About a week after I bought my 66 Coronet circa summer 1985, I was cruising the local 4 lane road that went by the place where all the car guys hung out, and also served as a very popular stoplight drag track. We all know the type.
The car was bone stock 318 poly 727 2 barrel 2.94 open rear, and only a careful carb and timing tune, tweaked advance curve, good plugs and wires and some holes drilled in the factory style muffler for performance mods.
I ran into a guy I knew from school. More of an acquaintance, really. He had a 72 Malibu and I knew he had spent some money rebuilding the 350 and putting a 4 barrel on it. Not sure of anything else, though. But later I learned it had 3.08 gears
I could see he was weaving through traffic so that we'd end up at the light at the same time, and when we did, he did the customary rev and release a couple times.
When the light changed, I got about a bumper ahead, and my adrenalin started to kick in. It stayed pretty much right there up to about 60, and then I started slowly pulling ahead and had a door lead by about 75.
Since the road was 45, I backed off and enjoyed the silly smile on my face.
We got to the next light at the same time too, and it was an almost identical rematch, with the same results.
That wasn't the last time that 80,000 mile 318-2 got the best of a fresh 350 4 barrel, either.