Big Block Engines Bring Out The Teenage Boy In Men
Dan Chandler
Since the turn of the last century, Americans have been fascinated with cars. I'm not talking about wimpy fuel-efficient, stripped-down cars either (..considering today's economy, however, that is changing!) What I am talking about is the American love affair with big block engines of mucle cars. Yeah you know, the cars that make a lot of noise and generate a tremendous amount of horsepower. Don't get me wrong, the "wimpy" fuel-efficient cars of today do have their place in today's world with the price of gasoline going higher and higher.
Now I am not going to stand here and say that you should drive a muscle car everywhere you go. Even the most zealous muscle car fan can't say that driving a vintage muscle car very far is worth it. These days, fuel prices are at an all time high and climbing. People have to save money. It just so happens that even this muscle-head drives a Toyota Prius to work every day. That little dandy car gets over 60 miles per gallon, and a muscle car can't hold a light up to that. My bank account rejoices!
Saving money is fine and dandy, but when the weekend comes... I am definitely ready to get into my big block Chevy Camaro and tear out to the local race track to see the races! Man, just thinking about the feeling and performance of that big block engine drinking gasoline like water and running like a scalded dog down the road, really makes my adrenaline pump. Not to mention the joy of seeing the pros doing it on the track!
It has to be in the genetic makeup of men. We LOVE our big block classic cars that can flat out haul you know what. Personally I love my Chevrolet big blocks! Shoot, I'd take a big block Fords over a modern day hybrid any weekend! Put me behind the wheel of a Chevy 427 big block any day and electricity seemingly shoots down my back from the sheer excitement! It is unreal. In fact, I have a love affair that my wife can't understand. I love my Camaro. The roar of the engine, the sheer horsepower that it puts out... I'll admit, I am a pushover. The growl of that big block Chevy engine at full throttle sounds like heaven! It takes me to a place far, far, away!
Back when I was a teen, my 68 Cararo burned rubber in my hometown like tires cost nothing. At the time, there was nothing better than to beat my buddy's car in a James Dean style race. There were some close calls but I had so much fun! Big block engines made it happen, and they take me down memory lane to my teen years. Back then, when drive-ins played movies like Jaws, and girls were all over me every weekend, I had the time of my life!
Looking at my fascination closer, I really like the fact that it is so much easier for the shade tree mechanic like myself to work on these big blocks over te new-fangled computerized engines of today. Today's trend is geared toward the high-tech computer controlled engines. It is nearly to the point that cars are so dependent on their computer boards that it it is nearly impossible to work on them much without professional training. It is heading in that direction anyway.
Its no lie, I love my old big block engine cars. I love to get under the hood, and tinker with the motor. If I take a notion, and want to get my engine bored, add custom aftermarket parts, "bling"ing it out to the max, then it is definitely very doable. I call my vintage car my big boy's toy!
My favorite thing about it is that big block engines is fairly inexpensive to work on. Heck, once you learn how to work on your own powerful big block engine, you will be amazed at what you can build. It gives you a real sense of accomplishment to be able to take an old Chev block engine that has been dormant for years, and bring it back to life. Think about it, you can purchase an old broken big block crate engine and rebuild it yourself from scratch for very little investment. So basically, as long as you don't have a cracked engine's block, you can most likely fix the motor. What I like about it is that you can take the individual parts, the engine block, and get yourself a little dirty and you can bring these old classic cars back to life. It is satisfying to have a hobby around what I love and that is the big blocks! Get you one today!
About the Author:
|
