how fast were the old muscle cars?

I remember before they were Muscle Cars, they were Super Cars, before Lamborghini's etc. got the title.

Thanks
Randy
SUPER CARS MARCH 1966 C & D 2.jpg
 
Thanks Randy. I had a few of those cars. Back in 78 I bought a Ford Fairlane GTA with an HO390 in Fire Red for $350 barely drive able. Loads of rust and leaked and burned oil my dad didn't want it even sitting in the street I had to get rid of it. Next car, a 67 Cutlass 442 for $650. I ran the piss out of it until it threw a rod through the side of the oil pan. Just as the national oil shortage began I bought a really nice looking 67 Buick GS for about $750. That car was about 7 mpg and I couldn't drive it, literally. Waiting in line late every other night when I was allowed by my tag number to even buy gas was too much. I finally had to buy a brand new car at a dealer that would let you buy gas at their station just so I could get to work. That was the end of buying used cars as a daily drivers.
 
I had to purchase a case of oil and a couple oil filters too day and while I waited to pay for the supplies I got to listen to two amusing idiots,
discuss , how they were modifying a long neglected, and stored for decades, 1970 mustang, with a 351 cleveland engine (290 hp factory)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Mustang_(first_generation)#Other_variants
the engine has close to 190K miles and headers, the cars never been started since the late 1980s, but they bought it and towed it home,
and its got a a 3.90:1 rear gear and a stock, 3 speed automatic transmission, that they are sure they can get to run, in the 11 second range after a cam swap....the cars yet to be started up, and as far as they know the valves have never been adjusted and the intake manifolds never been off the engine.....personally I think the first step would be to pull it down, clean off a ton of sludge (which I'd bet money is in that engine) and carefully inspect that engines internal condition, and (at least do a ring & bearing refresh)..... not a cam swap!
but too hear them talk.....its a damn 351 Cleveland, a cam swap alone should get them close to 450 hp....

 
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Just thought of a story from the past I thought to share.
We had a 77 vette, l82 auto and a 92 Dakota 318. An employee asked me how fast the vette was, I told him I'm not impressed with it. That let to us taking them out for a match race. 1/4 mile, Dakota won By 1/2 a length!!! He thought I was sandbagging. ( I was in the Vette) So we swapped and with me in the Dakota I won by a full length. Later, the vette had 487 heads instead of the 882's and it won by 2+ lengths!
A few years passed and we had a 84 or 86 vette. Aluminum headed 350.
He wanted to try again but asked me what I thought would happen.
I said, vette in the 1/8 but the Dak MIGHT run it down in the 1/4.
I was right. But this time the Dakota had some tuning on it.
Dakota had 3.55 gears, early vette had 3.07 The newer one had 2.xx gears. But it would get as high as 27mpg , the 77 could get 18-20 ( with the 487 heads, and the Dodge best was 17.
So many claim those 882 corvette heads were the best. Not in our case.
 
Just thought of a story from the past I thought to share.
We had a 77 vette, l82 auto and a 92 Dakota 318. An employee asked me how fast the vette was, I told him I'm not impressed with it. That let to us taking them out for a match race. 1/4 mile, Dakota won By 1/2 a length!!! He thought I was sandbagging. ( I was in the Vette) So we swapped and with me in the Dakota I won by a full length. Later, the vette had 487 heads instead of the 882's and it won by 2+ lengths!
A few years passed and we had a 84 or 86 vette. Aluminum headed 350.
He wanted to try again but asked me what I thought would happen.
I said, vette in the 1/8 but the Dak MIGHT run it down in the 1/4.
I was right. But this time the Dakota had some tuning on it.
Dakota had 3.55 gears, early vette had 3.07 The newer one had 2.xx gears. But it would get as high as 27mpg , the 77 could get 18-20 ( with the 487 heads, and the Dodge best was 17.
So many claim those 882 corvette heads were the best. Not in our case.
Gears have the Single biggest effect on drag race standing start acceleration.
Need at least 3.90 gears normal aspirated.
4.10, 4.30, 4.56 diff gears better.
Back in the day 4.88, 5.13, 5.57 gears were used by the really fast Street Racers and the exact same Gears are used by the Guys today on the Show Street Outlaws.

You will Lose every single time street drag racing with highway gears unless you have a Hellcat with a true 707 Hp.
Or A Pontiac 455 built for Drag race.
Or A 496, 540, 555, 572 Ci BBC.

C4 Corvette was the lightest Corvette every built the early years 1984-1987 @ 3200 lbs. Convertible 1987 weighs 3220 lbs.
Other than the C1 Vette with a solid axle diff. Reported they weigh arpund 2800 lbs.
 
You can find out what gears guys have by asking what they Rpm'd Tached at the end of the 1/8 or 1/4 mile.
Do the Reverse race math.
Guys don't often tell the truth what gears they use that are real fast.
Also don't give up cam specs.
 
That is why I posted it. Gears are a must. must match the power band and speed..

I also had a 70 cutlass 455 it had 3.73 gears Cam headers intake, built short block following Joe Mondello's advice. T400 with switch pitch 3200 on high stall. But it killed converters. On 150 n2o it ran 132mph mid 10's and was all I ever thought could be used on street tires. The hooked and it was a ride. So many people around me said, John, it's an olds it CANNOT be fast. It never got beat. But one day the police chief told me to calm it down or I would be in real trouble. After he clocked me over 130 ( by a lot over, he said). But he was out of his jurisdiction!
A high school senior wanted to buy it. I wouldn't sell it to him with that motor ever when his dad said it was ok. I built a 350 and swapped them. They still thought it was the 455!!! Often said it was very fast, but I let them believe it.
Guessing around 650 HP on the juice. Drive it anywhere IF you could resist WO. Passed a car one day at 60 mph and suddenly he was at my right door, I drove it out and never lost more than 15-20 mph. That guy came to my shop 30 minutes later and said, " Should break your nose for that but I've never seen that kinda driving! We laughed. all was good.
First day out on black top I hit the n2o at 30 mph, it pulled then reved like it blew the trans I lifted and looked at the tach. 8000+ Went back to see the tire marks 200 yards long!!! Went from 8 1/2 inches to 4 then back to 8 1/2. They were still there the next year.
Wish I still had it. It had a lot of kills even with no n2o.
It was breaking spot welds on the floor pan.
 
That is why I posted it. Gears are a must. must match the power band and speed..

I also had a 70 cutlass 455 it had 3.73 gears Cam headers intake, built short block following Joe Mondello's advice. T400 with switch pitch 3200 on high stall. But it killed converters. On 150 n2o it ran 132mph mid 10's and was all I ever thought could be used on street tires. The hooked and it was a ride. So many people around me said, John, it's an olds it CANNOT be fast. It never got beat. But one day the police chief told me to calm it down or I would be in real trouble. After he clocked me over 130 ( by a lot over, he said). But he was out of his jurisdiction!
A high school senior wanted to buy it. I wouldn't sell it to him with that motor ever when his dad said it was ok. I built a 350 and swapped them. They still thought it was the 455!!! Often said it was very fast, but I let them believe it.
Guessing around 650 HP on the juice. Drive it anywhere IF you could resist WO. Passed a car one day at 60 mph and suddenly he was at my right door, I drove it out and never lost more than 15-20 mph. That guy came to my shop 30 minutes later and said, " Should break your nose for that but I've never seen that kinda driving! We laughed. all was good.
First day out on black top I hit the n2o at 30 mph, it pulled then reved like it blew the trans I lifted and looked at the tach. 8000+ Went back to see the tire marks 200 yards long!!! Went from 8 1/2 inches to 4 then back to 8 1/2. They were still there the next year.
Wish I still had it. It had a lot of kills even with no n2o.
It was breaking spot welds on the floor pan.
My Old Trans Am ran like that.
No Nitrous .
Still have it.
Goal is to get it back together and running in 2019.
Then add Nitrous for 1000+ Emergency Power!
Most of the time it will be all motor power.
 
Had the l71 in my old 68,did some things tho. tarantula manifold,touch higher lift cam. Bronze valve guides polly locks etc.68 corvette.jpg
Was getting out of Philly & moving to NJ back then.Was in my 20's,the wife took the pic.
Had access to all the speed goodies back then.
 

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Thanks Maniac.
By then I gave up Street Racen & Went the Rolling Hi Way route.
Im getting ready to eat ,then split for work.
Catch ya later.
Talk to later.
Done the Highway thing with the 87 C4 Convertible for 170,000 miles since 2007.
It's Ok.
Drag Racing never left my blood.
 
I usually do a tad above the limit in the right lane,if the car on the left wants to have at Im game,cant help it/lol!
Haven that head on collision in the G5 still bothers me tho. Air bag knocked me out cold,when I woke up all I wanted was a cigarette.
Besides that I also hit 2 deer driven into work,cant wait till I stop working.
Have some Violent storms up in Pa dropping down to my area . Gona be a fun night in work.
Catch ya later Maniac.
 
I usually do a tad above the limit in the right lane,if the car on the left wants to have at Im game,cant help it/lol!
Haven that head on collision in the G5 still bothers me tho. Air bag knocked me out cold,when I woke up all I wanted was a cigarette.
Besides that I also hit 2 deer driven into work,cant wait till I stop working.
Have some Violent storms up in Pa dropping down to my area . Gona be a fun night in work.
Catch ya later Maniac.
I have been behaving.
Not doing crazy stuff lately.

I do want to Street Race Wiz !
6 years is long enough.
 
That would be far out ! Grudge or $ ? I popped over to DC for a bit,seems he's trying to get 400 HP out of that ls.
 
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I was recently asked, at a local car show I attended,
about why old geezers like myself were and are so impressed with the 1963-1973 or so muscle cars!
the guy I was talking to was in his mid 20s and he pointed out,
that most of the muscle cars were at best high 13 to mid 14 second 1/4 mile et cars.
and that even some of the newer SUV and 6 cylinder turbo cars can now crack of similar 1/4 mile E.T. times.
well one reason I suppose is nostalgia related, and we were teens or maybe his age back then
and I also pointed out that tire technology and engine and suspension technology,
have advanced a great deal in the last 45-50 years.
simply taking off the original bias ply tires and swapping to the newer tire compounds and tire designs on the older cars ,
can have a rather dramatic effect on performance.
many of the New cars put the power to the ground more efficiently than the old ones,
Id also point out that the muscle cars had a class and sound that modern cars do not have,
70946864-770-0@2X.jpg

yeah the Chrysler str8 hemi is faster than,
the original L88 corvette,or GTO JUDGE,OR roadrunner
75369f92c296080c2187239c5b03fe04.jpg

1968rr1.jpg


but what looks, sounds and feels more fun to drive and what would you rather own.
4c3bb69b37e6b8ccbd8a536d980df2a1.jpg
 
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