Quick Poll on my Rat Rod

[EscapedMentalPatientParticipant 1489]

Spring is in the air guys.  Need the solid opinion of some dudes.

One of my hobbies which I enjoy the most is the restoration of antiques etc.

This ranges from antique furniture, musical instruments, things of old wood in general to cars and motorcycles.

Last year I did an older guitar.  I’m currently torn on my next project; I’m going to re-do another car.

I’m tossing up between two deals which are both in the same price range, and in roughly the same condition.  Rather than dump a ton of money into a full restoration as neither car is “numbers matching”, I’m going to go the Rat Rod route and just build a stripped down Road Warrior beast.

Opinions please, as I’m stumped in loving both of these road weapons, but only have the room for one.  I’m going to pick one up this week.

1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass.  The beast has a 455 C.I. Super Rocket, still running, with purported four bolt main…

or

1972 Pontiac Firebird.  The requisite 350 C.I. big block. Not running, but 350’s are a pretty easy go.

Which do you think would look meaner in Rat Rod attire?

A couple of pictures (not of the actual cars, but for reference only):

The Cutlass

or

The Road Huggin’ Firebird

 

Engine-wise, either one will be able to suck a pink Hyundai in through the carburetor, will sound like the hand of god coming down the alley and both look satisfyingly evil.  It will be finished in the requisite rat rod satin or flat black.

I’m normally pretty quick in choosing what I love, but I really can’t seem to make up my mind.

Which one would you rather tear down the strip in?

Cheers and thanks in advance.

[Lazarus LongParticipant 365]

The Cutlass.

Willfully turning aside from the truth is treason to one's self. -Terry Goodkind

[Anonymous 0]

No doubt, The Cutlass.

CHEERS!!!

[RoyDalParticipant]

I vote Cutlass.
With that in mind, look into how rigid the Cutlass frame is. Does it flex under the torque from that bad boy engine? If so, it will increase your quarter mile time.

Society asks MGTOWs: Why are you not making more tax-slaves?

[….Participant 305]

The Cutlass…it looks more sinister..especially in satin black

[EscapedMentalPatientParticipant 1489]

Thank you gentlemen.

As a die hard Olds fan, I have no trouble leaning that way, and I sort of think it has a more sinister look to it as well.  Harkens back to the Mad Max look a bit, especially in satin black as dagigisup suggests.

Cool, brothers.  I think I’ll go that way, and it’s hard to pass up an old Super Rocket.  Those 455’s are bullet proof monsters!

Thanks for the help dudes.

 

[Anonymous 42]

Hey WillyT73, My mother had an Olds 98 with the rocket, and fast ratio progression steering, GM had some good ideas, and some good cars, but they were Detroit IRON. The guys over in Kenoshia Wisconsin AMC really built a fast monster in 1971, below is a picture of my 71 AMC AMX ralley pac, tictoc tac, Z code, 401, 11”1/4 clutch, 4 speed, 411 posi, factory Hurst competition +, active air induction 4 bbl carb. Factory no power steering 5hp+ and clutch fan.

I’ve owned this car since 1982, It did wheelies when you “bounced” from 1st to 2nd gear, burned rubber in 3rd, then chirped in 4th. I “NEVER” lost a race. I went up against a Corvette with a 427, I was lunging and thrusting whiles he was sideways slamming the brakes in a cloud of smoke.

A friend of mine wasn’t wearing his seat belts during an episode, he hit the dash on every gear! like a sideways yo-yo…. rebuilt engine and transmission, all new suspension parts and rubber throughout. Restored 98.9%, did all the work myself, including body and paint.

 

[Anonymous 42]

Here’s what it sounds like…..

[EscapedMentalPatientParticipant 1489]

Anonymous wrote:

The guys over in Kenoshia Wisconsin AMC really built a fast monster in 1971, below is a picture of my 71 AMC AMX ralley pac, tictoc tac, Z code, 401, 11”1/4 clutch, 4 speed, 411 posi, factory Hurst competition +, active air induction 4 bbl carb. Factory no power steering 5hp+ and clutch fan. I’ve owned this car since 1982, It did wheelies when you “bounced” from 1st to 2nd gear, burned rubber in 3rd, then chirped in 4th. I “NEVER” lost a race. I went up against a Corvette with a 427, I was lunging and thrusting whiles he was sideways slamming the brakes in a cloud of smoke.

Thanks for sharing your post MG-Tower!

AMC’s are a great car.  I was a huge fan of the body style of the Javelin.  Meanest flared fenders going.   You have a really beautiful beast there.  401 cubic inches of pure rock and roll power man. I like the simplicity of the stock dashboard and instruments.  It has a look of “Meaning Business” without going over the top.  Very nice ride, MG-Tower!

You’re right about the heavy Detroit iron thing;  many heavy beasts coming out of there, but there is no denying the beauty of some of the body styles which came out of the big D.  I’m a big fan of Mopar, Olds, Buick and Pontiac.  I’ve found over the years that I’ve really stopped having “favourites” at all.  So many of the older cars have such a great look and a wonderful bearing of nostalgia.

Thanks again for the great pics.

[Anonymous 42]

The steering wheel is a thumb chopper, I did a doughnut at an intersection, but while it stopped, I lost grip on the steering wheel, and it spun like a propeller, I sat in the middle of the intersection with BOTH thumbs chopped up and bleeding, try driving away with 4 speed using your elbows to steer…..

[EscapedMentalPatientParticipant 1489]

I hear ya MG-Tower.

Is it a stock steering wheel?

I put one of the nice walnut and chrome ones in another ’82 Cutlass with a 403 that I had as a teenager.  I remember the thumb ripping, and those types of wheels were not designed to appropriately collapse upon torso impact either.  I ended up taking it out, reluctantly as I loved the look of it.

 

[Anonymous 42]

It’s a stock wheel, I’m trying to keep it all original without altering anything. My brother had a 68 Cutlass with a 350 rocket, it was a Gutless, not a Cutlass, The cutlass full frame needs a big block to be appreciated. My brother also had a 76 Nova”spirit of 76″ 350 4bolt main, that car was fast, but not as radical as the AMX Go package.

I know where this saying comes from,”blow your doors off” …. passing other vehicles at 120+ mph, you actually “feel” the air dam built up around other vehicles, like an extremely strong gust of wind, I’m sure they felt it too.

I was young and stupid, I damn near died in that car when engine#2 threw rods and locked the engine, tore a mount, dropped the clutch linkage, and began a posi slide at 95mph. My life seemed over when the clutch dropped to the floor, I was bashing the shift lever a hard as I could with the palm of my hand to get it out of gear. I said to my friend “we’re dead” the mental images were horrifying!

By some miracle the engine unlocked as oil was now obscuring my vision.

Engine #2 damages: 2 connecting rods, cracked block, several holes in the water jacket and oil pan, pistons shoved into the heads, valves bent, spark plugs flattened and insulators shattered, 411’s will do it every time!

 This photo is similar to engine #2 and shows the need for a blow shield.

[NMMNGParticipant 0]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t all 350’s small block?

[Anonymous 5]

Amcs with the 401 are cool I like 390 swapped gremlins and hornets. Working on a 78 g Mc pickup with a 355 cam aluminum heads and headers 750 holley I think it’s a double pumper and side exit exhaust

[Anonymous 42]

NMMNG wrote:

Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t all 350’s small block?

The LT1 is its designation, they came in trucks, muscle packages, and special order, and yes their 4 bolt main.

Anonymous wrote:

Amcs with the 401 are cool I like 390 swapped gremlins and hornets. Working on a 78 g Mc pickup with a 355 cam aluminum heads and headers 750 holley I think it’s a double pumper and side exit exhaust

Holley’s 750 CFM is allot of volume, it’s mainly for big blocks, or high output high revving screamers, the double pumper gets it’s name from having 2 accelerator pumps.

Electronic fuel injection is boss over any carburetor! No dead spot! No flooding, NO FIRES! Carry a fire extinguisher with you, that 750 can flood worse than Bangladesh!

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