----- Original Message -----
I don't know about anyone else, but I grew up in the
muscle car era - had a '66 GTO in high school and worked at a local factory as
a press operator to pay for it. The FIRST thing that happened to that car was
ET mags. Then headers and 'vette exhaust under the door. Then a Holley 850
double because my buddy's Z28 spanked me. Then a Hurst shifter. I have no idea
what happened to the original parts. That was muscle car era hotrodding.
Hotrodding 32 Fords was a whole other thing but with muscle cars it was all
about exhaust, cams, wheels, carbs and once in a while some serious dude would
port the heads - and with cast iron, that was no mean potatoes - or
stroke & bore. Only the south end greasers did that stuff...not us north
end frat boys - and they cleaned our clocks at the local 1/4 every Saturday
night.
Today, muscle cars are about getting the chalk marks
correct on the rear end diff and sourcing NOS bias ply tires. I'm sorry, but I
don't really get that. I mean, I respect it and I respect the meticulous
attention to detail, etc., but it so not me. For years, I didn't even know how
to tell if the block matched the chassis - I didn't know or think it was
important. When I got my Chevelle years ago, as soon as I had the money, off
came the heads and on went aluminum...and a cam and carb and wheels with some
swingin' KDW tires. Oh yeah, and headers and xpipe and Flowmasters and lower
springs and a Mallory and the A/C is out in the shed. Now it's MY car. It
sounds, looks, and drives like the nasty old girl she is. It ain't perfect -
nothing I have is - but I like it.
At least this time I kept the heads, intake, A/C and
manifolds. They're sitting around collecting cobwebs...probably leaking oil on
something.
Craig E.
If one only had a unlimited bank account !
Larry (Z)
