pontiac enthusiast pass up an awesome '69 GTO Judge clone for $16,000!!!  Because "It's a fake".  Now mind you-this wasn't a gussied up LeMans-it was a for-real GTO-it just wasn't a Judge originally. The owner had added the spoiler and stripes and emblems. This car was in great condition, had a numbers-matching 400 that ran great and the hood tach and factory Air.  Regardless of paint-this car was easily worth the $16,000 asking price. For a numbers-matching '69 GTO with factory air?!!!  "It's still a fake!"  I told the guy what Patrick Swayze said to Marshall Teague in "Roadhouse" before their fight scene. "You are such an asshole."  # 2 Consider less than the ultimate engine. This too, should be a no-brainer.  There's a lot more 396 Chevelles out there than there are SS454s.  There's a lot more GTOs and Firebirds with the base-model 400 than there are Ram Air IV's.  There's way more 383 Road Runners and Chargers than there are 440 / Six-Packs or Hemis.  I touched on it in an earlier post-I've seen quite a few Chargers with 2bbl carburated 383s and 400s.  Especially the '71-74 models. I think there was an "SE" package option that featured opera windows, a vinyl top, and upgraded upholstery and the larger 383 / 400 V8 in place of the 318.  I see quite a few '69-73 Mustangs and Cougars with 2bbl 351s.  A carb and intake is an easy swap.  A 340 / 360 'Cuda / Challenger / Charger is still a good performer and way cheaper than the 383 / 440 models.  # 3. Consider an automatic transmission. 4-speeds are great fun, I agree. However the cold, hard facts are there are more cars out there with automatics. And honestly-with a good shift kit whether its a 340 Duster or a 396 Chevelle or a 455 Olds 442-the automatic is probably going to be just as quick or quicker on street tires because wheelspin is less on take off.  Even a "Smokey and the Bandit" T/A-swap the 2.56:1 axle ratio for some 3.23-3.42:1s, and your "slushbox" will show it's taillights to those smug 4-speed owners.  Even Corvettes have more autos out there than sticks.  I have seen early '70s Gran Prix's and Monte Carlos with factory 4-speeds, but good luck finding one!  The new for 1969 GP was a smash hit-with over 100,000 units sold.  Of those 100,000+ cars only 112 had a 428 and a 4-speed!  See what I'm saying?  # 4. Consider a 3-speed stick. A lot of musclecars had 3-speed sticks standard and the 4-speeds and automatics were extra-cost options.  You don't see a ton of them, but I've seen a few GTOs and Firebirds with 3-speeds, I've seen 340 Dusters and Demons with 3-speeds and a 383 Challengers and Chargers with them. I've seen quite a few 289 / 302 Mustangs with 3-speeds, and a few 390 models. I've seen some 350 Camaros with 3-speeds.  You can generally buy these cheap because their not really collectible, their just weird, and the public snubs them in favor of 4-speeds and automatics.  # 5. Consider how much your "Gotta Have" option is worth to you.  If it's tri-power on a Pontiac or Mopar or Big-Block Chevy  the swap is easy and maybe 2 grand in parts.  If it's a 426 Hemi or an LS6 454 that's an expensive one-probably 15K just for the engine, if you could find one for sale!!  Got a bench seat Charger or Chevelle and want buckets and a console?  Call Year One and get out your credit card.  Just do some honest thinking about what is or isn't a deal-breaker for you.  Mastermind           

Playing with junk can be cool....

When I was a teenager a lot of guys built cool stuff out of clunkers. One guy built "GTO" El Camino. He took a '66 El Camino  and he put a '67 GTO front clip on it. He put a Pontiac engine in it too.  I can't remember if it was a 389 or a 400, but it would sure smoke the tires!  My cousin bought it already built, but he a Datsun SPL311-a two seat convertible sports car that looks like an MGB-that someone had swapped a 215 inch aluminum Buick V8 into. Since it only weighed about 2,200 lbs it was really quick. We had a lot of fun in that car.  I had a V8 Vega for a while and another friend had a V8 Chevy LUV pickup that was really quick. A guy I went to school with had 304 V8 Gremlin-but since AMC engines are like Pontiacs-their all externally identical-he went to a junkyard and got a 401 out of a Matador Police car and stuffed it in the Gremlin. It was really fast. He smoked a lot of shocked big-block Chevelle owners and 383 and 440 mopars.  One kid should have went on to do custom work like George Barris.  He had the coolest Ford Maverick you ever saw. He made a custom blacked out grille, and some headlight covers so it looked like it had hidden headlights. He removed all the chrome and the door handles. He put some hidden Corvette type door handles on it, body colored. He radiused and flared the fenders and put 50 series tires on it. He added front and rear spoilers that he'd adapted from a Camaro but they looked right at home. It was jet black and sinister looking. The inside was cool too. He'd installed swivel bucket seats out of a Chevy Malibu and he had a Chrysler "Pistol Grip" Hurst shifter on the four-speed. The engine was a 302 but with headers and an Edelbrock "Torker 289" manifold and a 625 cfm Carter AFB-it really ripped on the street-especially in a car that didn't weigh 3,000 lbs.  He didn't have a lot of money in it, but it sure was cool.  Another kid had an '81 Firebird that he'd stuffed a 500 inch Cadillac V8 into that was damn quick. I think that's kind of a lost art nowadays. Everything you see in magazines some guy has 100 grand or more invested.  I'd like to see some cars featured where the limit was say $20,000-including the purchase price of the car.  Bring out some imagination in people instead of just a checkbook.  Mastermind