How Do You Handle The Mopar Craziness?

[Udderchaos]

The Belvedere being my first Mopar, has got me to thinking about something. How do you get the patience to do the Mopar gig? Simple things that I can get from the auto parts stores for Cheby and Furd, are order only for Mopar. Nobody seems to want to help when I mention Mopar at the stores. I went to a Chrysler dealer, and asked for help on a 66 Belvedere, I got a long silent "Deer in the headlights" look from the service writers. I received about the same thing from a service tech that had no idea why the service writer pawned me off on him. I'm not degrading anybody, or Mopars. It just seems like an up hill battle when trying to get some where on this car. Thank goodness for the internet.

Bill/Udderchaos

 

[kdtjb]

It,s not easy building a Mopar, it' s rewarding.
It's not easy going for the best looking girl, but when you do her it' s rewarding. I know that sounds a tad bit crude, but hey us mopar guys are REWARDERD.

 

[RustyRatRod]

Mopar lesson #1. Everybody else is a dumbass. You have to be your own genius. Here endeth lesson #1.

Don't forget it.

 

[tpodwdog]

Mopar lesson #1. Everybody else is a dumbass. You have to be your own genius. Here endeth lesson #1.

Don't forget it.

whoa Bundy Mr. RAT !:headbang:

 

[Ron 73]

It,s not easy building a Mopar, it' s rewarding.
It's not easy going for the best looking girl, but when you do her it' s rewarding. I know that sounds a tad bit crude, but hey us mopar guys are REWARDERD.

Ya pinpointed that right smack dead center! Mopars are like a beautiful woman, Ill just use my wife as case in point with me and the preservation of life, They seem to give you guts to tackle things you normally wouldn't do to make a ride, and the way we want them, To buy one that needs more work then we would have tried years ago, simply to have the best of the best in the car world. I don't think there is a way to completely "handle" the craziness when it comes to these cars, If there is outside of yet one more car to start its news to me.

 

[roadrunnerman]

Most of the car dealers have all but phased out anything to do with the older cars. Parts for our cars are not easily accessible. That just makes it more rewarding when you can get everything for it to make it run better than the other brands. I wouldn't have it any other way. There are so many different ways you can build a chebby or furd, but there's all kinds of ways you can build a mopar and not be like the other guys.

 

[Propwash]

Well that's the fun part Bill, the challenge of it all. If it was easy, everyone would do it. Myself I get a piece of mind that to own/build these cars, you actually have to know them. I started restoring my first Mopars before the internet....Back then it was magazines, catalogs, using the phone, the places you've been and the people you know. Heck of a lot more work, but then again, a heck of a lot more adventures. Today with the internet, it's a lot more convenient bringing them back or just owning them. The wealth of knowledge, resources and the friends to be made across the airwaves is simply amazing. As far as being the minority in cars, sometimes that isn't a bad thing. I'm not a car show guy, but last summer I took my nephews to a local car show in my '68 Coronet because I figured they would enjoy it, and they did. I was literally parked in the middle of six '67-69 era Camaro's. Now nothing against the bowtie guys (they had sharp cars), but take a guess which one of the cars in that row had the majority of folks walking around it through the day. Yup...my big yellow gas vacuum.

 

[RustyRatRod]

You cannot even get any of the Mopar Performance books from any of our local dealers anymore.

 

[tpodwdog]

if you want something that every-freekin-body else has....then i suggest you go tend to a 69 Camaro (vomit).... then life will be so much easier for you.

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

When I relocated the alternator,I went to the parts store asking for alt belts in 4 different lengthes.He kept asking me what the application was,I told him I didn't want to confuse him.He insisted saying it was the ONLY way he could look it up.I had to leave and go to another store after I told him the application and he said it doesn't exsist:no:ccasion17:

 

[Ron 73]

if you want something that every-freekin-body else has....then i suggest you go tend to a 69 Camaro (vomit).... then life will be so much easier for you.

We cant forget the Mustangs, Chevelles and the other Cameros and mustangs i see ALL the time around this part of the world. I have nothing against any of the guys that like them, i even owned a couple maybe thats one reason i always ended up back in a Plymouth.

 

[WileERobby]

if you want something that every-freekin-body else has....then i suggest you go tend to a 69 Camaro (vomit).... then life will be so much easier for you.

Ditto, except insert the word "puke" for "vomit".

- - - Updated - - -

Mopar lesson #1. Everybody else is a dumbass. You have to be your own genius. Here endeth lesson #1.

Don't forget it.

Lesson giveth in Ye Olde English ?

 

[1mightymopar]

We cant forget the Mustangs, Chevelles and the other Cameros and mustangs i see ALL the time around this part of the world. I have nothing against any of the guys that like them, i even owned a couple maybe thats one reason i always ended up back in a Plymouth.
View attachment 104984

I think I lost count on how many Mustangs crossed the block this year at Barret Jackson. 20:1 ratio to Mopars maybe? Same cars, different colour all the time.

 

[HT413]

It's definitely a pain that some parts aren't repro'd. Like, it would be nice if I could find some front turn signal lights (even better if the ones I find arent $500 for the pair) just a ticket waiting to happen. But when I go to my local cruise night and there are 4 or 5 mopars out of 100 cars... rewarding.

 

[daredevil]

It keeps the club kind of exclusive.

 

[Someotherguy]

Building this car, trying to source/locate parts has been nothing short of a complete pita...especially here in the rural south(chevy country)...has it deterred me, not one bit...I finally got to drive this old car around locally a few weeks ago......My god this car turns some heads lemme tell ya ....but i do believe most people were trying to figure out what year chevy it is lol :grin:

i even had one young kid ask me "what is that..? a chevelle..?

I like the fact that it is not the usual classic car seen around here...but it does sorta isolate me in a way..which is fine, as i don't really care all that much for people anyway :grin:

 

[tallhair]

I've owned Mopars for 30 years and always liked being the only one on the local roads with whatever i had/have where I was/am at the time. So for me it's part the not going with the herd thing i guess and heck car for car i think the mopars just look cooler and have more character, great engineering, and always being a big block b-body guy, great performance a lot easier than the comparable ford and chevy counterparts.

 

[rsd859]

I enjoy having one of the few. Ive never seen a 73/74 RR around these parts at car shows and Im going to be a proud sucker The day I take mine to a show. Camaro's, Novas, and Mustangs are a dime a dozen. I drive my baby around town in primer and people are breaking their necks to figure out WTF they are looking at. Its freaking awesome.

 

[Al K]

OK;a little shout out to my local auto parts store(Bois Auto Parts in Flushing,MI) and a guy named Brian. Even though he's a F-F-Fo-For-Ford guy,he knows his ****,and has been VERY helpful with any Mopar-related issues. I CAN go there,ask questions like Al(Hemi-itis) asked-and GET ANSWERS! My car probably would not be rolling without his help. The good places are out there;just got to seek them out. If you do find one,and the man(or woman) at the counter helps without that quizzical look(depending on the question asked),stick with them. If this place ever closes and I'm forced to go to AutoZonedOut,I'll ride a bicycle.

One BIG issue:as these older counter folks pass on or retire,we can only hope that they pass their knowledge and appreciation on to the next generation. If not,we're all screwed.

 

[D575]

I enjoy having one of the few. Ive never seen a 73/74 RR around these parts at car shows and Im going to be a proud sucker The day I take mine to a show. Camaro's, Novas, and Mustangs are a dime a dozen. I drive my baby around town in primer and people are breaking their necks to figure out WTF they are looking at. Its freaking awesome.

Isn't that the car Starsky and Hutch had ?