what is the best muscle chevy?

i know this is asking for a fight... everyone has thier favorite... but my dad is a bow tie chevy man and i would like to hear some suggestions... i work as a mechanic and a senior in high school, i plan to go to a college called wyotech if you know what that is you know im seriously into cars. my want is to find a chevy, of which is what im taking suggestions for. restore it, and give it to my dad for a birthday gift, or fathers day gift. he had a vega (the year that looked like a small camaro) and a... 68 ( <- maybe but not sure on year) nova with a built 350. i dont know what i should look for. so convince me chevelle, el camino, nova, you tell me. and i hope ill be able to find one before they are crushed... or found by some other lucky person. and if you have read any of my other threads you know i own 2 fords.... i know, im sorry. but im not a ford guy, im a car guy... all of the big 3 made some cool cars... we all have to admit it... from the charger to the buick GS you cant knock the muscle cars... because in the end we all roast the doors off of the imports at the lights :) .

IMHO i would go with a nova. SS if you can

I'd agree with nova68 on this one. Nova all the way!!!:grinyes:

Actually, almost anything GM made in the late 60's early 70's was pretty cool. Personally I think the Chevelle is the classic musclecar (big car, big engine), the Camaro and Trans Am are almost more of a cross between a musclecar and a sports car, the GTO is the original musclecar (lotsa show and go), Buick GSX (high class muscle), and then there is the Nova (musclecar in a plain wrapper). I know I didn't mention them all.

I am a little biased though because I do own a Nova, but I'll tell you why I like'em. They are light (lighter then a Camaro actually) and fast. They have probably the best power to weight ratio. Have good weight transfer. They are not overly flashey. They are not overly pricey and they aren't as common as the Chevelle and Camaro. And besides, if your father owned one before, I'd say he'd probably love to have one again. Especially if you could make it a replica of the one he had.

Good luck in your search. I hope you find something really nice.:)

i would of corse go with a 69 - 72 chevelle ss not clone or malibu its got to be true ss good luck though finding one for a decent price ebay is a great place to find a cheap project car.

what about engines and tranny's? im all for the manual. but i hear that some of the auto's with shift kits are pretty quick too. plus it might be a little cheaper to find a nova with a 6 banger ... then the one with the 350 or 396. (then drop a 350 w/ tranny into it... if i can find a motor for it). and if anyone knows a good place to look for engines and or transmissions im all ears too.

I run a mild 350 with a TH350 auto tranny, and I find the package works really well in the light weight Nova. Big blocks are really nice and make the most power and torque hands down, but big block parts are pricey and are getting hard to come by. The good ol small block makes decent power, parts are relatively cheap and plentiful. I agree too that you'd probably have better luck finding a 6 cyl car than an over priced 8 cyl car. Try to find one with a good body. It's easier to drop in an engine and tranny than having to find and replace rotten body panels.:2cents:

i run a built up 327 with a th 350 and a shift kit. It works great. Especially when i run my 4.56 gears:grinyes:

Something maybe a little more practical and easy to find, would be a later Malibu ior Monte Carlo (G-body). These cars have excellent chassis design for performance, they're lighter than the earlier Chevelles, and are fairly aerodynamic, as well. ALL the small block goodies fit. There are "kits" out there to install the big block, as well. We've seen the popularity of these cars sky-rocket over the last 10 years.

Just an idea...

Jim

the g body might be a good idea too im pretty sure i cant be too hell bent on trying to find a particular year or make ( while that would be cool to find one exactly how i want). i did like the monte carlo look too. or what about the prior muscle years like before the gto package was introduced for the tempest ( i think it was the tempest) < i have houndreds of reference books on this and my muscle history is still rusty. the main thing is i want something i can in the end wow my dad with. seeing as this is going to be for him.

A vega with small block chevy is a pretty sweet ride. The Nova's are still somewhat plentiful and cheap. I always like the big old caprice's of the late 60's, they are still affordable and some even came with a 427 or 396. I am somewhat biased but I also like the 60's camaro's, and a major fixxer upper can stil be had for less than 5 K

what year was it that vegas looked like a smaller version of camaro? my dad used to say he got in more races with that vega then he had with his nova (ohh gee i wonder why, could it be some people might think it could be beaten?) but what kind of motor did the vegas have? i heard they were little 4 bangers, but i really dont know the particulars.

'66 and '67 Novas are the hot ones, but coupes are getting expensive. The coming thing here in California seems to be Nova WAGONS. Anything from '64 through '67 makes a great street machine with better weight distribution for dragging than any other bodystyle. Plus if you don't go too crazy with paint and exhaust noise the cops figure you're just a family guy!

personally i would go with 70 chevelle, or 70/71 camaro

either car would have a motor similar to this one, except for the purple. this is a motor we just built a couple months ago

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/robbietf2/album?.dir=/74bf&.src=ph&.tok=phD1wQEBP6aV4CVG

Well, there IS no "history" of muscle cars before GTO. It established the "class". There were many factory hot cars, no doubt. When GTO was introduced, it became the standard by which "muscle cars" are measured. That is, intermediate body, "big" car engine, performance suspension and appearance.

Before the peanut gallery gets rolling over this, let me have a second. The 348 Impalas were "aimed" at the big Dodges and Pontiacs, but couldn't "hang". By '62, 421 was the target everyone was taking shots at. 409 won a couple of important races in '62 and '63, but not enough to edstablish it as a serious contender. Same was true of 406 (Ford) and 413 (Dodge). ALL those "big" cars were quicker/faster than any true muscle car. By '64, when GTO was introduced, GM had gotten "out of racing" and the 427 Ford and 426 Dodge were the kings of the strip (in "factory" classes).

'65 Chevelles made it clear, Chevy WOULD be a player in the muscle car arena. Unfortunately, there were very few of the L-78 Chevelles built. But in '66, when 427 was introduced (in production cars), and it became easy to swap in a 427 where a 396 "lived", Chevelles became one of the front runners.

FWIW

Jim

The 2006 Corvette Z06 blows every other American production car of any era away on the strip and at the stoplight, stops, corners and gets 27 mpg highway too!

No other contenders 'til they drop the 427 in a retro rear-drive Camaro or Chevelle, or maybe Daimler gets busy with a 500+hp improved Hemi in the new Challenger...

The 2006 Corvette Z06 blows every other American production car of any era away on the strip and at the stoplight, stops, corners and gets 27 mpg highway too!

Except for the 2005 Saleen S7 Twin Turbo.

check this link

Saleen S7 and S7R (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=379893)

It weighs around 200 pounds less, uses carbon fiber, beryllium, and has an top speed of around 235 mph. It doesn't get close to the gas mileage of the new Corvette Z06 which is the only production car sold in the USA that has more than 400 hp AND doesn't have a gas guzzler tax.

Saleen S7 takes on Veyron

Wednesday 7th December 2005

autoexpress.co.uk

Saleen is now offering buyers of its 750 bhp S7 Twin Turbo supercar the option of a 'performance upgrade'. It costs £46,500 on top of the S7's £320,000 list price and boosts the 7-litre twin-turbo V8 to a claimed 1000 bhp. Coupled with a relatively light kerbweight of 1338 kg, the huge power should allow the S7 to challenge the Bugatti Veyron as the fastest production car in the world. And with 75 examples of the S7 already delivered in the US, the Saleen certainly has every right to claim the title.

Even with the 'cooking' 750 bhp engine, the S7 Twin Turbo is said to be good for a sub-three second run to 60 mph, and 100 mph flashes up in a claimed six seconds flat. Currently Saleen claims a top speed of 240 mph for the S7 Twin Turbo but with the 1000 bhp upgrade there are whispers that the car has already topped over 260 mph in testing.

(end of article)

"Expect a future intercooled version with almost twice the boost to make over 1000 bhp."

- Road & Track

The new S7 Twin Turbo runs 5.5 psi of boost.

New S7 Twin Turbo

http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/images/gallery/naias2006/652.jpg

In a time when a car had a top speed of 40 mph or so, a Duesenberg SJ with its supercharged DOHC I-8 (yes, inline-eight-cylinder engine) could top out at around 130 mph depending on the body style and what not.

Duesenbergs (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=380174)

1932 Duesenberg Model SJ LaGrange D.C. Phaeton

http://photos.velocityjournal.com/images/full/2003/s2003080301/du1932lagrangedcphaeton7601.jpg

http://photos.velocityjournal.com/images/full/2003/s2003080301/du1932lagrangedcphaeton7602.jpg

not to question any flow of time here but somehow we got off subject.

i don't know if it's considered a muscle car, but i loved my old 71 impala...

trunk lid louvres, curved back glass, roll down side back windows (2 door)-- loved it...

they don't pay attention to such detail in the new cars.

How many Saleen S7s have been registered for street use in the USA in how many years of "production"? Fifty? In what, two or three years?

Heck, Ford had 100 Fairlane 427 Thunderbolts built in one year, and they are rare enough they almost never come up in discussions of street musclecars. Why? Because average, non-strip racers COULD NOT BUY THEM.

I admire Steve Saleen and his accomplishments. But at $400,000 or $500,000 per copy, S7s are less common and available than the T-bolts were. What American supercar was harder to buy than an S7? A Vector?

Besides, the thread topic is "what is the best muscle CHEVY?"

Chevelle.

1969 yenco camero any questions

yeah one: where can you find one that isnt wrecked or junk, and under 30,000 dollars? not being a smart ass, just fact. i mean i found a 70 challenger with a 440 (it was an atuo though) for 8.5 grand. but you go into the special names :shelby, roush, saleen, yenko, copo. prices go hugely up.

I like the 71'chevelle and any vette.

I am biased toward the Nova's too because I own a 70 SS. But my pick would be a 67 Marina Blue SS Nova with a 327/375 and 4 speed. The Nova was the high end model, as all that model were still called Chevy II's then. So, basically, you had a Chevy II Nova SS! Those cars were very light and had tremendous power with that particular engine. Of course finding one now would be like finding a needle in a haystack. They didn't handle well like the modern cars, but they weren't meant to handle corners, they were meant for straight lines. Good luck with your search.

i will admit i like the early chevy 2's mostly becuase of thier size and the ability yo stuff a big engine into them. but you are right any nova like that is really rare.

The ONLY Chevrolet muscle car was Chevelle SS. Camaros are "pony" cars. The term gets too much misuse. A car having "muscle" does not automatically mean it's a "muscle car" (intermediate body, BIG engine). Redefining the term to allow your car to "fit" is irrelevant.

Yenko Camaros are akin to Hurst Olds 442s and Royal Bobcats (Pontiac). They were not factory-produced. A new car was shipped to Yenko Chevrolet, and a 427 was installed. Chevrolet only made a handful of 427 Camaros, known as ZL-1 ('69). Rare as hen's teeth, and VERY fast! Too few to consider in a discussion like this. One-offs also don't "qualify" as muscle cars, as only the mass-produced cars should be considered. (IMO) Case-in-point? '69 GTO Ram Air V cars. Only a few built. 11 second times with traction. As much as I like GTOs, I can't really consider this one... Real muscle cars should be "attainable" (at least when "new").

Again, the last is my opinion.

Jim

The ONLY Chevrolet muscle car was Chevelle SS. Camaros are "pony" cars. The term gets too much misuse. A car having "muscle" does not automatically mean it's a "muscle car" (intermediate body, BIG engine). Redefining the term to allow your car to "fit" is irrelevant.


you are totally correct in you assessment there, but i was using this as a generalized term(not to mislead anyone, in the correctness of the term). so i couldnt limit myself to solely the chevelle, i knew it was the only TRUE muscle car through chevy, but when i threw the topic on it it was to draw in people with knowledge on these muscle era cars. or an opinion on them.

basically all im saying is this thread is to help me find a good Muscle era car for me to buy (and or restore) my father as a gift to him, i want to hear any and all be it pre muscle, muscle, pony, or even post muscle era.

The most "bang for the buck" these days are the late '70s/early '80s "G" bodies. Monte Carlo and Malibu Classic both qualify. Good chassis, lighter than their predecessors, and all the "good" parts fit! I like the looks of the Malibu, too (personal opinoin), at least the 2-door.

The best part? The price... They're still very cheap. Make GREAT "sleepers". Small blocks bolt right in.

Jim

Jim

71' Chevelle SS 454

Great Car.

cant beat a good old 4 bolt main 454

71' Chevelle SS 454

Great Car.

cant beat a good old 4 bolt main 454

as much of a chevelle fan as my dad is (hes chevelle, nova, camaro, anything with looks and a little go fast) but bb parts are just soo hard to find now. and soo expencive at that.

Yeah for the most part any type of part for the old muscle cars are going to be expensive.......

Parts are not that hard to find though if you dont mind shopping online with sites like.......

www.yearone.com
www.jcw.com (JC Whitney)
www.summitracing.com
www.jegs.com
www.opgi.com (original parts group)