Back in the Day

[427SnakeSC]

For some us that grew up in the age of the Muscle Car, we would see on a regular basis, the cars in the "Best Muscle Car" thread. I'm sure all of us have stories about the cars we saw and grew up with. Let's hear some of them! Myself, I had a few neighbours that were into hot cars. One neighbour had an 1970 LT1 Corvette and a 1969 GTX with a 440, with two fours. Another neighbour had a '69 SS 396 Chevelle and an MGA with a 327 stuffed into it. One other neighbour had one of those '70s 440 Six Pack Super Bees. There was a burger joint near where I lived and on Friday and Saturday nights, you could see just about anything you wanted. Those were fine days!

[lemans24]

in 1976 my neighbor had a green shelby gt 500 convertible. he said he would never sell it. z 28's and trans am's were the cool cars most people drove in atlanta back then. geeezzz ..that was years 32 years ago....

[SLHetal]

In 1968 while a freshman in college in north Alabama my then girlfriend (later wife) went to the same school and was originally from Birmingham, AL. On weekends we would often stay at her home, hangout, do laundry, go with friends to SCCA races, bass fishing, etc. Her father was the southeast US sales manager for British Leyland, so we often had a new Jaguar E type or Triumph demonstrator to drive for the weekend. Her next door neighbor was the owner of Birmingham's largest Ford dealership at the time. That family was into racing and quite often their driveway had a Shelby GT 350 R, or a racing Cobra and on two occasions I remember a white GT-40. I'd walk across her front yard and right up to some of the most beautiful machinery on earth....to me. My car at the time???...an ex-Alabama state trooper 1962 Plymouth two door. Ran like a striped ass ape!!!
Sam

[Dwight]

SLHetal

What college did you attend in North Alabama?

Dwight
from Florence, Ala

[Dwight]

Got a ticket in my buddies 69 GTX for doing a 135 mph on a new outer loop road that just opened up. Long story but that all I going to say about that.

Dwight

[SLHetal]

Jacksonville State University. Today is the 40th anniversary of the event that changed the direction of my young life at the time...TET Offensive Vietnam.
Sam

[Maurice Johnson]

Not a muscle car, but while visiting some horse riding stables Tuesday, made a barn find with a mid-70's Caddy under a cover. With a bungy cord between the mirrors, I think you could set a Hornet down on that hood.
SLHetal--drove past your Alma Mater on Tuesday on my way to meet with Maurice at Unique. Forever grateful to you guys who survived, and respectful of those who didn't, make it through TET.

[Excaliber]

I was at a tire shop admiring a new green Charger with some new rubber mounted up. When he left and hit the street he 'nailed it' and just as quickly spun out in the middle of the road. Where upon he nailed it again and 'lit em up'. A great show burned into my memory.

[Michael P. Wole]

"69 428 SCJ Mach I with drag pac....pulled engine same day I bought it...heads to Holman-Moody, C-6 tranny to B&M, did the short block myself.
Raced in stock auto class in the Chicago, So Wisc area in"70-'71. Got with within a couple tenths of the national record...ran a 12.98 one time. Only thing that gave me fits was a 340 Duster.
This was before bracket racing...you were spotted the difference between your class record times.

Had a ball with...bought an '03 Mach I 305hp 320 tq(thought I was back in my '69 first time I drove it) Still have it...wife says sell it now that I have the Cobra....naw, think I'll keep this one.

[JeepSnake]

SLHEtal - Hopefully I'll get Dad to check this thread. He & Mom are JSU alumni; Dad works in the College of Business now. They were featured in the "Gem of the Hills" alumni mag last fall with their Unique 427, and we drove both our Cobras in the JSU Homecoming parade last fall.

FYI - he was also at Cam Rahn Bay with an engineering battalion. Went over in summer of '65, I think.

Musclecar tie-in:

Mom & Dad were sitting outside her dorm at JSU one night, they heard a car wind it up tight somewhere up around the square. Suddenly, engine sound ceases, there's a muffled crash, and the lights went out in Jacksonville!

[CobraDan]

The Cars e Drove In The 50s & 60s

[Sharroll Celby]

At a used car lot in Glendale California about 1977. There was a clean '67 or '68 Impala SS 427 on the lot for $1200. I would have had to swaggle a loan from the parents. My two buddies there with me discouraged me, saying "No one would like driving that big old boat around".

Also in the late '70's, there seemed to be a lot of '70-'71 429 CJ Torinos around, some with four-speeds, ALL with over 140,000 miles on them, running between $1200 and $1500.

[Sharroll Celby]

At a used car lot in Glendale California about 1977. There was a clean '67 or '68 Impala SS 427 on the lot for $1200. I would have had to swaggle a loan from the parents. My two buddies there with me discouraged me, saying "No one would like driving that big old boat around".

Also in the late '70's, there seemed to be a lot of '70-'71 429 CJ Torinos around, some with four-speeds, ALL with over 140,000 miles on them, running between $1200 and $1500.

[OnyxRider]

I was looking for info on another auto and came across this thread. If anyone knows of John Hanson from Fairfield County in Connecticut I bought out his collection of muscle about 6 years ago when his wife was diagnosed with cancer. About 60% from this list were his. These were/are mostly one owner cars and low production runs but only a small sampling of the muscle in the garages/barns/collection.

1964 Dodge Ramcharger Superstock 426
1966 Ford 427 Fairlane
1966 Dodge Coronet 400 Convertible 426 Hemi
1966 Oldsmobile 442 W-30
1966 Plymouth Belvedere II Convertible 426 Hemi
1967 Dodge Coronet R/T Convertible 426 Hemi
1968 Plymouth GTX Convertible 426 Hemi
1969 AMC AMX SS 390
1969 Plymouth Road Runner Convertible 426 Hemi
1969 Plymouth GTX Convertible 426 Hemi
1970 Dodge Super Bee 426 Hemi
1970 Dodge Super Bee 426 Hemi
1970 Dodge Coronet 426 Hemi
1970 Dodge Challenger R/T 426 Hemi Convertible
1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 LS6 Convertible
1971 Dodge Super Bee 426 Hemi
1971 Dodge Charger R/T 426 Hemi
1971 Dodge Challenger R/T 426 Hemi
1971 Pontiac GTO Judge Convertible 455
1971 Plymouth Road Runner 426 Hemi
1971 Plymouth GTX 426 Hemi
1971 Plymouth 'Cuda Hemi Convertible

If anyone wants to talk muscle off this site you can reach me at cobrabarn@gmail.com


StormBringer

[blown871]

70 Chevelle ls5 car.
still own it..33 years later....
(parked next to cobra..)

[mdross1]

Graduated high school in 66 during the muscle car heydays.Many of my friends had hot rods and muscle cars,I bought my first Harley at 14 yrs old the kids at high school loved it till I was told to leave it home,was told ("Too much of a Distraction") My first car was hot rodded 63 Dodge Polara rebuilt 383",after that 66 SS Chevelle,then till getting married and starting family.

Once wife and I got established bought a new Harley and a Vette to restore.From then on kept trading up till last muscle car 69 SS Chevelle 454".Finally decided in 93 to buy and build our kit Cobra which we setup to road race.We did some local road racing for quite a while till the serious big inch Harley bug bit,then the Cobra sat quite a while other than a few warmup runs.Now the Cobra needs a new set of tires before we try cornering too hard, which by the way with sticky rubber can be induce pain.

[DAVID GAGNARD]

Down here in Louisiana I lived and still do in a small town,back then population 4000, now about 6000......

In the early 70's we has 2- 427 Cobras,3 GT 350's,4 or 5 big block Mach I stangs, a whole bunch of big block/small block Camaros/Chevelles and a couple of big block Challengers/Super Bees......life was good for a car guy!!!!!!!

You could see most of these cars on any given Friday/satruday nite cruising around looking for a race.......

As a 14 year old, I ride my bicycle past the red 427 Cobra parked in the guys yard a few blocks from our house almost daily!!!!!!

David

[Bernica]

Ah yes, back in the 70's. The good times. Had my '61 Ford Starliner with a 406 and tri-power (paid $500 bucks for it). Black w/ red interior. Ran the motor out, so put a 427 medium riser in it. I was a menace in the then small town called Issaquah, WA (not so small now). Back then, only one 4-way stop in town and 5 cops, who all knew me well and used to follow me all the way to the city limits when I would leave the XXX Root Beer stand.

My arch enemies were the Barracuda and the 396 SS. Raced them a lot, and beat them plenty.

Anyone remember Purple Hornies?