Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2022 i Hemmings Muscle Machines

YOU MAY IMAGINE THAT A RESTORER of concours-award-winning Yenkos would desire a rather special Camaro to call his own. When this subject was broached in a mid-1990s conversation between Joe Swezey and Brian Henderson, the owners of Super Car Workshop in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Joe decided his ultimate Camaro would be a Le Mans Blue ’69 with a 427 and a four-speed… that wasn’t a Yenko. Not too tall of an order, right? This leaves the remaining uber-rare COPO L72s and ZL-1s, and the 427 conversion Camaros sold through certain dealers. Throw in color and transmission stipulations, and you have a needle in a haystack scenario. Nevertheless, the universe obliged. “Brian was talking to Wade, a fellow Yenko owner, at Chevy ’Vette Fest [which later became the Muscle Car and Corvette…

WHEN THEN VICE-PRESIDENT THEODORE Roosevelt talked about speaking softly and carrying a big stick, we’re fairly certain he wasn’t talking about street racing. But that philosophy was later adopted by stoplight drag racers whose preferred weapons were big-inch engines cloaked in plain-looking cars that divulged little about their straight-line potential. During the heyday of muscle machine development, automobile designers and marketeers worked together feverishly to create catchy nameplates and stylish body lines that ultimately contained engine packages capable of staking their claim on countless boulevards across the country. But while things really began to get wild with flamboyant paint, outrageous appendages, and attention-grabbing graphics, a select group of gearheads began a quiet revolution of their own, and they tacitly moved the pendulum in a different direction. Anyone with a lick…

SARATOGA SALES The fifth-annual Saratoga Motorcar Auction took place on September 24-25 at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, New York. When the final numbers were tallied up, the auction reached total sales of more than $5.27 million, with a 68.7 percent sell-through rate. Diving deeper into the numbers, of the nearly 200 cars to sell, American muscle and performance cars from 1964-’72 accounted for more than $642,000 in sales, with a 72 percent sell-through rate. Among those finding a new home was a 1964 Pontiac GTO convertible. The first year “Goat” was highly optioned, and it had been a West Coast car for its first two decades before making its way to the East Coast in the early 1990s. It still had a correct date-coded Tri-Power 389,…

Owning this extremely rare car still has me in awe. Dick Harrell was not only an extremely talented drag racer, but his handiwork is revealed all through these great supercars. He may not have owned his own GM dealership, but most of the high-performance Chevy dealers of the time had Dick Harrell somewhere at the start of their drag racing programs. It’s a shame that his life ended so early and left a lot of unanswered questions about these cars and his relationships with the different dealers. We’ve owned this extremely rare supercar for over 23 years now and I would like to thank everyone who had a part in restoring it. Some are gone but not forgotten. I still love the car as much today as I did back…

AUSTRALIA’S MUSCLE CAR SCENE PARALLELED America’s but managed to last longer than the U.S. version. While American cars were choked with air pumps and catalytic converters and suffered the ignominy of the 5-mph bumper, the Aussies had Ford Falcon GTHOs, Chrysler Valiant Chargers, and Holden Monaro GTSes (and even smaller Holden Toranas when properly equipped) well into the 1970s. ENGINE The GTO quickly got a reputation for cheap speed in the used car market, so gearheads sought them out—and frequently beat on them. Whether it’s the 350-hp 5.7-liter LS1 from 2004 or the 400-hp 6.0-liter LS2 from 2005-’06, watch for aftermarket parts, or signs that engine hardware has recently been removed and/or replaced. The GTO’s front-sump oil pan can starve the engine of oil in extreme circumstances, and that can…

1968 PLYMOUTH BARRACUDA FORMULA S ENGINE Blocktype...........................................1978 Chrysler LA-series cast-iron small-block V-8 Cylinderheads...........................................................................Chryslercast-ironX-heads Displacement..........................................................................................................410-cu.in. Bore x stroke....................................................................................................4.04 x 4.00 in Compressionratio..........................................................................................................12.2:1 Pistons................................................................................................Icon,forgedaluminum Connectingrods.........................................................Scat H-Beam, forged chromoly steel Crankshaft..................................................................................................Scat, forged steel Horsepower@rpm.........................................................................343 (rpm not specified) Torque @ rpm.........................................................................360 lb-ft (rpm not specified) Camshafttype..............................................................................................Engleflattappet Duration....................................................................245/261-degrees duration (at 0.050) Lift..........................................................................................................................557/.551-in Induction system ...............Chrysler 340 intake with modified plenum divider, 800-cfm Edelbrock Thunder AVS carburetor; dual fuel pumps Lubricationsystem..........................................................................Gear-type, shaft driven Ignitionsystem...........................................MSD6ALelectronic;Mallorybilletdistributor Exhaust system.................... Chrysler 340 cast manifolds; TTI 2.50-inch exhaust pipes ith Pypes Racepro mufflers Originalengine..............................................................Chrysler LA-series 340-cu.in. V-8 TRANSMISSION Type..............................................................Cope Racing Transmissions 727 three-speed automatic with PTC 9.50-in torque converter Ratios ...............................................1st/2.45:1 … 2nd/1.45:1 … 3rd/1.00:1 … Reverse/2.20:1 DIFFERENTIAL Type................................................................................Chrysler8¾-inchwithlimited-slip Ratio.................................................................................................................................4.10:1 STEERING Type.........................................................................Chryslerrecirculatingball,unassisted Ratio....................................................................................................................................24:1 BRAKES Type................................................................................................OEhydraulic,unassisted Front............................................................................11-inrotorswithfour-pistoncalipers Rear.............................................................................................................10 x 1.75-in drums SUSPENSION Front................................................................Independent;torsionbars,upperandlower control arms, anti-roll bar, QA1-R shocks Rear........................................... Live axle;…

AS THE SONG GOES, “Happy days are here again.” Last summer, this fittingly held true for the California city of Monterey, when, after a year’s hiatus due to the pandemic, the festivities leading to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance returned. “Car Week,” as it’s commonly known, is a pillar of auto enthusiast culture, and a hub of activity for vintage vehicle lovers who travel to attend the planned events, among them a series of auctions. On August 12-14, one such sale was hosted by Mecum Auctions at the company’s now-traditional location on the Del Monte Golf Course at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa. Billed as “The Daytime Sale” since the auction’s inception in 2009, Mecum assembled 514 vehicles of all types for the consideration of in-person bidders and…

Letter of the Month: Period Pursuits “When I saw the cover of the November issue of HMM, I thought I was looking at my son Austin’s 1980s and ’90s collection instead of one belonging to Matt Murphy and his wife. My son, now 32, has been on the prowl for Grand Nationals and Turbo Trans Ams since he was 16. He is the proud owner of three low-mileage 1987 GNs, a GNX with 257 miles, and a 1989 TTA. So that his wife, Michelle, would not be left out, she received her own ’89 TTA with 4,700 miles as a Christmas gift last year. To make room for more cars in his collection, his 1991 Syclone was sold earlier this year. That created space for a 1983 Hurst/Olds with 188…

1969 CHEVROLET DICK HARRELL 427 SUPER CAMARO ENGINE Block type............................ Chevrolet Mark IV big-block cast-iron V-8; four-bolt mains Cylinderheads............................Chevroletcast-ironrectangular-port;closed-chamber Displacement...................................................................427-cu.in.(currently433-cu.in.) Bore x stroke ...........................................................4.25 x 3.76 in (currently 4.28-in bore) Compressionratio..............................................................................................................13:1 Pistons...........................................................................................Forgedaluminum,domed Connectingrods..................................................................................................Forgedsteel Horsepower@rpm............................................................................................................N/A Torque @ rpm.....................................................................................................................N/A Camshafttype....................................................................................Solid-lifter,flat-tappet Duration...................................................................259/269-degrees duration (at 0.050) Lift........................................................................................................................620/.620-in Valvetrain ......................................... 2.19/1.88-in valves; 1.7:1 ratio roller-tip rocker arms; pushrods; valve springs Induction system ........ Two Carter AFB carburetors, Weiand aluminum intake manifold Lubricationsystem.....................................................High-volumeoilpump;stockoilpan Ignitionsystem............................................................Recurvedbreaker-pointdistributor; stock 293 coil; wires; Champion sparkplugs Exhaustsystem............................................................................................Jardineheaders Originalengine...............................................................Chevrolet Mark IV V-8, 396-cu.in. TRANSMISSION Type................................................................................................................M21four-speed Ratios........................... 1st/2.21:1 … 2nd/1.64:1 … 3rd/1.27:1 … 4th/1.00:1 … Reverse/2.26:1 DIFFERENTIAL Type....................................................................................GM12-bolt;hypoid;Positraction Ratio................................................................................................................................4.88:1 STEERING Type.............................................................................................................Recirculatingball Turns-to-Lock.....................................................................................................................4.8 BRAKES Type...............................................................................Hydraulic,disc/drum,powerassist Front.............................................................Single-pistoncalipers,two-piece11-inrotors Rear.....................................................................................................................9.5-in drums SUSPENSION Front........... Independent; short/long arm, coil springs, Dual/Duty shocks, anti-roll bar Rear............................Live axle; leaf springs with forward stiffeners, Dual/Duty shocks WHEELS & TIRES Wheels...................................................................................................................Cragar S/S Front: 15…

1970 MERCURY CYCLONE SPOILER PRICE Baseprice....................................................................................................................$3,270 Options (on car profiled) .................................................429-cu.in. Super Cobra Jet V-8; Drag Pak with Traction-Lok differential; vinyl roof 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 Compressionratio............................................................................................................11.3:1 Horsepower@rpm............................................................................................375 @ 5,400 Torque @ rpm............................................................................................450 lb-ft @ 3,400 Mainbearings...................................................................................................................Five Lubrication..................................................................................Pressure;gear-typepump Camshaft ......................... Mechanical flat tappet; 0.298/0.298-in lift (intake/exhaust);300/300-deg duration (intake/exhaust, as advertised) Valvetrain.............................................................................................................Solid lifters Fuel system ..................................... Holley 4150-series 780-cfm four-barrel carburetor; mechanical fuel pump Electricalsystem..............................................................................................................12-V Exhaustsystem.............................................High-flowcast-ironmanifolds;dualexhaust TRANSMISSION Type............................................................FordToploaderclose-ratiofour-speedmanual 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, non-power assist Turns,lock-to-lock...........................................................................................................3.75 Turningcircle.................................................................................................................41.6ft BRAKES Type..........................................................................................Hydraulic,manualdisc/drum Front: 11.3-in rotor Rear: 10 x 2.50-in cast-iron drum SUSPENSION Front...............................Independent ball-joint type with coil springs pivot mounted on upper arms…

“ MY FATHER AND I FOUND THE CAR during the summer of 1985,” said Rhett Moody, relaxing beside the 1968 Plymouth Barracuda Formula S gracing these pages. “We were clearing brush away from an elderly widow’s home and garage as part of my ‘good deed’ task when I was in the Boy Scouts, and I couldn’t help but peek through one of the grimy garage windows. I quickly noticed the long, sloping rear glass on a vintage car and thought it was a Ford Mustang fastback. In my defense, it was very dark in the garage and my father had owned a 1967 Mustang GT 390 fastback in the past.” A resident of Colchester, Connecticut, today, Rhett mentioned the chance discovery to his father, who — being a mechanic by…

ELECTRONIC IGNITION SYSTEMS were just coming online as the original muscle car era was fading out.The electronic triggering replaced traditional breaker points, eliminating a maintenance item while providing both more consistency and the ability to run a more powerful spark. General Motors had offered “transistorized” ignitions on some models in the ’60s, but those systems were notoriously troublesome. However, during the 1974 model year, a new electronic ignition debuted on select GM models called High Energy Ignition, which would quickly come to be known as simply “HEI.” The new system became standard on all GM passenger car and light truck V-8 engines for 1975, and soon proved to require very little maintenance. The coil was located inside, under a cover at the top of the distributor cap, and the control…

HEMMINGS AUCTIONS IS OUR LIVE, ONLINE AUCTION site staffed by customer service professionals ready to help bidders and sellers with any questions. A wide variety of classic and specialty vehicles from all eras are up for bid. Auctions run for two weeks, and qualified bidders place their bids electronically. Once a vehicle is accepted into the auction, the seller pays only a $99.95 listing fee. The winning bidder is responsible for a 5-percent fee on all completed auctions. The following are examples of auctions that transpired during the month leading up to press time. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, email Director of Auction Operations Terry Shea: terryshea@hemmings.com 1969 CHEVROLET CAMARO RESERVE: $115,000 SELLING PRICE: $115,500* RECENT MARKET RANGE: $112,240-$145,420 The 1969 body style is perhaps the most loved…