Back in the day...
Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2018 2:58 am
You know every now and again you hear someone say, "yea, I had one of them back in the day". Well I did to. For about three years or so.
Back in 76 I did take out my first loan. It was $2g to build a hot rod.
I had good intentions, but of the $2g $1800 was spent in a week on a 69 Charger. The other $200 bought a months rent ,a ounce of weed and a couple packs of smokes. I do remember.
A 1969 Dodge Charger, vinyl roof, blue on blue, 383 4bbl, 727 automatic. Something about being young and having fun, with this car I did. Some where along the way I was able to install headers and dual exhaust, shift kit was popular in the day as well who could forget traction bars. Single car garage, floor jack, couple of stands and hand tools.
After a couple of years and a drivers fender bender from following to close, my buddy Darcy, aspiring apprentice taking autobody, offered to rework what I had done with the White Lightening Bondo and give it a repaint for $250.
Complete with a R/T stripe, she was a beauty.
Now a moot point of interest is that a can of the original paint for touch up I still had 35+ years later.
Painted two tanks and one helmet with it a few year back, go figure eh?
The car ended up with some N50-15's on back looking very Hot Wheels when $4500 was offered and it was gone forever.
Anyways, I like Mopar because they looked good with hood scoops.
1984...$250 for a TR7, $650 for a motor/tranny from a S-10 Chev. I had an idea?
Only thing to allow a TR7 hood to close and fit over a Chevy V-6 was big hole cut in it and a scoop from a Mopar lol... That paint job cost $400. I did the body repairs on the Triumph and the scoop install, Tig welded in a Ford Taurus sunroof as well. But the scoop for me was the bomb. Learned about installing a motor/trans, shifter and electrical. Over drive in the 200r4 actually was a lock up, and I got it to lock? I can't believe it either.
I'm telling you, a fella learned a lot from car magazines in the days before the internet.
After that I stopped paying for most things automotive. To those doing something instead of nothing, even if it ain't what the rest might be doing, I salute you.
But after all those year and all those cars, I still have my original Coupe and it's coming along slowly. I might yet, one day drive it? But it sure doesn't appear I'm in any rush to do so?
Back in 76 I did take out my first loan. It was $2g to build a hot rod.
I had good intentions, but of the $2g $1800 was spent in a week on a 69 Charger. The other $200 bought a months rent ,a ounce of weed and a couple packs of smokes. I do remember.
A 1969 Dodge Charger, vinyl roof, blue on blue, 383 4bbl, 727 automatic. Something about being young and having fun, with this car I did. Some where along the way I was able to install headers and dual exhaust, shift kit was popular in the day as well who could forget traction bars. Single car garage, floor jack, couple of stands and hand tools.
After a couple of years and a drivers fender bender from following to close, my buddy Darcy, aspiring apprentice taking autobody, offered to rework what I had done with the White Lightening Bondo and give it a repaint for $250.
Complete with a R/T stripe, she was a beauty.
Now a moot point of interest is that a can of the original paint for touch up I still had 35+ years later.
Painted two tanks and one helmet with it a few year back, go figure eh?
The car ended up with some N50-15's on back looking very Hot Wheels when $4500 was offered and it was gone forever.
Anyways, I like Mopar because they looked good with hood scoops.
1984...$250 for a TR7, $650 for a motor/tranny from a S-10 Chev. I had an idea?
Only thing to allow a TR7 hood to close and fit over a Chevy V-6 was big hole cut in it and a scoop from a Mopar lol... That paint job cost $400. I did the body repairs on the Triumph and the scoop install, Tig welded in a Ford Taurus sunroof as well. But the scoop for me was the bomb. Learned about installing a motor/trans, shifter and electrical. Over drive in the 200r4 actually was a lock up, and I got it to lock? I can't believe it either.
I'm telling you, a fella learned a lot from car magazines in the days before the internet.
After that I stopped paying for most things automotive. To those doing something instead of nothing, even if it ain't what the rest might be doing, I salute you.
But after all those year and all those cars, I still have my original Coupe and it's coming along slowly. I might yet, one day drive it? But it sure doesn't appear I'm in any rush to do so?