Pre internet builds: What was one of yours......

i wouldn't say i ever did a real "build" before i found the internet, but i did have a series of rusted worn out POS cars that i spent a lot of time and a little money on..

my first car was a 78 Cordoba with a green vinyl interior (no rich corynthian leather for me) and a decent running stock 4 barrel 360 under the hood. i upgraded it with chrome valve covers and a Kraco stereo that played tapes backwards if you hit the "reverse" button just right.. that thing went thru used 235/75/15 tires on the right rear for some reason..

then there was the rusted 76 Monte Carlo that i decided to do a Northern rebuild on the perfectly running 350 for some reason... i got the tiniest cam they offered and learned how to tune the stock quadrajet so well that it beat all my friend's cars out on our unofficial 1/4 mile track and still somehow managed to get an honest 30 mpg if i drove it nice.. i don't know why it got that mileage, since that same engine only got 10mpg on a good day in the 1970 Nova and 15mpg in the 79 Malibu that it wound up in later..

i had a 74 Monte Carlo that i put a 454 in just because i had it. it wasn't as fun as i thought it would be, so i sold it for peanuts and got a 67 Impala with a generic 70's 350 and a Saginaw 4 speed that was fun to drive but not exactly reliable and had drum brakes that kept going out of adjustment..

i drove 66 Lincoln 4 door that i picked up for $300 for most of the summer of '94. 11 people fit in that one, with 3 of them riding comfortably in the trunk. it was rusty, so i traded it for a non running 70 Nova with a locked up Buick 455 in it- that was the Nova that i mentioned in the first paragraph..

oh, almost forgot about the nice rust free low mileage 68 Chevelle Nomad wagon... 307/powerglide with no options beyond power steering and power drum brakes... i fit 11 people in that car on a couple of occasions..

i "owned" a 66 Impala SS that was a factory 427 4 speed car with 4.10 posi rear and a mint black bucket seat interior. had it for about a week. everything was there except for the engine, and it was solid. the body was in primer, and i had plans for that car. but i needed money and an actual car i could drive so i traded it for $400 and an 86 Dodge Charger.

the weirdest car i had was a 78(??) Cadillac that had multiport efi on it. that was my first fuel injected car, and i can't remember where i got it, what i traded for it, or who i sold/traded it to..

One of the fun ones was a rare bird, a Jensen CV-8. They predated the Interceptor and had a rather singular looking fibreglass body and a Chrysler drive train. They built 500 of them.

I set one up with a big block sixpack and it was a great cruising car with a top end of in excess of 140 mph, pretty good from a 1965 car.

'79 Z/28, black/ black, auto. Ditched the Target 350 for a '70 350/ 300, flat tops, 268H cam, Torker intake, Accel HEI, Thorley headers etc. Got my first credit card just to buy parts from Summit. Trans guy did some magic cause the car would drive like a regular Chevy til ya stuffed your foot in it, B&M ratchet shifter too. All a compromise as in any build. Oddly, it had 3:42s which ended up great for a highway car and top end.

Stock appearing except for American Racing wheels and Sikkens paint, bit of a sleeper tho as I fit the factory slash-cut exhaust pipes w/ the headers, h-pipe and turbo mufflers. Lookers thought Y-pipe/ single cat/ rear Y-pipe exhaust... it must be a dog. Never went looking for a race but that exhaust caught 'em off guard as we rolled on the highway, Mustang GT's and jacked up T/A types of the era. Car came alive at 2500 rpm and had some berkeleying legs... loved them berkeleyin' legs.

Last drive, just minding my own business in 5 pm traffic on the four lane bypass when a new Mustang GT pulls along side and it's a race, he shut off at 120. Still kept my foot in it but my wake up call came as the empty McDonalds coffee cup stuffed between the passenger seat and console got air w/ the windows cracked. berkeleying thing sat there rotating like Sputnik just above my right shoulder... Hello.

Parked the car in the yard and put a for sale sign in it. Too addictive, nose heavy, brakes meh, just walk away, there's better. Still miss that car but it spelled nothing but trouble.

Still loves them sleepers.