Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: DiabloTX on January 31, 2008, 01:44:29 PM
-
I first heard about in in High School in the mid'80s. It was something of a myth, a legendary car movie that had dropped out of circulation. In fact, late night cable didn't even play it and I couldn't find it on VHS anywhere. So the other night my wife is at home channel surfing the channel guide and see's that its going to be on later that night. She recorded it to DVR and I just finished watching it.
It's a minimalist movie and I love it. Very little dialog and a good deal of racing, both on the street and at drag strips. It's amazing to me how the contrast of the homemade '55 against the factory built '70 GTO made for great tension, the "built" vs "bought" dynamic. A bonafide 70's cult film, a great time capsule on celluloid. If you like cars and retro'70's film it's a must. I know some of you older guys have seen it and remember it so this is mainly for the ones like me who never had a chance to see it. Also, I didn't buy the James Taylor as the driver bit either, don't know why they cast him in that role.
4 out of 5 stars.
-
This was my favorite bit of dialog from the movie:
DRIVER: Well, sure, I'd be grateful to find out. Only thing is (his tone changes, becoming more defined, firmer) I'm not exactly in the habit of seeing the Chevy work against some two-bit piece of junk.
PLYMOUTH DRIVER (angry): Make it fifty.
DRIVER (completing the deal, his tone hard and matter-of-fact): Add a yard and a half and you got a deal, mother****er!!!!
-
I dont think I ever saw it, maybe I'll check Netflix and see if its available. I remember seeing "Vanishing Point" and the original "Gone in 60 Seconds" but I must have missed that one
What channel was it on? cable or satillite?
-
The GTO was a non stock 70 Judge with the badging removed. I had a book on GTOs that talked about the car in that film.
It was also a 370 HP ram air 4 I believe.
The 55 chevy is the same car that was used in American Grafitti.
-
"The Big 'Little GTO' Book"? That's where I read about it.
(http://i13.ebayimg.com/04/i/000/d1/6d/2364_1.JPG)
Still have it and look at it often.
The channel that broadcast it was 'retroplex', I think it's Starz.
-
I know a lot of those old movies are starting to pop up on Amazon lately (the original "Gone in 60 Seconds" just showed up in my recommended list the other day), might want to look for it again. Apparently a lot of those old "niche" movies are being reissued on DVD recently.
-
Originally posted by DiabloTX
"The Big 'Little GTO' Book"? That's where I read about it.
(http://i13.ebayimg.com/04/i/000/d1/6d/2364_1.JPG)
Still have it and look at it often.
The channel that broadcast it was 'retroplex', I think it's Starz.
LOL thats the book.
I have 2 copies even, but both have a newer version of the cover.
Great book if you love goats or old muscle.
-
Bah, theres only one car worth writing a book about...
(http://www.mustangproject.com/images/Products/121465AP.jpg)
:t
-
Originally posted by Treize69
Bah, theres only one car worth writing a book about...
(http://www.mustangproject.com/images/Products/121465AP.jpg)
:t
How many rainbow stickers do you have on your stang cutie?
-
Just one. Right on the bottom edge of the front bumper. Got to get close to see it though.
-
Originally posted by Treize69
Just one. Right on the bottom edge of the front bumper. Got to get close to see it though.
Your a girl right, I have never met a guy who liked early mustangs. They are so wimpy.
-
The only good 'Stangs were built between '65 and '73.
-
Originally posted by Treize69
The only good 'Stangs were built between '65 and '73.
Well I can almost agree with you.
But the only good stangs before 67 had to be rebuilt by shelby.
They got interesting, and more manly in 67.
They stopped being cool in 71. (as cool as any car that is for chicks at its core)
:D
-
Originally posted by Treize69
The only good 'Stangs were built between '65 and '73.
Had a`65 Stang convertible. Look in Webster`s under "Junk POS". I believe there is a picture of it there. :)
I remember seeing Two Lane Blacktop at the drive-in along with Easyrider.
Both classics.
-
It was a great drive in movie at the time. All the girls loved james taylor who was a heart throb at the time. It made us hot rodders seem a little more "romantic". Plus.. we could all show the girls how real men shifted a hurst equipped 4 speed.
lazs
-
it was a RA3 GTO .. RA4's have a very distintive exhaust note (round ports)
the Gto shoulda been two days ahead easily ...that ole 55 with the rockcrusher and 4.10 ---.88 or so gears woulda wore itself out the 1st day.
(row the boat) :noid
now speaking of Shelby's ... here's one ive worked on over the last 5 yrs ..its a very nice peice .
65 Shelby gt350r (http://www.hemmings.com/mus/stories/2008/01/01/hmn_feature1.html) drooling allowed :aok
-
Actually, I'm a die-hard Pony fanatic who doesn't like Shelbys. Does that make me some kind of freak?
I much prefer the Boss and Mach 1 to the the Shelbys- with the exception of the GT-350H, and that one I just like for the color combo.
-
Originally posted by Treize69
Actually, I'm a die-hard Pony fanatic who doesn't like Shelbys. Does that make me some kind of freak?
Yes... it does...
I like them 65 - 70, fastbacks or convertibles, Shelbys, CobraJets, California Specials, GTs. I dont really care for the coupes or notchbacks.
-
The black 55 Chevy used in those movies actually had a Joe Reath built 427 Chevy with a tunnel ram and two 4 barrel carbs. It also had a 400 turbo automatic in it, despite all the sound track and movie shots that made it look and sound like a 4 speed car. Watch the crash in "American Graffiti" real close and you'll see the pan on the 400. Neither the 427 Chevy nor the 400 transmission were available in the 1962 setting of "American Graffiti".
At one time a guy here local owned both the black 55 Chevy and the yellow deuce.
-
well... not to put too fine a point on it but there was a big block chevy in 62.. 348/409/427 and.. there was a 3 speed turbo trans... you could also hook up trannies from other cars.. I had a 47 chevy coupe with a B&M hydro full manual body.
I believe the car in two lane blacktop had a 4 speed in it when the movie was filmed.. the turbo was added later.. could be wrong.
lazs
-
Originally posted by lazs2
well... not to put too fine a point on it but there was a big block chevy in 62.. 348/409/427 and.. there was a 3 speed turbo trans... you could also hook up trannies from other cars.. I had a 47 chevy coupe with a B&M hydro full manual body.
I believe the car in two lane blacktop had a 4 speed in it when the movie was filmed.. the turbo was added later.. could be wrong.
lazs
I had a 409. It was a 1963 409/425. The 427 version came in 1963, it was known as the Z-11. It was not the same as the 427 in the 55 Chevy. It was NOT a big block. It was a "W" motor. It shared main bearing spacing, rocker arm ratio, and valve sizing with the later introduced (1965) big block. Even then the big block introduced in 1965 was a 396, and not a 427. The crankshafts, oil pumps, and rocker arms can be interchanged, but little else can. Having owned both a 409/425, and now racing a 427/425, I can tell you they are cousins, but they ain't brothers.
The old Hydramatic transmissions had little in common with the 400 Turbo-Hydramatic, introduced in 1965. There were some "pull ahead" versions of the 400 installed in 1964, in come Cadillacs.
The black 55 Chevy used for the movies was built by Joe Reath, and had a 427 Chevy with a Weiand tunnel ram and two 660 cfm Holley carburetors. The transmission was a 400 turbo. There were a couple of 2nd and 3rd unit cars built for filming, including the one that was wrecked at the end of American Graffiti. The "star" car that is seen in most of the shots has an automatic in it. There is of course "Foley" sound in the track that is a recording of a 4 speed car, and there are interior shots of a car with a 4 speed. There MAY be 2nd or 3rd unit shots of a car with a 4 speed in it.
-
virgil... Of course the W motor is not the same... some same things tho... as the current big block but it is a big block.. has the worst but sexiest heads in the world too.
I don't know if the car had a turbo or not.. I just know that in shots with the interior of the car the shifter was for a 4 speed and taylor was working a 4 speed in the shots of him shifting. He was shifting a 4 speed.
lazs
-
Originally posted by lazs2
virgil... Of course the W motor is not the same... some same things tho... as the current big block but it is a big block.. has the worst but sexiest heads in the world too.
I don't know if the car had a turbo or not.. I just know that in shots with the interior of the car the shifter was for a 4 speed and taylor was working a 4 speed in the shots of him shifting. He was shifting a 4 speed.
lazs
< has 2lane bt ..and yea he rows the boat alot in that 55. and speaking of "W" mills .. I think i'll curl up on the one in the shop today .. (even has the z-11 Exhaust manifolds on it ):D
-
W heads are not nearly so bad as you might imagine. The problem with W motors is the pistons weigh about 1500 grams (my 427/425HP Stock pistons weigh 680 grams). A W motor would be great in Stock if you could keep parts behind it. They're stick only, and in cars that weigh 3700 pounds. Even a Jericho 4 speed doesn't like that, and the 55-64 Chevy rearend is pretty iffy as well. The two piece driveshaft sucks, too.
-
55 chevies don't have 2 piece drive shafts.... that came out in 58
The W heads themselves are not the problem per se but they do cause the pistons to be heavy sooooo in the end.. it is a head design problem.
55-64 rear is crap.. the worst of the bunch. ten and twelve bolt out of camaros would bolt right in tho.. did it a bunch of times.
On my healey.. I use a 56 rear but a posi with danna 44 spider gears and ford ends.. that way I can run 30 spline axles instead of the puny 17 that you could twist like a pretzel.. the ring and pinion is strong enough.. marginal but.. with posi...
lazs
-
Originally posted by Captain Virgil Hilts
W heads are not nearly so bad as you might imagine. The problem with W motors is the pistons weigh about 1500 grams (my 427/425HP Stock pistons weigh 680 grams). A W motor would be great in Stock if you could keep parts behind it. They're stick only, and in cars that weigh 3700 pounds. Even a Jericho 4 speed doesn't like that, and the 55-64 Chevy rearend is pretty iffy as well. The two piece driveshaft sucks, too.
thats why we put a pontiac or 9 inchers in them ..hell the wheels on the local shoping cart were stronger . .. put the 9 inch in .. stroke it to 454 and now we get to pick up 4sp countershafts off the street ..LOL
as for those clankity billy club pistons .. you can get 800-950g now so there not too bad anymore .. and alum heads are available (at a decient $)
2 peice drive shafts showed back up in 60-61 ..want one ? (if i trip over it again):furious our 3 58's here all have 1 peice .. but i could be wrong .
now how about the companion flanged 58 buick rears .. leaky leaky
-
came out in 58.. 59 model year.
The buick one is a nightmare.. my son had a 57 buick.. great looking car.. nice nailhead motor.. better grill than the olds (in my opinion) but that crap driveshaft and worthless turbo something 3 speed auto.
lazs