Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2018 i Hemmings Muscle Machines

Ididn’t even know about this car. I was buying my first new car, which was going to be a ’67 Dodge Charger. When that didn’t work out, I ordered this with a 383 for a big engine, but I ordered it with a two-barrel, so I wouldn’t want to race. Every time I put in a set of spark plugs, I’d leave 8 feet of scratch to make sure it was okay, but then if somebody came alongside me, I’d let him go, because I just felt that he was going to be faster. And that’s why I still have the car. For the first 45 years, I didn’t even think about it. Pulled my boat for 20 years — no problem. The last five years, I kind of wished…

DELVE INTO THE REALM OF THE muscle car and before long, you’ll come across examples being tagged with the term “restomod.” Its meaning ought to be easy to decipher, even to the casual observer — a vintage car that’s been brought back to life, but with some modifications added during the process. Of course, car enthusiasts tend to take their terminology seriously, and so most will tell you that a restomod is an old car that has had modern technology added. An excellent example of that would be the ’72 Chevelle featured on the next page. It maintains the look of a period Chevelle SS, but it’s using a contemporary LS-type engine with a modern supercharger and electronic fuel injection to make its power. It also has an overdrive transmission,…

THE PHILOSOPHY behind restomodding is rooted in the concept of enhancing and modernizing mechanically related elements, while maintaining the classic character of the vehicle. That’s exactly what this do-it-yourself upgrade is all about: Swapping the original incandescent taillamps for contemporary LEDs. They’re brighter and illuminate a split second quicker than incandescent lamps, which offers a justifiable safety consideration for them, especially for cars with slim taillamps offering minimal illumination. There’s also the aesthetic factor—they can look pretty cool within factory taillight housings. There are a number of universal LED lighting kits that can be adapted to all kinds of housings, but California-based United Pacific offers a direct-replacement lens kit and even—in the case of the 1969 Camaro featured here—entirely new housings. Not only does that increase the simplicity of the…

Every so often, we stumble upon some tool or product at the local home center that proves to be surprisingly useful in the garage, even if that’s not what it was developed for. The most recent such discovery for us was Citristrip, a paint stripper we noticed on the shelf at Home Depot while gathering up some aerosol paint products for our Chevelle engine bay renewal, featured in last month’s issue. We needed to get some aging paint off of parts that might not be painted again, like the aluminum cover plate for the Chevelle’s steering box. A sander or wire wheel on a power tool would have taken the old paint right off, but would have also marred the aluminum’s natural cast finish; a caustic paint stripper might have…

JUST TWO YEARS AGO Mohegan Sun casino, in Uncasville, Connecticut, welcomed Scottsdale, Arizona-based Barrett-Jackson to the sprawling resort for the company’s first-ever Northeast sale. It was such a resounding success, the casino — situated along the banks of the Thames River in New London County — immediately laid the groundwork for, and began construction of, a new Expo Center. That addition was ready for the third-annual sale when Barrett-Jackson returned June 20-23, 2018. This year, the noted auction house delivered 662 vehicles to bidders, nearly all of which were offered at no reserve, a long-standing Barrett-Jackson tradition. There were an additional five lots offered as fundraising efforts for United Way, American Heart Association, Klingberg Family Centers, and American Red Cross, while 457 pieces of automobilia were intermingled, completing the four-day…

NOVEMBER 1-3 GAA CLASSIC CARS AUCTION Greensboro, North Carolina 855-862-2257 2-3 AMC REUNION Boulder City, Nevada 775-513-8112 4 ALL CHEVROLET/GMC CAR SHOW Burbank, California 805-379-9666 4 SUMTER SWAP MEET Bushnell, Florida 727-848-7171 8-11 ZEPHYRHILLS AUTO EVENT Zephyrhills, Florida 813-312-4009 9-10 CAROLINA COLLECTOR AUTO FEST Raleigh, North Carolina 336-972-4362 9-10 SPRINGFIELD SWAP MEET & CAR SHOW Springfield, Ohio 937-376-0111 11 LONG BEACH HI-PO SWAP MEET Long Beach, California 800-762-9785 15-17 LEAKE AUCTION COMPANY Dallas, Texas 918-254-7077 15-17 MECUM AUCTIONS Las Vegas, Nevada 262-275-5050 16-18 AUTOMOTIVE SWAP MEET Moultrie, Georgia 888-686-2102 16-18 McCORMICK AUCTION Palm Springs, California 760-320-3290 17-18 MUSCLE CAR & CORVETTE NATIONALS Rosemont, Illinois 586-549-5291 22-25 TURKEY RUN Daytona Beach, Florida 386-767-9070 24 DAN KRUSE CLASSICS Houston, Texas 866-495-8111…

AACA MUSEUM TO PRESENT MUSTANG DESIGNER GALE HALDERMAN WITH ITS AUTOMOTIVE HERITAGE AWARD He called it the Cougar. Gale Halderman missed on the name of Ford’s sporty pony car, but his design for what would become the Mustang was a winner, securing his legacy among Ford fans, a legacy that the AACA Museum will celebrate by presenting him with its Automotive Heritage Award. Assigned to the Lincoln-Mercury studio in ’55, Halderman never spent a day there as a designer. Instead, he was transferred to Alex Tremulis’ advanced studio, where he worked on the ’57 Fords, including the Mystere concept. Within a few years, he’d collaborate on the Falcon and the ’61 Thunderbird. Returning to the corporate advanced studio—now under Elwood Engel—he added to the design of the Levacar, the Gyron,…

“As a follow-up to the 1970 AMX article in your September issue ( HMM #181), perhaps you would like to see a similar car. It is also a 1970 AMX, same color, however it is an unrestored survivor with 16,231 original miles. It is still sitting on the original tires that were installed at the factory and about half the air in the tires is from Kenosha. The only thing that has been changed is the battery (even the spark plugs are original). I bought the car new, late in 1971. It had been used as a demonstrator and the dealer was considering keeping the car. It is quite loaded with options: 390 ram-air engine with four-speed, Twin-Grip limited-slip rear, leather interior, and 15-inch Machine wheels are…

1969 AMC HURST SC/RAMBLER PRICE Base price....................................................................................................................$2,998 Options on car profiled..................................................................................................Radio ENGINE Type........................ AMC “second design” OHV V-8; cast-iron block and cylinder heads Displacement..........................................................................................................390 cu.in. Bore x stroke.............................................................................................4.165 in x 3.574 in Compression ratio..........................................................................................................10.2:1 Horsepower @ rpm.............................................................................................315 @ 3,200 Torque @ rpm............................................................................................425 lb-ft @ 4,600 Camshaft ..............................................Crane Fireball (similar to AMC’s Group 19 profile) .485/.485-in lift; 304 degrees duration Valvetrain.............................................................................................Hydraulic; flat tappet Main bearings...................................................................................................................Five Fuel system ......... Carter AFB four-barrel; cast-iron intake manifold; mechanical pump Ignition...................................................................................................................Distributor Lubrication system..............................................................Full pressure; gear-type pump Electrical system..........................................................................................................12-volt Exhaust system.........................Cast manifolds; 2.25-in exhaust pipes; Thrush mufflers TRANSMISSION Type....................... Borg-Warner T-10 close-ratio four-speed manual; full synchromesh Ratios................................1st/2.23:1… 2nd/1.77:1… 3rd/1.35:1… 4th/1.00:1… Reverse/2.16:1 DIFFERENTIAL Type................................. AMC Model 20, dual-keyed axle shafts, Twin-Grip differential Ratio................................................................................................................................3.54:1 STEERING Type............................................................................Recirculating ball; manual, 20:1 ratio Turning circle................................................................................................................40.7 ft BRAKES Type...........................................................Hydraulic; vacuum assist, front…

WHEN CHOOSING A CAR TO RESTORE, a basic rule for maintaining your sanity and budget is to avoid one that has been torn down and partially resurrected by somebody else — or worse — multiple people. Collector Mark Bailey already knew this, but like many of us, he just couldn’t resist. He purchased this 78,716-mile 1973 ’Cuda back in 2007. It was completely disassembled and put up for sale after spending untold years in restoration purgatory. Buying a car in boxes isn’t usually a proper path to vehicular nirvana, but thanks to Mark’s and restorer Randy Steckly’s perseverance, in this particular case, it was. Mark was drawn to this Mopar by its factory color combination of extra-cost High Impact Lemon Twist paint with a black vinyl top and stripes, not…

1968 DODGE CHARGER R/T PRICE Base price..............................................................................................................$3,040.00 Price as profiled.....................................................................................................$4,493.25 ENGINE Block type..................... Chrysler B-series OHV V-8; cast-iron block and cylinder heads Displacement.........................................................................................................383-cu.in. Bore x stroke...................................................................................................4.25 x 3.375 in Compression ratio...........................................................................................................9.2:1 Horsepower @ rpm...........................................................................................290 @ 4,400 Torque @ rpm............................................................................................390 lb-ft @ 2,800 Valvetrain................................................................Overhead valves with hydraulic lifters Main bearings...................................................................................................................Five Fuel system ................................................ Two-barrel carburetor with mechanical pump Lubrication system....................................................................Rotary, full-pressure pump Electrical system..........................................................................................................12-volt Exhaust system..........Y-pipe to single muffler and tailpipe (currently full dual exhaust) TRANSMISSION Type.....................................................................TorqueFlite 727B three-speed automatic Ratios ............................................... 1st/2.45:1 … 2nd/1.45:1 … 3rd/1.00:1 … Reverse/2.22:1 DIFFERENTIAL Type...............................................................Chrysler 8.75-in rear axle with hypoid gears Ratio................................................................................................................................2.76:1 STEERING Type..................................................................................Power-assisted recirculating ball Turns, lock-to-lock.............................................................................................................3.5 Turning circle...............................................................................................................40.9 ft BRAKES Type..............................................................................................Hydraulic; power-assisted Front............................................................................................................11-in vented discs Rear..............................................................................................................10 x 2.5-in drums SUSPENSION Front.......................................... Upper and lower control arms, torsion bars, telescoping shock absorbers, anti-sway bar…

IN HIS 1970 BOOK FUTURE Shock, Alvin Toffler argued that rapid, technologically driven changes cause psychological problems — and he said it decades before screaming, 24-hour cable news pundits, your aunt’s logic-defying social media rants, and Amazon drones. It’s not hard to argue that the advent of the smartphone caused societal shockwaves, but as is more often the case, “technology creep” is what changes our day-to-day lives. It’s more evolution than revolution. Technology creep in automobiles is perhaps the most granular today, as annual incremental enhancements in performance, efficiency, safety, and the like have delivered vastly superior vehicles to only a few years ago. Take any rental-grade Chevy Impala with a V-6: It’s capable of 0-60 mph in 6 seconds flat, a 14-second quarter-mile, and a top speed of nearly…

OUR PROJECT TO REPOWER the Hemmings ’69 Chevelle SS 396 convertible with a Chevrolet Performance ZZ427 big-block crate engine continues to move forward. If you’ve been following, you’ve seen us test-fit the engine and the Chevrolet Performance Supermatic 4L85E transmission to the car using a G-Force transmission crossmember, and you know that we’ve had a custom driveshaft built by Denny’s Driveshafts, and determined that the whole thing should fit while adhering to our pledge to not cut or otherwise permanently modify anything on the car. Last month we took a slight detour to address the mess in the Chevelle’s engine bay, and our last report covered the cleaning, painting, and detailing of the under-hood area. With that handled, it was finally time to put the engine and transmission in, hopefully…

1969 FORD MUSTANG BOSS 429 ENGINE Block type..........................................Ford Performance Parts 385-series 429/460-type OHV V-8, cast-iron block Cylinder heads .......................................Kaase Boss Nine cast-aluminum Boss 429 style Displacement.........................................................................................................545-cu.in. Bore x stroke....................................................................................................4.39 x 4.50 in Compression ratio.............................................................................................................10:1 Pistons............................................................................................Probe flat-top aluminum Connecting rods..................................................................................................SCAT forged Crankshaft...................................................................................SCAT forged 4.5-in stroke Horsepower @ rpm..............................................................................................711 @ 5,900 Torque @ rpm.............................................................................................748 lb-ft @ 3,500 Camshaft .............................. Crane hydraulic roller, .584/.604-in lift, 298/292-degrees duration (advertised), 108.75 degrees lobe separation Valvetrain.................................WW Engineering roller-rocker arms; 2.28/1.90-in valves Fuel system............................................................Single Holley 850-cfm double-pumper four-barrel carburetor; mechanical pump Lubrication....................................................Full-pressure; wet-sump; gear-driven pump Ignition system.........................................................................................................Pertronix Cooling system...........................................................Re-cored original Boss 429 radiator Exhaust system..........................FPA headers, 1 7/8-inch primaries, full 3-in dual exhaust TRANSMISSION Type.......................................................Ford Toploader four-speed manual; 11-inch clutch Ratios ........................................................ 1st/2.32:1 … 2nd/1.69:1 … 3rd/1.29:1 … 4th/1.00:1 DIFFERENTIAL Type.....................................................................................................Ford 9-in housing and third-member assembly, with…

1971 BUICK GSX HEMMINGS MOTOR NEWS 800-227-4373 EXT. 79550 WWW.HEMMINGS.COM/STORE$89.95, EITHER STYLE You’re not seeing double—you’re witnessing a 1:18-scale recreation of the HMM #150 cover, from February 2016. The latest additions to the HMM line of adult collectible models from Auto World’s American Muscle series, this pair represents Buick’s 1971 GS 455 hardtops equipped with that year’s “GSX Ornamentation Package,” and specifically, the restored standard 455 belonging to Connecticut resident Ken Lisk, and the original Stage 1 455 of his neighbor Bob Christo. This strikingly similar duo echo two of 124 1971 GSXs painted in the eye-catching hue of Lime Mist, and they share desirable components like a hood-mounted tachometer and chrome-plated 15 x 7-inch five-spoke wheels. The example with the black vinyl roof trim and matching interior (item AMM1117)…

CAMARO’S NEW FACE Having a hard time telling your V-6 Camaros from your V-8s? It was easy with the early fifth-gen cars: that little ersatz air vent above the grille meant it was a V-8. Later, with bigger wheel options proliferating through the Camaro’s lower ranks, you had to look at badging and pipes to tell what was what. Stealthy? Sneaky? Sure. But who buys a Camaro to be stealthy these days? And so, for the 2019 Camaro’s facelift, the base models and the V-8 cars get completely different front fasciae. The front bumper remains body color on the RS, and the sportier versions get a black grille break with a silver-outlined bowtie smack in the middle. TEN MILLION MUSTANGS On August 8, 2018, the 10-millionth Mustang rolled out of…

WHEN DALE KNUTSON bought this ’68 Camaro in 2010, he didn’t immediately envision building it into the killer Baldwin Motion clone that it is today. Dale had known of the original 327/Powerglide-powered Rally Sport since the late 1980s, when a friend had bought it, disassembled it for restoration, and promptly ignored it in the corner of his shop for a couple of decades. Dale saw that the lifelong Seattle car was structurally solid, and finally pried it loose from his buddy without a clear plan for what lay ahead. What he did know was that, after years of working on other people’s dream machines, it wouldn’t be long until he could semi-retire and start to build a few cars for himself. Whatever direction the Camaro would take didn’t really matter…

WHEN THE RAMBLER American Rogue hardtop got its first V-8 in late 1966, performance enthusiasts probably failed to take notice. After all, in a package the same size from Plymouth you could get the 235-hp “Formula” 273; from Ford you could get a K-code 271-hp 289 in the sexy Mustang; and Chevrolet was installing the potent 350-hp L79 327 in Chevy IIs. A 200- or 225-hp, 290-cu.in. V-8 in a compact just seemed… sensible. The kind of thing you expected from American Motors. Of course, you could, if you lived nearby, visit Bill Kraft’s Rambler dealership in Norwalk, California, where his service department was quite adept at turning Rambler Americans into stylish performers. The guy Popular Hot Rodding called “the Keith Black of Norwalk,” had been fitting mag wheels, bright…

ENGINE The Cobra’s HiPo 289 packed 11.6:1 compression, and breathed through an aluminum intake topped with a Holley 715-cfm four-barrel. The package was good for 271 hp at 6,000 rpm. The blocks used in virtually all 289 Cobras had the five-bolt bellhousing bolt pattern and can be difficult to find today—ditto for original HiPo heads, cranks, etc. According to SAAC Cobra Registrar Ned Scutter, cars with original engines are scarce. “It’s always a plus to have the original engine, but so few cars do any longer,” he said. TRANSMISSION The Borg-Warner T-10 was standard-issue in 289 Cobras. Early gearboxes used cast-iron cases while later cases were aluminum. The Cobra used the housing with the narrow single-bolt pattern. (Later boxes have a dual-bolt pattern for use with either the older bellhousing…

WINDOW STICKERS CAN TELL CERTAIN STORIES about a car — or at least make us want to ask some questions. The original sticker on this highly optioned 1968 Dodge Charger, filled with enough line items that it almost needed a second page, has one little item, with no price next to it, that we had never seen before. Right there, just below “chrome road wheels” and just above “buffed paint” (itself another unusual line item) sits “EXPEDITE,” spelled out just like that in all caps, hammered onto the paper by some sort of mechanically automated typewriter surely powered by a big, room-size mainframe. But how did this buyer get his car expedited in the fall of 1967? Fortunately, that buyer, Larry Shaw, still owns the Charger, and his story has…

THE BOSS 429 MUSTANG DIDN’T MAKE SENSE. Don’t get us wrong, the Boss 429 engine was a fierce competitor on track. Cars running the Boss ’9 won a whopping 26 Grand National races (including its debut, in Atlanta), David Pearson won the season’s NASCAR championship with Ford power, and Benny Parsons did the same over in the ARCA series. The big Boss mill was a hundred pounds lighter than a Chrysler Hemi, thanks in part to its aluminum heads, and Ford’s aero-slick fastback bodies did their part to cut through the wind. But something got lost in translation between track dominance and street swagger. The Boss 429 was a Mustang designed to compete with Corvettes, rather than Camaros. It had an engine, homologated for NASCAR, shoehorned into a body that…

IN THE APRIL 2008, ISSUE of HMM, there was a question regarding manual transmissions in police cars. I spent 36-plus years as a member of the Arkansas State Police, beginning in 1976, and although they had quit issuing manual transmission cars by then, I know guys who had driven them in the past. In fact, one of my older friends was issued a 1964 Chevrolet two-door with a 409 and a four-speed. He doesn’t remember what the horsepower rating was, but said it was a dandy interstate pursuit car, and he never had any trouble overtaking whomever he was chasing. He drove it until it had about 83,000 or so miles on it, at which time the clutch went out. With that many miles on the Chevy, the department, to…

REVIEW: GREENSBORO AUTO AUCTION; MECUM IN HARRISBURG The Greensboro Auto Auction July sale saw 624 collector cars cross the block in Greensboro, North Carolina, from July 26-28, with some 499 vehicles of all types finding new homes, for an impressive 81-percent sell-through rate. As usual, GAA was strong with muscle cars. The top-two sales featured the beating heart of an all-American V-8 under the skin: a 2005 Ford GT that sold for $275,000 (GAA prices listed here do not include the buyer’s commission) and a 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 that hammered for $181,000. The remainder of the top 10 included three other muscle cars: an essentially brand-new 2018 Dodge Challenger Demon for $119,000, a 1969 Dodge Charger R/T with a Hemi and a four-speed (only the engine was not…