>It definitely had the scoop, but I cannot recall the markings on it, if it said "400" or "6.6".

The only ones I've ever seen look like the attached photo and did not have an outer marking for power. It would have been under the hood on the air cleaner.

I did consider buying one until I test drove it. For a souped up Ventura/Nova, it was ok, but I was actually insulted it had the legendary GTO name on it. It was is no way a GTO.

I'm going to guess it had a 350 and probably 250 HP. Most 350's of the day had a standard rating of 250 hp.

As for the low HP numbers being quoted here for big block engines you need to keep in mind there were 5-6 versions just for the 455. The standard Chevy 454 version for their wagons only sported 170 HP but with a little tweaking of dual exhaust, larger quadra jet and a little larger pistons it could quickly go to more than 400 HP or more so you pretty much have to know the particular option package. It used to confuse me when I was a kid to raise the hood on an Impala wagon and see a 454 170 HP then see a SS 454 Chevelle have 395.

I had a pimped out 1986 3/4 ton Suburban with a 454 HD that came with factory headers and it would smoke anything in it's class. I used to joke that I wanted to pull the engine and put it in a Vega. Of course that would physically be impossible since the lighter frame wouldn't even support the weight of the engine but it is fun to think about.

FWIW, in the mid 70's a lot of Funny Cars used a Pontiac 455 or Chevy 454, bored out to an 875 CID that could pump out 1600-2300 HP when converted to nitro. Fun stuff!

Randy
http://www.vernarockets.com
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Nice set! In order of power, GTO, Chevelle, 442, GS.

With their strongest stock power options, put them side by side and run a quarter mile and they'll finish in that order.

There were a lot of new cars bought in the 70's and 80's by the mechanically competent that were stripped of all that smog crap with less than 20 miles on the odometer. As fast as the smog crap was removed, new intakes, carbs, headers and blocking plates/plugs were installed, warranty be ****ed, gaining a fist full of hp. The few truly mechanically inclined probably even pulled heads to port and polish on brand new engines. I wonder how many swapped cams...

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I love sanding.

> I wonder how many swapped cams...

I remember the first time Verna rode in my GTO. She had a 3 speed Pinto. I barely turned the key, the lightest of bumps and it erupted into what sounded like God coming and with the deepest lope I've ever heard come from a stock engine. After a few seconds of what sounded like a very rough idle to her and with her seat shaking, she looked terrified.

Verna: "What's wrong with your car?" She was used to the smooth quiet purr of a mighty 4 cylinder!

Me: With an evil grin, "Not... 1... da*n... thing!"

Racing the engine sounded like a bulldozer with a bad chest cold. I was afraid she was going to die in an explosion as Pinto's were prone to do when rear ended.

Back then most guys knew that when you used the McKeeson stuff, now known as Armor All, it made leather seats very slippery and if your girlfriend wore hose and double knit dresses/skirts, you could romp it just a bit, she'd slide back in the seat and the hem line would rise.



Randy
http://www.vernarockets.com
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HHJHOK6
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O14ET8K
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CX1UPCG

No doubt, the 74 was a cheezy replacement for a car with that reputation. But Detroit did that to several cars. While the GTO was getting its hair trimmed in 1974, the Mustang was getting all its pulled out

In the pic I posted, I pondered for a moment how many many different big block variants GM sold among those 4 versions of the A body. Just counting the big blocks - ignoring the many small block options - I quickly run out of fingers.

I've always thought a well tuned, 455 cubic inch motor with 10.5:1 compression ratio and a ginormous four barrel carburetor ought to be able to make 500HP without a lot of effort. Going to unleaded gas brought all that fun to end But the defanged 74 GTO was still better than the lowly 140HP 302 propelling my 74 F-100

Doug

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YORF member #11

My cousin stuffed a small block 327 in one of his Vegas. I have no idea what internals it had, so I don't know about the hp, but even a wimpy 327 was more than enough to do bad things with a tiny Vega.

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I love sanding.

I doubt it handled very well Mostly tire spin

But that's only a little exaggeration of many of the other cars of the day. Novas, Mustangs, Camaros and all their siblings, had leaf spring rear ends with numerous high horsepower V8's available. These things needed about 30 seconds to ruin a pair of tires.

Actually, only one tire, since most of them had plain old differentials

Putting the 327 in the Vega allowed it to very quickly burn thru its 13" tires

Doug

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YORF member #11

Here's a sad car story. My dad's been gone nine years now, and wasn't really a car guy, yet he owned something really cool until I came along, a 1965 Chevelle SS, red. I only found out when I found an old photo album when I was organizing stuff for him as a teenager. He traded it in for a 1971 Chevrolet Greenbrier station wagon, that I vaguely remembered as the first car in the family that I knew about. He bought the SS from a buddy whose wife made him give it up. He gave up the car because of me and my sister, because he liked taking us all on road trips and the wagon was more practical.

JediBoss - Those old station wagons had a lot of class and could still get up and move when you wanted them too. In the 80's I bought several to get the 396's or 402's out of them for my Camaro's.

A mini van will never have the class those old wagons had or the pep to pass anything on the road.

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Whiskey Alfa Lima Tango

Remember seeing a lot of station wagons at the drag strip....I was told the weight transfer and boxy body made for a good car.