Any Members With Classic/Muscle Cars?

[GoldDot40]

Do the Cal Tracs limit rear suspension travel? Nice car.

Those are actually Competition Engineering Slide-A-Links. I chose those over the CalTracs for that very reason. I run these "unloaded" on the street and they allow for full suspension travel.

The downfall is that you can't run a factory style rear sway bar with them. So I got creative and cut holes in the bottom leaf spring/shock pad brackets to allow a factory type bar.

I was going to use WS6 bars under it. But since GM never intended these cars to have that much rubber under the rear (275/40-17), I felt a bigger rear bar would benefit. I was right. Running a 1¼ bar up front and ⅞ bar on the back with poly bushings. Also running subframe connectors and solid aluminum body mount bushings and the car is lowered a bit. Car handles like it's on rails and rides great.

 

[AutoMechanic]

One of my friends went through a faze of buying these things down south and shipping them up to New England, where he’d sell them. He did that for a good year or so. He’d make a couple grand off each one, don’t know why he stopped. Probably got burnt on one of them and decided it wasn’t worth it.

But he does this with all sorts of muscle cars and collectibles now. Gets them shipped from down south, keeps them for a little bit and then sells them for profit. Mustangs, Old Jeeps, Chevelle’s, old 1960’s pickups dropped and done over. I don’t think he’s had to spend a dime of his own money on his collection at this point. Just bought a beautiful 1968 Chevy pickup for $25,000. He’ll play around with that for maybe six months and then dump it for a profit.

So that’s where all the classics went! Lol.

 

[Lapham3]

I've been driving for 55 years and preferred cars with good power. Early one was a '65 Pont GP 421-a great car that my wife ran into a pole in slippery winter after a few years-a '70 Z28 4 speed with 4.10 or 4.11 rear(I forget) that thing would get to 3 digit speeds in a hurry. It was stolen and found stripped-a '67 Firebird convert re-engined with the GP's 421-stupidly loaned to stupid broinlaw who totaled it racing somebody -an'89 turbo trans am Indy pace- a great car on a great road with very good pull and speed available-sold to a pal. Now left with some mid 60's big Buicks with 425 engines and one with a later 455 engine. A summer driver of my wife's is a 350z roadster that goes very well. These cars sleep in salted road winters. Winter drivers are boring Elantra and CRV with winter treads.

 

[Exit32]

1966 Pontiac GTO convertible equipped with original 389 Tri-Power engine, automatic transmission, and factory A/C. Very rare combination in 1966.

 

[cpayne5]

1952 Chevrolet DeLuxe.

Love it! What are the details?

 

[Chris142]

I think that classic means different things to different people. For example, I wasn't able to get a "classic car" insurance until my car reached 25 years old. And even to me, classic means before 1971-72 ish. And I've even heard(undocumented) from others that...20 yrs old is a classic and 25 yrs old is an antique.

Yep. I consider a classic 72 or so and older. A muscle car was a car that left the factory with performance parts. A "K" code Mustang,340 Dart or ss396 was a muscle car. Very few exceptions

A 72 Chevelle with a 307 and 2.73 gears was never intended to be a fast car.

I grew up with pellet style Converters and emission systems. A 77 Trans Am looks fast but it's not with it's emissions choked 403 olds.

I do not consider this era of cars 'Muscle cars'.

 

[PontiacHO]

Those are actually Competition Engineering Slide-A-Links. I chose those over the CalTracs for that very reason. I run these "unloaded" on the street and they allow for full suspension travel.

The downfall is that you can't run a factory style rear sway bar with them. So I got creative and cut holes in the bottom leaf spring/shock pad brackets to allow a factory type bar.

I was going to use WS6 bars under it. But since GM never intended these cars to have that much rubber under the rear (275/40-17), I felt a bigger rear bar would benefit. I was right. Running a 1¼ bar up front and ⅞ bar on the back with poly bushings. Also running subframe connectors and solid aluminum body mount bushings and the car is lowered a bit. Car handles like it's on rails and rides great.

Sounds like a well thought out and nicely designed rear suspension.

 

[PontiacHO]

1966 Pontiac GTO convertible equipped with original 389 Tri-Power engine, automatic transmission, and factory A/C. Very rare combination in 1966.

View attachment 39015

Love the Pontiacs! That’s a beautiful car. Trying to find a decent project car for retirement. My 68 Firebird HO was my favorite from back in the day...

 

[Snagglefoot]

I have the red hair step child of muscle cars. A 74 Ford Maverick two door with a 302 V-8. Not even a Grabber, but it was free from my FIL. It gets a lot of attention, even from the Mustang crowd.

 

[PontiacHO]

I've been driving for 55 years and preferred cars with good power. Early one was a '65 Pont GP 421-a great car that my wife ran into a pole in slippery winter after a few years-a '70 Z28 4 speed with 4.10 or 4.11 rear(I forget) that thing would get to 3 digit speeds in a hurry. It was stolen and found stripped-a '67 Firebird convert re-engined with the GP's 421-stupidly loaned to stupid broinlaw who totaled it racing somebody -an'89 turbo trans am Indy pace- a great car on a great road with very good pull and speed available-sold to a pal. Now left with some mid 60's big Buicks with 425 engines and one with a later 455 engine. A summer driver of my wife's is a 350z roadster that goes very well. These cars sleep in salted road winters. Winter drivers are boring Elantra and CRV with winter treads.

The 421 is one of the better built Pontiac engines with a forged crank etc. I bet that Firebird was actually dangerous after with the 421 was installed!

 

[grisby]

I have a 72 GS Stage 1 455. One of these days going to sell due to health--getting old, bad knees, heart issues etc plus the car has no a/c and you appreciate that when you get older.

 

[Chris142]

I have a 72 GS Stage 1 455. One of these days going to sell due to health--getting old, bad knees, heart issues etc plus the car has no a/c and you appreciate that when you get older.

That is a musclecar!

 

[grisby]

1966 Pontiac GTO convertible equipped with original 389 Tri-Power engine, automatic transmission, and factory A/C. Very rare combination in 1966.

View attachment 39015

I'd say its rare-- a convertible with a/c back in the day!!!!

 

[02SE]

I had a '70 Duster 340 W/4-speed as my first car. I rebuilt the engine and trans with guidance from the mechanic I was apprenticing with, and it became my first car at 16. I wish I hadn't been short-sighted and sold it, as I'd enjoy having it today.

 

[Chris142]

I had a '70 Duster 340 W/4-speed as my first car. I rebuilt the engine and trans with guidance from the mechanic I was apprenticing with, and it became my first car at 16. I wish I hadn't been short-sighted and sold it, as I'd enjoy having it today.

That year 340 was the shiznit

 

[02SE]

That year 340 was the shiznit

I'm embarrassed to admit I sold it for a Datsun 720 4wd king cab pickup. NAPS-Z 4 banger...

I wish I could go back and tell myself not to be an idiot...

 

[Chris142]

I'm embarrassed to admit I sold it for a Datsun 720 4wd king cab pickup. NAPS-Z 4 banger...

I wish I could go back and tell myself not to be an idiot...

Ya I would not admit that.

 

[emmett442]

 

[eljefino]

^ Pretty. And I've never seen trim like that!

 

[PontiacHO]

I have a 72 GS Stage 1 455. One of these days going to sell due to health--getting old, bad knees, heart issues etc plus the car has no a/c and you appreciate that when you get older.

That’s one of my favorite A bodies from GM. I wish you all the good health you can muster but let me know if you decide to sell. I’ll need a hobby for retirement scheduled for mid-year. Otherwise it will be never ending projects assigned by my better half.