On Beyond Engine Week

For decades in the high performance world, especially in muscle car circles, the last full week of April has pretty much been known as "engine week". For those of you who not familiar with this festive week that's never on any calendar, the dates from April 21st through the 30th correspond to some of the most famous big block V-8 displacements that came out of Detroit from the late 50's through the 1960's. You'll also notice that engine week is also technically longer than seven days, but we won't go there. Normally on Full Throttle, we take a historical look back at hot rods, muscle cars, as well as the golden age of drag racing mostly from the 1960's, although we have stretched the time frame going as far back as 1948 and leading up to the early 70's. This week however, we're going to focus on some rare and truly unusual muscle cars in honor of engine week.

The first date we'll focus on is April 26th; the engine - Chrysler's 426 Hemi. We'll admit that there are encyclopedia-levels of information, history, and photos of this famous big block and the vehicles the engine was put in. From muscle cars for the street, to wheel-standing exhibition drag race vehicles, the Hemi was introduced as a racing engine to dominate NASCAR (which it did) in 1964. It was quickly adapted to other types of racing, especially at the drag strip. While a street version of the Hemi wouldn't officially appear until 1966, a few scant examples squeaked through for 1965 - and not just in Super Stock trim.

Most are familiar with the factory built WO51 Super Stock versions that were built exclusively for drag racing purposes that year. The WO51 option was a lightweight version of the base Coronet 330 trim level sedan with the race Hemi between the fenders that pumped out 550-565 horsepower - and was fairly easy to spot. The grille only had two headlights as opposed to the regular production four lamps. These stripper models had non-adjustable front seats, fixed rear windows, and countless other deleted trim. On the opposite end of the spectrum, enter the 1965 Dodge Coronet 500. Bucket seats, console, and chrome trim galore. Despite the few magazine ads that slipped out, you weren't supposed to be able to get the Hemi in anything except the WO51 package. Be it by dealer or a factory assembly line goof up, a handful of Coronet 500's managed to sneak by with the Race Hemi under the loud pedal.

The next date on the agenda, April 27th; the engine - Chevy's infamous 427. Again, most enthusiasts are familiar with COPO Chevy Novas built in 1968 as well as dealer converted big block Novas sold by Yenko Chevy in York  Pennsylvania, Nickey Chevrolet based out of Chicago, as well as Motion Performance in Baldwin New York. But again, despite the "experts" best research and arguments, there are a few documented examples of 427SS Novas. According to data plates and paperwork, these Novas are not dealer converted vehicles, nor Central Office Purchase Order cars. Were they ordered as SS396 vehicles, something got screwed up, and then for some unknown reason showed up with a 427 under the hood at no extra charge? That seems to be the theory. We may never know.

The last stop on the automotive calendar is April 30th; the engine - Mercury's one year only option of their 400 horsepower 430 engine for 1958. Never heard of this? Don't feel too bad, most people haven't. It was the highest horsepower rating of any production engine during the 1950's. Based on the 430 Lincoln engine, it had high performance hardware installed throughout, including high-flow cylinder heads and triple carburetion. The kicker was, the engine was available in ANY Mercury model that year.

While most were in installed in the Super Marauder trim line, there were other examples of it being ordered in more basic trim levels, like the Montclair pictured above. These lower trim level machines were mostly purchased for drag racing purposes. Even more rare, are the dealer-modified versions of the MEL 430 V-8 that hosted a few more speed goodies that bumped the power level to 430 and even 450 horsepower respectively. However, as powerful as these engines were, quarter mile times were nothing to write home about. The best elapsed times we could stumble across were in the high 14-second area. With less than optimal rear end gearing and pathetic bias-ply tires, these animalistic Mercury's just smoked the rear hides for most of the quarter mile. In fact, one magazine reported going through a pair of tires with just a few hot laps down the 1320. One final reason why this engine was a one-year only option; it was stupid expensive and sold poorly. Still though - if you could get this barge to hook up, can you imagine the humiliation you could dish out with this rig? A cool sleeper if there ever was one - or as the advertisement stated; "The ultimate in fine car performance..."


Until next time, peace out.
Dave

Riding Shotgun

As of this writing I have four grand-kids, the two oldest being in double digits. Them being brother and sister to each other really doesn't make a difference - it would be the same if they were brothers or sisters to each other - because they would still have the uncanny knack of annoying the living daylights out of each other. That's just the way things are, and always have been, for countless generations. Siblings under the age of eighteen will simply get on each others nerves, intentionally as well as unintentionally. These two grand-kids are both old enough now that when they get ready to get into the car to call out either "shotgun" or "front seat". They're also old enough to squabble about it.

This happened to me the other week, when I picked them up from their house and the passenger front seat was available for the taking. Decisions about who gets to ride “shotgun” on any car trip of any length are not as clear as they used to be. I've come to realize that there are a myriad of factors that determine who gets to ride in the front passenger seat. Everyone comes from a different place along with a different set of standards in how the seat is selected. And just calling out “shotgun” doesn't cut it anymore. For some reason, kids who sometimes forget to do their homework when it was assigned that day, have the incredible ability of remembering who rode shotgun last in my car even though it happened about 5 weeks ago. Since I'm an old fart and can't remember shit, I usually solve the problem with a coin toss. If I don't have a coin, some form of bribery is in order for whomever gets the back seat. That backfires on occasion as now I have two kids either fighting for the backseat or they both sit there.

For most of my life, at least since my teen years, it was always pretty clear how the shotgun position was determined. It was usually given to the person who called it first. If two or more people called it at the exact same time, it usually came down to who was the biggest in size, or perhaps physical condition.The only trump card was on the extremely rare occasion if there was someone riding along who got motion sickness - they automatically got the front seat. The reason why this was extremely rare was that it was totally uncool inviting someone who could blow chunks all over the interior.

In my older years (now that I'm over 50), shotgun usually takes two forms; age and respect. The older you get, the more comfortable people think you'll be sitting up front. That rarely happens to me, even though I'm older than my wife. Somehow she always gets the passenger front seat - and she doesn't even say "Shotgun!" It's the respect angle that usually lands me in the shotgun seat, especially when it comes to hot rods, muscle cars, and/or drag cars. I can remember riding shotgun in my buddy's custom 1929 Ford rat rod convertible / roadster. There was no top to speak of and even though it was a glorious Spring day, it was both brutally chilly and wildly exhilarating... especially at over 90mph.

Two other shotgun rides, to this day, are embedded into my gray matter forever. The first, was in a 1966 Dodge Coronet that had a transplanted 440 Magnum engine that had north of 550 horsepower. While this scenario may seem like yawn city to some, what made it cool as hell was the fact we drove it through the crowded streets of Worcester Massachusetts some 20+ years ago with occasional blasts at over 85mph. The other adrenaline rush was the 100% vinyl seats. When making a robust unplanned stop, the upgraded front disc brakes did a marvelous job slamming us to a halt. However, the pathetic factory lap seat belts did nothing from pivoting us forward and almost cracking our heads open on the hard plastic dash. They also didn't do a very good job from keeping our butts from sliding around.

The second ride was much shorter as well as safer, but still wild as hell. A good friend of mine had a 1968 Dodge Dart that he made into a killer bracket drag car. Were talking full-bore 540+ cubic inches of big block Mopar capable of blasting the 2700 pound car down the quarter tarmac to the tune of the mid-8's. Before this ride, I had gone fast before - around mid-10's, but never that deep into the eights. While two seconds doesn't sound all that fast, it becomes brutal when it's accomplished in 1320 feet. The most vivid things I remember were the sounds and the scenery. First, the big block; it sounded absolutely savage - even through a full race helmet. My friend and I had to literally yell at each other at the top of our lungs in order to be heard. No high-end headsets here. The other two aspects were when the Torqueflite transmission literally slammed into gear - twice - as well as seeing mostly sky until about half track when the car returned to Earth with a slight thud. I think my ear-to-ear smile was planted on my face for about two days straight.

Riding shotgun - not as easy to claim as it used to be, but in some cases, damn worth it.

Until next time, peace out.
Dave

Barn Finds - Different Perspectives

Yeah - we know. No one has to tell you or us. In the antique, muscle car, street rod, and collector car world, the words "Barn Find" are red hot. I feel the use of the term and all that's associated with it has gone way beyond overkill. This phrase is no longer just an American car description; it has been applied to motorcycles, drag racing rigs, European sports cars, and period-built hot rods that have been stored for decades. I even saw someone advertise a circa 1970 Volvo sedan as a barn find recently in an auto trader publication. I've seen calendar's, video games, and the websites dedicated to this automotive phenomenon are numerous.

It has also frustrated the car-buying market. Since the term is now on nearly everybody's radar, many enthusiasts feel and are experiencing a jump in pricing in practically every field of antique vehicles. It has been noted time and time again that all this hype will make the average Joe who's had some old beat-up wagon rotting away in his back forty suddenly think it's worth way more than it is. Other hobbyists have encountered that when they approach the owner of a classic vehicle that is on borrowed time to be restored or saved as it is, that price is suddenly a concern. I've encountered the same scenario - a car has been languishing for years, but when someone shows interest in it, the owner suddenly has the attitude that's it's rare, or valuable, or they're going to restore it soon. And everyone knows full well, including said owner, that if you pass on their relic, it will continue to languish in the same spot for years to come without even a second of care or attention.

Lately however, I've been turning the tables on this mindset (for a lack of a better term). While I am looking to purchase my next go-fast ride, it will not be in barn find condition. I've owned and restored enough antique cars, trucks, and muscle cars in my life that I'm done with that aspect of it. What I do find very cool about barn find vehicles, (or cars that are parked out in a field, rusting away in a salvage yard or wherever), is the photographic aspect of it. I'm drawn to the rust, the patina, the peeling paint, the history as well as the times gone by. About 98% of old vehicle owners are accommodating as well as surprised that I want to photograph their old junk. See how the perspective changes? If I was looking to purchase it, it's at least somewhat valuable, but since I'm not, it's still just junk, as they call it. A few owners get downright deflated when you tell them you're not interested in purchasing said rusted hulk. I mean, now what are they going to do? Charge you admission or a fee to photograph it?

On the flip side though, the barn find craze has proven one thing - classic cars, of all ages and genres, are still out there. They haven't all been scooped up, like some experts like to think. And numerous owners, are in fact, breathing oxygen when it comes to selling. It's all about a happy medium. You get a good deal and they don't feel like you're trying to rip them off. It can be a somewhat lengthy scouting and purchasing process, but it can be so worth it.


Until next time, peace out.
Dave

April Fools Day - No Foolin'

I was going to post some bogus April Fools Day post - like maybe why this is the last blog post I'm doing because of several law suits by the big three domestic manufacturers, or maybe how I'm packing everything up and moving to New Zealand next month. But then I thought about someone, somewhere out there in Internet-land would take it completely seriously... especially if it was posted on Facebook. I mean if it's on Facebook, it just HAS to be true.

But April 1st and the month of foolery has offered us some cool things blessed by the Gods of Speed. One of the biggest automotive landmarks that came about in our glory era was the release of the AMC Gremlin. American Motors design chief Richard Teague, and stylist Bob Nixon discussed the possibility of a shortened version of a new AMC compact car back in 1967, especially since the Rambler's looks were getting a bit dated. On an airline flight, Teague's solution, which he said he sketched on an air sickness bag, was to truncate the tail of a Javelin. The original concept car from 1968 looked pretty cool if you could get used to the back end of it. Too bad that exact model wasn't released. Hitting the showroom floors on April 1st 1970, the new economical Gremlin was a love / hate relationship. AMC managed to sell just over 25,000 Gremlins in that abbreviated model year and managed to produce over 650,000 of them until production ended in 1978.

The only performance highlight from that 9-year model run was the Randall 401-XR. Randall AMC in Mesa, Arizona received AMC's endorsement to build 401 cu in V8 powered Gremlins. The cars started out as 304 V8 models from the factory and after Randall's modifications would run 13.90 seconds at 103-106 miles per hour in the quarter mile, and sold for a mere $2,995 - a true bargain if there ever was one. A total of twenty cars were built for the street and one for the strip between 1972 and 1974. Car Craft magazine tested one with some modifications and achieved 115.07 miles per hour in 12.22 seconds while still remaining a "totally streetable, daily-driver".

Drag racing hit the tarmac hard that Spring back in 1964 as the use nitromethane officially returned to the NHRA after a seven year ban. The popularity of drag racing was hitting an all-time high that year as well. The muscle car wars had officially started, the mighty Chrysler 426 Hemi was released just a month or so before in February, and was doing battle with Ford's 427 as well as Chevy's 427 Z-11. The A/FX racing class was in full swing and getting crazier by the week. If that wasn't enough, by the end of the year, drag cars that were originally intended for A/FX, turned into wheel-standers. Rigs like "Hemi Under Glass" and the "Little Red Wagon" would change the sport forever.

One final note - we wanted to let you know your shoe lace is untied. April Fools...

Until next time, peace out.
Dave