[turbo69bird]

So my thoughts on this subject may differ from many, there’s likely more than one reason . One is the RAV thing. The part numbers are all over the place , same blocks may have a DS engineering number or a WY block, cast number may be ground off on one and a new number added. Vs one the new number was left but there’s no difference you can find .
The V stuff seems to have no rhyme or reason .

But there’s also another reason .
As stated before
My car was a dealer owned race car. The second day they swapped out the short block . They being, the DEALER. The car was set up a certain way for racing was even ordered special, and the block was also changed out for the as cast 2506. That was balanced and blue printed. Again this was done by the dealer! Through the years I’d talk to someone (not always someone within the collector car hobby ) and. The first thing they’d say “is it numbers matching.” So I’d tell the story and they’d look at me like the car had no value now. And I’d think F off !
That same person would say a royal bobcat was so valuable it had a dealer installed 428 , or a Comanche was a special edition, or a macho, or a ligebfelter, comp TA , or an SLP, or IDOJ , or some giveaway car. BLA blah blah .

I’m thinking yeah my car was altered BY THE DEALER too moron!
It’s very frustrating . Especially since it was still a 2506 block and it was the block in the car most 99.999999 of its life and certainly it’s entire time raced by the dealer and most likely when sold
To the public..

But for some reason , my car isn’t considered numbers matching. But all those cars would be? My car even had a shift light tach added by the dealer for 70 season when they got the RAV engine for the 70 car . Is that considered dealer installed? So forgive me if I dont exactly give a SH@T about the traditional numbers matching born with theories that the rest have grown to cherish so much .
My car was what all those other cars wanted to be when they grew up.
When those cars were bought and the owner went to the speed shop to bolt stuff on they were trying to build (and emulate) my car and all the other race cars dealers had back in the day . Yet someone is put on a pedestal for not using their car? Not enjoying it.
I’d go to a show the way the dealer had the car and I’d get put in modified class but a ralyal bobcat, SLP or a macho isn’t? Like my car was built in some clowns garage .
People can put whatever value on these cars they want, but when I go to a restoration shop and they tell me to restore my car to stock, it’d be worth more , I think are you out of your freaking mind? I’m gonna restore this car to its full on glory to its as raced condition because no one would give a crap about those other cars if it wasn’t for cars like mine kicking azz and taking names at the track and getting in magazines and advertisements . Pick up any magazine of the day when these cars were new and it was all about how they performed at the track . All the articles were testing these cars performance.. now you go to a show and all you find is showroom stock queens there’s ZERO representation of what these cars were at the time . At least the Chevy guys get it and have some yenko cars set up to as raced or day 2.

Now add in that I was told for years stephens never had this or that, like an aluminum block . Even though there was an article written about it in 1972! For years and years people laughed like that wasn’t true factory never made that well now we’ve found about 10 of them . I laugh my azz off every time Someone says that wasn’t done by Pontiac about something . Cause they did all kinds of crazy stuff. Like a RAII block w no casting pad on c118 while others on that day did have a casting pad. Or engineering blocks w dry sump oiling provisions that weren’t SD 455 blocks .

Anyway I’m not a traditionalist anymore and that’s a big part of why .