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frenchyd
frenchyd MegaDork
1/7/23 3:30 p.m.

 Not this one, Mom's was Blue  &  White.  Cost new $3000 and weighed 3430#  the 383 was hard on back tires.  Of course lending it to me to go drag racing on Lake street might have something to do with fire wear.   And I might have told her I was going to a drive in movie. I did go to a drive in at each end of lake street. Except they sold Root-beer and burgers  instead of movies.   Loved that push button torque flight. 

Apis Mellifera
Apis Mellifera Dork
1/7/23 3:56 p.m.

These are the cool ones.  Our first new car was this '72 Ford Gran Torino.  The other family car we had at the time was this '57 Triumph TR3:

mr2s2000elise
mr2s2000elise UberDork
1/7/23 4:08 p.m.

759NRNG
759NRNG PowerDork
1/7/23 4:13 p.m.

And this actually existed is beyond my comprehension.......the first time I've ever seen one of these, simply amazing thanks for sharing 

 

 

Datsun310Guy
Datsun310Guy MegaDork
1/7/23 6:17 p.m.

Start at 1:00  - I thinks it's great story.

 

Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter)
Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) SuperDork
1/7/23 6:36 p.m.

 

This is what Mom drove. Imagine the Road Queen Family Truckster had an SS 454 version. It would haul 8 people up to 110 mph. Don't ask me how I know. Imagine my whole family going camping in this thing with my Yamaha Enduro on a back bumper rack. That's how we rolled in the 70s. The electric tailgate was cool.

Dad drove a Corvair Monza Spyder complete with turbocharger. I could remember him rebuilding the carter carb.

He also had this that he used for hauling on weekends. It was not as nice as the one in the picture. Nobody restored these back then.

And then he got the Impala SS. We actually had all of these at the same time. Then I got my license and added old MGs to the mix.

Curtis73 (Forum Supporter)
Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
1/7/23 6:37 p.m.

All of these are not actual photos of our cars.  They're yanked from the internet and as close as I could get to the originals.

First one I remember was a 64 Olds 98 like this:

oldsmobile 98 green used – Search for your used car on the ...

Then we had a 74 Nova like this

Dad had a 68 El Camino SS but sold it when I was born.

1968 Chevrolet el Camino SS w/ $20k in Upgrades - YouTube

He replaced it with a 69 C10, 307, 3-on-the-tree

1969 Chevrolet C10 | Survivor Classic Cars Services

Then we got a 1978 Scout Traveler

International scout ii rallye - Trovit

Then a 78 C20 crew cab

Crew Cab Project: 1979 Chevrolet C20 | Classic trucks, Classic chevy  trucks, Best pickup truck

Then an 84 K20

1984 Chevrolet K20 4x4 Pickup BigIron Auctions

There have been dozens more, but I'm late for a party.

Robbie (Forum Supporter)
Robbie (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
1/7/23 6:40 p.m.

Just wish I still had the original spare.

Javelin
Javelin GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
1/7/23 6:44 p.m.

All the actual cars.

Gramp's 69 Big Bad Blue AMX S/G car:

Dad's 68 Javelin Supercharged:

Uncle's (RIP) 69 AMX. His son (my cousin) has it now.

frenchyd
frenchyd MegaDork
1/7/23 6:47 p.m.

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :  So are mine except I don't know how to transfer photos so I am using a Calander 

Dad traded in mothers and got her a new Mustang 4 speed 289 convertible.    Blue/White interior   Must be a mom thing   That one was about $2800 and weighed only 2650 #'s 

frenchyd
frenchyd MegaDork
1/7/23 6:57 p.m.
Robbie (Forum Supporter) said:

Just wish I still had the original spare.

Just found out it couldn't have been the original.  It was a 215/70/15. That year had 205/70/15's  so sometime in late 90's it was replaced.  

Apexcarver
Apexcarver UltimaDork
1/7/23 6:59 p.m.

My dad had this, but sky blue

 

Mom had this

Until she got rid of it for this

 

 

And dad got this from his mom as a daily 

 

 

However, we did restore the 2nd car he ever owned while I was in elementary school and it was like this.

Unfortunately, dad passed away when I was 12 and the mustang went to my uncle who sold it. My older brother totaled the Buick, and I drove the aerostar most of highschool. 

Any original pictures are well lost to time.  My memories of these cars are pretty vivid.  The '53 Studebaker was sold because my Mom was tired of driving a stick shift car.  The 1957 Ford came on board, and I remember my Dad boasting that it had a T-Bird engine.  Enter the '63 Oldsmobile 98, which I took my road test in.  Colors are as close as I can find.

1953 Studebaker Champion | Vintage Car Collector

1957 Ford Fairlane 500 4 Door Hardtop - a photo on Flickriver | Ford  fairlane, Ford fairlane 500, Fairlane 500

1963 Oldsmobile 98 | Art & Speed Classic Car Gallery in Memphis, TN

 

914Driver
914Driver MegaDork
1/8/23 11:26 a.m.

I grew up in a '58 Voyager wagon, 430 & juke box drive.  You can find 57s & 59s all day, not so much 58s.  As a kid I was fascinated by the ribbon speedometer.

 

 

wspohn
wspohn SuperDork
1/8/23 2:27 p.m.

Family cars:

1964 Olds F85 Convert  with 330 ci engine

 

1972 Le Mans Sport with 455 HO engine (they didn't call the converts a GTO in that year)

 

Datsun310Guy
Datsun310Guy MegaDork
1/8/23 2:34 p.m.

My uncle bought a '65 Mustang on his honeymoon.  Marriage lasted 20 years but the car lasted longer. 
 

https://www.yenko.net/forum/showthread.php?p=1553400

Tom1200
Tom1200 UberDork
1/8/23 3:34 p.m.

In reply to Datsun310Guy :

I used a 65 Galaxie as a tow vehicle for a while.

A 401 CJ
A 401 CJ GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
1/8/23 4:38 p.m.
759NRNG said:

And this actually existed is beyond my comprehension.......the first time I've ever seen one of these, simply amazing thanks for sharing 

 

 

Their ugliness was surpassed only by their rapidness.  Big block versions, and especially the 413, were legendary.

Could this be Frenchy in the red one?

 

Duke
Duke MegaDork
1/8/23 4:51 p.m.
759NRNG said:

And this actually existed is beyond my comprehension.......the first time I've ever seen one of these, simply amazing thanks for sharing 

Pretty sure Mr. Drisdale's assistant drove one on The Beverly Hillbillies.

Dad was a Pontiac guy. Over the years we had in the family:

  • 1965 Catalina wagon
  • 1967 LeMans ragtop
  • 1967 Executive wagon
  • 1968 GTO ragtop 
  • 1969 Bonneville wagon
  • 1969 Catalina sedan
  • 1969 Grand Prix SJ
  • 1972 Grandeville ragtop

 

LanEvo
LanEvo GRM+ Memberand Dork
1/8/23 5:41 p.m.

My dad was as close to an enthusiast as anyone I knew growing up. In the '80s he had an A40 Celica Supra (with louvers on the hatch LOL) followed by a series of E30s: an '84 318i; an '86 325es; and a '91 318is. All bought new.

He gave me the 318is in 1996 and that's what started me on the road to HPDE and club racing. 

frenchyd
frenchyd MegaDork
1/8/23 5:47 p.m.

In reply to A 401 CJ :

Maybe today they don't appeal but my mother sure loved hers.  I loved it because it was so fast in a street drag race.  There was a drive in at both ends of Lake street and somebody always had to buy us burgers  and Root Beers  because they lost.  Cars  more powerful than mine would get excited and burn up their tires.   Recapped snow tires were the trick.  Soft Rubber  that got really sticky in summer heat. 

frenchyd
frenchyd MegaDork
1/8/23 5:55 p.m.
Duke said:
759NRNG said:

And this actually existed is beyond my comprehension.......the first time I've ever seen one of these, simply amazing thanks for sharing 

Pretty sure Mr. Drisdale's assistant drove one on The Beverly Hillbillies.

Dad was a Pontiac guy. Over the years we had in the family:

  • 1965 Catalina wagon
  • 1967 LeMans ragtop
  • 1967 Executive wagon
  • 1968 GTO ragtop 
  • 1969 Bonneville wagon
  • 1969 Catalina sedan
  • 1969 Grand Prix SJ
  • 1972 Grandeville ragtop

 

So was my Dad. Chevy guy until the 59 Caddy Eldorado Convertible.    Expensive but wonderful.  I loved the wonderbar  AM radio.  Air suspension that lasted about 12 months. And cost more than a set of new tires to replace.  
     Then dad got a 62 Pontiac Grand  Prix with those unique wheels. Through the 60's   Pontiac was Dad's choice.  Every 2 years a new one.  

Datsun310Guy
Datsun310Guy MegaDork
1/8/23 6:56 p.m.

In reply to Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) :

My buddies dad ordered a '76 (was it still a Kingswood?) Chevrolet wagon of that exact style new that had a 454 and probably smogged down 2-barrel carb?  They bought it to tow their camping trailer.  

My buddy was a gear head and talked about that 454 all the time.  He planned to eventually put it into his truck but it got sold off.  

Like this but cream color and no wood.

 

nlevine
nlevine GRM+ Memberand Reader
1/9/23 5:10 p.m.

My dad had a thing for slant-6 Mopars:

My earliest memory was of the '61 Valiant he bought new, 3-spd manual on the floor. Vague recollection of 2nd gear having gone missing and my dad having to rev it 1st, then slam it into 3rd on the way to trade it in on the first of 3 '66 Darts, purchased in '69, '70, and '83, respectively.

I learned to drive on the middle Dart - a "270" model with a dealer-installed under-dash AC that could turn the car into a meat locker in minutes.

No photo description available.

Here I am as a newly-minted driver behind the wheel. Probably my mom's brown '75 Honda Civic parked next to the Dart (Hondamatic transmission with a trunk and no AC - a total sweatbox in Maryland summers)

L5wolvesf
L5wolvesf Dork
1/9/23 6:38 p.m.

The colors of the cars shown are very close to what my parents had. My recollection of the exact years not so much. Of their cars I liked the Fords the most.

The first car I recall is my father’s 2 tone green Ford 4 door 55 or 56. We carpooled with some neighborhood kids to school. I thought the round radio was pretty cool. Since I liked the styling I eventually got one myself, a 55 Customline eggplant colored, back in 2010 or so. It is a long term project.

Semi off topic but related. I’m close to having all the parts I need for a 55 Ford disc brake swap. A big portion of the brake swap comes from an early 70s LTD. The yellow one is what my mom drove for a while. Mom may have had a big block in it because she liked to make it scoot. Hence her nickname ‘Mrs. Andretti’.

The Pontiac is a Catalina, 65 or so, 4 doors, somewhat blah so I don’t recall much about it. There was a 57 or 58 Olds 88, 4 doors, may have been blue. I don’t recall much about it either.

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