06-16-2015, 06:05 AM
Everybody would love to own any classic car with one of the more famous engines in them.
Cobra and Super Cobra Jets, SS 396, Max Wedge 426, 440 Magnum, BOSS 302/ 351 or 429, Rocket 455, LT-1, ZL-1,etc, etc...the list goes on.
All fine motors, more or less.
But...A large part of their "special-ness"...maybe most of what makes them special is not necessarily that they are a "high performance" version of that manufacturer's more bread-and-butter variety engines.
No, to me anyway, what makes them special is that they were built that way from the factory and installed in an assembly-line vehicle.
In fact, while respecting the true gonzo OEM motors with super-rare and special parts (The Hemi's, BOSS 429s, ZL-1s and such) most of the factory hipo motors used nothing special about their "hop-up" parts that were not available in similar configuration from many aftermarket suppliers.
An equal-bore aluminum BOSS 351 intake may be a rare beast for sure, but it is functionally no better than any number of reasonably-priced aftermarket manifolds available from several manufacturers.
Any 351 Cleveland motor, even a late 74, 2V variety can be made to perform as well as the vaunted BOSS 351 with a simple recipe of aftermarket parts.
Truth be told, you could probably build a more potent version of near any factory "hipo" motor with aftermarket parts quite easily, more powerful than the factory-supplied version.
So, here's what gets me:
Over the years I have run into people...gearheds, car-nuts, or simply a plain 'ol bullshit artists...who may have a mom-and-pop version of a popular old classic.
Let's say its a '69 Mustang convertible with a factory-installed 302 2V..for example.
He might have it dressed up nice and with a few aftermarket goodies on it and suddenly it is now sporting a "BOSS 302" engine.
Or a 70 Thunderbird with a 429 2V gets an intake and a 4 barrell and now it is magically a "429 Cobra Jet".
The thing about this that gets me is that not only is it pretty obvious to anyone with a little knowledge about that particular make if the guy is being truthful or not, but their total lack of understanding what makes them special in the first place.
As far as I'm concerned...an authentic 429 Cobra Jet engine has little or no value if it is removed from the car it was built with. The car itself now has far less value without its original engine, and the engine itself is now nothing more than devalued collector's item.
Unless the engine somehow came to the owner for free or close to it...it would be far easier and cheaper to build a better and more reliable engine with aftermarket parts.
Hunting down an authentic BOSS 351 engine to install in a '72 fastback would be a waste of money to me. Just build a Cleveland and save some money.
Kind of a tough concept to explain, and I certainly don't expect everyone to agree with me, but...
That's my beef!
Cobra and Super Cobra Jets, SS 396, Max Wedge 426, 440 Magnum, BOSS 302/ 351 or 429, Rocket 455, LT-1, ZL-1,etc, etc...the list goes on.
All fine motors, more or less.
But...A large part of their "special-ness"...maybe most of what makes them special is not necessarily that they are a "high performance" version of that manufacturer's more bread-and-butter variety engines.
No, to me anyway, what makes them special is that they were built that way from the factory and installed in an assembly-line vehicle.
In fact, while respecting the true gonzo OEM motors with super-rare and special parts (The Hemi's, BOSS 429s, ZL-1s and such) most of the factory hipo motors used nothing special about their "hop-up" parts that were not available in similar configuration from many aftermarket suppliers.
An equal-bore aluminum BOSS 351 intake may be a rare beast for sure, but it is functionally no better than any number of reasonably-priced aftermarket manifolds available from several manufacturers.
Any 351 Cleveland motor, even a late 74, 2V variety can be made to perform as well as the vaunted BOSS 351 with a simple recipe of aftermarket parts.
Truth be told, you could probably build a more potent version of near any factory "hipo" motor with aftermarket parts quite easily, more powerful than the factory-supplied version.
So, here's what gets me:
Over the years I have run into people...gearheds, car-nuts, or simply a plain 'ol bullshit artists...who may have a mom-and-pop version of a popular old classic.
Let's say its a '69 Mustang convertible with a factory-installed 302 2V..for example.
He might have it dressed up nice and with a few aftermarket goodies on it and suddenly it is now sporting a "BOSS 302" engine.
Or a 70 Thunderbird with a 429 2V gets an intake and a 4 barrell and now it is magically a "429 Cobra Jet".
The thing about this that gets me is that not only is it pretty obvious to anyone with a little knowledge about that particular make if the guy is being truthful or not, but their total lack of understanding what makes them special in the first place.
As far as I'm concerned...an authentic 429 Cobra Jet engine has little or no value if it is removed from the car it was built with. The car itself now has far less value without its original engine, and the engine itself is now nothing more than devalued collector's item.
Unless the engine somehow came to the owner for free or close to it...it would be far easier and cheaper to build a better and more reliable engine with aftermarket parts.
Hunting down an authentic BOSS 351 engine to install in a '72 fastback would be a waste of money to me. Just build a Cleveland and save some money.
Kind of a tough concept to explain, and I certainly don't expect everyone to agree with me, but...
That's my beef!