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That's a pretty broad request...what kind of info do you need exactly? history? pricing? mechanical parts? //// ?????
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Value of this car is not particularly high right now, so if you want one, now's the time, as the muscle car market is lighting up quickly. Figure $8-10,000 should get you a nice hardtop GS, and add another few thousand for a Stage 1...double that for a Stage 1 convertible, as the rule applies that a convertible is, 99% of the time, quite a bit more valuable than a coupe of any given collectible car.
Here is another one for you, what can you tell me about a YENKO nova? In all of my research I have yet to see any performance figures on this car in the form of 1/4 mile time-speed,I have read where Don Yenko decribed the car after his modifications as being "lethal"The writing seemed to indicate that yenko had some second thoughts about even releasing this automobile to the general public.My cousin owns a 375 horse 396 69 and it is fast,so the yenko must be very nice.Also if you have any info,what kind of price would this piece bring,in excellent condition?Thanks again.
Well, in 1970 there was a Nova Yenko Duece, which I suspect in near show condition could bring $20,000, and if it were an all-out, over the top, way better than new restoration, probably even more. Yenko also made some very hairy Camaros in the late 1960s which are worth double that.
Hope that helps!
I do have a honkin' big library, yes, and a lot of that info has sunk into the memory banks, but I try to be careful with stats and specs so I often look things up just to be sure; however, not everything you read in books is true, so I try to balance my info against other sources. It's not easy cutting throught the hype and marketing and withful thinking and getting to the truth...sometimes there really is no one truth about a car, it's just opinion all up for grabs. Quite a bit of automotive commentary is hardly objective science...there's always a lot of the commentator's bias in there, even at the top magazines.
But thanks for your interest and participation. Without all the users, this would be a dull and lonely place for me.
Also, can anyone tell me how much a '68 Olds 442 convertable might be worth (good condition)?
My number one choice for a "muscle car" is the '65 Chevy II, with the 327-350 hp engine. I know a guy who had one, and it did wheel stands with ease. It snapped my head back, and pushed me into the seat, like no other car. I also rode in a '66 Biscayne, with the 427-425 hp engine, but the Chevy II seemed much quicker. The two never raced, because the Chevy II was sold before the Biscayne was bought. Anyway, it was a true muscle car.
A 1968 Olds 4-4-2 convert could be a pretty valuable car...in "good" condition, which means a very clean daily driver, around $20,000, and more for top condition cars.
Your buddy might have tweaked that 327, because my books show only a 300 HP 327 available in a Chevy II...it would be a wild ride, nonetheless, assuming you didn't rely too much on the steering and brakes but kept it in a straight line with all that power. I like cars that look harmless but aren't.
Shopping for a new car today and my wife insists I sell the '68 GTO. Numbers matching 400 auto w/89,000 mi. but the interior's pretty trashed and it has all the usual rust(inc.vinyl top-trunk). Runs great and everything but the A/C works. Can I-should I-sell it for $4000. or should I keep and restore it over time?
I'm sorry, but the engine was indeed the 350 hp one. It had the Holley double pumper quad for sure, and even had an engine plate that said 327, 350 hp Turbo-Fire. Besides, how could the 300 hp version do wheel stands like I said in could? Also, I'm sure it was a Chevy II, and not a Nova, because the Nova SS also offered the 327-350 hp.
I suggest re-check your book on engine options.
Then it must have been a 1966 Nova Super Sport...there's no 350 listed in any reference book I can find for a 1965 Chevy II...the engine option we're talking about is the L79. So if it was a '65 car, it was probably a conversion I would guess...and no base Chevy II would have that engine in any year to the best of my knowledge, only as an SS option.
This kind of thing is common with old Chevy, lots of swapping and all kinds of mysteries.
Anyway, my references are Terry Boyce's Chevy Super Sports, 1961-76, and the Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975. Could be wrong, I'm only going by the books here....
Please let me know if you find some contrary evidence, that would be interesting to know.
In '66, such an engine was indeed offered in the Chevy II chassis but I'm unable to see if it was available in the "Chevy II" and "Chevy II Nova" models as well as the "Chevy II Nova SS" model.
Like you guys, I particularly admired the "minimum trim" cars with the "maximum capability" powertrains.
The car might have been a '65-1/2 Chevy II. I wonder if the guy may have removed any badging, filled in the holes, and re-painted. This was commonly done to help prevent theft, or to disguise hot cars back then. In know that the guy with the 427-425 hp engine did this. Anyway, I'm through with talking about this.
JPSTAX
Sounds like he doesn't really want to sell but is "fishing" for the sky high price, but I don't think he's realistic, since he's competing with show car 396 automobiles. Fair price would be more like $12K if it's an outstanding car.
As far as the chrysler and dodge cars go,the 426 hemi gave them the rep of being the quickest cars,when in fact the hemi in stock form was often a bit slower in the 1/4 than the same car with the 440 6-pack.
Do you know what kind of Mustang that Steve Mc Queen drove in Bullet? That car was HOT!! However, I'm not so sure any Mustang could keep up with that black Charger, which allegedly had 426 Hemi, but that's the movies for you.
Speaking of hot cars in movies, has anyone seen the John Wayne detective film, Mc Q? He appeared to be driving some sort of very fast Trans Am. Is it the same kind Burt Reynolds drove in Smokey and the Bandit? Just curious.
One more thing, could I have an Eaton supercharger installed in my '98 Lumina LTZ (3800 engine), after the warranty runs out? Also, will the trans take the additional 40 hp and 55 ft/lbs of torque, or will I have to upgrade that too?
jp, I think your supercharger question would get a better response in the Sportscars conference. Here's that link for you:
I think who wins in a real road race depends a great deal on the driver...a superior driver can defeat a superior car--this very fact made the reputation of some of the famous drivers of old. They could race using inferior cars and win. Another factor is that some old cars look good on paper and are terrible to drive and while others don't put up good stats but are a real pleasure to own. So the whole process of judging a car's merit is pretty complicated I think.
Can you give me that link to again? It didn't come through. Thanks.
Incidentally, I posted my question at the "accessories & add-ons" town hall, under sub-topic "turbochargers, superchargers, and blowers".
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left out the "s" last time, that's why it didn't work...I should know better!
More important probably is to make sure the structure is sound and not all rusted out underneath.
I personally like the style of the fastback more than the coupe, but thats just my opinion.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
At this point in time, I would not rule out the I6, but suggest that you be wary.
Straight from the factory it was a killer. Of course, I also remember the frozen door locks, tempermental carbs, and the science of gapping the spark plug gaps to precision! Never forget the day the acclerator stuck -- YIKES!
And no, a transmission can't be hard on an engine, only a driver can by how high he revs. Anyway, it would be the differential that would determine engine RPMs in top gear (4th for a stickshift, or drive for an automatic). I'd presume in the case of the Camaro that the differential that came with the automatic car would allow the engine to run at lower RPMs, so there is some argument, sort of, for saying that a diff coupled to an automatic would be easier on the engine over a long period of time.
I hope I finally got to the point of your question!
You were right about the 327-350hp (L-79) engine being available only in a '66 Chevy II. My wife's car needed some repair work. The body shop owner, who happens to own a '71 Buick GS, told me that a '66 Chevy II Nova and Nova SS could have been equipped with the L-79 engine, but not a '65. He said, as you did, that this engine in a '65-1/2 would be a very valuable car. So, I was wrong about the year. That's what happens when us "baby boomers" get old. We start missing a year or two from our memory banks.
Anyway, this guys' Buick GS (Stage 1) is a masterpiece! He couldn't remember how much hp and torque it has, but said it can really haul **s.
Do you have a book on this particular car, which would have specs on the engine ? It has two hood (functional) air intakes, and huge dual exhausts.
This text explains that for 1970 Buick produced only 2094 of the GS Stage 1 cars and that some (or all) of these had 350/360 HP. It then says that for '71, the corresponding car was marketed as a "GS-X". The implication is that they didn't use the "Stage 1" designation in 1971.
Jpstax, could it be your 1965-1966 dilemma has been replaced by a 1970-1971 quandary? More likely, the medieval-monk-debate situation applies.
The body shop owner told me his GS (Stage 1) was a '71, so I believed him. I would think it has the 350/360 HP engine, since he told me it was very, very fast. Also, is it possible he bought it in '71, but it's actually a '70 Oh, I get it, his mind is slipping too. Thanks for the info.