[DoubleVision]

A few weeks back on the engine board, a few of us got to talking about classic myths. I`m not sure if this applies to the rest of the country, but here in the south I can name the ones I`m familiar with. And they are:
When some guy is speaking of a Oldsmobile engine, no matter what year, or what cubic inch, it`s a "350 Rocket" cause the guy don`t know what size it is and never bothered to check, he was either told it was or he thinks it is just because it`s a Oldsmobile. Even in Olds that had small block chevy`s in them, he`ll still call it a "350 Rocket"
And the next one is the classic "3/4 cam" I`ve heard this one so many times it makes me laugh when I still hear it. Usually the guy talking about it wouldn`t know a real 3/4 cam if it hit him on the side of the head. "3/4" and "full race" cams were for flat head ford engines, but the guy doing the talking says his SBC has a "3/4" cam, so I say "Then you must have 3/4 of a engine"
The next one is "350 four bolt main" I`ve heard this one a million times, they say it with pride and act like the 2 extra bolts give it a 100 more horsepower or make the block something special.
Next is "Police interceptor" This myth drives me crazy. Some kid will tell me "oh it`s a police interceptor" I looked into the difference in power ratings in the 1993 ford crown vic`s, the stock version had 190 horsepower, the police interceptor had 200. 9 times out of 10 the vehicle they are referring to isn`t and never was a police vehicle, but they have to say it because they want you to believe it`s fast. When I say to them it wasn`t a police vehicle they say "oh when the original engine went out we had the interceptor installed, cost us a lot of money too"
And the last myth is the classic "it`s a corvette engine" I don`t even think I have to explain this one, I`ve met so many that will jack up the price and say "it`s a corvette block" and i`m supposed to give you more than it`s worth for a raw block because it`s a corvette block? it doesn`t matter what block it is, it`s not going to give it anymore power regardless of what it came out of. Or, if you ask somebody what they got under the hood it`s always "A corvette engine" It makes me wonder where some guys get this crap at, if they don`t know whats the point in lying about it?

 

[Duane lxiv]

Kind of makes me wonder where all those Corvettes without engines are.
One of my favorites is "it's a 289 HI-PO"

 

[powerrodsmike]

I always crack up when I hear the one where people say they have a Boss 302 , and it was factory installed in a notchback mustang with an automatic..uh-huh.

Later, mikey

 

[Bryan59EC]

Kind of makes me wonder where all those Corvettes without engines are.
One of my favorites is "it's a 289 HI-PO"

The badges on my former 65 Mustang & my uncle's 64 Ranchero said:

High Performance
289

Both were solid lifter engines------noisy little things

 

[cranky1]

And it's not for a Ford....or even a flat head....
http://www.photodump.com/crankshaft/34cam.jpg.html

 

[NEW INTERIORS]

A few weeks back on the engine board, a few of us got to talking about classic myths. I`m not sure if this applies to the rest of the country, but here in the south I can name the ones I`m familiar with. And they are:
When some guy is speaking of a Oldsmobile engine, no matter what year, or what cubic inch, it`s a "350 Rocket" cause the guy don`t know what size it is and never bothered to check, he was either told it was or he thinks it is just because it`s a Oldsmobile. Even in Olds that had small block chevy`s in them, he`ll still call it a "350 Rocket"
And the next one is the classic "3/4 cam" I`ve heard this one so many times it makes me laugh when I still hear it. Usually the guy talking about it wouldn`t know a real 3/4 cam if it hit him on the side of the head. "3/4" and "full race" cams were for flat head ford engines, but the guy doing the talking says his SBC has a "3/4" cam, so I say "Then you must have 3/4 of a engine"
The next one is "350 four bolt main" I`ve heard this one a million times, they say it with pride and act like the 2 extra bolts give it a 100 more horsepower or make the block something special.
Next is "Police interceptor" This myth drives me crazy. Some kid will tell me "oh it`s a police interceptor" I looked into the difference in power ratings in the 1993 ford crown vic`s, the stock version had 190 horsepower, the police interceptor had 200. 9 times out of 10 the vehicle they are referring to isn`t and never was a police vehicle, but they have to say it because they want you to believe it`s fast. When I say to them it wasn`t a police vehicle they say "oh when the original engine went out we had the interceptor installed, cost us a lot of money too"
And the last myth is the classic "it`s a corvette engine" I don`t even think I have to explain this one, I`ve met so many that will jack up the price and say "it`s a corvette block" and i`m supposed to give you more than it`s worth for a raw block because it`s a corvette block? it doesn`t matter what block it is, it`s not going to give it anymore power regardless of what it came out of. Or, if you ask somebody what they got under the hood it`s always "A corvette engine" It makes me wonder where some guys get this crap at, if they don`t know whats the point in lying about it?

I have to agree with you,These still make me laugh too..

 

[ericnova72]

"Pontiac Big Block" is a good one.

 

[DoubleVision]

Sure Cranky, I have a magazine ad right here from a popular hot rodding august of 1986 issue. Cam dynamics has the advertisement in this magazine about the "3/4" race cam. Sure, the term is still used but it`s just a name. The funny thing about the ad is it says "best of all, it`s a "no hassle" camshaft" but it says you need a looser torque converter and a vacuum reserve system if you run power brakes. That spells hassle to me.
What I meant on the 3/4 cam thing is it`s very similiar to the "350 rocket"
No matter what cam the guy has, even if it`s stock with a exhaust leak to give it a lope they`ll still say it`s a "3/4" cam, because they don`t know enough to know the difference.

 

[cranky1]

Yeah, I know what you're talking about....just thought I'd throw that up there lol. It's the same thing when someone advertises a 1979 Dodge 4 door and calls it a classic lol

 

[26Tudor]

The badges on my former 65 Mustang & my uncle's 64 Ranchero said:

High Performance
289

Both were solid lifter engines------noisy little things

Correct. Right above the little "289" fender badge, in small, about 1/8" letters, it said "High Performance" and copuld have been either the 271 horse, or, doubtful but maybe in a hardtop Mustang, the 306 horse.
And yes, they WERE noisy, those solid lifters were set at .020" hot, and running... Gawd what a mess that used to make until I got a stock set of 289 valve covers, and cut the top out and used a long, angle bent feeler gauge to get in there...

 

[MARTINSR]

Kind of makes me wonder where all those Corvettes without engines are.
One of my favorites is "it's a 289 HI-PO"

My brother and I have joked for years that there is this field somewhere like the ones where they had all the war birds after WWII that is filled with Corvettes with their hoods off and motors gone, nose in the air.

And of course, there is another field next door full of 48 Mercs. :mwink:

Brian


All these planes were cut up for scrap!

 

[C-10]

Yep all those myths are alive and well here in Ohio also. I especially like the '350 rocket'

Makes me Laugh Out Loud.

I keep hearing NOS used as a noun. Well some say NAWSS. It's more prevalent in the import crowd.

I've heard 'em say NITRO too when referring to Nitrous Oxide.

 

[cobalt327]

Not too long after the SBC engine became a hit, guys would be at the 'yard and want to show the Old Man their mill. They'd pop the hood and there sits (even then) the "belly button" 265/283 Chevy.

"Ported and relieved, she is!", the proud owner would exclaim.

Dad would just walk away shaking his head.

In the very early '70's it seemed like everybody with a Ford product had a "Cleveland", whether it was even a 351.

Had a kid, Bobby Abraham (even sold cars- used ones) I went to school with. Real know-it-all. He's sitting at the lakefront one day, hollers over to my group, "Hey, Mark! Got a 350 Cleveland in it (motioning over to his ride). Wanna run?"

This dumb *** was pointing to a freakin' new 1973 Monte Carlo!! LOL This was lame on many levels- I was then known to have the quickest ride in those parts- and it was just a '68 Le Mans w/a "389" Pontiac engine in it (actually it was a 421 w/RAIV heads, but what's a few cubes among friends, right?).

And every SBC that ever came through the shop had a "Duntov" cam in it. Didn't matter if it was a hydraulic stick w/rounded lobes, an engine w/retarded timing, a bad miss, vacuum leak- whatever. If it ran "rough", it was 'cause it had that killer Duntov cam!

 

[killerformula]

A few weeks back on the engine board, a few of us got to talking about classic myths. I`m not sure if this applies to the rest of the country, but here in the south I can name the ones I`m familiar with. And they are:
When some guy is speaking of a Oldsmobile engine, no matter what year, or what cubic inch, it`s a "350 Rocket" cause the guy don`t know what size it is and never bothered to check, he was either told it was or he thinks it is just because it`s a Oldsmobile. Even in Olds that had small block chevy`s in them, he`ll still call it a "350 Rocket"
And the next one is the classic "3/4 cam" I`ve heard this one so many times it makes me laugh when I still hear it. Usually the guy talking about it wouldn`t know a real 3/4 cam if it hit him on the side of the head. "3/4" and "full race" cams were for flat head ford engines, but the guy doing the talking says his SBC has a "3/4" cam, so I say "Then you must have 3/4 of a engine"
The next one is "350 four bolt main" I`ve heard this one a million times, they say it with pride and act like the 2 extra bolts give it a 100 more horsepower or make the block something special.
Next is "Police interceptor" This myth drives me crazy. Some kid will tell me "oh it`s a police interceptor" I looked into the difference in power ratings in the 1993 ford crown vic`s, the stock version had 190 horsepower, the police interceptor had 200. 9 times out of 10 the vehicle they are referring to isn`t and never was a police vehicle, but they have to say it because they want you to believe it`s fast. When I say to them it wasn`t a police vehicle they say "oh when the original engine went out we had the interceptor installed, cost us a lot of money too"
And the last myth is the classic "it`s a corvette engine" I don`t even think I have to explain this one, I`ve met so many that will jack up the price and say "it`s a corvette block" and i`m supposed to give you more than it`s worth for a raw block because it`s a corvette block? it doesn`t matter what block it is, it`s not going to give it anymore power regardless of what it came out of. Or, if you ask somebody what they got under the hood it`s always "A corvette engine" It makes me wonder where some guys get this crap at, if they don`t know whats the point in lying about it?

Another note about "cop" vehicles is that they're generally heavier too because of all the crap the state puts on them. My old man was a cop for about 30 years and I asked him a few times about the police vehicles. The other thing he mentioned about them is that those vehicles are run all day long. So 50,000 miles is a long life for a cop car. By the time you turn that over on the clock the thing is pretty much shot. They get run hard and have the crap beaten out of them. "I would never in a million years buy a former police vehicle" he told me. So much for all the glamor!

K

 

[26Tudor]

Yeah, and all those "Duntov" cams were the infamous "30-30", too.....

 

[cobalt327]

Yeah, and all those "Duntov" cams were the infamous "30-30", too.....

Oh, absolutely! That's a given!! LOL

Another one is the myth surrounding "pop ups".

Back in the day, dweebs would be all about having pop ups, w/o knowing what they did, or even what they were! But they had 'em. All you needed to do was to ask them!

 

[Joe G]

Funny stuff...

Although I am guilty of referring to 421-428-455" Pontiacs as a Big Blocks - who knew.

"Pontiac Big Block" is a good one.

A guy I know swears his '70 Coronet has a numbers matching "440 HEMI".

 

[cobalt327]

I am guilty of referring to 421-428-455" Pontiacs as a Big Blocks - who knew.

If you want to posture like you're in the loop AFA Pontiac's go- use "21", "28" or "55" when talking about the big Poncho's.

Like, "I had RA IV's on my 21, it ran pretty good."

Then, if they start spewing about McKellar cams- change the subject. lol :sweat:

 

[matt167]

how about all the Mopar 360's AMC put in there cars, or the 327 Chevyd they used in Ramblers

 

[Jsup]

Most of my thoughts were taken in the original post, just wanted to say GREAT THREAD!