426HemiCharger
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Got an interesting MoPar story? Something cool to share why not? Why not here? Go ahead let's hear 'em.
Car Stories
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JaymzMakk13
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really...nobody....anybody...????
D
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My club's newsletter was hurting for content so I wrote the below.
Tales of the Six Pack
I was still living in Fort Worth, TX. I had sold my 66 Satellite a few years before and was in the market for a new toy. I was looking at a 70 ‘Cuda 340, solid numbers matching and fully documented car with column auto but needing a full restoration and engine/transmission rebuild when a friend told me about a 1970 Road Runner 440 Six Pack for sale. Jeff Petersen, another member of the Cowtown Mopars club, found it near an eighth mile drag strip with no engine or transmission. Gee, a 340 auto needing a restoration or a six pack 4-speed that was pretty much done for the same price? Well, duh!
Mopar Muscle magazine used to sponsor cruises to the Mopar Nats. I would drive to their meeting place in Memphis the day before the cruise started. We would meet at Comp Cams, sign in, do a factory tour, and hit the road for Bowling Green, KY where we spend the night. We started out with about a dozen cars and pick up more at each gas stop. The next morning we toured the Holley factory and headed north. We would meet up with another caravan that had started in Year One in Atlanta south of Columbus. What a sight – forty or more Mopar muscle cars roaring down the highway!
The first summer I drove the car as I bought it – black vinyl bench seat and 3.54 gears with the factory four speed. No air conditioning, black interior, 3,000 rpm on the highway, drum brakes that faded in traffic. I was beat by the time I made it to Columbus! The next year I had a Tremec five speed with overdrive, bucket seats with cloth inserts, and disk brakes. I took a risk – I had never touched a transmission or clutch before in my life, but the weekend the before Nats I dropped the old 833 on Friday night, swapped out the clutch and bellhousing and installed the Kiesler Tremec kit on Saturday. That Sunday I drove to the local parts store for some hardware and at the corner by my house the oil pressure warning light started blinking. I kept going and it stopped. The next left hand corner it happened again. I was worried that something was wrong with the oil system and if the motor didn’t blow that minute at best I would miss the Nats. I scratched my head. I remembered that I had also just installed the rebuilt gauges. I reached under the dash, took the left turn signal bulb out of the oil pressure light hole and put it where it belonged after I took the oil pressure light light out of the left turn signal hole – yep, I had them switched. I felt so stupid!!!! The trip went smoothly – no trouble with the transmission, and gas mileage went up by 50% and my comfort level by at least 100%.
I had lots of adventures on each trip. At a gas stop on a back road in Tennessee two older guys came up and said their buddy had a question to ask and wanted me to promise I wouldn’t hurt him. I was puzzled but said OK. He came up and asked what year Chevelle I had! I laughed, popped the hood, and gave the kid a quick lesson in Mopar.
One Holley tour I won my choice of the street carburetor of my choice; they were promoting their new Street Avengers but I asked for a 2-bbl. They looked surprised and agreed, but when I told them I wanted the center carb for a Six Pack setup they wanted to back out but to their credit gave me the carb I wanted.
Before we left Holley one morning a guy came up. He and his son were in their driver and his son wanted a ride in a real muscle car but was too shy to ask. I was riding solo and welcomed the company. The smile on the kid’s face was priceless. We hit a detour in Cincinnati and ended up on city streets in the middle of downtown. We were trying to get back to the freeway when a street repair crew foreman came up to me at a traffic light. He was asking questions about the car and when the light turned green he had his crew direct traffic around us until he was done giving us directions and looking the car over.
The last gas stop before Columbus was a busy exit. One year one of the cruisers had just finished his hemi Charger and had it on a trailer. It was gorgeous, grey paint with a ghost “Hemi” on the rear quarters. He took a corner too sharp and scraped the side of this show quality car on a post in the parking lot only 50 miles from the Mopar Nats. What a tragedy!
It was cool touring with staff from Mopar Muscle Magazine. They would print articles about the cruises (one came from Tennessee, one from Atlanta, one from New Jersey, and one from the upper Midwest) and I got my car’s picture in the magazine twice. They had a chase car with photographer; on year it was an old Chrysler wagon, another year a custom Avenger. The dinner conversations were great! Too bad Mopar Muscle stopped running these cruises.
Tales of the Six Pack
I was still living in Fort Worth, TX. I had sold my 66 Satellite a few years before and was in the market for a new toy. I was looking at a 70 ‘Cuda 340, solid numbers matching and fully documented car with column auto but needing a full restoration and engine/transmission rebuild when a friend told me about a 1970 Road Runner 440 Six Pack for sale. Jeff Petersen, another member of the Cowtown Mopars club, found it near an eighth mile drag strip with no engine or transmission. Gee, a 340 auto needing a restoration or a six pack 4-speed that was pretty much done for the same price? Well, duh!
Mopar Muscle magazine used to sponsor cruises to the Mopar Nats. I would drive to their meeting place in Memphis the day before the cruise started. We would meet at Comp Cams, sign in, do a factory tour, and hit the road for Bowling Green, KY where we spend the night. We started out with about a dozen cars and pick up more at each gas stop. The next morning we toured the Holley factory and headed north. We would meet up with another caravan that had started in Year One in Atlanta south of Columbus. What a sight – forty or more Mopar muscle cars roaring down the highway!
The first summer I drove the car as I bought it – black vinyl bench seat and 3.54 gears with the factory four speed. No air conditioning, black interior, 3,000 rpm on the highway, drum brakes that faded in traffic. I was beat by the time I made it to Columbus! The next year I had a Tremec five speed with overdrive, bucket seats with cloth inserts, and disk brakes. I took a risk – I had never touched a transmission or clutch before in my life, but the weekend the before Nats I dropped the old 833 on Friday night, swapped out the clutch and bellhousing and installed the Kiesler Tremec kit on Saturday. That Sunday I drove to the local parts store for some hardware and at the corner by my house the oil pressure warning light started blinking. I kept going and it stopped. The next left hand corner it happened again. I was worried that something was wrong with the oil system and if the motor didn’t blow that minute at best I would miss the Nats. I scratched my head. I remembered that I had also just installed the rebuilt gauges. I reached under the dash, took the left turn signal bulb out of the oil pressure light hole and put it where it belonged after I took the oil pressure light light out of the left turn signal hole – yep, I had them switched. I felt so stupid!!!! The trip went smoothly – no trouble with the transmission, and gas mileage went up by 50% and my comfort level by at least 100%.
I had lots of adventures on each trip. At a gas stop on a back road in Tennessee two older guys came up and said their buddy had a question to ask and wanted me to promise I wouldn’t hurt him. I was puzzled but said OK. He came up and asked what year Chevelle I had! I laughed, popped the hood, and gave the kid a quick lesson in Mopar.
One Holley tour I won my choice of the street carburetor of my choice; they were promoting their new Street Avengers but I asked for a 2-bbl. They looked surprised and agreed, but when I told them I wanted the center carb for a Six Pack setup they wanted to back out but to their credit gave me the carb I wanted.
Before we left Holley one morning a guy came up. He and his son were in their driver and his son wanted a ride in a real muscle car but was too shy to ask. I was riding solo and welcomed the company. The smile on the kid’s face was priceless. We hit a detour in Cincinnati and ended up on city streets in the middle of downtown. We were trying to get back to the freeway when a street repair crew foreman came up to me at a traffic light. He was asking questions about the car and when the light turned green he had his crew direct traffic around us until he was done giving us directions and looking the car over.
The last gas stop before Columbus was a busy exit. One year one of the cruisers had just finished his hemi Charger and had it on a trailer. It was gorgeous, grey paint with a ghost “Hemi” on the rear quarters. He took a corner too sharp and scraped the side of this show quality car on a post in the parking lot only 50 miles from the Mopar Nats. What a tragedy!
It was cool touring with staff from Mopar Muscle Magazine. They would print articles about the cruises (one came from Tennessee, one from Atlanta, one from New Jersey, and one from the upper Midwest) and I got my car’s picture in the magazine twice. They had a chase car with photographer; on year it was an old Chrysler wagon, another year a custom Avenger. The dinner conversations were great! Too bad Mopar Muscle stopped running these cruises.
rp23g7
Well-Known Member
Car stories?? I have a lot of them, here are some.
My parents bought a 64 Custom 880 brand new, gave it to me when i started driving. Among the crazy things i did in that car.
For you Western Wa./Seattle people... if your over 45 like me, you probably have been across the intersection at NE 24th and 140th NE, before they fixed it.
On the near side of the intersection if you were going down the hill, east from Bridal Trails, it had a slight rise, with a abrupt edge, enought that if you hit it just right with a truck or a car with a stiff suspension you could get enough weight off the tires to break them loose.
Well, me and a few friends were out cruising that night, and coming down the hill, 8 at night or so. the light turns yellow. i was going about 70, too fast to stop, so i hit the gas. The headlights illuminate the rise, and the shadow of the dip, I say "OH SH**T, hang on" passengers go HUH?
I hit the rise, and the car flies, i remember looking down at the road, and distinctly remember hitting the white crosswalk line across the intersection, front end hits, WHAM, sparks all over, rear end hits WHAM, more sparks. I turn around, there is a Texaco on the corner, i pull in, the kid comes running out, yelling, WOW you cleared the whole intersection, you were 3 ft in the air.
I went to look, i must have cleared it, cause there were huge scrapes on the crosswalk paint and a big white spot on the concrete where the bumper hit.
Another one.
I had a 67 Satellite with a factory 383, back in 95, big mistake selling it.
Before i had the engine rebuilt i was crusing down the hiway on a Sunday afternoon. This was when Mustang Cobras were new. Read that they had a rev limiter set at 130 or so.
One pulls up next to me, kid driving, no plates, dealer car, or brand new and kid driving daddys car. Revs his motor and takes off.
Nobody around so i go for it, my speedo is pegged, i still have half my pedal left. I give it a little more gas and hear his engine missing a bit. I play with him a bit more, then take off, i see him give me the finger in my mirror.
I keep going a bit longer, must have been doing 140-150, take the next exit. Stop and hear a knocking i didnt have before, spun number 1 rod bearing. OOPS
One more. I lived in Ca. from 90-94, worked for McDonnell Douglas in Long Beach. Budget rent a car, rented Z-28s back then. I decided to rent one to go thrash around a bit.
Went up to Mullholland Dr. and cruised around, a Probe GT comes up behind me wanting to play. We blow around the curves, and i end up hitting a slick spot, typical slip on a marble Camaro, end up heading for the guard rail, over correct and head for the dirt bank, correct again and head for the rail over correct again and head for the dirt bank, hit it, run up it a good 50 feet, slide sideways, nail the gas to prevent it from rolling, slam back down on the pavement.
I keep going, all seems ok, Probe took off. Car is still going straight down the road. I stop about a mile down the road to check out the damage. Head light shelf to the middle of the bumper is cracked on one side, nothing really visible. Washed the car before i took it back, guess i was lucky to be alive after that one, stinkin Chevy.
My parents bought a 64 Custom 880 brand new, gave it to me when i started driving. Among the crazy things i did in that car.
For you Western Wa./Seattle people... if your over 45 like me, you probably have been across the intersection at NE 24th and 140th NE, before they fixed it.
On the near side of the intersection if you were going down the hill, east from Bridal Trails, it had a slight rise, with a abrupt edge, enought that if you hit it just right with a truck or a car with a stiff suspension you could get enough weight off the tires to break them loose.
Well, me and a few friends were out cruising that night, and coming down the hill, 8 at night or so. the light turns yellow. i was going about 70, too fast to stop, so i hit the gas. The headlights illuminate the rise, and the shadow of the dip, I say "OH SH**T, hang on" passengers go HUH?
I hit the rise, and the car flies, i remember looking down at the road, and distinctly remember hitting the white crosswalk line across the intersection, front end hits, WHAM, sparks all over, rear end hits WHAM, more sparks. I turn around, there is a Texaco on the corner, i pull in, the kid comes running out, yelling, WOW you cleared the whole intersection, you were 3 ft in the air.
I went to look, i must have cleared it, cause there were huge scrapes on the crosswalk paint and a big white spot on the concrete where the bumper hit.
Another one.
I had a 67 Satellite with a factory 383, back in 95, big mistake selling it.
Before i had the engine rebuilt i was crusing down the hiway on a Sunday afternoon. This was when Mustang Cobras were new. Read that they had a rev limiter set at 130 or so.
One pulls up next to me, kid driving, no plates, dealer car, or brand new and kid driving daddys car. Revs his motor and takes off.
Nobody around so i go for it, my speedo is pegged, i still have half my pedal left. I give it a little more gas and hear his engine missing a bit. I play with him a bit more, then take off, i see him give me the finger in my mirror.
I keep going a bit longer, must have been doing 140-150, take the next exit. Stop and hear a knocking i didnt have before, spun number 1 rod bearing. OOPS
One more. I lived in Ca. from 90-94, worked for McDonnell Douglas in Long Beach. Budget rent a car, rented Z-28s back then. I decided to rent one to go thrash around a bit.
Went up to Mullholland Dr. and cruised around, a Probe GT comes up behind me wanting to play. We blow around the curves, and i end up hitting a slick spot, typical slip on a marble Camaro, end up heading for the guard rail, over correct and head for the dirt bank, correct again and head for the rail over correct again and head for the dirt bank, hit it, run up it a good 50 feet, slide sideways, nail the gas to prevent it from rolling, slam back down on the pavement.
I keep going, all seems ok, Probe took off. Car is still going straight down the road. I stop about a mile down the road to check out the damage. Head light shelf to the middle of the bumper is cracked on one side, nothing really visible. Washed the car before i took it back, guess i was lucky to be alive after that one, stinkin Chevy.
68383GTS
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I bought a 1969 Road Runner in 1989 the had 356 original miles on it.The car had been wrecked when it was 3 days old and stored in a garage for 20 years.It was R6 scorth red,white top,white interior,383,auto.I sold it to my uncles friend who said he was going to fix it.Well he ended up reselling it.I found the car again in Missouri 2 years ago.Someone stored the car outside for a time and runied the mint interior.The original exhaust was gone,and it looked like someone had toyed with the engine.The car had somebody work done but was still not together 20 years after I sold it,What a shame! Now its just a good solid car and thats about it the originality of the car has been runied.And my Uncles friend told me 3 years ago he kept the original title because he thought it was neat,WTF.
Jim
Jim
69HEMICORONETR/TCONV
Well-Known Member
426HemiCharger
Well-Known Member
I got a few myself too. Here's one:
The lady at the bank who filed the loan papers for my Charger had a boyfriend in the 80's who drove a white '68. She and him got drunk or something one night and she drove the car in the country somewhere. In the middle of a farmer's field was a brick wall!!! She veered off the road, hit the wall, flipped it and got dumped.
The lady at the bank who filed the loan papers for my Charger had a boyfriend in the 80's who drove a white '68. She and him got drunk or something one night and she drove the car in the country somewhere. In the middle of a farmer's field was a brick wall!!! She veered off the road, hit the wall, flipped it and got dumped.
stingger68
Well-Known Member
BROUGHAM
Active Member
My first car was a 73 340 challenger. I got it when I was 15. So picture this, I grew up riding shotgun with my dad doing burnouts and donuts on a regular basis. So here I am with my learners permit and my dad teaching me how to do a burn out. Oh the good days.. Never got in any trouble with it but I definatly had the coolest car in school. There was one night that I ran her up to 135 mph. I tell you that was scary 16 years old in a old car but that 340 sounded good wound tight. I am older now and I have slowed down a bit but I will never forget the old challenger. As for my dad, he still power brakes what ever it is he is driving when he leaves from visiting my house.
Here is mine, I get to visit our old Runner once a month.
http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/showthread.php?t=3855
http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/showthread.php?t=3855
426HemiCharger
Well-Known Member
Nice Story. Nice 'Runner
gearheadbill
Well-Known Member
Mopar stories
I have told this story before but I will tell it again.
Back in the early 70's I bought a Hemi roadrunner from a guy in Wisconson,brought it back to St Paul,it had been a race car sponsered by a Dealer Ship in Wisconson-it was called the Beanfield Express,it was candy brandy wine-metalflak-diamond dust-cob webbed,might even had some lace on the hood,it was done really nice,Coyote on the truck lid squezing a tube of preparation H-Hemi!!!.
Well one nite while sitting in a Abry's parking lot,my friend and I ENJOYING Arbys finest a girl driving her boyfriends 427 chevy decided to show everyone while leaving McDonalds which was accross the street from Arby's how to do a burn out,while making a left out of the parking lot hit the throttle immediately went sideways out of control continued up the road out of control backend swinging back and forth,only to end up jumping the crub front end up in the air hitting my car passinger side half way up,needless to say the side was pushed in like 3 feet,we survied,the car didn't,looking from the front or from the back could not tell anything was wrong with the car.
Had the car looked at by previous painter body man,was told to far gone,so the car was totaled,and I was paid!!!
Never new what happened to the car,? of course I wish I had put it in a garage for safe keeping,Oh that hindsight is a great thing if you know what I mean?
Bill
I have told this story before but I will tell it again.
Back in the early 70's I bought a Hemi roadrunner from a guy in Wisconson,brought it back to St Paul,it had been a race car sponsered by a Dealer Ship in Wisconson-it was called the Beanfield Express,it was candy brandy wine-metalflak-diamond dust-cob webbed,might even had some lace on the hood,it was done really nice,Coyote on the truck lid squezing a tube of preparation H-Hemi!!!.
Well one nite while sitting in a Abry's parking lot,my friend and I ENJOYING Arbys finest a girl driving her boyfriends 427 chevy decided to show everyone while leaving McDonalds which was accross the street from Arby's how to do a burn out,while making a left out of the parking lot hit the throttle immediately went sideways out of control continued up the road out of control backend swinging back and forth,only to end up jumping the crub front end up in the air hitting my car passinger side half way up,needless to say the side was pushed in like 3 feet,we survied,the car didn't,looking from the front or from the back could not tell anything was wrong with the car.
Had the car looked at by previous painter body man,was told to far gone,so the car was totaled,and I was paid!!!
Never new what happened to the car,? of course I wish I had put it in a garage for safe keeping,Oh that hindsight is a great thing if you know what I mean?
Bill
69HEMICORONETR/TCONV
Well-Known Member
That sucks ! ,,,,,,,,,,,,OFF WITH HER HEAD !
426HemiCharger
Well-Known Member
A guy bought a Superbir in 1973 at a Super-discount like $2400 OFF. Third stoplight from the dealership... he got rearended. The guy in the truk that rearended him said he didn't think it was a real car.
69HEMICORONETR/TCONV
Well-Known Member
That had to Suck ! :sad:
devonhealth
Member
Back in 1968, when we were riding around in muscle cars, a close friend of mine got a new 1968 426 hemi GTX in the Spring of that year. Of course we had a lot of fun and did a little street racing that summer. He was a rather eccentric guy and in October of 1968 he dicided to park it in a garage for a while because his father was mad as hell that he got a speeding ticket. Well, he never moved or started the car up until last year when he found out he was dying of liver failure. He did die last year and his estate was auctioned off at a fairly well publicized affair here in Malvern, Pa. The car went up for auction. It had 4000+ miles on it, bench seats and torqueflite on the column. Nothing had been changed. Still original plugs even. Paint was great and no rust on the chrome. I sat back in the car again after all those years while it was being auctioned off. Like being in a dream. Found an old gas receipt under the seat for a fill up at the Sunoco, came to $4.25.. Still had 1968 inspection sticker. Heater hoses and radiator hoses were rotted but that was about it. Car went for $175,000.00. Sure hope somebody's taking care of it...
I have a bored and stroked 340 in my Demon (416 cid now) and every 18 year old in a rice burner wants to race me.
68383GTS
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In 1980 I was 10 years old.One of older kids Brian came over to my friends house one day to show off his new car to my friends older brother.Well me and my friend were out in the driveway playing basketball when Brian pulled up in his new car, a used 1971 Cuda blue with a 340 4 speed.My friend and I went crazy what a cool f***in car we said.Brian gave us all a ride in the 'Cuda and I was hooked.Even at 10 years old I was already a car nut I had a 150 Hot Wheel cars and around 100 models.My Uncles had 68 442's,70's Trans Am's,and Mach 1 Mustangs and I loved them, but this was the first real Mopar I have ever remember seeing.Well anyway Brian had the 71 'Cuda for a few months and was walking his dog one day and got caught in a rainstorm.Brian took shelter under a tree and was struck by lightning,He and his dog were killed.Well back a few years ago 2000 or so I was wondering what ever happened to Brian's 'Cuda.So I asked my friends older brother one day and he told me Brian's sister still has the car and it is sitting in a chicken coop.Last year I got the chance to see Brians car after 29 years and it in fact was sitting in a old chicken coop with a wooden floor.The car looked the same as I remembered and I was happy to see the car again.I would LOVE to have the car since it belonged to a childhood friend that I lost and its the first Mopar I remember seeing.Well I didn't get a chance to talk to Brian's sister I talked to her husband.He said she would never sell it and will not let anyone touch the car... So I do not know what will ever happen to the car only time will tell..
roadrunnerman
Well-Known Member
back in 1984 i had a '74 RR w a 360-4bbl that actually did duty as a cop car in washington,ia.I didn't have the car too long before my girlfriend at the time told me she was driving around our local sandpits(hangout) and ran into a tree(mishap #1).A couple months later i was driving and ran a stop sign a plowed into the left front corner of a delivery truck w my right front corner of the car.I was the one that drove away.(mishap #2).A couple months after that, my car was parked on the street and a drunk comes around the corner and nails my car in the left rear and pushes it up-over the curb at a 45 degree angle.(mishap#3).I was just getting the car back to decent shape and was drivingaround town when a young gal ran a stop light in a van that belonged to a friend of hers nailed me in the left front fender and hit me so hard it put a v in my RR hood.(mishap#4).my wife was 3 months pregnant with our first child at the time of #4.that was the wreck that finally put my RR down for the count.All this happened in a period of 1 yr.
426HemiCharger
Well-Known Member
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