Tuners vs American Muscle

[Sample00]

Thought this might make for an interesting debate.

which do you think is better?

Personally, I grew up on American Muscle performance vehicles.

Being a 60's child, (no comments from the peanut gallery about age), I grew up in the late 60's and early 70's on high performance muscle cars.

Engines ranged from 350 chevys to big block 427 Hemis and beyond.

One of my personal favourites and a car that I actually owned was a 1974 AMC Javelin AMX. it came equipped with a 401 4spd. After some tweaking, putting a cam into it, high rise intake manifold, 4BBL carb, performance exhaust and free flow exhaust manifolds, this puppy tossed out 406HP and ran a 1/4 mile in 10.5 seconds.

One that I would like to own at some point is a 1970 AMC Mark Donahue Javelin. This one typically came equipped with a 390 4spd. A relative unknown in the muscle car world but one that was a real head turner if you ever saw it.

What are your thoughts? which do you prefer? Have you owned any or own one now? details?

discuss

[North East Goon]

You didnt by any chance attend James Fowler High in the early 90's did you? One guy had a White Javelin - man did I love that car!

[Table 5]

not that they arent worthy on their own, but personally, id take a nice euro sports car over a rice rocket or muscle car anyday.

muscle car's sure rock...unless you gotta make a turn!

[burn_this_city]

Its all about the muscle. 99% of tuner cars out there are slower than an off the shelf camaro or mustang. Its pretty sad when you gotta dump 10 grand into a car just to run a 15 in the quarter mile. Most of the imports are owned and driven by posers, they've got rims, exhaust, and a body kit for a car with a mighty 90hp 4 cylinder. They know very little about they're car outside of the words cold air intake and jdm. I've owned both types of cars and I much prefer a rwd V8.. That being said I've recently made the jump to the diesel performance world. Nothing beats having almost 500hp, 800 ft/lbs of torque while getting 17 mpg in the city and 20 on the highway, not bad for a 6000lbs vehicle carrying 5 people and my dirtbike.

[Clarkey]

There's no replacement for displacement.

[Sample00]

Originally Posted by North East Goon

You didnt by any chance attend James Fowler High in the early 90's did you? One guy had a White Javelin - man did I love that car!

well I did graduate from Fowler but it was in umm,, er..ahh earlier years!!

[Sample00]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

Its all about the muscle. 99% of tuner cars out there are slower than an off the shelf camaro or mustang. Its pretty sad when you gotta dump 10 grand into a car just to run a 15 in the quarter mile. Most of the imports are owned and driven by posers, they've got rims, exhaust, and a body kit for a car with a mighty 90hp 4 cylinder. They know very little about they're car outside of the words cold air intake and jdm. I've owned both types of cars and I much prefer a rwd V8.. That being said I've recently made the jump to the diesel performance world. Nothing beats having almost 500hp, 800 ft/lbs of torque while getting 17 mpg in the city and 20 on the highway, not bad for a 6000lbs vehicle carrying 5 people and my dirtbike.

well I would tend to agree with you.
I mean now I have a F350 diesel truck to haul a toy hauler and Harley and yer right, but I was just curious as to how people felt with one vs the other.

[Drunk Skunk]

I used to hate tuner cars, dismissed them as 'Ricers' and nothing else. After learning a bit about them, the hate turned into a grudging acceptance, and now I actually don't mind them. That being said, in my opinion, there is no substitute for American muscle. Carb over injection, old over new. My first car was a '66 Mustang coupe. It only had a 289 in it, but it'd turn the tires for the little V8. My uncle currently has five(a '66 coupe, a '66 fastback, a '67 fastback, a '68 coupe, and a foxbody, I think '89, GT). Don't get me wrong, I'm not all Ford. I can appreciate almost anything.

My ex girlfriend's dad had a '70 AAR 'Cuda. He let me drive it twice. I should have never broken up with her, I loved that car

[foofighter15]

I would much rather have the roar and rumble of an american muscle car (69 fastback mustang) then the manufactured whine of a plastic tuner

[burn_this_city]

Originally Posted by Drunk Skunk

I used to hate tuner cars, dismissed them as 'Ricers' and nothing else. After learning a bit about them, the hate turned into a grudging acceptance, and now I actually don't mind them. That being said, in my opinion, there is no substitute for American muscle. Carb over injection, old over new. My first car was a '66 Mustang coupe. It only had a 289 in it, but it'd turn the tires for the little V8. My uncle currently has five(a '66 coupe, a '66 fastback, a '67 fastback, a '68 coupe, and a foxbody, I think '89, GT). Don't get me wrong, I'm not all Ford. I can appreciate almost anything.

My ex girlfriend's dad had a '70 AAR 'Cuda. He let me drive it twice. I should have never broken up with her, I loved that car

I dont mind them when they are legitimately fast. I just become annoyed when they make noise and are still dog slow. I also had an 89' foxbody GT, that was such a wicked car. I had 289,000km on it and it was still strong as brand new. Any sort of hemi cuda or aar is worth giving an arm, eye, kidney, lung, first born for.

[firebug]

An interesting story for you AMX fans.

I lived in Iowa for a period in the mid 90's, and while there got to know a gentleman who worked with CRaig Breedlove in the 60's & 70's. Anyways he had one of two AMX SS's in his garage that had a special fibreglass aerodynamic kits designed by Breedlove.

I spent many days in his garage helping him rebuild the car into its current spec.

These pages feature the car:
http://www.ssamx.com/26.htm
http://theamcforum.com/forum/forum_p...p?TID=540&PN=1

I will have to dig out some of the pictures I took during the rebuild, my name is signed inside the left front quarter panel.

~firebug

[Sample00]

Originally Posted by Drunk Skunk

My ex girlfriend's dad had a '70 AAR 'Cuda.

there's one here in town. now that is a muscle car. it looks amazing and goes like snot.
and whats not to love with that rumble.

[Sample00]

Originally Posted by firebug

An interesting story for you AMX fans.

I lived in Iowa for a period in the mid 90's, and while there got to know a gentleman who worked with CRaig Breedlove in the 60's & 70's. Anyways he had one of two AMX SS's in his garage that had a special fibreglass aerodynamic kits designed by Breedlove.

I spent many days in his garage helping him rebuild the car into its current spec.

These pages feature the car:
http://www.ssamx.com/26.htm
http://theamcforum.com/forum/forum_p...p?TID=540&PN=1

I will have to dig out some of the pictures I took during the rebuild, my name is signed inside the left front quarter panel.

~firebug

ok, now that I have finished drooling over my keyboard, any chance he would part with one or both???

[prarieboy]

Originally Posted by Sample00

Thought this might make for an interesting debate.

which do you think is better?

Personally, I grew up on American Muscle performance vehicles.

Being a 60's child, (no comments from the peanut gallery about age), I grew up in the late 60's and early 70's on high performance muscle cars.

Engines ranged from 350 chevys to big block 427 Hemis and beyond.

One of my personal favourites and a car that I actually owned was a 1974 AMC Javelin AMX. it came equipped with a 401 4spd. After some tweaking, putting a cam into it, high rise intake manifold, 4BBL carb, performance exhaust and free flow exhaust manifolds, this puppy tossed out 406HP and ran a 1/4 mile in 10.5 seconds.

One that I would like to own at some point is a 1970 AMC Mark Donahue Javelin. This one typically came equipped with a 390 4spd. A relative unknown in the muscle car world but one that was a real head turner if you ever saw it.

What are your thoughts? which do you prefer? Have you owned any or own one now? details?

discuss

My brother worked with a guy who had an AMC gremlin with a 401 in it. That was a fast car. I prefer the older cars as well, the tuners do nothing for me at all.

[Sample00]

in Calgary, when I lived there, I belong to an AMC club called Group 19. There was a guy there that took a Gremlin and dropped a 401 4spd into it. Friggin thing went like a rocket.
We also did an experiment once in High School and took a 72 Pinto and dropped a 302 into it. yikes it was scarey fast for the block and a half that it ran! haha, good times.

[burn_this_city]

Originally Posted by Sample00

in Calgary, when I lived there, I belong to an AMC club called Group 19. There was a guy there that took a Gremlin and dropped a 401 4spd into it. Friggin thing went like a rocket.
We also did an experiment once in High School and took a 72 Pinto and dropped a 302 into it. yikes it was scarey fast for the block and a half that it ran! haha, good times.

They guy next door to me dropped a 401 4 spd into a 79 AMC spirit. Its so fugly but it hauls pretty good..

[Drunk Skunk]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

I dont mind them when they are legitimately fast. I just become annoyed when they make noise and are still dog slow. I also had an 89' foxbody GT, that was such a wicked car. I had 289,000km on it and it was still strong as brand new. Any sort of hemi cuda or aar is worth giving an arm, eye, kidney, lung, first born for.

I know what you mean about the "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing" type tuners. They're annoying. My cousin had a Ford Focus SVT that didn't look like much, but was surprisingly quick(fastest he went with me in it was 141MPH). He would eat up that type of car all the time, it was great.

Mid to late 80's Mustangs will run forever if they're taken care of. The 4-cylinder may be slow, but it is almost bulletproof. I owned an '87, sold it to my uncle, who sold it to my friend ... long story short, it was sold within a group of people I know about 5 times, each time the person that sold it wished they hadn't. It ended up having over 300,000 miles .. the body was falling apart though.

[firebug]

Originally Posted by Sample00

ok, now that I have finished drooling over my keyboard, any chance he would part with one or both???

I am sure a reasonable offer could secure the car. My estimate would be well into the mid-six figures.

I expect to see it someday in the barrett-jackson auction.

Bruce also had a great red Javelin that he had 'tweaked,' it was great fun to thrash around in.

~firebug

[llama64]

American muscle has way more street cred then some lame tuned up Civic/Sentra. If a lowered Civic rolls by on 17" rims, tuned exhaust and undercarriage lights I just start laughing. It's almost as funny as the 50 year old rich guys on their Harleys.

But if someone rolls up in a nicely maintained classic American muscle car I stop and stare like I'm looking at the face of god. Newer cars just don't have the same style.

If they made a fuel efficient 60's mustang I'd be all over it like a Eric Francis on cake.

[Drunk Skunk]

Some of you in this thread might appreciate it -



My dad's old '53. It had a Windsor block in it. Not overly fast, but it was definitely a head turner!