How and why did you get into Mopars?

[Just wheels]

My first car in 1974 (junior in high school) was a '67 Barracuda notchback/318/buckets and console, bought for $100, guy thought it had a blown engine, brother helped me figure our rear/spidergears gone. $75 to fix. since then 50 cars in 40 years all different shapes and sizes, Mopars, GM.....lots a Harleys.

Dug the Charger in Bullitt. have "66 Coronet 500 now.

 

[Seventy]

My father is a mopar guy, drove a 700' Coronet R/T for most of my child hood, white 440/auto/n96, bucket/console, white hard top / black gut, scat pack stickers in the quarter windows, super track pack car, he had cragar mags on it with wide tires, it was just awesome, back then it was like the wild west over here, I remember more than 10 occasions where we were driving along and someone would pull up on the side of us revving their engines, and then my father would pull the shifter back, and mat the skinny pedal... That car felt so fast, he bought it used with the original motor, it needed bearings so he did them in the driveway on jack stands, he swapped the cam, intake, and carb, had some dump pipes on it, and a christmas tree air freshener, I learned to drive on that car, sitting in the driveway pretending I was racing people while sitting still. I wish he kept it, I would have loved to bought it now, but the gentleman he sold it to, let it sit outside and junked it when it got beyond repair...

I always played with hot rods, I go through phases, I used to build fast motorcycles, then I would switch to 30's fords, then 50's chevies, then 60's anything, BUT my 2 favorite cars were always the 1970 chevelle and 1970 coronet, I did the chevelle thing to death, still have a 454 SS put away, but all the high dollar fancy chevelles are gone...

Someday my collection will be a 70 coronet (do the vcode bee right now but I would like a 70 r/t convertible hemi clone someday, just have to find the right 500 to start with), my SS, my 302 dz, keep one of the hot rods probably 39 ford tudor, a 32 vicky, a shelby cobra kit with a 600hp ls motor in it (yet to build that one), and a 60' ford bronco with a chevy 6.0 / 4l80e 4wd setup in it for the winters...

 

[Mogre]

My brother had a 67 Coronet R/T then a 68 bare bones white hemi roadrunner with line lock. That car was scary fast. My cousin had a 71 hemi cuda convertible. The nicest car I had ever seen and he let me drive it once. Lost my cherry in the back seat of my buddies moms 68 Charger after picking up a couple of cuties that were impressed with the car. I was sold. Had many cars over the years but the 68 Charger I have had for the last 20 years brings a smile to my face every time I turn around to grab my seatbelt.

 

[mutt71]

I have really enjoyed reading the replies to this question. Here is mine. I was a Senior in High School, Class of '72. Many of my fellow classmates had MOPARS. Hemi's, 440's and 383, Road Runners, GTX's, 'Cuda's, Challengers, etc. I bought my first MOPAR in 1975. It was a 1970 Yellow Road Runner. 383, 727 TF transmission and 8 3/4 rear end. My brother Wayne also had a 1970 Road runner at the same time I did. His was also a 383 Auto white over blue with a black and white interior. We used to race each other all of the time. Now, I have a 1969 Plymouth Satellite with a 318, 904 trans and an 8 1/4 Rear end with 2.76 gears in it.

 

[Budnicks]

Drag racing history

My Uncle's John & Jim

My step father Bob

all were contributing factors

 

[Sonny Black]

Sonny Kept blowing up his small block chebby's.....265. 283. & etc.

that is it (in a nutshell) ! :edgy::eusa_pray::icon_cry::cry::shruggy:


Got a 383 4 Speed Plymouth, beat the **** out of it and it could take it! the rest is history....12 to 15 or so Mopars later..

 

[FlagCraig]

In 1977 my Dad was driving me to high school in a 69 Ford Galaxy 500. A guy pulled next to him in a TR7 and beat him in a little drag from the light. That ticked him off so within a couple months he bought a 1972 Challenger 340 Rallye. Then 2 years later a 1971 Challenger RT. Put a 440 in that and built it to race at the track. It ran in the mid 13's. We became a mopar family and have had many since then.

 

[speedchangesyou]

I grew up in Gardena cruising the A&W on Hawthorne Blvd, the Witch Stand and Randy's Donuts, did a lot of street racing back then with a 59 Chevy 348 (I know don't say anything). I was in a club back then, the Nomads and we raced at Lyons on the weekends. I used to watch the 413 Max Wedge cars and the Hemi cars run. I was hooked now, for me its Mopar or No Car...63 Dodge 330 running a 392 Blown 871 5spd Tremec Hemi, our 38 P6 Rumble Seat Couple 392 dual quad Hemi (soon to be running a period correct Weiand Drag Star 6 Deuce with 94's) and a 06 Viper...

I am in a great all Mopar club that puts on Mopars in May, Inland Mopars.

The 60's are back whenever I put my foot into it...

 

[niteshift70]

Here in TN, you'll find the heart of Generic Motor Co. country, especially Chevy. Been that way as long as I been around anyway. Mom's folks drove ford's exclusively however (her dad had worked quite a few years in a ford dealership shop.) Most of dad's folks drove chevys, except one. Great uncle bill drove a 383 magnum polara he bought new in the mid 60's. My grandma drove a '70 Nova 350 4 barrel automatic. When I'd spend the summer breaks with Nana, we'd take long trips to see other kinfolk in one or the other old cars. That, along with mom's '70 mercury cyclone and '63 1/2 ford galaxie and dad's '66 chevy truck, helped spark the old car flame by the time I was ready to drive. The first ride I ever bought was a '59 ford falcon Ranchero (in 1984.) Soon after, I had to have a hot rod, so naturally I had to have me a billy-bad-a$& chevy. That's what everyone else did. But I wasn't exactly the follow the leader material, so I wound up with a '77 monte carlo that someone had already had a '80s pro street style canary yellow with bold color side racing stripes on (looking back, whew, it was ugly but everybody stared when I went by.) I learned how to build solid engines.working on that car.
Shortly after high school I got a job as a mechanic at a local shop, learning as I worked, and worked until I got smart, quit, and started college. While in junior college, I worked for a high school buddy's family at their used car lot doing repairs to make my way. I would ride with them to drive cars back from auctions. One night, he bought a '68 hardtop roadrunner with a 440 4 speed and 3.90 geared dana. Hell, it was primer black with a lift off 6 pack glass hood, black indoor/outdoor grass carpet, with 2 bucket seats, no back seat at all, with old rocket rims. The generic motors cloud covering my eyes dissapated like a fog when the sun rises on that 90 minute trip back to the lot. What sealed the deal was when my buddy and i borrowed the next weekend. ***NOTE - I no longer street race but that's just the way things were done back then.*** When we rolled into town, it was like the old wild west movies when the bad guy rode into town and everyone scattered, hiding behind doors and peering out closed windows, watching. There had not been any mopars in town (or come to town looking for race for that matter) in all those days I was into the scene. The only thing anyone knew about them was from seemingly mythical tales in magazines and stuff from a few old timers that used to race. We couldn't goad any of the street crowd into a race. We figured it was just fear of the unknown. We found several good mopars over the next couple of years (all of them were bought at auction considerably north of here) and ran into the same thing every time.

 

[Bb70charger500]

Great stories so far guys keep them coming I'menjoying this one.
Ok my turn
So as most of you know I'm fairly young so one day back in 2001ish I was getting dropped off at work (don't own a car yet was looking) well it was so nice of them to have changed my schedule so my ride already left and of course they don't believe in a cell phone. So I started to walk home (it wasn't that far maybe 4-5 miles) anyways as I was leaving the parking lot I spotted a big gold car (had no clue what it was just knew it was cool looking) so I called the number on the window guy said he would be there in 5 mins .very nice guy told me it was a 74 charger and it ran and drovef one it was his mother s car said he would take 1500 for it if I wanted it . Asked him to hook up(it was on a triailer) and give me a ride to my house to get the cash ,I bought my first car just like that . It was full of dents and rust but I didn't care it was cool to me .little 318 904 bench seat column shift car in Aztec gold with a white vinyl roof .
Man it was a ugly car now thinking back at it.
So I made it cool looking added some bolt ons and drove the crap out of it was the only mopar in the school parking lot my buddy bought a 73 duster and wrecked it the first day (some lady ran a stop sign ) so he got a trans am after that and ny other buddy had a nova that was it for "hit rods" at school I loved the fact that I had the only one and it stayed like that (every one else like the Honda's) so I was hooked I did stray a little bit when my buddy's trans am keep smoking my charger.So I bought it drove it for awhile and didn't like it. So back to the old mopar and always had a mopar since. And will always have a mopar from here on out .
By the way happy ending my 318 charger got a little upgrade 440 took car of that pesky trans am after that

 

[patrick66]

In the late '60s, my brother-in-law worked for the Chrysler parts distribution center in Denver. He had his share of cool Mopars, and cool cars in general ('55 Chevy gasser, '64 Stingray ragtop, etc), so he was the family gearhead. Advance to the early '70s, he had a very cool '69 Dart 340 Swinger - black, wheel flares, 340 auto, rubber floor mat, no radio, buckets, no console. My brother had a '68 Barracuda 340 Formula S 4-speed car. They were the fastest street-legal cars in the county, and two of only four Mopars that were on the streets in out town. Their cars sold me on Mopar! Mind you, I like anything cool. I'm not a "Mopar or no car!" partisan, as every automaker has had cool cars of some kind at some time.

 

[djais1801]

I recall a few mopars back in my childhood. I remember being in 5th grade and my friends older brother had several cudas in various stages of disrepair/drivers. I always walked past a petty blue 73 think it was a /6 because it had thes weird teardrop hubcaps.
Another friends Dad had a bodyshop in town and one of his body guys had a 69 GTX dark green w/ white stripes on side.
I was never brand specific (Camaros, Mustangs, Chevelles, Buicks, Corvette) but about 5 years ago after selling my 86 Mustang GT convertible (400hp)...I realized I never had a mopar and I never had a big block. so I bought the 71 Satty (RR clone) w/ a 383. that's gone now and currently have an E-body.

 

[Jackpot50]

Got a deal On a 62 Polara 500 at the age of 15 had a 361 in it and a brand new 383 magnum short block came with it for $400.
What would do, hooked ever since.

 

[68pplcharger]

Because they used the cartoon Road runner for their Roadrunner. I was seven the first time I heard of a road runner from Plymouth and had to own one.

 

[Cranky]

Grew up with them. Learned how to shift mom's 51 Cranbrook at a pretty young age. Always watched mom and dad drive and was just fascinated with it. Dad would put me in his lap and let me steer even tho I wasn't too good with that lol. First car to drive behind the wheel was a 56 Plymouth Belvedere Sports Coupe in 57 or 58. First car to take without permission was a 63 Dart 170 3 speed so I could haul my lawn mower in the trunk.....and got in trouble for doing that but didn't mess anything up. I was 12 at that point and it went down hill from there. In 1970 I had 3 56 Chevy sedans and a 66 Belvedere. In the mid 70's I bought a 66 Mustang Fastback and before long, I had 4 other Mustangs and a Dodge pickup and no Mopar cars but after the Fords kept breaking down, I went back to Mopars and never looked back. The Chevys didn't last either. In 86 I got a divorce and needed a cheap car for back and forth to work and found a 12k miles 76 Dodge Colt but that didn't last long. Had to pretty much keep that thing floored just to keep up with traffic when the light turned green and when some moron in a Vega messed with me for about 2 weeks running (we ran across each other at least 3 times a week!) I started driving my 3/4 ton Dodge beater pickup until I ran across that bastard again one morning. He knew exactly who I was because I made sure he saw me after my front bumper was in his back window doing 55 yelling at him the whole time to nail his brakes and then pulling up beside him very closely daring him to do something. I drove the Colt about two more weeks after that (he stayed away from it when he saw it too lol) and sold it to a guy at work that wanted it for his daughter. Said "you must not like her too much." Got a bewildered look from him on that comment and said to tell her that Vega cars will most likely not bother her.

 

[uwss]

Kids are all grown up; wife is gone; so now I can afford my bucket list of man toys. So, I bought 69 GTX that was used to drag race in. Had some pretty screwed up crap going on. Rebuilt the motor, transmission and front end. I have not converted the front to disc brakes. I am trying to locate the inner and outer front fenders; left and right.

 

[Bruzilla]

Mom and Dad had a 70 LTD they wanted to trade in back in 1972 in Monroeville, PA. They drug the three of us kids out to three dealerships. A Mercury dealership in Murraysville, PA, and Ford/Lincoln dealership in Monroeville, PA, and Wyle Lowe's Chrysler Plymouth, which was right across RT 22 from the Ford/Lincoln dealership.

The dealership had a lifesized picture of the new 1973 Roadrunner stretched across the front windows, and my 11-year old brain said "I want that!" Didn't see another one until 1977 when I was on St. Croix in the Virgin Islands. We were at the airport getting ready to go home and I heard a rumbling engine. I turned around and saw a black 74 GTX with white stripes come rolling up and fell in love again. Bought my first 73 GTX two years later, and aside from one dalliance with a 72 GTX and a 74 Sundance Satellite I've had nothing but 73-74 Roadrunners since.

 

[bkleenfltx]

Dang.... I've been lieing to you guys all this time!!!!! Didnt even realize it until Cranky said "51 Cranbrook" I think mine was the Cambridge which was adorned by original floor mats interior chrome and hood ornament with a ship ......

http://www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/CC-14-033-800.jpg

Hell I was so poor in 73 that was a MOVE UP! It was my aunts car...she sold it to me for 600.00. The piece of junk I had before that was a 62 Chevy II 4 door smoking like a freight train rusted out pitiful looking piece of JUNK. I had forgotten all about owning that car. In High School we could sit 4 across in that thing when necessary and a tank of gas would go 3 months with what I recall as a 1bbl carb and flathead 4 cyl. LOL! It was the "party car" known throughout school as "The Mayflower" . Oh it was a treat to try to ask girls out on a date...when all the cool kids had Camaro's, Mustangs, Firebirds, Trans Am's, GTO's and a handful of Mopars....YEP I was STEP'n in HIGH COTTON!!


So i've now owned 2 Mopars lol!

 

[kelly]

had a 62 Dart 330 in high school and put a 426 out of a 64 in it and beat just about every car I raced.
Now I have a 62 440 with a 440 6 pack and can keep it running, about time to get a CHEVY.......

 

[patrick66]

My first car, at age 12 was a 1952 Cranbrook four-door that I paid ten dollars for - and drove home! My second was a '52 Cambridge that was a smooth runner, but the interior was trashed. Another ten dollar car, and drove IT home, too. That was my first engine swap, as well.