What do you drive…

[SignOfZeta]

I'm going to a local dyno shop soon to put the finishing touches on the MS install. Stock power in a 1.6 Miata is 116 at the crank, ~96 at the wheels. With this ECU and the snorkle from a 1.8 I hope to get ~104. Regardless of peak power, the MS has improved mid-range torque enormously.

[BlueBMW]

I was testing before and after a chip.  I went from 107 whp to 114 whp.  The torque increased pretty even across the line.

[77FordTruckMan]

Something people who drive old stuff have to come to grips with is that virtually everything made today is quicker than anything from 30 years ago. .

Actually, the opposite is true in my experience, most cars today are 4 cylinders and some 6's, but back in the 60's-70's more cars had V8's, anyway, I am going to make a video to show you that the truck actually is fast, and I am not just being a jerk trying to show off.

[nectarsis]

Something people who drive old stuff have to come to grips with is that virtually everything made today is quicker than anything from 30 years ago. .

Actually, the opposite is true in my experience, most cars today are 4 cylinders and some 6's, but back in the 60's-70's more cars had V8's, anyway, I am going to make a video to show you that the truck actually is fast, and I am not just being a jerk trying to show off.

Yet many 4 & 6 cylinders put out more hp than a lot of old v8's.  Not to mention there are still plenty of v8's out there, just not as necessary as smaller engines can put out as much/more hp with better fuel economy/vehicles handle better, etc.  (see article Zeta linked above).  What's with all the  "my vehicle can beat your vehicle" 17 year old bravado mess?

[Arkhan]

who cares about fast cars anyways really.

I live in the city.  you never go faster than 35 because everyone else is driving like pussies, lol.

[SignOfZeta]

In 1980 a new Vette had 198HP, or something like that, out of 454CID. Today a VW Golf GTI has 210HP, out of a 4 banger that is 1/3 the size.

When I was a kid the big thing was being to do 0-60 in 5 seconds. There were only a handful of cars that could do it. The Buick GNX being the cheapest (a V6, btw), the Countach...a few others, mostly Italian. Now you can have this in a Subaru sedan for $30k (1/3 what the Countach cost).

Things have moved on.

[Necromancer]

most cars today are 4 cylinders and some 6's, but back in the 60's-70's more cars had V8's

True, but the lesser V8s had 200-300 gross hp (only 160-240 net hp), which is easily bested by today's 260+ hp V6s and turbo four-pots.  Even the big block sedans of yore, such as the 454 powered Chevelle and the 426 powered Charger, could only manage mid-13 second quarter miles; today's equivalents (i.e. - SRT-8s, G8s, and SHOs) are even quicker, all while being more reliable, efficient, and able to stop or turn a corner.

[77FordTruckMan]

But it's just not the same, wheres the fun in it? New cars look like crap, and basically they are crap. They are cheaply made, they rely way too much on electronics, they are a lot harder to work on and they are very annoying to drive, I hate driving them. Also when something does break it cost thousands to repair and I doubt any of them will be lasting 30+ years. Old cars, and now I'm talking 1930's-60's were works of art down to every detail, compare that to new cars, they are crap. If someone gave me a brand new car and I could not sell it for some reason, I would let it sit and rot, they are totally worthless to me.

[blueraven]

My cousins 2009 AWD Mazda Speed3 has a 269bhp turbo 4-cylinder and a 6-speed gearbox. It gets 31mpg highway and is faster than a bat out of hell. In fact, it's power-to-weight ratio is astounding. It's gunmetal gray, has 18's with lo-profile tires, and a Bose Stereo. It's also $10,000 cheaper than any other car in it's class; It will go toe-to-toe with a new Boxter. And It's under 24k. 

It was more fun in the corners than a Fiat X-19, Got better mileage than a VW Rabbit pickup, had more power than a Corvette, and handled rough terrain better than any AMC Eagle; which I had (and fixed) as a pizza delivery car in the Midwest. ALL new cars are not "crap".

Regarding the truck being fast...

Having owned (and still own pieces of, technically) a 1978 Ford F Series; I am very familiar with your vehicle. I have replaced virtually every part on that 351 Modified engine, and have swapped a front clip, bed, and the entire cooling system. The shop I used to work for completely redid a 1979 Longbed for a customer, and installed a bored/stroked 351 Cleveland in the place of the original 351M. Due to it's hideous gas mileage, engine issues (rings, valves) and extensive cab rot (12 city, 16 Highway), I sold my 78 as a parts vehicle for the customer's project. The original motor was good for pulling stumps, and geared low with a 4-speed granny gear, (3.93 gears if I remember correctly) but it was a dog in the straight line. And the Quadrajet had a stove-choke that I rebuilt twice because the parts just disintegrated. I was glad to be rid of it after it started popping freeze plugs every month or so.

After we finished the newly redone 1979 Truck, the owner of the shop commented to me "He's got $15,000 into this truck before paint, and my daily driver can beat it off the line."

He then added a $10,000 paint job, air bags and 20" rims. The damn thing looks like a graffiti wall. He could've bought a Speed3 for that price, which I would drive in a heartbeat, but it really is what you like. How sentimental it is to you, and what you want out of a vehicle.

But I'll tell you dude, from experience, that truck ain't fast. It may be relative to what you have driven in the past, but it's no drag vehicle. 

[SignOfZeta]

But it's just not the same, wheres the fun in it? New cars look like crap, and basically they are crap. They are cheaply made, they rely way too much on electronics, they are a lot harder to work on and they are very annoying to drive, I hate driving them. Also when something does break it cost thousands to repair and I doubt any of them will be lasting 30+ years. Old cars, and now I'm talking 1930's-60's were works of art down to every detail, compare that to new cars, they are crap. If someone gave me a brand new car and I could not sell it for some reason, I would let it sit and rot, they are totally worthless to me.

Part of this I agree with...the rest of it is just typical midwestern American nostalgia for cars they never actually had to deal with every day from a time they didn't live in,

Every time I see a car like this:




or this:



or this:



Or even this:



...I find myself moved nearly to tears...not just because I love the cars so much, and they are so gorgeous, but because there will never again be a time when things are made like this again. Now cars are mainly just iPods on wheels. It makes me sick.

On the other hand, cars from the 60s were basically slow-ass gas guzzling deathtraps that needed constant maintenance. In the 50s most GM cars had in their service recommendations to adjust the brakes every 5000 miles. Can you imagine having to go through that crap? Any cross country trip would almost always mean a blowout, tires in general were laughable crap, brakes were even worse. Most automatics were 2 speed boxes, and most manuals 3. The glass was non-tempered, and steering shaft a solid piece go to ahead of the front axle, and the interior...basically modeled after a kitchen knife drawer. So if you were in a wreck and you weren't slashed to pieces be the broken glass or impaled by the steering wheel you'd probably be mangled to pieces by the art deco radio knobs...at 25mph! Engines almost never went beyond 60k without a rebuild. Shocks were...shock technology barely existed, really. When was the last time you refilled the oil reservoir for your air filter? When was the last time you re-packed a wheel bearing for maintenance reasons? Adjusted ignition points?

Seriously, that stuff was utter f*cking crap. I miss the handmade craftsmanship of it all, but people forget (or in your case, never knew) what just it really was.

A great medium ground is to take an old shell (the only good part) of cars like this and put in all modern stuff. Recently I saw a BMW 2002 with the engine from a E30 M3, now that's a good idea. Most of the stuff you see in Hot Rod and Car Craft and Retro Car, and magazines like that goes with this formula. Old shell, but new crate engine/management, new brakes, suspension, tires, seats, belts, etc. That's a hard one to argue with.

[77FordTruckMan]

But I'll tell you dude, from experience, that truck ain't fast. It may be relative to what you have driven in the past, but it's no drag vehicle. 

All I ever really said was it is a lot faster than average vehicles and it is, by a lot. in my parents Saturns, they have to turn off the air conditioning to make it up the hill where they live, where as I can hit 65 going up the same hill from being stopped at the gas station at the bottom. Anyway, I have been trying to buy a 75 Ford truck with a 390 from this guy for a few months now and it might finally happen this week, it is 4x4 with a 4"lift 32" tires and almost everything is like new on it. it has a racing cam, headers/duel exhaust etc., but it still has the 2bbl carb on it, which I plan to replace with 2 4 bbls. the 390 makes 300hp stock with the 2bbl, 340 with a 4bbl and 365 with a 6 bbl with everything else stock, so with 2 4 bbls and the other upgrades, it should make over 400hp, now that will be fast, it's already fast with 2bbl. I still love my 77 and I will never sell it, it is my first vehicle. Now if I have something else to drive I will be able to work on fixing it up. And by the way it has never broken down on me ever and there was never anything wrong with it that would have made it undrivable, I have taken it on a 250 one way trip with no problems and honestly I couldn't care less about gas mileage, it used to get 13mpg before the exhaust so now it's probably like 14-15 if you keep it on 2 barrels.I've spoken my mind on the whole car subject and I still think it seems like everyone is being brainwashed by the car companies and somehow I am not affected.

[termis]

Okay, that last post just explained everything. 

Ah, I remember when I was impressionable.

[nectarsis]

I've spoken my mind on the whole car subject and I still think it seems like everyone is being brainwashed by the car companies and somehow I am not affected.

LOL more you sound like a brainwashed teenager who is close minded.

[77FordTruckMan]

I've spoken my mind on the whole car subject and I still think it seems like everyone is being brainwashed by the car companies and somehow I am not affected.

LOL more you sound like a brainwashed teenager who is close minded.

quite the opposite really

[77FordTruckMan]

who is this person who brainwashed/impressioned me? No one agrees with me on this subject including my family and I just can't understand why people like new cars so much. I have read everything you've said and I do not agree with you so I guess I am closed minded on this issue, and we will all just have to agree to disagree.