As the 1962 drag season drew to a close, it was obvious that Pontiac’s position at the top of the Super Stock hierarchy was weakening. Ford, Chrysler and Chevrolet were gaining on the Chiefs with bigger engines and an ever-increasing supply of special parts, including weight-saving aluminum components and body panels. Pontiac engineers knew they had to have a lighter, more powerful car for 1963, and it came in the form of a special Catalina bearing some serious modifications. First the chassis was altered by cutting the inside section away from the boxed rails, leaving a U-shaped section. Then approximately 120 holes were drilled in the sides of the frame rails, removing as much material as possible while maintaining a semblance of structural integrity, resulting in the “Swiss Cheese” moniker that remains today.
Further mods involved deleting the front sway bar and substituting an aluminum bellhousing and third member for the original pieces. It did not stop there: insulation and sound deadener was dropped, aluminum body panels were used wherever possible, including the hood, inner and outer front fenders, splash pan, radiator bulkhead, bumpers and brackets. Plexiglas windows were also available to further reduce the car’s heft. Even the cast iron exhaust manifolds were replaced with special high-flow aluminum units with integral cutouts. These proved suitable only for short periods of use given their tendency to melt under prolonged operation.
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Flush with the success of the all-conquering GT350 of 1965 and ‘66, Shelby unleashed a big block version in 1967. The GT500 took advantage of the 1967 Mustang’s deeper bulkhead to pack in a modified version of Ford’s 428 CI Police Interceptor V-8, which Shelby improved to 335 HP with an aluminum intake manifold, dual 600 CFM Holley 4-barrels and finned cast aluminum Cobra air cleaner and valve covers. As this example demonstrates, the ’67 GT departed from previous practice with the use of fiberglass body pieces and more unique trim to further separate it visually from stock Mustangs, most forcefully in the aggressive front end treatment and the upturned rear deck lid. Presented in Dark Moss Green Metallic paint with White Le Mans stripes and a Black Deluxe Mustang interior, this GT500 Fastback combines its matching numbers 428/335 HP engine with a 4-speed manual and heavy-duty rear end. It was awarded First in Class and Best Shelby GT at SAAC 29 (Michigan International Speedway) in July 2004 and has taken First Place in Autorama shows. It is also one of six cars chosen by BASF’s Automotive Finishes for its worldwide annual calendar. Offered by its second owner and showing a believed-correct 51,000 miles, it features the late Carroll Shelby’s autograph on the dash above the glove box door with photos that include the present owner and his son.
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The entire family will enjoy the largest and most thrilling all-Ford event in the world. Ford, Mercury and Lincoln fans will have a showcase of over 2,200 vehicles to check out on the National Parts Depot showfield. During this event, you will enjoy great indoor displays of concepts, customs and historically-significant cars and trucks; test drives by Ford Motor Company, a burnout competition, activities for the kids, industry guests, giveaways, NHRA drag racing, autocross for all skill levels and club gatherings. The excitement continues with a shopping experience you won’t soon forget as part of the enormous swap meet, car corral and the Manufacturers Midway for the best in parts buying.
New to this event is Early-Bird Thursday. By attending on Thursday, anyone interested in looking for a deal as part of the swap meet or car corral can get a jump on those who may not arrive until Friday or later. Admission costs apply for Thursday, however; there is no charge for parking in Carlisle owned and operated lots.
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Having a hard time finding bumper brackets for your car? Does anyone reproduce these? Look no further as the folks at McMillan Rod & Custom can take care of all your custom bracket needs.
They have the ability and experience to design and fabricate new bumper brackets from
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Dress up your 2008 or later Chrysler 300, Dodge Magnum and Charger* shifter! The latest offering from Hurst comes with a CNC machined black knob, classic-looking Hurst stainless steel stick sleeve, and a black CNC machined console plate. Revive the Hurst and Mopar heritage on your
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CPP’s new Complete Rear Dual Adjustable Coil-Over Kit is designed to convert your 1963-72 Chevy truck to a corner carving, performance driving vehicle! Our kit includes our new Totally Tubular Trailing arms, coil over springs and dual adjustable coil over shocks and all the mounting hardware to make this rear suspension
Get that cool street rod stance and track proven performance for your 1963-87 Chevrolet C10 Truck! Our Complete Front Coil-Over Conversion Kits include dual-adjustable coil-over shocks, spanner wrench and bearing kit, our Totally Tubular™ upper and lower control arms, and all the mounting brackets and hardware for a simple bolt-on installation.
Sue Vanderbilt in a 1958 Cadillac Eldorado Seville “Baroness;" the show car that she styled for the Feminine Show. When you look back at General Motors’ rich design history, one of the most talented individuals, who made her career as part of GM’s vaunted Creative Design Team, was the late Suzanne E. Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt was one of the original Damsels of Design – a group of eight, great talented female designers that the famed Harley Earl hired during the early days of the 1950s.
Throughout history, the Oldsmobile story has inspired many automotive historians with its rich and celebrated heritage which started right in Michigan’s capital city of Lansing.
I remember a particularly exciting year in 1978 when Oldsmobile introduced their new line of vehicles and automotive catalogues to the buying public. My first impression was that Oldsmobile was using 1978 to create a family-oriented lineup of new cars. The company used its advertising and marketing to highlight many traditional family values
The year 1966 was a great year for automotive sales in the U.S. Many car manufacturers were doing very well for the economy and in 1966 the average cost for a new Dodge vehicle sold for $ 2,280 and the price of gasoline for 32 cents a gallon.
The Chrysler Corporation was also doing very well within the automotive markets with its popular Dodge Dart models. The 1966 Dodge Dart models made their debut in Dodge dealerships on September 30, 1965.
Based on a 1956 Chevrolet 210 Sedan, this recently completed mild custom was built to showcase the timeless factory “Tri-Five” heritage. With a new GM Performance ZZ4 power plant backed by a factory-fresh GM 700R4 transmission, it is equipped with rack-and-pinion steering, four-wheel Wilwood disc
To ensure that Shelby American would have its 1966 GT350 models in dealerships when Ford released the new ‘66 Mustangs, Shelby ordered an additional 252 cars from Ford’s San Jose plant at the very end of 1965 production. These ‘change-over’ cars (often referred to as ‘carry-overs’) were essentially Shelby-spec ’65 GT350s, and received the same performance modifications,
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