More on budget customizing.....

In the last post I talked about customizing your car with junkyard parts. The other thing my friends and I did back in the '70's and '80's was adapt cool stuff-even if it came from another manufacturer. Some examples a guy I knew had a Firebird that had a "Pistol Grip" Hurst shifter ala "Vanishing Point". The stick would bolt up to any Hurst linkage, so it was pretty easy. It looked cool in the Firebird interior. Another guy had a Pontiac GTO / Firebird style Hood Tach on his Nova, and inside had a '70's T/A style console with a Hurst Dual / Gate shifter in it, and the T/A's "Formula" steering wheel. A guy I went to school with had swivel bucket seats out of a Cutlass in his '74 Challenger. Another guy bought a wrecked '72 El Camino and put a LeMans / GTO "Endura" front end on it, and dropped in the 400 Pontiac and TH400 out of the donor LeMans. He even transplanted the Pontiac dash and bucket seats and had a "GTO" Elky. It was unique, and cool and fast. And cheap to build. A Ford guy did the same thing with a '68 Ranchero. He put a '68 Cougar front clip on it with the hidden headlights and everything. It looked mean, and with a warmed-over 390 under the hood it was mean. I knew two guys-one had a '64 LeMans with a stompin' 425 Olds V8 under the hood-which had a Thunderbolt-style teardrop scoop on it-and a sinister black paint job and Cragar SST wheels, while the other guy had a '65 Cutlass with a tunnel-rammed 454 in it that was definitely Jules' wallet from Pulp Fiction!  A neighbor had a '61 Impala that was originally a 283 / 3-speed car. He swapped in a 396 and a 4-speed. It was seriously quick. Then there was the kid that had a 304 V8 Gremlin X. Since AMC engines are like Pontiacs-their all externally identical-putting in a 401 V8 out of a wrecked Matador Police car was a bolt-in swap. With it's short wheelbase and good weight distribution, it made a great drag racer. He shocked many supposedly badass Camaro,Chevelle, Firebird, Charger and Mustang drivers!! One guy built the slickest Ford Torino I've ever seen. It was a '70 or '71 model with the hidden headlights. He removed all the chrome trim and filled the holes in, and blacked out the bumpers and window moldings. He removed the chrome door handles and installed flush-fitting, body-colored Honda Accord door handles. They looked like they grew there. He installed a Pontiac Fiero GT rear wing-which was exactly the right width and looked like it belonged. It was jet-black and had black modular wheels and fat tires and a 'Cuda AAR-style side-exit exhaust that sounded wicked. With a pumped up 351C under that long hood-it could back up the image. The car was subtle, yet totally badass. I thought it was cooler looking than Mel Gibsons Falcon XB Interceptor from "Mad Max" and "The Road Warrior". The point I'm making is something doesn't have to cost a gazillion dollars to be cool. I groan every time I read a magazine and they say the guy's invested a 100 grand in the car their featuring. If you can afford that-good for you. But a lot of us dont' have an extra 30 grand on up to spend on a toy-that is probably a 3rd or 4th or 5th car in a household-especially if you have teenagers or college-age kids. Let's work to keep low-budget hot rodding going for the next generation. Mastermind          

Cheap Customizing is getting to be a lost art....

When I was younger a lot of "Do it Yourself" guys modified their cars and not always with conventional speed parts. Often we found stuff in Junkyards that really improved a cars performance. The Hollander Interchange Manual-the "Bible" that Junkyards use to know which parts interchange and fit different models was an invaluable tool. I've said it before-but I get sick of every magazine project car getting a custom Currie-built 9 inch Ford rear end and Wildwood or Brembo 4-wheel disc brake system worthy of a NASCAR racer, and Rack&Pinion steering, etc. I'm all for improving handling and stopping power,but we didn't do it by writing big checks. A buddy of mine had a '65 GTO that was really fast with a warmed over 421. However we all know the 9.5 inch drum brakes were woefully inadequate, and they weren't super handlers. He used '70's Firebird spindles-which will fit '60's and '70's "A" bodys-as well as the 11" rotors,calipers,booster and master cylinder. He now had the braking power of a '70's Trans-Am. He also installed front and rear stabilizer bars from the donor 'Bird, and used the "quick ratio" power steering box off an '80's WS6 T/A. It had a 12.7:1 ratio-which is even quicker than the 14:1 of '70's T/A's and way better than the 17.5:1 of a '65 GTO. This steering box will fit all GM "A", "F", and "G" bodies from 1964-1987. With Junkyard parts he made a '65 GTO into a corner carver that could challenge Corvettes and Porsches in the twisties as well as in a drag race. Another friend had a '69 Nova that he did in Trans-Am style-'60's SCCA racing style. Since anything that fits a Camaro or Firebird will fit the "X" bodies-Nova, Ventura, Omega, etc-it was easy. He used the sway bars from a '78 Z/28 Camaro and the disc-braked posi rear end from an '81 T/A. Another guy built an 12 second '72 Nova drag racer / street machine for peanuts that was originally a six-cylinder / 3-speed car. He found that a '70 Cougar uses a 9 inch Ford rearend-and that it's the same width and the multi-leaf springs are in the same place as the weak GM unit with monoleaf springs. It was practically a bolt-in,and eliminated any chance of axle breakage and wheel hop. He swapped the Saginaw 3-speed for a Saginaw 4-speed out of a '77 Vega. ( They are exactly the same length and use the same rear trans mount and driveshaft yoke ) These had a 3.11 1st gear ratio and a 2.02 second which really helped it rocket out off the line. The 350 he built used 58cc '81-86 305 heads-which bumped compression from 8.2:1 to about 9.7:1. He used the old "350hp" 327 cam and a used Edelbrock Scorpion intake and a 750 Holley, along with some used Hooker headers. With drag radials it ripped of a string of 12.40s with a best of 12.24. He had $3,500 in the car-including it's $850 purchase price. Even by '80's dollars-that was remarkably cheap. I knew another guy who built a V8 Pinto. The 302, C4 tranny and 8 inch rear end came out of a Maverick that had a front-end collision. The Maverick rear was an exact bolt-in, and was obviously much tougher than the Pinto unit. I had previously mentioned a couple guys who had hot rod '53-56 Ford F100s. The one guy infuriated Ford Purists-he used a Chevelle front clip-which allowed him to have modern power steering and front disc brakes-and install a stompin' 427 Chevy backed by a TH400. This truck was seriously quick. The other guy stuck with Ford stuff-using the front disc brakes and rack&pinion steering from a Mustang II as well as the 302 / C4 combo. It wasn't as fast as the Rat-Powered one, but it was a really nice cruiser. A couple guys built Cadillac-powered hot rods cheaply. One stuffed a 500 inch Cadillac V8 into an '81 Firebird. The other guy put a 472 Cad V8 into a '78 Buick Regal. Both were seriously fast for very low bucks. Another guy I knew put a 350 V8 into a Chevy LUV pickup that was brutally quick. The point I'm making is magazines used to feature stuff like that that regular guys built in their driveways. Now it's all megabuck stuff. Yes, guys like Boyd Coddington and Troy Trepainer are undeniably talented, and the cars they build are way cool. But I think it's much cooler for a young man or an old one-to scour boneyards and do research and build something cool on a tight budget than it is to just write a big check and polish your new trophy. I'd like to see the mags feature an old Falcon or Maverick done in '70's Pro Stock style or a '60's Olds or Pontiac done in Nascar style. Instead of another old Mustang with a Coyote or Camaro with an LS engine or a Charger with an SRT8 Hemi, and a DSE subframe and rack&pinion steering, and 4-wheel discs...please, no more. So pass on your knowledge to your sons and daughters so grassroots hot-rodding stays alive. Mastermind      

Some "Smog Dogs" that can really run with the right stuff....

There's a lot of '70's and '80's cars out there that have a reputation as "Dogs", that actually have a ton of potential. Here's a few "Diamonds in the rough" that could really rock with very little work and expense. # 1. 1971-73 Mustang / Cougar, 1971-74 Torino / Montego.  Almost all of these have 351C power under the hood. The problem is most of them were saddled with 2bbl carburation,single exhaust, and salt-flats gearing like 2.80:1. Edelbrock offers 4bbl intakes that are compatible with 2V heads. The 2V heads are much better for low-end torque than the 4V heads anyway. A 4bbl carb and intake, headers and dual exhaust ( or even just duals behind the stock manifolds ) will make a huge difference in performance. So will a simple axle-ratio swap. Changing the 2.80:1 gears for something in the 3.25:1-3.50:1 range will cut as much as 1/2 a second off your 0-60 and 1/4 mile time without hurting drivability or freeway cruising rpm too much. These simple mods will make your kitten into a tiger.  If you want to get really badass Edelbrock and Trick Flow offer high-performance aluminum heads, and Crane, Lunati, Comp Cams and others offer cams,springs, roller rockers,etc. # 2. 1971-1980 Camaro / Type LT / Berlinetta. There are millions of base-model ( i.e.-non-Z/28 / SS models ) Camaros out there from the '70s. Almost all of them have the workhorse L48 350 small-block in them, that was considered a "dog", mainly because they were saddled with 8:1 compression, a lazy cam, and 2.56:1 or 2.73:1 gearing. The upside is there's more speed equipment for a small-block Chevy than anything else on the planet. Scoggin-Dickey offers complete, brand-new Iron Vortec heads for $650 a pair. Vortec heads breathe better than any other factory head and many aftermarket ones. Their 64cc combustion chambers ( most '70's 350's are 76cc ) will bump compression from 8.2:1 to about 9.5:1. The compression boost, and the increased breathing will easily give you 40-50 more hp. You'll need a Vortec style intake manifold, but you were going to have to replace the stocker anyway-so that's a no-brainer. Edelbrock and Weiand offer performance Vortec-4bbl intakes for about $200. GMPP still sells the L46 / L82 cam-which has 224 duration ( @ .050 ) and .450 / .460 lift. This cam pulls hard to 6,000 rpm and will work with a stock torque converter and power accesories. Headers and dual exhausts will complete the package-and you'll have an honest 375 hp and 400+ lbs of torque with a good idle and great drivability. Swapping the 2.56:1 gears for something in the 3.23:1-3.73:1 range will help you put all that power to the ground. With drag radials or some sticky street tires these simple changes will have you running very low 13s or very high 12s in the 1/4 for very low bucks. # 3. 1971-77 Firebird. T/A's and Formula 400s get all the glory, but the fact is there are hundreds of thousands of base-model and Esprit Firebirds out there with 350 Pontiac motivation. The tune is the same-they were saddled with 2bbl carburation, single exhausts, and salt-flats gearing like 2.56:1. A factory or aftermarket 4bbl carb and intake and headers and /or dual exhausts will make a huge difference in performance. A mild cam upgrade-the Edelbrock Performer grind works great in a low-compression Pontiac and will really "wake up" a 350. The factory "068" cam works nicely too. Swap the 2.56:1 gears for some 3.23:1-3.42:1s and people who drove or rode in the car before will ask you if you swapped in a 400 or 455!!  The improvement will be that immense. # 4. 1977-79 Firebird Formula / Trans-Am. A lot of these cars had 403 Olds motivation. They got a bad rap. The L78 400 / 4-speed "real" Pontiac models that the buff magazines worshipped also had 3.23:1 or 3.42:1 gears. The L80 403 models had TH350's and 2.41:1 gears!!  Think that'll make a difference in acceleration?  I had a 403 powered Trans-Am that really rocked with a few simple mods. An Edelbrock Performer intake and headers and dual exhausts will really wake up some ponies. You'll have to re-jet the carb to compensate for the increased breathing-I'd start by going .003 richer on the primary jets and the secondary metering rods and go from there. Edelbrock and Summit sell Q-jet parts and accessories. The other thing is change the plugs. They come with R46SZ AC plugs which have an .080 gap. Even GM's mighty HEI can't bridge that at high rpm. My T/A had headers and a Holley Street Dominator single-plane intake and it would not rev past 4,700 rpm. Simply switching to R45S plugs ( one range colder and a .040 gap ) caused it to pull hard to 5,400 rpm!! A gain of 700 rpm on the top end. Switch the 2.41:1 gears for some 3.23:1-3.42:1s and hang on!  # 5. 1982-87 Camaro / Firebird. The L69 / LB9 / L98 Z/28's, IROC-Z's and Formula and T/A models are sought after, but the fact is there are millions of base-model Camaros and Firebirds of this vintage out there that have the ubiquitous LG4 305 Chevy V8 that wheezed out about 165 hp. Most people's first instinct is to simply swap in a stompin' 350 or 383. You can certainly do that-it's a bolt-in swap-but many people don't have the money or the ability to do an engine swap. And some may not want a huge power infusion, but would like a little more oomph-just enough to not have to take crap from little boys in Honda Civics and soccer moms in Hemi Cherokees. For those I've got just the ticket. An Edelbrock Performer intake and matching cam will give you a huge boost in power and torque all through the range. Some shorty headers and a cat-back exhaust will really help. 5-speed models usually had 3.23:1-3.73:1 gears which is perfect. Automatics had 2.73:1s which isn't. Swap to some 3.42:1s. The other thing for automatics is they tend to stick in 2nd and 3rd gear under hard acceleration. B&M and TransGo offer kits ( it's usually a valve-body plate and some governor springs ) that will allow automatic kickdown to low gear at speeds less than 15 mph and full-throttle upshifts, especially from 2nd to 3rd to 4th. These simple changes will allow you to show your taillights to those smug '80's and '90's "5.0" Mustang owners. So if you have or want to buy one of the cars on this list-you now know you can put some hair on it's chest pretty easily and cheaply. Mastermind       

Sports-car guys and Motorcycle guys are smarter and more tolerant.....

There's always been a lot of heated debate in magazines and on websites including this one about "Restification" -i.e. Restoration / Modification of Musclecars. I've said many times I'm fine with something aftermarket if it's period correct. 14 or 15 inch American Racing Torq-Thrusts or Cragar S/S mags look great on a '65 GTO or a '68 Road Runner. 20 inch Center Lines-yuck. Ditto for mechanical mods-a '68 Mustang with a 600 Holley sitting on top of a "Torker 289" intake is just fine in my book. A '68 Mustang with a fuel-injected "5.0" out of a '92 model-not cool. Anyhow I've been doing research at sports-car shows and motorcycle shows and vintage racing events and I've found that sports-car enthusiasts and motorcycle enthusiasts are far more reasonable on this subject. Almost every single restored Datsun 240Z I see has dual or triple Weber carbs in place of those awful SUs they came with. The Webers make more power, get better gas mileage, and hold a tune much longer. Ditto for British sports cars. Practially every MGB, Triumph Spitfire, or Austin-Healey Sprite I see has a Weber carb(s) on it and a Vertex magneto or an aftermarket distributor. The reason is the Webers offer much more performance, reliability, and tunability than the SUs or Zenith-Strombergs that they came with. And anyone who's ever been around British cars-Lucas-the prince of darkness-is a running joke. Their distributors, and light switches, etc were AWFUL. Another running joke is the reason the British drink warm beer is because of Lucas refrigerators!!  The same with Motorcycle enthusiasts. Doesn't matter if it's a '47 Knucklehead or a 2017 Softail-you almost never see a Harley that's bone-stock. They've always got different exhausts, different wheels, different handlebars,air cleaners, seats, gas tanks,forks, whatever. And it's not just Harleys. The British bikes-Triumphs and BSAs-their ignitions were terrible. My dad had a BSA Victor 441 and a 650 Triumph Bonneville and it was always a crapshoot on whether or not they would start. Until he put Joe Hunt Magnetos on both of them and then they'd start every time! It's rare to see a running vintage British motorcycle today without a magneto!  And again-you see 500cc BSA thumpers and 650 Triumph engines in Rickman Matisse frames that look like dirt-track racers, you see them made into choppers-all the things guys did when they were just bikes-nothing special. Ditto for the Japanese bikes. I can't recall the last time I saw a '70's Kawasaki KZ1000 or GS750 Suzuki or CB750 Honda without a Kerker header on it!!  But the mods are always period correct. You don't see a 1970 240Z with the engine and 7-speed automatic out a 2011 370Z!!  You don't see a 1967 Jaguar XKE with the powertrain out of a 2005 XK8!!  You don't see a 1973 Kawasaki Z1 with the engine out of a ZX14 Ninja!!  And yes, you see some pristine, restored, bone-stock bikes and sports-cars at these shows as well, but their owners don't deride or make fun of the modified ones or say that they've "Butchered" or "Ruined" a classic. Unlike the stink-eyes you get at a musclecar show-n-shine if your '70 Chevelle has headers and a HEI distributor on it!  Anyhow-I think we should take a cue from the sports-car and motorcycle crowds and all stick together to protect our hobby from the EPA and the safety nazis and the smog nazis and all the other groups that want to crush any vehicle made before 1990!!  Mastermind        

"Day Two" options add value as well.....

In the last post I talked about how adding a Tri-Power setup to a '60s GTO or a Six-Pack setup to a Mopar would add to a cars value, not hurt it. We also discussed how changing from Rally II wheels to Snowflakes won't change the value of your '70's T/A and so forth. When I was young all my friends drove musclecars and not one of them was bone-stock. They all had aftermarket wheels, Hurst or B&M shfiters,a Sun Tach on the steering column, headers, traction bars, etc.  As gearheads we were always looking for ways to increase the car's performance or it's "Cool" factor. And that hasn't changed over the years. If you bought a new Mustang or Challenger or Camaro right now, would you leave it bone-stock for the next 20 years?  No-chances are you'd add a K&N air filter, a Flowmaster Cat-Back exhaust system, a Hurst shifter, and maybe some aftermarket wheels. More adventurous sorts might even add an Edelbrock or Magnussen blower. And once it was out of warranty-if it blew a radiator hose on a Friday night-would you park the car and wait until Monday and go to the dealer to get a genuine Ford or GM or Chrysler hose, or would you go to Autozone and get a Gates or Dayco replacement and be able to drive the car all weekend?  I saw a couple of great examples this past weekend. One was a '67 Camaro that had a warmed-over 327 and a 4-speed. It had headers on it and a Holley 650 Double-Pumper on an Edelbrock intake. The owner told me it also had a Comp Cams solid-lifter cam. The interior was clean and stock, except for two things to snap you right back into a banzai mode: a huge Auto Meter tach on the steering column and a T-handled Hurst Compettion Plus shifter protruding from the console. It also had Competition Engineering traction bars. This was exactly the kind of hot rod that millions of people had in the '70's and '80's and that magazines used to feature. Stuff the average guy could build in his driveway not the megabuck one-off stuff they feature now. The other one was a '68 Dodge Coronet R/T. It had a 440 with headers on it and a two 625 cfm Carter AFBs on an Edelbrock dual-quad intake. It had a 4-speed and the owner had installed a "Pistol Grip" Hurst shifter. It had Lakewood traction bars on it and Cragar S/S mags with skinny front tires and big meats on the rear. The owner said at full-throttle the intake roar of the AFBs was louder than the exhaust, that it sounded sweeter than the "Bullitt" or "Vanishing Point" soundtrack. I believe him-my Judge had two AFBs on an Offenhsuser intake and that sound is awesome. Both these guys had nailed the quintessential '70's street machine-a car that looks and performs better way than stock, but can still be driven to work every day. Now some people are going to rail that these guys "ruined" these cars with their modifications. How did they "ruin" anything?  1st off-the cars were a 327 Camaro and a two-door Dodge Coronet that originally had a 383 in it. One of many thousands.  Not one of the 602 '67 Z/28s ever built or a Hemi Super Bee. And even if it was one of those, what did they do that's irreversible damage?  Headers and an aftermarket intake are easy mods that almost everyone did to their cars in the '70's and '80's. If someone wanted it stock, it wouldn't take much to put stock intake and exhaust manifolds back on. Traction bars bolt onto leaf springs and can be easily unbolted. You think an aftermarket tach hose-clamped to the steering column is ugly? Unscrew it. It's not like they took a Judge convertible or a Boss 302 and cut up the trunk for wheel tubs and 4-link rear, and cut up the hood to clear a tunnel ram because they wanted a "Pro Street" look!!  I've said it before and I'll say it again here- '69 Z/28 Camaro with a LS3 / 4L80E powertrain, rack and pinion steering, and 20 inch Center Lines is an aberration and it's owner / builder should be dragged out into the street and shot. A '69 Z/28 with a 750 Holley Double Pumper on an Edelbrock Tarantula manifold and headers on the 302, with traction bars and 15 inch Cragar S/S mags is just as "Right" now as it was in 1971. I have no problem with modifications as long as their period correct. Like I've said before-if you were a gun collector you wouldn't buy a WWII vintage Colt .45 and put laser sights on it!  If it you were a motorcycle enthusiast you wouldn't buy a 1965 650 Triumph Bonneville and put the fuel-injected 1200cc engine out of a 2016 model in it!!  So next time your at a "Show&Shine" and you see a Firebird with a Hurst Dual / Gate shifter protruding from the console or a 'Vette with chrome sidepipes on it, smile instead of screwing up your face like you just smelled a rank beer fart. Mastermind      

Options add value, they don't hurt it!! Even if the option isn't "Orignal!!"...

Went to some car shows the past couple weekends and had some interesting conversations. The one that got under my skin was with a guy who had a nice 1969 Plymouth GTX. It was a 440 / 4bbl / Torqueflite model ( The standard GTX powertrain; a 4 speed was an option, as was the 440 / Six-Pack and the Hemi ). It was a nicely restored car. While we were talking he said he loved the car but he wished it was a Six-Pack model with front disc brakes. ( The car had 4-wheel drums. ) Those are both options that are easy enough to add. Summitt and Mopar Performance carry the Edelbrock manifold, the Holley carbs and the linkage and air cleaner. CPP and many other companies offer front disc brake conversion kits for Mopar B-bodies. When I pointed this fact out he responded with words I always dread. "But then it wouldn't be original."  Ugh. I said-"Unless your competing in Concours shows that doesn't matter." " And even some Concours organizations are allowing parts to be the "Original Type". "In other words-a 1969 Z/ 28 can have a 3310 Holley carb on it that you bought at Summitt or Jeg's last week." "You won't lose points if it doesn't have 1969 date codes on it." "They don't expect a car to have a working 48 year old carburator." "And a lot of events like the Pure Stock drag races and some Concours shows are allowing changes that were optional on that model, that year." "Like putting Tri-Power on a '66 GTO or a Six-Pack setup on a car like yours." "The guy that won the Pure Stock drags last year had an L88 Corvette that ran a blistering 11.43." "But it wasn't an original L88 car. It was a 390 hp model, and the engine was built to L88 specs-heads,cam, compression ratio,carb and intake, etc." These show orgainizations are acknowledging that upgrades add to a car's value, rather than diminish it."  He shook his head and muttered those words again. He was fully entrenched in the "Just as it left the factory" brainwash that some pipe-smoking, tweed cap wearing British sports car snob / enthusiast who got into musclecars in the late '80's started. And the effects are still lingering. Like I pointed out to a Boss 302 owner one time-his "Autolite" battery is an Exide battery in a repro case. His Firestone Wide Oval tires are Coker tire repros as well. Will he really lose points or the car be worth less if it has a Fram Oil filter on it instead of a phony Autolite one? ( Genuine Ford Parts have been called "Motorcraft" for 30+ years; the "Autolite" moniker was dropped in the late '70's and sold. That's why you can go to Autozone and buy Autolite spark plugs and wires ). I thought it was sad that this guy wouldn't spend a couple thousand dollars and a few hours labor to make his car exactly the way he wanted it, because some other asshole-who probably can't afford to buy the car if it was for sale-might say something negative!!  Get over yourselves, people!!!  I've said it before, but I'll say it again, because it's true. Adding upgrades, add value. Do you really think if you put a Tri-Power setup and throw a Muncie 4-speed into a '65 GTO that was originally a 389 4bbl / 3-speed car-that a prospective buyer is going to contact Pontiac historical services and get the original window sticker, and then say to you- "I always wanted a red '65 GTO with a black vinyl top and Tri-Power and a 4-speed, and this one is beautiful and runs like a scalded cat." "And the price your asking is eminently reasonable." "But PHS says it was originally green with a 4bbl and a 3-speed." "I'm going to have to pass."  Never in a million years would anyone be that stupid, and if they are, then they deserve to never find a car!!!  Trust me, you'd find someone who would overlook these small changes!!  If you have a '68 Road Runner for sale that has a Hemi in it-do you really think someone buying it is going to read the vin tag and go-" I always wanted a Hemi Road Runner, but this was originally a 383 car." "Damn!" Not going to happen. You laugh because it's funny, but you also laugh because you know it's true. The other sad thing is-I used induction systems and engines and transmissions to drive home the point-but I've heard this shit about absolutely trivial options. Like the guy with a '71 Trans-Am who wanted Honeycomb wheels but wouldn't buy them because the car originally had Rally II's!! Or the guy who really liked the rear window lovers or "Sport Slats" on Mustangs but wouldn't buy a set for his Mach 1 because the Marti report said his didn't come with them from the factory. Ditto for the dumb-ass with a beautiful '68 Firebird who wouldn't put a hood tach on it,because it wouldn't be "Original". My personal favorite was the guy who had a 403 Olds / TH350 1979 Trans-Am that needed a paint job and pointed to a centerfold of a DKM "Macho T/A" in High-Performance Pontiac magazine and said "I love the look of that car." "I'd love to have one of those". "When I said that Dennis Mecham had given his permission to Phoenix Graphics to reproduce the stencils for anyone who wanted to restore a "Macho" or just liked the look, that he could certainly paint his car that way if he wanted to-He looked at me like he'd smelled a rank fart and sneered-"But then it won't be original" When I pointed out that the Real "Macho T/A's" were modified by the Mecham brothers at Mecham Pontiac and then sold to other dealers as used cars-that GM never authorized the package, and wouldn't grant DKM an MSO-a manufacturer's certificate of originality-like they did for George Hurst and the Hurst / Olds-which is why "Machos" weren't allowed to be sold in Colorado and a few other states. If you wanted to verify a "Macho" Pontiac Historical Services couldn't help, you'd have to have to contact Dennis Mecham and see if the car in question was in his records. I jokingly said that I seriously doubted that Dennis Mecham would sue him if he bought the stencils from Phoenix Graphics and put a Macho paint scheme on his car. "Doesn't matter! I'm not going to ruin the value of MY car!". he yelled. I didn't have the heart to tell him that except for the ill-fated '80-81 Turbo 301 models, a 403 powered '79 model is  the LEAST valuable of all second generation T/A's!!! He couldn't lessen it's value if he painted it pink and purple!!  So if you want to add or remove a vinyl top, or add or remove rally stripes or want snowflake wheels instead of Rally II's on your car-then go ahead and do it. And even if it's not a same-year factory option-a '69 SS396 Chevelle is not "ruined" because it has headers on it and a 750 Holly on a Torker intake and Cragar mags and BFG T/A Radials on it instead of Magnum 500's and Coker Wide Ovals!! For God's sake people, build your damn car the way YOU want it, not the way you think you think some other asshole would want it, if or when you ever sell it!!  Mastermind

Beware of what you want....Because you might get it....

The old proverb in the title really applies to buying and owning a classic musclecar. I talk to so many people who spend major bucks on a classic car and then are disappointed in it's performance and drivability. There are several causes of this, and most can avoided with some forethought. # 1. Realize that anything built before 1960 is going to be primitive and bare bones, and seem slugginsh compared to later cars. For example- you may think a '57 T-Bird is a cool ride,-hey Dan Tanna drove one in "Vegas" and they've been featured in countless other movies and T.V. shows. A '62 T-Bird is light years ahead in performance, comfort and handling. The '62 model will have the torquey 390 V8 that was used in millions of cars and trucks through 1976, which has way more power, and gets better gas mileage than the boat anchor 292 / 312 inch Y-Blocks. They will have power steering and brakes, and better handling and riding suspension and factory A/ C and power windows, etc. In just 5 years of development. This is not an isolated example. I had a friend who bought a '55 Pontiac and hated it. It had no power steering, no power brakes, the 287 inch V8 was underpowered in the heavy car and he said driving it was like driving a big dump truck. He sold it and on my recommendation bought a '63 Gran Prix. He loved it. The interior was luxurious, it handled like a dream, especially on the highway and the 389 V8 would literally spin it's tires as long as he wanted to stay on the throttle. Things improved exponentially through the later '60's. Chrysler found a huge increase in performance and drivability not in the engine but with the transmission when they introduced the Torqueflite automatic in 1962. GM replaced the horrible old "Slim Jim" hydromatics with the excellent TH400 in 1965. By 1965 front disc brakes were optional on some cars, ( Corvettes had 4-wheel discs ) and by 1967 were standard, or at least optional on almost everything. I'm not saying don't buy a '55 Buick Roadmaster or a '57 Chevy or a '50 Merc coupe or whatever your dream car is-I'm just saying-realize that the 60+ year old technology is not going to be up to things just a few years later. The aforementioned '55 Buick doesn't even have a modern, open driveline-it has the old "Torque Tube" and a huge pumpkin at the rear., The Kingpin front suspension rides and handles like an old dump truck-like the old Pontiac owner said.  My buddy's '63 Riviera is an awesome car to this day. Besides the cool, hidden headlight styling, the 401 V8 has way more power than the old 322, the ball-joint / control arm suspension is light-years ahead in ride and handling quality, the power steering and brakes feel like a modern car, and it has factory a/c, power windows, tilt wheel, etc. My buddy says-he likes it because it has Cadillac like luxury and GTO like performance. In just 8 years. If it's a show car- that's only going to be driven on and off the trailer, then do whatever you want. But if you plan to drive the car at all-you may be much happier in a '65 Impala than you will be in a '58!!  # 2. The "Biggest and Baddest" isn't for everyone. I mentioned an older gentleman who had bought a 435 hp, 11:1 compression, solid-lifter, 4-speed, 4.11:1 geared 1969 427 Stingray. And hated it. It pinged even on premium gas,got 5-8 mpg, the clutch was stiff, his wife burned her legs on the sidepipes everytime she got in or out of it, and the motor buzzing at 3,500 rpm on the freeway was annoying. Since it was a premium model he was able to recoup his investment when he sold it, and is much happier in the low-compression, L82 350 / TH350 Silver Anniversary 1978 model that he bought. He and his wife love taking it on weekend trips to Lake Tahoe or the wine country with the t-tops out, or if it's too hot, with the t-tops in and the A/C blasting. The seats are comfortable, the engine idles smoothly on 87 octane pump gas, and the suspension doesn't rattle your fillings loose. It looks cool, and it's fast enough to back up the image-he doesn't have to take crap from little boys in Honda Civics or soccer moms in Hemi Cherokees. He's much happier now. Again-this is not an isolated example. If your a Mopar guy-you may be much happier in a 3.23:1 geared, 440 / Torqueflite GTX with power steering, front disc brakes, bucket seats, and factory A/C than you would be in a stripped-down, manual steering, drum braked, 4-speed Hemi Road Runner with 4.30:1 gears!!  Everyone loves a Boss 302. They are undenaibly badass. But they have very little torque below 3,000 rpm and there's a reason they were only available with a 4-speed and 3.90:1 or 4.30:1 gears!! If your going to drive the car at all-you might be better off with one of the 70,000 other '69 Mach 1s that are 351W powered. It's a much better street engine, with gobs of low-end torque, and will be much more pleasant in city traffic than the 11;1, solid-lifter, fire-breathing "Boss". I mentioned this in another earlier post. Edelbrocks "Performer" Package for Pontiacs made 387 hp and 439 lbs of torque on a 400, and had 15 inches of vacuum at idle. The "Performer RPM" package-( which has a cam that's an exact replica of the factory RAIV ) makes 422 hp and 441 lbs of torque and only has 10 inches of vacuum at idle. That's a gain of 35 hp and only 2 lbs of torque. Your giving up a lot of idle quality and low-end and mid-range torque for top-end rush. There's a reason RAIV's were only available with 3.90:1 or 4.33:1 gears! On street tires, in the real world, all other things being equal-is a car with 422 hp going to be noticably faster than one with 387 hp? Probably not. Like I said, your giving up a lot of good drivability for a little top-end gain. If all your doing is drag-racing it, then 2 or 3 tenths in the 1/4 mile might be worth the compromise to you. But again-if your going to drive the car at all-the one with slightly less power and a much smoother idle and broader torque curve will work better 99% of the time!  If you just "Gotta Have" a Hemi ' Cuda, or an LS6 Chevelle, an L88 'Vette, or a Boss 429, or 427 Fairlane or an RAIV Judge, etc-and can afford it, more power to you. But for 95% of the rest of us-you may be happier with  less than the biggest and baddest model.  Which brings up # 3. Be honest about what you really want. I've said it before, but it's worth re-iterating here. If you live where it gets very hot in the summer-it might behoove you to get a car with factory A / C. If you live in a big city like San Francisco or Los Angeles with a lot of stop-n-go traffic, an automatic transmission might be a better choice than a 4-speed. If you live in the country 30 miles from the nearest town-a car with 3.23:1 gears is going to be a lot more pleasant on the highway than one with 4.10:1s!!  If you follow these simple guidelines, you'll be a lot happier with your investment in the long run. Mastermind           

A VIN tag doesn't make a car....

Read a disturbing article in Musclecar Review the other day. Don't get me wrong, I love the magazine, and I correspond with the editor all the time, and he publishes my stuff occasionally. I guess I should have said the subject matter of the article was disturbing. Someone had found the remains of a "Bullitt" Mustang in a junkyard in Mexico. To call this rusting, engineless,transmissionless, inteirorless, hulk a "basket case" would have been an understatement. However, the cowl and the VIN tag were intact, and upon running a Marti report and checking with Ford historical services, it was verified as one of the cars used in the movie. The new owner excitedly said he was going to restore it to it's former glory. How? I mean all that's left of the original car is the VIN tag and part of the rusting body shell!!  I know Dynacorn and other companies sell complete Mustang bodies ( they also sell Camaros, '55-57 Chevys, and other stuff. ). I know you can buy replacement front and rear subframes, and all the interior trim. It probably wouldn't be too hard to find a 390 V8 and a Top-Loader 4-speed with 1967 or 68 date codes. But in reality-if he follows through on the project he's going to have a completely new car built around an old VIN tag. Does that make it "original?" No, because virtually nothing on the car is original!!  Does that make it restored?  I don't think so-because again-how much of the original vehicle was "restored?" The dash pad, the firewall and the left front fender?  The editor asked it another way-which I think is relevant. The Smithsonian supposedley has George Washington's ax-the one he chopped down the Cherry Tree with. It looks pretty damn good for being 200+ years old. That's because it's been "restored" several times since 1757 or whenever young George's father confronted him about the tree. If the handle's been refinished or replaced several times and the head has been re-sharpened or replaced several times, how much of the original ax exists? If you bought Jimi Hendrix's guitar and the neck had been replaced and the strings had been replaced, and the electronic pickups had been replaced-how much of the original Fender Stratocaster is left?  Doubtless, since you can prove Hendrix's ownership that makes it a valuable piece of rock-n-roll history; but it still doesn't make it original. I think this opens a "Pandora's Box" that's going to cause a lot of lawsuits over high-end car sales. I've talked many times about the Judge I had in high school. Think about this scenario. What if, Instead of my parents forcing me to sell it after losing my drvier's liscence, I kept it several more years and then totalled it in the early 80's. I buy the wreck from the insurance company. I put the RAIII engine and 4-speed in plastic bags in my garage. The crumpled body sits in my backyard for years. I just can't bring myself to haul it to the crusher. Then the '90's happen and musclecar values go into the stratosphere. I go buy a '69 LeMans that's in pretty good shape. I put my VIN tag on it, install the RAIII and the Muncie tranny and get the stripes and spoilers and maybe a new Endura front bumper from Year One or the Goat Farm. I have all my original paperwork, and the numbers on the engine and tranny match. If the prospective buyer contacts Pontiac Historical Services with the VIN and the casting numbers on the block, heads and tranny-it's going to come back as a for-real GTO Judge. I sell it for megabucks. Has the buyer got an original numbers matching RAIII / 4-speed Judge?  Certianly with the RAIII heart there's some Judge DNA in there, but it's not the same car that rolled off the assembly line in 1969 and that I bought in 1978!!  How would the buyer prove this? And if he could-let's say for arguments sake-my neighbors told him what I did and he decides to sue me for fraud and get his money back. If I had been smart enough to keep the salvage title of my car and re-register the cobbled up one as "rebuilt" with that title and the original VIN tag-the guy wouldn't have a leg to stand on in court. The Judge- ( Pun Intended ) would rule that he knowingly and willingly bought a "rebuilt" car and that since it did have the proper VIN and corresponding powertrain numbers, and especially since Pontiac Historical services verified the VIN, no crime was committed. The guy would be out whatever dollar amount I fleeced him for and I laugh all the way to the bank. Could the guy sell the car to someone else and recoup his investment? Probably, but the point I'm making is the car still isn't original, and the guy did kinda get screwed, regardless of the court's ruling!!  You can see how this kind of stuff would really complicate things for collectors. A buddy of mine had a 440 / Six-Pack Super Bee in high school. One night he missed a shift and grenaded the engine. I mean, rods out the side of the block, grenaded. We went to a junkyard and got a low-mileage 440 out of a wrecked '73 Chrysler Imperial for $250 and put that in the car. The only reason he did that instead of taking a FREE 383 from another buddy was the intake manifolds on "B" and "RB" engines don't interchange and he wanted to keep the Tri-Power on it. He drove it several more years and then sold it. Wherever that car is now-if it hasn't been wrecked or extensively modified-it's 99% original except for the engine!!  Back to the car in the article-I don't think a VIN tag makes a car, escpecially if everything on the car has been replaced. He can claim some link to the Movie, and has an interesting story to go with the car if or when he sells it, but Original?  No way.  That's where the old saying "Buyer Beware" really rings true. Mastermind               

It's okay to "Run What You Brung".....

Everyone is so enamored of the premium musclecars that we often forget that there's a lot of base models out there in good condition that would make great drivers or show cars or race cars if you wanted. For example of the 400,000 Chevelles produced in 1968 alone-only 58,000 were SS396 models. What that means is you can buy a 2 dr small-block Malibu a lot easier and cheaper than you can an SS396! And since it's not a numbers-matching premium piece of history-no one cares if you modify it. Swap in a 383 stroker, or a supercharged LS motor. There's tons of suspension upgrades out there for '64-77 GM "A" bodies-so you can build a corner-carving "G" machine, or a drag racer that will pull the front tires on launch. Of the 243,000 Camaros sold in 1969, only 19,000 were Z/28 models. Of the 299,000 Mustangs Ford sold in 1969, only 1,603 were Boss 302's, and only 13,000 were 428 CJ models. What I'm getting at here is there are a lot more base-models out there than there are "primo" models. So if you get a deal on a 318 Challenger, or a 350 Camaro, Chevelle, Firebird or LeMans, or a 302 or 351 Mustang or whatever-don't despair that it's not a big-block, and immediately start plotting how to clone the "big brothers". If that's what you want, fine. But not everyone needs or even wants a 500 hp fire-breathing monster. Like I said-if you have a 318 / Torqueflite Challenger and you'd like a just a little more zip-an Edelbrock Performer intake and a 4bbl carb, some dual exhausts and a shift kit in the trans will "wake up" the car's performance like you wouldn't believe. And that may be all you want. Drive it that way the next 20 years. Ditto for all the other makes. 302 and 351W / C Fords, 350 Pontiacs and Olds engines, 304 and 360 AMC's, 327 and 350 Chevys, all respond well to basic hot-rod tricks-a 4bbl carb and intake, headers and / or dual exhausts, a mild cam upgrade, etc. I've mentioned it before, but I know a guy who was looking for a '64-66 GTO, that bought a '64 442 that had a later-model 350 in it. He was torn between hunting down a 330 to make it Concours Original or swapping in a 455 to make it really badass. Five years and one paint job later, he's still driving it on sunny days and during Hot August Nights with the "unoriginal" 350 because-in his own words-"It runs so good and it's so damn much fun to drive that I can't bring myself to tear it apart."  And there's nothing wrong with that. Mastermind

Some full-size cars that can be great sleepers.....

Since everyone is chasing Camaros, Chevelles, GTOs, Firebirds,Chargers, Road Runners, Challengers, 442s,Mustangs, Cougars, etc-people often forget that there are a lot of full-size cars out there that are great performers, and because they were usually the top of the line-have cool options like factory A/C, power windows and seats, upgraded interiors, and bigger engines. Here's some alternative bodystyles that offer tremendous bang for the buck. # 1. 1969-76 Pontiac Gran Prix. These cars are dynamite. 400 cubes standard all years, and a fair number of '70-76 "SJ" models have 455s. Any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Chevelle will fit these cars so the potential is huge. 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 shocked Camaro, Chevelle and Mustang drivers.  # 2. 1960-68 Pontiacs. While 99% of Impalas and Caprices built in this period have 283 or 327 small-block motivation, every single Pontiac Catalina, Bonneville, or Gran Prix had at least 389 cubes under the hood, and some had 400, 421 or 428!  Any suspension or brake upgrades that fit an Impala will fit these as well. # 3. 1966-69 Buick Riviera. I personally think the '66-67 Riviera is one of the best looking cars GM ever produced. They have the swoopy, fastback, hidden headlight styling of the Olds Toronado, but with less chrome and doo-dads, and are still rear-wheel drive. And with 430 cubes under that long hood, they move pretty good too. The '68-69 models are gorgeous too, but they changed the front bumper, and I don't like it as well as the cleaner '66-67 models. You can't go wrong either way. Buick guys will gripe, but I envision one jet-black with 17" Torq-Thrust mags and fat tires, and a snarling 572 inch Chevy Rat Motor under the hood. All you'd need are some Chevy motor mounts and a Chevy bolt-pattern TH400....# 4. 1967-69 Oldsmobile 88 / 98. When I was a kid, my mom had a gorgeous '67 88 Convertible. It was blue with white interior and had Torq-Thrust mags on it, and with 425 cubes under the hood, could lay rubber all the way across an intersection. The coupes have fastback styling, and either 425 or 455 cubes under the bonnet. Again-one of the things great about GM stuff-interchangeability-any suspension or brake upgrades that fit an Impala will fit these. # 5. 1969-78 Plymouth Sport Fury. In the immortal words of Dan Ackroyd / Elwood Blues-"It's got cop tires, cop shocks, a cop motor..." Most have 383, 400 or 440 cubes under the hood, and the 2 door models are pretty good-looking. Peter Graves drove one on "Mission Impossible". Fred Dryer wrecked a bunch on "Hunter". # 6. 1965-72 Ford Galaxie / LTD. The '65-67 Galaxie is one of the best-looking cars Ford ever produced. They closely resemble a '65 Pontiac in profile, which are also near and dear to my heart. Their interiors are awesome with bucket seats, consoles, lots of chrome. And with 390 cubes under the hood, they move. Later models may have 428s or 429s, which is, if anything, a bonus. Some '71-72 models may have 400C's, but they have great potential.  # 7. 1967-71 Ford Thunderbird. I like the '67-69 models best with their hidden headlights and clean styling, but their all beautiful. '67-69 models will have 390 or 428 or 429 cubes under the hood. 1970-71 models have 429s exclusively, but with 375 hp who's complaining?  By '72, the party was over. Compression ratios were lowered and the name was transferred to the much heavier, and uglier Lincoln MK IV platform. There wouldn't be another high-performance T-Bird until the Supercharged 1989 model.  Chevy guys are going to ask-where's the Impala?  The reason it was left off was explained when I talked about '60's Pontiacs. 99% of '60's and early '70's Impalas have small-blocks 350 cubes or less for power, and 396, 427 and 454 versions are priced in the stratosphere. All the other cars listed here have big-blocks as standard equipment.  Mastermind

Other overlooked big-blocks that can really rock.....

In the race for "Gotta have the biggest and baddest" sometimes people overlook diamonds in the rough. I talked in the last post about some great engines that make great power but are often overlooked because the buff magazines are always featuring these 500+ inch, 600+ hp monsters. Those are definitely cool if you can afford one, but a lot of us can't write a check for 15 grand for an engine!  Besides the usual supects-454 Chevy, 455 BOP's, 440 Mopars,460 Fords, and the 400 ( give or take a bit; 383,389,390, and 396 are close enough to 400 ) inchers I mentioned in the last post, there's a few more that enterprsing hot rodders overlook in their quest for power. # 1. 421 / 428 Pontiac. I love 421s and 428s. They have the best of both worlds-they rev up like a 389 / 400 and have the massive torque of a 455. The downside is the 421 was only produced from 1962-66, and the 428 from '67-69. If you have one already in the car or can buy one for a reasonable price their the only way to fly. I like them better than 455s, for the reasons I just cited. And you can always put a custom 428 crank into a 400 block and ( with a .030 overbore ) have 433 inches of stompin' Poncho power.  # 2. 413 / 426 Chrysler. A lot of people don't know it, but Chrysler made a 426 inch V8 that WASN'T a Hemi in the early '60s. And until the 440 was introduced in 1967 a lot of the "Big" cars-i.e.-Dodge Polaras and Monacos, Chrysler Imperials, Plymouth Furys, big station wagons, etc-had 413s under the hood. They are an "RB" engine-so anything that fits a 440-heads, intakes, cams etc will fit these. The downside is they've been out of production since 1966 so their kinda rare, but dynamite if you can find one.  # 3. 425 Oldsmobile. Anything that fits a 400 or 455 will fit these, so they can really rock with the right parts. The only downside is they were only produced from 1965-67. ( The 455 debuted in '68 ). However-they were used in all the "big" cars-88s,98s, wagons, and Toronados so theres more out there than you might think. # 4. 430 Buick. Same deal here-they were only used from 1966-69, but they were used in almost every model. Stock or modified, anything 430 cubes is going to have some serious torque. All the go-fast goodies-heads, intakes etc that fit a 400 / 455 fit these, so you can build a beast if you want to.  #5 400C / M Ford. These were used in various Ford cars and trucks from 1971-82 so there's a lot of them out there. They had a reputation as "dogs" because they were saddled with 8:1 compression, a lazy cam, single exhaust, 2bbl carburation, and were put in big, heavy cars and trucks with salt-flats gearing like 2.80:1. However-their "Cleveland" style heads have ports and valves the size of a 427 Chevy; give him some reasonable compression, a good cam, some headers and a 4bbl carb and intake and you'll have a beast. Every year in the "Engine Masters Challenge" theirs someone with a 400 Ford that's pumping out 550+ hp on 91 octane pump gas. Set up right, one of these "Rodney Dangerfields " can make as much power as a 429 or 460 with a lot less expense.  I'm sure some people are going to howl that I didn't mention the 427 Chevy. I didn't for three reasons. One-"Original" 427s were only produced from '66-69 and 'Vette restorers hog them and will pay blood and a first-born child for one. The chance of you finding one at a reasonable price is almost nil. You'd have a better chance of getting struck by lightning on the golf course. If you "Gotta Have" a 427 Chevy-GMPP sells them as crate engines to this day-with 480 hp and 500+ lbs of torque. Or you could find a 454 block and put a 427 crank in it. So the mighty 427 isn't really overlooked, it's basically alive and well. That's why it wasn't on the list. Hope this helps people out.  Mastermind  

Some "Small" big-blocks that are still viable but overlooked....

The current trend in the buff magazines seems to be "Bigger is Better" as they feature 500+ inch stroker engines incessantly. A 454 Chevy or 455 Pontiac or Olds or 440 Mopar or 460 Ford seems to be "entry level" according to these writers. The reality is-you can have a very strong performer with-here's an oxymoron-a medium sized big-block. Here's some that are overlooked but can still give you major horsepower and torque.  # 1. 396 / 402 Chevy. With GMPP selling 572 inch  Rat motors with 720 hp, and people fighting with machetes for 427s and 454s to build, it's easy to see how these "little brothers" get overlooked. The reality is because they can use the same heads, cam etc-a 396 / 402 can make just as much power as a 427 or 454, just at a higher rpm. The original L78 396 was rated at 425 hp in the 1965 Corvette-the same as the legendary L72 427 and only 25 hp down from the legendary 450 hp LS6 454. You can make 350 hp with 8:1 compression on junk gas and using factory iron intake and exhaust manifolds. You can make 450-500 hp so easy it's almost criminal. Edelbrock claims 540 hp and 530 lbs of torque from their "Performer RPM" package on a 454. Most big-block Chevy builders go by the rule of thumb that all other things being equal, a 454 will make 20 hp more than a 427, and a 427 will make 20 hp more than a 396. Using that formula you'd still have 500 hp and 500 lbs of torque, which would make any street car a major rocket.  # 2. 383 / 400 Chrysler. Everyone talks about Hemis and 440s, but just like the Chevys-you can make just as much power as a 440 just at higher rpm. Chrysler engineers took the heads, cam and intake from the 440 Magnum to power the 383 Road Runner. The 383 was rated at 335 hp and the 440 was rated at 375. Edelbrock claims 417 hp from their "Performer RPM" package on a 383 and 469 hp on a 440.  Not a ton of difference.  A great testimonial to the might of 383's came from Carey Loftin-who was stunt coordinator on both "Bullitt" and "Vanishing Point"-THE two car-chase classics in most people's book-spoke about the iconic Challenger piloted by Barry Newman in the film. "We had 5 cars." "Four were 440 / 4-speeds, and the camera car was a 383 / Automatic." "I used the camera car to tow the camaro we blew up toward the bulldozers at 80 mph because the automatic drivetrain wouldn't jerk when shifting like the sticks and slacken the tow cable."  "I honestly think the 383 would run just as fast as the 440." "That 383 was a great running car."  The 400 used from '72-78 is just a bored out 383. Either one would power your Mopar project just fine, so don't sell your soul for a 440.  # 3. 389 / 400 Pontiac. Cutting down a 455 crank and putting it in a 400 block to get 461cubes ( with a .030 overbore ) is all the rage now, although Smokey Yunick was doing it in the early '60's for Fireball Roberts when his Pontiacs were the scourge of NASCAR. A 389 / 400 has 3 inch main bearings, while a 421 / 428 / 455 had 3.25 inch mains. Smokey figured out that the smaller main bearings would hold up better at high rpm and break less when running 500 miles at Daytona. To win the race, you've got to finish the race, right?  So Smokey was cutting down 421 cranks and putting them in 389 blocks to build his 421 race engines. 50 years later-guys are doing the same thing. You can buy stroker Pontiac crank, rod and piston kits from several sources. However-if you have one already in the car or can buy one cheap, a 389 / 400 can make just as much power as a 455, and probably stay together longer. 389s were in every Pontiac built from 1959-66, and 400s were in everything from '67-78.  Edelbrock claims 422 hp and 441`lbs of torque from their Performer RPM package on a 400. The "regular" Perfromer Package makes 387 hp and 439 lbs of torque on a 400, and has a much smoother-idling cam that makes 15 inches of vacuum at idle instead of 10. With the RPM cam-( which is basically a replica of the factory RAIV cam ) your giving up quite a bit of low-end and mid-range torque for top-end rush. In a same-weight car, with similar gearing, on street tires-is a car with 422 hp really going to be any quicker than one with 387 hp? I doubt it.  # 4. 390 Ford. Everyone wants 427s, 428s, 429s and 460s. The problem is  ( except for 460's which were used in trucks until 1997 and are still being sold as SVT crate engines to this day ) those big-inch engines are rare, and thus expensive, if you can find one for sale at ANY price. When's the last time you saw a for-real 427 or 428 or 429CJ engine for sale in a want ad?  By contrast 390s were used in virtually every Ford model from 1961-76 and are plentiful. And they are externally identical to the other "FE" engines so if your building a Thunderbolt or Cobra or Fairlane clone or CJ Mustang clone no one will know it's not a 427 or 428 unless you tell them!  Edelbrock claims 452 hp and 428 lbs of torque from their dual-quad Performer RPM package which would certainly give you the look and the oomph to back it up.  # 5. 400 Oldsmobile. These were only used from 1965-69. Everyone chases the 455s used from 1968-76. If you have a 400 already in the car, or can buy one cheap, by all means use it. Don't empty your bank account and search the galaxy for a 455. Everything that fits a 455-Edelbrock aluminum heads and intakes, aftermarket cams, headers etc will work on a 400. And like their Pontiac cousins-400 inch Olds motors make massive low-end and mid-range torque. When you've got 400+ lbs of torque from idle on up you don't need to rev to 6 or 7 grand!  # 5. 400 Buick. These also were only used from 1965-69, and like the Olds fans, Buick guys sell their souls for the 1970-76 455s. If you have a 400 in the car or can buy one at a reasonable price I would definitely use it rather than chase a running or rebuildable 455. Even bone-stock, anything 400 cubes is going to run pretty damn good. And there are hot rod parts available for these engines-Edelbrock sells heads and intakes for them, Crane and Lunati make cams, etc. So if your building a Skylark or Century or Regal project, or want a more modern power plant in a 50's convertible or early Riviera, ( but want to keep it all Buick, you don't want a big-block Chevy or an LS motor ) a 400 may be just the ticket. If you can afford a 572 Chevy or a 514 Ford or a 505 Mopar, etc-more power to you-pun intended-but if your on a budget-these 400 inchers offer a LOT of "bang" for the buck.  Mastermind            

The "Other" 350s can be fun too....

Everyone wants the big-block musclecars, but they can be pricey. The fact is if your looking for a GM musclecar that isn't a Chevy-there are a lot of LeMans, Firebird,Ventura, Cutlass, Omega, and Century and Regals out there with 350 cubes under the hood. If you have or can buy one cheap, you don't have to immediately start looking for a 400-425-428-430-455 BOP big block. The 350s can be made to run pretty damn good.  #1. The best of the "other" ( non-Chevrolet ) 350s is the Olds version, for three reasons: they are an oversquare-large bore / small stroke design, the bottom-ends are bulletproof-they converted some to diesel in the late 70's-if they can hold together with 22.5:1 compression required to fire diesel fuel-they can take anything you can throw at it. And third-there was a factory high-performance version-the famous "W31".  Edelbrock claims 397 hp and 400 lbs ft of torque from their "Performer RPM" package. Magazine writers spout numbers flippantly-but 400 honest hp will make any street car a rocket. And-anything that fits a 350 will fit a 403-if your car has a tired 330 or 350 that needs to be pulled and rebuilt anyway-53-73 extra cubes will definitely give you a nice power and torque boost.  # 2. 350 Pontiac. The design that gives them such massive low-end torque is also why they can't make really big power. They are a small-bore / long stroke design. A 400 uses the same stroke. The small bore limits them because the big-port,big-valve heads used on the 400-421-428-455 engines that you need for really big power can't be used-the valves will hit the block. People talk about clearancing the block to use the big heads, but why? Pontiacs are externally identical from a 326-455-so if you have that much money and need that much power-just swap in a 400 or 455. That aside-they do respond well to basic hot rod tricks-headers and dual-exhausts, 4bbl carb and intake, mild cam upgrades. Your just accentuating what Pontiac did stock-make big torque at low rpm. I wouldn't rev one over 5,500. You can make 325-350 hp and 400 lbs of torque pretty easy and still have a good idle and street manners, and people will THINK you swapped in a big block. If you need more power than that, you'll need a 400 or 455.  # 3. 350 Buick. These were used in a lot of cars from 1968-77. The upside is they make a lot more power and torque than the obsolete 300-327-340 engines they replaced. The downside is unlike their Chevy, Olds, and Pontiac cousins-there was never a factory high-performance version, and there isn't much aftermarket support. Edelbrock doesn't even make a manifold for them-and Edelbrock makes manifolds for just about everything from flathead Fords, to AMC's, Cadillacs, even Hondas and Toyotas. There is a company called T/A perfromance that sells intakes, cams, headers etc for 350 Buicks so that's one way to go. If you need really big power-then I'd suggest swapping in a 400-430-455. Edelbrock does make heads and intakes for these, and Crane and Comp Cams and others make cams and valvetrain components for them. Anyhow-you be surprised how well these non-Chcvy small-blocks can run with a little tweaking, and very little dollar investment.  Mastermind      

Special Editions that aren't really special...

Every person who's selling an old car wants the buyer to think it's rare or special, obviously to drive the price up. However there's a lot of cars, some that the manufacturers even called "Special Editions" that are nothing, well-special, and don't warrant spending more money over a base-model. Here's some to look out for that would be cool drivers, but don't spend big money to buy, in no particular order. # 1. 1971-74 Dodge Charger SE. The "SE" package was purely cosmetic. In '71-72 it included hidden headlights, a vinyl top, upgraded upholstery and some chrome here and there. '73-74 models had exposed headlamps,upgraded upholstery, and ( in my opinion ) an ugly little "Opera" window that screwed up the Charger's classic roofline and a vinyl top. Power choices range from a 318 to a 440. If you can buy one cheap their alright, but there's nothing rare or special about them. # 2. 1973-75 Chevelle Laguna S3. These had body-colored endura front bumpers, swivel bucket seats, two-tone paint jobs and Rally wheels. Other than that their a garden-variety Malibu. Most have 350 power. Expect to pay substantially more for 454 models-but thats par for the course for any Chevelle or Monte Carlo-the Rat versions cost more. # 3. 1974-76 "Starsky&Hutch" Ford Gran Torino. Due to the popularity of the hit buddy-cop TV show, Ford dealers everywhere capitalized by selling droves of Torinos with the red and white paint job and aluminum slot mags. If they couldn't order them from Ford fast enough, they dressed them up in their own shops. Serramonte Ford-where I worked sold a few with GREEN interiors, because they repainted a white or green car with the red and white. Who buys a red car with green interior?  Several people did!  However-their a garden-variety Gran Torino. A lot of them had bench seats, and 2bbl 351M motivation. Not exactly a rocket. Expect to pay more for 460 models, but other than that, hey-its a '74-76 Torino-who cares?  # 4. 1977-79 Special Edition Trans-Am. "Smokey and The Bandit" sold a ton of these. Of the 68,000 T/A's sold in 1977 alone, over 15,000 were black and gold "SE's". Of the 93,000 sold in '78 and the 117,000 sold in '79-many thousands more are out there. In '78 and '79 they also had a Gold "SE" model. Except for the color scheme and the gold dash panel, their a garden-variety T/A. Power is either a 400 Pontiac or a 403 Olds V8. Their fine if you want a Disco-era T/A, but I wouldn't spend extra cash-like you would for a documented DKM "Macho T/A"-or a documented Herb Adams "Fire-Am".  # 5. 1978 "Silver Anniversary / Indy 500 Pace Car Corvette.  All of the 50,000 plus '78 Corvettes had "Silver Anniversary" badging. Over 10,000 had the two-tone Silver / Charcoal grey paint and silver leather interior. As for the Indy Pace Cars-GM said they to make at least one for every dealer. Since Chevrolet had over 7,700 dealers at that time-nearly 8,000 were built, although not every dealer got one. Other than the Pace Car black and silver paint job and graphics-their nothing special. Obviously L82 / 4-speed models will bring more than L48 / TH350 versions-but that's true of all disco-era 'Vettes. # 6. 1979 Hurst / Olds. These weren't even built by Hurst, they were done entirely at the Lansing factory. Their a garden-variety "G" body Cutlass with a Dual-Gate shifter and a white and gold or black and gold paint job and gold aluminum wheels. The "W30" ( Olds shamelessly desecrated the legendary moniker ) V8 is a 350 Olds that wheezed out 160 hp. 2,400 were built. Other than the trim-your better off just buying any old '78-79 Cutlass-if you want a '78-79 Cutlass!!  I don't.  Anyhow-don't get suckered by someone selling one of these "Special" cars. Their not special. Mastermind      

More one or two year wonders that might be cool...

A friend reminded me of some other overlooked one or two year wonders that I didn't include in the previous post.  Here they are, in no particular order. # 1. 1967-68 "California Special" Mustang. These coupes had Shelby-style side scoops and taillights, special striping and rally wheels. Most were 289 powered, but a few had 390s. Their a little cooler than a base-model Mustang, but I wouldn't pay Shelby money for one-other than the taillights and scoops their really nothing special, but they are unique.  # 2. 1968-70 "W31" Cutlass / F85. These "Insurance Beaters" ( Insurance companies were jacking up the rates on musclecars; especially anything with an engine 400 cubes or more ) were a base-model Cutlass-contrary to popular belief-they are NOT a 442 in any way, shape or form. They have a 350 V8 with special heads, a hot 308 degree cam, an aluminum high-rise intake, special exhaust manifolds, and was so radical that it was only available with a 4-speed and 3.90:1 or 4.33:1 gears! They were grossly under-rated at 325 hp. ( The standard "station wagon" 350 had 310 hp; all that trick stuff was only worth 15 hp? Please.)  The "Catch 22" is-Olds collectors covet them so badly, that they usually bring the same amount of money as a 400 or 455 powered 442. Dynamite if you can find one at a reasonable price.  # 3. 1971-72 Dodge Demon. After the phenomenal sales success of the 1970 340 Plymouth Duster-the Dodge boys decided they wanted a piece of the action. The Demon was basically a Duster with a Dart grille, a scooped hood, a go-wing spoiler, and striping and a cool little grinning Devil holding a pitchfork emblems. And the high-winding 340 V8. Some Christian groups griped about the "Demon" name and the emblems, and Chrysler caved into the pressure and the name was changed to "Dart Sport" for 1973. Since Chrysler went bankrupt a few years later-where were all the "Christian" buyers they were supposedly catering to?  Anyhow-they are cooler than a 340 Duster if you can find one.  # 4. 1977 Pontiac Can-Am. Trying to capitalize on the Trans-Am's immense popularity, Pontiac came up with this performance package for the LeMans. Power was a 400 Pontiac V8 ( or a 403 Olds in California or High Altitude areas ) backed by a TH400 with a shift kit. Styling touches included a Trans-Am style "Shaker" hood scoop, a "Ducktail" rear spoiler, a Gran Prix dash panel, body-colored Rally II wheels, and "Judge" style striping. Since the GM "A" bodies-Chevelle, LeMans, Cutlass, Monte Carlo, Regal, etc were downsized, and for some odd reason re-named "G" bodies-for 1978-it only lasted one season. They have a ton of potential if you can find one. There are a million ways to build power into a Pontiac V8, and any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Chevelle will fit these cars.  # 5. 1979 Chrysler 300. These were based on the Cordoba platform and included an E58 360 Police Interceptor V8, a Torqueflite and a 3.21:1 Sure-Grip rear end. Trim included special Rally Wheels, a special white paint job and a red leather interior. If a gussied-up Cordoba tickles your fancy-here's your ride. # 6. 1984-86 Ford Mustang SVO. These had a Turbocharged 4-cylinder engine with 175-205 hp depending on year, 16" aluminum wheels, 4-wheel disc brakes, and Recaro seats. Since the "5.0" V8 models were both faster and several thousand dollars cheaper the SVO's didn't sell well when they were new. If you can find one today they are a fun ride, and the Ford 4-banger has a bulletproof bottom-end if you want to turn up the boost.  # 7. 2003-2004 Mercury Marauder. These were supposed to be a tribute to the old full-size musclecars like the Pontiac 2+2, the Impala SS, and the original Mercury Marauder. Ford hoped they'd sell as well as the LT1 Impala SS did in the '90's.  They were based on the Crown Victoria platform and included the 302 hp 4.6 liter V8 out of the Mustang Cobra, a 4-speed automatic with a high-stall converter, 18" chrome wheels and fat tires, and a special interior with Auto Meter guages. Strangely-Ford never promoted the cars-I don't think I ever even saw a single road test in any of the buff magazines. Then they were shocked when they didn't sell!!  If you can find one-they are better performers than a "cop car" Crown Vic.  Mastermind        

Some "Rodney Dangerfield" One or Two Year wonders that might be cool....

Comedian Rodney Dangerfield always joked that he got "No Respect". There are a lot of muscle cars out there that for whatever reason only lasted one or two model years and are often overlooked, but can be great fun and a good bargain. Here's some of my favorites in no particular order. # 1. 1970-71 Pontiac Tempest T-37, 1972 LeMans GT. Often called "The Poor Man's GTO" the T-37 was a strippy Tempest that came standard with a 350 V8 and a 3-speed stick, but the 400 and 455 engines were optional, as was a 4-speed or a TH400. For some reason, the name was changed to "LeMans GT" in 1972, but the package was basically the same. These are a good way to get GTO performance at a lower price. # 2. 1971-72 "Heavy Chevy". These were a base-model Malibu with a domed "SS" style hood, a blacked out grille, 14" slotted Rally Wheels and decals that said "Heavy Chevy" on the fenders and rear deck. Most were 350 powered, but the 396 / 402 was available. Obviously-the Rat-Motored versions will be pricier, but their still cheaper than an "SS" model. And if you get a 350 version, besides a lower purchase price-there's more speed equipment for a small-block Chevy than anything else on the planet. 6,727 were built in '71 and another 3,000 or so in the strike-shortened year of '72.  # 3. 1973-75 Pontiac Grand Am. Based on the LeMans platform-these cars were touted to have the performance of a Trans-Am and the luxury of a Gran Prix. Unfortunately-luxury buyers bought GP's, and performance buyers bought T/A's. However-they were and are a great performance buy. 400 cubes standard all years with 455 optional. Wrist-thick front and rear sway bars and front disc brakes ( "Radial Tuned Suspension ") made them great handlers too. Dynamite if you can find one.  # 4. 1974 Pontiac GTO. Often called "The Best Nova Ever Built". For '74 Pontiac changed the GTO nameplate from the "A" body LeMans platform to the "X" body ( read Nova ) platform. The buff magazines howled to the high heavens and made fun of the car. However-they weighed about 600 lbs less than a Firebird and the 350 V8 moved them along pretty good, and they had cool syle points like a Trans-Am style "Shaker" hood scoop and a Hurst shifter with the 3 or 4-speed manuals and the TH350. A great thing-Pontiac engines are identical from a 326 to a 455-which means a 400 or 455 is a bolt-in swap, and any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Camaro / Firebird will fit these cars. How badass would one of these 3,200 lb "X" bodies be with an aluminum-headed 468 inch engine, and Trans-Am sway bars and 4-wheel disc brakes be?  7.058 were built.  # 5. 1975 Plymouth Road Runner. For this one year only the Road Runner was based on the Sport Fury platform. You got Police Interceptor suspension, a 3.21:1 Sure-Grip rear end and the famous "Beep-Beep" horn. 318 versions are dogs, but the 360 and 400 models can really run with very little work. Over 6,000 were built, so their not a moon rock.  # 6. 1982 Mustang GT. These had a 302 V8 with a 2bbl carb and a 4-speed manual or a C4 automatic. Ford guys snub these like the plague in favor of the 4bbl / 5-speed stick / 4-speed auto '83-86 models or the Fuel-injected '87-93 models. So you can buy them cheap, and a 4bbl carb and intake is an easy upgrade to get a vast increase in performance. In fact-except for the Camaro / Firebird, there is probably more speed equipment for Fox-bodied Mustangs than anything else on the market, so hopping one up is both cheap and easy.  # 7. 1982 Corvette. These were the last of the C3 bodystyle that ran from 1968-82, and the first to have the "Cross-Fire" injected 350 and the 700R4 4-speed automatic. For some reason-'Vette collectors snub these cars in favor of the carburated '81 and earlier L48 and L82 models, or the '84 and later C4 models, which means you can buy them at a reasonable price. Their performance isn't bad-mid-15 second 1/4 mile times-and again there's a million ways to build power into a small-block Chevy. I have seen these on used-car lots as low as $3995.  "Corvette" and "Cheap" don't usually go in the same sentence, but if you want a bargain on a C3 'Vette, you'll be hard pressed to find a better deal than one of these. # 8. 1980 Z/28 Camaro. For this one year only you could get a 190 hp L48 350 V8 with a 4-speed stick that had a 3.44 1st gear and a 2.28 2nd and a 3.08:1 posi rear end. This gave much better off-the-line acceleration than the previous years 2.64 1st / 1.75 2nd and 3.73:1 rear cog, and had a higher top speed and better gas mileage on the freeway. The best of both worlds. Automatic versions got 3.42:1 rear ends, which kept performance near the level of the 4-speed models. They also had "Cowl Induction" hoods-a vacuum-operated flap that opened under full-throttle acceleration and sounded cool. Since Pontiac had dropped the 400 V8s-( The Turbo 301 T/A was a dog ) and you couldn't get an L82 'Vette with a 4-speed-this Camaro was the fastest american car that you could buy in 1980. For some insane reason-in 1981 you could only get a 4-speed with a 305 that wheezed out 145 hp. If you wanted a 350 you had to get a slushbox. Why-I don't know-'81 emission standards were not any different than 1980, and oddly enough-you could get the 350 / 4-speed combo in an '81 Z/28 in Canada! If history has taught us anything-it's that GM has never made rational decisions on marketing anything.  Mastermind    

More "A$%^oles of the Month"......

Hustler magazine used to have a column titled "Asshole of the Month" where they would make fun of people like the politician that railed against gay marriage and then got caught trying to pick up a guy in an airport bathroom, or the woman who founded M.A.D.D. ( Mothers Against Drunk Drivers ) who took a six-figure sales job with Seagram's, or the gun-control advocate who shot an intruder in his house with a unregistered handgun. These people richly deserve the derision they get. As do some of the people I get crap from, over stuff I posted 3 or 4 years ago!!  Anyhow-for the millionth time-I don't "hate" modern cars or their powertrains. Last year I tried to buy a Roush Mustang with a 674 hp, supercharged, "Aluminator" 5.0 Coyote. I couldn't swing the loan, but I damn sure would have loved to have had that car!!  I love driving my friend's 2016 650 hp ZO6 Corvette. My brother is considering buying a Hellcat Challenger. These new muscle cars are totally awesome, and if you can afford one, by all means buy one before the EPA and the safety Nazis find a way to outlaw them. And for ther millionth time, If you want to put an LS engine in a beater LeMans, or a 5.7 / 6.1 / 6.4 Hemi into a beater Duster or Satellite, or a Ford Coyote into a beater Mustang or Cougar no one cares!! Have fun!!  I just cringe when some idiot does it to a numbers-matching Judge, or a for-real, Six-Pack Super Bee, or a Shelby GT350!! And-yes I have seen these exact swaps in magazines or for sale in Hemmings or on the internet!!  Forget the monthly award, or a yearly award-Here's some winners of the "Asshole of the Century" award.  #1. This car was featured in two different buff magazines. This clown bought a one of 458 ever built, show-quality 455HO / 4-speed, 1972 Trans-Ams and butchered the body and interior, and put an LS engine and a six-speed automatic in it!!  Now why couldn't he have bought any one of the millions of beater 1970-81 Camaros and Firebirds out there and used that?  Or if he HAD to have a Trans-Am-he couldn't buy one of the nearly 300,000 built from 1977-79 and fuck that up? No it had to be one of 1,286 '72 models ever made!! ( The other 828 were automatics ). Hell-why didn't he buy one of the 252 SD-455 '73 models or one one of the 88 1970 RAIV models??!!!   # 2. This car was also featured in several buff magazines. This guy should have been dragged out into the street and shot and his house burned to the ground. He bought a pristine, numbers matching, show-quality 1963 Fuel-Injected, 327, 4-speed, Split-Window Corvette and gutted it, put a roll cage in it, a 454 with a Tunnel-Ram backed by a TH400 with a trans-brake, and a narrowed 9 inch Ford rear and 33 inch slicks for a "Pro Street" theme!!!  Again-he couldn't have bought one of the millions of small-block '68-82 'Vettes out there that no one cares about and butchered that? Or if he "Had" to have the '63-67 body-there was a Kit Car company selling 1963 "Gran Sport" replica bodies that fit on to the '68-82 chassis, or he could have bought a beater '64-67 model and people wouldn't have been nearly as pissed off.  But a numbers-matching, fuelie, Split-Window??  Again-the only thing worse might have been a for-real fuel-injected '57 'Vette, or maybe one of the 116 '69 L88 models!!!  # 3. This guy pissed off GM and Ford Guys alike, by putting a 389 Pontiac engine into a pristine '57 T-Bird!!  Yes, it was faster than the ancient 312 "Y-Block".  If he wanted more performance he couldn't have at least went with a 390 Ford??  Or a 302 / 351W / C4 combo?  # 4. This guy managed to get TWO groups of enthusiasts storming his house with torches-musclecar guys and import tuners alike-because he managed to slaughter not one, but TWO sacred cows!!. This genius put the engine and drivetrain out of a 1998 Toyota Supra Turbo into a 1967 Camaro!!  And he really couldn't understand why everyone wanted to kill him!!  # 5. This dope spent $250,000-that's not a typo-I didn't mean 25K-were talking a quarter million-building a 1970 Chevelle with a Duramax Turbo Diesel engine and Allison transmission out of a modern GMC Truck!!!  Why??  I think the question should be-like the puppet dictator in "Team America" asked-"Why is everybody so F%^kin' Stupid??"  Or why specifically are American Car enthusiasts so willing to butcher classic Iron!!  I've said it before-you never see a 1967 Jaguar XKE with the engine and tranny out of a 2012 XKR or a 1969 Porsche 911S with the powertrain out of a 2014 Carrera 4, or a 1971 Datsun 240Z with the drivetrain out of a 2010 370Z!!. You don't see a 1957 Harley-Davidson Sportser with the fuel-injected engine and six-speed out of a 2011 Softail, or a 1973 Kawasaki Z1 with the powertrain out of a 2012 ZX-14 Ninja, or a 1969 Honda CB750 with the engine and tranny out of a 2005 CBR!!  You don't go to a gun show and see a WWII vintage Colt .45 with Laser Sights on it!!  So if you want to put a Supercharged "5.0" Coyote into a '71 Maverick, go ahead!!  But please don't do it to one of the 1,806 "Boss 351" Mustangs ever made!!  Are we finally clear on this issue? Mastermind                              

"The Fate of the Furious"...should be..."No more, Please!!"

Took my 13 year old nephew to see the "Fate of the Furious" and even he said the action had too much CGI and was way over the top, and that they need to quit. The old saying-"Out of the mouths of babes.." is true. They should have quit three movies ago. The 4th one was alright with Dom and Brian ( the late Paul Walker ) going to Mexico to avenge Letty's murder. The car action was mostly do-able. The fifth one was unnecessary-and them dragging the safe through the streets of Brazil was a little over the top. 6 and 7 were awful. Paul Walker died in a car wreck before the 7th film was finished, and they should have just scrapped it. They didn't, and since it grossed a gazillion dollars-we knew an 8th installment was inevitable. I just can't buy into it. First off-how did "Dominic Toretto" ( Vin Diesel ) morph from street racing thug into James Bond?  In the last three movies-Hobbs- ( Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson ) and then "Mr Nobody " ( Kurt Russel ) recruit him and his buddies to save the world from terrorists and master criminals and nuclear disasters. Really? The FBI, the CIA, Homeland Security, and the entire U.S. Military is helpless-but Diesel and his crew can stop these international criminal masterminds? Puhleeze. And wait-Dom and Brian went and killed the drug dealer "Braga" in F&F 4 because his henchmen had killed Letty ( Michelle Rodriguez ) Dom's longtime love. But wait-she re-appears in F&F 6 with the soap-opera theme-she wasn't dead, she had amnesia and couldn't remember who she was!! So now she and Dom are married and having their honeymoon in Cuba. This is where "Cypher" ( Charlize Theron with hair extensions-why she needed them is beyond me-she's smokin' hot regardless of hairstyle ) recruits Dom to do dirty deeds with something that she has on her cell-phone. It's never explained who she is or where she came from, or why she's a master computer hacker that wants to steal nuclear weapons. So Dom turns on his friends and helps her steal a nuclear device, leaving the Rock to go to jail-that's never explained-he's a hotshot FBI agent with a high security clearance and he was asked to steal the device before Cypher could get it! Dom also steals launch codes from a Russian diplomat because-surprise-remember the hot Brazilian cop that he had an affair with in F&F 5 and most of 6, before cruelly dumping her for the back-from-the-dead, amnesiac Letty? Guess What? Cypher has her and her maybe 6 month old baby hostage-and the baby is Dom's!!  Huh? F&F 5 was released in 2011, and F&F 6 was released in 2012. F&F 7 was being filmed in 2013 when Paul Walker died, and they re-shot some scenes and delayed the release from 2014 to 2015. Anyhow-the kid would be five or six years old at least-unless Dom was cheating on Letty with his former flame-who in F&F 7-they implied she was having a relationship with the Rock!! Remember him shielding her and crashing out the window after he and Jason Statham had their big fight??!!  So he goes to New York to rip off launch codes for the nuclear device. This scene is ludicrous-Cypher can hack into cars and make them drive themselves!!! So she remotely causes about a hundred car wrecks, even dropping cars out of tall parking garages to derail the Russians' motorcade. Dom's buddies show up to try to stop him,-including Jason Statham-who was the villian in #7-but is now working with the good guys- and Letty takes the briefcase with the launch codes and runs. Because Dom didn't shoot his own wife, Cypher kills the hot Brazilian girl and threatens to do the baby if Dom crosses her again. Next they go to Russia to steal a nuclear submarine-where again-where in the hell is the Russian Military, the U.S. Military, NATO forces, etc-the Rock and the rest of Dom's pals have this cars vs trucks, snowmobiles, and planes, and yes-the submarine on the frozen Tundra of remote Russia. Dom and crew save the day, and everyone lives happily ever after. And Letty happily welcomes this baby that he had with the other woman!! Right. The first 4 were ok with the street racing being funded by electronics theft and drugs, etc. But now-what's next "Furious in Outer Space??"  The sad thing is-if this stinker grosses 100 million or more-which it probably will-that means there will be an F&F 9 and 10!! God, I hope not.  Mastermind    

Ya gotta love the internet.....Part 2...

Got a smart-ass email from someone-I love this-"Unknown" who didn't sign his work-but wanted to gripe about a post I made like 3 years ago!!  I was griping about how tired I was of seeing in every buff magazine-which I sarcastically said-should change their name to "Modern Fuel Swap Monthly" since all they ever featured was Numbers-matching SS396 Chevelles, GTOs,Dodge Chargers,etc-with LS motors and modern Hemis swapped in. I've said it a million times-If you want to put an LS motor and a 4L80E in a beater '68 Cutlass-go ahead and do it!! No one gives a shit. But don't do it to one of the 515 Hurst / Olds models ever built!!  Anyhow this arrogant asshole-their always so arrogant-chided me by saying that LS motors AREN'T CHEVYS and If I was as smart as I thought I was, I'd know that!!  Would he like to go for Double Jeopardy where the scores can really change?  The LS engine is a Chevrolet design from conception to production. They debuted in the 1997 Corvette, the '98 Z /28 / Trans-Am, and the 2000 Chevy / GMC Pickups. The fact that they put them in Pontiacs, Buicks, and Oldsmobiles-doesn't change the fact that they are Chevys! Just like the 3.8 / 3800 V6 that powers millions of GM cars is a Buick. The Northstar V8s-while available in Oldsmobiles-was a Cadillac design. The Quad 4-was a Pontiac. This is nothing new. GM has played musical engines since the '60's. The standared engine in most GM cars-be it a Firebird, LeMans, Cutlass, Regal, Ventura, Omega, etc-since 1967 was a 250 inch Chevy straight six. In the late '70's it became the 231 inch Buick V6. In 1977 alone you could get a Pontiac Firebird with a 231 inch Buick V6, a 301 Pontiac, a 305 Chevy, a 350 Chevy, a 350 Olds, a 350 Pontiac, a 350 Buick, A 400 Pontiac, and a 403 Olds!!!  Only the one 350 and the 400 were "True" Pontiac engines-i.e-dating back to the original 287 inch V8 from 1955-and sharing parts with the 326-455 engines that were so prevalent from the '63-79 period!!  You could buy an Olds Cutlass in the '80's with a 305 Chevy,a 301 Pontiac, or a 307 Olds V8. In the early 90's you could buy a Cadillac Fleetwood D' Elegance or Buick Roadmaster with a 350 Chevy!!  Yes-GM played musical engines for 40 years because of smog laws and less "model proliferation"-does anyone believe that an Olds Bravada was anything other than a re-badged S10 Blazer??!!!  But your 1992 Cadillac Fleetwood does not have a 5.7 liter "Cadillac" V8!!!  It's a 350 Chevy just like the one in your neighbor's Blazer!!!  Anyhow- I welcome all input-even misguided or inaccurate wise-ass comments. But if your going to be sarcastic-do some research and make damn sure your right before you publiucly rebuke someone who HAS done the research!!!  Mastermind  

R.I.P. Pete Chapouris....

I was saddened to hear about the recent passing of Pete Chapouris due to a stroke. He was 76. He was a major partner in "Pete&Jakes" a company that sold street rod and hot rod parts-straight axles with disc brakes for '55-57 Chevys, block hugger headers, rack and pinion steering setups etc.  However he's probably best known as the builder of the "California Kid" the Iconic black and flamed '34 Ford driven by Martin Sheen in the movie-duh-"The California Kid".  It was made in 1974 for ABC TV as a "movie of the week"-they had that back then. It was a simple revenge tale, set in 1958 but it had a lot of star power. Vic Morrow was a sadistic small-town sheriff who ran speeders off the curvy mountain road outside his town in his hopped up Hemi-powered cop car. Ironically-this followed his turn as a-you guessed it-maniacal sheriff chasing Peter Fonda and Susan George in "Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry." Talk about typecasting. Martin Sheen was the older brother of one of his victims who comes to town seeking vengenance. Nick Nolte was the bullied town mechanic who teams up with Sheen to get the sheriff after his own little brother is killed, in an "accident" running away from Morrow. Michelle Phillips is both sexy and sad as a lonely waitress who wants to have an affair with Sheen, but circumstances don't allow it. The final showdown on the country road plays well even today. Although it was a low-budget made for TV flick-it was a huge hit, and really boosted Martin Sheen's career. He went on to star in "Apocalypse Now" and many other movies, as well as playing the president on the hit TV show "The West Wing".  Nick Nolte went on to stardom in "Rich Man, Poor Man", "The Deep" and "48 Hrs".  Michelle Phillips was on the "Dallas"-spin-off  "Knots Landing" in the '80s. Sadly, Vic Morrow was killed in 1982 while filming a "Twilight Zone" movie. A helicopter in an action scene crashed, killing the pilot,Morrow, and two child actors who were in the scene. Anyhow the movie has a "cult" following to this day, and the car still exists-you see it at a lot of hot rod shows, escpecially in southern California. Pete was a pioneer who showed that "Old School" was still cool, and remained active in racing and hot rodding until his untimely demise. May he rest in Valhalla!  Mastermind