Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2020 i Hemmings Muscle Machines

1962 PONTIAC CATALINA PRICE Base price....................................................................................................................$2,860 ENGINE Type ............................Pontiac OHV 90-degree V-8; cast-iron block and cylinder heads Cylinder heads .............................. Cast iron, later Pontiac #544127; 2.02/1.76-in valves Displacement..........................................................................................................421-cu.in. Bore x stroke..................................................................................................4.094 x 4.00 in Compression ratio.........................................................................................................11.25:1 Horsepower @ rpm...........................................................................................405 @ 5,600 Torque @ rpm............................................................................................425 lb-ft @ 4,400 Camshaft type....................................................................McKellar #10, mechanical lifter Duration..........................................................................308/320 degrees, intake/exhaust Lift.......................................................................................0.445/0.447-in, intake/exhaust Valvetrain ............... Mechanical, solid lifter, high-load valve springs, 1.65:1 rocker arms Main bearings...................................................................................................................Five Fuel system........................................................Dual Carter AFB four-barrel carburetors, aluminum intake manifold, mechanical high-pressure fuel pump Lubrication system.....................................................................Pressure, gear-type pump Electrical system..............................................................................................................12-V Exhaust system..................................................................................................Dual exhaust TRANSMISSION Type................................... Borg-Warner T-10 four-speed all synchronized; Hurst shifter Ratios ........................... 1st/2.20:1 … 2nd/1.66:1 … 3rd/1.31:1 … 4th/1.00:1 … Reverse/2.26:1 DIFFERENTIAL Type.......................................Hypoid semi-floating; Safe-T-Track limited-slip differential Ratio................................................................................................................................4.30:1 STEERING Type..............................................................................................Saginaw recirculating ball Ratio.................................................................................................................................29.1:1 Turns, lock-to-lock..........................................................................................................4.25 Turning circle................................................................................................................42.8 ft BRAKES…

THROUGH SEVEN GENERATIONS, and now into its latest mid-engine configuration, the Chevrolet Corvette has long been known as “America’s Sports Car.” What began in 1953 as a shot across the bow of British sports car dominance has blossomed into a model line that offers something for almost everyone with a passion for driving. Want a track-capable car on a limited budget? A fifth- or sixth-generation Corvette is an excellent option. New to the collector-car hobby, but want something that still draws a crowd at shows, without requiring a second mortgage? Consider a third- or fourth-generation Corvette, both of which can often be purchased for less than a clean, used late-model sedan. The Corvette has a legacy of racing success, with wins and podiums too numerous to count over the car’s…

PUNDITS STATED THAT THE 2019 Monterey auction atmosphere was “soft” following the record-smashing results a year prior, with a collective drop of some 36 percent according to one report. We beg to differ. Yes, a percentage could be attributed to a dip in the economy leading into Car Week; however, much of the difference could be attributed to three cars from 2018 — all sold by RM Sotheby’s — that accounted for nearly $80 million of last year’s grand total. Undaunted by the absence of those three standouts, the Blenheim, Ontario-based auction house delivered yet another stellar catalog to bidders who gathered at the Portola Hotel & Spa for the 22nd annual sale, which was expanded from its traditional two-night format to three. The auction commenced on Thursday, August 15…

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Before Scottsdale, Arizona, is besieged by tens of thousands of collectors looking to buy their dream car (or cash it in... or both?) at the myriad collector car auctions, there’s the small matter of Mecum Auctions’ event in Kissimmee, Florida. It’s starting on January 2 this year, offering precious little time to shake off those New Years’ champagne hangovers. Did we say small matter? Hardly! This year, as last, Mecum’s event will encompass 11 days and will shift 3,500 cars across the auction block — as many in a single event as all of Scottsdale will move in a single week. You may have heard, Mecum’s feature car in Florida is the (in)famous ’68 Mustang “hero car,” as driven by Steve Mc-Queen in the storied car chase…

JANUARY 2-12 MECUM AUCTIONS Kissimmee, Florida 262-275-5050 5 FREEMAN’S SUPER SUNDAY SWAP MEET Indianapolis, Indiana 317-296-0336 5 MEDINA INDOOR SWAP MEET Medina, Ohio 800-553-8745 10-12 MAG AUCTIONS Peoria, Arizona 775-997-8885 11-19 BARRETT-JACKSON AUCTION Scottsdale, Arizona 480-421-6694 12 LONG BEACH HI-PERFORMANCE SWAP MEET Long Beach, California 800-762-9785 15 WORLDWIDE AUCTIONEERS Scottsdale, Arizona 800-990-6789 15-19 RITCHIE BROS. LEAKE AUCTION Scottsdale, Arizona 602-442-3380 15-19 RUSSO AND STEELE AUCTION Scottsdale, Arizona 602-252-2697 16 BONHAMS AUCTION Scottsdale, Arizona 415-391-4000 16-17 RM SOTHEBY’S AUCTION Phoenix, Arizona 519-352-4575 17-18 GOODING & COMPANY AUCTION Scottsdale, Arizona 310-899-1960 17-19 CARLISLE AUTO MANIA Allentown, Pennsylvania 717-243-7855 18-19 AUTOPARTS SWAP ’N SELL West Springfield, Massachusetts 860-871-6376 19 POMONA SWAP MEET Pomona, California 714-538-7091 24-26 GRAND NATIONAL ROADSTER SHOW Pomona, California 877-763-7469…

APEX: THE SECRET RACE ACROSS AMERICA DOCUMENTARY Perhaps most famous as the Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash and the Cannonball Run movie inspired by the real thing, the New York to Los Angeles trek essentially went underground after the 1983 U.S. Express, and that year’s record held up for 23 years. Apex: The Secret Race Across America is the definitive history of coast-to-coast racing, including Alex Roy’s 2006 record-breaking run. Oh, and did we mention it’s narrated by Ice T? The full documentary, which first aired on NBC Sports, is available on iTunes. — Mike Austin TOM JOBE, LAST OF THE SURFERS DRAG TEAM, DIES If you’re not a hardcore drag racing fan, you may not have heard of Tom Jobe, the last of the Surfers drag team. You…

“My brother Scott bought this 1967 Oldsmobile Delta 88 convertible when he was 16 years old. Wherever his path took him, this car followed, from Indiana to in between, eventually landing inside his garage in Plano, Texas. As this car sat parked, and was used more as a “catchall” with anything and everything piling upon it, Scott’s intention was to restore it to its full glory. Well, the years passed and the rust got worse, but then I was fortunate to purchase the Delta 88. After a wild adventure of four long years, the journey of the car’s restoration was finally complete, and it has exceeded my expectations and is beyond my  visions. The Delta 88, “Sheena,” is doing very well at car shows. The one question that I am…

1968 MERCURY COUGAR XR7-G PRICE Base..............................................................................................................................$3,232 Options on car profiled............ XR7-G package ($666.95); air conditioning ($360.90); Select-Shift Merc-O-Matic transmission ($226.10); power steering ($95); power disc brakes ($64.65); red band tubeless tires ($36.95); 280-hp 390-2V V-8 ENGINE Type.................................... Ford FE-series OHV V-8; cast-iron block and cylinder heads Displacement.........................................................................................................390-cu.in. Bore x stroke.....................................................................................................4.05 x 3.78 in Compression ratio..........................................................................................................10.5:1 Horsepower @ rpm...........................................................................................280 @ 4,400 Torque @ rpm............................................................................................403 lb-ft @ 2,600 Camshaft .................................................... 0.427/0.431-in lift @ 0.050; 192/199 duration Valvetrain...........................................................................................Hydraulic valve lifters Main bearings...................................................................................................................Five Fuel system ..................Autolite 2100 two-barrel carburetor; cast-iron intake manifold; mechanical pump Ignition................................................................................Autolite single-point distributor Lubrication system..............................................................Full-pressure; gear-type pump Electrical system..............................................................................................................12-V Exhaust system..............................................................Cast-iron manifolds, dual exhaust TRANSMISSION Type... Ford C6 Select-Shift Merc-O-Matic three-speed automatic with torque convertor Ratios..............................................................1st/2.46:1 … 2nd/1.46:1 … 3rd/1:1 … Rev/2.18:1 DIFFERENTIAL Type.......................................................................Ford 9-in housing with open differential Ratio................................................................................................................................2.75:1…

1969 HURST/OLDS ENGINE Block type...............................Oldsmobile second-generation “big-block” V-8; cast-iron Cylinder heads...............................................................................Oldsmobile “D” cast-iron Displacement..........................................................................................................461-cu.in. Bore x stroke....................................................................................................4.155 x 4.25 in Compression ratio...........................................................................................................9.2:1 Pistons...........................................................................................KB hypereutectic, dished Connecting rods........................................................................Eagle H-beam; forged steel Crankshaft.................................................................................................Stock refurbished Horsepower @ rpm............................................................................................................N/A Torque @ rpm.....................................................................................................................N/A Camshaft type.....................................................................................Comp Cams hydraulic Duration...................................................................................236/242 degrees (at 0.050) Lift.........................................................................................................................523/.516-in Valvetrain ........................Hydraulic lifters; stock pushrods; 2.072/1.625 stainless steel valves; Comp Cams valve springs; stock 1.6:1 ratio rocker arms Induction system................................................................Rochester Quadrajet; cast-iron intake manifold; mechanical fuel pump Lubrication system...........................Melling high-volume gear-type pump, stock oil pan Ignition system................................. Breaker-point, Taylor 8-mm wires, NGK sparkplugs Exhaust system...............................................Cast-iron manifolds, Gardner dual exhaust Original engine................................................................................Oldsmobile 380-hp 455 TRANSMISSION Type...............................................................................Turbo 400, three-speed automatic Ratios............................................................................1st/2.48:1 … 2nd/1.48:1 … 3rd/1.00:1 DIFFERENTIAL Type.............................................................................12-bolt, Type O (Oldsmobile); hypoid Ratio...............................................................................................................................3.42:1 STEERING Type.............................................................................................................Recirculating ball Ratio..................................................................................................................................17.5:1 Turns, lock-to-lock.............................................................................................................4.3 BRAKES Type..........................Hydraulic disc/drum; dual-reservoir master cylinder, power…

DESPITE THEIR BOWTIE DNA, classic Corvettes are most assuredly not like other Chevys. Their unique architecture and advanced technologies separate them from their Chevelle and Camaro cousins in wonderful and confounding ways — often simultaneously. That’s the dichotomy of buying and living with a vintage ’Vette: For all the familiarities of small-block and big-block engines and Muncie gearboxes, the fiberglass body structure and features such as hidden headlamps and independent rear suspension bring with them a whole new level of consideration, and demand unique skills for proper care and feeding. “Buying your first vintage Corvette brings with it a singular and special ownership experience,” says Werner Meier, a 50-year Corvette professional who is a nationally respected judge, collector, and founder of the restoration shop Masterworks Automotive Services (www.mwauto.com), in suburban…

VOLTS FOR YOUR ’VETTE LECTRIC LIMITED, INC. • WWW.LECTRICLIMITED.COM • 708-563-0400 When it comes to things that home mechanics dread, diagnosing electric gremlins has to rank near the top of the list. Getting the right product to ensure that a repair is completed correctly, the first time, is essential. For Corvette owners, Lectric Limited is here to help. The Chicago company specializes in American-made Corvette electrics, and its catalog offers more than 25,000 reproduction and replacement parts. Whether you need a concours-quality, OEM-style harness for your NCRS Top Flight show car, or just a replacement window switch for your weekend driver, Lectric Limited can help. Visit the company’s website for more information. WEATHER-TIGHT C5s CORVETTE RUBBER COMPANY • WWW.CORVETTE-RUBBER.COM • 231-779-2888 It’s been 15 years since the last…

ENGINE There were three critical components of the A12 package for eager gear-heads, one of which was the revised 440-cu.in. engine. Unlike the previous 375-horse edition, those destined for the A12 were fitted with an aluminum Edelbrock intake mounting triple Holley two-barrel carburetors for a combined advertised induction rate of 1,350 cfm. Announced with a 10.1:1 compression ratio, as well as an assortment of other performance-inducing parts within the block, the Chrysler RB engine was announced with an official rating of 390 hp and 490 lb-ft of torque. TRANSMISSION & AXLES Next on the hot shoe happy list was the A12’s inclusion of a floor-shifted, four-speed manual as standard equipment—no three-speed manual was available. This was the same A-833 unit fitted against the 426 Hemi, including a Hurst shifter and…

2020 CAMARO 2SS: THE BEST ALL-AROUND CAMARO EVER. BUT IS IT ENOUGH? The Camaro is in trouble. Again. You’ll recall that the fifth-gen Chevy Camaro regularly spanked Ford’s Mustang in the sales race, and Dodge Challenger was a distant third. Things have changed: Since its 2016 redesign, Camaro has been losing ground not only to Mustang (which is also losing sales), but to a strong-selling Challenger. For 2019, Camaro is on track to sell less than 50,000 units for the first time since it re-entered our lives in 2010, while Challenger is going to top 60,000 units for the fourth year running. Challenger outsold Camaro in 2018, and for the third quarter of 2019 its sales are ahead of GM’s pony car by a shocking 50 percent. Why? We’ll try…

MERCURY DIDN’T GET A PERSONAL LUXURY CAR in the Thunderbird vein for a long time, until the Cougar bowed for the 1967 model year. The Cougar was based on the newly revised Ford Mustang, which was now wide enough to accept the FE-series big-block engines, but rather than cheap-and-cheerful transportation, quarter-mile brawler, or SCCA contender, the new Cougars were intentionally plusher, more luxurious vehicles. “America’s foremost luxury sports car,” the brochures contended. That luxury was especially evident inside, where period ads boasted that buyers would “swear” it was “hand-tooled in Europe.” Similar promises were made regarding the exterior styling, where extra wheelbase, an elongated nose, hidden headlamps, and an “electric-shaver” grille helped disguise the Mustang connection and echoed contemporary Thunderbird styling, but without the bulk. Mercury, careful not to provoke…

COUNTLESS GEARHEADS MAINTAIN a mental list of muscle cars they hope to own someday, and a ’69 Hurst/Olds had topped Ron Krier’s ever since he purchased a ’69 4-4-2 back in 1986. “I first saw an H/O at a show in Bloomington, Minnesota, in the 1980s and fell in love with its attitude,” he says of the upscale supercar, born of a collaborative effort between Hurst Performance Research Inc. and Oldsmobile. Finding the right example would prove elusive, however. In the meantime, Ron bought a ’79 H/O in 1989, his wife gave him a ’69 W-31 as a wedding gift in 1999, and they purchased a ’69 Vista Cruiser in 2011. In 2013, Kurt Karch, the advisor for ’69 models for the Hurst/Olds Club of America, alerted Ron to an…

THE HORSEPOWER WARS had been raging since Cadillac and Oldsmobile dropped OHV V-8s into their baseline models, but things really kicked off in 1955, when GM’s bread-and-butter divisions received their own homegrown V-8s. That year, Chrysler introduced a car named for its Hemi engine’s horsepower rating: 300. By 1957, some of the car companies were at least toying with fuel injection, and for 1958, a scant three years after the launch of the Chrysler 300, Mercury introduced its triple-two-barrel-carburetor Super Marauder V-8, optional across the Mercury line, and rated at 400 horsepower from 430 cubic inches. Granted, it was in a 4,300-pound Mercury. Even so, the gauntlet was thrown. To some degree, engine sizes and power had to grow: Cars themselves were enlarging at a rapid rate. A 1955 Star…

WHEN WE FIRST ENCOUNTERED John Bremser’s 1968 Camaro Z/28, last year, the howling homologation special was on its way to winning class honors at the Labor Day weekend edition of Hemmings Muscle Machines’ Musclepalooza. But that’s really the tail end of the story. For John, 53, the desire to own and resurrect this British Green brawler first struck in the 1990s. Back then, John and his buddies used to cruise around northern Connecticut looking for muscle cars hiding in plain sight. “We called it backyarding,” John said. “I grew up in Enfield, and we would drive around on weekends looking for cars to buy. We ended up with some Mopars, including a Dart GTS 383, some Chevelles, and a lot of Camaros.” This Z/28 — one of fewer than 8,000…

SO MANY OF US CAN RE- late to the story of having to give up a favorite car, then spending years pining to rekindle the feeling it gave us; few are committed enough to bring that very car back into their lives, and to make it even better than it originally was. That is the basic story behind the 1969 Stingray on these pages, but this Chevrolet — daily-driven nearly 150,000 miles, sold and later re-purchased, and restored with personal touches — represents so much more to its owners. “Goldie” is a dream, twice fulfilled. Mike Markowski was nine years old when he saw his first Corvette: It was a new, 1956 roadster in Cascade Green with beige coves, and it made a lasting impression. He’d admired a fellow high…

FOR 22 YEARS, THE SUPERCAR REUNION has been one of the most prestigious gatherings of gearheads and factory-built muscle machines on the planet. It’s hard to imagine the event getting any better, but each year it does. This year’s version of tarmac terror was held once again at beautiful Beech Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and featured two separate brackets of drag racing: one that was open to any and all muscle cars, the other restricted to GM-built vehicles assembled under the COPO (Central Office Production Order) program. By incorporating the new format, the fun factor of the event was boosted considerably, and the door was opened wide to include any brand and model from the muscle car era. “What we’re hoping to do,” said an enthusiastic Doug…

WHILE IT’S TRUE THAT ALL GOOD THINGS must come to an end, in some cases, the end of one thing is merely the beginning of another. And that’s where we find ourselves currently with our Pro Touring project. In this segment, we wrap up the build on Project Cheap Shot, and we’re just a bit bummed that all the fun we’ve had spinning wrenches on the Camaro will now cease (or at least slow down tremendously). On the other hand, all the hard work is about to pay off in a different kind of fun — the kind you get when you finally slide behind the wheel, key your labor of love to life, and ease it out of the garage on its maiden voyage. Maybe you’ve been there before,…