Dodge Coronet the top muscle car in 1967? According to "Road Test Magazine".....

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gdrill

gdrill

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I found this link and had an interesting read. Cool stuff!

http://www.oldsmobility.com/old/roadtestmag_june67.htm


"Just what is a Muscle Car? Exactly what the name implies. It is a product of the American car industry adhering to the hot rodder's philosophy of taking a small car and putting a BIG engine in it. To balance this out, handling, braking and related essentials are modified to result in a performance machine for the streets. They tack racy names to the car: GTA, GTO, GTX, or just plain GT; R/T, SST, SS, GS or, for the lack of better initials, 4-4-2. They doll the car up with fancy trimmings and put it up for sale. And it sells like crazy"
:D
 
Great Find........

Though they are incorrect with the weight of the 'Coronet R/T' 440/375 HP

The Coronet R/T was only 30 lbs. heavier {#3565 lbs. Shipping Weight} than
the GTX 440/375 HP.

Dick Landy set the AHRA B/SA 'National Record' in 1967 with a 'Coronet R/T' 440/375 HP

* 12.61 @ 110.02 MPH

l_1.jpg
 
I find it interesting that those professional auto testers agree came to the same conclusion I did on handling. Although my personal experience with mid sized ford handling was not even close to my beloved A and B bodies.

Also interesting is that they mention tire technology several times.

I wonder if the GTX had a sway bar? Were the T bars adjusted the same?

Also interesting is the emphasis placed on lack of side molding.
Oddly enough, I do actually prefer the Coronet 440 trim to the 500, partially because of this.

I wonder how they managed to think the Mopar scoops were functional.
I thought they were professionals. They sure complained about the others enough.

Weight of cars is greatly affected by the options.
It would take a paragraph to list weights for all possible combinations.
Simply bench or buckets and or console, and power or manual steering and brakes can be a hundred pounds or more.

How much farther ahead would the Dodge have been on 15x7s with G70s??

I can also theorize that the somewhat mediocre 1/4 mile times were mostly because of those tires as well. These same cars, with 50,000 miles on them were turning better times in the 80's!

Huh, the also noted the mirror placement. I've always thought the 66/67 placement was MUCH better than the 68-70 placement, specifically due to head turning requirements.
 
1967 GTX 440 and R/T 440

Both had the same 'Heavy-Duty' Suspensions.
* Front Sway Bar {Anti-Roll Bar} = .094" Size

Wheels were only 14" x 5.5"
Tires were 'Baloney Skins' = 7.75 x 14" Red Streak {26.60" Tall x 5.25" Wide}

Standard Drum Brakes {11.0" x 3" Front} and {11.0" x 2.50" Rear}
Power Assisted was 'Optional"

Front Disc-Brakes {11.04" Diameter} were also 'Optional'

The Automatics came through with an 8 3/4" Rear {3.23 or 3.55 Gears]
The 4-Speeds came through with the 9 3/4" Dana {3.54 Gears}

Though the Shipping Weight was listed at {3535 lbs. for the GTX}, the
Curb Weight was #3775 lbs. {Damn Near #3800 lbs.} without a Driver.

I had a 67' GTX Automatic. It was a Monster' in a straight line, but
was 'Bulky' like Sonny Liston in the Handling Department. It was not 'nimble'.

Honest Performance

The GTX 440 and R/T 440 'Automatic Transmission' cars did a number on everyone
in NHRA Class 'B/SA' in 1967.

But, the GTX 440 and R/T 440 '4-Speed Transmission' cars were done in by the
Camaro Z-28, Oldsmobile 4-4-2 and Pontiac GTO in NHRA Class 'B/S' in 1967.
 
Just fer "....." my 64 426 440 series Dodge had a sway bar, as well as my 70 440-6 car, which had the heaviest "hemi" "track pak" suspension you could get. It remains one of the best handling "big" cars I've ever owned. My 69 383 RR had no sway bar as I recall, had manual 11" brakes.

The 70 outhandled the 69 by a wide margin, but I soon put radials on the 70, and never had very good tires on the 69
 
I never fell off my bicycle. Much.
 
should dispel any myth about first muscle car era being greater than the current one
 
General Information

'Back in the Day'

Both the 1967 GTX 440 and Coronet R/T 440 were 'solid' street Musclecars,
are were not to be taken lightly on the street.

With 3.55 Gears, a properly tuned 440 would run low 14.00's @ 100 MPH in
street trim.

Most of the GTX and R/T cars were 'automatics', and they ate up most of the
other Big-Block 'automatics' on the Street, without too much difficulty.

A 'solid' Street Beast.

Only real complaint,

* The Factory capped off the gears at {3.55 for Automatics} and {3.54 for 4-Speeds}.
* 3.91's should have been available for the 'Automatics'.
* 3.91's and/or 4.10's for the 4-Speed with the Dana Rear

* The 'Inland' Shifter........'sucked'

* 15" x 6" Magnum Rims with a G70 x 15" Tire should have been an 'option'

Wish List

* Under-hood Air-induction Unit, made available for both the GTX 440 and R/T 440

* 'Ram-Air' Option, Solid-Camshaft and 11.0-1 TRW Forged-Pistons, and Aluminum Dual-Plane High Rise Intake
 
I was going to bring up the inland shifter issue.
 
YY1 said:
I was going to bring up the inland shifter issue.
Click to expand...


The Hurst Competition/Plus Shifter wouldn't work with the 'Console'.

And the Inland Shifter had the required 'Reverse Lock-Out' mechanism, which was now a mandatory safety device.

That was Chrysler's 'big argument'.

Inland Shifter

Inland.JPG
 
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