More on "Restification".....

Here's my opinion on "Restification".  If you want to build a Concours show car that's correct down to the hose clamps, then do it. Except we all know that on say,- a Concours '69 Mustang that the "Autolite" battery is an Interstate or an Exide in a repro case, and the Firestone Wide Ovals are Coker Tire repros,so is it really "all original?" No, it isn't. It's restored a certain way that certain people deem acceptable or correct. If that's your bag, go for it. However for the other 90% of us that want to drive and even-gasp!-race our cars on the strip occasionally, "restification" makes a lot more sense. Here's some good examples. I've mentioned it before, but 4-speed GTOs, Firebirds and Olds 442s had Hurst shifters from the factory. Chevelles, Camaros and Novas had the awful Muncie shifters which were body-mounted and would bind up under load. Forget powershifting at six grand; try to shift one quickly above 3,500 rpm. It's a crapshoot whether or not you get the next gear or neutral. Now even if your car is otherwise bone-stock, but you want to run it at the Pure Stock Drags or bracket race at your local strip-it would behoove you to replace that awful shifter with a transmission-mounted Hurst or Mr Gasket unit so you could shift it quickly when you wanted to, and be competitive in your class!  Mopar guys know how crappy Chrysler's points were. I've said it before-back in the day you never saw a Mopar racer at the strip who didn't have extra sets of points in his toolbox, and they were usually Mallory or Accel! Mopar lovers rejoiced in 1972 when electronic ignition was introduced. So if you have a 440 Charger that you like to run hard, or even just take long cruises in, you haven't "ruined" it if you put in a Mopar Performance or Accel or Mallory electronic distributor! You've made the car MORE reliable and easy to drive! If you have a 351CJ Mustang that you want to drive at all, you will be much happier with an Edelbrock or Holley carb than you will be with an Autolite 4300. They were awful when they were brand-new. My dad was a Master Ford Tech in the early '70's, and 351 Mustangs and 460 T-Birds had so many problems with cold starting, stumbling,crappy gas mileage ( even for a big V8; I'm talking a brand new car getting 5-8 mpg! ). If you bitched hard enough Ford would have their dealers replace the 4300 carbs with an electric-choke 600 Holley, and warranty it! If I remember correctly the part number was either #6619 or 6919. Anyhow, thats how bad those carburators were when new,much less 40+ years old. So why suffer with bad performance just so you can say that it's numbers-matching down to the carb?  Really?  If you have a '70-74 Firebird or Trans-Am, even if you don't want headers, by replacing that awful, restrictive "crossflow" muffler with a true dual exhaust system and re-jetting the carb, you can pick up 30 or 40 hp with the stock manifolds. That's how restrictive it was. Read some '70-72 Car Life or Hot Rod road tests. 400 and 455HO GTOs and LeMans GTs ran 1/2 second quicker in the 1/4 than Formula 400 Firebirds and 455HO T/A's!!  Because the GTO / LeMans models had true duals, and the F-bodies had that restrictive crossflow design. Bone stock it was costing 25-30 hp. Why do you think the 1970 GTO base 400 was rated at 350 hp, and the same engine in a Formula 400 was rated at 330?  Why were the RAIII and RAIV rated at 366 and 370 hp in the GTO and only 335 and 345 in Firebirds? Because of that restrictive exhaust system!!  GM, Ford or Mopar, if you have an automatic transmission, a B&M or TransGo shift improver kit will drastically increase performance. Seriously-will anyone know by looking at the car that you changed some springs and weights in the governor, or a couple of plates in the valve body?? Here's another thing-even if you have a "premium" musclecar-say you have an LS6 Chevelle or a Hemi Road Runner, but you'd like a little more performance. On the Chevelle-way back in 1970-Hot Rod gained 71 hp on the dyno by adding headers to their LS6 test car! Stock, although it was rated at 450 hp-it pulled 380 hp on the dyno. With just the addition of headers,no carb tuning or bumping the timing or anything, on the next run it pulled 451 hp! Even on a 454, you will notice a 70 hp increase! Because the intake was designed to clear the low hood of the '70 Corvette and Camaro ( The LS6 was initially going to be offered in the Camaro and Nova SS as well as Chevelles ) it loses 15 hp over the taller '69 427 aluminum manifold. By adding headers and the '69 manifold and replacing the 780 Holley with an 850, you could easily gain 100 hp, and the car is still basically stock. Just save the original intake and exhaust manifolds and carb in case you ever want to sell the car. On the Hemi Road Runner, adding headers and replacing the 625 cfm AFBs with 750 Edelbrocks will add 75-80 hp. If it's an automatic, a higher stall-speed converter will definitely help cut a few tenths off your 1/4 mile time as well. You've greatly improved the cars performance, and again, you haven't done anything major to the car that can't be put back to stock in a few hours if you need to. So don't be too hard on people who want to maximize their car's performance with a few minor mods. Yes, anyone who even thinks of putting an LS motor in a '69 Z/28 or a 6.4 Hemi in a '70 'Cuda ought to be dragged out into the street and shot. Barring that, I don't think you need to storm anyone's house with torches over an HEI distributor or a set of traction bars!!  Mastermind      

How to get the most "Bang for the Buck" out of your "Restification" project...

I often get asked by various people how to get the most "bang" for the buck out of a "restification"-( Restoration / Modification ) project. There's no one generic answer, as it depends on what type of project your building. Is it going to be a daily driver, a weekend cruiser, or an all-out race car?  Or a combination of the three?  You need to be really specific and honest about what you really want. I've touched on this before but it's worth re-visiting. A guy comes to my shop and wants me to build him a 350 Chevy. He says he wants "As much power as he can possibly get for "X" amount of dollars."  "I can do that." I say. "But what are you using it for?"  "Why does that matter?" He asks. Here's why. If I'm building the engine to put in a Suburban that he's going to tow 40 ft horse trailer or a 25 ft boat with I'm going to build it to make maximum low-end and mid-range torque, which is what you need for pulling heavy loads. I don't care if it won't rev over 5,500 rpm. I'm shooting for maximum torque between 2,000-4,500 rpm. I'd use a dual-plane intake like an Edelbrock Performer and a short duration, medium lift cam to maximize torque and engine vacuum at idle to work with power accessories and a stock torque converter. Now if the engine is going in a Nova or a Camaro with a stick and low gears ( higher numeric ) or a higher-stall speed torque converter, I'm going to use a hotter, longer duration cam and a single-plane intake like an Edelbrock Torker II or Weiand Team G to make max power between 3,000-6,500 rpm. See what I'm saying? If we put the Camaro engine in the Suburban it probably wouldn't run as good as the stock engine, because were sacrificing low-end torque for top-end rush. If you put the Suburban engine in the Camaro it would do spectacular burnouts because of the massive low-end torque, but big burnouts aren't conducive to good 0-60 or 1/4 mile times, and it would probably run out of rpm before the end of the 1/4!! So building a "Max Power" 350 Chevy or anything else depends on the application. Another question I get asked is "What's the first thing I should buy?"  Again, it depends on the car. For example if you've got a late '70's Pontiac Trans-Am with an automatic- most of them had 2.41:1 or 2.56:1 gears. The single biggest performance upgrade you could make would be switching the gears to something in the 3.23:1-3.73:1 range. This would give you a stunning improvement in acceleration-easily more than 1/2 a second off your 0-60 and 1/4 mile time, without hurting fuel economy or freeway crusing rpm too much. Now, if you had a late '70's Chevy Z/28 Camaro with an automatic-they had 3.42:1 gears from the factory-I'd say get a set of shorty headers ( for ground clearance ) and good dual exhausts. If you had a '69 Mustang with a 351W with a 2bbl-( a lot of Mach 1s did ) I'd say get an Edelbrock Performer intake manifold and matching 4bbl carb. If you had a '65 GTO with a 389 and a 2-speed ST300 ( read Powerglide ) automatic, I'd say swap it for a TH350. ( ST300s have a 1.76:1 1st gear and 1.00:1 2nd. TH350s have a 2.52:1 1st, a 1.52:1 2nd and a 1.00:1 3rd. And they are the exact same length and use the same rear trans mount and driveshaft yoke! It's practically a bolt-in. ) This will give you a stunning improvement in acceleration and drivability, way more than headers or a tri-power setup would! If you had a late '80's "5.0" Mustang I'd say get a Ford SVT or Vortech centrfigal supercharger. See what I mean? Every application is different. The bottom line is do some research on what other people have done with a car like yours and read parts catalogs carefully. Edelbrock, Competition Cams, Lunati, Trick Flow Holley and other companies offer guidelines-i.e.-"Makes power from 1500-5,500 rpm." or "Needs 2,500 rpm torque converter and 3.55:1 gears" Those recommendations are usually pretty spot-on. The main thing is err on the side of caution, don't go too wild on cam timing or converter stall speed. Hope this helps. Mastermind.

For the last time...."Fakes" don't affect the value of the "Real Deal"...

Got some gripes on the posts about "Replicars". Apparently, some people think that if I buy one of the 299,000 '69 Mustangs built, and put Edelbrock or Trick Flow "Cleveland" style heads and an Edelbrock "E-Boss" manifold on the 302, and tap Year One or Phoenix Graphics for "Boss 302" stripes, spoilers, and rear window louvers, that I have somehow diminished the value of the remaining 1,603 "Real" '69 Boss 302s out there!! Huh?  If I buy one of the 113,000 '69 Firebirds built, and make it look like a T/A, does that "Ruin" the value of the 697 "Real" ones?  If I take a beater '68 Cutlass, stuff a 455 and a Hurst Dual / Gate shifted TH400 in it and paint it silver and black, does that "compromise" the value of the 515 "real" "Hurst / Olds" models ever built? No!!!  For God's sake, get over yourselves people!  Like I said in another post-Sports car guys are smarter. If I buy a 1977 Porsche 911 and put a "Whale Tail" and and a Air Research Turbo on it, none of the 2,819 "Real" 930 Turbo owners are going to have a hissy fit and cry that I have somehow "hurt" the value of their car!!  So, again, if you want to "clone" your dream car, go ahead and do it. If you buy one of the 93,000 '78 Trans-Ams built and get the stencils from Phoenix Graphics and paint it like a "Macho T/A", I seriously doubt that Dennis Mecham ( Creator of the "Machos" ) or any of the 203 owners of documented ones are going to sue you!!  If you buy a '69 Dodge Coronet and stuff a Mopar Performance 426 Hemi crate engine in it and paint it like a Super Bee, you haven't done anyone any financial harm. Do you really think the owners of the 17 455HO 1971 GTO Judge Convertibles ever built give a shit in hell if you take a 350 LeMans Sport drop-top with the Endura front bumper and put a spoiler and Judge stripes on it???  So build your car the way you want it, and ignore these morons that come up with this nonsense. Mastermind.            

More cool '60's and '70's full-sizes that people overlook.....

Here's some more cool '60's and '70's full-sizes that you might not have thought of.  # 1. 1966-70 Olds Toronado. These cars still look cool today. And with 425 or 455 cubes under the hood they move pretty good too. Car Life's 1970 test car ran the 1/4 mile in 15.0 seconds flat. "George Stark" writer Thad Beaumont's killer alter ego in the Stephen King thriller "The Dark Half" drove a black '67 with a bumper sticker that read "A High Toned Son of a Bitch".  And if you live where it snows, their front-wheel drive.       # 2. 1967-69 Olds Delta 88. These have sleek fastback styling and 425 or 455 cubes under the hood. Since they were the top of the line, they also usually have good stuff like factory a/c and front disc brakes. # 3. 1970-71 Ford Thunderbird. These have racy, Nascar inspired styling, and 429 cubes under the hood with 375 hp. This was about the time that American car makers started to care about handling, so these handle surprisingly well for a big car. The 1972-76 models had 460s, but they were low-compression, and the car was based on the much heavier and uglier Lincoln MKIV platform. # 4. 1967-68 Cadillac Eldorado. I think these are still one of the best-looking cars GM ever put out. With their sharp edges and hidden headlights, they still look futuristic even 50 years after their introduction. And with 429 or 472 cubes under the long hood they move good, too. #5. 1975-78 Plymouth Sport Fury. To quote Elwood Blues-"Its got cop tires, cop shocks,cop brakes,....and with 400 or 440 cubes under the hood they scoot pretty good too. Fred Dryer drove one on the hit action show "Hunter". The 2 dr models are good looking. # 6. 1977-78 Ford Thunderbird. The 'Bird was down-sized from the Lincoln MkIV platform to the LTD II platform, and completely restyled. The new body was sleek, and you could still get a 460 under the hood. '79 models are identical, but the largest engine is a 2bbl 400M. Yuk. Stick with the '77-78's. Mastermind

Some '60's and '70's full-sizes that make cool drivers...

If you don't want to pay the king's ransom for a "traditional" muscle car-i.e. GTO, SS Chevelle, Charger, Road Runner, Mustang, etc, etc, here's some good alternatives. Every car maker had at least one, some had several really cool full-size cars that would still be fun to own and drive and be unique. Here's my list in no particular order. # 1. 1965-68 Pontiac Gran Prix. GP's had 389 or 400 cubes standard all years with 421 and 428 optional, backed by either a 4-speed or the excellent TH400. I personally like the '65-66 models best, but the fastback '67-68 models are cool too. Ray Liotta drove a '68 in "Goodfellas". There's tons of speed equipment for Pontiac V8s and any suspension or brake upgrades that fit an Impala will fit these cars. # 2. 1967-68 Chevy Impala SS. 427 models are priced in the stratosphere, but 327 models are still reasonable. 75,600 were built in '67 and another 38,200 in '68, so their not a moon rock. Most have cool interiors with bucket seats and a console and front disc brakes, and other good stuff.  # 3. 1967-69 Ford Thunderbird. Cool hidden headlight styling and 390, 428 or 429 cubes under the hood. I personally like the 2 dr models, but a lot of people like the "suicide door" 4dr models. You can't go wrong either way.  #4. 1969-71 Plymouth Sport Fury. Cool, "fuselage" styling and 383 or 440 cubes under the long hood. Peter Graves drove one on "Mission: Impossible".  # 5. 1966-69, 1971-73 Buick Riviera. I personally think the '66-67 Riviera is one of the best-looking cars GM ever put out. They resemble the revolutionary Toronado, but have cleaner styling and are rear wheel drive. With 430 cubes under the hood, they move pretty good too. '68-69 models have a bit different front bumper, but their cool too. The '71-73 Model is the famous "Boat Tail" design. With 455 cubes under the hood,you get Cadillac like luxury and GTO like acceleration. #6. 1977-78 Lincoln MK V. Even though they were "downsized" compared to the gargantuan '72-76 MK IV model, their still a big car. I loved the clean, hidden headlight styling, and with 460 cubes under the hood their no slug. '79 models are identical, but for some reason the largest engine that year was a 2bbl 400M. Any of these would be a cool ride to cruise around in today. Mastermind

If you have one of these "Oldie but goodies" by all means use it....

The last couple posts about overlooked engines caused some people to remind me of some viable ones they thought I forgot. I didn't forget them,I just dont think their plentiful enough to look for.  # 1. 289 Ford. I loves 289s. Their reliable, and offer tremendous bang for the buck. However, they've been out of production since 1968. That's 48 years. If you have a 289 V8 in the car or can buy one cheap, then by all means use it.  If your restoring a '65 Mustang to the nth degree, then a 289 is the only way to fly. For anything else-the 302 was used in millions of cars, trucks and suvs from 1968 to 2002 and is still in production and being sold as a crate motor to this day. That's all I'm saying-don't search the galaxy for a 289 while passing over hundreds of 302s!!  # 2. 396 / 402 Chevy. 396s run great.  If  you have one already in the car or your restoring an SS396 Chevelle or El Camino, Camaro or Nova to concours status, then this is the engine that you "gotta have." But they've been out of production since 1972. Why frantically search for a rare 44 year old engine, when 454s are plentiful in junkyards, and GM is selling 427 and 454 crate engines to this day?   # 3. 383 / 400 Chrysler. Same thing here. 383 / 400s run great. With the right combination, just as fast as a 440. However the 383 has been out of production since 1971, and the 400 since 1978. If you have one, or can buy one cheap by all means use it. However-again, I wouldn't chase a 38-45 year old 400 cube "B" engine, when Chrysler is selling 400 hp 360 crate motors, 500 hp 505 wedge ( a 440 stroker ) engines and 426, 472 and 528 hemis with 465-610 hp. # 4. 351C Ford. Again, if you have one already in the car, by all means use it. There's still a ton of speed equipment available for these engines. However they've been out of production since 1974. The 351W was used in cars and trucks until 1997, and is still in production today the- hi-performance 351W crate motors being sold by Ford, and Edelbrock and Trick Flow offering "Cleveland" style heads and manifolds to make "Boss" clones on Windsor blocks, it just doesn't make sense to try to find a 42 year old engine to build. Unless your restoring a Boss 351 Mustang or a Pantera. That's why these were left off the the list, not because they don't make big power. Mastermind      

Sometimes dynamite comes in small packages.....

The trend in the buff magazines always seems to be "Bigger is Better". Everything they feature has a 500 inch monster motor. If you can afford that, by all means do it. However-there are a lot of people who don't need or want a 500+hp engine. They'd just like a little better than stock performance from their base model car. Here's my suggestions on how to do this. # 1. 318 Mopars. There are a ton of 318 powered Duster / Darts, Challenger / Barracudas, Satellites, Coronets and Chargers out there. In all it's history-the 318 was Chrysler's lowest warranty engine. Their bulletproof. '92 and later "Magmum" heads will bolt up to earlier blocks, and Edelbrock sells "Magnum" bolt pattern Performer and Performer RPM intakes. With headers and dual exhausts, maybe a mild cam and a good shift kit in the Torqueflite-you'd be amazed at how fast a 318 can run. Especially in a light car. So before you sell your sould for a big-block or a 360 crate motor, you might consider warming up the 318 that's already in the car.  # 2. 350 Pontiacs. There are a lot of 350 powered LeMans, Tempest, Firebird and Ventura ( Pontiac's version of the Nova ) models out there. Basic hot rod tricks-4bbl carb and intake, headers and or dual exhausts, mild cam-really "wake up" a 350 Pontiac. You can make 350 hp and 400 lbs of torque pretty easy-which should give you some exciting street performance-13 second 1/4s in most cars. Beyond that-you'll need a 400 or 455. The reason is the small-bore / long stroke design. It gives them great low-end torque, but the big-valve, big port heads used on the larger engines that are necessary for really big power won't fit. ( The valves wil hit the block. )  # 3. 350 Olds. There's way more 350 Cutlasses out there than there are 400 and 455 442s. Like their Pontiac cousins, they respond very well to basic upgrades-4bbl carb and intake, headers, etc.  Edelbrock claims 397 hp and 400 lbs of torque from their "Performer RPM" package on a 350 Olds. 400 honest hp will make any street car into an absolute rocket.  # 4. 302 Ford. There's a lot of Mustangs, Cougars, Torinos, Montegos, and Mavericks and Comets with 302 power. Except for the small-block Chevy, there's more speed equipment for a 302 Ford than just about anything else on the planet. A buddy with a 440 Road Runner got his doors blown off by a hot 302 Maverick one night. With the right equipment in a light car-you can quote Chuck Berry's classic "Maybelline"- "Nothin' outrun my V8 Ford"  Mastermind

Some "Junkyard Jewels" that people overlook.....

There are a lot of engines that could make big power for low bucks, that a lot of enthusiasts overlook. Here's a few that I think offer the most "bang" for the buck. # 1. 400C / M Ford. These were in hundreds of thousands of Ford cars and trucks from 1971-82. They were unfairly labelled as "dogs" because they were saddled with 2bbl carburation, single exhausts, a lazy cam and salt-flats gearing. However-with a 4bbl carb and intake, a decent cam and some dual exhausts-they can really rock. Anything 400 cubes is going to make serious power and torque with the proper equipment-every year someone builds one in the "Engine Masters Challenge" that makes over 500 hp.  # 2. 360 "Magnum" Chrysler. Used in millions of Dodge Trucks and SUVs as well as millions of Jeep Grand Cherokees from 1992-2003, these are plentiful in junkyards. They have roller cams from the factory, and the "magnum" heads breathe better than any factory head and many aftermarket ones. Edelbrock offers 4bbl Performer and Performer RPM intakes for those who want to use them in old cars.  # 3. 350 Chevy "Vortec" . Used in millions of Chevy / GMC trucks, vans and SUVs, these are plentiful. The "Vortec" heads breathe better than any factory heads and many aftermarket ones. These also have roller cams from the factory. Edelbrock and Weiand offer 4bbl intakes that fit these engines. If you need a small-block Chevy that makes big power for low bucks, this is the ticket. # 4. 360 AMC V8. These were used in millions of Jeep Grand Wagoneers through 1993, so they are plentiful in junkyards. Edelbrock makes aluminum heads and intakes for them. An easy way to go if your restoring a Javelin or AMX and can't find a 390 or 401, or a bolt-in replacement for a 304. # 5. 403 Olds V8. Although they were only used from 1977-79, there were millions of them sold in Pontiac Bonnevilles, Olds 88s and 98s, Buick Electras and Rivieras, all the big GM wagons, ( except Chevys ) and Pontiac Trans-Ams and Formula Firebirds. Externally identical to a 350, ( almost everything interchanges ) the extra 53 cubes would be a great power infusion for a 350 Cutlass. The only reason they were considered "dogs" was they were always put in heavy cars with 2.41:1 or 2.56:1 gears. In a medium weight car with reasonable gearing like 3.23:1-3.73:1, a decent cam and intake, and dual exhausts they would really rock. Might be something to consider if you don't need or want a numbers-matching engine. Mastermind    

Let's see some cool kit cars restored....

Back in the '70's and '80's there were a lot of companies making Kit Cars. The Daytona Spider driven by Don Johnson on "Miami Vice" was actually a 1981 Corvette with a replica Ferarri body that was built by Tom McBurny that fit the '68-82 Corvette chasiss. McBurnie and Rowley stopped making them after being sued by Ferarri. There was a company called Saxon that made Austin-Healey 3000 replicas that a lot of guys put 302 Fords and 350 Chevys into. I remember Fiberfab who had two-one was called the "Jamaican" a swoopy two door coupe that looked like a cross between a Corvette and a Jaguar XKE. The cool thing about the Jamaican was it could be built on the ubiquitous VW Beetle chassis like a lot of Kit Cars were, or it could be built front-engine on an MGA, Triumph TR4 or TR250 Chassis. Their other offering was called the Kelmark GT and it looked almost exactly like a Ferarri 246 Dino. Car Craft featured one that had a 455 Olds V8 and a Toronado transaxle in the rear. As I remember it ran something like 10.60 in the 1/4; it only weighed like 2,400 lbs and obviously got great traction. There was a Manta Ray that looked like a Can-Am racer that Popular Hot Rodding tested that had a mid-engine 327 attatched to a Corvair transaxle. ( The one on "Hardcastle&McCormack was VW based ).  A friend of my dad's had a Ford GT40 replica that used a 215 inch Aluminum Buick V8 attatched to a Corvair transaxle. There was 1963 Ferarri GTO replica kit that fit a Datsun 240Z body. The "Ferarri" that Maxwell Caulfield drove on the "Dynasty" spin-off  "The Colbys" was a "Z" with a body kit and a 350 Chevy under the hood. What I'm saying is a lot of these cars were bought and not finished because a lot of people over-estimated their mechanical skills. If you look around you can probably get a good deal on an unfinished kit car. I know there were some '55-57 T-Bird kits, and there were some Gran Sport Corvette replicas out there as well. It might be a cool thing to investigate.....Mastermind

Lets do some Period Correct hot rods....'60s, '70's and '80's style....

Is everyone as sick as I am of cookie-cutter cars everywhere? It's seems the trend is one of two things-the car is either bone-stock, Concours, "Just as it Left the Factory" down to the hose clamps, or ( depending on if it's a GM, Ford or Chrysler product ) it has an LS motor, a Coyote, or a 5.7 / 6.1 / 6.4 Hemi backed by an six-speed manual or an overdrive automatic, with rack&pinion steering, a DSE or Global West suspension system, 4-wheel disc brakes, and 20 inch wheels. You know what I'd like to see? Some period correct stuff-like a '55 Chevy with no front bumper, a straight front axle, radiused rear wheel wells, and a snarling 327 or 427 backed by a Muncie 4-speed or a TH400. Real badass '60's "Gasser" / Street Racer style. Or a Camaro,Corvette, Firebird, Mustang, Cougar or Challenger done in '70's Trans-Am / IROC style. Flared fenders over huge tires on Minilite wheels, front and rear spoilers,loud side-exit exhausts-Picture Jerry Titus' famous # 8 T/A at Lime Rock, John Greenwoods Corvette at Laguna Seca, or Sam Poseys Challenger,Mark Donohues Javelin, or Parnelli Jones' Mustang. And the power to back it up with snarling 350 Chevys, 351W Fords,340 / 360 Mopars, and 400 Pontiacs and 401 AMC's. What about the late '70's truck and van craze? I'd love to see some 2wd, short bed, Chevy, Ford and Dodge pickups with lowered suspensions, fat tires, wild paint schemes, and thumpin' 454, 440, or 460 V8s under the hood. The Factories even got in on it-remember the Dodge "Adult Toys?" The Li'l Red Express hot rod 2wd pickup, the Warlock, and "Macho" 4wd models? They were cool. The GMC "Street Coupe" pickups and the "Nite" Package Ford pickups and Broncos?  Or some cool vans with trick paint, fat tires, and outlandish interiors with TV's, waterbeds, stocked bars.  How about some "Pro Street" tributes-an '80's Monte Carlo with a narrowed rear end, monster meats, and a tunnel-rammed 454 jutting out of the hood?  I said it once before, but I think sports car guys are smarter. If you go to a sports car show you might see a '70's 240Z with a header and some Weber carbs,Koni struts and shocks and some wider wheels and tires, but you never see one with the engine and tranny out of a 2013 370Z!!  You'll never see a 1969 Porsche 911 with the drivetrain out of a 2010 Carerra 4!!  You don't see a 1967 Jaguar XKE with the Supercharged V8 out of 2009 XKR!!!  You don't see a 1964 Aston Martin DB5 ( The "Goldfinger" car ) with the V12 out of a 2006 Vanquish!!  Just had to vent that. Mastermind        

Every car doesn't have to be a premium, fire-breathing monster....

I blame the buff magazines and TV shows like Overhaulin' for this. People think that if a car doesn't have a 500 inch big-block or a blower on it, it's not cool. Or if it's not a numbers matching 428 CJ Mustang or 440 Six-Pack Road Runner. it's not cool. Not true. For every GTO and SS Chevelle out there, there are fifty base-model Malibus and Tempest / LeMans models that would make great drivers or project cars. Ford sold 300,000 Mustangs in 1969 alone, but only 70,000 of them were Mach 1s. That leaves 230,000 others, many with 302 or 351W power under the hood, and that's just one single model year!! Pontiac built way more base-model Firebirds than they ever did Trans-Ams. See what I'm getting at?  And not everything has to have a stompin' big block. Let's say you did buy a '73 Firebird with a 350 2bbl / TH350 powertrain. If you added a factory or aftermarket 4bbl carb and intake, a set of dual exhausts behind the stock manifolds, and put a B&M or TransGo shift kit in the trans-the improvement in performance would be stunning. Your friends would swear that you swapped in a 400. And you could drive the car just like that for the next ten years and be perfectly happy. You don't need a 455 and a 700R4, and 20 inch wheels, etc. Ditto for a 318 Challenger, Charger or Duster. A 4bbl carb and intake, dual exhausts and a shift kit will make people think it's a 340. If you wanted to, you could swap in a 360 crate motor, or a 440-but you don't have to. If your happy with a basically stock, nice running car, that's nothing to be ashamed of. So go ahead and buy that 350 Malibu or Cutlass that your neighbor is selling-you don't have to sell your soul for a 442 or SS396 / 454 because the magazines glorify them!!  For some people, happiness is a base model!  Mastermind

Don't pass on a great car because of one option that it does or doesn't have...

A lot of people liked the "No Used Car Factory" post. It's just common sense. Yet I still talk to people almost every day that whine about not being able to find a decent car at a decent price. Then, they'll tell me about some screaming deal they passed on because the car had or didn't have one thing!!  UGH!!  Here's some stupid things that these people pass over great cars for. # 1. 2bbl Carburation. Back in the '60's and '70's a lot of base models and even mid-level models had V8s with 2bbl carbs as standard equipment, and the 4bbl and premium engines were optional. There's a lot of 289 and 351 Mustangs and Cougars with 2bbl carbs,a lot of 350 Camaros, Firebirds,Chevelles, and Cutlasses with 2bbls on them. And it's not just small-blocks either. I've seen 390 Mustangs, T-Birds, and Fairlanes with 2bbls, 383 and 400 Chargers, Coronets, and Satellites with 2bbls, and 400 Firebirds, LeMans and Gran Prix models with 2bbls. And again-it's not just base models. I've seen Mach 1 Mustangs with full regalia-i.e. front and rear spoilers, blacked out hoods, stripes, "sport slats" ( rear window loovers ) and Magnum 500 wheels that have a 2bbl 351W or 351C under the hood, that's numbers-matching!! I've seen for-real SS Chevelles and Olds 442s with 2bbl 350s under the hood. I've seen GTOs and 442s with 2bbl 400s under the hood. ( GM's "Turnpike Specials"; whose Idea was that? ) The point I'm making is, are you really going to pass up a great deal on a great car because it has the wrong carburator??!!  And seriously-An Edelbrock Perfomer intake costs about $200 for most popular engines and a matching Edelbrock carb is about $350 from Summitt. So for less than $600 you can have the tremendous power and drivability upgrade of a 4bbl carb and intake. If your an anal type and want to keep the car more or less "all original" junkyards and swap meets are full of people selling Chevy, Pontiac,Olds, Ford and Chrysler factory Iron 4bbl intakes, for sometimes as low as $50!! New or used, or rebuilt-finding a Quadrajet for GM, or Carter AVS or Thermo-Quad for Mopars is easy, as is finding a Holley or Carter AFB for Fords. ( Or use an Edlebrock-their identical to the AFB. ). I can't imagine anyone in their right mind wanting an Autolite 4100 or 4300 carb on their worst enemy's car, but if you do their out there. The point is factory or aftermarket, changing from a 2bbl to a 4bbl is an easy, cheap fix. Yet I've seen people pass up great 2bbl cars, and pay 3 or 4 grand more for a 4bbl model that isn't as nice. Are you kidding me?  Serial numbers on the CARBURATOR are worth 4-grand to you??  # 2. 3-speed Sticks. A lot of cars had 3-speed manuals as standard equipment and the 4-speeds and automatics were extra-cost options. Popular Hot Rodding's 1969 GTO Judge test car was a Ram Air III, with a 3-speed!!  I've seen quite a few 389 and 400 GTOs with 3-speeds, and quite a few 383 Road Runners, 'Cudas and Challengers with 3-speeds. I've seen a lot of 340 Dusters and Darts with 3-speeds, and more than a few 350 Camaros and Firebirds. I've seen a few Formula 400s with 3-speeds. I've seen a lot of 289 and 302 Mustangs with 3-speeds, and even a few 390 Mustang and Fairlane models.  You can address this one of two ways. If you just "Gotta Have" a 4-speed-thankfully the factory did most of the work for you. The clutch linkage and pedals, etc are already there. Most Saginaw,BW, and Muncie 3-speeds are the same length and share a common rear trans mount with their 4-speed cousins. Ditto for Ford and Chryslers. Swapping a 3-speed for a 4-speed is practically a no-brainer if you have any mechanical ability at all-or even if you don't most shops would only charge you the "R&R" labor time-less than 4hrs on most cars-if you had all the parts. The other way to look at it would be you have a 3-speed auto with a high-stall converter and a badass shift kit. Think. You can launch at whatever rpm you want. If you pop the clutch at 2,500-3,500 rpm-isn't that going to give you a spectacular launch? If you have a good Hurst shifter, you can powershift at whatever rpm you desire. Doubtless a 383 Road Runner or 400 GTO would be more fun with a 3-speed stick than it would be with a slushbox, right??  And it would fall under the "weird, but kinda cool" option packages that a lot of '60's and '70's cars had. The point is, I wouldn't pass up a screaming deal on a car I wanted because of the transmission!! # 3. GM cars with 2-speed automatics. For some reason in the '60's GM was lagging behind on automatics. Fords had the excellent C4s and C6s, and Chryslers had the excellent Torquflites-all 3-speed autos that performed flawlessly. However, for some insane reason, ( although the TH400 was introduced in "big" cars in 1965 ) up until 1967 or '68 depending on model-if you wanted an automatic, you got the awful 2-speed "Powerglide". Even in a 396 Chevelle or 389 GTO, or-gasp-in a 427 Corvette!!  Luckily-the solution is easy. A TH350 is exactly the same length and has exactly the same rear trans mount and driveshaft yoke as the Powerglide / ST300. That means a TH350 is a bolt-in swap. You can even use the stock shifter. ( You won't be able to manually engage low gear, but with a good shift kit that's not a problem ). The difference in performance will be stunning. The reason is Powerglides had either a 1.76:1 or 1.82:1 first gear and a 1.00:1 second. TH350s have a 2.52:1 first gear,a 1.52:1 second, and a 1:1 third. Even with the same rear axle ratio, your 0-60 and 1/4 mile time will drop substantially. Save the old tranny in case you ever want to sell the car to a "just as it left the factory" type, and if he wants to change it back, he can after he buys it!!  But don't let one option stop you from getting a great deal on a great car. Mastermind

Still more "Replicars" that are way cool.....

I talked in the last post about building a copy of megabuck cars for a fraction of the price. Here's a few more that I thought of later. # 1. Baldwin-Motion Phase III Camaro. In the early '70's Joel Rosen opened Motion Performance and partnered with Baldwin Chevrolet to build some ultra badass Camaros. The Phase III models were guaranteed to run 10 second 1/4 mile times. Since they had LS6 or LS7 454s backed by a Muncie 4-speed or a TH400 with a high stall converter, 4.88:1 gears in the rear end ( a Hone overdrive behind the tranny reduced it to 3.42:1 for highway crusing ) traction bars and ultra sticky Mickey Thompson soft compound tires-it wasn't hard to back up that boast. They also had an L88 style hood scoop and two tone paint with wild stripes and graphics. Documented Motion cars are rare and bring a King's Ransom-100K on up. However to build a clone today you'd only need to find a '70-74 Camaro. ( Emissions laws caused Rosen to stop production in 1975 ). 10 grand will easily buy you a decent small-block Camaro of that vintage. GMPP's 454HO crate engine has 440 hp and 500 lbs of torque and sells for $5995. A TH350 will hold up behind a Rat with the proper cooler, torque converter or shift kit. If you "gotta have" a TH400-or a 4-speed-it's not that big a deal to change the rear trans mount and driveshaft yoke. A set of gears for the rear end is cheap-under $200-and the 8.5 inch GM 10 bolts are tough-I've had 400, 4-speed T/A's that I dropped the clutch on a lot and never had a problem. Harwood sells the hood scoop and the paint scheme is easy to copy. Depending on your mechanical ability you could do one up nice for under 25K easily. That's a lot better than 100+ for a "real" one. # 2.  Yenko Deuce. Don Yenko took a base-model 1970 Nova, stuffed an LT1 Corvette motor in it, added a Pontiac-style Hood Tach, and some cool graphics. I saw an original, documented Yenko Deuce for sale on the internet for $200k!!!  You can build a fun copy for 1/ 10th of that. Finding a six-cylinder or small-block '68-72 Nova isn't that hard. For less than five grand GMPP will sell you a complete from carb to oil pan, including a serpentine belt drive and the water pump, power steering pump, and starter and alternator included ZZ5 350 V8 with 400 Hp or a ZZ383 Stroker with 450 hp. These engines have 4-bolt mains, steel cranks, "pink" rods, Keith Black pistons, roller cams and "Fast Burn" Vortec heads. They rock, right out of the box. I had a ZZ4-that had L98 heads and was rated at 355 hp-and it kicked ass. A hood tach is easy to find from any Pontiac restoration vendor, and Phoenix Graphics has the stripe stencils. This one is so easy, it's almost criminal. ( Well only if you try to sell it as an original ). # 3. 1962-63 421 Super Duty Catalina. Again, rare, documented 421SD cars are priced in the stratosphere-100 grand on up. However-you find a generic Cat of this vintage. Get a 400 out of any '67-78 Pontiac and put a cut-down 421 / 428 crank kit in it. Kaufmann and Butler Performance sell these complete rotating assemblys ( crank, rods,pistons and bearings ) for about $1,699. Any aftermarket ( Crane, Comp Cams, Lunati ) RAIV cam has the same timing and lift as the McKellar # 10 cam used back then, and Edelbrock and Offenhauser both make dual-quad intakes for Pontiacs. The internet is full of 4-speed conversion kits for early '60's Pontiacs-( clutch linkage and pedals ) and a T10 or Muncie 4-speed is easy enough to find. Depending on the price of the base car, you could build an SD copy for under 20 or 25 grand easily. # 4. 1965-68 Shelby GT350. Try to touch an original Shelby of this vintage for under 100k. Like the kid in Christmas story-I triple-dog dare you. However-15 grand will buy you a decent 289 fastback in any state in the union,and Year One and Tony Branda have the scoops, spoilers, taillights, etc for the look. Branda also sells tri-y headers and the Shelby intakes and 715 Holley carbs if you want to go to the nth degree. Personally I'd buy a 345 hp Ford SVT 302 crate engine and World-Class T5 five-speed and use that-but to each his own. Anyhow-again you could have a badass looking and performing ride for less than 25 grand, which is 1/4 of what you'd pay for a "real" Shelby.  Anyhow, there's cool stuff that you can copy for a fraction of the price of an original-Yenko Camaros and Chevelles come to mind as do Factory Five Cobra replicas. Something to think about if you can't spare six-figures for a toy!!  Mastermind              

Building a replica of an ultra-rare car can be cool......

I've talked to a lot of people who lust after certain cars but complain they could never afford one unless they won the lottery. That's true if you "gotta have" a numbers-matching Boss 429 or something similar. But there's a lot stuff that you can build for 1/ 10th of what a "real" one would cost. I'll list them in no particular order. # 1. 1969 Pontiac Trans-Am. Only 697 T/A's were built in 1969-so a "real" one in decent shape will cost you over 100k. However, Pontiac built 113,000 Firebirds in 1969, most with V8 power. 15 grand will buy you a nice one in any state in the union. Year One,Ames Performance and NPD all offer the hood,scoops and spoilers to duplicate the bodywork. The white and blue paint job is a no-brainer. Even if you did just that to a 350 model-you'd have the look. If you went with the Edelbrock Performer RPM package-( heads, intake, cam ) on a 400-you'd have a non numbers matching RAIV. Probably for less than 25 grand, which is a lot better than 100K+.  # 2. Thunderbolt Fairlane. 289 Fairlanes can be bought relatively cheaply. No, I'm not suggesting you search the galaxy and mortgage your house for a 427. But all "FE" engines look alike externally and 390s were used in just about every Ford car and truck built from 1961-76. Edelbrock claims 451 hp and 434 lbs of torque from their dual-quad Performer RPM package on a 390. You'd have the look, and I've said it before-magazine writers spout numbers flippantly, but 450 honest hp will make any street car into an absolute rocket. You can find BW T10 4-speeds on line or from Summitt, or you can buy a Top-Loader used. Or-it's a fake anyway-and a C6 with the proper torque converter and a good shift kit would give you better 1/4 mile times and greater consistency if you did want to drag race it. The "Teardrop" hood scoop is easy enough to find-Harwood sells them. You could build a cool Thunderbolt copy for a fraction of the price of the real deal.  # 3. Hemi Dart. You can buy a '68-69 Dart relatively cheaply. 340 versions are getting a little pricier, but 318 models are still reasonable. Mopar Performance and Summitt sell the big-block crossmember. That and a 727 Torqueflite are easy enough to chase down.  A 465 hp 426 Mopar performance crate Hemi is 15 grand. That's not cheap, but if you figure 10 grand for a nice 318 base car, 15 for the Hemi, a couple grand for a TCI built 727, 3 for a Dana 60 or Currie 9 inch rear end and you've got 30 grand in the whold shebang. A lot more attainable than the 250K+ that people ask for the few remaining "real" ones.  # 4. Boss 302 Mustang. Ford only built 1600 in 1969 and 7113 in 1970 so these bring a King's Ransom-usually 80-100k. However Ford built over 70,000 fastback Mustangs in 1969 alone, most with 302 or 351W power. 15-20K will buy you a nice one. The graphics and spoilers are easy enough to get through Tony Branda or Phoenix graphics. Edelbrock and Trick Flow offer "Cleveland" style heads that will bolt up to Windsor blocks and Edelbrock sells an "E-Boss" manifold so you could build a "Mock Boss" 302 or 351. Depending on the price of the base car and how much work you can do yourself, you could easily have a "Boss" clone for 25-30K. A savings of 50 grand over a "real" one. And since it's a fake anyway-why not build a stompin' 347 or 392 inch stroker and back it with a Richmond 5-speed?  There's others you could do, but I think you get the picture. With a little imagination you can have a super-cool ride at a fraction of the cost.  Mastermind    

"Day Two" modifications are ok...even if you add them 40 years later...

A lot of musclecars had what the buff magazines call "Day Two" modifications-i.e. aftermarket upgrades done immediately after buying the car. Good examples would be 4-speed Chevelle or Camaro owners installing a Hurst Competition Plus shifter in place of the awful Muncie unit. ( They were body mounted and were pratically impossible to shift above about half-throttle. GTO's,Firebirds, and Olds 442s had Hurst Shifters from the factory. Why Chevys didn't, I don't know. ) Another would be Ford guys replacing the awful Autolite 4300 4bbl with a Holley. Others would be Accel or Mallory distributors. GM cars had decent points-they'd go 6,000 rpm or so. Fords and Mopars? Theirs tended to "sign off" about 4,500 rpm and start to bounce. It was rare in the '70's to see a Mustang or Charger at the strip with a stock distributor. If you did, the guy had extra sets of points in his tooldbox! And they were usually aftermarket-like Accel. So be a little flexible when looking at a 40 or 50 year old car. A '69 Camaro with headers and traction bars and a 650 Holley on an Edelbrock Tarantula manifold is just as "right" today as was in 1971. A '60s or '70's 'Vette with headers and chrome sidepipes is just as cool today as it was in the early-'70's. Ditto for a Sun tach on the steering column or a set of Cragar S/S or American Racing Torq-Thrust mags. Much better than an LS motor, and 20 inch Center Lines!!  Just had to vent that. Mastermind  

More on adding options....

Here's something that purists need to get over-If someone puts Super Bee graphics on a 383 powered '69 Coronet-it doesn't reduce the value of a numbers-matching "real" Super Bee one ounce!!  No matter how many Cobra replicas Factory Five sells-guess what? A "real" 427 Cobra is still worth $250,000!!!  I say this because I was talking to a guy who loved the DKM "Macho" T/A's, but every one he located for sale was priced very high-$25,000+. I told him that's because DKM-based out of Mecham Pontiac in Arizona-only built 2-300 cars a year from '77-79. They are rare. However-I told him-you could buy one of the 93,000 T/A's sold in 1978 alone, and buy the stencils from Phoenix Graphics to duplicate the "Macho" paint scheme. Adding Hooker Headers and dual exhausts is easy, as would be re-jetting the Q-jet carb and maybe even adding a Performer intake. ( '75-79 Pontiac factory intakes have a restrictive throttle opening which limits power above 4,500 rpm. Switching to the factory '67-74 intake or an Edelbrock Performer offers a huge improvement-it will now pull hard to 5,700 rpm. ) As long as you don't try to sell it as DKM built car-( Dennis Mecham has all the vin numbers for people who want to authenticate a "Macho" ). What harm is done? The same goes for putting "Judge" graphics on a '69-'71 GTO. If you want to paint a '69 Mustang fastback like a "Boss 302" and use Trick Flow or Edelbrock "Cleveland" heads and the "E-Boss" intake to create a "Mock Boss 302"-who have you hurt? If you put a Hurst Dual / Gate shifter and Hurst / Olds graphics on a '72 Cutlass, does it affect the value of the 629 "real" H/O's built that year?  No!!!  So if you want to make you LeMans into a GTO clone or your Camaro into a Z/28 your not hurting anyone. Mastermind

You can add options to a car...

The last few posts I've talked about buying an already finished car and trying to find the options you want. Like I said before the chance of you finding a car with every single thing you desire is pretty slim. However-a lot of things can be easily changed. For example-if you have or want to buy a '60's GTO or Firebird, and you just "gotta have" the hood tach, that's a pretty easy add-on. Year One, NPD and other places sell them. Another one is a vinyl top. Whether you do or don't want one-it's a pretty simple process to add or remove one. Another is wheels. If your disco-era T/A has Rally II wheels and you want "Snowflakes" or vice-versa, Year One, Wheel Vintiques, and others can help. Ditto for Chevelles,Corvettes and Camaros and the various Rally wheels Chevy offered over the years. These companies also offer Chrysler Rallyes, and Magnum 500s that were used on various Ford,GM and Mopar offerings. Other stuff takes a little more work, but is not a major undertaking. For example if you want to add a "Six-Pack" setup to a Mopar-Edelbrock sells the manifold, Holley sells the carbs and Summitt and Mopar performance sell the air cleaner and throttle linkage. The whole setup will cost you about 2 grand-but with "real" six-pack cars getting almost as pricey as Hemis-it might behoove you to buy a 440 4bbl Charger or Road Runner,etc for 10-15K less money and then add the induction setup! Pontiac Tri-Power setups are all over the internet. A lot of companies sell front disc brake conversion kits for most popular cars. Summitt sells new steering boxes and power steering pumps for most popular bodies. So if you found your dream car except for the fact that it had drum brakes and manual steering-those are easy upgrades. ( If your a mechanic, and if your not, most shops wouldn't charge more than a couple hrs to do simple stuff like that ). A little harder, but not insurmountable is certain transmission swaps. For example, if your car has a 3-speed, and you want to swap in a 4-speed, it's pretty simple. For GM guys,most Saginaw or Borg-Warner 3-speeds are the same length and share a common rear trans mount with Saginaw, BW or Muncie 4-speeds. You wouldn't even have to shorten the driveshaft. Mopar 4-speeds and 3-speeds are usually the same length and have a common rear trans mount. If your GM car has a Powerglide or ST300-a TH350 is exactly the same length and shares a common rear trans mount and driveshaft yoke!! You could even use the stock shifter if you wanted to. ( You wouldn't be able to manually engage low gear, but with a good B&M or TransGo shift kit-you won't need to-the trans can be programmed to automatically downshift to low gear below 15-20 mph.)  And if you ever sell the car, most people would much rather have a 4-speed stick or 3-speed automatic than a 3 speed manual or 2-speed auto!! Why does everyone care so freakin' much what something will be worth if or when they sell it?? If your prospective buyer has to have a 2-speed "Powerslide" in a 396 Chevelle or 389 GTO instead of the "unoriginal" TH350-then let him change it back after he buys the car, and SLOW Down his 0-60 and 1/4 mile by 1/2 a second or more!!  The point I'm making is don't pass up a great deal on a great car because it doesn't have some easily added feature. Mastermind      

Sometimes you gotta grab what's there.....The old saying-"You snooze,you lose....

I talked in the last post about there being no "used car factory". Even knowing that, I have had many friends and customers over the years pass over great cars at reasonable prices and then regret it later. Why people do this, I don't know. But I knew a guy who wanted a '70's Trans-Am. He passed on a 400, 4-speed, T-topped '77 Formula at a dirt-cheap price-( the owner had multiple DUIs and needed the money for a lawyer to try to stay out of jail ) because it "wasn't a T/A".  He spent more money for a hardtop '79 403 Olds / TH350 T/A that he was disappointed in, and then bitched that he should have bought the Formula. I had no sympathy for him. "Yes, you should have bought that Formula, you dummy." I know another guy who wanted a '67-69 302 Z/ 28 Camaro. He found one a '68 model-and it was numbers-matching and gorgeous. And it was the color combination he wanted, a dream come true. He didn't buy it. Why? He started haggling with the owner over the price. He walked over $500. I said at the time-"Don't be an idiot." "You'll never find another one that nice that has everything you want." "And honestly-your not $5,000 apart-I could see that-but $500??"  "If you can afford $24,500 then you can afford $25,000!!!  No, his ego got the better of him, and he walked. And after looking at several more cars that were just as high priced or more and not as nice, or not equipped like he wanted-he sighs-"Damn you were right." "I should have bought that blue one." "In the scope of my whole life, what does $500 bucks matter?"  I'm not saying lay down and overpay for an overpriced car, but if something is exactly what you want, and you can afford it, why not get it? I'll never forget back in the '80's a guy I knew wanted a Datsun 240Z. He found one that was the color he wanted, everything, in good condition. The asking price was $3,000-all they were worth back then. He offered the guy $2,500. They haggled back and forth. The owner said he'd take 2,800. My friend offered him $2,650. The guy said no-2,800 take or leave it. He decides to walk-he tells me-"I'll call the guy back in a couple days-he'll take the $2,650." I tell him-"That's a nice car-it won't be here in a couple days." "If you want it, you better step up."  Before we get to the car-someone else walks up and hands the guy $3,000 cash and drives off in the car. My pal is devastated. I know it was mean, but I couldn't help it. "How's that $150 dollars you wanted to save looking now?"  "F&*k  you!" was the response. But he still didn't have the car. And he had to look for a several weeks before he bought one, that wasn't as nice as the one he let slip away.  Don't let that happen to you over a piddling amount of money. Mastermind        

There is no "Used Car Factory" to order from....You need to lower your sights a little if you want to find a car....

There is no "Used Car Factory" to order from. If your looking for a musclecar-the chance of you finding a 40 or 50 year old car with the exact engine, transmission, axle ratio,instrumentation, interior color, etc. is almost nil. You'd have a better chance of getting struck by lightning on the golf course. So when you hear some clown whining that they can't find their dream car, and they've been looking five years, blah,blah,blah-it's because they're too picky. I've touched on this before, but's it's worth going over again. I personally know several people who passed on very cool cars in good condition at fair prices because it wasn't "Exactly what they were looking for". These idiots are why I came up with the "There's no used car factory" line. Idiot # 1. Wanted a '68-70 GTO with the 400 / 4-speed powertrain. He passed on a nice 400 / 4-speed '68 model because it didn't have the hood tach or disc brakes. He passed on a gorgeous, loaded 455 powered '70 model because it was an automatic. When he turned up his nose at a gorgeous, triple white, 400 / 4-speed, '71 LeMans Sport CONVERTIBLE that was done like a Judge-"Because it's not a real GTO" I wanted to kill him.  Idiot # 2. Wanted a '70-'72 LT-1 powered Z / 28 Camaro. He passed up an unrestored, but exceptionally well maintained '70 model because it was an automatic. He passed up a nice 4-speed '71 model because it had headers on it and traction bars and Cragar mags-which made it "Unoriginal". Ugh! He also passed up a fantastic, all original 4-speed '73 model because it was an L82 ( which has a hydraulic cam, an iron intake and Q-Jet carb, instead of the LT1's solid cam, aluminum intake and 780 Holley!! )  As far as I know, this moron still hasn't found a Camaro up to his standards. Idiot # 3. Wanted a '68-'70 "Bullitt" / Dukes of Hazzard" Charger with a big block. He passed up a decent '69 model that had a KILLER 440 in it, Cragar mags and brand-new T/A radials, because the 440 wasn't "numbers-matching". He passed up a pristine, all original '68 models because it had bench seats and a two-barrel carb on the 383!!. He also passed up a 440 / Six Pack '70 model that should have been on the cover of Hot Rod magazine because the 440 wasn't numbers matching. Idiot # 4. Wanted a '65-68 Shelby Mustang, preferably a GT350 or GT500. He passed on a gorgeous'68 390 GT done in "Bullitt" style-highland green paint and Torq-Thrust mags-becsuse "Its not a Shelby". He also passed on a '66 GT with the 225 hp 289, the rally pac guages, the pony interior,factory air, factory front disc brakes, and the "California Megaphone" exhaust with date-coded mufflers intact- for $2,300!!!!!  Because "It's still not a Shelby". I wanted to slap him.  I'm not even a Ford guy and I bought the damn thing and sold it for a tidy profit a few months later. The point I'm trying to make is realize a good deal when you see it, and snap it up!!  Mastermind  

Get the damn car you want....Even if you have to pay more for it or search longer...

Like I said in the last post, I blame the buff magazines for a lot of the grief unsuspecting car enthusiasts get themselves into. Hot Rod, Car Craft, Popular Hot Rodding, Truckin', all of them do it. Every month they have at least one article, and sometimes several saying how "Easy" it is to swap engines, transmissions, install dropped spindles or convert a car from drum to disc brakes, etc, etc. If your a professional mechanic working in a state-of-the-art shop and have $20,000 worth of your own tools, and access to two post lifts,engine hoists, transmission jacks, frame jigs, welding equipment / cutting torches, alignment machines, brake lathes, etc-yeah you can do pretty much anything with a minimum of hassle. But for "Joe Average" who's not a mechanic and has only basic hand tools-have you ever tried to change a clutch in your driveway? It's a bastard, and that's if your just replacing the disc, pressure plate and throwout bearing on say-a '73 Firebird with stock replacement parts. Have you ever tried to hold up a Muncie 4-speed while laying flat on your back, while your buddy tries to stab the input shaft into the bellhousing? Not fun, or easy. And that's a simple "R&R"-remove and replace, don't get me started on switching from a 4-speed to a 5-speed, or from a stick to an automatic. That's why I'm telling people don't fall into the trap set by the buff magazines. If you want a big-block Chevelle-then step up and buy one. Don't buy a small-block Malibu with the intention of "I'll just drop a Rat Motor in it next summer." Really? First off where are you going to get the "Rat" motor? Junkyards want $1,500+ for 454 "cores" out of '80's trucks that need to be rebuilt. You'll top 5K easy buying and building a "junkyard" Rat. Not me, you say-GMPP's 454HO crate engine that has 425 hp and 500 lbs ft of torque starts at $5995. Right there-depending on the purchase price of your small-block Malibu-I bet another 6-grand could have gotten you a decent SS396!!  But wait-theres more-you've spent six grand for the engine. Now what about a starter, alternator, water pump, power steering pump, fuel pump, all the belts and pulleys and hoses? What about a bigger radiator to cool it? Different front springs to support the additional weight of the big-block. With a good shift kit and proper cooler a TH350 will probably hold up for thousands of miles of daily driving-but if your going to seriously drag race the car even once a month, or put nitrous on it, or just upgrade the cam and heads-to get 500 hp-eventually it's going to break-and then you'll need to upgrade to a TH400. Which means a different crossmember, different rear trans mount,different driveshaft yoke and U-joint,different kickdown linkage,different torque converter. And that's on a Chevy-which is the easiest and has the most interchangeable parts line. God help you if your buying a Ford or a Mopar. I'm not slamming Fords and Chryslers-I'm just stating an irrefutable fact. Let's say just like the above mentioned Chevelle enthusiast-you get a great deal on a 318 powered '71 Challenger-because your going to "drop" a 440 into it. Well guess what?  First thing you'll need is a big-block front crossmember. That's right "A" and "B / RB" engines have a totally different front crossmember. Mopar Performance and Summitt Racing sell them-but it's a pretty big job to change them-better done in a body shop than your driveway. Your also going to need a bigger radiator, heavier front springs, and if you want the car to handle properly-big-block Torsion bars. Basically upgrading the whole front suspension. Chances are the 318 model has 4-wheel drum brakes. Your going to put a 500 hp engine in a car with drum brakes? There's more expense for a front disc brake conversion.  And where are you going to find a complete, from carb to oil pan 440? They've been out of production since 1978. You'll just buy a Mopar Performance 505 Wedge Crate engine? Ok, thats 10 grand.  And guess what? The 904 Torqueflite won't bolt up to or stand up to a 440 / 505. You need to buy a 727 Torqeflite and different trans crossmember, and probably have a custom driveshaft built. And if your going to lean on it-the 81/4 rear end won't hold up. You'll need to upgrade to at least an 8 3/4-and if your changing it anyway, you might as well get a Dana 60. Not cheap. by the time you get done with the suspension, brakes, tranny change and crate motor-you'll rack up a 15K bill easily-and that's in just parts, if you can do the labor yourself.  Again-depending on the purchase price of the 318 model-I'll bet an extra 15k would have easily gotten you a decent 383 or 440 Challenger / Cuda if you looked hard enough. Fords are even worse. A 351W has a different bellhousing bolt-pattern than a 351C. And their different from a 390 / 428, which is different from a 429 / 460!!  So just thinking you'll buy a C6 from B&M or TCI-is not that simple!!  All the tin and accessories are model specific. So-unlike you GM guys who can take a 350 out of a '78 Chevy C10 and drop it in a '72 Camaro, or take a 400 out of a '71 Catalina and drop it in a '77 T/A and not even change the belts-you'll committ hari-kari with a Ford. That's because a 390 in a pickup has a different oil pan, water pump, power steering pump, fuel pump, and alternator, and exhaust manifolds than a 390 out of a Mustang, and the Mustang and the pickup engine are different than a 390 from an LTD, which is different from a 390 in a T-Bird!!  So-the best thing to do is search for the damn car you want, within reason-Don't be an idiot like a guy I knew who passed up a one-owner, contantly garaged, low-mileage, pristine, little old lady owned since new '68 Charger because it had a bench seat and a two-barrel carb on the 383!!!  An Edelbrock Performer intake and matching carb is what-$600 bucks and a couple hours to change,even in your driveway!!  And if he just HAD to have bucket seats and a console-I think Year One could have helped!!!  Dumb ass!!!  Hope this helps everyone out. Mastermind                

There's nothing wrong with buying an already finished car....

So many people talk about buying and building their dream car. However-90% of these people are not bodymen or mechanics by trade. The chances of "Joe Average" being able to do a frame-off restoration or even just an engine and tranny swap properly are almost nil. The buff magazines are to blame for a lot of this. They constantly talk about how "easy" it is to swap engines or transmissions. Really? How many people have actually pulled an engine out of a car, disassembled it, rebuilt it, and put it back in the car, and had it fire right up and run perfectly?  And that's if you took, say the 350 out of your Chevy truck and put it back in! Don't get me started on swtiching from a small-block to a big block, or swapping a stick for an automatic, etc. Truckin' magazine is a big offender here. They had an article on someone restoring a '55 Ford F100. The guy was doing what "restifiers" ( restore / modify ) have been doing with these trucks for years-using a '74-78 Mustang II front clip. Which gives you front disc brakes and power rack&pinion steering, and motor mounts for a modern 302 / 351W.  Ford guys hate it, but I have also seen these trucks with a Camaro or Chevelle front clip-and a 427 or 454 Chevy Rat Motor under the hood. Again they said how "Easy" it was to put modern steering and brakes on a 60 year old truck. Really? How many people have the garage space and the tools and welding equipment and the skill to actually cut the old frame off the truck at the firewall, cut the subframe off the donor Mustang or Camaro and then weld it onto the truck perfectly straight?  See what I'm saying?  Also avoid engineless cars. And I'm not just talking about a Boss 302 Mustang or a Hemi 'Cuda. Say you buy a '69 Road Runner or a '69 GTO without an engine. Where are you going to find a 383 or 440 Chrysler engine. or a 400 Pontiac?  The 383 has been out of production since 1971 and the 440 since 1978. The last 400 Pontiac was built in November 1977. ( L78 400s were stockpiled for '78-79 Trans-Ams. ) Where are you going to find a complete, running, or at least rebuildable engine that's 38 years old or older??  I know-everyone knows a guy who has one. ( I have a 428 Pontiac in my garage that I took out of a '69 Gran Prix. ) Ok-this friend of a friend sells you a 383 Mopar or 400 Pontiac block. Your going to run Edelbrock heads on it anyway. Fine and dandy. Pray tell-where are you going to get an oil pan, timing cover,valve covers, distributor, intake manifold, carburator, exhaust manifolds or headers,a water pump, a fuel pump,a power steering pump. a starter, an alternator, all the brakcets to mount those accessories, the bolts and nuts, a radiator, hoses, belts etc?  Sure you can probably buy all that stuff-but it gets expensive. And that's on something as generic as a Small-block Chevy or a 302 Ford or 400 Pontiac. God help you if your trying to chase down alternator and power steering pump brackets for a 401 AMC Javelin, or a 428 Thunderbird or a 455 Olds 442. Trust me-it's nice to have all that stuff already on the engine. With most competent shops charging $100 per hour or more-if your not a mechanic and the car needs major work-you can rack up a $10,000 or $20,000 bill pretty quick-and that's not including the purchase price of the car. For a lot of people they'd be better off both financially and in terms of not pulling their hair out in frustration by just buying an already finished car. This past Hot August Nights-yes-I lamented that I didn't see any Hemi Superbirds or Thunderbolt Fairlanes or Boss 429s or Super Duty Catalinas. But barring ultra-rare stuff like that-I saw tons of Mustangs, Camaros, GTOs, 396 Chevelles, Chargers, Challengers,Firebirds, etc that were really nice and had "For Sale" signs on them. If I could have swung a personal loan-( dammitt! I couldn't ) I'd have bought a nice '69 GTO done in Judge style.  ( It was a for-real GTO, it just wasn't an original Judge. Regardless of paint scheme-it was a screaming deal for $16,000!!! ). There's tons of stuff like that out there if you look past the end of your nose. There's no shame in saying that you bought something really cool already done. It doesn't make it less cool that you didn't build it from the ground up!!  Mastermind        

Fine Lines: 1961-71 Ford Thunderbird....

1961-71 Ford Thunderbirds are great drivers and good performers. While the Pontiac Gran Prix and Chevy Monte Carlo and others blossomed in the '70's, the T-Bird was the original personal luxury / performance car. 1961-63 was the "Bullet Bird"-so nicknamed because the tailfin / taillight assembly looked like-well a bullet. Even 55 years later, they are still a good looking car. And with 390 cubes under the hood, they moved pretty good too. Steven Seagal drove one in the action flick "Hard to Kill," and Paul Walker of "Fast&Furious" fame drove one in "The Skulls". 1964 brought a complete restyling and I personally think this is the least attractive of the '60's T-Birds. This the "Thelma&Louise" style-Susan Sarandon drove one in that movie. They had 390 or 428 cubes under the hood. This style ran through '66. In 1967 they were restyled again. I think the '67-69 T-Bird is one of the best-looking cars Ford ever produced. They had hidden headlights and a slick body that was remarkably devoid of chrome or doo-dads. I like the 2 dr coupes best, but they also offered a 4-door model with "Suicide doors" that has kind of a cult following. You can't go wrong either way. the 390 was standard, with the 428 optional. In 1968 the 429 was introduced. This was much more modern design that the "FE" 390 / 428s. It was also the base for Ford's Nascar efforts. 1969 was pretty much a carryover year. 1970 brought another restyling and these were great looking cars too with a swoopy, Nascar-inspired body. This was also when American car makers started to care about handling-so they had big front and rear sway bars and handled surprisingly well for a big car. And with a 375 hp 429 under the hood, they moved good too. '71 was the same escept for a few new colors. These were the last of the performance T-Birds until the Supercharged 1989 model. For some insane reason Ford restyled the T-Bird in 1972, and put it on the much heavier and uglier Lincoln MKIV platform. Even with 460 cubes under the hood-they were just too heavy to be anything other than slugs. If you want a cool, good performing vintage ride, a '61-71 T-Bird is hard to beat. Mastermind

Fine Lines: 1960-68 Full-Size Pontiacs....

The Beach Boys had a hit with "409"-singing about a 409 Impala. However the reality is 99% of Impalas,Caprices and Biscaynes built in the '60's are 283 or 327 small-block powered. 396, 409 and 427 versions are rare and priced accordingly. By contrast-every Bonneville, Catalina or Gran Prix built from 1960-68 had at least 389 cubes under the hood, and some had 400,421 or 428!!  The Pontiacs had upgraded interiors as well. The excellent TH400 automatic debuted in 1965, a stunning improvement over the old "Slim Jim" Hydro-matic. If you want one today they make excellent drivers. Their are a million ways to build power into a Pontiac V8, and any suspension or brake upgrades that fit an Impala will fit these cars. Mastermind  

What part of Alternative bodystyles did you not get??,,,

Some people have complained that my "Fine Lines" series wasn't exactly like Car Craft's. Like Steve Martin used to say on Saturday Night Live-"Well Excuuuse me!!"  I said I wanted to highlight cars that people didn't normally think about that were great bases for a hot rod. So sorry-I didn't include Mustangs and Camaros and Chargers and Chevelles-the cookie-cutters that we see at every "Show and Shine". I'd much rather see a '65 Galaxie done in NASCAR style than I would an umpteenth '65 Mustang with a Fuel-Injected "5.0" and a T5 five speed!!!  I didn't include 1970-74- Chrylser E-bodies? Why? Because Chrysler screwed up big time. First off the big-blocks were discontinued after 1971. From '72 on your engine choices were a 150hp 318 with a 2bbl or a 240 hp 340. Replaced by the 360 truck engine in '74. Pontiac made major bank even before "Smokey and the Bandit" because the Trans-Am was the only game in town if you wanted a musclecar. Even Chevrolet was stupid-the Z/28 took a 3 year hiatus from 1974-77, and was only resurrected because T/A's were selling at a record pace. The 440 was available in trucks and "big cars" through '78. If Chrysler had done with the Cuda/ Challenger what GM did with the Camaro / Firebird-not change it-do you think a 440 / 4-speed Challenger could have competed with a 400 / 4-speed T/A??  Ditto for the Javelin / AMX and the Olds 442. AMC and Oldsmobile could have kept the 401 and the 455 going until 1979 like Pontiac did with the 400. But they didn't. They listened to the bean counters. Anyway-no I'm not going to say how great '67-'69 Camaros are or '68-72 Chevelles. The focus is on bodystyles people didn't normally think about.  And if you don't like that I'm sorry. Mastermind

Fine Lines: 1966-69, 1971-73 Buick Riviera....

In 1966 GM introduced the Oldsmobile Toronado. A revolutionary luxury car-it had futuristic swoopy fastback styling, hidden headlights and it was front-wheel drive. Even 50 years later, they are still a great-looking car. "George Stark" the killer in the Stephen King movie "The Dark Half" drove a sinister black '66 Toronado with a bumper sticker that read "A High Toned Son of a Bitch".  However-I always liked the cousin Buick Riviera better. The Riviera had the same fastback, hidden headlight body-but the styling was much cleaner-a lot less chrome and doo-dads. I always thought the 1966-67 Rivieras were one of the best-looking cars GM ever produced. And the Rivieras were still rear-wheel drive. Much better from a performance standpoint. And with 430 cubes under their long hoods, they moved pretty good too. 1967 was basically unchanged from '66. Front disc brakes became available-a much-needed option on a 4,000+ lb car with a 430 inch motor!  1968 saw minor changes to front end and bunper, although they retained the hidden hedlights. I personally don't think it was an improvement-I like the cleaner style of the '66-67 model-but they are still a great-looking car. And they still had the big 430 V8 backed by a TH400-a stellar combination. 1969 was a carryover year. Maybe a couple different colors were added but everything else is the same. No one knows what Buick was thinking for 1970. While Olds kept the '66-69 body of the Toronado through 1970-Car Life's 455 powered '70 Toronado GT test car-while weighing 4,700 lbs-blasted through the 1/4 mile in 15 seconds flat, Buick completely changed the Riviera. And they were ugly. They looked like a LeSabre or any other big GM boat. That's why Riviera enthusiasts want either the '66-69 model, or the '71-73 models. 1970 versions are snubbed like the plague, and with good reason. 1971 brought a complete re-styling again, and this one was a hit. This is the famous "Boat Tail" design, with big fastback rear window that looks like a "V". 455 cubes were standard equipment, so you got Cadillac like luxury and GTO like acceleration. A great combination for the expanding "Personal Luxury Coupe" market which Pontiac had started with the re-designed Gran Prix in 1969, which now also included the Chevy Monte Carlo, the Plymouth Sport Fury and others. 1972 and '73 were basically carryover years. Why mess with success?  Well in typical GM fashion-they did in 1974-making the Riviera much bigger, heavier and uglier. And then wondered why Chevrolet and Pontiac were still selling Monte Carlos and Gran Prix's as fast as they could make them. Because other than minor changes-they didn't mess with a good thing!!  Anyhow if you want one today they make very nice drivers-and Edelbrock offers Aluminum heads and Performer Intakes for the 400-430-455 Buick engines,Crane and Comp Cams offers cams so you can upgrade the performance. It's blasphemy to Buick freaks, I know-but I always envision a Jet-Black '66-67 Riv with fat tires on 17" American Racing Torq-Thrusts, and a snarling GMPP 572 inch Rat Motor under the long hood!! All you'd need are some Impala motor mounts and a Chevy bolt pattern TH400. ( BOP engines have a different bellhousing bolt pattern than Chevy engines ). These are a great alternative bodystyle if you want something cool that you don't see every day. Mastermind      

Fine Lines: 1964-77 Chevy El Camino....

The car / truck hybrid El Camino was actually introduced in 1959 on the Impala Chassis. It was discontinued after 1960. It re-appeared in 1964 on the Chevelle platform. Engines included a 230 inch six-cylinder and the 283 and 327 V8s. After the GTO burst onto the scene the other GM divisions scrambled to fight back. Olds responded in 1965 by doing exactly what Pontiac did-stuffing the 400 inch "big car" V8 ( Pontiac's was 389 inches ) into the Cutlass 442. ( 1964 442s had 330 inch V8s ). Chevrolet only built 200 396 Chevelles in 1965. In 1966 they sold 77,000 SS396 models. It's hard to say how many El Caminos were sold with this engine because until the mid-'70's GM lumped Elky sales in with Chevelle numbers. But anything that was available on a Chevelle was available on an El Camino. Curiously-not many people used them as trucks, but they did have quite a following with the musclecar crowd. 1967 saw only minor changes-mainly the grille-and for the first time the excellent TH400 automatic was available-a huge improvement over the old two-speed Powerglide. 1968 brought a major restyling for the Chevelle / El Camino line and this body ran with minor changes through 1972. These are the most popular models. The TH350 3-speed automatic debuted this year and was used behind the small-block V8s. The 396s got TH400s. 3 and 4-speed manuals were available as well. Front disc brakes were a much-needed option. 1969 was a carryover year. The 350 replaced the 327 as the workhorse small-block. The 325 hp and 375 hp 396s were optional. The big news for 1970 was the introduction of the 454. The base 454 was rated at 360 hp and the mighty LS6 was rated at 450. Again-I can't say how many LS6 Elkys were built because their counted as Chevelle sales-but there were some built. In 1971-compression ratios were lowered to run on low-lead fuels and hp ratings dropped. Pontiac / GMC dealers starting selling "Sprints"-which were basically an El Camino with GMC badging. All the engines were available including the 454. Their kind of a novelty-you don't see a lot of them-but their not worth any more or less than a same-year El Camino-like I've said many times rare disn't automatically mean valuable. But if you find one in decent shape at a reasonable price their certainly worth having. '72 was a carryover year. In 1973 GM re-designed all the "A" bodies-Chevelle, Cutlass, LeMans, Skylark, etc. And that included the El Camino. The 396 / 402 was dropped, but the 454 was still optional. You could also get swivel bucket seats. This bodystyle, with minor trim changes would last through 1977. In 1974 the 400 small-block became an option on top the 350s. In '75 the 454 was dropped, and catalytic converters killed everyone's performance. 1976-77 were basically unchanged. In 1978 the mid-sizes were downsized and the party was over. The standard engine was a 3.8 liter V6 with a 2-bbl, the upgrades were a 305 that wheezed out 145 hp and a 350 that wheezed out 160. After '79 the 350 was dropped. The line soldiered on until 1987-the GMC's were called "Caballeros" instead of Sprints-but there was never another performance version. ( I don't consider a 170 hp 305 powered Elky with a Monte Carlo SS front clip a performance car). Anyhow-if you want one for a hot rod-the '64-77 models are an excellent base for a street machine. Their engine bays will accept any GM engine up to and including the 720 hp GMPP 572, and any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Chevelle will fit the Elky. I always wanted to buy a beater '68-72 Elky, put a GTO front clip on it, drop in a 400 or 455 Pontiac and make a "Judge" "Sprint". Or do a Cutlass 442 / Hurst / Olds Elky.... Anyhow their a great base for a street machine. Mastermind

Fine Lines: 1970-76 Ford Torino...

Ford had won a lot of NASCAR races in 1968 and '69 with their fastback Torinos. The Boss 429 was only sold to the public to homologate it for racing. Since Ford didn't race Mustang bodies in NASCAR-( they did use Mustangs in Trans-Am, but the cubic inch limit was 305 inches. ) I have no Idea why they didn't build Boss-Nine Torinos instead of Mustangs. Must have been a loophole in the rulebook I don't know about. Anyhow the Torino the body was redesigned for 1970 and it was swoopier and slicker than ever before. When I first saw "Mad Max" and "The Road Warrior" I thought the Interceptor made famous by Mel Gibson was a '70-71 Torino. ( It was actually a 1973 Australian Ford Falcon XB coupe-which looks very similar) A full range of  V8 engines was available including a 302, the mighty 351C, and the 429CJ / SCJ models. Curiously-likeI said-even though Ford raced Torinos-( The Wood Brothers ran Mercury Cyclones ) that were Boss 429 powered-their was no production option. The Boss 429 was only available in the Mustang. There was also a "Ranchero" version-( basically Ford's competitor for the El Camino ) available as well.  1971 only brought minor trim changes, otherwise everything was the same. In 1972-Ford completely re-vamped the Torino. Instead of unit-body construction like they had been-they went to a body-on-frame platform. The car was longer, lower and wider, and rode and handled better than ever before. They were good-looking too. ( The car in the Clint Eastwood movie "Gran Torino"-was a 1972 model. ) Unfortunately-1972 was the year that Ford lowered compression ratios and switched from gross to net hp ratings. You could get a 429 in a Torino-but it was a "station wagon" engine that wheezed out 205 hp. A far cry from the 375-of the '70-71 models! The most powerful engine available in a Torino that year was the 351CJ-rated at 246 hp. ( The same engine in a Mustang Mach 1 was rated at 266 hp; I don't know what the difference was, maybe just the rating-they wanted the Mach 1 to be the performance leader. ) In 1973 they changed the grille and added 5-mph bumpers, but otherwise it was unchanged. Bobby Isaac and Bud Moore ran a 351C Torino in NASCAR that year. 1974 brought changes to the front end and taillights, but the basic body was the same. This is the style driven by Paul Micheal Glaser on "Starsky and Hutch". You could now get a 460-but again it was basically a station wagon / truck engine that made about 220 hp. The 351C was still the most powerful engine available. They also introduced the "Gran Torino Elite" that was supposed to be a luxury model. It had opera windows, and looked like a re-badged Cougar-which it was.  1975 brought catalytic conveters and really killed performance. And the 351C was dropped. Most models had the 351 / 400"M" engines with 2bbl carburation and single exhaust. These had the dual attributes of no power and crappy gas mileage. You could still get a 460-but they didn't even make 200 hp. In 1977 The Torino / Elite models were dropped. The Ranchero soldiered on until 1979, based on the LTD II platform. If you want one today for a peformance project-their a good base. The engine bay will swallow anything from a 302 to a 460-and their's tons of speed equipment available for small and big-block Ford engines. They were a great car; it's just too bad they were introduced just as the musclecar era was winding down, and that Ford just gave up on performance. ( The 4-cylinder and V6 Mustang II?? ) Just like Pontiac kept the mighty 400 in the Trans-Am until 1979-Ford could have done the same with a decent 460 or the 351CJ in the Torino-but they didn't. Too bad. Anyhow a Torino / Ranchero might make a nice project instead of the cookie-cutter Mustangs you see everywhere. Mastermind

Fine Lines....1970-74 Plymouth Duster / Dodge Demon / Dart....

By 1969 Insurance companies were really jacking up the prices on musclecars, especially anything over 400 cubic inches. In 1970, Plymouth hit a home run. They introduced the Duster 340. It was based on the lightweight Valiant / Dart platform, but had a swoopy, semi-fastback body and menacing front grille. They stuffed in the high-winding 340 V8 out of the Barracuda and backed it with a 3 or 4-speed manual or a Torqueflite. They also had a blacked out hood, stripes and large "340" emblems on the hood and 1/4 panels. With a curb weight under 3,000 lbs-they easily ran low 14s-they were faster in the 1/4 mile than a 383 Road Runner. A lot of big-block cars were shocked by the lightning quick Dusters. They were a huge hit. Dodge realized their mistake in not having a Duster clone. ( You could get a 340 in a 1970 Dart Swinger-but they were the square, grandpa looking Valiant style. ) In 1971 Dodge came out with the Demon. It was basically a 340 Duster with a twin-scooped hood and a Dart grille. It had cool graphics featuring a smiling little devil holding a pitchfork. "Speed Demon" get it?  You also got a Go-Wing spoiler and Rally wheels. Mr Norm's Grand Spaulding Dodge offered Demons with the "Six-Pack" 3-2bbl induction system that the Challenger T/A and 'Cuda AAR used, and he offered them with Paxton Superchargers as well. The Mr Norm Demon "GSS" models are rare today. In 1972 the compression ratio was dropped from 10.5:1 to 8.5:1 to accomodate low-lead fuels. Horsepower dropped from 275 to 240. They were still good performers-CARS magazine's 1972 340 Duster test car ran a 14.34 e.t. in the 1/4 mile. For 1973 a bunch of Christian groups complained about the "Demon" decals and Chrysler stupidly caved in to the pressure and the name was changed to "Dart Sport". Since Chrysler later went bankrupt- where were these devout Christian "buyers" then?  Anyhow in 1974 the 340 was discontinued. It was the last vestige of performance-it was the basis of Chrysler's 1970 Trans-Am effort. It was replaced with the 360 truck engine-which while rated at 245 hp-5 hp more-it wasn't the same as the high-winding 340. That would be like Chevrolet trying to replace the LT-1 Corvette engine with the 400 small block from the Impala!!!  It didn't work. The line soldiered on until 1976-and was replace by  the Volare / Aspen line in 1977-another of Chrysler's "better ideas". Anyhow-a 340 Duster is still a great buy if you can find one in decent shape. And- if you can't 318 versions are the proverbial dime a dozen-and a 380 hp Mopar Performance 360 crate motor would be a bolt-in-and Mopar Performance sells crossmenbers and motor mounts to install a 440!! Since a new base Hemi Charger or Challenger is over $30,000-A Duster / Demon-excuse me Dart Sport is still a great buy. It will not pass this way again.  Mastermind.  

Fine Lines: 1968-74 Chevy Nova...

The Nova was introduced in 1962 as an economy car to compete with the Plymouth Valiant and the Ford Falcon. Initially they were only available with a 6-cylinder engine. The 283 V8 was optional until '65. My cousin had a hot-rodded 283 powered '63 Nova that was a dragstrip terror; because of their light weight and short wheelbase they made good drag racers. In '66-67 the bodystyle was changed and the mighty 327 was optional. However, Novas really bloomed in 1968. They were completely restyled and shared the underpinnings with the Camaro that was introduced the year before. The 327 and 350 V8s were available and for the first time-a big-block was optional. The 396 that was in the vaunted SS396 Chevelle was optional in the Nova SS. Their were two versions-the hydraulic cammed,10.25:1 compression, "Station Wagon" engine that had oval-port heads and a Quadrajet on an Iron manifold. These were rated at 325 hp, and in a light Nova hauled ass. The upgrade was the L78 396 that had 11:1 compression, a hot solid-lifter cam, rectangular port heads and a 780 Holley on an aluminum manifold. Basically all the components of the 425 hp 427 Corvette motor on a 396 block. They were grossly under-rated at 375 hp. Weighing roughly 600 lbs less than the average Chevelle or GTO yet packing the same amount of power-a 396 Nova was a fearsome street fighter. Even B-body Mopars that had 426 Hemis and 440s under their long hoods-weighed 500-600 lbs more, so any power advantage was negated by the weight difference. If you optioned it right-there wasn't much that was going to outrun a 396 Nova in a drag race!  1969 and 1970 models were basically unchanged. However, Chevrolet brass made a decision that all us gearheads wish they hadn't. Initially the mighty LS6 450 hp 454 was slated to be optional in the Camaro SS and the Nova SS as well as the Chevelle. Since the 396 was already an option-it would have been a bolt-in. How badass would that have been? Remember the average Chevelle weighs 3,800-4,000 lbs. The average Nova weighs 3,200-3,400 lbs. A 600 lb weight advantage!  Take 600 lbs off an LS6 Chevelle-can you say 12s off the showroom floor?  Alas, the brass decided for some unknown reason to cut down on "model prol;iferation" and the LS6 was only offered in the Chevelle line. That's why there were no LS6 1970 Corvettes. Zora-Arkus Duntov-chief Corvette engineer-fully expected the much more radical LS7 to make production as the 'Vette's top engine option, so the LS6 wasn;t offered.The 360 hp "station wagon" LS5 454 was optional in the Corvette, making the 370 hp LT-1 small-block the most powerful 'Vette engine that year. The LS6-with 9.0:1 compression instead of 11:1 and a 425 hp rating instead of 450-was offered in 1971 Corvettes. Anyhow-a 396 was the biggest engine you could get in a 1970 Nova. For some reason-maybe pressure from the safety Nazis and insurance companies-in 1971 the 396 was dropped. The largest engine available in a Nova SS was a 350 with 270 hp. 1972 was basically unchanged. This was the year that automakers switched from gross to net hp ratings so it looks on paper like power really dropped off. In reality the '71 and '72 engines are identical.  In 1973 a hatchback version was introduced. Hot Rod magazine tested a '73 Nova SS that Nickey Chevrolet-a Chicago dealer-had swapped an L88 427 into. It ran something like 11.88 in the 1/4. 1974 was basically unchanged-the workhorse L48 350 that made about 180 hp was the top engine option.  In 1975 they were completely restyled, catalytic converters ruined performance, and Chevrolet let it revert to a price leader compact. The standard engine was a 250 inch six that wheezed out 120 hp,the optional ones were a 130 hp 262 V8, a 145hp 305 or a 160 hp 350. The "SS" package was basically a tape stripe package. The line soldiered on until 1979-but the '75 and later models are ugly with emasculated engines, salt-flats gearing and 5-mph bumpers. Everyone wants the '68-74 models. Any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Camaro will fit the Nova-so you can build a drag racer or a corner carving "G" machine. The engine bay will accept any small or big block Chevy-so they make a great base for a hot rod. I'd also consider '71-74 Pontiac Venturas. They were Pontiac's version of the Nova-and the 350 Pontiac models run great- and a 400 or 455 is a bolt-in. If they have a Chevy six or V8 in them-some of them did-no problem-a 350 or 383 Chevy would be a bolt-in. A Nova might be a good alternative to the cookie-cutter Camaros and Firebirds out there. Mastermind

Fine lines : 1967-73 Mercury Cougar....

I always thought the Cougar was to the Mustang what the Firebird was to the Camaro-the better buy of the two. While the base-model Mustang had a 200 inch six,the Cougar had a 289 / 302 standard. Cougars had upgraded interiors, power steering, front disc brakes, hidden headlights etc. I always thought the '67-68 Cougar was one of the best-looking cars Ford ever produced. The 289 /302 was standard and the 390 was optional. In 1969 the body got a little bigger and wider, but the styling was very similar. Engine choices expanded-the 351W, and the 428 were also available in the "Eliminators". Not much changed for 1970. In '71-the body was changed again, just as the cousin Mustang changed. Now the biggest engine was a 351C. They were good performers-but in the "Personal Luxury" coupe market-the "A" body based Chevrolet Monte Carlo and Pontiac Gran Prix could be had with a 454 or 455 V8 respectively. All a 351C Cougar was going to see of a 455 GP or a 454 Monte was the taillights. Ironically-although the '71 Mustang was longer, lower and wider than ever before, and the 429 was an option on the Mach 1-it wasn't available in the Cougar.  For some reason-Ford bean counters saw the Thunderbird as the competitor for the GM offerings. However-after 1971-the T-Bird was based on the much heavier and uglier LIncoln MKIV platform-which even with 460 cubes-would again only see the taillights of a 454 Monte or 455 GP. Pity- a 429 Cougar would have been cool and might have competed. Alas-not to be. The line soldiered on through the '73 model year-the Ford Torino and Mercury Montego were also comptetitors. In '74 the Mustang became more Pinto / Capri than Mustang-( Except for a barefoot Farrah Fawcett-Majors perched on the hood of one for a "Charlie"s Angels" promo-does anyone care about the '74-78 Mustang II?? ) Sadly-Ford put the Cougar name on a re-badged MKIVplatform-and performance Cougars were gone forever. Anyhow- they are a nice alternative to the cookie-cutter Mustangs. Especially if someone did one in Trans-Am style-radiused whellwells, Minilite wheels, a snarling "Mock Boss" 302 and and a T-5 five-speed.... Mastermind  

Fine Lines: 1969-77 Pontiac Gran Prix...

In 1969 Pontiac moved the Gran Prix nameplate from the "big car" platform-i.e.-Catalina, Bonneville, to the mid-size "A" body-i.e. Chevelle, LeMans, Cutlass, etc platform. It was an immediate hit-112,000 units sold. In 1970 Chevrolet responded by introducing the Monte Carlo, and the "Personal Luxury / Performance" coupe craze was started. The Gran Prix is to the Monte Carlo what the Firebird is to the Camaro-the better buy of the two, for the same reason. 99% of Monte Carlos built from 1970-77 are 350 small-block powered. The 402 was discontinued after 1972 and the 454 was dropped in '75. By contrast GP's had 400 power standard all years and a good number of '70-76 "SJ" models had 455s!!  My sister had a 400 powered '72 GP, and my cousin had a 455 powered '74 model in high school. Both of these cars had power everything, and they felt like a GTO. And both of them showed their taillights to many a shocked Camaro, Chevelle and Mustang driver. They have front disc brakes and wrist-thick front and rear sway bars standard-which makes them surprisingly good handlers. Their big wheelwells will accomodate 275 / 60R15 tires on 8-inch wheels all the way around for a mean look, and any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Chevelle / LeMans will fit these cars. 1977 California and High-Altitude models will have 403 Olds engines, but like I said in the Firebird post-there's plenty of speed equipment available for them. If you can't find or afford a big-block Chevelle, a Gran Prix is a great alternative.  Mastermind

Fine Lines Re-Visited....'70's Pontiac Firebirds....

Back in the '80's Car Craft magazine had series of articles called "Fine Lines". Each month they'd feature a make and model that in their opinion offered the most bang for the buck for a hot rodder looking for a project. I thought I'd do something similar, to maybe help people consider a car they wouldn't normally have thought of buying, or help them get a deal on one they did want. Anyhow-a car that I think offers a ton of potential is 1970-81 Pontiac Firebirds. A Firebird is a much better buy than a Camaro for one reason. 99% of Camaros are small-block powered-a big-block was only offered until 1972 and they were produced in limited quantitys. By contrast-the 455 was available until 1976, and you could get a 400 in a Firebird Formula or Trans-Am right up until 1979. If you can't find a good deal on a 400 Firebird, you aren't looking past the end of your nose. This is why they were so popular in the late '70's and '80's. ( Pontiac sold nearly 50,000 T/A's in 1976 and 68,000 in 1977; "Smokey and the Bandit" wasn't released until May 1977-it's impact on sales wouldn't be felt until the '78 model year-a record 93,000 sold ). Stock or modified, a big 400 or 455 cubic inch Firebird had little to fear from a 350 Camaro or 351 Mustang. They had great suspensions and brakes to start with and there are a ton of aftermarket upgraded shocks, springs, sway bars, and brake kits out there if you want to build a corner-carving "G" machine or a front-wheel pulling drag racer. Their wheelwells will accomodate huge tires without modification. I would stick with 1970-78 models-as most of these will have 400 Pontiacs under the hood. These offer the most bang for the buck. 4-speed models had 3.23 or 3.42:1 gears, which is a perfect compromise between jackrabbit starts and reasonable freeway cruising rpm. Automatics, however had salt-flats gearing like 2.41:1 or 2.56:1. If you have one, or can buy one cheap-swapping the 2.41:1 rear axle ratio for something in the 3.23:1-3.73:1 range will offer a stunning improvement in acceleration without hurting drivability or fuel economy too much. An Edelbrock Performer intake and headers and dual exhausts really wake up these engines. Edelbrock and Kauffman offer aluminum heads, and Crane, Comp Cams, Crower and others offer cams. There are a million ways to build horsepower into a Pontiac V8. Car Craft built a 400 with Edelbrock heads-they called it "Junkyard Jewell"-and it made 440 hp and 460 lbs of torque for very low bucks.  Some '77-79 Formulas and T/A's will have 403 Olds engines. In stock trim, these made about the same amount of torque as the 400 Pontiacs. And, like their Pontiac-engined cousins-an axle-ratio change is the biggest upgrade you can do. ( Most had 2.41:1 gears; some WS6 Formulas and T/A's had 3.23:1s, but not many ). If you have or want to buy a 403 Firebird,-any speed equipment that fits a 350 Olds will fit a 403. Edelbrock claims 397 hp and 400 lbs of torque from their Performer RPM package, and that's on a 350. Magazine writers spout numbers flippantly-but Pontiac or Olds power, 400 honest hp will turn any street car into an absolute rocket. I'd stay away from 1980-81 models unless they were dirt cheap and you were planning an engine swap anyway. I say this because these had either 301 Pontiacs or 305 Chevys that wheezed out 150 hp. Either way a big power injection requires an engine swap. On the upside-a 400 or 455 will bolt in place of the 301-the motor mounts are in the same place and the oil pan is the same. ( Otherwise 301s share very little with the 326-455 "traditional" Pontiac V8s ). And if you have a 305 Chevy model, obviously swapping the 305 for a stout 350 or 383 Small-block Chevy would be an easy way to big hp. There is so much speed equipment still available for these cars that your really only limited by your wallet and imagination. That's what makes them a "Best Buy".  Mastermind    

"Cold" August Nights is here again....

I hate to sound like a broken record, But once again Hot August Nights is disappointing. 1st off-the organizers and the casinos have gotten cheap. I lived here back in 1986 when it started. Up until a few years ago they'd book great entertainment like the Righteous Brothers, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, The Beach Boys, John Kay of Steppenwolf,Grand Funk Railroad and even John Fogerty. The last few years we don't even get people like Gary Puckett and the Union Gap or Paul Revere and the Raiders. I can't name anyone that's performing this year. Pardon me-Peter Noone and Herman's Hermits?  Really? How many people want to hear "I'm Henry the Eighth I am". Oh yeah there featuring the Monkees this year-except Davy Jones has been dead for several years!!  Used to we'd have real 1/4 mile drag races at the Stead Airport or at the old Fallon dragstrip. Now they do 1/16 of a mile in the Nugget Parking lot. Really??  A 330 foot drag race?  You might as well not even race the big-block cars-they'll spin the tires for 200 feet!!  The Reno-Fernley raceway is a state of the art facility with a circle track, a road course and a 1/4 mile drag strip. Motor Trend tests cars there sometimes. The big casinos should get together, rent the track and do it up right. Have different classes, and cash prizes for the winner of each class. And the "Show and Shines" are all cookie-cutter cars. All the big casinos have them. But there all the same. The Ford section is all Mustangs. I saw one '67 T-Bird, one '68 Cougar, and one '57 T-Bird. No 406 Galaxies, no Thunderbolt Fairlanes, No Torino Cobras, no Mercury Cyclones, no Mercury Marauders. No Shelby Cobras.  The Mopar section is all '68-70 Chargers, and '70-71 E-bodies.  I saw one GTX and one Super Bee. No Plymouth Superbirds or Charger Daytonas, no Max Wedge cars, no 340 Dusters or Demons,no Hemi Darts, nothing but cookie cutter B and E bodies. The GM sections are all Camaros and Chevelles. I saw one '69 Hurst / Olds, and one '69 GTO Judge. A few other GTOs and Firebirds, and a few '55-57 Chevys. No 409 Impalas, no 421 Super Duty Catalinas, no Olds 442s or Rallye 350s, or Gran Sport Buicks, no 427 Impalas or Corvettes. Certainly no Yenko Cars or Baldwin-Motion cars or Royal Pontiac cars like we used to see. It's sad. Sad because apparently the city fathers allowing the motels to quadruple their rates, and not allowing the big cruises, not allowing booze outside the casinos, and allowing the police to write thousands of tickets have put a sour taste in all the high rollers mouths. If New Orleans can keep Mardi Gras safe without resorting to Gestapo tactics, Reno ought to be able to manage Hot August Nights properly. Attendance has been down every year for the last few years because of all the factors I just listed.  If they don't make some drastic changes, their big cash cow is going to wither and die. And it's too bad, because it used to be really cool. Mastermind