Old, Old timers. When you where Bad, what did yours look like?

[Old Moparz]

Two bad we did not have good cameras back in the 80's.

                                                    Cuda Ken

I had a Polaroid "Pronto" camera that was a $29 version of the SX-70, but took even crappier pics than just bad pics. The damn film cost almost as much as the camera if you bought 2 packs. I wish I had the hindsight to take a lot more pics of my cars than I did. It seemed that I thought I'd always have the time to take pics later & waited. I also felt that I'd take pics of the car "after" i did some more work to it, & that usually never happened. When I met my wife, she had a REAL camera, a 35 mm Minolta with wide angle lenses, filters, zoom lens & more. It was manual everything, so once I learned how to use it I started taking a lot of pics at shows & the track. By then, my Charger really looked like crap, so I don't have any pics of it. There are a few of other cars, but I'll have to scan them later if I remember.

Here's one from around 1980 I think. Someone I knew had a really, really, really, old Polaroid camera that you had to time the picture before you peeled it open, & then apply a fluid to it to protect it. This shot was taken in Greenwich Village. I love the fact it's in black & white, it adds some charm to the car. I left it entirely stock with curtains, hubcaps, rollers in the floor & the glass partition.  

[Charger_Fan]

Ken, that's an awesome story!
Ok, so that explains the RR, now I'm wondering when a Cuda comes into the picture...seeing that's your screen name & all...where's the Cuda,,,Ken?


This was my street bruiser in 1983. If I've already told you guys about my truck, stop me.
1966 F100 Custom Cab 352, 4-speed & 9" rear.
When I first got it, the original 352 was in pieces in the bed. I put it back together at 16, with no previous engine knowlege under my belt, only what I read in magazines.
I spun a rod bearing about a year later.

So, after it sat for most of the next year with a dead engine, my high school auto shop teacher (yep, I decided I'd better study up) found me a deal on a 390 from a 70 station wagon someone was gonna haul to the crusher. I snagged it.
I threw it in there along with a set of Hookers & a 4 barrel intake & MAN DID THAT SUCKER FLY! I couldn't believe an engine that strong came out of a rusty wagon.

Summer of '83 here.



I took on anybody...I got spanked a bit, but I held my own more than I got spanked.
I blew up all sorts of stuff in this old truck, most of it driveline related. I went though about 6 u-joints, until I found some solid ones...then I broke yokes, twisted drivelines & actually scattered the ring gear from my 9" in the middle of the street one day.

Ok, this story is not something I would recommend to anybody today, especially the youngsters. I'm damned lucky to have lived through nights like this...and especially without taking out some innocent person, so you young guys plug your ears.

One night, I was racing some guy in a black 69 Mach-1, going flat out on a 4 lane street...we were door to door at over 100. I looked ahead (way ahead) to see the light at the intersection changing to yellow, got off the gas & on the brakes...it wouldn't stop!!!! I'm standing on the pedal as hard as I could, while frantically down shifting & it's slowly slowing down...the traffic ahead had already started going for their green light.
I got it slowed to about 25 by the time I came to the intersection, I saw an opening in traffic, took a big breath & took a hard right onto that street, where I pulled over at the next parking lot opening to clean out my shorts.

After I gathered my wits, I drove directly home. On the way, I noticed my brakes were absolutely horrible & the pedal was pulsing...hmmm.
The next morning I found out that I had cracked my right front drum in 2 places & the pulsing was actually the drum surface flapping as I applied the brakes...WOOPS!

So I did a disc brake swap.
The guy who did the alignment gets it on the rack, sticks his head under there to start adjusting & pops back out with a big WTF are these brakes doing here?? hehe

Sorry, that was kinda long winded.

I still have the truck, although it's in about 110 pieces.    Here it is, before the trip to the alignment shop.
Man, I need a scanner.

[Charger_Fan]

6Pk, do you know if your convertible is still around?

[Mefirst]

You old guys ROCK

[cudaken]

You old guys ROCK

Well we use to rock, now I sort of wobble but don't fall down. Well not that often

Here is a good PIC of the dump on the right side. Runner is all one color again in this PIC.

[Johnny SixPack]

I gotta ask, Ken, is that some sort of wing deal back behind the RR?

[Plumcrazy]

Circa 1973

[cudaken]

Ken, that's an awesome story!
Ok, so that explains the RR, now I'm wondering when a Cuda comes into the picture...seeing that's your screen name & all...where's the Cuda,,,Ken?

Fan when I first found the old site there was a person the called him self Charger Ken so that was taken. Will add he nere posted. Road Runner Ken was just to long. But Cuda Ken sounded just right.

                                          Cuda Ken

[Johnny SixPack]

I knew I saw a wing in there!

[cudaken]

 Formula_440, what do you think it is? Another dream that was crushed by life. I was this close, but life got in the way again.

Here is a nother PIC from long ago and I was bad to the bone and could find it

Miss Cuda Ken.

Funny story, when I first meet her she was married but was going threw the courts to take care of that probem. I was 17 and she was 22, I was doing real good She sort thought she had a clue about cars, but well look at the jugs and take it from there

We where on a date and in the Runner. I got sick and she had to drive the Runner home. At the time she had a 69 had a Detla 88 with a 455, she knew that much. On the way home her husband happen to be sitting at the stop light we where at. He was all so a car guy, Ford . Well Miss Cuda Ken did not want him to see her with me. Using her brains in her bara her logic was "he only has a 383, my car as a 455, I push down half way I go fast! With his being smaller (engine F--kers) I can floor it and move just as fast as mine"! She nailed it, smoked the hides for 25 feet and all most caught a tree with my bumper. Yank the Runner wheel just in time to keep that from happing and forgot I was sick.

Think her now X noted what happen Yep he did, he was 26 as well and knew my Runner as well. Thank God he was only 5'8 and I was 6'4. He did back down

[warlock]

Cool stories Ken. Rest of you too.
When we were running around there was no such thing as excessive tire noise. Most of our hot cars were home grown like cudaken's. Mine was a 56 Ford with a Buick Wildcat 401 in it. It was pretty fast, but you couldn't wind her up too high or she'd blow. I graduated to a 63 Dart that I put a 383 Magnum in from a rolled over 70 Superbee. It would put most competitors under, but there were still a few faster. I don't have any pictures of either of them handy though.
One of the craziest things we would do is play follow the leader. Boy were we dumb. One guy would start out from a parking lot where we were hanging and try to lose anyone who was following him. We would be bumper to bumper, 50, 80 or even 100+ mph. Dark out, or light, just following the taillights in front of us. We were lucky, no mishaps. Thinking about it now gives me the chills. What were we thinking?

[BigBlackDodge]

Maybe not so old to some.............but it was 20 years at least.

My first b-body. 318/904. Drove it out of the salvage yard for 600 bucks. Turns out the former owner could not pay for the repairs (600 bucks) that the salvage yard owner had done to it. It sat around for a year or two before I got it.

What other mopars can you pick out in the background?

The guy had tons of mopar stuff..................the garage and yard have been long cleared out now..............all gone. Chargers, Road Runners, Satellites, Challengers and an occasional Imperial here and there


BBD

[TruckDriver]

This is my first Mopar car. I got it around '84-'85. I grew up with Chevys and Fords. I had a '74 Nova before getting this that was set up to run the quarter mile. I did a lot of street racing with it til I lost my drivers licence cause of it. I knew of this car about 2 years prior to getting it. I used to see it out of town sitting without a rear end in it sitting up on blocks. One day I was gettting gas and visiting with a girl I knew, and her boy friend pulled into the gas station with this car. I knew him as well, and I looked over the Aspen and fell in love with it. I told him if he ever wanted to sell it, to ask me first. Now fast forward a year or so later, after I lost my licence. I was looking for something with a smaller, slower motor then the built 327 my Nova had. I ran into my old friend again one day told him my Nova was up for sale. He said "really, I wanna get rid of the Dodge you liked" (he was a big GM guy anyway). He said the tranny was out of the Aspen so he would consider a reasonable offer. I asked him if he would consider a even up trade if he would put a good used tranny in the Aspen. He said "deal!". I got the Aspen with about 125,000 on the 318 2bbl. Over the 11 years I had it, I racked up 200,000 miles on the 318 with no rebuild, just a timing chain around 190,000 miles. I drove the car hard, thus, I also had to replace a tranny and a rear end once. When I did the rear end, I took a 9-1/4 Sure-Grip out of a '84 Dodge Diplomat cop car. Wasn't the fastest car, but it could hold it's own. Ecspecially against ricers   I ended up selling it around '95 because it needed a engine rebuild and I couldn't afford it at the time   I'm still mad at myself for getting rid of it. It was 1 of 628 of ALL '78 Aspens built with the Spectrum interiour. The Spectrum interiour was black cloth with white viynl seat/door panels that had red, yellow, & orange stripes between the cloth & viynl. If I remember right, someone once told me, less then 95 Apsen R/Ts got that interiour treatment. And less then that were console cars like mine. I sold the car to a guy that told me he planned on restoring the car, but I have never seen it again

The first pic is shortly after I got it. I put the slots on it (had Rallye wheels) as well as the fog lights. Fog lights seemed to be a "in" thing around the early '80s where I lived.

The second pic is one I took about 3 weeks before I sold it. I had cheap J.C. Whitney headers on it with a cheap exhaust that liked to hang down as you can see. I also had a correct R/T grille installed.

[Charger_Fan]

Those 5 slots look pretty good on that car!

Thanks for the Cuda explanation, Ken. I remember seeing pics of that Cuda before, but forgot whose it was.

[mustanghater]

one of those just came to the junkyard out here. Took a header into a ravine and rolled.

[Charger_Fan]

one of those just came to the junkyard out here. Took a header into a ravine and rolled.

One of those...what? Who ya talkin' to?


See that little quote button up there? Yep, it's your friend.

[cudaken]

 Ok, Cammed 2 up and figuer another Cuda Ken story is in order.

My Father inlaw Ed was, well in to the 50's car stuff. This is around 82 and Runner was in her prime. His 1951 Ford F-1 Pick up would not start. He got a ride to where we lived and wanted a jump for his junk, Story in its own right and more than likely will get to it sooner or later Anyway Eddie never ever under stood why the Runner sounded like a can full of rocks at idle. Keept telling me there was something wrong with the engine.

I lived in a apartment complex called Mohawk Hills in Carmel Ind at the time and it was big. We lived toward the back then and was a good 5 minute drive at 10 MPH. All the time Eddie was telling me the Runner was running like Sh-t, that (like to talk with his hands and was 60 at the time) and a good car should sound like a sewing machine. Keept telling him my Runner was not made be Singer and it was running great.

Made it on to a 4 lane called Keystone and I had had it with Eddie telling me what a POS my car was. Pulled out and at 15 MPH and nailed her, went side ways to about 45 degress. Got her straight and banged second and about 25 degress got her straight and backed off at 65, speed limt. Looked over at Eddie and had a death gripp on the dash pad. Never said a word again about the Runner ran like sh-t. I still miss him.

                                   Cuda Ken

                                   

[472 R/T SE]

This is prolly one of those times it's a good thing my new scanner isn't working.

I'll work on the pile.  At least the old one worked.

[8WHEELER]

OK OK I will let us be called old timers but we are not........ ok we are  

This crappy scan was 1980, same car I still got, ran 12.80's on stock tires on 5.5in wide magnums
not to bad for a car I drove the high school then college starting in 1980.

Then me, 1985, 6'1'' 298 pounds lots of wieght lifting and football. Damn I wish I could still walk  
Well do I look like a nerd??

Dan

[Brock Samson]

 why, not at all,.. 

[Ghoste]

With all the other style choices available in 1985?   No, you could have went with one of those Breakfast Club preppy looks.

[Charger4404spd]

My high school ride. Lots of good times in this one.

[Plumcrazy]

OK OK I will let us be called old timers but we are not........ ok we are  

We are...............mature

[Johnny SixPack]

OK OK I will let us be called old timers but we are not........ ok we are  

We are...............mature

Nah, you're just PCIBB

"Previously Clad In Bell Bottoms"

[69_500]

Keep the stories coming guys. this is very entertaining.