Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

What Vintage stock muscle car do you remember driving that impressed you the most with respect to brute horsepower.
Forget the fact how it took the bumps, handled or stopped.

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

Mine was my first mopar a 70 440 six pac roadrunner with the super track-pac option 410 dana with a hemi 4 speed man that thing was a animal.. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...ins/3gears.gif

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

A friend of mine in high school took me for a ride in his Dad's LS6 70 Chevelle. WOW !!!!

The other wasn't a musclecar, but a musclecar powerplant. Another friend of mine had a 79 Trans Am in high school and his Dad and Uncle replaced the 301 block with a Ram Air III 400. Now that was a heck of a Christmas gift.

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

'70 GS Stage 1, brutal is the only word to describe it...and the Car was a 'vert to boot.

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

my buddy had a 65 impala 396 4 speed car...
when you lit the tires up on the impala it would just sit and spin because of the big block torque and the impalas weight https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...ns/burnout.gif

the tire smoke was so thick you couldn't see out the back glass for what seemed like forever, ahhh those were the days


alan https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/smile.gif

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

Got a ride in a 69 L-88 Vette and I still think the
passenger seat ( where I was ) has a skid mark! https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...emlins/eek.gif

Steve

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

the guy next door to my parents bought a 1967 427 roedster and i think it just felt like a rocket ship when i was 14, i think it was only a 390 horse car but i was hooked.

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

my sisters boyfriend had a 69 vette with a small block 4spd, it was OK. The other sister later had a BF with a 73 454 4spd. They both let me drive the cars for obvious reasons.
At the shop the bosses brother in law brought in his 67 Vette for some major work (months) when it was done I had to take it home on the weekend to clean it up, and run it locally. Though not a "stock" muscle car this was my first time driving a car with "a cam" that must've idled around 1500? headers and sidepipes M22?(it seemed to whine if I recall), it was an animal, I think I couldn't wipe the grin off my face for about a month. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/laugh.gif https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...mlins/cool.gif https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/smile.gif https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...ns/burnout.gif

those were the days! Chris https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...mlins/flag.gif https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...mlins/flag.gif

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

My Buddys 70 LS-6 Misty Turquoise Chevelle. Misty Turquoise,Black Vinyltop, Black Bench Seat 4 Speed M-22,4.10s. That thing would scream.
Mike

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

Back in 66 I bought a Marina Blue L-79 SS Nova........My friend had just bought a Marina Blue L-78 Chevelle........The cars were dead even in performance...I couldn't pull him and he couldn't pull me.....Wow!!!!
We were the "Terrors" of Clybourn ave in Chicago....

Ken https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...mlins/flag.gif

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

At the tender age of 3,I was sitting on my Moms lap in our brand spanking new 1966 station wagon as my Dad was driving it home for the first time.I suddenly witnessed these two blue cars flying by us like they just robbed a bank.
My Dad screaming out expletives & shaking his fist as my mother covered my ears.
I think it was near Clybourn Ave..

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

A jock in high school had an LS-6 Chevelle with no mods of which he loaded it up with kids and I can still feel the unbelievable pull. I thought he was going to kill all of us. We all arrived back at school,laughing and I know I felt like kissing the ground.

Next to that ride,I went to look at a 1967 Z-28 in Fairfield,CT which the original owner still retained. He had a CE block in the Camaro and he took us onto The Merrit Parkway and I would have sworn it was a big block. He redlined it in every gear,passing many cars like they were traveling backwards. I remember when he let it coast down for a long time and we were still way beyond the speed limit. Very impressive.

Dave https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...ns/worship.gif

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

Started the post and forgot to list mine. I was very fortunate growing up to be taken under the wing of one of the best mechanics to ever pick up a wrench in my mind.He worked on all makes raced BBC and as a result it gave me exposure and a chance to work on and drive a lot of different ones like most of you guys.It's funny how Steve mentioned the l88. He owned one of them 1of 116 69's and yes I have to agree that it was a weapon on rails.Boy could that car handle. Then Ken hits the l-79 nova another shocker that would come to his shop for tune ups. That would have been definately right up there.
I am BBC to the bone and hate to even say it but the one that would scare the crap out of me even over the l-88 and my l-72 was a 67 Ford 427 dual quad R Fairlane, plain jane rated at what 425. More like 625. That car was nuts.
The only BBC I never got to drive was a zl-1 how are they compared to a copo 427 or the 427 ford.

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

I'm on the L-88 team too. I got a ride in a friends 1969 L-88 He had some minor mods done to it. That car was nuts fast.

I had a really stout 396 chevelle myself at the time, but that Vette launched real nice, and pulled damn hard.

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

Ken would never drive like that Rick. He would have put his signal light on prior to passing.

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

The fastest car I ever had a chance to take a ride in was a real 427 cobra roadster that was being tuned up at a friend's shop. There was a story about these cars going from 0 to 100 and back to 0 in a city block. The stories are true, I have never been shoved in and out of a seat so hard since. The next car was a 68 big block roadster with a crate LS7, GM over the counter flares and Goodyear blue streaks. The car was set up for auto crossing. The owner brought the car to the gas station I worked at to charge the battery. I had to make sure the car would start before the owner got back so I decided to take the car for a little spin. I nailed the throttle at one end of the gas station and ended up sliding sideways between the pumps totally out of control and stopping with in inches of the pizza parlor next door. The last car that impressed me was a 1969 Z/28 that had a replacement 350 LT1 crate motor in it. A friend was looking to buy the car for $2,200.00 and the seller took us 3 teenagers for a ride in the car. With 4 people in the car I can still remember how hard that car pulled in every gear.
Mark Sheppard

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

What is a ZL-1 like to drive??? Say compared to a l-72 in a 69 camaro or a ls-6 chevelle

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

For me it was Hemi anythings...never got the chance to run higher Hp Mk. 1V power in A or F body Chevys but had LOTS of fun in Hemi Runners, Chargers etc...a '71 Cuda 440 V-code car too! .

Not Muscle cars so I know they don't count, but working for a dealer I was always impressed by a lot of Benz products too...had a few good runs in the rare 6.3 and 6.9 sedans also SL's of the day were always great fun especially when the variable valve timing models came out! .

If we start talking fast non-stock cars, bikes or sno-machines...whole different story! .

~ Pete
https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...ins/3gears.gif

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

My first was a brand new '65 4 barrel GTO 4 speed. Me and two buddies drove that car all day. One of those occasions that mold our gear-heads and we never forget. Yellow with black buckets. Don't ask me how we survived the day.

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

A friend of mine had a '67 Chevelle with a 427 that ran extremely well but he also had a '67 L78 Camaro (also an RS). That car was scary quick. Scared the heck out of me one night pulling onto a highway. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...ns/worship.gif

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

My buddies '70 SS 396 Nova, with a L88 transplant..4.88 gears
NO HOPE of any kind for traction at any speed with street tires on it.It gets so out of shape so fast it's scary.

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

Kid in my home town had a green 68 Coronet 440. I remember 4 of us in the car at 135mph+ on a section of the Trans-Canada Highway that Guinness listed as one of the most dangerous/murderous sections of road in the world. I swear the car spent more time airborne than on the ground -- thought I was going to bite it right there and then.

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

I guess your first always leaves a big impression! My dad's cousin, '70 Camero, 454, I don't know what the engine was rated at, but that MoFo could press you back in the seat so hard, you thought you were going to end up in the back seat. He stated that he may not be the fastest around, but he could leave the longest blackmark around! https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...ns/burnout.gif Also, I got to drive Clary's SYC Camero to the gas pump in Martin. No sliding tires or redline shift, but you could tell that thing had a hair trigger! https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...ns/naughty.gif

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

[ QUOTE ]
For me it was Hemi anythings...never got the chance to run higher Hp Mk. 1V power in A or F body Chevys but had LOTS of fun in Hemi Runners, Chargers etc...a '71 Cuda 440 V-code car too! .

Not Muscle cars so I know they don't count, but working for a dealer I was always impressed by a lot of Benz products too...had a few good runs in the rare 6.3 and 6.9 sedans also SL's of the day were always great fun especially when the variable valve timing models came out! .

If we start talking fast non-stock cars, bikes or sno-machines...whole different story! .

~ Pete
https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...ins/3gears.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Pete,

Hemi anything as long as it was a Post Sedan https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...mlins/cool.gif

Not stock....(I know your thread said stock) However...this car just says in my head after all these years.

It was my buddies 72 Vega with a killer small block. We street raced it every weekend we had a chance....nothing beat that car on the street. The caption on the back of the car read..."SUICIDE IS PAINLESS"

It had an exhaust header on the left side and a factory exhaust manifold on the right side...just not enough room to make it fit in those days.

Dan.

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

I was 12 yrs old and my neighbor bought his son a new 1970 amc hornet when he got out of the army,It was an sc 360 yellow 4 speed, Man that little car pulled so hard,it had headers and im thinking a trac pac option with maybe a 3:90 rear.cool looking car yellow with the black stripe down the side. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/smile.gif

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

Lots of cars, lots of memories. A buddy's '73 SD-455, auto w/3.42 ran fairly well, but there are two that stand out. First was a friend's '70 1/2 Z-28, 4-speed w/4.10's. Cortez silver/black. Sweet Jesus, that car flew-- Many have said it, but it was a "kiss the ground" moment when exiting that thing. Of course, it was totaled...

As in the last post, the fastest car I've been in was my uncle's '69 SC/Rambler. Not entirely stock (Torker, Holley, solid cam, 4.44's, but exhaust manifolds(?))-- That thing was such a beast. You couldn't shift it fast enough, and man did that thing hook up. The simple physics of a favorible power to weight ratio I guess...

The way I look at that SC/Rambler, it had aftermarket parts on it that the GM products came stock with. If only AMC had the money for warranty repairs...

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

Not factory stock, but appeared it, was a friends 1971 Corvette with a stroked 350 (383) auto. That thing was not known for laying much drag, but being brutal fast off the start and snagging rubber in every gear. He was a constant winner in the night street racing scene. His car made such an impression with me and my brother that my brother had him build a 383 for his 70 Camaro. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...ins/3gears.gif

Todd https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...mlins/flag.gif

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

Bought a new 70/442/W30. 2 door post car,M22, manual steering,disc brakes(not power) came with 12 bolt posi 3:91 gear. Warranty replace it with a 4:33 gear. The car would pull the front wheels off the ground.

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

I grew up in Norwalk CT and turned 16 years old in 1975. I had worked the 2 following summers in a local car wash and doing odd jobs so when the time came I would have the cash to get a car. My choice - Cortez Silver 1969 Z/28 Camaro. The car had headers on it when I bought it and occasionally I would drive it with them open. Maybe it was just the noise, but it seemed to run so much better that way. There were many, many, muscle cars around my neighborhood including a black COPO Camaro and a Blue (Dusk, Fathom?)Yenko Deuce. I would say that my Z pulled at least as hard as the Deuce. Unfortunately I never got a ride in the COPO.

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

Could that have been the black COPO Camaro from Valenti in Wallingford ? But I guess it´s to far from Norwalk.

https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...mlins/hmmm.gif

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

Anders,

Not sure where the COPO came from - it may have even been repainted. Back then it had the same value as any other used Camaro. The only thing anyone knew about it that made is special was the 427. It was owned by a guy named Burley Mears who owned the local pool hall (called Lad's and Lasses). I remember the cowl and the back panel were painted orange with the lace and pinstripe stencil detail that was so popular back then. Wallingford is about an hour from Norwalk. Burley may have picked it up used - this was around 1975. I know for sure the Yenko came from W.R. Austin Chevrolet in Norwalk because I sat in it when it was in the showroom. I went with my Dad to get a new car and I was sitting in the Deuce pretending I was driving it (I was about 10) while my Dad was doing the paperwork with the salesman. Another salesman yelled at me for shifting the gears - he said it would damage the trans.

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

Tom,
I like the story about the Deuce in the showroom. And your member# is a good one !

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

I actually came across the Deuce again several years later. I friend of mine was converting his Impala from auto to 4 speed and we went to buy a transmission from an ad in the local paper. You guessed it, we pull up to the house and there is the same Deuce in the driveway (looking bad!), no motor, trans in the trunk. Trans ended up in a '65 Impala. Probably in 1976 or so. Cannot remember where the house was other than Norwalk.

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

[ QUOTE ]
What Vintage stock muscle car do you remember driving that impressed you the most with respect to brute horsepower.
Forget the fact how it took the bumps, handled or stopped.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hello Joe,
I had a 1969 Corvette coupe with a L-71 427-435 hp. M21 four speed muncie with a 3.70 posi rear axle.
I had owned that one for 5 years. It was a GREAT ride.
Regards,
Drew Papsun

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

[ QUOTE ]
I actually came across the Deuce again several years later. I friend of mine was converting his Impala from auto to 4 speed and we went to buy a transmission from an ad in the local paper. You guessed it, we pull up to the house and there is the same Deuce in the driveway (looking bad!), no motor, trans in the trunk. Trans ended up in a '65 Impala. Probably in 1976 or so. Cannot remember where the house was other than Norwalk.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hello Tom,
I grew up in Darien, CT. married and moved to Norwalk, CT.
Last month the the old chevy dealership building was leveled for a new office park.
What color was the Yenko deuce in the showroon at W.R. Austin Chevrolet? What color was the one that your friend bought the 4-spedd trans from?
Regards,
Drew Papsun

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

Hi Drew,

Small world. It was dark blue - like dusk blue, maybe fathom blue. The car we bought the trans from was the same one that I saw in the showroom 6-7 years earlier. It had the WR Austin emblem on the back and we were speaking to the original owner. The car was located in a development somewhere around Eagle Road. I cannot for the life of me remember which house it was.

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

[ QUOTE ]
What is a ZL-1 like to drive??? Say compared to a l-72 in a 69 camaro or a ls-6 chevelle

[/ QUOTE ]
Hands down the ZL-1 is the nastiest beast for a stock motor.The L-72, LS-6 and Hemis are street motors and not in the same league for comparison. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...ins/3gears.gif

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

I've driven Ls-6, l-72 and a l-88 vette and hate to say it but the r series 427 Ford would eat them if you could get it to hook up. How would the zl-1 hold up to the 67 427 R Ford. That would be in the league of a Zl-1 would it not.Only 50 of those produced and this thing was no street motor.

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

[ QUOTE ]
I've driven Ls-6, l-72 and a l-88 vette and hate to say it but the r series 427 Ford would eat them if you could get it to hook up. How would the zl-1 hold up to the 67 427 R Ford. That would be in the league of a Zl-1 would it not.

[/ QUOTE ]
Actually, an FoMoCo 427 is spec for spec pretty close to an L72...other than the 2-4 setup and the better exhaust manifolds on the FoMoCo, the technical specs are *very* similar. Brian Stefina and I have compared our 427s (he has a '63 425hp Galaxy) and it's almost like they came off the same drawing board, also performed *very* simliarly on the dyno...

Re: Most Impressive Stock Muscle Car
 

There are two cars that strike my memory with lasting impressions. The oldest memory I have of my Corvette (1966 L72 Coupe, M21, 4.11) was banging gears in Rockland County bringing it home. Side pipes, a notable whine to the rear, bias plys chugging along. While not a "muscle car," it is one hell of a beast. It was a thrill to get back into the hobby and I credit that car for bringing us back.

The second memory I have that typifies the definition of a muscle car was when a close friend took me for a ride in his '72 Hemi Road Runner. I know what you're thinking, the Hemi was discontinued after 1971. The car started life as a 340, 4 speed and in 1974 had a dealer exchange Hemi transplant. Its a street car that runs low 11's. Dana 60 4.56 rear, 4 speed, Hoosier drag tires in the rear, T-handle, line-lock, original paint and interior. I'll leave you with this thought. In broad summer day light, Friday afternoon at 4pm (roughly) I was pinned in my seat while my friend was power shifting redlines going down Jericho Turnpike in LI. 2.5 inch exhaust coming from a Hemi with Hooker Supe Comp Headers. Music to my ears. He was making U-turns over double yellow lines to avoid red lights and beat traffic just to push it a little harder. I got out of the car with a smile plastered on my face and laughed the whole afternoon well into the night. I will never forget the feel, the smell, rush, sounds or the beast like nature of that muscle car.

... It left a permanent mark...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...dRunner011.jpg