Am I the only one?

[VonCramp]

To me it's more fun trying to capture that look of the past. Hunting for old valve covers, and using candy paint. Cheater slicks or even real slicks. Chrome and hood scoops! Multi carbs!

 

[VonCramp]

My problem when I looked for wheels and tires were (as I needed custom offsets) the 15" custom made wheels were as much or more than 17" wheel and the tire options for 15" were limited and lower performing and cost as much as better performing 17" tires. Below is how it turned out before and after. However, I do agree large wheels for the sake of doing it doesn't look right. Up to a 17" or some 18" can look clean and flow well with the car.

I think you get it. At least your wheels in the rear have some lip. I favor straight spoke wheels over curved spokes though. Cool color on the car!

 

[Jonny Shark]

Wow !!!!! Dano it`s looks pretty nice !!!!

 

[GEO]

I love some of the older looks with hidden modern technology.


And I always want to tub everything. Been looking for a reasonably priced pair of ansen sprints for years in either 15X15 or15X14.

As far as outward appearances I built my car like I would have street raced it back in the 1970's , but with modern engine power

 

[dano]

Along the topic, I hate the current trend of slamming a car, getting as much negative camber and stretching a 205 tire to a 10" wide rim.....

 

[DNasty777]

I like pretty much every form of modified car/truck. Including the "stance scene" that dano is talkin about. The only thing I don't really care for are the 90s era body kit cars. They ruined the natural lines of a lot of cars.

 

[Hemioutlaw]

Nope,
It's not just you but I guess its just whatever era your from and what your familiar with. I think many of us older folks yearn and have remembrances of simpler times and a slower pace. Maybe its just because we were younger and weren't yet stifled with a million responsibilities. Baggy pants and 20" wheels are imo the stupidest looking things on earth and a vehicle on 20's probably has a saggy pant driver. You mentioned "Billet" and as a lifelong machinist I have always found the over usage of this terminology to be Hilarious and is always featured in catalogs like its some kind of rocket science technology...freakin ridiculous. My 65' is about to lose it's Thirteens and haven't yet decided what's going on there but they will be bigger....69' Cuda (Fenton's)and 64' Valiant (Weld's) need wide for traction...well not really but don't want the added expense of making a small tire like a 10.5 plant, even though I dig the cars that do it on 10.5's.
You are not alone in your thinking and I'm not anti-technology but god help the world with some of the crappy car designs and looks they have nowadays as they all but a few look the same to me and have zero personality or styling lines and I couldn't give a rat's *** about six million miles of wiring and modules and chips and such. Yeah you might be able to blow my doors off but when we're parked next to each other somewhere, it's my 10k ride that gets noticed not your 50k ride and a little ego stoke in moderation is always good for the soul.

 

[DEVIOUSDUSTER]

As already noted, there are many different combinations of wheels, paint and parts that can give a car a certain look from a certain era. The hot rod hobby is built on trends that detail what was cool at that point in time. "Big" wheels are in now but could be gone like the pastel paints of the late 80's and early 90's.

All that matters is that the body of the car stays the same as time moves forward. Everything else will evolve with the changing tastes and preferences of the owner and the hobby itself.

I'm all for change as long as the foundation of our hobby is still centered on accentuating the look of these beautifully designed cars.

 

[barbee6043]

I really got excited when I found four smp chrome reverve rims in boneyard this spring. they were 14 of course. little rust in center but not bad for $5 ea.!!
i'm in the crowd that I was a teenager when these cars were new, so i'm dated with history and memories. not all good.
we older guys need to remember lots of younger guys are getting int o the hobby ( and that in its self is good), and they tend to bring in an interest in modern technology. we learn for each other.....
O K so I don't get pants falling off the a-- or green hair!!???? LOL

 

[roughidle]

My problem when I looked for wheels and tires were (as I needed custom offsets) the 15" custom made wheels were as much or more than 17" wheel and the tire options for 15" were limited and lower performing and cost as much as better performing 17" tires. Below is how it turned out before and after. However, I do agree large wheels for the sake of doing it doesn't look right. Up to a 17" or some 18" can look clean and flow well with the car.

Hey Hey....what's that color? Code? Exactly what I've been after.... If it's a mopar color I'm going to be embarassed I asked.... Looks killer man!!

 

[lurchs66cuda]

I'm all for the big n little also on the older rides for the most part. I had to go with sidewall height VS width on the 66, but with the rake it has, it stands out!

 

[madmoparmick]

It's funny you should mention about Hot Wheels(couldn't understand what
the whole big stupid wheels thing was all about!), but I believe that kids that
grew up during that period, exposed to that image, thought it looked cool.
I can see putting on a wheel big enough to fit over some kind of giant brakes,
or a road race car that needs added stability of short sidewalls, but give me a
break!! Those big wheels look STUPID! Especially with stock, rusty brakes.
They don't realize big diameter reduces braking and acceleration. I blame
Hot Wheels.

 

[74Dusted]

Is this the kind of old-school you're thinking of?















6-71 Blown 340 '73 Duster, with a pair of 750 Carter AVS Carbs on top (now has a pair of 850 Thermoquads).

Manual Shift 727, Forward Pattern, with a Cuda/Challenger Console & Slapstik Shifter

8.75" Rear with 4.10's and a Spool. 29x14.5-14" Tires on the Rear, 195/70/14's on the Front, Keystone Klassic wheels. Sway Bar, 11.75" Rotors on the Front with FMJ Spindles and Coilovers (Coilovers were installed in the early 80's)

All of the mods, except for the Blower were done in the late 70's - early 80's, when my dad still owned the car. I put the Blower on this year (over Easter Weekend).

I don't need it to handle like a brand new car. As long as I keep the rear tires planted on take-off, cornering (hard cornering at that) and the fronts planted on braking, I'm good. Don't need an Overdrive either, even with the 4.10's. I use it as a Daily Driver in the summer, and I prefer it over a new vehicle.

 

[1967 'cuda]

It's funny you should mention about Hot Wheels(couldn't understand what the whole big stupid wheels thing was all about!), but I believe that kids that grew up during that period, exposed to that image, thought it looked cool. I can see putting on a wheel big enough to fit over some kind of giant brakes, or a road race car that needs added stability of short sidewalls, but give me a break!! Those big wheels look STUPID! Especially with stock, rusty brakes. They don't realize big diameter reduces braking and acceleration. I blame Hot Wheels.

I remember when the first Hot Wheels were made. Until then Matchbox cars were about the best things out there. But Matchbox cars were stock in appearance. So I modified all of my Matchbox cars. - And Matchbox made a lot of 4 door sedans and trucks and station wagons. They didn't make the cool cars.

Suddenly Mattel was making cars with MAG WHEELS, RED LINE TIRES (and they had BIG tires), CANDY COLOR PAINT, and they made THE cool cars! Mustangs, Camaros, Cudas, Chargers, Firebirds, Cougars, Corvettes, and even some custom created hotrods. It was nirvana for wannabe future gearheads.

They (of course) even made a drag strip for them. You could race your non-Hot Wheels on the track but they didn't stand a chance against the Hot Wheel cars because the axle design created less drag.

As other companies began to copy the 'hotrodded' trend Mattel started making more detailed versions but eventually went to goofier designs. It's as if non-car guys became involved. It seems as if someone in charge thought that weird outlandish fantasy was what made their cars cool. You're right madmoparmick. When those weird 'big wheels' came out it was an indication that the company had strayed from it's early roots. It very well could be why so many kids were led astray. BRAINWASHED BY MATTEL!!!

This was cool!

View attachment CustomBarracuda_RLC_Purple.jpgView attachment orig16hws.jpg

This??

View attachment autito-hot-wheels-mexico-80s-camaro-z28-15926-MLC20112129325_062014-F.jpgView attachment hw_blowncamaro_1996a.jpg

 

[moparclown]

My old school car
and my old new style car

 

[1967 'cuda]

Is this the kind of old-school you're thinking of?

looks cool to me.

 

[ssba]

74dusted you nailed it. Cool ride you got there.
I am a 100% no compromise agreement with the OP on this topic.
I am into the way I remember them when I was growing up in the 70s.
I do not go as far as the shag carpet in my cars but would before a single
modern style part was installed. I just refuse to put something out of era on any of my cars.
I am proud of the fact that a person could look my cars over top to bottom, front to rear and
not come up with a part you couldn't get back in the early 70s.
If you say you can't find the parts to make it old school like you like
and use something else that was better and modern. I think you didn't
look hard enough.
I also know that to each their own. Their is room for all of us. I just don't
pay no mind to the stuff that doesn't interest me.
So to the OP you are not alone out there with your old school mopars.
I am kind of surprised myself how many showed up here. I would guess most of us
are 50 & older. I'm sure we are the minority.

 

[72Dodge]

You're not alone. I love the day 2 look. The newer tech almost always performs better, but doesn't have the "soul" of old school.

 

[74Dusted]

74dusted you nailed it. Cool ride you got there.
I am a 100% no compromise agreement with the OP on this topic.
I am into the way I remember them when I was growing up in the 70s.
I do not go as far as the shag carpet in my cars but would before a single
modern style part was installed. I just refuse to put something out of era on any of my cars.
I am proud of the fact that a person could look my cars over top to bottom, front to rear and
not come up with a part you couldn't get back in the early 70s.
If you say you can't find the parts to make it old school like you like
and use something else that was better and modern. I think you didn't
look hard enough.
I also know that to each their own. Their is room for all of us. I just don't
pay no mind to the stuff that doesn't interest me.
So to the OP you are not alone out there with your old school mopars.
I am kind of surprised myself how many showed up here. I would guess most of us
are 50 & older. I'm sure we are the minority.

I agree. (Except I'm in my mid 20's)

My '73 was the car that started my love of A-bodies (and was the reason I bought all my A-bodies). Back then it was my dad's car, and it remained exactly the same from as far back as I could remember, until this year. (Basic Maintenance, like plugs/wires, oil change, etc excluded). In 2012 my dad sold me the car for $500, it looked exactly the same as it did when I was a little kid as it does in the picture I posted of it beside the Pine Trees on my Driveway. He owned that car from 1976 - 2012, it was his first car.

My dad would drop me off at school in it, that nasty .590 Mopar Perf Cam and Solid Motor Mounts made it's presence known, and the massive rear tires that barely fit. It burned an image in my mind of how a mopar muscle car should look.

Every time I start a project, I take a step back and say "I wonder how big of a tire I can fit under the back of it." and "It needs Super Stock Springs." and "Needs a Spool and steep gears."

 

[rmchrgr]

Kind of an old school guy myself...

 

[RzeroB]

My problem when I looked for wheels and tires were (as I needed custom offsets) the 15" custom made wheels were as much or more than 17" wheel and the tire options for 15" were limited and lower performing and cost as much as better performing 17" tires. Below is how it turned out before and after. However, I do agree large wheels for the sake of doing it doesn't look right. Up to a 17" or some 18" can look clean and flow well with the car.

That is part of the problem right there. 14"-15" tires are so "old school" you can hardly find them anymore - if at all! BTW, I liked the OP's opening post to this thread ... I was like "yeah!, I like that stuff too!" I read on and in a later post I found out that we are only a year apart in age ... "ahhh, that explains it ... we're from the same period". Yep! It was good and I like it! Sorry, I digress ... please continue ...

 

[74Dusted]

My '74 was (and will be again when I finish putting it back together) was an Old School style ride too.


It ran a Manual Shift 727 (Forward Pattern) with a 1970 (One Year Only) Challenger Slapstik Shifter mounted inside a 1967 Barracuda Center Console. I also added a '67 Cuda Rallye Cluster. B-Body 8.75" with Super Stock Springs, 489 Chunk with 3.23 Sure Grip.

Direct Connection Ductail Spoiler, "Pop Out" Style Glass Sunroof, A/C, Power Steering, Cruise Control. Yes, there's even Fuzzy Dice hanging from the Mirror, a 10 Band EQ on top of the Center Console and an 8-Track Radio in the Dash (the only thing out of place/not period correct was the Accel 300+ Ignition Box and the CD Changer).

When it finally goes back together, it will have an 8-71 Blown 392 Hemi (1st Gen, not 3rd Gen) and an 18 Spline A833 with a Dana 60 Rear. Keeping the Interior I have, keeping the Keystone Klassic Wheels. About the only changes to the build, will be the Hemi (instead of the 340), the 4-Speed, and the Dana 60. Oh and the 71 Front Clip & Tail Panel.

 

[1967 'cuda]

My '74 was (and will be again when I finish putting it back together) was an Old School style ride too. It ran a Manual Shift 727 (Forward Pattern) with a 1970 (One Year Only) Challenger Slapstik Shifter mounted inside a 1967 Barracuda Center Console. I also added a '67 Cuda Rallye Cluster. B-Body 8.75" with Super Stock Springs, 489 Chunk with 3.23 Sure Grip. Direct Connection Ductail Spoiler, "Pop Out" Style Glass Sunroof, A/C, Power Steering, Cruise Control. Yes, there's even Fuzzy Dice hanging from the Mirror, a 10 Band EQ on top of the Center Console and an 8-Track Radio in the Dash (the only thing out of place/not period correct was the Accel 300+ Ignition Box and the CD Changer). When it finally goes back together, it will have an 8-71 Blown 392 Hemi (1st Gen, not 3rd Gen) and an 18 Spline A833 with a Dana 60 Rear. Keeping the Interior I have, keeping the Keystone Klassic Wheels. About the only changes to the build, will be the Hemi (instead of the 340), the 4-Speed, and the Dana 60. Oh and the 71 Front Clip & Tail Panel.

A lot of nice touches there. The Keystones, fuzzy dice, ducktail spoiler, etc... I know that your car isn't what most would call show car ready (no offense) But it does embody the spirit of old school. I confess that nowadays even I cringe at aftermarket sunroofs but I'd put a few in cars back in the day. I'm looking forward to seeing you stuff that big 'ol Hemi in there. It's obvious you've been building it to enjoy it. You're probably the type of guy that I love shooting the breeze with at car shows.

 

[74Dusted]

No Offense Taken :glasses7: It was far from a show car, it had a $49 Paint Job (Was actually the first car I ever painted), shot it with a gallon of Tractor Paint from Tractor Supply, which I believe cost about $25 at the time, and then add primer, reducer, etc...$49 paint job The first year I drove it, it was in primer

Sadly I haven't driven it since 2011, that's how long it's been off the road in "Project Mode" again.

Oh I enjoy shootin' the breeze with folks at car shows. There's a show in my area (actually it's more like a gathering of a bunch of great people with everything ranging from trucks to muscle cars to street rods), When I can find the time to make it to one of the shows, I'm usually talking with the others (even the ones who don't have mopars).

Funny you mention the aftermarket sunroof (I never had any problems with the one I installed in the '74), but they were usually nightmares. I had an aftermarket sunroof in my '87 D50 when I was a teenager and my dad hated that thing. Never failed, when he'd sit in the passenger seat, rain or shine, the sunroof would leak on him. And its aim was amazing, it always aimed for his pants or the top of his head

 

[68383GTS]

I am going for the old school or retro look.And I still have a few more old school parts to add on a hurst shifter,set of vintage valve covers and tachometer.I WILL NOT ADD ON side pipes,yellow traction bars,or yellow plug wires.Trying to do the old school look with taste...LOL