The car that started it all?

-
well my dad started me in mopars day i was born my mom tells me my dad just swapped in a new tranny the day i was born he was late getting there becouse of it so when he got there he did burnouts up the street she said that was his 70 roadrunner 440 4spd 8 3/4 but what really started mopar for me was always loving to pretend drive my dads old 68 plymouth vip that was awesome i loved that car. thats what strted it for me just a old parts car!

the roadrunner is mine one day!
 
When I was a wee lad, my grandfather had a '67 Coronet R/T (440, 4-speed, codename: Blue Goose) that made an impression. At the age of about four, I'd spend the first hour or so of each visit sitting on a stack of pillows in the driver's seat - banging gears and making imaginary roadtrips. One day, I hope to own one much like it. The car was evil.

Fast forward to 1982 for the machine that would confirm my insatiable lust for torque. Dad traded my uncle grandma's '72 Dart Swinger for a '76 Chevy 1/2-ton shortbed pickup with a mild 454. It manifested severe traction issues if someone sneezed on the pavement and got horrible mileage, but it sounded really cool. I found plenty of trouble in that thing and it refused to die even after being used to bust a utility pole into three smaller poles.
 
I didn't get to check this thread out for a day, wow did it grow! I have to say, another car that got me even more deeply hooked was my friend Aaron's 69 Nova that we built. Mild 454/th350, 3500 stall/4.11's. It was nasty, and scary, with the 4 wheel manual drums and manual steering. It would break the tires loose going 55-60 miles an hour! He drove it from Columbus, OH to where we lived in East Palestine, OH, about a 3 hour drive, we hit Quaker City Raceway the next day with nothing extra but a pair of slicks, and even with his lack of fuel problem, was running 12.08 at 108mph. It was a blast, I wish I could have bought that car.
 
A few 'also rans' (name brand big /small block legends.? as it were).

Remember thinking... something was always lacking...

Then, there was this ride in a 68 GTX HEMI. "no lift shift" ride along.

Done Deal , Addicted.
 
My dad working in Chrysler/Plymouth dealerships during my youth sealed the deal for me. It seemed like he was bringing home a different Mopar product every other week! (And he was)!
 
THIS is me and the car that started the madness in the early 80's, And my first MOPAR my 68' Sattelite.

image0-7.jpg


image0.jpg
 
For me it was my uncle's original unrestored petty blue 1972 340 4 speed Duster and these three:

generallee_hmedium.jpg


cuda.jpg


christine01.jpg
 
Dad was a mopar man from day I was born. Grandpa had a 37 Plymouth coupe parked out in trees on the farm and I played in that all the time. Dad had a 54 Dodge Coronet with the little 241 Hemi Red Ram. Great car that was my first car when he upgraded to 60 Dodge Dart. When body got bad on the 54 Dodge I transplanted that Hemi into 55 Plymouth. That was great fun car. Lots of road trips and beer runs. Have been Mopar fan forever even when had to drive GM products in 80's and 90's when Mopar didn't have anything.
 
My dad was a Mopar guy, he had a 67 and then a 69 Barracuda. The first car I ever drove was a 65 Barracuda with a stick, I was about 11, but the first car I owned was a 69 Dart V/8 4spd.. My older brother had/has a 69 Boss 302 Mustang. As a young teen I was always interested in motorcycles more than cars but any time I had to visit the local shopping center I would shortcut through a Pontiac dealership. They would have lines of blue and white Trans Ams in a row. Those cars just looked great, shaker hood scoops, spoilers, fender scoops and flaring, cool graphics. I always said to myself that one day I would have one, that was 40 years ago. I never did get one. I also had a friend in high school that had a 67 Chevelle 396 4spd.. That car was impressive! I`m the sum total of all of these experiences when it comes to musclecars. I love them all! pic:70 Trans Am

!BhIvK3wBWk~$(KGrHqUOKiUErzh3hD(4BLHzkZ1L-g~~_3.jpg
 
I figured I would give this ol' thread a bump. Lots of new members, and I want to hear some stories!

To add to the cars that set me on a certain path, I have another car. Up until 2005, I was never really too concerned about handling. As long as the car was safe, I would just slow down and not try to take the bends. Figured my dart was a straight line car, and something to cruise in. That all changed when my mom called to tell me they were at a Pontiac dealership, picking up a brand new 2005 GTO with the 400hp ls2/6-speed! I drove it with 46 miles on it, and fell in love. That car handled better than anything else I had driven, and pulled like crazy at any speed, in any gear! After that, I changed my whole mindset on cars. I want it to handle and stop. Feels safer to know if I have the kids in the car that I may be able to get out of a difficult situation, and have more control. I can't even imagine driving my old dart with no sway bar, skinny front tires, etc, now. That GTO made a biiiiig impact on me. Kind of my personal benchmark for my Dart Sport.
 
It was my Paw Paw's 71 Dart Swinger. The 318 would smoke that right rear purdy much as long as I held the gas down. Ask me how I know.
 
as many ppl on this site know .....i was born and raised in India ...so i was never exposed to muscle cars or cars at all.....but when i was around 12 or 13, my to be adoptive family from Colorado took me some mopar magazines to read to improve my english and look at the pics .....i fell in love with a sublime 70 road runner....it was in an issue that featured the mopar nationals. ....i didnt know much then other than it was a pretty car......i cut the pic out of the magazine and kept in my little make-up case purse i had at the time

then after i was 14 almost 15 they brought me here to Colorado and my adoptive dad was using a 69 cuda fastback as a family car that he had bought in 1972 ....it remained our family car until late 2007 when it was retired (we still have it).

i actually took my driving test in that cuda and learned to drive in it ......its an A56 340/4 speed with an odometer that has rolled a few times in its long service life from 72-07

he also had a 75 Dart swinger 2 door with a 318 that we used as a second car for a long time but that one is gone .....got parted out (i still have a lot of parts from it though) thats why i like later darts too.
 
My Dad had a 51 Ford flathead V-8 with dual glasspack's. I used to ride with my head out of the window so I could hear it better(before seat belts). Then whenI was 14 my cousins boyfriend bought a 62 409 Chevy Impala 4 speed.I was hooked on cars forever.My 65 Dart I bought in 67 got me into Mopar although I strayed away for a while.
 
At age 16 I used to work for a man in his weld / fab / mechanic business. I learned a lot from him. He had a 1965 Mustang fastback that he bought brand new. I used to ride around in it once in a while. It was all original, a v-8 muscle car! (He is an heir to Henry Ford and comes from a family of Ford fans)

That car was his baby, he bought it right after coming out of the Navy.
I could hardly beleive how he pampered that car. It was washed, waxed, detailed, and pampered in every imaginable way.

32 years later, now I own that exact car.
 
My Dad's friend's car was what "did it" for me. He had a white, lowered '60 El Camino with real knock-off wheels and loud glasspacks. Super simple and super clean. I couldn't believe the feeling that looking at that car gave me.....it was weird.

It was badass just sittin' there!

0804clt_03_z+1960_el_camino.jpg
 
For me, it was a 66 Dodge Coronet 440 two door with a 383 in it. A friend had it when I was a kid and I always loved the car. I have the car now and have had it for over 20 years.
 
I've been a car guy/kid all my life. I've always liked movies and T.V. shows with cool cars and car chases. If by "did it for me" you mean getting into resto work, my dad's old Fury III is the car that did it for me. My dad bought this car back in '77 and it was our family transportation for about three years. We used to take it to Dayton, Ohio from Davenport, Iowa to my grandma's. I remember sitting in the back seat waving good-bye to my Great Uncle John. He had tears streaming down his face as we pulled away from the curb. I didn't know it as a little kid, but John had cancer and he knew that was the last time we would see him alive. A couple years later, a spun bearing put the old Plymouth out of commission. Fast forward to 1999, I had finally talked Dad into fixing the old Plymouth back up. It had been sitting since 1980. He agreed that we would restore it together when he retired in a few years. He was diagnosed with cancer that fall and was gone by late January 2000. That spring, I started taking the car apart and assessing what all needed to be done. Over the course of about five years, I finally had her running on her own power. I did a lot of rust repair, including replacing both quarters, and a lot of other body damage. The only things I didn't do myself was the machine work and the top install. She runs on her factory installed poly 318. 25,000+ miles and no problems whatsoever. Mom enjoys riding in, and driving this car very regularly spring through fall!!
 

Attachments

  • front shot.jpg
    90 KB · Views: 122
  • rear shot.jpg
    103.4 KB · Views: 118
  • lh side interior shot sm.jpg
    57.8 KB · Views: 128
  • poly 318 sm.jpg
    63.8 KB · Views: 123
It all started when I was about four years old. A friend my father worked with would come to our house driving his '67 Jaguar E-type roadster. We had a '66 Malibu wagon and I saw that Jag parked next to it and was hooked. Those were great days seeing all the old cars being driven around. I had a thing for mustangs and the charger daytona's. There was a '70 formula 400 firebird in the neighborhood that caught my eye and a few corvettes. The first car I drove when I was about 14 was a friends 69 charger and I was hooked on mopars. I do still have a thing for old british sports cars though.
 
I've posted it before. This is the first Mopar I remember. My moms 70 dart. I had trouble sleeping some times as a baby never fusy just wouldn't sleep. Mom drove me around the block in it and I'd be out. She had it until I was in third grade. I still get insomnia but my Mopar relaxes me no matter what.
 

Attachments

  • Dodge-Dart-Swinger-340-hemi-orange-black-stripes-1970-04A7E230023073A.jpg
    13.3 KB · Views: 125
watching Dukes of Hazard as a kid. had my first 69 Charger when i was 13.

my only Mopar now is a 66 Fury VIP 2DHT my great aunt bought new in 66. It now has 5.9 EFI magnum, 518 OD, 3.55 8.25 posi disk brake rear, H4/H1 headlight rewiring with relays, 73 Fury front discs.......

i pretty much got out of Mopars. collectors have ruined the hobby. cars are for hobbyists and enjoyment, not retirement portfolios.
 
Street raced a stock 69 Cougar,lost most races. The Local P.D.s ,had the car ,on files(83/84). The old man,throws me his 78 Datsun pickup. The L20B,needed serious beefing.Bought a Crane world cam,and flat top pistons,from the local guy The local head porter,had a 70 R/T Challenger,wth a Max Wedge prepped,440 bottom end.4.88's out back. Hearing that at 7000 +,another world......
 
Here is the car that started it all for me. My Dads 1970 Swinger 340 (EV2 auto car) I remember being 5-6yrs old and going everywhere in it. My Mom drive it all the time too. My dad bought it in the late 80's and had it till the mid 90's. He restored it and eventually had to sell it (still on the search for it) I now have one of my own (EV2 four speed 340 car) and I don't ever plan on parting with it!

7734FBE7-E125-4939-A4E5-CA45A7C6EDF9-3926-000002604699DA54.jpg


519CB6DD-4082-4A37-ADC8-027813327585-696-00000044D46F2332.jpg
 
Bringing the thread back to life with some pics of my dads 1972 Skylark, which is also the first car I ever got to drive! Been in the family since 1986.

I know, it has chevy wheels. They were on it when he got it.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20130813_201741.jpg
    68.7 KB · Views: 91
  • IMG_20130813_201550.jpg
    39.7 KB · Views: 90
A green 1960 Valiant station wagon similar to the one pictured (but the lighter, really yukky hospital green color). A friend of my father's sold it to me in 1965 when I was 18 for $100 with 100K miles on it, and I drove it another 100K. What a great car. I wish I had never sold it.
 

Attachments

  • Val SW.jpg
    49.8 KB · Views: 78
images


A car just like the one pictured. It was my uncle's car and I loved that car when I was young. I remember how it was ALWAYS clean and beautiful. That car made quite am impression on me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top