Sometimes it's better and more cost-effective to just "Run What You Brung"....

"Bigger is better" is certainly all the rage these days. Every buff magazine features cars and drag and dyno tests of cars with 572 inch Chevy Rat Motors, 514 inch Boss-Nine Fords, and 528 inch Chrysler Hemis all with 600 or even 700 hp. It's cool to read about them and maybe even dream about having a 10 second ride, but honestly, if your going to drive the car at all- ( Meaning it's not a race car or show car that only goes on and off the trailer or down the 1/4 ) a 572 inch, 12:1 compression, solid roller cammed 700 hp monster that idles at 1,500 rpm, requires 105 octane race gas and a 3 grand converter and 4.11 or 4.56 gears to run properly, and buzzes at 4,000 rpm on the freeway does not make for a pleasant driving experience. I mean wouldn't you be much happier with a 9.5:1 compression, hydraulic cammed, 450 hp 454 that idles at 800 rpm, runs on 91 octane pump gas, uses a stock converter and even with highway friendly 3.08:1 or 3.42:1 gears still runs in the high 12s?  Or the 11s with a little shot of nitrous?  Outside of the more-money-than-brains crowd who always have to have the biggest and best of everything, who NEEDS a 700 hp street car? The big cube, big buck crate motors may be a niche market, but it's infected everything else. There's stroker kits out there to turn a 400 Pontiac into a 455, a 400 Chrysler into a 451, a 440 into a 505, and a 454 Chevy into a 496. It's even pervaded the small-block crowd-there's crate engines and blocks and rotating assemblys for sale to make 427 and 454 inch small-block Chevys, to turn 351W Fords into 427s, and 360 Mopars into 410s. Why? 1st off, most of  these engines cost over 10 grand. If you want a mega-hp 427 or 454 Chevy, you can easily buy or build a big-block for a lot less than 10 grand. Ditto for the Fords. You can build a ground-pounding 429 or 460 for a lot less than the $12,000 Ford SVT wants for the 351-based 427 stroker. Now some people will say "What about applications where a big-block won't fit?"  Now your just playing "Devil's Advocate". Really. Think about it. Chevrolet built Rat-Motored Novas from 1968-70 and Rat-motored Camaros from 1967-72. This means that you can stuff a Rat motor into any Nova built from 1968-79 and any Camaro built from 1967-81 using off the shelf parts ( motor mounts, bigger radiator ) that you can buy at Autozone or any junkyard. Hooker and other companies sell motor mounts and headers to install a 396 / 454 into a 1982-92 Camaro / Firebird, and the '88 and later "G" bodies. Mopar Performane and other companies offer kits to put a 440 into a Duster / Dart. Ford SVT offers a kit to put a 460 into a 1979-93 Mustang. Pontiacs are externally identical from a 326 to a 455, and the motor mounts and oil pan even interchange with the little 301s. So you could literally bolt a 455 Pontiac into anything from a 1963 Tempest, to an '81 Grand Prix, and anything else in between. AMCs are also externally identical from the 290-401. A guy I knew swapped a 401 out of a Matador Police car into his 304 Gremlin and surprised a ton of people in "Faster" cars-i.e. 383 Road Runners, 396 Chevelles, etc. So the only application where a big-block physically wouldn't fit would be something like a '63 Nova, '32 Ford, or a '23 T-Bucket, or a Cobra Replica, or a Datsun 240Z or Austin-Healey. If your building one of those, their going to weigh less than 2,600 lbs. You can get 450 hp out of a 350 Chevy or 302 Ford very easily. In a 2,600 lb car-that's going to give you 0-60 times in the 4-second range and 1/4 mile times in the 11s provided you can get traction. A little nitrous would get you into the 10's and kicked off most tracks-( NHRA rules require any car that runs faster than 11.50 to have an 8-point roll cage and a driveshaft safety loop ). If you can keep a straight face and say that you NEED to go faster than that, then you need a Top Fuel Dragster, a competent therapist, or a cage. Even if you want or need 500+ hp in one of these applications you can get that out of a 350 Chevy or 351 Ford or 360 Mopar either with or without a blower. You don't need a $15,000 454 inch Dart stroker. If you can afford one of these megabuck engines and want one, by all means buy one. I'm just saying you can go plenty fast without spending 10 or 15 grand on an engine. Especially if your restifying a musclecar. The adage is "Always build the bigget engine you can afford." The key word is "AFFORD". Don't throw away a perfectly good 383 Mopar and then spend an extra $5,000 buying and building a junk 440. Instead of spending $2,000 for a 455 stroker rotating assembly for your 400 Pontiac, you'd be better off spending that money on carb and intake, headers,cams, ignition, gears, converter, and tires to put all that power to the ground. That's all I'm saying. Mastermind              

A "350" A-body might be just the ticket for you......

Everyone wants blood and a first-born child for GTOs, SS Chevelles, 442s and 400 / 455 GS Skylarks. However-you can still have a hot "A" body-for a lot less money than people want for the premium big-block models. It's partly supply and demand. For example in 1968 Alone-Chevrolet produced 58,000 SS396 Chevelles. They also produced over 400,000 base model Chevelles and Malibus. Now some of those are 4 drs and wagons and some El Camino sales my be thrown into those figures. Even still-there's probably a 250,000+ 2 dr base models out there. And that's just one model year of one car. The same goes for the other lines. There are a lot more base-model LeMans / Tempest, Cutlass / F85, and Skylark / Century models out there than there are GTOs, 442s, and GS Buicks. Throw Monte Carlos into the mix, and there are literally tens of millions of cars out there built from 1968-77, and a lot of them have 350 cubes under the hood. Here's how I'd rank them. #1. 1968-77 Chevelle / Monte Carlo. These are the obvious 1st choice, as there is more speed equipment for a small-block Chevy than anything else on the planet. # 2. 1968-77 Olds Cutlass. Of the "Other" 350s-i.e. non-Chevy-the Olds has the most potential. Its a big-bore / short stroke design and there was a factory high-performance version-the vaunted "W31". There is good aftermarket support. Edelbrock claims 397 hp and 400 lbs of torque from the "Performer RPM" package. Magazine writers spout numbers flippantly, but believe me-400 honest hp will make any street car into a rocket. # 3. 1968-77 Pontiac LeMans. I didn't include Gran Prix's because all GP's had 400 cubes standard. 350 Pontiacs respond well to traditional hot rod tricks-4bbl carb and intake, headers and dual exhausts, mild cam, etc. There was a 350HO package available on Firebirds and Tempests, but like the W31 Olds cousins, there pretty rare. The small bore / long stroke design gives them great low-end torque, but limits them in two ways. One is the big-port, big valve heads used on the 400 / 455s-that are needed to make serious power won't work-the valves will hit the block. Two-that big, heavy crank ( the same as a 400 ) is the reason these engines often go 150,000 to 200,000 miles on the street without a rebuild. But it limits rpms to 5,500 max. What to do is just accentuate what Pontiac did to begin with-make big torque at low rpm. With the proper cam, and carb / intake combo you can make 325-350 hp and 400 lbs of torque pretty easy. With an axle ratio between 3.23 and 3.73 and that would put you in the 13s  easily. But you won't make 500 hp like you can with a 400 / 455. The upside is, if you need that much power-a 400 or 455 is a bolt-in swap. Pontiac V8s are externally identical from a 326 to a 455. #4. 1968-77 Buick Skylark / Century.  Unfortunately for Buick fans, there isn't much speed equipment out there for  350 Buicks., and unlike Chevy, Olds, and Pontiac there was never a high-performance factory version. Edelbrock doesn't even offer a Performer intake for these engines. ( They do for 231 V6s, and the 400 and larger V8s ). Unfortunately if you want a stompin' Buick "A" body-your going to have to swap in a 400-430-455-which there are aftermarket aluminum heads, intakes, cams and other stuff available. 350 Skylarks make nice drivers but there just isn't the speed parts out there like there are for the other three. ( Chevy, Olds, Pontiac). But you can save thousands over the premium models. Mastermind  

A "Mini-Musclecar" or "Insurance Beater" may be what your looking for......

Even in the late '60's musclecar owners were getting shafted by insurance companies. Anything over 400 cubic inches was really targeted. However- the big three-GM, Ford and Chrysler quickly responded with hot small-block models to combat this. Even today-everyone wants the big-block models, which drives prices up. However-you can still find deals on the small-block models, and they can be made to really rock with very little work. Here's some of my favorites. # 1. 1968-70 Dodge Dart GTS / Swinger 340. These lightweight terrors pack a high-winding 340 V8 and will give those smug big-block cars a run for the money they won't soon forget. If your mechanically inclined, you don't even have to step up to the premium model. Buy a dirt-cheap 318 model and hop that up or swap in a 360.  # 2. 1970-74 Duster 340 / 360 / Demon 340 / Dart Sport 340 / 360. The 1970-73 models are the most desirable because they have the hi-perf 340. The '74 360 versions are basically a truck motor with a 4bbl and dual exhausts. But they have a lot of potential-'92 and later free-breathing "Magnum" heads will bolt onto the earlier blocks ( you'll need a "Magnum" style intake, but Edelbrock sells them for about $200 ). And there is a ton of speed equipment out there for Mopar "LA" engines. The same applies-318 versions will be a lot cheaper and can be made to run surprisingly fast, or a 360 is a bolt-in swap. # 3. 1968-77 Pontiac Firebird 350 / "Formula 350". Everybody fights with machetes for 400 and 455 versions. However-350 versions can be a screaming bargain. They respond well to traditional hot rod tricks-4bbl carb and intake, headers and dual exhausts, mild cam, etc. And, since Pontiac V8s are externally identical from a 326 to a 455, a 400 or 455 is a bolt-in swap. If you can live with a 350, or are looking to swap engines anyway-you can save many thousands over a Formula 400 or Trans-Am. # 4. 1968-79 Chevy Nova, 1971-77 Pontiac Ventura.  Nova "SS" models-even small-block versions sometimes command a King's Ransom, but there are hundreds of thousands of base models out there, and most have 350 Chevy or Pontiac power. Almost any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Camaro / Firebird fit these cars, so they have a lot of potential. # 5. 1969-73 Mercury Cougar. 390 and 428 versions bring a King's Ransom, but 351W and 351C versions are plentiful and are usually much less expensive than a same-year Mustang. # 6. 1971-76 Ford Maverick "Grabber" / Mercury Comet GT. These were sport packages offered on these compacts. Weighing about 2,900 lbs and having a 302 V8 under the hood, these cars have tons of potential. They weren't considered hot when new because they had a 2bbl carb, single exhaust, and salt-flats gearing. Give him a 4bbl, some dual exhausts and some gears between 3.23 and 4.11 and look out! A buddy of mine was aghast when a hot 302 Maverick showed it's taillights to his 440 Road Runner. Even if you can't find a Grabber / GT, there are a lot of 302 base models that would be cheap and really rock with very little work. Any of these would be a great sleeper. Mastermind        

What part of "Musclecar Mastermind" doesn't sink in?....

Got some e-mails from people deriding me for omitting their favorites from my list of greatest movie chases. I'm not omitting them, and I agree that some of these top the ones I listed. Here's a few examples. #1. "Against All Odds". Not really a chase, more of a buddy-buddy race between Jeff Bridges and James Woods. Woods is driving a Ferarri 328 GTS, Bridges is driving a Porsche 911SC and they race through so cal traffic. Legendary stunt coordinator Carey Loftin drove the Ferarri. Great action with great cars, no CGI. # 2. "Ronin" Awesome chase with Robert DeNiro ( or his stunt-double ) piloting a Audi A6 with nitrous down narrow European streets. # 3. "To Live and Die in L.A."  Awesome chase the wrong-way down the LA freeway. William Peterson ( "CSI" ) kicks ass in a Caprice cop car, while his terrified partner whines from the back seat. # 4. "The French Connection" Gene Hackman actually did the stunt-driving chasing a subway train through the streets of New York. These were all exciting, realistic chases. Except- I don't consider a Ferarri 328, a Porsche 911, an Audi A6, a 4-dr '86 Caprice or a 4 dr '71 Tempest a Musclecar!!  This site is about '60s and '70's musclecars. Thus, a chase with an Audi or a Ferarri and a Porsche wouldn't be on my list!!  Ditto for the "Transporter" movies where Jason Statham drives either a BMW 733I or an Audi A8. For me to rank it, it has to feature American Muscle Cars. Just had to vent that. Mastermind

If your going to restore the car, do it right for God's sake!!!

Went to the Barrett-Jackson auction here for Hot August Nights. There was some really interesting stuff-a 1968 Z/28 Camaro with the rare, dual 600 Holley Cross-Ram intake, a 1972 Mustang Mach 1 with a 351CJ and a three-speed stick, a real 289 Cobra ( there were tons of Cobra kit cars there ) a couple of Hemi Superbirds, and the usual array of GTOs, SS Chevelles. 442s, Chargers, Road Runners, etc. A lot of them were pristine and very well done. What irked me, however, was there was a ton that people were asking big bucks for that were all screwed up. And I'm not being Concours show judge anal- ( "You have the wrong kind of hose clamps" ) . No, when I say screwed up-I mean one or several glaring flaws that ruined an otherwise great car. Like the '70 Chevelle that looked totally stupid with 24" inch wheels. I mean it looked like Hot Wheel parody. These huge wheels and the car riding on top of them. The wrong wheels was the biggest offense. And again- I'm not saying you have to only run factory wheels. There was a '70s Trans-Am there that had 17 inch Snowflakes that looked awesome. There was a 'Cuda AAR that had 17 inch Cragar S/S mags and fat, ZR rated rubber at all four corners that had probably the best stance of anything there. There was '69 Mach 1 Mustang with 16 inch Amaerican Racing Torq-Thrust mags and 245/50VR16 Comp T/'A's on it that looked badass. I understand wanting to have the ride and handling quality of modern radials. That's why Wheel Vintiques, Year One and other companies offer Chevrolet and Chrysler Rally wheels, Pontiac Rally IIs and Snowflakes, Ford Magnum 500s and others in 15", 16" and even 17" sizes. That's why companies like Cragar and American Racing offer classics like the Torq-Thrust, the S/S, the Keystone Klassic, the Ansen Sprint, and others in 15',16" and 17' sizes-so you can put modern VR or ZR rated performance tires on your classic musclecar and still have a period-correct look. I have no problem with that. What I have a problem with-besides the Chevelle with the 24s, there was a 1970 GTO Judge convertible with 20" wheels that should be in "Lowrider" magazine. And it had a cheap auto parts store wood steering wheel. Come on,man! You couldn't get a repro Luxury Cushion wheel from Year One? Or a "Formula" wheel out of a junk '70-81 Firebird? ( The T/A style "Formula" steering wheel was an option on all '70-72 LeMans / GTO models as well ). Then there was the 1969 SS396 Chevelle that had late '70's Vega / Camaro / Nova bucket seats-which are totally different from the Chevelle / Monte Carlo / GTO style buckets. It also had a butchered dash with a bunch of Auto Meter guages in it. There was the 69 Olds 442 with a B&M "Star Shifter". Again-Year One offers reproduction GM "A" body consoles and shifters. And the famous Hurst "Dual / Gate" shifter was a factory option. You can still buy these from Hurst or Year One, or Summit Racing, or NPD.  If it had the Hurst shifter it would have been super-cool. The B&M stood out like a sore thumb. Then there was the 1964 442 with a later-model 350 in it. How did I know? Well the HEI distributor was the 1st dead giveaway, and the 2nd was the Quadrajet carb on a manifold that had an EGR valve next to it!! The Q-Jet wasn't introduced until 1967, EGR in 1973, and HEI distributors in 1975!! So,yeah this looked a little out of place on a '64 442!!  Again-I'm not a "Just as it left the factory" freak. 330 Olds V8s are scarce. They've been out of production since 1967. The 350 that was used from 1968-1980 is a lot easier to find and looks the same externally. I have no problem with that. But he could have used a point-type distributor ( or a stock-looking Petronix if he wanted Electronic ignition ) and an Edelbrock manifold with a Carter AFB or at least an Edelbrock Performer carb. That would be period correct and like the Pure Stock drag rules the original "type".  You can say I'm nit-picking, but these people were asking 25. 30,40, or 50 thousand dollars for these cars. For that kind of money, they damn well better be "Right". That's all I'm saying. Mastermind        

I will not go quietly into that goodnight!!!!

Hot August Nights is here in Reno again, and again I'm disappointed. For years we had cool car related events, and first-class entertainment. Parades, burnout contests, drag races, and concerts featuring Rock and Roll Icons like Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, The Beach Boys and The Righteous Brothers. Even the smaller casinos had people like Mitch Ryder, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Van Morrison, and Eric Burdon ( The Animals ) . Even after Bobby Hatifield died, Bill Medley still appeared, and sometimes Steve Miller or Davy Jones ( The Monkees ), or Elvin Bishop would appear. You know, people that actually had hits on the radio and did concerts in the '50's, '60's and '70's. Not so the last few years. The promoters and the casinos have gotten cheap. I realize there's a recession on, but Hot August Nights has always been a huge cash cow for the Reno-Tahoe area. More than 150,000 people visit for a week, and want to be entertained, if you can't ante up for this event, then turn out the lights. That would be like New Orleans getting lackadasical about Mardi Gras, or Sturgis slacking during the annual biker rally that attracts 400,000 people. I can't name an act that's appearing this year. I'm not kidding. These must be local garage bands or bar bands out of Sacramento. No one's asking for John Fogerty or Paul McCartney or the Eagles, but at least in years past, we got people like John Kay ( lead singer of Steppenwolf ), Mickey Thomas ( lead singer of Jefferson Starship ) , Gary Puckett ( "Woman,Woman", "Young Girl " "Lady Willpower" ), or even people like Peter Noone ( Herman's Hermits ). Again, you know, people who had recognizable hits that fans actually want to hear. I have absolutely no interest in a bunch  of  unknown 60 year old guys playing "Rock Around the Clock", or some clown who can't even get a job in a dive Vegas lounge with big sideburns murdering "Heartbreak Hotel" and making me wish Andrew "Dice" Clay would actually cut a CD of Elvis songs. And now there doing 1/8 mile drag races in Casino parking lots. Arrrrggghhhh!!!  This is so wrong. The reason is this really handicaps the really fast, big block cars. You don't even get out of second gear, and a lot of big-block cars, especially with street tires, spin the tires most of first gear. In a 1/4 mile drag race, a small-block car like a 327 Nova or 351 Mustang can get 2 car lengths off the line, and a 440 Road Runner or 454 Chevelle can catch it, pass it, and win by a car length and a half, as they pass through the traps around 90-110 mph. The race requires driving skill, managing shift points, and is an exciting duel of men and machine. Cut the distance in half- and here's what you have- who cares about a race where the guy with the holeshot automatically wins. Depending on axle ratio, some people might not even have to shift once, much less two or three times. I could enter my four-wheel drive Chrysler Magnum V8 engined Jeep Cherokee, put it in 4WD low range, and smoke 95% of the contestants to 45-55 mph!!!  That's not competitive drag racing, that's automotive masturbation. Again-the organizers and casinos being cheap. The insurance would be higher if they ran a full 1/4 mile. So ante up, and do it right. Or charge contestants more to cover the insurance costs. Top Gun Raceway, and Reno-Fernley Raceway both have full-on 1/4 mile drag races almost every weekend and are both less than 50 miles from Reno. In years past-they'd rent the old Reno-Stead Airport and do full-on 1/4 mile races there. No, were too cheap for that. And of course the rap that 1/8 mile races are safer because of the lower speeds. Who wants a slower, safer RACE??  I don't want to play or watch football on a 50 yard field and I don't want to play or watch basketball with a 5 foot high hoop, or baseball where pitchers can only throw the ball 50 mph, and I don't want to watch a boxing match where they guys don't hit each other in the head. I'm sick of the safety Nazis and Politically Correct groups ruining everything. I have to Quote Evel Knieval when he was guest-voicing on an episode of the "Simpsons". He told kids to stay in school and go to college and not count on sports or being a Daredevil to make money. Bart corners him after the speech and says "Evel, that was some load of crap you laid on the school board and the parents." "What's the real story?"  Evel looks around, and seeing no parents or school administrators, tells Bart-"Ok, here's the real scoop." "Bones heal, Chicks dig scars, Daredevils make tons of money, and America has the highest doctor-to-daredevil ratio in the world."  Bart says "Cool! Thanks Evel! " and of course decides to be a daredevil, much to Homer's dismay. I't s a joke, but we laugh because it's funny and we laugh because it's true. "Public Safety' is how the Nazis took over Germany. Don't let the bastards do it here.  Mastermind                

Some rare one or two year wonders that might be worth finding....

Here's some more one or two year wonders that are largely forgotten, but are still cool and wouldn't cost a mint to "Restify".  # 1. 1971-72 Dodge Demon. The 1970 Duster 340 was a sales smash and the buff magazines raved about their tremendous "Bang for the Buck". You could get the 340 in a Dart Swinger in 1970, however, the body was the much more sedate Dart / Valiant square sedan style, not the swoopy, semi-fastback muscular Duster style. Dodge wanted a piece of the action so in 1971 they basically put a Dart front clip on a 340 Duster and called it the Demon. They had every option that the Dusters had-the under-rated 275 hp high-performance 340 V8, a choice of a three or four-speed manual transmission or a three-speed automatic, and 3.23:1, 3.55:1 or 3.91:1 gearing. The Demon package also included a blacked out hood, cool stripes, a Go-Wing rear spoiler,and cute emblems of a small Devil holding a pitchfork. In 1972 the hood was changed to a single scoop instead of the two used in '71. Horsepower dropped slightly from 275 to 240 mainly because the compression ratio was lowered from 10:1 in '71 to 8.5:1 in '72. Performance was still good-"Cars" magazine tested a '72 340 Duster with a Torqueflite and the 3.55:1 axle and it turned in a blistering 14.34 1/4 mile e.t.  For some reason-maybe Dodge didn't promote the car properly-they didn't sell nearly as well as their Plynouth Duster counterparts. Mr Norm's Grand Spaulding Dodge built a few '71-72 Demons with Paxton Superchargers as a dealer-installed option. These were rockets, and are quite rare. You may find it hard to believe, but even in the '70's political correctness was creeping up on us. Several Christian Groups complained about the little devil with the pitchfork decals and the "Demon" name-which ironically stood for "Speed Demon" no religious connotation. Chrysler caved into the pressure and the Demon name was dropped for 1973, and the package was re-named "Dart Sport." If you can find one, they are a cool, fun ride-but I wouldn't pay any more for one than I would for a 340 Duster-that's basically what they are. # 2. 1972-73 Mercury Montego GT. These little-known gems are based on the Ford Torino chassis, which was extensively re-designed for 1972, using a body-on-frame design instead of the previous models unit-body construction. The result was a drastic improvement in ride and handling. While the 2 and 4 door Montego sedans sales were up like 136% over '71, the swoopy, fastback GT model wasn't promoted by Lincoln-Mercury. Thus, only 5,800 were built in 1972 and another 4,664 in 1973. David Pearson won a bunch of NASCAR races for the Wood brothers in this body. I personally like this style better than the Gran Torino Sport which is more common. 429 versions are going to be rare and pricey, but the majority are going to have 351C power with either a 2 or 4bbl carb, which is, if anything a plus factor. There's tons of aftermarket speed parts available for these engines to this day. Most will be automatics, but there are some 4-speed versions out there-expect to pay more for these. 302 versions will be the cheapest, but since the cars weigh close to 4,000 lbs, they are a little underpowered. If you can find one, they are a cool, unique ride, and though rare, will probably be priced lower than a same-year Mustang, Torino or Cougar simply because people don't know about them. But that's good for you, the buyer. In 1974, the fastback was dropped, and the Montego line now shared most of it's underpinnings with the Cougar, which was now based on the heavier and uglier Lincoln MKIV platform. Yuk. # 3. 1974-75 AMC Matador Coupe. The Matador was extensively redesigned for 1974 with a swoopy fastback body. It was so aerodynamic, that much to everyone's surprise-Mark Donohue and Bobby Allison won several big NASCAR races in these cars. 62,000 were sold in 1974 alone, so there out there. The bodystyle hung around until 1978, but the '74-75 models are the most desirable because they could be had with the 360 and 401 4bbl V8s. 1976 and later models had the 304 or 360 2bbls, which had the dual attributes of no power and crappy gas mileage, which contributed to their sales slide and ultimate demise. On the upside, if you find one, it will probably be cheap as even hard-core AMC enthusiasts are busy fighting with machetes for 1968-74 Javelins and AMX's. Further-although 401 versions may be rare-the AMC 360 V8 was used in millions of Jeep Grand Wagonneers until 1992, so finding a replacement engine in a junkyard will be easy, and there is good aftermarket support-Edelbrock even makes performance aluminum heads for these engines.  # 4. 1975 Plymouth Road Runner. Before you Mopar fans start howling, yes, I know the last "Real" Road Runner-i.e.-the "B" body Satellite based model ended it's run in 1974. However-the Brass at Plymouth had some pride. While Dodge shamelessly put the revered Charger name on a re-badged Chrysler Cordoba, ( Yuk! ) the boys at Plymouth put the Road Runner name on the "C" body Sport Fury which offered some performance. Look at it like Elwood Blues-"It's got Cop tires, Cop Brakes, Cop shocks...." The standard engine was a 318, but the ones to look for are the 360 and 400 versions. You got standard power front disc brakes, front and rear sway bars, a Torquelite and a 3.21:1 rear axle and the famous "Beep-Beep" horn. The buff magazines of the day derided the car and it's 16 second 1/4 mile times ( 1975 was the 1st year of catalytic converters, everything was a dog ) but at least Plymouth was TRYING. The Javelin was no more, ditto for the 'Cuda / Challenger, the Mustang was now Pinto / Capri based, there were no more GTOs, or SS Chevelles, and the Z/28 took a 2 1/2 year hiatus from 1974-77. Gee, wonder why Pontiac Trans-Am sales increased 100%-200% every year from 1973-76? ( And that was BEFORE "Smokey and the Bandit" which was released in 1977 ). On the upside over 7,000 were built so their not moon rocks, Mopar Purists snub them like the plague so they'll be cheap, and that engine bay will swallow a 440 or a crate Hemi like it grew there if you want to hot rod one. # 5. 1977 Olds Cutlass 442. "The Last of the Mohicans". The last "Real" 442-i.e. built on the "A" body platform with an engine over 400 cubes. Swoopy aero-nose and fastback rear window made this body much more aerodynamic than it's flat-nosed, notchback base model Cutlasss, Chevy Monte Carlo and Pontiac Gran Prix cousins. So much so that Richard Petty switched from Dodge to this body ( When his '74 Charger was outlawed ) and won a bunch of NASCAR races. Besides the "442" graphics you got F41 supension, cool interior options like swivel bucket seats, and a 350 or 403 V8. ( The 455 was dropped after 1976 ). More than 11,000 were built, and there is good aftermarket support for speed parts, and any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Chevelle / Monte Carlo fit these cars. The GM mid-sizes were downsized for '78, and Olds shamelessly put the Cuatlass and 442 nameplates on everything under the sun trying to drive sales in the late '70's and early '80's, with the all time low having the legendary moniker on a 4-cylinder, front-drive Calais in 1985. However the '77 models are the last of the "big" ( 1964-77 ) Cutlass "A" bodies, and except for the smog-choked engines, arguably the best of the breed. Mastermind          

"Vanishing Point" remake.....made me want to vomit....day-glo.....

Was up late one night this week and couldn't sleep and one of the cable channels had the "Vanishing Point" remake on. I watched it, and was pissed off from beginning to end. First off, don't try to top a cult classic. If they wanted to do a homage, they should have stuck to the original story. At least the Coen brothers didn't screw up "True Grit". No one can snarl "Fill your hand, you sonofabitch!" Like John Wayne. But Jeff Bridges didn't try to copy the Duke, he did Rooster Cogburn his own way, and although I still liked the original better, it was at least watchable and entertaining. Not so with the "Vanishing Point" redux. 1st off they totally changed the story. For those not familiar-in the original 1971 version "Kowalski" was an ex-Vietnam Vet, ex-cop, and ex-auto and motorcycle racer working as a delivery driver for a high-end auto dealer. He bets his drug-dealer the tab for some speed that he can make it from Denver to San Francisco in 15 hours in the 1970 Challenger R/T that he's driving. Along the way he's helped by a blind, clairvoyant outlaw DJ named "Super Soul" -brilliantly played by a young Cleavon Little, as part Stevie Wonder, and part Malcolm X. He also meets a snake charmer, beats up a gay couple that try to car-jack him, gets gas from some Jesus Freaks, and meets a naked motorcycle rider who's boyfriend gives him some speed and helps him beat a roadblock as he leads the police on a cross-country chase. Awesome car-chase action, and we see in flashbacks why he's not a cop anymore, and that his wife died in a surfing accident, which is why he doesn't give a shit about anything. He misses the timeline and dies in a blaze of glory hitting bulldozers on the California state line. A cool, existentialist story that's still cool today, and the soundtrack, featuring music by Mountain, Jerry Reed, Kim Carnes, Rita Coolidge, and Big Mama Thornton, is awesome. The smile on Barry Newman's face as he races toward the bulldozers is ethereal. To quote MC Hammer-"Can't Touch This". The producers shouldn't have. In the remake Kowalski as played by Viggo Mortenson ( "A History of Violence" "Eastern Promises" ) is a Desert Storm Vet-working as a delivery driver for a high-end car dealer that specializes in musclecars. And he's delivering a Hemi Challenger to a customer. ( Why that matters, I don't know-the original was a 440 Magnum ) That's all well and good. Then they get politically correct and stupid. His wife is nine months pregnant and suffers from Lupus. Ok, right here story ends after 15 minutes. Why take the job delivering the Challenger? If she's due any day, stay with her until the kid is born, and then take the next run. He leaves, and of course she goes into labor and has complications. That's the reason he's racing home. Much more politically correct than trying to beat a drug dealer out of a few hundred. Gag. And, excuse me? If your pregnant wife is dying, why wouldn't you park the car and get on a plane?  "Super Soul" not only isn't blind, he also isn't black, and isn't psychic. He's over-acted by Jason Priestley as an obnoxious right-wing DJ whose views are a little to the right of the Unabomber, and unlike Cleavon Little who steers him away from the "Blue Meanies", takes a beating from some racists, prays for Kowalski until the end, and screams "Stop!" as he's racing toward the bulldozers, Priestley rats him out to the cops. And for some reason he's chased by a Maniacal cop played by Steve Railsback-( "The Stunt Man" "Helter Skelter" ) who ditches his police car and joins the chase in his personal 1970 Charger R/T. He doesn't just want to catch Kowalski, he wants to kill him. Why? Because he's breaking the speed limit? Since when does reckless driving carry the death penalty?  The smokin' hot Peta Wilson ( "La Femme Nikita", "Mercy", "The League of Extraordinary Gentleman" ) is completely wasted as the motorcycle rider. Not only is she not naked, we don't even get a PG-13 shot of her say, barefoot in a bikini. No she's fully clothed in shorts and steel-toed combat boots. And her boyfriend just happens to have an E-body Hemi oil pan laying around in his pile of automotive junk that he gives to Kowalski after he springs a leak in the original one. That's much more politically correct and noble than her being naked, and offering him sex and a joint, and her man giving him speed, right? Gag. His wife dies in childbirth, and they imply at the end that he somehow bailed out of the car before it hit the bulldozers ( at 100 mph??!!! ) escaped the police and lived happliy ever after raising his kid. Gag, choke, retch. A colossal waste of time and money, desecrating a classic. The only worse case was when TNT cast 72 year old Tom Skerrit and 53 year old Maria Conchita Alonso in the roles of Sheriff Will Kane and the Mexican hooker who secretly owned the town originally played by 42 year old Gary Cooper and 28 year old Katy Jurado in "High Noon". If you can't improve on something ( which they usually can't ) then just leave it alone. Mastermind.    

More one or two year wonders......

In the last post I laid out a "Baker's Dozen" ( 13 ) cars that were only produced for one or two years, but offered tremendous bang for the buck. Here's a few more that not many people know about, but are still way cool. # 1. 1969-70 Mercury Cougar "Eliminator". 428CJ versions are expensive, but 351W and 351C versions are no more than a same-year 351 Mustang. But they have the cool hidden headlight body, with the scooped, flat-black hood, stripes, front and rear spoilers,and Rally wheels. And Cougars usually have many upgrades like leather seats, factory air, front disc brakes, etc. # 2. 1971-72 "Heavy Chevy". This was a base model Malibu with an "SS" style domed hood, 14" slotted Rally wheels, and special "Heavy Chevy" striping and lettering. They were available with any V8 from a 307 to a 396. ( 402 ). However, the majority are 350 powered, which certainly isn't a bad thing, or you could swap in a Rat pretty easily. Nearly 7,000 were built in 1971 alone, and a couple thousand more in the strike-shortened '72 model year. # 3. 1974 Pontiac GTO. Often called the "Best Nova" ever built. Since GTO sales had declined every year since 1970, the nameplate was shifted from the mid-size "A" body LeMans Platform to the compact "X" body ( read Nova ) platform, and for the first time in it's history the "Goat" had an engine under 389 cubes. It featured front and rear sway bars, front disc brakes, a Trans-Am style "Shaker" hood scoop, special striping and a 350 V8 backed by a 4-speed or a TH350 automatic. Weighing 600 lbs less than a Firebird, performance wasn't bad for the time-0-60 in under 7 seconds, and 15 second 1/4 mile times. However, since the Trans-Am was now the flagship-a 455 SD model would still run very low 14s or very high 13s in the 1/4, and since you could still get a 400 with a 4-speed or a 455 with a TH400 in a 2 dr LeMans, or Grand Am, the buff magazines howled to the heavens and derided the car. Pontiac Purists snub them, but 7,058 were built, and if you want a badass "Pro Touring" sleeper-a 400 or 455 is a bolt-in swap, and any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Camaro / Firebird fit these cars. # 4. 1977 Pontiac Can Am. Trying to capitalize on the Trans-Am's immense popularity, Pontiac introduced this appearance / performance package on the LeMans. It included a Trans-Am style "shaker" hood scoop, a white paint job with multi-colored "Judge" style stripes, a "ducktail" rear spoiler, a Gran Prix instrument panel and radial tuned suspension and a 400 Pontiac V8 or 403 Olds V8 ( in California ) backed by a TH400. If you can find one, their a cool ride. # 5. 1980 4-speed Z/28 Camaro. For this one year only, you could get a 350 V8, a functioning cowl induction hood, and a BW T10 4-speed with a 3.44 1st geat and a 2.28 2nd, coupled with a 3.08:1 posi rear end. This combo had better 0-60 and 1/4 mile acceleration, higher top speed, and better gas mileage than the '77-79 models 2.64 low gear 4-speed and 3.73:1 final drive. For some perverse reason, in 1981 the 350 was only available with an automatic. If you wanted a 4-speed, you got a 305. Yuk. With the exception of the 1970-74 LT1 / L82 models, the '80 Z/28 was the best balanced, best performing and best handling 2nd gen Camaro built. The 350 / automatic 1980 models are scooters too with their 3.42:1 rear axle, but they don't have quite the acceleration or top-end of the 4-speed models. # 6. 1983 "Cross-Fire" Injected  Z/28 Camaro / Firebird Trans-Am. For this one year you got a Cross-Fire injected 305 and a 4-speed automatic. This dramatically improved acceleration and gas mileage over the '82 models which had a 3-speed.  Most 3rd gen enthusiasts want the carburated L69 or the Tuned Port injected LB9 models. For this reason, these are dirt cheap, and with a little tweaking, can run surprisingly good.  #7 1982 Corvette. For this one year only-you got the last of the C3 bodystyle and a Cross-Fire injected 350 backed by a 4-speed automatic. 'Vette collectors snub these cars like the plague-they want the 1980 and earlier carburated L48 and L82 models, or the '85 and later Tuned-Port injected L98 C4 models. Thus they can be bought for less than a lot of other model years. If you want a unique C3 'Vette-they make nice drivers, and their performance isn't bad-sub 7 second 0-60  and 15 second 1/4 mile times were good for the time, and their is more speed equipment available for a 350 Chevy than anything else on the planet if you want more oomph. # 8. 1978-79 Dodge Magnum. With the Pontiac Trans-Am and Chevy Camaro selling in record numbers, Chrysler bean counters were sorely missing the 'Cuda / Challenger line that they gave up on 3 years earlier-the exact time that T/A sales began skyrocketing. Putting the revered Charger name on a re-badged Cordoba and the sacred Road Runner name on a Volare' caused howls of derision from the automotive press, and they flopped badly. They needed a rear-wheel drive performance car in the worst way, and they came out with these swoopy bodied 2 doors that had hidden headlights and even T-tops. If they'd  put a 440 in them, they might have had something. The only engines were anemic 318 and 360s, and there was no manual transmission option. The only part of a T/A or Z/28 Camaro these cars would ever see is the taillights. Richard Petty tried to run one in NASCAR, and had such bad luck that he switched to an Olds Cutlass. If you can find one, they'll probably be cheap, and they are unique, and with a hotted-up 360 or a 440 swapped in, you could have a real sleeper.  Mastermind                      

One or two year wonders that are way cool.....and not priced in the stratosphere

There are a lot of very cool cars out there that for whatever reason, only lasted a model year or two. Sometimes poor sales, or pricing, or EPA regulations, or whatever killed them. There's nothing wrong with them, they just didn't turn out to be the sales leaders the manufacturers thought they would. Fortunately, for the discerning buyer-these are great bargains today. Anyhow, here's a "Baker's Dozen" of cool rides that many people don't consider. #1 1970-71 Mercury Cyclone. David Pearson had great NASCAR success in the Wood Brother's Mercurys through the '70's and these sleek, fastback models were the first. 428 and 429 versions command a King's ransom, but 351C versions are still reasonable, and there is a ton of aftermarket performance parts available for these engines to this day.  # 2. 1970-71 Pontiac Tempest T37. The buff magazines of the day called them the "Poor man's GTO." You got a strippy Tempest coupe with a 350 V8 and a three-speed stick. However, options included both 400 and 455 V8s, and either a 4-speed or an automatic if you so desired. The same basic package was offered in 1972 as the "LeMans GT".  You'll pay more for one of these than you will for a garden-variety Tempest / LeMans, but their still thousands cheaper than people want for a beater GTO, and their unique.  # 3. 1970 Olds Rallye 350 Cutlass. These cars featured a super loud Sebring Yellow monochromatic paint job, a "Judge / Hurst / Olds" style rear spoiler,body colored Rally wheels and a 350 V8 backed by a 4-speed or a TH350. 3,527 were built, so there a little rare, but you can still buy one way cheaper than a '68-71 442. Rumor has it that 10 or 12 were built with the vaunted "W31" 350 V8, but I have never seen one, or a build sheet or window sticker for one, and none has ever been verified by any Olds engineer or a magazine like Hot Rod or Musclecar Review. # 4. 1971 Dodge Super Bee. For this one year only, the Super Bee package was offered on the Charger instead of the Coronet.  Of course,440, Six-Pack and Hemi versions are the price of a nice house, but of the 6,000+ that were built, nearly 5,000 of those were 383 versions, and they are still reasonably priced, especially when compared to other year Charger / Super Bee / Road Runner models. # 5. 1973-75 Pontiac Grand Am. Based on the LeMans chassis, these were touted to have the performance of a Trans-Am, and the luxury of a Gran Prix. 400 cubes standard, with 455 optional. Standard front disc brakes, and front and rear sway bars make them great handlers too. # 6. 1978-79 Dodge Li'l Red Express truck. These were a 1/2 ton 2wd pickup with a 360 V8, chrome wheels, Semi-style vertical exhaust stacks, and a trick red and gold paint job. Except for an L82 Corvette or a WS6 Trans-Am, this was the fastest American production vehicle built in those years. They have kind of a "cult" following among Mopar enthusiasts, but you can still buy one for less than the price of a basket-case Charger or Road Runner. # 7. 1984-86 Ford Mustang SVO. These cars featured Recaro Seats, 16" wheels, a trick suspension and a Turboharged 4 cylinder engine that put out ( depending on year ) between 175 and 205 hp. They didn't sell well because the "5.0" V8 models were both faster and several thousand dollars cheaper. However, you can buy them today at reasonable prices-about the same as a same condition "5.0".  # 8. 1984 Chevrolet Corvette. The first year of the C4 body that lasted until 1996. These are snubbed by 'Vette collectors because they have the "Cross-Fire" injected 350 V8. 'Vette snobs want the '85-91 "Tuned Port" injected models or the '92-96 LT1 / LT4 models. However-that makes them great buys. I have seen nice ones on used car lots as low as $2995, and rough-but-running ones for as low as $1,500. For those on a tight budget-this may be the only way you'll ever own a Corvette. # 9. 1990-93 Chevrolet SS454 Pickup. A 454, a TH400 / 700R4, and a 3.73 or 4.10 rear end in a 4,000 lb body? Sounds like a musclecar to me. # 10. 1992-95 Ford Lightning pickup. These had a trick suspension, 17" wheels and a hotted up 351 V8. They'd run a 15 flat 1/4 which was pretty good for the time. # 11. 1998-2002 Dodge Dakota R/T. Mopar engineers took the lightweight Dakota mid-size pickup, and stuffed in a 250 hp 360 V8, a slick-shifting 4-speed automatic and a 3.92 posi rear end. They dressed it in a cool body, lowered the suspension and put fat 255/55ZR17 tires on it. They looked mean, and with 6 second zero-60 times, they were mean.  # 12. 2003-2004 Mercury Marauder. For some insane reason, Ford never promoted this awesome car, and then wondered why they didn't sell in big numbers. SVT engineers took the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor chassis, added fat 18" wheels and tires, and swapped the 239 hp 4.6 liter V8 for the snarling, 300+ hp version out of the Mustang Cobra, and backed it up with a 4-speed automatic with a shift kit and a high-stall converter. The interior featured Auto Meter guages and special seats. Dynamite if you can find one. #13. 2004-2006 Pontiac GTO. The best car nobody bought. Car and Driver summed it up best-"It runs like a Corvette, handles like a BMW, and looks like a rental car." The Grand Am on steroids styling is what killed it. If Pontiac went retro and made it look like a '60s GTO ( Like Ford did with the Mustang, Dodge did with the Challenger, and Chevrolet with the Camaro, all top-sellers ) they'd have had people line up around the block fighting with machetes to buy them. Alas, they didn't. However if you want one-they have the heart of a Corvette- either a 350 hp LS1 5.7 V8 ( 2004 models ) or a 400 hp LS2 6.0 V8 ( 2005-06 models ) backed up by a six-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic. They ran blistering 5-second 0-60 and 13 second 1/4 mile times off the showroom floor. And the subdued styling may keep the men in blue from harassing you if you can keep foot out of it. I have seen these as low as $6,500 on used car lots. Mastermind                

Some alternative bodystyles that might be fun, cheap and fast....

Here's some ideas for badass rides based on alternative bodystyles. # 1. Nascar themed Mercury Montegos and Cougars. "Project Talledega" a 1975 Chevelle Laguna done up like Darrel Waltrip's late '70's stocker is one of Popular Hot Rodding's most loved project cars. We've seen Monte Carlo's done like Junior Johnson's early '70's champion, and we've seen numerous '71-74 Chargers done like Richard Petty's most famous racer. How about a 1970-76 Montego or Cougar done in Wood Brothers style? Radiused fenderwells to clear monster tires, de-chromed bodywork and two-tone red and white race paint with no 21 on it? While 460 versions are kind of rare, there's a ton of them out there with 351C, or 351 / 400M power under the hood that could be hopped up easily. I think a "Wood Brothers" Cougar or Montego would be way cool, and unique. # 2. Trans-Am style Dodge Dart / Plynouth Duster. We've seen Novas done like '60's Trans Am racers, and tons of Firebirds, Camaros, and Challengers and 'Cudas. How about a Duster? Radiused and flared fenders, front and rear spoilers, loud side-exit exhaust, and a stout 360 under the hood to back up the image. # 3. "Baby Grand" style compacts. Back in the day when 427 Monte Carlos, and 426 Hemi Chargers and Boss 429 Torinos were dominating the Nascar Grand National circuit, Bill France and company came up with the "Baby Grand" series. Most people ran small-block powered Firebirds, Camaros, and Mustangs. A few people ran AMC Javelins or "Cuda / Challengers. It never really took off, because everyone wanted to watch the big dogs-i.e. Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, David Pearson, etc fight it out in the big engined, big cars. However a Maverick / Comet set up in Nascar style with a high-winding 302 under the hood could be a serious sleeper. Other candidates would be '75-79 Ford Granada / Mercury Monarch 2 drs, Ford Fairmonts / Mercury Zephyrs, 75-79 Plymouth Volares and Dodge Aspen 2 drs, as well as AMC Hornets, and GM "X" bodies-Nova, Ventura, Omega, and Apollo. # 4. '50s and '60s "Gasser" style '70's full-size sedans. Impalas, Catalinas, Plymouth Sport Furys, Dodge Polaras, and Ford LTDs,-with radiused wheelwells, heavy front bumper removed, gutted interiors,monochromatic paint, and snarling big-blocks under the hood. Or protruding through the hood, if you wanted to run a tunnel ram or a blower. How cool would that be?  Bottom line is you don't have to spend a mint, and you don't have to have a Road Runner or Chevelle or GTO to be cool.  Mastermind  

Can't find the Chevy of your dreams? Consider a Pontiac!

If your having trouble finding the Bow-Tie of your dreams at a reasonable price, it might behoove you to consider a Pontiac. Yes, I know GTOs command as much or more money than SS Chevelles, but all the other Pontiac models can be bought for way less than their Chevrolet counterparts. # 1. 1967-79 Firebird. 455HO and Super Duty Trans-Ams aside, you can get a better condition Firebird for way less than a same-year Camaro. At last year's Hot August nights auction a 1969 Camaro SS 396 sold for the princely sum of $32,000. At the same auction a 1968 400 Firebird in similar condition sold for $18,000. The other factor is the fact that you could only get a big-block in a Camaro until 1972, and they were sold in limited numbers. By contrast you could get a 400 in a Firebird Esprit, Formula or Trans-Am right up until 1979, and the 455 was available until 1976. If you can't find a good deal on a 400 Firebird, you aren't looking past the end of your nose. # 2. 1969-76 Gran Prix. Same deal-Rat-Motored Monte Carlos are rare and command a King's Ransom. 95% of Monte Carlos built from 1970-75 were 350 motivated. By contrast-Gran Prix's had 400 power standard all years, and quite a few 1970-76 "SJ" models had 455s. # 3. 1960-68 Full-size. While 99% of  Biscaynes, Bel Airs, and Impalas of this vintage have six-cylinder or 283 / 327 small-block motivation, ( 396, 409, and 427 models are priced in the stratosphere ) every Catalina, Bonneville or Gran Prix built in this era had at least 389 cubes under the hood, and depending on year, some had 400,421 or 428s. And the Pontiacs usually had upgraded interiors and factory air, and other cool options. # 4. 1970-77 Tempest / LeMans. With the exception of a few '71-72 "Heavy Chevy" models and '73-75 "Lagunas if you want a factory-built Rat-Motored Chevelle, you have to step up to a SS model. However you don't have to buy a GTO to get a big-block Pontiac "A" body. There are a lot of  LeMans "Sport" and "Luxury LeMans" models  out there with 400 or 455 cubes under the hood. Although the GTO was discontinued after 1974, you could still get a 400 in a 2 dr LeMans until 1977,and the 455 was optional until 1976. And don't forget the 50,000 plus "Grand Am" models sold from 1973-75. They all had 400 cubes standard, with 455 optional. # 5. 1971-77 Pontiac Ventura. The ones to look for are the 350 Pontiac powered models. With very little work-4bbl carb and intake, dual exhaust and axle ratio change-and they will give any small-block Nova a run for the money they'd never forget. The real trick is to swap in a 400 or 455. Since Pontiac V8's are externally identical from a 326 to a 455, this is a bolt in swap if the car originally had a 350. You could do that way cheaper than it would cost for even a basket-case 396 Nova.  Mastermind        

"Personal Luxury Coupes" are a great alternative......

We all know that everyone fights with machetes for '64-72 GTOs, SS Chevelles, 442s, and Camaros, and Firebirds. Ditto for '68-70 Chargers, Road Runners, and Super Bees, and '64-'70 Mustangs. A lot of these cars are grossly overpried. The stunt coordinator on the "Fast&Furious" movies said for "Fast Five"-he paid $16,000 for a rust-bucket, engineless basket-case '69 Charger since they were going to put a fiberglas front end and small-block Chevy / TH400 powertrain in it anyway. But he was aghast and paid the price because while shopping he found-any decent Charger of this vintage-and he said decent-not pristine was priced over 30K. Steep for a car they were going to wreck anyway. Anyhow even if you don't have 30 or 40 grand to spend you can still have a cool, unique muscle machine. In the late '60's and early '70's "Personal Luxury / Performance cars were all the rage. Here's some of the best bargains out there. # 1. 1969-76 Pontiac Gran Prix. I've said it before, but these cars are the deal of the century. 400 4bbl power standard all years, and a good number of '70-76 "SJ" models had 455s!  My sister had a '72 GP in high school. It had power everything, and when you drove it, it felt like a GTO. She showed her taillights to many a shocked Camaro, Firebird and Mustang driver. Any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Chevelle or Monte Carlo will also fit these cars. Special note-some 1969 models may have 428s-which is great-they were rated at 370 or 390 hp depending on model, a nice bump from the standard 400s 350 hp rating. # 2. 1967-71 Ford Thunderbird. I love these cars. 1967-69 models have the cool hidden headlight front end, and although I prefer the 2 dr models, the 4 dr models with "Suicide" doors have a following too. 390 Cubes standard, and some have 428s, or 429s. The 1970-71s are the best in my opiuion. Gorgeous styling, and 429 cubes standard. This was the time when automakers started to care about handling, so these cars are awesome drivers-for a big car they handle surprisingly well. Especially if you do some minor upgrades like KYB shocks and radial tires. 1972 and later models had 460s, but they were low-compression "Smog Dogs", and they were based on the much heavier and uglier Lincoln MKIV platform. # 3. 1966-69 Buick Riviera. These cars had the sexy, fastback body of the Olds Toronado but were still rear-wheel drive. With 430 cubes under that long hood, they moved pretty good too. I personally think the '66-67 models are one of the best-looking cars GM ever put out. # 4. 1971-73 Buick Riviera. The famous "Boat-tail" design. 455 cubes standard all years. Cadillac-like luxury, and GTO-like performance. For some reason Buick engineers really dropped the ball with the ugly one-year-only 1970 model sandwiched between these two now-classic designs. Strange-because Olds stuck with the classic '66-69 design on the '70 Toronado. They weren't changed until '71. # 5. 1967-73 Mercury Cougar. The Cougar is to the Mustang what the Gran Prix is to the Monte Carlo-the better buy of the two. 428 Eliminator versions are priced in the stratosphere and 390 models are getting there, but you can still get a good deal on a 289 / 302 or 351W / 351C model. Cougars are cool because while most non Mach 1 mustangs of this vintage are strippys, most Cougars have upgraded interiors, front disc brakes, factory a/c and many other cool options. 1974 and later models were based on the heavier and uglier Lincoln MKIV platform. # 6. 1973-75 Pontiac Grand Am, 1977 Can-Am. These were supposed to have the "Performance of a Trans-Am, and the luxury of a Grand Prix."  However, performance buyers bought T/A's, and luxury buyers bought G/P's. If you can find one, they are an awesome car. 400 cubes standard all years, with 455 optional. Wrist-thick front and rear sway bars ( Radial Tuned Suspension ) make them great handlers. Pontiac supposedly discontinued them because of poor sales. I don't know why-they only sold  27,000 GTOs from 1971-74 ( including the down-sized for '74 X-body Nova platform ). By contrast they sold 34,000 Grand Ams in 1973 alone. I think that showed promise. After killing the Grand Am for 1976, I guess because of the Trans-Am's immense popularity they tried again in 1977 with the "Can-Am." It was a peformance package on the LeMans that included a 400 V8 ( or 403 Olds in California ) a TH400 with a shift kit, a Trans-Am style "Shaker" hood scoop, and a rear spoiler, and a white paint job with Judge style stripes. Because it's a one-year only deal ( the "A" bodies were all down-sized for '78 ) Pontiac collectors have driven the price way up on the '77 "Can-Ams", but you can still steal a '73-75 Grand Am if you look hard enough. # 7. 1970-77 Chevy Monte Carlo. Chevy fans are grumbling and wondering why the Monte is so far down on the list. Especially since this bodystyle was the scourge of NASCAR in the '70's.  The reason is all the others ( except the smaller, lighter Cougar ) all had big-block V8s standard. Yes, you could get a 396 or 454 in a Monte, but they are extemely rare, and command a King's Ransom. 95% of Montes in these years are small-block 350 powered. That's not a bad thing-but by contrast a Gran Prix had 400 power standard all years, and there's way more 455 G/P's out there than there are 454 Montes. Ditto for the Rivieras, Grand Ams, and T-birds. They all had big-blocks as standard equipment. That aside, small-block Montes make nice drivers, or you could swap in a Rat pretty easily if you wanted to. Any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Chevelle, fit these too. #8 1971-74 Dodge Charger. Although the Hemi and 440 6-pak had a last hurrah in '71, Chrysler in these years was promoting the Charger as more of a luxury car than a performance car. They saw the hot-selling Pontiac Gran Prix as it's competitior not the GTO, whose sales dropped every year.. On the upside the 400 ( a bored out 383 ) and the 440 4bbl were still available. If you can live with a 360-you can find some real bargains. 318 models are nice drivers, but just don't have the torque to move a 4,000 lb car along briskly enough. Ironically Richard Petty won more races in this body than any other in his career. Food for thought for bargain-hunters. Mastermind          

More on low-budget cross-breeding.....

Because of emissions laws GM played musical engines in the late '70's and early to mid '80's. Some of these cars can make very viable hot rods with very little work. And you could argue-"It's just as it left the factory".  Any how here's some good ones to consider. # 1. 1977-81 Pontiac Firebird. If you have a Firebird with a 350 Chevy or a 350 or 403 Olds engine, don't despair. There's plenty of aftermarket speed equipment out there to make these cars really rock. If you have a 305 Chevy or a 301 Pontiac I'd recommend an easy swap. Yank the 305 and drop in a stout 350 or 383. If you have a 301-your in luck-a 350, 400 or 455 Pontiac will drop right in. The motor mounts, oil pan and accessory brackets interchange with the larger engines built after 1970. # 2. 1978-88 "G" body. This includes Monte Carlos, Malibus, Gran Prix's, Cutlasses, and Buick Regals. From 1978-81 a lot of Regals and G/P's had 301 Pontiacs. Drop in a 400, instant street cred. Quite a few Olds Cutlasses from 1978-81 had 305 Chevys. Ditto-swap in a stout 350 or 383. As for later models-a lot of Regals from '83-87 had 307 Olds V8s. They are only suitable for a boat anchor, but the upside is a 350 or 403 Olds V8 would be a bolt-in.   From '83-88 most Pontiac Gran Prix;s had 305 Chevy motivation. Wouldn't a G/P with a ZZ4 350 or ZZ383 crate engine be a cool sleeper?  # 3. 1975-81 Chevy Camaro 6 cylinder model. There not super plentiful, but there not exactly rare either. I personally know three people that had these. The standard engine in a Camaro up until '77 was a 250 inch straight six. The upside is these strippy models usually had three-speed sticks. So you've got the bellhousing and the clutch linkage and the pedals already in the car. If you want to swap in a stout 350 and a 4-speed or a 5-speed, it's pretty easy. '78 and later models had a 3.8 liter ( 229 Cubic Inches ) V6 which was basically a 350 with 2 cylinders hacked off. Same deal-the bellhousing and clutch linkage is the same for the V8s. So you could drop in a 4-speed and a V8 easily. If you have an automatic one, same deal. If it's got a TH350-your in luck-they'll stand up to 450 hp easily. If it's got the 'Metric" TH200 or TH250, your going to need to change it. These won't stand up to any real power. That's why they were limited to the anemic V6 models that wheezed out 130 hp. The upside is a TH350 is a bolt-in. They use the same rear trans mount and driveshaft yoke as the smaller brothers. # 4. You don't see too many, but every once in a while you run across a '77-81 Pontiac Firebird, or an '81-85 Buick Regal, Pontiac Gran Prix or Olds Cutlass with a 231 inch Buick V6 in it. Now converting these to any kind of V8 power is a major pain in the ass. If you wanted a Chevy engine you'd have to change the tranny too, and even if you went BOP-pratically nothing interchanges with the V6. But all is not lost. There's two ways to go. # 1. Find a wrecked 1990-97 Buick Century, Riviera, or Pontiac Bonneville SSEI or Grand Am GTP with the Supercharged 3.8 V6 in it. These are fairly plentiful in junkyards and the engines have 250 hp stock, and you could increase that by 100 or 150 just by changing pulleys on the Roots-type blower. Get the wiring harness, fuel pump and all the electronics from the donor car, or Painless sell harnesses too. How cool that be-a blown V6 in a Firebird or "G" body?  #2. This is harder because they have a "Cult" following-but every once in a while I see a totalled Grand National or Regal T-Type in a boneyard. If you can, get the engine, the wiring harness, and the 200R4 tranny. GN enthusiasts run in the 11s with this combo with a little tweaking. I think that would be a totally cool ride. You could even drop either of these engines into the anemic '80-81 Turbo Trans-Am or Turbo Formulas. People would scoff at you-until you hit the loud pedal. What a sleeper that would be!  Any of these in my opinion would be cooler and more cost effective than spending 12 grand for an LS motor. Mastermind.  

Cross-Breeding is ok if it's period correct, and not a classic......

Hot Rodders have been cross-breeding for decades. Ever since the late '50's when someone swapped a small-block Chevy into a '32 Ford or a Cadillac V8 into a Studebaker coupe and instantly doubled their power output. A popular swap in the late'60's and '70's was guys with '53-56 Ford F100 pickups would put a Chevelle or Camaro front clip under them. This gave them modern disc brakes and power steering and allowed the installation of a small-block Chevy V8. These mods drastically improved performance and handling for low bucks. Purists griped, but it was easier to do than swapping in a Mustang II front clip and a 302. That's why it was so popular. GM guys have been doing it for 40 years. I know a guy that had an 11 second Pontiac Tempest powered by a STRONG 425 Olds engine. Another guy had an Olds Cutlass with a 454 Chevy in it. A friend in high school had a '66 El Camino with a 400 Pontiac under the hood that was a terror. A friend of my brother's put a 472 Cadillac V8 in a Firebird. These were all low-budget, "Backyard" swaps, but the cars were brutally quick and didn't cost a lot to build. A lot of times guys just transplanted a motor they had laying around into a body that needed a powertrain. Now some people are going to call me a hypocrite and say that I'm always railing about people putting LS engines into vintage iron, but I think this stuff is ok. I'm ok with these low-budget "Cross-breeds" because the Tempest with the Olds engine, was exactly that-a beater '66 Tempest that the guy stuffed a big motor in, not a numbers-matching Tri-Power. 4-speed GTO convertible, or a '69 Judge. The Pontiac powered Elky was a strippy, rough-but-running base model El Camino, not a pristine SS396. The Firebird was a 301 powered '79 model, not a 455 HO Trans-Am. That's the point I've tried to make until I'm blue in the face-I don't care if somebody slaps an LS3 into a beater Malibu or Camaro or Firebird. What drives me up the wall is it's always a numbers-matching, 4-speed, SS396, or a pristine '73 Trans-Am, or a numbers-matching Judge!!  I wouldn't throw a GMPP 454 or 572 crate motor into a one of the 678 1970 Buick GSX's. Anyone who even thinks that should be summarily executed. But if somebody wants to drop a snarling Rat motor and a TH400 into a beater '68-'72 Skylark who cares?  Super Chevy recently had an offensive one. A guy bought a pristine '71 Z/28 Camaro, yanked out the numbers-matching 4-bolt main, steel-cranked, forged pistoned, "202" headed, aluminum intaked,780 Holley carbed, solid-lifter cammed LT-1 and put in the LS!!!  Now why couldn't this guy have bought one of the literally millions of beater '70-81 Camaros or Firebirds out there? No it had to be a for-real, rare, Z/28 that he had to butcher. The most offensive one was a guy who'd put a 389 Pontiac into a '57 T-Bird!!  What I'm saying is, use some common sense. You like Pontiac bodystyles and Chevy engines? No problem. No one cares if you throw a 454 into a '69 LeMans, or a 383 into a '77 Firebird. Just don't do it to a Ram Air III Judge or a 400, 4-speed, T-topped "Smokey and the Bandit" Black and Gold SE T/A. So if you want to buy a "cross-breed" it might be a good deal, especially if it's a base model. If you buy a Pontiac Ventura with a 350 Chevy in it, then figure you have a Nova. Or if you have to have "Real" Pontiac power, playing musical engines with GM stuff is cake. You might to have chase some parts, but it won't cost you a mint. So that '58 Olds with the Chevy in it might be a good "Gasser" tribute project....Mastermind      

In praise of "Beater" hot rods.....They may be ugly....But their fast!!

Not everyone has 20 or 30 or 50 grand to put into a classic musclecar. There's a lot of people out there who'd still like to have a fast car to play with, even if they only had 4 or 5 thousand to play with, including the purchase price of the car. Here's some beaters with great potential. # 1. 1969-76 Pontiac Gran Prix. 400 4bbl power standard all years and a fair number of  '70-76 models had 455s. They all had front disc brakes and "Radial Tuned Suspension"-wrist-thick front and rear sway bars as well. Don't sell your soul trying to get ten grand together for a big-block Chevelle or Monte Carlo that needs work-you can buy a nice GP for half that or less.  # 2. 1973-79 GM "X" body. This includes Chevy Novas, Pontiac Venturas, Olds Omegas, and Buick Apollos. A lot of '75 and later models might have 305 small-block Chevys in them which is, if anything a plus factor. A stout 350 or 383 stroker would drop right in. The real bargains are the Venturas with 350 Pontiacs and the Omegas with 350 Olds engines. Since they weigh about 600 lbs less than the average '70's Camaro or Firebird, with very little work-intake, exhaust, and an axle-ratio change these cars can really rock. Or for a stormin' sleeper a 400 or 455 Pontiac is a literal bolt-in swap for a Ventura. A 403 Olds V8 will drop right in an Omega. Whether your building a drag racer or a great-handling "G" machine-your in luck-just about any suspension or brake upgrades that fit the Camaro / Firebird will fit these cars. # 3. 1971-77 Ford Maverick / Mercury Comet. Weighing in about 2,900 lbs, these make great sleepers. Forget the six-cylinder models; swapping engines in Fords is a nightmare. Look for the 302 V8 versions. 2bbl carburation, single exhausts and salt-flats gearing got them a rep as a "Dog". Some dual exhausts, a 4bbl carb and intake, and swapping the 2.80:1 gears for some 3.55:1 or 3.73:1s will have you showing your taillights to those smug Mustang owners quickly. A friend with a 440 Road Runner got his doors blown off by a warmed-over ugly green Maverick one night. # 4. 1975-79 Chevy Monza. This also includes Buick Skyhawks, Olds Starfires, and Pontiac Sunbirds. Forget the V6 models, the ones to look for are the 305 V8 Chevy versions. Again-2 bbl carburation, single exhausts, and 2.41:1 gears made them slugs. Add a 4bbl and some gears and you can torture '80's and '90's "5.0" Mustang owners at will. Or drop in a 350 or 383 and be a real badass. Special note: For some perverse reason, the 305 wasn't certified for California or High-Altitude emissions. Therefore if you ordered a V8, quite a few 1975 and 76 models sold in California or Rocky mountain states had 350s from the factory!!  Dynamite. # 5. 1970-76 Dodge Dart / Plymouth Duster. 340 versions command a king's ransom, but you can still find good deals on 318 models. With very little work these can really rock, or you could go to a junkyard and find a '92 and later Dodge Truck, van or Jeep Cherokee and yank the 318 or 360 "Magnum" V8 out and bolt it into your Dart / Duster. The Magnum heads breathe better than any factory head and many aftermarket ones, and Edelbrock makes 4bbl intakes for them. # 6. 1971-78 AMC Gremlin / Hornet / Spirit. Don't laugh. A friend of mine in high school had a 304 V8 Gremlin that he swapped a 401 into out of a Matador Police car. He smoked many an unsuspecting Camaro, Firebird and Mustang owner. Their light weight and short wheelbase actually makes them good drag racers-they have excellent weight distribution. Forget the 6-cylinder models look for the 304 V8 models. Some Hornets might have 360s stock. Or there are zillions of Grand Wagoneers in junkyards that you could pirate a 360 from. Edelbrock makes performance aluminum heads for these engines. # 7. 1975-79 Ford Granada / Mercury Monarch. Forget the 4-door versions and 6-cylinder models. The ones to look for are the 2-door V8 models. Most have the 302 / C4 for power, but there are quite a few with 351Ws!! Either way you can't go wrong. There are a million ways to build power into a small-block Ford, and a lot of these have 9 inch rear ends, with rear disc brakes!  Most people don't think of these cars as a performance platform, but they've got all the basics. I'd like to gut one, put a cage in it and a blower on the 302!!  Paint it monochromatic flat black and radius the fenderwells for big tires. Now that would be a modern-day Rat Rod!  Mastermind        

Why the "Old School" guys are tougher.....

The recent posts have sparked some debate about me not embracing the "New Breed" of Hollywood tough guys. I have nothing against some of the modern actors. But when you talk "Larger Than Life" heroes-Say comparing today in 2013 to 1973.  Do you really, honestly believe that Mark Wahlberg, Tom Cruise, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves, Russel Crowe, Colin Farrel, Hugh Jackman, Liev Schrieber, Daniel Craig, Will Smith, Shemar Moore, Tyrese Gibson, Jason Statham, Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Jeremy Renner and Channing Tatum stack up against John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Burt Reynolds,Sean Connery, James Garner,Telly Savalas, Jim Brown, Richard Roundtree,Ernest Borgnine, Joe Don Baker, Charlton Heston, Gene Hackman, Ryan O' Neal, Lee Majors, Bo Svenson, Donald Sutherland, Lee Marvin, Clint Walker, Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas and James Caan?.  Not even close. And here's the reasons why. # 1. To play an ass-kicker you have to look like you could kick somebody's ass. Now analysts are always saying that because of better pre-natal care, better nutrition, and steroids in food that people are naturally getting bigger-just compare the size of the average NFL or NBA player to the players of 30 years ago.  If that's the case, why are action heroes getting smaller? Check these facts- Of the "Old School" tough guys I listed nearly all of them were over 6 ft tall, and most were at least 6' 3'. Only Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Caan, Telly Savalas, and Ernest Borgnine were under 6 ft tall, and they were all at least 5' 10". Conversely, of the modern heroes, Dwayne Johnson, Hugh Jackman, Ben Affleck and Will Smith are the only ones OVER 6 ft tall. The rest are all 5'11" or less, and a few, Tom Cruise, Matt Damon.Mark Wahlberg, and Shemar Moore, are 5' 8" or under!!  I wouldn't want to meet Dwayne Johnson in a dark alley. But your going to tell me that John Wayne or Clint Eastwood or Charles Bronson would be intimidated by Mark Wahlberg, Tom Cruise and Keanu Reeves? I liked "Gladiator"- but Russel Crowe is not as threatening as Charlton Heston ( Ben-Hur, Planet of the Apes ) or Kirk Douglas ( Spartacus, Champion ). Even '80's tough guys like Sylvester Stallone, Chuck Norris, Bruce Willis, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Dolph Lundgren have it all over the new guys in just looking tough. Like "Fonzie" said to Richie on "Happy Days" many years ago "You have to have a look in your eye that says at least once in your life you've hit somebody besides your little sister."  # 2. Fans like to believe that action heroes actually are tough. Steve McQueen was a legendary auto and motorcycle racer, and a martial-arts expert. He was one of Bruce Lee's first students when Lee came to America. He did almost all of his own stunts. Jim Brown held nearly every NFL rushing record for years until O.J. Simpson and Walter Payton broke them. He defiantly went to prison several years ago-well past age 60- instead of taking anger management classes over a fight between him, his ex-wife, and her new boyfriend. He told the judge he did not feel remorse and would kick their ass again if the situation arose again.  Clint Eastwood did all of his own stunts well into his 60's. He jumped off the bridge onto the bus in "Dirty Harry" and rarely used a double in the mountain-climbing scenes of "The Eiger Sanction". John Wayne was 65 when he did all the riding and roping stunts, and had the brutal fight scene with 30 years younger Bruce Dern in "The Cowboys".  Sean Connery was Heavyweight Boxing Champion of Wales, and famously beat the crap out of Gangster Johnny Stompanato who pulled a gun on Connery over Lana Turner. I already stated that Robert Mitchum beat up a heavyweight boxer in a street fight who was one of very few people to go the distance with Rocky Marciano. Sylvester Stallone actually did the jump off the cliff into the tree in "First Blood", and suffered several broken ribs and a punctured lung while sparring with professionsl boxers Earnie Shavers and Matthew Saad Muhammed for the "Rocky Movies". Dolph Lundgren was a professional kick-boxer before he was cast in "Rocky IV". In the Martial-arts flicks, whether it was Van Damme, or Norris, or even Jackie Chan, it might have looked inelegant, but at least you knew they were really doing it. I'm glad these modern guys live in the gym to look ripped, but 90% of the action is all CGI. If I wanted to play or watch one of my son's video games, I would. # 3. The Old-school guys kept their private lives private, and weren't media whores wanting constant attention. We know John Wayne had Cancer, as did Steve McQueen and Bronson's wife, Jill Ireland. We know that Mitchum and Connery were legendary drinkers. McQueen ruined two marriages when he stole Ali McGraw from producer Robert Towne while filing the "Getaway". Burt Reynolds had affairs with Dinah Shore, Country singer Tammy Wynette, and Sally Field before he married Loni Anderson. But he nor McQueen never publicly bashed their exes like Brad Pitt does to Jennifer Aniston, or Ben Affleck does about Jennifer Lopez.  We all know Clint Eastwood was a legendary man-whore who left his wife for Sondra Locke, then dumped her for someone else and fathered children with like 6 different women. But unlike Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Will Smith, and Hugh Jackman and others they didn't whine about their marriages or stints in rehab on talk shows ( We didn't have "Oprah" or "The View", but there was Merv Griffin, Dick Cavett, Don Ho and others ). or in women's magazines like Redbook!!  They damn sure didn't talk about their sex lives.-Affleck and Smith make me want to gag. Jennifer Garner and Jada Pinkett are hot-we can see that. But Pam Anderson, Kim Kardashian and Eva Longoria are hotter and you never heard Kid Rock, Reggie Bush or Tony Parker giving a sickengly sweet testimonial about how wonderful their partner was. They at least had old-school class-"A gentleman never talks about his lady." I'm sorry, these whiny "metrosexuals" of today are not the he-men the old-school guys were. Just like the modern cars with their traction control nannies, clutchless sequential trannys, heated seats, moonroofs, and navigation systems are not the lean, mean badasses like a Six-Pack Super Bee or an L88 'Vette.  Mastermind                          

More Car Chase tough guys....And why "Dominic Toretto" isn't on the list!!

As I thought, several people griped that I didn't include Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Tyrese Gibson, or "The Rock" from the Fast&Furious movies in the last post. That's like asking why wasn't the Johnny Depp Voiced sheriff / lizard "Rango" included with Alan Ladd  ( "Shane" ) Gary Cooper ( "High Noon" ) John Wayne ("True Grit" ) or Clint Eastwood ( "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly" ) on a list of classic badass western movie heroes. Does anybody really think that Paul Walker with his "I know I'm a cute, blonde, surfer dude" smirk is as tough as Steve McQueen?  Puhleeze. I like Vin Diesel as an actor-when he's acting ( "Boiler Room," "Saving Private Ryan", "A Man Apart" ) but he phones in the "F&F performances. And yes, I read about him being a bouncer and that's where he came up with the famous "500 fights" speech from "Knockaround Guys". However when Robert Mitchum came to Hollywood he had a 50 inch chest and a 30 inch waist on his 6' 4" frame that was forged working on a southern prison chain-gang. In the '40's and '50's. After "Thunder Road" came out Mitchum got in a bar fight with and kicked the shit out of a Heavyweight contender who had gone 10 rounds with Rocky Marciano. Diesel is playing a character that's been to prison. Mitchum had ACTUALLY BEEN to prison, and the worst kind. As for "The Rock"- again I personally like him as an actor when he's acting seriously-( "Faster", "Snitch" "Be Cool" ) but "The tooth Fairy? and all those Disney movies? He want's to be taken seriously-Would Al Pacino or Bruce Willis have donned that tu-tu for ANY amount of money? He may match up to Mitchum size-wise, and is a gifted athlete for a big man, but winning scripted WWF matches isn't really isn't the same as surviving several years in a southern prison or beating the # 1 Heavyweight contender in a bare-knuckle street fight is it?  I don't care how many college boys Diesel threw out of yuppie bars or how many badasses the Rock PLAYS on screen,  a young Robert Mitchum would have left either of them "Looking like a jig-saw puzzle with a couple of pieces gone."  Tyrese Gibson with his "I"m intinidating because I'm black, bald and buff" swagger?  He wouldn't even have been "Gator's" bitch. Gator would have sold him to other white boys. Don't think so?  Burt Reynolds was a star football player at the University of Florida and was on his way to the NFL when he blew his knee out. He went to hollywood and worked as a stunt man for several years before he became a star. Like Steve McQueen, he did a lot of his own stunts. And he killed Sara Miles' husband in a fist-fight on the set of "The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing" in Mexico. If you watch "Deliverance" closely-that's him taking that flying leap over the rapids not a double. And him and Hal Needham did most of the stunt-driving in "Smokey and the Bandit" not CGI like Gibson's stunts in the F&F movies.  Any how a couple we missed- "Popeye Doyle"-Gene Hackman did the stunt driving in the famous chase in "The French Connection".  And we forgot "Buddy" played by Roy Schieder in the "Seven-ups". He pilots the Pontiac Ventura in the best chase filmed since "Bullitt", kicks a bunch of ass, and hangs his childhood friend who's been setting cops up out to dry. Mastermind          

Car Chase movie tough guy rankings......

After the last post I had some people ask if Robert Mitchum was the number one car-chase movie tough guy. I gave all the famous car-chase movie tough guys some thought, and I have to say, as much as I personally like Mitchum, he came in number 2. Here's my rankings of the baddest musclecar movie leading men. # 1. "Gator McCluskey"  "White Lightning", "Gator." Brilliantly played by Burt Reynolds, "Gator" was the quintessential southern-fried badass. The song in the opening credits of "Gator" by Jerry Reed-"Some say he was born in the swamp, and some say he come straight out of hell." Says it all. He's in prison when we meet him because he's been running moonshine since he was 13. He cons prison officials and the ATF into letting him out so he can get the crooked sheriff who murdered his brother on income tax evasion charges. But right from the start, we know Gator is going to kill the sheriff. Anyone with balls enough to kill a cop, even a corrupt one, while out on probation, has to be Numero Uno on the tough guy list. In the second movie he's let out of prison again to take down a drug dealer-"Bama McCall" played by Jerry Reed. Since they were grade-school buddies, Gator and "Bama both give each other several chances to walk away. But we know an epic showdown is coming. Two of the best scenes-in a southern whorehouse when a 16 year old hooker asks Gator-"Where have you been all my life?" Burt responds-"All your life?" "In prison."  And when "Bama finds out Gator is working with the feds, he drugs his whiskey. After Gator passes out, he tells his 6 foot 8 inch "Enforcer" "Bones" to "Put him in his car over the county line heading north." "And Bones-" "Don't you hurt him none." "I've known him since I'se a kid." "So don't you hurt him none." But Gator doesn't go north, and the showdown between him and "Bama's gang is epic.  # 2. "Luke Doolin"  "Thunder Road." Robert Mitchum was already 32 years old when he hit it big with this flick. Like I said in the earlier post he sold it to the studio because Elvis Presley was going to be the star. When Elvis pulled out they went ahead anyway. Little-known facts-Luke's little brother was played by Mitchum's 16 year old son James, who along with his younger brother Chistopher- obviously because of the family name-both became huge action movie stars in Europe in the '60's and '70's. Mitchum not only starred and wrote the screenplay, he also sang the song "Thunder Road" that was a big radio hit after the movie came out. It was a smash hit, and like "Shane" it was one of the first movies to feature an "Anti-Hero" in other words, the star wasn't a "Good Guy".  For 1958, this was heady, ground breaking stuff.  # 3. "Chance" "To LIve and Die in L.A." William Peterson ( "Manhunter", "CSI" ) was totally badass as a Secret Service agent out for vengenance for his murdered partner. He let's a counterfiter out of prison and loses him and has to find him, commits a robbery to get front money to trap the guy who murdered his partner, and gets a DEA agent killed. He also sexually abuses Darlanne Fluegel, his hooker / informant / drug mule / girlfriend and threatens to revoke her parole when she threatens to leave him and stop sending him busts. He also leads the DEA and the LAPD on a terrific chase in a stolen cop car, the WRONG way down  the LA freeway. He dies in a blaze of glory at the end, but it's a fiery performance from a classically trained stage actor that rivals anything Clint Eastwood or Charles Bronson ever did.  # 4. "Carter "Doc" McCoy" "The Getaway". Steve McQueen was never cooler. Like "Gator" we meet "Doc" in prison. He tells his wife ( a gorgeous then 24 year old Ali McGraw ) to tell a prominent Texas criminal-"Jack Benyon" that "I'm for Sale". He gets out, unaware how Ali has bought his freedom. The job he's supposed to do goes wrong, and him and Ali have to elude not only the law, but Benyon's henchman as well. Directed by Sam Peckinpah ( "The Wild Bunch" "The Osterman Weekend" ) the action is still cool even 40 years later. Best line in the flick-When Benyon asks what went wrong-Doc cooly replies "Hanson got stupid and killed a guard. "Rudy got ambitious and killed Hanson." "Then he completely lost his mind and tried to killed to me."     # 5. "Kowalski"  "Vanishing Point". Ex-Viet Nam Vet, Ex-cop, Ex-car and motorcycle racer "Kowalski" bets a drug dealer the tab for his speed that he can make it from Denver to San Francisco in 15 hours in a 440, 4-speed 1970 Challenger R/T.. He misses the time frame, and dies in a blaze of glory, but along the way he's guided by a blind, clairvoiant DJ "Super Soul" ( brilliantly played by a young Cleavon Little) and meets some evangelists, a snake-charmer and a naked motorcycle rider who help him along his way. He also beats up some gays who try to car-jack him, and wrecks the Jaguar of someone trying to race him. Barry Newman had a long TV and Movie career, but he never topped this role. # 6. "Frank Bullitt" "Bullitt"  Steve McQueen again-this time playing a cop. The chase is legendary, and the movie poster blurb-"There are good cops and there are bad cops". "And then there's Bullitt." is true. When the star witness he's protecting is murdered, Bullitt cons a doctor into helping him hide the body, lies to his superiors that the guy's still alive, and kicks a lot of ass leading up to the final shoot-out in the San Francisco airport. # 7. "Driver"  "The Driver" Ryan O' Neal at his tough-guy best playing a criminal getaway driver for hire. The two best scenes in the flick-. O'Neal destroys a Mercedes in a parking garage while his Russian mob passengers scream like schoolgirls, and in the 2nd one when a Thug pointing a gun at him sneers "A man with your attitude should really carry a gun." O Neal shoots him through the window of the Firebird he's driving, and says calmly "I do."  Sorry, F&F fans-the characters played by Vin Diesel and Paul Walker can't top these classics. Not even close. Mastermind

Why doesn't Hollywood Do "Thunder Road?"

In the last several years we've lost several legendary Hollywood tough guys. One loss that made the world a slightly less cool place was when Robert Mitchum passed away. Jan-Micheal Vincent-who starred with Mitchum in "The Winds of War" called him "Daddy Badass." He's most famous for his chilling portrayal of vengeful ex-con Max Cady in "Cape Fear" and playing Phillip Marlowe in "The Big Sleep". However the one that launched his career was "Thunder Road."  Mitchum wrote the screenplay, and actually sold it to the studio because he had a verbal commitment from Elvis Presley to play Moonshiner Luke Doolin. Already sick of Hal Wallis' campy singing movies, he wanted to be taken seriously as an actor and thought playing a gangster in a non-singing role would do it. However-Preley's manager Col. Tom Parker talked him out of it-saying that him playing a criminal would tarnish his nice-guy image. After Elvis pulled out, Mitchum convinced the studio brass to make the film anyway with him playing Luke Doolin. It had some cool ( for the 1950s ) car chase action with Mitchum eluding the police first in a hopped up '50 Ford and later in a '57 Chevy. The best scene was when He goes to a rival moonshiner's garage and they say-"Were takin' over your territory, Doolin, and there's no way you can stop us." Mitchum stands in the doorway casually, with two .45s in his belt. In that "Voice of God" ( only James Earl Jones or Sam Elliott come close ) that he had-he says simply-"I'm here." "You done been stopped." He dies in a blaze of glory at the end. The film was a smash-hit and made Mitchum a big star. Elvis Presley loved the film and said in later years he wished he hadn't let the Colonel talk him out of it.  Anyhow-instead of  "Fast&Furious 7" maybe they could do an update of "Thunder Road." I'd  set in the early '60's -you could use cool stuff like 409 Impalas or 421 Catalinas as the "Whiskey Runners". Or set it in like '67 or '68 ( 1962-70 were the years Buford Pusser waged his legendary battles with hillbilly gangsters in Tennessee ) and instead of a Korean War Vet Doolin could be a disillusioned Vietnam Vet, and you could use Chevelles, GTOs and Road Runners. He could still go out in a blaze of glory ala' "Vanishing Point" but the dialogue and the action could be really ramped up. They could get Rhona Mitra and Pam Anderson to play his long-suffereing blonde and brunette hotties. But hopefully they get someone like Viggo Mortensen ( "Eastern Promises", "A history of Violence" ) or Stone Cold Steve Austin to fill Mitchum's shoes. I can't see midgets like Mark Wahlberg or Matt Damon or Tom Cruise ( Don't get me started on "Jack Reacher" ) to play the hulking, badass, ex-special forces hero Luke Doolin.  You listening, Quentin Tarantino?  Mastermind    

Finish the damn thing right....Especially if you want Megabucks for it!!

To stay up on prices and other trends I follow Hemmings Motor News, the Barrett-Jackson Auctions, and some websites that specialize in Musclecars. One thing that always amazes me is people will spend umpteen thousands of dollars "Restifying" something, and then leave one glaring flaw. A few examples- #1. I saw a 1970 Charger for sale. The seller admitted it was a clone. It was originally a 318 car, but the owner had transplanted a 426 Mopar Performance crate Hemi, a 4-speed, and a Dana 60 rear end into it. It had a "Pistol-Grip" Hurst shifter and was done up like an R/T. It was very nicely done, and he was asking $79,000 for it. Now that may seem overpriced, but when you factor in that a "Real" 1970 Hemi Charger in excellent shape will sell for double or even triple that, it's actually not a bad deal if you can afford it and want a Hemi Charger. However-what stood out like a sore thumb to me was it had 4-wheel manual drum brakes!!!  Would you pay 80 grand for a 4,000 lb car with a 465 hp engine that didn't have disc brakes? The killer thing is-a "Real" Hemi R/T would almost certainly have front disc brakes from the factory. And Just Brakes, and other companies sell drum to disc conversion kits for Mopar "B" bodies that include the spindles, rotors, calipers, master cylinder and booster, and the brake lines, for about $800 bucks!!!  On an $80,000 car that's 1 percent of the cost. I mean-did the builder get near the end of the project and go-"Damn!" "I've got 15 grand in the base car, 15 grand in the crate Hemi, another 5 in the tranny and rear end, and another 5 in bodywork and paint." "That's 40 grand and a ton of man hours in this thing and I think I can sell it for 80k and double my money." "Or worst-case scenario give it away for 60K and still make a 20 grand profit." "But  I'll be damned if I'll spend another $800 for a disc brake conversion." "Screw the brakes."  Is that logical thinking?  # 2. Was a 1968 SS396 Chevelle. It was nice, and it had a GMPP 454HO crate engine in it, a Muncie 4-speed, a 12 bolt posi rear end, and front disc brakes. It was red with black interior, and it was nicely done. And the asking price was $39,000.  Except it didn't have power steering. Huh? If you've ever tried to park a Chevrolet vehicle with a heavy Rat motor on the front end and NO power steering, you'll know what I'm talking about. Again- Summit Racing sells brand new GM power steering boxes for about $350 and brand new pumps for about $150. So it would have cost $500 to put power steering on this car and make it right. Or if he wanted to he probably could have found any '68-77 GM "A" body-in a junkyard  ( which includes Chevelles, Monte Carlos, Cutlasses, LeMans, Centurys, and all mid-size wagons ) and got the whole shebang for $200!!  Again-I wouldn't pay 40 grand for a Rat-motored Chevelle with no power steering and a non-original engine. Especially when on the very same website there were two other pristine 1968 SS396s-one a 4-speed and the other an automatic that both had power steering and NUMBERS-MATCHING engines and were priced at $43,000 and $47,000 repectively. Whatever the guy spent restoring it, he couldn't spend another 3-400 bucks putting power steering on it and making it nicer to drive and easier to sell? Especially when your asking numbers-matching prices for a car with a bastard engine!!     #3. Was a 1968 Pontiac GTO. It was a 400 / TH400 model, red with red interior, and it had front disc brakes, the hood tach, and the Hurst Dual / Gate shifter in the console and factory air. The asking price was $29,995. Except not only was the A/C not functional, it was missing the compressor and all the hoses!! Hello?!!  Your asking 30 grand for a car that the air doesn't work on, and is missing the compressor?!  Are you kidding me??  Here's where I have to quote comedian Ron White-"You can't fix stupid."  A couple weeks later I see the car is still for sale-except the price has dropped to $24,995!!  I know that even paying a professional A/C shop 100 bucks an hour labor and retail for the parts, that he could have got the A/C fixed for less than a grand.  Even if the condenser and reciever dryer had to be replaced as well and the system converted to R134, it couldn't have cost more than $1,500 to do, parts and labor. I think that would have been a much smarter move than lowering the price 5 grand.  Because even at 25K-people are going to bitch- and rightly so-You want me to pay $25,000 for a car that needs a major repair?  And again-on the same website there dozens of other '68-70 GTOs for sale in the $20-30K range that were in the same or better condition and didn't need any work. And you wonder why yours isn't selling?  What are these people thinking?  Depending on what it is, you can sell a musclecar for 5, 10 or even 15 grand that "Needs Work". But anything your trying to sell for 25 or 35 or 50 grand better be excellent, because buyers can find 50 more just like it, priced lower simply by going on the internet. On the other hand that's where the term "Buyer Beware" came from. Mastermind              

Like Cheech and Chong said if it looks, smells and tastes like dog#%^......Must be dog$%&!! .

I saw a '57 Chevy for sale the other day that perplexed me. It was a 210 post coupe and it was a very nicely done frame-off resto. The asking price was $59,000 which I thought was reasonable-if you bought a "restorable" '57 and made it as nice as this one was it would have easily cost you 50K. It wasn't the price that bothered me, it was the guys choice of parts. For example the engine was a 327 that supposedly came out of a '63 Corvette. But the tranny was a Saginaw 3 speed that had the original column shifter. If he was going concours and the car had a numbers-matching 283 I could understand that. But the seller said it was built as a tribute to an early '60's style hot rod. Thus-the non-original 327. If a guy had this car in say 1965-yes he'd have swapped in a hot 327-but he also surely would have backed it with a BW T10 or Muncie 4-speed. At the very least he'd have added a floor-mounted Hurst shifter so he could shift the 3-speed a lot quicker than you could with the column unit!  The other things that bothered me were the rolling stock and the induction and exhaust systems. It had modern radial tires which is no biggie-especially if your going to drive the car at all-you want decent ride and handling. But they were mounted on body-coler painted steel wheels with dog-dish hubacps. As I remember my dad's and his friends rides in the mid-60's-including my mom's '58 Impala- it would have either Cragar S / S mags, or American Racing Torq-Thrusts, or at the very least "Chrome Reverse" rims like the '55 in "American Graffiti". If it was a really low budget hot rod it would have had plain black steel wheels. Body colored wheels didn't become popular until the mid-70's. The induction system vexed me as well-it was a dual-quad intake with two Carter WCFB 4-bbls. This was an option on the 283 V8s offered in the '57 Corvette and on the 210s, Impalas and Bel Airs. The 327 was supposedly out of a 1963 Corvette. As I remember there were 3 327s offered in 1963 Corvettes. The standard 300 hp version which had a hydraulic cam, and a higher compression solid-lifter cammed 340 hp version-both with single 4bbls. The top option was the 360 hp version with Rochester Fuel-Injection. As far as I know-Chevrolet never offered a dual-quad 327 in any model. Think about this-even in the mid-'60s no one would have spent the time or money to transplant a fuelie engine out of a wrecked 'Vette-even then they were extremely rare. If you did buy a carburated 327 out of a wrecked Corvette you'd have used the induction system that was on it. Depending on whether it was a 300 or 340 hp version you'd have had a Carter AFB mounted on a factory iron or aluminum intake. Nothing less than stellar to begin with. Or if you wanted even more power-Edelbrock offered the C355B three-two-barrel manifold, and the C4B 4bbl intake developed by Bob Joehnck and Vic Edelbrock Jr. You'd have used three Rochester 2GC 2bbls like on the Pontiac GTO or you'd have used a Holley or Carter AFB 4bbl. I seriously doubt that you would have searched out an old 2X4 283 setup with the even then-obsolete WCFB carbs-the AFB flowed more cfm and had better throttle response and drivability, as did the Holley 4bbls. If you wanted to be a total badass and HAD to have dual-quads, Offenhauser made an excellent low-rise dual quad intake that used two AFBs or two Holleys that was light-years ahead of the old 283 factory unit in terms of power and torque production. Finally-it had iron exhaust manifolds, but a stainless steel Flowmaster dual setup. Huh?  A mid-'60's hot rodder would definitely have used headers, and some loud glasspacks. If your going to go period correct, then let's do it right. What I deduced from all this was some mechanic found a clean 2 dr '57 body, built it up with a bunch of parts he had laying around, put a nice paint job on it and was planning on making big bucks off the sale. Which he will. Some one will pay his asking price or close to it. But it's not a "Tribute" to anything, it's just a nice car that someone slapped together very well with junk they had laying around. Like I said-why doesn't it at least have a 4-speed and chrome wheels? On a "Hot Rod Tribute" car your asking 60 grand for? Like Ditka says-"Come on, Man!"  I personally liked the car and if I had an extra 50 grand laying around I might even buy it-but that would be in spite of it's "attributes" not because of them. You don't find a good restored '55-57 for under 60K very often, so it's still a screamin' deal-and it's still something that some one cobbled up with crap they had laying around. It was very well done, but that's what it was, not a pristine numbers-matching concours resto like the '56 offered on the same website for about the same price that was a numbers-matching Bel Air!!  Mastermind                          

More "Junkyard Jewels" for your musclecar project.....

Yesterday I spoke about some late-model engines that are plentiful in junkyards and would be a low-buck power infusion-especially if you didn't have or need a numbers-matching engine. All of these were small-blocks however-the largest was 360 cid. For those of you searching for big-block power on a tight budget you might have to search a little harder, and pay a little more, but there's still stuff available that could make your car really rock if your willing to compromise a little. I'll list them in no particular order. # 1. 390 Ford. These were used in millions of cars and trucks from 1961-76. If you can't find a good deal on a 390 then you aren't looking past the end of your nose. There is great aftermarket support-Edelbrock offers performance aluminum heads and single and dual quad intakes for these engines. and Lunati, Crane, Comp cams, etc, all offer cams from mild to wild. They look externally identical to a 428 so if you were cloning a GT500 or Cougar Eliminator no one would be the wiser. Edelbrock claims 418 hp and 434 lbs of torque for their "Performer RPM" 390 package. Magazine writers spout hp numbers flippantly-but trust me 418 honest hp will make any street car into a rocket. # 2. 430 Buick V8. These were only produced from 1966-69, but there are millions out there in old Rivieras, Electras, Park Avenues, Centurions, and wagons. Buick enthusiasts fight with machetes for 455s, but these are largely overlooked. Anything 430 cubes is going to have some serious low-end torque, and Edelbrock offers performance aluminum heads and intakes that fit these engines, and their are cams, headers, etc available from various manufacturers. Even bone-stock dropping 430 cubes into a Chevelle-size Skylark or Century is going to give you a serious power infusion.  Even if your building a GSX clone-they look identical to a 455 and have just as much grunt. # 3. 428 Pontiac. Same thing-Poncho builders will give blood and a first-born child for a 455, or spend a ton of money on a custom aftermarket 455 rotating assembly to stuff in a 400 block, but 428s are largely overlooked. They were only produced from 1967-69 but there were millions sold in Catalinas, Bonnevilles, Grand Villes, Gran Prixs, and station wagons. I personally love 428 Pontiacs. They rev up like a 400, and they have as much torque as a 455. If you have one, or can buy one at a reasonable price they would definitely give any Firebird, LeMans, Gran Prix or Ventura some serious street cred.  # 4. 403 Olds V8. Again-these were only offered from 1977-79 but there are millions out there in Pontiac Firebirds and Trans-Ams, Catalinas, and Bonnevilles, Olds 88s and 98s, Buick Rivieras, Electras, and Park Avenues, and all of the BOP full and mid-size wagons. They are externally identical to a 350 Olds. This means you'd get an instant 53-73 more cubes for your '60's or 70's Cutlass ( over the 330-350 motors ) and any speed equipment that fits a 350 fits these engines. Don't scoff at these "smog" motors. Because they were in heavy cars, saddled with a lazy cam, single exhaust and salt-flats gearing-2.41:1 or 2.56:1 was standard on most GM offerings in this period-they got unfairly labelled as a "dog". Trust me- if you had a 403 in a '70s Cutlass, Omega or Firebird and gave it an Edelbrock Performer intake and matching cam, some headers and an axle ratio between 3.23:1 and 3.73:1, you'd give those smug 400 Pontiac GTO and T/A owners a lesson they'd never forget. I had a '77 T/A with a 403, and after adding headers, a Holley Street Dominator intake, re-curving the distributor and re-jetting the carb, and adding a TransGo shift kit-I showed my taillights to many an aghast Z/28 Camaro, 5.0 Mustang, ,400 Pontiac T/As, and '70's and '80s small-block 'Vette drivers. Hope this gives you some ideas or saves you some money.  Mastermind            

Some "Junkyard Jewels" that could power your Muscle Machine....

People are always looking for a bargain, and there are quite a few out there if you know where to look. I'll list these screamin' deals in no particular order. # 1. 1992 and later Chrysler "Magnum" V8. There are zillions of these out there in Dodge trucks and vans and Jeep Cherokees. The "Magnum" heads breathe better than any other factory head and many aftermarket ones. Edelbrock offers Performer and Performer RPM 4bbl intakes that are compatible with them. The 318s are ok for a light car-i.e. Dart, Duster-but the real bargains are the 360s-they can make serious power and be stroked to 410 inches pretty easily. # 2. 360 AMC V8. These were used in Grand Wagoneers until 1992 so their fairly plentiful in junkyards. Edelbrock makes performance aluminum heads for them. If you can't find a 390 or 401 for your Javelin / AMX project this may be the way to go. # 3. 351W Ford. These were introduced in 1969 and were used in various Ford cars, trucks and vans until 1997. An easy swap into a vintage Mustang or Cougar or to get more grunt for a Fox Mustang. Except for a small-block Chevy, there is probably more speed equipment available for these engines than anything else on the planet. # 4. 1996-2000 Small-Block Chevy There's are gazillions of pickups, vans, Tahoes, and Suburbans out there with these "Vortec" V8s.  Forget the 305s; the 350s are plentiful. The Vortec heads breathe better than any factory head and many aftermarket ones. Edelbrock and Weiand make intake manifolds for them, and their set up for roller cams from the factory. And they can be stroked to 383 inches easily. Any of these are plentiful in boneyards, and offer tremendous "Bang for the Buck". Mastermind