Does Anyone Drive a 1965-1971 "street" Hemi every day?

[Dibbons]

Well, it is called a street Hemi for a reason, right? Maybe the question should be, "did" anyone use a street Hemi as a daily driver? Maybe someone with crude oil on their property? Beverly Hillbillies, maybe?

history of the street hemi:
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...6FD961EB3A7BD645EF7E6FD961EB3A7B&&FORM=VRDGAR

 

[WileE]

Well, back in the day they did. What we encountered, anyway. They were not very good, a detuned race engine for every day, much like the Ford boss.

 

[Derv]

I had a 66 Hemi Charger with 125 000 miles, was used daily for years.

 

[wagonman]

When I lived in Reno there was a guy who had a 70 Hemi Cuda that was his daily. He is/was a BIG $$ guy. One of the folks who paid for a Hemi Cuda Vert at BJ in AZ. Also bought a new Porsche GT cash, like 500G cash. Pocket change to really rich folks. Heck of a nice guy too and very low key.

 

[moparchris]

I've had several street hemi's over the years and they are not terrible engines to live with. In stock form they are very tractable in traffic and can get "decent"mileage. The last road trip I used my 69 Hemi Charger 500 for was a 1800 mile road trip and I averaged 14.5 MPG on the highway. 4 speed with 3:54 gears. Not really any worse than a 440 would be with the same gearing.

 

[Mark B]

Our family car when I was a kid was a 69 Coronet RT. It was a 4 speed with 4:10's. Took it to weddings, funerals, out to dinner, vacations etc. Dad had put a trailer hitch on it to pull a fold down camper trailer for vacations. He drove that car to Kentucky, Florida, Colorado, Michigan and many more states. It never missed a lick. I remember we lost half the exhaust in Nebraska on the way home from Colorado we were all nearly deaf by the time we got back to Illinois. Dad sold that car when prices for hemi cars started to go up. I told him to hold on to it but he was seeing a big bunch of money, way more than he paid for it.... Wish I had the money at the time to buy it.

 

[Hemirunner]

I don’t drive it every day, but I did take it to dinner, lol.

 

[glorydays]

My dad drove his 68 hemi roadrunner 4 speed every day until he sold it for a vega hahahah

 

[beanhead]

A friend's car. He was in the air force during vietnam, when he got home he bought the car new and drove it AND raced it (it was his only ride) When he transferred out to CA he packed up his wife and kids and drove it cross country...then promptly added dome pistons and upgraded the cam with what limited parts were available for hemi's at the time. Continued to race the car (he has old timeslips showing low to mid- 11s). He regularly drove it into the 2000s. Until he retired a few years back he would still drive it to work and park it with the hood up..There was always someone stopping to check it out and he loved talking to people about it. It was never restored or painted, just driven and taken care of..and other than the motor upgrades from the 70s he didn't change anything but the regular wear parts (except for adding a fuel pressure gauge and big mallory coil, and you can see the M/T tires) I wish I had more pics!

 

[Fran Blacker]

My dad drove his 68 hemi roadrunner 4 speed every day until he sold it for a vega hahahah

Hahaha I'd be saying wahwahwah!

 

[MrJLR]

Great stories....keep 'em coming!
Loving this thread!


Jeff

 

[Greg Ducato]

I drove my 67 Satellite Convertible with 426 Hemi from Texas to the Nationals in Columbus and back again one year. I would like to say it was a trouble free trip, but of all the problems we had none were related to the engine. It got mileage in the mid teens and was a sweet highway car with the 5 speed conversion and 3.54 gear.