Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2020 i Hemmings Muscle Machines

CUTAWAY CLARIFICATION A correction is due to the “Barn Find Reject” letter in the Backfire section of the January 2020 issue of HMM (#197). What Mr. Tallone reports and thinks he saw is not accurate. The “cutaway” 1953 “No. 3” Corvette is actually a cutaway build done on the original frame of the VIN #3 1953 Corvette. Records exist to document that the frame of #3 was separated from the car itself after GM testing and before the car was sold by GM. The car Mr. Tallone thinks he saw in Tulare, California, was in fact VIN #3, but with a replacement frame. At a later time, during the 1980s, 1953 Corvette VIN #3 was purchased by a partnership of three National Corvette Restoration Society members and later fully restored…

PRICE Base price.....................................................................................................................$3,103 Options on car profiled.................................Ram Air II engine; four-speed; Safe-T-Track; power antenna; AM/FM radio; 8-track; remote mirror; hood tachometer; Custom Sports steering wheel; tilt steering; console; Rally gauges with clock; reclining seat; power steering; power brakes ENGINE Type................................................Pontiac OHV V-8; cast-iron block and cylinder heads Displacement.........................................................................................................400-cu.in. Bore x stroke......................................................................................................4.12 x 3.75 in Compression ratio................................................................................10.5:1 (10.75:1 stock) Horsepower @ rpm .............................................. 366 @ 5,400 (360 @ 5,400 rpm stock) Torque @ rpm .............................................. 445 lb-ft @ 3,800 (438 lb-ft @ 3,800 stock) Camshaft ......................... Melling replacement of Pontiac “041” hydraulic; 0.469-in lift; 308-/320-degrees duration Valvetrain............................................................Hydraulic valve lifters, roller-tip rockers Main bearings...................................................................................................................Five Fuel system...................................................Rochester Quadrajet four-barrel carburetor Ignition............Delco breaker-point (currently Pertronix Ignitor electronic conversion) Lubrication system.............................................Melling high-pressure mechanical pump Electrical system................................................................................12-V, negative ground Exhaust system.................................................................Ram Air manifolds, 2.25-in pipe TRANSMISSION…

PRICE Base price....................................................................................................................$3,270 Options on car profiled.................................................. 429-cu.in. Cobra Jet V-8 ($229); Drag Pack and Traction-Lok differential, ($155); high-back bucket seats ($133); power steering ($105); power front disc brakes ($65); Sports Slats, ($65); AM radio ($61); console ($54); tachometer ($49); tinted glass ($36); color-keyed racing mirrors ($26); Visibility Group ($25) ENGINE Type..............Ford 385-series 90-degree OHV V-8; cast-iron block and cylinder heads Displacement.........................................................................................................429-cu.in. Bore x stroke....................................................................................................4.36 x 3.59 in Compression ratio...........................................................................................................11.3:1 Horsepower @ rpm............................................................................................375 @ 5,400 Torque @ rpm...........................................................................................450 lb.ft. @ 3,400 Valvetrain.............................................................................................................Solid lifters Main bearings...................................................................................................................Five Fuel system ...................................... Holley 4150-series 780-cfm four-barrel carburetor Lubrication..................................................................................Pressure; gear-type pump Electrical............................................................................................................................12-V Exhaust.........................................................High-flow cast-iron manifolds; dual exhaust TRANSMISSION Type............................................................Ford Toploader close-ratio four-speed manual Ratios.................................1st/2.32:1…2nd/1.69:1…3rd/1.29:1…4th/1.00:1…Reverse/2.32:1 DIFFERENTIAL Type...............................................Ford 9-inch with Traction-Lok limited-slip differential Ratio.................................................................................................................................3.91:1 STEERING Type.....................................................................................Recirculating ball, power assist Turns, lock-to-lock..........................................................................................................3.75 Turning circle.............................................................................................................41.6 feet BRAKES Type................................................................................Hydraulic, power-assist…

WHEN THE GENERAL introduced the mid-sized A-body for ’64, it quickly became the most popular platform in the entire lineup, and it’s easy to understand why. The niche it occupied was slotted squarely between compact and full-sized offerings, making it perfect for young families (or gearheads, with room for friends). The full perimeter frame provided exceptional strength and stability, while its weight helped keep the center of gravity low. The suspension design not only rode well, but it handled with tenacity. Plus, the A-body was capable of accommodating the full range of powertrain offerings, from the lowliest six-cylinder to the most powerful big-block. Who would have guessed that, more than 50 years after its introduction, the A-body would remain a popular choice that could be adapted to suit the needs…

AT FIRST GLANCE, you might think Mark Evans’ 1962 Plymouth Sport Fury convertible belongs on the pages of our sister publication, Hemmings Classic Car. But the retired engineer from New Hampshire had muscle-era performance in mind when he drew the blueprint for this drag racer in street-car clothing. Beneath its showroom-fresh-looking Cherry Red exterior, this unusual (one of about 1,500) open-top Sport Fury has the goods to go rounds in quarter-mile competition, as well as a lot of stock-appearing details. Unfortunately, Mark told us, racing isn’t in his plans for the car, but he did compete at the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance last year, where we first eyed this fabulous Fury. “I made it into a drag car, but I’m not going to race it,” Mark said. “The engine…

NOW THAT THE NEW ZZ427 BIG-BLOCK crate engine is installed and running in our ’69 Chevelle, we’re moving forward with the final details in preparation for its first test drive. A big part of this involves making all the connections for the electronic controller, required to run the Chevrolet Performance Supermatic 4L85E four-speed automatic overdrive transmission we’re using. As a quick refresher, the 4L85E is a heavy-duty automatic that was developed for truck use by General Motors and put into service in the early ’90s.The goal was to create a transmission that could handle high-torque engines, in heavy load situations, while also providing overdrive. To that end, the 4L80E was based on the TH400 three-speed automatic; the 4L85E variant was a later, upgraded version with an even higher torque capacity.…

McCormick’s pre-Thanksgiving auction was the second of its biannual events that take place in Palm Springs, California. The event saw 330 vehicles sell, accounting for a healthy 65-percent sell-through. When the final tally was made at The Palm Springs Convention Center, total sales came in at more than $5.7 million. Crunching the numbers further, 53 of the lots available were American muscle cars from 1964-’72, with the segment accounting for a 60.3-percent sell-through and $1.15 million in sales. Among the muscle cars sold were a 1966 Shelby Cobra, CSX4236, which was the high sale of the show; the stroked 427/five-speed-motivated Carroll Shelby creation sold for $153,700. Also selling was a 1966 Mustang GT convertible that was completely restored by its owner of three decades. The freshly painted pony was redone…

CHEVROLET CONFIRMS C8 IS QUICKEST CORVETTE STINGRAY IN HISTORY Say “2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray” out loud. Unless you’re a late-night television product pitchman, it probably took between 3 and 4 seconds to get those words out of your mouth. According to Chevrolet, that’s more time than is needed to get a 2020 Corvette from 0-60 mph, making it the quickest (to 60 mph) base Stingray in the model’s history. Officially, the automaker is claiming a time of 3.0 seconds for the base C8’s 0-60 mph dash, or 2.9 seconds for 2020 Corvettes equipped with the Z51 package (under ideal circumstances, with warm tires on dry roads, of course). That’s a significant improvement over the 2019 C7 Corvette, for which Chevrolet claimed a 0-60-mph time of 3.7 seconds, but only when…

“My Trans Am affinity began in my sophomore year of high school (1973) with a ride in a new Super Duty 455. The styling and power grabbed me. Until 2012, most of my cars were family oriented. The only “sports cars” I had owned were a ’90 T/A with a 305 and a ’95 Camaro with a 3.4-liter V-6. My kids’ first cars were an ’85 Firebird, ’89 Formula 350, and ’91 Camaro RS. Nothing all that “muscular,” but we enjoyed them all nonetheless. Of greater worth was the experience I gained learning how to work on them. I didn’t grow up wrenching on cars, but over the past 20 years I’ve thoroughly enjoyed learning both mechanical and bodywork skills. Seven years ago, no longer in possession of the T/A…

FORD’S DRAG PACK OPTION MAY HAVE BEEN the best $155 you could spend, possibly in all of Detroit, for 1970. Granted, the new-for-1970 Torino Cobra was a pretty hot package to start with. For your $3,270, you got some strong equipment, with style to match. For performance, the 360-horse Thunder Jet four-barrel V-8 (N-code) was standard, part of Ford’s new 385-series engine family — featuring two-bolt main-bearing caps, heads stuffed full of canted 2.09/1.65-inch valves, a 600-cfm Autolite four-barrel atop a cast-iron intake, with hydraulic lifters and 10.5:1 compression. A standard Hurst-shifted Toploader four-speed stick backed it up; also included was the Competition Suspension that utilized 7-inch wheels wrapped with fat bias-belted tires. (In truth, all four-speed Torinos were given the Competition Suspension, which included staggered rear shocks to help…

MUSCLE CAR MAVENS MADE the annual pilgrimage to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois, the weekend before Thanksgiving to partake in a feast for the eyes. For the 11th consecutive year, Bob Ashton and the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals board gathered many of the finest examples of each vehicular breed for a weekend to savor, and they weren’t the same cars as last year, because that’s generally not allowed. For 2019, muscle cars reaching their 50th birthdays were celebrated with invitationals for the Class of 1969: the 1969 Buick G.S., Mopar A12 Reunion, and the Post Sedan ’69 Chevelles. Plenty of additional 1969 models were spread across additional invitationals for the Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Race cars, Pontiac Ram Air GTOs, Corvette Legends, Ford &…

Fans of Mopar performance were treated to a special “A12” display at this year’s MCACN. Introduced in mid-’69, the A12 option could be had in either the Road Runner or Super Bee, and included as its centerpiece a special 440-cu.in. engine fitted with three two-barrel Holleys mounted on an aluminum Edelbrock intake, plus 15-inch black steel wheels (chrome lug nuts, no hub caps) shod with G70 red-line rubber, a scooped, lift off hood, and a 4.10 Dana, with either the automatic or four-speed. Oddly enough, disc brakes were not an available option, despite the A12’s potent performance. The A12 package on a Road Runner was referred to as “440 6-BBL,” while on the Super Bee it was referred to as a “Six Pack.” Furthermore, the A12 option was never available…

AS GENERAL MOTORS BEGAN TO realize in the early 1960s, bigger was not always better. In 1955, Chevrolet’s One-Fifty, Two-Ten, and Bel Air models all rode on a 115-inch wheelbase, with coupes and sedans measuring 195.6 inches from bumper to bumper. By 1961, Chevrolet’s Biscayne, Bel Air, and Impala had grown to 209.3 inches in length, riding on a longer 119-inch wheelbase. Sales, however, had not kept pace: In 1955, Chevrolet sold 1.7 million cars (excluding Corvette), but by 1961, full-size production failed to reach 1.2 million units, and that was just one GM division. Enter the 1964 GM A-body platform, which underpinned a range of intermediate-sized models from Chevrolet, Buick, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac. With a return to a 115-inch wheelbase (excluding station wagons, which rode a stretched 120-inch wheelbase),…

OLDSMOBILE INFORMATION BOOKLETS INLINE TUBE • 800-385-9452 • WWW.INLINETUBE.COM • $8.95-$20.00 EACH Information about older cars can be elusive, even in our digital age, and may not be readily available in a consolidated, easy-to-use format. To help, these complete, by-the-numbers booklets—compiled by James Kryta of Inline Tube, after 32 years of Oldsmobile experience and countless hours restoring these special cars from Lansing — are available for 1964-’72 Oldsmobiles. Each booklet contains detailed pages including production numbers, OEM specifications, drivetrain information, VIN breakdown, available trim levels, pricing, tune-up specifications, and all of the advertising available for each specific year of Oldsmobile covered. The booklets range from 9 to 48 pages, depending on the model year, and are a tremendous source of information gathered from various Oldsmobile experts. BUICK BOLTS DIECAST…

ENGINE Type...................................................... Chevrolet Mark IV big-block; 90-degree OHV V-8 with cast-iron block (with four-bolt mains) and aluminum cylinder heads Cylinder heads.............................................................................Aluminum open-chamber Displacement.........................................................................................................427-cu.in. Bore x Stroke.....................................................................................................4.25x3.76in Compression ratio..............................................................................................................12:1 Horsepower................................................................................................600(advertised) Torque..................................................................................................550lb-ft(estimated) Camshaft type......................................................................................................Mechanical Duration....................................................................................................................Unknown Lift............................................................More than 0.600-in (per Motion Performance) Valvetrain......................................................Solid lifters and heavy-duty steel pushrods Main bearings...................................................................................................................Five Induction system....................................Twin Holley Dominator four-barrel carburetors; Weiand aluminum dual-quad tunnel ram; Holley electric fuel pump Lubrication system.............................................................Full-pressure,gear-typepump Ignition system................................................Vertex magneto(12-voltelectrical system) Exhaust system.............................................. Custom headers with 2-inch primary tubes Original engine......................................................Chevrolet 302-cu.in.“small-block”V-8 TRANSMISSION Type..........................................................................Liberty Gear-modified Ford Toploader Ratios..........................1st/2.32:1 … 2nd/1.69:1 … 3rd/1.29:1 … 4th/1.00:1 … Reverse/2.32:1 DIFFERENTIAL Type...........................................................Chevrolet 12-bolt with Positraction differential Ratio................................................................................................................................4.88:1 STEERING Type.............................................................Saginaw525recirculating-ball,non-assisted Ratio.................................................................................................................................14.4:1 Turns,lock-to-lock............................................................................................3.5(original) Turning circle..............................................................................................37feet(original) BRAKES Type.............................................................Hydraulic,front disc/rear drum; non-assisted Front...........................................................................................................................11-indisc Rear................................................................................9.5x2.00-in self-adjusting drums SUSPENSION Front...........Independent; unequal-length A-arms, coil springs and telescoping shocks Rear......................Solid axle located with leaf springs…

PRODUCT TEST: VENOM STEEL RIP RESISTANT INDUSTRIAL GLOVES VENOM STEEL • WWW.VENOMSTEEL.COM • VENOMSTEEL@MEDLINE.COM • $19.99 There’s an old adage in the car hobby that says something like“the moment your hands get covered in grease/anti-seize/etcetera, you’ll have to itch your nose and use the restroom.”It doesn’t have to be that way, though. Disposable rubber gloves kept in the garage can save time, messes, and your skin. Venom Steel Rip Resistant Industrial Gloves are made from heavy-duty nitrile rubber. Nitrile rubber is a synthetic alternative to latex, which can trigger an allergic reaction in some individuals. Nitrile is also used in fuel hoses, transmission belts, O-rings, and other applications where its superior resistance to oils and acids helps it stand up better than natural rubber. Nobody wants gloves to…

GODZILLA! FORD’S NEW PUSHROD 7.3-LITER V-8 IS COOKIN’ WITH GAS Ford has developed a brand-new, gasoline-powered, two-valve pushrod V-8 engine. It’s the first of its kind gas-powered pushrod V-8 Ford has developed in decades — not a cammer, not a diesel, none of that. It has replaced Ford’s Modular-based, 6.8-liter OHC V-10 that’s been around for a quarter century now. It’s not scheduled to show up in a Ford-built passenger car anytime soon. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t know about it. The output sounds suspiciously like muscle car territory: 430 horsepower at 5,500 rpm, and 475 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm. For the moment, that pips Chevy’s gas-powered 6.6-liter, rated at 401 hp and 464 lb-ft, and the 6.4-liter Hemi in a new Ram, which is rated at…

GLANCE AT A 1967 MERCURY COMET sometime and you’ll see it. The stacked quad headlamps of the 1963 Pontiac were a seismic event in auto styling. But they were quickly aped by other makers, and by the 1967 model year they were diluted in a way the old Silver Streak motif never was. The overhaul of GM’s A-body fleet for the 1968 model year provided an opportunity for the GTO’s maker to visually redefine its signature product. The new styling was a clear nod to the F-body pony cars (Camaro and Firebird) that debuted for 1967 with their long-hood/short-deck proportions enlarged for the 112-inch wheelbase of the Tempest/Le Mans/GTO. Four-door models, found only in the Tempest and Tempest Le Mans series, rode a 114-inch wheelbase. While lower-ranking A-bodies came with…

OLDSMOBILE’S PRESS RELEASE, dated Monday, September 13, 1982, was direct: “Reminiscent of the super cars of the late 60s [sic], but offering an alternative option in line with today’s more economy-minded customer, Oldsmobile Division will offer a Hurst/Olds option in 1983.” Another three paragraphs outlined the base model the Hurst/Olds would be constructed on, the Cutlass Calais—production: “approximately 2,500 units”; paint combination: black and silver in homage to 1968; expected performance: “0 to 60 miles per hour in 8.5-seconds”; and anticipated fuel economy: “17 city and 28 highway.” The remaining space was filled with 17 line items that detailed other special features, several of which were eye-opening to gearheads who’d been starved for anything resembling a factory muscle intermediate since the ’70s. Such was the salvo from Lansing’s cannon after…

PONTIAC ESTABLISHED a successful muscle car formula back in 1964, when it bolted its big-cube 389 into its new midsize, bucket-seat-equipped A-body Le Mans and added dual exhaust, a floor-shifted three-speed manual, heavy duty suspension, hood scoops, black grilles, and GTO emblems. Additionally, the buyer could ladle on the extra-cost options like Tri-Power, four-speed or automatic, Safe-T-Track differential, steeper rear gears, A/C, power assists, and much more. Other automakers caught on and developed their own muscle car recipes in the years that followed. Brisk competition also emanated from the General Motors Divisions that shared the A-body platform. 1968 Longer hoods, shorter decks, and curvaceous body panels — augmented by rooflines that blended more smoothly into the rear quarter panels for 1968 — marked departures from the previous A-body designs. Wheelbase…

LEGACIES DON’T GENERALLY COME WITH THE privilege of immediacy, but the cars created through Joel Rosen’s Motion Performance were legendary in their own time. Whether through the Baldwin-Motion alliance that produced some of the boldest and quickest dealer-backed muscle cars of the era, or the separate creations Motion built for other customers, the company’s performance was renowned for delivering exactly as promised. In fact, Rosen famously guaranteed the Baldwin-Motion Phase III Supercars to run the quarter-mile in 11.50 seconds at 120 mph — at a minimum. He wasn’t subtle and neither were his cars, but there was no bloviating in his audacious claims. His cars were truly quick, and reliably so. Rosen’s iconic speed emporium got its start in Brooklyn, at a Sunoco service station, where he became a partner…

1964 FORD THUNDERBOLT HEMI HUNTER ACME TRADING COMPANY • 888-209-2263 WWW.ACMEDIECAST.COM • $119.95 One of the most legendary products to emerge from Ford’s “Total Performance” program was the Fairlane-based Thunderbolt. This NHRA World Championship-clinching homologation special was unique in its fiberglass-intensive lightweight body construction, as well as its dual Holley four-barrel-topped 427-cu.in. V-8. Of the 100 “production” models built, number 68 was purchased through the Schenectady, New York, dealer Webster Ford, and raced by Elwood Banker under the Hemi Hunter livery. Round 2 has modeled that car in 1:18 scale (item A1801108), and the level of detail is spectacular: prop up the hood, whose underside is textured like fiberglass, and inspect the high-rise intake; open the driver’s door and see the tiny laser-cut key hanging from the ignition, along with…

GIVEN ITS TRACK RECORD of success in Monterey over the last decade, it was no surprise to see Wisconsin-based Mecum Auctions return to the California peninsula for the 11th straight year. Billed as “the daytime auction,” its three-day sale, held on August 15-17, convened on a portion of the Del Monte Golf Course adjacent to the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa, just a short drive from Fisherman’s Wharf and a scenic sprint from WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. As in years past, Mecum delivered an extensive catalog for the event, to the tune of 598 vehicular lots (by our count), for roughly 200 cars crossing the block daily. The catalog covered everything from American- and European-made Full Classics to masterfully maintained late-models from all corners of the automotive globe. In…

March definitely comes in like a lion when it comes to collector-car auctions, especially at Amelia Island.Though this location doesn’t reach the grand scale of Scottsdale or Monterey, the auctions that take place during the concours weekend in Florida see significant sales, with cars of all qualities and eras changing hands.The quintet of shows that will take place this year from March 4 to 7 includes RM Sotheby’s, Bonhams, Russo and Steele, Gooding & Company, and Hollywood Wheels. Last year the five auctions totaled more than $80 million in sales, with nearly 400 cars changing hands. Listed consignments are scarce at press time, as three of these auction houses are busy gearing up for Scottsdale, but it will be interesting to see if any muscle car sales eclipse last year’s…