Dream muscle car

ZLBubba

ZLBubba

Sergeant
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Minuteman
Jan 15, 2009
930
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Maryland
#1
So I only get one expensive hobby in my life: shooting. My wife's made that abundantly clear. However, I was recently perusing craigslist to see what's out there for sale on the cheap and man, did I see some badass cars. Pro Tip: Take everything that you see on craigslist with a grain of salt. However, it did lead me to decide that if I ever got rich, that I'd get myself a badass muscle car. The good news about this idea is that the sky is the limit, and unless you're going after a rare Ferrari or Shelby, you should be able to find whatever it is your heart desires.

My father loved Mustangs and had a 1965 cherry red 289 hard top. Still, if I could get anything, it would be a Shelby GTO, late 60s vintage. They just look and sound mean, and that's what I love. This is kind of what I'm talking about:

21969Shelbygtblue1.jpg

What are you guys driving and/or what do you consider as the cream of the crop for muscle cars? Do any of your have projects you're working on?
 
#2
Growing up, all I ever heard from my dad is how he had four different 1970 Chevelles, and had to give his last one up when he found out I was on the way. The man LOVED those cars, especially the LS6 454, and him talking about them ranked right up there in passion with his poor opinion of the designated hitter.

Two years ago, he finally stopped talking about them.

483714_4664056564964_1439857325_n.jpg


'70 SS396, numbers matching.

It wasn't red with black stripes like 3 of the 4 he had in his youth, but its DAMN nice. Mom & dad have had it to the big car show in Panama City twice, and its won a number of awards locally and regionally.

Me? I want a red/white 72 Cheyenne...but would 'settle' for another 70 Chevelle SS (I want Phantom Blue and white stripes).
 
#3
Shelby didn't make the GTO, but that's a sharp looking GT500.

My ideal muscle car is also a 1969 Mustang, but not that giant air scoop front end Shelby. The best of the best is a Mach 1, factory red/black/gold.

The 1969 Mach 1 is the car the 2005 Mustang was styled after.

1969-Ford-Mustang-Mach-1-Front-Angle-Maroon-sy.jpg
 
#4
Those are two badass cars. I don't know if I've ever seen a Mach 1 in person, though admittedly I don't go to hardly any car shows. My buddy's father growing up drove an awesome green '70 Nova. I don't know any of the particulars because I didn't even know to ask back then, but it was loud and mean. I'm mostly a Ford guy, but some of the Chevy and Pontiac muscle cars of the late 60's/early 70s are among my favorites.
 
#6
MOPAR fan, owned several Challengers, Chargers, Satellites and Demons. Even had an Arrow with a 440 in it. :)

When the "new" Challenger came out, I finagled my way into a test drive at the proving grounds on one of the "demos". While it was cool, I was almost depressed on the way home. The suspension was just way too spongy. I ended up buying a 2006 GTO which I have done some work on. I call it the McDonalds Corvette...cheaper and fatter. But with 500 horse, it scoots just fine.

In my early 20s, I built a 1970 Challenger for a guy. 4 link rear, rack and pinion steering, about 430 horse from the 340, cut-outs on long tubes. The interior was completely removed, insulated and redone. Tuck and roll leather, a killer sound system and a few other creature comforts. I put less than 10 miles on it, but that was certainly a dream car. Guy put $38K into it. My 1971 Charger sits in an all Mopar museum.

You do realize that with some of the YearOne kits, you can drive a "new" emissions legal, better mileage, more power look-alike for about the price of a new car. Just something missing in them for me, but some people love them.
 
#8
I grew up in the golden age of Muscle Cars. Graduated from HS in 1968.

Had a new 1969 Chevelle SS 396, but unfortunately only the 350 hp model. A year later traded off the Chevelle for a killer deal on a year end leftover 69 Corvette Coupe. 350/350, M-22 4 speed, sidepipes.

Then marriage, jobs, the Military crept into my life.

In 1977 I bought a totally worked over 1970 Chevy Nova. 350 motor bored to 366 cu in. Holly 3 barrel, headers, roller cam,etc. Ran high 11's with slicks. I ran that on the street for a year. Lots of fun.
Then the gas crisis hit. Couldn't buy enough h-test to get to work.

A long dry spell until 1989 when I bought a basket case 1965 Corvette coupe, marina blue, blk interior, 365 HP, 327 cu in, 4 speed. Did just short of a frame off resto. Totally redid all the suspension, interior and rechromed bumpers. Had great original paint so left that stock. The motor had been professionally redone, part of the reason I bought the car for $13K. The motor and tranny were flawless. totally gone through before I bought it. Kept the 65 for three years.

In 1995 redid a 1969 Chevelle 396/350 HP and went full circle back to the beginning .

Haven't done anything since then. Tired of laying on cold floors and getting greasy. If I lived in a more temperate region I'd probably do another old Vette. The 65-67's were my favorites. though the 1969 was a great looking car too.

FN in MT
 
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#9
ZLBubba said:
So I only get one expensive hobby in my life: shooting. My wife's made that abundantly clear. However, I was recently perusing craigslist to see what's out there for sale on the cheap and man, did I see some badass cars. Pro Tip: Take everything that you see on craigslist with a grain of salt. However, it did lead me to decide that if I ever got rich, that I'd get myself a badass muscle car. The good news about this idea is that the sky is the limit, and unless you're going after a rare Ferrari or Shelby, you should be able to find whatever it is your heart desires.

My father loved Mustangs and had a 1965 cherry red 289 hard top. Still, if I could get anything, it would be a Shelby GTO, late 60s vintage. They just look and sound mean, and that's what I love. This is kind of what I'm talking about:

View attachment 29423

What are you guys driving and/or what do you consider as the cream of the crop for muscle cars? Do any of your have projects you're working on?
Click to expand...
You're going to have to really step up to the pump on the purchase of the Shelby GTO, I believe it would be the only one in existence. Be sure at time of purchase to get plenty of documentation and have a real expert ensure its authenticity! Lord only knows what a one of a kind, never before seen by the public, Carroll Shelby GTO would be worth. Where has it been hiding the last 50 years?
 
#12
His brother had a 327/365 hp Chevy Nova

HA0413-149857_5.jpg

the Chevy would eat up the Hemi for the first 2/3 of the quarter then the Hemi would blow by it ....
 
#13
Bought a 66 SS 396 Chevelle when I came home the first time. Rated 365hp for ins, 4 speed, P-track and 3.90 gears. White w/red int, first ride I ever had w/disk brakes up front. Loved that car as it had all the options for the track and cornering and enough brakes to stop the beast quickly. Ran pure stock class at the locals as well as the nationals at Indy. Had to leave in 2nd gear an ride the clutch for the first 1-2 sec to keep the tires planted. Nothing like WLS on the radio in a cool ride on warm summer nights, back in the land of the big PX. Lots of memory's of that ride and those plumed differently, I enjoined the company of.

Put it in storage when I had to return to uncle, never the same coolness after that,...
 
#15
Well I'm guilty of three bad habits. Cars are no doubt the most expensive. The stable consists of, 65 Biscayne, 2 door sedan, big block 4sp. car. 66 Nova SS wannabe. 350-450horse,5sp.,56 Chevy sedan delivery,big block 5sp. 34 Plymouth coupe in the works and a 53 Stude waiting. My bride also has a 55 Bel-air,383,200-4R. Sorry if this comes across as "mine is bigger than yours" just airing my addiction though.
 
#16
cav has been said:
Well I'm guilty of three bad habits. Cars are no doubt the most expensive. The stable consists of, 65 Biscayne, 2 door sedan, big block 4sp. car. 66 Nova SS wannabe. 350-450horse,5sp.,56 Chevy sedan delivery,big block 5sp. 34 Plymouth coupe in the works and a 53 Stude waiting. My bride also has a 55 Bel-air,383,200-4R. Sorry if this comes across as "mine is bigger than yours" just airing my addiction though.
Click to expand...

Cav, brother, you can't throw those kind of cars out there without including some pics! I'd love to see those beauties, and the 34 Plymouth as well. It sounds like you've got a hell of a woman if she's driving a 55 Bel-air. That's awesome.
 
#17
Back in the day, I never had the means to have a muscle car, but I've always been partial to 67-69 the Camaro so now if I was looking to get into it, that's probably where I would start. I had a couple friends that had some bad-ass cars. One guy had a '67 383 Roadrunner that was all hopped up that was killer. Talk about loud. One guy I knew had like a 64-65 Buick skylark that I swear had a 455 in it. Totally stock. That thing would light 'em all the way down the block. Before anyone calls me on the engine/year combo, I know there was a supposed edict that GM would not factory install anything over 400 in a mid size, but I swear the thing said 455 on it. I know some dealers found ways around it. That thing was bad as hell. Total sleeper!
 
#21
If I was to build another Hot Rod/ Pro Touring/ Drag car????

A 1969 Camaro with a new 427 LS series, a 6spd, and complete DSE suspension... But spending 50- 75k to build it would be out of reach...
 
#22
I've always been a Mopar guy, I guess because my father was/is.
If he doesn't get rid of any of these cars before he passes, I will be getting them all, I suppose.
He has a 1955 Ford F100 (complete frame-off resto), a 1969 Dodge Charger R/T (70k original miles), a 1955 Chevy Bel Air 2-door (all original except paint), a 1958 Chevy Biscayne (454ci resto-mod), a 1927 Dodge Street Rod (not even close to original) and a 2003 Dodge Viper.

Oddly enough, the only one I have decent photos of is the Viper, because I drove it from Tulsa to Huntsville.....took my butt/back 3 days to get over that.

IMG_0108_zpsaea8c9d3.jpg

IMG_0109_zps4a1a5c1f.jpg

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The only classic muscle cars I would really like to have are a 1967 Dodge Coronet R/T, a Plymouth Superbird, a 1971 Hemi Challenger and a true 1968 Camaro Z/28.
I also have a soft spot for a 1991 thru 1993 Mustang LX 5.0 coupe......don't know why.
 
#24
Muscle car

I'm slowly working on a 1972 Barracuda, manual transmission, and small block 360 engine (for now). I'll have to stop buying firearms, and get the last one through college first!
 

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#26
list of cars had back in the day, 1968 camaro rs/ss 327 4 spd, 4;11 posi, then a 1974 nova ss, w/67 vette 327 and built T400, 3;73 posi, traded for mustang 5.0, sold that and bought a 1977 camaro built a 383 stroker with my uncle out of '' left overs'' from his pulling truck, complete with msd comp 9000 ign, tunnel ram with 450 holley's and dyno'd 540rwhp, 2800 stall, turbo 350, posi 4;10 rear. sold it to a buddy that promty gift wrapped it with a tree :D.
fast forward 15 ish years, 2004 gt mustang, lifted 1999 suburban traded for lifted fx4 stepside ranger. had a 2011 LS v6 camaro that was peppy with it's 300 hp, had plans of twin turbo's and 500 rwhp sleeper, it was on boss 338 20x8 front, 20x10 rears with 335/40/20's i'll post a pick of it in a minuted but my dad passed and left me his boat, camaro won't really pull a ski boat, so sold it and now riding a 1994 stepside ex cab z-71, pullin a 20' celebrity ski boat. Next car is going to be a 1979 or 80 z-28 that i will build, or a 68-72 nova, not sure yet. my wife say's i'm never happy. i AGREE for once :D

kenny
 
#27
this was the 2011 camaro, might have to get another as 300 hp and 29mpg wasn't bad, i do kinda miss it as it handled well, ride was better than older cars and it got looks and compliments everywhere i went.

kenny
 

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#28
A true Ford Thunderbolt but since only 11 were produced, these are not white in color and I want a 4 gear that I believe only 7 were produced, not much chance. Back in 64/65 it was the quickest on the street and strip. Hot Rod mag drove one on the streets of Detroit and shocked the streets and they dominated the track too.

I had 64 Belvedere with a max wedge that ran 10.98 with cheater slicks on a 10.95 index, gobs of torque but since we are dreaming I would take another with a race hemi, not the same as the detuned street hemi.

I would take Shelby cobra II with the 289 that Shelby said the original was faster than the 427, Dodge Daytona which are not muscle cars but rare high dollar cars.
 
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#29
idpasteve said:
If I was to build another Hot Rod/ Pro Touring/ Drag car????

A 1969 Camaro with a new 427 LS series, a 6spd, and complete DSE suspension... But spending 50- 75k to build it would be out of reach...
Click to expand...

That sounds really yummy - but I'd also have trouble dropping that kind of coin when a ZL1 or GT500 can be had for similar money and likely with a much higher level of performance and reliability.
 
#30
I learned manual transmission driving my Pop's 1967 XKE E Type...yes, he had to replace teh transmission after I was done 'learning'. He also had a 1963 Ranchero with a 351W in it that would lay stink all over corvettes. I drove that for a bit until the front A arm fell off. By then I had finished rebuilding my grampa's 66 Mustang Coupe with a Borg Warner close ratio road race transmission, and a heated up 302 with a 3.56 rear end. That 66 'Stang was rebuilt twice more by me from 1986 - 1994. Since then it has languished next to his house. Two years ago, it was moved into the garage becuase he said he was going to rebuilt it, restore/restomod it for me as a gift for my military service. he mentioned 427ci Smeeding, and six gears. He asked me about details, and all I said was if I had to choose anything it would be Crager/American Bonnevile Salt Flat wheels in 245/265-17 and vintage 1966-67 road race silver paint. When he pushed me for details, all I could and still say is,"Pop, whatever you drive up in is fine. You really don't need to do this" He does insist and always tells me to just focus on my books and studies. All I know is it will be loud, like race car at teh track loud because the exhaust system is not getting changed. It's THE Flowmaster American Thunder prototype, yes, the very first one, hand made, custom fit, all the rest after that made in bulk. It's cop baitin' loud too!
 
#31
The all original old school stuff is cool and all, but man I just like going fast. If there way any car i could get right now though, Id have to go with the home team and pick up a proven set up from Proline Racing. Mr Steve Petty is the best in the business when it comes to tuning these things and getting them to hook. I doubt theres a better team to have backing you up than PLR, their records speak for themselves and the fact theyre representing Team South straight out of GA puts the icing on the cake.

I havent been keeping up with it as much lately, but last I checked, good ol` boy Mr Tim Lynch was the fastest in the world on 10.5" tires(I know, theyre not true 10.5s but then nobody runs true 10.5s in Outlaw). And what do you know, the fastest O/L 10.5 car in the world just happens to be for sale:

Lynchmob Corvette For Sale - Pro Line Racing

I realize this is probably falling on deaf ears, but drag racing in a competitive class is a lot like benchrest shooting, it will be 100000x easier to start being competitive early if you pick up a proven car that someone else has already been through all the headaches with. And well, if you know who Steve Petty is(the head tuner at PLR) you know this man has the magic touch when it comes to getting these cars down the track.

670 CI solid billet block 5.0" bore spacing, twin 94mm Precision's, Rossler 2sp, whats not to like? Somewhere around 3750-4000hp but obviously youre not gonna be putting this thing on the dyno.

If I had to go with a street car, Id go with a street-legal Fox body, 25.3 spec cage, back-halfed, and probably a built 5.4L GT supercar block from MMR, with twin 76 or 80mm Borg Warners, and some good 325mm drag radials.

Or something like Mr Carlyle`s Corvette, the fastest independent rear suspension on drag radials-street legal car out there:

1st LS Powered Car to run 6's on Drag Radials (Mark Carlyle-Atomicfusion) - YouTube

IIRC 427ci Dart billet LSx block, twin 88mm Garrett GTX`s, yessir thats a sweet ride. Street car baby! LOL, and heres the engine hes running, man thats a sweet piece:

LS1 Billet Blocks - Billet Blocks - Engine Blocks

But then again, Mr Steve Morris sure does know how to build them there street car engines. Tom Bailey, the man who won Drag Week this year(yeah yeah Larry Larson wasnt there) had his Camaro built by Steve Morris, street legal car capable of consistent 6s 1/4mi runs:

Steve Morris Engines Project SICK SECONDS 2013 - YouTube

And for all yall that like Mustangs, yes sir, Mr Morris does Mustangs too, hows about a 3000hp Mustang STREET CAR!:

3000 HP Mustang - YouTube
 
#32
I love em all
 

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#33
BigJoe29 said:
I love em all
Click to expand...

I see you like the Pro-touring cars. Ill admit theres not many Pro-touring cars Ive seen that I thought were ugly. Pretty much every car with that style is a looker.

You ever go to lateral-g.net? Thats all that is over there is muscle cars focused on turning.

Personally I like door slammer drag racing more than anything else, but the twisty turny stuff is awesome too. And whenever one of these old muscle cars is done right(good brakes, good suspension, good clutch, good cooling system, etc) they can keep right up with any of the fancy new supercars on a road course. All one has to do is look at the Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational:

https://www.optimabatteries.com/en-...e-wins-2013-optima-ultimate-street-car-title/

How about that 65 Vette? Sweet. Im surprised Mr Stielow came in second because hes usually the winner of these. Just goes to show Brian Hobaugh knows how to build and drive `em just as good as Mr Stielow.

And in case anyone hasnt said it yet, Ill go ahead and say it, fast cars and accurate firearms go together like titties and beer.
 
#36
this is not the usual choice because an original is all but out of the question.. I have only actually seen an original 2 times. This would be my choice its a remarkable car and so is its history

 
#39
I have a 67 nova that is fairly solid body wise but isn't a true SS. It had a 327/300hp motor in it when I first bought it. We found a 400sb and went to work. While not a extreme motor the 406 made over 500hp. This is with 9.5 compression. My dyno peaks were 525hp and 515f/lbs of torque. If is a lot of fun to drive on the skinny tires.
The never ending project is a 55 Nomad. Air ride tech suspension, LS2 motor/6 speed on 18s and 20s from Boyd. We are about 20% done with the work if that. It should make a nice driver some day. Black with a silver top is the plan. Now if I could get a great body guy to get her straight.

R
 
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#40
2000 4x4 F250 diesel pushing 800 HP/1600 ft/lbs would be my dream. But I hill have to drive mine till then.

I worked as a mechanic for about 10 yrs and got to drive a variety of cars from Ferrari 308 to a 68 Corvette 427 4 speed convertible. The corvette was a blast to drive. The Ferrari was very tiny. I have a VW type 3 awaiting restoration that my grand dad bought new in Spain in the Air Force and 69 LTD 2 door also.

Ryan
 
#41
All the elite, original muscle cars are cool, but a nice restomod, from a year other than the musclecar era can be just as much fun, and way less expensive. A 71 or 72 Torino. A 79 Chevy Chevelle can be had super cheap, and is lightweight. Fox body Mustangs can be had for a few hundred. Build a good smallblock for any of these vehicles, and You can have a decent street machine for less than 10K.
 
#43
macthknife said:
All the elite, original muscle cars are cool, but a nice restomod, from a year other than the musclecar era can be just as much fun, and way less expensive. A 71 or 72 Torino. A 79 Chevy Chevelle can be had super cheap, and is lightweight. Fox body Mustangs can be had for a few hundred. Build a good smallblock for any of these vehicles, and You can have a decent street machine for less than 10K.
Click to expand...

You got that right. Theres not many better options for a cheap(ish) fast build than a Fox body. You can have a helluva street car, or, well, you could go the route I would take and buy Stevie Fast`s Mustang:

Steve Jackson "Stevie Fast" Killin Time Racing goes 4.19 @ 186 on drag radials - YouTube

Thats a killer right there. 4.19 on drag radials. BBC w/ Procharger F3R-136, well north of 3000 hp.
 
#44
I have always loved cars, the faster and more unusual the better.Below are a few of my current toys


2013 ZL1600+ at the wheels.
90 VW Corrado,300hp heavily modded.
2013 Subaru BRZ 220hp.
2012 CC Silverado wheelchair converted. Expecting 650 plus once I finish a high boost Whipple install.
 
#47
jwSubMOA said:
I have always loved cars, the faster and more unusual the better.Below are a few of my current toys


2013 ZL1600+ at the wheels.
90 VW Corrado,300hp heavily modded.
2013 Subaru BRZ 220hp.
2012 CC Silverado wheelchair converted. Expecting 650 plus once I finish a high boost Whipple install.
Click to expand...

Damn Dan do you like horsepower!
 
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