Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2018 i Hemmings Muscle Machines

DUSTER 340 DÉCOR Summit Racing • 800-230-3030 • www.summitracing.com • $24.99 Cheap speed was the name of Plymouth’s game when it introduced the Duster 340 for 1970. That power-packed, small-block V-8 compact sold well and made many fans through 1973. Early examples of this capable two-door bore the cheeky twister cartoon logo that quickly became a Mopar signature, alongside the contemporary cartoon-clad Road Runner and amusingly controversial Dodge Dart-based Demon. Summit Racing offers a fun and inexpensive way to show your love for the Duster 340 in this LED marquee sign (item SDF-158870). It’s sized 16-inches wide, 10-inches high, and 1 3/4-inches deep, and is easy to hang, thanks to keyhole slots behind its durable plastic frame. Making the colorful image pop is a rope of color-coordinated, energy-efficient red…

By all indications, Verl Goldsmith was typical of the generation of our fathers and grandfathers, what has been often referred to as the Greatest Generation. Born in 1920, he grew up in the Great Depression and, like so many young men, when his nation called, he answered by enlisting in the U.S. Army Air Forces in February 1942 — just two months after Pearl Harbor. He served with distinction in the China-Burma-India Theater, remaining in the service of his country until the end of the war. During this period, he married the love of his life, Audrey Lee, in April 1943, and they remained together for 55 years, until her passing in 1998; Verl joined her in 2012. After returning home from war, Verl started his career at Wright Patterson…

ENGINE The 351 Cleveland was a 335-series small-block fitted with a nodular cast-iron crankshaft, forged rods, cast pistons, hydraulic cam, and free-breathing canted-valve heads with large valves. The Boss 302 used a reinforced four-bolt-main block with a forged crank, rods, and pistons, a solid lifter cam, canted-valve Cleveland-style heads, an aluminum intake manifold, and a dual-point distributor. The big-block CJ 428 FE-series engines had a nodular crank, forged rods, cast pistons, hydraulic cam, and wedge chamber heads. The 351 was equipped with the Autolite four-barrel, but the Boss 302 and CJ 428 employed a Holley. TRANSMISSION A three-speed manual transmission was standard with the 351 engine. The CJ 428 wasn’t offered with the three-speed manual, but when choosing between the four-speed or automatic, there was an additional cost for either…

The all-American vinyl roof — gone the way of auto-reverse cassette decks, wire wheel covers, and ignition points — a once-ubiquitous feature from another era of the automobile, now faded into history. Although simulated convertible tops, padded tops, and other roof décor treatments date back to the 1920s, the classic vinyl roof didn’t really take off until Ford offered it on the 1962 Thunderbird. It blossomed after that as a premium option, peaking in popularity in the 1970s. Upholsterer Bob Stedman has been in business for about 25 years and admits he doesn’t get many calls these days to install them. “One or maybe two a year; that’s about it,” he says. “But there’s still a call for restoration work, and that’s keeping the craft going, because it’s a unique…

RETRO DESIGN, MODERN IGNITION Mallory’s HyFire ignition box is a capacitive-discharge ignition that supplies multiple sparks at low rpm for a clean idle and quick throttle response. The system uses modern electronics designed to deliver a strong and powerful spark, packaged in a retro-styled housing to maintain a period-appropriate look in your engine bay. A built-in adjustable rev limiter provides a measure of protection in case of a missed shift or driveline failure; it’s adjustable in 100-rpm increments that can be set using rotary dials. The HyFire system connects easily to breaker-point ignition systems and magnetic pickup electronic distributors, and is compatible with ignition amplifiers. It’s perfect for muscle cars, particularly those used for drag racing. Cost: $156.95. Contact: MSD Performance, 888-258-3835, www.msdperformance.com THE HEAT IS ON If you need…

Since I was a young boy, I have been a fan of Ford cars. In the early 1980s, I focused primarily on Mustangs. I purchased a ’65 coupe with a 289 in 1980 and owned it for a number of years. In fact, my three kids learned to drive on that car. Then, in 1986, a coworker said her father was going to be selling an old Mustang, which turned out to be a 1964½ convertible with a 289 four-barrel, power top, and more. I wound up buying the car sight unseen, and then made the decision to fly out and drive it home to Arizona all the way from New Jersey. I took a friend, and soon after we headed out in the Mustang, it started breaking down. In…

2019 BULLITT Ford’s never been one to miss out on an anniversary, so it should surprise no one that the 50th anniversary of Bullitt, the Steve McQueen cop drama with the single-most drooled-over and analyzed car chase in cinema history, will see a special-edition Mustang in its honor. Painted in your choice of Highland Green or Shadow Black (in case you saw the first Bullitt on a Sunday afternoon on the B&W Philco in your grandma’s front parlor, we guess), Bullitt will be de-badged and feature a unique grille and some token chrome exterior accents (including the faux gas cap, between the taillamps, with the Bullitt logo). Performance-wise, the 5-liter engine will receive a GT350 intake manifold, 87-mm throttle body, and special computer tweaking to deliver “at least” (says Ford)…

Building a fast car is easy. Building a fast car that will be profitable is another story altogether. Before World War II, factory performance largely came from big, expensive cars: Mercer Raceabouts, Duesenbergs, the Buick Century. Speed and acceleration were considered luxuries and marketed accordingly. Performance for its own sake was something certain poorer folk sought out when tinkering beneath the shade tree, but it wasn’t deemed a worthy avenue for advertisement. After the war, like a lot of prewar luxuries, performance became an increasingly more democratic pursuit. Installing the powerful V-8 from an Oldsmobile 98 into the engine bay of a 76 model to produce the legendary Rocket 88 was a step in the right direction, but around that same time—when Chrysler Corporation decided to replace its venerable flathead…

You’re forgiven for your confusion. Some of the hardest of hard-core muscle-car gear-heads have no idea this car existed. But Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus… and it’s true, Pontiac built 455 H.O.-powered GTO convertibles that were not Judges. We got up close and personal with one of the 31 examples to roll out of the factory for 1971. Pontiac acknowledged the sea change taking place in the industry at that time — increasing emissions controls, safety regulations, and insurance rates were notably altering the vehicles that automakers could build, and what consumers would buy — by modifying its traditional ordering protocols. General Motors had lifted its engine displacement-and-body-size edict for 1970, making 400-plus cubic-inch V-8s available in intermediate platform cars, and each division took immediate advantage. The following…

There is a particular look to the modern modified muscle car, a sort of mechanical attitude that conveys an intent to merge the best of today’s automotive technology with the classic style of the ’60s and early ’70s. Core cues involve a low stance, big-inch wheel/tire combinations, and slick bodywork, implying a pursuit of improved handling and braking, and as this genre has evolved, late-model EFI engines and five- or six-speed manual transmissions have become nearly a foregone conclusion. In fact, some of the latest crop of such builds retains precious little of their factory DNA beyond their outward profile, with new suspension and braking systems grafted in, sometimes with entirely new chassis. Yes, that age-old practice of borrowing contemporary engineering from major automakers and the aftermarket lives on, merging…

In the early Seventies, San Francisco was buzzing: The Zodiac Killer had people sleeping with one eye open; native son, Bruce Lee, was introducing the world to martial arts; the Black Panthers were changing the socio-political landscape; Rolling Stone magazine was changing the music scene; the Vietnam War was being protested; and drag racing was at a fever pitch. The psychedelic youth culture of the era was interpreted by drag racers in some amazing ways — mostly in the paint schemes on their cars — and San Francisco was a central force in creating that strange mashup, too. One paint shop in particular was turning out some of the most memorable race-car paint in town: Reed and Knight Enterprises. Out of their little place in the city’s South Of Market…

MECUM OPENS THE YEAR WITH $96.6 MILLION IN FLORIDA Mecum markets its annual collector-car auction in Kissimmee, Florida, as the “world’s largest,” and who are we to argue with 3,023 vehicles crossing the block over 10 days in the central-Florida city this past January? From January 5 to 14, Mecum sold 2,208 of those cars, resulting in a 73-percent sell-through rate and an impressive $96.6 million in total sales, the latter besting 2017’s mark by approximately $10 million. While the majority of the top-10 sales were modern European sports cars, three muscle-car lots broke into that list. Perhaps the most intriguing to muscle-car fans was lot T150, a pair of 1969 COPO Camaro ZL1s. Both restored and both with their original blocks, the duo netted $1,210,000, including the buyer’s premium,…

AFTER 52 YEARS, DRAG RACING AT OLD BRIDGE TOWNSHIP RACEWAY PARK COMES TO AN END In July 1965, the Napp family opened the Raceway Park drag strip on the site of a former ranch in central New Jersey. Since then, the Old Bridge institution has seen both triumph and tragedy, and has played host to NHRA national events since 1968. On January 17, the track announced that it would no longer be holding drag-racing events, forcing the NHRA to relocate the 2018 Summernationals. In a press release, the Napps described the closure as “a reorganization of the company’s business operations,” adding, “…Raceway Park will no longer conduct quarter-mile or eighth-mile drag racing events effective immediately.” Other portions of the facility, including three motocross tracks, a 1.35-mile road course, a go-kart…

Mark Teel has worked as a commercial airline pilot for more than 30 years, but he recently earned a new set of wings in his spare time by acing the body-off restoration of this show-stopping ’79 Trans Am. These days, Mark — who hails from North Carolina, about an hour from American Airlines’ hub in Charlotte — regularly enjoys the view from the Trans Am’s cockpit, straight over that hood-spanning gold bird. But when he found this car back in 2009, it was questionable whether or not this project could get off the ground. “I was getting ready to cut the grass on a Saturday morning when I sat down at the computer and came across this Trans Am,” he said. “The only reason I went and looked at it…

THE NUMBERS TOTAL SALES: $31.32 million TOP MUSCLE CAR SALE: 1971 Plymouth Hemi ’Cuda; $396,000 UPCOMING AUCTIONS BY BARRETT-JACKSON DATE: April 12-15, 2018 LOCATION: Palm Beach, Florida CONTACT: www.barrett-jackson.com LEGEND CONDITION: 1 = Excellent; 2 = Very Good; 3 = Average; 4 = Poor; 5 = Major Project RESERVE: Minimum price owner will accept TOP BID: The highest offer made (but vehicle did not sell) SELLING PRICE: What the vehicle sold for AVERAGE SELLING PRICE: Average market value of vehicles in similar condition The Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas hosted the 10th annual Barrett-Jackson auction back in October, which proved to be another strong event, if just slightly down from last year: $31.32 million total, including $640,000 in memorabilia, compared to $32.5 million total and $777,000 for…

April 1 Sumter Swap Meet Bushnell, Florida . . . . . . . . . . . 727-848-7171 April 2 Sullivan Spring Collector Car Auction Hamilton, Illinois . . . . . . . . . . . 844-847-2161 April 5-7 Greenville Swap Meet & Car Show Greenville, Texas. . . . . . . . . . . 903-408-7070 April 5-7 Mecum Auction Houston, Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . 262-275-5050 April 5-8 Spring Charlotte AutoFair Concord, North Carolina. . . . . 704-841-1990 April 6-7 RM Sotheby’s Auction Fort Lauderdale, Florida . . . . . 519-352-4575 April 6-8 Portland Swap Meet Portland, Oregon . . . . . . . . . . 503-678-2100 April 7-8 Columbus Spring Swap…