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Going for walks, seeing some cool cars.

#701
Hot Rats said:
Interesting. Almost the same front end as on that coupe. Somehow this does not look goofy. I think it's that the headlights on this one don't seem all bug-eyed. Recessed a bit more. It just doesn't work on the flatter front end of the '65/'66.
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In the 2000 version of the movie Gone in 60 Seconds with Nicolas Cage, the "star car" was a 1967 Shelby GT500 Mustang that was codenamed "Eleanor." For this movie, the car had a very distinctive look with a body kit and color combination. It was so popular that a company started producing official GT500E cars. The E stands for Eleanor. @planetdrumz picture appears to be one of these official replicas, it's just a different color scheme than the movie car.

Naturally, when something is popular, people try to copy it. There has actually been some extensive legal drama around this up to and including confiscation of unofficial cars. Those copies also appear to include making a non-1967, non-Shelby Mustang look like Eleanor like your first picture. And you're spot on that it looks weird because the kit wasn't originally designed to work on the flatter front-end of the 65 notchback.

Look into the legal stuff if you're in the mood for some interesting and potentially frustrating reading.

Mustang-Eleanor-Opening002.jpg
 
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#710
Michael Jewels said:
Wow!

I searched for my friend's Matador, and I found it right away!

This is exactly what his car looked like!

Same color!

View attachment 7235622
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Oh man, I had a Matador, for about a week, as my first car. My dad bought it from a friend because he "got a good deal on it," for me to work to pay back. But the electrical system was a mess. I'd hit a bump and the wipers would come on or cease. Sometimes the headlights would go off or on, etc. After a few days of my cleaning it, waxing it, trying to figure out the problems, we took it to another of my dad's friends. He crawled under it, said, "Holy, Holy, Holy," popped his head out, looked at my dad, and said, "You said this guy will take it back?" And when my dad nodded, he said, "Take it back. This thing's a death trap." So he did.

A few weeks later me dad "got a good deal" on another car, an ex-police Plymouth Gran Fury with a 440ci engine. A few months later I had to talk with a judge about it.

Edit: Later I also owned both a Pinto and Chevette, but the most disappointing was a '79 Olds Cutlass Supreme that was constantly finding new ways to break.
 
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#711
Michael Jewels said:
In my opinion, most American Motors cars were underrated, and never really caught on.

A friend of mine had a mid 70s Matador, and I thought it was very nice car.

A lot of our mutual friends made fun of the car, though not to his face.

Mike
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Mike, you probably never had a chance to work on any AMC products...... imo and ime those cars were built from parts that the Big 3 (GM, F**d and Mopar) threw in their dumpsters.

Most mechanics cringed when one of those heaps rolled into the shop.
 
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#716
Michael Jewels said:
A 383 in a Chevy?

Mike
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It's a 350 punched .030" over with a 400 crank.

Years ago I put one together for my buddy's 79 Z/28...... $3500 carb to pan with Trick Flow heads and a small Comp Cams solid flat tappet stick...... car went 11.70's @ 114mph with street tires & mufflers and 93 octane pump gas.
 
#718
Michael Jewels said:
Thanks, guys.

I'd never heard of a Chevy 383, but you learn something new everyday! :cool:
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Mike, the 383 was never a production GM engine, rather it's a stroked 350.

Useless trivia, the Chevy Smallblock (which debuted as a production engine in 1955) has been built in 10 different displacements..... 262, 265, 267, 283, 302, 305, 307, 327, 350 and 400 cubic inches.

The 350 is still available today as a crate engine, somewhere around 2001 or so it was no longer offered as an option in any production vehicle since the LS series of engines was newly out there.

Overall the Smallblock has remained virtually unchanged since 1957, much like a P Bass.
 
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