Muscle Car Fan

Posts Tagged: SAE

Pontiac Trans Am 1970 to 1975

by Ross Mills

Pontiac’s second-generation Trans Am was supposed to launch with the rest of the 1970 lineup, but tooling delays pushed it to a February 26 debut — creating a “1969 1/2” nickname collectors still use today. From the Ram Air III and IV through the emissions-fighting SD-455 and the shrinking engine lineup of the mid-1970s, the Trans Am’s first six years tell the story of muscle car performance colliding head-on with new safety and emissions law. Read on to see how the numbers changed year by year.

Chevy Big Block series- the 427 variations

by Ross Mills

In 1969 Chevrolet let a handful of buyers order an all-aluminum, race-bred 427 that needed fuel no gas station actually sold — and it nearly doubled the price of the car it went into. Only 69 Camaros and 2 Corvettes ever left the factory with the ZL1 option. Read on for the dyno numbers, the drag strip runs that outran them, and why this engine’s window of availability was so brief.

Oldsmobile Cruiser 1970 vs Ferrari FF 2012

by Kiril

Two cars, three decades apart, both built around the same unusual idea: a high-performance engine wrapped in a body shaped for hauling people and cargo, not chasing lap times. One is a full-size American wagon with a glass-topped rear cabin. The other is a V12 shooting-brake from Maranello that sends power to all four wheels. Which one actually deserves the garage space?

Chrysler Hemi from 2003—The Third Generation—part 5 of 5

by Ross Mills

Chrysler’s third-generation Hemi introduced a two-spark-plug-per-cylinder ignition system and eventually spawned everything from a fuel-saving 5.7-liter truck engine to a 590-horsepower 426-cubic-inch showstopper. Along the way, displacements ranged from 5.7 to 6.4 liters, with technologies like MDS cylinder deactivation and variable crankshaft timing added throughout its run. Read on to find out how one ignition change led to an entire engine family.

Classic blue convertible car displayed indoors with polished chrome wheels.

Buick GS 1970 – 455 Stage 1 – 4-Speed Convertibles

by Kiril

Buick is not the first name most people reach for when the conversation turns to the quickest muscle cars of 1970 — which is precisely the mistake the Stage 1 package existed to correct. A GM rule change that year finally let Buick drop a full 455 into a midsize car, and period testers recorded quarter-mile times that embarrassed far louder reputations. Convertibles were rarer still. Read on for the numbers behind the most underrated muscle car of 1970.

Closer Look at an Engine

by Ross Mills

Every muscle car engine gets the glory, but horsepower means nothing until it reaches the pavement through the transmission standing between the crankshaft and the rear wheels. An animated breakdown of exactly how that transmission works, dog clutches, synchronizer rings, and all, earned praise from a self-identified automotive engineer as the clearest explanation they had ever seen. It even required its own creator to issue a correction. Watch to see what most drivers get wrong about their own gearbox.

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