Most Under-Performing Musclecar Ever Produced?

[Oclk Dlux]

1980 Corvette with the 180HP low compression California 305. Mid 17's out of the box, even with the 4 BBL. Can't imagine forking out the $$$ for one of those. Good thing that was the only year GM did that.

Ditto on the 454SS truck. My friend's '72 Surburban with a slightly (and I mean slightly) modded 427 annihilated one. Wasn't even funny.

[Oclk Dlux]

Wait, forgot one. Any of the Iron Duke Camaro's. Poor Camaro........

[Jeff Lee]

Originally Posted by Tim H

Turd category ... Javelin w/ 401 which I routinely beat in my stock '77 Monza spyder 305 smogger.

By the time the last 401 Javelin's came down the assembly line they were just about the fastest pony car out there! 401-4-speed and standard 3.54.

Realistically, there was a lot of "muscle cars" from the 1960's to early 70's that in bone stock trim typically ran in the 15.20 - 15.40 ET range. That's your typical no recurve, no jetting, stock tire, plain vanilla cars with less than stellar driving skills. It was typically the light weight or high HP cars that made it to the low 14's and high 13's; and then it may have took a better than average driver.

2x on the 455 4-speed 1976 Trans-Ams! A friend of mine bought one in 1980 because he always wanted one. After about 6 months he couldn't handle the low performance and he sold it.
And yes, those SS454 trucks were an embarrassment!

I've owned a bunch of Mopars and had some that really performed well. But one of my favorites on the budget level was a '70 Swinger 340 w/ 4-speed and 3.55's. It was bone stock with rubber carpet. I could have it in 4th gear at 25-30 mph and it would smoothly accelerate; no clutching it, no babying it, just pull all the way past 100.

I've had a couple 383 Formula S Barracuda's (1968) with 4-speeds, fair but nothing to brag about.

By the time I got done really tunning the '70 440-6 'Cuda and the '66 Hemi Satellite (both w/ 4-speeds), they ran exceptionally well from idle to WOT. But before I messed with them they were both finicky pigs in the drive ability department.

WJ - the turbo 301 T/A's can be made fast (anything with a turbo can), but are still bottom of the barrel in T/A pricing.

I also had a '75 Cosworth. That 4-speed Vega still impresses me and would love to build one for T/S and it would kick but big time!

And least we forget the AMC's, the 390 SC/Rambler was 14.20 out the door and not much to get it to 13.80's. And the SC/Hornet was a killer as well.

[Paul Ceasrine]

Jeff,
I had quite a few 340 Dodge Darts, Dusters, Cuda's and 340 Swingers.
You could get those A-Body cars fairly cheap. They ran well, and were really low maintenance.
Of course, I liked the rubber-floor mats too. Saved money on carpet-cleaner.
I love the smell of 'Carbona' in the morning.
Forgot one more 'slug', 1969 Impala Coupe with a 427/335HP.
though a handful were successful in J/SA when set up for the track, but on the road,
4000lbs.of mis-aligned steel.

[X-TECH MAN]

Originally Posted by Alan Roehrich

Bub, the rule book I saw later showed 1967 and later cars, it was probably around 1979. I'm not sure about the 1970 rulebook, I don't have a copy, I was about 7 at the time. In the late seventies and up until Modified was killed off, I remember the rule as being 67 and later, I'm not sure why they did that. Like I said, it was a joke among the Modified racers, the Chevy II guys in particular, near the end of the class, they knew 66's were masquerading as 67's.

The guys I worked with bailed on Modified when it was merged into Super Stock, so that's not the era I was talking about. Again, they raced a 67 Camaro as a 68 (changed the doors, tail lights, and back up lights), so the rule was no real concern to us. I just remember guys who did race the Chevy II's joking among themselves about "cheating", and I remember a couple of cars being tossed as 66's.

That rule probably was not in effect when you ran your Chevy II, or I may remember it wrong. Maybe Travis, Dave, or Terry will correct me.

I believe the 67 or newer rule was for Super Modified when Car Craft got NHRA to develope the class. When Modified Production first became a class back in the stone age any year was allowed and in the beginning they had to run on 7 inch tires.

[Don Whitmore]

Any of the mid/late eighties Camaros/Monte Carlos w/ the 305ci were dogs in street trim. They were marketed as 'fast', had the price tag to match, but not the performance.

[Alan Roehrich]

Originally Posted by X-TECH MAN

I believe the 67 or newer rule was for Super Modified when Car Craft got NHRA to develop the class. When Modified Production first became a class back in the stone age any year was allowed and in the beginning they had to run on 7 inch tires.

Thanks Terry, I stand corrected. We ran both, Super Modified, and Modified Production. We ran C in both classes, so I guess I got the rules confused.

[Paul Ceasrine]

I think Modified Production became an NHRA class in 1964.
Hot Rod Magazine (April 1964) gives out the specs.
X-Techman,,,,Yes, back in the 'Stone Age'
When Eric Clapton was in "The Yardbirds'
Paul

[X-TECH MAN]

Paul is correct on the year M/P began. All of the limited production FX cars from 1963 that had alum. front ends were put into Modified production in 1964 and had to run 7 inch cheater slicks. I remember Malcom Durhams 63 Z-11 Impala setting the A/MP record at some point. The 63 421 SD Tempests (coupes and wagons) ran A/MP also.

[Travis Miller]

I have to agree about the '69 Boss 429 Mustang being a dog on the street. A brand new one in full street trim with zero modifications showed up at the track the first year I was a techman. The driver was so disappointed after his second run he drove it out the front gate never to return.

When it came to street racing (yes I did a lot of it before becoming a techman) the baddest of the musclecars was the 66 Chevy II with a 327/350. The car magazines never showed good times out of them but many a street racer found out what the backend of a Chevy II pulling away looked like. Light weight body, a 4-speed and a stout factory small block made them almost unbeatable on the street. Did I happen to mention light weight?

Modified Production classes did not have a year limit. The 1967 year limit was for the Super Modified classes. Besides the front end on a 66 Chevy II having to be changed, other items not mentioned here were single to dual brake master cylinder, door locking mechanism (in 66 you pushed the interior handle down while 67 had a seperate knob that twisted), and most of the exterior trim.

The 60's musclecar era was a great time to be had by all who lived through it. Today some of the younger "experts" who write about those days can only go by articles that the car magazines published. Drag tests back then are now being questioned today as it comes out that some GTO's were powered by 421's, a few 396 Chevelles had 427's slipped into them, and some new 390 Mustangs were powered by 428's for the press to wring out. Wrong as it may have been back then, the real drag tests of those early musclecars were on the street from stoplight to stoplight.

Travis

(Disclaimer: Opinions expressed by me on this forum are exactly that, my opinions. This thread also brings back memories of a few guys I knew who did not survive their street racing days. Rest in peace fellows.)