There was a time when a car like a Chevelle or Camaro used to roam the streets and highways, and a utopia like this exists, but what we see today is not the same since the mid sixties. Today, we see the demise of the traditional V8 powered rear wheel drive cars that we have grown accustomed to, and there are more Asian imports and front wheel drives manufactured during the past decade.

Would you like to race your  with a

Personally, people that I know would drive a rice rocket or SUV, but the only drawback is the jacked-up pricing for auto parts, especially CV joints and axles. Are first-time drivers

beginning to view a  or Nissan 240ZX as a musclecar?  Currently, the 2-door coupe is losing a market share, since the increased sales of SUVs and imports have tripled since the 1980s.  Here's a site to preserving an icon from the sixties:

Currently, the GM F-car is the last remnant of the musclecar era, and after 2002, there are no plans to produce a 5th Generation F-car.  Sign the guestbook at camaroZ28.com, voicing your concerns about the importance of the F-car and pop culture.  Don't let the F-car fade into a memory like the 1994-96 Impala SS or the G-car.   

Most of the unmodified 60s-era musclecars have dried up by now, or priced in the glass ceiling, and there have been other alternatives to building street machines.  Currently, post-1972 iron is becoming a common sight at car shows, swap meets, and cruise events, but there are some words of warning to take into consideration, like vehicle emissions and emission testing.

Under California law (1984-present), any vehicle that fails an emission test would not allow the car to be registered, and there are two phases: the visual exam and the initial test. Visual inspection should allow the compliance of a motor vehicle, and this means that every emission device is intact and unmolested. If the car cannot be registered, it cannot be driven on the street.

The SB42 amendment, passed in 1998, exempts 1966-73 vehicles from smog testing, and after 2002, the SB42 amendments apply to any gasoline-powered vehicle that is 30+ model years old.

My car (a 1975 Nova) came from an era when the Village People, Hawaii Five-O, blaxploitation movies (e.g. Dolemite), bellbottom pants, The Brady Bunch, the 8-track, disco, CHiPs, and Charlie's Angels were dominant, and would have to face whatever is to come in the 1990s, in which a clean burning car is something we have to live with. This means that transplanting LS6 big blocks (even with a fuel injector) in a new Z28 is a social taboo, and retaining the catalyst device with a cat-back exhaust (with a 3 inch headpipe) is what we have to live with, because of the CAA 1990 amendments that focuses on the emission control devices that comes with the chassis, not the motor. To state this, this means that an engine swap should be the same year of the car or newer, and this applies to all vehicles manufactured after 1967, under EPA certification.  Here's a link that has the list of states that have smog testing:

Any teen who buys a late 70s Camaro should know to leave the exhaust alone, since the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 states this in writing. The misconception is that these F-cars are known for dual exhaust conversions, and often, the smog-squeezed 267 or 305 is often swapped out for a 350 (the Z28 was the only model to offer the 350 in the later years of the second generation after 1979).  It's illegal to install a dual cat exhaust, since the OEM did not install one in the first place.  Only the 1987-present Mustang 5.0/4.6, 1987-present Crown Victoria, and 1994-96 Caprice 9C1/Impala SS have true duals with cats.  (Remember, when buying your first car in Texas, under state law, when registering the vehicle, you must show a proof of financial responsibility, which is defined as auto insurance (listed under title transfer procedures, available at your county/tax assessor's office). In all 50 states and the District of Columbia, it is considered a crime not to have financial responsibility, which is punishable by a fine, or in some states, either one or the other, or a fine and having your vehicle impounded.)

Parts cars can be purchased, but if registering the car (with a TxDOT 130-U registration form), the best thing to do is show proof of insurance on the current vehicle that you have, which is OK. (Texas residents only: when doing a vehicle transaction in which a title is transferred, whether or not a vehicle is sold off or traded in, be sure to let the seller fill out, on Form 130-U, #15, 18, 20, 21a, and 22 {this is where the seller must sign his/her name and the date of the transaction}. This makes it easier for the purchaser to register the vehicle at a county DMV office.) Be careful about purchasing insurance, and go with a reputable company, either a specialty or local insurer. If insuring a rare car, strict rules are imposed, like annual mileage and long-term storage. (September 1, 1991-present: Texas law allows 20-30 days if a motor vehicle is transferred to another party, in which penalties are avoided.)

This page has been created on 11/28/1997, and will continue to grow as time permits. This will bring the appreciation of the original musclecars of an era long gone into a newer generation. There was a time when 100 octane gas and large cubic inch engines ruled our streets, and the preservation of a pasttime that has survived the oil crunches of the Seventies, and the involvment of goverment regulation (e.g. emission regulations, safety regulations like air bags). Today, we see a newer generation of muscle cars on the streets, like a Camaro Z28 or a Viper. Real musclecars like the SS, Boss 302, GTO, and Charger R/T are worth more today, restored, like money in the bank (the song of the same name by country and western artist John Anderson has a significant theme), and the base vehicles (the average plain-jane grocery getter) like a Malibu have been the ticket in building a daily driver.

Copyright 1997, 1999, 2002 LSC Publications (c/o DON SERIBUTRA, proprietor). If you have comments or suggestions, email me at seributra_d@hotmail.com (business transactions only) or at seributra_d@netzero.net (my primary address), or my secondary (WWW accessible) address, at seributra_d@yahoo.com.

*Listed in the WhoWhere directory

"Nobody takes me under duress and gets away with it."

-Jack Lord (as Steve McGarrett, from the Hawaii Five-O episode #91: While You're At It, Bring In The Moon, 1972.)