What car got you into Mopars?

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Its funny I didn't get in the Fords cause one of my HS buddies was a big Ford guy and he had some "nice" cars, like a 1970 LTD with the 428/429 engine (i forgot which one) and a 1973 Ford station wagon..the 70 car was fast for so big..he flew with that car..100 and its still pulling with 4 of us inside

By Ford were so different from GM cars, mopars nobody I knew had one back in HS and they had a rough rap thanks to the lean burn junk in the late 70's..right when I started HS. Plus we were in to mopeds and motorbikes-I had an on road/off road 100 cc bike that I hit the trails with quite a bit and no worries of traffic tickets out there.

But then development ruined all the trails in the mid 80's--one place would be bulldozed and office buildings went up and then another field would be gone--then the city paved all the back roads--it was awful, lol...the speed limits went from 55 mph on dirt roads-which were almost never patrol, to paved 45 zone with cops all over...riding was no longer fun and I sold my bike--which was a 175 by then.

I loved my 70 Cutlass but the back end was too light and I did swing out a few times, only to regain control but then one day I lost it and before I could get in back under a this Jeep coming the other was did not dive to the shoulder..and it was gone...and I hated it for being so light in back..the 14 inch wheels did not help, same with the coil springs in back.
 
MY father and four brothers , Father was a mechanic at a local Dodge dealership , back in the mid 50,s til late 60,s , and between all of us had a ton of mopars and some new ones, Including a 68 Super Bee, 67 Dodge Coronet R/T ,and A 73 Duster 340 .But my father mostly drove 4 door polara,s and Monacos, as we had 9 in our family.
 
Back in 66 I was a Ford man driving a 62 ford 406/405hp 4 sp. I was a run on sunday work on it all week guy. I tried to trade it for a new 66 mustang but the deal fell thru. Went shopping for a compact car drove a 66 Dart GT 273/4sp fell in love with it now 46 years later stilll driving the little Dart. Thats all ive driven since then.
 
Back in 1996 I had the oppertunity to buy a 1974 Road Runner with a 440 and a big 950 carb but I passed and my buddy bought it instead. I got a Grand National a few weeks later and played with it for a few years. Then I got into Mustangs cause the shop I worked at did a good deal of work on Fox bodies so I knew you could make them fast with little money. Switched Jobs and the owner at my new Job had a 1968 Barracuda that I had seen through the neighborhood a few times. She was loud and mean and little did I know she was sporting a very warm 440 solid roller cam motor. This was about 1999, 2000 and I had a quick mustang so I decided I would challenge the boss to a race. He said look I know you think your little ford is quick but here's the keys to the fish go drive it just make sure you shift outta first before you let out of the throttle. Me being cocky I said I'm not one to let off the throttle. That car was like driving a drop of water on a hot frying pan, I had never gone that fast and I remembered to shift before I let off but I wanted to let out before because I was scared. 2 Months Later the stang was sold and my First Dart was bought. 451 Stroker/ Panther Pink 1971 and it's been all mopar since.
 
My old scamp had me hookes on mopars. 1973 225 /6.

I loved that car. Then i got heavy in the fox body mustangs. Tired if their constant breaking so my last fox is going to a new owner on saturday. Then just restoring my continental.
 
My very first car - a Dodge Dart Slant Six. Came from a State auction. Someone had spray painted over the State emblem on the door. Loved it. Next came a 340 Duster. What a head rush that was driving it for the first time.
 
My 68 Monaco 2 door 383 back when I was 15.
 
My 'Ol Man wasn't into cars and my mother and him split-up when I was around seven.So my first "muscle car encounter" was when I was around eleven.A friend of my brothers took me for a ride in a red '74 Charger,black power buldge hood,big block(not sure if it was a 400 or 440) and a pistol grip 4 speed.That was the most awesome thing I had ever felt.
Then I talked a friend of mine into trading his Trans-Am for a '75 Dart Sport.We made a deal for me to buy it but before it all happened he rolled it.I bought the 360/727 back in '87 and that block is my stroker today.
Just something about the "Mopar Bug" when it bites ya.I've never rode in a chev or ford that sounded or felt as good,I'm hooked and in years to come, I hope my boy in on here telling all of you his Mopar stories.

Thanks for reading/listening
 
Bill Dedman said:
I was looking for a '68 Nova to drop a junkyard 454 into (in 1972) but couldn't find one. I came upon a pristine 273-powered, stick, '64 Valiant 2-door post car (white, my favorite non-color) with a blue interior, and fell in love with the look of it.

I bought it for $600.00, and started driving it, but wanted more suds, so I found a nearly-new 340 and drivetrain (manual/4-speed) out of a low-mileage '71 Demon that had been rolled. Bolted it in with a set of Hedman headers (it came with a 3.91 Sure-Grip 8.75" rear end.) It all went in without a hitch! Now, I had a 13-second car that looked great. Not content, I added a set of slapper bars (didn't know any better, then,) a Lunati cam, a Mallory Dual-point distributor (again, I didn't know any better,) blocked the heat riser under the carb, installed a 4.56 Sure-Grip, and took a Hayes 3,000-pound pressure plate and removed all the centrifugal weights, so it would release cleanly at high rpm, and I now, had a tranny setup that shifted as easily as a VW Beetle. Never missed a gear with that setup. I bought some slicks for it, and drove 'em on the street.... smart... not.

But, I was young and REAL dumb.... and that was the only car I ever had TO THIS DAY, that I never got beat in... and, I raced a lot of motorcycles. But, Chebbies were my specialty...:cheers:


You gotta love a car that NEVER lets you down!!!!
So, that car made a believer (in Mopars) out of me; I forgot all about that Nova project that I had wanted, earlier...:disgust:

The rest is history; current projects are my Vortech-blown, 360 Magnum-powered '72 Valiant (done) and my slant six turbo car ('64 Valiant) that I'm building with my racer-partner, Freddie Nielsen. Both are 4-doors, BTW... and REAL ugly... LOL! Freddie's wife found our latest project in the classifiedS for $700... HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF????

Sleeper city...
Click to expand...
Here's a picture of that '64 Valiant that started it all, with me...
:wack:
 

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1972 Plymouth valiant . One of my buddies bought it at an auction for 900 bux had it for about 5 years . Just started helping him do oil changes and tune ups on the weekends before going out to skateboard .he was the first one to have a car from our group of friends . We would hit up all the local skateparks in it. Older people tripping out because there would be like 5-7 17 year old guys in it blowing the speakers out with some Deep Purple!! He eventually got his hands on a 68 notchback barracuda 318 car. He sold me the 72 after for the same price he got it 900 bux . Still have it to this day it's my daily driver . Now the Mopar sickness has taken over i got a 72 and 67 valiant ,he's got a 64 and 65 dart both 4 speed cars and his bro got a 70 satellite . No more skateboards for us. Just parts and tools now lol! Love to read these kind of stories
 
my first mopar was a 71 charger rt, the seller had just pulled the # match 440 and sold it off and dropped in a good running 400. rallyes, wing, good hood, no rust, good original paint and int.,,.....$1000, o k so I overpaid! this was 1985. NOONE loved that year and model back then..... Ha
then on to a 70 challenger, with a transplanted 440, 1986, runs drives, little floor rust, $800 drove it home, O K so I overpaid back then..... and on and on....
 
I remember exactly what got me into mopar, a '69 Charger. Never had one, but my first car in highschool was a dodge daytona.... yea the tiny hatchback but it was still a dodge.
 
In late 1964, I bought a new 65 Belvedere II, 426 Street Wedge, 4 Spd, Bench Seat, Plymouth. - It was Red with a Black interior. - Like many others, over the years, I didn't know enough to keep it. -- I can't find a picture of it, but the attached is basically the same, except I had Mickey Thompson Wheels, and My antenna was on the passenger side, rear, and was straight up.
 

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A friend of mine was aligning the front end of my restored 66 mustang and he had a 67 barracuda fastback in his shop that he wanted to sell. The hood was not on it and the grille was completely gone so I googled pictures of some restored and really started liking it so I bought it and looking for parts for it led to me buying a 69 charger and a 74 road runner. Wow! I had to chill for a while! I plan to restore all three one day!!!
 
Shoulda been a Chevy gal with my history! I remember when I was younger and not really into cars, but my Dad always had an old 72 K5 Blazer in in the garage. Removable top, 350, and in a beautiful bronze, that thing was so sweet. That got me into wanting an older car for my first car. I recall watching some car shows with my Dad and seeing some old Dodge getting restored. Went on looking on the Internet looking up 'Old Dodge muscle cars'. Man, those things were some of the meanest looking cars I've ever seen! Especially a 1968 Charger tugged on my heartstrings. Fast forward to a year ago and I'm looking to buy my first car. Was told I could only have something 89 or newer, with only a max of 6 cylinders. Only had $1,200 to spend and there wasn't too many options. I looked at everything, from old Bugs, BMWs, Chevy, Ford, anything that was in my range. Almost bought me a 90-something Firebird but got shot down because "it had to have something wrong with it for that price". Frustrated, I remember those old Mopars I always loved. F this, I'm getting me one of those! The only things I found in my budget were the Darts and A-Bodies. Convinced my Dad that since he sold his Blazer, he could work on this with me. It worked, and went and saw two but one was too run down and the other was just a shell and a motor. Finally, an ad popped up for a '72 Dodge Dart, slant six, complete, for $1,200 (exactly what I had). Was it meant to be? I think so! Bought it that night, and put a lot of love into it to get it running well. I've been totally hooked onto Mopars and will continue to be. Still want a '68 HEMI Charger though....that'll come one day, haha.
 
My friend in high school had a '69 Charger with a 440. We had many Dukes of Hazzard moments in that car! I always wore my seatbelt after one of those moments, lol.
 
1976, 16 years old, bought a 68 383 charger for $300. Car was mint, that is what they went for then. Been mopar guy ever since.
 
My dad had a 1966 Coronet 440 convertible, red with a white top, with a 383/727 and it was fast as hell. I think I was 10 or 11.

He had just finished restoring it and we were out for a drive with the top down, when some drunk dipshit in a first generation camaro T-boned us. The entire right side from the door back was trashed. I smashed my head on the door and was dazed. The drunk asshole took off, and we chased him. We caught him in two blocks.

Next mopars my dad had were a primer grey 68 Barracuda fastback parts car for a red 67 Barracuda convertible 273 followed by a red 68 Barracuda convertible with 318.

Best friend in high school had a 66 Charger with a 383/727. His sister had a 67 Charger with a 360.
Dumb friend had a 63 or 64 4 door Ford Falcon. Since he was retarded and insisted on Ford, he should have had the 65 2 door Falcon.
Another moron friend had a 64 Nova.
Another smart friend had a 65 Dart GT.
My brother had a red 1970 Buick Le Sabre convertible and a 71 240Z.

I got a 71 Challenger in 88 or 89 and dropped in a 440 from a cop car Dodge Monaco. That Moanco had so much so much smog **** on it, the 273 vert smoked it. Another 71 challenger parts car. Sold those around 91 or 92. I don't miss the Challenger. I didn't like the E body cars much.

Then I bought a 67 Barracuda convertible with 225 fixed it up and then sold it for a whopping $4500 in 1993. Dumb dumb DUMB!

Now I'm driving a 68 Fastback with a 318/904 and 7 1/4. Fixing it up some every paycheck. Plans are 383 stroked to 3.75", haven't decided on cam yet, hyd flat or roller? trick flows, dual plane manifold 727 with TF2 shift kit, probably going to get a Dr.Diff Dana 60 (It's only around $500 more +/- than the 8 3/4, why pay for a rear end twice?) I am driving it as my daily driver, and will be after all the work is done. Race at Sonoma Raceway on the Wednesday night drags a couple times a month during the summer.
 
my first one was a 74 Dart Swinger /6 AT - it got destroyed in a head-on. My next car was a 71 Scamp 318 AT - I was hooked.
 
My Dad was a big Chrysler guy, must have owned 6 68 300's over the years, so when it was time for my first car we went to a police auction for an old belvedere and got out bid. Next up was a 68 charger with damaged front suspension. Nobody bid except us. $275. Dark green, black vinyl top and interior. Mine all mine, still makes me smile.
 
My Dad's car...'69 Bee 383 and a 3 speed. Apparently, my first sentence was, "go bye-bye daddycar yellow".



That's what lit the fuse. Mom was driving a 1973 Charger Rallye 400ci. This is not her car but it's as close as I could find. The color and stripe are correct. Can't recall if it had a vinyl roof, though.



After the '73 we had one of these...



My first car was a '72 Satellite Sebring 2-dr.



Then I went through some air-cooled dubs and a Datsun 260Z before I found this little sweetie -



Gave her up in 92. Went pentastar-free until this fish hooked me.

 
In 1963 my father in law told us of a new Valiant (US Dart) convert that had just arrived at the dealer. Went to look and bought it. Was a ford person until then. That was the only new car we ever bought because...after owning it for a year we discovered that we owed more on it than it was worth. Really liked that car, been a Mopar guy ever since, now finishing off a restoration of a 69 Barracuda coupe. The 63 convert was given to our oldest son three years ago and put it into storage as a future project for when he retires.
 
Wow! That really made me think. My dad bought a 63 Valiant new and a new house. Just so happens my next door neighbor worked for a local dealership, Southern Chrysler Plymouth in High Point, N.C.I am still trying to locate a tag from them to put on my 65. He drove home different cars all of the time. When I saw the first Barracuda, 1964, I believe I was hooked. He also drove a Turbine car for a year and had to document the performance and other various records. Couldn't believe Chrysler dropped the plans for that one. Thru the years he brought home Road Runners and various different ones. Not sure why, but the Barracuda was always the one I remember most. I remember as well, after a Daytona Firecracker 400 he had most of the Nascar drivers to his home for a picnic. I had autographs from the Allison's, The Petty's who live in the next county, Fireball Roberts, Curtis Turner and others that I don't remember. Oh yes, Tiny Lund, I couldn't believe he was so big. I have none of those today, but those are good memories.
 
No one in my family had mopars. It was my first car 1967 Dodge Dart GTS I bought used at 19 with the money I had saved up. I decided after college I should keep it and drive something else for daily stuff and I still have it. I had originally wanted a 67 2+2 Mustang but they were running $2200 to $2300 and I only had $1900 saved up. 67 Darts and Failanes with a V8 were going used for around $1800 at the time. Saw the 67 GTS advertised for $1300 so being 19 and seeing a V8 and a 4 speed figure I should look at it. Got a neighbor who was a machinist and a hot rodder to go with to check it out. He offered to drive incase I bought it. Kid had put paste wax on the car and parked it outside without removing the paste wax figuring it would protect it. Screwed the paint up. Then we started it. Bad miss on passenger side. Neighbor said "its' a valve but price is good so buy it and I did. I think the kid was racing it and bang it stared missing so he thought he did some serious damage to the engine and sold it at a reduced price. When we got back the neighbor said take the valve cover off and take a look. I did and it was just a pushrod broken thru a rocker. :) Unlike a lot of the members here it's the one and only mopar I've had.
 
My first car was a 1964 Savoy; ex KS Highway patrol car. BOY did I love that car. It led to a 69 barracuda fastback, 64 sport Fury, and a 45 year trail of Mopars.
 
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