Lets Get Personal .....

[usraptor]

Thanks Cody.  I do but they're on my other computer.  I'll have to fire it up and get them. Yes my 'Cuda is an original N96 car.  Reader's Digest version of Cuda and my wife.  After getting the car I had a day off from work during the week and took it to my Dad's work (AT&T)to show him.  I asked him if he wanted to drive it and he said he had some paperwork that needed to be dropped off at the main building so he/we drove it there.  We went inside and he started to introduce me to every body including my wife to be.  A few weeks later I was talking to him on the phone and as I was about to hang up he said, "Jeanne wants to know when you're going to take her out?"  I responded, "Jeanne who?" and he said the girl he introduced me to at his work.  Since he had introduced me to several people I told him I didn't remember her and he proceeded to describe her.  I vaguely remembered her and since I had recently broken up with my long term girlfriend and figured that since she wanted to go out with me whey not, I'm easy.  He gave me her number and I called her.  However, since I was working graveyard at the time it took us a month to find a date we were both available.  (Found out later she was in the process of breaking up with her long term boyfriend)  Anyway, we go out (Friday Dec 13th.  That should have been a warning)  to dinner and a show.  I figured since she told my dad she wanted to go out with me she was going to be "easy" and afterwards took her back to the house I rented with three other buddies.  I used my best "moves" on her and got totally shut down except for a kiss.  Later I took her home to her apt. and she invited me in so I figured this would be it. I tried my best moves on her again and except for a few kisses got shut down again.  We talked to 4 in the morning and when I left I knew my bachelor hood was over.  We were pretty much inseparable after that.  A few months later we were on a date when she remarked it was the anniversary of our first date.  I responded "Yeah, it's a good thing you told my dad you wanted to go out with me."  She looked at me with this incredulous look on her face and said, "What, I never told him that, he told me you wanted to take me out and wanted to know if he could give you my phone no. What was I supposed to do, tell my boss  didn't want to go out with his son?"  We got a good laugh out of my dad playing cupid and the next time we saw him gave him a hard time about it which he loved. 

[Spikedog08]

That's a great story!  I could totally see my MOM doing that exact thing!  lol   

[Cuda Cody]

That's a fantastic story @usraptor      Your dad is awesome!!!  And he was totally right about both of you.  He made a perfect match.   

[usraptor]

Love the paint job on the Harley.  Got any close up photos of the tank?
[/quote]

Here you go Cody.

[anlauto]

Looks like one pissed off bird

[usraptor]

Looks like one pissed off bird

Alan, it was.  This was painted right after 9/11.

[usraptor]

That's a fantastic story @usraptor      Your dad is awesome!!!  And he was totally right about both of you.  He made a perfect match.   

Yeah, I'm the only one of my siblings that hasn't been divorced.   

[Cuda Cody]

Great artwork!!!!!     Love it.

Love the paint job on the Harley.  Got any close up photos of the tank?

Here you go Cody.
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[Timbbuc2]

Love that bike

[usraptor]

Thanks guys.  It gets a lot of attention whenever I ride it.  In our circle of riders it's called the 9/11 tribute bike.  Since it was painted the guy who did it has become a renowned expert and teacher in air brushing.  I'd hate to have pay him to do it now.      BTW Alan, he has since moved to Canada.

[turbostang7]

Guess I will join in,
My name is Tony Hathaway 31 years old.
Married twice, no kids with the first, only lasted two years (she wouldn't stop stripping, and I "drank too much") lol
I've owned 14 camaros, 3 mustangs, 2 71 Dart swingers, a few Ford pickups, several square body chevys, and several cummings and duramax powered pickups. Currently have an 02 duramax, 06 suburban, 13 300C, and the '70 Barracuda.
I have two children, boy-6 and girl-4. He wants a camaro but has recently showed more interest in a charger. Married to a great woman named Lindsay, she wants a '69 roadrunner.

My dad was a body and fender man his whole life, we always planned on doing a project together but I couldn't procure the funds until it was too late, he passed away in August of 2011.
My other mentor in the body and fender trade was my ex father in law Rod, he helped me quite a bit learning how to work metal, and paint. Unfortunately he passed early in 2011 as well.
This leaves it quite difficult to be able to ask someone how to do certain things so I'm sure many questions will come from me as I tear it apart.

I have worked almost every day since I was around 13, with my fathers health being not so great I had to help support and pay the utilities. We did a tree trimming buisiness, then I worked construction (hvac and a pipe fitter) for three years. I was a merchandiser for Coca Cola for two years then went to be a heavy equipment mechanic for 5 years. Now I currently work in the oilfield for the last 5 years.

I have wanted a Cuda since I was 7 years old, my neighbor had a huge POS Cuda then but I loved that thing! I told my dad that I wanted one, he only said "you don't want one of those rust bucket pile of s$?$ cuda's" finally convinced him in around 2008-09 ish that if I found one that would be our project (he wanted a '72 Nova).

So now starts the slow process of slowly building my car into what I want.

[Cuda Cody]

 

[jimynick]

Great story Tony! Sorry for your losing both the older men in your life, but I bet your Dad is watching and hopefully, will guide your hand as you build the car you've always wanted.

[70chall440]

 

[torredcuda]

I`m one of the many Jeffs that seem to own E-bodies (Carlisle joke), been around a number of places on the internet as torredcuda. Always loved cars as early as I can remember and like most started with Matchbox, Hot Wheels and Aurora slot cars. My Dad was never a car guy but did some of his own work more out of nessecity (money) than wanting to but did have some OK cars. I remember a 4 dr `55 Chevy when I was real young,a Rambler, a `65 Ford Country Squire wagon, 6 cyl, 3 on the tree and a few others. He then bought a used `70 Duster that was a /6 3 spd on the floor that he really liked and had a few more /6 A-bodies after that. My first Mopar experience was in high school when a kid who always had fast cars, usually Chevelles showed up with a `73 `cuda, 340, 4 spd painted candy apple red with Cragar S/S wheels - I was in love! My first car ended up being a `68 Chevelle 396 4 spd car but previous owner yanked the big block for another car and threw in a 307/ powerglide. I only paid $500 for the car and although it wasn`t fast it looked and sounded cool and being a dumb kid I probably would have wrapped it around a tree or something had it been a 396 still. Second car was a `73 Satellite and then had a few others till I finally bought a Barracuda in `83 which I still own along with a few others and I have become a total Mopar or NO Car fanatic since. I`v been divorced and now married again to my love Cori with both of ours first kid Ryan who is 2 1/2.