[bill ryder]

Second Pontiac, first GTO in 65. Yep, I'm a little older than most you. I do understand. Just have to keep one in the garage. Walk by it many times every day. Rub on it every day. Lots of emotion daily. When I drive 300, 400 miles to a show, it is a family reunion. Car is just an excuse. Lots of memories. Lots of emotions. You have to live it or you would not understand. I agree

GREAT THREAD

bill

[Old Goat 67]

YEP,

Sure can relate to that!

Many life stories in 54 years with mine.

Charles

[ponyakr]

Yeah, us old gearheads & racers have lots of memories of experiences with cars, thru the years. Have spent some "All-Nighters" & LOTS of "Most of the Nighters", in a shop, trying to get a car ready to race.

Have also spent lots of hours just "Bench Racin" with friends.

When I started racin, my shop was one stall in my Dad's carport & a piece of channel iron between 2 trees, for an engine puller. Pulled my '69 GTO to the races with a '68 Caddy & a tow bar.

Hey, you gotta start somewhere.

[hobbygto65]

Where did the time go.🙄

[lemansboy70]

I still can't hear April Wines "Nature of the Beast" without flashing back to the mid 80's when I was putting my LeMans together in a one car garage. No heat and a very limited selection of tools. Had the cassette cranking on a boom box (remember those?).

[poncho-mike]

When I was 16, I sat in a new 1973 SD455 T/A in a dealers showroom. I wanted one badly. I went off to college a few years later, and after graduation I went through several cars, ultimately buying one. I think the one I bought is the same car I sat in when I was 16, it was a local car.

I moved a couple of hours away about three years after buying the SD. It's still stored away safely, and I still own it. When I am in the area, I will go and sit in it and just think back about the fun I had in it. I will also retire this year, and I plan to get it back on the road as soon as I can.

The car I miss the most was a 1964 Buick Riviera that I bought the year I graduated high school. It had the 425 engine with dual quads. I loved that car. Unfortunately, I sold it to make room for some a Pontiac that I probably no longer have.

[highway star]

Bought my '78 TA in '84, 10k miles, I was 22, had to have the Pioneer Super Tuner III cassette & an equalizer. Buddy & I were in his garage installing, completed & turned it on. The tv show Mash was playing on the new radio! His wife was in the house watching Mash on the the tv and we were receiving it, moved a ground wire and back to music.

[vertigto]

Originally Posted by lemansboy70

I still can't hear April Wines "Nature of the Beast" without flashing back to the mid 80's when I was putting my LeMans together in a one car garage. No heat and a very limited selection of tools. Had the cassette cranking on a boom box (remember those?).

Oh yeah...Sign of the Gypsy Queen, All Over Town, etc. Good times.

[poncho-mike]

This thread got me thinking about the past. I turned 16 in late summer 1973. Three months after getting my driver's license, the Arab Oil Embargo hit. Gasoline prices doubled or tripled, causing inflation across the board. Interest rates on everything surged higher. The US economy was hit with inflation and repeated recessions, finally culminating in a severe recession in 1982 that started driving interest rates lower. I hope we're not getting back into a similar cycle.

[HoovDaddy]

Originally Posted by bill ryder

Just have to keep one in the garage. Walk by it many times every day. Rub on it every day.

Understand that perfectly. We've had many cars over the years and walking into the garage gives me pleasure just seeing the car sitting there. The space has only been empty once for a couple years.

I had 5 cars when we got married, so she knew what she was getting into and always supports my hobby. The '70 ElCamino paid for the reception, and she wears the '66 GTO on her finger. I sold the '70 Grand Prix and '68 Vette. Kept a '69 Bird for another 15 years.

When I started our club we all became close friends and do couples get aways to car events.

Cruised Woodward a lot in these 2 cars in the late 60s and early 70s. '64 442 and the GTO. Listening to the 4 track tapes.

[Skidmark]

You nailed it.

[Hesster1977]

Remember seeing this - and still rocking with Sammy Hagar.

[JerseyBoy]

I have owned my '68 Firebird since 1977, I have many memories wrapped up in it, some good some not so good. But over all it has been a wonderful experience which I would not change. Recently, after almost three years of body, paint, engine and interior work. I finally got it back out on the road and was able to put almost a 1,000 miles on it before I found metal in the oil filter. Now almost 1 and a half years later I finally drove it again the other day for the first time. All of the memories came back and that felt so good, it made all the trials to get it to that point worth it. I really look forward to this summer!

[dataway]

That's a fairly fast turn-around. Lots of people kind of give up hope in a situation like that. I've got my fingers crossed .... and if does happen, I'm trying to promise myself I'll put that engine right back out, fix it, get it back on the road as soon as possible ... since the longer it sits, the less likely it will ever get done.

[sdbob]

Thanks for the nice stories. I bought 2 -63s one a Tempest 2dr for parts and a 2dr Lemans, 326 3spd,4bbl.Tried to get the Lemans started would only spit and sputter.Distributor was probably out. So I put it in rented garage Sold the 326. Put a dummy 400 in it and started fitting a 57 Pontiac rear,laying under car squaring rear up. This was 1968,Car was pushed aside for 63 GP,65 Lemans then 74 SD then marriage.Now I'm working on getting the car done at 73. The wife never wanted me to sell the cars when we had hard times. My wife was a blessing for me.

[Pepper Judge]

Some great Canadian content playing in the American garages & while cruzin the local strip and vice versa. ZZ Top, Van Halen, Aerosmith, Heart and many more great North American bands.

Originally Posted by lugnutx2

Certain songs take me back to a time (1980) when I was hanging out with my car buds till 3:00 AM.... The Kings Switchin to Glide and BTO with Takin care of Business...

Originally Posted by lemansboy70

I still can't hear April Wines "Nature of the Beast" without flashing back to the mid 80's...

Originally Posted by vertigto

Oh yeah...Sign of the Gypsy Queen, All Over Town, etc. Good times.

Good times searching the wrecking yards, Buy and Sell or Auto Trader for cars and parts, pulling engines and trannys; dropping the girlfriend off to go late night cruzin with the guys. Kept me out of trouble.

So many memories in the Pontiacs I have owned for over 40 years.

[Region Warrior]

Yep

1st car 1975 while in HS. 68 FB 350 a/t.
Cruised 3 local main towns with girl friend(still married bty) and buds. 5 of us had muscle cars.

My older brother's 67 FB ran low/mid 11's. He totaled it one late night next summer. Spent a week in hospital. Couple buds helped put 67's drivetrain in mine couple weekends.

Knew of a 67 FB 400 4spd along a garage couple towns over. Owner was never home. Left notes on doors. After couple months
Called one day. Bring $1500 and 2 wheels with good tires.
Told my buddy lets go now! Fired rite up. Changed wheels, test drove to make sure safe 20 miles back home.
After couple blocks stop and goes. Heading back, scared the **** out the owner flooring it thru all gears. Lot of tire smoke in all gears, but hooked pretty good shortly after 4th.
Filled tank and spent 2 hrs cruising by buddies homes. What looked like every time shifting gears

Then found a 70 Impala custom 3 on the tree. Used that few years as work car.

After 4-5? yrs, 68 got tee'd in an intersection coming back from test run late one evening(by a girl from same HS no less). Spun 68 in perfect circle. Qtr pnl and bar smashed in so bad, body had a slite twist.
She tried to convince officer was my fault. Since he knew me from FD, I stayed quite. He looked scene and her 30'-40' skid mark over. Said lucky not getting a ticket for speeding

Parted it out. Was gon'a swap engine into 67, but it still had original drive train.
And knew wouldn't be able resist driving normal, and destroy it.

The 67 still completely apart in garage since 95-97?

[gtospieg]

Currently restoring my 67 Tempest(GTO clone now) that I've owned since '80. Learned to work on cars because of that car. Lots of good memories....more to come.

[mzbk2l]

You know what would take me back? Laying under a car in a puddle of cold salt water looking for the rusted fastener that caused a seized brake caliper while melting slush broke loose from the car and went down the back of my neck. Oh, and the sickly sweet smell of antifreeze in the carpet from a leaking heater core. I sure loved that car, and the stereo and amp it had in it, though!

[scott70]

When my wife and me got married she had a bakery make a custom cake to look like my 70 gto that I've owned since 86. I was quite surprised to see that when it came time to cut the cake! She said look at the license plate,,she had them write on it "1st love". Nuff said.

By the way great thread,,,you nailed it describing it.