What made you get into Mopars?

[WingCharger]

 

[69*F5*SE]

When I was 4 yrs old my uncle had a 69 GTX that I thought looked so cool. I know I was young but that was what got me.  Also, my aunt was dating a guy who had a white 70 Super bird and I just couldn't stop thinking about it. It all started from there. 

[John_Kunkel]

I was pretty much a GM guy (Oldsmobiles). I wasn't particularly looking for a car at that time but in '63 I went with a friend to look at a '57 Dodge D500 that was advertised locally, it was an Ex-CHP prowler that had a built 325 Hemi. He didn't want the car but after a full throttle ride I was hooked and the fins sealed the deal. Turns out the Hemi was built by a local speed merchant Noel Black of Bonneville fame.

Traded it off a few years later for a '63 Max Wedge and it's been (up)downhill ever since.

[Silver R/T]

I saw FastbackJon's 68 R/T and I knew I had to have one

[Foreman72]

it was forced upon me 3 yrs ago... ...about 3 years ago i was @ my aunts house for easter...she lives in andover mass...well my entire family was there and i was talking to one of my uncles about cars and i mentioned i loved muscle cars...always have...anyways...so he was like so what are some cars you like...i listed a bunch...then he left for a bit and went and talked 2 my mom for a while...I went on hanging out with family and then he came back and was like I got something to show u...I noticed he had a key in his hand...so we went out 2 the barn that my grandfather helped build and such, very historical spot for our family...anyways its kinda a ways away from the house...so I was like uncle bill whats the deal and he kept telling me 2 just be patient...hard for me, a 14yr old kid at the time 2 do ...so we get to the barn which is huge and has a ton of old cool crap in it...and i see an old tractor, a bunch of engines, a boat, and this old car in there...kinda in rough shape...he siad this was my car when i was my car in high school...when I got a new one when i was in college I had nothing to do with this one so I put in here...that was 20 yrs ago...I've been trying to think of something to do with it and ur mom said it was ok if I gave it to you so guess what...he handed me the key and I couldn't even see straight...now 3 yrs later I have studied everything possible about this car and chargers in general...picked up every parts mag I could, read all the mopar mags ect ect I could and of course joined here...

this thread should be awesome...  

[mauve66]

very nice of him, hope you do him AND the car justice for taking a chance on you

[WingCharger]

Cool story.

[Foreman72]

it was forced upon me 3 yrs ago...about 3 years ago i was @ my aunts house for easter...she lives in andover mass...well my entire family was there and i was talking to one of my uncles about cars and i mentioned i loved muscle cars...always have...anyways...so he was like so what are some cars you like...i listed a bunch...then he left for a bit and went and talked 2 my mom for a while...I went on hanging out with family and then he came back and was like I got something to show u...I noticed he had a key in his hand...so we went out 2 the barn that my grandfather helped build and such, very historical spot for our family...anyways its kinda a ways away from the house...so I was like uncle bill whats the deal and he kept telling me 2 just be patient...hard for a 14yr old kid 2 do ...so we get to the barn and i see this old car in there...kinda in rough shape...he was like this was my car when i was in high school...when I got a new one I had nothing to do with this one so I put in here...that was 20 yrs ago...I've been trying to think of something to do with it and ur mom said it was ok if I gave it to you so guess what...he handed me the key and I couldn't even see straight...now 3 yrs later I have studied everything possible about this car and chargers in general...picked up every parts mag I could, read all the mopar mags ect ect I could and of course joined here...

this thread should be awesome...  

Sounds a bit familiar...

i thought it might...

[TheGhost]

2 main reasons, for me.

When I was little, I was big into Mustangs.  Mainly because I never really liked Camaros, and hadn't even heard of Mopar, but my excuse was that I was young.

I remember my dad telling me stories about the 69 383 Roadrunner he bought new.  My dad grew up in Connecticut, and anybody who's been through there knows there's alot of twisting roads and hills.  One story of his stands out in my mind.  One night, not long after he got the Roadrunner, a cop tried to pull him over.  Well, my dad was young and stupid at the time, and decided he didn't want to stop, so he led the cop on a merry little chase.  He pulled far enough ahead of the cop that when he went over one of the many hills, the cop didn't have a line of sight on him.  So, he pulled into a driveway, threw the car in park, shut the lights off, and told everyone in the car to duck down.  The cop just drove on by.  When he went out of sight, my dad backed out the the driveway, and went back the way he came.   It was stories like those that made me interested in Mopars.

Then I saw a movie in the theater, called Gone Fishin, starring Danny Glover and Joe Pesci.  It wasn't a car movie, like Vanishing Point or Bullitt, but Joe Pesci's charactor drove a 68 Barracuda fastback.  I thought that was the coolest damned car I'd ever seen.  After I'd seen the movie, I kept telling my dad (and myself) that I'd own one of those cars someday.

I started doing research on Mopars, Plymouth in particular, and just fell in love with the styling.  Mopars looked so much better than the Fords or GMs.  The 71 Plymouth B bodies are absolutely stunning, in my opinion the most beautiful cars ever made.  And the 67-69 Barracudas are both tough and beautiful at the same time.  And, of course, there was the Chargers.  I don't have many memories from when I was a little kid, but I do remember that my absolute favorite toy was a 1/64 General Lee diecast car, that I took with me EVERYWHERE (until I lost it in the back of a taxi cab.  Broke my little heart at the time).

There's also the fact that you don't see Mopars every day.  I'd see Mustangs and Camaros everywhere, but Mopars were (and still are) a rarity to see.  That's another reason I love Mopars.  Not everyone has one.

So, I guess my dad got me started, and the styling got me hooked.

[C_stripes]

Well, it was actually a 74 power wagon that got my attention. My family are all Ford fans. My uncle has a 67 Mustang GT with a 428 SCJ duel 4's and a 4spd and there were some other Fords in the family at the time. So I started out as a Ford fan. I was technically born to be a Ford or GM fan (4-27-1983). Anyway, my Dads friend had a 74 power wagon with a built up engine and took me for a ride one day. He hit the gas at a stop sign and the trucks tires started spinning and we fish tailed (remember when it was called fish tailing? now it's drifting) around the corner and took off. It changed me forever. I was about seven at that time. Ever since, I have loved Mopars. Mostly A-bodies, but B-bodies are second. My first real step into mopars was in 2000 wile I was 16, I bought five 66 Chargers from a guy locally and one turned out to be a factory HEMI car. Three of the others where big block cars, including a 383HP car and one was a running driving 318 car. I paid $2000 for all of them. Before that, I had a few Darts and Dusters. But that was the big step.

One time, I traded a 70 or 71 Camaro SSRS with a corvette 350 straight across for a 71 slant six four door Dart for parts for my 72 swinger. I love the Darts. Looking back though, I should have sold the Camaro.

[NHCharger]

I enjoy being shunned by the chebbie/rustang crowd.

[bear]

For me one day I saw an ad in the paper for a 69 Charger and I looked it up in one of the car books I have and from there I knew that I wanted one. And part of it was to probably annoy my dad and brother who have GMs

[426HemiCharger]

"dang them DUKES!!!"  - Boss Hogg

[68charger383]

To be different.........

[chargerkid01]

Going to shows as a kid and hanging out with my grandpa and uncle is what got me into old cars. What got me into the charger is the DOH, F&F, Bullitt, and others!!

[cpthowdy1369]

I watched DOH as a kid (who didn't) but wasn't really interested in Mopar untill I was about 21.  Then for some strange reason, I noticed Mopars everywhere and had to have one.  I've had two Dusters and a Charger since then and now the wife wants a Cuda.

[69_500]

Had to say that it was because of my dad. Although I'm not positive on that one, JK.

Who wouldn't like mopars when you grew up in a yard full of them? I mean tell me one kid that grows up in a house that has 5 Daytona's between the back yard and the garage, and a HEMI 500 in the garage that wouldn't like Mopars?

[mikesbbody]

Great stories! I met a guy with a 72 challenger at the time I was into my full size American cars I had a Cadillac but once I had a drive in the Challenger, I knew I had to get myself a Mopar! and the rest is history.
Sadly, the 72 Challenger was hit by a older gentleman driving a BMW who ran a red light (back in 96) The BMW was history, the Challenger drove away damaged it was taken apart and is still apart to this day 

[RD]

i grew up riding in my 73.  mopars are my extended family.

[BLUE68RT4ME]

I grew up in a town of about 125 people in South Dakota.  Though it was small, it was well known for racing.  My dad and one of his younger brothers used to carry quite the reputation in the area.  There were two bridges south of town about a quarter mile apart and people would come from all over to race my dad for beer, money, or dinner. 

My dad was into Chevy early on (dragging a 67 camero and circle tracking a modified... with the same engine!) but noticed a local guy who was running a 340 Dart Swinger that was stock and kicking butt and my dad thought, why soup up a Chevy to beat a stock Dodge?  So, he ended getting a 340 Demon.  That's the car everyone came to race.

My dad had great traction on the street and never lost between the bridges.  He also had time records at two tracks in MN and SD for G-Pure Stock-Automatic.

My uncle Mark, who died before I was born and hence my namesake, had a 68 Coronet R/T.  Mark was crazy.  He went through tires on that car as often as oil changes.  Once, his tires were nearly bald so he was going to powerbrake them until they popped.  Well, he ended up gigging trenches in Main Street and instead of popping one of them started on fire!

The stories I've been told about him and that car are countless, and they come from people I've never known before.  I've met people who are friends of my dad and they're like, "You look like your uncle Mark.  Boy, I remember that R/T of his..."  A number of people have said that he clocked himself between mile markers at 165 MPH.     And with some of the stories I've heard, there's no way they could be true unless he could actually go THAT fast.

Things changed for my dad when he got married but he still drove a lot of Mopars.  He got a 66 Coronet 500 when I was about 10 or so, and I loved it.  It was Yellow with black interior, 383 2bbl and a 727.  We'd ride around town or to neighboring towns with some of his old buddies, one with a 65 Mustang, and when mom was away... the boys would play!  The sound of that motor, the force that sent me to the back of my seat, and just the look of the car made me the happiest kid alive.

My dad, despite struggling at the time, gave that car to me for my 16th birthday.     Well, as a downer, a tree fell on it late that summer and though we planned to restore it much happened after that and I no longer have it but will own another some day.

Anyway, Mopar was put in my veins early, and with the credibility to never allow my heart to wander.  My favorite style was always the Gen 2 Charger.  Always thought of it as the king of the hill when it came to muscle cars.  And now, in a short amount of time, I've come to own two!  Thinking about moving back home to keep the tradition of my uncle and father alive (RIP)!   

[The70RT]

My nephew was working at a veterinarian and the vet had a 70 Mach I. My nephew didn't save enough money in time and the vet sold the stang. When he got the money a girl at his high school was selling a 70 R/T and he bought it. Next thing you know he was Army bound and sold the car to me  I had to get a loan for a 1,000 which i paid 38 bucks a month till it was paid for.

[tan top]

I grew up in a town of about 125 people in South Dakota.  Though it was small, it was well known for racing.  My dad and one of his younger brothers used to carry quite the reputation in the area.  There were two bridges south of town about a quarter mile apart and people would come from all over to race my dad for beer, money, or dinner. 

My dad was into Chevy early on (dragging a 67 camero and circle tracking a modified... with the same engine!) but noticed a local guy who was running a 340 Dart Swinger that was stock and kicking butt and my dad thought, why soup up a Chevy to beat a stock Dodge?  So, he ended getting a 340 Demon.  That's the car everyone came to race.

My dad had great traction on the street and never lost between the bridges.  He also had time records at two tracks in MN and SD for G-Pure Stock-Automatic.

My uncle Mark, who died before I was born and hence my namesake, had a 68 Coronet R/T.  Mark was crazy.  He went through tires on that car as often as oil changes.  Once, his tires were nearly bald so he was going to powerbrake them until they popped.  Well, he ended up gigging trenches in Main Street and instead of popping one of them started on fire!

The stories I've been told about him and that car are countless, and they come from people I've never known before.  I've met people who are friends of my dad and they're like, "You look like your uncle Mark.  Boy, I remember that R/T of his..."  A number of people have said that he clocked himself between mile markers at 165 MPH.     And with some of the stories I've heard, there's no way they could be true unless he could actually go THAT fast.

Things changed for my dad when he got married but he still drove a lot of Mopars.  He got a 66 Coronet 500 when I was about 10 or so, and I loved it.  It was Yellow with black interior, 383 2bbl and a 727.  We'd ride around town or to neighboring towns with some of his old buddies, one with a 65 Mustang, and when mom was away... the boys would play!  The sound of that motor, the force that sent me to the back of my seat, and just the look of the car made me the happiest kid alive.

My dad, despite struggling at the time, gave that car to me for my 16th birthday.     Well, as a downer, a tree fell on it late that summer and though we planned to restore it much happened after that and I no longer have it but will own another some day.

Anyway, Mopar was put in my veins early, and with the credibility to never allow my heart to wander.  My favorite style was always the Gen 2 Charger.  Always thought of it as the king of the hill when it came to muscle cars.  And now, in a short amount of time, I've come to own two!  Thinking about moving back home to keep the tradition of my uncle and father alive (RIP)!   

great back in the day story i fined these storys really intresting , thanks for sharing 

[Tilar]

My favorite car up until the 66 GTO came out was the 55 T-Bird. I just liked the styling of the T-Bird.  Then, Dad bought a 66 GTO with a 389, Tri-Power and a 4 speed that would run a hole in the wind. I remember he used to bet people about the power of that car. He would take a thumb tack and tack a $50 bill to the carpet on the passenger side of the car. Once they started reaching for that $50 bill, he would start going through the gears. If they could grab that bill before he reached 4th gear they could have it. If they couldn't, They owed him $50. Only stipulation was they could not brace themselves. All they could do is bend over and reach for the bill. Everytime they would start to bend over, he would grab another gear and throw them back in the seat. I thought that car was the neatest thing since the shirt pocket!   

He traded that GTO in on a 67 Ford F-100 Ranger and then bought a 63 Chevy Biscane for Mom to drive. When the 68 Charger came out, I tried my darndest to get Dad to trade that Chevy on a 383 Charger with a 4 speed but he wouldn't have anything to do with it. Finally in 69, he traded the Chevy in on a 69 Newport that had a 383. Somehow it just wasn't the same. 

Anyway, I bought my first Mopar in 1973. It was a 1948 Plymouth Special Deluxe. 6 cylinder with suicide doors. I gave $60 for it. I bought a new $20 battery for it. Put 5 gallons of gas in it and got her running. I made it within a half a mile of home when the timing gears or something stripped out and it never ran again.

Since then I've probably had 4 Chargers, No idea how many Dusters I've had, And a few Town and Country Station wagons. I've had more cars than I could ever count but Mopar has by far been the most dominant. Performance and Styling is what did it for me.