Not a CSC but definitely Classic - Page 2

floorboy · #11 11-24-2011, 10:05 PM

Yeah them t.q.'s weren't so miserly when you opened them up.

Here is a pic of a pic of my old cuda racer.

workinpr0gress · #12 11-24-2011, 10:45 PM

I bet that was great with how wide n low those E-body's were. Sweet pic.

bigeasy1 · #13 12-12-2011, 10:48 AM

Gotta love the old muscle cars.I owned a 62 Chevy Impala SS convertible 409 with.Dual quads, and that particular year it was rated at 409hp as well as cubic inches.
I updated lots of stuff on it,new cam,heads,valves,rockers,and was able to get a lot more hp out of it.
It was a street car but I could fairly regularly squeek out 12.3 Et's at Lebanon valley and Connecticut valley dragway,and that was with street tires.

Also had a few 55 chevys,one with a 283 C.I. "corvette motor" that I put six(yes it's true,6)Stromberg carbs on.I was one of those guys who had to have it today.I went to a local speed shop to get a dual quad manifold,and he didn't have one in stock,but he "did! have a six carb model that fit the Strombergs nicely.
What a nightmare it was to get the linkage to work,but it was a quick car.I got stopped by a cop who made me open the hood,and he couldn't belive the six little chrome air cleaners sitting on top of the motor.
He told me that it was illegal,to which I replied that he had no idea of what he was talking about.He wrote me up for disturbing the piece.

Had another 55 two door hardtop with a 327 and a big AFB Carter on it,was a beautiful car,not a speck of rust and fairly fast.In between the Cevys was a 56 T-Bird that the guy I bought it from(for 6 hundred) had stuffed a 390 in.It was kind of beat up,but damm! that was a scary thing to drive.Had some land yachts as well, a 56 Biuck Roadmaster,a 58 Olds88,and a cream puff 1966 Pontaic Bonneville.

Got a lot of speeding tickets and other awards back then.Now I see why my parents thought I was crazy.

The worst thing now at my age is watching Meccum auto auctions,or Barret Jackson,and seeing the muscle cars and other stuff that I owned going for $100,000.00 dollars,when I remember selling them for.under a grand,and one for five hundred bucks.

Sadly like most people who were in their teens at that era we didn't take a lot of pictures.Now I have to see if I have one kickin around.It may sound strange but I have tis recurring dream that I still have the 1962 409,and I take it out on weekends,I wish that dream would come true.
I always said that in addittion to my Classic Secraft,I love to have a classic muscle car.I gotta work on that.

DonV · #14 12-12-2011, 11:49 AM

"The worst thing now at my age is watching Meccum auto auctions,or Barret Jackson,and seeing the muscle cars and other stuff that I owned going for $100,000.00 dollars,when I remember seiing them for.under a grand,and one for five hundred bucks."

Oh yeah!!!! Brings tears to my eyes.

Just think, an original 427 Cobra was less than $10,000 new.....now they are WELL into the millions. Jeeeez.....

Bushwacker · #15 12-12-2011, 12:47 PM

This thread brings back memories . . . my first new car was a '66 Cuda, ordered in late 65, with the Formula S performance package and fast ratio manual steering! Still can't believe my wife learned to drive on that car!
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z...udaPics002.jpg

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z...udaPics003.jpg

Great handling lightweight car with nearly 50/50 weight distribution. It became quite a sleeper after I built up and installed a blueprinted and balanced 340 cu in. engine based on the early "X" block, the ancestor of the race blocks currently running in Nascar! However the lumpy idle sort of gave it away! http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z...udaPics001.jpg

With ported and polished heads, it's a sweet running motor that's as smooth as silk up to 6000 rpm on hydraulic lifters! That block is about 10% heavier than the stock block but is seriously stout and good for about 700 hp! Almost a shame to run it on the street, but got a deal on it I couldn't pass up!

It was my daily driver for about 20 years and after putting about 250K miles on it, I'm currently about halfway thru "restification". Bodywork, paint and interior are mostly complete; currently working a custom wiring harness, with battery in trunk and a custom Vintage Air A/C installation. May rebuild the engine with a roller cam and EFI just to update things a bit!

It's currently way behind schedule due to interference from boating adventures and restoration, and a few bouts with retirement failure, otherwise known as work! Denny

workinpr0gress · #16 12-12-2011, 03:29 PM

For any of you true classic car/hotrod lovers I recommend taking the pilgrimage to Detroit for the "Dream Cruise". I am a Mopar and Jeep lover to the core, but I can appreciate so many other cars I have no or little interest in.

I lived in Detroit for a few years, I remember the first year I went to the dream cruise and saw two of my neighbors who I only knew well enough to waive at. I worked so many hours when I was there I didn't pay attention to much other than work. Well the two gentlemen & I were bs'ing while they showed me the cars they built for themselves when they worked on the assembly line, 70 hemicuda 4'spd, and a 440 6pack roadrunner both kept in their garages since a few years after being new, tons of people out their have a similar car story. It is the biggest car show and cruise in the world. The quality of cars and stories can't be compared. You meet so many people who do ALL of their own work instead of writing a check to get an end result. I don't recommend Detroit for much even though much of the area is more effluent than people realize, but I have to recommend the "Dream Cruise".

workinpr0gress · #17 12-12-2011, 03:48 PM

Bigeasy my Dad kept his 63 Impala Convertible, 409 dual quad, 4sp for years, that cars was fast even before it became a race car. It was always funny to me that a GTO is the first muscle car but it wasn't the fastest GM offered.

Bushwacker, those early valiant/cudas with a solid lifter 273 or 318 can run real nice let alone a 340. 340's hold a special place in my heart, you haven't lived till you've shifted a 7000-8500 rpm floating wristpin 340. 340's get their rpm quick,360 magnum motors from the 90's are very similar to a 340, heads too. I have a friend who used to race a w2 14.5 to 1 340 in a street legal duster 5.13 gears, minitubbed, 10.5 slicks, holyhandful. That was the nastiest smallbloak I've ever heard, it was just so high-strung and spitting that compression out.

gofastsandman · #18 12-12-2011, 09:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bushwacker

This thread brings back memories . . . my first new car was a '66 Cuda, ordered in late 65, with the Formula S performance package and fast ratio manual steering! Still can't believe my wife learned to drive on that car!
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z...udaPics002.jpg

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z...udaPics003.jpg

Great handling lightweight car with nearly 50/50 weight distribution. It became quite a sleeper after I built up and installed a blueprinted and balanced 340 cu in. engine based on the early "X" block, the ancestor of the race blocks currently running in Nascar! However the lumpy idle sort of gave it away! http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z...udaPics001.jpg

With ported and polished heads, it's a sweet running motor that's as smooth as silk up to 6000 rpm on hydraulic lifters! That block is about 10% heavier than the stock block but is seriously stout and good for about 700 hp! Almost a shame to run it on the street, but got a deal on it I couldn't pass up!

It was my daily driver for about 20 years and after putting about 250K miles on it, I'm currently about halfway thru "restification". Bodywork, paint and interior are mostly complete; currently working a custom wiring harness, with battery in trunk and a custom Vintage Air A/C installation. May rebuild the engine with a roller cam and EFI just to update things a bit!

It's currently way behind schedule due to interference from boating adventures and restoration, and a few bouts with retirement failure, otherwise known as work! Denny

Boating adventures do not provide interference. They bring memories.

I should have known.

Had the house forever? Check.

Had the boat forever? Check.

Had the Cuda forever? Check.

I would be delighted to work on it with you.

Cheers,
GFS

bigeasy1 · #19 12-12-2011, 10:49 PM

Great thread!!! so many good stories and pics.
In the 60's when I raced my 409,they had no class for amatuer's or street cars.I had to race in AA/Stock which usually put me up against the big guys from dealerships who had lots of money.Needless to say I usually got beat.
I even ran against Dyno Don Nicholson once in his 62 bubble top 409 at Ct.valley drag way..Guess who won??? It wasn't me.
I was pretty much a Chevy guy,but I loved all fast cars,and was a drag fan only,I never got into circle track stuff.
I always loved the Plymouth Satellite drag cars raced by guys like Sox and Martin.They were an awesome looking machine and dam fast.
These old cars had character,not like the featureless looking crap that rolls off assembly lines today.They all look alike.If you took the name off any of todays cars,you wouldn't know if it was a Nissan,or Toyota,or Ford,or Gm.
The new cars are reliable and fuel efficient,but except for a few exotics, they have the same character and wow factor of a refrigerator. yuk!!!!!!!!!!

uncleboo · #20 12-13-2011, 08:37 AM

I used to go to Suffolk, Virginia when I was a teenager in the mid to late 70's and watched the likes of "Jungle Jim", Big Daddy Don Garlitz and Sox & Martin along with the local boys as well. It was a blast! "Quarter mile, concrete style" I had a 70 Chevelle in those days.