Capturing a piece of early 70s Trans Am mojo...what can be done?
First, I know better (as do most of you) that driving an actual race car on the street would be fun for about three minutes, then the sweltering heat, unrelenting noise and vibration, the punishing ride and handling, and the generally terrible drivability would make this seem like a very bad idea. Don't get me wrong, I would do it any day of the week...but a car that is planned to be kept and loved on a lifetime scale is usually better set up to a slightly more civilized standard.
That said, it's hard to argue with the absolute badassery and beauty of the Trans Am racing cars from the early 1970s. Boss 302 Mustangs, Z/28s, Javelins, AAR 'Cudas, Challenger T/As (and others too) resulted in race cars that were so spectacular that they could make a teenage boy almost forget about girls for a moment or two.
I have always wanted a little bit of this flavor in my own car (acquired when I was a teenaged boy). While the Duster/Demon/Dart Sport was not a body style that was ever raced in Trans Am, I have always suspected that if they were campaigned in that series, A Body coupes would have fared very well thanks to their light weight, favorable weight distribution and excellent suspension. I'm sure some of you guys know the rules a bit better than I do but it's impossible not to imagine the same regulation small block doing MUCH better work in a platform that was 200-300lbs lighter than a 'Cuda or Challenger right off the bat.
For my own car, the mods have always tended in that direction. I started in on chassis stiffening and suspension stuff right away, looked for places to drop weight, added period-correct looking sports car style buckets, selected wheels that were as close as I could get (within my budget), coughed up the cash for a four speed swap, etc. It still feels like the car has a LONG way to go before it really invokes the spirit of those incredible machines.
Has anyone else been inspired by Trans Am racers? What have you done to get a piece of that in your own car?
First, I know better (as do most of you) that driving an actual race car on the street would be fun for about three minutes, then the sweltering heat, unrelenting noise and vibration, the punishing ride and handling, and the generally terrible drivability would make this seem like a very bad idea. Don't get me wrong, I would do it any day of the week...but a car that is planned to be kept and loved on a lifetime scale is usually better set up to a slightly more civilized standard.
That said, it's hard to argue with the absolute badassery and beauty of the Trans Am racing cars from the early 1970s. Boss 302 Mustangs, Z/28s, Javelins, AAR 'Cudas, Challenger T/As (and others too) resulted in race cars that were so spectacular that they could make a teenage boy almost forget about girls for a moment or two.
I have always wanted a little bit of this flavor in my own car (acquired when I was a teenaged boy). While the Duster/Demon/Dart Sport was not a body style that was ever raced in Trans Am, I have always suspected that if they were campaigned in that series, A Body coupes would have fared very well thanks to their light weight, favorable weight distribution and excellent suspension. I'm sure some of you guys know the rules a bit better than I do but it's impossible not to imagine the same regulation small block doing MUCH better work in a platform that was 200-300lbs lighter than a 'Cuda or Challenger right off the bat.
For my own car, the mods have always tended in that direction. I started in on chassis stiffening and suspension stuff right away, looked for places to drop weight, added period-correct looking sports car style buckets, selected wheels that were as close as I could get (within my budget), coughed up the cash for a four speed swap, etc. It still feels like the car has a LONG way to go before it really invokes the spirit of those incredible machines.
Has anyone else been inspired by Trans Am racers? What have you done to get a piece of that in your own car?