Leave it on just to get the appearance, but hammer the guts out of it. Not that anyone I know ever did that...
I've got a friend with a 75 455 Trans Am that I will be helping him build/restore. More than likely a 2017 participant. I think this is a great opportunity for a younger guy or gal with a limited budget to get involved. Not everyone is fortunate to own/afford the early Muscle cars. But they can afford something Like these....................
I would love to see a Volare Road Runner compete....one of my guilty pleasures. TechG8 on the board here has a pretty sweet running 403 Trans Am, and I'm trying to talk him into jumping in....
I say let them in and name a new class just for them. Call it the "Smog Era" class. I think it might bring in lots of cars.
As Steve said, they are already in. Notice was given on the website and on the 2016 event flyers. Won't have their own class, they will be mixed in. Won't be any different watching a 55 Studebaker vs. a 69 Chevelle, or a 68 Firebird vs. a 76 Nova SS. Flyer says the addition of the 75-79 cars built/marketed with a performance image/package, but it's always best to call the event organizers and run your car by them for approval. I don't think this will cause a huge influx of new cars, but it opens up the chance of seeing something new and unique.
I think there is going to be a lot of money spent on "stock" engine builds. 75 - 79's so they can run with or faster than the earlier cars, 55 - 74's so they don't get beat by the smogers. It will be a good time to have a high performance,....err I mean stock engine rebuilding business. Jasper crate engines for everyone! What will happen if,...I said if, the owner of a 1969 Hemi RR loads up and goes home when paired against an 360 Aspen R/T that is the quicker of the two in time trials? Some have said it can't hurt to try, but after people have spent lots of money on Jasper Crate Engines for these smogers, it's going to be hard to put back in the bottle if things don't go quite so well. Why worry about a 200 HP level when all of these Jasper Crate Engines are going to blow right by that? Tom N
seeing a bunch of new cars will be great but Ford really screwed us Ford guys for this one as the only 4 barrel anything from 75-79 would be a Torino/Montego/Cougar/Ranchero with a 460.
