Guys like to look at cars. That explains huge car shows, the seemingly inexplicable success of pointless car movies, and the chair you use in the garage to just sit and look at stuff. In honor of that, we've put together a section that is as simple as it is gratifying. It's a bunch of cool readers' cars that might inspire you to build an entire car or just give you a couple of ideas.
The '65 fastback is being slowly transformed from street to track with the help of wheels, tires, and suspension.
The Cover Car
'65 Mustang 2+2
Sayat Kosger
The engine is a '74 302 block with a set of ported '68 cylinder heads. Sayat added the Edelbrock 600-cfm carb to the RPM manifold. You can buy the dress-up kits from Mustangs Plus.
All of Sayat's lust for late-model Mustangs ended the day he witnessed a vintage Mustang race at Willow Springs and got an eyeful of the first-generation body style. "After I saw how inexpensive and simple these cars were, I wanted to buy one," he says.
After more than a year searching on eBay, Sayat made a deal with a builder in Northern California to fly up and testdrive an already-modified '65 2+2. During the drive, the Z-bar fell off the clutch linkage. At the time no one was sure if the transmission had failed, so Sayat bought the car well below the asking price.
Inspired by the road racing and likely scared by the '60s brakes, Sayat installed a set of Baer 12-inch dual-piston Track brakes on the front and 11-inch Baer Sport brakes in the rear. One of his cousins donated the '05 Mustang pony wheels that were fitted with wheel spacers to clear the big calipers. He also added a complete 211/42-inch exhaust with a Dr. Gas crossover pipe and a set of Spin Tech mufflers, then moved around the car making little repairs to door handles and blinker cams. The next move is to make it handle just like a late-model Mustang and take it to the track.
B.J. Lillibridge has owned this matching-number 440 Charger R/T since 1972 and plans to keep on yankin' the front wheels until it's no longer any fun.
10 Seconds to Stardom
'68 Dodge Charger R/T
B.J. Lillibridge
B.J. has stored the original 440 and trans in the garage for the day he decides to put this B-Body back to stock. Our power-speed calculator estimates the stroker 493ci Wedge makes more than 800 hp at the flywheel.
B.J. Lillibridge has been beating on this '68 Charger R/T for many years, running the brackets at U.S. 131 Dragway in Martin, Michigan, and he has even won the NHRA Pro E.T. championship with his "old Dodge." But this is no stripped-down race car. With a full interior, radio, heater, and all the amenities, it weighs in at 3,870 pounds with B.J. on board. But that doesn't prevent the portly Pentastar from turning 10.30s at 128 mph. The power comes from a 4.15-inch-stroked 440 displacing 493 inches, which B.J. built himself. JE pistons, ported Indy SR heads, a Mopar Performance 0.620-inch-lift solid cam with 275-degree duration at 0.050, Crane roller rockers, and a Braswell carburetor round out the package. All that grunt runs through a 727 Torqueflite with an 8-inch AFI converter, a Dana 60 with 4.10 gears, and 1011/42-inch Hoosier slicks. At 55 years young, B.J. proves that you should watch out for those older car crafters. They're devious rascals.