A force to be reckoned with was the L88 Corvette, it was a dominant force on the drag strip, and in the 24 hours of Daytona road race circuit, if your not a believer in the Corvette, maybe after this post you will be.
I know that I am a believer, for years I've wanted an L88 Corvette, to be more specific a 1967 L88 Corvette, what a machine.
The likes of which as never been seen since the 1960's, and may never be seen again.
I had a Friend that owned a 1968 model L88 Corvette, and awesome did not even begin to describe that car, it was a furious all out powerhouse built to destroy anything in it's path, and that it did on many occasions.
Now that I have finished my shining promotion for the 1967 L88 Corvette, it's time to talk about the car itself.
I could write an all-day long article about this particular car, but we'll stick to the specifics of it, and try to impress up on you the impact of a true American super car
The genius behind this car was of course Zora Arkus-Duntov, a brilliant Russian car designer who had an idea that made him a force to contend with.
It was actually 1967.5 when the L88 was offered on the 1967 Corvette, this was a race car that got put on the street, and surprised a lot of people with it's shear power and torque (RPO L88) was what you'd need to order to get this option on your Corvette.
it boasted a 427 CID engine rated at 435 HP from the factory, but we all know about the factory HP ratings.
That is if we're true muscle car freaks the actual HP of this fire-breathing car was closer to 700 HP, which at the time they were not allowed to sell due to insurance reasons, so of course it was a very underrated power figure.
There have been 1/4 mile times recorded in the 10 second range, after the slicks were put on the car, and the headers uncorked, a real engine tuner, and driver could make this car do amazing thing.
On the road circuit or the 1/4 mile, this car was a heart pounding ride of shear terror, and not for the weak of heart, the engine was outfitted with an 850 Holley double pumper carburettor, a camshaft with a .5635 inch intake lift, a rock-crusher 4 speed, and that's not where it ended, an optional automatic transmission was also available for those with a taste for the easy life.
88% of all 1967 Corvette's came with the 4-speed rock-crusher transmission; 10.1% had the powerglide automatic transmission, 20.8% had power brakes, well you get the idea here, all L88 Corvette's had a stripe down the center of the stinger hood to let people know that this was no ordinary Corvette, the paint codes were as follows for the Corvette line of cars in 1967, [990] Tuxedo Black,; [972] Ermine White; [974] Rally Red; [976] Marina Blue; [977] Lyndale Blue; [980] Elkhart Blue; [938] Goodward Green; [984] Sunfire Yellow; [986] Silver Pearl; [988] Marlboro Maroon.
This blog is dedicated to American muscle cars, and the preservation of them.
Monday, August 2, 2010
My List Of Cars To Restore – These Are Very Rare And Had To Find.
The first thing that you should know is that you will pay a lot of money for any of these cars. This is my list of the 10 best American muscle cars to restore. These cars won't be for sale the the thousands of dollars, or even the tens of thousands of dollars, unless you get lucky.
If you get lucky enough to find any of them for sale in the tens of thousands of dollars range. Plan on no less then around $90,000 this would be a great deal for most of these muscle cars. I realize that cars like this aren't for every muscle car nut.
Now right in to the mix, my first pick is the 1969 ZL1 Corvette. There were only two of these cars ever built, a yellow one, and a white one. The white one was seized by the government in a drug bust, and re-sold at auction for $300,000, you know how the government under sells things.
1.1969 ZL1 Corvette: This car came with an all aluminum 427 CID engine that was under rated at 430 horsepower, it was closer to 600 horsepower. The fact that there were only two ever built, and they came with the all aluminum 427 ZL1 engine puts this car in the number one position for me.
2.The 1967 Ford Cobra: This car came with a 427 engine, that was rated at 425 horsepower, but just like the ZL1 Corvette above, this car was under rated in horsepower also, probably closer to the upper 500 to lower 600 horsepower range. This combined with the fact that there were very few of them ever built puts this car in the number two position.
3.1969 ZL1 Camaro: this car came with the same engine as the Corvette above did, the all aluminum ZL1 417 CID, 430 Horsepower rated big block. I seen one of these cars auction for $990,000, there were only 69 built.
4.1970 Buick GSX: This was a very special muscle car, it held the highest horsepower until 1992, when Dodge released the Viper. I seen one of these sell for $660,000, there were very few of these cars ever built, the car came with a 455 CID engine rated at 360 Horsepower and 510 ftlb of torque, the stage 1 engine was rated at 360 horsepower, obviously when you compare the horsepower to the torque, it seems to be a bit off, I'd say it's around 500 horsepower.
5.1970 Hemi 'Cuda: The Hemi 'Cuda without a doubt put it's mark on the earth also, it's claim to fame was the hemispherical combustion chamber design that the heads boasted. The horsepower rating was about like all of the others. It was a 426 CID Hemi, the was rated at 425 horsepower, obviously under rated again, like the others it's closer to the 500-600 horsepower range. That along with the fact that their were few of them ever built give this car the fifth position.
6.1967 L88 Corvette: This is a great example of a dual purpose muscle car, in 1966 the L88 Corvette took both first and second places that the twenty four hours of Dytona. The L88 Corvette a 427 CID engine that was rated at 435 horsepower from the factory, but as the cars above it was closer to the 500-600 horsepower range, I saw one of the go for $2,000,000.
7.1967 Mustang GT 500: The GT 500 came with a 428 CID engine that was rated at 425 horsepower from the factory, but like the other was under rated in that area, it makes the list simply on it's rarity.
8.Mustang 1967 GT 350: The was powered by a 289 CID engine that was rated at 305 horsepower from the factory, but closer to 425 horsepower. It boasted a 0-60 time of 7.1 seconds. This is a very rare Mustang also.
9.1969 Yenko Camaro: This car was a special creation of Don Yenko, who owned Yenko Chevrolet at the time. Of course this car came with a 427 CID engine that was rated at 430 horsepower from the factory, these cars are very rare, and hard to find.
10.1969 Baldwin-Motion Camaro: This car was a bit different from the others, it had a 454 rather that a 427. This makes the list on shear rareness, and the fact that it's just a cool car.
If you get lucky enough to find any of them for sale in the tens of thousands of dollars range. Plan on no less then around $90,000 this would be a great deal for most of these muscle cars. I realize that cars like this aren't for every muscle car nut.
Now right in to the mix, my first pick is the 1969 ZL1 Corvette. There were only two of these cars ever built, a yellow one, and a white one. The white one was seized by the government in a drug bust, and re-sold at auction for $300,000, you know how the government under sells things.
1.1969 ZL1 Corvette: This car came with an all aluminum 427 CID engine that was under rated at 430 horsepower, it was closer to 600 horsepower. The fact that there were only two ever built, and they came with the all aluminum 427 ZL1 engine puts this car in the number one position for me.
2.The 1967 Ford Cobra: This car came with a 427 engine, that was rated at 425 horsepower, but just like the ZL1 Corvette above, this car was under rated in horsepower also, probably closer to the upper 500 to lower 600 horsepower range. This combined with the fact that there were very few of them ever built puts this car in the number two position.
3.1969 ZL1 Camaro: this car came with the same engine as the Corvette above did, the all aluminum ZL1 417 CID, 430 Horsepower rated big block. I seen one of these cars auction for $990,000, there were only 69 built.
4.1970 Buick GSX: This was a very special muscle car, it held the highest horsepower until 1992, when Dodge released the Viper. I seen one of these sell for $660,000, there were very few of these cars ever built, the car came with a 455 CID engine rated at 360 Horsepower and 510 ftlb of torque, the stage 1 engine was rated at 360 horsepower, obviously when you compare the horsepower to the torque, it seems to be a bit off, I'd say it's around 500 horsepower.
5.1970 Hemi 'Cuda: The Hemi 'Cuda without a doubt put it's mark on the earth also, it's claim to fame was the hemispherical combustion chamber design that the heads boasted. The horsepower rating was about like all of the others. It was a 426 CID Hemi, the was rated at 425 horsepower, obviously under rated again, like the others it's closer to the 500-600 horsepower range. That along with the fact that their were few of them ever built give this car the fifth position.
6.1967 L88 Corvette: This is a great example of a dual purpose muscle car, in 1966 the L88 Corvette took both first and second places that the twenty four hours of Dytona. The L88 Corvette a 427 CID engine that was rated at 435 horsepower from the factory, but as the cars above it was closer to the 500-600 horsepower range, I saw one of the go for $2,000,000.
7.1967 Mustang GT 500: The GT 500 came with a 428 CID engine that was rated at 425 horsepower from the factory, but like the other was under rated in that area, it makes the list simply on it's rarity.
8.Mustang 1967 GT 350: The was powered by a 289 CID engine that was rated at 305 horsepower from the factory, but closer to 425 horsepower. It boasted a 0-60 time of 7.1 seconds. This is a very rare Mustang also.
9.1969 Yenko Camaro: This car was a special creation of Don Yenko, who owned Yenko Chevrolet at the time. Of course this car came with a 427 CID engine that was rated at 430 horsepower from the factory, these cars are very rare, and hard to find.
10.1969 Baldwin-Motion Camaro: This car was a bit different from the others, it had a 454 rather that a 427. This makes the list on shear rareness, and the fact that it's just a cool car.
GM Has Confirmed The Release of The 2011 Z28 Camaro The Z28 Camaro It's About Time Guys
GM has confirmed the release of a 2011 Z28 Camaro. The is filled with anticipation, I can't wait to see the new 2011 Z28 Camaro. Supposedly it's going to come equipped with the 556 HP Cadillac CTS-V engine, all I can say is awesome.
If this is true, it's time for Ford and Chrysler to pump up the volume, or this Camaro will chew you up, and spit you out. The engine is a 6.1 Liter small block Chevrolet engine, witch as had a supercharger, and inter-cooler added to it.
This is of course how the 2011 Z28 Camaro will produce these numbers, the Cadillac CTS-V dominated it's class on the race track, and the Z28 Camaro is 300 pounds lighter, the 2011 Z28 Camaro should be capable of about 3.6 – 3.8 0-06 times.
The Cadillac CTS-V is capable of ¼ mile in the 13 second range, after trimming off some 300 pounds that Z28 should be capable of an 11.4 or 11.5 in the ¼ mile. That is some pretty impressive stats to have to beat if your the competition.
The 2011 Z28 Camaro should be a force to be reckoned with, if they release that Z28 setup with this engine, it will be a hard car to beat. It's time to get ready to lose, that is unless your driving the 2011 Z28 Camaro.
If this is true, it's time for Ford and Chrysler to pump up the volume, or this Camaro will chew you up, and spit you out. The engine is a 6.1 Liter small block Chevrolet engine, witch as had a supercharger, and inter-cooler added to it.
This is of course how the 2011 Z28 Camaro will produce these numbers, the Cadillac CTS-V dominated it's class on the race track, and the Z28 Camaro is 300 pounds lighter, the 2011 Z28 Camaro should be capable of about 3.6 – 3.8 0-06 times.
The Cadillac CTS-V is capable of ¼ mile in the 13 second range, after trimming off some 300 pounds that Z28 should be capable of an 11.4 or 11.5 in the ¼ mile. That is some pretty impressive stats to have to beat if your the competition.
The 2011 Z28 Camaro should be a force to be reckoned with, if they release that Z28 setup with this engine, it will be a hard car to beat. It's time to get ready to lose, that is unless your driving the 2011 Z28 Camaro.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Exciting News GM Confirms 2011 Z/28 Camaro Is On The Way
Exciting News GM Confirms 2011 Z28 Camaro Is On The Way
GM has confirmed that the Z28 Camaro is going to be produced, what great news for a Z28 freak like me. This is a great way to start a new day at MCI, as you know we love the Chevrolet Camaro, and the Z28 Camaro is one of our favorite.
When the 2010 SS Camaro was released we went nuts, doing reviews, getting information, and generally just relishing the moment. Now with the release of the 2011 Z28 Camaro Chevrolet has completed the Camaro line one again.
We haven't confirmed any engine options, but due to the pricing information that we have found, we're expecting that the Z28 Camaro will have a supercharged 6.2 liter engine. The pricing info is not a for sure thing yet, but we have learned that it's will most likely run about $8,000 more then the SS Model.
This alone indicates some upgrades, and the most likely upgrade would in the engine and suspension areas of the car. This is where GM would get the biggest pay off of their work. Obviously we don't know for sure about this, but keep your ears open.
Be ready for the 2011 Z28 Camaro to come screaming off of the production line more then likely with the 550 HP supercharged Cadillac ES-V engine. This would be very stiff competition for the GT 500 Mustang, and more then likely beat it, the 2011 Z28 Camaro will stand out from the crowd.
All we can do is watch and wait for this to happen, but I have confirmed this through trusted sources on the Camaro. You can check it out a http://camaro5.com or http://chevorletreports.com this is the bast news that we have had since the release of the 2010 SS Camaro.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
How Much Does It Cost To Restore A Car?
This is just one of those questions that doesn’t really have a definite answer, it all depends on how for you want to take the restoration of your car.
First off most respectable shops will charge a high price to restore your car; most shops start at around $75.00 per hour per person working on your car.
So you’ve got to think about what it is that you want your car to be when it’s done, is it a show car, or a driver, is it a custom car, or a factory pure restoration.
These are the things that you want to ask yourself long before you decide to restore your car.
It can, and usually does cost a lot of money to restore your classic car.
One of the biggest reasons a lot of cars never get finished is because the owner of the car never planed what he wanted the car to be when it was finished.
Depending on the rarity of your car prices will change, people charge a premium price for parts that are hard to find, and this is not a rip off, it’s all a part of playing the game.
I suggest that you learn all you can about your particular car, be very familiar with what the car came with from the factory, paint colors, engine, and interior options, know your car, this is the best way to save cash while building your car.
If you haven’t bought the car that you want to restore yet, I will give you some hints on how to get a good one to start with.
1) Check the body for rust hole, paint bubbling, or flaking off of the car.
A. Check the rocker panels for rust and bad body work.
B. Check the engine bay for rust, or paint bubbling or flaking.
C. Check the front fenders, header and valance panels for rust, bad body & paint work, paint flaking or bubbling.
D. Check the quarter panels for rust hole, bad body & paint work, paint bubbling, flaking or large dents.
E. Check the doors for bad body & paint work, larger dents, rust holes, paint flaking or bubbling.
2) Hinges & body gaps & alignments.
A. Open and close the doors a few times, look for the doors to drop when you open them, also listen for loud cracking noises, these indicate bad hinges or rusted hinge mounts.
B. Look closely at the door gaps, hood gaps and trunk gaps, none should be less then 1/8″ or more then a 1/4″, if so this indicates that they have been removed for some reason, usually to replace after a wreck.
C. Look closely at the alignment of the front clip on the car, if if sits more to one side then the other, it has been removed, or part of it has been removed, yet again indicating major body work has been done.
This is just a few things to look at on the car that you wnat to restore, any work that doesn’t have to be done, or the lees new parts you have to buy, the more cash you will save.
David C. Atkin
First off most respectable shops will charge a high price to restore your car; most shops start at around $75.00 per hour per person working on your car.
So you’ve got to think about what it is that you want your car to be when it’s done, is it a show car, or a driver, is it a custom car, or a factory pure restoration.
These are the things that you want to ask yourself long before you decide to restore your car.
It can, and usually does cost a lot of money to restore your classic car.
One of the biggest reasons a lot of cars never get finished is because the owner of the car never planed what he wanted the car to be when it was finished.
Depending on the rarity of your car prices will change, people charge a premium price for parts that are hard to find, and this is not a rip off, it’s all a part of playing the game.
I suggest that you learn all you can about your particular car, be very familiar with what the car came with from the factory, paint colors, engine, and interior options, know your car, this is the best way to save cash while building your car.
If you haven’t bought the car that you want to restore yet, I will give you some hints on how to get a good one to start with.
1) Check the body for rust hole, paint bubbling, or flaking off of the car.
A. Check the rocker panels for rust and bad body work.
B. Check the engine bay for rust, or paint bubbling or flaking.
C. Check the front fenders, header and valance panels for rust, bad body & paint work, paint flaking or bubbling.
D. Check the quarter panels for rust hole, bad body & paint work, paint bubbling, flaking or large dents.
E. Check the doors for bad body & paint work, larger dents, rust holes, paint flaking or bubbling.
2) Hinges & body gaps & alignments.
A. Open and close the doors a few times, look for the doors to drop when you open them, also listen for loud cracking noises, these indicate bad hinges or rusted hinge mounts.
B. Look closely at the door gaps, hood gaps and trunk gaps, none should be less then 1/8″ or more then a 1/4″, if so this indicates that they have been removed for some reason, usually to replace after a wreck.
C. Look closely at the alignment of the front clip on the car, if if sits more to one side then the other, it has been removed, or part of it has been removed, yet again indicating major body work has been done.
This is just a few things to look at on the car that you wnat to restore, any work that doesn’t have to be done, or the lees new parts you have to buy, the more cash you will save.
David C. Atkin
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
Muscle Cars Are A Way Of Life
It's no wonder that people love muscle cars, they remind us of the good old days. The days what life was about the simple things, all we thought about was the next big mod on our muscle cars. Was my car going to be the best one this weekend, was my car going to win the race.
We built our Camaros, our Mustangs, our Chargers, and of course our Corvettes, we spent hours in the garage behind the house coming up with a new wat to make the cars look, or perform better then they did last week, now even our hobby has become a business.
As the economy get's worse, and money get's tighter, in the back of the car guys heads is playing a scenario, this same scenario played n our minds in the late 1970's when Ralph Nader begun his big push on emissions friendly cars.
The scenario plays out something like this, will I wake up this morning, and turn on the news to hear some politician telling me that muscle cars are now banned from the streets of the USA. Obviously we would go down fighting, we would never jump ship in mid drift.
But still we always wonder what the next big thing will be, how will they try to kill our dreams next. So we buy them up, put them in storage, and wait to see what come next. Then out of the blue we start to see the old muscle cars re-appear on the streets again.
A flow of new found passion, and a burning energy to build another one for ourselves ignites. We are re-born, the passion that should never have died has returned. The passion that makes our blood pump, the classic muscle car passion.
Once again we see all of our favorite cars on the road, and a thought comes to mind, it's the same thought that comes to mind every time they try to kill our dreams. It's the thought of us crossing the finish line, in our pride and joy of a car saying this is mine, and you can't take it.
Every time you try, we come back better, stronger, and faster then before. The big three bringing back the Camaro, Mustang, and Challenger started the hearts of the muscle car guys again. They gave the old energy a new found life, they helped bring the younger kids to the game.
An the heart of a muscle car is young, it's vibrant and strong. You can't kill it with a few idol threats, and some nasty words from an idiot calling himself president. You can't kill the desire to be better, stronger, and faster, but most of all your can't kill the ever burning spirit of a muscle car.
We built our Camaros, our Mustangs, our Chargers, and of course our Corvettes, we spent hours in the garage behind the house coming up with a new wat to make the cars look, or perform better then they did last week, now even our hobby has become a business.
As the economy get's worse, and money get's tighter, in the back of the car guys heads is playing a scenario, this same scenario played n our minds in the late 1970's when Ralph Nader begun his big push on emissions friendly cars.
The scenario plays out something like this, will I wake up this morning, and turn on the news to hear some politician telling me that muscle cars are now banned from the streets of the USA. Obviously we would go down fighting, we would never jump ship in mid drift.
But still we always wonder what the next big thing will be, how will they try to kill our dreams next. So we buy them up, put them in storage, and wait to see what come next. Then out of the blue we start to see the old muscle cars re-appear on the streets again.
A flow of new found passion, and a burning energy to build another one for ourselves ignites. We are re-born, the passion that should never have died has returned. The passion that makes our blood pump, the classic muscle car passion.
Once again we see all of our favorite cars on the road, and a thought comes to mind, it's the same thought that comes to mind every time they try to kill our dreams. It's the thought of us crossing the finish line, in our pride and joy of a car saying this is mine, and you can't take it.
Every time you try, we come back better, stronger, and faster then before. The big three bringing back the Camaro, Mustang, and Challenger started the hearts of the muscle car guys again. They gave the old energy a new found life, they helped bring the younger kids to the game.
An the heart of a muscle car is young, it's vibrant and strong. You can't kill it with a few idol threats, and some nasty words from an idiot calling himself president. You can't kill the desire to be better, stronger, and faster, but most of all your can't kill the ever burning spirit of a muscle car.
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