A hard to watch 427 modification

[Patrick N.]

if this hasn't been covered yet, interesting episode of Fast N' Loud modifying an alleged un-restored 68 427 into a Hot Wheels car. The end result is pretty cool but there could have been so many other cars they could have used.

http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/fast-n-loud/photos/hot-wheels-corvette/

[Mark E.]

Re: A hard to watch 427 modification

It is hard to watch an original car get cut up. If they want to really demonstrate their skills, why not rescue a basket case instead of destroying an already nice one? (I couldn't bring myself to watch the the attached video, so I'm assuming it started off in decent shape.)

I sometimes enjoy the program "Car Fix", but two of their projects were also hard to watch. On one they began with an original '37 Ford 5 window coupe that was in very nice shape. Original flathead and everything. They bragged about how the original steel panels showed no signs of previous damage or rust. So what did they do? Chopped it, swapped the chassis using some aftermarket kit and installed a crate engine. How creative.

In another project they took a nice '71 survivor Camaro with no rust and turned it into some sort of grotesque hot rod anyone over 17 would be embarrassed driving. Yes, it was shiny but gee whiz. It was "just" a 307 car, but still, how often do you see clean, no-rust, original second gen Camaros?

Maybe I have more sympathy than sense regarding old originals, but in my opinion there should be a law. A sort of reverse-clunker law that protects them.

[Gene M.]

Re: A hard to watch 427 modification

They own it and in a free country they can do what ever they want with it or to it. No worse than selling a nice car outside of the USA.

[Roger W.]

Re: A hard to watch 427 modification

They said that they would rather have used a not so nice car, but this 68 was the only car that they could find in the short period of time that they had to do the project.

[Ed S.]

Re: A hard to watch 427 modification

They said that they would rather have used a not so nice car, but this 68 was the only car that they could find in the short period of time that they had to do the project.

In the Army we call that PPPP.

[Eric E.]

Re: A hard to watch 427 modification

Seems like a popular thing in Hollywood. Have actors run around in "cool" cars and then trash or destroy them.

[Patrick N.]

Re: A hard to watch 427 modification

Most of these shows play to the resto-mod audience- take a classic an "tweek" it. Not my type of car but my sons loved it. Shows like this help fan the flames of restoration with my boys, which is fun. They asked if I'd do that to my 68 Not gonna happen

[Joe C.]

Re: A hard to watch 427 modification

I saw that when it was first broadcast on TV. I'm no purist and was surprised that I was a bit sickened by watching it. My guess is that they had an easier job dealing with a running, no rust, complete car because they were up against a short completion deadline. It "was" a one owner fairly low mileage 1968, triple black 427/435.

Similar situation occurred some years ago when Mythbusters took a good, running early C4, sat a dead pig onto the drivers seat, duct taped it sealed inside, stuck it into a box trailer and let it sit in the hot summer sun until the maggots spilled out onto the ground some weeks later.

[Mark E.]

Re: A hard to watch 427 modification

Similar situation occurred some years ago when Mythbusters took a good, running early C4, sat a dead pig onto the drivers seat, duct taped it sealed inside, stuck it into a box trailer and let it sit in the hot summer sun until the maggots spilled out onto the ground some weeks later.

Sounds horrible. I can't imagine the myth they busted.

[Joe C.]

Re: A hard to watch 427 modification

Sounds horrible. I can't imagine the myth they busted.

Whether or not the "smell of death" could be completely removed from a Corvette. The myth was that a man died and decomposed in his Corvette years ago, and the new owner was able to salvage the car and eliminate the odor.

In the Mythbusters episode, the entire car was dismantled, cleaned and deodorized but the stench was still present. The car was a total loss and scrapped.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2xpprd

Not easy to watch a perfectly good car ruined.

PS: My '65 was stinky from dead animals/urine/feces/etc when I brought it home. The restoration/solvents and "father time" eventually resulted in the smell disappearing. This is probably the experience of many if not all of the basket case restorations that happen in our world. Given enough time, that 87 Corvette might have lost its stink, although the potency of the horrid stench in the Mythbusters episode donor car was probably more than 100 fold what most experience, maybe 10 years exposure to clean air would have flushed the odor. Then again, few would devote such time and trouble to a C4 Corvette.

[Philip A.]

Re: A hard to watch 427 modification

It is hard to watch an original car get cut up. If they want to really demonstrate their skills, why not rescue a basket case instead of destroying an already nice one? (I couldn't bring myself to watch the the attached video, so I'm assuming it started off in decent shape.)

I sometimes enjoy the program "Car Fix", but two of their projects were also hard to watch. On one they began with an original '37 Ford 5 window coupe that was in very nice shape. Original flathead and everything. They bragged about how the original steel panels showed no signs of previous damage or rust. So what did they do? Chopped it, swapped the chassis using some aftermarket kit and installed a crate engine. How creative.

In another project they took a nice '71 survivor Camaro with no rust and turned it into some sort of grotesque hot rod anyone over 17 would be embarrassed driving. Yes, it was shiny but gee whiz. It was "just" a 307 car, but still, how often do you see clean, no-rust, original second gen Camaros?

Maybe I have more sympathy than sense regarding old originals, but in my opinion there should be a law. A sort of reverse-clunker law that protects them.

I too hate to see these classic collectible cars that are best restored cut-up or restomoded. I prefer to watch the show GraveyardCarz. These guys restore Mopars, some that are true basket cases. Their love, enthusiasm, and detail for these cars is exactly like this site. In fact, in one episode he declined a restoration job because there was so little car to start with (basically the tags) that it would have been a re-body an not a restoration; and he explained for the viewers

[Michael F.]

Re: A hard to watch 427 modification

made me want to throw up, but what can you expect from the reality show ass monkey garage. rawlings is just a showman out for the money any way he can get it.

[Mark E.]

Re: A hard to watch 427 modification

I too hate to see these classic collectible cars that are best restored cut-up or restomoded. I prefer to watch the show GraveyardCarz. These guys restore Mopars, some that are true basket cases. Their love, enthusiasm, and detail for these cars is exactly like this site. In fact, in one episode he declined a restoration job because there was so little car to start with (basically the tags) that it would have been a re-body an not a restoration; and he explained for the viewers

I second Philip's comment about "GraveyardCarz". I've only seen a few episodes, but appreciated the respect shown for the cars and appreciation for their history.

Wouldn't it be cool if NCRS produced a "GraveyardCorvettz" show with one of the cable channels?! I wonder if that could be a revenue opportunity for the club.

[Brandon T.]

Re: A hard to watch 427 modification

I was disappointed to see that car destroyed also. I own a 68 and I found where they had the radio knobs listed on ebay that they took out of the it. I already had a reproduction set but bought the ones on ebay just to keep them in circulation. I hope they list some more parts that I can use.

[Larry E.]

Re: A hard to watch 427 modification

I second Philip's comment about "GraveyardCarz". I've only seen a few episodes, but appreciated the respect shown for the cars and appreciation for their history.

Wouldn't it be cool if NCRS produced a "GraveyardCorvettz" show with one of the cable channels?! I wonder if that could be a revenue opportunity for the club.

FWIW: I also like "GraveyardCarz" but the one thing that "Mark" refuses to do is to paint them as original. He demends the cars to be painted
in clear coat. His cars would take a big hit if Mopar had a NCRS equal. Larry