Posted on 02/21/2014 11:37:38 AM PST by nickcarraway
“What good is owning a car that can get a speeding ticket in FIRST gear?”
Years ago, a good friend of mine bought a new 57 Chevy with the 283 cu in, 283 hp version, and a close ratio three speed manual transmission. One night in Des Moines, going out Fleur Drive towards the airport, some guys in a hopped up Ford wanted to drag. We teased ‘em, and stayed ahead...we were going 95 mph and still in first gear...when we finally had to stop at the traffic light at Army Post Rd they caught up to us...heads shaking, they said we kept waiting for you to have to shift...
So we were all in first gear of course...and we did not get a speeding ticket that night :)
- Yup - a ‘59 impala ported 283ci with 2-4’s and a Duntov SR cam will turn well over 100mph in low range with a Powerglide and easily walk away from a 283/290hp fuelie ‘Vettefrom 55mph up
Corvette Stingray Convertible 3LT (Fully Loaded)MSRP $77,450
ENGINE, 6.2L (376 CI) V8 DI (455 hp [339.3 kW] @ 6000 rpm, 460 lb-ft of torque [621.0 N-m] @ 4600 rpm) (STD)
Optional performance exhaust increases horsepower to 460 & 465 lb-ft of torque , aggressive exhaust sound, with 4" polished stainless-steel tips
MPG - 16 City / 28 EPA Fuel Economy Est - Hwy (MPG): 28 highway
Pretty close in styling. Ferrari a little more horsepower that could easily be matched & even surpassed for 20,000 or perhaps even less.
Now granted the Ferrari will continue to increase in value whereas the vette won't, but only if you hardly ever drive it. What fun is that? I'll still take the vette., and have fun.
“The limited edition V8 Vantage N430 will set you back (in the UK) by £89,995”
£89,995? I don’t think so...
I was a pretty competent driver, just starting out in local competitions. In 1965, (age 19) I rolled a MB 190SL at Lime Rock (SCCA/F class)..almost right in front of where my parents were sitting. I was fine, got out and walked away. My mom ran over..when she saw I was fine, took her pocket book, and started beating me over the helmet with it, My dream of being the next Juan Manuel Fangio died that day.
See #19 this thread..
Foryunately the quality of bth has improved.
If you had been in a Ferrari, the story could have been different.
Yup..I might be dead. The 190SL was a little (1.9 liters) underpowered 4 banger...mated to a 4 speed..you had to really work the shifter to get any decent acceleration times..Torque? what’s that. It handled beautifully though..made you feel you could do nothing wrong..which is an other mistake of the young, as I thusly demonstrated
- grocery cart into the door of a Ferrari 458 in a parking lot anyone?
- the new F-type Jags have snappy exhaust and come in 4, 6, & 8 - but a new “Eagle” Jag retro will do it with E-type style on steroids
- buy a silver 1984 low hp smogger Targa Corvette for under $8000 cash - swap in a new ‘Vette LS - or get speed shop prepped hot sb ‘Vette engine and put on your 007 sunglasses -
- Jeremy Clarkson on “Top Gear” snipes at new hot ‘Vettes & Mustangs on interiors and such - but he loves the 205 plus mph and slam in the back of raw screaming power on a budget
- years back CSv saw John Schultz’s AC-Chevy V8 at a race in Florida - GM turned him down - Ford bite down hard
CS copied that AC-Chevy and never made one dime selling the Cobra - he was lousy businessman - he got his bucks from FORD
The AC-Chevy 283ci was not an original Schultz asked what to do with his spun-block AC-Bristol - I recalled a TR3-Chevy, Ferrari TR2590 Testa Rosa-Chevy, and an Austin Healey-Chevy - i lifted the hood on my ‘59 Impala (Duntov/2-4’s) and measured the width - John lifted the hood on his AC-Bristol
Three (3) days later a local truck, tractor, car repair shop on North Dixie Highway cranked up a vicious primer-black AC-Chevy with a 3-speed truck trans - the rest is history - esp. for Ferrari
- But it was the cheap, quick, and dirty fix for John Schultz and all the parts were available at Weatern auto or Slaton Chevrolet or and any S-FL boneyard
The AC-Ace body is an updated copy of early Ferrari racing roadster bodies - 125 - and later - the Bristol engine ohc 6 was copied from a BMW engine
Ego gets in way of truth in the car biz - hot rodder AF Vets after WWII built the first innovative hot street, drags, and lakester cars
- The world followed the Yanks with class cars - but sheer raw screaming power is found in any American boneyard if you bring your own tools and a few 6-paks of Corona for the big guy there
- old war stories -
- the best sneaky sleeper Chevy V8 street rod I ever saw was a plain light blue Triumph Mayflower convertible with a Chevy 283ci Crane/Edelbrock/Holley engine - quiet and scary -
- recently a Mercedes convertible solf for under 15K AND A Ferrari coupe for under 28K at barret-Jackson Auctions - repair parts & labor on exotics is obscene and collectors are saying no
- A late 50’s frame-off restored Corvette or Baby Bird sells for $45K-over $200K and keeps on appreciating -
- Stay thirsty my friends…….
- a pro-swapped Chevy transplant would do wonders for a 190SL - AT to save the drive train
- actually the 220SL is prettier
300SL’s are museum pieces with deadly oversteer at full chat
- we were all immortal as we burned the candle at both ends -
- I still am -
What we did do was take a damaged 190SL..drop in the Buick all aluminum V-8..then the lightest V-8 in the wold..but we had to modify the nose to get it in..the MB clutch and shaft couldn’t handle it..had to go for a Hurst shifter and linkage...you could sit there and burn rubber in all four gears while standing still.
Kewl pics on your homepage..but the Triumph? Gawd...I had a TR-3 for less than a year..and it was about the only car I truly ever hated..one word LUCAS....and those side mounted SOLEX carbs..pure crap..I used to carry a little spray bottle of gas in the boot...if you came to a real sudden stop, the engine would often cut out..fuel backflow surge, or some such..and the best, and quickest way to get it running again was to spray some gas on the carbs...
Could not keep the fuelies in tune very long.
Had a four speed close ratio, as all were in stock in late fifties/early sixties. It would register just past 60mph
in first gear.
- 1-3/4 SU carbs - 3 in 1 oil in the dashpots - Volvo P1800S high performance needles -honed carp pistons with MolyDiSufide- precision balance on ported aluminum intake manifold - ported high-port head - ported exhaust manifold - 2-12” straight exhaust - cylinder head mille to give 12 to 1 compression - cc’ed cylinder heads after grinding to enshrouding the valves - raicing pushrods - narrowed and much lightened rocker arms -3 rows of louvers in the hood - remove cooling fan and adapt a dash switch controlled Austin Healey 100-6 heater fan in front of the radiator - a HD
- Rear shocks drained and filled with 90 weight oil - adjustable Koni shocks up front weight oil - constanly protested a SCCA events and at the 1/4 mile strips
- the “Birdcage Triumph” they called it
mph would hit the “P” on MPH on the Speedo - safely turned 6800 RPM - street rod cars and sportscars often blew their engines attempting to catch it
Bendix electric fuel pump at rear fuel tank - battery moved to right rear of the trunk
engine then swapped for a bit larger bore TR4 engine and the SCCA prepped modified head put on the TR4 engine block - Crane camshaft - Sunoco Pemium - Castrol racing oil - transmission oil changed to 10 wight with 1/2 can or STP added to cut friction and give smooth faster shifts
on thruway it would take a big block Corvette - SCCA TR’s would run ahead of Corvette SB’s in SCCA races
You have to be a serious wizard to expertly tune multiple SU carbs properly - instant starting with a Mallory HD ignition coil and aircraft ignition wires and a recurved distributor
Toe set at 0 - camber set at negative 1-1/2 degress - caster set at positive 7 degrees -
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