For you old timers on here!

[jd10013]

Originally Posted by BeachBum

The 50's & 60's Sure Were The Day's - We All Had Respect For Each Others Cars - Didn't Make Any Difference What Brand Or Model - We all Watched Out For Each Other Like A Brotherhood

as long as they were American.

[monicatomokc]

My teen years growing up in Chicago were fantastic (Gage Park High School; Class of '67), just as muscle cars were evolving. We had well known dealerships (Nicky Chevrolet and Mr. Norm's Dodge) that catered to this boom in muscle cars and drag racing. Made many trips to US 30 Dragstrip in Indiana and a couple others in Illinois and Wisconsin. Pic below is just after I took my '66 Chevelle SS-396 out of storage the day after returning home from Vietnam in August 1970. Gee I haven't aged a bit.....in my dreams and fantasies anyway.

[two_wheel_mayhem]

Originally Posted by monicatomokc

My teen years growing up in Chicago were fantastic (Gage Park High School; Class of '67), just as muscle cars were evolving. We had well known dealerships (Nicky Chevrolet and Mr. Norm's Dodge) that catered to this boom in muscle cars and drag racing. Made many trips to US 30 Dragstrip in Indiana and a couple others in Illinois and Wisconsin. Pic below is just after I took my '66 Chevelle SS-396 out of storage the day after returning home from Vietnam in August 1970. Gee I haven't aged a bit.....in my dreams and fantasies anyway.

Nice pics...welcome home brother!

[pincoin]

Originally Posted by monicatomokc

My teen years growing up in Chicago were fantastic (Gage Park High School; Class of '67), just as muscle cars were evolving. We had well known dealerships (Nicky Chevrolet and Mr. Norm's Dodge) that catered to this boom in muscle cars and drag racing. Made many trips to US 30 Dragstrip in Indiana and a couple others in Illinois and Wisconsin. Pic below is just after I took my '66 Chevelle SS-396 out of storage the day after returning home from Vietnam in August 1970. Gee I haven't aged a bit.....in my dreams and fantasies anyway.

Real neat pic! My dad's neighbor is a Viet Vet, he came home in January 1968 just before the Tet offensive. He battled throat cancer from agent Orange exposure. My hat is off to all you Vietnam vets!

[justdoit]

Makes me want to grab a 6pack and go crusing turn the radio to rock&roll station. Miss the good old days.

[Bobaloo]

Graduated in HS '66 and had a Chevy dealership named Don Huston-Wisconsin (Green Bay Packer) who would cater to those that wanted performance. Besides cheater slicks, Hurst shifters, headers, traction masters, Isky race cams there were the usual hot rod shops. But those cars while laying rubber and sounding wild wouldn't stand up to our cars today in ET. Radial tires/suspensions didn't come out until '73 and the bias belted tires didn't grip like our tires today. Great Lakes Drag Strip in Union Grove-WI was just down the street where I saw Arty Arfons fly over the highway with his "Green Monster" rail due to the drag shoot failing to open. Carberated or regular aspirated engines couldn't compare to the multi-port fuel injected we have today. Large block engines would typically get 8-10 mpg and would run 411 gears. Just my opinion.

[midnighter]

Ah yes. One day I woke up and I was an antique.

[rickyrocket]

I bought a 69 Super Bee,440 six pack 4sp,dana rear for $300 in 79,that car would spin the tires till they exploded ,also had a 67 sport satellite w/a 383 for a second car $100,life was good at 16

[BeachBum]

Originally Posted by monicatomokc

My teen years growing up in Chicago were fantastic (Gage Park High School; Class of '67), just as muscle cars were evolving. We had well known dealerships (Nicky Chevrolet and Mr. Norm's Dodge) that catered to this boom in muscle cars and drag racing. Made many trips to US 30 Dragstrip in Indiana and a couple others in Illinois and Wisconsin. Pic below is just after I took my '66 Chevelle SS-396 out of storage the day after returning home from Vietnam in August 1970. Gee I haven't aged a bit.....in my dreams and fantasies anyway.

"Welcome Home" Brother - Was In Nam From November 68 Till January 70 On Dragon Mountain - Yep, We Ain't Aged A Bit - L-O-L

[monicatomokc]

Originally Posted by midnighter

Ah yes. One day I woke up and I was an antique.

I can relate to that!!! I can also remember waking up and looking in the mirror and seeing my father as time was passing me by; now I see my grandfather in the mirror!! How did that happen!?!?!

As for more nostalgia, I ordered my '66 SS396 at McManus Chevrolet, 67th and South Western in Chicago. Took exactly 6 weeks for delivery. It had 5 options: 360 HP motor (325 HP was the standard), 4-Speed, posi-traction, 4.10 gear, and AM Radio. Mods came after that 1 year warranty expired.

As for driving around Chicago, I use to open it up to do a little "blowing-out-the-carbon" occasionally on 107th street, between 104th and Archer. A great straight-away where you could see oncoming traffic (and our friends in law enforcement). Somebody actually painted 1/4 mile markings on that road!! Got to love those Forest Preserve areas!! Those parking areas were quite popular too for watching the "submarine races." Now there's a reference/term you don't hear used today!!!!

[myold88]

Originally Posted by midnighter

Ah yes. One day I woke up and I was an antique.

My favorite saying:
"If I knew I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself".

[RubyCamaro]

Originally Posted by monicatomokc

I can relate to that!!! I can also remember waking up and looking in the mirror and seeing my father as time was passing me by; now I see my grandfather in the mirror!! How did that happen!?!?!

As for more nostalgia, I ordered my '66 SS396 at McManus Chevrolet, 67th and South Western in Chicago. Took exactly 6 weeks for delivery. It had 5 options: 360 HP motor (325 HP was the standard), 4-Speed, posi-traction, 4.10 gear, and AM Radio. Mods came after that 1 year warranty expired.

As for driving around Chicago, I use to open it up to do a little "blowing-out-the-carbon" occasionally on 107th street, between 104th and Archer. A great straight-away where you could see oncoming traffic (and our friends in law enforcement). Somebody actually painted 1/4 mile markings on that road!! Got to love those Forest Preserve areas!! Those parking areas were quite popular too for watching the "submarine races." Now there's a reference/term you don't hear used today!!!!

LOL indeed at "blowing out the carbon" & going to the "submarine races". Yep, I went to a few submarine rqaces in my time. Funny how so many things we used to say but thought they were just local terms, turn out to be more universal than you thought. I never had a cool car. My sister did though, though not a chevy. She had a Dodge Coronet 500 in metalic Gold. It was pretty & pretty fast. We did our share of cruising around Shoney's & McDonald's.

I got screwed when it was my turn to get a car. My sister had married by then & her good-for-nothing (now x then deceased husbad) decided he wanted to trade in his year old Datson B210 on a new Superbeetle. My dad thought it was a great idea to buy that Datson off him for me. I was soooooooooooooooooooo pissed. I did not even get to have the fun of going car shopping. It was school bus orange! The only cool thing about that car was that it was fairly new & it got 33 MPG which was really good back then, but who cared because gas was so cheap. Whenever folks brag about good MPG today I remind them that I had a car in the mid 70's that got 33 MPG so how are you impressed with the MPG's these days that are not that much better? You had to keep it at least half a tank full or it would die going up steep hills & the electrical system was a lemon. The fuse box was such a mess in that thing from all the re-wiring. But lots of kids did not have a car at all & I could drive myself to & from all my HS band activities & whatever else I wanted to do.

It was fun times. Nobody locked their doors at home or in their cars most of the time. Teenagers got into mischief (streaking, mooning out car windows, egging or toliet papering someone's house or skipping school) but very few into any real trouble. If you even did something a little naughty, some adult would call you down & call your parents before you could even get home. Everybody watched out for everybody's kids too. We could ride our bikes for miles & miles & not worry about anything (with no helmets). Drive in movies, roller skateing, and legally drinking at 18 years old so for many of us, in HS, And yea, there was a smoking area for students at school. Yep, for sure it was fun back then. It is a shame that things had to change but times & people changed. Back to reality now.

[GearHeadPeter]

My first car, in 1970 at 17, was a well-used hand me down from my Dad. It was a 1966 Ford Galaxie 500, 289, auto, huge back seat, if you know what I mean, and had AC. Gas was .25 per gallon, and smokes were .20 per pack as my Dad would send me down to the local Drug store to pick them up for him. During that time Dad was a used car salesman, and would bring home all sorts of demo cars like; SuperBee, Cuda, AMX, Corvette, Chargers, Mustang, and Camaro. I never knew what type of car he was going to drive next, and every Monday I would wait to see the next awesome car he would bring home for a week.

During my first year at college I blew up my engine, racing of course, and my Dad knew someone who had a Boss 302 that could be put in the car. That car was so wicked fast it was scary. Every time I hit the accelerator I could see the gas gauge do down. Then the Oil embargo hit and gas went from .25 to over $3 per gallon, which is tuff to deal with when you are only making $ .85 per hour so the Galaxie had to go. and I got a 73 Vega. Went from too cool to crap that fast. That Vega was the worst car I ever owned, and I have owned plenty in the last 50 years.

Those were the days, but these days are also very interesting with all the new American Muscle being produced, and turning on a new generation of Gearheads’.

Now I drive my 2011 Camaro, and a 65 Mustang GT Fastback that is really modified to be way too much fun. Who cares about MPG as I get SPG (Smiles Per Gallon).

Long live the American muscle car.

[myold88]

Too bad this thread got moved. One of my favorites.
Ruby mentions submarine races. As I remember those started in the 60's by Cousin Brucie on 1010 WINS Am radio in NY.
We would go park on The Belt Pkwy parking lots facing the bay in Brookln, NY. We also parked (always in the back row) at the Sunrise Drive In on Sunrise Hwy, Valley Stream, L.I. and the Westbury Drive In, plus the Lindenhurst Drive In all on L.I.... Ya, we used them all- LOL.
Plus speaking of theatres, as a early teen, we would ride our bikes to the movies, leave them outside UNLOCKED,
and when we came back the were still there !!. Try that today- I don't think so.