1976 Pontiac Trans Am

 

Joe purchased his Trans Am 15 years ago from his best friend Tony, only one month after he purchased it from the original owner in Brooklyn. The Trans Am was hurting, the body and interior were in good shape but the engine was smoking and the Transmission was slipping. And in Joe's words, "That's how it started, there is not a bolt left unturned." Over the years he has been restoring it and enjoying it at the drag strip and around town. And even though it's not the same year Pontiac - Joe's TA would make Burt Reynolds mustache blow off back in the good ol' Smokey The Bandit days!

The car currently has a 400 engine stroked to a 461. Most of the internals are from Nunzi's Automotive in Brooklyn. The heads are Edelbrock 72cc's and the machine work was done by long time friend Dave Williams of Williams Engine in Freeport. The assembly and head work was done by Joe himself. The transmission is a turbo 350 with full manual valve body built by Eric Schertz. The converter is a 4500 stall 8" by Pro-torque rear end is a 10 bolt from an 80' Trans-am with disc brakes with 3.90 gear set, posi unit & c-clip eliminators built by Joe. The intake is a prototype Northwind by Kauffman. The carb is a 950 cfm built by AED.

All the original sheet metal and most of the interior is in great condition. Joe tried to keep those parts as stock as possible. But, Joe says, "don't sleep!" His Trans Am has run in the 10's off the foot brake! And for 3700 lbs. - that's not bad!

Joe has been Drag Racing since a teen and has over 18 years experience in automotive work in a machine shop through high school and is currently building Chevy engines as well as Hot Rods and Turbo Buicks. Clearly, what Joe has learned and did over the years has paid off right into his Trans Am. Not only a serious running car, but super clean with combinations unlike any around the area.

Joe's future plans for his Trans Am is to enjoy it and preserve it. Maybe someday he may restore it back to stock, but who knows for sure. All we know is, Joe will never get rid of this car! And with his Trans Am tattooed on his arm, we believe it to be true.

A great, knowledgeable guy with a really cool Trans Am is what we think of Joe! See more pictures of Joe's ride in our News & Announcements section and talk to Joe today in our Members section - nutjob1976

1969 Chevrolet Camaro

 

Mike's super clean Camaro comes with a history like most do... But it's one Camaro that Mike never plans to part with since the day he got it. Rewind back to when Mike was 20 years old (we won't say how old he is now). Back then, Mike had a 69' Camaro that he had gotten for $500 and was three different colors with a worked small block in it. In those days, Mike constantly ran into a guy with a black 69' Camaro that he used to torment and challenge to a race any time he saw him. The guy always declined. It was clear, this guy never abused his 69' Camaro, just cruised. One day, the owner of the black 69' Camaro came to Mike wanting to sell it and Mike made sure he was the guy to get it.

When Mike got the car it had the 327 2 BBL carb and power glide all original 80k and AC. Since then Mike has done the motor. It's a 70 4 bolt mains 202/160 fuelie reproduction heads, 350 trans, nice cam Edelbrock Performer RPM, Holly 650 double pumper, Hooker super comp longtubes, Flowmaster exhaust and 342 posi out of 79 Z plus beefed up springs. The Camaro still has 93K on the clock.

Over the course of time, the Camaro was painted twice with the interior staying the same throughout the years. Mike did most of the work himself and certaintly drove it way more than it's previous owner, even through snow storms and daily driving. But if you ask Mike, his best moments was proposing to his GF in the car and then taking his first son for a ride in it in 2009. And it's with these memories that Mike plans on never selling his 69' Camaro and one day passing down the Chevy to his kids.

And with all this talk of Mike's 69' Camaro, it's not the only Camaro Mike owns. He also has a 2010 Camaro SS that he has been working on that you may also see around a lot considering Mike runs ny5thgen.com. A website dedicated to 5th Generation Camaro's that has a HUGE following and is all over the NY area.

With both Camaro's, Mike still has future plans for his 69', including a LS2 6speed tranny and full suspension. The only thing we wonder at Empire Muscle Cars is, with two hot Camaro's which one does Mike decide on driving when he looks in his driveway, a decision we are sure is a tough one.

Mike is an all around great guy with a great Camaro following and website. We love having him as a Member as he truly is a great car guy to have around and talk with. Speak with Mike today in our Members section - MUCKER15