Quote:
Originally Posted by Norm Peterson
As they came off the production line, you aren't all that far off the mark. But at least nobody else's car was enough better to put you at much disadvantage.
As owner-modified for both chassis and powertrain improvements, well, I'll leave you with a couple of pictures. Both cars were viewed as blank canvasses for modification even before stepping into the dealerships to talk about buying them.
1972, as of about 1977
1979, as of 2004-ish. ell ess - this one started out as mostly the same chassis as your 442, just with different sheetmetal and an original 4-speed manual.
Norm |
The Olds Cutlass above was another example. My girlfriend in college got one new in 1985. A nice car for the era and looked great in white, but the suspension was so soft it would bounce for 1/2 a mile after hitting a dip in the freeway. I had to install Bilstein's which essentially fixed it. Should have come that way from the factory.
Today's GM (Ford, and Chrysler) are just completely different companies now.