Worst Performance Car You Ever Owned!
 

I'm not going 'First'.
Paul

Re: Worst Performance Car You Ever Owned!
 

Every Mopar 273 Power Pack A body car I owned and I had a bunch of those turds.
All were dogs in the real world, I don't care what road tests you read.
Those that were prepped for stock weren't much better as my Mustang ate them for breakfast in class during the 70's.
But by far the worst excuse for a performance car was the 1965 Coronet 426 street wedge I bought from work to flip in 1973.
Looked good, but what a dog even after a new clutch good tune up. High 14's. :(

Re: Worst Performance Car You Ever Owned!
 

Alex,
i'm glad you started it off with a 273.
They could run decent if you did things correct.
My 67' Cuda 273/235HP convertible automatic was an outright 'DOG'
at first.
Rebuilt the engine at my fathers shop,
* .040 Mopar 10.5-1 pistons
* Re-ground crankshaft .010 rods/.010 mains (Re-balanced)
* High-Volume oil pump
* Windage Tray
* Sealed Power double-roller timing chain
* Sealed Power solid lifter camshaft .425 lift / w/258* duration
* 3/angle valve job on the heads, w/340 exhaust valves (1.60)
* 340 (240 lb. valve springs)
* Heads milled (.012) Compression ratio (approx. 11.0-1)
* Edelbrock aluminum Dual-plane high rise intake
* Carter 500cfm AFB (re-jetted)
* Accel Dual-point distributor
* Accel Super Coil
* Belden Ignition Wires
* Flex-A-Lite 6-blade fan
* Holley High Pressure fuel pump
* Cragar Headers (1 1/2" primary / 3" collector / medium tube length)
* B & M Shift Improver Kit (A-904 transmission)
* B & M Shifter
* 3.23 Sure-Grip Posi
* Plus a host of other bolt-on items (ie; Tach, Slotted mags, Gabriel's)
At age 15 went down the track, thought I was flying. Went down the return road, got to the timing slip booth, and was expecting a time-slip with at least a 15.20 on it.
The guy in the booth hands me a time-slip with a 17.27 on it. I tell him
he's given me the wrong time slip. He' says 'Oh No', I saw you go down the track, and this slip is correct. And follows up with 'Your car is slow'.
I get back to the pits, and everyone says "why didn't you get on it'.
I reply,' if I pushed the gas-pedal down any harder, my foot would have
went through the floor-board'.
I wanted to run at least low 15.00's. Of course, I overhead someone say
'the only way that car could run in the low 15.00's, is if you pushed it off the top of a mountain'.
What did they say, 'You need gears, you need a better camshaft, you need a transmission and converter'.
Part I
PC
*

Re: Worst Performance Car You Ever Owned!
 

Paul, Not sure if you mean the "slowest" or the worst.
My worst a 2004 Mustang Cobra tuned to 500+ hp. Axle hoppin' girl's car. Man I hated that thing.
The slowest; 1973 Gran Torino Sport with a 429 and a C6... slug.

Re: Worst Performance Car You Ever Owned!
 

While certainly not a performance car, my first street car was a 1979 Cutlass. 260 V8 two barrel. Rated 110 HP. The only modifications I ever did at the track was take the air cleaner base and stuff off, so when you opened the hood, nothing was on/around the carburetor like a Super Stock car. Weighed about 3,570 with me across the scales (no spare tire, jack, tools, etc). Ran a best ET of 18.59 at Quaker City in October 2000. Best mph I believe was 74 mph at Keystone (now Pittsburgh) that same year in August. It was a full second and 2 mph slower than Billy's HF/SA '85 Sunbird 110 cid 4 cylinder rated at 85 HP (of course, the Sunbird was about 1,200 pounds lighter).

Re: Worst Performance Car You Ever Owned!
 

My 65 426 Plymouth was a dog to but a little better than yours. Mid to high 13's with gears, headers, and M/T 7 inch slicks. It was an automatic with a stock converter. I drove it to work so I couldnt get real crazy with stuff. . Just an over grown 383.

Re: Worst Performance Car You Ever Owned!
 

My 67 Corvette 327/250 4 speed
All Stock it was a DOG !

Re: Worst Performance Car You Ever Owned!
 

I had two that would qualify as the worst performance cars I ever owned.
1981 corvette and a 1980 Indy Pace Car Trans Am.
At least the TA handled great and looked good. Not sure what that turbo was for, asthetics maybe?

Re: Worst Performance Car You Ever Owned!
 

70 Charger 318 2bbl/904/2.xx gears and 275/60/15 tires
in the back.

12.31 in the 1/8, low gear all the way out.

Re: Worst Performance Car You Ever Owned!
 

1970 Pontiac GTO.
400/350HP, 4-speed
With the 'Endura' color-coated bumper.
Hood-mounted tach (which didn't work)
3.23 open-end rear.
Could have plastered that car with;
'Here's a 15.90' car'
'Wide-Track'!!! The front-end suspension was the worst.
Car ate ball-joints and wore out front tires like crazy!
Had to rotate the tires every 2500 miles / every oil change.

Re: Worst Performance Car You Ever Owned!
 

73 340 Dart Sport. Off the showroom ran a 15.50, then the work started.

Re: Worst Performance Car You Ever Owned!
 

I think SMRacer might be the early leader. LOL!

My '66 273/180 2bbl Barracuda did quite well in L/SA, (AHRA), and came within a hundredth of the record on one nearly-perfect night. However, my attempt to make a 383 2bbl '70 Fury I competitive in O/SA was an exercise in self-humiliation.

Re: Worst Performance Car You Ever Owned!
 

Bret,
I'm pretty sure a 66' Valiant "Super Croc' with a 273/180HP 2-barrel held the
NHRA N/SA National Record in 1968.
Out of the southeastern area (Little Rock, Arkansas)
Bill Ayres
N/SA record 1968; 14.67
Not bad for a little 2-barrel.
PC

Re: Worst Performance Car You Ever Owned!
 

My first gremlin.Bought new in 1973 with a 304 v-8,904,2;73 peg leg.Ran 16.00s.Took off road in 1977 stripped interior,ford 9" w/4;11s tock convertor and trans went 14;00s.
1980 traded 304/904 for 390 w/727 and $600.Ran 11;90s.final with tweeks rqn 11;20s @ 122 mph w/tight convertor.Had it for 25 years.I know where it is now,after 3 other local owners.He wanted $4,500 as a roller.I couldn't get $2,500 running 12.00s.At least it's indoors.

Re: Worst Performance Car You Ever Owned!
 

I can't believe you beat me to the punch....all I can say is "x's 2". I hated that car so much that I traded it on a '73 Roadrunner 318 2bbl 4spd. The dealer couldn't get rid of it because of its "pretend" muscle car status. Plymouth didn't even include the engine cid in the hood stripe! It turned out to be a great deal for me and I later sold it to buy a '70 Cuda 340.......wish I still had that one.

Re: Worst Performance Car You Ever Owned!
 

as mike said. certainly not in the performance category but my first car to go down the track was a 68' malibu with a 250 straight six and a glide went a best of 18.20's at etown (when it was about 40 degrees out at approx -1,500' lol)

Re: Worst Performance Car You Ever Owned!
 

73' 340 Dart Sport,
My sister had one. In reality, it was targeted for the sports-minded girl.
A little performance, and a little flash.
Light blue, with white vinyl-top. White interior, buckets. A/C.
Automatic with 3.23 sure-grip posi.
Good performance car for the female. 15.50's @ 90mph.
It could get a good 15' dual-tire burn-out. F-70 x 14's.
pc

Re: Worst Performance Car You Ever Owned!
 

I have had a few "winners" Mr. K.

Heres another one,

79 Fairmont,302/C4/2.26 gear

17.94 @ Gainesville in 83

Finally went 12.70s with a
fresh engine/shift kit and a B&M 144
with 3.70s .

Re: Worst Performance Car You Ever Owned!
 

The car was "Grog", painted bright green and the owner was Bob Ayres.

Re: Worst Performance Car You Ever Owned!
 

I had a '65 coronet 440 hdtp with the 426/365 and auto and it ran mid 14's off the shelf and although it sounds slow one must remember that magazine test on the new street Hemi's could only muster mid to low 14's at the time.

I guess it's a matter of perception.

JimR

Re: Worst Performance Car You Ever Owned!
 

Back to worst Performance cars owned.

In my Chevy phase I bought a '70 LS6 Chevelle, 4sp, 4.11 posi and it was a DOG. It ran the same exact times as my 350/295, 4sp Nova..

I also had a '69 L88 corvette that was so tempermental and rough running that I spent most of the winter riding my motorcycle 'cause it wouldn't start or run. TN is cold in the winter!

In racing trim these cars are killers but on the streets they were slugs.

JimR

Re: Worst Performance Car You Ever Owned!
 

Jim,
Some of the Street-Hemi's were poor performers on the street.
Our area had a guy with a 66' Dodge Coronet 500 426 Hemi 4-speed.
All black w/white interior, and nice stock rallye-wheels.
He was embarrassed by the many 68'/69' 340 Cuda's and Dart GTS,
70'/71' 340 Dusters, Dart Swigers and Demons.
He must have felt like General Custer at Little Big Horn.
He eventually just parked the car in his garage. That was in 1972, and he still has it, in the garage.
Not For Sale.
paul

Re: Worst Performance Car You Ever Owned!
 

I think I've got SM racer covered. 1965 chevy 2 station wagon with 194 ci 6 cyl & powerglide. Never made a pass with it but it had to be a solid 22 sec. car.
Sold the car to Jimmy Parker. I think he must have been intimidated by it so he sold it to a pro mod racer.
Jim

Re: Worst Performance Car You Ever Owned!
 

I've owned a ton of cars and can't really say I've had a bad one. Slowest was probably my '64 Chevelle SS 283/4 speed. It was at best a 17 second car, but I wish I had it back.

Saddest thing is my fastest car so far has been my '66 Valiant Slant 6 on nitrous. It's gone 12.00@110 on street tires through mufflers.

Re: Worst Performance Car You Ever Owned!
 

I'd love to see a youtube of that Valiant going down the track.

Re: Worst Performance Car You Ever Owned!
 

I believe we "pimped" that wagon around town some!

Re: Worst Performance Car You Ever Owned!
 

I don't think anyone ever video'd it. I just looked through my files and I really don't even have a picture of it anymore.:(

Re: Worst Performance Car You Ever Owned!
 

Uhhhhhh A 1982 Ford Escort LOL. Hmm wait that might be the best and the worst.