sure the chromies may look better, but thats a matter of personal taste... i love the look of the chromies, but having spent 5 hrs as shotgun in a mint 80 a couple of weeks ago, all i can say is the 80 is a far better car than my 74 ever was..., and my 74 was a nice car.
only fault i found with the 80, was the seats are a bit too tight, or im a bit too big, hahaha....
as for the engine, its a chev... it may be robbed of horsepower, but the grunt is still inside there somewhere, it just needs to be found and let loose....