Your Mopar Stories.

[cudaken]

 Here is my idea about this thread. I am not looking for racing and victory stories but the real tales we have about our Mopars. We have all have had our embarrassing, funny and moments of Grander. Have lived with my 68 Road Runner Miss Lumpy for 40 years now I have my fair share!  

OK, a funny one.

Time Frame is around 1987 when the Super Shop Speed Shops where still open. I lived in Indianapolis at the time and cruised Madison Ave on Saturday nights. Miss Lumpy was something then!

http://s83.photobucket.com/user/cudaken/media/Real%20Cars/1-RoadRunRaceSite_zpsf285c653.jpg.html]

Had the nasty 426 Maxie under the hood, just about everything chromed plated or polished, Stainless Steel Hoses, fresh interior and well a interesting paint job?      

A friend named Mike and I hit the streets. Super Shop would let the cruisers hang out in the parking lot after they closed. Mike and I parked Miss Lumpy with the windows down and the hood up. We went to look at the other cars hanging out in the parking lot. With most cruises there was a lot of young folk on Madison Ave and some where hanging out in the parking lot with us.

As we where walking around IPD showed up, block the entrances and exit of the parking lot and started searching the kids cars with dogs. Mike and I where not worried, neither of us had been drink, smoking anything funny (I never did) and I was 28 or so.  

Polices never even approached us while they where handcuffing some of the kids. We started back to my car and it seemed there was a fair sizes crowed around the Road Runner. I did not think anything of it, she was in darn good shape and had a good repetition on Madison Ave as a nasty Mopar!   Funny story in it's own right I will post about that later

Polices started to let people leave so Mike and I decided to go back to my house and Jam some, we where in the same band. We where all so going to stop and pick up some Cam 2 (Beer for folks that don't know me) on the way home. When we came to the first stop light we heard clanking sounds and then stuff started hitting our feet, what the F%$k is that? I turned on the dome light and we looked down! To our surprise there was 40 cans of beer rolling around on my floor board!    

Seems the underage folk where dumping there beer in Miss Lumpy before the Cops caught them with it!   Mike and I busted out laughing, started picking up the beers and headed home! Free Cam 2 is the Best!  

Cuda Ken, remembering way back when.  

[F8-4life]

Great story, makes me jealous being born in '89.
I always enjoy back in the day tales, with some imagination it can be fun hearing them.
I can only wish that I was apart of that generation..

[rt green]

ha!

[Road Dog]

Back around 1980 or so I did pool maintenance and was a Lifeguard as well. I would drive the Charger 30 miles into town and pick up big cannisters of chemicals for the pools load them up in the trunk. Some were tall so I couldn't shut the lid. While I was at the pool I would park the Charger just outside the fence. The girls knew my car and acted like they were messing with it just to get a rise out of me. One time I looked over at the car and a Bikini clad girl was dancing on the cars roof  I went out  to the car and got her off there. Good news is there was no dents. I was a little ticked off though. In hind sight she did look good up there.

[Joshua]

Ah....Super Shops....thats where I'd go to have my nitrous bottles filled before a night out of street racing....ah what mischievous fun that was. Beer.....girls....running from the law....etc....

[Finn]

A couple of years ago, just after buying my charger, I was out driving it around the neighborhood. I was 17 at the time and had been periodically driving it all day, feeling like a total badass. It was a complete dog and in retrospect I'm surprised it moved under its own power at all, but it was my first project car and I was estatic. Anyhow, it runs out of gas two streets away from my house. Little did I know but this would become a trend. Now, the wonderful thing about being a teenage boy in my neighborhood is that one of the local highschool's female cross country team uses it as part of their route everyday. So naturally, the charger decided to quit running right as they come bouncing by. I made it half way out the window (doors didn't work) before the "nice car" comments and giggles started coming. The comments and giggles continued as I pushed it to the side of the road. That was start of my love/hate relationship with my charger.

[Dino]

A couple of years ago, just after buying my charger, I was out driving it around the neighborhood. I was 17 at the time and had been periodically driving it all day, feeling like a total badass. It was a complete dog and in retrospect I'm surprised it moved under its own power at all, but it was my first project car and I was estatic. Anyhow, it runs out of gas two streets away from my house. Little did I know but this would become a trend. Now, the wonderful thing about being a teenage boy in my neighborhood is that one of the local highschool's female cross country team uses it as part of their route everyday. So naturally, the charger decided to quit running right as they come bouncing by. I made it half way out the window (doors didn't work) before the "nice car" comments and giggles started coming. The comments and giggles continued as I pushed it to the side of the road. That was start of my love/hate relationship with my charger.

They came bouncing by huh?  Next time have a camera in the car.   

When my car died while stuck in traffic two summers ago (loose wire that was a quick fix) I got out and started pushing it towards the side so others could crawl by and some guy behind me drove around me (real close) while I was pushing it, even getting in the way of oncoming traffic which was not blocked.  So I gave him my opinion on what a nice guy he was.  All of a sudden I hear a voice behind me saying some people will never learn.  I turn around and there's half the football team that just played, coming over to help me push the car to the side.  Another driver coming the other way pulled over and asked if I needed anything.

As much as I hate breaking down, this was a very nice way of doing it!  It's good to see people doing the right thing from time to time.

[mauve66]

A couple of years ago, just after buying my charger, I was out driving it around the neighborhood. I was 17 at the time and had been periodically driving it all day, feeling like a total badass. It was a complete dog and in retrospect I'm surprised it moved under its own power at all, but it was my first project car and I was estatic. Anyhow, it runs out of gas two streets away from my house. Little did I know but this would become a trend. Now, the wonderful thing about being a teenage boy in my neighborhood is that one of the local highschool's female cross country team uses it as part of their route everyday. So naturally, the charger decided to quit running right as they come bouncing by. I made it half way out the window (doors didn't work) before the "nice car" comments and giggles started coming. The comments and giggles continued as I pushed it to the side of the road. That was start of my love/hate relationship with my charger.

They came bouncing by huh?  Next time have a camera in the car.   

When my car died while stuck in traffic two summers ago (loose wire that was a quick fix) I got out and started pushing it towards the side so others could crawl by and some guy behind me drove around me (real close) while I was pushing it, even getting in the way of oncoming traffic which was not blocked.  So I gave him my opinion on what a nice guy he was.  All of a sudden I hear a voice behind me saying some people will never learn.  I turn around and there's half the football team that just played, coming over to help me push the car to the side.  Another driver coming the other way pulled over and asked if I needed anything.

As much as I hate breaking down, this was a very nice way of doing it!  It's good to see people doing the right thing from time to time.

Finn is an artist with a camera these days

[cudaken]

 My turn again.

One night when I was cruising Madison Ave I spotted a New 1987 Z-28 about say 2 blocks in front of me. Every time the light went green he would spin the tires and chirp 2nd gear. Hum, seems the Z driver wants to play!   I will go play with him!   On the side of the Road Runner there was a decal that said Z-Eater.  

http://s83.photobucket.com/user/cudaken/media/Mopar/RunnerracesII.jpg.html]

Caught up to the Z with in the next 2 lights! Car was full of Kids, must have the keys to Dad's (could have been Mom's) shinny new Z-28!  

Kid started revving the Z Motor. I just let Miss Lumpy Idle Like A Can Full Of Rocks. Kid in the back seat leaned out of the passenger side of the Z (I was on its right side) and cocked his head a little and listen!

It looks over at me and yelled Mister, my friend has no idea what you are getting ready to do to him! He is stupid!   Then the light went green and the Z-28 moved off at a nice slow rate!  

Boy back then the New Bow Tie and Blue Oval Team where easy kills!   Well, give me a year or so and they will be again!  

Cuda Ken

[ws23rt]

That is the best kind of mopar story I've heard  in a long time.   No race needed

[JB400]

You don't have to worry about the Camaro's and Mustangs anymore.  All the youngsters are in imports

[garner7555]

Better watch out if they are in a new camaro or mustang though, 300+HP from the V6 models and 400+HP from the V8 versions. They weigh a fraction of what our cars do, and with traction control they don't even have to be the best drivers.   

[cudaken]

Better watch out if they are in a new camaro or mustang though, 300+HP from the V6 models and 400+HP from the V8 versions. They weigh a fraction of what our cars do, and with traction control they don't even have to be the best drivers.   

Yea, I know. That is why I said in a year or so. Seems today you have to be in the 12's to play with the new cars.

Cuda Ken

[Road Dog]

Back in the early 80's I met my wife. We were still dating and I came to town for a Dentist appointment and first went to pick her up. I wasn't so sure how long it would take so I tossed her the keys to the Charger and let her drive it to her Mom's house while I was at my appointment. After my appointment was over I went to the parking lot and there was no Charger. I sat on the curb debating if it was a mistake letting her drive it since she had never been behind the wheel. About 15 minutes passed and I saw my car coming towards me in the parking lot. The weird thing was there was no driver. I looked real close and between the steering wheel and the dash I could just make out the top of her head. I gave her a hard time about it and got her a booster seat.  

[cudaken]

Road Dog, I like that one!

OK, my wife driving my Road Runner.  

When I meet Sue I was only 17 and the Road Runner was stock as a Rock.

http://s83.photobucket.com/user/cudaken/media/Charger%20Site/1-MeandtheRunner28yearsago_zps9601d0ed.jpg.html]

My soon to be wife was 5 years older than me, she was 22!

http://s83.photobucket.com/user/cudaken/media/Charger%20Site/Pict0125_zpsb9ae4e43.jpg.html]

While the picture is small of her, well couple of things are not!   Easy to see why a 17 year old guy fell for her!

Only problem was, she was legally married till her finally paper work went thought the court system. I all so had to add that while her X and I did not really know each other we had meet. He was all so a car guy with a 67 Comet with a 428 SCJ in it.

Sue and I where out at a Target shopping and I became very sick and could not drive. So Sue took the wheel, what could go wrong? Mom drove the Road Runner till I got it when I was 17!  

On the way home we came to a 4 way stop. Guess who was sitting on the Left side going straight? Yep, her Husband! Only thing Sue really knew about cars where engines sizes. Her 69 Delta 88 2 door had a 455 where my 68 Road Runner had a mere 383.Well she did not want her soon to be X see us together so she used her girl logic.  

She was thinking OK, my car has a bigger engine, and I can push the gas pedal 3/4 of the way down and go fast. So with this car having a smaller engine I need to push it all the way to the floor to go fast!  

Yep you guessed it! :smilielol:She lite the hides all the way across the intersection, like her Husband would not take note!  

Luckily her husband did not notices us till the Road Runner was smoking the tires and did not look to see who was driving. All he said to me the next time are path crossed was "Nice Burn Out".  

Cuda Ken

[cudaken]

OK folks, surely I am not the only person here with stories?  I don't want this thread just to be all of my war stories!

Ken

[ws23rt]

I have many but you led with some good ones    
My 69 super bee 383 4sp and I needed to go to San Francisco one time to meet up with some friends.
My gf and I left Portland Or. at around midnight and were crossing the bay bridge at around 6am (sun up I recall).
Driving in the middle of the night on interstate 5 gave me the road almost to myself at that time.
115mph was the speed that I settled on (3-23 rear) and since gas stops were a real need I would look for one at the one half tank mark.
The best recall was seven stops for gas.   Also when slowing down for an exit to get fuel 75mph seemed like 35mph

That old 383 just hummed at 115.   I looked up the miles one time and guessed my avg speed to be around 95mph.   
Btw in the whole round trip I needed 1/2 qt oil to top it off. 

[Lord Warlock]

Back in my sr year in HS, was hanging out at the pizza joint at the local mall parking lot late friday night (its on the outskirts of the outer edge of the parking lot) around 11pm, they turned the lights off in the parking lot, as i left the pizza joint, went around the back of the mall and was cutting across the back parking lot, accelerating briskly trying to show off to a new friend who moved into town recently,  we had a six pack of champale (similar to a wine cooler in the 70s) with two open bottles in the car, although i wasn't drinking while driving, i had been drinking while bench racing in the parking lot,  anyway, I saw a carload of girls cut across the parking lot and was doing the same to catch up, at about 60mph all of a sudden I notice my headlights lighting up a white line in front of me, took a moment to realize what i was looking at...it was a curb that I didn't know was there,  time slowed down and I had all the time in the world to decide what to do,  there was no way to stop quick enough, I knew i was going to go over a curb, so i starting pumping the brakes hard, got two good pumps then hit the curb doing about 30mph, the car launched into the air similar to a dukes of hazzard tv show, hit it so hard that we were looking at stars for a moment, tlll the back wheels hit and the nose instantly returned to earth, slamming to the ground hard enough to rattle the teeth, and bang our heads on the roof of the car.  Then to my horror, I see a second curb in front of me (couldn't see it while looking at the stars) the nose started to bounce up from inertia and squashed shocks, then slammed the 2nd curb doing about 15mph, and promptly did a repeat of the first curb, I didn't even feel the back wheels hit the 2nd curb, felt like it hopped right over the 2nd. 

As the car came to a bouncing stop on the other side of the 2nd curb, me and my friend are in shock, that we not only survived, but the car was still running.  We look at each other, and notice the whole interior is dripping pink champale,  I look to my left, and there is a car sitting there, with about 5 kids standing around talking, and watching the spectacle (and laughing hysterically).  I open the door, and peek under the car, expecting parts of the undercarriage to be dangling in pieces, nothing wrong that i can see, again shocked.  the front end was a little out of alignment, with the steering wheel looking to be about 45 degrees off normal, but i know that wasn't that expensive to fix.  I carefully drive my friend home and drop him off, then go home, and sleep off the episode.   

I continued to drive the car for another week with the suspension a bit whacked, thinking its just the alignment, but it seemed to drive straight and true even if the steering wheel was off quite a bit (stupid high school kid) The following Friday, me and my friends drive to an away football game about 20 miles out of town and back, nothing exciting happens this weekend,  the next morning my dad sees me getting up, and tells me to come with him,  and he walks me out to the driveway, and he points out that the wheels in front are sitting at a visible angle with the bottom splayed out and the tops close in /---\  and promptly tells me not to drive the car till i can get i to a shop and get it repaired.  I also notice that the tires have worn out the inner tread to the chord while the outer tread looked almost new.  Its saturday morning, I take it to the local alignment and wheel shop and the mechanic comes back with the bad news...every bushing in the front end was squashed flat, and one of them went thru the frame of the car,  in addition the alignment is wayyyyyy out of tolerance and can't be fixed till the rest of the suspension is repaired.  Ended up leaving the car with him a week,  and the guy did a great job fixing my stupidity, put all new bushings in, fixed the one in the frame rail, pointed out that the sway bar bracket on the left side is just gone, the rubber piece is still on, but the metal around it wasn't there anymore,  not even the piece that bolts to the k member.  I spent about 200.00 getting the suspension work fixed, then had to spend another 100 on new front tires as the old ones weren't safe to drive on anymore.  I drove it without the drivers side sway bar bracket for another year or so, it just leaned a bit more turning left than it did turning right.  Eventually i got a salvage yard sway bar and replaced it myself. 

It was an expensive lesson for a 17 year old earning a whopping 2.40 an hour minimum wage job and delivering papers every morning and afternoon.  Learned not to cut across parking lots unless I absolutely knew what was there, and even then, I never went more than about 25mph in mall parking lots afterwards.  Several months later, one of my other friends managed to repeat my feat of stupidity on the other side of the parking lot, running over 1 curb.  The caveat to the situation was that I knew my suspension was totally redone and the car handled quite well once i fixed the sway bar.  To this day i still can't figure out which bushing went into the frame, I can't find any holes that didn't look like they were factory.   The car evidently forgave my ignorance and stayed with me for the next 35 years, and today is enjoying a rebuild of the rest of the car,  the suspension of course will get a thorough look over, and will get every grease seal replaced,  I did end up replacing the front valence panel which sustained a minor dent on once side, and still have it in the shed as a reminder of my youthful folly.  Doesn't matter how good a driver you think you are, when you're 17, you are in essence a moron driver and none of them can be trusted.  Now i have a 17 year old daughter in High school, and a 22 year old about to graduate college, they may have had a minor incident, but nothing to match what I managed to do to myself and my car in the fall of 78. 

[mauve66]

other than stealing a car for 2 days when i was 17, my RR i got when i was 18 was the only car i had every driven, incidentally, some basic driving maneuvers were learned the hard way.  needless to say i learned alot my first 2-3 years driving about feeling what the car is doing and anticipating what to do next with the wheel and pedals make that pedal, brakes are for people that don't have control, haha, and now i intentionally slide whatever i'm driving just to make the wife mad and the kids eyes go wide.  Problem with that is he's watching what i'm doing and learning to do it himself in a 2012 300+hp Camaro (i don't remember my Dad every driving this way with me, just fast in a straight line).  Problem is he lives in a big city where they frown on such behavior.

when you buy a car that burns oil, pay attention to the oil, you know it burns oil 'cause your Dad told you not to buy it 'cause the motor burns oil and the neighbors thank you for the mosquito killer.  SOOOOOO, you KNOW the car burns oil so you BUY a case of oil and put it in the trunk (P.S. the TRUNK doesn't burn oil).  After driving your new status symbol every day and night for a week you suddenly heard this metallic sound from the area in front of the windshield.  after you figure out how to open the thing with the cool POWER BULGE in the middle of it, your buddies (4-5 of them packed in your status symbol 'cause they didn't have a car) say "maybe it needs oil?). Perfect, i've got a case of it in the trunk, so we get the oil out and start pouring it into the valve cover. What's that sound?? Sounds like the oil is dropping into an EMPTY oil pan............ uhhhh, i hope it'll be ok (we're 10+ miles from home on a dark, empty 2-lane blacktop).  so after we put in 6 quarts (extra insurance if i remember right........... :icon_smile_disapprove:) we pile back into the car and start her up.  We didn't drop some metal tool into the motor did we?? Sure sounded like a metal (remember those?) garbage can full of tin cans rolling around but hey, the oil pressure gauge (yes, there was an OIL PRESSURE GAUGE RIGHT IN THE DASH) says everything is ok so maybe it'll just take a little time to lube things up again.  By the time i dropped everyone off and got home "things hadn't lubed up" at all.  so i shut her off and coasted down the hill into the driveway. the next morning i figured i better find out what was wrong, i mean, i needed that car for the next nights outing ya' know.  as soon as it started my Dad closed the hood (that's what he called it ) and said "Hope you like riding the bus to school". At $4 per hr i wasn't saving for a motor very quickly, oh yeah, school, my JR year, started the next  week

During the next year i got to wreck drive my dads 69 impala. it had a 350 with a 4 bbl, aluminum slots, 2 tone paint- blue quarters and a white hood roof and trunk, we called it the skunk car.  one night rat-racing around town, we took a corner a little too fast and since the guy next to me was leaned all over me (idiot didn't wear a seatbelt................ ) by the time i got to correct the wheel we were getting really close to a car on the left side of the road soooooo after over-correcting we were headed straight for a pickup trk.  By this time i had developed lightning reflexes so i whipped the wheel back left just barely nicking the edge of the front bumper on the pickup, alright alright, maybe that's not the ENTIRE truth. OKAY OKAY!!!! as i whipped the wheel back to the left i was just a little off on my depth perception and we torn through the left fender of the pickup and RIPPED the bumper clean off.......... oh yeah....... and the damn car stalled........ lights come on in the house and my buddies are screaming at me to "get the damn SKUNK started".  Did i mention that this old part of town had gravel roads, small gravel, like less than 3/8ths with lots of fines mixed in. so in the middle of this cloud of dust we got the Skunk started and tore out of there.  If it had been a regular paved street we would have been identified for sure.  Of course if it had been a paved strret we wouldn't have probably wouldn't have been in that scrape anyway, so i blame the city fathers on this one...............  the next morning i told my Dad that i had hit a fire hydrant backing out of someones driveway........ he let it go but never let me drive his cars again................

a year later i finally got a used motor  to put back in the RR

cranking the wheel all the way right at a traffic light in the rain will put you facing the way you came in the middle of the intersection very quickly, it doesn't help when you live in the country and the farmer sitting at the other light knows who you are AND who your Dad is......................

driving on a crowned 2 lane road in the rain with an S-curve is okay if you've got decent tires and more brains than right foot, well......... we went into the right ditch then into the left ditch then into the recently planted corn field on the other side of the left ditch.  luckily it had just started to rain and we didn't get stuck, just took awhile to drive across the field to the gate.  the 2 guys with me got a little banged up (who wore seatbelts back then??) but i was fine........ i guess having my left foot braced against the flat spot by the dimmer light AND the right foot firmly planted on the gas pedal contributed to my being un-injured..........  the car survived that one, and nobody tattled on that one

at the end of small country towns the paved roads turn to gravel to go out into the country where the farmers live. when your rat-racing in town and come to the edge of the pavement at about 60+ and some engineering idiot puts a S-turn in the gravel road your not going to make it unless you have 4 wheel drive.............. good thing my friends worked for farmers with tractors and chains...........

railroad grades on 2 lane country roads were rarely level where i lived, a RR may be a flightless bird but that never stopped me from trying.......... car survived those also

staying up 48 hrs because of a girl is pretty stupid.  fell asleep on the way home, woke up bouncing through  the left hand ditch, jerked the wheel right and ended up back on the highway IN MY LANE FACING THE RIGHT DIRECTION (yeah!!!!) but the right front wheel was under the right frame rail.  must of hit a big rock or something.  looked back at the ditch and noticed i just missed the farmers mail box and driveway which had a concrete culvert under it that i would of ran head on into if i had stayed in the ditch. first things first: heave the half empty bottle of JD out into the corn field to my right, second: turn on the 4-way flashers, third:start walking home 4-8 miles (if i had been thinking i might have woke up the farmer to see if he would pull the car into his driveway but.......... i just wanted to get away from the evidence), got home and just went to bed (not used to walking so far, thought, HEY, i'll just get it in the morning) well, morning came and so did the highway patrol, luckily my Dad knew him so no ticket, they just towed the car AWAY from my house 16+ miles to a junk yard (told me it was totaled, bastards).  oh yeah, school, my SR year started the next week..........  

[cudaken]

Thanks 66 for the stories.

Let see.  OK, how I got my 68 Road Runner.

My step Dad was a hard core gear head, but had some bad luck. Rolled his Supercharged T-Bird and has a metal plate in his head. He swore I would never get the Road Runner!

So my first car, he bought the slowest car he could find! Car was painted Plum Crazy so that was cool, but it was 1963 VW Bug? Yep, had a whole 39 HP motor, fiberglass rear fenders, and chrome Chevy wheels on the back with G 60 14 tires. Still a far cry from what I wanted! 

But I had wheels and I had a job! I started to read up on VW and boy you could do a lot with them! Bought a 1973 Block with dual port heads. Got a Empi 92 MM barrel and piston set, 82 mm Empi roller bearing crank, 69 302 Z 28 rods, TRW cam (speck are long forgotten) 39 mm and 44 mm valves, port work, Bosh Mag, dual Weber 40 mm down draft carbs, Weber lighten flywheel, racing clutch, Brute Headers and close ratio 3rd 4th gear and Hurst shifter.!

Well there went $1600.00 but boy! :2thumbs:She was quick out of the hole! I use to carry concert blocks in the trunk (remember it is in the front) to help keep the front end on the ground! 

Back in the day, there was a newly paved country road call Cherry Hill that was all but abandoned at night, but us kids. My moment of fame in the VW was the night I beat a 69 Tri-powered Goat. Now to be fair, the guy in the Goat was so busy laughing at me when he saw me pull up next to him, he dropped the clutch and smoked the tires when the flagman hit the flash light. That was all I needed, had him by 6 cars before he hooked up! 

You wonder, what does that Hot Rod VW have to do with getting the Road Runner? 

Well, with me being 17 and being able to yank the front wheels at will, I need a lot of front end work done and often! Used VW North in Carmel Ind. When I picked up the bug I would do a nasty burnout and all the mechanic's would drop what they where doing and watch! They knew the sound of the Plum Crazy Bug!

Well the Bug was in the shop again while I was at school. Dad happened to be on vacation and the dealership called and said the car was ready to be picked up! Well good old Dad decided to pick up the bug for me! Dad paid my bill (thanks Dad) and got the keys and headed out to the car. Services parking lot had a highway style guard rail around it and was right across from the main garage door. Bug was parked right next to the main drive, all Dad had to do was back up say 6 feet, cut the wheel hard to the right and off he could go!

Dad fire up the Bug and all the mechanics headed to the door to watch me lite the hides. Dad had never driven the Bug and lets just say the clutch pedal was real small, add that to the racing clutch it was a pain in the Chevy to drive! I was told later that Dad backed up, then found first and gave her a little gas. (Car idle at 1100 RPM's or so) and his foot slipped off the clutch at around 2000 RPM's! Front of the car went straight up, car went straight and he hung her on the Guard Rail of the parking lot! 

Services manager ran out to see if Dad was all right while the mechanics where laughing there ass off!  Dad said to Dan (Services manager) "what will you give me for the POS?" Dan said $500 and it was sold! Heck I had $1600 in the motor! 

I got home from school and walked into the living room and Dad was waiting for me! I started to say Hi Dad, but before I could get the Hi out Dad said I sold that fucking death trap VW and before you say another fucking word I letting you have the Road Runner! Hum  I thought, That Works For Me!  Took the keys with a shit eating grin on my faces. While the Bug was quicker, it was no where as cool as a 68 Road Runner! 

Mon and Dad still find it a little hard to believe I had not killed my self or the Road Runner after 40 years!

Cuda Ken 

[rt green]

 a buddy of mine and one of his friends were on I 35 going north to Minneapolis. doing about 65. small block. they came up on this big green Chrysler. 70 or 71.  the old dude driving it looked so old, to find anyone older you'd have to dig him up. he had this big business hat on. looked like Dick Tracy's grand father.  they were commenting  on how cherry the Chrysler was, and passed him laughing at his hat. they got way ahead of him and thought nothing of it. awhile passed. then my buddy happened to look up at at the mirror and here came the old dude. slowly passed them. they thought man, that old guy's in a hurry.  so, after a mile they floated past the old dude. a mile later, here came the old dude again. my buddy says "check out this old dude."  the old dude passed again. now if you've been following, the speed has gotten up around 80.  my buddy decided frick this shitte, and put it down. caught the old guy and passed him at about 110.  held it there for awhile till the old guy disappeared out of sight.  slowed to the 70mph speed limit.  yeah showed him.  awhile passed. then from the mirror was a spec. and it was floating. before you know it, a very large green missile of a Chrysler passed them like they were standing still. that  old dude must've been doing 120 plus. the old guy held on till he was out of site ahead. after that they were looking for cops or an ambulance or something totaled in the ditch.   nothing. never saw him again.      rt     

[nh_mopar_fan]

I was driving a 77 Road Runner up RT495 in Mass on a Friday night heading to Salisbury Beach with my buddy Mike. We each had a beer in our lap and this Duster decided to run with us.

I was doing about 100 in Amesbury and pulling away when out of nowhere, blue lights in my rear view.

Mike is freaking out. I hand him my beer and tell him to put both of them between his seat and the door.

The rest of the 6 pack is behind my seat but because my seat is all the way back and the rear seat is folded down, it's hidden from view.

Up walks this plain clothes cop. Tell me he is going on duty in Amesbury and did I know how fast I was going. I said, "80?"

He tell me that he was doing 80 and i passed him like I was pulling away from a light.

Proceeds to ask me if I knew what would happen if I rolled the car at that speed and what would happen to Mike since he didn;t even have a steering wheel to hold on to (as if it would matter)

Reads me the riot act. Asks me where I am going. I tell him we are heading for the beach.

He tells me to slow down and have a good night!

Someone was smiling down on me that night.

[Finn]

a RR may be a flightless bird but that never stopped me from trying..........

HAHAHAHA! Best quote of the thread thus far!!!

[cudaken]

Hey folks that's more like it!  I will post another one when I get home tonight from work.

Cuda Ken

[Lord Warlock]

Why can't off duty cops, stay off duty and not pull people over? my off duty cop story is just that, another story.  Maybe in a couple days. 

[cudaken]

 OK, 69 Charger Story.

On the way into and home from work I started to see a good looking 70 442 sporting W-30 badges. I learned when I was a kid driving the then stock 68 Road Runner that W-30 meant If you are not packing a 426, you are going to get your ass kicked Ask me how I know?  

I started seeing the W-30 3 or 4 times a week. I was mainly driving my Daytona, but at last it was a 1991. So what could I do with that besides ram him!  

I had finally got the 69 Charger R/T (Rusted / Trash) body and paint done and ready to drive. I had bought a 426 W for the Charger from a friend of mine. When I first installed it, it ran great! I let it sit for a year (It was started but not driven) and while it still ran great, but when the hammer was dropped it smoked so bad you could track it with Doppler Radar!   Check compression, perfect 20 pound spread, changed heads think it was guides. Still smoked?

Some of you old guys will remember me calling the engine The 42Sick, Ma Mopars only 2 stoke 426!    

It was a early spring day on a Saturday and I deiced to drive the Charger home! I was heading out of St Louis on 64 and hardly a car in sight. I looked in the rear view mirror and guess what I saw coming?  Yep, the W-30 was closing!    

He pulled beside me, I was doing 60 MPH and he looked over the Viper Red 69 Charger R/T and grinned at me.   I was thinking to my self Well I have a 426, packing 2:76 sure grip gears and we are doing 60 MPH hum.  

He jumped on it a little and slow back down and grinned at me again. Then he dropped the hammer as I pulled the 727 down to second and did the same! W-30 jumped me by 3/4's of a car then the 42Sick started to pull! I hit 3rd at 85 MPH and had the W-30 by a car! I looked in my rear view mirror and saw 2 trails of blue smoke that looked like a Jet Fighter afterburners had kicked in!  

I shut her down at 100 MPH as I was heading toward the bridge and W-30 never did catch up to me?  

Only thing wost than getting your ass kicked is getting your ass kicked by a smoking POS engine! I will add that was the last day I ever saw the W-30, must have been having is 455 rebuilt is my guess!

My bodyman spin on the story is the W-30 driver backed off because he could not see to drive!   Either way, a win is a win!  

By the way, later when the 426 was pulled it seems I had 4 sets of oil rings line up all most straight. That will do it, but boy it ran great!  

Cuda Ken

[cudaken]

 Bump

[mauve66]

not a Mopar story but to show that driving that first mopar (74 RR) trained me correctly............... or maybe i was just lucky................ naw, Mopars made me AWESOME!!!

setting:  Xmas 1987, Missouri, Hwy 20, 2 lane blacktop, eastbound (at 65+mph), 2 ft of snow on the ground (and still snowing heavily), no cell phone,

visibility: less than 1/4 mile (so pretty good.... right?)

vehicle: 1981 Camaro Z28, 350 ci, 4 BBl, Auto (yeah, yeah, i know, but Mopars were expensive in 1987-1988)

motivation: just wanted to see the rest of my relatives

Blackburn and Marshall, Mo are about 16 miles apart, home for the holidays, Dad says its too damn bad out there nobody else is going to dinner at my uncles house.  These old people don't realize i just drove 650+ miles for the holidays- i'm going to see everybody.

so off i go.  about halfway to Marshall the road flattens out so i don't have to worry about popping over a hill and finding someone sitting sideways in the road.  So i speed up from 55 (hey, that was the speed limit so i couldn't get a ticket for speeding officer) to 65+.  I haven't seen a car yet but there are some faint tracks in my lane, then i come up behind someone, doing about 20-30 maybe (takes longer to type this than catch him, so he was going damn slow) the smart person doesn't jamb on the brakes, the slightly nuts person just goes around them without slowing down.

oh wait.. no traffic coming (that's good), no tracks in oncoming lane (that's probably not good)

so come up on him and pass him (i guess its a him, hope its not the farmer who told my Dad my mishap at the traffic light in the rain-see previous posting, too scared at the moment to look to the right, probably not too smart to do that anyway.  Maybe i could have waved or something??  I'm sure he (they) didn't wave at me......   being the great humanitarian and courteous driver that i am, i make sure to stay in the oncoming lane until i'm several car lengths past him (don't want to blind him in the snow storm and all)

about the time i think it's ok to return to the eastbound lane the front of the car starts to drift to the right (that's good right??  i mean that's the way i want to go anyway.........)  uh, wait a minute, its trying to go due south, there's a barren corn field over there, and i'm sure there's a ditch between me and it, but i can't see it due to the snow being so deep (but i KNOW there's a ditch, i've been in it before-see previous posting)

at this time i can see the car behind me start to get a little squirrly, i'm guessing he's on the brakes 'cause he doesn't want to miss his dinner (damn brand X guy can't control his car)  What to do now??

of course this all happens in about 15-20 seconds (from the time i see the problem, well, i actually just saw a car in my lane, not actually a problem per se...)

so, what do i do??

mash the gas - what, you think i'm crazy??
mash the brakes - what, you think i'm crazy??
close my eyes - come on, then i couldn't see what was about to happen to me

so, i lift............. not something a cool 22 year old normally does but since i want to see my 23rd...............

the silence is eery (radio broken, snow so deep i don't here the exhaust)
we (me and the car are one with the universe now........... or soon will be with the ditch as a sidekick) just float along for what seems like eternity (only 5 secs or so) until the front end starts to come back to the left.  by now we are 10 car lengths in front of the other car and slowed down to 55 or so (see, i consistantly do the speed limit when conditions allow)

so, the car finally settles back into the westbound lane (we're still heading eastbound, i think, time stopped for a couple of seconds there.....).  By now i've accumulated a large patch of seat foam between my cheeks which makes driving at 65+ rather uncomfortable.  Being the intelligent person that i am (and not wanting the person behind me to get my license plate #) i settle on 45mph.  By the way, that other driver did stay on the road so i guess congrats to him also. We (the car and I-the ditch wan't paying rent so we kicked him to the curb, get it?? curb/ditch/side of the road??), anyway, WE made it without incident the rest of the trip.  

how did i get home you ask? well....... lets just say it took a little longer to go westbound, headwind and all, Kansas really blows............

Moral of the story: Xmas ham makes ya do what ya gotta do

[cudaken]

 OK, this is an embarrassing story.   What can I say, they happen!

A Round 1988

I had been getting a lot of chrome work done to the Road Runner. It had been sidelined for oh a month. I had been waiting for around 3 weeks on the rear bumper to come back from the chrome plating shop. It finally came in on a Friday afternoon!   Great I get to hit Madison Ave and cruses some!  

After I closed the Body Shop I went to install the bumper but I Could not find where I had put the rear bumper bolts?   Well, I dug around in the bolt bind and found some nuts the right sizes and tread and some washers. I think I only found 2, but hey I was young and dumb,and they used way to many and way right?    

Hit the Ave and cruised some, nothing noteworthy go on so I decided to hit Stake and Shake. Pulled in the lot real slow so the 426 Maxie cam was sounding way cool. Had to let the Bow Tie and Blue Oval folks there was a Nasty Mopar on the lot. Backed into my stall, order a shake and pooped the hood.  

Had more than a few from the opposing camps to come over and take a look to see what was under the hood! One guy with a rear nice 429 Boss looked and said to me I never thought I see that motor under the hood!  

Time to hit the streets and find some praey. Shut the hood and fired up Miss Lumpy. Most of the eyes where on me as I pulled out of the parking lot.   Got to Madison Ave and when I turned right I dropped the hammer! Tires went up in smoke and the F&^%ING rear bumper fell off the car!   It was laying right where all the people at the Stake and Shake could still see it! I sure in the hell did not want to go back to pick it up, but it had my plate on it! To say the folks where there ass off was a understatement !

Talk about the walk of shame when I went back to pick it up!  

Cuda Ken

[Lord Warlock]

Off duty cop story:

Spent a Saturday afternoon watching one of my girlfriends play softball against a team in downtown Pensacola florida,  it was about a 15 mile drive home, did it in record time in the charger, doing mostly 20 to 30 mph over the limit the whole way, reached the turnoff the main road into my parents neighborhood, and slowed down to the speed limit, roughly 25-30mph, after going through two intersections with a roll thru stop I came up on the 3rd, which I intended to turn right, I had swung to my left to cut it hard right around the turn, but as I looked to make sure no traffic, I saw a 76 or so el camino driving dead center in the residential road, I was not in a position to stop as I was going about 20 to 25 still, so I made a quick decision to blast thru in front of the guy, I floored the charger, which was happily running some nice Amoco white gas, or 98 octane fuel, so the 440 was happy happy, the charger took the queue and promptly broke both tires loose smoking the tires through the intersection right in front of the El Camino.  Mind you, I easily cleared the intersection without a danger of getting hit, but it was also not something I would intentionally do in my own neighborhood, so after clearing the intersection, I slowed back down to 30mph...the El camino turned right behind me, so not wanting a confrontation, I took the first right turn, the el camino turned behind me again, now i'm suspicious that I may have pissed off some old guy  in the neighborhood, so I take 2 or three more evasive maneuver turns to see if he's following me, or just heading his own way, after 2 more turns I realize the el camino guy is intentionally trying to stay on my bumper.  Now in the past, I'd been followed and threatened by other people and had no intention of putting myself in that spot again, so I did what any other 18 year old kid would do, I sped up to 60mph in the neighborhood and tried to put some distance between us,  the el camino hung on like a mongoose on a snake as we went through about 4 or 5 more turns in the neighborhood at speed heading toward the main 2 lane road out of the residential zone, never had anyone stick with me that close before, I mean I couldn't see the headlights of his grill in my rear view mirror, couldn't focus on the driver too much but knew what he drove.  

I come up on the 2 lane road, a fairly wide road that ran between two residential areas, speed limit was 45 there, but I was gonna exceed that a bit, I turned right with an el camino sucking my tailpipes, I floored it, and the charger squatted in the back and took off like a rocket, instantly putting 5 or 6 car lengths between us.  Normally I would have turned left to head out toward the airport...a route I took every morning while delivering papers. But traffic on the other side of the road did not provide the space to make a hard left at 70mph, so kept the pedal down and kept going straight, the el camino was no longer in sight but I still needed distance to feel safe so kept going about a half mile until I reached a treacherous slow gradual right hand curve in the road, where the road surface leaned to the left, multiple times i'd heard of folks losing control in that area and rolling their cars, so I smartly decided to slow down while the car in front of me still blocked my progress and speed down to about 45,  about halfway thru this gradual sweeping turn, the El Camino finally catches up to me, pulls up in the other lane beside me, and waves me off the road.  Dejected but not defeated, I decide to endure the irate neighbor, and pull off the road onto the shoulder (grass) slam the brakes and promptly tear up 4 tires worth of grass leaving skid type marks in the grass shoulder.  The El camino pulls up behind me.  I have nothing else to do, so leaning against the car looking back at the chaser so I'm watching him pull off stop then shut off his car and open his door.  I notice he's got black shoes...so what lots of old people wear black dress shoes, then he has black pants, ok still plenty of professional types wear black pants....then a black shirt....i'm thinking oh crap....only cops, and I mean city cops wear black uniforms.  The old guy is Livid, his face is beet red and he's so angry he can't put a sentence together, i'm nervous now, and worried about jail time as I broke at least 8 or 9 traffic laws in about 5 minutes there, I could lose my license for a year or more for one offense.  As he walks up with steam coming out of his ears (at least it seemed that way) I apologize for my actions, and tried to explain why I did what I did, but he wasn't going to listen to excuses.  He finally calms down enough to talk and tells me that while he knows I broke laws, he was off duty, didn't have his ticket book with him, and never was behind me long enough to get a speed reading on his speedometer (can't look at speed and take turns at 60+ I guess), he writes down my name and drivers license number, and my tag number, and tells me that while he can't ticket me now, what he can do is put a warrant out on my car, so every time any other cop sees me, they'll attempt to give me a ticket.  He tells me to slow the  f down and go home, and I do, after all I have work the next day.  Go home scared shitless that my dad is gonna find out, no one was called, no one knows anything, but i'm jumpy like I'd had 8 cups of coffee.  I get to sleep, get up the next day and continue on with life as normal.  

On my paper route the next day, I get a chance to see if the officer's promise of a warrant is true or not, I'm driving the speed limit....very careful not to break any laws, using blinkers, making full stops, and staying at least 3 mph under the speed limits, I see a cop with some woman off the side of the road, as I go by, sure enough he tosses her license to her, runs to his car, and catches up to me, following me close and just waiting for me to screw up...I don't give him a reason to pull me over, and after about 10 minutes he gives up and lets me go.  This situation gets repeated 3 or 4 more times in a two week time frame, I'm paranoid big time and i'm driving like I have my grandmother in my car with me.  Finally after about two weeks the constant police attention stops and they start leaving me alone.  I start feeling normal and gradually start returning to my normal driving ways, but am still ultra aware of cops around me.  City cops I had to watch out for, county cops didn't seem to care (which was good because I was dating the daughter of a Sr Ranking county cop, who was in charge of the local swat team. Didn't want him finding out of my "episode".  

[Lord Warlock]

Another week goes by, and my 18th birthday rolls around, a bunch of friends throw a keg party out at the beach for me and two others that shared the same birthday.  As usual, anyone that hears about a keg party shows up,  I don't drink beer at that age, but I do drink Jack Daniels and sprite, and had a full pint before the party started getting out of hand with a bunch of underage drinkers showing up.  I'm way too drunk to drive but I also don't want to be around when the cops show up (county cops rule the beaches) so I climb into the charger, fire it up and slowly move out on the two lane road, looking for an empty parking lot to sleep it off before I head home.  I find a lot, pull off, park the car, and as I shut off the headlights, I notice I can still see the dunes in front of me, but they are glowing a combo of colors, red and blue...took me a second to look behind me, sure enough a county cop is back there with his lights on.  I have no idea how long he's been there or how long he'd been following me, I was only driving about 100 yards so couldn't have done much wrong.  The cop is fairly friendly, looks at my license and wishes me a happy birthday (legal age to drink back then was 18) and I explain I was just looking for a safe place to sleep it off, he tells me to come sit in his car, says I made the right choice and once he gets a response back from wants and warrants, he'll let me go sleep it off...  (Wants and Warrants...that doesn't sound good...Knowing I had a warrant open for about 3 weeks) evidently Friday night was a very busy night, he doesn't get a call back,  he calls it in again...we wait...exchange small talk about cars, and where we went to school etc...and again he doesn't get a response back,  he tries a 3rd time  and after 5 minutes gives up, tells me to get back in my car, and move down to the next parking lot, as the one i'm in has broken concrete and would probably give me a flat if I stayed here... I pointed out that I was a bit tipsy and he shrugs and says most folks out at night on a Friday are more than slightly drunk, just stay on the road another 50 yards and turn off.  I follow his directions explicitly.  I shut down the car, toss my keys in the back seat, crack open the windows and pass out splayed across the front seat. (its about 12pm) at 2:30am, I wake up feeling much more sober and able to get home without killing anyone.  So drive slowly toward the house. 

Have other cop stories, maybe i'll post one of those up in a day or so. 

[Mopar Nut]

Here's mine, my first mopar.

It was in the late eighties, I was driving down a country road the sky was clear. The temp. was 94 degrees humidity 95%, hotter than you know where. I passed a old shut down gas station, weeds everywhere and lots of old cars. That's when I seen it, out of the corner of my eye a bright orange car. At the time I was driving my new Chrysler Conquest, a bright electric blue. I instantly turned around to check this crazy colored car out at this run down operation. As soon as I parked, a short 5'9" older gentleman came up to me. He asked what he could do for me as he was carrying his shotgun. I asked what he intended to do with these old cars, if they were for sale or what. He told me everything was for sale, even the line of old Harley's. He explained the place was a gas station at one time turned into a service station only later on. I looked around the junk yard like place looking for any Fisher (GM) type bodies (442's). I headed up front to where I seen that orange car, a 70 Dodge Challenger. The guy told me that the car had been sitting in that spot since 1971. The owner of the car towed it into this shop because he could not get it started. The mechanic replaced the timing chain, spark plug wires, cap, rotor and points. The car had no rust, black inside black top with a huge 318 2 bbl center console. The owner had died in war, leaving the car with the shop owner. I asked the shop mechanic if the car was for sale, this was before he told me the story. He said what about $400.00, what he had in it. The bank had a lien on the car from the owner original loan (long story on getting the title, but very easy). I picked the car up, had it towed to my house to get her running. I bought polishing compound to bring the paint back, which it did. I worked on the engine for about two hours, figure out the starting problem. The distributor had a nylon gear with a pin holding it on that was broken. The shop owner wanted me to bring the car by when I got it running, so I did. He could not believe the paint was the same original orange when I bought it. It did look like I just painted it. He asked what it took to get it running, he just nodded his head after I told him. Two years later I sold the car, I was moving out of state and could only drive one car. I picked my brand new Toyota Supra turbo, loved that car, but it was a mistate. Here's one of my Mopar stories.  

[cudaken]

Thanks for the post guys! Far as the Z story , well I did have a IROC Z-28 and a SS Mote Carlo as my company car's when I had a career! 

Next story pleases.

Cuda Ken

[Finn]

This story I was old enough to know better but still young/dumb enough to try it.

I was in my ram and leaving my girl's house at about 2:30am  . Her house was off the main street that runs from one side of town to the other. Its completely empty as I pulled up to the stop sign. I doubled check my left and right, not a headlight nor taillight in sight.
There's a little bit of rain coming down...
I'm in a truck...

You probably know where this is going.


I whipped that truck into the street completely sideways, gracefully sliding across 4 lanes and expertly landing it in the lane I want. I'm talking drift-king status.
I then casually proceeded to the next light, chuckling to myself about how I haven't done that in years "awhile". As I stopped for the red. I noticed there was suddenly a pair of headlights in my rear-view mirror, right up on my ass. Huh, that's weird, the street was deserted a second ago...

The light turned green and I started to go...then the my cab lit up in flashes of red white and blue.
My heart instantly goes to panic attack mode but my mind keeps telling me "heyyyyy don't even worry about it, you're not getting a ticket". How I knew this, I do not know.

I pull over and the officer gets out of this car. I don't think Ive ever seen a less-amused facial expression in my life.

He shines a flashlight in my face and asks me if Ive been drinking.

"No, Sir".

"What happened back there".

"Lost control of the truck in the rain, Sir".

His face:


"Mmmhmm. License and registration".

He goes and runs my license then comes back.

"I looked at your tires, you've got plenty of tread left so it wasn't the truck, it was you. Slow down and have a good night".

That was the one and only time (to date) in my life Ive been pulled over and not given a ticket. I still have no idea where he was hiding along the stretch of street. He shall forever be known to me as ninja-cop.

[cudaken]

 Charger Story! Around 1992, I was in my thirty's at the time.

I was coming back from KC Kansas in the 69 Charger R/T with 2.76 sure grip gears. At the time the Charger was painted Plum Crazy, Black Top, Black R/T strip, Chrome Tips, and Road Wheels. She loved the interstate with the 2:76's!  

Speed limit at the time was 55 MPH, well I was doing 58 MPH so I was trying to be good.   I was listening to the radio when when Golden Earring  came on playing Radar Love. I started tapping on the steering wheel to the beat and really started to get into the song! Slowly the old speedo needle started to climb!

Right as the song ended I saw I was doing 80 MPH, then I looked in the rear view mirror come up fast (say 1/4 mile) was a Kansas State Trooper so I pulled over. Younger trooper came up and ask for my paperwork and head to his car to write the ticket.   Well I was speeding, so what was I going to say, Radar Love made me do it?

Few minutes later his backup pulled in front of my Charger. Got out of his squad car, put on his Smokey Bear hat, sunglasses and started looking over the Charger. He was a older Trooper say in his 50's. After looking over the Charger twice, he walks up to the driver side door and looks at me and say's Your In A Hep Of Trouble Here Boy! We both busted out laughing at the same time!      

Well, I did not get out of a ticket! But the older trooper did talk to the younger one. When I got the ticket, I could see 80 Mph had been crossed out and 65 was in its places.   That I could live with!  

After the your guy pulled away, older trooper told me they had like 5 cars waiting for me at exits because the younger trooper thought I was going to run.

Cuda Ken  

[Old Moparz]

Not a racing story but it is Mopar related. 

When I was using my old Plymouth convertible as my everyday car, I had to work on it weekends to make sure it would get me to work on Monday. It wasn't always a repair to keep it running & driving, sometimes it was just something I wanted to do like add a stereo, or in this case, remove the old worn out carpet & put a new one in.

Anyway, I had all the seats out one Saturday to do this when my girlfriend at the time pulled up in her car. She was telling me that something was wrong with the car so I took a look. I don't recall what was wrong at the time, but whatever it was I had to remove the part & bring it with me to the auto parts store to get another one.

That meant we couldn't use her car & had to use mine. Well, I had all the seats out & would never get them back in the car in time to make it to the auto parts store before it closed. That left me the option of going to the backyard & grabbing 2 lawn chairs off the patio & putting them in the car so we could get to the store.

I was fine since I had the steering wheel to hold onto, but my girlfriend was kind of rocking & rolling on all the turns & clung to the dash board so she wouldn't tip over. We made it to the store, got the part for her car, then headed back to fix it. On the way, a police officer must have decided that I was guilty of something & pulled me over. My papers were legal & I don't think I broke any laws, but I do remember being lectured on the unsafe use of a lawn chair.....LOL Good thing this was long before mandatory seatbelt laws.

Oh, & the girl I was with back then must have thought the lawn chairs in a ragtop was hot because she's my wife now. 

I've had this car since 1984 & my daughter loves it.

[cudaken]

Thanks for sharing! 

[cudaken]

 Cuda Story!

Here is my 1970 Cuda.

http://s83.photobucket.com/user/cudaken/media/Charger%20Site/3d9d258c-639e-487e-a8aa-d8de864abd80_zpse9b31927.jpg.html]

Original hockey stick, goo wing car. Was loaded pretty well, could have used a Hemi but that was about it. 383 was warmed over with Eddy DB4 intake, headers, 750 Holley electric fuel pump 2800 stall, nasty 727 and 3:23 sure grip. It was a very mild and fun to drive daily driver when the photo was taken. I use to drive it to my shops on a daily bases back then.

One of my shop manager (Gary) had got a good deal on a 89 Formal 350 Fire-bird, only had 23,000 miles on it. This was the first performances car that Gary ever had and kept telling me how fast it was. In fact he finally started saying that he wanted to races me in the Cuda and he would put the Wood to me! Well, I just let it slid. This went on for months.

One day on the way to Gary shop guess who pulled up next to me at a light? Yep, Gary in his Fire Chicken. Gary started revving the Fire Chicken like he wanted to play. Now, by then my Street racing days where well behind me. Besides Gary was 85% mouth anyway.  

But being a old street racer, old habits die hard. I brought the Cuda up to 2200 RPM's against the converter and started watching the lights on the other side of the ones we where facing. Normally after the apposing yellow light had been of a few seconds I would drop the hammer to cut a good light.

Like I said Gary is normally all mouth. Last thing I wanted to do was take off like a bat out of hell and have him just drive away normally just to have him say "He wanted to take it easy on the boss".

Our light turn green and I waited. Finally the Fire Chicken was moving with Gary Smiling at me! I Dropped the hammer, converter flashed and off the Cuda went! By the time Gary was across the intersection I was beside him. When I hit 45 MPH had him by a car and shut her down. 45 MPH was the speed limit anyway.

After we got the shop open I asked Gary where is the Baseball Bat?  

Few months later Gary was selling the Fire Bird and I bought it. Told me now you have a Man's Car! Told him no, it was a girl's car and my wife need a new car. Sue drove the car for years, bugged the heck out of Gary!

Cuda Ken

[cudaken]

 Bump

[JB400]

OUCH!!!!!!!!!!! That hurt!!!

[cudaken]

 OK, guess I will try to kick start this post again.

Car 1968 Road Runner

Year, 1969

Driver, my Mother!

When my Step Dad bought the 68 Road Runner he got by with it because he told Mon he was buying it for her! Yea Dad, Mon was not a Richard Petty Fan. Only thing Mon knew about cars at that point was Dad uses to race stock cars. There is a key word, Stock She like the color of her new car. Thought the Road Runner cartoon on the door was cute and so was the Beep Beep Horn.

Dad did get a few extra options on the Road Runner, 727 column shift (yuck), deluxe interior with bench seat, AM Radio, 3:23 Sure Grip ( on the sure grip), deluxe rear finishes panel and hubcaps? I sure could have lived with out the hubcaps! Other than the fact it had fake hood scoops and it was a 2 door Road Runner, it was a pretty plain looking car.

One day when I was riding with Mom (around 13) we where at a stop light and a sweet looking 68 Road Runner pulled up beside us. It was White, Hood Scoop Black Out, Bucket Seats, Magnum Road Wheels and Chrome Exhaust Tips!   Boy I wished Dad and ordered ours that way!      

Other Road Runner was on Moms side. Driver rolled down the passenger side window and yelled over Is It Stock? Keyword again is Stock! Moms answer is No, it is not Stock, it came this way!

I was so dam embarrassed I dam near crawled under the heater box!  Guy in the cool Road Runner just smiled, light turn green and drove off. I am sure he was lol his ass off! Mom had no idea why I was embarrassed? To her the word Stock was a Stock Car like Dad use to races, so it meant Race Car.  

Have a few other Mom in the Road Runner stories for later. Mom did get a heavy foot as she got use to driving. Yep, Road Runner was her first car!

Cuda Ken

[Cooter]

Mopar story??

1988. Wrecked first car. 1967 Plymouth.
Bought 1965 Plymouth. Wrecked it by hitting my mother on Interstate in 1986 Caravan on way to college.
Fixed 1965. Built 340 with tunnel ram and raced local 'king sh*t on turd mtn" guy with 1968 chevelle in college.
Beat Chevelle guy.
Came back home with win under belt, made faithful mistake of trying out my brothers nearly stock 69 440 Charger R/T.
Got ass handed to me bad.
Blew up 340. Sold 65. Last small block I ever built.now only build 440s.
Watched brother sell off everything he has.