Quirky musclecars in movies.....

Everyone's pretty much sick of  '68-70 Chargers, disco-era T/A's, Shelby Mustang clones, etc. I know because someone asked me about cool action flicks or mainstream dramas that had musclecars other than those whether there was a chase scene or not. I aim to please, so here's a list of cool flicks with cool cars featured. # 1. "Drive Angry". This over-the-top action / black comedy flick featuring Nicholas Cage as a-( in the words of the narrator ) "BAMF" who escaped from hell to rescue his granddaughter from a Satanic Cult, and the narrator-who is Satan's Bounty Hunter and has to bring him back. The bad guys can't kill Cage, because he's already dead. Anyhow-plenty of action-and I know he and Amber Heard drive a '69 Charger for a while-but he has a '64 Riviera early on, and later gets a '72 SS454 Chevelle, and the bounty hunter has a wicked '57 Chevy. Great, mindless fun. # 2. "Jack Reacher." If your a fan of the books-this one made you sick-in the books-Jack Reacher is 6'5" and 270 lbs. And they cast Tom Cruise? Who's what 5'8" and a buck-fifty? Puhleeze. There is a chase scene with Cruise driving a 1970 SS396 Chevelle chasing an Audi A6, while numerous cop cars chase him. If you haven't read the books, you'll like it. If you've read the books, you'll want to vomit day-glo. ( Kind of like when they cast 5' 5"  Boston-born and raised Mark Wahlberg as Stephen Hunter's 6' 2" Arkansas-born Marine sniper "Bob Lee Swagger", but that's another disgusting Hollywood gaffe for another time.)  # 3. "Roadhouse" Classic action flick with Patrick Swayze and Sam Elliott as legendary bouncers cleaning up a badass Missouri bar and running afoul of the local crime lord. Great action-Kickboxing Champion Benny Urquidez trained Swayze for this movie, and he looks natural in the fight scenes. When he throws that double-left hook while kicking the thug- "O ' Connor's " ass-it's pure poetry. And his brawl with Marshall Teague is legendary. Anyway he drives 2- '63 Rivieras in this movie-to avoid getting his 380SL Mercedes trashed. Watch the movie-it's a running joke, just like "I thought you'd be bigger." And the smokin' hot Kelly Lynch gets naked. Did I mention that?  # 4. "Code of Silence". Chuck Norris thriller that was originally written for Clint Eastwood-( which is why it had a great story; better than Norris's usual chop-socky crap ). Anyhow-Chuck kicks a lot of ass and drives a '75 Firebird Formula 400 that gets wrecked chasing the bad guys in a Cadillac. # 5. "Impulse". This under-rated thriller was directed by Clint Eastwood's ex Sondra Locke-and she showed she really had chops. I'm surprised she hasn't gotten other directing gigs. Theresa Russell stars as an undercover Vice Cop on the edge. Her job is hanging by a thread-( too many excessive force complaints ) and her credit cards are maxed and she's broke. One night while posing as a Hooker she takes a rich guy up on his offer of $10,000 to have sex with him. Except he's a major drug dealer, and he gets murdered while she's in the bathroom. She takes the money and runs, and then gets assigned the case. Both the bad guys and the cops soon figure out there's a missing witness. With the baddies and IAD closing in, she tries to cover her ass. Great suspense and a great running gunfight that ends in a cramped little convenience store-where barefoot and out of ammo-she takes out two thugs with some "Jailhouse Rock"-an up and down the body martial-arts system that came out of the prison system. ( It's good for fighting in tight spaces like jail cells,-duh- where you can't leap around like a ballerina; Mel Gibson used it in the original "Lethal Weapon" against Gary Busey in their big brawl ). Anyhow she drives a bright blue 1986 IROC-Z Camaro. # 6. "The Dark Half." The killer-"George Stark" drives a jet-black '67 Toronado with a bumper sticker that says "A High Toned Son of a Bitch."  #7. "The Punisher" This train-wreck really pissed me off. It starred Thomas Jane as a cop who has his whole family murdered by gangsters and is left for dead. He goes vigilante to hunt down the bastards and kill them. It starts off good enough-the late Roy Scheider plays his father and he and Jane take out a bunch of baddies in a great gunfight before their over-run. When he gets out of the hospital-he stockpiles weapons and builds and armored, badass '69 GTO. Then it goes completely off the rails. It spends way too much time on Jane's quirky neighbors-a fat guy, a tattoed and pierced little greaseball and the totally wasted Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model-turned actress Rebecca Romjin-they don't have sex or even date,and we don't even get a gratiuitous barefoot-in-a-bikini scene by the pool. Now that's a crime. The GTO gets wrecked but not even in a decent chase. A country singing hitman drive's a '70 Super Bee-but that's wasted too-no chase or anything. A total mess that will irritate you, even if you only paid 99 cents to rent it off Redbox. # 8. "Knight and Day." Tom Cruise spy vehicle that's NOT a "Mission: Impossible". He drugs Cameron Diaz frequently so she won't witness him killing anybody or committing other mayhem-that keeps her innocent as the body count rises, right? I personally think the director has a fetish for women fainting. If your into that sort of thing-you get several scenes of her rolling her eyes and passing out, and then waking up disoriented. And you do get a gratiutious bikini scene. Overall it's a mess with a stupid plot and implauible scenarios. Cameron does drive a nice Tri-Power, 4-speed, '66 GTO-the only redeeming quality of the film. And the old couple who classic car restorer Diaz is shipping classic Pontiac Parts to, who may or may not be Cruise's parents-your never definitively told-have a '67 Gran Prix convertible. Like I said, a mess. If I think of others I'll put them in another post....Mastermind                      

A perfect example of "What Not to Do".....

Had a guy come through the shop the other day with a nice 1970 El Camino. It had a leaky radiator hose,which was an easy fix. He said he was trying to sell it and wasn't getting many offers even though he didn't think he had it overpriced. It wasn't overpriced; it was just done wrong. It had an nice black paint job on a straight body, and the dash wasn't cracked and the seats were obviously recently redone in stock-type upholstery. However-someone-he said the previous owner-had installed a digital instrument panel. It also had 22" inch wheels on it which made it look cartoonish-a small car sitting atop these huge wheels. The 350 sounded good and seemed to have plenty of power-but it was an L31 Vortec crate engine. It did have an Edelbrock carb sitting on a Vortec Performer manifold-at least it wasn't fuel-injected. Those three things made it sale-proof. I've said many times that I'm not, and I despise the "Just as it left the factory" crowd. I mean is a 45 year old car really "ruined" because it has radial tires and halogen headlight bulbs? No it isn't. But on the other hand the modifications need to be period-correct. Now this Elky would have looked a lot better with 15" or 16" inch American Racing Torq-Thrusts or Cragar S/S mags, and some performance tires. It would have been better off with a stock instrument panel, and I would have been fine if had a Sun Tach attatched to the steering column. Even if the engine wasn't numbers-matching it would have been better if was a pre-1987 model-you know the "Original" 1955-86 small-block, like say a "Targetmaster" GM replacement, or just something a guy built with parts he had laying around-like an old Torker or Tarantula manifold with a 650 Holley on it and some headers. In that guise he'd have attracted the "Old School" guys like myself. The way it was it was too "New school" for purists, and too "Old School" for the guys who want supercharged LS motors and six-speeds,rack&pinion steering etc. I told him to leave the engine alone,that most people wouldn't care or know what it was-to them one 350 Chevy is as good as another- but change the wheels and the dash and he'd probably sell it quick. Typical-"But if I'm selling it why would I want to put any money into it?"  Because you haven't been able to sell it the way it is, and with the small changes I suggested you may not only sell it quick, but you might get a higher price because in the eyes of the buyers-your targeting-let's face it-no one under 40 wants a 1970 El Camino- the old guys only want it if it's "Right". I tried to explain by using a few different examples. "Ok." I said-a '68 Camaro with a 327 and a 4-speed with a Hurst Competition Plus shifter ( in place of that god-awful Muncie unit ),that has headers and an Edelbrock Tarantula Intake with a 650 Holley on it, Mickey Thompson Valve Covers, 15" Cragar S/S mags and Lakewood traction bars is just as "Right" now as it was in say-1971. A '68 Camaro with a nitrous-fed Fuel-Injected LS motor, Recaro seats, a richmond six-speed, and 19" inch Center Lines is "Wrong" in more ways than I can count. A '69 Mustang with a 390 with headers, a 428 CJ cam, a dual-quad Shelby intake with two Carter AFBs on it and a B&M stall converter and shift kit in the C6 tranny and shod with 15" ET slot mags, and louvers on the rear window is just as badass now as it was in 1970. A '69 Mustang with with a fuel-injected, supercharged Coyote engine backed by a 6-speed automatic and shod with 20" wheels is a lame horse, not matter how fast it is. A '55 Chevy with the front bumper removed,radiused rear wheelwells, a straight front axle, and a snarling solid-lifter small or big-block backed by a Muncie 4-speed is a badass Tribute to '60's style "Gasser" drag cars and street racers of the time. The '55 in "American Graffiti" and "Two-Lane Blacktop" still had the bumper-but you get the drift.  A '55 with a Tuned-Port Injected 383 backed by a 700R4, on a Morrison 'Vette chassis with 4-wheel disc brakes,rack&pinion steering and 20" inch wheels is an abomination before God and everyone else. See what I'm saying?  He didn't. Like talking to the wall. I've said it before-it's your car-you can do any damn thing you want with it. But if you want to sell it for top dollar-it has to be what the mainstream buyer wants-not YOUR dream car-which-the further it is from "Mainstream"-the fewer people are gong to be interested in it-like the '57 T-Bird with the Pontiac engine I mentioned or the '67 Camaro with the Toyota Supra running gear. Those guys think their cars are ultra-cool. Do you think either of them has a snowball's chance in hell of ever selling to a Ford guy, or a Pontiac guy, or a Chevy guy, or an Import Tuner?  No!!!  Tha'ts the point I was trying to make. Mastermind    

Playing with junk.....And maybe making something really cool......

A friend of mine owns a junkyard and he and I have talked many times about building cool stuff the factories never did. Here's a few that I think would be easy to build and cool to have. # 1. 1968-72 "GTO / 442 / GS 455" El Camino / Sprint. Buy a beater El Camino and put the front clip you want on it-be it Pontiac, Olds or Buick. The engine swap would be easy-you'd just have to get a BOP bolt-pattern TH350 or bellhousing if you wanted to run a stick. How cool would a "Sprint" be with a GTO front end, a snarling 400 or 455 Pontiac under the hood and painted like a Judge? Or go the Olds route and use a 403 or 455 Olds V8 and paint it like a Hurst / Olds. Or go Buick and do it like a GSX.  I think these would be way cool.  # 2. Muscle Wagons. Because of their long wheelbase and excellent weight distribution, a wagon actually makes a good drag racer. The obvious choices are 1968-72 LeMans and Olds Cutlass wagons because most of these would have a 400 or 455 V8 under the hood,and have a TH400 tranny, front disc brakes, and heavy-duty suspension stock. Again, I think it would be cool to have a "GTO" or "442 / Hurst / Olds" wagon. They'd cetainly make a cooler driver if you have kids than a Tahoe or Jeep Cherokee!  You could build an "SS454" wagon-but it would cost more as most Malibu wagons were small-block powered and you'd have to swap in the Rat Motor, but it would still be doable for not a ton of money; it just wouldn't be as easy as it would be with the Pontiac or Olds models that would have the big-inch engines standard. And your not limited to GM stuff here. Their a little harder to find-for whatever reason Chrysler didn't sell as many mid-size wagons as GM did-but it would be pretty easy to buy a Satellite / Coronet wagon and build a Road Runner / GTX / Super Bee wagon. The up side is no one is fighting with machetes for old Mopar wagons, most would have 383 , 400 or 440 cubes under the hood, and the parts and trim and graphics are readily available. How cool would a 440 / Six-Pack Super Bee wagon be? Especially if you put the hidden headlight Charger front clip and an "Air Grabber" hood on a '71-74 model?  Pretty damn cool if you ask me. You could also do a "Wood Brothers" NASCAR themed Mercury Montego wagon or a "Starsky and Hutch" Torino wagon. Most of these would have 351C or 429 / 460 motivation so building power wouldn't be an issue... # 3. 1981-87 "Grand National" El Camino. The cheap way would be to buy a beater '78-87 Elky an put the '81-87 Buick Regal front clip on it and paint it jet-black. Horsepower would be no problem-there's more speed equipment for the Small-block Chevy than anything else on the planet. A snarling 383 stroker would be the easiest and most cost-effective way to big power. The second easiest way would be if the Regal donor had the 307 Olds V8 for power and the Elky was a V6 model. You could grab the motor mounts and accesories and the 200R4 tranny-and swap in a 350 or 403 Olds V8 and a 4-speed automatic. Edelbrock claims 397 hp and 400 lbs of torque from their Olds Performer RPM package and that's on a 350-a 403 would have well over 400 ponies which would make this little hybrid an absolute rocket. And it would be easier than trying to change from a Buick V6 back to Chevy power. The third way would be find a wrecked Bonneville SSEI, Gran Prix or Buick Riviera from the late '90's and get the Supercharged 3.8 V6 and all the wiring out of that. Now there's going to be people saying why not transplant a real GN powertrain into the Elky?  Really? Who's going to cut up a Grand National that's worth major bucks to play with an El Camino that's not worth squat?  The only case where that's feasible would be if you had a GN and it got broadsided and totalled,with the frame bent in half, but the front clip,and engine and tranny were unscathed. Not very likely-so the cost -effective way is the ways I laid out. But it would look cool, and haul in more ways than one. # 4. 1977-79 Lincoln MK V Ranchero. The '77-79 Rancheros were based on the LTD II platform, which was the same chassis as the Lincoln MK V. It would be pretty easy to put the slick-looking, hidden headlight front clip off a MK V onto the Ranchero. If you had a 460 model ( or if the MK V donor car did ) you'd have a unique, badass ride for low bucks. If you had a 351 / 400M model-there's a lot of speed equipment available for them-so building power wouldn't be too hard. Any of these would be cool, unique drivers in my opinion. Mastermind.        

Some full-sizes that would make cool cruisers......

The '60's were full of cool full-size cars. Everyone is fighting over the musclecars so often the full-sizes are overlooked. Here's a few that I think would be really fun to have. # 1. 1966-70 Olds Toronado. Yes, I know their front-wheel drive. But if you live in a state where it snows, that's a plus factor. And they have the swoopy, fastback, hidden headlight styling that's still cool almost 50 years later. The killer "George Stark" drove a black Toronado with a bumper sticker that said "A High Toned Son of a Bitch" in the book and movie version of Stephen King's thriller "The Dark Half." And they have 425 or 455 cubes under the hood. Car Life's 1970 Toro test car-weighing 4,700 lbs-ripped through the 1/4 in 15.0 seconds.  Which brings up another badass front-driver...# 2. 1967-68 Cadillac Eldorado. I personally think these are one of the best looking cars that GM ever put out. Hidden headlights and the sharp edges and that semi-formal roof line-you have to paint it black, gold, silver or Pearl white and tint the windows. I can hear George Thorogood playing "Bad to the Bone." And with 472 cubes under that long hood-you have the "Go" along with the "Show". # 3. 1967-68 Pontiac Gran Prix. The last full-size GP before they down-sized to the "A" body platform in 1969. Hidden headlights, fastback styling, luxurious interiors and 400 or 428 cubes under the hood. What's not to like? Ray Liotta drove a '68 Model in "Goodfellas", and Tom Cruise's parents had a '67 in "Knight and Day."  # 4. 1967-69 Olds Delta 88 Coupe. Cool fastback styling-GM was really into it- in the late '60's-have you figured that out? Anyhow-cool interiors and 425 or 455 cubes under that long hood. # 5. 1967-69 Ford Thunderbird. Great styling, luxurious interiors, and 390 or 428 cubes under the hood. I personally think this is the best-looking T-Bird Ford ever put out. I'd want a 2 door coupe, but a lot of people like the 4-door model with the "Suicide" doors. You can't go wrong either way. #6. 1970-71 Plymouth Sport Fury. Hidden headlights,swoopy styling and 383 or 440 cubes under the hood. Peter Graves drove one on "Mission: Impossible."  Sometimes bigger really is better.....Mastermind

Some "Oddball" Pontiacs that might be cool....

Pontiac always tried to have innovative stuff even if it didn't always go over with the buying public. Here's a few that would be cool to have.  # 1. 1967-68 OHC 6-cylinder Firebird. That's not a Typo. In 1967-68 you could get a Firebird with a 250 inch overhead cam straight six that made 215 hp and had a four-barrel carb. Transmissions were either a 4-speed or an automatic. Since the '67-68 Firebirds were light-about 3300 lbs-they were pretty good performers-they have the same power to weight ratio as a Tuned Port Injected LB9 '85 IROC-Z Camaro. However-with gas about 30 cents a gallon and the musclecar craze in full swing-nobody cared about a 215 hp Firebird that got good gas mileage. Everyone wanted the mighty 400 V8. They still do-which lucky for you if you want a "cammer" six model-keeps the prices low even though their kind of rare. # 2. 1967-68 "Turnpike" Edition GTO. For some insane reason someone in GM marketing thought that replacing the GTO's standard 350 hp 400 4bbl V8, 3-speed manual trans and 3.36:1 gearing with a 265 hp 2bbl 400, a TH400 automatic and 2.93:1 salt-flats gearing would sell like hot cakes. ( Olds oddly did the same thing with the 442 those years ). Like with "New Coke" the public was not amused. No one wanted a GTO that had no balls, and got 16 mpg instead of 12. Their not worth anything other than the fact that you may have a clean GTO body. And Pontiac collectors snub them like the plague so you may be able to find a deal on one. The upside is installing a 4bbl carb & intake is easy, as is swapping the 2.93:1 gears for something like 3.55:1 to get the performance to back up the image. # 3. 1968-69 Firebird / Tempest 350 HO. Insurance companies were already raising rates on big-block cars so Pontiac countered with a hot-rodded 350 in the Tempest and the Firebird. These actually came about because the engineers were trying to build a lower-priced GTO to compete with the hot-selling Plymouth Road Runner. The prototype was a strippy Tempest coupe with a hotted-up 350 and a 4-speed; it was tentatively name "E.T."-for "Elapsed Time"-get it?  In testing it beat a 383 Road Runner in a drag race. DeLorean had a fit and said there would never be a GTO with an engine smaller than 400 cubes as long as he was in charge. The "ET" somehow morphed into the "Judge". However the engineers like the performance of the package and the fact that it could be priced lower than the 400 versions and would get lower insurance rates with the smaller engine. DeLorean said they couldn't put it in the GTO-he didn't say anything about the Tempest or the Firebird.  They were rated at 325 hp-within 25 hp of the GTO's standard 400's 350 hp rating. Think about this-all a 250 hp 302 or 290 hp 351 Mustang or a 275 hp 327 or 295 hp 350 Camaro would see of the 325 hp Firebird would be it's taillights. Ditto for the Tempest against a small-block Chevelle. Again-although these 350 HO models are fairly rare-people are fighting with machetes for 400 versions. You can buy these several thousand dollars cheaper than a same-condition 400 model. # 4. 1973-75 Grand Am. These were based on the LeMans chassis. 400 cubes standard, with 455 optional. You could even get a 4-speed with the 400, although the 455s were limited to a TH400. 34,000 were built in 1973 alone-so their not a moon rock. And any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Chevelle fit these cars. # 5. 1974 Ventura GTO. Often called the "Best Nova Ever Built". These were based on the "X" body-( read Nova ) platform. They had a 350 V8 backed by a 4-speed or a TH350, front and rear sway bars, front disc brakes and a Trans-Am style "Shaker" hood scoop. 7,058 were built. The bonus is a 400 or 455 is a bolt-in swap, which would make a badass sleeper. I know-I took the 400 out of my wrecked '77 T/A and stuffed it into a '71 Ventura. Anyhow-some would say these aren't collectible, just weird-but they are unique and fun to drive and might be fun to play with. Mastermind          

The "Blue Oval" El Camino.....

Had some people asking me why I didn't mention the Ranchero in the post about the "Other" El Camino. First off-Here's your sign. The post's title said "GM's other El Camino". Last time I checked GM and Ford were separate companies. Anyhow the blue oval boys did market a similar car / truck hybrid for many years. It debuted in 1957 on the Fairlane chassis. From 1960-65 it was on the compact Falcon chassis. These have the endearing quality of being "cute". Other than that-as a utility vehicle you can't really haul much in the tiny bed, and the compact sedan suspension won't carry anything much over 800 lbs so actually using it like a truck-like you would a 1/2 ton pickup say-is pretty much out. And since they were only available with a 200 inch six-cylinder or a 260 or 289 V8 with a 2bbl they don't make much of a musclecar either. They are very light-about 2,500 lbs-and with some traction aids and maybe a 345 hp SVT 302 crate motor-you could build a cool cruiser with some balls-but their really just too small to make into a major-league badass. In 1966 Ford went back to mid-size Farlaine chasiss, which would allow it to compete with the hated Chevys. Since you could get a 396 in an El Camino Ford made sure you could get a 390 in the Ranchero. 1967 was pretty much unchanged. In '68 they went to the Torino bodystyle which was still based on the Fairlane chassis. The 289 was discontinued, but the 302 was an option, as were the 351W and the 390. In 1970 the engine lineup was expanded to include the 351 Cleveland and the 429 CJ. They stayed with the Torino body through 1976. In 1972 the high-compression,375 hp 429 CJ was dropped. You could still get a 429-but it was a "station wagon" engine that only made 205 hp. In fact-the 351CJ that was rated at 266 hp was the most powerful engine available in the Torino line that year. In 1973 the 429 was dropped but the 460 was added. In 1975 catalytic converters threw a monkey wrench into everyone's performance. The 351C was dropped in favor of the 351 / 400M line. 1976 was the last Torino-based model and they were pretty much the same as the '75 models. In 1977 they went to the longer,lower,wider LTD II chassis which actually made them a nicer car. The interiors were much more roomy and sumptuous and the car handled and rode smoother, and the bed was big enough to actually haul something. Most had the 351 / 400M for power but the 460 was available. '78 was pretty much unchanged, as was '79. However for some reason-the 460 was dropped in '79. I guess sales weren't up to Ford's expectations-because like I said in the earlier post the Chevy El Camino soldiered on until 1988. '79 was the last year for the Ranchero. I would have thought they might have revived the name in the '90's during the SUV craze-maybe putting a Mustang or T-Bird front clip on it-or making a larger version on the Crown Vic platform, but they never did. Anyhow-if your a Ford guy and want one-or if you just want a car that can haul some sheetrock or an engine block-a Ranchero may be just the ticket for you.  Mastermind  

I still love the old Iron.....But the golden age of musclecars is now.....Here's why....

I still love the old musclecars. Although I sold my Hurst / Olds ( I needed the money and I found someone who wanted it more than I did ) I'll probably buy another 70's T/A or '60's Mustang to play with in the near future. However, sometimes I get tired of listening to people say how this or that old musclecar would smoke this or that new musclecar in a drag race. Especially when 99.9% of the time their dead wrong. Here's why. Very few of us have ever owned or knew anyone who owned stuff like a Thunderbolt Fairlane, or a Hemi Dart or a 427 Cobra or an L88 Corvette. Ditto for Hemi 'Cudas, LS6 Chevelles,W30 442s, RAIV GTOs,428CJ Mustangs, SCJ 429 Torinos etc. 95% of our "Musclecar Memories" whether their from our own car or our father's or big brother's or a high school buddies-come from "Entry Level" musclecars. I.E.-340 Dusters, 351 Mustangs, 350 Camaros, 389 GTOs, 383 Road Runners, 396 Chevelles etc. Tales of being pushed back in the seat and third-gear rubber seem silly when someone pulls out a yellowed, dog-eared copy of Car Life or Hot Rod and we find that the machine in question ran in the 14.60s. A new V6 Mustang runs the 1/4 quicker than that. Ditto for a new V6 Camaro. Step up to the 435 hp Mustang GT or the 426 hp Camaro SS or the 465 hp SRT8 Charger and the times drop into the 12s. That's good enough to compete with the heavyweights I listed. If you go to the next level-the ZL1 Camaro, the Shelby GT500, or the Hellcat Mopars and it's not even close. And these new cars will do it all day in 90 degree heat with the A/C on. And they corner like slot cars and stop on a dime. Yes, I'd like to have say-a solid-lifter, 4-speed L78 396 '69 Camaro. I love the way they look, the way they sound and the way they feel. But the fact is a 2015 Camaro SS would blow its doors off in a drag race or the twisties. Ditto for a 2015 Mustang GT against a '69 428CJ Mach 1. But you know what? For my forty grand-I'd rather have one of  the '69 models. No they do not have a glass-smooth idle, and the shifters are more like racking the slide on a 12-guage shotgun than putting a hot knife through butter, and the leaf-spring, solid-axle rears will wheel hop and shred the tires under hard acceleration or hard braking. Like an old Porsche 911 they do not suffer fools lightly. That's why Porsche guys still cherish the 1967-73 911S models-even though a new Cayman or 911 will toast it in a drag race or on the skidpad.  That's why you buy an old car-because it's different from what's new and has a totally different personality. A new Nissan 370Z is way faster and better handling than the original 240Z. Yet there's guys that prefer the old 240's. So go ahead and love the old cars-but stop claiming that that your 440 GTX would smoke a new SRT8 Charger, or that your 390 hp 427 'Vette would eat a new Stingray if you had drag radials, because it just isn't true. Mastermind      

GM's other El Camino.....

We all know the Chevy El Camino debuted in 1959, was built for two seasons ( '59-60 ) on the Impala chassis,then took a hiatus and was re-introduced in 1964 on the Chevelle chassis. It was very popular and production ran from 1964-1988 when the rear-drive "G" bodies were discontinued. Like their Chevelle brothers, the 1968-72 models are the most popular. Anyhow-I had someone ask me what a GMC Sprint was. Again-we all know Chevy and GMC trucks are identical except for badging and minor trim differences. In 1971 GM started selling re-badged El Caminos through Pontiac /  GMC dealers under the "Sprint" nameplate. I always thought they'd have way been cooler if they had GTO / Lemans front clips and Pontiac engines, but GM just sold the Chevy version with minor trim changes. All the El Camino options were available including the 402 and 454 V8s. They were basically unchanged in 1972. In 1973 GM redesigned the "A" body intermediates and the Elky / Sprint bodystyle was changed as well. The 402 was dropped, but the 350 and 454 V8s were still available. They also added new options like swivel bucket seats. '74 was pretty much the same as '73. 1975 was when everyone went to catalytic converters and unleaded gas. This killed everyone's performance. The 454 was dropped,leaving the only engines a 350 and the added 400 small-block. Things were pretty much the same through '77.   In 1978 GM downsized the intermediates and for some reason started calling them "G" bodies instead of "A" bodies. These new models were much sleeker and better looking, and were 600 lbs lighter than the '73-77 models they replaced. And since you could still get a 350 4bbl V8 with either a 4-speed or a TH350, performance was actually noticeably improved. '78 was the year they changed the name from "Sprint" to "Caballero."  1979 and 1980 models were virtually unchanged. In 1981 the 350 was dropped, so now the biggest engine you could get was a 305 V8 that wheezed out 150 hp. Yuk. The 4-speed automatic was introduced this year and was supposed to help performance and fuel economy but it really didn't. We all know-stock or modified a 350 makes way more power and torque than a 305, and doesn't really use any more gas. In 1984 Chevy models got a sales boost when they put the Monte Carlo SS front end and badging on the El Camino and called it-duh-El Camino SS, but the GMC guys didn't get this option. Things went basically unchanged until the demise of both lines in 1988. Here's where I think GM screwed the pooch and missed a huge sales opportunity. They could have very easily put the Buick Regal front clip on the GMC model and installed the badass Turbo V6 from the Grand National and called it Grand National Sprint. It would have sold like hot cakes. Anyway if you want a Sprint / Caballero there out there. They seem to have been bought mostly by older people so they will be better maintained and less abused than their El Camino cousins. Other than paying more for something being in better condition-I wouldn't spend any more money on one-than I would an Elky-there's really nothing special about them other than the GMC badging. But they make nice drivers and good hot rods. There's more speed equipment for small and big-block Chevys than there is for anything else on the planet, and any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Chevelle / Malibu / Monte Carlo fit these.  Mastermind        

Some major badasses that never got to production.....Too bad they'd be worth a mint today!!

Even in the musclecar era there was cool stuff that for whatever reason-infighting among the brass, not enough profit for the bean counters, whatever-never made production. Here's some that I really wish would have come to production. # 1. 1969 Pontiac Ram Air V. In 1968- Herb Adams and crew knew about Ford's "Tunnel-Port" Trans-Am engine-( "Boss 302" ring a bell? ) and were working furiously to build one of their own. However-they found out that the little 303 inch engines ran better with production RAIV heads. However-Arnie Beswick and Doug Nash and other Pontiac Racers discovered that the big heads-they had ports and valves like a big block Chevy- coupled with a HOT General Kinetics solid-lifter cam-REALLY woke up the 400 and 428 inch engines. They were making the same power and torque levels as the vaunted 427 Chevy and 426 Chrysler Hemi. They were making power to 7,000 rpm and beyond.  The only thing was they needed more bottom-end strength if they were going to live at those high rpms. We all know Pontiacs blow up if their run much over 5,800 rpm. In the early 60's Smokey Yunick had dominated Nascar with a 421 Catalina. He got them to live for 500 miles at Daytona by cutting down a 421 crank to 389 size. ( 389's had 3 inch journals, 421's had 3.25 inch journals ). Smokey and Fireball Roberts won 22 races in 1961-62 alone by doing this. Herb Adams and crew figured that same process would work on 428's and the upcoming 455. It would have-but for some insane reason Pontiac wouldn't warranty solid-lifter engines. Adams and crew pointed out that Chevrolet had several solid-lifter small and big-block engines that GM warratied-so why not a Pontiac? DeLorean nixed the project because of this. However-they had enough parts to build about 600 engines. Adams suggested they sell them to the public. Arnie Beswick and Milt Schornak had great success drag racing RA V GTO's and Royal Pontiac swapped one into a '69 Judge that nade the cover of Hot Rod-but there was never a production version. # 2. 1970 LS6 Nova SS and Camaro SS. The mighty 450 hp LS6 454 was slated to be optional in the Camaro SS and the Nova SS as well as the Chevelle line. Since a 396 was already an option in those cars-it would have been a drop in. And since a Camaro is 400 lbs lighter than a Chevelle and a Nova is 800 lbs lighter-they'd have been totally badass. For whatever reason-the brass decided the LS6 was only going in the Chevelle line. Which brings up....# 3. 1970 LS7 Corvette. Zora-Arkus Duntov-chief Corvette engineer fully expected the even more radical LS7 to make production as the 'Vette's top engine-so he didn't offer the LS6. The brass killed the LS7 at the last minute. That left the 370 hp LT1 350 as the most powerful Corvette engine that year. The LS5 454 was a "Station Wagon" engine rated at 360 hp-but it had a mild hydraulic cam and an iron intake and a Quadrajet. Everyone reveres the LS6 450 hp 454 with it's 11:1 compression and L78 396 cam. The LS7 454 had 12.25:1 compression and the legendary L88 427 cam. It would have easily topped 550 hp. Duntov was right-that Corvette would have been untouchable.  # 4. 1970 Pontiac 455 RAIV. In 1970 GM lifted their ban on intermediates having engines over 400 cubes. Chevrolet responded with the LS6 454 Chevelle, Olds unleashed the legendary "W30" 455 and Buick got into the act with the Stage 1 455 GSX. Pontiac however, stuck with the RAIII and RAIV 400 engines as the GTO's top performance options. You could get a 455 in a GTO-but it was a generic "Station Wagon" engine. If they'd put the RAIV heads, intake and cam on a 455 block-well-people might be hailing the 1970 GTO as the pinnacle musclecar instead of the LS6 Chevelle or Hemi 'Cuda. Why they didn't is a mystery. The 455 Pontiac never reached its full performance potential-imagine one with 10.75:1 compression, the free-breathing round-port heads,aluminum intake, and the hot 308 / 320 duration RAIV cam. Can you say 500 hp and 550 lbs of torque? In 1971 they introduced the 455HO which was a great street engine but it only had 8.4:1 compression and the very mild "068" cam. The vaunted "SD" 455 in '73-74 still only had 8.4:1 compression and the mild RAIII cam. Too bad. # 5. 1971 Boss 429 Mustang. The '69-70 models started out as 428 FE models and were sent to Kar Kraft for the Boss Nine conversion and Ford lost money on every one. The longer,lower,wider '71 Mustang was designed to accomodate a 429 from the start. They could have been built on an assembly line in Dearborn, which would made them profitable. But the Boss 429 only existed so they could race them in NASCAR-and in '71 Ford cut their racing program. People like the Wood Brothers and Bud Moore were still using them-but If the factory wasn't racing them-they didn't need a production model. Too bad-they'd have been badass. If only-the brass were gearheads.....Mastermind        

Some "Rare Birds" that are not so rare.....Just overlooked.....

There are some very cool cars out there that can be had for reasonable prices-if you look hard enough. Some of these are just overlooked by enthusiasts, but that makes them a bargain for the rest of us.  #1.1967-68 Chevrolet Impala SS. ( Small Block models ). These cars have cool fastback styling, sumptuous bucket seat interiors and make really nice drivers. 427 models are rare and priced in the stratosphere, but 327 and 350 models can be bought reasonably and made to really run-there's more speed equipment for the small-block Chevy than anything else on the planet. 75,600 were built in 1967 and 38,200 were built in '68-so it's not like their a Moon Rock. And they have cool options like power steering, front disc brakes and the excellent TH400 automatic. Much better than the Powerglide and 4-wheel drum brakes of earlier models. # 2. 1966-69 Buick Riviera. These cars have the cool hidden headlight, fastback styling of the Olds Toronado, but are still rear-wheel drive. And with 430 cubes under the hood, they move pretty good. too. However- I see one Jet-Black with 17" Torq-Thrusts and fat tires and a nasty, thundering Rat motor under the hood. All you'd need is a Chevy bolt pattern TH400 and some Impala motor mounts. I know it's cross-breeding, but it's one of hundreds of thousands of Rivieras that no one cares about not one of 678 1970 GSX's.....So cut me a break..... # 3. 1967 Pontiac GTO. These cars have the best of all the GTO features. I love the stacked headlight styling that's like the '66 and their still relatively light. Front disc brakes were available for the first time ( and sorely needed-the 9.5 inch 4-wheel drum setup of the '64-66 models would put the fear of god into you after only one or two high-speed stops ) and the horrible 2-speed ST300 ( read Powerglide ) automatic was replaced with the excellent 3-speed TH400.  And the new 400 V8 had a vastly improved, better breathing head design that made way more power and torque than the '59-66 389. For some reason these cars are snubbed by Pontiac collectors in favor of the '64-66 and '68-70 models, and I don't know why-their great performers. 81,000 were sold so you shouldn't have much trouble finding one.  # 4. 1971-73 Buick Riviera. 1970 Rivs were a one-year "ugly duckling" sandwiched between the two more popular styles. The '71-'73 is the famous "Boat-Tail" design. 455 cubes standard all years, GTO like acceleration, Cadillac like luxury. Wouldn't you really rather have a Buick?  # 5. 1973-75 Pontiac Grand Am. In the mid '70's Pontiac tried to build a BMW. They touted the Grand Am as having Trans-Am like performance, and Gran Prix like luxury. And they did-these cars had 400 cubes standard with 455 optional, and you could get a 4-speed or a TH400 with a 400,and the 455 was only available with an automatic. They had front disc brakes, and wrist-thick front and rear sway bars- ("Radial Tuned Suspension" ) so they were amazing handlers for a big car.  However-American car buyers were still years away from appreciating a high-performance sedan-Performance buyers bought T/A's, and luxury buyers bought G/P's. However-34,000 were sold in 1973 alone-so you should be able to find one. #6. 1974-76 Mercury Cougar. Ford's greatest ad ever-this one even eclipsing the chase from "Mr Majestyk" in the "Built Ford Tough" ad, and the holographic Steve McQueen in the Mustang ad .  A pre-Charlie's Angels Farrah Fawcett-Majors is driving up to the beach parking lot in a triple white Cougar, wearing a white low-cut evening gown, her awesome hair flowing in the breeze, with a big white live Cougar in the seat beside her, getting out of the car,showing a luscious bare, tanned left leg through the slit in the gown, demurely slipping off her high heels,putting a leash on the big cat and walking barefoot down to the sand where she then slipped off the white evening gown revealing her smokin' tanned body in a white bikini before taking the leash off the Cougar and both of them running down the beach made me want to.... be led around on a leash at Farrah's feet....No wait-I meant it made me want to buy a Cougar!! Well maybe both.... Anyway-these cars were aerodynamic enough that David Pearson won a bunch of Nascar races in one for the Wood Brothers. They had sumptuous interiors,cool instrumentation,a good handling suspension and you could get up to a 460 V8 in them, although most will have the 351C or 351 / 400M. These can be hopped up easily-there's tons of aftermarket parts-even aluminum heads for these engines, and they share the same bellhousing bolt pattern as the 429 / 460 if you just gotta have mega cubes. A Wood Brothers Tribute with radiused fenderwells,huge meats all around,a loud side-exit exhaust and a red and white paint job would be major league cool.  # 7. 1980-81 Turbo Trans-Am / Turbo Formula Firebird. These cars have the awesome handling WS6 suspension and 4-wheel disc brakes. Unfortunately, they also have the anemic, underpowered ill-fated 301 Turbo V8, which is why their snubbed by Pontiac collectors in favor of the 400 inch '79 and earlier models. 33,000 were sold in 1980 alone so their not a Moon rock.  However-you can buy them cheap and there's 3 ways I'd go for a massive power infusion. The first and cheapest and easiest is to find a 400 or 455 Pontiac V8 and put that in. It's a bolt-in swap. The second way would be to find wrecked Bonneville or Gran Prix SSEI or Buick Riviera from the late '90s and get the Supercharged 3.8 V6 out of that. They had 240 hp stock-more than the 301-and with a pulley change on the blower could up that by another 100 hp easy.  The final and probably most expensive way would be find a wrecked '85-87 Buick Grand National and get the Turbo V6 / 200R4 powertrain and swap that in. These cars have a reputation as major dogs-so they'd make an awesome sleeper. Mastermind            

Didn't know "Captain Obvious" wrote for Hot Rod.....I think I can do better...

Have you seen the funny hotel ads with "Captain Obvious?" He's invaded Peterson Publishing. In the current issue of Hot Rod theres an article on the different ways you can build a "Hellcat" killer. If you live in a cave-Dodge sells Charger and Challenger "Hellcat" models that have a 707 hp supercharged Hemi in them from the factory. Anyhow-in this article-they recommend buying a 2010 on up used Camaro for 15 grand on up and then specnding between 20-30K more for either a 638 hp GMPP LS9 or a Mast Motorsports 800 hp supercharged LS7. Their alternatives are to buy a 2007-2014 Mustang for 10 grand on up and then invest another 25 in a supercharged 700 hp 5.4 mod motor or 5.0 Coyote from either Ford SVT or Edelbrock. They also recommend buying a used 2009-14 Challenger and putting a $30,000 Blown Hemi in it. Well, DUH!!!!  That's a great Idea-I'll buy a $15,000 car and then spend another 30 on it and for like 45 grand I'll be real fast. Thanks for pointing that out! Let me take out a 2nd mortgage on my house, and get right on that!!  Can anyone write a check for 45 grand right now? If you can, more power to you. However, for the other 90% of us gearheads that's the most ridiculous "How to" article I've ever seen.  How would I build a "Hellcat" beater?  Couple different ways. The first and probably most cost-effective would be to find a good condition '87-93 "5.0" Mustang. I have seen rough, but running examples as low as $1,500 and anything over $2,500 is usually pretty nice. Swap the 2.73:1 or 3.08:1 rear end gears for some 3.73:1s. Rebuild the short block with rings.bearings, oil pump etc. If you want, put in a 347 stroker kit, but it's not necessary. Trick Flow sells and upper end kit-heads,cam set and intake manifold, fuel injectors etc for about $2,000 that will gurantee 360 hp out of a 306 inch motor. That will put any "5.0" solidly in the 12s with some decent drag radials and a good driver. Now install a well thought out Nitrous system with a 2nd fuel pump and a 2nd fuel delivery system and solenoids to richen the fuel mixture when the Nitrous kicks in. MSD, Jacobs, and Edelbrock all offer state of the art nitrous controls-where you can back up the timing by turning a knob on the dash. A solid 300 hp nitrous system would put you easily in the low 11s or high 10s. Hellcats don't run any faster than that because they fry even slicks and drag radials-I've read the road tests. The Mustang I just described could be built for under 10 grand, including the purchase price of the car. A lot better than 45K-and the smug Hellcat driver who spent $70k plus for his ride- would be much more pissed that he got beat by a 25 year old Mustang than he would by a late-model Muscle machine that he knew the guy had major bucks in!!  If you wanted to spend a couple grand more and not mess with nitrous-you could build the car the same way and add a Ford Racing,Paxton, or Magnussen Blower and run low 11s or high 10s. I know people who have done it. The other way to go would be to buy an '82-92 Camaro or Firebird. Again-I have seen rough but running examples as low as $800 and anything over 2 grand is usually pretty decent. Go to a junkyard and get 454 out of a truck built before 1991. ( You want a MKIV, the parts are cheaper and more plentiful than they are for the MKV and MKVI's ). Rebuild it with forged 12:1 pistons and chrome-moly rod bolts and have a reputable shop balance the rotating assenbly. Get some World Products or Merlin Iron rectagular port heads. ( Way cheaper than aluminum ) Crane and Lunati sell reprodutcions of the L88 solid-lifter cams and the attending springs, roller rockers etc. Get an Edelbrock Dual-Quad intake, progressive linkage, and two 750 cfm Performer carbs. Hooker sells motor mounts and headers to make this swap work. You'll also need a different crossmember and trans mount-Summit Racing sells these to install a TH400. You'll need a custom driveshaft and Currie 9 inch Ford rear with some 4.11:1 or 4.56:1 gears with the GM mounting points ( no way will the stock 7.5 rear hold up to a 600 hp Rat ). With a 3,500 rpm converter and a good TransGo shift kit set it to shift at 6,500,-depending on engine vacuum it may shift between 6,800-7,100 rpm-but that's ok-you;ve got the bottom end and valvetrain strength for it, and the breathing. Add some drag radials-you'll be solidly in the low 11s or high 10s with this combo. Assuming you had 3 grand in the car, 3 grand for the Currie rear end, a grand in a B&M or TCI TH400,and 8 grand in the 454-you've still built the car for only fifteen grand. And believe me-nothing Sounds as badass as a solid-lifter, high-compression Rat Motor at full wail-as you pass Mr Hellcat-his eyes will be as wide as silver dollars and his mouth will gape open-he didn't expect to get stomped by a 30 year old Camaro that sounds like a Top Fuel dragster!!  Now in some states you wouldn't get it smogged or registered-but what the hell-even if you trailered it to your local track-it would still be satisfying to stomp on some arrogant rich SOB who's beating 99% of his opponents with his $100,000 car- ( Dodge Dealers are getting WAY more than the 70K sticker price ). With your $15,000 hot rod. The third and probably most satisfying way-This is a real "Rat Rod"-is this. I know a guy who did exactly this. Get a '70-76 Dodge Dart or Plymouth Duster with a 318. Upgrade the rear end to an 8 3/4-there plentiful.Put some 4.30:1 gears in it. Yank the 904 Torqueflite and get a 727. Go to a Junkyard and get a 360 "Magnum" V8 out of a wrecked Dodge Truck,Durango, or Jeep Grand Cherokee. Theirs millions of them around. You can even use Magnum 318 in a pinch. Get an Edelbrock Performer RPM manifold designed to work with "Magnum" heads and an 800 cfm AVS carb. Now go to Jacobs, MSD or Edelbrock or any combination of the 3 and build a killer 400 hp nitrous system. The guy I know that did this blows everyone away with low 11 or high 10 second times in his beat-up Duster. He doesn't have 5 grand in the whole car. He runs it until he blows the motor. Then he goes to the junkyard and for 3 or 4 or 5 hundred bucks, buys another used "Magnum" V8-puts his induction and nitrous system on it and runs some more!!  Some times they last 3 months, sometimes they blow in one weekend. If he has to swap in 4-$400 engines in a year-he's only spent $1,600!!  Not 25K-like the magazine was recommending on the modern muscle machines. Now how chagrined would a Hellcat owner be if he got his ass handed to him by a beater '73 Duster??!!!   Any how that's how I'd torture a Hellcat owner and it would be way more fun and wouldn't cost 40 grand!!  Mastermind                  

Another year of "Cold" August Nights.....

Hot August Nights-the annual musclecar festival is here again. And once again it's disappointing. I hate to sound like a nay-sayer, but it's nowhere near as cool as it used to be. For one thing-You don't see any really cool cars anymore, and nothing rare. The GM section is all Chevelles and Camaros with a few GTOs and Firebirds mixed in. You might see an Olds 442 here and there,or a Nova SS here and there but that's it. No 409 or 427 Impalas, no 421 Pontiac Catalinas, no Buick GSX's, no Hurst / Olds, no W31 Cutlass / F85's, no Rallye 350s, no T37 Tempests and certainly no COPO or Yenko or Baldwin-Motion cars. The Ford section is almost all Mustangs. Generic Mustangs. I haven't seen any Boss 302's or Boss 429's this year. I haven't seen any Shelbys. And definitely no Cobras, no Thunderbolt Fairlanes,no 406 or 427 Galaxies, no 428 Fairlanes. Very few Torinos. A few 67-73 Cougars, but no Mercury Marauders or Cyclones. Very few Thunderbirds. The Mopar camp is all 68-70 Chargers and '70-'74 "E" bodies-"Cudas and Challengers. I haven't seen any Super Bees, no GTX's, very few Road Runners. No Hemi Belvederes or Hemi Coronets,no winged cars-I haven't seen a Superbird or a Charger Daytona at HAN in 5 years. Hell-this year I haven't even seen any 340 Dusters!!!  And the entertainment is an all-time low. We used to get the Beach Boys, and Jan and Dean, Jerry Lee Lewis, Credence Clearwater Revisited ( the band without John Fogerty ), The Guess Who, Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, Paul Revere and the Raiders, John Kay of Steppenwolf. You know-people who actually had hits on the radio in the '60's and '70's!!!  Now we get local garage bands. Doing oldies badly.  They used to have real 1/4 mile drag races at the old Stead airport or at Fernley Raceway. No more. Now they have 1/16 mile drag races in the Nugget parket lot. Are you kidding me???  1/16 of a mile???  A 1/4 mile is 1320 feet.  An 1/8 mile is 660 feet. A 1/16 is 330 feet.  I could win top dog in my 4wd Subaru Forester for 330 feet!!! How fast do you go? 35 mph?? Really???  The badass, big block cars spin their tires for that duration.!!!!   The stupid Barrett-Jackson Auction? You want me to pay $50 to watch a bunch of rich people bid on other rich people's trophys? Last year a bunch of shit went through. I mean no RAIV Judges, no LS6 Chevelles, no L88 Corvettes, no Boss 429s, no Thunderbolt Fairlanes. I really don't give a shit that some fool paid $30,000 for a 403 Olds / Th350 10 th Anniversary T/A or $25,000 for a 2bbl 351C '72 Mach 1.  And the hotels are full, and the restaraunts are full, and these assholes have the "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" attitude. Except your not in Vegas- and Fuck you your not a high roller your an out of town asshole acting like a prick that you'd never do in your own city and your lucky that the hotel or restaraunt worker doesn't want to lose their job, because if they had an alternative, they'd kick your ass into next week, which is what you deserve.  It's sad-but what used to be a cool thing is now an annoyance. "Oh shit, all those assholes are coming to town next week." When that's the sentiment of the locals, you've got a problem. But our local government doesn't care. They just want to raise the motel rates, and write tickets. Yeah, that's the way to promote tourism!!  Sad, because once upon a time-in 1986 when it started-it was a cool thing. Mastermind          

Some obscure Mopars I'd like to have.....

Had a few people aske me after the last post if there was any Mopars I'd like to have. Again-I'm going to stay away from the cliche's-'68-70 Chargers, Hemi 'Cudas etc. I like stuff that not everyone else does. Here's my list. # 1. 1966-67 Charger. I like these a lot. The fastback, hidden headlight styling is still cool as is the 4-bucket seat interior. I'd like a 383 model, but I'd settle for an "old" 318 V8 ( not like the '67-91 "LA" engines ). Of course I'd have to swap in a 360 based 410 stroker, but that's not a problem.  #2. 1969-72 Plymouth Sport Fury. Peter Graves drove one on "Mission: Impossible". Ultra-cool styling and 383 or 440 cubes under the hood. Doesn't get much better than that. # 3. 1971-72 Dodge Demon. Much cooler than a Duster with the Go-Wing,and the little grinning Devil holding a pitchfork emblems. And the high-winding 340 V8 helps too. # 4. 1975 Plymouth Road Runner. For this one year only the Road Runner nameplate was on the Sport Fury platform. Hey-like the Bluesmobile-it's got cop tires, cop shocks, a 400 V8 and the famous "Beep-Beep" Horn. Now if I swapped in a 472 crate Hemi..... # 5. 1977-78 D150 "Macho" Pickup. These 1/2 ton 4x4 pickups had cool two-tone graphics, a roll bar in the bed,15X8 wheels with 32" inch tires and up to 440 cubes under the hood. A Macho ride indeed-the biggest engine you could get in a Chevy 1/2 ton 4x4 was a 350 or 400 small-block and the biggest engine you get in a Ford was the anemic 2bbl 351 / 400M.  # 5. 1978-79 Lil Red Express pickup. These 1/2 ton 2wd stepside pickups had a 360 V8, a trick Red and Gold paint job,vertical diesel style exhaust stacks and LR60-15 tires on chrome wheels. Except for an L82 Corvette or a WS6 Trans-Am-this was the fastest American production vehicle in those years. Mastermind  

Some Fords I'd like to have.....

I've said many times that I'm primarily a Pontiac guy-I've had GTOs, Trans-Ams, LeMans, Gran Prix's and Venturas. I've also had my Hurst / Olds and an SS396 El Camino over the years. The only Fords I ever owned were a 1966 Mustang GT and a 1982 Mustang GT that I bought and then re-sold for a quick, tidy profit. I never really owned any for a driver ( Other than a couple of '90's Ford F150 pickups, but I'm talking Musclecars.). Not that I had anything against Fords-my dad was a GM guy, and so was I. However-there's a few Fords that I'd like to have-that are actually attainable-I'm not going to waste my time or yours musing about a 427 Cobra or Boss 429-without a Megabucks or Powerball win that's not happening. Anyhow here's some Fords that I think are really cool-and that I may be able to buy someday on my middle-class income. # 1. 1965-66 Galaxie 2dr. These have cool semi-fastback styling very similar to a '65 Pontiac which I always loved. They also have great interiors-buckets seats, an awesome chrome console and most have 390 cubes under the hood. My mom had one when I was a little kid-it was green with Torq-Thrust mags. I always thought it was a cool ride.  # 2. 1967-68 Mercury Cougar. These cars classic styling still turns heads today 47 years later. I personally think these are the best-looking cars Ford ever built. And the good thing about Cougars-is they usually have upgraded interiors and cool options like factory air and front disc brakes-as opposed to most Mustangs being strippys. I'd even take a 289 model. I'd be torn between restoring it factory stock as a nice driver-or putting a snarling 347 stroker in it, with some Mini-Lite wheels  and making it a badass Trans-Am tribute car. Maybe I should get two....# 3. 1967-69 Thunderbird. These have cool hidden headlight styling, luxurious interiors, and 390 or 428 cubes under their long hoods. Dynamite cruisers in my book.  # 4. 1970-71 Thunderbird. These had cool Nascar-inspired fastback styling, and 429 cubes under the hood. This was about the time that American car builders started to care about handling-so for a big car they actually handled pretty good. And did I mention a 375 hp 429?  # 5. 1972-73 Mercury Montego GT. These were based on the new for '72 Gran Torino chassis. I think their way better looking than their Torino cousins. David Pearson won a bunch of Nascar races in one for the Wood Brothers. I could dream of one with a 429, and settle for one with a 351C.  # 6. 1977-79 Ranchero. These were based on the new for '77 LTD II chassis-which made them longer, lower,wider, and much roomier than the '70-76 Torino based model. Most had 351 / 400M motivation, but I'd look for a 460 model to warm over and torture all those smug big-block El Camino owners with. Maybe my next project will be a blue oval....Mastermind

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

If your having trouble finding the Chevrolet Musclecar of your dreams, you might want to consider a Pontiac. Yes, I know a GTO brings every bit the King's Ransom that a big-block Chevelle does. But that aside the entire rest of the line-the Pontiac models are much better buys than the Chevys. Here's why. #1. Full-size models. While 99% of Impalas built from 1960-69 have six-cylinder or 283 or 327 small-block motivation-that's why 396 / 409 / 427 models are priced in the stratosphere-every single Pontiac Catalina, Bonneville, or Gran Prix built from 1960-68 had at least 389 cubes under the hood. Depending on year some had 400, 421 or 428s under those long hoods! And the Pontiacs usually had upgraded interiors with bucket seats and consoles and cool options like factory air, and 8-lug wheels. There's a million ways to build power into a Pontiac V8, and any suspension or brake upgrades that fit an Impala will fit these cars. #2. 1969-76 Pontiac Gran Prix. The GP is to the Monte Carlo what the Firebird is to the Camaro. The better buy of the two. While 99% of Monte Carlos built from 1970-75 have 350 small-blocks for power, GPs had 400 cubes standard all years and their are quite a few 455 powered "SJ" models out there. My sister had a '72 GP in high school. It had power everything, and it felt like a GTO. She showed her taillights to many a shocked Camaro and Mustang driver. # 3. Firebirds. You could only get a Rat motor in a Camaro until 1972-and those are rare. By contrast you could get a 455 in a Trans-Am until 1976 and a 400 in a T/A or Formula until 1979.  If you can't find a good deal on a 400 Firebird, you aren't looking past the end of your nose. And you don't have to get a Trans-Am. There's thousands of Esprit and Formula Firebirds built from 1970-78 with 400 cubes under the hood.   # 4. Mid-size models. Again 99% of non-SS Chevelles are small-block models. By contrast-their are quite a few Tempest, LeMans, LeMans Sport and Luxury LeMans models built from 1968-77 with 400 or even 455 cubes under the hood. And don't forget the '73-75 Grand Am models. 400 cubes standard all years with 455 optional. Any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Chevelle fit these cars. So if you can't find a Rat-powered Chevy for a reasonable price-consider a Pontiac. You may be pleasantly surprised. Mastermind  

Oddballs from the '80's and '90's that can be a bargain hot rod or fun cruiser....

Some times you run across a weird combination of options that was only available for one year that everyone snubs-but can be a cool cruiser or hot rod for low bucks. Here's a list of good buys that a lot of people don't think of. # 1. 1982 Mustang GT / Mercury Capri "5.0". These had a 302 V8 with a 2bbl carb and "only" 157 hp backed by a 4-speed stick or a 3-speed automatic. Their snubbed in favor of the 4bbl / 5-speed stick / 4-speed auto '83-86 models. However-they can bought dirt-cheap, and there's a million ways to build power into a small-block Ford.  # 2. 1983 Z/28 Camaro / Firebird Trans-Am. For this one year only you could get a "Cross-Fire Injected" 305 and a 4-speed automatic. ( 1982 models had a 3-speed TH250 ). Their snubbed in favor of the L69 Carburated / 5-speed models and later LB9 Tuned Port Injection models but they actually moved pretty good for only being a 305. The upside is with 454 throttle bodies and a Hypertech Prom chip this system can feed up to 450 hp and would work on a stout 350 or 383.  # 3. 1982 Corvette. This is the last of the C3 body with the first of the Cross-Fire Injected 350 and 4-speed automatic of the C4 'Vette. They were decent performers for the time-7 second 0-60 times, and 15 second 1/4 mile times-and they can be hopped up easily. # 4. 1984 Corvette. These had the "Cross-Fire" injected 350 and a 4-speed automatic or the 4+3 overdrive manual. Their snubbed by 'Vette collectors for the '85-91 "Tuned Port Injected" models, but they ran pretty damn good-six second 0-60 times and high 14 second 1/4 mile times and they can be hopped up easily. I have seen these as low as $3995 on used car lots. Corvette and Cheap aren't usually synominous-but here they are. # 5 1984-86 Ford Mustang SVO. These had 16" wheels, Recaro seats, and a 4-cylinder Turbo engine with between 175 and 205 hp. The problem was the "5.0" V8 models were both faster and several thousand cheaper. However-now you can buy them relatively cheap. # 6. 1994-95 Mustang GT. For these two years you could get the "New" for '94 Mustang body with the "Old-school" "5.0" V8. '96 and later models had the 4.6 that didn't have as much power regardless of hp ratings. Maybe you'll find a diamond in the rough. Mastermind    

No, you don't have the right to desecrate a rare classic.....Leave them for those of us who want them the way their supposed to be!!

Got a lot of flack from people after the last post-saying "Its my car and I'll Goddamn well do anything I want with it." Yes, that's your Constitutional right. The government hasn't figured out how to legislate away people's God-given right to be assholes. But think about how selfish these people are. Here's a few examples of people who should have been dragged out into the street and shot. # 1. This guy-I won't use his name-but I remember it well-is the King Kong of Assholes who destroy classic cars. He bought a pristine, restored, show-winning Fuel-Injected 1963 Split-Window Corvette for something like $30,000 in 1988 dollars. Then he gutted it and put a roll cage in it, a narrowed 9 inch Ford rear end with huge slicks, and replaced the FI 327 / 4-speed powertrain with a Tunnel-Rammed 454 and a TH400 with a 5,000 rpm converter and a trans-brake. Blaspemy most foul!!!  If he wanted to "Pro Street" a Corvette-he couldn't buy one of the millions of '68-82 models that no one cares about and cut that up. If he had to have the early '60's bodystyle-there was a Kit Car company that was selling Gran Sport 1964 Corvette replica bodies-that could be transplanted onto the later C3 chassis. Or he could have bought any basket-case '64-67 'Vette out there and bastrdized that and no one would have cared. But no,you have to pick the rarest, most valuable Corvette ever built-( unless one of the 116 1969 L88 owners wants to argue ) and cut it to pieces.  # 2. This guy should actually be # 1A" instead of number 2.  He managed to mortally offend both the musclecar crowd and the Import tuner crowd. How did he accomplish this?  By destroying not one, but two valued classics!! This genius took the engine and drivetrain out of '98 Toyota Turbo Supra and put it in a '67 Camaro. He was genuinely surprised when everyone called for his beheading. The '90's Toyota Supras are as sacred with the Import Tuner drift crowd as, well-a '67 Camaro is to the musclecar crowd!!  Why would you think this is a good Idea in any way, shape or form?  # 3. This clown offended both GM and Ford guys by putting a 389 Pontiac V8 into his 1957 T-Bird. Yes, I'm sure it was quite a bit faster than the 292 / 312 Y-Block it came with. But couldn't he have just swapped in a later model 289 / 302 or 351W or even a 390 Ford?  Who wants a classic T-Bird with a Pontiac engine in it???  # 4. This moron was on the cover of not one, but two magazines. He bought a show-quality one of 458 455HO / 4-speed 1972 Trans-Ams ever built. Then he gutted it and put an LS motor and a six-speed automatic in it and extensively modified the interior and the body and the suspension. He couldn't buy one of the 275,000 T/As built from 1977-79 alone and fuck that up? Or any of the millions of beater '70-81 Camaros and Firebirds out there that no one cares about and use that? Hell, why use one of the 1,286 '72 models built-why didn't he get one of 88 1970 RAIV models and butcher that??  Not!!!  # 5. This clown is worse because like #2-he destroyed two classics instead of one. He put a Superhcharged 5.4 Mod motor and six-speed tranny out of a 2007 GT500 and put it in-wait for it-A 1969 Boss 302!!!  Not one of the 70,000 plus fastback Mustangs that Ford sold in 1969 made to look like one-no this was a for-real one of 1,603-Boss 302s ever built!!!  Now no one with common sense is going to say that they agree that any of these projects was the right thing to do. And this rule applies to old and new classics as well-if you want to yank the 231 Buick V6 or 307 Olds V8 and put a 572 inch Chevy Rat motor into a black '81-87 Buick Regal no one cares. But don't do it to a pristine '85-87 Grand National!!  You want to put a modern 5.0 Coyote and a six-speed into one of the 400,000 plus '66 Mustangs built, no one cares-but don't do it to a GT350H!!!  Are we clear on my position now?? Mastermind                  

 

No I didn't....Or to Quote the dictator from "Team America" "Why is everybody so F$%*ing Stupid??!!!

I was absent-mindedly chatting with an acquaintance the other day and said that I'd like to build a real low-budget "Rat Rod." That maybe I'd find an old Maverick and get the "5.0" engine and T5 tranny and 8.8 rear out of a wrecked '87-93 Mustang and make a nice, cheap hot rod. Maybe even put a blower on it and make it real quick. He instantly went ballistic. "You hypocrite!" "Your constantly railing on your site about the assholes who put LS motors in classic GM iron and modern Hemis in classic Mopars and you come up with that?"  Excuse me?  How is putting the engine, tranny and rear axle out of say-a wrecked '89 Mustang that no one gives a shit about, into say- a '74 Maverick that no one gives a shit about-the same as putting an LS motor and a 4L80E into a one of 1,286, numbers-matching, 1972 455HO Trans-Am? Like Samuel L. Jackson told John Travolta about the difference between giving a woman a foot massage and performing oral sex on her-"It's not the same ballpark; it's not even the same fuckin' sport!"  Yes-I have screamed until I am blue in the face-It turns my stomach every time I read about some asshole who puts an LS Motor and a six-speed into a one of 3,797 1970 GTO Judges. Now if he did it to one of the 200,000 plus beater LeMans / Tempest models that Pontiac produced in 1968 alone-I wouldn't give a shit. Nor would I care if someone put a 720 hp 572 inch GMPP Rat Motor backed by a trans-braked TH400 and a narrowed 9 inch Ford rear with wheel tubs and 33 inch slicks to complete the "Pro Street" look into one of the 400,000 '78 Camaros that Chevrolet built. Now if he did it to one of the 2,200 LT1 powered 1972 Z/28's ever built-I'd want him drawn and quartered and his entrails cut out and burned. See the difference? If I proposed putting the 5.0 / T5 / 8.8 powertrain into a 4-speed, "Q" code '73 Mach 1 or a "K" code '66 Mustang GT-yes you would be justified in wanting to storm my house with torches. But taking the guts out of one of the millions of '87-93 Fox Mustangs and stuffing it in one of the millions of '70-'77 Maverick / Comet beaters languishing in junkyards or in people driveways-Does anybody really give a shit in hell??   That's the difference. Taking a 360 Magnum out of a wrecked '97 Jeep Cherokee and stuffing it in a '75 Duster is not the same as taking an SRT8 Hemi out of a 2011 Charger and putting it in numbers-matching, for real  440 / '69 GTX!!!  Taking the Supercharged 3.8 V6 out of a 2000 Bonneville SSEI and putting it in a beater 1981 301 "Turbo" Trans-Am is not the same as putting it in a Tri-Power, 4-speed, '65 GTO!!!   Is everyone clear on that?  Mastermind              

How about a contest...To build "Project Badass" of 1968...Both Small-Block and Big Block....

Had a great Idea the other day. Maybe we can get one of the buff magazines to sponsor it and run articles on it. Everyone has spoken ad nauseum how sick they are of '69 Camaros with LS motors and 20 inch wheels etc. I was thinking what if a group of people got together to build several street machines like you would have in say-1968-the height of the musclecar movement. Everything would have to be period correct-no modern fuelie engines, no MSD ignitions etc. I'd have two classes-one big-block and one small-block. For big block cars I'd say limit cubic inches to 400. This would save money-we don't need $15,000 crate Hemis or stroker Rat Motors-that stuff wasn't available in 1968. You could run a 396 Chevy, a 383 Mopar, a 400 Pontiac, and a 390 Ford, or maybe even a 400 Olds if someone wanted to play with one. Feasible swaps would be allowed-i.e a 383 into a Dart or a 396 into a Nova. Cross-breeding would be allowed-a 400 Olds in a Buick Skylark body for example-or a 400 Pontiac in a '66 El Camino. You could run any compression ratio or any cam ( no hydraulic rollers-not invented yet, remember? ) or any induction-but it would have to be period-correct. For example you could run a P65 Edelbrock Dual-Quad manifold on a Pontiac-but not a Performer RPM or Factory RAIV piece-they weren't invented yet. This also means no aftermarket aluminum heads-they weren't invented yet. Iron heads and period correct parts would keep the costs down and the competition firece. The same goes for trannys. You could run a 4-speed or a TH400 or a Powerglide in GM stuff, a 4-speed or a 727 Torqueflite in Mopar stuff, and a 4-speed or a C4 or C6 in Ford stuff. No five or six-speed sticks, no 700R4's or 4L80E's. For small-block cars we could limit cubes to 350. And I mean 350-no stroker kits to build a 427-they weren't available yet! However-I have seen some fierce 289 Falcons and Comets that surprised a lot of big-block cars. I've seen some badass 327 Novas. I have seen really quick 273 Valiants and 340 Barracudas. Engine swapping and cross-breeding would be allowed here. A '64 Buick Skylark would run a lot stronger with a W31-spec 350 Olds under the hood than it ever would with the obsolete 300 inch Buick V8 it came with-and that's a swap some enterprising hot-rodder may have done back in the day. Or a small-block Chevy into a Studebaker.  Exotic stuff-for the time period-but still correct- would be allowed-Paxton Superchargers and 4-Weber setups for small-block Chevys and Fords. How about a Factory Five Cobra replica with a 4-Weber carbed 289 Ford? I think it would be way cool and would take some talent on the part of the builders to make the fastest car-not just who could write the biggest check. If you agree sound off-and write the buff magazines as well and tell them to check this site. Mastermind.  

How about some early '70's Pro Stock compact tributes?.....

In 1972 Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins blew everyone away at the Winternationals when he upset the dominating Chrysler Hemi 'Cuda of Sox&Martin with his 327 powered Vega. Through out the '70's and early '80's V8 Vegas were very popular-my dad and I built one when I was in high school. Other drag racers followed Jenkins lead-Bob Glidden had a wicked 351 Cleveland powered Pinto that won a bunch of races. V8 Pintos weren't quite as popular-but they were out there, and were actually easier to build than the Vegas-they required less fabrication.  I dated a girl who had a 289 Pinto that was a rocket. Other guys didn't use the subcompacts-but they went the compact route. Sox&Martin had a Duster and "Dyno" Don Nicholson had a Maverick that won a bunch of races in the early '70's. The reason I bring it up is I was looking through a magazine and they had a "40 years ago today.." article that had pictures of a lot of these cars. It got me thinking-nobody's fighting with machetes for old Mavericks or Pintos, Vegas or Dusters-( unlike Camaros and Firebirds, Mustangs and 'Cuda / Challengers ). So you could build one really cheap. A Maverick rear end will bolt right into a Pinto / Mustang II and will handle up to 400 or so hp, as will a C4 automatic. So if you build a hot 302 combo your covered. A V8 Monza rear will bolt right in a Vega. 8 3/4 rears are easy enough to find for a Dart / Duster. An besides the possibility of building a hot 360 Magnum stroker, Mopar Performance makes crossmembers to install a 383 / 400 / 440 / Hemi.  Other possibilities are other GM "X" bodies. Any Pontiac Ventura with a 350 Pontiac can accept a 400 / 455 as a bolt-in swap. Any Olds Omega with a 350 can accept a 403 as a bolt-in swap and 53 extra cubes definitely helps-all other things being equal. Radiused fenderwells, missing front bumpers, primer finishes, loud exhaust- these cars can be Jules' Wallet from Pulp Fictiion- a bad mofo-because no one cares about them to begin with. Others would be late 70's or early '80's Ford Fairmonts, late '70's Dodge Aspens and Plymouth Volares. Cheap Modern day "Rat Rods."  Mastermind
 

The car is 45+ years old and it's not completely original? Shouldn't have to explain,but here's why....

Got some flack over the last post from the type of people I hate. The type that turn up their nose at a great car because it has aftermarket wheels on it or a different carburator or gasp!-a non original engine. What these idiots don't realize is first off-the car is 40 or 50 years old. Secondly-these were cars that people drove to work and raced and wrecked and abused, just like to you do your Chevy truck or whatever it is you have for a daily driver. Since '60's and '70's cars didn't have all the electronic dreck that they have now-a lot of guys worked on their own car. Some still do. If you had a 2011 Mustang GT right now-and it blew a radiator hose on Friday night would you go to Autozone and get a replacement or would you park the car until Monday when the dealer opened so you could get a "Genuine" Motorcraft hose and clamps? If you bought that same Mustang new-would you keep it "Just as it left the factory" until you sold it?  No-chances are you might put a Flowmaster exhaust on it, a K&N Air filter, some aftermarket wheels, maybe even a performance prom chip or a Hurst shifter. That's what guys did 40 years ago. And think about this-when I was in high school in 1978-a friend had a 440 Six-Pack '69 Super Bee. It was only 9 years old. That would be like having a 2006 Hemi Charger now. One night he missed a shift and grenaded the engine. I mean, rods out the side of the block grenaded. What did we do? We went to a junkyard and got a used 440 out of wrecked Chrysler Imperial for $250. And the only reason he did that instead of taking a FREE 383 from a buddy was he wanted to keep the Tri-Power on it and "B" and "RB" intakes don't interchange. The car ran great-it seemed as fast as it ever was-and when he sold it five years later-doubtless the person who bought it was miffed that the engine wasn't numbers-matching. I had a '68 SS396 El Camino and the 396 blew up one night. My cousin gave me a 327 out of my aunt's wrecked '67 Impala. The 327 actually made it a nicer car-it handled better with less weight on the front end and it was still pretty quick-but it didn't fry the tires at the slightest touch of throttle like the Rat motor did. This happened a lot to a lot of people. Think about this. Your a working class, do-it-yourself kind of guy. It's 1977. Your '72 Chevelle SS454 is long out of warranty-but it's still a nice, fairly new car and you love it. One day on the freeway it throws a rod. You can't afford to pay a professional shop to rebuild it so you go to a junkyard and get a used 454 out of a '74 Impala wagon and install it over the weekend, so you can drive to work Monday morning. In 1980 you get married and your new wife has twins. The musclecar has to go for a family sedan. Again-did the guy you sold it to grind you on the price because it wasn't "Completely Orignal?" Probably not-because back then no one except us hardcore gear heads cared about musclecars. To everyone else they were just old gas-guzzlers. That was before the craziness started-I.E.-people paying a million dollars for Hemi 'Cudas. So if you look at a nice '69 GTO and it's got a 400 out of a '73 Catalina I wouldn't be surprised. And if it was otherwise nice and rust-free and the price was reasonable-why not buy it? Honestly-one Pontiac 400 is as good as another-unless your looking at Ram Air IV Judge-yes then I would definitely want the original engine. Ditto for a '69 Z/28-if I'm going to pay top dollar for it it damn well better have a "DZ" code 302 in it. But If I'm buying one of the 243,000 '69 Camaros that AREN'T Z/28s and came originally with a garden-variety L48 350-is it a deal breaker that a previous owner put a GM "Targetmaster" replacement 350 in it in 1981??  If your looking at one of the 1,603 '69 Boss 302 Mustangs-yes you absolutely need the "Boss" engine. But if your looking at one of the 70,000 plus '69 Mach 1s that had a garden-variety 351W to begin with-is it catastrophic that the car has a 351W out of a '73 Mercury Montego?  No. See what I'm saying?  I can see wanting a numbers-matching engine-if it's something special-an LS6 454, a W30 Olds 455,an RAIV Pontiac,a 340 Six-Pack , Boss 351, etc,etc-but if the original engine was garden variety-like a 300 hp L48 350 in a '70 Camaro or an L78 400 in a '70 Firebird Formula 400-I mean the same engines could be had in a Malibu or Impala or a Catalina or LeMans station wagon-for god's sake-does it really matter that much that it's not numbers-matching?  In my mind it doesn't. What really irks me about these people-is they'll pull this shit over a carburator or a distributor. Really?  Do you really expect a 45 year old carburator to work flawlessly?  This is why the Pure Stock drags, MusclePalooza, and many Concours show organizations have amended the rules to include "Original Type." In other words- your '71 Z/28 is legal if it has a 3310 Holley 4bbl on it. It doesn't have to have 1970 or 71 date codes. Your '57 Corvette is legal with a late-model T10 4-speed trans. It doesn't have to have 1957 date codes!!!  I hope this clears some things up. But probably not. However-I swear the next time someone says a pristine SS396 Chevelle is "Ruined" because it has radial tires, a Hurst shifter ( instead of the horrible Muncie ) and an HEI distributor-I'm going to kick him in the nuts so hard he'll have to part his hair differently!!  Mastermind    

The "Cult" of serial numbers......I just don't get it.....

I was talking with a guy the other day who was lamenting how nowadays average guys could never afford an ultra-cool musclecar. I begged to differ-"Now it's easier than ever-if your mechanically inclined and want to build it."  "For example-$5,000 will buy you a nice "little old lady" 318 '68-70 Dodge Dart in any state in the union." "Mopar Performance sells the crossmembers to put B / RB / Hemis in Duster / Darts." They also sell the 465 hp 426 Hemi crate motor for $15,000." "You'd have to chase down some other parts-a 727 tranny, a bigger radiator, etc-but you could do it for under 25K."  "You can't touch a "real" "original" Hemi Dart for under 100K." "Same deal-$10,000 will buy you a very nice small-block '70-'73 Camaro." "GMPP sells 440 hp 454HO crate engines for $5995." "With the right torque converter, shift kit, and cooler-a TH350 can stand up to 500 hp-so you won't even have to change trannys." "Cragar mags and Lakewood traction bars are available through Summitt, and it'd be pretty easy to copy the Baldwin-Motion paint job." For 20K you have a unique, badass looking and running car." "You cant touch a "Real" Motion car for under $50K." "You just did it for less than half that." "$15,000 will buy you a nice, restored '65-68 289 Mustang Fastback in any state in the union." "Tony Branda and other companies sell the taillights, hood and side scoops,reproduction wheels etc." "They even sell Tri-Y headers and reproduction Shelby intakes and 715 cfm Holleys." "Or you could buy a 345 hp 302 Ford SVT crate engine." "For under 30 grand you'd have a badass GT350 or GT350H clone."  "You can't touch a "real" Shelby for under 100K." "You got it for less than 1/3."  The guy says-"You just said it-it's not real." "What's not real?" I asked. "When your smoking the tires for 200 feet and banging through the gears or blasting down the 1/4 are you thinking about serial numbers?" "When you pass someone on the freeway at 75 mph-is the guy in the other car going to turn up his nose and tell his passenger-"That's a fake." "How would he tell without checking serial numbers?"  "The upside is you'd drive it like it was meant to be driven and actually have some fun with it." "If you'd spent 100 grand on it you'd be so goddamnded afraid of wrecking it or blowing it up that it would never see the high side of 3,000 rpm or 60 mph." "It still isn't the real deal." He protested. "Yeah but only you know that-unless you tell everybody or let people check your vin number." "The guy who won the Pure Stock drags last year did it in an L88 Corvette."  "Except it's not a "real" L88." "The rules say you can run any combination that was an option that year." "So you could put a crate Hemi in a 383 '71 Road Runner and race it because the Hemi was an option in '71." "Anyhow- since the L88 was an option in 1969-this guy took his garden-variety 390 hp 427 'Vette and rebuilt the motor to L88 specs." "When he's ripping off blistering 11.54 1/4 mile times at more than 120 mph- and winning the tournament and getting his picture in Hot Rod or Musclecar Review-do you think he says-"Damn! This is cool, but it would be so much more fun if this car was numbers-matching."  "Puhleeze." "You don't understand." the guy said. I had to agree-I really don't. I've said it before-I don't buy anything-a house, car, motorcycle,jet-ski, guns,sports memorabila etc-with the primary deciding factor being what it will be worth if or when I decide to get rid of it!!  If I like it-I don't care what it costs-If I don't like it, you can't give it to me for free-no matter how great a "Deal" it is. I've said this before and I'll say it again-Did you marry your wife because you thought she'd give you an easier divorce than the other women you dated? The average Joe CAN have an ultra-cool car-like an L88 spec Corvette or an RAIV spec GTO ( with Edelbrock's help ) or a Thunderbolt Fairlane ( with a pumped up 390, not a 427 but all "FE engines look externally identical-duh ) or a Boss 302 Mustang or whatever-if you have a little ingenuity and can get over the "It's not numbers-matching" fetish. I'd like to find a disco-era T/A and put a snarling Edelbrock headed 455 in it backed by a Richmond 5-speed. If I get the stencils from Phoenix Graphics and paint it like a "Macho T/A" I don't think Dennis Mecham is going to sue me. And when I'm blowing the doors off a little boy in a rice-rocket or an old man in a new Corvette with a big smile on my face-I won't be thinking about how my car isn't "Original!!!"  Think people just how important are those little numbers on the cowl??  Are they worth an extra $20,30 or $50,000 or even $100,000??  If they are-then you have a much larger bank account and a much smaller brain than I do. Mastermind                

Project "Heavy Metal" redux...

A few years ago Car Craft built a 1965 Impala with a fuel-injected mega-inch Rat Motor,upgraded suspension and brakes and called it "Project Heavy Metal."  It was wildly popular with readers; unfortunately the car was stolen and never recovered.  I have some Ideas for a similar project that I think would be very cool and could be built relatively cheaply. Maybe if enough people write to Popular Hot Rodding or Hot Rod-maybe they'll serialize the build in the magazines. Anyhow here's the Ideas. # 1. 1965-66 Pontiac Catalina / Bonneville / Gran Prix. These cars had gorgeous styling, cool interiors and at least 389 cubes under their long hoods. You could easily adapt front disc brakes with spindles from a later model-or just buy an aftermarket kit-anything that fits an Impala will fit these cars. Ditto for suspension-Pontiac built ambulances and hearses in the '60's-the wrist-thick sway bars and heavier springs from one of those would work-or again just get aftermarket pieces for an Impala. That's the beauty of '60s and '70s GM stuff-almost everything interchanges. I see one with a snarling 467 inch Pontiac with either 3-2bbls or 2-4bbls backed by a 4-speed or the ubiquitous TH400 with a Gear Vendors overdrive, and 16" or 17" Torq-Thrusts with modern Z-rated rubber.  # 2. 1967-69 Olds Delta 88 Coupe. These cars have cool fastback styling, sumptuous interiors and 425 or 455 cubes under the hood. Some of these even have factory front disc brakes. You could go two ways-a Pro-Touring style "G" machine-or a '60's drag-racing "Gasser" tribute-remove that big front bumper, radius the wheel wells for monster slicks or drag radials. Their long wheelbase and excellent weight distribution would actually make them a good drag racer.  # 3. 1966-69 Buick Riviera. These cars have the swoopy styling of the Olds Toronado but are still rear-wheel drive. With 430 cubes under the long hoods, they move pretty good too. I see one jet-black with either a pumped-up 455 Pontiac-( the BOP TH400 would bolt right up ) or a snarling 572 Rat Motor-( all you'd need is some Chevy motor mounts and a Chevy bolt-pattern TH400 ). Some people may frown on the prospect of cross-breeding-but like it or not the reality is there's way more speed equipment for Chevys, Olds and Pontiac motors than there are for Buicks. I'm looking at the bang-for-the buck factor here. And it's not like your "ruining" a '70 GSX-no one cares about old Rivieras anyway.  # 4. 1965-67 Ford Galaxie. These cars have the racy "Coke Bottle" flanks very much like the '65 Pontiacs-and most have 390 cubes under the hood. Edelbrock claims 452 hp with their "Performer RPM" dual-quad package. It would not only look and sound badass-it would be. Magazine writers spew numbers flippantly-but 450 honest hp will turn any street car into a rocket. Just a thought. Mastermind  

Good advice for 1st time restorers......

One of the cable channels has a show called "Property Virgins" where pros help first-time homebuyers get the best deal and avoid costly mistakes. Maybe there should be one for classic car buyers. Anyhow here's how to avoid spending unnecessary money and causing your self untold grief that you don't need.  # 1. This should be a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised at the people that fall into this trap. Make sure the car has a clear title. No matter how cheap it is, a car without a title is not a deal. Something that you can't legally register or sell is a nightmare. I bought my 442 off a used car lot, registered it, and drove it for 18 years on sunny days and during Hot August Nights. When I decided to sell it I couldn't find the title. No problem-I'll just call DMV and get a duplicate, right? Wrong. Because a DMV clerk transposed 2 numbers on the VIN when I registered it initially 18 years ago-they wouldn't give me another title-even though I had registered and insured the car for 18 years!!  It took me nearly two years and several hundred dollars in lawyer fees to get a title for a car I legally owned for 18 years!!  God help me if the car come from a junkyard or had a salvage title.  # 2. A "Basket Case" is not a deal no matter how low the price is. Even if you are a professional mechanic or bodyman by trade-a car with major body or rust issues, frame damage, water damage, fire damage etc-is a nightmare and a money pit. 99.999% of the time your better off spending more money and getting a better car to start with.  # 3. A rare or special car missing key components is not a deal at any price. Obvious examples would be a Chrysler Hemi car without the Hemi engine or a Boss 302 or 429 Mustang without the "Boss" engines. The cost of finding an engine and all the accesorries would be so prohibitive-that even if you had Donald Trump's bank account-you'd be financially ahead of the game by just finding a complete car and buying that. Others would be '57-65 Fuel Injected Corvettes or a '57 Pontiac Bonneville without the Fuel Injection system-If you can find a complete Rochester Fuel Injection setup for a '63 Corvette-how high in the stratosphere do you think it will be priced?  Again-you might be better off just getting a more complete car. # 4. Get the options you want, even if you have to pay a little more for it. For example-if you want an SS396 Chevelle with a 4-speed-then search until you find one. Don't buy a small-block Malibu with an automatic because "Its a deal" and then think you'll "convert" it later. You won't, and it'll cost too much in time and money. The same goes for front disc brakes, or power steering or air conditioning. It's much easier and  more cost-effective to just find a car that has that already on it than it is to add it later. # 5. Consider different models or sisters / cousins of the same car. I'd much rather have a 400, 4-speed, T-Topped '77 Firebird Formula than a '79 403 Olds / TH350 Trans-Am. If you a Mopar fan-don't pass up a reasonably priced, pristine Super Bee because your looking for a Charger. I'd rather have a loaded 390 powered '68 Cougar than a strippy 289 '68 Mustang. You may not be able to afford an L88 427 Corvette, but you might find a deal on a 390 hp L72 version. See what I'm saying?  # 6. Stay away from "Freaks." By this I mean cars with weird options. Two-speed automatics,three-speed sticks, column-shifted bucket seat cars, two-barrel step-down engines,etc- aren't collectible-their just weird. I mean do you really want a "Turnpike Special" '68 GTO with a 265 hp 2bbl  400 V8, an automatic and 2.56:1 gears that can't outrun a V6 Camry from a light?  Or a 427 Corvette with a Powerglide 2-speed automatic?  Hope these tips will save somebody some money and aggravation. Mastermind
           

The Path of Most Resistance....Part 2.....

  Had a few more people come up with very hard project ideas after the last post that were disappointed because I told them their ideas weren't cost-effective. Just because something is POSSIBLE doesn't mean it's a good idea or financially feasible. I mean they were genuinely offended. Angry man # 1. Asked about Turbocharging a mid -'80s Camaro or Firebird. I said if he wanted a Turbo Firebird to look for an '89 20th Anniversary Trans Am. They came stock with the badass Turbo V6 out of the Buick Grand National. They were both faster and handled better than the LB9 305 and L98 350 Chevy V8s. He didn't like that idea. He wanted to Turbo his LG4 305 V8. I said that Turbos were not only expensive-they did not work well with carburators and they really didn't work with '80's electronically controlled carburators. I pointed out that the ill-fated '80-'81 Turbo Trans-Ams were dogs as were the carburated 231 V6s in Buick Regal T-Types through '84.  The '85-88 Grand Nationals kicked ass-because they had Multi-Port Fuel Injection and knock sensors. If he had to have forced induction I suggested he find a wrecked GN and salvage the engine, tranny and wiring harness. I also suggested he might try to find a Supercharged 3.8 V6 out of a '90's Bonneville SSEI or Buick Riviera. They had 240 hp stock-about 100 more than his LG4 305- and could easily get 100 more than that with a pulley change. The 700R4 in his car would probably have the multi-fit GM bellhousing so he more than likely wouldn't have to change trannys for this. I also suggested a Weiand or B&M underhood Roots-Type Blower-that would add about 175 hp to his 305, although he'd have trouble making it smog in some states. He didn't like any of those ideas. He wanted a to Turbocharge a small-block Chevy. I said again-that trying to Turbocharge a carburated 305 or 350 would be hard to do, expensive to build, and probably wouldn't run as strong a a normally-aspirated 400 hp or 450 hp GMPP ZZ5 or ZZ383 crate motor. If he HAD to have a Turbo V8-I said he'd be better off going to a junkyard and getting the engine, transmission and wiring harness out of a Chevy or GMC truck with a fuel-injected 5.3 or 6.0 liter LS engine, and then contact Gale Banks about a suitable Turbo setup, because the electronic fuel and ignition management would work great with a Turbo, and that the six-bolt main bottom end of an LS is virtually bulletproof.  "But" he said- "Doesn't Holley and Edelbrock both make carbs designed to work with Blowers?"  Ugh!  "Roots-type superchargers and Turbochargers are totally different." "A Superhcarger is belt-driven,is usually under the carb,which can be custom-jetted, and the blower makes boost on it's own right off-idle and the power level is determined by boost, which is determined by pulley size." "A Turbo uses exhaust gases recycled to make boost." "That's why they generally don't have low-end power like a blower,usually don't "hit" until 3,000 rpm or higher, and the exhaust heat being forced into the intake superheats the fuel charge-that's why they need intercoolers and electronic fuel management." Like talking to the wall. "I'll find someone who knows Diesel Turbos and adapt one of those." Hello? Diesels have direct fuel injection and electronic management, and intercoolers, and don't have freaking carburators!!!!  Here's your sign. Angry Man # 2. Wanted to wanted to put a Boss 429 into a Fox Mustang. My first question was-Do you have a Boss Nine engine? "No." "Do you realize that Jon Kaase Racing and Ford SVT sell them-for $20,000 plus, just for the engine?" "Then you'd have to do a ton of custom fabrication work to install it." "I know guys that run in the 11s with 302 V8s or 302-based 347 strokers." "I know guys that run 10s with Superharged 302s and 347s." "Do you really need to go faster than that?"  "What about a regular 429 or 460?" he asked. "That's do-able." I said-"Hooker and Ford SVT offer motor mounts and headers to do this-" But it's a lot of work and fabricarion-and honestly-unless you spent 20 grand for a 600+hp 514 stroker-a 460 is not going to run any faster than a blown 302, and is going to handle and brake like shit because it's so nose-heavy." "If you've got the bankroll and want a Boss-Nine Mustang, I'd buy a '69 or '70 Mustang fastback, get a Kaase Racing crate motor and build a Boss 429 clone." "It will probalby cost you 50K to build, but that's better than the $250,000 plus people want for "Real" Boss Nines." "What about putting one in a '90's T-Bird?"  "That's not any easier or cheaper than a Fox Mustang-it's probably harder and more expensive!!!  His response-I'm just a naysayer that's negative on everything."  Only on unfeasible projects that are way above people's bank accounts and mechanical abilities!!  Excuse me for trying to be the voice of reason and sanity. Like I said before-anything is possible-including manned space flight but's it not easy or cost-effective!!  Mastermind              

The Path of Most Resistance....

Football coaches and architects, construction workers and military strategists talk about taking "The Path of least resistance." In other words, the easiest way to do something. Sometimes I think car guys are the opposite-they want something to be hard-like it's somehow better if it was difficult to do. Here's a few examples of this type that left me scratching my head. Genius #1. Had a 1979 Pontiac Trans-Am with the 403 Olds / TH350 powertrain. He asked me what would be the best way to convert it to a 4-speed stick. I said sell the car and use the money to buy a disco era T/A or Formula Firebird that had the 400 Pontiac / 4-speed powertrain from the factory. "No,Really?" he asked. "No, Really." I replied. "1st off-converting a car from automatic to stick is a big pain in the ass." "You'll have to buy the pedals and clutch linkage,the disc,pressure plate and throw-out bearing, a stick flywheel, the bellhousing,and the shift linkage." "And that's if your doing an apples to apples conversion like a small-block Chevy." "The 403 Olds was never offered with a manual trans in any GM body." "So no one like Scheifer or Hays makes a flywheel for them." "A 350 Olds Flywheel may interchange-I'll have to do some research." "But even if a 350 Olds flywheel will work-Olds didn't offer a stick in a 350 V8 Cutlass or Omega or anything else after 1974." "So the chance of you finding a usable 41 year old flywheel in a junkyard or at a swap meet is almost nil" "You have a better chance of being struck by lightning on the golf course." "403 Firebirds can be made to really run-the main thing would be swap the 2.56:1 rear end gears for some 3.23:1s or 3.42:1s, and add headers and dual exhausts and maybe an Edelbrock Performer intake." "Those easy mods would give those smug 400 Pontiac owners a surprise they'd never forget." "I know because I had one back in the '80's. " "But if you "Gotta Have" a 4-speed T/A-honestly-the best way is sell your car and buy one." He wouldn't give up. "There's got to be a way." he said. "I just told you the way and how hard it would be." "Yeah it's possible-we know manned space flight is possible-but it's not exactly easy or cost-effective is it?"  Genius # 2. Was considering buying his neighbors '89 Mustang that the neighbor had since new and had kept garaged, put very few miles on, etc. Yeah it was a diamond. But it was a 4-cylinder model. He wanted to know how much trouble it would be to put a V8 in it. "More trouble than it's worth." I said. "Plus '87-93 "5.0" models are the proverbial dime a dozen." "I've seen rough, but running examples as low as $800 and anything over two grand is usually pretty decent." "Anything over 3 or 4 grand is usually really nice". "If you can't find a good deal on an 80's or 90's "5.0" Mustang then you aren't looking past the end of your nose." I might as well have been talking to the wall. "But what would it entail?" "More trouble than it's worth, like I said."  "You'd have to find a 302 V8 complete out of a '79-93 Mustang, and get the wiring harness, you'd need the bellhousing and the transmission-the 4-banger tranny won't hold up behind a V8." "If you didn't get a complete assembly out of a Fox Mustang-your really in trouble. "You'd need a different starter, alternator, fuel pump, water pump, power steering pump,all the brackets and pulleys, a different oil pan, and  all the tin." "By the time you were done-you'll have spent enough money-where you could have just bought a decent "5.0" from an individual or off a used car lot."  "And that's not including what your paying for the 4-banger model." He would not give up. "Ford made a Turbo 4-cylinder model in the '80s, right?" "How about putting a Turbo on it?"  Ugh. "Same deal." "Nothing interchanges." "Just look for an '84-'86 SVO in the want ads and buy that." "But there's not many of them-they didn't sell when they were new because the V8 models were both faster and several thousand dollars cheaper."  "You want a 5.0 liter Mustang go buy one for God's sake!!". "But trying to convert a 4-banger is a nightmare and that's if your a Master Ford Technichian." "Your not."  Genius # 3. Wanted to put a 572 GMPP Rat motor in his '85 IROC-Z Camaro. Do-able-Hooker offers motor mounts and headers to put Big-Block Chevys in '82-92 F-Bodies. I told him he'd have to invest in a TH400 conversion kit and get a custom driveshaft and a 9 inch rear end from Currie enterprises. He asked-dead serious-why couldn't he just use the T5 5-speed stick and the rear end that was in the car?  "Because" I said-"1st off-the bellhousing won't even bolt up to a Rat motor, and the T5 was only offered with 305s because it only has a 300 lb ft torque rating." "Thats why L98 350 IROC's and T/A's were all automatics-GM didn't think it would hold up to the 350's 340 lbs ft of torque." "If it won't hold up to 240 hp and 340 lbs of torque from a low-compression 350, how is it going to live behind 620 hp and 650 lbs of torque a 572 inch Rat makes?" "A TH400 is the easiest,cheapest and best way to go." "If you "gotta have" a stick-then you need to find an old-school '70s Camaro / Chevelle bellhousing, modify the floor pan for clearance, then find an M21 or M22 Muncie 4-speed or you need to invest in a Tremec or Richmond 5 or 6-speed and a custom driveshaft." "The 7.5 inch ring gear rear end in those cars break behind 305s." "How are they going to stand up to a 572?"  Then he says-"What if I didn't get on it too hard?"  AAAUUUGGGHHHHH!!!!  "Let me get this straight-your going to spend $15,000 on a 600 hp engine, and then not get on it hard enough to break the drivetrain of a 30 year old 190 hp Camaro?"  "What would be the purpose in that?"  I hate to be such a know-it-all bastard all the time-but guys-when a pro with 35+ years of experience tells you soemthing isn't feasible or cost-effective, do you think maybe you should listen?  Mastermind                

I guess Sports-Car guys really are smarter....

I've said it until I'm blue in the face and I've written to every Buff Magazine editor I can think of and implored them to stop glorifying the idiots who butcher rare, classic Iron with modern Fuel-Injected engines. What kills me is it's never a beater '72 Malibu or a '75 Firebird-it's always a for-real numbers-matching '68 4-speed SS396 Chevelle or a 1970 Judge that some asshole has stuffed an LS motor and a 4L80E in!! Some bonehead had done this to a Split-Window 1963 Stingray!!  The reason I think Sports-car guys are smarter-is you NEVER see a 1965 Jaguar XKE with a supercharged 5.0 liter V8 out of a 2009 XKR. You NEVER see a 1969 Porsche 911S with the engine and tranny out of a 2013 Cayman!  You don't see restored Datsun 240Z's with the engine and tranny out of a 2012 370Z.  You might see some upgrades-wider wheels with modern ZR rated tires, Koni Shocks,Weber Carbs, performance exhaust systems-but their period correct for the cars. Motorcycle enthusiasts are the same. You never see a 1965 Harley Sportster with a 2010 Buell fuelie motor and six-speed tranny. You never see a 1969 Honda CB750 with the engine and tranny out of a 1990 Hurricane. You never see a 1973 Kawasaki Z1 with a 2012 Ninja powertrain. You buy something old because it's different from what's new. You wouldn't buy a WWII vintage .45 and put laser sights on it would you?  Any how-apparently sports car guys are smarter because they don't desecrate vintage iron. Mastermind