Death of a Trans Am

[snooper2]

[wandy]

1. It's almost SPRING! Thanks for reminding me.

[Liberal_in_LA]

2. can it be saved?

[leveymg]

3. Lakewood is your friend.

Lucky he didn't lose a foot. Driving 150 mph on the street, could have been a lot worse.

Not to say that I haven't also been exceedingly lucky, myself. Many times.

[Separation]

4. I race IHRA 1/8th mile

I have a 68 camaro 502 BB. I can say with all to frequent experience, your ride is only as strong as its weakest link.

[nebenaube]

5. speaking of catostrophic clutch/flywheel failure...

I used to run the open bottom cast iron truck bell housing on my `69 chevy small block. Easy clutch replacement and a bit more shielding was my goal. I wonder if it would have survived without taking my ankle out.

[Mnpaul]

6. My neighbor used to do this on a regular basis

He had a '67 'vette 427 tri-power. He had about a dozen bell housings in his garage that looked like they were used for target practice. That thing was a brute. I would walk over on a Saturday morning and he would be picking pieces of clutch out engine compartment.

[Go Vols]

7. Death of a Trans Am Part 2: The Birth of the Red Raped Ape

&feature=share&list=UUTiiFS39_0XCagjGSdiyZeg

[Blue_Tires]

8. Don't care much for the music, but sweet ride

R.I.P., Pontiac Motor Division...

One night I saw a WS6 at a stop light a few weeks back, and was instantly reminded how much I missed those trademark Pontiac sinister red gauges....

[snooper2]

10. And my wife wants to get rid of our 06 Grand Prix..

For an SUV...

I should sell it outright and suprise her with a 2009-11 GTO

[EOTE]

14. Get the Goat!

But I believe 2006 was the last year, with 2005 and 2006 being the two years to get the LS2. If you're looking for a more proper replacement for your Grand Prix (I'm assuming it's a 4 door), look to the Pontiac G8, especially if you want a V8 and RWD. Unfortunately, the only way to get a stick is to get the 6.2L V8 (in the GXP version), it's a shame they don't offer that slick, OHC V6 with the stick, but 400+ HP and a stick in a sedan can hardly be beat. I miss Pontiac.

[Blue_Tires]

15. That GTO was flippin' sweet...

When I was living in RI I saw a brand new yellow one (dealer tags) do a burnout in a grocery store parking lot, cut a donut in the street, and then pull up to the stoplight and peel off once the light turned green...(it was like 3am, so I was probably the only person in the world who saw it)

I was thinking, if someone was filming that, it would be infinitely better than any commercial Pontiac could ever create...

[bvar22]

9. Not to be too picky, but...

...those were small block heads.
I guess it is different today than when I "ran",
and I guess you can bore out a small block, and stroke it to 427,
but 427CID means RAT MOTOR BIG BLOCK to me.

The car seems pretty fast, but somebody who builds an 8000RPM motor
without a Blow Proof Bell Housing is an idiot with a death wish
....and then he proves it in the video.
In at least one clip, it appears that the driver is holding the camera
at speeds over 130.

[sendero]

12. I felt like...

... the most important piece of information was left out. What make of clutch was it? Surely it wasn't stock.

There are clutches made for that kind of torque and there are those that are not. Clutch failure is *relatively* rare, one would hope they weren't running with a stock or otherwise low-grade clutch

[EOTE]

13. The LS7 is a small block.

A pretty freaking huge small block, but a small block nonetheless. It probably came from a Z06 Vette. And even the stock LS7 revs like nobody's business. With no mods, it revs a bit higher than 7k, it doesn't feel like a push rod engine at all.

[bvar22]

16. Looks all aluminum too.

That is wild,
but I'm old, and my heart belongs to Old School Rat Motors.
Of course, we don't have the street gas to run 12.5 compression anymore,
but hearing an old, de-tuned Big Block ROAR will still make my heart beat fast.
Hearing a small block wind up just hurts my ears.

The NASCAR "Stock Block" pushrod 355s can turn 10,000,
and made +/- 900 horses with a single 4-BBL Holly.
Things have come a long way.

I haven't bought a "new' car since 1984,
and will NEVER buy a "new" car.
I haven't built up a motor since 1985....
.....but I still remember.

I now drive a 14 year old Ford Ranger 4WD Off Road with the little V-6
and a 5-speed stick. 4WD is necessary top get to my house,
and, luckily, my wife is one of the few women I have ever met who much prefers to drive a stick.
One of the reasons I love her.

[EOTE]

17. My SO also greatly prefers a stick.

She's been driving a crummy Sentra 1.8 for the past 9 years or so, so I'm looking forward to looking for a replacement with her.

If you don't think you like the sound of small blocks, you need to give the LS7 a listen. I love the LS series of engines in general, but the LS7 has an incredible exhaust note. Not shrill at all, but absolutely ferocious above 5 grand. It's hard to match the combination of 7 liters of displacement and a 7K+ redline.

I absolutely agree with you about used cars. I've never bought new and barring a lottery win, I never will. I'm a bit of a GM muscle car nut, though, so someday I hope to have my 1970 Chevelle.

[MagickMuffin]

11. I have his little sister the Firebird

I couldn't afford the trans am. So, I got the next best thing Mine is a black 02, and I had to opt for the automatic (which I had to settle for because of issues with my legs).

I have only gotten her up to about 100 mph. Don't need any more speeding tickets But it was fun getting her up to speed!