COPO IS BACK!! The Camaro As it was Meant to Be!!

I just recently picked up a copy of GMs new Performance catalog and all I can say is WOW!!  But we’ll dive into that in a future post.

Gracing the cover was the latest and greatest COPO Camaro.  You remember those special order packages.  Well they have brought it back and factory racing just jumped up and shouted “LET DO IT!!!!”
[vodpod id=Video.15839761&w=425&h=350&fv=%26rel%3D0%26border%3D0%26]

COPO IS BACK!!, posted with vodpod

Engine Line Up: 1973 Fords Part II – 351s

Here is the second part of this ’73 line up for the V8.

There were 7 V8 in 1973 (not including the Mustang engines) and the ranged in numbers from 302 to 460 (big number to be sure). Just reading those you think..OH…THE …POWER…NOTHING BUT 100’s RUBBER BURNING, FISH-TAILING HPs!!!…right….uh…NO….these ain’t 60’s engine and they aren’t 2010 engines..nope..they the 70’s engines.  Here’s how they ponied up.

The 302 – Overhead valves, cast iron block with a bore and stroke of 4.00 x 3.00.  Compression ratio of 8.0:1 with 302 cubic inches displaced.  Top that with an awesome 2 barrel Motorcraft carb and you are knocking out 135 hp’s!!!!  Those are number only a grandma could love.  Compare that with the 302 sold under the hoods of Fords in 1970 which yielded 220 hp with a two barrel carb. (Take that 302 bore it .030, toss on a typhoon intake and a 4 barrel Holly you’ll have exactly what currently have in my ’70 Stang.)

My Mustang's Enhanced 302

 

Next up is the family of 351s, the Windsor, the Cleveland and the CJ Windsor.

All three had overhead valves, cast iron blocks and all displaced 351 cubic inches.  They shared the same bore and stroke which was 4.00 x 3.5 and the compression ratios ranged from 8.0:1 to 8.6:1 and the horse power varied by rpm 3800 to 4000 between 156 up to 177, the Cleveland and baby Windsor were choked with a 2 barrel carb while the CJ managed to steal a 4 barrel of the assembly line shelf and had a compression ratio of 9.0:1.   The 351 CJ was able to come in a little more respectable with 266 hp at 5400 rpm.

I will tell you this there were very few 351 CJ Windsor made in 1973 and 1974.  I owned a 1974 351 CJ  and my researched showed that less than 100 of these engined were produced that year.

All of these were used in the Torino, Montego, Mustang, Cougar and other Ford and Mercury models.  The 351 CJ was used in the Mustang and Cougar.

1973 Cleveland 351 2 barrel under the hood of a Mustang.

 

Up next the 400’s for 1973.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

Average Guy’s Car Restoration, Mods and Racing – International

This blog is gaining popularity.  It’s being followed on Digg, StumbleUpon, Twitter and the Facebook page.

There are car nuts from 18 different countries hanging out around here.  That’s pretty good for an non-commercial blog.

What’s that mean?  Means I’m going to set it up a bit.  More to come on that.

So thank you all and please submit your pictured and stories and I’ll get them posted up.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

 

Contests

I have 14 CD/DVDs to give away.

So I’m going to give the next two individuals that sign up for my feed a copy of the DVD Classic Automobile Films.

If you are reading this, grab my feed and then send an email too:

timsweet@average-guys-car-restoration-mods-racing.com

Include the address you’d like to have the DVD send to.  It’s that easy.

I don’t share any information with anyone, nor do I keep that type of information, even for my own purposes.

Designer of the 250 Testa Rossa, Sergio Scaglietti, dies.

One of House of Ferrari’s Favorite Sons Dies

Designer of the 250 Testa Rossa, Sergio Scaglietti, dies.

by on Nov.23, 2011

Sergio Scaglietti held a hallowed place in the house of Ferrari.

One of Enzo Ferrari’s most trusted contributors, Sergio Scaglietti, has died at the age of 91.

The famed designer and custom car builder died Monday.

Scaglietti opened a repair shop across the street from the Ferrari works in Modena, Italy. Soon, he was repairing Ferraris and later began designing some of the automaker’s most storied models. He is credited with the 1958 Ferrari 250Testa Rossa and his Carrozzeria Scaglietti built some of the most famous custom-bodied Ferraris, including the 250 California and 250 GTO, which were designed by another longtime Ferrari associate, Pininfarina.

The entire house of Ferrari was in mourning following Scaglietti’s death.

In a statement on Ferrari’s Web site, Enzo’s son Piero Ferrari, said Scaglietti had a special place in his heart.

“He was one of my father’s best friends. He was next to me with Marco Piccinini the day my father died and stayed with me the whole night until the funeral. I loved him and he was a very important part of my life.”

Chairman Luca di Montezemolo said Scaglietti left an indelible mark on the automaker.

“Today is a sad day for Ferrari. We lost a friend, a travel companion, a man who had his name forever connected to the Prancing Horse,” di Montezemolo said. “Sergio Scaglietti leaves behind the legacy of an artist who, with his talent, created some of the most beautiful cars of our history. (Those who) had the luck to know him like I did will also remember him as a straightforward and honest man, completely dedicated to his work. We will miss him.”

Ferrari honored Scaglietti by naming its 612 grand touring model in tribute to Scaglietti.

C6 07 Corvette – Fuel Gauge/Low Fuel/Service Fuel System

I haven’t done much writing about my C6 Corvette, mainly because it has really been a great car (still is) even with the technology glitches.

 

However, as you might have gathered from the title there is an issue that I thought I’d jot down along with some possible causes and some preventive measures.

I recently had the problem with my gas gauge flopping round and kicking off the low fuel warning.  Interesting enough it only happened immediately after filling up.  It is an immediate reaction when I turn the car on.  During this most recent incident the gauge remained flat-lined for what seemed a bit longer then it has in the past. I’m talking 20 miles or more with 3 stops full and shut down.  It was accompanied by the engine light, which remained on after the gauge went back to normal and the low fuel warning stopped.

The Vette ran perfectly  during the event so I’m not too worried , but still you don’t want to have to call the flatbed.

So I dropped a note on my corvette clubs site ACE (Arizona Corvette Enthusiasts) http://www.arizonacorvetteenthusiasts.net and to see what they thought.

Most swear by Chevron gas with its Techron cleaning agent and some were thinking it might be a sending unit and some said it is a common problem with C5 ( the previous generation of Corvettes).

Here are some comments:
—“Use some Seafoam (Autozone, Checker etc.) per directions on the bottle.  Techron works also.”  My NOTE:  Seafoam is tough stuff, you have to be sure to change your fuel filter shortly there after.

—“Same thing would happen to me with Roxxane II (c5).  It would show empty when I filled her up. I would use 2 bottles of Techron and then one bottle at every fill up for the next 4 tanks.   Problem went away for a while. Then I would use one bottle every 2 tanks and that kept the demon away.”

This one was exteremly helpful……”Well, stop putting gas in it, maybe the problem goes away.”

—“It’s a level sender issue for sure.  If Techron doesn’t solve it, you’ll either have to learn to live with it, or replace the faulty sensor.  Do you have any way to check the codes to see which sensor is unhappy?”  ( I don’t so if it acts up again, I’ll have to take it in.)

—“Two possibilities…. sulphur build up on the sending unit or the sending unit going out.  I understand they are a biotch to change.”

—“My C5 had the problem unless I ran Chevron gas in it.  About the second tank of non Chevron the gauge would go crazy.  I would switch back and the problem went away.”

—“This was a common occurrence on the ‘early’ C5’s. It usually happened when high sulphur content fuel was put in. Some of the fixes were switching gas to adding a bottle of Techron every once in a while.  The real ‘fix’ was a reflash at the dealer.   Apparently the sender was a bit too sensitive, so they slowed it down.

I had the issue occasionally on my 99, but when I put a 2002 Z06 operating system into the computer, it went away.

Since you have a C6, I would expect that the issue isn’t a reflash. My guess would be that maybe you got some high sulphur content fuel or your sender is acting up in some way,     maybe a poor or intermittent connection somewhere along the line.

—“You could try a treatment with Techron and see if that ‘cleans’ it up. ”

—“I was using the Techron trick in my C5. I switched to Gumout Regane Fuel System Cleaner. I t seems to help, although my gauge still jumps to E at times when below 1/3 of a tank. Good luck. It sucks to not really know how much fuel is in your tank. Although a Vette is light in comparison to other cars, I just can’t see myself pushing it into the gas station.”

So there you have a round of discussion on the topic.

 

Now the fuel leveling sensor is used because the C6 had two tanks and this keeps the tanks level.  Which is important especially if you are running auto cross.  Here is area a couple of graphics from http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com:

 

 

 

So you can see that it would a chore to replace.  So I’m going to try the Techron and hope  it works.  I’ve been cautioned that I need the  Fuel System Cleaner – not the injector cleaner.  Here’s a pic:

Get the Fuel System Cleaner.

 

I’ve used my first 12 oz can and I’m currently at half a tank.  I’ll fill it up again in a couple of days (Yes..when you normally drive it like you just stole it you tend to have to fill up – now and again..mostly..again!) and I’ll try to capture the event on my trusty Android.

 

Stay tuned (up).  {someone please say they get that}

Thanks for reading

Tim

 

 

 

 

 

Cars You Never Heard Of! Part 3

I want to cover two more cars in this part.  The first will be the TVR S3..?? ..yeah…me too!  The second will the Caterham Seven.

TVR S3 was put up against the Triumph TR4 and frankly there is nothing I know about a TVR S3..so here we go.

TVR S3 C

TVR engineering started back in England in 1947 with the first TVR being produced in 1949.  Here’s the 2nd TVR built:

#2 TVR

Through out its history it used all types of engines include the Ford Kent engines and even a Buick engine  (3.5 litre Rover V8).

The S series was produced between 1986 – 1994.  The  TVR in this article had steel spaceframe chassis and a fiberglass body.  The engine was an iron, overhead valve, 2936cc 12v V6 with electronic fuel injection.  This power plant cranked out 168 hp and 170 lbft of torque.  The suspension was an independent double wishbone with rack and pinion steering.  This all combined to let the car reach its top speed of 135 mph.

In the comparison, the TVR S3 beat out the Triumph TR4 in Driving, Practicality, Character, Value and Usability 42 to 32.  The price of the TVR S3 is about 4000 Euros with the Triumph at 13,000 Euros.

The company was sold to a Russian buyer in 2004 and after a not so great start the company halted production.

For a full history on the TVR – check out  http://www.tvrsseries.com/

Next up is the Caterham 7:

Caterham Seven

The Caterham Seven is a kit car – you can still buy and build them today. Interesting enough it started out as the Lotus Six.  The next version was the Lotus Seven, however Lotus dropped the production and Catherham purchased the rights to build the kits.  The components are flexible with such pieces as Ford axles and de Dion-axles being used.  The engines used is very expansive  from the  Lotus Twin Cam engine to  Ford’s cross flow engines.  Even Cosworth BDRs appeared around 1983, in 1600 cc 140 bhp (104 kW) form, followed by 1700 cc 150 bhp (112 kW) versions three years later.  In the ’90’s the  common  engine had become the 2 litre Vauxhall HPC, as fitted to the Vauxhall Calibra, putting out 165—175 bhp.  Motor cycle engines have been also used with the likes of the GSXR1300 engine used in the Suzuki and the Honda CBR1100 engine.

These are favorites for the SCCA and other grass-roots racing.

Thanks for reading.

Tim.

Racing History – The Manufacturers – Mercury Part II

There was another dry spell which lasted until 1963 when Mercury took one Grand National NASCAR race using the 427 c.i.d for the first time.  The followed that up with 5 wins the next year as well as a good showing at the drag strip with the Comet Boss 427 Dragster:

Comet at the Drags

1965 was a tragic year. Billy Wade (1963 Rookie of the Year) is killed during a tire test at Daytona, he was part of the Bud Moore Mercury team and had become the first driver to win four NASCAR Grand National events in a row.    Mercury ended the year with only 1 Grand National win, however, Fords and Mercurys took the top 13 positions, while Chrysler sat out that season over the new rules that were meant to eliminate the use of some of its engines.

The 1966 highlight was the selection of the Cyclone GT was the Official Pace Car for that years Indy 500.

Cyclone GT 1966 Indy 500 Pace Car

More coming up

Thanks for reading.

Tim

 

mercury comet

Large and small saloon cars will top show

Franco Scribante will be out in his Ford Mustang GT350, as will rally ace Leeroy Poulter in the Ford Thunderbolt, Hennie Groenewald (Plymouth Fury), Jonathan du Toit (Chev Nova) and Carel Pienaar (Mercury Comet). Also able to fight for podium places

Racing History – The Manufacturers – Mercury Part I

Read on and let me know what you think.

1950 was the year Mercury produced its one millionth  car and it also produced two Mercury NASCAR Grand National wins and was the official pace car of the Indianapolis 500.

1950 Indianapolis 500 Pace Car ’50 Merc Convertible

One of those wins on  June 18, 1950 – Blair piloted a 1950 Mercury owned by Sam Rice to victory in a race at Vernon fairgrounds in Vernon, NY.

Mercury was able to reproduce that success with two wins in 1951 as well.

There was a bit of a dry spell until 1956 when they won 5 NASCAR Grand Nationals.

One of those wins was Tim Flock, with his Mercury in rather wet conditions in the 258-mile NASCAR Grand National event at Elkhart Lake‘s Road America.

1956 Mercury

More coming up.

Thanks for reading

Tim

 

mercury nascar historymercury nascar history

Self Inflicted – The Worst

If you recall in a previous post I mentioned the psychological hurdles that some (at least I) have to over come when working on our own cars.   The one of them was the “fear” of breaking it yourself.  Remember?  Well ..here ya go….

It’s the end of January and I still had my x-mas lights up….so yesterday  (1/24)  I decided they had to come down.  I didn’t want to be the guy taking them down in June (like my neighbor).

So, I pull the Vette into the lower part of the drive and then proceeded to back the Mustang down.  The Mustang takes a while to warm up so instead I just release the e-brake, pushed the clutch in and coasted down the driveway.

Had a neighborhood kid in the driveway so I was keeping an eye on him (he’s 5 yrs old) and I left the door of the Stang open.

Yeah…you guessed it….I heard a crunch and I looked over to the left and there was my Mustang door (good old American steel) stuck in my Vette’s fender!!!!!

All I can say is plastic bumpers saved the day….not so much for the fiber glass fender and  belt molding on the vette.

Oh..adding insult to injury the 5 yrs old said..”That’s why you need to close the door..that’s what my Dad says!”

If it ain’t one thing it’s another!!!

Thanks for reading.

Tim

 

Get a classic car restoration scholarship

Hagerty recently announced it has teamed-up with LeMay–America’s Car Museum to help develop a new program focusing on education on vehicle restoration. This hands-on learning program has been dubbed the “Hagerty Education Program at America’s 
You could own Paul Walker’s Nissan Skyline GT-R for $1.35 million

The German luxury and classic car restoration website GT-A is asking EUR 1,000,000 – around $1.35 million – for the world-famous car. Before you balk, consider that 50 percent of the proceeds from the sale will be going to Paul Walker’s charity Reach