Quote:
Originally Posted by Jared1970Chevelle
the horsepower ratings were very different back then to todays counterpart...also the zl1 was a super super rare option that was underated for insurance reasons...
http://www.moparmusclemagazine.com/roadtests/37426/
that explains alot bout the hemi...
and back then low 14's on the street was comparable to low 10s on the street today.... |
I understand that there was gross vs. net HP and rare options. But in recent years they rebuilt some of the factory supercar motors to spec and threw them on today's engine dynos and they were not "junk"- especially if you remove some of the crappy factory supporting parts, like poor flowing exhaust.
That's a good article (note: “I changed the mechanical cam to hydraulic lifters"), but I was talking in terms of engine power, not chassis power regarding the horsepower. Chassis and drivetrain stuff has come a long way. These cars were low-mid 13 second cars (
See this)at best because of chassis and other limitations (bias ply tires). I remember seeing a ZL1 test that showed it picking up a disgusting (80?) amount of horsepower when they dumped the exhaust from the manifolds back for a cheap set of open headers. I guess that's my point- bone showroom stock these cars were "OK" but after a few small mods they would open up greatly. I still wouldn't call the hemi "junk".
I'll see if I can dig up the ZL1 article, scan it, and post it up- it's actually a good read.
