#ProjectSR76 Is The Stingray Numbers Matching?

Numbers matching means that a part (or parts) have a number that matches the VIN or a portion of the VIN. Often it only refers to the engine, in some cases other parts as well.

Watch a Barrett Jackson or Mecum Auction and many of these “Numbers Matching” cars bring higher prices. It is a unique attribute especially muscle and sports cars that were often modified over the years.  For example there were just over 46k 1976 Stingray produced and having the original engine adds it to a much smaller number. 

Since the L48 for #SR76 is the lower performance of the engine available in 1976, one might guess that they were replaced for more horse power over the years. 

For #SR76 my intentions are not to create a contours level restoration, so it really isn’t that much of benefit but would be cool to know.

So is the L48 original to #ProjectSR76?

See what you think.

 


Thanks for checking.

Tim

SR=Stingray
76 -1976

Gravity Beats Everything – McLaren 570S Spider

I’m trying to wrap my head around this.  Maybe a reader can help.

I reading an article in Car and Driver  entitled  “Gravity Wins – The Final Moments of Flight 570S.”

This article lays out a crash of a McLaren 570S Spider on Route 33 in California.  Car was driving by a journalist and the author of the piece is not listed but does state he was in the passenger seat.  The passenger was was Sean Evans

The article goes on to chronicle the event.  The author goes into great detail explaining the crash labeling the sections as “Launch”, “Flight” and “Impact”.  He even gone as far as enlisting the help of a NASA JPL engineer to explain all the forces and speed etc., with cool phrases such as “…our flight time….about 3 seconds” and “…Priellis last touched asphalt.”  He states “We started the right-hand turn a 78 mph…”

I’m just going to stop there.  You can read an even more dramatic article here:  https://www.menshealth.com/technology-gear/a26990660/mclaren-supercar-crash-safety/?src=socialflowFBCAD&utm_campaign=socialflowFBCD&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social-media&fbclid=IwAR1LWwzl9L5vxppBsZg9-v55eP6fE3uU9mg8o2AEgzqC-JFz8vSXQgib3RQ

I can’t decide what annoys me more.  The fact that an journalist was driving a car he did not have the skills with nor the respect the for it’s power necessary or the fact that the speed limit on Route 33 in California is only 55 mph an these knuckleheads we traveling at 78 miles an hour!

Let’s not mention the fact that Car and Driver published the article at all. Oh and the kicker, it include a pic of the wrecked 570s with caption – “My old man is television repairman. He’s got the ultimate set of tools.  I can fix it.”   This show a total disrespect for the public, those of us that drive sports car safely on public streets/roads and real journalism.

One more example of the stupidity of a writing thinking his journalistic skills with writing about sports cars, actually mean he can drive one.

Shame on Car and Driver for giving these knuckleheads space in their…cough…cough…”Intelligence, Independence, Irreverence” periodical (that’s from their cover).

You can’t be gravity and you can’t fix stupidity.

Here’s a pic from Facebook of the Spider.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

ProjectSportsRoof – Quick Power Test!!

Thanks for checking back on #ProjectSportsRoof.

Valve gasket installed, zinc added and now it’s time for quick power test.  I have yet to get the pedal to the floor and now it’s time and I took the captured the fun….and…well…take a look:

 


You can hear how awesome the SR73 sounds and power was substantial. Of course the quick trip ended in a less than optimal way.
The first effort of the power test was successful, that wasn’t captured. I turned the phone on for the second and you can hear that. I had intended a third power sprint but SportsRoof had a different idea. I could feel it start to surge and then nothing. There was no noise, a brief sputter, like perhaps it flooded (entirely possible as the carb is a bit bigger then it should be).
I coasted it to the side of the street.

A quick troubleshooting proved that the car was still getting fuel but would not start. After setting for a bit still not firing up. I suspect distributor. When I have time I’ll dig into.

The day ended with a flatbed trip home. 🙁

More to come!!!

Thanks for reading.

Tim

 

1973 Mustang Heater Box Part 1

Maybe one of the worse task to tackle on a car is the heater core.  In particular on some older cars.  In most cases you have to remove the entire dash.   I know this because when the heater core sprung a leak in my 1974 Cobra Jet Torino, I didn’t …
73 Mustang 351 Cleveland Rebuild – Removal Part 5

This is the last post related to prepping the 351 Cleveland in #ProjectSportRoof for removal. Originally, I had planned to lift the engine out with the carb still attached.  However, after the first test fit to see how the Duralast leveler  (I’ve never used one before – last engine I pulled …
Project SportsRoof Shifting Linkage Part III

Welcome back to Project Sports Roof (#ProjectSportsRoof).   The struggle is real!!! You saw in the last video my replacement of the linkage that was lost by the repair shop (along with my new battery and started).   This repair shone the light (as often happens with older cars) on a previous …

Bill Overton – Angels Working Over Time (How I Survived Street Racing in the 1970’s)

Every now and then I see a good story on social media and I want to share it with my readers.  Bill Overton and I have been Facebook friends for a while now and I’ve been keep up with he and his wife’s struggles after the floods in Texas as well as some of his car projects and since I lived in Texas for about 8 years we sometimes share some Lone Star state antidotes.   He graciously allowed me to post one of his car stories and the pics below.  Thanks Bill!!!!

Earlier today I posted a thing about my brother’s V8 Vega. Several friends talked about that time when we had the cool cars. I got home and wrote this that I wanted to write for a while about my street racing days. Here is:

In the mid 1970’s I had a ’68 Camaro with several different engine and transmission combinations. Originally it had a 327 with a three-speed manual. I loved pulling the engine out to modify or drop in another one to see how fast I could go. I had a 396 Big Block with big valve 427 heads and four speed that really brought the Camaro to life. I loved driving fast. I loved street racing. I got the tickets to prove how much I loved it. Back then our real risk of street racing was losing our license for a few months, not like today where you can end up in jail and losing your car. I don’t recall there ever being a racing accident. I am sure there were, but I never heard of any.

This Bill’s 68 Camaro.

Friday and Saturday nights, I would go cruising Palmer in Texas City looking for a race. I had several other friends who would do the same. Other weekends I would cruise Clear Lake. Usually on Bay Area out by the High School is where we would end up racing. Most times I would race someone I knew but there were many times I would get challenged by a Mustang or Charger that was someone I never met before. I shied away from racing a Corvettes but occasionally, I would challenge one. The common tradition was if you lost, you had to give the winner your shifter handle. I had a small box on the floor behind the driver’s seat full of shifter knobs and handles, mostly Mustangs. I lost several of my Hurst T Handles occasionally.

The races I enjoyed the most was some kid would be out in his new Trans Am or Camaro. These were factory stock, but the owners believed they were the best of the best. Some of the big block Trans Ams held their own, but for the most part they were easy pickings. I recall one time I was on Palmer sitting at the light at 146 going west. A new Trans Am with an automatic started to challenge me. On this part of the road, as you leave the light you go up and over an overpass not too far from leaving the light. The light turned green and the Trans Am got the jump on me. I got even with him when I hit second. When I hit third, I started to walk away from him. At this point we were started to go down the other side of the over pass. Then suddenly, he disappeared, like he hit his brakes. I could see him in my mirror, so I pulled over. He was sitting on the shoulder. I backed up on the shoulder to see if he was ok. Turns out that when he saw me pulling away from him, he threw his transmission into park. I guess subconsciously he was thinking he had to shift. I looked under his car and saw transmission fluid draining out. I told him he could keep his shifter handle. He gave me an odd look, I guess he was not aware of the tradition. I never found out what ended up with him, I guess he was in real trouble when he got home.

Another time while cruising Palmer there was a ’63 Nova that had a straight axle. It was mean looking. I could see fender well headers, so he meant business. At the light I looked over at him and he was an older guy with his wife and kids. I thought that was sort of strange. He was challenging me, so I got ready. When the light turned green I got him on the jump. He could not catch up once I pulled away, so I won the race. After a race we would end up meeting up at a shopping center parking lot. When he pulled in he had his window down and handed me his shifter handle as he slowly went by, he did not stop. I felt sorry for him since his family was with him. Since I was 18 years old, I perceived him as an old guy, but, he was probably about 30 years old. I could imagine the conversation in the car after the race.

I remember hearing that the Texas City Police got motorcycles to help catch street racers, so I did not go there much after that. I went into Houston. Problem with going to the city is the racing was fast on the freeways. Back then the traffic was almost nonexistent compared to today. I remember one time taking the I-45 north to 610 west exit which was a turning single lane bridge at 120 mph. I did not feel like it was dangerous but looking back I was very lucky I did not go off that bridge. There were several other times that were like this. I know angels were watching over me even though at the time I felt invincible.

One time late at night I had just installed something in the Camaro, I really don’t recall what, but I was out for a test drive. The streets were empty, so I stopped, ran the RPMs up and dumped the clutch. The car was running like a beast, every gear pulled strong. Then suddenly there was something reflecting back at me in the middle of the road. My thought was some kid was standing in the road just watching me come towards him and he was not moving out of the way. I slammed on the brakes and went right off the road. Where I left the road was on a driveway and immediately I went airborne off the culvert. I was going down the shallow ditch when the next driveway was right in front of me, so I steered left back onto the road. My right-side traction bar caught in the dirt on the side of the driveway and I spun out in the road where I came to a stop. I sat there for a second, then looked to see what was in the road. A Great Dane was staring at me wondering what the deal was. I saw a porch light come on, so I put the car back in gear and drove off. The next day I went back to see where I went off the road. You could see the tire tracks and I followed them from where I left the first driveway. I was airborne for about 20 feet where the tire tracks started in the grass. I was shocked to see that I had missed a telephone pole by inches. This was the point where I saw how lucky I was.

Fast forward to 1985. I had just bought the Corvette I still have. I did not modify it very much, so I was not out looking for a race. I was just enjoying driving at night through downtown Houston with the T-Tops off. I was at a stop light just about to leave downtown heading west on Memorial. A Porsche 911 Carrera challenged me to a race. I knew I really did not have a chance, but no one was around this time of night so what the heck. The light turned green and off we were. We were staying side by side, I thought the Porsche would have walked away from me. Next thing I knew, there were the familiar lights behind us wanting us to pull over. I slowed down and pulled over ready to get the massive ticket. The Porsche kept going. The Officer walked up to the Vette, I handed him my license. He asked did I know the guy in the Porsche. I said I did not, that was the first time I saw him. The Officer gave me my license back and told me to slow down and he left. I sat there in shock, I just got off lucky! That was the very last time I raced someone on the street. I got back on the road to head to my townhouse where I lived at the time and as I rounded the bend on Memorial I saw several police cars behind the Porsche and the guy was spread eagle on the side of his car and they were searching him. I guess one of the Police was waiting at the curve for him. I drove past just ten mph under the speed limit. I have always wondered if they had been watching him for other reasons and maybe this was the thing to haul him in. I will never know but am thankful that I was let go. Another time Angels were watching over me.

I swore I would not talk about these events until my kids were over 20 years old, so they would not get the idea of doing something like this. Both my kids are very careful drivers, they get that from their Mom. Looking back, I have fond memories of driving and modifying muscle cars that young people today will never experience. Back then I could buy and modify a 1st generation Camaro for what I made mowing lawns. Now you can’t get one of those cars without a huge bank loan. I am sure I wore out an Angel or two. I never put a scratch on a car, so I know the Angels were busy watching over me.

Bill and his wife Jennifer.

Thanks again Bill for allowing me to share this story.  I hope the Angels are always working over-time for the Overtons!!!!

Thanks for reading.

Tim

Auto Factoids for the Week of May 21, 2017 – Goodyear, Sloan and Rose

Light week this week but here are your #AutoFactoids  for the week of May 21, 2017.

May 22, 1929 –  Goodyear Blimp took its maiden flight.   Still provides some of the best auto racing coverage!!!

Goodyear Blimp.

First Goodyear Factory

Mr. Goodyear

 

May 23, 1875  – Alfred P. Sloan Jr. was born in New Heaven Conn.   He headed up GM as President and guided it through some iconic car designs.  He was instrumental in establishing the idea of make styling changes annually and planting the idea of  (something we consumer dislike) planned obsolescence. He also established a pricing structure by sub-brand (Chevy, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick, Caddy) —referred to as the ladder of success, so that they did not compete with each other, and buyers could be kept in the GM “family” as their buying power and preferences changed as they aged.   

 

Alfred P. Sloan – Time Magazine Dec 1926.

Alfred P. Sloan

 

May 26, 1906 – Mauri Rose born  in Columbus, Ohio.  This Racing Hall of Famer driver, placed second in the 1927 Indy 500. Actually won the Indy in 1941, but that was a tough victory, spanning two Maserati-powered Elgin Piston Pin Specials cars, after the first one had mechanical issues. He tossed a fit and the car owners pulled one of the other drivers from the race and give Rose that car.

 

The Pin

The Elgin Pin

 

What powered that thing? The Elgin’s  “Power Plant”

The Pin’s power plant.

 

Mauri in the Blue Spark car!

 

Thanks for reading.

Tim

Auto Factoid for Week of Nov. 30, 2014

Hope you all had a great Turkey Day!! Here is the line up of Auto Factoids for the first week in December!!!   Nov 30 1960  De Soto ceases production.  The last De Soto produced were really the Chrysler Windsor, most did not sale, even though dealerships continued to received cars after the …

Auto Factoids – Week of May 31, 2015 – Ford, Olds, Model T

Here are your Auto Factoids #AutoFactoids for the beginning of June, 2015. May 31, 1927 – Ford produced the last Model T.    There is some debate as to actual date and it’s said that the 15th million Model T rolled off the production line on May 26th, 1927 and the Henry …

AUTO FACTOIDS & C.N.N for Week of 7/26/2015 – Studebaker to Viper

Kaiser-Fraser formed July 26, 1945 – The Kaiser-Frazer Corporation was the result of a partnership between automobile executive Joseph W. Frazer and business man Henry  J. Kaiser. In 1947, the company acquired the automotive assets of Graham-Paige.  Interesting enough, Kaiser had no automotive business experience.   In 1953 the company became …

Auto Factoids and C.N.N for week of Sept 6th 2015 – TBird and Studebaker

Here is your #AutoFactoids and Car News Now for this first full week of September 2015. Auto Factoids Sept. 7, 1954 – Production of Ford Thunderbird begins 1955 T-Bird 2002 Thunderbird             Sept. 8, 1903   Preston Tucker was born in Capac, MI. While dubbed “Tucker Torpedo” during production no ‘Torpedoes’ were produced. Beautiful …

Auto Factoids and C.N.N for week of Sept 6th 2015 – TBird and Studebaker

Here is your #AutoFactoids and Car News Now for this first full week of September 2015. Auto Factoids Sept. 7, 1954 – Production of Ford Thunderbird begins 1955 T-Bird 2002 Thunderbird             Sept. 8, 1903   Preston Tucker was born in Capac, MI. While dubbed “Tucker Torpedo” during production no ‘Torpedoes’ were produced. Beautiful …

 

Camaro SS and RS Drive at Barrett Jackson Scottsdale – 2017

If you follow this blog you’ve no doubt seen my posts on this past January’s Barrett Jackson event in Scottsdale, Az, you might even had caught my Facebook Live videos.

Of course I have to say it’s well worth the price of admission for all that there is to see and do.

One event is the Ride and Drive where you are allowed to drive some of the new cars.  They also have a few of the more powerful cars that they only allow you to ride along with a driver, cars like the Hell Cat and Viper and some of the Mustangs.  This year I chose to drive the SS and RS Camaro.

The key is to get there early because the line get long and the track gets crowded.  We arrived at the right time and got a more personal touch.  New for this year was the Breathalyzer test conducted by the Sheriff’s department, a smart idea, considering all the adult beverages available.  But it was a bit early for that.

Here’s  quick little slide show of my trip in one of the Camaro’s.

 

 

The auto cross course they had set up was pretty tight and for the novice this would a challenge and I think it was meant to keep the speeds down.  When you attend these you are accompanied by a local drive either supplied by the dealership or by the car company for this event.

I drove the SS V8 LT Camaro first.  I found the seat comfortable and driving position was really good.  The car had quick response and the V8 really pulled great with hitting the gas.  Not as good as my  2007 C6 Corvette but I was impressed.  As an SCCA auto cross driver I found this  course to  be a bit tighter the standard down here at the regional I’ve driven often.  The SS proved to be a bit sloppy in the corners at speed and it felt like a bigger car – of course it’s it a bit larger than my Vette.  Although I made it round the course with out killing any cones, it would be understandable given how it handled.

Immediately after parking the SS, they had an V6 RS ready and I jumped in.  I really appreciated that, having the SS drive still fresh in the never endign, it would make the comparison, a bit more visceral rather than homogenized by the thought process.

These days you know they can get a lot of power out of V6 engine and even 4 cylinders so I was curious to see how the RS’s V6 felt with my foot pressed to the floor.  I didn’t have any specific expectations, but I was hoping to feel “WOW – this is a only a V6?!?!”, but I have to say it felt like V6.  It was clear the power wasn’t there at the start line.  However, it did get up to speed fairly quickly and by the first real corner you could feel it.  The corner? Well, let’s say it was impressive. While driving SS the ride-a-long driver bet that I’d find the RS a much better handling car in the tight corners, due to the fact that the engine was set back a bit that changed up how the car made it though the corners.  I have to say it was correct.

It’s true that in auto cross that horse power isn’t all you need, in fact, too much can make for rough runs.  The key for any auto cross car is being able to handle the corner as the fastest speed possible.  The RS made it through the course with much sharper corners and it felt really good coming out of them with not a lot of body roll, it was surprising.
So the V8 SS felt powerful (relatively speaking) – more what I’m use to with my Corvette.  The RS felt like a V6 when getting off the line, but had the better cornering than the RS, basically verifying what the ride-a-long driver told me I would find.

It’s not often the average blogger, SCCA racer and car restorer, gets to take ride in or drive the newest cars which I think is a huge gap in what you see in the big time blogs and car magaiznes, so it’s always fun to poke them with the Average Guy’s thoughts when a chance for that experience can be documented.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

barrett jackson scottsdale 2017barrett jackson scottsdale 2017

It’s Car Auction Season – Barrett Jackson Car Show – Westworld of Scottsdale‎

I love this time of year here in Arizona.  Not just because you can work on your classic/muscle car in the garage without feeling like a Christmas turkey in the oven.  I love this time of year because it’s Car Auction Season!   For the next 3-4 weeks classic cars …

1955 Ferrari 375 Plus Cabriolet at the 2016 Elegance at Hershey — Mind over Motor

Ferrari ownership and postwar royalty seem to go hand-in-hand, especially one offs. This 1955 375 Plus Cabriolet is a one-off specialty car built for the ex-King Leopold III of Belgium, and is a mix of the older engineering that put Ferrari on the map in the early Fifties and newer styling features that would later […]

via 1955 Ferrari 375 Plus Cabriolet at the 2016 Elegance at Hershey — Mind over Motor

Thanks for reading

Tim

pininfarinapininfarina

Parkinglot Spot Light – Lamborghini

Well you don’t see this every day.  Followed him for a bit, hoping that rear door would flop open and drop a Lambo in my lap….no such luck!!!!

#Lamborghini

Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. is an Italian brand and manufacturer of luxury sports cars and, formerly, SUVs, which is owned by the Volkswagen Group through its subsidiary brand division Audi.
Founder: Ferruccio Lamborghini – I’d like to have a car named after me!!!
Founded: May 1963, Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy
Customer service: 1 (866) 681-6276   – Number is here in case you wanted to order one or file a complaint
CEO: Stefano Domenicali      – We have beers whenever I’m in Italy – not really.
Latest models: 2016 Lamborghini Aventador, 2016 Lamborghini Huracan   #IWantOne  of each!!!!
Parent organization: Audi

Aventador SV

Aventador SV

Huracan

Huracan

Thanks for reading

Tim

RJS Corvette

I don’t really need a Lambo……but…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2017 Corvette Grand Sport Has Racing Roots – Z07 – WOW!

2017 Corvette Grand Sport

2017 Corvette Grand Sport

The new 2017 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport combines a lightweight architecture, a track-honed aerodynamics package, Michelin tires and a naturally aspirated engine to deliver exceptional performance. The Grand Sport Collector Edition features an exclusive Watkins Glen Gray Metallic exterior with Tension Blue hash-mark graphics, satin black full-length stripes and black wheels. the new Grand Sport combines a lightweight architecture, a track-honed aerodynamics package, Michelin tires and a naturally aspirated engine.

With Corvette Racing in its DNA, the all-new 2017 Corvette Grand Sport is a pure expression of the car’s motorsports-bred pedigree. It was introduced today at the Geneva International Motor Show.

  • Lightweight architecture and track-honed aerodynamics
  • An engine offering an estimated 1.05g in cornering capability and up to 1.2g with the available Z07 package
  • Coupe and convertible available this summer in U.S. and fall in Europe  
  • Grand Sport Collector Edition available later in model year

Read the entire article: 2017 Corvette Grand Sport Has Racing Roots

Thanks for reading.

Tim

C6Racing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2017 corvette grand sport

2017 Corvette Grand Sport: Sports Car | Chevrolet

Designed to deliver high-level performance, the 2017 Corvette Grand Sport is the latest member of the Corvette sports car lineup.
The 2017 Corvette Grand Sport Is A Track-Tastic Z06 Without A …

Mar 1, 2016 I’m deeply thankful for all these new naturally-aspirated track day cars, like the Camaro Z/28, Porsche 911 GT3 RS and Mustang GT350R.
The 2017 Corvette Grand Sport Is A Track-Tastic Z06 Without A …

Mar 1, 2016 I’m deeply thankful for all these new naturally-aspirated track day cars, like the Camaro Z/28, Porsche 911 GT3 RS and Mustang GT350R.

Restored ’65 Ford Fairlane Racer Reveals Texas Shop’s Talent at MCACN

Truly a worthwhile restoration.

Just out of the old warehouse

Just out of the old warehouse

Beautiful!!

Beautiful!!

 

 

 

Among the main attractions at this year’s Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals was the unveiling of 13 rare muscle cars, several with drag racing pedigrees. In this group, the freshly restored silver-blue Performance Associates 1965 Ford Fairlane revealed the talent of the crew at A&R Classic Restorations in Emory, Texas.

The car’s journey to the MCACN floor took more than 35 years.

Check our the entire story of this historic car at the source link below.

Source: Restored ’65 Ford Fairlane Racer Reveals Texas Shop’s Talent at MCACN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading.
Tim

saralogan213

shannonstone7: The Benefits of Muscle Car Restoration https://t.co/1JCEWUVxWJ https://t.co/EQ3KvJsPmO