Things That Make You Feel Old (1 Viewer)

[saintmdterps]

I win. 1977 Trans Am. Blue T Top, but when the 403 died in it my father in law stuffed a built 455 olds and transmission in it. Could roast anything with windows up enjoying the air conditioning

I'm a SBC guy myself. Those 396-502 BBC's along with the TH400 trans were a heavy load. You had to build them to move them. My neighbor had a 454 'Vette and with so little room in the engine bay he had to pull the engine to change the plugs.

Gimme a 355 (.030 over) and a TH350 or Muncie M-22 trans any day. Plenty of horsepower, and I can actually drive by a gas station

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Im 67% sure y’all just make up car words and numbers to **** me off

 

[Brennan77]

Oh well, happiness is reality minus expectations...or so it's said

I've always found that approach to be depressing. I prefer to think that there is a proper end and fulfillment of our yearnings. I loved my 70.5 Camaro. It's not practical to my life to have one around for the same reasons you mention. But that's not an indication of invalid or false desires. In it's proper place and order of things, having had the Camaro is a blessing. And 'sacrificing' that element of my life brings greater happiness in more important pursuits, not less.

At any rate, I do miss that metallic baritone sound of dual flowmasters and a nicely cam'd 350 along with the smell of unspent fuel and old sunbaked vinyl.

 

[Sailorsaint]

Im 67% sure y’all just make up car words and numbers to **** me off

 

[Goatman Saint]

I'm a SBC guy myself. Those 396-502 BBC's along with the TH400 trans were a heavy load. You had to build them to move them. My neighbor had a 454 'Vette and with so little room in the engine bay he had to pull the engine to change the plugs.

Gimme a 355 (.030 over) and a TH350 or Muncie M-22 trans any day. Plenty of horsepower, and I can actually drive by a gas station

Yeah plugs 7 and 8 we had to unbolt the motor mounts and lean the block to get at them. Hot rod magazine said you couldn’t do it, so it was a challenge to my father in law. Had to use Toranado exhaust manifolds to clear and notch both the alternator and AC supports. Had to take an inch out of the air cleaner also to keep the shaker hood functional. But with the 2.72 rear end the mileage was usually 22-23 mpg if you were really nice to it.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Something something Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator

 

[Merl]

my '78 orange gremlin was cooler

'71 Catalina with a 3.5' maple tree rooted in the rear floor board and a window leak so I had the scrap the inside of the windshield in the winter. ( they don't make one they conforms to the inside curve. In CT the winters I spent as much on spray de-icer as I did on oil and gas.)

 

[Madmarsha]

Something something Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator

I used to watch NASCAR and all I picked up was "rubbin' is racin'".

 

[Mr. Blue Sky]

I win. 1977 Trans Am. Blue T Top, but when the 403 died in it my father in law stuffed a built 455 olds and transmission in it. Could roast anything with windows up enjoying the air conditioning

My very first car was a 1978 Pontiac Firebird Formula, with the screaming chicken on the hood…. It would have been a great car to own when new, and it would be an amazing vehicle to have now, all classic and restored- but when i had it in the very early 1990s- it was full of rust and not a cool car (at least not to me).. It had either a 305 engine, or a 350, ive forgotten which.. I’d love to have it back; it looked almost exactly like this, trim and color-wise:


.

 

[Eeyore]

My very first car was a 1978 Pontiac Firebird Formula, with the screaming chicken on the hood…. It would have been a great car to own when new, and it would be an amazing vehicle to have now, all classic and restored- but when i had it in the very early 1990s- it was full of rust and not a cool car (at least not to me).. It had either a 305 engine, or a 350, ive forgotten which.. I’d love to have it back; it looked almost exactly like this, trim and color-wise:


.

My dad had a '77 or '78 with the happy chicken. An old lady mistook the accelerator for the brake and jumped a curb and landed on top of his car. He ended up with the non-happy chicken version (no gap insurance) and got caught in a flash flood at the current river. Got another one and drove it for less than five years and drove it into a parked car. Totalled both. The increased insurance from the DUI etc. meant that he drove early 70's rust buckets for the next decade.

 

[saintmdterps]

Yeah plugs 7 and 8 we had to unbolt the motor mounts and lean the block to get at them. Hot rod magazine said you couldn’t do it, so it was a challenge to my father in law. Had to use Toranado exhaust manifolds to clear and notch both the alternator and AC supports. Had to take an inch out of the air cleaner also to keep the shaker hood functional. But with the 2.72 rear end the mileage was usually 22-23 mpg if you were really nice to it.

I think I'd have done fenderwall headers and a cowl hood, but that shaker hood is cool. That would still mean additional work to pull the motor. Were you running leaded gas back then? If so, likely more frequent plug changes.

Ahh the days when we had time for all this....

Fall asleep with your woman post-coitus. You seem detached and she's thinking your mind is on some other woman, but you're really thinking about a stuck carburetor float.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

It had either a 305 engine, or a 350, ive forgotten which..

 

[Goatman Saint]

I think I'd have done fenderwall headers and a cowl hood, but that shaker hood is cool. That would still mean additional work to pull the motor. Were you running leaded gas back then? If so, likely more frequent plug changes.

Ahh the days when we had time for all this....

Fall asleep with your woman post-coitus. You seem detached and she's thinking your mind is on some other woman, but you're really thinking about a stuck carburetor float.

Yeah. Honestly waited way over the supposed mileage to change those 2 plugs.

Actually I loved my 75 trans am with the 4speed Ram Air IV sour of a GTO built around a 305 Crower cam. That was fun. Not fun to drive around town, but fun.

But all gone now.

But, the 468 block for my GTO just got back from being machined and having the short block put together. This should be good. Last engine my father in laws friend machined so he went over the top all blueprinted, just done right. All the rotating assembly balanced and such. Just have to get the heads and tri power on it and finish putting it together. I can’t wait. I could’ve done it myself, but when old school hot rodders want one last monster engine to build how do you say no?

 

[saintmdterps]

Yeah. Honestly waited way over the supposed mileage to change those 2 plugs.

Actually I loved my 75 trans am with the 4speed Ram Air IV sour of a GTO built around a 305 Crower cam. That was fun. Not fun to drive around town, but fun.

But all gone now.

But, the 468 block for my GTO just got back from being machined and having the short block put together. This should be good. Last engine my father in laws friend machined so he went over the top all blueprinted, just done right. All the rotating assembly balanced and such. Just have to get the heads and tri power on it and finish putting it together. I can’t wait. I could’ve done it myself, but when old school hot rodders want one last monster engine to build how do you say no?

Yeah I need to get back in it. Feels like part of my soul is missing. Loved my S-10 with the 383 stroker. Eagle forged rotating assembly, 510 lift Comp Cam, Patriot heads, Edelbrock Super Victor single-plane intake, and so on…

Shoulda built her sound the set of Dart Pro-1 heads I picked up, but that would have been rebuild 3 in two years. They had 225 intake runners compared to the 185s on the Patriots so new intake, carb, cam.

I digress, fondly.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Yeah I need to get back in it. Feels like part of my soul is missing. Loved my S-10 with the 383 stroker. Eagle forged rotating assembly, 510 lift Comp Cam, Patriot heads, Edelbrock Super Victor single-plane intake, and so on…

Shoulda built her sound the set of Dart Pro-1 heads I picked up, but that would have been rebuild 3 in two years. They had 225 intake runners compared to the 185s on the Patriots so new intake, carb, cam.

I digress, fondly.

Gun Empty rt Quizno 52 All Go Special X Shallow Cross