The Muscle Car

[RWebb]

no, it's not a pony car

muscle cars are big, but also have big motors

and a primitive suspension and poor brakes...

[Jim Richards]

The Chevy Nova SS 396 is a muscle car. It was not big.

[Jim Richards]

The Hemi Cuda was a muscle car. It was not big.

[pwd72s]

I can't actually think of a "pony car" that didn't at one time or another run a factory installed large displacement V-8. So, did this turn them into "muscle"? The line is a blurry one.

[John Rogers]

I had a 1961 Ford two door sedan that came with the 390 cubic inch engine, 3 two barrels and a 3 speed with over drive transmission and no limited slip. At the time Ford was not licensed to use the BW T-10 four speed or the first limited slip. It did NOT have power steering as the pumps then could not rev to 6K like that engine could. It was big, loud and in a straight line very quick! Drum brakes and no anti sway bars did little to help it corner! I had a toggle switch in the tail light wire so we could turn off the lights when we were out in the country drag racing and the police would come out to find us!

[BeyGon]

455 Buick Skylark, small block, big power, 1971, mine. 800cfm but could have handled 1000cfm

[Aragorn]

Originally Posted by RWebb

no, it's not a pony car

muscle cars are big, but also have big motors

and a primitive suspension and poor brakes...

Didn't every American car built in the 60's have primitive suspension and poor brakes?

ducks...

[RWebb]

not so much for the Corvette


John Z. DeLorean kicked off the muscle car craze when he violated GM's Engineering Policy Committee displacement vs. car wt. rule and shoehorned a big motor into the Tempest. He got around it by making this an option, not a new car... The Pontiac Tempest went from a 326 to a 389 and became the "GTO" ( a hideous theft of name from Ferrari which had neglected to protect their intellectual property). And Pontiac went from an old man's brand to a youth brand...


more in Ch. 7 of Engines of Change: A History of the American Dream in Fifteen Cars by Paul Ingrassia (a writer and Detroit bureau chief for WSJ)

[RWebb]

turns out that the 3 deuces mod did not really add all that much hp (but this is later in history)

[GG Allin]

Two of my favorites. The second one, in my opinion was the last true muscle car.

[strupgolf]

Originally Posted by RWebb

no, it's not a pony car

muscle cars are big, but also have big motors

and a primitive suspension and poor brakes...

Wow, that's some kind of keen observation there buddy, what made you state the obvious. LOL

[RWebb]

what made me state the obvious is that SOME PEOPLE disagreed with the obvious

[widgeon13]

My first car out of college, 1969 GTO. Amazing that I made it into the service.

[John Rogers]

What my be obvious NOW was not very obvious 40 to 50 years ago. You young pups just don't remember.....Anyways check out:

The Ford Galaxie Club of Australia Inc.

[jwgn777]

Old muscle car were fun. Who cares about the handling back then. That argument is ridiculous comparing a two seater sports car and and average American four seater vehicle. It was all about the power,cost ,comfort,conveniences,and practical uses of the vehicle at the time.

[RANDY P]

Build put up 400RWHP out of moderate 455 with ported 5C heads and lumpy Ultradyne Cam and Holley Carb- UNTUNED. The secret with this motor is I can spin it- forged bottom end and ARP bolts throughout, and Harland roller rockers on oversized studs.

Pretty much any production car from that era is gonna have ****ty brakes and handling by today's standards.

rp

[Rick V]

Two boats I had during High school, the one I am standing in was a 67 Newport drop top, 68 440 with dual fours. She would pass anything on the open road, I mean anything. The four wheel manual drum brakes and torsion bars guaranteed you were not going to be stopping all that mass fast, nor were you going to be turning fast at speed.
The brown bomber was a 68 NewYorker with a 440 4bbl, fully loaded and about as fun as an oil tanker.
Muscle boats

[johnco]

my 64 is a 2 door with a 390.. thunderbird is not a muscle car. neither is my 62 olds super 88 with a 394. 4 door family car.. my 57 buick has a 364 nailhead. not a muscle car with a 2 barrel carb and 4 doors. takes a bit more than a big car with a big motor to be a muscle car

[jwgn777]

I did not need brakes on this one. Somebody else didn't use theirs. My first GTO convertible. And some other muscle cars.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by RWebb

no, it's not a pony car

muscle cars are big, but also have big motors

and a primitive suspension and poor brakes...

Sure glad you settled that.......