1970 Olds 442

At the very beginning of General Motors, the divisions competed against each other, launching rival products in each other's markets, stealing sales and confusing customers. Under the iron rule of President Alfred P. Sloan, inter-divisional rivalry was all but eliminated. Each marquee was assigned a place on the GM hierarchy and each was given an image. Cadillac was positioned at the high end of the luxury market and Buick took lower end. Pontiac became synonymous with performance while Oldsmobile developed the reputation of being GM's experimental division. If one wanted to drive tomorrow's technology today, it would be found first on an Oldsmobile. But lines blurred in the 1960s and competition between sister divisions was fostered and rivalry, once forbidden, grew suddenly intense. One of the very hottest GM cars to hit the street in 1970 was Oldsmobile's 4-4-2 series. drafted from Cutlass and F-85 variants, the beefy 4-4-2 was welcomed into dealers' showrooms for its third season as a five-passenger coupe, a five-passenger hardtop and a drop-top. Sizzle is what 4-4-2 did best standing still. The swoopy two-door had been downsized in 1968, wheelbase shortened to the 112" wheelbase it had when originally conceived as a Rambler-beating compact, back in 1961. Now fully evolved as a muscle car, engineers gave the Olds heavy-duty springs, stabilizer bar, special shock absorbers and wheels, special emblems, hood louvers, unique paint stripe, special tires and a high output engine. In 1968 the 390-hp version could go from 0-60 mph in just six seconds and did the quarter mile in 12.97 seconds. Oldsmobile was sizzle and steak. Pleased with their results, for '69 engineers turned up the heat on their performance Olds. The special "W-30" package was offered to the speed needy, a throaty "Force-Air" inducted 360 hp version of the 400 CID V-8. Tricked out with special grille, stripes and unique identification cues these unforgettable motion machines were benighted with heavy-duty drive shafts, special handling packages, heavy-duty wheels and a wicked straight-through exhaust system. Just to be extra safe, Oldsmobile's also added side-impact bars which were welded into the doors and head rests became mandatory equipment on all vehicles. A 455 CID V-8 churning out 365 horsepower was introduced. It would be the largest ever offered. The bore was now 4.057 while the stroke was shortened up to 3.385 inches. A special honor was bestowed in 1970, for the third time in the division's history an Oldsmobile would pace the Indianapolis 500. An Olds 88 had done the job in 1948, a much larger Olds 98 had served in 1960. Now a Cutlass 4-4-2 convertible would do brickyard duty at the most prestigious automobile race in the world. Production tumbled by nearly a third in 1970 despite even beefier performance packages. Insurance companies sounded the death knell for the entire muscle car genre as accidents climbed. "Four-barrel, "four-on-the-floor" and even "bucket seats" became dirty words that automatically shot insurance policies into the stratosphere. In 1971 just over 7,000 of the hot Oldsmobile's would be produced and for the last two years of its life, 4-4-2 was reduced to an option on Cutlass 'S' models. Jim and Audrey Frey of Coleville, Saskatchewan own this 1970 Oldsmobile 4-4-2 convertible. Jim swapped a restored '57 Chevy for the ragtop nearly twenty years ago while ice fishing with a buddy, who--good guy that he was threw in a rebuilt motor and a paint job. This Olds has the 455 CID V-8 with 400 Turbo-Hydramatic transmission and 327 Posi-Trac rear axle. The couple has been busy restoring their pride and joy ever since they acquired it in 1980. Over the years the Oldsmobile has received a new top, front seat upholstery, carpeting and numerous interior bits and pieces. This GM offering is just not another pretty automotive face, either. The Frey's Olds hauled two kids and a big dog around all summer for years and even today the 4-4-2 easily zips pasts transport trucks while hauling a 17-foot trailer on family holidays. post by http://carmax.blogspot.com

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1970 Ford Torino

This is Lonnie Plank's 1970 1/2 Ford Falcon. When he bought this car just over 2 years ago, it was sold to him as a 1970 Torino. It was almost a year later, with the help of the Ford company, that the cars true identity was revealed. Lonnie started researching the 1970 1/2 Falcon and found it to built on the Torino/Fairlane body with Falcon markings. The biggest difference between the two models is that the Falcons were a 2 door sedans (post sedan). Ford produced just over 26,000 of this model Falcon, which included the 2-dr, 4-dr, and station wagon variants. Most Falcons came with the standard 6 cylinder engine in keeping with the Falcon image. In addition to the meager 6 cylinder, Ford also offered all of the Torino's power options like the 429cj package. Lonnie's Falcon is fitted the 351C 4V-V8, a real performer. Beefing up the stock power plant are some aftermarket performance parts like a larger cam, roller rockers, aluminum intake manifold, aluminum pulleys, performance water pump, and other trick components. Lonnie's favorite part of owning this car, is its rarity. It never fails that someone will come up to him at a car show and say "Why have you put Falcon emblems on a Torino?". Now you know better than to ask!

post by http://carmax.blogspot.com

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Pre-ignition

Pre-ignition means that the mixture is set on fire before the spark occurs, being ignited by a red hot spot in the combustion chamber such as an incandescent particle of carbon; a thin piece of protruding metal; an overheated spark plug, or a bight red hot exhaust valve. The result is reduction of power and overheating accompanied by pinging. The bight red hot exhaust valve may be due to a leak, to lack of tappet clearance, to valve sticking, or a weak or broken spring. Pre-ignition may not be noticed if not severe. Severe pre-ignition results in severe pinging. The commonest cause of pre-ignition is a badly overheated engine. When the engine won't stop when the ignition is shut off, the cause is often due to red hot carbon particles resting on heavy carbon deposit in a very hot engine. post by http://carmax.blogspot.com

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The Impala SS

At the dawn of the 1960's, Kennedy, the new President-elect, spoke of a "new frontier." He was talking of new age of post-war prosperity and specifically, America's quest for reaching the Moon. For the big three, the new frontier was one of technical and marketing innovations. Combining the two became an essential element in the rapidly maturing market. Marketing scored with the invention of youth-oriented cars such as the Mustang and Barracuda. The engineers scored with thin wall casting and improved reciprocating assemblies from the rotating valve lifter to the use of Teflon buttons in pistons to prevent scuffing. When good engineering and marketing combine, the effect is shattering. The Impala SS of the 1960's was an excellent example. The Impala had become the top model in '59, replacing Bel-Air's position. In '58, Impala was a top of the line Bel-Air. Over the years, it had grown in wheelbase from 115 inches to 119 inches. The far out styling was immediately toned down for 1960. A new package had been developed in 1961 to help secure Chevy's sales' dominance in the full-size arena. It was called the Super Sport, or SS, for short. It was a complete deal, comprising of exterior badges against the Impala crest on the quarter panels, bucket seats, floor shift trim plate, a steering mounted tachometer, a passenger dash grab handle, special trim and a modified LPO 111 suspension package, power steering, power brakes, and wheel covers. The origins of this package came from a show car. The 1961 SS Impalas weren't standardized in appearance. You could order the package on a four-door car, a six-cylinder powered coupe or you could go "top drawer" and get a slant back sports-roof with the hot 348 engine. It was basically a sales code without formal restrictions, although that would change soon enough.Chevy had great options available in short runs, but no easy 1-step option that gave you the basics to go racing. The 1961 SS Impala changed all that. Previously, there were the Fuel Injected Ramjet and Ramjet Special 283's, but they vanished by the end of '59. Likewise, you could get LPO 1108, which was a heavy-duty suspension for Police Cars. This gave you metallic brakes, H.D. ball joints, bigger shocks, stiffer springs and better wheel bearings front and back. Available on every model, but certainly not advertised! The sales of four speed cars had sky rocketed sharply in 1961, guaranteeing the future of the SS. New for '62 was a full-length console. The fancy wheel covers were a necessity, the slots helped cool down the brakes. What did change were the engines. The 409 was about to have its fifteen minutes of infamy. The 409 has been a controversial engine. Denigrators call it a truck engine. Fans call it the early sixty's track god. It was a little of both as we'll see. Starting with the 348 block, Chevrolet changed much of the hardware to create a racing engine to compete against the Ford 390 Interceptor from 1960. The crankshaft was forged, as were the aluminum pistons. A performance solid-lifter cam, raised compression to 11.25:1 and used a Carter AFB carburetor on an aluminum manifold. It made 360 horsepower @ 5800 rpm and torque was a legendary 409 lbs.-ft @ 3600 rpm. A real brute of a motor. The cylinder heads were different from the 348's and used stiffer springs and heavy-duty pushrods. Nineteen sixty-one SS Impalas were scarce with only 453 made. As for an SS 409, you'd have better luck meeting Elvis because only 142 made it. The transmissions were either Powerglide, Warner T-10 or the three-speed standard. Chevy had great options available in short runs, but no easy 1-step option that gave you the basics to go racing. The 1961 SS Impala changed all that. Previously, there were the Fuel Injected Ramjet and Ramjet Special 283's, but they vanished by the end of '59. Likewise, you could get LPO 1108, which was a heavy-duty suspension for Police Cars. This gave you metallic brakes, H.D. ball joints, bigger shocks, stiffer springs and better wheel bearings front and back. Available on every model, but certainly not advertised! The sales of four speed cars had sky rocketed sharply in 1961, guaranteeing the future of the SS. New for '62 was a full-length console. The fancy wheel covers were a necessity, the slots helped cool down the brakes. What did change were the engines. The 409 was about to have its fifteen minutes of infamy. The 409 has been a controversial engine. Denigrators call it a truck engine. Fans call it the early sixty's track god. It was a little of both as we'll see. Starting with the 348 block, Chevrolet changed much of the hardware to create a racing engine to compete against the Ford 390 Interceptor from 1960. The crankshaft was forged, as were the aluminum pistons. A performance solid-lifter cam, raised compression to 11.25:1 and used a Carter AFB carburetor on an aluminum manifold. It made 360 horsepower @ 5800 rpm and torque was a legendary 409 lbs.-ft @ 3600 rpm. A real brute of a motor. The cylinder heads were different from the 348's and used stiffer springs and heavy-duty pushrods. Nineteen sixty-one SS Impalas were scarce with only 453 made. As for an SS 409, you'd have better luck meeting Elvis because only 142 made it. The transmissions were either Powerglide, Warner T-10 or the three-speed standard. Nineteen sixty-two brought the SS Impala package onboard and the 409 was more obtainable. Those eager beavers that placed orders for early 62's must have been annoyed when Chevy announced a dual-quad 409. At least the four-barrel engine had been improved with power up to 380 horses. The dual-quad engine put out 409 horses @ 6000 rpm. A hair more than 15,000 units sold that year. As the drag-strip wars heated up, Chevy brought out special aluminum front end Impalas. But there was no official racing going on, just some "off-road" and "fleet service" parts being sold over the counter. Nineteen sixty-three brought a facelift to the grille and side panels with two chrome blocks on the fenders and a lower spear resting above the rear wheel well. The badges moved from above the bumper to behind the front wheel. The beautiful spinner hubcaps changed to a variation of the 1961 Impala model with the SS logo prominently displayed. New that year was the detuned 409 mill @ 340 horsepower. A 400 horse 409 existed midway through the range with solid lifters and the dual-quad 425-horsepower 409 had a lower 11:1 compression ratio. Still, Chevy hadn't gone soft on us. The Z-11 was the latest doomsday machine and was a 430-horse version with the displacement at 427 CID. Strictly for drag racing, these cars were sold to connected guys such as Dave Strickler and Hayden Profitt. Nineteen sixty-four was the final year of this body style Impala. For the last go-round, Chevy gave us better rear end choices with our four-gear cars and a sharp-edged car that attempted to emulate the new thin gauged sheet metal cars with uni-bodies like the Chryslers and smaller GM offerings that year. Engine-wise, there wasn't anything new to report. Let's clear up the misconceptions about 409 engines. First, it is related to the 348 W motor of the late '50s in that the block casting started out the same. Pretty soon afterwards, the 409 developed a life of its own. From the start, it was intended to replace the 348 and provide more power for bigger bodied cars. 348's were used frequently in trucks and their outward similarity probably made people conclude the 409 was the same. In fact, the early 1961 four-barrel mills seemed pretty tame. Demand was strong for this motor so the early 1962 409 was unchanged from last year spec wise. You got a cam with 0.440 lift and 317/301 duration with dual point ignition. These early distributors had no vacuum advance provisions. Later in '62, the dual-quad was improved. This engine had increased airflow, better cam specs with 0.480 lift and 322/320 duration. The ignition was switched to single points. Allowing use of vacuum advance on this engine. Head gaskets were used to change the compression ratios. Two gaskets per head yielded 10.2:1. For hotter competition, one was removed each side to give 11.04:1. By altering gasket arrangements, compression ratios could go up to 11.4:1. Regarding block identification, there are a few variations you should be aware of. The early '61 409 block had casting number 3795623. The '61 to '62 solid cam engines used number 3788068. The 1962 to '63 block employed number 3839752 while 3860386 was for 1962 to 1964 blocks. The '64 solid cam block used 3844422 number and the fabled Z-11 mill was casting 3830814. One block to avoid for proper resto purposes is 3798962, a juice cammed truck engine. Cylinder head castings are numerous; the early '61 castings were 3795586, the hi-perf '62s and 63's are 3814690, the 1963 std head was 3830817 and the RPO- Z11 head was 383 7731. There was also a 3852583 casting for 1964 hi-perf along with the std head from '63. Truck heads are recognized as 3819353. Intake manifolds are expensive and a plethora of them exist. 3844463 is the steel 1x4 manifold used in 1961 and 1964 engines. A 1962 version has numbers 3814678 and was aluminum. It was also used in '63. A service replacement carried numbers 3822928. The dual quad manifold was 3814881 while the Rochester 4-barrel versions were 3794129 and 3830831 for 1963. An aluminum 1x4 manifold came out as 3814678 in '63. The Z-11 manifold was two pieces, the top one was 3830623, the bottom was 3830733. By 1963, Chevy knew they had a winner deserving of a special reward. The upcoming 50-millionth Chevy was rapidly due to be assembled in Tarrytown, New York. The powers that be made sure car 50,000 000 was an SS 409 Impala. A whole promotional blitz ensued with New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller driving that car off the line while GM brass watched. The car was a four-barrel sports coupe with special-order paint code 927. This was a 1962 color called anniversary gold used previously to commemorate Chevy's 50th year in business. Though it was late in the year, GM had released a small run of replica cars in that color. With 13 Chevy plants, it was possible that their goal of 7000 special cars made it. The 50 millionth car was made June 10 and has survived in immaculate condition from deep storage. It was a grand gesture to celebrate a great muscle car. The 409 passed the torch of fame and power to the 396 engine as the decade passed. post by http://carmax.blogspot.com

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Paint for Care

Winter driving is by far the hardest on your cars exterior. Sand, road-salts, ice and extreme cold temperatures create more wear on your cars exterior than the rest of all the other seasons combined. Winter Waxing is a very inexpensive way to keep your vehicle looking new longer.

Continued waxing during the winter months will act to further protect the paint from the effects of winter driving. Weekly washings are very important too. Pay special attention to the wheel wells and molding area, flush them well.

When weighed against the cost of new vehicle replacement and refinishing costs, waxing is one of the most cost effective preventative maintenance tasks you can do yourself.

post by http://carmax.blogspot.com

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AC Cobra Daytona Coupe continuation by McCluskey - Photo and info

Price:  303 537 EUR (399 000 USD)

Year: 1964 Location: North America

Mileage: 0 km (0 ml)

Chassis N.: Upon request

Colour: Dark blue

Interior: Black

In 1963, Carroll Shelby realises that he cannot beat Ferrari in the World Championship with the Cobra roadster. He needs a faster car and thus ask Pete Brock, former General Motors engineer who worked on the Chevrolet Stingray, to work on a coupe version of the Cobra.
During the first race of the car in Daytona (where it takes its name from), the Cobra coupe dominates half of the race before a fire starts in the pits and forces the team to retire. During the 12 hours of Sebring, the Cobra Daytona grabs its first win in GT class and finishes 3rd OA. Two others Daytona coupe are built to enter the 1964 24 hours of Le Mans. Dan Gurney and bob Bondurant bring another win to the Daytona with a first place in GT class ahead of the Ferrari GTO, and 4th OA. Despite these excellent results, Carroll Shelby misses the world championship title. But the next year in 1965, Shelby is world champion with 7 wins of the Cobra Daytona out of 13 races. Ferrari is beaten !

Only 6 units of the Cobra Daytona have been built by Shelby. The rarity of the car combined with the myth the car became winning the world championship ahead of the non less famous Ferrari 250 GTO, explains the price of the car today. The last car offered in an auction in August 2009 changed hands for USD 7.25 Millions

For those who dream to own a Cobra Daytona and race it in the historic events, Shelby has allowed the building of 21 Cobra Daytona built by McCluskey. McCluskey is well known for his restoration work on 3 of the 6 original Cobra Daytona. Caroll Shelby himself naturally approached McCluskey when he decided to have a new team racing in vintage events with 5 Cobra Daytona continuation (the original ones having reached incredible prices). 
McCluskey has first built continuation Cobra Daytonas on original 289 Roadster chassis. He then built entire cars from scratch. These cars are fully compliants with the original specifications, the Shelby Registry confirming that "the continuation coupes are exact in their construction, right down to the number of rivets used". Only 21 continuation cobra Daytona have been built by McCluskey, the unit we are offering beeing the last built. The aluminium body and the chassis are already finished. The car is waiting for an engine and the interior. 
Unlike the replicas or continuation models built by Superformance which are high quality cars but only modern vision of the original car (they are larger, have modern accessories, ...), the car we offer is strictly identical to the original one, and will be delivered in FIA specifications, with HTP FIA papers, allowing the car to enter any major historic events.

Besides the aluminium body fully compliant with the original one, the car will be delivered with a racing vintage 289ci HiPo engine rated at 420 HP (500 HP on request) and a Borg Warner super T10 4 speed gearbox as the original. The chassis is of course an exact rebuilt of the original as the suspension layout, the magnesium wheels, the Girling brakes ...All the parts are new (NOS) or new ones custom rebuilt .The car will be inspected by the FIA in the USA prior shipping to Europe so as to validate the specification of the car. We are thus sure to get the FIA HTP papers once the car is in Europe.

This is the last McCluskey Cobra Daytona (VIN CSX26xx and delivered with a MSO from Carroll Shelby) and a trully unique opportunity to drive a Cobra Daytona that 100% matches the original, with FIA papers, and elligible for any major historic event. And for a price 20 times lower than an original !

This superb car is available in the US. The price includes shipping for any european country, all european or swiss taxes, HTP FIA papers, and a european road registration (for our french customer the car will come a regular french carte grise).

post by http://carmax.blogpot.com

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AC Cobra 427 SC - CSX4000 Continuation by Shelby - Aluminium -Photo and info

Price:  163 560 EUR (215 000 USD)

Year: 1965 Location: North America

Mileage: 950 ml (1 529 km)

Chassis N.: Upon request

Colour: Blue

Interior: Black

Since the end of the nineties, the creator of the iconic Cobra, Carroll Shelby, builds continuation models strictly identical to the original Cobra of the 60's. The 427 S/C CSX4000 is built from the same specifications as the original Cobra 427 equipped with an enormous 7 liter V8 engine. These CSX4000 Cobra are of course everything the 65 models were and even more. They are built on a 65 like chassis but much stronger. Other enhancements have been made, like a better cooling system, a modern gearbox, enhanced suspensions (built like the original ones), and a better steering.

The car we are proud to offer is a Cobra 427 S/C built by Shelby. It is one of the few Continuation Cobra built in aluminium. The engine is a genuine period 427 Side oiler with a medium riser intake, Edelbrock aluminum heads, forged cranshaft and Holley 750 carburettor. The gearbox is a period correct 4 speed Toploader. The fuel tank is an aluminum 42 Gallons one. The car is salso equipped with black headers and side pipes, Girling brakes, and Smith gauges with reverse speedo. This car could not be closer to an original one. It is one of the best continuation cars on the market. It is a first hand car, that has only been driven 950 miles from new and and maintained regularly.

As a Shelby, the car is registered as a 1965 with an original VIN, and is delivered with a manufacturer's statement of origin from Shelby, certifying the car is 1965. This is trully unique in the Cobra world, as only the CSX4000 are delivered with a COC, a VIN compliant with the original ones, and can thus be registered in Europe (including France) as 1965 Shelby Cobra. 

With the alumiunium body it is the closest thing to the original Cobra. And as a Shelby built cobra, the car is listed in the Shelby registry. 

This stunning cobra is now available in the US. The price includes shipping and all european taxes. It will be delivered with a French (or european) road registration (registered as a 1965 427 Shelby Cobra).

post by http://carmax.blogpot.com

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