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View Full Version : What old car changed you?



jbiscuit
05-28-2008, 10:00 AM
We all have a car we have seen, owned, driven etc that got us involved in this hobby. Share your stories.

For me, it was when I was about 14. I had always LIKED old cars and gone to shows with my dad since I was little etc. The old Caesar's in Racine used to have a BUNCH of mean street cars back in the day. Tubbed Novas, a 66 Chevelle with a mean small block, a 57 Nomad gasser etc.... But when I was 13 or 14 I got a ride in a serious street car.

My buddy Jared's brother had this mean Bel Air. It was a 66 Bel Air 2dr, marina blue with matching bench seat interior, no hood, 427 with a tunnel ram, th400, 4.88 gears, MTs on steel wheels and Torque Thrust skinneys up front. It was MEAN. He used to be out in the garage EVERY day in the summer working on it. He was the typical older brother. Used to bark at us all the time to leave him alone and all that.....I remember him smoking while he was bending up the fuel lines for the carbs. :rolf Real tough guy. Anyways, he had this beat up old Bronco II that he drove to work all the time and the thing broke one day. He used to pick us up at school in it. Well late in the school year, prolly like first week in June, we come out of school expecting the Bronco and he was sitting out front in the Bel Air. Even Jared didn't get to ride in that car so this would be a treat! We were pumped. We jumped in and we were just grinning ear to ear waiting for him to start it up and get on it. He cranks her..........and cranks her..............and cranks her, pumping the gas but nothin. He's bitchin up a storm and its not looking good for our ride in the monster. He gets out and fiddles with the carbs quick, grabs the windshield wiper reservoir bottle and dumps a little mystery liquid into the carb throats and then jumps back it. After a few more cranks it roars to life. And man did that thing roar. I swear it was a 12.5:1 427 with a HUGE cam and big hooker headers etc...I think it had sh1tty thrush mufflers that were just destroyed on the insides cuz the thing sounded like it didn't even have mufflers on it. He tells us to buckle up and drops the trans into 1st and does the biggest, smokiest burnout right in front of the school, laying 100ft of rubber past the school buses and parents. It was the coolest thing I had ever witnessed, though a little stupid by today's standards. I remember us yelling and getting all excited only to be snapped at 30 seconds later and told to shut up. I was hooked for life.

I STILL love the fullsize cars to this day because of Jared's older brother.

Karps TA
05-28-2008, 11:26 AM
It was a first gen Camaro. Not sure of the year exactly, I wasn't that much of a car guy then, I'm guessing it was a 68.

I hung around a bunch of kids who were 2-3 years older then me. One of them got the Camaro his Junior year in high school, I was in 8th grade then. I thought the car was badass. It was a nice car for a 16-17 year old. The next year when I went to high school I'd drive to school with him. I remember every morning 4 of us piling in it, him starting it up and he'd always crank up Dokken, Breaking the Chains.

Everytime I hear that song now I get the same memory of sitting in the backseat of that car.

That car pretty much cemented me to the fact that I wanted an old musclecar and led to me picking up my 72 Cutlass a couple year later.

Poncho
05-28-2008, 11:44 AM
Quite simply how I grew up.

As a child of the 80's I grew up in a time of shitty slow cars. My dad said "fvck that". His daily driver was a great condition SHOW WORTHY '66 El Camino. It was Bright Red, had a black/grey interior, air shocks, and a nice 327 under the hood, and a turbo 350, that was built, and had a hurst slap type shifter, and it rolled on vette rallye wheels.

While that was his mon-fri beater, his "toy" was (and still is) a '55 Bel-Air. All the goodies. Back then, much less was done "show wise" compared to now, but the running gear is the same. built/cammed/fuelie headed 4-bolt 350, Muncie 4-speed, '68 camaro 12 bolt rear w/ 4.10's, wagon leaf springs out back, aluminum high rise intake, etc.

on top of it, mom and dad both had new cars. an '86 Monte Carlo SS, and a '86 Camaro sport coupe. I remember he really used to drive alot and spread out the driving between the Monte and the Elky, and I think he sold the Monte in '91 and by then the 2004R had been rebuilt, and the 305 had been replaced under warranty due to a cracked block. I think it had like 120k on it, and I'm fairly certain, that since the paint went to shit so quickly, that Crystal Autobody might have repainted it... It was then sold w/ 130k and a fresk paintjob, but without any decals on the outside.

Hot cars were always around.

Prince Valiant
05-28-2008, 01:03 PM
Not really any one car....for me, it was just my dad's interest in cars that got me. He'd always take me to the 1/8th mile track in Jacksonville, and also he did some sand drags...nothing professional, more like today's street racing, but with trucks at the beach. But the one vehicle that he had the longest, thus probably did more to shape my car love than anything was a truck actually....

While many if not most the trucks had big tires, jacked up, light bars, etc, my dad focused on the basic. On his 1978 Plymouth Trailduster, he had plain wheels/tires with dog dish hub caps on body colored rims...engine was only a 318, but he put on a 4 barrel wieand intake, holley carb, small camshaft, and headers....backed by a three-on-the-tree, and a full-time 4WD transfer case. I know he probably lost a few races, but I don't remember any I was there (my bro and I were always in the back seat)...most of the trucks were show, not go...but the plain looking plymouth garnered a fair reputation at the dunes. It was always a blast...

Rocket Power
05-28-2008, 05:30 PM
I've always liked older cars. And hearing stories of the cars my parents and uncles used to run on hwy 100 back in the day, 327/4speed El Camino, A hemi satellite my uncle had , and a 427 vette my other uncle had, got me into older cars in general, but the car that got me into Olds in general and 64 cutlasses in particular, was the guy who is now my best friend.

Back in high school he has the fastest car in school and it was his 64. I remember feebly :goof trying to outrun him in my 78 Nova so I wouldn't have to take his brother to work with me (we worked at the same place). I got passed like I was standing still and made to stop and ended up taking him to work:rolf a few years later I was talking to a girl I worked with who's boyfriend was selling his 64 cutlass and I bought it. I remembered how much I liked the 64 that my now friend, had before in high school. I happened to see him at the local hangout spot and talked to him about his 64 and told him about mine. At that time we were just two guys who went to school at the same place and kinda knew who each other were. That was nearly 20 years ago and was the start of a friendship and now we are like family, and he's the best friend a guy could have. All because of an old car :headbang
I am now on my 4th 64 Cutlass and for a while owned the actual car that inspired me, that was my friends, in the mid 90's it was just a roller then and I never got it finished (Ask my wife, I've never finished a car:rolf )

b4mytm
05-28-2008, 09:42 PM
I grew up with it just like Dan.I remember my Dad selling his '65 Malibu when I was only 4 and being upset about it. Then in 1980 My Dad got back into the hobby with his first of many cars...a 1978 Silver Anniversary Corvette.
I thought it was the coolest thing when he would drive me to school in it.
By the time I was in high school he had 4 Vettes and a '70 El Camino (still has all of them) and my Mom had an '86 Monte SS. I took my driver's test in the Monte.
I went to car shows all of the time with my Dad from the time I was probably10.This is what I did almost every weekend...I didn't know any different.

My brothers both got something old for their first car,so I knew I would be doing the same thing.Ofcourse I had to decide what I wanted. I liked GTOs and Chevelles,but then I saw Better Off Dead ,and I was hooked. I wanted a 1967 Camaro.

Reverend Cooper
05-28-2008, 09:55 PM
my cousin and uncle were both knee deep in cars. my cousin Jeff gave me a ride in is 1969 rs-ss 396ci and i was hooked on muscle cars. My dad was a ford tech for 30 years several of his side jobs included numerous mustangs,some of which were the boss', GT500kr's and machs I have never turned back. Its a hobby my father enjoys with me and has brought us closer. I talk shit about all other cars sucking and only mustangs rule. But really i like all kinds of cars,

Poncho
05-29-2008, 12:21 AM
My brothers both got something old for their first car,so I knew I would be doing the same thing.Ofcourse I had to decide what I wanted. I liked GTOs and Chevelles,but then I saw Better Off Dead ,and I was hooked. I wanted a 1967 Camaro.


Thats how it was for me too. One sister had an '81 Camaro offered to her and she didn't care for it (not into cars) so it was offered to the younger sister after my dad and I restored it, repainted it and put stripes on it.

When it came to be my time I had a '66 Impala and a '88 Camaro. The impala ended up being a failed father/son project, and I still regret that. One day I'll have a '70 Camaro though...

Ricky Bobby
06-10-2008, 07:54 PM
the day i got my license my uncle let drive his 71 4-4-2 with 455 hunter green with black stripes and scoops, i was hooked :thumbsup

GRAMPS SS
06-10-2008, 08:16 PM
mine was when they invented the wheel.....:thumbsup...what have i ever had to lead me to cars....or as said..what have i ever had....my brothers had some nice rides....still do....:thumbsup

Crawlin
06-10-2008, 08:17 PM
http://images.hotrod.com/thehistoryof/p106234_small+1986_chevrolet_camaro+front_side_vie w.jpg http://images.hotrod.com/eventcoverage/p113853_small+1965_Chevrolet_El_Camino+Rear_Passen ger_Side_View.jpg http://images.hotrod.com/featuredvehicles/790small+1965_chevrolet_impala+front_side_view.jpg

small pic, but can't find a big one. Those cars changed me from wanting a '34 Ford to a drag car. I still dream about a 3rd gen and having it look exactly like that

Chuck Samuel's 3rd gen
Chuck Samuel's '65 El Camino
Nick Scavo's Impala

EDIT - Funny thing, my very first car was an '87 Camaro Sport Coupe just like that one but red w/ black stripes at the bottom. 305 and a 5-spd. I beat the shit out of that car,hahah.

HITMAN
06-10-2008, 09:31 PM
http://images.hotrod.com/featuredvehicles/790small+1965_chevrolet_impala+front_side_view.jpg


Nick Scavo's Impala




Scavo's Imp just might be the coolest car on the face of the Earth. I would love to build a clone to it, only with his Camaro's turbo mill under the hood.... :drool:

wrath
06-10-2008, 09:58 PM
I grew up around cars. Never got too interested in vehicles until after I went away to college and then it was offroad trucks. Up until then it was mostly ATVs/dirtbikes. I did have a 9 second pickup but while it was fast it wasn't nice. It was a deathbox.

Probably the most memorable vehicle my Dad had was a 82 chevy longbox S10. Had a 350/TH400 out of a Canadian box truck with 3 two-barrel Rochesters and 4.10 cogs on short wide tires lowered 6". He got it on trade for something, I forget what. Maybe it was his thirdgen, I'm not sure. He had a different vehicle every 4-8 months growing up because of all the miles he drove (fix one up, drive it for 4-6 months, sell it for a profit, repeat). It was Candy Apple Red with a built-in tonneau cover. This was circa 1989. I think my Dad might have drove it 200 miles and he had it 3 years. He didn't like it because you'd go deaf in it between the straight-cut TH400, the exhaust, and it turning 3500rpm at 55mph. It was a toy, it didn't really go fast (it ran out of valvespring at about 110) but it was pretty dangerous. He ended up trading it for a sandrail.

I'm still kind of a truck person. I think what I build next will be another truck. It'll probably end up being a standard cab 3/4 ton 4wd GMT800 pickup converted to a double-triangulated 4 link under a 5.5' box with a 14SF in the rear. Need to work out some finer details like if I can fit 2" coilovers next to the shafts in the front suspension or not. I don't know, it just seems like I have more fun in a pickup.

I also like older cars, but I just don't seem to have the interest in them. I'd like to have a 60s 2 door Biscayne someday. But really, after being in offroading and the whole tubing shit out to make stuff work right, it's hard to convince yourself to take a grossly inferior vehicle (weight, stance, geometry) and make it do something well. I'd end up with a tube-chassis Biscayne. I like late 70s Malibus, splitbumper secondgens F-bodies, IROCs, 98up F-bodies fifthgen Y-bodies, and I even have a special place for certain G-bodies. In reality, I have a better chance of picking up a SSR and putting AWD in it with a twin-screw squished under the hood than any of these other things.

PB86MCSS
06-10-2008, 11:42 PM
Was never into cars that much growing up, just mild interest. My sisters best friend in high school had a nice 85' Monte SS that her grandparents got for her 16th b-day as they had money and owned a decent sized dealership in the area (forget which one), this was around 93'-94'. So for a few years I'd see it around my house enough that myself and a couple neighbor friends fell for it....so when it was time to get my first car after finishing High School, it was in the back of my mind along with a 3rd gen Camaro or basic transportation car like my parents 88' Accord. Sisters friend was selling hers a few months before I was in the market and just couldn't afford it at the time even though she sold it at a steal of a price....maybe it helped motivate me to get one. Just gravitated towards the Montes and looked at a few....got my SS and have had it since. I overpaid for it and would of been better off finding another to build up due to some rust issues, but its been worth it. Not many people still have their first car for better or worse and Its been just about 10 years now for me. Didn't know much at all about cars and have learned a ton.....and learned to do almost everything myself (with help of some friends of course) except for bodywork/paint or digging too deep into trannys or rear ends. Learned to like and fall for many other kinds of cars along the way too....someday I'll diversify a bit :) .

BigSnailBuick
06-10-2008, 11:50 PM
My old man always tried to get me to buy a Gn. But I loved eclipses. Had an eclipse for 2 years...fixed it. fixed it and fixed it..It was quick but not fast. Then I came home one day after work and saw an 11sec regal in teh garage. Umm wtf I said. My old man came out and said here..threw me the keys..take this for a spin. Took it out on bluemound rd. Never had I got soo many thumbs up from old men b4 :rolf Just letting the rear end rip loose on et streets and hearing the absurd spool of teh turbo I fell straight in love. Needless to say my gsx was sold 4 days later and I went out and found a mint 87 regal turbo T with some great work already done and a perfect base for the plans i had. It has been my one true love ever since. Buick FTW:headbang

Mudd Runner
06-13-2008, 05:03 PM
Id have to say it was my uncles 87 GN (thing used to be mint now the body is junk but the drive train is awesome) that got me hooked always tearin sh!t up on the street in front of my grand parents house and then about a year after i got my license i came home from work and he was over. So joking around i asked if i could drive it (never in a million years thinking he would say yes) he threw me the keys and said lets go ended up racing a buddy of mine while we were out with it and thats what did it for me.

lilws6
06-13-2008, 06:37 PM
As a kid my dad would always talk about the old days when he had his 55 belair and his 67 camaro rs with the bumble bee stripe. always telling me about the races he used to get in the burn outs he would do. I always wanted something with a V8 when he past away 5 years ago i was giving his 96 s10 blazer to drive and typical 16 yr old male driver always trying to hot rod it. well somethign gave way and i had to park it my mom bought me a cavalier :stare i was so excited i saw some pictures of some good looking ones and had huge plans for it. well tranny went so i took it and traded in on a saturn. still hod roded around. until i got out of high school got a decent job as a lube tech. decided i was going to look for a camaro. so i searched forever and missed out on a nice 2002 pewter SS 6 speed. at a steal of a price. kept looking and happened across the ws6 so i had to take a look at it and drive it. had to have it after that no more rice grinding for me now i can hot rod with out pretending any more lol I still want a first gen camaro with 350 4speed but that will come in time i'm only 21 i'm lucky to have what i have now

Voodoo Chick
06-24-2008, 11:58 PM
The first time I ever saw my '73 Olds, and the first time I ever saw my '79 Camaro. Both parked outside, one in a late-summer field with the sun shining off her gorgeous self, the other doors-deep in snow in a yard in winter, nearly ready for the car-crusher. I fell in love with each at first sight, and my life was changed, forever. The Olds, by the way is still gorgeous, and, thankfully, so too is the Camaro! She needed lots of work, but now she's a force of nature, lol!! >:)

That_Guy
06-25-2008, 12:06 AM
my buddy steves buick gnx... i was 16.. it was the first time i creamed my pants in a car... there is nothing like mashing the gas pedal.. and then... everything gets blurry because your halling so much ass.

RanJer
06-25-2008, 12:23 AM
As a kid my old man had several 1st gen Stangs.. So I loved those. But it really wasn't until my brother got his 54 Ford Crestline from Jefferson Car Show that I really started paying attention. That thing was heavy and slow as hell but it was a cool ass car for a 10 year old to get dropped of in. From then on I wanted something similar... Just haven't gotten to it. Really really want a late 50's Ford truck....

MoCkiN U
06-25-2008, 10:54 AM
It was my brothers Dodge Challenger. In the area it was nothing to hear a muscle car rumble through but to look out the front porch and see that flat black square front end come into view turning in past the tree line always got me pumped!!

He took me to school everday in this thing while I lived at that house (I lived in foster home) and I remember the ride and him always tapping and barking at the oil pressure gauge on the dash. Not knowing how important oil was at the time and I was too unimportant for him to explain it LOL

Everytime my brother came back into my life (when they moved me and he found me again) he had a different car and each one was built up and just gleamed in the sun. They were all babied and taken care of.

My goal is to make sure that no one sees one of my cars in shambles so it will always be polished up and ready to show

Poncho
06-25-2008, 11:04 AM
I change my vote to Michael Coopers 2005 Sonic Blue Roush.

Z06 KID
06-25-2008, 01:25 PM
1972 chevy nova :drool::drool:

loud91rs
07-07-2008, 10:27 PM
Better off dead movie's 67 camaro ss with hidaway headlights in black did it for me. First car ended up being a black 67 camaro project but never had the money. Sold it to my dad to pay off bills later. Have had over 10 f body cars since and will never stop. Its my dad's fault. Project cars in our garage include:
72 Chevelle SS 454
67 Camaro
69 Camaro Convertible
70 Camaro
78 Corvette
85 Camaro
91 Camaro
My family loves cars enough to build a new barn for them

Z06 KID
07-08-2008, 03:24 PM
lucky, lucky man ^^^

loud91rs
07-08-2008, 08:06 PM
I'm not that lucky. the ugly thirdgens are mine and the rest are my dads and not one of them is near completion except the corvette (yawwwwwwn...compared to the others lol)

Z06 KID
07-08-2008, 09:51 PM
still wouldnt mind having any of that
ugly or not

Troutman
07-08-2008, 10:19 PM
-uncle's vitamin C road runner with a 440
-old neighbor's jaguar e-type

and i end up with a Datsun...go figure

GRAMPS SS
07-08-2008, 10:30 PM
IT WAS THE ARC ....for me :rolf:rolf:rolf:rolf:rolf:rolf:rolf:rolf:rolf:rolf :rolf

now i love off shore racing...:thumbsup

Crawlin
07-26-2008, 03:44 PM
IT WAS THE ARC ....for me :rolf:rolf:rolf:rolf:rolf:rolf:rolf:rolf:rolf:rolf :rolf

now i love off shore racing...:thumbsup

Ok, just because I went through and read the rest of the posts....

HOLY FOOKING SHIIIT is that funny Wayne!!!!

The ARC!!! Post of the year on that one!