Re: Mopars can be cool!
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: olredalert</div><div class="ubbcode-body">----If I can throw a bit of fuel on the fire, a "street stock" Hemi wasnt generally that fast a ride. I whipped more than a few of them, and have owned more than a few of them. That part was relatively easy as weight was the difference. The guys that dug into them a bit (not just posers with an idle and an emblem) found that they needed about two more points of compression and a bit wilder cam. Any sort of good internals didnt hurt either. That plus good exhaust and a gear and any hemi around Akron Ohio would spank just about anybody who was willing to come out to play. Just the same as many here, I know as I was there!!! I used to get drilled on a regular basis when the serious Hemi guys came out as my 66 427/425 Vette only had a 3:70. No matter how much tuning we did we would not get the job done when they showed up unless they broke. I couldnt afford much more. All I had was welded on, spin off plumbing pipe dumps like most every one else. It was all still more fun than I can even explain weather I won or lost. Where I was it wasnt all about the benjamins (although that helped) but the bragging rights.......Bill S </div></div>
Exactly Bill. That is what I meant if I did not state it correctly. A stock street hemi needed help to match it's image. The two cars I referred to in the day were bone stock and they just did not run. They were 13.4 times at best. I still stand by my assertion that Mopar was the only brand that offered a real race motor ordered from the dealer whether it was a hemi or a max wedge. I will admit I never saw one on the street in the day. They really were not for daily driving and Mopar made that very clear. A modified street hemi with cam, headers and headwork would beat me more often then not, but my L78 motor was bone stock with the addition of tires and headers, and neither car touched me. Remember, the L78 in the Chevelle was the exact same motor that was in the 1965 396 Corvette. Chevy did not want to show up the Corvette so they "downrated" the same motor in the Chevelle. It wwas really 425hp or better not 375. You are also completely spot on, it was all bragging rights, money never entered into it in my circles. In 1966 it was all I could do to pay my car payment and insurance.
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