Car Craft

OST OF US OWN EXACTLY one (1) car that has to commute, cruise, travel, race and do-it-all reliably. We own exactly one (1) "real street" car.

CC gathered a harvest of real street cars for Real Street Eliminator VI (RSE) at the Fairplex in Pomona, California. Cars for all the mundane and extraordinary things car guys do. Cars built under the pressure of a mortal budget.

Eleven cars wore invited but tragically, Mark Dalquist's '67 Riviera was consumed by an engine fire before making it out of Minnesota, leaving 10.

It was the largest, most diverse field ever. "Traditional" street machines were Lynn Mosmeyer's Texas small-block '55 Chevy, Erik Bergren's big-block '70 Chevelle, Chris Rentas' bigger-block '70 Camaro, and Rick Blowers' aIl-olds alI-the-way-from-Missouri '72 Cutlass. "High Tech" was covered by Ken Zeller's supercharged '86 Corvette, Don Sanford's AWD Kenne-BeIl-equipped '91 Syclone, and Leon Li's '88 Supra Turbo. "Contemporary Muscle" was shown by these Eighties terrors, Chris Myrhe's '89 Mustang and Adi Mudaliar's Canadian '87 Grand National. Blair Smith's '58 Ford was our "Cruiser."

This year, every car ran one set of tires during the tests. The exhaust had to be legal and all normal street equipment (Iights, horn, turn signals, etc.) in place. Every car had to show current registration and be modified by its owner. RSE is for guys who drive what they build.

Incredibly generously, BFGoodrich supplied the field with tires. Every car could start the event on new rubber, and no one would have the advantage of some super exotic, DOT-approved (wink, nudge, say no more), shaved gumballs. How better to equalize things than quality BFG Comp and Radial T/As?

Scoring

With such a range of cars, it is folly to compare them. Welcome to folly.

The competition was in six categories: Acceleration (100 points), Slalom (75 points), Braking (50 points), Fuel Economy (25 points), Ride & Drive (100 points), and Craftsmanship (150 points).

In the first four categories, the best performing vehicle received maximum points. The other scores were a percentage of the best car's performance. If the fastest car turned a 12.00 e.t., it scored 100 points, and a 14.00 e.t. would earn another car 85.71 points (12.00 ÷ 14.00 x 100). If the best car got 20 mpg it would receive 25 points, and a car getting 8 mpg would only receive 10 (8 ÷ 20 x 25).

The objective scoring, except for the fuel economy, was done on Day One at the Fairplex. Acceleration and braking test driving was done by CC contributor C. Van Tune on the Fairplex's untreated, and rather slow, dragstrip. Acceleration and braking were calculated using CC's fifth-wheel.

The slalom driver was Motor Trend Road Test Editor and road racer Mac DeMere. The slalom course was a straight line with six cones spaced 100 feet apart. The fastest time won.

Fuel economy was determined during Day Two's Ride & Drive, using the odometer in the Chevrolet Astro AWD pace van to calculate consumption.

The objective measures were worth 250 of the 500 available points. Of equal importance was subjective testing conducted the next day, reflecting the collective opinion odf six judges: CC Editor John Baechtel, CC Associate Editor Chuck Schifsky, CC contributor C. Van Tune, CC Special Projects Manager Michael Johnson, Mustang & Fords Editor (and former CC staffer) Jerry Pitt, and High Performance Group Associate Editor Erik Falconer.

The most points (150) were at stake for Craftsmanship. The judges assessed each car's fit and finish, drivetrain quality, creativity, integration, and the level of modifications. This category also levels the playing field; a '55 Chevy may not do well on the slalom, but could score big points for all the details and work.

The Ride & Drive (100 points) was 127.9 miles along city boulevards, mountain roads, rural byways, suburban streets, and freeways at legal speeds paced by the Chevy Astro (neat van, go buy one). Each judge drove each car about 10 miles, concentrating on practicality, comfort, and dependability. Dependability can be tough--the route climbed more than 5000 feet on a muggy summer day and some cars overheated.

The numbers were crunched and we came up with a winner.

Acceleration (100 points)

Speed is what has mattered most to car guys through 100-plus years of car guy stuff. All acceleration scores are based strictly on quarter-mile e.t.s.

There are "street" cars that will run 8's, albeit on slicks with a drag racing suspension, open exhausts, and a motor with a 3000 rpm idle. But few cars on realistically sized street radials with a real world suspension, corked, and a Iivable engine, will break into the 11's. Most hard-running street cars, and RSE competitors, run in the 13's.

Aided by a shot of nitrous, Chris Myrhe's Mustang was at the top of the 13-second group, running a welI-controlled 13.45 @ 107.81 mph. The launch technique was gentle to not overwhelm the tires, but its high trap speed indicates the nitrous push at run's end.

Right behind the Mustang was Ken Zeller's Corvette running 13.51 @ 102.65 mph. We expected more from a supercharged Corvette with nitrous. An air intake over the hot headers and an unfortunate air route from the blower to the intake, kept the car from performing anywhere near expectation.

The Camaro, Chevelle, and Bel Air just weren't built for the slalom and were not happy doing it. The '58 Ford was downright miserable--and more fun. With massive amounts of body roll, slug-slow manual steering, a huge thin steering wheel, and a slick bench seat, the Ford was a major drama. It was a hairy, scary, and testosterone-packed thrill machine, even if is was slow.

Fuel Economy (25 points)

Each car was filled at the 127.9-mile Ride & Drive's start and end. The amount it took to fill the car that second time was used to calculate mileage.

Using its Doug Nash 4+3 overdrive transmission and 8.3:1 compression to advantage, the Corvette proved the most economical and returned over 19 mpg. Not surprisingly, since its engine displaces only 3 liters, the Supra was next, followed by the Mustang, GN, and Syclone. As long as drivers stayed out of boost on the turbos, fuel economy soared.

The big engine cars never stood a chance. Worst overall went to the '55; an abysmal 6.80 mpg. That's the price for having an 11-second street car.

From here on out, we offer opinions.

Craftsmanship

This was the single most important competition and the most points went to Chris Myrhe's '89 Mustang. What struck the judges wasn't an endless array of high-buck parts, but the detailing of every component. This is a no-buck, high-effort automobile; a car whose owner has invested more sweat and thought than green into its construction.

Among the details that impressed the judges were the way the blue stripes on the hood of the car continued not just on both sides of the hood, but through the radiator shroud and up along the firewall. In order to do that, Chris must have pulled the engine.

While most of the engine components are stock, each was removed and either painted or polished for visual effect. Also, the A/C system used blue hoses to go with the car's theme and the nitrous bottle mount was singled out for compliments. The aftermarket body kit used on the exterior was not only well-integrated into the car, but had been optimized to fit well too. And the simple Center Line wheels were perfect  for this car.

Though everyone admired the effort in Chris's Mustang, some thought it may be overdone. One less set of stripes and losing that ball at the tip of the radio antenna would have been better.

Right behind the Mustang came Leon Li's Supra. While it doesn't have near the Mustang's detail, every aftermarket component was perfect in the car, and each component was top quality.

118.75

115.33

113.75

111.92

97.50

96.67

93.08

91.66

88.58

83.17

One judge noted about Lynn Mosmeyer's '55 "very #%&*ing cool." As cool as it was, with its wild cam, loose converter, and loose vintage steering box, it wasn't the easiest or most comfortable car for long drive. The car ran a bit warm up the mountain, but nothing drastic. The disc brakes improved things markedly, but standards of comfort and drivability have come a long way since this essentially stock '55 was built.

Leon Li's Supra didn't do anything untoward, but these judges worship low-end throttle and there wasn't enough in the Supra for them. They complained that the engine demands too much shifting get the most out of it. Big kudos went to its quick steering turn-in and stiff, but not harsh, ride.

Rick Blowers' big, comfortable Cutlass didn't shame itself. Malcontent C. Van Tune noted that, ergonomically, "Olds is the worst of musclecar intermediates," but admited that "if you can stand the interior, it handles well and seats five." For the
other judges it seemed low on power and high on handling, and that earned it over 77 points.

"Very cool, very fast, very stock," is how one judge summed up Adi Mudaliar's Grand National. A big, comfortable car, the only complaints were extra turbo noise and harshness from the stiff suspension. Otherwise, this is a car long on traditional Buick comfort.

A speck ahead of the Buick was Don Sanford's Syclone. The closeness is explained by the similarity of the complaints; the only thing anyone could find fault with on Don's mostly stock truck was its relatively noisy turbo.

Everyone adored Erik Bergren's Chevelle. "More torque than a D-9 Caterpillar," said one enrapturee. "Extremely fun to drive," said another. It shifted beautifully, was super comfortable, and didn't complain during the drive. All it lacked here was modern creature comforts.

The best score went to the Mustang. Chris Myrhe's attention to detail paid off again in a car that did everything while coddling its occupants. "The best of all worlds; A/C nice, steering great, handles beautifully, and rides nice," noted one  judge. The clutch was a bit sticky, but no other car would have made as pleasant an everyday driving companion. It didn't inspire the same passionate responses the Chevelle did, but it earned everyone's respect and admiration.

Blair Smith did not participate in the Ride & Drive with his '58 Ford.

1958 Ford Custom 300

Nobody would expect a '58 Ford Custom 300 to perform like a Corvette or late-model Mustang, or even a '70 Chevelle. But Blair Smith's '58 was just too cool not to be included in the comparison.

Powered by a mild '63 390 FE engine crowned by a factory tri-power setup, the car didn't promise to be a rocket, but did have the potential to do everything with style. The car came from Ford with a six and Blair knew the 390 was a direct bolt-in. He did the body work himself while taking an auto body class and David Lee stitched the interior as part of his schooling.

During testing, the '58 performed like a 34-year-old-car. The acceleration wasn't great, the braking distance long, and the slalom entertaining. With infinite dollars, the car could perform like a Ruf Porsche, but that's not the point. This is a simple, neat, old car that's about perfect for any cruise night anywhere on this planet.

1970 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28

A quote from Chris Rentas' letter entering RSE: "This car is no trailer queen and is definitely a runner." OK Chris, then why did it show up for the even on ... a trailer?

How it arrived is inconsequential. How it performed is admirable considering its zero budget. Chris built the car for only $6000, using every recycling resource and tech tip he could find.

With 468 cubic inches of "all throttle, no bottle" HolIey-carbed Rat under its hood, it was the "one set of tires" rules that slowed it to a 13.79 e.t.

Also keeping the car from performing was a lack of completeness. Chris's Camaro isn't fully tweaked, it's a Camaro with a big engine. In any measured category, it finished no better than seventh. In Craftsmanship, the judges appreciated its low-buck nature, but couldn't avoid its wavy fiberglass hood and inconsistent paint. In Ride & Drive it did the unpardonable: it overheated.

1955 Chevrolet Bel Air

The old guys at CC adore Shoebox Chevys. The Executive Publisher owns one, the Special Projects Manager has the nicest '57 on the planet, and the Editor practically squirts thinking about Tom Schauppner's '56 ("Most Excellent" CC, 8/92). We had to include a Shoebox in RSE.

Lynn Mosmeyer's '55 is simple, basic, bitchin', and wickedly, wickedly, wickedly to infinity, fast. Lynn's uncle-in-law bought the car new and always garaged it. Lynn acquired the essentially all-stock '58 with 95,000 pampered miles and no visible deterioration in July 1985, just two years before the garage it had lived in all those years was blown away in one of those mobile home-clearing tornadoes that plague the plains states.

Beneath the all-original bodywork lives a beast: 406 cubic inches of majorly nasty small-block. Despite an all-day duration cam and an 11.8:1 compression ratio, it was amazingly driveable. And with the N.O.S. Cheater engaged, blindingly powerful. A 12-bolt rearend, Nova front disc brakes, and a set of 15-inch RalIy wheels don't cover all the modifications, but it does cover most of them. This as a simple, low-buck car.

During testing, it ripped the head off our dragstrip driver. There was so much RF interference from the glovebox-mounted MSD, our timing computer would not function. Hell, we're lucky an orbiting AWACS plane didn't mistake it for the electromagnetic pulse of a nuclear detonation and order an F-111 retaliatory strike. It was obviously the fastest car. Braking, Fuel Economy, and the Slalom were not kind to this 37-year-old monster. But it was flawless during the Ride & Drive.

1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass

If there were a perseverance award, Rick and Vicki Blowers would have won it for surviving their experience with the "Car Transporter From Hell." Traveling nearly 2000 miles just to enter Real Street is almost enough to make us believe what we do here at CC is important.

This is RSE's first Oldsmobile, and it came with a Mondello-stuffed, nitrous-sniffing 455, F-car front disc brakes and most of the H-O Racing suspension that made Ken Crocie's '64 GTO so close a match for a ZR-1 ("Old Goat New Tricks," CC 10/92). The Blower's Oldsmobile isn't as optimized as that GTO, but it works mighty good.

During testing, the Olds stayed mid-pack in nearly every test. Despite its huge size, it was even faster than the Mustang on the Slalom and never behaved stupidly. That tack of idiocy showed again when it completed the Ride & Drive without complaint. The solidity of the construction was impressive, but it lacked detail.

1970 Chevrolet Chevelle

Nothing in RSE was more traditionally stree5t machine than Erik Bergren's big-block '70 Chevelle. And, though it didn't win, it was the car every judge wanted to own (for weekends).

His car is 22, but Erik's only 19, so he can't have the memories this machine evokes. Stealing time from his glamorous job retrieving driving range golf balls, Erik built the car with his dad Richard and friend James Powers. When his dad showed up at RSE in a nasty, '32 Hi-boy "support vehicle," three CC staffers volunteered for adoption.

The Chevelle's slightly overbored 427, inhaling through a Holley Double Pumper and Edelbrock Tarantula manifold and sending its waste out through Hooker headers and Flowmaster mufflers, was the friendliest carbureted big-block any judge could remember. The way it sounds could lead one to believe it was exhaling through the brass section of the London Philharmonic.

It was mid-pack in Acceleration, but dropped in Braking, Slalom, and Fuel Economy. The 13.77 e.t. was, unsurprisingly, tire-limited. It scored in Creaftsmanship for its gorgeous engine and resto look and did well during the Ride & Drive, completing it effortlessly.

1987 Buick Grand National

Buicks are "doctor's cars" and for doctors addicted to performance, there's the Grand National. So when Dr. Adi Mudaliar submitted his bracket-racing GN, how could we resist?

Despite Canadian socialized medicine, Dr. Mudaliar's Buick is as fast as those down here. Faster even, since he freed up the exhaust system, changed the computer's chip, and added a K&N air filter. It had better handling too, with stiffer ATR variable rate springs at each corner, ATR boxed control arms, Energy Suspension urethane end links, Blistein shocks, and super gummy 16-inch tires.

The Grand National had perhaps the least done to its engine of any competitor, but it was near the top in performance. It never finished worse than fifth in any performance category, including the slalom where it was only 1/100th of a second slower than the Supra. Not surprisingly, it handled the Ride & Drive easily.

Along with the 5.0 Mustang, the Grand National was the great performance achievement of the Eighties. Its performance in RSE proves that.

1991 GMC Syclone

At last year's RSE, a Syclone was our pace vehicle. Every one of the competitors wanted us to run the truck in the competition; a Syclone is just too tantalizing to see merely parked. So this year, we recruited a Syclone--an owner-modified Syclone--for the competition. The first all-wheel-drive vehicle and the first truck in RSE.

Don Sanford already owned a Grand National stuffed with Kenne-Bell goodies when the urge for a Syclone hit. On went Kenne-Bell's upgraded trubo and huge intercooler. The battery was moved to the back, a reprogrammed chip went aboard, a new torque converter was installed, and the truck was lowered 2 inches.

As far as high-tech credentials go, the Syclone had the most. And it finished near the top of the performance categories, falling down only in Fuel Economy. Essentially new, it was lauded for the quality of its modifications, but not their extent. During the Ride & Drive it was flawless.

1988 Toyota Supra Turbo

This is the first four-valve engine to enter RSE. The first overhead cam engine. The first to displace less than 200 cubic inches. The first to wear 17-inch wheels. And, oh yeah, the first Toyota.

The Supra has always been sort of a Japanese Camaro, so it's about as close to being a natural for CC as any foreign car. Beyond the similarity in size, the Supra is about 200-pounds heavier than a third-generation F-car. This is one big car.

Leon Li threw the HKS catalog at his Supra. With an oversize HKS/Garrett AR50 sport turbo, a vast HKS intercooler, and an HKS PFC-FCon engine control computer, the output of the engine went up exponentially. Combined with a lowered suspension and massive wheel and tire combo, this is the meanest looking Toyota any judge had seen. That may all sound expensive, Leon reports a total investment of $4000 above his initial purchase price. We know of street machines with more money in their induction systems. Used Supras like Leon's run about $15,000.

During testing, the Supra was consistently at, or near, the top five in every category, winning the Slalom. The integration of components was admired and the car ran the Ride & Drive easily.

1986 Chevrolet Corvette
Ken Zeller

Good late-model Corvettes are cheap. In a recent L.A. Times classified section, there were three for sale at less than $14K--an '84 was down under $10K! Look at it this way: Erik Bergren paid $7200 for his '70 Chevelle raw material. For a couple thousand dollars more, he could have started with one of the most advanced chassis and suspensions in the world! Chevelles are cool, but a Corvette?! Babe magnet par excellence!

Since used Corvettes are affordable, they're popular for modifications. Mechanical engineer Ken Zeller's '86 started with all the good stuff, from the factory "bonecrusher" Z51 showroom stock suspension to the Dough Nash 4+3 overdrive transmission and the L98 Tuned Port 350. To that, Ken added a set of smog-"exempted" Air Flow Research aluminum heads, a JET smog chip, an emission-approved Top Gun nitrous system, and a CARB-approved Paxton supercharger. All are reasonable upgrades that result in a better, and legal, combination for not a lot of bucks.

The whine of the supercharger and the knowledge of how awesome the Corvette is in the first place had the judges in conniptions even before getting in the thing. As expected, it earned the most points during objective testing, winning both the Braking and, get this, Fuel Economy competitions. Goes to show that antilock technology and a massively over-driven transmission can do. Subjectively, Ken's Corvette didn't fare as well, with his intake-right-over-the-headers coming in for criticism during Craftsmanship judging and the deterioration of the otherwise phenomenal brakes detracting from the Ride & Drive.

1989 Mustang LX 5.0

Last year, Mark Pittington's 5.0-liter won RSE. So this year Mark sent along the nicest other Mustang he knew about: Chris Myrhe's '89 LX.

Detail is what impressed everyone about Chris's car. From the stripes that carried through the engine compartment to the finely polished pieces strewn throughout the car, this was the most pristine car. There's a lot of sweat equity in this car; more has been done through owner effort than dollar application. It's work anyone could do, but few have the patience to do.

Most of the engine is stock, except for a Ford Motorsport B303 camshaft (0.480 lift, 224 duration on both the exhaust and intake sides), ported intake system, 65mm throttle body, large capacity fuel pump, under-drive pulleys, homemade cold air induction, a mass airflow meter machined to a 59mm bore, and plenty of juice through an N.O.S. 70hp nitrous system. Handling is achieved with a sub-frame connector, urethane bushings, BBK springs, the stock shocks, and BFGoodrich Comp T/As on Center Line wheels.

In testing, this Mustang never embarrassed itself and, with the help of nitrous, was second in Acceleration. Of course, it dropped all the jaws during the Craftsmanship judging and performed perfectly during the Ride & Drive.

The Popularity Prize

After subjecting our RSE competitors to two days of BFG-abusing track testing, hurl-and-spew mountian road driving, and several trips to the Ontario Marriotts fabulous all-you-can-binge buffet table, we gave them the chance to speak out. Specifically, as to which of the cars--other than their own--was their favorite.

Contrary to what you might expect, the machine chosen as "coolest ride" by five out of the 10 entrants was not the fastest, nor the best handling, or even the vehicle that won the competition. Erik Bergren's '70 Chevelle won the popularity contest hands down with its classic bodywork, quality of restoration, and all-around strong performance. Others that rated honorable mentions included Chris Myrhe's Mustang, Don Sanford's Syclone, and Adi Mudaliar's GN.

And why such a high percentage of votes for Erik's Chevelle? Most everyone seemed to agree with Leon Li's comment that "Any car that'll chirp its tires in fourth gear is OK with me."

-C. Van Tune

Car Craft

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