[grivera]

Originally Posted by mudslinger

Cruising in my next of the woods pretty much died out after the OPEC oil in bargo of 74...or was that 75. Before that and for a short time after what a blast.
We had a unincorporated resort town with a couple miles of the main drag next to the beach. In the summer it was cruise city. Speed limit was 10 mph....you'd be lucky to go 5 mph.
Hot cars, girls and beer...it was heaven

It's funny you mention the oil embargo. My family moved from Puerto Rico to the Continental U.S. in ’74 when I was just 5 years old. We lived in Atlantic City for 6 years. My oldest brother was of driving age at the time and the only cars he could afford were those with V8’s because anything fuel efficient was out of reach. My family’s list of cars included:

69 Mach 1
67 Riviera
69 Riviera
67 Nova SS
Gran Torino (unk year)
V8 Vega –(unk year)

These cars all required work but were great exposure for me at a young age and all I remember driving around in. I also remember 2 Super-Birds driving around Atlantic City in those years…

[lugnutx2]

The old days! When the chrome was thick and the women were straight- Michael savage

[Bentwings]

I must be really old! I graduated in '60. There was a lot of cruising in Duluth,MN at the time. Lots of hot rods. I managed to wreck my '34 five window. I got 7 tickets for that. Mostly neusance stuff, no mufflers, no bumpers, too low to ground, no license, no registration, exibitionistic driving, no fenders.

I went on to serious drag racing. Dragsters then top fuel funny car and alcohol funnycar. It's hard to believe how much money we took in and spent. I often had 4-5 grand in my pocket back then. We lived in the truck or trailer. Raced a couple days a week. Crazy days.

Today I drive my blown sbc 41 Willys on our weekly cruises. Mon,Wed, Fri, and Sat are the usual get togethers. Wed. we go someplace often a couple hundred miles. I have 20k on the Willys. Many guys have over 75k on their rods.

Here I am in the middle of a mile long convoy making a turn.

[Jack Gifford]

I'm "old enough" to be amazed at dollar inflation-

1954 - 1957, when I could get away from our own farm, I worked for other farmers for 25 cents an hour.

During a nearby 1961 gas war, a Sunoco station was selling regular for 15 cents- I took every can I owned and filled them with 270 for 19 cents/gallon (for my 13:1 Pontiac Tri-Power engine).
[Sunoco custom-blend pumps had a wire/lead seal on the lever to limit selection to 190-260, but most station owners ripped the seals off]

As an Air Force enlistee in '63, my monthly pay was $74/month.

[Bentwings]

In two weeks "back to the 50's" will go on here. Minn Streetrod Association is expecting 12,000+ Streetrods. It's a great week. It's fun to see a streetrod traffic jam! University ave is not like it used to be but still a good cruise. I won't have my car there but I'll go cruising in the evening. If you like highway driving you can go all the way around the Twin Cities. Lots of traffic. Cars go up and down Snelling ave past the fairgrounds. It probably not a good idea to get into the burnouts on the street. The cops do give tickets but are generally friendly.

There is usually a good showing of Pontiacs there. Often a bunch of original race cars. There used to be a couple of "cheese cakes" on display, if they are there I'll get some pictures.

Anyway, if you are there pm me and we'll meet.

[lugnutx2]

ttt

[GT182]

OMT, we cruised the streets back in 67 and 68, my last years in high schools, with our parents cars. For me it was a 64 Star Chief 4 door HT. Everyone's car they drove was an unknown classic in it's own right.... but we hadn't realized it back then. Now we wish we had them back again.

Man I wish someone would invent time travel.

[61-63]

I graduated high school in '63 and a lot of us had tri-five Chevys, which were 3-5 year old used cars then and cheap. I had a '56 150 post coupe with a 283, wcfb 4 bbl, three speed on the column. There were three pig stands in Beaumont and on Friday and Saturday nights everyone drove in a loop from one to the other over and over. Tickets for straight pipes made the city of Beaumont a lot of money. A friend sold his '57 Chevy to someone and the night before the buyer took delivery he and another friend switched the 283 engine in the '57 with the 265 that was in the '56 belonging to the other friend - I don't think the buyer of the '57 ever knew. As I recall the family got a window unit air conditioner my HS senior year. I don't think they bought a color tv until I had been gone several years. I don't remember when we got our own single telephone line but for a number of years we were on a party line. It may have been my jr HS year when we got the first rotary mower. Before that we had reel mowers and the darn thing would get jammed every few feet in the back yard because of gum balls off of the sweet gum trees. Electronic calculators hadn't been invented yet. Transistor radios came out about the time I left home. No weed whackers no yard blowers no round-up weed killer.
The city had trucks that drove slowly along the roads blowing DDT clouds out to keep the mosquitos down. Drive-in movies were a big thing and we sat there watching movies in the sweltering evening heat with those little green circular mosquito repellant things burning on the dash to keep the mosquitos away. A different age entirely.

[Greg Reid]

Originally Posted by robertf

The girls of the 70's. Sure do miss them.

They're still around...they can't wear those shorts anymore though...

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by 61-63

...no round-up weed killer...

Perhaps not, but they did have "Agent Orange", which is what they used to defoliate the cotton plants so the cotton could be picked by machine...

Dad used to be on the ground with a flag marking the spot so the crop dusters would know which row they were on.

K

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by GT182

Man I wish someone would invent time travel.

I agree!

Think of the problems THAT could solve (...or create).

K

[61-63]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

Perhaps not, but they did have "Agent Orange", which is what they used to defoliate the cotton plants so the cotton could be picked by machine...

Dad used to be on the ground with a flag marking the spot so the crop dusters would know which row they were on.

K

Had a friend who did that in the rice fields. They plant the rice with crop dusters.
My buddy carried a pistol to shoot the water moccasins with.

[sdbob]

Sometimes at event reminiscing I say it be neat to turn around and be back then! I had surprise Friday on way from work. I often wonder what happened to my neighbors red 4spd 67 GTO? going by the house,there it was in driveway!! O had to go and look,it is really nice. Tom bought it in 68. Remember first ride.My father and I built his house. Tom acquired leukemia in 80s and needed money. Sold car to owner of co he worked at to cover costs. Last yr owner called his daughter,she bought it back. Some really good memories,came back. Tom's family owned dairy farm. I can remember high school algebra with Tom and I looking at car mags.

[FULZGOLD]

Honestly, I think vans should make a comeback...

[bird72]

Originally Posted by FULZGOLD

Honestly, I think vans should make a comeback...

This summer, I have seen two 70's Chevy vans that were fresh redone (paint tires etc). They were original cruiser custom vans from the 70's, all retro still. Far Out!

This summer, I also have seen 3 or 4 VW vans all restored, stocko...... those cats weren't into "mods" , only hippie graphics.

I used to cruise in 73 with my buddy in his olive green used Ma Bell Econoline. The Bell logo was sprayed over on the doors to hide. It had 8 track, mattress (of course) bean bags, curtains, and there was much semi legal and pure illegal that happened in that thing! Yikes......

[lugnutx2]

Originally Posted by FULZGOLD

Honestly, I think vans should make a comeback...

If that happens " Miss B" will be ready!

[The Boss]

How about this gem? The Shagin Wagon!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/253136749950...84.m1558.l2649

[muscle_collector]

that's cool I love the tandem axle

[4zpeed]

"Those of us who are lucky, to be old enough"

Wish we would've had a Van Nuys Blvd. or similar place to cruze, may have kept us out of mischief.

In 76 still in school a buddy owned a 70 Chevelle SS, he,d let me borrow it occasionally provided I could acquire the keys which were stored in the counselors office.

Just so happens I had plenty of friends with emotional distress so whilst they were getting relieved of their issues I would relieve the keys of their bondage.

Several of us would do this and set out in the acquisition of a jug of fire water and bag a mood enhancer, for our emotionally troubled friends of course.

Another buddy of mine would usually ride shotgun and shift while I steered and worked the peddles, looking a lot like Cheech an Chong we were ridiculous but efficient.

One day we started to pass a car and instead of 3rd he stabbed 1st, clueless I side stepped the clutch which glued my feet to the floorboard my face to the wheel, and was all over myself as well as the road.

At that point I experienced a higher plain of consciousness along with a sogginess in my shorts, as I realized we could've killed everyone old enough to die.

Coming to that conclusion, if I was going to kill someone or wake up dead it might as well be for a good cause, I enlisted in the Marine Corps the next day.

My best friend and I in his 69 Chev raced a 57 Chev the night before departure on my 18th Bday, bar a few broken bones and a couple minor burns we were all good. I was in boot camp two months later.

Fortunately we got through those days, still love to cruze I dig it, but do so accordingly and shift for myself.


One of the fortunate,
Frank

[salem1912]

"The city had trucks that drove slowly along the roads blowing DDT clouds out to keep the mosquitos down. Drive-in movies were a big thing and we sat there watching movies in the sweltering evening heat with those little green circular mosquito repellant things burning on the dash to keep the mosquitos away. A different age entirely."

Remember all the neighbors kids following that truck on their bikes.