F-Body project moving forward (Camaro Project)

Car Collector Corner

By Greg Zyla

Don Hall, standing, service manager at Alexander Pontiac-Buick-Cadillac GMC in Sunbury, Pa., and mechanic Jeff Goodman open the crate on a brand new GM Performance LS6 engine utilized as a replacement in a 1998 Z28 Camaro. All GM Performance engines come with a full warranty when installed by certified GM technicians. The engine puts out 405 horsepower and still delivers over 20-mpg easily. (Greg Zyla photo)

F-Body project moving forward

Q: Greg, I ran into to you at the dragstrip in Numidia, Pennsylvania, in 2008, where you and your son were running a GM F Body 98 Z28 Camaro. I own a Corvette that kept throwing off the main drive belt, and you recommended a Katech belt tensioner pulley to me to clear up my LS engine's belt throwing problem. I bought the Katech belt pulley you recommended for only $135, and the belt has not come off once since I installed it. Thanks, and how is your Camaro project going that you spoke to me about? L.D., email from Pennsylvania.

A: Thanks for the letter, L.D., and I do remember your Corvette and my Katech recommendation. The F-Body project is coming along fine and I'll report on it more as we go through the season. Basically, we bought a pretty beat up 98 Z28 Camaro with 121,000 miles on it, pulled the engine and transmission, and installed a GM Performance LS6 Corvette crate motor and a new GM Performance 4L65E automatic. We had all the work done at Alexander Pontiac Buick Cadillac in Sunbury, Pa., known for great high performance work. Later, we added some bolt on items like Pacesetter headers with street legal cats, Bosch 42 lb. injectors to replace the stock 28 lb. units, Katech belt tensioner pulley (ours threw the belt off every run until we put the Katech tensioner unit on, see http://www.katechengines.com/), Richmond 3:73 gears, and a FAST 92mm intake and throttle body. We took the car to the track with the stock converter and rear, and ran a best of 12.46 at 115 mph in the quarter mile. Since we saw you last, we blew the stock rear end due to a broken cross member from all the torque, so we bought a complete Moser M9 35-spline 9-inch rear with 3.89 gears, BMR aluminum driveshaft and some other BMR suspension components, and finally a Yank 3600 stall converter. In October of 2008, my son Tim and I took the street legal and 20-plus MPG Camaro to the eighth-mile Skyview Drags near Nichols, New York. There, my son ran a 7.60 at 90.73, which equates to an 11.8 or 11.9 in the quarter mile. We had Mickey Thompson Street/Strip radial tires on it at the track, and are getting ready for the '09 season with a new set of Billet wheels and either Hoosier, Toyo or Mickey Thompson tires. The project will conclude sometime late this year, and currently the car has a good HP Tuner Andrew Zurick tune on it. (It's all computer these days).Overall, for not opening the engine in any manner, not yet being on the dyno and just utilizing bolt on products, 7.60 in the eighth at 90.73 is stout, especially when you consider the GM Performance LS6 engine puts out just 346 cubic inches. We'll keep you posted.(Greg Zyla welcomes reader input at extramile_2000@yahoo.com or mail at 116 Main St., Towanda, Pa. 18848).

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Mercury for 1955 and 1956

Collector Car Corner

By Greg Zyla

Mercury for 1955 and 1956

Q: I'm in need of some info on the differences between a 1955 and a 1956 Mercury. Thanks, have fun cruise and cruise on. F.S., via email.

A: F.S., there is one major difference, but let's start with the models. In 1955, Mercury restyled its car and underwent its first wheelbase stretch since pre-war 1941 when it went from 118 to 119 inches on the cars. The wagons all stayed the same at 118. Three models were offered, namely Custom, Monterey and Montclair. The station wagon was available only on the Custom and Monterey lines. Only one V8 engine was offered in two horsepower offerings, specifically a 292 incher with 288 horses in Custom and Monterey and 298 in the Montclair models. The price range for 1955 included a low retail of $2,218 for the 2-door Custom to a high of $2,712 for the Montclair Sun Valley hardtop coupe or the Montclair Convertible (both the same). The Monterey Wagon, however, was most expensive at $2,844, and sales for the year were good at over 329,000 units.In 1956, some minor exterior tweaking took place and the engines were increased to 312 inches, increasing both bore and stroke. A new model, a lower cost Medalist, joined the group again on the 119-inch wheelbase for cars and 118 for wagons. The cheapest of the bunch was the Medalist 2-door, which went for $2,254 while the Montclair Convertible jumped to $2,900. Still, it was the Monterey Wagon that brought the most greenbacks to Mercury, with a $2,977 retail price. New was a Phaeton model 2-door hardtop across all four lines, and sales were again very good at 328,000 cars sold in what was an inflationary time and not a great year for sales. Matter of fact, inflation carved into the Medalist, which was supposed to be a lower cost alternative for Mercury owners. Still, the consumer went more for the Monterey and Montclair models. Personally, I loved the 1955 and 1956 Mercury cars and wagons, as my uncle worked in Metuchen, New Jersey, at the Mercury assembly plant. I used to love seeing all those brand new Mercury cars lined up outside that plant when he would take my brother and I for a ride. Overall, the 1955 and 1956 Mercurys were crisper and more modern in design than the 1954 Mercury, which, I must add, was a nice design, too.The biggest change between the two years was Mercury going from a 6-volt electrical system (generator) with positive ground in 1955 to a 12-volt (alternator) system with negative ground in 1956. The 1956 model also had a deep-dish steering wheel for added "safety." Hope this all helps.

(Greg Zyla is a syndicated auto columnist who welcomes reader questions on anything automotive. Write him at 116 Main St., Towanda, Pa. 18848 or email him at extramile_2000@yahoo.com).

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Chrysler Imperials Forever

Car Collector Corner
By Greg Zyla

Chrysler Imperials Forever

Chrysler Imperial advertisement featuring two big name “chairmen of the board,” Lee Iococca and Frank Sinatra. (Ad compliments Chrysler Corporation)

Q: Greg, I saw a nice 1981 to 83 Chrysler Imperial for sale in upstate Pennsylvania recently. What is you opinion of the 1981 to 1983 Imperials? What are they worth today? Albert, Owego Pa.

A: Albert, I remember the 1981-1983 Imperials, which made a return to production after being absent from Chrysler's lineup since 1975. The 1981-83 full size Imperials were built when Chrysler was facing major financial trouble, and although a grand total of only 10,981 were ever built, it was a great looking and well-equipped car. Surprisingly, although they looked full size, these Imperials were built on the mid-sized Aspen/Volare platform, and stretched to parallel Chrysler marketing theory, along with shared mechanicals, with its hit sibling Chrysler Cordoba. Cordoba debuted in 1975 and sold a stunning 150,105 units! Personally, as nice as Cordoba was, I feel a large part of its success came from those famous television commercials that featured the late actor Ricardo Montalban touting Cordoba's "Corinthian leather." The Cordoba also lasted until 1983, and finished its career as one of Chrysler's most popular full-size models of the era with over 757,000 sold. The Imperial came with a fuel injected 318 engine, which developed just 140 government restrained horsepower, and lots of luxury items. Cordoba, meanwhile, offered a six-cylinder engine along with a carburetor fed V8. Imperial's 1981-83 styling is beautiful, as a Lincoln type front grille merged nicely with a rear that mimicked the second generation Cadillac Seville of that era. It was called a "bustleback" rear design, similar to the British cars from the Fifties like Rolls and Bentley. Some of the main features Imperial offered included Mark Cross interiors, electronic digital instrumentation, clearcoat paints, and a fully loaded car for $18,311. The only option available in 1981 was a power sunroof.However, unlike Cordoba, dismal sales occurred in the Imperial line. The first year found just 7,225 1981 Imperials built, so Chrysler head Lee Iococca, remembering Montlalban's success with Cordoba, hired friend Frank Sinatra to sing "isn't it time for an Imperial" in commercials. But the economy wasn't good, consumers wanted gas savers and Imperial sales dropped to just 2,329 in 1982 and only 1,427 the final year.Chrysler then set its sights on saving the company, and went to work on the new minivan which was waiting in the wings. Thanks to the 1984 Industry first Dodge-Plymouth "minivan," the company survived.Today, an Imperial from 1981-83 in good condition is probably worth about $5,500 to $8,000, although I feel in the future, these prices will go up. Thanks for your letter. Remember, pricing is always subjective to how much a buyer wants a car, and could be more or less.

(Greg Zyla welcomes reader questions at 116 Main St., Towanda, Pa. 18840 or email him at extramile_2000@yahoo.com).

For more articles like these, please pickup a copy of Auto Round-Up at your local newsstand, or visit http://www.auto-roundup.com/