I'd be interested to know if anyone knows any more specs on the 302 in this car? What heads, valves & cam were used & the compression ratio? The 302's were real screamers in their day even in stock form. ... View more

Make mine the 1955 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione (in my dreams that is). ... View more

I'm guessing the future of converting classics is good. So many now seek out "retrorods" when purchasing a restored vehicle & who can blame them. Looks of a classic & reliability of a new car. I can tell you myself, doing away with rusty gas tanks, clogged injectors & leaky radiators sure sounds good to me, adding in the fact, not everyone drives their classics on Power Tours but mostly to local shows where distance isn't even a factor. Right now conversion prices are way out of reach for most & perhaps when batteries do drop in price, we'll see this more widespread. Just a thought now, what if federal incentives applied to these conversions? All bets off if that happens. It's a guarantee. ... View more

I remember working the graveyard shift at a Sylvania factory in Seneca Falls, N Y back in the mid 60's & in the winter, while most everyone was scraping their windows off & letting their cars warm up, this guy with a Corvair was pulling out of the parking lot with windows totally defrosted. Come to find out, it had a gasoline powered heater that pumped out hot air instantly. Sure it used gas but so did warming up your engines. They did away with that idea because of exhaust gas leaking into the cabin. Seems like they could have fixed that. Just another American innovation discarded like the Corvair. ... View more

L79 327/350 HP was also available in the Chevy Nova. It had a hydraulic cam & a lot quieter than the 30/30 Duntov cam motor. ... View more

I installed that 30/30 Duntov cam on my 61 283 Vette & never had the first problem with it. I shifted at 7K at the track with a 327 intake & Daytina series E AFB carb. C-modified sport running 14.7 with cheater slicks. ... View more

A friend from high school in Shortsville, NY, Victor Reed, bought a new 1965 L78 396/425HP Vette & took it to the drag strip at nearby Canandaigua fair grounds & proceeded to smoke the street tires the full length of the track. I have to admit it was an 1/8th mile track & those skinny tires were basically a joke on that car. Still, pretty impressive. ... View more

The bumpers were referred to as Dagmars. Referring back to a comic strip Blondie & her voluptuous build. Most mid-fifties cars sported them & yes, they could do a job on other cars in a front end collision unlike todays plastic bumpers. ... View more

Make mine a Jeep Wagoneer with a 401. ... View more

I couldn't help but notice there was no mention of possibly needing to upgrade the radiator for a new instillation. A/C cars usually have a heavy duty radiator because, with the extra heat from the condenser plus its extra air flow restriction, it taxes the cooling system more than normal. Most cars cooling systems are designed to just get by as far as cooling. You could compare it to towing a car & trailer & how much extra heat that would generate. Just something to think about & better to do it before the condenser install then later. ... View more

This story is just the start. I think mentioning the Grand National Regal, the GNX Regal & the 1989 Indy Pace car Twentieth Anniversary Turbo Trans Am would have shown the final development of the 3800. I was always told the odd-fire Buick V6 was a Buick 307 V8 with two cylinders chopped off. I've seen these first V6's still using the V8 distributor with two of the plug post omitted. A larger bore got it up to 231 CI. I have owned an 87 GN & currently own an 89 Pace Car & both are awesome cars. Hemmings Motor News currently has a Pace Car on the cover of this month's magazine. Good story though. ... View more

For me in this case, a gas axe would be called for. Done with VW's after diesel Rabbit & all the expensive problems. No help from VW on the run-on diesel problem that almost killed me either. Sooner have a Yugo powered Ford. ... View more

But have you had any problem with the heater/A/C air flow directional flapper. Parts made from plastic just don't hold up for most automotive applications. Love my 04 1500 too but Dodge screwed the pooch when they chinched out cheap parts. ... View more

Honestly, no matter how innovative a design in mechanics, if a car has no attractiveness, I wouldn't own it. Like they say, "there's one born every minute", but in this case the infliction seems to be catching. ... View more

Back in the 70's I installed automated warehousing equipment at several GM facilities around the country. Here's the list: Rochester Products, Rochester, NY Delco Remy, Anderson, IN Delco Products, Dayton, OH Guide Lamp, Anderson, IN Allison Transmission, Indianapolis, IN Oldsmobile Assembly Plant, Lansing, MI To see the majority of these facilities close down breaks my heart for the people who lost their jobs. But I have to say, they were paid way more than most doing the same job working elsewhere. At the Cutlass plant in Lansing when there was "change-over" (setting up for next years production) these people collected unemployment plus the labor union made up the difference of full take-home pay for a couple months while they vacationed in Florida. They got to buy 2 new cars a year at cost price & resell them for more profit. How can something like that be sustained? Fact is, it can't & this is why outsourcing is commonplace. ... View more

Always worried about charging when on a trip, so with a pickup, can I carry along a gas generator in the bed & charge wherever & whenever I want & would there be a way to charge on the go? Makes you think don't it. ... View more

All too rich for my blood. I do enjoy the first day of all auctions because of the cars I could afford, wish I had room for & wish I was younger to enjoy. ... View more

Still in high school in 1962, an older friend from Manchester, NY, Charlie Tricky, bought a new Bonneville 650 & stopped to give me a ride. He just got it & I think I was his first passenger so he wasn't proficient at handling characteristics with two riders. Long story short, we survived but it was a close call. Lost control at close to 100 on a curve, up a ditch bank & airborne flying past a house & landing in a field still upright & slowing down to a stop. Charlie let me drive on the way back. Thank you Jesus. ... View more

Charger Hellcat is cool for sure. As you get older you'll appreciate 4 doors. ... View more

No mention of an EV? I'd be surprised if that's not in the works w/all-wheel drive. ... View more

The Nash/Wayne bus would be a hoot at a car show. I'd add a sofa/bed, generator, rooftop AC/heat, water & gray water tanks & a sink, john, frig & stove. Outside a roll out awning & hideaway grill. Now that would be car show ready for sure. ... View more

Back about 68 or 69, Hot Rod Magazine dyno tested a 427 Ford, 427 Chevy & a 426 Hemi. The results were dramatic: Ford 427=425 HP Chevy 427=550HP Hemi 426=Well, we never found out because it pegged the 600HP dyno's max scale. These were gross numbers at the flywheel. Most impressive for sure. Does anyone else remember this article? ... View more

Thanks for the article. I bought a new 1970 AMX 360 4br & 4 speed. The first year I chalked up 150,000 trouble-free miles. After taking it back to the dealer (showing 49500 miles - old style speedometer) for burning oil, it was discovered the valve seals had deteriorated (common problem). Still under the 50K mile warrantee they put in umbrella style seals & double valve springs (service guy said, "I know you're into racing so I put in the better springs"). That woke up the 360 & one day going through the gears it swallowed a valve. Now showing 80K miles (actual 180K) I was left to look for a replacement in a junkyard. Looked for a very long time & finally settled for a 290 (got 20 MPG during the gas crunch of the mid-seventies). Years later found a 70 low mileage 390 Ambassador & dropped it in with new cam & rebuilt dog-leg heads. Punched it out .060" to 401 & sold it after owning it 38 years to a friend who just loved the car. Loved that car. ... View more

Piece of history? Maybe so but I'd have to call it something else. ... View more

I'd like to think the American car classics are a much better opportunity to spend less & see a bigger return than most of these listed. Buick Grand Nationals are still around at decent prices as are 1989 Pontiac Indy Pace Cars for the performance orientated turbo fans. The 1982 & up Camaros & Firebird/Trans-Ams are great handling cars with lots of potential with speed upgrades. Put a SB 400 in one of these & you got yourself a rocket. ... View more

If I were bidding on that Jag, it would have sold for a lot more. Loved those cars. ... View more

Only 702 Ram TRX's produced. Why stop there? Put that drivetrain puppy in a Dakota regular cab shortbed & I'm a buyer. ... View more

No mention of the TRX Ram serial #1 that sold for $400,000.00, but hey, that's chump-change in this bunch. Love to see if Ram ever does another run of these (hey Ram, I'm all in). ... View more

Still think they're ugly, overrated & overpriced. ... View more

Having a bit of experience with 4 piston Bendix calipers on my 1970 AMX, I discovered sometimes the only proper rebuild is to install stainless sleeves when the bore becomes too pitted to hone out. This will require machining out the bore & pressing in the sleeves so it's not a cheap fix but it is a long lasting fix. Mid 60's Corvettes experienced the same problems too. I would have liked to seen more in this article about rear calipers with parking brake shoes inside & the disassembly process which can be cumbersome to say the least. ... View more

Odd my cellphone is a Tetra. Wonder if they researched possible relationships. I've owned some weird handling cars in the past & when asked how I ended up in a ditch I just say, "it handles like a fully loaded garbage truck with the two front tires flat". The Chevy Corvair was spectacular on a dirt track but too much traction & you could be in trouble. Wonder now if the Tucker actually cracked the problem years back. ... View more

I know you're talking about one-piece rear glass but can we see something on multi-rear windows like the 57 Olds someday? ... View more

I think the 1970 AMX should be added to this list (or better yet, get rid of some of these dogs). ... View more

Back about 1965 there was a guy in Seneca Falls, NY that had one of these max-wedge 426's & we would race many times. My 61 Vette had just a 283 with 30/30 Duntov solid lifter cam & series-E AFB carb, 4:11 gears w/4speed. These two cars were so close it was always a tossup on who'd win but I always had a lot of fun trying. Not a very attractive car but they were quick & that makes them beautiful. ... View more

When working on projects I often found myself running back & forth to the tool boxes for various items. I needed a roll around cart bad but they were pricey. Then it hit me I had an old grill that I was saving to take to the dump. I removed the grill box & added a piece of plywood to the top. It works great. Detailing wheels can be a back breaking task. I had an old office chair the back had broke off so I removed the arms & use it to scoot along doing lower level detail work or even checking tire pressure. Like I say, "it's what you do with what you got (I use to say, that's only for those who don't have anything). Regardless of how tidy you are, if you're doing anything at all, you're going to run out of room. Build bigger or build another building. ... View more

Good point on keeping the looks familiar for EV's. The new Mustang is a good example of how not to do it. With the success of Mustangs retro look over the last few years I just think they screwed the pooch on this thing as far as looks goes. To look at it you'd have to say just another EV. To drive it would be even more disappointing. Hey Ford, one or the other! ... View more

One of the best stories about a strong, determined woman & a car better than it had to be at the time. I can only relate to how their behinds felt from my trip in a Fiat 1100 from Seneca Falls, NY to Miami, FL in 1967. Even a Shriner's ceremonial imitation was no match for that trip. ... View more

Make mine the SX1000. ... View more

Stories like that happen all the time when buying a car. I bought a 63 Impala that was once owned by Dale Earnhardt Sr. so I was told. Tried contacting NC DMV for verification but they wouldn't help. Turns out this car was restored using body panels from Earnhardt's old car. So I guess I could say I owned Earnhardt's car body panels. ... View more

I'll take my 1989 Indy Pace Car 20th Anniversary Turbo Trans Am any day over that ugly duckling. Faster, more rare & looks so much better. ... View more

Have you guys got nothing better to write about? Why not an article about restoring/converting old car clocks to quartz movement or best places to score disc brake conversions? You know, car stuff. ... View more

After listening to these for the first time I have to say, to put it nicely, they're not my cut of tea. Give me Kathy Mattea, 455 Rocket or Jerry Lee Lewis, Crown Victoria Custom 1951 Ford to get my blood pumpin'. ... View more

Most perfect Firebird? Guess no one told Jay about the 89 Indy Pace Car Twentieth Anniversary. Bought mine new & it has 3100 miles. With the Buick GN GNX turbo 6 this bird flies & it doesn't automatically cut off ignition when you hit 105 either. ... View more

About 1973 my Aunt bought a Kawasaki 90 street bike. Top speed, laying down over the tank, was 67 MPH but lots of fun. It was just over $300 too. There was never a feeling of it being unsafe or scary in any way like you mentioned. Just a nice riding small bike. ... View more

My 04 RAM with a Hemi still has the original belt, hoses, antifreeze & transmission fluid. I've replaced the brakes & tires. It is a hybrid. It burns gas & rubber. ... View more

Let's see, 450 HP verses 702. By 2022 I'm sure RAM will up their game. Will we see 1000 HP down the road? In no time the restrictions on ICE vehicles, in the form of emission taxes, fuel mileage taxes & the increase in gasoline prices will cause most production of pickups to be plug-in electrics. Now an all-wheel drive electric pickup with 1000 HP is something I can wait for. I'll just stick my Harbor Freight generator in the back for long trips. ... View more

I'd like to add some experiences that can also stymie younger car enthusiast. While at a car show there was an elderly guy sitting beside his beautifully restored old Ford. I wanted to complement him on his car & said, "that's beautiful car". His comment back, "I know it". He had no idea I was asked to be a special judge for "best of show car" at that show. When my fellow judge & I compared our notes, it was down to that guys Ford & a perfect 57 Chevy. Needless to say the Chevy won & when we were introduced as special judges, I looked at the Ford guy & gave him a big smile. I always take time to talk to people at car shows & when given a complement on my car I always tell them how much that means to me. I met many new friends (young & old) that way. ... View more

The Monte Carlo is a bit of a surprise. Nice cars & National Car Rental offered them when I was traveling for business. In 1975 I rented one at the Chattanooga, TN airport for a week. When I saw my rental I was pleasantly surprised to see a bright red w/white landau top & bucket seats waiting for me. Driving out of the terminal I was more surprised accelerating into traffic when I left two tire streaks & tire smoke. Just as soon as I checked into the motel I popped the hood to discover a 454. Most fun ever that week with that car but sadly, this new car, with only 17 miles on it, got rear-ended in a traffic jam on I75 taking it back to the Atlanta airport. Got pushed into a car in front & smashed both front & back. Still able to drive it back to the airport & upon returning it, the kid in National's lot took one look & said, "oooowweeee. What happened?". As I handed the girl my contract & keys she asked if everything went okay. I replied, "except for smashing up your nice new car, just great". She laughed & was checking me out when the kid came in & said, "he tell you he smashed up the car?". She looked at me & said, "you weren't kidding, were you". Nice to have the extra insurance. ... View more

I've never cared for the looks of the Porsche 911 types & this 356 in green is nothing but butt-ugly to me. I'm sure these examples are dream cars to a lot of folks & with the estimate pricing, just goes to show how peoples taste vary among car collectors. If they're buying for a museum I guess that's justified but for something you can drive & enjoy it makes no sense to me. ... View more

Well, if current emission standards are the rule, I see electric conversions for their path. I actually like that idea because 1. we won't drive the cars on long trips, 2. less or no maintenance, 3. no gas tank, fuel line or carburetor with rust & 4. you can enjoy them without worry of them being wrecked or vandalized. That's what insurance is for. ... View more