First Car, First Hot-Rod, First Build

funny...was out glen arm next to ma today. help a friend with the soccer facility across the street on long green. passed a nice 240 on the way back into towson right there on glen arm. even commented that it was probably heading over to ma. black one. lowered. no stickers. sounded nice. i know a couple of them had been through there in the past.

 

No, not a convertible. Although I did cut the roof off and make a roadster out of it

 

First car was a ‘66 Mustang in ‘71. It was my dad’s and he made me a great deal on it, but he wasn’t about to give me a car; that whole responsibility thing. Paid for it with money I’d saved from years of mowing the neighborhood! Push!

Not long after, while still in high school, I got a job delivering pizza nights and weekends, and bought a used ‘70 Camaro with the Rally Sport package. I sold the Mustang and dad co-signed the note. The Camaro (350cid) sucked gas like like it was going out of style so I thought about maybe finding something cheap and economical for delivering. I loved the job, got to drive around all over the place (Huntsville, AL -- mountains, Redstone Arsenal, etc.) and get paid for it, so one day, while on a delivery, I spied a ‘59 Morris Minor parked beside a house (in 1973). I’d never seen one before, and didn't know anything about it, but it looked like an economical Sedan de Delivery (2 door actually) so I knocked on the door and asked the guy if he wanted to sell. He said it needed a water pump, but he’d just put 3 new tires on it before the pump went out (never did figure out why 3) that cost him $110, so I could have it for that. Next day got my friend to help me drag it home with a rope (I steered), put a water pump on it, and drove the hell out of it. Really fun to drive, and cheap on gas, so wound up driving it more than I did the Camaro -- until I went to college. One had to go so I kept the Camaro (for 15 years). So, looking back, the Morris was my coolest car as far as I’m concerned. Girlfriend didn’t want to go anywhere in it, but hippies loved it. I did too. Girlfriend had an Austin Healy Sprite, which I soon found out had the same power train (such as it was) as the Morris. Another cool car. Fun in the mountains.

The Mustang in the picture here isn’t mine, but identical except for the hubcaps, and there’s also a picture of a hubcap like the ones on my car. Only posted that because I’ve never seen another set like those, before or since. The Camaro and the Morris in the pictures are my actual cars.

 

Nice job on that '67, Woody. Remarkable, actually.

 

Built this way back in the early 90s. Still have it, but it's "resting". Need to redo it again.

 

I'd call this my first car build, Started with a empty shell and about 1.5 years later finished with this. All done by myself and buddies in our garages.

 

Split bumper 70 Camaro... very cool! Original split bumper cars are pretty collectable.

For those that have never heard of or seen a Morris Minor... very desirable car. English made economy car. First ones built started in the late 1920s. Some of the original convertibles looked like a scaled down version of a Model A.
Second generation was built from around the late 40s to early 70s and those are what the gearheads wanted for circuit racers and, if you're like me, drag racers.

 

Is that a Merkur XR4TI?

If so, what a blast from the past! I completely forgot about those.

 

Yup, it's a '87 XR4Ti

 

Some people tried to duplicate the Z22 package (Rally Sport) by putting the "split bumpers" on a regular Camaro, but I could spot them a mile away. The Z22 had circular blinkers next to the headlights rather than the long narrow blinkers under the bumper on the standard Camaro, and a rubber bumper around the grill. Z22 also had hidden wipers and other trim.

 

haha yea man. who knows who it is any more. i mostly just see those guys for mountain biking now, but brian and ray are wizards. everything that comes out of that shop is amazing. brian welded up the swingarm on my supersingle project all cute like. i don't get up that way as much as i used to in college though. its a pain in the ass from Rockville.

 

First cool car:

67 Charger - one of 600ish built with the factory 440 Magnum, in 1975 or so. Very rough, it cost me $235....

My current coolist car; 1987 Chrysler Town & Country with the 2.2 Turbo option, front mount intercooler, big injectors, big exhaust, 18/20PSI boost, and some other mods. With slicks it goes 14.00 at the strip with the OE 8V SOHC motor, and I'm building a new motor with a 16V DOHC head/turbo from an SRT4, should be good for 12's... yes, I'm sick...

 

My 1st car was a '73 BMW 2002. It ran like shit & I couldn't afford to repair it. I've no recollection of where it ended up.
Next was a 1964 Volvo 122, my girlfriends father gave to me. I drove it down to meet up with my brother & family in Cantamar, Baja. It overheated just south of Rosarito, so I left it on the side of the road & cab'd it to Cantamar. It was a piece of chit.
For the next 13 years, I didn't own a personal car.
2008 I picked up a 2005 STi, which is chillin' in front yard. I wrecked it, repaired it & did a few track days/autox's with it.

Now I'm attempting my 1st rebuild, on a 1966 Sprite. It's gonna be a long, slow process.

Just last Friday I picked up my 1st "hot rod"
I believe it's a mid 70's Midget, titled as a 1964 Austin Healey Sprite. It's CA plated & registered, set up for autox.

 

That thing looks cool.

 

So, what was the first car you owned that was really great in your eyes? Got a 1988 GTA 350 in high school

Did you buy it? nope

Did daddy buy it for you? yup

Did you build it, do the body work on it, paint it, put an engine or two in it? Bought it wrecked for 3k in 1992. I worked in my dads friends body shop so I did most of the work to get it back on the street.

Did you have to barter with the farmer across town to talk him into letting you drag it out of his field? Found it in the paper at a local salvage yard

Do you still have it? Nope but I miss it. Even though it's a POS by todays standards I loved it. I put new heads, headers and exhaust on it after a while

Have any photos still floating around? I've looked and I can't find any. Need to have my mom look in her old pics

 

It'll never be worth enough in dollars to replace the sentimental value. I've had over a dozen cars/trucks since I got the Olds & it's the only one I've kept more than a couple years. Even when I was broke & living off pb&j it never crossed my mind to sell it!

 

Some of my old rodeo buds were dismayed to see me turn to motorcycle racing. In a discussion over a few beers at Tibb's in Mingus, one of `em asked me why I quit rodeo and took up something as dangerous as motorcycle racing. I replied; "Never have had a motorcycle throw me off then circle around to jump up and down on me..."

I wish I had pics of that cruck and one of the trailers but my first ex-wife destroyed all that stough while I was overseas!

 

I started out riding bareback. Tried bulls for a while but I never could get in rhythm with them like I could with a bareback or saddle bronc. My junior year in HS I got into calf roping. Ended up going to college on a rodeo scholarship for bareback and calf roping. Did some headin'-n-heelin' off weekends to make a few bucks.

In a bit I'll scan and post up a picture of me breakin' my neck.

Good times!

 

When I was a kid there were dozens of MMs
converted into golf carts at the local courses.

 

2014 Dodge Challenger RT Plus With STP:
1 Window Tent 35% $200.00 $0.00
2 Front adjustable splitter (drilled) $500.00 $200.00
3 Hood pin kit (drilled) $200.00 $150.00
4 Strut-tower brace $150.00 $50.00
5 Four point rear (trunk) brace $150.00 $50.00
6 Tachometer with shift light $100.00 $150.00
7 Oil catch can with new lines $200.00 $150.00
8 Hurst short throw shifter $450.00 $200.00
9 MOPAR Cold Air Intake $250.00 $200.00
10 Race Stripes (Painted on) $500.00 $0.00
11 Lowering springs $250.00 $350.00
12 Rear Difuser $0.00 $0.00
13 Zoomers Exhaust $0.00 $0.00
14 Headers $0.00 $0.00
15 Supercharger (E-Force) (SMS) $0.00 $0.00
16 Line lock kit $0.00 $0.00
17 Rear Spoiler (raised CF) $0.00 $0.00
18 Wilwood F 6-Piston calipers $2,800.00 $200.00
19 Skip/Shift Eliminator $50.00 $50.00
20 Anti-Sway bar kit $300.00 $150.00
21 MRR HR6 Staggered rims $0.00 $0.00
22 Rear Seat Delete Kit $0.00 $0.00
23 Roll cage and racing seat/wheel $0.00 $0.00
24 $0.00 $0.00