Sorry, I just got back to this thread.
With all the clone information available on the internet, such as where hidden VIN’s are located, how to tell a repro part from an authentic, what font was used for stamping specific parts, etc, the number of clone W-30’s is growing, and it’s getting almost impossible to discern a well done clone from an authentic. Even noted experts can be fooled. I keep hearing the recurring theme of “check for documentation”, but documentation can be forged, and aged, and can be discernable from an original 30 year old document (this is also known as “Dan Rather Syndrome”), and repro parts can be doctored to look authentic.
On vintage guitars, if every guitar player you see has a near perfect 1959 Les Paul knockoff, do you believe anyone in the audience really cares when that one guitar player is playing a real 1959 Les Paul? Can you tell if it’s a fake from the 3rd row? So when I see 5 1970 W-30’s at a local car show, and someone states one of them is actually a real one, I’m sorry, I don’t immediately run over to the real one and hump the gas tank. I used to, but now I’m on medication.
The values of Yenko Camaros, LS6 cars, and especially Hemi cars, have definitely gone down in recent months. Is it the economy, or the fact that every auction house now seems to be littered with dozens of clones of these cars? I believe the audience is dwindling for those that will pay $10,000 for a Rolex, when the $500 counterfeit will garner just as much attention and respect at the country club. And they both tell time. It’s “Invasion Of The Musclecar Snatchers”, and eventually, the real cars will be the anomaly.
I don’t have a problem with the W-30 or RAIV heads being reproduced. It’s just another item that now will have to be checked very carefully before buying one of these cars. However, reproducing a major mechanical part like a cylinder head (or crankshaft, etc) is a far cry from reproducing a steering wheel centercap. I would like to know if these heads have the same wall thicknesses, tolerances, and materials quality as the originals. Some aftermarket heads, designed for performance, can suffer from misaligned ports, oil drainback issues, thin decks, thin water jacket walls, and a number of other problems. We take all of these things for granted when we use original GM heads, because GM heads were always well engineered and built to last. I’ve read that some folks want these heads for Pure Stock racing, so they can begin their builds with unmolested, unported heads. But if am to trust my 6000 rpm engine on the dragstrip to a set of aftermarket heads that may not have the same build quality and materials as original GM heads, I wouldn’t be rushing to buy a set. Hopefully, these heads will not just be reproduced for cosmetic purposes in order to satisfy the Grey Poupon, tire-booty types at car shows. I hope they will have the same high quality as an original GM head.
I apologize to anyone that I may have offended that prefers collecting, investing, and flipping cars for profit, over my interests, which are geared more towards Pure Stocks, cruise nights, test-and-tunes, and promoting the history of the Musclecar Era. Different strokes for different folks.
By the way, John (HO455) owns a real 69 H/O, and he’s probably seen more W-30 clones over the last 20 years than Hillary Clinton has dimples on her thighs.
Hey John, did you ever get your H/O painted?
Mike
P.S. – No, I haven’t seen Stacy Peterson in my town, so everyone please stop asking.
