For as long as I can remember I've always loved cars,well anything with wheels really - auto racing too. When I was a kid I built car models and it taught me a lot, buy the time I was 12 I knew a lot about cars. Any book about auto racing I could get my hands on I studied. I still have in my possession from my elementary school library a book about drag racing that I never returned. My parents separated and divorced in 1975, I didn't see much of my dad over the next few years. My mom regularly dumped me (and my brother) off at grandmas (my dad’s mother) on weekends and during the summer. Dad would always show up driving some odd car, he managed an auto dismantling yard (junk yard) at the time. One day he showed up in this pretty blue convertible, it had cool “mags” on it, big tires and it sounded like a race car – I fell in love. Dad had just got done ”fixing it up” Boy did my brother and I love riding around in that car with the top down.
Fast forward to 1985, time for me to get my first car. I found a ’64 Dodge 330 in the Recycler classifieds, we went and looked at it and paid 300.00 bucks for it. Dad helped me build a 383 for it and convert it to a 4-speed, it was Beige with a Fawn interior – a real sleeper. We actually removed the cam, intake and carb from the convertible for my engine (dad wanted to calm the blue beast) I also remember him telling me how he wished to restore the convertible back to stock one day. I had lots of fun with that car and won lots of street races (please don’t tell!) I even raced it at Riverside raceway once!
When my brother turned 16 it was his turn – he ended up with a ’68 Dart GTS (lucky bum!) I remember it having a white thick rimmed steering wheel, my dad joked that it was a boat steering wheel. The car was pretty beat up, it ran but was tired. The next day we went down to the local “Pick a Part” and scored huge finding lots of nice parts for the car, fenders, complete grill, tailite assemblies, front bumper, trunk finish panel and a nice wood grain steering wheel. We even scored a 3.55 sure grip out of a van for it! Dad helped him rebuild the 340 and do some other things. He had it for a while and then sold it, he never owned an old car after that. Ryan wasn’t really “into” cars as much as I was.
I sold my ’64 at the Pomona Swap Meet in ’89. I wanted to get a ’66 Coronet because I loved my dad’s convertible so much. One day dad and I visited our pal Pat who owned many Mopars and knew lots of people. We asked him if he knew of a ’66 for sale and he said yes. We hopped in his restored ’68 Polara Convertible (I drove) to go look at it – I had to have it. The guy bought it for his daughter – she hated it, wanted a motorcycle. It was mine for 1300.00 a couple days later. I built a hot 440 for it and was planning to build it into fast street car. I was beginning to “grow up” by now (1993) and started thinking about the future, I had a great girl so I married her and we moved to Las Vegas.
We bought our house in ’95 and was able to bring my ’66 home (my dad had been storing it at his place in California) In ’97 I decided to make it a race car only, I’ve been playing with it ever since – it still has the short block in it I built for it in ’91! I’ve been lucky enough to have raced it at Pomona & Bakersfield and have raced at EVERY Mopars @ the Strip event. I recently have been able to secure a sponsorship so I can do some more racing! To date the car has gone abest of 10.57@125mph and there is more in it – not bad for a motorhome engine!
In 2009 I got a phone call that nobody is ever prepared for – my dad had died the night before, he was only 61, I was devastated - he was my best friend. Now the pretty blue convertible was mine although I’d trade it to spend just one more day with the man. The car had been sitting unmoved in his garage under 2 covers and moving blankets for 10-12 years. I brought it home and went through it to make it road
again. It still runs bitchin’and barks the tires in second gear. The interior & top were shot so I decided to restore them back to original – like Dad always wanted - which I have completed just recently. I have also been putting parts back on it he removed 35+ years ago. Boy do my kids love to ride around in that car – just like I did back in the day.
Here is a list of other old cars I’ve owned :
1966 Dodge D-100 short bed, slant 6–3 speed. I converted it to a 383 auto
1971 Dodge D-100 short bed, slant 6-auto (basket case) I converted to a V8 and eventually into a 4X4 using later a model drivetrain parts.
1972 Dart 2-door, slant 6-auto w A/C, planned on a 340 conversion but sold it.
1970 Chrysler Newport 4-door hard top 383-auto, a weird highly optioned car, I gave it to my dad when my brother totaled dad’s ’64 Sport Fury(not his fault)
1965 VW convertible baja bug – lot’s of fun
1968 Dart 2-door, rusty, got it for free then sold it.
1979 Dodge ½ ton short bed (basket case) 318-auto, built a nice 360 for it and turned it into a Pre-Runner off road truck.
1990 Dodge Club Cab LE – man that was a pretty red truck!
1976 Ramcharger - worst auto experience of my life !
We never had any real rare or really nice cars but we had lots of fun playing with them throughout the years. I have so many fond memories from playing with cars with my dad and friends – I recently won my first drag race a couple weeks ago, hopefully there will be more memories to come.
Fast forward to 1985, time for me to get my first car. I found a ’64 Dodge 330 in the Recycler classifieds, we went and looked at it and paid 300.00 bucks for it. Dad helped me build a 383 for it and convert it to a 4-speed, it was Beige with a Fawn interior – a real sleeper. We actually removed the cam, intake and carb from the convertible for my engine (dad wanted to calm the blue beast) I also remember him telling me how he wished to restore the convertible back to stock one day. I had lots of fun with that car and won lots of street races (please don’t tell!) I even raced it at Riverside raceway once!
When my brother turned 16 it was his turn – he ended up with a ’68 Dart GTS (lucky bum!) I remember it having a white thick rimmed steering wheel, my dad joked that it was a boat steering wheel. The car was pretty beat up, it ran but was tired. The next day we went down to the local “Pick a Part” and scored huge finding lots of nice parts for the car, fenders, complete grill, tailite assemblies, front bumper, trunk finish panel and a nice wood grain steering wheel. We even scored a 3.55 sure grip out of a van for it! Dad helped him rebuild the 340 and do some other things. He had it for a while and then sold it, he never owned an old car after that. Ryan wasn’t really “into” cars as much as I was.
I sold my ’64 at the Pomona Swap Meet in ’89. I wanted to get a ’66 Coronet because I loved my dad’s convertible so much. One day dad and I visited our pal Pat who owned many Mopars and knew lots of people. We asked him if he knew of a ’66 for sale and he said yes. We hopped in his restored ’68 Polara Convertible (I drove) to go look at it – I had to have it. The guy bought it for his daughter – she hated it, wanted a motorcycle. It was mine for 1300.00 a couple days later. I built a hot 440 for it and was planning to build it into fast street car. I was beginning to “grow up” by now (1993) and started thinking about the future, I had a great girl so I married her and we moved to Las Vegas.
We bought our house in ’95 and was able to bring my ’66 home (my dad had been storing it at his place in California) In ’97 I decided to make it a race car only, I’ve been playing with it ever since – it still has the short block in it I built for it in ’91! I’ve been lucky enough to have raced it at Pomona & Bakersfield and have raced at EVERY Mopars @ the Strip event. I recently have been able to secure a sponsorship so I can do some more racing! To date the car has gone abest of 10.57@125mph and there is more in it – not bad for a motorhome engine!
In 2009 I got a phone call that nobody is ever prepared for – my dad had died the night before, he was only 61, I was devastated - he was my best friend. Now the pretty blue convertible was mine although I’d trade it to spend just one more day with the man. The car had been sitting unmoved in his garage under 2 covers and moving blankets for 10-12 years. I brought it home and went through it to make it road
again. It still runs bitchin’and barks the tires in second gear. The interior & top were shot so I decided to restore them back to original – like Dad always wanted - which I have completed just recently. I have also been putting parts back on it he removed 35+ years ago. Boy do my kids love to ride around in that car – just like I did back in the day. Here is a list of other old cars I’ve owned :
1966 Dodge D-100 short bed, slant 6–3 speed. I converted it to a 383 auto
1971 Dodge D-100 short bed, slant 6-auto (basket case) I converted to a V8 and eventually into a 4X4 using later a model drivetrain parts.
1972 Dart 2-door, slant 6-auto w A/C, planned on a 340 conversion but sold it.
1970 Chrysler Newport 4-door hard top 383-auto, a weird highly optioned car, I gave it to my dad when my brother totaled dad’s ’64 Sport Fury(not his fault)
1965 VW convertible baja bug – lot’s of fun
1968 Dart 2-door, rusty, got it for free then sold it.
1979 Dodge ½ ton short bed (basket case) 318-auto, built a nice 360 for it and turned it into a Pre-Runner off road truck.
1990 Dodge Club Cab LE – man that was a pretty red truck!
1976 Ramcharger - worst auto experience of my life !
We never had any real rare or really nice cars but we had lots of fun playing with them throughout the years. I have so many fond memories from playing with cars with my dad and friends – I recently won my first drag race a couple weeks ago, hopefully there will be more memories to come.
