80's car scene VS today's?

[lilbowtie]

I agree with you MikeJ, in some ways it was better back in the 80s. These days they rasied the bar of performance, but also rasied the price far above what most gear heads can spend. You see these magazine builds for old cars that cost as much as just buying a new car. LS swaps cost 5K for a pretty basic conversion, then this and that also needs to be upgraded too and it just ads up.

What I really dislike is how the gearheah market, GM, car mags, aftermarket, etc are pushing that older generation powertrains are so called junk and need to be replaced with LS swaps for your old car too be cool.

You really don't have to spend that much money to compete with these newer cars. I bought my Regal in 92 for $800.00. I have a stock 1982 corvette short block I bought at a swap meat $100.00. Threw a Northern auto re-ring kit in it, a set of iron 2.02 chevy heads, big flat tappet cam, Vic Jr w/750. It runs 11.20's in the 1/4. You don't know how many people go looking for the bottle.

 

[Intragration]

You really don't have to spend that much money to compete with these newer cars. I bought my Regal in 92 for $800.00. I have a stock 1982 corvette short block I bought at a swap meat $100.00. Threw a Northern auto re-ring kit in it, a set of iron 2.02 chevy heads, big flat tappet cam, Vic Jr w/750. It runs 11.20's in the 1/4. You don't know how many people go looking for the bottle.

Ha ha HOW big of a cam? I'm guessing you're either being humble, or your poker face is better than mine... 😉

 

[lilbowtie]

You really don't have to spend that much money to compete with these newer cars. I bought my Regal in 92 for $800.00. I have a stock 1982 corvette short block I bought at a swap meat $100.00. Threw a Northern auto re-ring kit in it, a set of iron 2.02 chevy heads, big flat tappet cam, Vic Jr w/750. It runs 11.20's in the 1/4. You don't know how many people go looking for the bottle.

Ha ha HOW big of a cam? I'm guessing you're either being humble, or your poker face is better than mine... 😉

Comps cam 306s (12 225 4)

 

[RunAwayNJ]

Wow - this brings back memories. My first car was a 79 Trans Am, but my next ones were g-bodies, an 84 V6 Grand Prix and then an 85 T-Top grand prix with a 305. Back then for very little money you could get a decent car and get it to what you needed. I was a regular at Performance Centers of America (I don't think they are around anymore) and my neighbor was a mechanic. So that Trans Am and the 85 Grand Prix were awesome, and I could afford to do it on a minimum wage salary. The 85 is still on the road with the guy I sold it to in the mid 90's - I see it all the time in Toms River. I've tried to buy it back - he won't sell it.

Fast forward to today, and I still have a mid-80's g-body and everything seems just so expensive to do. So instead of buying new like I did in the 80's, I buy used or fabricate it myself or with some help. We have spent so little to restore this car you'd be amazed.

 

[King_V]

Ultimately, with a bad carb (some obstruction in an air bleed that caused a little fuel drippage), a 195 degree t-stat (should've been 180 I think), a Blaster 2 coil, and dual exhaust off the factory manifolds, it did 15.6 @ 90 MPH. While going down the track, the motor actually stopped running briefly on the 1->2 upshift (at 55MPH!), then fired back up and continued as if nothing had gone wrong.

That's amazing, I would guess low 17's high 16's for that car stock... With the dual exhaust maybe mid 16's.

I had no point of reference, so I didn't realize that my car was faster than it should've been - it was my first (and so far ONLY) time ever hitting the 1/4 mile.

Car tipped the scales at 3420 lbs without driver. I'm thinking after fixing the carb and going with the correct 18 degree T-stat might've maybe shaved off a tenth.

 

[Hickrocket1258]

I guess I'm one of the younger folks in this discussion. I will have to say I've gotten tired of everything being LS swapped. I did want to do an LS turbo in the wagon I finally have but realized not worth the hassle, time and money to get that accomplished. I know around my area you can get those motors cheap, but nothing beats a nice healthy small block. Plus I'd rather to carb to keep the consistency for bracket racing. My car has to be a streetable race car for me.

 

[Intragration]

nothing beats a nice healthy small block.

"...except a nice healthy big block" some people would say, but I digress... 😉 I do agree on the LS swap thing. They're pretty plentiful now though, so it makes sense that a lot of guys are picking them up cheap. But there's a lot more to an LS swap than just throwing in an old-fashioned iron motor. I've gone from Iron motors, to the LS, and now I'm completely done with them and back to iron motors. Whatever floats your boat.

 

[85GPLef41]

problem is that I originally wanted to do a Pontiac 455 swap into my 85 I would never have gotten it passed by the smog Nazi's!! Now a big block whether it was in my 85 GP, or a olds 403 in my new to me 87 cutty maybe a 454 in my imaginary mali would be hard to pass around here... :| my 87 cutty failed emissions yesterday... and it has a ol 307... :?

 

[Clone TIE Pilot]

problem is that I originally wanted to do a Pontiac 455 swap into my 85 I would never have gotten it passed by the smog Nazi's!! Now a big block whether it was in my 85 GP, or a olds 403 in my new to me 87 cutty maybe a 454 in my imaginary mali would be hard to pass around here... :| my 87 cutty failed emissions yesterday... and it has a ol 307... :?

Did they tell you why it failed?

 

[MeanBuicks]

Still a fairly spendy proposition but perhaps an easier way to retrofit more power; consider running an aftermarket fuel injection system on an old 350/400/455, etc. This avoids the LS thing along with all the fitment issues with mounts, oil pans and accessories but still lets you have an easier starting, cleaner running, better mannered, more tuneable swap. Best of both worlds. 8)