06-16-2015, 12:34 PM
I agree with "4x4": even a lowly "H" code can be a respectable performer with the right massaging.
Fortunately for "Cleveland" fans, the engine went away before it had an opportunity to really suck!
The Beatles, Elvis, Star Trek TOS, the Pantera, Marilyn Monroe, Bruce Lee, Randy Rhoads, etc...all examples of excellence that were gone forever before they really had a chance to be bastardized and suck.
That's the "Cleveland" to me...even the worst one made still had enough original DNA intact to be respected.
Many 71-73 enthusiasts complain that the 429 was not offered into 72 or 73. But if it was, it would have been a neutered, under-whelming version of the motor...and you absolutely know that Ford's marketing geniuses would have come up with an even grander name for the engine to try and create some excitement, since the engine itself surely could not have done so. "Ultra Cobra Jet", "Max Jet" or even "King Cobra Jet" are all names that might have been used to pump life into a flaccid performance motor, trying to grab a few more dollars...all at the expense of the legend of the 428, 429 and 351s that earned thier stripes. Thankfully that never happened.
The last 455 Trans Am was a joke. The 72 SD 455 was awesome...the 76 HO 455 was an embarrasment to all T/As.
I think one of the reasons the classic Mustangs are revered is because no serious "clunkers" ever made it into the mix...but just barely.
The ''74 Mach 1 with a 2.8 litre V-6 was a knife to the heart of Mach 1 enthusiasts, and the abominable '75 Cobra II with a weezy 2.3 litre 4-cyl as standard equipment was the death-punch to Shelby fans.
The faux-awesome "King Cobra" with its ground-pounding 130 horsepower 302 2V was the ultimate slap in the face to the faithful Ford fans of only a few years before.
The "Cleveland" motors are all legendary, as are all the variations of BB Cobra Jets.
Sometimes it is better when something awesome goes away quickly...it cements the legend.
Fortunately for "Cleveland" fans, the engine went away before it had an opportunity to really suck!
The Beatles, Elvis, Star Trek TOS, the Pantera, Marilyn Monroe, Bruce Lee, Randy Rhoads, etc...all examples of excellence that were gone forever before they really had a chance to be bastardized and suck.
That's the "Cleveland" to me...even the worst one made still had enough original DNA intact to be respected.
Many 71-73 enthusiasts complain that the 429 was not offered into 72 or 73. But if it was, it would have been a neutered, under-whelming version of the motor...and you absolutely know that Ford's marketing geniuses would have come up with an even grander name for the engine to try and create some excitement, since the engine itself surely could not have done so. "Ultra Cobra Jet", "Max Jet" or even "King Cobra Jet" are all names that might have been used to pump life into a flaccid performance motor, trying to grab a few more dollars...all at the expense of the legend of the 428, 429 and 351s that earned thier stripes. Thankfully that never happened.
The last 455 Trans Am was a joke. The 72 SD 455 was awesome...the 76 HO 455 was an embarrasment to all T/As.
I think one of the reasons the classic Mustangs are revered is because no serious "clunkers" ever made it into the mix...but just barely.
The ''74 Mach 1 with a 2.8 litre V-6 was a knife to the heart of Mach 1 enthusiasts, and the abominable '75 Cobra II with a weezy 2.3 litre 4-cyl as standard equipment was the death-punch to Shelby fans.
The faux-awesome "King Cobra" with its ground-pounding 130 horsepower 302 2V was the ultimate slap in the face to the faithful Ford fans of only a few years before.
The "Cleveland" motors are all legendary, as are all the variations of BB Cobra Jets.
Sometimes it is better when something awesome goes away quickly...it cements the legend.
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