Most Under-Performing Musclecar Ever Produced?

[Paul Ceasrine]

I think Modified Production became an NHRA class in 1964.
Hot Rod Magazine (April 1964) gives out the specs.
X-Techman,,,,Yes, back in the 'Stone Age'
When Eric Clapton was in "The Yardbirds'
Paul

[X-TECH MAN]

Paul is correct on the year M/P began. All of the limited production FX cars from 1963 that had alum. front ends were put into Modified production in 1964 and had to run 7 inch cheater slicks. I remember Malcom Durhams 63 Z-11 Impala setting the A/MP record at some point. The 63 421 SD Tempests (coupes and wagons) ran A/MP also.

[Travis Miller]

I have to agree about the '69 Boss 429 Mustang being a dog on the street. A brand new one in full street trim with zero modifications showed up at the track the first year I was a techman. The driver was so disappointed after his second run he drove it out the front gate never to return.

When it came to street racing (yes I did a lot of it before becoming a techman) the baddest of the musclecars was the 66 Chevy II with a 327/350. The car magazines never showed good times out of them but many a street racer found out what the backend of a Chevy II pulling away looked like. Light weight body, a 4-speed and a stout factory small block made them almost unbeatable on the street. Did I happen to mention light weight?

Modified Production classes did not have a year limit. The 1967 year limit was for the Super Modified classes. Besides the front end on a 66 Chevy II having to be changed, other items not mentioned here were single to dual brake master cylinder, door locking mechanism (in 66 you pushed the interior handle down while 67 had a seperate knob that twisted), and most of the exterior trim.

The 60's musclecar era was a great time to be had by all who lived through it. Today some of the younger "experts" who write about those days can only go by articles that the car magazines published. Drag tests back then are now being questioned today as it comes out that some GTO's were powered by 421's, a few 396 Chevelles had 427's slipped into them, and some new 390 Mustangs were powered by 428's for the press to wring out. Wrong as it may have been back then, the real drag tests of those early musclecars were on the street from stoplight to stoplight.

Travis

(Disclaimer: Opinions expressed by me on this forum are exactly that, my opinions. This thread also brings back memories of a few guys I knew who did not survive their street racing days. Rest in peace fellows.)

[hemidup]

Being a Mopar fan, I've owned some dogs. 65 Plymouth Satelite 383, 69 Plymouth 440 GTX. Switched over to A body 340 Darts and the wow factor was back. My 69 327 Camaro was also a dog as well as my 76 455 Trans Am.