I gotta say I prefer the former, I was thinking(some day in the far distant future) I’d like a nice Goat or something Mopar, like dad used to have before my brother and I necessitated the family grudunza. Any advice as to where I can pick up a reasonably priced, unchopped vehicle with a V8 and over 300 horses? I’ve been to a few car shows, and its usually just display. Any good sites out there? Google brings about a lot of personal restoration stories and fan sites but not much in the way of businesses witha good stock.
mmmm 60/70s muscle… talk about sex on wheels.
How much do you want to spend? I have a 66 GTO (98% restored) it would take something close to $30,000 to convince me to part with it. Do you want something to fix up or something already restored? Mid 70’s Camaros and Firebirds will fit your description and are still available cheap. 20 year old Corvettes can be picked up for well under 10 grand. eBay Motors is a good place to start, it is an excellent slice of what is available in the semi-classic car market without the inflated prices of specialty car sites or your local classic car dealer. I’m looking at a 440 powered 69 Charger right now as my next project. I have made an offer for the car ($5500 for a relatively rust free Mopar) and am now waiting for the owner’s reply.
You might find something you like at Trader Online. There’s a lot of mid-'60s to early '70s Detroit iron that’s available. Frankly, I’d like to play with one of the earlier muscle options, like a '58 Chevy with 3 dueces on a 348 and a 4-speed.
I have only owned three American cars, an 84 Capri (4cyl POS) and an 86 turbo 4cyl new Yorker (a K-car, basically) and currently a 96 Saturn SW2. The rest have been imports. In my estimation American cars with 4 cylinders are sreiously lacking when compared to imports with 4 cylinder engines. That said, I lust after a huge V8 with dual exhaust and as many barrels in the carb as I can find. Preferaby a convertible and big. There is certainly nothing in my mind (theoretically) as cool as a big ass conveertible with a rumbling V8. I doubt I’ll ever own such a toy. and, frankly, I’m not sure I’d like the way it’d drive. The imports I have owned have been reliable practical cars that drive very well. Maybe not like sports cars or anything, but not all floaty and such like a big US car would.
But if I ever have a bunch of money to blow, there’s a list of muscle cars that starts with “Impala SS convertible”.
If the V8 nostalgia is important, go for a muscle car. If going around corners faster than walking speed is important, go for an import. I’ve never had one myself, but hear old Porsche 911s are reliable and make good project cars.
The real muscle car era kicked into high gear recently. The 1998-2002 Z-28s, Firebirds, and TAs can be had more cheaply than the classic 1960s and early 1970s muscle cars, unless you are planning on towing your 1969 Z-28 into your garage and driving it out a year later. The same goes for the 99-and up Mustang GTs. The F-Bods came with between 305-320 HP from the factory. The Mustang GTs came with 260+ after 1999. Speed parts for both cars are available everywhere.
Don’t be fooled by the outrageous horsepower claims from the 1960s and 1970s. I cannot explain it that well, but horsepower then and horsepower now are apples and oranges. The LS-1 engine in the F-bods would have been rated over 400 HP back then.
Note well: The modern muscle cars are FASTER and SAFER. Yes, FASTER. Even a 426 Hemi Superbird never ran high 12s from the factory until they ripped off the exhaust, rejetted the carbs, removed the air cleaner, etc.
A Mitsubishi Evo with a 2.0 liter engine and about 10,000 bucks in mods will thrash any stock muscle car from the 1960s. It would take a Shelby Cobra, 426 hemi, or 1967 Corvette tri-power to hang with that little beater in a straight line. On curves or in the rain, just park the muscle car. Not to mention, AC, cruise control, power steering, tilt wheels, air bags, shoulder belts, kicking stereo from the factory, et al.
"Note well: The modern muscle cars are FASTER and SAFER. Yes, FASTER. Even a 426 Hemi Superbird never ran high 12s from the factory until they ripped off the exhaust, rejetted the carbs, removed the air cleaner, etc. "
What cars run high 12s from the factory now without some tuning and driver experience? Viper? Z06 vette? Those are high end sports cars.
A 426 Superbird weighs 4200 pounds and was on skinny bias ply tires. IMHO if you were to have modern rubber on it 12s would not be a problem. The power is there.
Modern cars have their biggest advantage with computer controlled fuel and ignition systems and modern tire and suspension.
"Don’t be fooled by the outrageous horsepower claims from the 1960s and 1970s. I cannot explain it that well, but horsepower then and horsepower now are apples and oranges. The LS-1 engine in the F-bods would have been rated over 400 HP back then. "
Horsepower was measured as “gross” at the flywheel before 1971 after that it was “net” with all accessories installed.
“A Mitsubishi Evo with a 2.0 liter engine and about 10,000 bucks in mods will thrash any stock muscle car from the 1960s. It would take a Shelby Cobra, 426 hemi, or 1967 Corvette tri-power to hang with that little beater in a straight line. On curves or in the rain, just park the muscle car. Not to mention, AC, cruise control, power steering, tilt wheels, air bags, shoulder belts, kicking stereo from the factory, et al.”
A 69 dodge Dart that you can buy now for $1200. and $5,000 in mods can be in the 11.00s in the quarter mile.
The $1200 Dart with $1500 in mods could easily get into the 12s
using 60s and 70s parts. For not much more than modern rubber it will handle very well as well. You probably won’t have A/C
and your milage won’t be as impressive but The Mopar Action “Green Brick” (1969 ex phone company valiant) has
gone 148MPH at Watkins Glen and beaten Vettes Porsches Vipers etc. with what basically amounts to Stock factory parts (many of them junkyard aquired). It also gets 18 MPG. Hwy
Yeah but take that 60’s car and put just $1,000 in it and trash the Lancer (Evo). Modern tires and shocks new springs and the 35 yo car will also turn alot like the ew cars too.
OP: Check out http://www.hemmings.com/index.cfm
I take that back, the Shelby Cobra would hang around corners. UNTIL, the track gets a little slippery and the Cobra’s tail starts hanging out in lurid fashion. Then that little Evo will just buzz on by. Technology is great sometimes.
Damn Mark you beat me to it.
Some six speed F-bods with good drivers and better back tires. GMHTP Magazine did it a couple times without doing anyting except using a good driver. Low 13s are commonplace even with the automatics. Put your hypothetical $1000.00 (you can’t do much with one thousand on an old muscle car) to good use and I’ll give you a 1998 Firebird, automatic just to be weird, that will run high 11s or better.
High stall converter
Exhaust
Headers
Rework intake, box, MAF, etc.
Street slicks on back
Now for the budget busters to get even lower…
Throw in NAWS for fun. That’s why we picked the auto.
Haven’t even cracked the block yet. Head and a stroker LS-1s put you up around 500 HP.
Long before then you’ve replaced the rear end, driveshaft, diff, everything under there.
Sure, that’s all well over $1000.00. But, realistically, what muscle car are we talking about here?
It’s almost a certainty that unless you buy a well restored classic muscle car (very expensive, and NOT that fast) you will pour much more money into simply fixing things. It’s hard to justify speed parts when the headliner keeps you from seeing out of the car.
One option is to get your muscle car, refurbish everything, and drop a modern crate engine in it. Unless you can find one which is cheap, has a great motor, hasn’t been wrecked too much, doesn’t need lots of body work, interior work, accessories work, trim work, etc. Good luck.
$1000 in an old car:
Intake = 250
cam = 125
headers = 200
carb = 200
lots of extra power and $$ left over for N2O
Just that converter on an F-body car will be about 650. I am not talking about some crap B&M converter - the stock one is better than that.
500HP is not hard to do to a modern F-Body without stroking it, and the stock rear and driveshaft will deal with it no problem.
Yes.
Cars are CARS. I don’t much care how old or how may cylinders you’ve got to go fast, just put gas (or diesel!) in it and a lotta go fast out of it.
Voting with my WALLET on the other hand, I’m Corvette thru and thru.
That said, I’ll walk up to any car that’s been worked and shot the shi* with the owner. We’re all the same people ya know.
I already stroked the motor to get to my 500 hp.
The only way you are going to duplicate those kinds of numbers with an old car, and have any creature comforts whatsoever, is to POUR money into it.
What old engine is going to do that? 440 six pack, 426 hemi, 427 Chevy, etc. Try to find a cheap old 426 hemi, 440 six pack, or LT-1 427.
Meanwhile, over at the used car dealership for something over $10,000, you can pick up a 1998ish F-Bod with all the modern conveniences and make it insanely, dangerously, anti-socially fast for about the same amount of money invested. Yet, it will have ABS, disk brakes, air bags, shoulder belts, AC, yadda. The list goes on forever.
I now the F-Bodies are fast.
I was just talking about something like a simple 70’s Nova - it would never be as comfortable as a modern era car.
It does not take one of them fancy hemi’s or multi carb engines to do it. A Nova with a 454 or a Buick GS 455…
How about a 1970 Nova with a 502 crate engine? Get the best of both worlds. Might be a bit nose heavy. Eh, put some nitrous bottles in the trunk. By the way, don’t listen to any of this. Get one of the good small blocks.
Blow at least 5,000 on the suspension and drivetrain. You’ll be glad you did.
Drool …
[Ross Perot]OK, here’s the deal. Fast old Novas, even, cost a lot of money. Lookie here at this chart.[/RP]
If I had spent my college money snapping up old muscle cars before they hit the crusher back in the 1980s…
DAMN YOU, HIGHER EDUCATION!!!
A fine list of engines
I like the last one. All aluminum big block stuffed with forged parts
What’s up with your car? Sounds like something interesting.