Guys, I've been uploading some old road test footage to YouTube, and thought you'd like to see them. Hope you enjoy!! :beer 1968 Hurst/Olds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FINO_FKnbX0 1969 GTX http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LekPe50ilkw 1969 AMX 390 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R6gqjEzYZo 1969 Mustang 428CJ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePNAuF4IJdc 1972 Buick Riviera GS http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8ZJ2zW9poI 1971 Ford Torino 429 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYAVTlVnQyk 1973 Buick Gran Sport 455 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTavyisTF80 1971 Olds 442 W-30 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcty12ZkOLU More to come...:TU:
:gp: Ya.Imagin that.A fast Oldsmobile.I used to watch that program in the 70s.It was sponcered by Hastings Oil Filters.The opening for the show was a GTO at the lights taking off.Too cool. Thanks for the memories.
Stock 400 Olds gettin' er done.....:3gears: :moonu: :TU: Anybody know where this diamond in the rough is hiding these days???uzzled: ray: http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=vPFTFsL1uzk
Had a request for some more full-sized. Here's a 1971 Olds Delta 88 455-4V. Check out the 0-30 mph time. :shock: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tubwtHf81A Mike
Funny how they always run these with the drivers side glass down. Wonder why? Then again, everybody smoked back then. These GMPG performance drivers were something else. I remember riding around the top lane of the high speed track that encircles GMPG in Milford flat out in a 1967 98 prototype and the driver didn't have either hand on the steering wheel for the entire lap. The cars and the track were that perfect. EVERYBODY ran their air cleaner lids upside down back then. Had that great induction sound, especially for magazine test videos like this. Negated some of the effects of the ram air at very high speeds, but there still was a lot of outside cooler air coming in to help. Supposedly helped the low speed performance rather than drawing air through those 4 foot tubes, but think that was more seat of the pants, sounds faster than actual. Noticed that 88 had a big trailer hitch on it and he mentioned the H.D. suspension. The trailer tow package included a 3.42 axle and these big cars were a ball to drive before the big heavy bumpers and emissions add-on crap took over. The B01/B07 Police apprehender packages were really something else. Olds used the Ingham County Sheriff's office and Lansing police force for test beds with lots of engineering test cars in their fleets. They were VERY fast cars. In 1971 they began using the B bodies instead of the A bodies like before. You wouldn't believe what was under the hood of some of those cars. These are great, Mike, thanks.
Those early 400's were really hot. 4 inch stroke and 4 inch bore. Loved to rev. The later 400's in 68 and 69 were torque monsters with a 3.87 bore and a 4.25 stroke. Perfect for Vista Cruisers, less than exciting in the 442's. The 455 Hursts and 350 W31's came to the rescue there. Just weren't that many of them. All was well in 1970 when the 455 went into all the 442's. No need for a urst package then, especially the one Olds marketing wanted them to do. Hint, hint......it was bright yellow and looked like it should be fast...and could have been if engineering and Hurst had their way.
Dave, my first thought on the flipped H/O air cleaner lid was that Doc wanted to make sure the camera/microphone would hear the throaty 4-barrel going around the track. Could be that he thought with the air cleaner lid installed properly (and the hoses connected) it was too quiet for the cameras? Another thing I like about these tests is that it gives us a rare opportunity to see engine compartments (in color) the way they really looked when a car was new. Interesting to see how emission decals are sometimes crooked (or have a big crease in the middle of the sticker), or how the vac hoses were routed. These were just new cars at the time, and the engine compartments weren't detailed for the cameras. I might have to lay off posting anymore Ford tests. A guy was really ticked off about the 69 Mustang 428CJ test. :rant: Hey, I just posted the video, I wasn't the test driver. :moonu:
Ah, if he thinks Fords are faster, he is welcome to come to Stanton ............. post away and thanks.
It'd be interesting to know what the history of that Delta is that was used for that video. Obviously at GMPG, but didn't have M plates. High compression was cancelled in March, of 1970, and up to there, 1971 engines were going to continue with high compression like the 1970's. There was even a 1971 W31 in the works up to that point. Most magazine cars were done very early (why promo something that's going out of production), so I'm wondering if that car had the high compression 455 instead of the production low compression one. Car for car, they 1970 and 1971 88's and 98's were about the same performance, but the new 1971 B cars were a lot lighter and handled eons better than the 65-70 models (tanks and land yachts mostly). They'd run about the same with the low compression 455's, but really were fun with the higher 68-70 high compression ones. Think those police cars had that combo. I always thought a 71 B car convertible or hardtop would be a very fun street car with a W30 package and trim theme on it. It had the lighter bumpers than the later ones.
Dave, I didn't know that about the 1971 B-bodies being lighter. I remember back around 1980 a guy pulled into our gas station with a Delta 88 (72?), and it had factory Olds magnesium wheels. Any idea when those were available? Were they truly magnesium, or polycast like the Pontiac honeycomb wheel? Just added another full-size, the 1972 Buick Centurion. This thing laid down some serious 0-30 times too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxI5Vo6qcRY Mike
Those wheels were in fact polycast wheels from Motor Wheel Corp (right across town in Lansing). They were neat. :TU:
I still have (for the Ford fans) a 68 Shelby test, a 69 Mustang Mach 1 428CJ, a 69 Torino Cobra, and a 69 LTD. The other Fords faired pretty well. Would you believe I also have a 1970 Mercury Cyclone test, and it was a 351 2-barrel? :shock: Dave, I always thought those Olds polycast wheels were pretty cool, and a very unique part of Olds history. I also have a test of a 74 Omega S (350-4V) I'll have to put up for you, as well as a 74 Cutlass 455. I've been debating whether to put up a shootout between a 74 Pinto and 74 Vega (a wagon, with woodgrain sides no less). It still sends shivers down my spine seeing the driver doing 180's and doing 70 mph braking tests. ray: And....ummm...I also have a 71 Gremlin test. uzzled: Some uncommon cars I also have tests of: 327 Supercharged Avanti II (I think it's a 68/70?), 73 Buick Opel Manta, 68 Jaguar XKE. Any interest in those? Also, I just put up a 73 Cuda 340 test. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ToC4idpgOQ More to come... Mike
