Respectable street car?

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KnuckleDuster

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What is your definition?

To me, it is a get in, go anywhere car.
It gets over 10 mpg.
Less than 3500 rpm on the highway.
Tops out over 120 mph.
Scares your in-laws.
Does at least a teen quarter mile.
Looks awesome from 30 ft away.
Has a back seat! ;-)
Can drive in the rain.
Not a TOTAL cop magnet.
Won't suffrocate you.


Please add to this list, and share your examples.

This should be great fun!
 
A car that rattles the downtown business windows when I drive by and yanks the front tire at the stop light.
 
Excellent idea, for a thread.... To me a reliable street car, that runs 12 's or better on pump gas.....
 
fury iii old photo.JPG
 
1....MOPAR
2....Starts
3....Stays running
4....Stops
5....Sounds good
6....Doesn't leak
7....Turns heads
8....Makes you happy
9....Not more than 5 of the same car in your neighborhood.LOL.
 
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This was the definition. 70RR, 440-6, 4 speed, 3.54 Dana. If I had the money I'd have a "fleet" and at least one would be modern drivetrain and be driven every day. I would change little maybe the color The car had "knee knocker" aftermarket AC

(Imagine the idea, not this old photo!!)

440roadrunnerOLD.jpg
 
Older respectable mopar street car to me is:
  1. No overheating, period!
  2. at least 14 mpg, hopefully more
  3. 2500 or less rpm's at 55 mph
  4. You can talk in the car without yelling (in other words, tolerable exhaust)
  5. Runs off of normal pump gas
  6. performance is strictly "doing good with what ya got". PERIOD. A 16 second stock super six with 3.23's is more impressive than a 12 second aluminum head built 440 with 4.11's. Get the point?
 
To me there's absolutely nothing cool about a muscle car that can get it's *** kicked by a BMW, Camry, or a minivan. It must run 11's at the absolute slowest, or it's all show no go. An overdrive is a must. There's nothing cool about running 55mph in the right lane and sounding like you're doing 155mph. People laugh at the old guy in the dinosaur while they zip by at 80mph @2000rpm. Handling and braking should be up to modern standards or it should stay on a trailer. I realize that my opinion may sound harsh, but I've heard a gazillion stories about muscle cars tearing up the road... I've only ever seen them hold up traffic. Most of them (or thier owners) would be better suited to museums. A car that looks badass, has 700hp, handles like a wheelbarrow, stops like a dump truck, and is gonna throw a rod on the highway is useless to me.

So for me...
1. 11's minimum
2. 2500rpm or less at 80mph
3. Handling on par with a modern pickup
4. 100k+ before anything needs attention under the hood

Don't care about comfort, mpg, sound deadening, heat, ac, leather *** warmers, back up cameras, or GPS.
 
To me there's absolutely nothing cool about a muscle car that can get it's *** kicked by a BMW, Camry, or a minivan. It must run 11's at the absolute slowest, or it's all show no go. An overdrive is a must. There's nothing cool about running 55mph in the right lane and sounding like you're doing 155mph. People laugh at the old guy in the dinosaur while they zip by at 80mph @2000rpm. Handling and braking should be up to modern standards or it should stay on a trailer.
So for AJ...
1. 11's minimum even low 12s, Hows about 93 in the 1/8th,
2. 2500rpm or less at 80mph, hows about 2250@65,cuz Actually the speed limit here is 100kph. 80 would be 2770ish
3. Handling on par with a modern pickup Find one to keep up with me around town,lol; but I get what you mean. Some of the new pick-ups do pretty good.
4. 100k+ before anything needs attention under the hood hows about 115k and still going strong
5. how about mpgs near 20US
6. comfortable enough for a daytrip to 8 hours away.
7. don't care about tunes,A/C, yadayadayada
8. sounds like a screaming banshee at 7200, but almost too quiet at under 3000
9. understated but tastefully done paint, so as not to be a "cop-magnite"; Not there yet.
10. never overheats or boils the gas, or starts hard or does anything except what I tell it to with my right foot or my left foot or the steering wheel; she just be's dutifully obedient.Yes I'm a two-footed driver; right means go, and left means stop both together means you're a moron and shouldn't be allowed to drive in the first place. Grumble,grumble,grumble.
Hey If you can steer and shift and clutch and gas, and watch where you're going, while watching several other guys doing the same thing all around you; all at the same time; it seems to me giving the left foot a second job is not rocket science! Ok where was I?
11. I'll give up a little quiet cuz the only passengers I ever have are first timers, and they're always; screaming, crying,laughing, and are never up for a second go-'round, and all-the-time yelling: Let me out! let me out!.............. Wimps!
12. Yeah definitely agree with; Handling and braking should be up to modern standards

13. Should idle like a metronome as long as necessary, and idle around the fairgrounds more or less pulling itself, and not act like an old jumpy Mustang.
14. Gotta have a bit of rumpiddy-rumpiddy in the pipes.
15. Gotta run on 87E10, so it can be a DD when necessary. In my case for years and years and years.
 
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So for me...
1. 11's minimum Hows about 93 in the 1/8th
2. 2500rpm or less at 80mph, hows about 2250@65,cuz Actually the speed limit here is 100kph. 80 would be 2770ish
3. Handling on par with a modern pickup Find one to keep up with me,lol, but I get what you mean. Some of the new pick-ups do pretty good.
4. 100k+ before anything needs attention under the hood hows about 115k and still going strong
5. how about mpgs near 20US
6. comfortable enough for a daytrip to 8 hours away.
7. don't care about tunes,A/C, yadayadayada
8. sounds like a screaming banshee at 7200, but almost too quiet at under 3000
9. understated but tastefully done paint, so as not to be a "cop-magnite"; Not there yet.
10. never overheats or boils the gas, or starts hard or does anything except what I tell it to with my right foot or my left foot or the steering wheel; she just be's dutifully obedient.
Sounds good to me. I'm glad you get the pickup truck reference. I've raced both dirt and asphalt cars my whole life. I seem to be able to hang with the typical Vette/Mustang/Camaro goon just fine with a modern pickup. All the stock muscle cars I've driven handle somewhat on par with a Bobcat skid steer.
 
RustyRatRod said it best. Whatever makes the owner happy. My Dad loves old, classic cars. But he wouldn't pay a wooden nickel to go 12's.
 
I agree, really no wrong answer.
Just thought it might be interesting to see what ideas and examples we get.

Ok. I'll give you my personal example. My Mercury Bobcat project.

1976 Mercury Bobcat. (Mercury's version of the Pinto)

1999 GT40P 5.0 Explorer engine. Rebuilt and carbureted. Holley Street Dominator intake. 600 DP. Custom ground hydraulic roller. 9.5:1. Desktop Dyno says 330 HP and 360 LB FT. T-5 World Class 5 speed and 3.40 geared 8" rear axle. Car will curb weigh in at about 2500.

11" 5 lug Maverick rotor and GM metric caliper front conversion and 5 lug axles for the rear. 14x7 Ford Magnum 500 wheels with 235/60/14s. Front and rear HD sway bars.

My goal is a factory "what if" car. One that will be fun as HECK to drive every single day if I want to and still get decent fuel mileage.
 
Ok. I'll give you my personal example. My Mercury Bobcat project.

1976 Mercury Bobcat. (Mercury's version of the Pinto)

1999 GT40P 5.0 Explorer engine. Rebuilt and carbureted. Holley Street Dominator intake. 600 DP. Custom ground hydraulic roller. 9.5:1. Desktop Dyno says 330 HP and 360 LB FT. T-5 World Class 5 speed and 3.40 geared 8" rear axle. Car will curb weigh in at about 2500.

11" 5 lug Maverick rotor and GM metric caliper front conversion and 5 lug axles for the rear. 14x7 Ford Magnum 500 wheels with 235/60/14s. Front and rear HD sway bars.

My goal is a factory "what if" car. One that will be fun as HECK to drive every single day if I want to and still get decent fuel mileage.
Sounds like one of the first cars I built. A 77 Pontiac Astre. Swapped in a turbo 231/ 200r4 out of a wrecked Buick GN. Crazy fast for a street car in the early 90's, handled pretty good, and got roughly 30mpg if I kept my foot out of it.
 
Ok. I'll give you my personal example. My Mercury Bobcat project.

1976 Mercury Bobcat. (Mercury's version of the Pinto)

1999 GT40P 5.0 Explorer engine. Rebuilt and carbureted. Holley Street Dominator intake. 600 DP. Custom ground hydraulic roller. 9.5:1. Desktop Dyno says 330 HP and 360 LB FT. T-5 World Class 5 speed and 3.40 geared 8" rear axle. Car will curb weigh in at about 2500.

11" 5 lug Maverick rotor and GM metric caliper front conversion and 5 lug axles for the rear. 14x7 Ford Magnum 500 wheels with 235/60/14s. Front and rear HD sway bars.

My goal is a factory "what if" car. One that will be fun as HECK to drive every single day if I want to and still get decent fuel mileage.
The perfect description, of a hot street cat (car...for the rest of us...). I have done 4:10 gears ,4500 stall converters, and solid lifter cams... It's good, but technologies improve. The cool part , about your combo: It's affordable, proven for 25 plus years. It works....
 
The perfect description, of a hot street cat (car...for the rest of us...). I have done 4:10 gears ,4500 stall converters, and solid lifter cams... It's good, but technologies improve. The cool part , about your combo: It's affordable, proven for 25 plus years. It works....

....and I HAVE literally EVERYTHING I described to put it together......except the 5 lug rear axles. It's been so farfegneugen hot here I aint done anything to it. It's comin though. lol
 
What is your definition?

To me, it is a get in, go anywhere car.
It gets over 10 mpg.
Less than 3500 rpm on the highway.
Tops out over 120 mph.
Scares your in-laws.
Does at least a teen quarter mile.
Looks awesome from 30 ft away.
Has a back seat! ;-)
Can drive in the rain.
Not a TOTAL cop magnet.
Won't suffrocate you.


Please add to this list, and share your examples.

This should be great fun!
I like that list so far! :thumbsup:

But let me add:
- Still starts and idles when the temperature is below freezing, doesn't overheat in outside temps over 100*F
- Can be driven in stop and go traffic for 20+ minutes without mechanical consequences, regardless of outside temperature
- No more than 3,500 rpm on the freeway (70 mph minimum)
- Can be driven over speed bumps without leaving hard parts behind
- Capable of spirited* driving on winding roads without significant brake fade, 4 wheel drifts or loss of lane control,
(* spirited- possibly faster than the posted speed limit, definitely faster than signage for recommended corner speeds, but no misdemeanor level driving offenses :p)

Personally I take mine a lot further in the handling department, I have to be able to hang with modern cars. That used to be not that big a deal, nowadays the traction control thing makes it pretty difficult because any knucklehead can put some serious g loading on a car with the assistance of the traction controls out there now, even without knowing much about how to drive.

This one gets about 13-14 mpg on average (I've done as well as 15mpg, but that's not as much fun). It currently turns 3,500 to do 76 mph (I need an overdrive), and gets daily driven. My commute is longer again so it's probably going to do 10k miles a year again. It doesn't overheat even when it's in traffic over 100*F outside temps (done it), runs on 91 octane, sets off car alarms, can hold a whole Costco run worth of groceries in the trunk, backseat still works (and folds down for the big stuff!), drives in the rain, clears speed bumps, and is perfectly capable of surprising a lot of performance handling cars out on the backroads. It'll push you back into the seats on acceleration, throw you into the belts on hard braking, and will leave you looking for an extra handle in the corners. When the T56 gets installed it should be even more streetable, I can put more gear in it for the cam and still manage the freeway better. If I were smart it would have had a 408 stroker in it instead of a 400~ish hp 340, she's wound a little tight for an everyday car but it's still manageable.

IMG_2478 copy.jpg

Sounds pretty decent too
 
To me I depends what you want to do with it

Take it out a couple times week/month/year or nice day daily driver or run everyday possible.

Plus is it a show car/ race car/ street strip

All these thing will effect what you ask of it.

My car personally I want to be able to drive it everyday except winter which around here don't really start till Dec now days.
Like to be able to hit the drag track once and a while maybe even some auto x events.
Doesn't have to be crazy fast or handle like a viper just enough to be fun. Got a 380hp create engine now when I paint the engine bay in a couple of winters, I'll port the heads and add 2.02 valves and go Rhoads lifters and 1.7 roller rockers add top and bottom end and go rpm airgap. But right now focusing on reliability.
High way doesn't matter to me much, everywhere I go is 50 km radius from me. My work is 10 minutes away. So I'm going 3.91 with 26" tires and can always swap in the 2.96 if going on a trip.
 
To me there's absolutely nothing cool about a muscle car that can get it's *** kicked by a BMW, Camry, or a minivan. It must run 11's at the absolute slowest, or it's all show no go. ...

Ouch...Well, you just wrote off 80% of our cars on this forum! :D

The reality is that "go" is very relative to the state of technology but there's a way of delivering that go that makes a huge difference. I'd bet you anything that if someone took a 2017 V6 Camry through some kind of a time portal back to 1967, it would be as quick as most muscle cars while out-handling and out-braking all but the best sports cars in the world, it still wouldn't have become the choice of gear heads as the delivery of that performance is still so sterile and mundane. .

Take a look at how car people have received the Tesla Model S P100D. Yep. It will run low 10s with anyone at the wheel but it still somehow misses the whole point.
 
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Ouch...Well, you just wrote off 80% of our cars on this forum! :D

The reality is that "go" is very relative to the state of technology but there's a way of delivering that go that makes a huge difference. I'd bet you anything that if someone took a 2017 V6 Camry through some kind of a time portal back to 1967, it would be as quick as most muscle cars while out-handling and out-braking all but the best sports cars in the world, it still wouldn't have become the choice of gear heads as the delivery of that performance is still so sterile and mundane. .

Take a look at how car people have received the Tesla Model S P100D. Yep. It will run low 10s with anyone at the wheel but it still somehow misses the whole point.
------------------------You guys left out, BRUTAL, UNADULTERATED, SLIDE SIDEWAYS WHEN U GET ON IT HORSE POWER .
 
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