outlaw256

i quit try to fly back in the mid 80s. even then it was starting to get to more work than fun and for a man workin the parts counter at the local auto parts wasnt to much help either.kinda low pay but i got my parts cheap.after spending more than i was ever gonna get back me and my buddy put my car on the street. never lost the first race. not for over 3 yrs. we ran on a country back road every friday nite and sat. nite. loved it. it was our own american graffiti.all the cars lined up on the side of the road, pickin thier runs and placin the bets.in 3 yrs we won 32,000. runnin on the street!!!. i ran that 55 everyday back and forth to work and anywhere else i wanted to go. got about 3 mpg.327 .60 over al. rods geardrive.202 heads, 53? cam dont remember right now, tunnelram and 2 600 holleys and balanced and bluebrinted by rhs.4 sp.saginaw(blew munciesa nd borgwarners all over the road,)and a 411 rear anless we had a really badass that could driveaND KNEW HOW TO LEAVE THEN WE switched the pumpkin with my 513.by the time i was at the end i swore that poor more was gonna explode.lift off glass front end. the car was drilled anywhere i cuold drill. frame was really lite.lol..damn now im gonna cry. i waNT MY CAR BACK AND MY YOUTH...LOL MY BEST TIME AT THE TRACK WAS A 10.92.

Scooterz

You got to live in the best generation Ken. Those days are gone.... wish I was there today. I would be right there w/ ya. I still had fun in the late 80's racin & running around in hot rods, but it wasn't American Graffiti. Go to a high school parking lot now days... nothing but Highbirds & Civics... SAD. Hot Rods were the mating call of kids in those days... now it is I Phones????

bjuice

Most of you guys have seen this Picture of the car before. I drove this to highschool in early 80's...it had a 350ci 4 bolt main steel crank, I put a set of 300hp heads (double hump) had them decked 20 thousandths to clean them up, it uped compression a tad but it was mainly to clean up the head surface still ran 93 pump gas, purchased a Alliance camshaft from AUTO SHACK 292 Duration 4.60 lift..hydraulic anti pump up lifters also bought a tunnel ram from local speed shop, with a pair of holley's they were 465's I think...it had a Turbo 350 tranny with a shift kit and I put a vega TQ Converter in it and it would stall (flash) 3500rpm on the foot brake...these conveters would last about two 2 months before it starting slipping bad enough to change out..then I would put another in it..I could buy the vega converters for $10.00 each back then from the junk yard...it had a B&M Quick sliver shifter in the car...a 12 bolt with 4.11 gears...I was never beat on the street...the car hooked and ran that well...would run 7.60's at the track on street tires and mufflers back in 1980.....beleieve it or Not I ran RE-CAP tires back then..anyone remember re-caps ?...real soft rubber and would Hook in a Mudhole...although not very safe for high speed...hey I wa sin high school and worked part time at a full serice gas station could not afford much but life was good !

I drove this car every day..carried a large trash bag where ever I went in case it rained I would put the huge bag over my carbs and distributer...lol

YES THE GOOD OLE DAYS..





below is my 73 Z...Got it over 6 months ago just because of the memories.

TheRabbit

Nice BJ.
Well you know me I'm gonna change this a little ( I sure am glad you're allowed to be different on here lol)

This is the most loved vehicle I have ever owned. I still want to replace it everyday of my life. They say time heals all wounds. Well I can tell you 20 years later it aint no better. I still miss it!!!

This was what I drove just after high school.
Toys were never a problem for me. I worked almost 40hrs a week when I was in high school. Kids can't do that any more.

What you can't see in the pic is the POS trailer I was hauling the silver truck on. On the way home from the race the trailer jacknifed and the silver truck and trailer rolled on top of us. The trailer landed on top of the red / white truck ( you can see the print of the trailer axle)and the silver truck was still chained down.
BTW. that was one fast S?B 250R 3 wheeler in the back of that truck!!!

I think I'm gonna cry just looking at these pics. again.

I'll tell you guys the rest of the story and post some pics of both of them being fixed later.


79 Ford F150, 42" super swampers tires, 460 motor (actually a Ford 400 in this pic), C6 auto. and at time of pics 5.13 gears.

The red/ white (2wheel drive) truck had a factory 460 with a C6 auto.
I still had the original sticker off the window until the day I gave it away.

TheYellaBrick

Oh Man Wab,
I'm puking FOR ya man.........Hope no one was injured ! Luck and God were with ya's THAT day !

TheRabbit

Nobody hurt. There was 3 in the truck. The only lucky thing was when we finally broke loose from the dam trailer it spun us out towards my
(driver) side. The force push all of us against my door so when the trailer came down on top of us we were leaning away from it.
We got out of the truck and there I sat across the middle of the road with
the red / white truck on bottom, trailer on top facing towards the back of red/ truck and my silver truck (still chained down on the trailer) on top.

The trailer was a pos I borrowed and it twisted the tounge on it. (Fixed and the guy still uses it lol)

I had to call not 1, but 2 wreckers to come get my stuff. We chained the trailer to another truck (the guy that owned it's truck) and took it all to his house. (not to mention only liabilty ins. on both. Mistake I wil never make again. Eventhough my vehicles are paid for I still have full coverage on them)

I worked 3rd shift so I had to go to work that night (wrecked about 12 or 1 in the morning). Almost ever racer had to go that road to go home so everybody knew I what happened.

When I got off work the next day I went home and went to bed. When I got up about 2 or 3pm a friend was at my house waiting to give me a ride. When I got to my trucks to see them in the day light for the first time my friends had already brought enough parts to almost completly rebuild both trucks. They also had "get well soon" balloons on them from my girlfriend (she and her brother were in the truck with me)

This is kinda a short version of what happened that weekend. It would take a small book to write it all.
Although it sucked wrecking both trucks it meant a LOT to me what people did to help me and as fast as they did it was pretty amazing by itself.

And BTW. I did win the race that night and set a track record for my class!! lol


I'll post some pics of the rebuild when I get a chance.

bjuice

you and the other 2 passengers are very lucky. Being ex-lawenforcement Unfortunatley I have come upon accidents not near this bad with fatal results. Thats why when I pass a wreck today on the highway I am not the one to rubber neck. I care NOT to see..Working the streets for years I have seen more than I care to.

your a lucky Man rabbit just not your time I guess.

outlaw256

damn rabbitt, that hurts me and i dont even like that kinda of truck. its ok im not much of a truck guy anyway. but to loose something like that ouch! oh and bj, im building old cars here at the shop and building them like i would have in the early 70s.so i know about living in the past, hell buddy i never left. thats when life was good, fast cars and no pain.lol. and that 7.60m was 1/8 right? mine was the whole 1/4 lol so there!

bjuice

yes it was 1/8th didn't quite have one that fast back then. .lol
but for a 16 year old it was plenty fast for that era on the street as a dailey driver..lol

pretty close to all stock parts besides the tunnel ram. even had old points distributer , kept a dwell meter in the back seat.

Harbone

wow rabbit you were damn lucky! :shock: