Your new musclecar

[Myron Piatek]

My 10 year older brother had a couple of '65 GTO/Lemans' over the years that he always stuffed a later model 400 RA engine in. He took me to some street races, drive-ins and junkyards a coupe of times. That planted the seed.

My dad, knowing about my brothers urge to go fast and tickets, told me that he would help me get a car if it didn't have an engine bigger than the 383 he had in his 1965 Polara, which was a 383 2 barrel. Well, I got lucky! While my dad was a smart jack-of-all trades handyman, he wasn't particularly up on auto mechanics. One day I found a good deal on a used '72 Challenger Rallye. Yes, it had a smaller engine - a 340 4 barrel/auto/3.23 open rear! Rallye Red, black vinyl top, side strobe stripes & black interior. Red wasn't my favorite color, but I wasn't going to complain. Bit by bit, I was fixing it up with wider tires, Holley carb, headers, etc. But after some close calls, tickets, almost being banned from driving it to school because of local complaints and me ending up in a canal once, I finally wised up and decided that if I was going to go fast, it would be legally at the track. First year out in 1978 at Orlando Speed World, I won the Street class track championship running 14's and went on to win many more in other classes, including Div. 2 Pro ET in 1980 while Lex Dudas was director. Got to go to Ontario, California with 2 other division class winners from Orlando. That was actually the first year NHRA had an ET World Champ, but then shelved the concept till many years later. (At the Division 2 banquet, I got my pic taken with Miss Winston, Tina Gayle (C.H.I.P.S. and a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader). I'm still mad that I never got to have or even see a copy!)

By 1985, the car was literally worn out, especially after being cut-up, lightened, etc. After stripping it, I shed tear after hauling it off to a scrap yard. Too bad I didn't know then what I know now.

[Curt Rees]

I still have 13 trophies won in Pure Stock with my purchased new '68 Road Runner and my purchased new '69 '340, 4 speed, 3.91 geared Cuda. I dug the trophies out this summer and cleaned them up.

Most were won with the 'Cuda. I had a chance to buy the 'Cuda back a few years ago. I passed, that was a mistake.

#5457

Curt Rees

[mtkawboy]

After owning a 427/425 FE 4 speed powered 57 Ford Custom 300, at the age of 23, I bought a new black 67 GTO hardtop, 400HO/360 HP, 390 gears, close ratio 4 speed for $3050. The thing was beautiful but also a flaming turd running 15.25. I put the Chevy adjustable rocker nuts on it and set them, blocked the heat risers, rejetted the Q-jet and put an advance kit in the distributer and got it down to 14.01. Not spectacular but it would run off & hide from most factory stockers at the time {untouched} on street tires. Looked pretty good too with American Mags on it. Unfortunately I worked on Miami Beach and 4 years of salt air renedered it a major rust bucket even though I washed nearly every day. The insurance on it at the time would still be a ton today but I had to have it. Never regretted it either.

[Charlie A]

Summer of 71 I bought a stunning black, gold interior 70 GTX 440/6pack from a local guy. This car was garaged and never drivin in rain. He had an old pickup for that.He was getting married and the wife-to-be needed a/c.
Bucket seat, automatic, p/s car that scared the poop out of my then 17 year old girfriend (and myself) when she drove it away from the first stoplight. You see, she drove a automatic shifted Vega and she hit the pedal in the GTX like she did in the Vega!
Funny now.....
Never raced it (on the strip) but it was a very fast ride out on the marked off quarter miles outside of town.
Memories.....

[Fred Connell]

I got my first car when I was 17 years old. Lucky for me my Dad raced Outlaw cars. So nothing but fast for me. It was a 1969 MACH 1 , Blue gold stripes. 351 Cleveland Engine , Automatic. My Dad was a FORD man. When I sold it and got a 1970 SS Chevelle with a 454 Automatic he would not let me park in the driveway I had to park out in the deadend circle. God rest his sole. Don't you just wish you had just ONE of you old cars back >

JoAnn Connell

[NewHemi]

In 1976, the era of muscle cars was pretty much over, but I was single and ready for a new car, so I went to the Pontiac dealer where I had seen a silver Pontiac Grand Prix with red interior. The car was 455 automatic with posi rear, and just about every other option possible including power sunroof.

A tune up and a touch by Arlen vanke and the car ran geat until I put it in a ditch hitting a huge boulder a year later driving in a condition that I should not have driving in, and bent the frame all to heck.

That was my first and last new muscle car. If you can call a boat like that a muscle car even with 455 in it... In the early eighties, I got my hands on a 67 Buick GS400 that I liked a lot, but being married, my wife didnt think much of me spending so much time with the car(s). Fortunately, she ran off with another guy, so I got rid of that problem. But after the divorce, I moved and had no room for the GS400, so I had to sell it, along with three other project cars, I had at the time.

Oh well.. At least I had one for a while.

David
The New Hemi Guy

[Randall Klein]

Just saw this thread.....Travis, I worked in a gas station and my night partner had a '62 Galaxie 406 w/3 2bbls....about 6 miles to the gallon of DX Super Boron, of course it was about 25 cents a gallon...interior looked like a bordello....land yacht!

Anyway I got hooked on street racing a bought new '69 Nova 396/375 from Mac's Chev-Olds in Crete, Nebraska....our version of Nickey or Motion....they installed Hooker Headers, Lakewood shield, slapper bars and a Rev Lok clutch....5:13 gears, and up to old Cornhusker Raceway Park just south of Omaha....had 1 slick in the trunk, 1 in the backseat, and raced B/S for trophy...5 bulb tree....counted 'em down and won trophy 5 out of 6 chances....drove her home, a newly married grocery getter 6 days a week

$3650 list, salesman said $3275 and wouldn't budge, no gas either...course it didn't help that a friend dropped me off across the street along with 4 SS Cragars already mounted up, and drove off

12.70's on 7" Firestones with 6lbs of air....kinda squirrelly on the top end

Mac's Chev-Olds was listed one year in Car Craft as a Stock sponsor of the year candidate, and had 3 Nova's lined up, a Cortez silver that I bought, red and black...the black one had an automatic that no one wanted....they also had plenty of Big Block Chevelles, and about half a dozen 396 and 427 Camaros (they actually delivered one ZL-1).....to my ever living embarrasment, I did not like the looks of the Camaro (at that time...duh!)...I still like the Nova's, but what can you say about the all time classic '69 Camaro!

A friend came by the gas station with his friend's '69 Cortez silver COPO 427 auto, and we took it for a spin...right away I wished I'd bought the Camaro, and loved 'em ever since.

Mac's Chev-Olds....a hot rodders heaven...long gone after insurance, gas prices balloning, and smog stuff.....those were the days my friend...we thought they'd never end, Rolling Stones, Cream, Janis Joplin on the AM radio, and street racing on 25 cent premium gas.....Lincoln, Nebraska had the following crusing the main drag: (3) 427 Camaros, 4 396/375 Novas, a couple of 390 GTA stones, 440 six pak and a street hemi that was never in tune....a couple of 383 Roadrunners, a mix of 327 '55 & '57 Chevys, a juiced up '66 Chevelle small block.....man the memories (its a wonder we all survived)

[bill dedman]

I never had the money fpr a new car during the era of musclecars, but, I have a true story about someone who did. His name is Steve Clukey, and he lives in Maine. Every month when he got paid, he sent money home (from Viet Nam) to his Dad. When he'd accumulated enough, his Dad drove to the local Mopar emporium and bought Steve a shiny new "70 Duster 340 4-speed car.

When Steve got home from the "war," he took the new car to the strip, with disappointing results (low 15''s)

He saw it as a challenge. In the 38 years that followed, Steve never quit making "improvements" to the output of that 340. He has added aftermarket heads, cam, headers, a stroker crank, high-compression pistons, aluminum rods, and a Holley Dominator carb. The car is still all steel (MIGHT have a 'glass hood; dunno), but is totally stock appearing,but for a hood scoop. Runs a Dana 60 and a Hemi 4-speed.

I don't think it's ever been driven on the street.

Thirty-eight years of "improvements" to this small block (now, 383 cid) now yields consistent mid-9-second e.t.s (best of 9.43, @ 143 mph) and I think that's fast, considering he's done nothing to lighten the car and uses NO power adder.

He has run the car in IHRA Super Stock,(at Epping) but usually races it at Winterport jn the brackets.

Some folks don"t consider the 340 Duster a true musclecar, but I think this one qualifies, at least, now.

[Myron Piatek]

Bill, Did he have the car in a magazine article many years ago? That all sounds very familiar.

[Rich Biebel]

I Ioved Pontiacs and drooled over GTO's when they came out. I never had the money in those days but recall going to a dealer that I wound up working at years later as a "flatrater" and negotiated for a new '66 GTO that sat on the showroom floor. It was red with a vinyl top and was a Tri-Power 4-speed....price was $2950. I begged my father to co-sign a loan for that car but he said no and that was the right decision since I was just a dumb kid at the time. I priced many new cars and worked on and drove some that would be worth a fortune today from Z-28's to a 396/375 Camaro, a 289/271 Mustang GT and many GTO's and included a Yenko Deuce and Boss 302 Mustang........I did buy a real nice used '67 GTO that I wish I owned today as it had many options and was a great driver for my then wife.......I sold it to a NY Yankee's picther......Damn I wish I had that car today!