I was the person I now hate...teenagers that butchered mopars in the 80's

[AKcharger]

Everytime I curse the "idiots" who molested cars I'm reminded of myself when I was 16 with my 1st charger back in '81. Looking through old pictures I'm reminded of my sins;

- Removing and trashing the HP exhaust manifolds
- Removing and trashing the Dual Snorkel air cleaner in favor of a cool chrome one
- Painting engine bay black
- Attempting to do a disk brake conversion...then after failing to get the spindles off, just drove it with the drums minus any shoes or guts   and relying only on the rear brakes to stop (I could spend a day about that adventours from that one!)
- Hacking up the wire harness and dash for my killer $60 AM/FM cassette deck
- Messing up the front bumper by using the wrong type tow bar
- Attempting to make it a "high boy" by cranking the torsion bars up as high as they'd go and filling the air shocks

If I had a time machine I'd go back and slap my 16 Y/O self in the face as hard as I could!

[Old Moparz]

Everytime I curse the "idiots" who molested cars I'm reminded of myself when I was 16 with my 1st charger back in '81. Looking through old pictures I'm reminded of my sins;

- Removing and trashing the HP exhaust manifolds
- Removing and trashing the Dual Snorkel air cleaner in favor of a cool chrome one
- Painting engine bay black
- Attempting to do a disk brake conversion...then after failing to get the spindles off, just drove it with the drums minus any shoes or guts   and relying only on the rear brakes to stop (I could spend a day about that adventours from that one!)
- Hacking up the wire harness and dash for my killer $60 AM/FM cassette deck
- Messing up the front bumper by using the wrong type tow bar
- Attempting to make it a "high boy" by cranking the torsion bars up as high as they'd go and filling the air shocks

If I had a time machine I'd go back and slap my 16 Y/O self in the face as hard as I could!

I'm guilty of those two as well, but I also hacked up the woodgrain, SE radio bezel for mine.

Also tossed a decent bench seat with headrests into a dumpster after installing C-Body power bucket seats in my convertible. I don't miss sitting on it, but I see rough cores sell for as much as I paid for the car.    

[nvrbdn]

well, alot of us older guys were involved in the era. i threw away a set of 68 road wheels to put a set of cragers on the car. yep, i put hood pins in. yep i put truck leaf springs on to lift the back up. yep i went for the air cleaner swap. we were living in a day where these things were basically throw away transportation. drive the crap out of it and when it gets close to death, sell it to a kid for a couple hundred bucks and get something else. thats the way it was.we, the recievers of these cheap autos had the ability to swap parts to make it your own. no one was saying anything about originality. preserve what? they are just a car. no one back then knew what cars would become. it would have been nice to know the future, but i enjoyed my car. it was what we were doing to the cars in those days. its what the kids of today are doing to their cars now. so dont beat yourself up for enjoying it then, and enjoy it today however you have evolved in the sport.

[squeakfinder]

   Halfass sanding job on paint that wasn't that bad and then spraybombing it with 20 cans of primer.

   How about those bumper jacks. We used to throw those away and replace them with bottle jacks.

[PA Dodger]

Everytime I curse the "idiots" who molested cars I'm reminded of myself when I was 16 with my 1st charger back in '81. Looking through old pictures I'm reminded of my sins;

- Hacking up the wire harness and dash for my killer $60 AM/FM cassette deck

If I had a time machine I'd go back and slap my 16 Y/O self in the face as hard as I could!

Was it a Kraco or a Craig?

I'm now restoring my Charger that I started with back in the mid 80s. I "fixed" it all up back when I was in my teens. I now find myself thinking "What were you thinking?" A little more time spent putting the speakers in the package tray would have saved me a lot of repair work now.

[Mytur Binsdirti]

Everytime I curse the "idiots" who molested cars I'm reminded of myself when I was 16 with my 1st charger back in '81. Looking through old pictures I'm reminded of my sins;

- Removing and trashing the HP exhaust manifolds
- Removing and trashing the Dual Snorkel air cleaner in favor of a cool chrome one
- Painting engine bay black
- Attempting to do a disk brake conversion...then after failing to get the spindles off, just drove it with the drums minus any shoes or guts   and relying only on the rear brakes to stop (I could spend a day about that adventours from that one!)
- Hacking up the wire harness and dash for my killer $60 AM/FM cassette deck
- Messing up the front bumper by using the wrong type tow bar
- Attempting to make it a "high boy" by cranking the torsion bars up as high as they'd go and filling the air shocks

If I had a time machine I'd go back and slap my 16 Y/O self in the face as hard as I could!

Recite 7 Hail Marys, 5 Acts of Contrition, 4 Our Fathers, and bless yourself with the cross 84 times and all will be forgiven.

[mauve66]

yeah, but what we did our senior year of high school is considered VINTAGE now, might sell for more than a stock restored one.................
wow, i just said that 1984 was vintage, damn i'm getting old

[Cooter]

Sh*t, I'm still doing half those things and lovin' it. Currently removing the numbers matching 318/904 from the Challenger and replacing with a 440/4-speed. Hacked the floorpan to install the 4-speed, Removed the numbers matching Auto brake pedal in favor of Clutch pedals from Brewer's...

Oh, and since it's an A/C car, I'm currently removing the numbers matching/date coded A/C V-2 Compressor in favor of a more lighter sanden unit. Gonna hack the factory A/C lines in order to make them fit the newer compressor too.

Removed the factory 14" steelies with hubacps and installed a set of incorrect Rallye wheels. Removed the numbers matching 1/4 panels to install aftermarket panels. Hacked the dash to install my Tac.

Like I said, Lovin' it.

[Ghoste]

Don't slap your 16 year old self AK, go find some 16 year old ricer with his hat on backwards and pants halfway down his ass and slap him instead.

[triple_green]

air shocks, glasspacks, aftermarket 8 track, traction bars (but no sure-grip) and chrome under the hood here.

[crankypat]

   WELL WE ALL DID SOMETHING STUPID BACK THEN.....LESSONS LEARNED>>>>PRICELESS.............

[myk]

Live and learn, brother.  But...I happen to like my black engine bay and my bottle jack....

[AKcharger]

Don't slap your 16 year old self AK, go find some 16 year old ricer with his hat on backwards and pants halfway down his ass and slap him instead.

hmmm I wouldn't need a time machine for that...

Was fun...the Mrs liked it too, (HS sweetheart back then)

[1974dodgecharger]

Live and learn, brother.  But...I happen to like my black engine bay and my bottle jack....

same here the black engine bay...I see nothing wrong with?? Am i missing something?

[myk]

Yeah, I intentionally told the body shop to NOT paint my engine bay body color, but black instead.  I know that's a GM thing, but just like Chrysler's ammeter design I was like, "WTF are you guys thinking?"

[BrianShaughnessy]

Then do what I did!!!!  Go find your old car... buy it back for 14X what you sold it for...   then instead of trying to slap yourself silly about wtf you did back then...  you can facepalm yourself everyday about why you bought it back and hope it gets done before you go bankrupt!  


Yes...  a long time ago in a galaxy far far away I took the flat black to the engine compartment also!  

It also had / has  hood pins,   cherry bomb header mufflers,  hacked wiring harness.   I'm repainting the traction bars and air shocks  (they still work!) and those are going back on.

[rt green]

do you have more pics of that car?

[Ghoste]

I believe there is a whole thread about it.

[nvrbdn]

Then do what I did!!!!  Go find your old car... buy it back for 14X what you sold it for...   then instead of trying to slap yourself silly about wtf you did back then...  you can facepalm yourself everyday about why you bought it back and hope it gets done before you go bankrupt!  


Yes...  a long time ago in a galaxy far far away I took the flat black to the engine compartment also!  

It also had / has  hood pins,   cherry bomb header mufflers,  hacked wiring harness.   I'm repainting the traction bars and air shocks  (they still work!) and those are going back on.

cool, goin back old school.

[AKcharger]

I'm pretty sure my 1st one went to MOpar heven, it disappeared somewhere around spring hill fl.

Hmmm cherry bombs! 

[Budnicks]

yeah, but what we did our senior year of high school is considered VINTAGE now, might sell for more than a stock restored one.................
wow, i just said that 1984 was vintage, damn i'm getting old

if 84' is vintage 77' is antique...LOL...

[Budnicks]

Back in my day, they were just used cars, not collector cars, $250-$500-maybe $1500 tops POS's, just used car's, "mostly"... The Street Racer/Drag Racer/Gear head crowd I hung around, we all had a very popular saying, at the time, "Anyone can restore a car, it takes a real man to cut one up", I am still of the thinking, "build it how you like it" or, "restore it, if that blows your skirt up too"... But I'm far more respectful of the linage & rarity now... IMHO It really depends on the cars... I'm on my 13th 68-71 RR, I had them in many forms from, 100% original or even 100% #'s matching correct restorations, to full on race cars, I've had sometimes 2 or 3 at a time & had a dozen 68-70 Chargers too, 5 at one time, in many different states of builds, among many other Mopars, `cuda's, Demon's, Duster's, Satellite's, GTX's, Power Wagons, etc., among many Brand X or Foreign, English & German cars too, very few were 100% original, I liked my cars to be different than ever other car, out there, even if it's just a subtle change here or there... I still like the 100% original survivor's especially, or even the 100% restorations too {they are only original once}, but wouldn't be the person I am today with out all the car modifications & racing background, I don't consider any of it BUTCHERING, that's just what I did when I was young & I wouldn't hardly change a thing... Do what ever rocks you boat, there is a place for most everyone in our hobby, well mostly anyway...LOL...  

[Ghoste]

That is exactly it Budnicks and really, my biggest regret from that time is that young people coming into the hobby today only know them as high priced collector cars.  It's a real shame they never got to experience things like buying a running 68 Road Runner for 75 dollars (I still have the receipt in my tool box) and using it for a dialy driver.

[kab69440]

I still own the car I butchered in the 80's. I have no plans to change any of it back to original. In fact, I am still butchering and transplanting stuff. So, phhhhbbbbbbt!   Admittedly, I would love to find my 383/727 and fender tag, though...

[MOPAR FANATIC]

Back in my day, they were just used cars, not collector cars, $250-$500-maybe $1500 tops POS's, just used car's, "mostly"... The Street Racer/Drag Racer/Gear head crowd I hung around, we all had a very popular saying, at the time, "Anyone can restore a car, it takes a real man to cut one up", I am still of the thinking, "build it how you like it" or, "restore it, if that blows your skirt up too"... But I'm far more respectful of the linage & rarity now... IMHO It really depends on the cars... I'm on my 13th 68-71 RR, I had them in many forms from, 100% original or even 100% #'s matching correct restorations, to full on race cars, I've had sometimes 2 or 3 at a time & had a dozen 68-70 Chargers too, 5 at one time, in many different states of builds, among many other Mopars, `cuda's, Demon's, Duster's, Satellite's, GTX's, Power Wagons, etc., among many Brand X or Foreign, English & German cars too, very few were 100% original, I liked my cars to be different than ever other car, out there, even if it's just a subtle change here or there... I still like the 100% original survivor's especially, or even the 100% restorations too {they are only original once}, but wouldn't be the person I am today with out all the car modifications & racing background, I don't consider any of it BUTCHERING, that's just what I did when I was young & I wouldn't hardly change a thing... Do what ever rocks you boat, there is a place for most everyone in our hobby, well mostly anyway...LOL...  

man,you should change your name to mine.MOPAR FANATIC  LOL