Interesting Facts | Muscle Car Fan

Two men working on a small block Mopar engine in a garage setting.

Small-Block Mopar History and Tips

What starts as a routine engine rebuild turns into a full history lesson on Chrysler’s small-block Mopar V8 family, as Steve Dulcich and David Freiburger pull a wrecked 318 out of their off-road 1970 Dodge Challenger and start talking through decades of LA-series changes and hands-on rebuilding tips. It’s practical, hands-on Mopar knowledge delivered the way only two people who’ve actually built dozens of these engines can deliver it. Watch the full breakdown before you attempt your own rebuild.

Two cars lined up for a drag race on a city street.

Muscle Takes on Tech: Honda Civic Type R vs Dodge Hellcat Drag Race

by Wes

A Honda Civic Type R and a Dodge Challenger Hellcat shouldn’t be in the same conversation — one makes roughly double the horsepower of the other. The Fast Lane Car runs them head-to-head anyway in a drag race and fast lap comparison, and the result says more about weight, traction, and chassis tuning than it does about raw horsepower. Watch to see whether the spec sheet actually predicts the outcome.

A vintage 1971 AMC Javelin SST car driving on a road.

1971 AMC Javelin SST – Vintage Road Test

by Wes

This vintage road test puts the 1971 AMC Javelin SST through its paces the way period reviewers actually experienced it — no nostalgia, no hindsight, just a genuine pony car contender being judged against Mustangs, Camaros, and Challengers on equal footing. AMC never had the marketing muscle of the Big Three, and the Javelin’s sales numbers show it, but the styling and driving impressions here explain why collectors have quietly come back around to it. Watch the full period test to see how it holds up.

1966 Chevrolet Carburator burnout at a drag strip event.

1966 Chevelle | Carburetor to Holley Terminator EFI Conversion

by Wes

Hagerty’s Davin Reckow put his own 396 big-block 1966 Chevelle through a full test battery — butt dyno, eighth-mile strip, chassis dyno, and gas mileage — after swapping its carburetor for a Holley Terminator EFI system. The results settle an argument that’s split classic Chevelle owners for years: does fuel injection actually make a big-block Chevelle better, or does it just make it different? Watch the full breakdown to see which side wins.

Classic black Mustang with hood open at a car show.

Breakdown/Story: 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback GT 390

by Wes

Jeff Battaglia’s 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback GT 390 gets mistaken for a famous movie car more often than not, and the family never bothers to argue. What they don’t mention is the seven years it spent inside Platinum Custom Cars before its debut at the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals in Rosemont, Illinois. Watch to see the finished result.

Jay Leno stands between two classic California Highway Patrol cars in his garage.

Classic California Highway Patrol Cars – Jay Leno’s Garage

by Wes

Jay Leno’s garage takes a detour from Ferraris this time, bringing in five classic California Highway Patrol vehicles spanning four decades of law enforcement history. CHP Captain Matt Guthrie and former Commissioner Spike Helmick join to explain how pursuit vehicles evolved, alongside the brand-new Ford Explorer about to join the active fleet. It’s a rare look at cars built not to win races, but to catch the cars that did.

Flowmaster exhaust tips display with a representative in red shirt.

How to Select the Right Flowmaster Muffler for your Vehicle – Series Differences Explained

by Wes

Flowmaster makes more than a dozen distinct series of street mufflers, and picking the wrong one can mean an exhaust note that’s either too quiet or unbearably loud on the highway. Summit Racing sat down with Flowmaster’s VP of Sales, Alex Ortega, to break down exactly what separates each series and how to match one to your vehicle and sound preference. It’s the explainer most buyers wish they’d watched before they bought.

1972 black Dodge Challenger R/T Convertible in a garage.

1970 Dodge Challenger R/T Convertible in Black & 440 Engine Sound

by Wes

Tom Lembeck has owned this 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T Convertible since 1999, and out of an entire Mopar muscle car collection, it’s one of his favorites. Finished in Triple Black paint, top, and interior, and powered by the rare 440-6 Six Pack engine, this Chicago-area convertible is a study in restrained aggression. Lou Costabile catches the full story, and that engine note, on My Car Story.

High-performance V8 engine on a test stand with exhaust headers.

426 Hemi Build — Part 3

by Wes

Genuine 426 Hemi engines are scarce enough that finishing a build on one carries real weight, and this is the payoff episode. The Horsepower Monster wraps its three-part series with the one number that actually matters: what the dyno says after months of machining and assembly. Watch to see if the numbers matched the ambition.

A collage of five Dodge SRT cars with text highlighting forgotten models.

5 Dodge & Chrysler SRTs That You Totally FORGOT Existed!

by Wes

Everyone remembers the Hellcat and the Demon, but SRT’s back catalog includes a turbocharged Neon, a supercharged wagon, and a V10 pickup that once chased a production speed record. Marspeed’s countdown resurfaces five models that got the full SRT treatment and then faded from memory. Watch to see which forgotten SRT was the wildest of them all.

A classic blue 1969 Ford Torino GT car parked on a street.

1968 Ford Torino GT – A Better Idea

by Wes

Ford spent most of the 1960s watching the GTO and the Road Runner dominate the mid-size muscle conversation from the outside. The 1968 Torino GT, detailed by OldCarMemories.com, changed that — pairing a 390 V8 with the now-legendary 428 Cobra Jet option to turn Ford into a genuine sales leader in the segment. Watch to see what finally got Ford taken seriously.

A Dodge Challenger with a unique star design on the side and custom wheels.

The 2018 SRT Dodge Demon Drag Strip Shakedown!

by Wes

Before it had a name, the 2018 Dodge Demon showed up to the 2017 Gator Nationals wearing camouflage and an NDA. Grid Banter caught the test mule’s first public quarter-mile pass, and even the Dodge rep on hand wouldn’t confirm what was under the hood. Watch to see the run that helped kick off an NHRA rule change before the car was even official.

A classic 1972 Buick GS Stage 1 in white at a car show.

1972 Buick GS Stage 1 in Arctic White Paint & 455 Engine Sound

by Wes

Dave Murawski was thirteen years old the first time a Buick GS Stage 1 caught his eye, and he didn’t own one of his own until 2010. This 1972 example in Arctic White, powered by Buick’s 455-cubic-inch big block, represents the closing of a decades-long chapter that started with a kid watching one drive past. See the car, and hear that 455, for yourself.

A shiny red classic car on display in a showroom filled with vintage vehicles.

1960 Ford Thunderbird & Engine start up

by Wes

Lynne Adam learned to drive on this 1960 Ford Thunderbird decades before it disappeared into storage, only to reemerge in 2002 for a restoration that would take her husband Mike thirteen years to finish. Painted Monte Carlo Red, the finished Square Bird made its public debut at the 2016 World of Wheels show in Wisconsin. Watch the engine come to life for the very first time in front of a crowd.

Two men driving a vintage 1966 Buick Skylark on a sunny day.

Joyride in an 11 second 1968 Buick Skylark

by Wes

This 1968 Buick Skylark looks almost entirely stock from the outside — which is exactly the point. Underneath sits a 455 with upgraded valve train components and a stall converter dialed in to launch hard, a combination that’s put this mostly original car into 11-second quarter mile territory. It’s the sleeper formula executed about as well as it gets. Watch the joyride and see just how much this unassuming Skylark can really do.

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