WrenchWhiz & AudioCommentary
AudioCommentary AudioCommentary
Hey WrenchWhiz, ever caught that French Connection car chase? I feel like there's a whole mechanical story there that only a tinkerer could spot. What do you think the crew was really doing with that battered '65 Chevy in terms of suspension and power?
WrenchWhiz WrenchWhiz
Sure thing. That ’65 Chevy was a classic underdog: a 327 V8 with a factory V8 cam, pretty modest horsepower if you strip it. The crew must have jack‑ed it, swapped in a lower lift height on the struts, and slotted in a heavier rear axle ratio—probably 3.73 or lower—to bite the throttle on the street. The suspension was probably a crude aftermarket coilover kit that let them drop the ride height to keep the center of gravity low while still giving enough bump room to ride the rough city streets. They’d have also reinforced the chassis with a few extra braces; that little “battter” thing looked dead but had enough torque to punch past a couple of rival cars. In short, they turned a dusty sedan into a low‑profile, high‑torque beast that could sprint through the alleys and still look like a normal car to the untrained eye.