What do you consider to be the "Greatest muscle car ever"?

**neal455** · 10-18-2007, 10:41 AM

I have a 74 super duty auto (with cam headers roller rockers etc) and a 99 T/a manual ws6 car. the new one beats it every time, straight line, corners and fuel ! Owning rare old cars is just hassle great to look at. I use the 99 daily, try taking a SD to the mail!!

**Lawnman** · 10-18-2007, 10:57 AM

Originally Posted by Sarge

The one that started it all....1964 GTO

..... +1

**LS2Tuner** · 10-18-2007, 11:07 AM

Originally Posted by neal455

I have a 74 super duty auto (with cam headers roller rockers etc) and a 99 T/a manual ws6 car. the new one beats it every time, straight line, corners and fuel ! Owning rare old cars is just hassle great to look at. I use the 99 daily, try taking a SD to the mail!!

That 74 was a disgrace to the real SD badge!! It was post emission wanna be.290 hp from a 455 come on now......... You need to change out those bs dished pistons and get away from that low 8.5:1 that they were. Put some real pistons and heads.Then the 99 wouldn't have a chance.
Don't get me wrong I love the way they look but ALL the post emission big block were a joke.

No pics?

**neal455** · 10-18-2007, 11:17 AM

They were never 290bhp! Mine on a rolling road makes some where around 410bhp. But the chassis is so old it cant use it! Try stopping it, standard brakes scare me shitless!Trust me my 99 runs circles around it.
Over here (UK) we know of about 6 SD's in the country. There are loads of Chargers and 69 Camaros about if you look! and they are cheaper over here!

**LS2Tuner** · 10-18-2007, 11:27 AM

As we all know, what makes a SD T/A special is its glorious engine and the low production numbers. Flying in face of insurance-rate hikes, ever-tightening emissions standards, and an oil embargo, the SD-455 engine was an anomaly of its time. Its block was a heavy-duty casting with reinforced main bearing webs and valley ribs and provisions for a dry sump oiling system. The nodular iron crank was held in by four-bolt mains, and SD-specific 5140 forged-steel connecting rods were pinned to TRW forged-aluminum pistons. The cam featured 301*/313* duration and .410/.410 lift with 1.50:1 stamped steel rockers and an undersized gear at the rear to work with an oversized distributor gear. Its distributor was a Delco points-type with an oversized shaft that required a larger hole in the block to fit it. The heads featured redesigned intake ports, large round exhaust ports, and 2.11/1.77 tulipped and swirl-polished valves. Chamber size was 111 ccs, resulting in an 8.4:1 compression ratio. Induction was handled by an 800-cfm Quadrajet atop a cast-iron intake with EGR, while the exhaust was channeled through streamlined cast-iron manifolds and a larger-than-other engines exhaust system. The result was 290 net hp and 395 lb-ft of torque. Despite seemingly low-horsepower numbers, its low production and power potential on the road and track made it a legend and a great restoration candidate.

http://www.highperformancepontiac.co...uty/index.html

By returning the 400 CID V8 into the lineup, Pontiac hoped to show fuel conscious consumer that they could have the Trans Am flash, but with a smaller engine. As we were to find out in subsequent years, the 225 hp produced the base motor wasn't too bad after all. Using the 4X head castings of the introduced in 1973, the power specs were the aforementioned 225 horsepower at 4000 rpm while 330 lb/ft of torque was developed at 2800 rpm. The 8.0:1 compression ratio was unchanged. Sources code these engines as AT, YT, YZ, and ZT for the automatics and WT for the manuals, if built early (?) and AD, YL, YM, and WR and Y3 for late built engines for their respective auto/manual combinations.

For valvetrain, the 400 V8 still had a somewhat aggressive camshaft profile, with the gross intake lift measuring .410 inches while the exhaust maintained a .415 inches if lift. The duration of the camshaft was the same 273 degrees as last years base 455, but the exhaust duration was missing seven degrees, measuring 282 total degrees. Although the camshaft still had some eagerness built in, small 1.66" exhaust valves choked off the 400's performance.

For a mere $57.00, the 455 cid engine could be ordered in place of the 400 The powerplant. Mostly unchanged from 1973, the 455 still developed 250 horsepower. The camshaft spec's were unchanged, and the exhaust gasses still struggled to exit through the same 1.66" valves as the 400. Torque increased by 10 lb/ft to 380@2800 rpm. The base 455 was an automatic only option and was coded AU, A4, YW, YY, Y9, ZU, ZW, Z4

http://www.iwaynet.net/~gl&lisk/1974ta.html

I think you must have a special edition then..............
410hp with 8:1 dished piston someone lied to you!

**neal455** · 10-18-2007, 11:59 AM

looking for the dyno print out for it.......it had lots done
to it !!

**snaggeltooth** · 11-23-2007, 08:30 AM

OK. are we talking about the car or the engine .... The thread is muscle car ....

**LS2Tuner** · 11-23-2007, 10:12 AM

Originally Posted by snaggeltooth

OK. are we talking about the car or the engine .... The thread is muscle car ....

The car as a package.

If you search a few pages back there was a thread about the greatest or best motor also.

**snaggeltooth** · 11-23-2007, 10:33 AM

thing is the greatest is probably not the most popular ...

**snaggeltooth** · 11-23-2007, 10:35 AM

you know I was doing a car vs car ..and it got down to Chevelle vs a Camaro ... but I wasnt getting that many votes so I just stoped doing them ....

**DarthD** · 12-19-2007, 02:09 AM

Judging just by straight line performance - no contest - the ZL1 Camaro.

If I am looking at over all best car - once again - no contest - the 4th Gen Trans Am.

It will equal or beat most of the cars listed on the strip and waste all of them in any other catagory.