1987 Mustang 5.0 Notchback

It's the usual case, you see a car that you HAVE to have, and you get it if your lucky. And thanks to eBay, you can! Even with it being on the other side of the coast. For Antonio, that's exactly what happened. All the way from Brentwood, California, Antonio won his Mustang more than a year ago. He had been looking for a foxbody Notchback for some time. Most have been heavily modified and beaten on, but not this one. And with just 22,000 miles on it with a manual transmission, Antonio didn't hesitate to get it shipped to NY.

The car was mostly stock, with the exception of a few bolt on upgrades such as BBK Headers, 1.7 Roller Rockers and a catless X-Pipe. When Antonio got it he added a flex-a-lite electric fan and radiator kit, water pump, timing belt cover, 3G alternator, RAM clutch and a lightweight drive shaft, Maximum motor sports full length sub frame connectors, Eibach front and rear sway bars and a AGR quick ratio power steering rack and new power steering pump.

Working on his car is very rewarding for Antonio, and his dream is to drop a Ford Racing crate engine into it himself. It will be awhile thought before Antonio will spring for the Ford Racing crate motor, so until then he plans on doing the entire top end of his current engine. He plans to add Trick Flow Twisted Wedge Heads, Cobra intake manifold and a mass air conversion.

Antonio says his car is a plain jane sleeper, but gets a lot of attention. Well it got ours! It definitely is one of the cleanest, mint condition Notchback's we have seen in a looooong time.
For Antonio, nothing brings him more satisfaction than going to cruises with his son Giovanni. He too, loves the car. We are a little jealous of Giovanni, as Antonio plans on eventually passing the Mustang down to him, but he adds, no time soon! Why can't all Father's be like Antonio? That's one sweet gift!!!! And if Antonio happens to take on foster kids, I am sure it wouldn't take us long to show up on his door step. To speak to Antonio today, go to our Members Section - CHIODI.

1932 Ford

 

Joe has always been into cars and his been in the car scene for as long as most members have been alive. He has always loved the 1932 Ford's ever since he was a young boy. So it would make sense that Joe would have a 32' Ford as is his first car. Think Joe doesn't love it? He STILL OWNS HIS FIRST 32' FORD! While Joe's first 32' sits in his warehouse, he also owns a 1932 Ford 2 door sedan which you see here today. It has a metal body with fiberglass fenders and was restored about 20 years ago. It has a 4 wheel disc brake setup, a Jaguar rear end, a 350 turbo trans with a 3000 stall converter, a 350 Chevy motor with a mild cam, heads, performer RPM intake manifold, Holley 650 CFM carb, MSD distributor and box. The interior again is old school, done a long time ago with a few gauges, gray cloth and leather interior. Joe also has a Hurst Shifter and old school Crager rims (not seen in the picture we are featuring) with Yokahama tires.

Joe's 32' isn't exactly done by his standards. He plans on doing a Ford 9 inch rear, overdrive transmission and a custom full interior. Joe right now is having a hard time deciding whether to do a supercharged flat head Ford or a Buick Grand National drivetrain. In the end, who knows, you just know that it will be done. But why all the hold up? Because Joe got his wife Marie a 32' Ford that he has been working on. One project at a time, but we know that anything Joe has, it's going to be good and your gonna wish you had it.

Joe as you can see, loves his 32' Ford's but, really, he loves all types of cars and hot rods. Joe also is in the car business. Joe started up Manhattan Speed Shop with his Father, Vito, back in the 1960's. Now Joe has converted Manhattan Speed Shop into Bronx Automotive, which he started up in 2000. A family business that stocks Old Car Parts, Street Rod, Hi Performance, Regular auto parts, Buick grand National parts and the list goes on. Bronx Automotive is also a vendor of EMC. Check out Joe's site at www.bronxautomotive.com.

You can find Joe at most EMC meets and gatherings along with many weekly cruise nights along with his son Victor (co-founder of EMC), and his wife Marie. A great, funny guy who knows his stuff and is always sharing information and willing to help anyone who needs car parts. A true old school Hot Rodder who still goes all out in what he has. If you haven't had the pleasure of meeting Joe yet, bring a bottle of Jagermeister around with you in case you do. You never know, that stuff can make the old man maybe give you free car parts! To speak to Joe today, go to our Members Section - Joes32fords.

1989 Pontiac Turbo Trans Am

If you know Archie, you pretty much know he has more Turbo cars than anyone in NY. If you don't know of Archie, you should. Especially if you love Turbo Buicks or Turbo Trans Ams. We wanted to feature Archie's 1989 Tubro Trans Am first, for the simple fact that, well, when do you really see them anymore? But let's not forget, Archie does own a real deal GNX, a Grand National and a rare white 1986 T-Type with a tan/saddle interior that he went all the way to Texas to get. Think he likes 80's powered Turbo's? That's putting it lightly.

The 89' Turbo Trans Am was Pontiac's answer to their 20th Anniversary of the Trans Am. It really is one of the rarest Turbo cars next to the Buick's. The Trans Am came with the Turbo Buick 3.8 Liter SFI intercooled engine. The Anniversary TA did come from factory with the Anniversary sticker decal kit, which you could put on if you wanted or leave off. Archie opted to put the decals on his TA. Archie's TA is a T-Top car, leather interior, full gauge packages (something the GN never came with.) It also has a steering wheel controlled Bose stereo system. Pontiac only made 1,555 of these Turbo Trans Ams. Archie's TA is car number 688.

Archie made a few modifications to his TA including a Cold Air Package, a 3 inch Downpipe, TA49 Turbo, 36lb Injectors and Hi-Performance 255 LPH Fuel Pump. And like all his toys, Archie made sure he put HID's on his TA. As for future modifications, Archie says maybe an exhaust system, different tune or a few other things.

Archie loves all of his rides, he drives them year round. Anywhere, anytime, anyplace you'll see him in one of his cars. His knowledge of these cars is great as is his love for them. He is one of the original EMC Members and a very respected one at that. And if you ever want a Turbo Buick or Trans Am, watch Archie's collection like a hawk and hope he puts one of his up for sale, you'll want to buy one of them for sure!!!! To speak to Archie today, go to our Members Section - GNXARCH.

1968 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

First off - Congrats to Lily! Our first female owner Car of the Month! You know all know the saying"Badass Toys are not just for boys!" - The story of this 68' Corvette Stingray is the story of a little girl's dream. When Lily was 13 years old, one day she saw this knock out car that made her jaw drop. It was the Stingray body and ever since then, Lily has been dreaming about that gorgeous Corvette, never thinking she would ever own one.
Fast forward to late November 2002, Lily's husband (EMC member Greg and previous Car of the Month feature) just happened to see this red Stingray on Nassau Blvd in someone's driveway with a for sale sign in the window. They made a u-turn and looked at the car. Even though the engine did not run and the interior was very rough, the body was intact and presentable. After looking it over and negotiating, Lily's dream came true on November 26, 2002 thanks to her husband.
It wasn't all smooth cruising from there on. Lily had her dream, but now she could not yet drive it. It would actually take 7 1/2 years for Lily to actually take her first drive in her Vette. They started by checking the engine over. Lily and Greg discovered that the carburetor was incorrectly hooked up and the fuel line was plumbed directly into the pvc port and was just pumping raw fuel into the intake manifold. They corrected this and pulled the spark plugs with fuel just pouring out of the cylinders. Once they dried the cylinders and sprayed some DW40 in, they installed fresh plugs and the engine fired to life. Obstacle 2 would now appear: Once warmed up, the oil pressure dropped to nothing. Pulling the intake manifold revealed a few completely flattened cam lobes. They assumed the worn metal circulated through the engine taking out the bearings. It was apparent: a rebuild was in the cards.
After the rebuild, they encountered the same "no oil pressure when hot" situation. No amount of looking into it solved this problem. The engine was pulled out again and this time, the block was disgarded and a used 4 bolt main block was obtained. The old block (not numbers matching anyway) was kindly dumped at the local scrap yard.
This engine block would get the full works. Competent machine work, Aluminum Edelbrock heads and Intake manifold, Comp Cams Hydraulic Magnum camshaft, Holley 750 Carb, Stainless shorty headers and full 2 1/2 custom exhaust system, Pump gas friendly 9.6:1 compression. It is a nice complement to the highway 3.08 rear gears for long trips anywhere they like to go.
At the time this rebuild was going on, the electrical system in the car was completely hacked up by previous "I don't know what to call them". The entire wiring system was removed and all exterior and engine bay wiring was completely overhauled with connectors soldered. Msd 6Al ignition box and distributor was wired into the harness at this time. All suspension and body bushings were completely replaced with the body being lifted off the frame for thorough access to everything. The gas tank and fuel lines as well were replaced. The suspension parts were all bead blasted and refinished before being reinstalled. New brakes, wheel bearings, and all u-joints were replaced at this time as well. The body was then lowered back onto the painted frame with new Urethane body bushings and fasteners.
The interior was thoroughly scuffed, prepped and redyed in black. New carpets complete the interior. The front seats are currently covered with seat covers, but have yet to be recovered with correct seat upholstry. A new paint job and the seats are the remaining projects in the near future.
June 2008 was the car's maiden voyage to Jones Beach, and Lily has been completely enjoying it ever since.

Lily is every car guys dream wife! Aside from her having her own set of wheels, she loves the meets and Track Rentals and gets involved in EMC when she can. Lily's Stingray actually ran at EMC's 1st Annual Track Rental as well. A super sweet girl with passion for her Stingray that some car guys don't even have for their own rides. She is a great girl to have around and one of the First Ladies of EMC. Our guess is beautiful cars match their owners! To speak to Lily today, go to our Members Section - AngelsStingray.

1981 Chevrolet Malibu

Usually cars we feature are done for the most part, with just some ideas and a few future modifications planned. We love Joe's Malibu so much, we just couldn't wait so here it is!

Joe started the car build with a crate 502 Motor that he got for a price that was basically a gift. So with the motor at hand the hunt for a car was on. A couple of friends (And EMC member Scott - scstein) were trying to get Joe to look at a 1981 Malibu for $500 bucks. Hesitant about a $500 Malibu since they are prone to rust it took Joe 2 months to go look at it and if he didnt buy it, it was going to the crusher. The guys mother wanted the car out one way or the other. So in April of 2009 Joe went and saw the car, looked at it for 2 minutes and ran to the bank! Not a hint of rust on the floors, quarters, or frame. Lucky!!!!!

Joe drove the car for a year and a half with the 350/350 that it came with while he had the 502 bored over to a 509, installed a Comp Cam, light clean up of the stock rectangular port heads, double roller timing chain, high pressure oil pump, 8 qrt Moroso pan, team G dual plane Wienand intake, March pulley system, Holley 750 double pumper, MSD ignition, mated to a turbo 400 trans, had a quick performance Ford 9" with Wilwood disc brakes and 3.50 gears to finish up the drivetrain. Joe has the stock rear suspension with an 82' Iroc front springs to hold up the front end. The interior is from a Monte SS.

All work has been done at home with a lot of parts donated from good friends and "quoted from Joe himself "some real good people right here at EMC family." The best thing about having this car is the time Joe has spent with his wife Veronica and son Derick at car shows and events. If you see Joe or the car you can bet money that they are right by his side.

Future for the car is to have a Pro Touring suspension stance, Wilwood front brakes with a hydraboost system, fuel injection, two tone paint, redo the interior to black, and as Joe likes to say, "drive it like I stole it,. As far as it ever being finished are they ever?"

Joe is an awesome guy and a great member. He really is building a really awesome Malibu that, even if not fully finished, we still like and want. We couldn't wait to feature it but, we are even more eager to see it's final touches. Be on the lookout and stay tuned, Joe really is building a great car! To speak to Joe today, go to our Members Section - 509BU

1987 Buick Grand National

The running joke of this Car Club and Forum is that we are mainly Turbo Buicks. What people don't know is that this Club was started by a bunch of car friends who met eachother because of their Turbo Buicks.. But because we just so happen to own Turbo Buicks, doesn't exactly mean that's all we have owned, want or like. Hence why EMC is open to all kinds. But we do have a lot of Turbo Buicks on this website, and it's time to feature another one!

Nick is widely known on the Turbo Buick scene because the guy goes all over the damn place. Out of state, drag tracks, car shows etc. There isn't anything Nick wouldn't do for anyone. Infact, at a car show while he waxed his car he even offered to clean mine! But anyways, basically Nick is the most polite, friendly car guy you will ever find. If you own a Turbo Buick then your extremely lucky to have him around, but your lucky to have Nick around anyways. He is like a Car Fairy!

When Nick was 17 years old he got a ride in his first 1987 Grand National and was hooked. He had owned a 1987 IROC at the time and felt the Camaro had to go and he needed to own a GN. And so it began.

Nick has owned his Grand National for 9 years now and has 68,000 miles. The car actually came from Canada. It has kilomteres on the speedo rather than MPH. 5 Years ago Nick did a full restoration on the car. He did a complete paint job with the correct GN Black paint for that year. All the panels on the car were changed and all the mechanical work was done by Mike (also a Member) at Bronx Automotive.

Performance modifications done were a TA49 Turbo, Mark Jackson 17 Row stock location Intercooler, Terry Houston 3inch Down Pipe and Pypes Exhaust 2.5 System with cut out. Suspension work includes all UMI Performance Bushings and Control Arms. Nick has a full set of gauges including a SCANMASTER which is the basic on board tuning tool made for the Buick Grand Nationals. Nick has also used many different companies for Chips, no alcohol and he runs 93 Octane gas.

As far as future modifications go, Nick wants to re-do the interior, add more gauges and to basically enhance the look of the car. He'd like to have Mike from Bronx Automotive get more power out of it with some more tuning and tweaking. Most likely go to larger Injectors and maybe a Turbo and Torque Converter change.

Nick says he appreciates all the help from his friends, Mike and Bronx Automotive for all the help they have given him over the years. Nick is also a proud EMC Member.... What Nick doesn't know, is we are just as proud to have him as not just a Member, but a highly valued one. Seriously the nicest car guy around. An also a EMC since the beginning! Just park your car next to him and find out! To speak to Nick today, go to our Members Section - NICK87GN.

1989 Ford Mustang LX 5.0 Convertible

 

 

Franco's Mustang makes even Vanilla Ice a little jealous. Super white bright paint, white drop top and some super clean aftermarket rims along with a few extra's. When you see Franco's Mustang, one can understand and maybe even want to ask, is it for sale? NO! At least not yet anyways.

Franco bought his Mustang in April of 2011. He had just sold his 1968 Pontiac Tempest and was having his second child and wanted a car his whole family can enjoy. When a deal fell through on a Cadillac Coupe Deville Franco went on a whim to look at the Mustang he now owns. Franco who even claims to have hated Mustangs his entire life, liked what he saw in this Mustang. Still unsure about it, he test drove it and that was all it took. He bought the car the same day. To quote Franco's wife, "The garage didn't even have time to get cold!"

Franco's whole plan was to drive the Mustang just for the summer and flip it. Franco's plan died after owning the Mustang became an obession for him. And with being able to fit the wife and two car seats in the back, why not keep it?

The Mustang is a fuel injected 302 bone stock (as far as he knows). It had chrome ponies on it and was already lowered with KYB Shocks and lowering springs on all 4 corners. T-5 5 Speed Transmission, Full stainless Flowmaster Exhaust and factory interior. So Franco gave it a new paint job, new rims, BBK Cold Air Induction, new head unit and an upgraded 140AMP Alternator.

Franco's future plans are really to just enjoy the car with his family as much as possible. He plans to keep it as close to stock as possible, but who knows. Maybe not?

If you don't see Franco walking around with an Empire Muscle Car t-shirt on with a cigar in his mouth, you'll usually be able to see him driving around with his wife and kids in the car with the top down. Franco is a valued member at EMC and doesn't miss much of anything when it comes to the car scene. Super nice guy who will do anything for his fellow EMC Members. To speak to Franco today, Go to our Members Section - Franco.