Pfeil
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14 hours ago, Matt Harwood said:
I heard Jay Leno has a Buick of some sort, maybe others.
Yes, 502 BB Chevy in a 55 Buick.
Twin Turbo LS, RWD in a 67 (made to look like a 66) Olds Tornado. Everything unique & special about that car gone!
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I use a Michelin digital for the track. And for quick not so important I use the old Lincoln type on a reel.
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5 minutes ago, 1912Staver said:
Crager SS wheels !! One of my least favorite. Just not a fan of chromed die cast centers attached to a steel rim. Give me a one piece alloy wheel any day. Cragar SS's are heavy and the chrome is poor quality. Around here they often looked like crap after a year or two from the corrosion heaving up the chrome on the center portion.
But I know, different strokes.
I have a couple of cars set up for grand touring, the two tracks I went to wouldn't allow C S/S on the track.
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The only car/truck magazine I subscribe to is Collectible Automobile and it's all stock. If you make a comment to the editor about correctness to their text, they acknowledge and usually print it in the next issue as they are interested in the facts.
I didn't want to dump Hemmings primarily because they featured one of my cars, but the enough is enough reached the saturation point a few years back.
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On 5/14/2024 at 12:52 PM, Steve_Mack_CT said:
Well for modifieds I would walk by that in favor of the 57 Chevy with a mediocre paint job, nice Cragar SS rims, and a homebuilt sbc backed by a 4 speed and a 9no frills interior.
Or a clean VW van that is still a VW.
But yeah an 800 hp rendition of a VW van might sell some magazines...
Funeral homes like it too.
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I think for you, the proper answer was given to you in the very beginning by Joe Padavano. Here it is again;
"Don't believe everything you hear or see on the interwebs. I've owned big block Olds motors for over half a century now, and I am not gentle with mine (including nitrous and drag strip use). I have never "grenaded" one. The real problem is uneducated builders who think every GM engine is a small block Chevy, and build that way. Obviously good internal engine build practices are required for any performance motor - deburr the block, open and smooth the oil drainback passages, etc. The restrictors that go in the oil feed holes to the cam bearings are less than worthless. A five second look at the Oldsmobile oiling diagram will show you that those passages do not feed the rockers and thus those restrictors do nothing other than increase wear on the cam bearings. A good high volume oil pump is cheap insurance. No it will NOT "suck the pan dry" as some interweb "experts" claim. Be sure the valves tips are properly set using either the GM gauge tool or equivalent. Again, many Chevy-centric machine shops are unaware of how important this is with Oldsmobile's non-adjustable valvetrain. For the street you do not need a deep oil pan or other aftermarket parts. Even an occasional track car will be fine. Cloyes double roller chain is a good investment".
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6 hours ago, rocketraider said:
Maybe not, but either beats the snot out of stuffing a big block Chevy or, worse, an LS derivative in it.😛
OP, a cam that requires that RPM range to make its power is going to be hard to live with on the street. Or is this TransAM going drag racing?
Can't disagree there either, although a Pontiac with a real Pontiac engine would be the ticket for me and if it were the other way around an Oldsmobile with an Oldsmobile engine!
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11 hours ago, joe_padavano said:
The Olds 455 was never installed in a Pontiac. The Olds 350 was used in Calif Firebirds in the 1977-78 model years. The Olds 403 was used in T/As for 1977-79. It is not uncommon for people to swap an Olds 455 in place of the Olds 403 in T/As. There are problems with exhaust manifolds and accessory brackets due to the taller deck height of the 455. The F-body accessory brackets for Olds motors are unique to that application and do not swap with any other Olds accessory brackets.
You are correct, I stand corrected. The jest of the comment was however " Either the 455 Olds or 455 Pontiac engines do not belong in a 1979 Trans Am".
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4 hours ago, ramair said:
My question would be which 455 are we talking about as other divisions other than Olds had that cubic inch and i believe that was all they had in common. I have owned 8 Oldsmobiles from the beginning of the 455 in 1968 to the end in 1976,
it is a engine that can be punished, I own a stock W-34 that at the factory pumped 400 horse, near 500# torque with 10.25 compression ratio, I also had a friend that had a GMC motorhome with high miles, punishment yes. Our local lake in the eighties had many jet boats powered by , you guessed it 455, still remember their roar!
49 state T/A's got Pontiac's 455 (really a 456), California got an Olds 455. Production for these 455's ended in 1976 and this is a 79 T/A. The engine for a T/A in 1979 would be an optional Federal Pontiac standard deck height 400" engine. California cars would get the short deck 403 Olds engine. Either the 455 Olds or 455 Pontiac engines do not belong in a 1979 Trans Am.
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42 minutes ago, joe_padavano said:
Yes, Lara sells them. You pick the ratio you want. I would still have the original rebuilt with quick ratio gears, but that's me.
Me too. Also, there are kits so you can do it yourself.
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12 hours ago, joe_padavano said:
Sure, but when was the last time you saw a 9C1 Nova in a wrecking yard? I have a G-body Monte SS box in my 67 Delta, but again, I got that box about 15 years ago.
They sell remanufactured quick ratio-variable ratio boxes, and they are manufactured new units too like the Borgeson units. It's a question of where to look, you won't find this at NAPA.
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Or switch out a box from a 9-C-1 X body Nova/ B-body Caprice or F body Pontiac Trans Am or Z-28 Camaro. On those boxes the Pitman Arm can be located for a front or rear steer car as they are indexed for 180-degree application. I have a 1975 9-C-1 Police Nova box in my 1969 Pontiac H-0 LeMans and a 1971 Trans Am box in my 1962 Pontiac Catalina, also a 1976 Police Nova 9-C-1 box in my 1976 Olds Omega. These boxes all interchange and are all variable high effort boxes.
Don't stop there make your car have negative roll center steering and add disc brakes.
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Just a small correction on the years. This trans (slant pan) was used in 860 and 870 Pontiac and Olds 88 & super88 through the 56-model year. 1956 Pontiac Star Chief and Olds 98 and all Cadillac get the new "Controlled Coupling 4 speed HydraMatic".
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On 4/27/2024 at 3:22 PM, JonW said:
I had the Mark V up on the lift today polishing the wheels. I noticed the white walls were a little grungy, but I didn't want to get it down from the lift to take it outside to scrub the white walls. Plus, it was raining. So I looked at my wash bay supplies and decided to try a few things. Most of them did not work well, but the one that really surprised me was 303 All-Surface Interior Cleaner. I used it and a terry cloth towel to scrub the white walls, and I was blown away by the results. This really isn't marketed as a white wall tire cleaner, and I didn't use a brush, just a terry cloth towel. What a nice surprise!
Like you and on the lift, I use this on a narrow white wall;
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8 hours ago, 8E45E said:
I'm perplexed by this. How fast (as in exceeding the posted speed limit) was the Honda going? And as being asked, what was he racing against? From the account I read here, it's the Kia Sportage that broke the law by crossing a busy road when it was unsafe, regardless if someone on the main road was speeding for whatever reason or not.
Craig
Same hold true for when you are driving say 15mph over the speed limit (65MPH) in the fast lane of the FWY (which happens all the time in AZ. and CA.) with all the traffic doing the same speed and someone comes up behind you doing 90mph and you don't pull to the next lane for them to pass you'll get a ticket.
Also, what happens to all the drag racers that are now street racing because all the strips have been forced to closed.
FYI, this is the first track I raced at age 14, had to get a drag racing license. L.A.P.D. tried to get street racers off the street and prompted this episode. funny thing is the L.A. Harbor Commission close it for a container yard a few months after filming.
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On 4/25/2024 at 6:56 AM, John348 said:
The Vintage Chevrolet Club of America is a TRUE CLUB, like the AACA, it is not for profit has been around since 1961. The only people who get paid by the VCCA are outside vendors who work under the direction of the Board of Directors who are elected by the Members for limited terms, all of which volunteer their time only to be reimbursed for their expenses. The VCCA has regions all over the country and the world for that matter. Keep in mind other organizations, or associations are businesses, that make profits off of their members, the word club was never used in their name. If that does bother you fine. I believe Steve is the NIA and he can give you a better opinion on this then I can. I was a member on and off of the NIA for close to 35 years, and the publications became sporadic, and I started to find that the content was more geared around use their paid advertiser's product which I do understand. The ownership would change and so would the content that was printed. There was only one event a year and that was in South Dakota, every year, and It did not suit my needs. That is just my opinion.
The VCCA also has a vast network of Technical Advisor's, free use of the AACA library, as well as offer an online membership for the magazine at a lesser cost membership. I have been a member of the VCCA for over 45 years, serve as T.A, even served on the Board on off for over 18 years and did a stint as VP. I am not going to tell you it's perfect, but it what you put into it you will get out of it. It is worth a try.
Good luck on your decision, you will know what right for you. Most importantly you join the AACA, that's the main highway that brings all of us together!
John, you wrote something in 2014 here at AACA with the title of Crisis in the Vintage Chevrolet Club. I'll post it and can you please tell us what has happened since then. Thank you.
Hello Friends,
As part of a coalition of past President's and Vice President's of the Vintage Chevrolet Club of America (VCCA) I was asked to present some sad news for those who might not have heard. What we feel is a Crisis in the VCCA. After over a half century of operating under the mission of "restoration and preservation" a majority of the present Board of Directors of the club have decided to abandon the very same mission they took an oath to the membership to uphold. I would also like to ad many of these Board Members have been in the club for only a few years.
We were the only Chevrolet Club was created for stock cars, and it has held reasonably close to that for more than half a century. Eight Board Members decided that the club now needs to recognize modified cars and change the identity of the club to suit their personal wants and needs, while failing to recognize that the existing 8,000 members joined for the originality aspect of the hobby. There are many Chevrolet clubs out there, some are even businesses that "pretend" to be a club. Some only cater to certain models, but they all cater to both modified and stock cars, we were unique we recognized all years and models of Chevrolet vehicles that were stock.
Sure some modified cars have always shown up at our events. This has been true from the very beginning. They are normally "in the background" in some fashion -either as Display Only, or in the parking lot, or sometimes on the judging field where the judging process itself will exclude them with its results (as it was designed to do). It's not about "hating" modified cars, nor certainly not the owners of them - it is simply that modified cars are not what brings us together, really no different then AACA.
We want to preserve history, or a reasonably close resemblance to history. What was it like to drive a car with skinny, bias ply tires, with mechanical brakes, sitting on itchy mohair, and 40 HP? You can't find out in a resto-mod with a chrome V8 and A/C. The VCCA has been the ONLY CLUB that is a home for the preservers of the historical Chevrolet. As has been said, there are hundreds of alternatives for the owners of "personalized" cars to find fellowship. But again, the VCCA is the ONLY place for those of us who love the correctly restored or preserved vehicle.
Why would we throw away that unique identity? as I have heard from several other members: "I have a hot rod at home. I didn't join the VCCA for my hot rod - I joined for my correct, original car."
After seeing the Hemming's headline a week or two ago "VCCA Welcomes Modified Chevrolets..." Myself and the other retired Executive Board Members were contacted by many members voicing their concerns, after contacting each other we decided to ban together and organize this fight for the restoration for the preservation of the VCCA. We have to push back, try to fight this opening of Pandora's Box. (I know, it's been slightly open for decades, but this is really taking off the lid).
We're not trying to be negative towards folks with modified cars. We have a driver participation class for the somewhat modified vehicles, and almost anything can go on a VCCA Tour. But please, not on the cover of the G&D our monthly magazine. We are simply trying to draw a line, protect the integrity of the G&D, and establish once and for all that the VCCA is a club that is primarily about stick, original vehicles. Like it has always been.
Our coalition has spanned twenty seven years of management of the club, and has a very good working knowledge of the by-laws. There is a provision that allows the membership to challenge and overturn an action by the Board, that is through a petition. Our first big push was to get the Petition sent out to all the VCCA Regions, This has been done, and now we have to make sure this gets in the hands of the members who are not in regions. If you are in the VCCA and like things the way they were then please click on the link below and that will take you to the VCCA Forum where you can find the petition. If you are not in the VCCA and know someone who is please let them know.We already have a couple hundred signatures before we truly even launched the effort, but we need many hundreds more to make this a reality. Hope to get a few hundred at Hershey, too. Many of our members will have the Petition at their spaces At this time space RNI 82-86 more location to come
http://vcca.org/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/318838/Petition_to_remove_Modified's#Post318838
Thanks for your support -
John Mahoney
Past National Vice President
Vintage Chevrolet Club of America
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6 hours ago, CaffreyEST said:
Hey everyone,
I'm looking for some advice on valuing my 1987 Volkswagen T3. Here's a bit about the car:
- Make: Volkswagen
- Model: T3
- Year: 1987
- Drivetrain: Rear-wheel drive
- Transmission: Manual
- Fuel: Diesel
- Engine size: 1.6L (49 hp)
- Doors: 3-door
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Color: Green
The car is used but generally in good condition. It has well-maintained seats and the engine runs smoothly. However, there are some necessary jobs to do, like door upholstery.
I'm interested in getting an idea of the vehicle's value on average in its current condition and what you would recommend to increase its value through restoration or other enhancements.
What do you suggest for restoration, and are there any key upgrades I should consider that might boost its value?
I'm also considering adding leather seats and a music system. Do these upgrades make sense, and are they likely to increase the car's value? What other upgrades would you suggest? I appreciate any insights from the community! Thanks!
The first thing to be concerned with is change the above into something like this;
if you want to accessorize the van do it the only way with VW accessories like this,
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1 hour ago, Terry Bond said:
Get rid of those silly wheels and join a VW club. That's your market as well as best info on value.
Terry
There are no real VW clubs anymore. Vintage Volkswagen club of America is just a shadow club, they do have chapters, but they are heavily into mods and do not reflect the mission statement.
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On 4/7/2024 at 4:18 PM, TerryB said:
I think the combo of rally wheels and redline tires look wonderful on your car Steve. The 327 badges hint to performance as most Chevy guys know that engine can get up and go. The rally wheels and redline tires give your car a look that says sporty performance is part of its makeup. Changing to the standard hubcaps with whitewall tires will take the presentation in the opposite direction to something along the lines more formal and subdued. I like the performance look over formal. Great looking car regardless of the choice you make.
Exactly what you say TerryB, and my own two bits. Rally and Blackwall's 1st. 2nd with redlines. Rally wheels suggest a car guy. When no special wheels were produced for cars of the 50's from car manufacturers the marketing/accessory development guys started producing wire wheel covers or like in 53 when Oldsmobile started producing tri-bar spinners. These cars suggested a youthful image and they were the rage of their time and by 58-59 everyone had them. Then in August 1959 Pontiac, with DeLoreans new patented eight lug wheel/drum the era of specialty wheels/mag wheels came of age. As with cars as well as wheels for cars, Pontiac's General manager (1956-Late-1961) once said "You can sell a young man's car to an old man, but you can't sell an old man's car to a young man."
If you put the wheel covers or the full wheel covers with any tire treatment, W/Wall with period correct width would be best suited, it seems to me you will have an old man's car. That old man could like his car and like it to be nice and shiny and well cared for because he by nature likes to take care of things but he's really not a car guy IMO.
As my old friend who was once in charge of Pontiac advertising account (1959-1969) who said many times " the first things a young car guy does is want to personify his car" and what better way to start than to add some factory youthful wheels.
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The thing I like about the Gen 3 Chevrolet engine and the Pontiac OHC sixes is that the bottom end is very strong with seven main bearings, plus the engines (except the 292) are oversquare. I like having a main bearing between each connecting rod for support. I also like Gear to gear instead of a timing chain in the case of the Chevrolet. I also like the Chevrolet intake manifold being part of the cylinder head, while not good or impossible for racing and a reputation for cracking, the head, if warmed up slowly will not crack and inside has a better distribution of intake runners than the 62-75 intake manifolds and better thermal efficiency for better emissions and low-end torque.
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22 hours ago, rocketraider said:
I bet you hear "that ain't even a real Nova neither!" a lot too!
As me Aunt Tillie would have said to them after living in Baltimore more than forty years "aw yiz is ignert!" (all of you are ignorant!).
Mmph. From a Southern Vajenya Piedmont accent to full-blown Bawlmerese. She was the first lady cabbie in Baltimore. Started driving in WW2 when all the guys went to war. Probably driving a 6-cylinder Checker or DeSoto.
What I hear is " I didn't know Oldsmobile made a Nova" Always asked how fast it can go.
One guy with a 79 Seville said to me, " you know that Oldsmobile has a Chevrolet engine", so I replied, "you know you know that Cadillac of yours has an Oldsmobile engine and a NOVA subframe."
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17 hours ago, Dave Wells said:
Nova in Spanish is "not going"---(no-go).
GM didn't sell a lot of Novas in South America.
It's the classic cautionary tale about the pitfalls of doing business in foreign countries that can be found in hundreds (if not thousands) of books about marketing: General Motors introduced their Chevrolet Nova model of automobile into a Spanish-speaking market, then scratched their heads in puzzlement when it sold poorly. GM executives were baffled until someone finally pointed out to them that "nova" translates as "doesn't go" in Spanish. The embarrassed automobile giant changed the model's name to the Caribe, and sales of the car took off.
This anecdote is frequently used to illustrate the perils of failing to do adequate preparation and research before introducing a product into the international marketplace. It's a wicked irony, then, that the people who use this example are engaging in the very thing they're decrying, because a little preparation and research would have informed them that it isn't true. (The sources that repeat this little tale can't even agree on where the Nova supposedly sold poorly, variously listing locales such as Puerto Rico, Mexico, South America, or simply "Spanish-speaking countries.") This is another one of those tales that makes its point so well -- just like the fable about George Washington and the cherry tree -- that nobody wants to ruin it with a bunch of facts. Nonetheless, we're here to ruin it.
The original Chevrolet Nova (initially the Chevy II) hit the U.S. market in 1962. (This car should not be confused with the smaller, front wheel drive vehicle which was produced in 1985 as a joint venture between General Motors and Toyota and also assigned the Nova name.) Between 1972 and 1978 the Chevrolet Nova was also sold in Mexico and several other Spanish-speaking countries, primarily Venezuela. Shortly afterwards the great "Nova" legend arose, a legend which a little linguistic analysis shows it to be improbable:
- First of all, the phrase "no va" (literally "doesn't go") and the word "nova" are distinct entities with different pronunciations in Spanish: the former is two words and is pronounced with the accent on the second word; the latter is one word with the accent on the first syllable. Assuming that Spanish speakers would naturally see the word "nova" as equivalent to the phrase "no va" and think "Hey, this car doesn't go!" is akin to assuming that English speakers would spurn a dinette set sold under the name Notable because nobody wants a dinette set that doesn't include a table.
- Although "no va" can be literally translated as "no go," it would be a curious locution for a speaker of Spanish to use in reference to a car. Just as an English speaker would describe a broken-down car by saying that it "doesn't run" rather than it "doesn't go," so a Spanish speaker would refer to a malfunctioning automobile by saying "no marcha" or "no funciona" or "no camina" rather than "no va."
- Pemex (the Mexican government-owned oil monopoly) has sold gasoline in Mexico under the name "Nova." If Mexicans were going to associate anything with the Chevrolet Nova based on its name, it would probably be this gasoline. In any case, if Mexicans had no compunctions about filling the tanks of their cars with a type of fuel whose brand name advertised that it "didn't go," why would they reject a similarly named automobile?
- This legend assumes that a handful of General Motors executives launched a car into a foreign market and remained in blissful ignorance about a possible adverse translation of its name. Even if nobody in Detroit knew enough rudimentary Spanish to notice the coincidence, the Nova could not have been brought to market in Mexico and/or South America without the involvement of numerous Spanish speakers engaged to translate user manuals, prepare advertising and promotional materials, communicate with the network of Chevrolet dealers in the target countries, etc. In fact, GM was aware of the translation and opted to retain the model name "Nova" in Spanish-speaking markets anyway, because they (correctly) felt the matter to be unimportant.
The truth is that the Chevrolet Nova's name didn't significantly affect its sales: it sold well in both its primary Spanish-language markets, Mexico and Venezuela, and its Venezuelan sales figures actually surpassed GM's expectations.
The whole "Nova = "doesn't go" tale was merely another in a long line of automotive jokes, like the ones about "Ford" being an acronym for "Fix or repair daily" or "Found on road dead" or "Fiat" being an acronym for "Fix it again, Tony!" These humorous inventions might adequately reflect the tellers' feelings about the worthiness of various types of automobiles, but we don't really expect that anyone ever refrained from buying a Ford because he actually believed they needed to be repaired on a daily basis.
The one bit of supporting evidence offered to back up this legend is spurious as well. General Motors, we're told, finally wised up and changed the model's name of their automobile from Nova to Caribe, after which sales of the car "took off." The problem with this claim is that the Caribe sold in Mexico was manufactured by Volkswagen, not by General Motors. (The Caribe was the model's name used by VW in Mexico for the car more commonly known in the USA as the Volkswagen Golf.) The Nova's model name was never changed for the Spanish-speaking market.
The Chevy Nova legend lives on in countless marketing textbooks, is repeated in numerous business seminars, and is a staple of newspaper and magazine columnists who need a pithy example of human folly. Perhaps someday this apocryphal tale will become what it should be: an illustration of how easily even "experts" can sometimes fall victim to the very same dangers they warn us about.
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7 hours ago, rocketraider said:
Kerry's comment on his six-cylinder Chevelle tickled me. One of my favorite things to do at cruise nights is to watch local knuckleheads' reaction to a six-cylinder or non-performance V8 Camaro, Chevelle or Mustang. Such a car will literally send them into foaming-at-the-mouth hysterics.
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Steve, Is that the one that came from Oxford NC?
I can hear them now. "Why you wasting time and money on a FOUR DOOR?! with a SIX-CYLINDER?! That car ain't worth NOTHING!!"
To which the reply is: "Is it your car? No? Then sthu and leave me alone."
🙂
I know, I know.
It will draw a crowd more than most though.
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Just When You Think You've Seen It All in the I Know What I Got - 1960 Chev on Marketplace
in General Discussion
Posted
How about this ocean bait, a 1964 Bonneville Wagon.