A full-size car may be the way to go for some low-budget muscle....

Everyone fights with machetes and sells their first-born children for '60's and '70's GTOs, Road Runners, Chargers, SS Chevelles,Camaros, Firebirds,Mustangs, and 'Cudas / Challengers, etc. Even base models are getting overpriced. I talked to a guy that was asking $6,500 for a '66 Mustang that was a total roach. It was a notchback coupe-not a fastback-it was an automatic, not a 4-speed, it had a 2bbl-289 not the 225 or 271 hp 4bbl versions,the interior was trashed, and it didn't have a straight piece of metal on it. I might have paid $2,000 for this piece of shit and then turned it into a ''60's style gasser tribute drag racer-but I wouldn't have restored it even if I could buy it for two grand-it needed so much work-that by the time you were done-you'd have been better off just paying 15 or 20 grand for one already restored!! Another clown wanted $4,500 for a '68 Camaro body. And when I say body-I mean just that. I mean this was an engineless,transmissionless,radiatorless,gas tankless,interiorless hulk. Again-if you took on this project-it would cost so much to restore that again-you'd be ahead of the game just paying 20 or 25 grand for a nice, complete car. That appears to be the current lay of the land. However-you can still find really good deals on '60's full-size cars.  A lot of them make great drivers-remember they were the top-of-the-line when new-and many are surprisingly fast even in stock trim. Here's my personal favorites.  # 1. 1960-68 Pontiacs. These are a screaming deal. While 99% of Chevy Impalas, Bel Airs, and Biscaynes of this era had 283 or 327 small-block motivation-( 396,409, and 427 versions are rare and priced in the stratosphere ) every Pontiac Catalina, Bonneville, or Gran Prix built in these years had at least 389 cubes under the hood-and some had 400, 421 or 428!! And the Pontiacs usually had upgraded interiors as well. There are a million ways to build power into a Pontiac V8, and any suspension or brake upgrades that fit an Impala fit these cars. # 2. 1960-69 Oldsmobiles. Like their Pontiac Cousins-the Olds 88s and 98s are a better buy than the Chevys because they had 394,400,425 or 455 cubes under the hood as standard equipment depending on year.  # 3. 1966-69 Buick Riviera. These cars have the sexy hidden headlight, fastback styling of the Olds Toronado-but are still rear-wheel drive. And they have 430 cubes under the hood. But with a Chevy bolt-pattern TH400 and motor mounts-you could put 572 inches and 720 hp under that long hood....Blasphemy, I know Buick fans,but just saying.... # 4. 1963-69 Fords. Galaxies and LTDs of this era are just like Pontiacs-most have 390 cubes under the hood and great interiors. My dad was ( and still is at 75 a gearhead ) so we had a lot of different cars. One of the coolest cars I remember my mother driving when I was a kid was a '65 Galaxie coupe. It had a sexy body-not quite as sexy as our '65 2+2-but it had factory A/C and bucket seats,with a console and the Ford t-handle-shifter. It had American Racing Torq-Thrust-mags on it and the 390 would burn rubber at the drop of a hat. The other Ford I always loved was the '67-69 T-Bird. The styling is still cool 40+ years later and they either 390 or 428 cubes under the hood. # 5. 1963-69 Chryslers. Plymouth Furys and Belvederes,and Dodge Polaras and Monacos all had at least 383 cubes under the hood-some '67 and later models had 440s. And they had the excellent Torqueflite automatic-which was light-years ahead of the early GM and Ford offereings. GM didn't introduce the TH400 until 1965 in full-size cars and 1967 in intermediates. The Ford C6 was late to the party as well.  All of these cars would make a cool driver. Mastermind      

Iron fists, Velvet Gloves...Pt 2.....

I can't believe the flack I got for the last post. 1st off-It's your car- you can do any fuckin' thing you want without asking any other asshole's permission!!  If it's a Hemi 'Cuda-and you want to narrow the rear end and cut up the trunk for wheel tubs- because you love the "Pro Street" look-go ahead. Here's the other thing-I've said it before-Why are we so goddamnded obsessed over what the car will be worth if we sell it? Did you marry your wife because you thought she'd give you an easier divorce than the other women you dated?  No-you married her because you thought she was beautiful,funny, would be a good mother if you had children,etc, etc,-you didn't marry her because of what she'd do when you got rid of her!!!  I like Pontiacs. My first car was a 1969 GTO Judge. I have to say-If I had my choice-I'd take a disco era T/A. I had a couple- and I loved them. I'd love to have another one. I'd put Edelbrock heads and other goodies on it-to make 500 hp. I'd put a Tremec 5-speed in it. I'd put Year One 17" snowflake wheels on it to run ZR rated tires. Why? Because no one gives a shit if you modify a '77 T/A. A '68 GTO and people lose their mind. Anyhow-Build your car the way YOU want it-not how it should be if your selling it!!!  I don't order a Cheeseburger the way I think the public likes it!!!  Mastermind  

Iron Fists, Velvet Gloves.....

I've had numerous people ask me for advice on how to make their musclecar wicked fast-but still look stock. You can do it-it just takes some creativity-you might even have to buy a 2nd engine or tranny-but here's the things that offer the most "Bang for the Buck".  #1. Increase displacement. The old saying-"There's no substitute for cubic inches, except cubic dollars" is still true. There's three ways to go about this-The easiest-if you can afford it-Is to put your-numbers-matching engine on a stand in your garage and buy a high-performance crate engine. GMPP sells the 454HO for $5995-It has aluminum heads, a roller cam and is rated at 440 hp and 500 lbs ft of torque. That's quite a jump from the 325 or 350 hp that most 396 Chevelles,Camaros, or El Caminos have. And with proper valve covers, badging etc-no one could tell the difference unless they checked the serial numbers on the block. You could also step up to ZZ502-It's duh-502 cubes-but it has 502 hp and 567 lbs ft of tire-shredding torque. Ditto for small-blocks-the ZZ383 has 425 hp and 450 lbs of torque. That's 150 hp more than the average 275 hp 327 and 125 more than the L48 300 hp 350. It's 55 more hp and 70 lbs more torque than the vaunted, 11:1 compression, solid-lifter-370 hp 1970 LT1 Corvette motor. Ford SVT, Mopar Performance and Blueprint engines offer crate engines. You can buy a 347 or 363 inch Ford engine that looks exactly like a 289 / 302- and with over 400hp-a lot more than the 271 hp of the High-Perf 289 or the 290 of the Boss 302-your "stock' looking '65-68 Mustang could whomp a lot of big-block cars. You can also buy 392 and 427 inch 351W based strokers, and a 460 based 514 with 600+ hp. Put that in your 429 Torino! Mopar Performance offers a 440 based 505 inch wedge engine with over 500 hp that could easily bolt-in place of  a 383 or 440. Blueprint engines offers a 360 based 408 incher with 375 hp and 460 lbs of torque. A lot more than the 275 hp the vaunted 340 made. The second and more economical way is to buy a second engine from a junkyard and rebuild it. A 403 Olds will bolt right in place of, and with the right parts make way more power than the 330 or 350 it's replacing. Trucks, vans and Suburbans with 454s are plentiful in junkyards-an easy upgrade from a 396. There are millions of Dodge trucks and vans and Jeep Grand Cherokees with 360 "Magnum" engines in them-that with very little work make way power than a 273, 318 or 340. The third way is with a stroker crank,rod and piston kit. It's very easy to turn a 350 Chevy into a 383, a 302 Ford into a 347, a 360 Mopar into a 408, and a 400 Pontiac into a 433 or 461. All other things being equal-the larger engine will always make more power and torque. # 2. A bigger carb(s). Because of stock class drag racing rules or just trying to look stock you may have to run a stock intake manifold but you can upgrade the carb. Even some concours show classes are going to the "Original Type" rule-they don't expect you have a 50 year old carb in perfect tune. Within those parameters their's a lot of potential for improvement. For example the Carter AFB that came on a lot of Musclecars in the '60's only flowed about 500 cfm. Edelbrock and Carter make 750 cfm versions. That would really wake up a 389 GTO or 409 Impala. Ditto for Mopars-the Carter AVS 4bbl on the legendary 383 and 440 Magnum engines offered great throttle response and drivability. However they only flowed about 585 cfm. Switching to an 800 cfm Edelbrock AVS could add as much as 40 hp to a 440. Now it can breathe-a 440 with a 585 cfm carb is like a 250 lb NFL running back trying to run while breathing through a straw. The same for dual-quad setups. A hot 409 Chevy, 421 Pontiac or 426 Chrysler Hemi could easily benefit from swapping the 625 cfm AFB's for 750 Edelbrocks. Your 427 Thunderbolt could easily use two 1050 Dominators instead of 750 Holleys. # 3. Ignition. Most-factory Point-type ignitions start to run out of steam about 4,500 rpm and are definitely all done in by 5,500. or even less-sometimes 5,200. The good news is Petronix and other companies offer electronic conversions that will fit under a point-type cap and with or without a separate MSD-type box-are good to 7,500 rpm.  # 4. A bigger cam. Except for maybe a rough-idle-no one can really tell what cam your running. Especially with an automatic trans you don't want to go overboard-but more cam is a stealthy way to hidden power. # 5. Transmission. When Chrysler introduced the Torqueflite back in 1962-they found a huge increase in performance not in the engine, but the transmission. Properly programmed the 383, and 413 and 426 Max Wedge cars with a Torqueflite were practically unbeatable at the drags. They could launch with less wheelspin than competitors with sticks, and they could shift way quicker than any human-and be consistent-they'd shift at exactly the same rpm EVERY time. It took GM and Ford years to catch up-the TH400 and the C6 weren't introduced until much later in the decade. This is escpecially true if you have a pre 1967 GM car. The two-speed Powerglide / ST300 is awful. A 1.76 1st gear and a 1.00:1 2nd?  The upside is a TH350 is a bolt-in swap. And the TH350 has a 2.52 1st gear, a 1.52 2nd and a 1:1 3rd. So whether you have a 327 Impala or a 396 Chevelle, or 389 GTO-the 3-speed TH350 with a decent shift kit will offer an astounding increase in performance over the 2-speed "Powerslide"-even with a bone-stock engine. The same goes for sticks-swapping a 3-speed for a 4-speed will give you a drastic increase in perfomance. # 6. Mechanical advantage. Swapping a 2.73 or 3.08 rear axle ratio for some 3.73's will give you a huge boost in 0-60 and 1/4 mile performance without hurting gas mileage and driveability too much. The same for a mild stall converter-a converter with 500-1000 more rpm stall speed greatly improves off the line performance without hurting drivabality much. But don't go overboard-if your stock converter stalls at 1,500 rpm, and you put in a 2000 or 2,500 rpm converter, you'll notice a marked increase in acceleration. Change to a 3,500-4,000 rpm converter-and you'll blow the tires off, and probalby go SLOWER than stock and maybe burn up the trans from excessive slippage. So err on the side of caution. # 7. Exhaust-you may not want to run headers-but even with stock exhaust manifolds-a good, free-flowing dual exhaust system can add as much as 30-40 hp. Hope this helped....Mastermind                

If it's not "Real", it doesn't have to be correct to the nth degree.....

Talked to a couple strange people at a car show they other day and the more I thought about it, the more wrong-headed and crazy I thought they were. Here's why- The one guy wanted to build a Cobra Replica. He was griping that he was having trouble finding a 427. I was aghast-I said-"The Factory Five cars run in the 11s with the powertrain out of a "5.0" Mustang. Why do you need to go faster than that?"  "If you want the look and sound of an FE engine-390's are a dime a dozen-and they are externally identical." Put some Edelbrock Heads and a Dual-Quad intake on it and it'll be great." He looked at me like I just dropped a turd in a swimming pool. "You can't have a Cobra without a 427" he sneered. "It's not correct." I laughed. "The whole Freaking car isn't "correct!" "It's a kit car"  "No matter how much money you put into it or rare parts you chase down-It's still not an original,documented Shelby Cobra." So build one for $20,000 instead of 50 or 100."  If you ever want to sell it you might be able to get 25 grand for it." "But no one's going to pay much more than that because the complete turn-key kit less engine costs $19,995." ( The base kit is $11,995) "Another 5k for an SVT 302 or 351 crate motor and your there." "If you can buy a brand-new one for $25k why would you pay 40 or 50 or more for someone elses?"  A guy who overheard our exchange interjected himself in the conversation and agreed with the other guy. He wanted to build a Yenko Camaro clone-but the search for a running or at least rebuildable L72, L88 or L89 427 had proved fruitless. "Well, Duh!!" I said. "They only made them from 1966-69 and their being hoarded by people restoring Corvettes and COPO cars, and real Yenkos." "They made 243,000 '69 Camaros-buy a nice base model for 15K and buy a 454HO crate motor from GMPP for $5995, get the stencils from Phoenix Graphics and your ready to go to for under 30K." "That wouldn't even buy you a basket-case Real Yenko."  "Or spend a little more and get the ZZ427 / 480 hp crate model if you just "Gotta" have a 427." He says-  "But those are roller-cam MKVI engines, not solid-lifter MKIV's and they won't have 1968 or '69 date codes." No shit, Sherlock!  I said again-"But the car is a F#$king Fake!!"  "Why do you need an authentic date-coded motor for a Clone??!!!"  "You don't understand". The guy said. "I don't" I agreed. "If I wanted a Hemi Challenger-I'd go buy a restored '70 or '71 383 model for $25k, and buy a Mopar Performance 426 Crate Hemi for $15K,and drop it in." "Then I'd have a pristine Hemi Challenger for $40 grand." "You can't touch an original Hemi car for under 100K, and half of those, still need work!." "That's the beauty of the clone route." "But I'd never find a 1970 Hemi engine for sale at any price."  These two left-shaking their heads, disgusted by how stupid I was. Really?- Your looking for a $40,000, 40 year old 427 side-oiler NASCAR engine to put into a $12,000 Kit Car-and I'm the dummy?  Ok. Mastermind          

Can we drop the tweed cap wearing, pipe smoking, "The Numbers don't Match" shit?...

I had this conversation with a Pontiac collector the other day. I understand the value of a numbers-matching engine block and heads. That tells you if it's a real Ram Air IV or LS6 or LT-1 or 440 / SixPack. I fully understand that. What drives me up the wall is the other parts. Like you want to buy a '67 GTO. The 400 has 1967 date codes. However-the "Expert" you've asked to look over the car tells you the Quadrajet 4bbl-while "period correct" has 1985 date codes. And the point-type distributor again-while "period correct" has 1974 date codes-it's clearly a rebuilt unit from Autozone or Napa. Are you not going to buy the car? Did you really expect a 50 year old car to have the original carburator?? And be running perfectly???  As "Mr Roarke" used to say-"Welcome to Fantasy Island." You don't think that maybe in 1970 the second or third owner didn't maybe put an Edelbrock P4b manifold and a 750 Holley on it?  Or that even if Grandma Betty owned it-when the float started sinking and the throttle shafts got warped  and it started running like shit-that her local mechanic-in the '80's wouldn't just throw a replacement Q-Jet on it from the local auto parts supplier-and take his profit-not worrying about losing the "numbers-matching" carb to save a $50 "core charge??  Ditto for the distributor-when it got old enough and the points started bouncing and it wouldn't run over 3,000 rpm-wouldn't "Joe Mechanic" taking care of a "little old lady" old car-just buy a rebuilt distributor from Napa or Autozone, et, al??  Not caring about resale value 20 years hence??  The same about transmissions. Again-Grandma buys a 1968 Olds 442 with a 400 and an automatic. In 1982 a cooling line blows and it loses all the fluid and burns up. She takes it to AAMCO and they install a replacement BOP TH400. In 1995 Grandma dies and her kids want to sell her car. Is this pristine, low-mileage 442 actually worth any less because of the numbers stamped on the TRANNY CASE???  That's why the Pure Stock drags has amended their rules to "Original Type". In other words your '70 Z/28 is legal with a replacment 3310 Holley Carb-it doesn't have to have 1970 date codes. Your '63 409 Impala can have a late-model BW T10 4-speed-it doesn't have to have 1963 date codes. And that's reasonable. So let's stop obsessing over serial numbers. Mastermind

Project "Cheap Shot"...Or "Junkyard Dog" or whatever.....Let's try to get it going...

I'm sure you are as sick as I am of reading magazine articles about some guy's cool car that he has $50,000-$100,000 invested in. I'd like to serialize the build of an 11 or 12 second car for less than $10,000-including the purchase price of the car. Maybe I can get Hot Rod or Popular Hot Rodding to follow along with several articles as we go. It sounds like a tall order-but I think it could be done pretty easy. $3,000 will buy a decent, running 70's or '80s Camaro or Firebird,or a '78-87 GM "G" body-I'm thinking Malibu, Monte Carlo ( not an SS; too expensive ) or Pontiac Gran Prix-most of these had 305 Chevys in them which makes a 350 or a 383 a bolt-in. We could also do an '83-93 "5.0" Mustang or an '83-'88 T bird. That would leave 7k for the build up. If we went the GM route-I followed an article that Super Chevy did a while back-they built a 400 hp 350 for $2,600 using all-new parts. They bought a generic 350 short-block from Autozone or Pep Boys or Napa for $599. They bought a set of 64cc Vortec Heads from Scoggin-Dickey for $650. $200 for a Vortec bolt pattern Edelbrock Performer RPM manifold, $350 for a 750cfm Edelbrock carb,$200 for a Crane Cam $199 for an HEI distributor and $200 for Heddman Headers. For $2,600 it dyno'd at like 396 hp and 410 lbs ft of torque. At this point we'd have $5,600 in the car. That would still leave $4,400 for gears, a high-stall converter, tires and wheels, suspension or brake upgrades and bodywork and paint. Ditto if we did a "5.0" Mustang or T-bird. We could freshen up the bottom end with rings and bearings and an oil pump. Holley and Trick Flow-offer top end kits for the 302 that include heads, cam kit and intake manifold that makes 375 hp and cost about $2,500. With some 3.73 gears and some drag radials that would easily put a "5.0" Mustang in the 12s. A shot of nitrous could easily get us in the 11s. I think it would a fun way to show that you can go really fast and have a cool ride without having to spend 30 or 40 grand. I suggested the late-model GM "F" and "G" bodies and the Fox Mustang because there's more cheap speed equipment out there for these cars than anything else on the planet. Anybody could duplicate what were doing. But It could also be done with a '71-77 Pontiac Ventura with a 400 V8. Or a 71-77 Ford Maverick with a 302 or a '70-76 Duster / Dart with a 318 / 360. There's a variety of combinations that could work in those parameters and dollar amounts.  I'd love to hear anyone elses Ideas on this one if they think it would fly. Mastermind

More on "Good Deals" and parts "Laying Around"....

Had a few people defending the writers of the Mopar Action article. They said-"What-your saying they shouldn't have used perfectly good parts they already had?"  I'm not saying that-I'm saying they shouldn't have wrote an article about how to build a high performance engine cheaply-and then use rare,expensive, hard to find parts that the average guy would have a hard time finding at any price,much less for free. If you say you built an engine for $2,500-"Joe Average" should be able to call Summitt or Jeg's or Autozone and buy the same stuff for roughly the same price-not $2,500 not counting $4,000 worth of stuff you had "Laying Around". That's the point I was making. Yes-I've stumbled onto some spectacular finds over the years. A friend of my dad's once gave me a complete Pontiac Tri-Power setup-manifold, carbs,linkage, air cleaners, everything for a GTO I was restoring. That set up would easily bring over $1,000 at a swap meet and I got it for free. I was managing a Pep Boys store in the mid-'80s when a woman with a 1971 Corvette had our service department install one of the $699 rebuilt long block 350 Chevys that they sold back then. After triple-checking the numbers on her "core"-I bought a tired, but rebuildable LT-1 for the $160 core charge and turned handsprings all the way home. But I didn't throw rings and bearings and an oil pump in it, stuff it in my Pontiac Ventura and write an article for Hot Rod magazine how I built a 12 second car for $600!! ( I paid $200 for the Ventura that had a blown 307 Chevy in it; my dad and I re-did the heads on the LT-1 on our own valve grinder and I had about $240 in parts in addition to the $160 I paid for the Long block. I had a TH 350, an Edelbrock Torker intake and a 750 AFB "Laying Around" ). See what I'm saying-If Hot Rod had published that article-evryone reading it would have said-"What an asshole." "You bought a 350 Chevy with 4-bolt mains,a steel crank,"Pink" rods,forged pistons,a solid-lifter cam, and "2.02" heads for $160??" "Well bully for you-how are the rest of us supposed to duplicate this "Budget Build?"  I had another Ventura that my cousin who owned a junkyard GAVE me. I stuffed the 400 and TH350 out of my wrecked '77 Trans-Am into that and had a nice daily driver / Hot Rod for nothing. But I didn't ask Popular Hot Rodding to write an article about it!!  A buddy of mine just inherited a pristine 1971 429 SCJ Ford Torino. It needs some cleaning up because it sat in his uncle's garage for about the last 10 years-but it's all there. He could probably sell it for $40k easy-but he's going to keep it and drive it on nice days. Good for him-but Musclecar Review doesn't need to write an article about how he got this $40,000 car for free-and after minor restoration-"This guy has $3,000 in a 429SCJ Torino!!" "Isn't that cool??"  NO-everyone reading it would want to throw up and be pissed that they spent $6.99 on the magazine!! That's my outrage over these "Budget Builds" who's budget?  Mastermind    

"Good Deals" or "Low-Budget" builds should be stuff the average guy can get, not "Moon Rocks!!!"

I hate to always be down on the buff magazines-but I can't help it-almost every month they print something that infuriates me or insults my intelligence. The ones I hate the most lately are the "Low-Buck" or "Budget Buildups". You've seen them-"12 seconds for $1,200". "500 hp Budget Small-Block Chevy Build" "Junkyard Jewel" etc, etc. I don't care if they say they bought an Edelbrock Manifold at a swap meet for $75 or a set of used headers for $50. We all get that stuff all the time. What drives me up the wall is in the middle of their "Low-Budget" 500 hp Small-Block Chevy article-"Hey-what about that set of ported and polished Brodix Aluminum heads that we "almost forgot we had?"  Really???  Or "Joe's brother not only gave us the disc-braked, 3.73:1 geared posi rear end out of his wrecked Trans-Am, he helped up put it in the Camaro and bought the beer!!"  Puhleeze. The two biggest offenders were Super Chevy and Mopar Action. Super Chevy ran one called "10 seconds for 10,000."  The $7,000 for a stompin' 500+ hp 383 crate motor was fine. What made my head want to explode was the "engineless" '79 Camaro they bought for $2,700 to put it in. This "engineless" Camaro had a 4.56:1 geared Currie 9 inch rear end, Competition Engineering Traction Bars,a TCI Built Powerglide with a 4,000 rpm stall converter and a Trans-Brake,an 8-point roll cage, an ATL safety fuel cell, and a set of Center Line Wheels with 7.10x15 Moroso drag front tires and 275 / 60R15 BFG Drag Radials. Gee, I'd like to buy a car with $7,000 worth of premium parts in it for $2,700!!  Like Ditka says on Monday Night Football-"Come on, Man!!" Mopar Action built a ground-pounding 440. Again-I didn't mind that they said they paid $400 for it out of a wrecked 1975 Chrysler Imperial in a Junkyard. They had it bored .030 over-standard rebuild stuff. Then they decided to use a Forged steel crank and a set of "Six-Pack" rods that they had "Laying around".  Check Summitt Racing-a 440 Mopar Forged crank from Eagle costs $1100. A set of forged Eagle rods runs $700. Then after they built it and got it to make 550+ hp with a set of Indy heads and an 850 Holley on a Performer RPM intake-"Just for "giggles" and "Nostalgia" they decided to try a "Six-Pack" induction stup that they had "Laying Around". Check Summitt or Mopar Performance. Edelbrock still sells the manifold,Holley still sells the carbs,and Mopar Performance sells the Throttle Linkage and Air cleaner. All that retails for $2,200. How nice that they had $4,000 worth of rare, premium parts "Laying Around"!!!  That's the crap that I hate. "Good Deals" should be stuff that the average Joe can find in an auto parts store or junkyard in any city in America.  That's all I'm saying. Mastermind        

Modern day "Rat Rods" you can build cheap.....

Street Rodder and other magazines often feature "Rat Rods"-beater '30s, 40's and '50s cars with monster motors. The cars may be rusty or ugly-but their wicked fast. Here's some modern-day equivalents that could be wicked fast and cheap to buy and build. # 1. 1975-78 Ford Mustang II ( V8 model ). These cars got a bad rap as "dogs" because the 302 was saddled with 2bbl carburation, single exhaust,and 2.80:1 gears. However-they don't weigh any more than a Pinto-about 2,700 lbs. And give him a 4bbl carb, a decent cam and dual exhausts and some 3.55:1 gears and you'll give those smug '80s and 90's "5.0" owners a physics lesson they'll never forget. Swap in an SVT 347 crate engine-and you can show your taillights to the new ones as well. # 2. 1975-81 Chevy Monza ( and Olds Starfire / Buick Skyhawk / Pontiac Sunbird ) V8 models. Forget the V6 models the ones to get have 305 Chevys in them-which means-duh-a stompin' 350 or 383 is a bolt in swap. Special note-some 1975-76 "California" models-had 350s from the factory. Dynamite if you can find one. Like the Mustang II they were considered "dogs" for the same reason-2bbl carburation,single exhaust and salt-flats gearing. A 4bbl and some 3.73 gears would make even a 305 model a rocket-they only weigh about 2,700 lbs. A pumped up 350 or 383 or 406 would make you King Kong.     # 3. 1975-79 GM "X" body. ( Nova, Ventura / Phoenix / Apollo / Omega ). Everyone and his brother wants a '68-74 Nova. However the '75 and later models are snubbed-and their actually a better base for a hot rod. Here's why-They have standard front disc brakes, their engine bays will swallow any GM engine,and any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Camaro / Firebird will fit these cars-so you can build a drag racer or a corner-carving "G" machine if you want. The ones to look for are obviously the 305 / 350 Chevy models-they offer the most bang for the buck. The next best ones are 350 Pontiac models-they respond well to traditional hot rod tricks-carb and intake, cams etc-and the bonus is Pontiac engines are externally identical from a 326 to a 455. That means a 400 or 455 is a bolt-in swap. I had a 400 Ventura and it was a great sleeper. 350 Olds models have a lot of potential as well-and a 403 is a bolt-in swap. Or you could swap in a Chevy Rat Motor-these cars have almost unlimited potential. # 4. 1971-77 AMC Gremlin / 1971-80 AMC Hornet / Spirit V8 models. The ones to look for have 304 V8s. They can be made to run-but heres the great thing-like Pontiacs-AMC engines are externally identical. Which means a 360 or 401 is a bolt-in swap. And there are millions of 360s in junkyards in Jeep Grand Waggoneers. Edelbrock offers aluminum heads and cams and intakes, and with a curb weight of 2,600 lbs and a short wheelbase-these cars actually make great drag racers. # 5. 1976-80 Dodge Aspen / Plymouth Volare. These cars replaced the Duster / Dart-and Ironically-obviously because the E-bodies ( Challenger / 'Cuda ) and B-bodies ( Road Runner / Charger / Super Bee ) are so expensive- Duster and Dart prices are rising. However- you can buy an Aspen / Volare for practically nothing. Forget the six-cylinder models-the ones to get are the 318 / 360 models. With a curb weight around 3,000 lbs and tons of speed equipment for the small-block Mopar-these can be made to really run relatively cheap. And there are millions of 360 "Magnum" V8s in Dodge Trucks and Vans and Jeep Grand Cherokees in junkyards-that would give you an instant power infusion. None of these cars are sexy-but they can be major quick for minor bucks. And that's what a "Rat Rod" is all about. Mastermind

If the car is the price of a house, it better be letter-perfect!!!

I was watching an auction on TV today and they were selling a bunch of premium cars fot premium prices. A few of them really pissed me off. I mean if your asking six figures for a supposedly original car-then it should damn well be original, right?  Well these weren't!! # 1. This was a 1964 Impala SS convertible that they were trying to sell ( and did ) for $150,000. This was way to much in my mind for two reasons-One it WAS NOT a 409 / 4-speed, it was 327 / Powerglide. Secondly-the engine may or may not have been a '64 vintage 327-but  the Radial A/C compresser and the HEI distributor stood out like a sore thumb!! Like Ditka says-"Come on,Man!!" You couldn't go to Autozone and get a Reman A6 compresser and point-type distributor so it at least LOOKED "Period Correct?"  # 2. This was a 1969 Shelby GT350 Mustang. It was reasonably priced at $55,000-you can't usually touch any Shelby for under 100k-but the price was right-with the 290 hp 351W-except for the 250 hp '68 model these are lowest powered Shelby ( The 289-powered '65-67 models were rated at 306, and the 428 engined GT500s were grossly under-rated at 335-) and it was an automatic, not a 4-speed, and it had an Edelbrock carb on it, and American Racing Torq-Thrust wheels. Granted, the Autolite 4300 is the WORST carb ever built and if I wanted to drive the car at all-I'd probably put an Edelbrock or a Holley on it myself-but the original carb should have been included and it should have had the original wheels. I say this because I've seen completely original GT350s in Hemmings for $44,000-ten grand less. # 3 This one made me want to kick out the TV screen-a 1963 Split-Window Corvette that some moron had-wait for it-Put an LS motor and a six-speed in!!! And they wanted a 100K for the butchered thing. If was an original '63 Split-window with the Fuel-Injected 327 or even the carburated 340 hp version it would have been worth 100K, but not with a non-original powertrain??!! What was this guy thinking? You couldn't find a '68-82 C3 that no one cares about and cut that up, it's got to be a rare one-year only model!!  Ugh!  Anyhow-the point I'm making is if the car costs six figures-it ought to be "Right". Mastermind

"G" may be the way to go for low-budget muscle.....

In 1978 GM downsized all the "A" bodies-Chevelle,Monte Carlo, LeMans, Gran Prix, Cutlass and Regal-and for whatever reason called them "G" bodies. Although they were 600 lbs lighter than the models they replaced they were saddled with anemic powerplants and salt-flats gearing. A '77 Monte Carlo with a 350 is still capable of enough acceleration from a light to annoy a traffic cop. A '78-88 Cutlass or Regal with a 231 inch Buick V6 with a 2bbl backed by a slushbox and 2.29:1 gearing is going to annoy exactly two people-yourself and the driver behind you!!  However, all is not lost-there are some that make excellent hot rods-you just have to know what to look for. Here are my personal favorites-# 1. 1978-87 Malibu / Monte Carlo / El Camino. From 1978-80 you could still get a 350 / 4bbl in these cars. That gives you a great base for a hot rod, or you could swap in a snarling 383. The '81 and later models could only be had with a 305, but thats not a big deal because a 350 or 383 or 406 would be a bolt-in. # 2 1983-87 Pontiac Gran Prix. The ones to look for are the 305 Chevy powered models for the reasons listed above. And the Pontiacs had Radial Tuned Suspension-front and rear sway bars, and upgraded interiors. They make nicer drivers than their less-loaded Chevy cousins. # 3. 1978-87 Buick Regal. A lot of these had the anemic 231 V6 under the hood, but a fair number of '78-81 models had 301 Pontiacs under the hood. Pontiac engines are externally identical-so this means a 400 or 455 would be a bolt-in swap. Beef up the 200R4 and put some 3.73 or 4.11 gears in the rear end and you'd give those smug Grand National owners a surprise they'd never forget!!  The 1982-87 models had the 307 Olds V8 as an option. This means a 350 or a 403 would be a bolt-in swap. Same thing-Edelbrock claims 397 hp a 400 lbs of torque from their "Performer RPM" package-and that's on a 350 test mule. A 403 would easily have 425 hp or more-and that would be enough to torture GN owners mercilessly.  # 4. 1978-87 Olds Cutlass. Some 1978-80 models had 350 Olds engines, and some had 305 Chevys or 301 Pontiacs. For some reason-probably because the Cutlass was the #1 seller and GM was playing musical engines because of smog laws-there's more variables on these than the others. However-you can swap accordingly-It's easier and Cheaper to swap a snarling 350 or 383 small-block Chevy into a 305 model than it would be to turn it back to "real" Olds power and then hop it up. See what I'm saying?  The '81 and later models used the 307 V8-so like I said about the Regals the easiest HP infusion is to swap in a 350 / 403.  If you want to be really low-budget-there was a guy who was selling motor mount kits to swap 1968-76 472 / 500 inch Cadillac V8s into these cars. Check the Internet -he may still be in business. Anyhow these cars would make great "sleepers" for a relatively low price. Mastermind    

More about automakers pricing themselves out of business...

People asked about some things I said in the last post about automakers pricing themselves out of business. Here's why-history repeats itself. Back in the '70's and much of the '80's the Datsun 240Z and later the 260Z, the 280Z and the 280ZX was a reasonably priced, great performing sports car. Then when the 300ZX debuted, they went crazy. By 1993 when the last 300ZX Turbo rolled off the assembly line-they cost $45,000!!!  In 1993 dollars??  Hello?  A Pontiac Trans-Am with an LT1 that was faster stickered for about $28,000. A Corvette that was faster stickered for about $36,000. A Mustang GT that was faster stickered for about $25,000. A Mitsubishi 3000 GT VR4 that was faster stickered for about $36,000. A Porsche 928 was about $50,000. Excuse me? I'm going to pay 45 grand for a Datsun that can't outrun a screaming chicken Firebird or a Fairmont based Mustang? When I can buy the top of the line Porsche for roughly the same money or a Corvette for less?  Toyota did the same thing with the Turbo Supra. They were cool and blisteringly fast. But by 1992 they were over 30 Grand. Again-a "5.0" Mustang that was just as fast was about 15 grand. An L98 Corvette engined Trans-Am GTA was about 25. A Porsche 944 Turbo was about 35K. And you wonder why the Toyota didn't sell??  The same thing is happening now. Forget the Hellcat-a loaded Challenger R/T is over 40 grand. Ditto for an SS Camaro. The Mustang GT starts at 32K but it's pretty easy to get over 40K with a few options. I have a good job and make decent money for my industry and level of education. And I COULD afford one of these if I really wanted it. But I don't-and I'm a hardcore musclecar guy-and I can't justify in my mind spending $1,000 a month-when you factor in gas, insurance, payments, etc-so once in a blue moon I can jump some clown from a light or pass him up an on-ramp. I'm much happier in my Subaru Forester that gets 30 mpg, has plenty of room and runs like a champ. I don't need a love affair-I need an appliance-like my clothes dryer drys clothes. My dishwasher washes dishes. My Subie gets me to work and back. Or over the hill without chains when there's snow. With my 46 mile commute and mountain weather here-I don't need a rear-wheel drive 400 hp musclecar that gets 11 mpg. If I want one of those-I'll buy a beater 1970-81 Camaro / Firebird and put a 454HO crate motor in it for about ten grand total investment!!  I hate to be elitist-but seriously- $70,000 for a Dodge Challenger or ZL1 Camaro??  If I'm going to spend 70 grand on a car-It's going to be a new Jaguar F-Type, or a low-mileage Ferrari, Porsche or Aston-Martin!!  Not a freaking Camaro!!!  That I can't see out of and has no headroom, and rattles like a Cruze!!!  Or a Dodge with a blower on it and a cop-car interior!!  Mastermind              

Automakers beware...Your pricing yourselves out of business...Again....

I was talking to a salesman at the Subaru dealer I work at. We were standing next to a new WRX STI. That had a sticker price of $39,000 and change. And that's not the greedy dealer "Market Value" sticker-that was monroney. "This car-" he said "Is absolutely coveted by people who can't afford it." He continued. "If I take one to lunch it causes a complete work stoppage at Jack in The Box, or McDonalds, or Subway." "Guys 18-25 drool over it." "But even if they've got good credit, or a parent or spouse with good credit to co-sign for them, they can't afford $600 a month payments and another $150 for insurance." "Guys from 30-50 who can afford that much are more likely to buy a BMW 3-series,a Mercedes C-class,a Lexus IS350,or a Cadillac CTS."  "Not an Econobox with a Turbo and a rally car suspension." He made me think a little-and all the other high-performance cars that the magazines are raving about are in the same boat, only worse. Think about it- it's a cliche'-Old guy in a Corvette-but their the only one's who can afford them. Yes a Z06 Corvette is an absolute rocket and can hold it's own against Ferraris, Porsche 911s, Nissan GTRs, Audi R8s etc. And it also has a $100,000+ price tag like all those. Except for New York or California, that's the price of a house. The Challenger Hellcat and the ZL1 Camaro-$70,000 grand. My younger brother who's in his 40's and grew up with me watching "Vanishing Point" "Bullitt", "The Seven-Ups", "Smokey and the Bandit" etc-who loved the Judge I had in high school and has a '69 GTO if his own, would love to have a Hellcat Challenger. But like he said-"If I'm going to spend an extra $1,000 a month-I'll buy a rental house or condo and build something for my retirement, not buy another car that I don't need."  So it's only rich guys in their 50's and 60's who have to have the biggest,and best of everything no matter what it costs. Young guys can't afford to play. And that's sad. When my dad was 20 in 1959 he bought a new Tri-Power 345 hp 389 Pontiac Catlina. When I was 22 in 1984-I had a '78 Trans-Am because I was raised in a Pontiac Household and there was no substitute for 400 cubic inches. My cousin had an '83 Camaro with a 305 and 5-speed. If I had wanted a new L69 / 5-speed '84 T/A or a "5.0" Mustang." I could have easily afforded the $250-300 per month payments on a $12,000 car. I actually bought one of the first Fieros from the Pontiac dealer I worked at. My 21 year old son cannot afford the $600 per month a new 435 hp $32,000 Mustang GT would cost. And that's sad. Like Bunkie Knudsen said-"You can sell a young's man car to an old man, but you can't sell a old man's car to a young man." That's true. But $60,000 Musclecars aimed at aging Baby Boomers-the only people who can afford them-makes me quote Danny DeVito from "Other People's Money". "Get an increasing share of a shrinking market." "Down the Tubes."  This is what killed the Camaro and Firebird back in 2002. A loaded Z/28 was $38,000 in 2002 dollars. A BMW 3 series was cheaper, as was a Lexus IS300. A Nissan 350Z was $26,000. A V8 Mustang GT was $25,000. More than 10 grand cheaper. The average mullet-headed 24 year old couldn't afford $38,000 2002 dollars for a car. The automakers never learn....Mastermind          

Old-School "David" beats Modern "Goliath"......

An arrogant rich kid got a great comeuppance the other day. It was recorded on my buddy's cell phone If I could upload it here I would. Anyway a guy with a Supercharged 662hp Shelby GT500 2014 Mustang got his doors blown off by a '72 Camaro with a normally aspirated 350 and a 4-speed. The Camaro did have the Edelbrock Performer Rpm package-Heads,Cam, Carb and intake etc. According to Edelbrock this makes 410 hp. So how did the 400 hp car beat the 660 hp car?  Good old drag racing prowess. The Camaro driver dropped the clutch about 2,500 rpm getting just enough wheelspin to get the car moving and up on it's torque curve, spinning the tires for maybe 50 feet. The Supercharged Mustang incinerated his tires through 1st and 2nd. The Camaro jumped out to about a 5 car length lead. Even finally getting traction in 3rd gear and having nearly 700 hp pulling hard-the Mustang couldn't catch him. The Camaro still beat him at the end of the 1/4 by about 2 car lengths. Now if the Mustang had had slicks or drag radials and a more competent driver it wouldn't have even been a race. But that's what makes it so cool. My Hurst / Olds that had a 355 hp Chevy ZZ4 crate motor in it beat a Subaru WRX in drag race. The Subie owner spouted Motor Trend's road test where their WRX test mule ran a 5.4 second 0-60, and a 13.8 second 1/4. My Cutlass had run a best of 13.92. He was sure he was going to win. Except the M/T driver dropped the clutch on the WRX at 5,500 rpm and powershifted it, shocking the AWD system so bad that all the traction control nanny lights went off as all 4 wheels spun off the line. Without the brutal launch-the times increased to 6.6 seconds 0-60 and 14.4 seconds in the 1/4. Still quick, but not as blisteringly quick as the quoted time. And honestly-the average Joe isn't going to drop the clutch at 5,500 rpm and risk his $5769 transaxle to jump some clown from a light. I came off the line even, and then pulled away in 2nd gear. The Subie driver was aghast. How could a heavier car with not much more power ( 3,731 lbs with 355 hp vs 3,330 with 305hp ) win?. Same way- my 2,800 rpm B&M Converter and 255/60R15 Comp T/As allowed me to launch with about 30 feet of wheelspin, and then the 418 lbs of torque-350 or more of which is available from 1,800-5,200 rpm took over. I beat him by about a car length and a half. That's the oldest drag rcing adage in the world "All the Power in the world doesn't do you any good if you can't put it to the ground."  Anyhow-it was fun to watch. Mastermind      

Like "Get Carter"..."The Truth Hurts"....

Got some flack over the last post about the guy who wanted 75K for a 1971 SS396 Camaro. A lot of people thought I was overly harsh bagging on the car's value and performance. I don't think I was. Here's why. Motor Trend's test of a 1972 SS396 Camaro ( The '71 and '72 models were identical except for gross and net hp ratings. The '71 had 300 gross hp, the '72 240 net hp. The engines were identical with no changes according to GM literature and service bulletins. ) showed a 0-60 time of 7.2 seconds and a 1/4 mile time of 15.7 seconds. According to Motor Trend today-my 2014 Subaru Forester with a 4 cylinder engine, all-wheel drive and a 6-speed manual transmission does 0-60 in 7.5 seconds and the 1/4 in 15.8 seconds. Another road test of a 2000 360 Jeep Cherokee showed it did the 1/4 in 15.7 seconds. This tells me that this "Ultra-Rare" $75,000 Camaro would be beaten or given a helluva race from a light by a soccer mom in a 14 year old Jeep Cherokee or a by a 52 year old guy in a new Subaru Suv!! ( Not a Turbo WRX!! ) But going back to my comment of it's rare because nobody bought them when they were new-here's why. In 1971 a fully loaded SS396 Camaro cost about $5,500. With a 396 truck motor. The LS3 had oval-port heads, a mild hydraulic cam, a Quadrajet on an iron intake, and was optional in Impalas, Monte Carlos, Chevelles, Pickups, Suburbans and various wagons. It was a "Towing" motor. Conversely for the same or less money-the base price on a Pontiac Trans-Am was $4255.75-and it had a 455 inch V8 with RAIV heads and round-port exhaust manifolds, and aluminum intake and the vaunted "068" cam and made 480 lbs of torque at 2,700 rpm. And ran 0-60 in 5.7 seconds and the 1/4 in 14.27.  More than a full second faster than the SS396 Camaro. The Z/28 Camaro tested in 1972 by Motor Trend against a Datsun 240Z in a "A Z verse Z shootout", Ran a 13.92 second 1/4. With a 350 V8 with "202" heads, a solid-lifter cam, and a 780 Holley on an aluminum intake. A 383 / Torqueflite '71 Road Runner ran a 15.35.  For the same $5,000 plus dollars you could also buy in 1971 a 429 / 4-speed Ford Torino, a Boss 351 Mustang, a 370 hp 440 4bbl Dodge Challenger or a 385hp 440 / Six-Pack Plymouth Road Runner, a 425hp LS6 Chevelle, a 426 hp Hemi Charger, or for way less money- a strippy 340 Duster-( Which ran a 14.34 in a 1972 test with a Torqueflite!! )  or a 400, 4-speed Tempest T-37-all of which would suck up and spit out this truck-motored Camaro in a drag race or "Stoplight Gran Prix." That's what I was pointing out. A lot of them weren't sold because they were underpowered and overpriced. Same thing for 1984-86 SVO Ford Mustangs. They had 16" wheels, Recaro seats, a special suspension and a Turbocharged 4-cylinder engine that made between 175 and 205 hp depending on model year. Except they cost $17,000 in 1984 dollars and the V8 "5.0" Mustang-which cost about $12,000 in 1984 dollars-was not only 5 grand cheaper, it was faster to boot!!  Ditto for the $14,000 L69 305 / 5-speed Z/28 Camaro and Pontiac Trans-Am. Gee, why didn't they sell?  That's what I was saying-It was "rare" because no one bought them new. They were priced higher than similar cars that had better performance-the Z/28 Camaro,the Pontiac Trans-Am, the 440 Charger, the Mach 1 Mustang, et. al.  If I had 75K to spend on a musclecar I would buy a Ram Air IV Judge,or an LS6 Chevelle, a 428CJ Mustang, a 440 Six-Pack Super Bee,a Boss 302, an SD 455 T/A or a 427 Stingray, not an 8.5:1 compression iron manifold, Q-jet carbed '71 Camaro that can't outrun my wife's Jeep Cherokee!!! That's all I was saying. You can ask a million dollars for your car-doesn't mean it's worth it. Mastermind.      

Just cause you think it's the Cats meow, doesn't mean it's worth a mint....

Saw an ad on the Internet for a 1971 Camaro SS396. It was a 4-speed, and it was immaculate, and fully doumented. However-the seller wanted $75,000 for it!!!  Hello?  It's an LS3 396 / 402 with 8.5:1 compression,a hydraulic cam, an iron manifold with a Quadrajet, and a rating of 300 gross hp, which was lowered to 240 net hp for 1972 for the exact same engine. It's a truck / station wagon engine, Which was used in Millions of Monte Carlos, Impalas, and pickups in that era. It's not an 11:1, solid lifter, rectangular port head, aluminum manifold, / 780 Holley high performance motor like the vaunted L78. Excuse me? I've seen people asking the same or less money for documented LS6 454 Motion cars, or documented 427 Yenko cars!!!  I've seen people asking less for SD-455 / 4-speed Trans-Ams!!!  A rare turd, is still a turd. Honestly I can buy a beater 1970-81 Camaro for 3 grand in any state in the union and for 6 grand more stuff a 454HO in it and have a badass Camaro that runs 12s or 11s with a little shot of nitrous. If I can have an 11 second Camaro for nine grand, why would I pay 75K for one that can't break out of the 15s???  Because it's "Rare?"  It's "rare" for a reason! No one wanted to buy the overpriced, underpowered piece of shit when it was new!!!  For the same or less money they wanted for this ill-handling "truck motored" Camaro, you could get a Z/28 which had a fire-breathing LT1 350 with a solid-lifrer cam,"202" heads, an aluminum manifold and a 780 Holley that would rev to 7 grand and make power all the way there!! You could buy a Pontiac Trans-Am that had a 455HO with RAIV heads and intake, an "068" cam and a "Rock Crusher" for the same money!! You could buy a Charger or Challenger with a 385 hp 440 / Six Pack, or a 425 hp 426 Hemi!!  So, yeah-no one bought this 240 net hp " truck motored"  turd. Just because it's immaculate doesn't make it worth a mint. Is a 403 Olds/ TH350, 2.41 geared '79 T/A that's mint, worth more than a 1978 WS6, 400 Pontiac, 4-speed, 3.42 geared, documented, one of 203 Mecham "Macho T/A's" that needs a little work?  Or a 1973 Formula 455??  It was a nice car-but it wasn't a Yenko or Motion car-and in my mind not worth $75,000. It wasn't anything special-I mean you can buy Shelby Mustangs or Hemi 'Cudas or Boss 302s for 75 k!!  And this guy wants this king's ransom for a garden-variety Camaro?  To each his own. Mastermind

For the last time....People building clones doesn't affect the value of the "Real" thing....

Got into a heated debate with a couple of  "Just as it left the factory" types the other day. They were bitching that people building clones out of base models "ruins" the value of the real deal. Huh?  How?  "Explain to me" I said-"If that's true then how come a real 427 Shelby Cobra is still worth $400,000 when there's hundreds of thousands of kit car replicas out there from Factory Five and others?" "How come an original 426 Hemi powered '70 Challenger is still worth $150,000 when you can buy a Mopar Performance 426 Crate Hemi for 15 grand and stuff it in a 318 model that you bought for five grand? "  "If I buy a '69 Mustang Fastback and stuff in a Boss-Nine crate motor from Jon Kaase Racing, that's not going to hurt the guy who has a real Boss 429 that's worth $500,000!!"  How does the fake affect the real one in any way shape or form, except if anything make the real deal MORE valuable?" If I put a GMPP ZZ427 crate motor in a '69 Chevelle and paint it like a Yenko,or put a 454HO in a '73 Camaro and paint it like a Motion Phase III car, it doesn't make a real, documented Yenko or Motion car worth a penny less!!  Then they started in about people selling fakes as the real deal. Well I'm sure that some schysters have screwed a few people doing that-it's the stupid buyer's fault. Think-if I'm going to pay $50,000 or more for an LS6 Chevelle I'm going to make damn sure it's a real LS6 / SS454, not a Malibu that some clown dressed up like an SS and stuffed in a hotted-up 454 out of a '75 Suburban!!  If I'm buying a Ram Air IV Judge-I'm going to make double sure it's a real Judge and a real RAIV backed by an "OW" TH400, not a LeMans with an Endura bumper and an L78 400 and a TH350 out of a '77 Trans-Am!!  Wouldn't you?  And conversely-the clone route is the only way most of us can have something really cool. For example $15,000 will buy you a damn nice 289 / 4-speed '66 Mustang fastback. With help from Year One, and Tony Branda you can build a GT350 copy that you can't tell the difference from the real deal without checking serial numbers, and your total investment would be less than 25 grand. A fully restored original '65-66 Shelby GT350 will bring 100K easily. A Ram Air IV '69 Trans-Am was for sale on RK motors website for $399,000!!!  The also had a Ram Air III model that went for $109,000. 15 grand will buy you a decent 400 powered '69 Firebird. You can buy the hood, spoilers and trim from Year One or Ames performance. Edelbrock heads are patterned after the RAIV heads,and the Performer RPM cam has the same timing and lift as the RAIV cam. You can buy the aluminum RAIV / 455HO intake from Ames or NPD. Your total investment would be less than 25 grand. You can't touch a basket case "real" '69 T/A for 25K, that needs another 25 worth of work!!  For $15,000 you can buy a nice '69-70 Mustang fastback. Edelbrock has aluminum "Cleveland" style heads with the proper bolt pattern and water jackets to go on a 302 Windsor block and "E-Boss" intakes so you could build a clone "Boss 302" for about 20K total investment.  A "Real" Boss 302 will run you $80K on up. And when your running up through the gears and smoking the tires-will you be thinking about serial numbers?  If you buy the stencils from Phoenix Graphics and paint a '78 T/A like a "Macho T/A"-I seriously doubt that Dennis Mecham is going to sue you, or that anyone who owns one of the 203 "Real" 1978 DKM Machos is going to be distressed!!  Get over yourselves people!! Mastermind        

Some less than premium or "off year" models that can be a bargain....

If your willing to lower your sights a little you can still find some screaming deals. Here's several good examples. # 1. 1976-79 Pontiac Trans-Am / Firebird Formula 400. I see 1970-74 RAIII,RAIV, 455HO and SD-455 T/A's priced at 40, or 50 grand or more all the time. However-a Disco-era bird can be a screaming bargain. I saw on Trans-Am Specialties website the other day a 1978 400, 4-speed, WS6 T/A with 44,000 original miles for $17,950!!  They had a '79 Formula with 33,000 original miles for $22,000. These cars were mint and flawless. They had a rust-free driver quality 10th Anniversary T/A for $13,000. Do the math- only 3,196 T/A's were built in 1970, 2116 in '71, 1,286 in '72 ( the year of the UAW strike ) and 4,802 in '73. There were 46,000 T/A's built in 1976, 68,000 in '77, 93,000 in 78 and 117,000 in '79. The later ones are going to be way cheaper and with minimal work-intake, exhaust and an axle-ratio change on automatics-( 4-speeds usually have 3.23 or 3.42 gears, while the slushboxes have 2.56s ) they can equal or surpass the performance of the much pricier early models.  # 2. 1971-74 Dodge Charger. Everybody and his brother want' the "Dukes of Hazzard / Bullitt" '68-70 model. However they are scarce and pricey. You can buy a nice '71-74 model for what people want for a rust-bucket '68-70. Seriously-I saw an interview with the Stunt coordinator of the "Fast&Furious" movies and he said he paid $16,000 for a basket case '69 Charger they were going to wreck in "F&F 5". He said they paid over $30,000 for a decent one that was going to be the camera car with the fake blower. By contrast a buddy of mine bought a really nice 440 powered '73 model for $6,000. I saw a nice 383 powered '71 Super Bee model in Hemmings for $8,500. There's a lot of them with 383,400 or 440 cubes under the hood for bargain prices. 318 models are dirt-cheap-and you can swap in a storming 360 or a big-block. # 3. 1977-80  Camaro Z/28. No they don't have a fire-breathing LT1, but they do have a 350 V8 backed by a 4-speed or a TH350 and 3.08, 3.42 or 3.73 gears and F41 sport suspension very similar to the Pontiac Trans-Am. There's more speed equipment available for small-block Chevys and '70's F-bodies than anything else on the planet. # 4. 1971-73 Ford Mustang / Mercury Cougar. Everybody wants the '67-70 models, and the high prices reflect this. However-the '71-73 models are a screaming deal-and almost all of them have the venerable 351C for power.  # 5. 1967-68 Chevrolet Impala SS. People fight with with machetes for the 1962-66 models, yet these are largely overlooked. And their fairly plentiful-75,000 were built in 1967 and another 38,000 in 1968. 427 models command a King's ransom but 327 and 396 models can be bought relatively cheap.  Any of these cars make great drivers and cost less than half of their more sought after brothers.  Mastermind      

Don't want to risk grenading a numbers-matching engine? Try these "Junkyard Jewels"....

A lot of people want to race their musclecars, but are afraid of throwing a rod out the side of a numbers-matching block. So you have a badass machine that never sees the high side of 4,500 rpm because the owner is afraid of breaking it.  The way around this dilemna is to put your precious original engine in a plastic bag on an engine stand in your garage, and then build a second, stompin' one based on something you could care less about if you blow it up.  Here's several great examples. # 1. 1996-2001 "Vortec" 350 Chevy. These were used in millions of Chevy and GMC trucks, vans and SUVs, so theirs no shortage of them in junkyards. The bonus is the "Vortec" heads breathe better than any factory head and many aftermarket ones. Edelbrock, Weiand and Holley offer intake manifolds that are compatible with these heads, and the engines have roller cams from the factory. Super Chevy magazine built a 400 hp "Vortec" 350 for $2,600!!  A dynamite substitute for an L79 327 or L46, LT-1 or L82 350.  # 2. 1991-current 454 / 502 Chevy. There are millions of these in 3/4 ton Suburbans, Pickups and vans and even Avalanches. Hardcore drag racers snub them because they like the '90 and earlier MKIV-the MKV and MKVI's have hydraulic roller cams and a heavy valvetrain that doesn' like to rev over 6,000 rpm. If you want 700+ hp that's problem. But you can build a 500 hp 454 or 502 that has a glass-smooth idle and makes gobs of torque, and pulls hard to to about 5,800 rpm with out any valve float problems. When you've got 500 ft lbs of torque right off idle-you don't need to rev to 7 grand. And GMPP and Edelbrock make performance aluminum heads and roller cams for these engines. Truth be told-if you build one of these right-it will probably run just as quick or quicker than the L34, L35 or L78 396 or L72 427 or LS5 or LS6 454 that your trying to protect!!  # 3. 1992-2003 Dodge 360 "Magnum" V8. There are millions of these in Dodge Ram trucks, Dakotas, Durangos, and Jeep Grand Cherokees. The "Magnum" heads breathe better than any factory iron head and some aftermarket aluminum ones. Edelbrock makes 4bbl intakes for these engines. A hotted-up 360 Magnum would run circles around a stock 340-Mopar Performance sells a 360 Magnum crate motor that's rated at 390 hp and 460 lbs of torque. Quite a bit more than the 275 hp a 1970 340 made- and equal to the legendary 440 / Six-Pack.- but you don't need to spend the money on a crate motor you can build a nasty one cheaply-with a stroker crank to give you 408 inches-you can easily make more than the 425 hp of the mighty 426 Hemi. And if it blows up-go to the junkyard and raid another Cherokee for a replacement!!  # 4. 1985-97 Ford 302 / 351W. There are millions of these in junkyards in Ford trucks and vans. Ford SVT and Edelbrock and Trick Flow offer high-performance aluminum heads for these engines and there's stroker kits to turn a 302 into a 347 or even a 363, and kits to turn a 351 into a 392 or a 427. Edelbrock even offers "Cleveland" style heads and  "E-Boss" manifolds so you could build a clone "Boss" 302 or 351 if you wanted to. Think what a rocker a 427 inch "Boss" motor would be!!  That should make your Mustang, Torino, Fairlane or Cougar fly. # 5. 1961-76 Ford 390. There were tens of millions of these used in various Ford cars and trucks. Edelbrock makes aluminum heads for them and their "Performer RPM" package boasts 450+ hp. Magazine writers spout numbers flippantly-but 450 honest hp will turn any street car into a rocket. And they look identical to a 427 or 428 if your building a Thunderbolt or Shelby clone, or just don't want to risk blowing the 428 CJ in your Torino, Fairlane, or Mach 1. # 6. 1977-79 403 Olds V8. Although they were onlu used 3 years-there were millions of them put in Pontiac Firebirds and Trans-Ams,Catalinas and Bonnevilles,Buick Park Avenues and Electras, Olds 88s and 98s, and tons of big BOP wagons. Anything that fits a 350 Olds fits these-so hot rod parts are readily available-and 53 extra cubes in your Cutlass would make it a real sleeper. Edelbrock claims 397 hp and 400 lbs of torque from there "Performer RPM" package and that was on a 350 test mule. The 53 extra cubes would put hp in the 425 to 440 range-more than the 370 a vaunted "W30" 455 was rated at!!  #7. You'll notice there's no Pontiacs on this list. The reason is they've been out of production since 1978. And-with a few exceptions-389, 400, 428 and 455 Pontiacs were used in virtually every model. There's nothing special about them-and something like 15 million were produced from 1965-78. If you have a Ram Air IV 400, or a Super Duty 421 or 455 or a 455 HO, you know how rare it is, and you've probaly already gone to a junkyard and gotten a generic 400 block out of something to play with. So go build a mean motor and get to the strip.....Mastermind            

There is no "Used Car Factory".....You might have to "Settle" for something that's not "Exactly" what you want!!!

When you hear people lamenting that they've been searching for a car for five years, and can't find one-it's simply that there unrealistic. The chance of you finding a 40 year old car in the exact color you want with all the exact options is almost nil. You have a better chance of being struck by lightning. Every person I ever met that had this problem was way too picky. I know many people who passed up very cool cars in good condition at fair prices because it wasn't "Exactly what they were looking for".  Idiot #1 wanted a '68-70 GTO with the 400/ 4-speed powertrain. He passed on a gorgeous '68 model because it didn't have the hood tach and it didn't have disc brakes. He passed on a nice '69 Judge ( for $16,000!!?? ) because it was an automatic. He turned up his nose at a 455HO / 4-speed '71 LeMans Sport CONVERTIBLE done up in Judge style because it wasn't a "real" GTO. He also passed on a numbers matching, rust-free '70 model ( for $12,000!! ) because it had a 400 and a 3-speed stick. 3 years later-he's still "looking".  Idiot # 2. Wanted a '65-68 GT350 Shelby Mustang. He passed up a gorgeous 390 / 4-speed '67 Fastback done in "Bullitt" style right down to the green paint and Torq-Thrust Mags. When he passed on a slightly rough, but running and rust-free '66 GT equipped with the 225 hp 289, factory a/c, factory front disc brakes,the Pony interior, Rally-Pac guages, and the original "California Megaphone exhaust with date-coded mufflers intact ( for $2,500!!! ) because "Its still not a Shelby" I wanted to slap him. I'm not a Ford guy, and I bought the damn thing and sold it for a tidy profit a couple months later. Idiot # 3. Wanted a '68-70 Charger with a big-block. He passed on a '69 model with a rip-snorting 440 in it because the engine wasn't "Original". He passed up a gorgeous, low-mileage, one-owner '68 model because it had a two-barrel carb on the 383!!!  He also passed up an awesome 440 / 4-speed '70 Super Bee because it's "Not a Charger". # Idiot # 4 wanted a '70-72 LT-1 Corvette. He passed up a gorgeous blue '72 model because it had the LS5 454 / TH400 combo instead of the 350 / 4-speed LT1. He passed on a 70,000 mile unrestored but exceptionally well maintained L82 / 4-speed '74 model for $3,600!!!-because "It wasn't an LT1" and had the plastic bumpers instead of steel. Remember the Rolling Stones song- "You Can't Always Get What You Want"....But if you try sometime, you just might find, you get what you need...... Mastermind