Cruzin'

[Iceaxe]

OK... the Music from Hell thread has a lot of thrash taking about cruising, hot cars, and first rides.....

Time to put up or shut up....

Here is my first car - 1974 Camero Z-28.
The car was lowered 2"
Had a Chevy LT1 engine (400 hp)
Corvette rally wheels (8" rims over the Z-28's standard 7")
And a complete VSE undercarriage (shocks, sway bars, springs).

I bought the car used in 76. The car was originally tan in color with a vynal top. I stripped the top and painted it chocolate brown. The paint was also clear coated which is now standard but was very rare back in the day.

[Bo_Beck]

Looks a lot like my first car, except mine was a '63' and I think this one is a bit newer?

[savanna3313]

I don't have an original photo of mine, but this is pretty much what it looked like.

1969 Mustang Fastback (yes, it was a USED car!) Wish I still had it.......

[oldno7]

no original photo's here either.
The "71" Boss was green with silver down the middle, silver rear spoiler,ram air, 60's on rear 70's on front, traction bars, eight track in the glove box
I also had a 69 fastback later, it was black.

Do any of you remember the drag races out 21st south(think they called it bonneville raceway??) Wed. nights was co-driver drags, bring your friends and one could ride shotgun. Seems like a differant life ago.

[Iceaxe]

Do any of you remember the drag races out 21st south(think they called it bonneville raceway??) Wed. nights was co-driver drags, bring your friends and one could ride shotgun. Seems like a differant life ago.

Yeah, I remember Bonneville well.... my family (uncle) owned Bonneville Raceway and I was at the track all the time. The Wednesday night races were called "Grudge Matches".... it cost $5 to get through the front gate to drive, ride or watch. It was a great idea to keep the street racing in a safe place.

I still have a bunch of my old ET slips from Bonneviille round here somewhere.

Here is the fastest car I ever owned. It was a 1984 IMSA Mazda RX-7

The car had a Racing Beat engine that had been bridge ported and had hardened planetary gears (that's how you pull ponies from a rotary). The block was aluminum and the entire engine only weighed 70 pounds. The engine would turn 10,000 rpm! That's insane for a street motor. The car breathed through a set of Weber carbs and Racing Beat exhaust system. The car was also lower 2" and had a complete Racing Beat suspension under it. The car had a full roll cage, 5 five point harnesses and a fire suppression system.

This car weighted just under 2000 pounds and put out over 400 horsepower!

.

[Bo_Beck]

Ah Man! My V-Dub was cherry! 1963 with a 1200cc screamer I think? Got 'er' and gutted her! Shagged out the entire interior (even the ceiling). Installed a state of the art 8-track with 4...yes you heard right 4- 5" speakers!!!! Upgraded the 13" (i think?) rear wheels with 15" adapters, so she sat aiming down! Now for the final touches....installed a 'Holley 2 Barrel"....damn that must have boosted my max. HP. ? Forgot to clamp on the fuel line tightly when I took her for a shakedown. She was rippin' down Wyoming Blvd. Got to Menaul and the lady was frantically pointing at my "dubs' rear end and screaming something? I looked back and noticed flames coming out! Surely wasn't my "blower pumping too much fuel through my headers". Exit right now into Piggly Wiggly....holy crap...lifted the aft hood and I was on fire! The dairy truck was there so I asked for an extinguisher? Nope?! He did have a gallon of Buttermilk though and I'll be damned...it worked! Took a while to get her retrofitted, wiring figured out, a few hoses replaced, but then I put on many a memorable mile on that '63' gem. Even rolled her onto the top into a ditch once, gathered a group of folks, picked her back up onto the road....took a few cranks, but drove away with just a couple more battle scars! Damn those germans built some tough cars!

[Iceaxe]

A lot of my friends had bugs in HS. They used to buy those Baja Bug kits and put on some truck tires and the cars were a blast to play in.

I've turned many a donut in a snow covered parking lot in a bug. I think my friend Jimmy held the world record with somethin' like 136 consecutive donuts. He only killed 2 shopping carts while setting the record.

[denaliguide]

unfortunately no photo. the year was 1972. i had a 69 gmc van. red in color with those round bubble windows in the back. had the most awesome 8 track stereo in it. a bed in the back (ladies, i was the guy your mother, warned you about). double doors on the side and a ramp that i could roll my 1970 yamaha 360 enduro into. three on the tree and a straight six in between the front seats.

i can remember on time when i lived in denver. i was coming off i-25 onto santa fe and someone had taken off 4 lugnuts on my left front tire and replaced the hubcap. the tire came off suddenly and went into the platte river. my brother fished it out and we put it back on and away we went.

[Iceaxe]

Oh man.... I forgot about custom van's, they were all the rage in the 70's.

Please tell me you were also blasting Sammy Johns "Chevy Van" song from the 8-track and you are my hero.



And a question for all the other old farts.... How many match books did you have to wedge in your 8-track to stop it from double tracking. I bet some of you had forgotton about that hadn't you?

[oldno7]

And a question for all the other old farts.... How many match books did you have to wedge in your 8-track to stop it from double tracking. I bet some of you had forgotton about that hadn't you?

Nope-didn't forget that or the trick of reloading a 8-track tape into it's case after being eaten.
Hold upside down and give a swift tug on the tape--walla

[Win]

My first car was a 1955 Pontiac convertible, purchased in 1963. From there I've owned very neat to really crappy cars. My first 8 track was purchased in 1968 and installed in my 1962 Corvette. First purchase was a Led Zep! I was soooo cool!

I ran a custom van shop in the '70s and had a company called "Totally Improved Truck Seating", our slogan "Ride on a Pair of T.I.T.S."

Win

[Iceaxe]

My 74 Z-28 came with an 8-track, not long after I bought the car I put in one of them new fangled cassettes tape players. It was a big deal around the HS because it was one of the first cassettes around (I was a junior when I put in the cassette).

What a great pick up tool for a young lad to have.... "hey little miss jail bait, want to go for a ride in my shiny car and hear my new cassette player".



I was NOT the guy you wanted your daughter dating.

[savanna3313]

My first car was a 1955 Pontiac convertible, purchased in 1963. From there I've owned very neat to really crappy cars. My first 8 track was purchased in 1968 and installed in my 1962 Corvette. First purchase was a Led Zep! I was soooo cool!

I ran a custom van shop in the '70s and had a company called "Totally Improved Truck Seating", our slogan "Ride on a Pair of T.I.T.S."

Win

A '62 Corvette!!! That's my idea of dream car!

[denaliguide]

Please tell me you were also blasting Sammy Johns "Chevy Van" song from the 8-track and you are my hero.

that song was definitely on board. couldn't remember the artist but i can still remember the words. deep purple, pink floyd, led zep all blasted out of that van.

right now there are the Beach Boys and Crosby, Stills and Nash coming to auckland to do a concert. not together, mind you. but i can remember (barely) seeing them together along with jesse collin young at mile high stadium in denver in 75. man that was 32 years ago. sure sucks getting old.

[accadacca]

Back in day rockgremlin had a 1980 yellow t-top Camaro. We used to cruise state blasting Def Leppard and looking for '80s rock chicks.

Got any pix gremlin?

[Win]

Thinking back on 8 tracks, the only stereo to own was a Craig. Where did they go?

I like that RX7, we had one that I bought from my Dad, an '84. My wife hit a patch of black ice and wrecked it in the early '90s.

Hey, Denali, I was at a CS&N concert on Aug 8, 1974 the day Nixon resigned.
They played "It's Been Along Time Comin' " right after the announcement.
Getting old does suck!

Win

[Iceaxe]

Back in day rockgremlin had a 1980 yellow t-top Camaro.

Heck... I had one of those also.... I loved that car, it might be my all time favorite... I sold my 74 Z to my little brother and bought a 1980 Camero Z-28.

1980 was the first year you could order t-tops from the factory in the Camero, before that they were all aftermarket.

You might have noticed I'm kind of a gear head.

[sparker1]

I had a 75 Camaro, an 84 Camaro and an 86 Vette. Loved them all, but especially the Vette.

[Iceaxe]

I had a 75 Camaro, an 84 Camaro and an 86 Vette. Loved them all, but especially the Vette.

Happy to see you are a bowtie boy

Friends don't let friends drive Fords.

[savanna3313]

I had a vette too.