E-Bodies.org Cuda Challenger Forum

I Love to hear your stories.   :slapme5:

When you were young..or even older.

Tell us how you became turned onto Mopars...with a story.

My dad was a Chrysler guy, owned quite a few starting in the early 50's....  His brothers all were too....   I also have vivid memories of assorted Mopar's through the years but dad's 64 probably sealed the deal....


my pop bought a 64 300K Ram ragtop in 65...While stationed at Elmendorf AFB n Anchorage Alaska...We traveled all over the US, Europe & Turkey in that car...He sold it to another serviceman in Adana Turkey in 1973...

I wish I had pictures to post, unfortunately my folks were never big on taking pictures which is really a shame cause we traveled all over & I'd love to have something more then the pictures in my mind...We traveled the Alcan back at a time when over 500 miles was nothing more then gravel..We camped out in the Redwoods, did the tourist sites Dinosars, Seal Lions, Dad mapped our routes so us kids got to see places...That transfer took us to Randolph AFB San Antonio Tx.. About as far from Anchorage as you could go..Next we moved to Schilling Manor in Salina Ks while Pops went to Vietnam...Then Castle AFB Atwater Ca..Traveling the old roads, visiting relatives in little towns, always seemed to find something cool to entertain us kids...The next transfer was to Torrejon AFB Madrid Spain, we drove across the USA hitting stops all along the way, the one that really got me was Indy, I'd watched the 500 since 1964 so I kinda understood what that was all about..Anyway we left the car in Trenton NJ & flew to Madrid...The car arrived about a month later & we took a train down to Rota to pick it up..BTW when I say train this was like something you see in the old movies, wooden benches, an old coal burner... :laugh: Cool old memories..We picked the car up & being the way he was My dad had a route that took us along the coast of Spain through all those twisty turny roads you'll see in any film shot on the southern coast of Spain, we visited the actual Rock of Gibraltar...We drove through practically every little village stopping to check out the views, we hit Cordoba & Seville ...We lived in Madrid for about two years before dad was again transferred, this time to Incirlik AFB Adana Turkey, as usual we drove, through Barcelona,  Catalonia, We wound up broken down in Montpellier France, tossed a fan blade while traveling about 75 mph, it exited just ahead of the passenger front tire, cut right through the fender...Anyway by the time we got stopped it also took out the water pump due to the severe imbalance..We spent almost two weeks on the French Riviera which kinda put a crimp in our travel plans...We saw women on the beach wearing....Well not much...We spent evenings in the park listening to a live orchestra...Anyway the parts finally arrived & we were on our way...We spent a day in Paris, Dad had hoped to take us to Normandy & a few of the towns that he had visited in 1944-45...But our breakdown limited our time & if we went there we wouldn't have gotten a chance to spend a couple weeks with my grandfather on my mothers side ...So we spent time in the Black Forest & toured a few beautiful castles along the Rhine River, we climbed to the top of the steeple of the Church of Ulm...We saw Salzburg & Innsbruck.. We traveling through Austria & Switzerland over the Alps and into Italy, we crossed over from Venice to Genoa...From there the car was loaded on board & we took a Cruise  around the boot of Italy, threw the straits of Massena  we spent two days touring Athens, saw the Acropolis,  the Parthenon , so many historic sites...Then back onboard to travel to Istanbul...Again we were held up for five days while customs cleared our vehicle but we spent the time seeing The Blue Mosque & old fortifications around that old town...historically Byzantium and later Constantinople...Anyway when we were cleared to leave we traveled across Turkey, at that time from Istanbul to Afyon  there was very little paved mostly it was loose dirt that was heavily traveled by Mack Trucks & Camels...So an American Convertible was kinda out of place...Anyway we got where we were going with few real troubles...Once we were in Adana the car did lose a front brake hose, Pops wound up having to plug that line for months while trying to get parts but the car still proved amazingly reliable...in 73 we got transferred again this time to Nellis AFB Las Vegas Nv, Dad ordered a new Chrysler & sold that fine ol' automobile...His 73 was such a pile that it soured him to Mopar & he has never bought another...

But I had Mopar ingrained into my DNA & have owned quite a few through the years...

I didn't have a chance. I was brought home from the hospital in Dad's 53 New Yorker Deluxe. Dad loved his cars and a lot of Saturdays I would go with him to the Chrysler dealer to hang out for an hour or so. So, I was always checking out the new Mopars. Then my brother began his apprenticeship as a mechanic at the Chrysler dealer in 1964 so I had more chances to hang out and dream about driving my own some day. So I was lucky enough to see the new 66 Hemi Plymouths, new 67 GTX's, Road Runners, Barracudas, Cuda's, Challengers etc. right on the lot.
Richard Petty, Ronnie Sox and Dick Landy were my childhood idols.
First photo is of Dad, Mom, myself and the 53. The other shot is Dad holding my son, that is his new Intrepid in the background about 35 years later.

Quote from: 1 Wild R/T on April 18, 2018, 08:20:13 PM
My dad was a Chrysler guy, owned quite a few starting in the early 50's....  His brothers all were too....   I also have vivid memories of assorted Mopar's through the years but dad's 64 probably sealed the deal....

Now that was a great story.   :1place:

I remember seeing a Superbird driving down the street when I was little but what really did it.... One of my brothers had an Opel GT when I was 8 or so. I thought that was the coolest car ever, all the switches on the dash and the lever that rolled the headlights over. It was real close to Citron Yella with a black vinyl top. Despite being bright yellow it was hit a few times (including once by a police cruiser) the last time he was hit while sitting at a stop light and pushed under a pickup which finally did it in. He answered an ad in the paper for a '71 Challenger convertible. I was originally Hemi Orange but was repainted Brown Metallic. This was late 70s and he put craigers on it with air shocks to lift the back. Nothing like riding around in the E-body with the top down. A few years later our mom brought home an ad from the bulletin board at work that was for a GY3 '71 Challenger convertible and he bought that one as well. Half way through my junior year of high school there was an ad in the paper for a '71 Challenger convertible and my brother let me buy that one. A guy at school said he had looked at it but it was too rough for him so it fortunately for me it was still available. :bradsthumb: All 318s the orange one is a column auto, the yella is a three speed, and mine (GF3 green) is a slapstick. My oldest brother had a '68 GTX 440 4 speed as well. I guess I come by it naturally. :banana:

I was driving a 66 Impala 283 V8 auto car in 1972. Decided I wanted something different. I drove a red 70Challenger /6 3 peed manual with no options and didn't like it. I was in the Navy at the time. I wanted a V8. My dad saw a 70 B5 Gran Coupe Barracuda 383- 2bbl automatic on the Plymouth dealers car lot for $2500 and asked me by phone if I was interested in it. I said yes. He drove it and put money down on it with the agreement if I didn't want it, he'd get his money back. I came home that weekend with the intention of driving it and buying it. Before the dealership opened that Saturday morning, my mother saw an ad in the paper for a 71 Challenger 340 four speed convertible for sale at $1950. Had 32,000 mile on it. I went over first thing, test drove it and wanted it. I didn't even get a block away before I knew I had to have it because it had the shaker hood. I bought it and came home the following weekend to get it (it needed a new clutch) and drove it back to base. I've had the car ever since.  See photo. Since then, I've had 6 other Challengers. The one I also still wish I had kept was a 70 Challenger R/T convertible with the 383. Oh well.

My dad was a Ford guy in his youth.  But when I was growing up he always had Buicks, and my mom had a VW bug and later a Pinto.  So there was no Mopar in my DNA.
I saw Vanishing Point on TV one night when I was around 14, and it certainly changed my life.  I've been a Mopar guy ever since!  I have had a few Fords and for a time a VW Rabbit for daily drivers, so I guess I did get some Ford and VW in my DNA, but I've had at least one Dodge since buying my T/A as my first car, and currently all my cars are Dodges.

Don Prudhomme's The Snake funny car, the car that got me hooked on Cuda's.

There was 1/16th scale model of it at our local K-Mart in the early to mid 70's, I think I was 10 or 11 and I wanted it so bad but it was I think $30 and that was alot of money then.

My dad kept saying no because he didn't think that I could build it, it had plastic tubing fuel lines, brake lines, plug wires etc. and I had only built 1/32nd models before this.

Finally bugged my mom enough that she convinced my dad to buy it for me for christmas.

I built it by myself, wouldn't let dad help and he was very impressed that i could do it.

Even painted it exactly like the original.

Been a Cuda lover ever since, too bad my dad passed away from lung cancer (I believe it was mesothelioma from all the Asbestos used in steel shops back then, gloves, vests shields were all made with asbestos then) when I was 13 1/2 before I bought my AAR at 15 1/2 years old.

This is probably the biggest reason I have kept my AAR for this long, sometimes I think it's my guardian angel. When I was in my early 20's coming home from the bar (not hammered but shouldn't have been driving) gunned it coming off an overpass that had a left turn at the bottom and there was a dip in the road there right before the corner, was going about 90, the suspension almost bottomed out then I hit the corner with the suspension up, lost all traction and spun it 3 times before going right between 2 big ass highway light standards into the ditch, which was thankfully flat and came to a stop, sure sobered up fast after that, collected myself, drove out of the ditch, never did any damage at all to the AAR. Went to my friends house were a bunch of us were gathering after the bar, walked in and they all looked at me and said I was as white as a ghost. I probably should have died that night, but I always wonder if my dad helped, just a thought. I don't really believe in that stuff but everytime that I thought of selling it because I needed money, got married, had kids, etc. something good has always happened. My wife says its my good luck charm.

He owned a grain body/implements manufacturing/ welding /machine shop that I started working at in the summers when I was 10, I learned to run the Presses, Brakes, Lathes, Shears, Arc Welders, pretty much everything in the shop.

He even built Briggs & Stratton mini bikes, and the fiberglass dune buggies from the 70`s.

While not as fabulous as Wild's story; I, like Runcharger, also didn't have a chance. My paternal grandfather owned a Chrysler/Dodge/Desoto dealership when I was born and my earliest memory is going down a dirt road with my mother driving my dad's 36 Dodge coupe stock car. I can still remember the sound of the engine, and so it was. My next Mopar memory was riding in the front seat of my Grandfather's new '54 Desoto with it's woodgrain and chrome dash on the way up to Colpoy's Bay to the cottage for a ride in his Chrysler powered Shepherd wood boat. My first car was a '58 Dodge Crusader 4 door that I converted to a V8 and then quickly changed everything over to the "new" '58 2 door H/T! Then came the '64 Dodge 440 2 dr h/t and the '67 Valiant 273 Power pack 4 speed 3:91 coupe and the '72 340 4 spd Duster and the '73 340 Dodge Sport coupe and so on. It's been a fun obsession and I think my boys have got it too. Good!  ;)

Quote from: Topcat on April 18, 2018, 08:26:19 PM

Quote from: 1 Wild R/T on April 18, 2018, 08:20:13 PM
My dad was a Chrysler guy, owned quite a few starting in the early 50's....  His brothers all were too....   I also have vivid memories of assorted Mopar's through the years but dad's 64 probably sealed the deal....

Now that was a great story.   :1place:

Thanks! It was allot of fun, being a military brat the family never had much money but dad made sure we saw the world... Sure miss him...

I walked by fellow classmates car every day in high school.  It was a 68 charger.  Attached is what it looked like....

http://www.customclassics.net/auto-restoration/restoration/showcase/?id=124087583421

I will never forget that image.  My uncle has a Fj6 1970 coronet 440 since 1971 so that did it for me too.

Grew up in a Chevy family, but 3 Mopar paths eventually converged for me.   The first started when my next door neighbor let me drive his '69 Charger R/T that had a 440 in it with a slap stick automatic.   This would've been around 1976.  I'd never felt that kind of raw power under my right foot before or since.   The second path: Fast forward about 20 years and I'm in the market for a small pickup, so I ended up buying the biggest little truck I could afford which was a Dakota with a V6 and pair of fold down jump seats in the back.  I had that for almost 15 years and racked up just shy of 200k miles on it.   When it finally needed to be replaced in 2002, I was looking for a bigger truck.   I was surrounded by people with Chevys and Fords, but didn't want to go down the same road everyone else did so I ended up with a Ram 1500.  I'm still driving it today (225k miles and counting).  Those positive experiences with the brand sunk the Mopar hook in deeper.   Finally, one my sons and I bought a '79 Camaro project car that was a spectacular failure (at the time) as a fence-mending experience (that relationship story has a happy ending though).  After dragging it around for 9 years, finally sold the Camaro at a huge loss just to get rid of it, then got a phone call 2 weeks later from my sister's boyfriend about a '70 Challenger for sale that had been sitting in his barn.  I bought it, and now the Mopar hook is firmly.

My brother got me into cars. he was 7 years older than me and I would help him out (when he let me) on his 69 Chevelle and 69 Camaro.  My dad bought me a 1971 Mercury Capri but it didn't run. He bought both of us our first cars that didn't run. He said if you can get it running you can have it. So After a month I had it running like a top. We moved to Florida after that and I saw a 1970 Road Runner for sale in high school. I didn't know the kid but I REALLY wanted it. I negotiated with my grandmother, if I sold my car would she loan me the extra money. She said she would, only if, my brother went to look at the car and approved of it. I almost begged him to agree with it after he saw it. I think he saw the gleam in my face. So after selling my Capri for $600 I bought the 70 Road Runner for $1,200. I had that the rest of high school and into college. My brother passed away early, 32 y.o., but I always wonder what we would be doing with cars if he was still around.

For me...I was watching Barrett-Jackson Auction on TV......right then and there I knew I had to sell all my Corvettes and buy a Hemicuda............ :drooling:

  Here's the Short Version.
   Dad was driving a '54 Plymouth when He met & married Mom in '57
   I was brought home from the hospital in a '59 Rambler American
   First car I remember was Dad's 60 Valiant
   As a toddler I remember ridding with my Granddaddy Haygood in his granny shifter(who knows that term?) '55 Belvedere to get ice cream.Later traded up to a 61 Lancer.
   Through the mid 60s Dad drove a '63 Dart GT, he would let me sit in his lap & "Drive". For a short time we had a '64 Valiant Vert just fer kicks. 
   Dad's Brother Ralph, the family mechanic, had a beautiful red '60 Fury 383 Golden Commando, most of my memories of that car was after it was wrecked but it still looked wicked.  Found out recently that he bought it from my Dad's best friend David White who had bought it new. I was there the day, in the mid 60s when Ralph finished transplanting the drivetrain into a '57 Belvedere body & got to go on the shakedown cruise.  Later among many more mundane cars(spelled ford) he had a '67 383 Charger that we used while he fixed our Polara.
   David, my Dad's best friend was, & is at 81, a real Mopar Freak, Untill recently his DD has been a Turbo Stealth. I rode with him in the early '70's in two different 440/4-speed cars, one a 64 Coronet, the other a 67 GTX hitting maybe 150 if the speedo is to believed.  Around his house was always a project & plenty of Hot Rod & Stock Car magazines...Petty, Plymouth & HEMI's were often the topic at the card table.
  Mom's Brother had the best looking '63 Belvedere in the late 60's I've ever seen outside of a car show.
  Granddaddy Balch drove a 66 Belvedere & his last car a '74 Fury, we made plenty of trips to the back forty with a trunk full of hay for the cattle in both.
  By the early 70s we had a '66 Polara, the car I learned to drive in, and a '74 Monaco, that I got my license in.
  In '75 we got the '73 Challey that I still have, since then I've had a '73 Duster 340 &  '73 Charger SE....I won't bore you with the next dozen or so Mopars
   
  WHY?  You tell ME!  :crazytalk:

I grew up in a strictly Chevy family. My father had new Chevelle SS's in '66, '67 and 68. When I was in college (mid 90's), he bought a 67 SS that he and I worked on.

Then, my best friend introduced me to a local guy that had been hoarding Mopar stuff since the 80's. He's a guy that does restoration work near me. We would hang out at his shop on weeknighhts and I got introduced to all of the weird colored "Mopars". I started asking questions like "Really, they made a pink car from the factory??? Really?" and "You mean there is supposed to be overspray on these restored cars???" and "What's this engine over here with the spark plug wires in the wrong place?".

I was hooked after that. I bought a Challenger and my father somehow forgave me. He has since passed and I still own that 67 SS along with my 70 Barracuda vert.

My Story begins with a blue duster owned by my Dad's Cousin in Struthers Ohio. It was in the garage my whole life. Never once did I see it run or exist outside that garage. I was really young but we used to visit my family every couple of years and I would always anticipate going to see the car. It was covered in dust, but it was perfect. I would "sneak" (I am pretty sure no one cared I was going into the garage) into the garage just to take a peak. Undo the hood pins. Peer inside.

After my grandmother was too old to travel there comfortably I have never been back. My parents have contact with them over facebook and the rumour is that the car is being restored back to it's factory white and is no longer in the same garage.

When I was 23 I finally landed my first big boy job out of college and saved up furiously to buy a Duster.  At a buddy's cottage one day in the middle of nowhere I saw a purple 1974 Challenger for sale. I didn't think I would ever have e-body money but I contacted the guy anyways and ended up buying the car. I have really loved my time with E-bodies and last year I sold the purple 74 and bought a fully restored Y1 1972 340 Challenger. I intended to keep it but the heart wants what the heart wants. I plan on selling her and looking for what I have wanted for ages, a 1970 Duster 340 4 speed.

Hopefully I can still hang around e-bodies.org!

My Dad was a Ford guy. I was born in 60 and the first car I remember him having new is a 1966 Ford Fairlane GT with a 3 spd on the floor and a 390 under the hood. I remember driving out west to Calgary pulling a tent trailer with my family in the summer of 1967. Every Chevelle or what ever that tried to pass us, my old man would throw that Ford into second gear and rock on it. I remember me and my sister being up in the back window waving at the people behind us as they tried to pass over and over and wondering when the wheels were going to spin right off that darn tent trailer - they must have been 10 inch rims! It kept weaving back and forth and I could see the speedo needle bouncing off the 120mph mark! My old man is crazy and still is at 83 today!

I grew up in a small town...population 800! In that town was 2 1971 Demons and one 1970 FM3 Hemi Cuda and a 68 SS Nova 396 car. One day, one of the older guys bought a white 1974 cuda with a 360 4 speed...I fell in love with that car and was mesmerized by the pistol grip shifter. That did it for me and have been a Cuda and Challenger lover ever since. Mopar has by far the best cars and I love them all!

I was fascinated with cars by the age of 5. My uncle bought my cousin & I Tot Rods which we would meander throughout  the neighborhoods unattended. (try that today)  :stop:

In 72' I had a huge Hot Wheel collection.
2 of my favorite one's were the Snake & Mongoose funny cars. Then one late afternoon in March 72' was a fateful day. Mom and my step Dad rolled up in a 71' Barracuda. I was  instantly hooked on the look of  the grille.

In 75' my friend who was a rich family, his parents bought him a 67' Mustang. I was totally envious on wanting a car to cruise around in. Another friend had  a C body Polara which we cruised around all the time in.

In 78' my folks gave me the Barracuda. Then in 79' I joined the Army.  They asked me if I wanted to sell it but that was a firm NO!
I drove the car to Ft. Campbell, KY. This is when I began working on it.

By 83' I was ETS'd from the Army. I had re built a 340 and a 727 A/T and drove it back through a snow storm on bald back tires. I hit the snow storm in Amarillo, TX. and almost ate it twice. 

Mopars were fully engrained into me by then. Friends and I would go to cruises all over. Some of the best ones I remember in the  middle 80's were Power In the Pines, and early Spring Fling. That was where I saw the Coca Cola Cuda. When I saw that car, I had to have one myself. So I began the transformation of mine into a Cuda.

My car went thru alot. At one time it sat in a field, just a bare shell on a roller dolly for 3 years. But I never let it go. It's been a long journey.

I have a different story .
I came to like Mopar on my own , just genetically programmed from birth & born with a wrench in my hand  .
Yes my dad had a 4 door Valiant in the 60s & moved to a Polara in 69 , but he didn't know or care about cars at all he just looked for a reliable 4 door sedans to get around in .
I had no family , no uncles or cousins or even friends around me , I was alone , zero peer pressure  .
As a kid I started with Matchbox & Corgi & I had a Chrysler 300 convertable I loved , I started to build models of anything that interested me , lots of race cars , moved into Hot Wheels in 68 & graduated into AFX slot cars . Around the time I could afford a remote control car a real car was the same $$ , I remember in 69 I had a cool social studies teacher who allowed us to do an essay on any subject that interested us , so mine was all about drag racing , 2500 hp Hemis ,  Garlitz , Prudhomme , I was obsessed by 9yo ! I was also following Petty & Baker & of course Mark Donohue also !
In high school everyone was into Chev even the shop teacher , but there were 2 guys , Lyle  that had a yellow 340 4spd Duster & Mark with a B5 340 Demon , but as I said I really had no friends & didn't hang around with them as I was not "cool".
My first car was a 68 Javelin SST 343 which I bought @ 15 , Great car!  I needed a truck for winter & bought a 64 stepside GMC from a friend , what a piece of crap , broke down just driving around the block , could not wait to unload it , but it would not sell , no one wanted it , I ended up trading it for a 68 340S 4spd Cuda with a wounded 340 , I fixed the 340 & Wow it was fast & fun & reliable !. Before I traded the truck there was a JS23U0B Vanishing Point white no vinyl roof 4 spd pistol parked near my friends house that I drove by & drooled over  , one day it had a for sale sign on it , I left my truck in the middle of the road ran to the door & made a deal of $1100 & drove it home that day ! I kept the car for 2 years & drove the wheels off it . 2 years later I was offered more then 3x what I had paid & made the mistake of selling it , it broke my heart watching it drive away , the $$ meant nothing to me I wanted my car back & he would not resell it back . I spent the next year looking for the right replacement which is the Challenger I have now which I bought almost 40 years ago , where did that time go ? I have been offered serious $$ numerous times but I never forget the last time I regrettably sold . So buy the time I was 18 I had the 68 340 S , the 70 R/T & a 78 Power Wagon .
Ever since all I have bought is Mopars with Manual trans , I have owned over 100 now some were parts cars , most were drivers at some point , I have had a string of 14 Dodge Rams , the last 4 were Cummins , 6 Chargers in a row , numerous other Challengers & Cudas as well as Dusters Darts 300s T&C , Newports etc .
When you are onto a good thing why Change ?
Cars have Nothing to do with $$ I just have a passion for the cars & $ has nothing to do with it other than trying to find enough $$ to buy the next awesome Mopar  :woohoo: If I had $$ I would be like Tim Welborn owning all kinds of cool Mopars .

Very cool stories,
My dad was always a Chevy guy, 55 4 door, 64 Impala(which was my first car 275k miles) and then one day he was out at the car lot looking for a new car, I remember being at the Dodge dealership in 1970 and seeing all of the bright colors and a funny looking thing sticking out of the hood( Shaker), crush can steering column. And as boys would do I would get brochures of all the cars, I still have one of the Cuda to this day. Well just my luck my dad bought a 71 Caprice, that was one weak POS. I remember a friend of mine that ran a local pool hall had a Road Runner with a bad motor, one of the local kids had a GTX that he wrap around a tree, so the pool hall owner bought it and put the motor 440 into his RR, I remember watching him go down the road and getting into the gas and it would brake traction,One bad car. And on my way to my great Aunts house in Stuart Va, one guy had a Super Bird, blue with a white top.
Then many years ago I moved to Alabama, my wife would drive by the Sublime green Cuda sitting on the side of the road and she loved it ,but it was not for sale. So when I had a chance( Kids grown) I found the car I bought and so I can blame it on her LOL . 70 Challenger FC7. My daughter said dad why is it purple, I told her that was the original color, SO that changed everything, then she said " oh thats cool"

 Life long Mopar fan/owner, Born 1959 in the same little town a few blocks away from Mr.4 Speed the great Ronnie Sox. First car ride was
in a 57 Coronet. Once rode from North Carolina to Ohio with our family of 7 kids and had the best seat of us all,(On the speaker shelf)
Growing up all through my early grade school years (Pulling for Petty's Plymouth and anybody driving a Dodge. Dad always drove /6 Darts and Mom
drove B block Furys, Sure was nice dateing in High School years driving Mom's car. A 4 year tour in the US Marines in the 70's I should have bought a
high value muscle Mopar but with a 4wd craze at the time bought a Ramcharger instead. I always figured I'd just build a big block A body some day.
Fast forward to 1986, I'm installing a new phone system at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA. when I spot a 73 Challenger for sale.
I stop and look it over because I didn't recall ever seeing that many Challengers (or Cudas) especially for sale. Well..this one is pretty rough.

The Car; Somebody really liked the color burgandy, Body color, Vinyl top, Houndstooth seats, Burgandy. After reading the "G" code in the VIN
I'm ready to leave when some late teen kid walks up saying it's his fiance's car and he's helping her sell it. Well..now I know who's the one who
trashed it. Front end bent up on the right side, Header panel cracked in a half dozen places, and what looks like a pole shaped dent on the rear
quarter. I almost made it back to my car when he says "It's got a 340 in it" What!..Well now it's time to show off my limited knowlage of Mopars!
OK, Pop the hood I tell him, Look this is a 318 car,If this was a 340 it would have an X right..here..wow and on the front of the block it would
say..Wow! I realize this is a like new 69 340 complete with AVS carb, I asked him  where did this car come from? He said his fiance's dad and uncle
put it together for her.I guess at the time I thought I'd keep the motor and tranny, Part out the rest and have a good start on project A body
when I talked him down from$1.200 to a even grand.

Reality; It really didn't take long that I convinced myself to "Just fix up" that old Challenger. I fell in love with the "E" body. Parts I soon
realized are kinda hard to find, Few reproduction parts were even being made in the early 90's But I still collected what I could find and afford.

The Build; I've had several "Starts & Stops" in the 30+ years of owning this car, Two houses, Four moves, One and only lovely wife, And a fine son.
Please understand my car is one of the oldest builds,( Old Parts & Old Tech) that ever graced the pages of this wonderful web site.
  I had stumbled accross a 440 at a good buy and while picking up parts at Herb McCandless's shop in the 1990's I met a machinist there who
guided me through the build that is still awaiting install. His name (Ken Lazzeri) 
   

When I was in my late teens there was an assortment of cars among the group of kids in our area. A couple Cougars, a couple GTOs, a LeMans GT37, a Mustang, etc. It was a lot of fun carrying on and doing things you shouldn't. One guy had a red 73 Cuda and I loved that car. Well, life rolled along, marriage, family, etc and in 2012 my wife and I went to Myrtle Beach when she was off school for March Break. She's a complete beach person and I'm not so one day I went to a place called The Wheels of Yesteryear I think it was. A bit of this and that but 75% Mopar! Challengers, Chargers, Road Runners, GTXs, Cudas, a Superbird, they were all there and a lot of models had one of every year. That rekindled my love of muscle cars. I came home and put a post on an agricultural talk forum that I was looking for a muscle car and I'd like a 70 or 71 Cuda. I wasn't really serious but I just thought I would see what was out there. You have to keep in mind I was not into the car scene at all really my whole life except for a few years when I was younger and I really had little idea of the whole classic/muscle/collector car universe. Well, this dairy farmer in Wisconsin replied that he had a 74 Challenger for sale and he put up a picture of it. I fell in love with it and had it home within three weeks. If it wasn't for the picture I likely would have passed on it but I guess it was meant to be. Now I'm absolutely in love the hobby and the best part is the great people I've met along the way, especially the e-bodies.org family.

I grew up in a town where the main employer was a General Motors Chevrolet assembly plant. Everyone talked Chevy's and drove Chevy's - except for my Dad who liked VW Beetles. Being a chip of the old block(head) I liked VW's too, and I aspired to own a Karmann Ghia as I thought they were the coolest VW's going.

Things changed one day in the early '70's riding the bus home from middle school. I was sitting in the last row gazing out the windows when I noticed this car coming up fast behind the bus. It was low and wide resplendent in bright green and looked totally bad-ass. I said to nobody in particular "wow! check that car out! what is it?" Someone behind me said "that's a Cuda you idiot!" To which I stammered "a Cuda? wow!!". It sat behind the bus for a few minutes patiently waiting for an opportunity to pass, and when it was clear it went roaring on by and I was changed forever! Being that I didn't even know what a Cuda was at the time, I can't remember if it was a '70 or a '71, but the green was rich and beautiful so it had to be Sassy-Grass-Green, and it had a a black vinyl top and a Go-Wing on the back - it was absolutely stunning and left a lasting impression on me.

As I mentioned in my introductory thread, my first car was a 1975 Dodge Charger.  Honestly, I didn't search it out, it just fell into my lap as my Grandpa basically took it over from a tenant at one of his rentals who IIRC stiffed him on rent.  He fixed the car up to make it drivable and then gave it to my Mom. (my Grandpa was a former auto mechanic, he at one time owned his own gas station/garage, and after selling that he taught auto-mechanics at the local HS until he retired in the mid-80's, he's pretty much where I got all my mechanical knowledge/ability/instinct).

In any event, I bought it from her for $75 (lol, yeah, that's right...my Mom and Dad felt I should pay something for it just on principle, and that's what I had in my savings account at the time) and absolutely loved it.

I continually worked on fixing it up, better stereo, loud exhaust with a "glass pack", put on some original Chrysler Rally rims off my Uncle's scrapped mid-70's Plymouth Fury....and then the unthinkable.  I let a girl drive it (I was a teenager, and you know what I was going for) and she totalled it.   :crying:

In any event, that was at the beginning of my HS senior year, and I ended up buying a mid-70's Ford Pinto for a driver that year.... :rofl:

Right before I graduated, a buddy of mine heard about a "cool car". It was a 1973 Dodge Charger that was just sitting by a field.  In any event, I bought that car, and from there moved on to a 1973 Dodge Challenger (and also owned a few Darts and Dusters in that time).  I had to sell all of it due to a young and growing family.

Fast forward 20+ years, and a friend of my Dad's who owns collector cars let me drive his 1972 Chevy Chevelle SS in our town's local Memorial Day parade, and I INSTANTLY knew I had to get back into the classic muscle cars!  (he also owns a 1957 Chevy, a 1972 Chevy Nova SS Clone, and a 1967 Dodge Charger 440). 

In any event, it took me a few years from that, but I finally decided to pull the trigger again with my Wife's blessing, and found our current '74 Challenger Rallye.

   My dad got me into cars. He was a big chevy fan. So when he said I could get a car when I turned 16 I was looking for a 56 Chevy Belaire. Ended up with a 1965 impala SS as my first car. White on white with a 327, A/T, ET slotted mags and hijacker air shocks.  A casual friend  from junior high thru high school was the local gear head.  He had a 1968 Coronet 500 with a 440 in it that was pretty cool.  He sold it and went to California and brought back a yellow 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A, with rear window louvers on it. When I saw that T/A and went for my first ride in it, I really started looking at mopars for the first time. A few months later I was delivering a refrigerator out in the rural area around Boise and drove past a field with a cuda sitting in the weeds. It had a small pole leaning against the hood with a for sale sign on it. I hit the brakes so hard I about dumped the fridge to get a look at it.  On the way back I stopped and knocked on the door. A kid my age (20 at the time) answered and had the car for sale. This was on a Friday night.  I ended up giving him $20.00 to hold the car for me and I would be back the following Monday.  Then I had to convince my dad to cosign a loan for me. I begged and pleaded, made prommices I probably couldn't keep ect.  He said you don't want to buy no stupid plymouth. He finally relented and we went to the bank and he got me a loan for $1,500.00. Went back out to get the car and convinced the guy to take $1,200.00 for it. Put a battery in it and drove it home.  This was in 1977 and have had the car every since then.   I was so worried that the car would be gone by Monday  but it turns out the kid had had the car sitting there for a couple of months and had only one person look at it and passed. Almost couldn't give it away back then. 

My father was a diehard mopar guy his whole life , his first car was a 68 barracuda  which he turned into a race car.   Sold that to buy a 70 cuda that he and his friend raced for a few years.

We always had mopars , some of my best memories were driving around in my mom satellite  sebring when i was a kid.   Me and my dad built my first car togeather 72 dodge dart.  And we continue to build mopars today.  We just finished my 73 challenger last year  and now we are building a 1995 jeep for my wife .   Were almost done with that and now hes hounding me for the next car .....

Me and my dad are mopar blood thru and thru .  Good times !

Here is my dads car back in the day when he ran the circuit:

Cool thread and stories.
So here is mine. Growing up I had exactly zero family that gave a crap about cars.
Thru the 60s our family cars were Pontiac wagons. From there they moved up to Ramblers. That was thru the 70s. Late 70s the moved up again to Pintos. First hs car (late 70s) was a 69 Rambler. Drove it hard and the thing never quit. Traded with my mother for a 72 Pinto. Always have been mechanical and worked on them all the time. Year or so owning it a local hs girl fresh with new license plowed into it almost ripping front end off. Promptly bought a 71 to replace it. Oh and cut the roof off. Pic attached. This one was sideswiped and totaled by someone running a red light. No not me. But it was actually on the same street and less than a mile from first one. Bought that back for drivetrain. Bought a shell of a Pinto wagon for next to nothing. Put them together and sold it for small profit. All this time messing with these Pintos I was hanging out with friends that had 340 and 360 Darts and Dusters. The Mopar bug was formed. These would stomp most others in races. Soon after a Challenger came up for sale by a friend of my brother. Soon to be mine. 1983 and $1,200.00 dollars later it was mine. And still is. Started as 74 318 w/3 spd stick. Power nothing.  Now 360 4spd pistol grip. Pb, ps,

Ok: I have to admit that convt. PInto gets my attention.

I was a high school senior in 69-70 and would pass by a Dodge dealer on the bus every morning. I wondered what the bright yellow, orange and purple cars were? There was this odd Dodge with a huge wing on the back in orange, had to stop in and check the cars out. Saw this beautiful white Challenger RT SE with this cool looking console in the ceiling.  That orange Daytona sat there the whole school year. It finally disappeared in the late summer of 1970  Then I Saw Vanishing Point when it was in the theaters.
That resulted in owning a number of Challengers and Cuda's and never looked back.
First Challenger was 70 yellow RT 383 automatic was in rough shape already and was only 3 years old. Bought it for $1000 with money I got by selling my comic book collection ( those comics are worth a fortune today!)
2nd Challenger was a big upgrade; 70'RT 440 automatic B7 blue w a factory shaker hood and Dana.
I wish I still had that one! Never could get the carbs set up right.
Owned other Challengers after that and even a Gran Coupe convertible in vitamin c orange  with a 383-2. Bought it just to sell it.
You could buy some great cars in those days for under a grand. The gas shortages help depress prices and people were just dumping these cars.

SE la vie as the French say".  I should someday make a list.

Only kept one since 1979; my 70 A66 Challenger vert which I am now finally working on (stored from 1984 till 2015)

These are some really cool stories.
Here's mine.
My Mom and dad always bought chevy's growing up. No one in my family was into muscle cars or racing.
I started getting into the muscle car scene at 16. I had friends with older siblings that all had hot rods.
Firebirds, Chevelles Mostly GM. My first Muscle car was a 1965 Pontiac GTO.427 Muncie 4 speed. I bought that at 16. After a couple of years
I sold it and bought a 1970 Olds W-31. That car was a blast. Owned it for 5 years. After getting married and the W-31 was gone a friend of mine
Bought a 69 Satellite rust bucket. His plan was to rebuild it. So after a year getting parts and doing bodywork etc. he had a chance to pickup a 440.
It was in an old fire truck in a junk yard. I went with him to check it out. We took a can of gas and a battery. When we got there the truck had no hood so the motor was sitting outside
in the weather. Well we got it to turn over pouring gas in the carb an jumping the starter with the battery. He bought it for $100.00. when he finished that car and he took me for a drive
I was hooked. Took him 2 years to finish it.
My next car was a MOPAR. 1974 Barracuda. Had that car for 4 years but had to sell it as the family was growing and times were getting tough.
Jump ahead to 2009.
My chance to get back in a MOPAR. 2009 Challenger R/T. Put some work into that car. Custom tune,Shorty headers,JBA exhaust. plus numerous other things.
Never ran a car on a track as I street raced my other cars when I was younger.
I took the R/T to Beech bend drag srtip in Kentucky and the first year ran a 13.4 ET. on street tires. Can't remember my 60'but it wasn't great.
The following year ran a 12.9 with a 1.85 60' on M&H drag radials and front skinnies. All on a stock motor and tranny. That car was a exception.
Had to sell it in 2014 due to health issues and other family issues.
That is one car I truly miss.
Jump ahead to Dec. 2017 . I had a chance to get this 71 Challenger so I jumped on it.

To this day after that ride in my friends Satellite I never looked at another Muscle car if it wasn't a Mopar. Nothing else out there
can hold a candle to what I think are the most beautiful looking and heart pounding rides ever.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it...lol

I grew up in Alexandria, Virginia. The state allowed you to drive at age 15 if an adult was in the car. My parents taught me how to drive in their "special order" 1960 Chrysler Windsor 413 cu in. Was that ever fun at the drive in theater. Trunk could sneak in two people easy. Here's a picture of what it looked like.

Quote from: YellowThumper on April 19, 2018, 06:44:42 PM
Cool thread and stories.
So here is mine. Growing up I had exactly zero family that gave a crap about cars.
Thru the 60s our family cars were Pontiac wagons. From there they moved up to Ramblers. That was thru the 70s. Late 70s the moved up again to Pintos. First hs car (late 70s) was a 69 Rambler. Drove it hard and the thing never quit. Traded with my mother for a 72 Pinto. Always have been mechanical and worked on them all the time. Year or so owning it a local hs girl fresh with new license plowed into it almost ripping front end off. Promptly bought a 71 to replace it. Oh and cut the roof off. Pic attached. This one was sideswiped and totaled by someone running a red light. No not me. But it was actually on the same street and less than a mile from first one. Bought that back for drivetrain. Bought a shell of a Pinto wagon for next to nothing. Put them together and sold it for small profit. All this time messing with these Pintos I was hanging out with friends that had 340 and 360 Darts and Dusters. The Mopar bug was formed. These would stomp most others in races. Soon after a Challenger came up for sale by a friend of my brother. Soon to be mine. 1983 and $1,200.00 dollars later it was mine. And still is. Started as 74 318 w/3 spd stick. Power nothing.  Now 360 4spd pistol grip. Pb, ps,

Owned a Pinto/Bobcat/Mustang II. Wanted to chop the top off and make it a full time roadster. Never did. Took out the back seat, built a frame of 2x4's and plywood and liquid nails. Mounted 2 15" woofers. Carpeted in indoor/outdoor blue carpet. Mine was a Mustang II. WoW, did that thing ROCK? lol. Had a panoramic mirror that spanned the windshield. It was like driving a tank, lol.
But you could see anything behind you, and off to the sides. Just a little slit up front. Crazy, it was. 4 banger. Wasn't fast, but it was loud.

I was about 9 when Nash Bridges came out, his 'Cuda certainly caught my attention...

Always liked Mopars. They were SO much better looking than ANYTHING else out there? So much better EVERYTHING!
At 15, I looked at a 73 Charger SE for sale. Bronze with black top. 400. Rallye gauges. Buckets with the buddy seat. Gorgeous, it was. $1200.00

I tried to buy it without my parents knowing, but I had to get them to co-sign the loan.

Wanted a Challenger - but you gotta do what you gotta do? Only Mopar around available at the time.

Made my dad clean out the garage of all his junk so I could park it inside. Every other day, I would back it out, wash it and wax it, lol.
I turned 16 on the day school got out for summer. BEST B-DAY present EVER! lol. (to myself)

Even met a GF, while I was washing it one day, 2 girls came by on bicycles, and offered to help wash it? lol. Ended up dating one of them for 2 years.

I don't got much but I'll give it a whirl- Was it dad's 53 Plymouth (the only "new" car he ever bought). Or maybe my grand dad's 52 (maybe 51) Dodge business coupe? Maybe Richard Petty winning all those races. Or Norm Nelson in all the USAC races at State fair Park? Could it be the 68 Barracuda fastback that the guys at the gas station ran at Great Lakes Dragaway. This car had custom paint and was called KING KONG. One badazz car! Could it be the Cuda and the RR I saw lining up and lighting them up on 76th street? Who knows that was a lifetime ago, but something stuck that's for sure.   

Quote from: BIGSHCLUNK on April 19, 2018, 10:11:10 PM
Who knows that was a lifetime ago, but something stuck that's for sure.   

I figured you'd say...Because Chicks Dig Them ..   :Stirring:

At 8 years old, one uncle had a red 383 4 speed Challenger and another had a B5 70 383 4 speed Roadrunner, my old man was never into cars.  Thank god they weren't a Camaro or Mustang.

Quote from: Bullitt- on April 19, 2018, 11:51:06 PM

Quote from: BIGSHCLUNK on April 19, 2018, 10:11:10 PM
Who knows that was a lifetime ago, but something stuck that's for sure.   

I figured you'd say...Because Chicks Dig Them ..   :Stirring:

Wade, you know it brother!  :ohyeah:  :ohyeah:  :ohyeah:

Quote from: RUNCHARGER on April 19, 2018, 06:55:21 PM
Ok: I have to admit that convt. PInto gets my attention.

Ya know for an early 20 single guy it was a blast to drive.
Bolted in lower frame connectors.  Bodywork was never finished completely. Roof was just a heavy vinyl tarp that snapped on all around.
What held it up in center was a rollbar.
Had to drop windows slightly to unsnap area that held it to the lower door window. Roll down unsnap, get out, roll up, close and snap. Repeat. Over windshield never leaked. Only water that came in was very little at the door side windows.

Had many grand visions of completing it. Had measured and figured out i could adapt a 67/68 Camaro convertible top to make it legit. Also wanted the 302 conversion. etc...

Young and energetic with big mechanical dreams.
Then the Mopar disease hit and moved on to play with the big boys.

Bumped compression and some extensive porting that thing flew...

My grandma had a 1959 Sports Fury custom ordered with the 395 Golden Commando motor. It had dual racing mirrors, dual rear mounted antennas, swivel bucket seats and the imitation tire on the trunk. Two tone paint too. I thought that car was so special.

Then my mom got hired by Chrysler Corp in 1967. She started bringing home all the sales promotionals and they were just as cool if not cooler than the 59 Fury. By the time the E bodys came out I was hooked.

I drove 6 pack, 4.10 dana cars to school and work daily back then.

Quote from: YellowThumper on April 21, 2018, 10:38:43 PM

Quote from: RUNCHARGER on April 19, 2018, 06:55:21 PM
Ok: I have to admit that convt. PInto gets my attention.

Ya know for an early 20 single guy it was a blast to drive.
Bolted in lower frame connectors.  Bodywork was never finished completely. Roof was just a heavy vinyl tarp that snapped on all around.
What held it up in center was a rollbar.
Had to drop windows slightly to unsnap area that held it to the lower door window. Roll down unsnap, get out, roll up, close and snap. Repeat. Over windshield never leaked. Only water that came in was very little at the door side windows.

Had many grand visions of completing it. Had measured and figured out i could adapt a 67/68 Camaro convertible top to make it legit. Also wanted the 302 conversion. etc...

Young and energetic with big mechanical dreams.
Then the Mopar disease hit and moved on to play with the big boys.

Bumped compression and some extensive porting that thing flew...

That is the most ambitious Pinto project I have ever heard of!  :haha:

My backdoor neighbour sold his house recently and knew I was into old cars, offered me an old pinto that was sitting in his garage for free. He thought it would make a cool couch or wall art lol.

My father was always a GM guy, in turn I was always a GM guy.  After owning several Trans-Ams, Z/28 and a Fiero GT, I traded my last Z/28 for a Ford Mustang GT Bullitt.  My father went out and bought himself a 2006 Chrysler 300C Heritage model.  I got to drive the 300 one day and the Hemi sold me on Mopar.  I still own my Mustang but now I also own a 2016 Challenger R/T Plus 5.7 Hemi 6-Speed and I bought my fathers 300C Heritage Model when he went out and bought a 300 Varvatos edition.  The 300C is my everday driver.  I lost my father last year.  I think about him every day when I get in my 300C.  I bought my Challenger a few weeks before he passed away.  Sad part about it is because of his health and schedule I never got to give him a ride in the Challenger.  That's how I became a Mopar fan.

I was 13 and my older brother just bought his first car in 1969. A 1964 Plymouth Sport Fury 413 with a console Auto Black with a red interior. The first time he took me for a ride and mashed the pedal to the floor and I heard that Carter AFB open up and got planted in the seat I was hooked. 4 years later I graduated high school and bought my first Mopar. A second owner all original 1967 GTX 440 console Auto. That was the beginning of my mopars over the years. I street raced it for 2 years and never lost then put it on the strip and raced brackets until 1979 and then put it back on the street and sold it in 1980 when most muscle cars were gone off the street. I ran Heavy Bracket with consistant  low 12's and dipped into the high 11's one cool night at Maple Grove Raceway. This was with a single 4 barrel 383 with a 4 speed and 101/2" slick.No nitrous all MOPAR POWER. Here are a few shots of my 1st baby.
JS27

Two of my older brothers had Barracudas, a '65 and a '66. I thought they were cool, but I bought a '67 Cougar, for my first car. Then, one night, we were cruising past a performance car lot and I saw two Mopars that caught my attention. One was a yellow Mr. Norm's Demon, the other was the yellow Cuda that  I ended up buying. I think I made the right choice, but the Demon would've been really cool, to have. I've managed to hold on to the Cuda now, for over forty years. I own nothing but Chrysler products, now.

I was 10 in 1970 when my next door neighbor's dad bought a Challenger vert and a few months later took us to see the Vanishing Point movie, been hooked ever since. Don't get me wrong I've had a number of other muscle cars but always go back to Mopar.  8)

Quote from: LinceCuda on May 04, 2018, 06:09:08 PM
I was 10 in 1970 when my next door neighbor's dad bought a Challenger vert and a few months later took us to see the Vanishing Point movie, been hooked ever since. Don't get me wrong I've had a number of other muscle cars but always go back to Mopar.  8)

Yeah that movie was definitely an impact with me as well that I didn't add on my post.

It was R rated at the time and I was 12 years old. Saw it the Summer of 72'
My parents took me to the Winchester Drive Ins to see it.

Omega man with Charleston Heston debuted first. 

The girl on the motorcycle made me do a.... :unbelievable:    :rofl:

I remember seeing a plum crazy Challenger while walking my morning paper route in early 70's.
Now that I think about it , other than three motorcycles, a police servicar which he started by rolling down the hill and popping the clutch , a Triumph and a Honda 750 , the Challenger is the ony car I remember seeing on that route. Oh , forgot about neighbors Chrysler convertible land barge with whitewalls.This was 1972- 1974 .
Did have my Grandparents 1965 Plymouth Fury III always around , damn wish I had not sold that car.

For me the answer is very simple.  I was driving age when the first Vanishing Point came out.  I saw it six times.   :inlove:  :looney:  :yes:

My Dad got me onto Mopars...   

I remember when my Dad traded in his 1950 Dodge for a new 1953 Dodge Coronet.   He was so excited because he was able to order it with the "Big Chrysler New Yorker Red Ram engine.   Back then Chevys still only had six cylinder engines and while the Fords were available with the flat head V8 the Chrysler engine in the lighter weight Coronet was like a hot rod!!  Maybe it was the first true Muscle car???  I didn't understand it then, but, that Red Ram V8 was a HEMI...  I was 6 at the time, and later illegally learned to drive with the Coronet.   

Dad kept that car seven years and then traded it on a 1960 Dodge Dart with the venerable Poly 318 V8  and 3 speed push button torqueflite.   I got my drivers license with that car in 1963.  It was a good running car and would blow the doors off of the standard 289 Fords and standard 283's Chevys of the early 1960's...   

Dad later bought a 1968 Dodge Coronet 440 2 dr hardtop in Burgandy and Black vinyl top.   It was a good looking car, and Dad kept it for nearly 18 years...  by then people would tease him about his old car, and Dad always said, it is one of the best looking cars ever made...some day people will go nuts over them...wow...   wish he were still alive to see what a 68 Coronet 500 hardtop went this past week on Mecum Auctions.   

In 1969 right out of college i bought my first new Mopar.   It was a 1970 Dodge Challenger in Dark green metallic and beige interior.   It had a 225 slant six, and 3 on the floor manual, PS and wheel covers, white walls and AM radio.   I LOVED THAT CAR and wish i still have it.   Recently restored a 74 Challenger and had it painted Plum Crazy (Violet is what it was called on a challenger), with white interior, hoped up 360 and torqueflite, PS, PB and Vintage Air..   wish it was a 70 but, i love it anyways !!   I also restored and have a 66 Charger with 383 4V and torqueflite...   It was a car that i drooled over while still in college.   

So, what got me onto Mopars was my Dad, and the recognition that they were ALWAYS ahead of their time, with the HEMI, and Torqueflite, my 66 Charger with its 4 bucket seats and revolving headlights, Torsion bar suspension...etc

the old man had a gas station when we were growing up. If we were to sick to go to school our mom would drive us up to the gas station and let the old man take care of us. I was 10 years old when the kid up the road drove a 71 mach one. he would do burn outs at least ten driveways up the street.I think that was my favourite car until,my mom started letting me drive her 71 dodge polara. It was a 318 car.  It didnt take long before it started to burn oil and have very little pressure at idle. A new rebuilt motor help a lot 4 barrel headers and big fat tires. I was one of two kids in high school that drove every day. The body was pretty rough and in 1981 my girl friend told me to get another car or else.  So I found an ad for a 70 dodge, no motor, no tranny asking price $800. While talking to the older guy his dad came home and told him if he car wasnt gone by monday it was scrap. I quickly pulled $250 (canadian dollars) and made an offer. I was the the proud owner of a 70 Challenger. I had a good motor ,tranny . Did everybody but me know that the 7 on the end of the studs was actually a L. I broke 8 of 10 studs before some guy told me about left hand threads. One week after buying the car I could push it like I bought it, forwards and backwards. A trip to the mopar dealer to visit a friend who gave me a set of 3.91 gears and all it cost me was a 40 oz bottle of crown royal to have them set up. I drove that car for two summers until i got married in 85.  Had three kids , towed the car from house to house to a house. Now in 2018 I'm putting it all back together, but this time it has a 440 , 4 spd ,pistol grip shifter and 3.55 gears.  I've just paid as much for a set of leaf springs as I did for the car itself. So thats my story and how i got hooked on Mopars

When i saw Bullitt a like 6 years ago and phantasm only a few years. Plus the fast and furious. When I have a kid I'll like to restore a 68 charger for him/her

I am the youngest of six, I have four older brother, growing up in the 70's muscle cars were cheap and plentiful.. We had a number of them in our family. 1969 Mach I, 1969 Charger, 1970 Challenger, 1973 Challenger, 1973 Cuda, 1969 Camaro, 1967 El Camino, 327 powered Vega Wagon.. I learned to drive in my brother's '73 Cuda.. Before eventually getting a very clean 1970 Ford Cobra Torino for $1200 as my first car in 1986. Luckily my brother kept that car. I had so many good times and made so many memories in it. Cruising McHenry Blvd in the 80's, getting in to races on Hart Rd or Briggsmore. Many many good times. :) The recent trade of my Challenger to my brother for the Cuda has re-ignited that fire. I am looking forward to driving it again..

I have to admit another part of me loves the old Mazda rotary powered cars as well. If I ever find a nice RX3 I will add one of those to the stable. My brother Gary went through a ton of those cars in the 80's because people didn't know how to set the points on the dual distributors, he'd regularly get the for $100-$200 and sell them for $600 once he got them running. Fun little econoboxes.

Quote from: Chryco Psycho on May 22, 2018, 07:39:51 PM
I assume you mean Bullitt  :thinking:

lol thanks

Quote from: Chryco Psycho on May 22, 2018, 07:39:51 PM
I assume you mean Bullitt  :thinking:

I assumed it was auto correct again...

December 1976 I spotted a neat looking car on a used car lot here in Montgomery, AL. It turned out to be my first Mopar and Challenger at the same time - a 1973 318 Rallye showing JY3 paint with a white interior and top. Dad co-signed the bill-of-sale and I proceeded to have all sorts of adventures in that car before parting ways but i have been Mopar ever since.

Before the Challenger, came a string of three misfit Ford-Mercury products, all small block. A 1964 4dr 289 Comet in Medium Buff Palomino (think beige), a 1972 302 Mustang Fastback in Gold, and a 1966 289 Mustang in Yellow. The 1966 Mustang which was a floor shifted auto front bench seat car with a 4-lug front/ 5-lug rear earned itself a $600 trade-in value towards the Challenger. They all served the purpose - when they ran.

The first double photo is from 1977-1979, the second double photo is from the body shop doing the repaint, while the third double photo is from the day I sold her, disillusioned, at a Chattanooga car show in 1990. I was heading towards my own idea of a 1973 T/A Challenger and the stripes, rear spoiler and authentic 1970 T/A block and 6-Pack were in place; I had even found the 'TRANS-AM' fender tag from an AAR in a local junkyard. That car is long gone but I do still have the Broadcast Sheet :vipermanhiding:  Unfortunately, I had the double whammy of a poorly executed fresh paint job showing DA marks all over the fenders, and an engine build that somehow held together but sounded of non-stop valve clatter. The best laid plans. . . ::)

A interesting footnote is that I still see Robert A who I sold my car to - as well as the very same T/A block, intake and carbs - at various shows around the state. My car was sold long ago, but the engine was rebuilt and is now in Robert's AAR. Most recently was at the Battleship Show back in March when AAR1064 and myself spoke with him for several minutes.

Still, I had tons of great memories in that car and if I ever stumble across that vin :takemymoney: :wrenching: :burnout:

In 1970 I wanted to buy a new car.  I liked Mopar's and especially the new Cuda so I went to our local Plymouth dealer and they had a FY1 340 four speed Cuda sitting on the lot. The sticker price was in my price range (HIGH END) so I came home and told my dad I wanted to buy the car.  He said you better check on the insurance before you buy it.  I called our insurance company and they said the because it was a high performance car the insurance would cost me $1200.00 per year.  I couldn't afford the payments and the insurance so I went the next best route.  I went to our Dodge dealer and priced out a 340 Dart Swinger four speed.  It came to $2300.00 and the insurance company said that the Dart was considered a compact car and the rate was low.  I went in and ordered the car in Jan. of 70 and it came in, in April. I ordered it in B5 Blue with a white stripe, four speed, Bucket Seats, Rally wheels with Goodyear RWL tires, Pedal dress up kit, Dash installed Tac, and no radio.  I went to a local junk yard a got the radio for $20.00 I wish I still had it

I had a bunch of cousins in the Pittsburgh area that got me hooked. We would go for summer visits and I would go for rides in their cars. Went to the drag strip in the coronet 440 4spd convertible and it was an easy choice been a mopar guy ever since. These photos are from 1975

It was April 1956 and I was to be married in a week and needed wheels.  I was looking for a one or two year old Ford but the dealer didn't have anything I wanted.  As I looked around town with my future wife she spotted a really nice 55 Plymouth and insisted we take it for a drive.  It was a red and white 2-door hardtop, V-8 and auto with the full trim package.  I bought it and have had nothing but Mopar since, except for a 59 Impala convertible.

My friend,whko we called Bear had a 71 Challenger. Halloween weekend we were on the way to town to get some beverages when someone through a corn cob at his car. Bear locked up the breaks but the road was icy. We rolled her over 3 times. It still ran so we drove it the rest of the way to town and back. Started rebuilding it the next day. This was around 1976. Since then I was hooked.

I'm surprised I never replied to this. I grew up in a very GM based family. My parents had a '69 GTO Ram Air III 4 speed, '70 GTO Judge and a '76 Trans Am they sold before I was born. Growing up, my parents had an '80 Monte Carlo, '71 Camaro RS Z/28 and a '90 Bonneville SSE. My dad would restore and wrench on cars for his good friend which included a '70 Buick GSX and a '71 Camaro RS Z/28. My Mopar love came from one car; the General Lee. I grew up watching Dukes of Hazzard re-runs on TNN in the mid '90s. I knew right away I wanted my own General Lee. In 1998, my dad found a '69 Charger in a field and bought it for me. I've been in love with Mopars since that moment.

My Dad also.  :ohyeah:  He was a GM guy in his youth (Pontiacs and Olds) but the fastest car he had was a '58 Chieftain 4 dr. (ex- Ga. State Patrol car) w/ a 370 Tri-Power that he built himself. Started out as a Buick mechanic but went to work at a C-P dealer in late '65 (DeKalb Chrysler-Plymouth in Decatur, GA). Bought a '67 Belvedere II s/w new and never looked back. Later on he bought a '65 Valiant 2 dr. sedan for his DD and shortly after a '67 Dodge van.
Learned to drive in the Valiant and became my first car. 170/6 and 3 on the tree. Told my Mom he was afraid I would get run over in it so he decided to slip in a V-8 and automatic. Uncle ran a junkyard and Dad had picked out a 273 Commando in a '65 'cuda. My uncle told him he could have a 340 out of a '68 'cuda if he wanted it.  :) So over the winter of 1970 I helped my Dad and uncle put a 340/727 in my Valiant. Dad used the complete exhaust system from the '68 'cuda including the chrome tips. He had to notch the rear valance for them. Used a Mustang shifter mounted in the floor next to the tunnel as close to drivers seat as possible (he disassembled it and heated the shifter up to bend it over the opposite way). With the driver in the car, you could barely see the shifter from the passenger side under his leg and not at all from outside on the drivers side. When I turned 16 in Feb. '71, I had one of the fastest cars in HS.  ;) Real sleeper as it still had the 13" tires on it and would light them up at anything under about 25 mph.  :banana:
Funny story about it's sleeper status I'll relate at another time. Wife is calling.  :o


Tim

Nash Bridges - wanted a '71 Cuda ever since I saw that show the first time. Over here E Bodies are super rare and convertibles just about unheard off.

I was 16 South of Springfield Missouri drove past r&r salvage, nothing but cool old mopars out front and in the back, I found my favorite car ever a 68 fastback barracuda for 800 bucks 340 formula s.  Oh I wish I had the money then (1984) . I got to know the owner of the salvage yard he had a shed in back with 50 hemi cars and about 80 440 6pack cars he also owned a Sox and Martin 1970 cuda he had in his house (house in the middle of the salvage yard. ) I think his name was Ron Sloan but I may be wrong. I ended up moving to Minnesota where I found my 1973  Challenger 340 rally car. I think it actually found me. It's been a loving relationship ever since. Next car will be a 68 barracuda fastback. But I need to finish my Challenger first she deserves it.

 My 2 older brothers were into cars, so I got into cars as well. Dad used to take us to car shows and influenced us to take an interest in mechanical things. As kids, we watched Dukes re-runs, wanted Chargers, and played with Hot Wheels cars.

One day, while sifting through the Hot Wheels rack at a Wal Mart, I came across an orange car with the familiar coke bottle shape, but it was no Charger. It was a '70 road runner with 'Hemi' decals on the hood and a black stripe down the middle. It became my favorite car and I had to have one someday.

Fast forward to driving age, the eldest ended buying a '77 Trans Am (guess what movie influenced that), the middle brother found a '68 Charger R/T, and I got my road runner!

After 10 years of ownership they're all still projects. I ended putting together a Hemi for the road runner and my middle brother built a street strip Belvedere since his Charger is still immobile. Our cousin ended up getting into Mopars as well, and this year we all met up at Muncie dragway to race each other.

Left to right: Dad's '73 Camaro 383 stroker, the '77 TA with a Turbo'd 400, the truck is a coworker of my brother 5.3 LS1, '67 Belv with a 440, my road runner with a Hemi, and our cousin's road runner with a 360.

That's a fun lineup and nice you're kept them all.

My dad always talked about his mopars he had in the 60's, 64 Plymouth, 68 roadrunner, 68 gtx, 69 dart 340 and a pink challenger t/a that my mom had to have. His best drag racing stories are of the gtx and the dart.

As a teen, all my friends drove the obligatory Mustangs, Camaros and Chevelles. But for me, the General Lee was the baddest car on the planet and no other brand could hang with it.
My parents adamantly opposed my desires to, in their words, but someone else's problems by getting an old car. To nudge me away from old cars, they always made sure I had a reliable ride until I quit college.  After that I was on my own.

A good friend of mine had a pretty awesome shop where we used to rebuild cars and farm equipment and I used to use his shop to maintain my 87 Ranger. Well, his son owned the 73 Cuda that is now in my possession. The car just sat there next to the shop for close to six years with me constantly bagging him to sell it. I always got the same response, "No way man, I'm going to fix it someday"
After six years of nagging, he had a unfortunate event that resulted in his fully loaded Chrysler Laser being totalled with only liability coverage. In a financial bond, he was now willing to negotiate. We came to mutually agreeable terms and the car became mine. I have owned it ever since and intend to pass it on to my daughter when I die.
Why the Cuda and not a Charger, simply economics and availability, but most important, it wasn't a Mustang or a Camaro. The wife has agreed to let me get another project after the Cuda is finished and back on the road. I am only sure of one thing, it will be some Mopar

I always had a thing for muscle cars.  My dad was a ford man and talked about the late 60's and 70's cruising HWY 100 in his fords and wrenching on the weekends.  the era and stories always appealed to me.  When i was driving age in the early 90's I would definitely take notice to just about any 60's or 70's muscle car driving around.  I recall a 73 Charger SE in our neighborhood and i just loved the style. 

I got hooked hard core on mopars after we moved to another subdivision when i was 15 we had two neighbors with mopars.  My favorite was my neighbor Carlos who had a stunning B5 70 Challenger Convertible 340.  It was a blue interior auto done up with white R/t stripes and emblems.  When i turned 16 i was over visiting and he asked if i had gotten my license yet and I said yes.  He pulled his keys out and tossed them to me and he said lets go for a ride! I learned a lot that day and he let me wring out that 340 slapstick on the freeway!  I was flat out hooked and never turned back! 

My other neighbor had a 69 roadrunner tucked away in his garage that he only ran once or twice a year.  It was Tor red with a black interior and a 4 speed 383. 

After college I was obsessed with getting a 71/72 Charger and after one terrible 72 rust bucket i got a 71 Super Bee FC7 car.  It was a rolling project with parts that took me ten years to build but I loved it.  After that i moved on to an EL5 N96 383 Roadrunner and finally to my first E body.  I hope to hang on to this car for quite sometime but eventually in my life i would love to get my hands on a chally convertible again. 

When I was 15 my dad had bought a Polaris from my uncle whom worked at a Dodge dealership.  Well, God bless my dad for getting the idea of using a toilet paper roll as his oil filter (I know, sounds unbelievable) which promptly tanked the motor after 100 miles while we were on vacation.  My uncle somehow worked his magic to get Chrysler to warranty repair it (no wonder they went under) and while the work was being done he lent my dad a brand new Challenger in Red with a white interior and I was hooked right there!   

I always felt Challengers looked super cool. I wanted this T/A car and made my offer only to loose out by one higher bid. It was a fair offer and I thought I had it in the bag. I was going to give up when I found this AAR car......never thought it would work out but here it is the day it was delivered

looks like you did well , Nice AAR  :twothumbsup:

I caught the mopar bug back in 1979 when I saw the black 71 Cuda in the movie Phantasm.  :crazytalk: :drunk:
I loved it from the moment I laid my eyes on it.  :wowzers: :inlove:
Over the years I owned other cars up until 1998 when I purchased my first 70 Cuda convertible, rallye red with white top/interior. 340/6 too.
Sold it for a business expansion and told myself if I sold the business, I would buy my dream car, the black 71 Cuda. :headbang:

Well in 2011 I found a sassy grass green 71 Cuda and couldn't resist (had to have another Cuda).  :woohoo:

THEN, in 2013 I found a black 71 Cuda Convertible at a price I could afford. That was it. Full force determination to get it. And I did.  :veryexcited: :woohoo: :ohyeah:

So I blame the Phantasm movies for my expensive habit.  :yes:

I was into Mopar long before Phantasm but for sure you were not the only one influenced by it  :twothumbsup:

Hi guys!

I'm from Hungary and I have never seen any Mopars when growing up.I was born in 1979 and when I was a kid we still had Socialism till 1989 so we obviously didn't have any American cars.You had to wait 4-5 years,if you were connected 2-3, to get a car,it was that bad!
After 1990 people started to get some GM's and Mustangs.I didn't even know the name Mopar till I went to the UK which was 2001.I was never into cars but motorbikes.However,when I moved to London there was a 1967 Mustang fastback Bullitt replica down the street!Got friendly with the owner and he let me drive it.He gave me a WHS tape of the Bullitt movie and I asked him what was that black car.He told me that's a '68 Charger and the same car was in the Dukes of Hazzard just a years younger.I saw the DOH when I was a kid but never cared much about the car back then.But when I saw that black '68 I was hooked on and promised myself that my very first car will be a '69 Charger and I will drive it to the church on my wedding day.
For some reason I didn't like the round tail lights on the back but loved the '69s! That's changed since then because I have a '68 Charger now.
So I promised myself that I'll have a '69 Charger as the first car but knew nothing about them,heck barely spoke English back then :)
Had my '69 Charger in 2011 which I had to sell a couple of years.However,I have  a1968 Charger r/t factroy 4 speed,Dana 60 car and a '70 Cuda. The Cuda is actually my wife's as she has come so fondly of it.The influence came from 303mopar when I started talking to him about chargers and he showed me his '70 Cuda.I have never seen a Cuda before in my life and I fall in love with it!
Wish I could buy more of them but as we all know their prices are crazy high!
Would love to have a '69 Charger again,a '70 RR,'68-69 Coronet,'70 Challenger and a 85-92 Ramcharger!

Believe it or not but over here in Hungary our Cuda is the ONLY one in the country and my '68 Charger is the only r/t 4 speed as well.
Sad but there are only a handful of classic mopars here!

Wow great story. Nice to have some of very few.
Enjoy them.

Always had mopar station wagons when I was growing up, but then my cousin a year older bought a 71 Plum Crazy Challenger 340 4 speed N96, in 1977, still has it.  Then I found out about Hemis all the rest and then the other makes just didn't interest me as much anymore.

High school friend sold me this 47k mile 70 JH23C, bare bones Challenger in 79. $1000. Until he got this car, I'd never noticed them or heard of them. I was instantly hooked. I now own my ninth.

I was born to bleed blue. My grandpa, Bill Schulte, my mom's dad, was a Zone Dealer Rep for Chrysler, Plymouth, DeSoto in St. Louis, and eventually was promoted to Zone Service Manager, the head service guy for the Memphis Zone Office in the late 50's, when I was 5 or 6 years old. He would bring me dealer brochures and promo models, many of which I still have. This lasted until 69 when he retired.

No one in the family was really a car-person. However, I must have been 13 or 14 and recall walking through the parking lot of County Stadium (Milwaukee Brewers) and seeing a Winchester Grey 73/74 Challenger...black vinyl roof, 4-speed and thinking...man is that cool.
Then started noticing a Top Banana Yellow 70 340 Challenger in my neighborhood...
Got my license, still in High School and the second car I bought was a 73 Challenger...2 years later, bought my 3rd car and I still own that one today, a 70 R/T.
Early to mid-80's there were cars in the newspaper for sale and sitting in driveways and garages.  Easy to buy, beat, sell.
I wish I had many of them now.

Well I was raised that way. We had a1955 dodge then a 1961 Fury then a 1966 Fury III 383 that would bark the tires going to 2nd gear. My first car was a used 1965 Belvedere 2 door fast top. I really wanted a Challenger after seeing the movie Vanishing Point at the drive in. It took 15 or 20 years till I finally got the 72 that I am still working on.

Cool story !!

In about August 1972, my Late Dad rocked up in this 70 Hemi Challenger SE. I've been besotted with Challengers Ever since !!

First,mom was taken to the hospital in a Mopar when she was pregnant with me 41 years ago.I was also brought home from the hospital in the same car.Have a picture of it.Dad got me into Mopars when I was 7 years old learning through the years.

My dad was in to cars, so I was around them from the beginning. He had a '65 GTO that pinned me to the seat back and I loved it. My dad always tinkered with cars that were not stock so I learned the sound of a cammed up motor compared to stock. Fast forward, I'm fifteen years old sitting on my friends front porch watching the town go by. He lived on Main street. Suddenly I hear something with some cubes and a damn throaty carburetor coming down Main street in a hurry. Blasting past us at better than highway speed was a '70 Challenger R/T. F8 green and damn that thing was music to the ears. Not far behind was the local's finest trying to keep up in his chebbie Caprice. He was losing. We jump off the porch and run out to the street to maintain a view for as long as possible, but they were both out of town in a flash. Six months later I'm 16 and driving. I start reading the newspaper daily looking for a car. Here is an ad for a 70 Challenger for sale on the other side of town. Dad was long gone so I drag mom over to look at the car. She had to bless what ever I got or it wasn't going to happen. We pull up, meet the guy. He's probably my moms age. He raises the garage door to reveal the F8 green Challenger R/T.  :unbelievable: I was doing my happy dance thinking it was in the bag. He tells us that his son had got into some trouble so the car was going bye bye. I'm thinking Yeah I know what trouble he got in.  :haha:  Then the guy starts it up. He warmed it up a little and then let it idle.  :inlove: It was sweet music. That thing loped and shook and I was :drooling: I'm ready to throw down my hard earned cash when mom says "Thank you for your time, but we're going to keep looking."  :o  Unfortunately, mom also new what a hopped up motor sounded like and she wasn't about to let her 16 year old son have any muscle.  :Thud: :headbang:  I did not get the car. Of course my life was over and it was my mother's fault. I was allowed to get a '69 olds Cutlass grocery getter. Life sucked, or so I thought. The Cutlass turned out to be a helluva good car. Had a lot of fun and got into a lot of trouble also. I was then an Olds man chasing W30 442's and Hurst/Olds. Twelve years later I'm in the Navy stationed in San Diego. I go to a friends apartment for Thanksgiving. Across the street is a B5 blue '70 Challenger R/T with 4 speed.  :wowzers:  I was 16 all over again. Yes I bought it and it is the car I own today. Turned out to be an A66 car instead of a real R/T, but the fun meter couldn't tell the difference.  :burnout:

Impressive to read all these stories!

Like many, Vanishing Point. I was about 17 (1987) and watched with a friend. We had Challenger Fever. I found one about a year later that I still have. A 1970 Western Sport Special Challenger (a 318 with some SE parts and a vinyl roof). Yellow with black accents roof, interior, etc). My Buddy got a blue '72 I think with a 360. He ended up crashing that thing into a wall. That was a great story. Maybe a separate thread. My car ran for a few years. I put a 340 in it for no good reason other than I wanted to, along with a 727, but kept the original axel. Left the car in the in-laws back yard while I went into the army. The Vinyl roof suck up the water and rotted the roof, then the panel behind the rear window and finally the trunk. I just got all that fixed a couple years ago and repainted. The motor is due out of the shop in a few weeks and should be in in about a month. :)

That's my story

My dad got me into cars. He was a Mopar guy from back in the day. I came of driving age in the late 80's which was a great time looking back. Lots of salvage yard parts still available cheap and plenty of available cars at regular guy prices. Pop found a 74 Barracuda in the local Auto Trader for a decent price. Went in half on the car when I was 15. 318 auto on the column.Dark green with white stripe, standard gauges, rallye hood and wheels. Needed some minor work and interior work. Pop wasn't a mechanic per day but he's pretty handy. We did seats, headliner and several small repairs. Searched salvage yards for parts and Carlisle in its early days. Great times and memories. Wouldn't trade those times with him for anything. Drove it hard, broke it, fixed it, broke it etc. Had a blast. Still Mopar guys today.

Being born in Italy in 1958, I wasn't exposed to things like musclecars, drag racing, cruises...and whatever. I was attracted by US cars at a young age, playing with 1/43 scale model cars  and 1/25 scale model kits. Box art was incredible, but I wanted to improve the looks anyway, so began buying US magazines in one of the few newsstand who was selling foreign magazines. Went with my mother to buy those, I was 15 or so years old, and told her they were good for my english. Hot Rod, Car Craft, Street Rodder magazines were my pasttime. WHen I was 20, went by myself to the US, and rented a 73 or so Ford....and driving a US car was a shocking experience. Went on the sand in Daytona Beach...I was hooked. When came back bought a junk Model A Ford, in hopes to make a hot rod out of it, but local laws and lack of experience put the project to a halt. In 1980 went to a drag racing exhibition on the Monza autodrome, and a friend mentioned me there was a junk 69 Camaro SS RS 350 for sale at a good price. Bought the car, placed in a rented garage, and took her apart. In a year or so, the car had been completely restored. Started a club for US cars with a friend and soon learned there was a running and driving 71 Cuda 4 speed in a nearby junkyard. With some persuasion and a junk Renault, I became the owner of a 71 383 4 speed 3.91 B5 Cuda with 17.000 miles on the odometer. Car was in good shape, save for the dented roof, where a small Fiat was placed on there. Took the Fiat off, and drove home, with a sick Holley carb. After one year or so, in 1985 I got word of another Cuda, with a damaged engine and a strange hood with a hole. Went to look at the car, and it was a 70 EV2 four speed Hemicuda, with 10.010 km on the odometer. The Hemi was scattered all around the place, no license plates, but custom forms and statement of origin from Chrysler Italy dating 1970. Car was one of very few Hemi Cuda built for export, and was equipped with power windows, console, Rallye dash and six way seat. Took me 5 years to rebuild the Hemi, and some more time to repaint and license the car...but worth it. In the meantime,I started to sell parts for US cars in Italy with good success....and was able to find lots of musclecars, like GTO, Buick GS, Camaro 396, Mustangs...but all went away. Only car that lasted many years was my first Camaro, but sold her too, after looking seriuosly at her near the 71 Cuda. The Cuda was so much sleeker and proportionated, that sold the Camaro to a friend the next day.It was about 6 years ago. Now my collection has 5 E bodies, the 71 Cuda, the Hemi, a B5 71 Cuda 383 conv sold new in France, a 70 Challenger 440 six pack sold new in Swizerland and now a 71 Six pack four speed Challenger. Besides those, a 68 Charger RT, a 69 Barracuda Modtop, a 60 coupe and a 61 conv Chrysler 300, and a couple of 58 Plymouth round off my collection. Daily drivers are a 2008 Mini Cooper S Clubman and a 2006 300 Touring srt8, a model made only for export.

My first car, 351 auto,69 Mach1, killer car, kick myself for selling it, want to get another.  A guy I worked with had a 70 340 cuda, we worked out a ways, was going home down the highway I was taped out, he went by me like see ya.  Another guy had a 70 340 4 speed Duster, we raced, he hit second I got out it was over. 

Thats why

Quote from: antonellomopar on December 28, 2020, 01:31:25 AM
Being born in Italy in 1958, I wasn't exposed to things like musclecars, drag racing, cruises...and whatever. I was attracted by US cars at a young age, playing with 1/43 scale model cars  and 1/25 scale model kits. Box art was incredible, but I wanted to improve the looks anyway, so began buying US magazines in one of the few newsstand who was selling foreign magazines. Went with my mother to buy those, I was 15 or so years old, and told her they were good for my english. Hot Rod, Car Craft, Street Rodder magazines were my pasttime. WHen I was 20, went by myself to the US, and rented a 73 or so Ford....and driving a US car was a shocking experience. Went on the sand in Daytona Beach...I was hooked. When came back bought a junk Model A Ford, in hopes to make a hot rod out of it, but local laws and lack of experience put the project to a halt. In 1980 went to a drag racing exhibition on the Monza autodrome, and a friend mentioned me there was a junk 69 Camaro SS RS 350 for sale at a good price. Bought the car, placed in a rented garage, and took her apart. In a year or so, the car had been completely restored. Started a club for US cars with a friend and soon learned there was a running and driving 71 Cuda 4 speed in a nearby junkyard. With some persuasion and a junk Renault, I became the owner of a 71 383 4 speed 3.91 B5 Cuda with 17.000 miles on the odometer. Car was in good shape, save for the dented roof, where a small Fiat was placed on there. Took the Fiat off, and drove home, with a sick Holley carb. After one year or so, in 1985 I got word of another Cuda, with a damaged engine and a strange hood with a hole. Went to look at the car, and it was a 70 EV2 four speed Hemicuda, with 10.010 km on the odometer. The Hemi was scattered all around the place, no license plates, but custom forms and statement of origin from Chrysler Italy dating 1970. Car was one of very few Hemi Cuda built for export, and was equipped with power windows, console, Rallye dash and six way seat. Took me 5 years to rebuild the Hemi, and some more time to repaint and license the car...but worth it. In the meantime,I started to sell parts for US cars in Italy with good success....and was able to find lots of musclecars, like GTO, Buick GS, Camaro 396, Mustangs...but all went away. Only car that lasted many years was my first Camaro, but sold her too, after looking seriuosly at her near the 71 Cuda. The Cuda was so much sleeker and proportionated, that sold the Camaro to a friend the next day.It was about 6 years ago. Now my collection has 5 E bodies, the 71 Cuda, the Hemi, a B5 71 Cuda 383 conv sold new in France, a 70 Challenger 440 six pack sold new in Swizerland and now a 71 Six pack four speed Challenger. Besides those, a 68 Charger RT, a 69 Barracuda Modtop, a 60 coupe and a 61 conv Chrysler 300, and a couple of 58 Plymouth round off my collection. Daily drivers are a 2008 Mini Cooper S Clubman and a 2006 300 Touring srt8, a model made only for export.

Wow, what a list of cars in your collection  :cooldance:

My grandfather and my dad went out and both bought 1956 Chrysler New Yorkers. Grandad's was blue over white 4 door hardtop. Dad's was a dark green over light green 4 door hardtop. I thought those cars were the best looking cars around, but I was not much more than a small child that jumped up and down in the backseat of both cars. I thought the dash was way cool and it could run.
Flash forward and look at the picture of my first Mopar, 1968 Dodge Charger. This is the first day I brought it home and before the headers, cragers, tape deck and new Holley. I wish I had it today. It was unusual in that the car had a saddle interior under white car and black hardtop. Yes, I got into trouble and I would do it all over again

He is the pic!

Spending some time on the site and finding these old threads  :)  Here's my MOPAR story:

Just before I turned 16 and got my license I absolutely went nuts for the new RoadRunner, in particular the mustard color! But of course I couldn't afford one. So I drove my dad's car, which was a '52 Ford Crestline Sunliner (convertible) with flathead V8, which was plenty cool and fun. I got a job, saved my money, and in the middle of my senior year bought a 1969 Satellite. This was in 1973 and it cost me $800! See pic of me with car. It had a 318 and a bench seat. Wasn't long before I had headers on it, a 4-barrel, and Centerlines and started bracket racing. I had a blast but wanted more so "gave" the car to my girlfriend and got a 69 GTX with a 440. Then I bought another GTX! Then I got married, to same girlfriend, and bought my first Challenger, a yellow RT that was loaded. It actually became my daily driver and I continued to bracket race the GTX's. I was pretty much the lone MOPAR guy in my group of friends but they were all cool and helpful. I was in Tulsa and there was a huge hangout scene called Brookside (press called the restless ribbon) that we all hung out at and set up street races out on a deserted interstate. I always set the bar as I had a line lock on my GTX and did major burnouts. Young and stupid!

Then a friend had a proposition, he knew where a pristine 1976 Volare RoadRunner (silver) was without an engine. Well I got that and put a 440 in it! It was such a sleeper, but ran a best of 13.20 on street tires and was a blast on the street. It looked dead stock and even had a working air conditioner. I sold the GTx's and bought & sold several other Challengers.

Then a friend (different friend) told me about a convertible Challenger sitting in a guys back yard. Went to check it out and of course had to have it, but it was in bad shape. It had been sitting in the yard a long time with rotted out top so lots of rust. Had no engine or transmission, which was actually OK with me as I had several440's :)  I had it blasted and cleaned up as best I could and my neighbor did some bondo work and painted it while I got the drivetrain ready to go. Then I got transferred to Houston and it was put on the back burner, drove it occasionally and started getting various parts for it. Finally in about 2008 I sent it off to be stripped and have a professional rotisserie restoration. It is not show quality and I'm still "working" on it, but it is a blast and I love it and drive it a lot. Me with it in second photo.

Had a variety of other MOPAR thru the years - 85 Daytona Turbo-Z (actually my wife's), PT Cruiser, Durango, and others. My current driver is a JGC.

Long story, more than anyone wants to know I'm sure but there it is LOL.

Quote from: worthywads on June 14, 2019, 05:54:25 PM
Always had mopar station wagons when I was growing up, but then my cousin a year older bought a 71 Plum Crazy Challenger 340 4 speed N96, in 1977, still has it.  Then I found out about Hemis all the rest and then the other makes just didn't interest me as much anymore.

Update, here is that '71 today at the Holmen WI Corn fest car show.  I wasn't there but a brother posted this.  Lurking under the hood currently is a 500CI Hemi and Tremec 5-speed.  Shaker still badged as 340 Four-Barrel.

(https://scontent.fapa1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/240000779_10223621938049926_4691044161067370234_n.jpg?_nc_cat=108&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=OtwUvJ2VgdsAX9jWgCo&_nc_ht=scontent.fapa1-1.fna&oh=1fce0f5264874ca2070dabce3a2fa339&oe=6149A167)

Back in the late 80's I was into Chevy's; had a couple of 72 Novas and then a 68 Camaro and finally a 67 RS/SS 350. When I would go over to my friends house that I bought the RS from; his neighbor across the street had a 70 T/A that I would always see. It was so awesome; Hemi orange, auto with a vinyl top and factory louvers. Once I got to know what a T/A and AAR were I was hooked on Mopars. One year later (1988), I sold the RS/SS and bought an AAR Cuda. Haven't looked back since. Lost contact with the friend that had the T/A and looked him up, only to find he passed away a few years ago in IL. Looks like his son inherited the car. Happened to see a photo of it at car show in IL two years ago. RIP Brian. This is his car below that started it all for me.

My Dad got Coronet's as company car's and then when I could get a car, I found a 1968 Road Runner. My neighbor helped me learn about cars and repairs and I loved the "different" look of the Mopars. Soon after, 1970 Cuda, 1971 Demon, 1969 Charger, 1970 Dart Swinger, 1964 Sport Fury, 1982 Dodge Ram, 1984 Dodge Caravan, 1984 Dodge Daytona Turbo Z, and now a 1970 Dodge Challenger. I had many Fords and American Motors, Toyota Off Road, and a 1965 Cobra that sits in the garage with the Challenger. But I have a passion for Mopars and that 1968 started it all, along with many Friday nights at the Fremont Drags rooting on all the Mopars!

Growing up near the MOTOR CITY Saint Clair Shores in the 60's - 70's
just about on every road in every neighborhood in allot of driveways, backyards and in garages -
at all times of the day and night  racing was everywhere !
Its no doubt somebody was tearing up the streets!     

was fun times...

my first up close encounter was a 1970 drag racing car built for the track -
1970 cuda funny car I think with the name ' Plum Cuda ' on the side with big white letters
huge back tires with wheelie bars -
couple streets over -
an occasional weekend he would roll her out -
and light it up - damn what a show that was ...

My first street car was a 1969 GTO convertible 
allot of friends had mopars -

My father was a hot-rodder back in NY during his high school and college years - told us the story of towing his beloved '40 Ford Tudor Sedan (purchased in 1957 for $150) from New York to SoCal behind his brother in laws '64 impala.  My mom drove the '40 with a 305 Chevy with 3x2 barrels and 4 on the floor as it was their only car.  That car made it into the barn and was stored their until my older brother by 6 years was about 14 - he and my dad pulled it out and started getting it back on the road.  By the time my brother hit high school he was driving it with a fresh built Chevy 350 and 4 speed.  I spent MANY long days with my brother who I idolized working on that car, going to junk yards etc.  My dad decided my brother needed a more reliable daily drive and picked up a '69 Formula S fastback Barracuda with a 340 / 4 speed.  I fell in love with that car immediately - that fastback and tire smoke had me hooked!  He traded that in for a '69 charger with a 440-6 a couple years later and I was on the MOPAR train ever since.  When I was in high school my brother and I would shop for MOPARS all the time, looking for cool cars to build.  Eventually I bought his Formula S barracuda from a guy who had driven it through a fence!  I, like everyone else I guess, was always in love with the E body Cuda's.  Hitting 50, I guess my midlife crisis is in full swing as I decided if not now, then when? and so I just purchased my first E body and am digging the car and the community!  By the way - I still own that '40 bought in 1957 for $150!  It is getting mini tubs right now, sits on a brand new TCI frame and is getting ready for a blown, mechanical injected 354 HEMI transplant - cannot wait to get that Hemi tucked under the stock hood and fired up - should be a beast I hope!

One word




                                                                               PHANTASM!!!    :woohoo:

well i have always had a passion for cars . Started as a young kid and would spend time at my grandpas house where he had his own private junk yard .
My cousins and i would play around out there and pretend we were race car drivers . Our dads each got a old car out of grandpas junk yard and would get them running and race them through the hay field . Well one of my uncles picked out a old 28 model a and stuck a 392 hemi in it out of an old desoto . Probably wasn't that fast but when your only 10 or 11 years old it seemed like a rocket ship . That was my first encounter with a hemi .
So all through going up i always was tinkering with cars and had A LOT of different cars , mostly chevys but some of my nicest cars were Buicks . I was pretty poor growing up so i could never really afford to buy anything really nice but still did the best with what i could . So towards the end of my high schools years a good friend of mines brother buys this 1970 Hemi cuda and i mean that thing was BAD FAST . It was class champion up here in mn at northstar drag ways for several years . So fast forward i was a mechanic right out of school and bought and owned my own repair shop , then sold the business and now am enjoying a semi retired life at home restoring cars ( mostly Buicks ) but i love almost all older muscle cars of the 60s and early 70s . I kinda always wanted to add a Mopar to my collection of cars but could never find the one i wanted UNTIL about a month ago . Then a friend of mine told me he'd heard about this 70 Cuda 440-6 car that had a 4 speed with a dana 60 in it an was wondering if i was interested in it . . I said HECK YEAH !!!!  So we arranged to go look at it and now its part of my collection . So I guess for me that 70 Hemi Cuda my friend had was definitely a persuading factor .
Funny thing is , I wouldn't be surprised if the guy that now owns that Hemi Cuda of my friends is on this forum or someone here a least knows about it . I remember it was a heavily optioned car . It had 2 fender tags and i believe it is in Canada somewhere now .

 :bigthumb:   My best friend, from growing up, got a 1966 Charger for his first car and we grew up near a drag strip (Mopar was the presence that impressed us the most). A few more years passed and along came the 1970 AAR Cuda. That was the clencher. I wanted one so bad that I could taste it. I wasn't even old enough to drive, yet.

My favorite cartoon as a kid was roadrunner and coyote, so my neighbor who was a mechanic in Bayside queens comes home with a Petty blue 71 roadrunner, I would sit in my window and stare at it for hours, then I think on ABC wide world of sports I saw Richard Petty in the neighbors car win a race and I was hooked! Since then I have had a amc rambler, 71 roadrunner 73 roadrunner 74 scamp 71 challenger 3 Rams and still have 1 ram a 69 charger and a 71 cuda. Hope to one day to get a 69 roadrunner before I cash out. Mopar or no car...

I have been a gearhead and into cars since I was old enough to play with matchboxes and hot wheels. When I was maybe 10 years old my uncle bought a 68 charger, and I thought that was the coolest car ever.

Fast forward to High School in the early 1980's, where the other gear heads in our school had Chevy's and Fords and Pontiacs...and I KNEW I needed a mopar, so I bought a 1968 Charger for $400. It was a 383 column shift car that needed work, so I worked on it and turned it into the car in the pic below. I had it for a year or so and then bought a 1970 Challenger 440 with a pistol grip 4-speed for $1,100 because it was in nice condition and didn't need anything. Wish I still had that car!

I like all kinds of muscle cars, but mopars are head and shoulders my favorites.

My older brother had a subscription to Hot Rod magazine when I was about 12 years old and the first time I  saw the Sox & Martin pro stock 70 Cuda I was sure that was the coolest car that existed !  I've owned my 70 AAR since 1977.