Category Archives: Auto Restoration

The End of a Decade – The Mustang Era

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Well one thing we can count on  for sure, is that things will always change.

For nearly  10 years my 1970 Mustang has been a great joy.  I’ve taken it from a 6 cylinder lady’s car (I say that purely because it was first owned by a lady, who in turn, handed it down to her daughter and it had some dainty pin striping) to a proud muscle car.

We suffered a couple flat-bed trips, a problematic carb and leaking power steering, an AC unit that got less miles per oz of coolant then the engine did in miles per gallon and invented some new cuss words!

We survived a few charity drag races and won a bunch street light mini drags, took home a couple of car show trophies and placed a lot of smiles on passerby faces and kids when I let them sit behind the wheel.

But things change and I’ve enjoyed my Mustang thoroughly.  But it’s time to move on so my Mustang is going to a new home, where it will enjoy the company of four other Mustangs.

I will miss the old steed but so proud of where it started and where it is now.

So fare well old friend…on to new adventures.

1970 Mustang Mods for 300 HP

1970 Mustang
Mods for 300 HP

So what’s next for me?  Well there is my 1965 Bridgestone motorcycle and many more car shows and SCCA with the my C7 Vette and a surprise coming up….oh…no you are just going to have to wait to find out.

So stay tuned for some more mods, car shows, racing and classic/muscle car reading.

Thank you for reading.

Tim

 

‘67 Corvette Abandoned in a Field Gets a Chance at a Second Life – CorvetteOnline.com

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‘67 Corvette Abandoned in a Field Gets a Chance at a Second Life – CorvetteOnline.com.

The second-generation Corvette is widely regarded as one of, if not the best-looking Corvette, and they fetch a high premium on the auction circuit. But not every Corvette has benefited from a full restoration, and even fewer can claim to be true “survivor” cars.

Thankfully, it looks like one long-languishing 1967 Corvette coupe will get a second chance at life, reports Old Cars Weekly writer Al Rogers. The couple who owns this ‘Vette has vowed to restore it, citing their long history with the car.

Lee and Amanda Sloppy (not making that name up, by the way) have a long history with this ‘67, buying it from the original owner in 1973. Amanda used it as her daily driver to her two-mile commute until 1981, and then after the mufflers, brakes, and other bits needed replacing, the Corvette was eventually parked. Parked, but not forgotten.

Camaros and Firebirds

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Camaros and Firebirds.

They almost always went hand in hand with GM, at least during my formidable days.   Then came the Trans-Am.   Pontiac was over took the Camaro arguably in performance but uncontested in folklore, I offer up Burt Reynolds & “Smoky and the Bandit” for support (you can count the Rockford Files, the Camaro there was not much more than a prop –cool no doubt but mostly a prop.

Camaro’s back (in case you’ve been living under a discarded intake manifold) with the Z28 soon to return and the SS and LT1 already burning up the streets.  But the when the axe fell on Pontiac it took with it any chance to bring back the Firebird in any kind of configuration.  So we are forced to back in time and watch old super 8 movies of Firebird/Trans-Am in motion.   Or do we?

What if (and it’s a BIG IF) some where, someone started producing that iconic version of the Firebird – not a pre-made body – al-la Dynacores’ Mustang offering, but an up to date platform, like Mother Mopar did with the Challenger.

What if (BIG IF – again), they placed it on a new 2012 Camaro platform and soup-ed it up a bit?   Something like this:

 

Aweseome!

Awesome!

Yes , that is just what those innovative folks did at Lingenfelters.   This is the 455 TA “lightly” (snicker) Camaro.

It sports a the Tran-Am trade mark split grille and honey comb wheels and blue and white paint schema.  But under the hood is a power plant will make the hardest Camaro shake in it’s engine bay.

 

Oh...BTW...comes in drop top...love the wheels

Oh…BTW…comes in drop top…love the wheels

The engine is a custom  RHS Aluminum engine block at displaces 455 cubic inches.  It has a 4.155” bore Diamond 11.5:1 compression ratio pistons, 4.200” stroke, Lunati forged crankshaft, LPE CNC ported and polished LS7 heads. Pair this up with LSX Fast 102 intake and Lingenfelter’s 6 bolt LS9 twin disk fly whee/clutch assembly and you get a 655 horse powered monster that can lay down 610 ft-lbs of torque to the  20×11 rear tires (front are 20×10),

 

MONSTER!!!!

MONSTER!!!!

OK…you can exhale now, but when the 455 TA does it uses a custom Corsa stainless exhaust and it sounds AWESOME!!!!

I caught this version at the Barrett Jackson Auction this past January.

The LPE concept body mods include front air dam and rear Firebird like spoiler and taillights.

You want one, I know you do!!!

Here’s a little more:

Thanks for reading.

Tim

 

They Made How Many? 1908

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There were a lot of car makers in 1908 some of the names you’d recognize  like Lincoln, Imperial and Sears (yup that Sears) and some you  wouldn’t like Benner, Mier and Browniekar.

The top makers were headed up by Ford with a whopping 10,202 cars produced.  (This was the year Ford introduced the Model T.) The rest of the maker looked like this:

Buick – 8,820

Studebaker – 8,132

1908 STUDEBAKER - Model H, 4-cyl., 30 hp

1908 STUDEBAKER – Model H, 4-cyl., 30 hp

1908 Studebaker Electric carry-all

Studebaker Electric

 

Maxwell – 4,455 – What’s a Maxwell?  Well like many cars of this era  they look like one another but here’s a pic.

1908 Maxwell Runabout

1908 Maxwell Runabout

 

Reo – 4,105

Rambler – 3,597

Cadillac – 2,377

Franklin – 1,895

Thanks for reading

Tim

 

 

 

Auto Factoids for Week of March 31st 2013

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Let’s start with April 1st:

1961 the Amphicar debuted.

Amphicar - a flip of a lever and two propellers kicked in and made water-crossing a breeze.

Amphicar – a flip of a lever and two propellers kicked in and made water-crossing a breeze.

It was powered by an iron block and iron head  Inline 4 engine with 2 valves per  cylinder. It  displaced 1147 cc and had  2.72 x 2.99 bore and stroke with  8.0:1 compression produced 47 hp and 61 ft lbs of torque.

For years later one of the most important cars (although not this particular version) was introduced – the 1964 Plymouth Barracuda.  Little did Plymouth know at the time 6 to 8 years later the version of the ‘Cuda’ would break collector car value records.

1964 Barracuda - Glassback.

1964 Barracuda – Glassback.

Not the powerhouse that the 70’s versions were but it did have a V8 available that net you 180 hp.  Dubbed the “Glassback” because most of the slanted back was class (not unlike my 07 Corvette).

A few years later in 1970  AMC showed off their oddest car yet – the Gremlin. (Although the Pacer was arguably the worse.)  Ugly or not it was a good seller and it’s standard 6 cylinder was economical and produced 128 hp.  There were  872 2 passenger and 27,688 4 passenger made that year.

1970 Gremlin. Fastback or 'no back"

1970 Gremlin. Fastback or ‘no back”

 

Also this week Mr. Walter Chrysler was born in 1875 on April 2 and Charles Hall patented Aluminum in 1889 on the same day.

In 1923 on April 5th, Firestone produced the first balloon tire.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ford Indy V8s Side-by-Side at the HOT ROD Homecoming – Hot Rod Magazine Blog

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These are AWESOME!!!!

Ford Indy V8s Side-by-Side at the HOT ROD Homecoming – Hot Rod Magazine Blog.

Steve-Strope-Indy-V8-FIA-Ford-Mustang-1965-1966-1967

tim

Spec Page – 1954 Plymouth Belvedere Suburban

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Spec Page is a new series where we explore a particular model’s DNA.

This post is covering a car that I’ve frankly never heard of before.  Plymouth Belvedere sure is recognizable as a 60’s muscle car (yes properly powered they were muscle cars) and Suburban as big hauler.  The 1954 Plymouth Belvedere Suburban was a hauler, but power house it wasn’t.

Plymouth Belvedere Suburban

Plymouth Belvedere Suburban

So lets start with the engine.  Weren’t  a lot of choices in 1954 and the standard for working class cars was the Plymouth’s flat head six.It was an iron block with L-head valves.  It had a bore and stroke of  3.25″  4.64″ and a compression ratio of 7.1:1 and displaced 217.8 cubic inches.  Topped with the a single carb barrel downdraft (normally a Carter Type BB model D5h2) help produce 100 hp.

Flat Head Six

Flat Head Six

All that power was transferred to the wheels was a 3 speed synchromesh on column and a Hypoid 3.73:1.  Once underway  stopped by 4-wheel hydraulic drum with double front cylinders. And those will be need to get this 3,000 plus pound, 189 inches (nearly 16 feet).

Supporting all this mayhem was a double-channel box frame with side rails and 4 cross members and Briggs all-steel body.  The suspension was independent in the front with coil springs and torsion sway bar with tapered leaf springs and 6.50 x 15″ tires and press steel safety rims.

You could buy his car with some added option like push-button radio, heater, two-tone paint, wire wheel covers, white side walls, bumpers guards, tissue dispenser, exhaust extension deflector locking gas cap, mirrors.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

 

Enthusiasts pick up the pieces of a fallen soldier’s GTO restoration | Hemmings Blog: Classic and collectible cars and parts

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Enthusiasts pick up the pieces of a fallen soldier’s GTO restoration | Hemmings Blog: Classic and collectible cars and parts.

 

CaleroGTOresto_06_700

Engine Line Up for the 1946 Chryslers

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I really enjoy doing the engine line up series.  I love engines.  If I had the $$$ and the space I’d collect them.  Wouldn’t it be cool to have a straight eight, or twelve cylinder sitting on a stand, all clean and shiny?

For 1946 Chrysler had the Royal, the Windsor, The Saratoga and the New Yorker series, 2 more series than they had engines.

One of the coolest models was the Windsor two-door three passenger coupe.

1946 Two door, 3 passenger

1946 Two door, 3 passenger

Let’s get to the engines.

If you can’t guess there were one 6 cylinder and one 8 cylinder.  They were split by series.  One was the Royal/Windsor engine and the other was Saratoga/New Yorker engine.  If you know anything about Chryslers you might know that the New  Yorker named cars were large cars and traditionally had larger engines.  In this case the Saratoga/New Yorker carried the V8.

It was an L-Head, cast iron block V8.  It displaced 323.5 cubic inches with a bore and stroke of 3.25″ x 4.875″. With a compression ratio of 6.7:1 the engine put out about 135 horsepower.  It had five main bearing and solid lifters and was topped with a B-B E7A1 carb.

1946 Chrysler 323.7 Straight Eight.

1946 Chrysler 323.7 Straight Eight.

 

The other engine was a 6 cylinder or the Royal/Windsor engine, smaller cars (like the 2 door 3 passenger).

It two was an L-Head and cast iron block engine.  It displaced 250.6 cid and the bore and stroke were 3.438″ x 4.50″.  The compression ratio was 6.6:1  and it had solid lifters and 4 main bearings which combined generates 114 horsepower.  It was topped either B-B EV1-EV2 j or E7L4 (for the Fluid Drive and Vacumatic) or B-BEX1, 2 or 3 (for the standard transmission).

The 1946 Chrysler 250 straight 6

The 1946 Chrysler 250 straight 6

Thanks for reading.

Tim

 

 

 

 

 

Parking Lot Spot Light – ’65 Stang

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As you know Parking Lot Spot Light is a piece where someone as parked their classic, muscle or other cool car in a local establishment to conduct some sort of business.

This time it was a local grocery store (car peeps need to eat) this beautiful fastback.

As Mustang fans know the 1964 Mustang flew out of the show room.  But I bet if they new what was coming in 1965 the might have waited.  I know if I but a 1964, I’d be looking to trade it the fastback came out.  Especially if I had saw this color with these stripes.

Fantastic Fastback

Fantastic Fastback

Love the scoop and the stripes!!!

Love the scoop and the stripes!!!

Didn't get to peek under the hood but I'm betting the 289 is still there.

Didn’t get to peek under the hood but I’m betting the 289 is still there.

 

The interior was just a great looking as the exterior.

The interior was just a great looking as the exterior.

 

Got a Mustang you love.  Drop me a note.

Thanks for reading.

Tim