I remember a local Chrysler dealer having one of the winged birds back in '70. Couldn't give it away and eventually flogged it to a dealer west of Toronto. The ugly nose and extra price didn't appeal to too many. Look at the prices today. The COPO Chevelle that I bought new made a whole 260 rwhp at 5,000 rpm. Wow. A lean smog jetting in the carb and an advance curve that didn't come in fully until 5K rpm really killed the horsepower. Easily corrected IF you knew what to do. I did a lot of experimenting with jetting and the advance curve and before the first summer was done, I already had to put big tires on the back of the car to get some semblance of traction. Look at the prices today. A friend had a new L78 '69 L78 Chevy II. Brand new car and he took it right to the track. 15.1s was the best he could get out of it. Look at the prices today. These were the top Chevy engines and the lesser ones made even less power. The old saying, "The older we get, the faster we were." is true. The cars out there today would blow the old stuff right into the weeds. Sure, the old ones could make more power but didn't as they came from the factory. All said and done, we sold our Chevelles for good money, and bought our 13,300 mile 2005 Corvette in 2012. It does everything better than the old cars. Won't get the looks that they did, but that doesn't matter to us. I guess our egos are not that big. After six summers, we are still enjoying it.
 
Definitely click bait title but he defended the cars for what they were at the time. Growing up in the mid to late 70s (which continues to today) the lack of power in the cars in general was a source of aggravation. Not many of us had the knowledge or cash to add power to the cars.
No internet back then to simply find an cheap and easy set up. :bookworm:
 
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Ok. I'll step up to the plate and offer to buy a car that no one wants, maybe a 63 with that ugly rear window.
There was an after market kit that would remove the split window and replace it with a single window. Apparently it was a good seller as you could turn your 63 into a 64. :Banghead:
 
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Interesting video. Relating to what was said about the '74 & '75's, my '74 that I've owned since 1983 is one heck of a fun car ... but a lot of that fun was due to a local Chevrolet dealer that had put an LT-1 engine in it when he owned it. That sound and performance can make all the difference in the world for how you perceive a car ... not to mention it's kind of a sleeper. :)
 
Interesting video. Relating to what was said about the '74 & '75's, my '74 that I've owned since 1983 is one heck of a fun car ... but a lot of that fun was due to a local Chevrolet dealer that had put an LT-1 engine in it when he owned it. That sound and performance can make all the difference in the world for how you perceive a car ... not to mention it's kind of a sleeper. :)
A friend did the ZZ crate motor swap into his mid '80s Monte Carlo SS. Turned into a real musclecar with no vices and power that you actually notice. We had a 1984 Trans Am with the HO 305. It was a fun car with decent handling. You aren't going to win any races with it but it was fun. With these cars, an upgrade crate engine is such an easy swap that many have done.
 
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A friend did the ZZ crate motor swap into his mid '80s Monte Carlo SS. Turned into a real musclecar with no vices and power that you actually notice. We had a 1984 Trans Am with the HO 305. It was a fun car with decent handling. You aren't going to win any races with it but it was fun. With these cars, an upgrade crate engine is such an easy swap that many have done.

I had a friend in highschool with a black Trans Am that came with a factory 455 and a 4 speed. I think it was a 77 or 78. This car was insane. It wasn't geared incredibly fast as in high speed but it was wild getting there. When doing 100 MPH you could actually see the gas gauge falling... The best car I've ever seen for burnouts and donuts. Absolutely no computer management... just raw power.

No idea what the horsepower was but it didn't matter... for us it was just "hold my beer and watch this"

Simpler times....
 
I had a friend in highschool with a black Trans Am that came with a factory 455 and a 4 speed. I think it was a 77 or 78. This car was insane. It wasn't geared incredibly fast as in high speed but it was wild getting there. When doing 100 MPH you could actually see the gas gauge falling... The best car I've ever seen for burnouts and donuts. Absolutely no computer management... just raw power.

No idea what the horsepower was but it didn't matter... for us it was just "hold my beer and watch this"

Simpler times....

Now you're bringing up memories that make me smile and smile...... I had a 78 Black Trans Am with the 6.6L and shaker scoop with the big fire chicken on the hood... what a blast. I dont think it had all that much horsepower back then and it was a big heavy car....but it didn't matter. Take the t-top off and cruise around town, all good :) :)
 
Now you're bringing up memories that make me smile and smile...... I had a 78 Black Trans Am with the 6.6L and shaker scoop with the big fire chicken on the hood... what a blast. I dont think it had all that much horsepower back then and it was a big heavy car....but it didn't matter. Take the t-top off and cruise around town, all good :) :)

I was a Camaro guy a bit later on after highschool. I had a new red 81 Z28 with a solid roof, crank up windows and a 4 speed. Likely the most underpowered 5.7L or 350 ever put in these cars but I drove the hell out of that thing and loved every minute if it. I had a couple more Camaros and Trans Ams after but this one was the one I liked the best. Later I ended up with a 280Z Turbo which was fast for the day but it never came close to the fun factor of these heavy loud Camaros and Trans Ams.

Then of course.... new baby and a 30 year pause in sports cars. Now the fatter, balder teenager is back online. :thumbs:
 
This is a little off topic but there’s a 73 corvette on kijiji right now with the ecklers wagon conversion on it. Looks kind if ugly to me. The owners asking $3500. Are those wagon conversions desired by anybody?
 
This is a little off topic but there’s a 73 corvette on kijiji right now with the ecklers wagon conversion on it. Looks kind if ugly to me. The owners asking $3500. Are those wagon conversions desired by anybody?


Maybe someone Jr. but for the life of me I have no idea who.... ... I do applaud the guys honesty in the ad though, even if advising that the "car needs restoration" was slightly redundant....
 
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