Confessions of a former import owner: Why I decided to get a classic Mustang

bull999999

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Jun 26, 2004
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The infamous "1967 Shelby gt500 VS 1999 skyline gt-r r34 v-spec" at http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=481690 inspired me to post this thread.

Past high performance cars I owned includes 1991 Stealth Twin Turbo (a rebadged 3000GT VR4) and a 1990 Laser Turbo (one of the early DSMs). Granted, those cars are easier and cheaper to mod initially (50-70 HP gain at the crank by just doing the air intake, exhaust, and boost controller mod), but it gets VERY expensive. Not to mention that everything is jam packed under the hood, which makes working on them a major PITA (more so on the Stealth/3000GT than DSMs). I can open the hood up on my 65 Stang and tell you exactly what each components, wires, and hoses do and work on them without requiring acrobatic movements. It wasn't so with the Stealth or the Laser.

I ended up bending the valves on the Laser when the crank pulley came apart, took pieces of the plastic timing belt cover with it, and cause the belt to jump. I pulled all the crap off of the head (you wouldn't believe the amount of wires and hoses that you need to pull just to get the head off) and was thinking about putting on a rebuilt head. It turns out that it'll cost about $1600 to order a rebuilt head at the local auto parts stores. It seemed pretty ridiculous when you consider that a rebuilt roller cam 5.0 long block can be ordered at the store for about $1100. That's when I decided to just give up on the Laser and started to look for a classic Mustang, as I like the style, and having owned a 78 F250 with a 400, I knew that those "old school" cars are easy to work on.

I still don't see why the above poster thinks that imports are easier to get into 10s and 11s when parts for domestic cars are generally more plentiful and cheaper, not to mention that swapping out a motor on domestics are much easier than doing a timing belt change on a Civic. And why is that every one on the import scene supposedly knows someone who has a street legal import car that can do 11s and lower but you never seem to see one on the streets or at your local drag strip during the Tech and Tune nights.

BTW, I don't hate imports. I have a 93 Honda Civic, totally stock except for a drop in K&N air filter (those are worth 50HP on Hondas, right? :rolleyes: ) that has great gas mileage.
 
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lets see, $1600 for a rebuilt head for a stealth, or $1600 for a pair of bolt on sbf heads in aluminum(aftermarket), or $2200 for a pair of bolt on aluminum aftermarket 460 heads. yes i think i will stay with american cars thank you.
 
Heres the deal I think, the kid's (im a kid too, 18) friends mostly have imports, and as all guys, we wanna have a faster car. If the kid got a stang or a LS1 and beat the ricers, what would that prove??? I understand, he wants a fast ricer to beat the other ricers just like we want fast stangs to beat camaros heheheh
 
65fastback2+2: Good point.

I almost got sucked into the ricer scene when I first started getting into cars. Then I took a look at an rundown '73 that hadnt been driven for 5 years that my dad parked at our old house. When I started to do some research, i found that i had some potential in my hands. Its pretty hard being a teen driving a car that while is classic, being in such bad shape gets no respect. most of my friends were ricers and I got teased for the mishaps that classics tend to have when they are "under construction". But when I finally got it running and looking pretty good, people noticed. It all culminated to the day I got to embarass a riced out civic and "modded" eclipse in front of the whole school.

See the highway passes right in front of our school and all the people would stand outside on friday and see if anybody would square off. This "tradition" had started about two years before. We live in a pretty rural area, no traffic, and no one is going to be walking by the freeway. So it just so happens that i was leaving and i was behind the two cars as we were pulling out of school. We turned onto the freeway in the same direction and they lined up and nailed it. I was just going to watch them go but i realized that every one was going to see this and think that i had lost when i wasnt even participating. So I gunned it. Mind you, except for a Holley 2V and a Dual setup through Thrush Turbo mufflers, everything was stock. The civic stayed way behind, I was behind the eclipse and as soon as I had a chance pulled up alongside and dusted him as we passed the school. The next day everyone congratulated me. The ricers were pretty mad but alot of my friends who have Stangs and Camaros felt justice was served. We even started our own unofficial car club, "Cubic Inch Displacement".
 
Stang_1973 said:
65fastback2+2: Good point.

I almost got sucked into the ricer scene when I first started getting into cars. Then I took a look at an rundown '73 that hadnt been driven for 5 years that my dad parked at our old house. When I started to do some research, i found that i had some potential in my hands. Its pretty hard being a teen driving a car that while is classic, being in such bad shape gets no respect. most of my friends were ricers and I got teased for the mishaps that classics tend to have when they are "under construction". But when I finally got it running and looking pretty good, people noticed. It all culminated to the day I got to embarass a riced out civic and "modded" eclipse in front of the whole school.

See the highway passes right in front of our school and all the people would stand outside on friday and see if anybody would square off. This "tradition" had started about two years before. We live in a pretty rural area, no traffic, and no one is going to be walking by the freeway. So it just so happens that i was leaving and i was behind the two cars as we were pulling out of school. We turned onto the freeway in the same direction and they lined up and nailed it. I was just going to watch them go but i realized that every one was going to see this and think that i had lost when i wasnt even participating. So I gunned it. Mind you, except for a Holley 2V and a Dual setup through Thrush Turbo mufflers, everything was stock. The civic stayed way behind, I was behind the eclipse and as soon as I had a chance pulled up alongside and dusted him as we passed the school. The next day everyone congratulated me. The ricers were pretty mad but alot of my friends who have Stangs and Camaros felt justice was served. We even started our own unofficial car club, "Cubic Inch Displacement".

good words