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.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
How To Spray Candy Apple Paint On Your Car
It has come to my attention that I have never written an article on how to spray candy apple paint on your car. I have don't how to paint a car, but this just isn't quite the same, so here we go. For this article we will assume that the body repair, and prep work is done already.
The car is also masked, and in the paint booth; the first thing that you need to do is to go over the car with a tack cloth. After you have tacked the car, you can clean it with a pre-paint prep cleaner. Make sure that you don't leave any residue from the cleaner behind.
This is about where the similarities to a base coat clear coat paint job end. When you spray candy apple paint; your first coat is all that will resemble a regular base coat clear coat paint job. You will need to plan on spending about three times as long in the spray both, has a regular base coat clear coat paint job.
Now that you have the car clean, and ready to spray we'll spray the base coat. With candy apple this is usually three coats of a gold, or silver base coat depending on the effect that you want. Make sure that you give it at least fifteen minutes between coats, I prefer thirty minutes with candy apple.
You should tack cloth the car between each coat of silver, or gold base coat that you lay down. It should never take more then three coats of base coat, all it need to do is to cover the car. You should always follow the mixing instructions provided by the pant manufacture.
If your interested I usually use House Of Color candy apple paint, to this point in time it seems to be the best that I have found. Ask your paint dealer for proper mixing instructions, and follow them to the letter for the best results.
The next step is the candy coat, this is where it can get a bit tricky; the darker you want the candy apple to be, the more coats you will need to spray. With out a doubt you should give this thirty minutes between each coat, and you don't need to tack between coats of candy apple.
In a normal base coat clear coat paint job this would be your last step, but here it's you second to last step. You need to pay close attention to the clock here, because if you let it go for to long; you will need to let it wait over night, and wet sand the entire car.
Some painters prefer this, they say it makes a smoother paint job; I am one of those painters that believes that to be true. If you wait and sand the car later, you will be able to sand all of the imperfections out of the paint.
If you waited, and sanded the car with 400, or 600 grit sand paper; the first thing that you should have done is to clean the car when you got in to the shop. After the car has been thoroughly cleaned, and re-masked, it can go back in the paint booth.
After it's back in the paint booth, you should tack cloth it again; when your done with that you need to prep clean it again. Once that is done your ready to spray the clear coat on the car, I usually spray five, or six coats of high build clear, planning to cut and buff the car later.
Well there you go, that the short and skinny on candy apple paint, I hope that it helps you with your car. That is why I write these articles, if I help even one of the car nuts out there, I have done my job.
Please do comment on our posts, and let us know what you would like us to write about.
The car is also masked, and in the paint booth; the first thing that you need to do is to go over the car with a tack cloth. After you have tacked the car, you can clean it with a pre-paint prep cleaner. Make sure that you don't leave any residue from the cleaner behind.
This is about where the similarities to a base coat clear coat paint job end. When you spray candy apple paint; your first coat is all that will resemble a regular base coat clear coat paint job. You will need to plan on spending about three times as long in the spray both, has a regular base coat clear coat paint job.
Now that you have the car clean, and ready to spray we'll spray the base coat. With candy apple this is usually three coats of a gold, or silver base coat depending on the effect that you want. Make sure that you give it at least fifteen minutes between coats, I prefer thirty minutes with candy apple.
You should tack cloth the car between each coat of silver, or gold base coat that you lay down. It should never take more then three coats of base coat, all it need to do is to cover the car. You should always follow the mixing instructions provided by the pant manufacture.
If your interested I usually use House Of Color candy apple paint, to this point in time it seems to be the best that I have found. Ask your paint dealer for proper mixing instructions, and follow them to the letter for the best results.
The next step is the candy coat, this is where it can get a bit tricky; the darker you want the candy apple to be, the more coats you will need to spray. With out a doubt you should give this thirty minutes between each coat, and you don't need to tack between coats of candy apple.
In a normal base coat clear coat paint job this would be your last step, but here it's you second to last step. You need to pay close attention to the clock here, because if you let it go for to long; you will need to let it wait over night, and wet sand the entire car.
Some painters prefer this, they say it makes a smoother paint job; I am one of those painters that believes that to be true. If you wait and sand the car later, you will be able to sand all of the imperfections out of the paint.
If you waited, and sanded the car with 400, or 600 grit sand paper; the first thing that you should have done is to clean the car when you got in to the shop. After the car has been thoroughly cleaned, and re-masked, it can go back in the paint booth.
After it's back in the paint booth, you should tack cloth it again; when your done with that you need to prep clean it again. Once that is done your ready to spray the clear coat on the car, I usually spray five, or six coats of high build clear, planning to cut and buff the car later.
Well there you go, that the short and skinny on candy apple paint, I hope that it helps you with your car. That is why I write these articles, if I help even one of the car nuts out there, I have done my job.
Please do comment on our posts, and let us know what you would like us to write about.
Friday, June 18, 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 or a 428. 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 or a 428. This makes the list on shear rareness, and the fact that it's just a cool car.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
How Much Does It Cost To Restore A Muscle Car
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How much does it cost to restore a muscle car; this is a question that I get asked all of the time. Most people feel like their should be a definite answer to this question. The truth of the matter is that there is no clear cut answer to this question.
Most people think that this is like collision work, where there is an estimate standard that we follow. The truth of the matter, is that there is really no way for any governing body to come up with a standard for estimating a complete restoration project.
Yes it's true that we can estimate small things, like an engine rebuild, until you decide to modify the engine, then all bets are off. There are so many things that we can't see until we have taken the car apart, and by that time we have already started the work.
Some of the common things that will hide form an estimate are, wiring problems that can't be seen by the eyeball, rust in places that can't be seen, and engine problems usually won't rear their ugly heads until it's to late. This always causes problems for you, and the shop doing the work.
I can give average times that it takes to restore a car that is in excellent, or good condition, but this can be deceiving to the person who owns the car. Everybody thinks that they have just bought the only rust free, perfect problem free muscle car left, but that is never the case.
There almost isn't a place that you can live in this country, that won't give your car a chance to rust. Forget what they say about California being the perfect place, it sits by an ocean, this means salt water is in the air, and salt is the worst thing for a car body.
Now for the some what of an answer, my shop has a labor rate of $75.00 per hour, and the average car that is in good shape will take no less that 1,000 hours to restore. The math is quite simple, this means $75,000 just in labor, not to mention the parts, these jobs are never cheap.
To the person who says that you should look at what the car is worth before you restore it. This is not great advise, most cars aren't worth what it will cost to restore them. The one thing that you need to know, is that they never lose their value, unless you customize it beyond recognition.
For most people the restoration of a car is a labor of love, it reminds you of a better, simpler time in your life, it just has a personal value to you, that can't be monetized in a blue book. This is the reason why most people restore a car.
The question how much does it cost to restore a muscle car, well that is up to you, it depends on your idea of what the car should be when it's done. There are certain cars that are worth a lot more to me then other cars, but to you it might be a different story.
FGW4MFHX9RH8
How much does it cost to restore a muscle car; this is a question that I get asked all of the time. Most people feel like their should be a definite answer to this question. The truth of the matter is that there is no clear cut answer to this question.
Most people think that this is like collision work, where there is an estimate standard that we follow. The truth of the matter, is that there is really no way for any governing body to come up with a standard for estimating a complete restoration project.
Yes it's true that we can estimate small things, like an engine rebuild, until you decide to modify the engine, then all bets are off. There are so many things that we can't see until we have taken the car apart, and by that time we have already started the work.
Some of the common things that will hide form an estimate are, wiring problems that can't be seen by the eyeball, rust in places that can't be seen, and engine problems usually won't rear their ugly heads until it's to late. This always causes problems for you, and the shop doing the work.
I can give average times that it takes to restore a car that is in excellent, or good condition, but this can be deceiving to the person who owns the car. Everybody thinks that they have just bought the only rust free, perfect problem free muscle car left, but that is never the case.
There almost isn't a place that you can live in this country, that won't give your car a chance to rust. Forget what they say about California being the perfect place, it sits by an ocean, this means salt water is in the air, and salt is the worst thing for a car body.
Now for the some what of an answer, my shop has a labor rate of $75.00 per hour, and the average car that is in good shape will take no less that 1,000 hours to restore. The math is quite simple, this means $75,000 just in labor, not to mention the parts, these jobs are never cheap.
To the person who says that you should look at what the car is worth before you restore it. This is not great advise, most cars aren't worth what it will cost to restore them. The one thing that you need to know, is that they never lose their value, unless you customize it beyond recognition.
For most people the restoration of a car is a labor of love, it reminds you of a better, simpler time in your life, it just has a personal value to you, that can't be monetized in a blue book. This is the reason why most people restore a car.
The question how much does it cost to restore a muscle car, well that is up to you, it depends on your idea of what the car should be when it's done. There are certain cars that are worth a lot more to me then other cars, but to you it might be a different story.
FGW4MFHX9RH8
1970 LS 6 Chevelle - A History
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The Chevelle is one of Chevrolet’s most famous muscle cars of all times, it made a respectable name for it’s self in the muscle car world, during it’s run as a muscle car it could hold it’s own with the best of them, there were a lot of different versions of the Chevelle and they were one of the best examples of a muscle car out there.
They were heavily optioned, big and powerful cars, my personal favorite years for the Chevelle were 1967 and 1970, these cars made a real statement, they were long and wide, and had the true muscle car look and feel about them, the Chevelle was a true muscle car icon from the late 1960’s & early 1970’s.
The LS6 454
The biggest performance option for 1970 was the “LS6 454”; it produced 450 HP @ 5600 RPM and built 500 lb-ft of torque @ 3600 RPM. It has high compression pistons and rectangle port cylinder heads, along with a solid lifter camshaft. Few other muscle cars could rival the power of the LS6.
By 1970 style was every bit as important as performance, and the SS Chevelles were available with twin racing stripes, that want over the hood and deck lid.
The Muncie M22 Rock Crusher 4 speed transmission
With 500 ft-lb of torque, only two transmissions were able to handle the LS6 engine. The Muncie M22 rock crusher, which supposedly got its name from having diamonds dropped in to the gearbox, and it, crushed the rocks before it chewed the gears out of the transmission. The second transmission that was tough enough to handle the LS6 was the turbohydromatic 400 automatic transmission.
With the SS package came an upgraded suspension system known as the F41 suspension, it basically had stiffer springs to handle the extra weight of the big block engine that was stuffed in to this wicked ride, a full length 2.5 inch dual exhaust also came standard on the SS models.
The cowl induction hood
The cowl induction hood was one the most distinctive features on the SS Chevelles, a slightly raised portion of the hood, with the opening for the scoop facing the driver of the car, it would draw air from the bottom of the windshield area, where the air has a natural swirling effect.
Engine Specifications
* Cast Iron Engine Block
* Cast Iron Cylinder Heads
* Two Valves Per Cylinder
* 4.25 inch bore with a 4 inch stroke
* 454 CID
* 11.25:1 Compression Ratio
Well that's more or less the story of the 1970 Chevelle LS6, during that time these cars were feared by their opponents, and loathed by the other motor companies, with all of them trying to out do each other in the muscle car wars, not to many of them could lay this car to rest, it was one tough hombre.
I've been in the automotive business for about 20 or 25 years, I have worked in all facets of the industry, from parts to restoration, all different makes and models, I just want to keep people interested in the old cars because it's where my heart is.
FGW4MFHX9RH8
The Chevelle is one of Chevrolet’s most famous muscle cars of all times, it made a respectable name for it’s self in the muscle car world, during it’s run as a muscle car it could hold it’s own with the best of them, there were a lot of different versions of the Chevelle and they were one of the best examples of a muscle car out there.
They were heavily optioned, big and powerful cars, my personal favorite years for the Chevelle were 1967 and 1970, these cars made a real statement, they were long and wide, and had the true muscle car look and feel about them, the Chevelle was a true muscle car icon from the late 1960’s & early 1970’s.
The LS6 454
The biggest performance option for 1970 was the “LS6 454”; it produced 450 HP @ 5600 RPM and built 500 lb-ft of torque @ 3600 RPM. It has high compression pistons and rectangle port cylinder heads, along with a solid lifter camshaft. Few other muscle cars could rival the power of the LS6.
By 1970 style was every bit as important as performance, and the SS Chevelles were available with twin racing stripes, that want over the hood and deck lid.
The Muncie M22 Rock Crusher 4 speed transmission
With 500 ft-lb of torque, only two transmissions were able to handle the LS6 engine. The Muncie M22 rock crusher, which supposedly got its name from having diamonds dropped in to the gearbox, and it, crushed the rocks before it chewed the gears out of the transmission. The second transmission that was tough enough to handle the LS6 was the turbohydromatic 400 automatic transmission.
With the SS package came an upgraded suspension system known as the F41 suspension, it basically had stiffer springs to handle the extra weight of the big block engine that was stuffed in to this wicked ride, a full length 2.5 inch dual exhaust also came standard on the SS models.
The cowl induction hood
The cowl induction hood was one the most distinctive features on the SS Chevelles, a slightly raised portion of the hood, with the opening for the scoop facing the driver of the car, it would draw air from the bottom of the windshield area, where the air has a natural swirling effect.
Engine Specifications
* Cast Iron Engine Block
* Cast Iron Cylinder Heads
* Two Valves Per Cylinder
* 4.25 inch bore with a 4 inch stroke
* 454 CID
* 11.25:1 Compression Ratio
Well that's more or less the story of the 1970 Chevelle LS6, during that time these cars were feared by their opponents, and loathed by the other motor companies, with all of them trying to out do each other in the muscle car wars, not to many of them could lay this car to rest, it was one tough hombre.
I've been in the automotive business for about 20 or 25 years, I have worked in all facets of the industry, from parts to restoration, all different makes and models, I just want to keep people interested in the old cars because it's where my heart is.
FGW4MFHX9RH8
I Got Spammed By Google – Now The Work from Muscle Car Information Is Gone
I used to have a blog on this site called http://american-muscle.blogsopot.com , after a number of years google remove the blog, saying that their spam-bot had declared my blog spam. I have never in my life spammed a blog, or as they say splogged.
I had hundreds of articles on that blog, which now just seem to be gone. I have been working for two weeks to get my blog back on line, to no avail. I write articles on classic cars, muscle cars, and the restoration of them, this was a popular blog until now.
It has fallen out of the search engines, google was the first to start letting it drop. I could understand this if my blog was spam, I would even expect it to happen, but I followed the rules. It takes a long time, and a lot of work to get these blogs to rank on the first page of the major search engines.
Well it's all gone now, I guess I just have to start from scratch again. So for all of you that were used to reading my blog at http://american-muscle.blogspot.com I hope you find this one to be just as good. I will try to cover most subjects related to classic cars, and muscle cars.
I had hundreds of articles on that blog, which now just seem to be gone. I have been working for two weeks to get my blog back on line, to no avail. I write articles on classic cars, muscle cars, and the restoration of them, this was a popular blog until now.
It has fallen out of the search engines, google was the first to start letting it drop. I could understand this if my blog was spam, I would even expect it to happen, but I followed the rules. It takes a long time, and a lot of work to get these blogs to rank on the first page of the major search engines.
Well it's all gone now, I guess I just have to start from scratch again. So for all of you that were used to reading my blog at http://american-muscle.blogspot.com I hope you find this one to be just as good. I will try to cover most subjects related to classic cars, and muscle cars.
Thank You
David C. Atkin
David C. Atkin
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
The Cost To Restore A Car
This depends on a lot of issues, most of which we can't determine without tearing your car apart, at this point we have already begun the work on your car, the cost to restore your car is a subjective thing, we have no idea what it will take to restore a car until we look in to it.
Is the car from an area that makes it rust heavily, if so what damage has rust caused to the car, do we need to replace most of the metal parts of the car, such as the floorboards, trunk floors, rocker panels, and inner wheel wells, well you get the idea.
Does it have excessive body damage, electrical damage, interior damage, or mechanical damage, all of these things weigh in to the cost of getting your car restored, most reputable shops will have a shop labor rate that is high, if you locate a $25.00 per hour shop beware of what might happen to your car.
You might think that this sounds unfair, but your paying for their knowledge, not for their time, most reputable shops have owners that have spent a lot of time learning how to restore cars, and they should get paid for their knowledge of your car.
This is not collision repair, it's nothing like it, we have no book to go off of to estimate the cost to restore your car, we have our knowledge of of your car, and the restoration of it, people often ask me if they can restore a car for less then it would cost to buy a fully restored one, the answer is no.
It will always cast more to restore a car then the blue book value of the car, so restoring them to resell, and make money off of is not the answer, you need to restore the car because it holds nostalgia for your, it brings back memories of the good old days.
There are just way to many factors to look at, factors that require us to begin work on the car to know what's going on with it, a car can have a lot of hidden surprises, things that you'll never see from just an outer inspection of the car, we need to get deeper then that to know about that car.
I know that to you this sounds like an excuse to get started on your car, but there really is no way for a restoration shop to know what's in store in the restoration of any car, it is 100% impossible to estimate the cost of restoring your car.
An average restoration can, and will take a lot of time to complete, even if the car is in excellent condition, it will take at least 1,000 hours to complete the restoration of your car, so let's take my shop for example, the shop labor rate is $75.00 PHR, this means at least $75,000 in just labor.
It does not include parts, or supplies, it does not include any custom work that you want done, nor does it include any high performance work that you want done, this just gives you an idea of why a shop would say that they don't estimate restoration work on any car.
If you want the car restored faster, all the shop can do is to put another tech on your job, and most shops won't do that for free, they'll charge shop labor rate for each employee that works on your car, so you should also keep this in mind when you want to push the speed.
This is not the first article that I have written on this, and I'm sure it won't be the last, I seem to keep getting the same questions, a professional restoration shop is not in business to rip you off, they are only charging what it costs them to do the work.
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Is the car from an area that makes it rust heavily, if so what damage has rust caused to the car, do we need to replace most of the metal parts of the car, such as the floorboards, trunk floors, rocker panels, and inner wheel wells, well you get the idea.
Does it have excessive body damage, electrical damage, interior damage, or mechanical damage, all of these things weigh in to the cost of getting your car restored, most reputable shops will have a shop labor rate that is high, if you locate a $25.00 per hour shop beware of what might happen to your car.
You might think that this sounds unfair, but your paying for their knowledge, not for their time, most reputable shops have owners that have spent a lot of time learning how to restore cars, and they should get paid for their knowledge of your car.
This is not collision repair, it's nothing like it, we have no book to go off of to estimate the cost to restore your car, we have our knowledge of of your car, and the restoration of it, people often ask me if they can restore a car for less then it would cost to buy a fully restored one, the answer is no.
It will always cast more to restore a car then the blue book value of the car, so restoring them to resell, and make money off of is not the answer, you need to restore the car because it holds nostalgia for your, it brings back memories of the good old days.
There are just way to many factors to look at, factors that require us to begin work on the car to know what's going on with it, a car can have a lot of hidden surprises, things that you'll never see from just an outer inspection of the car, we need to get deeper then that to know about that car.
I know that to you this sounds like an excuse to get started on your car, but there really is no way for a restoration shop to know what's in store in the restoration of any car, it is 100% impossible to estimate the cost of restoring your car.
An average restoration can, and will take a lot of time to complete, even if the car is in excellent condition, it will take at least 1,000 hours to complete the restoration of your car, so let's take my shop for example, the shop labor rate is $75.00 PHR, this means at least $75,000 in just labor.
It does not include parts, or supplies, it does not include any custom work that you want done, nor does it include any high performance work that you want done, this just gives you an idea of why a shop would say that they don't estimate restoration work on any car.
If you want the car restored faster, all the shop can do is to put another tech on your job, and most shops won't do that for free, they'll charge shop labor rate for each employee that works on your car, so you should also keep this in mind when you want to push the speed.
This is not the first article that I have written on this, and I'm sure it won't be the last, I seem to keep getting the same questions, a professional restoration shop is not in business to rip you off, they are only charging what it costs them to do the work.
8DVD5SCETCNJ
Deciding What Muscle Car To Buy
Let's say that you have decided to buy a classic muscle car, and maybe you and the family plan to restore it and go to the local car shows, but since you this is to be your first muscle car your wondering what car you should buy, this really is up to you, but I will give you a couple of hints.
First of all you might want to consider a car that you have always wanted, most people have some preference about what they like in a muscle car, but if this is your first restoration, you may want to consider a few things, this isn't meant to sway you one way, or the other, it's just good to know.
If your working with a budget that may help you to make your decision, there are a few things to consider if your going to run on a budget, first of all the most expensive cars to restore are Mopars, the parts are hard to find a lot of the time, and people know what they want for them.
I restored 1970 Dodge charger R/T for a client some time ago, we needed upper and lower control arms for the front suspension, it turns out that at the time nobody was selling them in the after market, so we went looking for some used ones, and we found them at a price of $800.00 a piece, that is $3,200.
They just didn't build a lot of the Mopar muscle cars, and they got in to the market late, so they are very rare and hard to find, and this means more money to restore, but that about enough of that, I'm going to talk about some other key points to think about as you look for your muscle car.
I'm going to look at some issues that may be good for a first time car restoration experience, these are things that may answer some questions about which cars are harder to restore for a first car restoration, these things will be to do with the body restoration.
First of all if you want to start out with the cat that is the easiest to restore I would say that you should be looking at a first or second generation camaro, let me explain why I say this, first of all when you restore a car, that first thing you do after you get it, is to build a list of the parts that you need.
The first thing with the camaro is you can get almost every part you need from the after market, most of them are readily available to you, and because of this you can get parts for great prices, so it may fit your budget a bit better.
Just in case a camaro isn't your idea of the perfect car to restore, I'm going to cover some body problems that Ford, Chevrolet, and Mopar all had, and this should help you to decide on you idea of the perfect car to restore.
Up first is the camaro, this will apply to first, or second generation camaros, you should always inspect the body of any classic car before you buy it, especially if it's your first restoration job, what I will do here is explain the problem areas on each car.
First of all I'd look for bad body work, because this is one reason why a car will rust, make sure that you have a note book with your, so you can document what you find on each car, and use your note to compare that cars to find the best one for you to start with.
Camaro Problem Areas: This is a general Chevrolet problem area, as with most classic Chevrolet's the camaro like to rust in the rocker panels, and these are a major structural part o the body, if you see any rust you should replace them.
The rocker panels can be found just below the doors on any car, take your time as you inspect them, make sure that you don't miss anything, next we'll move to the front end of the car, and take a look at the sub frame, and engine compartment area of the car.
Sub Frame & Engine Compartment: The sub frame of most camaros really isn't that prone to rust, but I would still inspect it to make sure, the area that I would concentrate is the radiator support, and the firewall, you should also look at the wheel wells, although I have never found them to be a problem area.
Floor Boards: This can be a problem for any classic car, but it seems to affect the camaro less then the mustang, and most Mopars, although I would still put the car up on a hoist and look at the floor boards, these are areas that can make your first time restoration a pain in the butt.
Rear Wheel Wells: This is another one of those areas that you should look at on all classic cars, the rear wheels drive the car, and therefore tend to throw more rocks in to the wheel wells, this chips off the undercoating and causes them to rust, so you should always look at these.
If you look in wheel well and can't see any problems, be sure to open the trunk and look at them from there also, the rust can't hide from you in there, will will see it if it's there, take you flash light and make sure that you look at this really thoroughly, these can be another problem for a first time restoration project.
That covers the major stuff on the camaro, for both the first generation, and the second generation of them, now for the reason other then parts availability that I say that the camaro is easier for the first time restoration project.
Plain an simple the camaro has a removable sub frame, technically the other do to, but you have to drill out the spot welds that hold them in the car to remove them, the camaro sub frame is held in by four bolts, and is really quite easy to remove.
Up next the Ford mustang, this is probably one of the most popular muscle cars ever built, and it has some areas that need to be looked at before you buy one , it's no better or worse then any other choice, you just need to think of your skill level, but this applies to all of them.
Mustang Problem Areas:
Sub Frame & Engine Compartment: Mustangs are notorious for rusting in the radiator support, and if you can't just patch the rust and leave the original part in the car, you'll be spending time drilling spot welds to remove the radiator support, this in my opinion makes it harder then a camaro to restore.
You also want to pay close attention to the side skirts in the engine compartment, this is where the fenders bolt to the car, the mustang loved to rust there, and there again these are not removable without drilling spot welds out, this is why I say to take you skill level in to consideration.
Floor Boards: Moving on back, the floor boards are a problem area in most classic cars, you should always look at them, I do find the mustang to have a worse problem then the camaro when it comes to floor board rust.
Rocker Panels: Over the years I have noticed that these aren't really a huge problem on the mustang, but you should still look at them, and just like the camaro, if you find any rust at all, you should replace them without question.
Rear Wheel Wells: As with most cars these are a problem, you should always look at them, if you can't see them very well just looking in from the out side, open the trunk and look there, the rust can't hide from your eyeballs there.
Trunk Floors: This is another area that seems to be pretty solid on the mustang, I don't see them rust here a lot, but it does happen and you should inspect it, this takes care of the problem areas on the mustang, and it should help you decide what car to buy.
Dodge Charger Problem Areas: As for as rust in the body the mopars seem to have a worse problem then any other make of classic car, this isn't by any means bashing on mopar, I love them, these are just observations from the cars that I have restored.
Mopar Problem Areas:
Sub Frame & Engine Compartment: In the charger the battery sits on the passenger side of the engine compartment, and these cars always rust where the battery tray is, they also rust on top of the fender skirts where the fenders bolt to the car, and moderate in the front wheel wells.
The radiator support seems to be pretty solid, most of them have a small patch-able rust hole or two in the radiator support, and after you fix them you usually don't find any more problems in this area, mopar seems to have done a good job of protecting the radiator support.
Floor Boards: These are a huge problem on the B body cars, on the charger that we restored, it came in with no floor boards left in it, this seems to be a pretty normal thing, so you must look at the floor boards on any mopar muscle car.
Rocker Panels: I didn't find these to be a big problem at all on most mopars the rocker panels seem to be quite solid, but as I keep saying, it doesn't mean that shouldn't look at them, and like the other two cars above, if you find any rust, replace them.
Rear Wheel Wells: These are an area that should never be left out in your inspection of a mopar muscle car, I have found these to be a big problem over the years of restoring cars, and I think that you will to, so please look at them closely.
Trunk Floors: These are in my opinion the worst part of a mopar muscle car, and should always be replaced, you should inspect them to see if they have been replaced already, and if no you should plan on doing it when you restore the car.
Tail Light Openings: These cars also seem to have a problem with rust in the tail light area, usually in the curved area below the tail lights, but you should inspect very carefully around the tail light area, and plan on some repair work there also.
Well that's about it, I truly hope that helps you make an educated decision when you go shopping for your first muscle car restoration project, I really enjoy writing these articles, and I hope that they help you in some small way to make your classic car dreams come true.
First of all you might want to consider a car that you have always wanted, most people have some preference about what they like in a muscle car, but if this is your first restoration, you may want to consider a few things, this isn't meant to sway you one way, or the other, it's just good to know.
If your working with a budget that may help you to make your decision, there are a few things to consider if your going to run on a budget, first of all the most expensive cars to restore are Mopars, the parts are hard to find a lot of the time, and people know what they want for them.
I restored 1970 Dodge charger R/T for a client some time ago, we needed upper and lower control arms for the front suspension, it turns out that at the time nobody was selling them in the after market, so we went looking for some used ones, and we found them at a price of $800.00 a piece, that is $3,200.
They just didn't build a lot of the Mopar muscle cars, and they got in to the market late, so they are very rare and hard to find, and this means more money to restore, but that about enough of that, I'm going to talk about some other key points to think about as you look for your muscle car.
I'm going to look at some issues that may be good for a first time car restoration experience, these are things that may answer some questions about which cars are harder to restore for a first car restoration, these things will be to do with the body restoration.
First of all if you want to start out with the cat that is the easiest to restore I would say that you should be looking at a first or second generation camaro, let me explain why I say this, first of all when you restore a car, that first thing you do after you get it, is to build a list of the parts that you need.
The first thing with the camaro is you can get almost every part you need from the after market, most of them are readily available to you, and because of this you can get parts for great prices, so it may fit your budget a bit better.
Just in case a camaro isn't your idea of the perfect car to restore, I'm going to cover some body problems that Ford, Chevrolet, and Mopar all had, and this should help you to decide on you idea of the perfect car to restore.
Up first is the camaro, this will apply to first, or second generation camaros, you should always inspect the body of any classic car before you buy it, especially if it's your first restoration job, what I will do here is explain the problem areas on each car.
First of all I'd look for bad body work, because this is one reason why a car will rust, make sure that you have a note book with your, so you can document what you find on each car, and use your note to compare that cars to find the best one for you to start with.
Camaro Problem Areas: This is a general Chevrolet problem area, as with most classic Chevrolet's the camaro like to rust in the rocker panels, and these are a major structural part o the body, if you see any rust you should replace them.
The rocker panels can be found just below the doors on any car, take your time as you inspect them, make sure that you don't miss anything, next we'll move to the front end of the car, and take a look at the sub frame, and engine compartment area of the car.
Sub Frame & Engine Compartment: The sub frame of most camaros really isn't that prone to rust, but I would still inspect it to make sure, the area that I would concentrate is the radiator support, and the firewall, you should also look at the wheel wells, although I have never found them to be a problem area.
Floor Boards: This can be a problem for any classic car, but it seems to affect the camaro less then the mustang, and most Mopars, although I would still put the car up on a hoist and look at the floor boards, these are areas that can make your first time restoration a pain in the butt.
Rear Wheel Wells: This is another one of those areas that you should look at on all classic cars, the rear wheels drive the car, and therefore tend to throw more rocks in to the wheel wells, this chips off the undercoating and causes them to rust, so you should always look at these.
If you look in wheel well and can't see any problems, be sure to open the trunk and look at them from there also, the rust can't hide from you in there, will will see it if it's there, take you flash light and make sure that you look at this really thoroughly, these can be another problem for a first time restoration project.
That covers the major stuff on the camaro, for both the first generation, and the second generation of them, now for the reason other then parts availability that I say that the camaro is easier for the first time restoration project.
Plain an simple the camaro has a removable sub frame, technically the other do to, but you have to drill out the spot welds that hold them in the car to remove them, the camaro sub frame is held in by four bolts, and is really quite easy to remove.
Up next the Ford mustang, this is probably one of the most popular muscle cars ever built, and it has some areas that need to be looked at before you buy one , it's no better or worse then any other choice, you just need to think of your skill level, but this applies to all of them.
Mustang Problem Areas:
Sub Frame & Engine Compartment: Mustangs are notorious for rusting in the radiator support, and if you can't just patch the rust and leave the original part in the car, you'll be spending time drilling spot welds to remove the radiator support, this in my opinion makes it harder then a camaro to restore.
You also want to pay close attention to the side skirts in the engine compartment, this is where the fenders bolt to the car, the mustang loved to rust there, and there again these are not removable without drilling spot welds out, this is why I say to take you skill level in to consideration.
Floor Boards: Moving on back, the floor boards are a problem area in most classic cars, you should always look at them, I do find the mustang to have a worse problem then the camaro when it comes to floor board rust.
Rocker Panels: Over the years I have noticed that these aren't really a huge problem on the mustang, but you should still look at them, and just like the camaro, if you find any rust at all, you should replace them without question.
Rear Wheel Wells: As with most cars these are a problem, you should always look at them, if you can't see them very well just looking in from the out side, open the trunk and look there, the rust can't hide from your eyeballs there.
Trunk Floors: This is another area that seems to be pretty solid on the mustang, I don't see them rust here a lot, but it does happen and you should inspect it, this takes care of the problem areas on the mustang, and it should help you decide what car to buy.
Dodge Charger Problem Areas: As for as rust in the body the mopars seem to have a worse problem then any other make of classic car, this isn't by any means bashing on mopar, I love them, these are just observations from the cars that I have restored.
Mopar Problem Areas:
Sub Frame & Engine Compartment: In the charger the battery sits on the passenger side of the engine compartment, and these cars always rust where the battery tray is, they also rust on top of the fender skirts where the fenders bolt to the car, and moderate in the front wheel wells.
The radiator support seems to be pretty solid, most of them have a small patch-able rust hole or two in the radiator support, and after you fix them you usually don't find any more problems in this area, mopar seems to have done a good job of protecting the radiator support.
Floor Boards: These are a huge problem on the B body cars, on the charger that we restored, it came in with no floor boards left in it, this seems to be a pretty normal thing, so you must look at the floor boards on any mopar muscle car.
Rocker Panels: I didn't find these to be a big problem at all on most mopars the rocker panels seem to be quite solid, but as I keep saying, it doesn't mean that shouldn't look at them, and like the other two cars above, if you find any rust, replace them.
Rear Wheel Wells: These are an area that should never be left out in your inspection of a mopar muscle car, I have found these to be a big problem over the years of restoring cars, and I think that you will to, so please look at them closely.
Trunk Floors: These are in my opinion the worst part of a mopar muscle car, and should always be replaced, you should inspect them to see if they have been replaced already, and if no you should plan on doing it when you restore the car.
Tail Light Openings: These cars also seem to have a problem with rust in the tail light area, usually in the curved area below the tail lights, but you should inspect very carefully around the tail light area, and plan on some repair work there also.
Well that's about it, I truly hope that helps you make an educated decision when you go shopping for your first muscle car restoration project, I really enjoy writing these articles, and I hope that they help you in some small way to make your classic car dreams come true.
Street Supercharging To Build Maximum Horsepower
There is no doubt that supercharging is one of the best ways to build reliable good horsepower from a street engine. Done the right way you can add 300 horsepower to the engine in your muscle car; while having the dependability to drive it everyday.
Having almost done away with parasitic loss; the efficiency has gone up about 30%; allowing the supercharger to generate more power. We all love horsepower in our hot rods, we love to go faster any way that we can.
If you match up the engine build to the supercharger, and take in to consideration what your trying to do with the car; you may end up with the perfect car for you. A supercharger is one of the greatest things on earth for a muscle car.
You need to match up the camshaft, and heads along with a few other things, such as the right compression ratio of pistons in the about 9:1 range, and forged rather then cast. Make sure that the bottom end of the engine is strong; use a four bolt main block.
Street supercharging can provide you with years of great driving enjoyment. You should always use a forged steel crankshaft when building a supercharged engine. Make sure that you buy carburetors that are specially built for a supercharger engine.
When supercharging a V8 engine; you don't need to push major boost to develop the power. About 10 - 12 pounds will work for the street with most street superchargers. This should develop all the power that you need, while still being able to use pump gas.
If your going to use a fuel injection rather then carburetors, you will need to match the fuel injectors to your camshaft and heads. It's imperative that they spray just the right amount of fuel; or you could lose some of the power that your trying so hard to build.
Also when street supercharging timing is of the utmost importance to building power. The camshaft that you buy should come with a cam card; this car will tell you what the optimum timing is for that camshaft, if you do everything just right your car will be a beast of the street.
Rather you use a carburetor, or fuel injection you should make 100% sure that your air to fuel ratios are set correctly. The aim of setting these is to get the fuel mixture as lean as possible, without burning your pistons; this is the optimum setting for making mass power from your engine.
Make sure that your supercharger drive speed is over driven, or under driven right for your application. Obviously if your trying to generate power, you should over drive the supercharger. I usually recommend 8 – 10% for street engines.
This means that the supercharger would spin 8 – 10% faster then the crankshaft speed of the engine. You should talk to the person who's building your engine to figure out what you want though. Always consult with a high performance engine builder when you install a street supercharger.
This is just a few tips; it's not meant to make a you an authority on superchargers. If they are installed wrong; the damage to your engine will be massive, do yourself a favor, and read up on it a bit before your attempt to install a street supercharger.
Their is noting hard about it, all you have to do is pay attention, and make sure that it's done right. Make sure that you spend a lot of time when you install the distributor; an intake back fire can ruin your engine if the pop off valve malfunctions.
Take all of these things in to consideration when you build your engine, and everything should go fine. This is far from everything; but it's enough to get the job done. Take your time to build it right, and your street supercharger should do everything your want it to.
Having almost done away with parasitic loss; the efficiency has gone up about 30%; allowing the supercharger to generate more power. We all love horsepower in our hot rods, we love to go faster any way that we can.
If you match up the engine build to the supercharger, and take in to consideration what your trying to do with the car; you may end up with the perfect car for you. A supercharger is one of the greatest things on earth for a muscle car.
You need to match up the camshaft, and heads along with a few other things, such as the right compression ratio of pistons in the about 9:1 range, and forged rather then cast. Make sure that the bottom end of the engine is strong; use a four bolt main block.
Street supercharging can provide you with years of great driving enjoyment. You should always use a forged steel crankshaft when building a supercharged engine. Make sure that you buy carburetors that are specially built for a supercharger engine.
When supercharging a V8 engine; you don't need to push major boost to develop the power. About 10 - 12 pounds will work for the street with most street superchargers. This should develop all the power that you need, while still being able to use pump gas.
If your going to use a fuel injection rather then carburetors, you will need to match the fuel injectors to your camshaft and heads. It's imperative that they spray just the right amount of fuel; or you could lose some of the power that your trying so hard to build.
Also when street supercharging timing is of the utmost importance to building power. The camshaft that you buy should come with a cam card; this car will tell you what the optimum timing is for that camshaft, if you do everything just right your car will be a beast of the street.
Rather you use a carburetor, or fuel injection you should make 100% sure that your air to fuel ratios are set correctly. The aim of setting these is to get the fuel mixture as lean as possible, without burning your pistons; this is the optimum setting for making mass power from your engine.
Make sure that your supercharger drive speed is over driven, or under driven right for your application. Obviously if your trying to generate power, you should over drive the supercharger. I usually recommend 8 – 10% for street engines.
This means that the supercharger would spin 8 – 10% faster then the crankshaft speed of the engine. You should talk to the person who's building your engine to figure out what you want though. Always consult with a high performance engine builder when you install a street supercharger.
This is just a few tips; it's not meant to make a you an authority on superchargers. If they are installed wrong; the damage to your engine will be massive, do yourself a favor, and read up on it a bit before your attempt to install a street supercharger.
Their is noting hard about it, all you have to do is pay attention, and make sure that it's done right. Make sure that you spend a lot of time when you install the distributor; an intake back fire can ruin your engine if the pop off valve malfunctions.
Take all of these things in to consideration when you build your engine, and everything should go fine. This is far from everything; but it's enough to get the job done. Take your time to build it right, and your street supercharger should do everything your want it to.
Auto Parts & Accessories
We all know that parts can be hard to locate for old cars, it can quite simply get frustrating. This web site focuses on a lot of different things, but the main idea is to help people find what they need for their cars.
On this site you'll find parts dealers, restoration shops, custom car shop, and that list goes on. We bring this to you to help our business meet new customers, and that latest addition is an auto parts & accessories company.
Welcome to Become.com a great place to buy all of your auto parts & accessories, please come by and check out our web site. You might find just what you need for your car, or that special someone's car. It's getting close to fathers day, if you have a car lover, you could make them a very happy person.
On this site you'll find parts dealers, restoration shops, custom car shop, and that list goes on. We bring this to you to help our business meet new customers, and that latest addition is an auto parts & accessories company.
Welcome to Become.com a great place to buy all of your auto parts & accessories, please come by and check out our web site. You might find just what you need for your car, or that special someone's car. It's getting close to fathers day, if you have a car lover, you could make them a very happy person.
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