Blast from the Past circa 1980

A long-time friend has been texting me pics of cars we owned or new of from around 1979 or 1980. I had no idea these pics were still around, although some of them aren't very good.

The '69 Super Bee was mine, and my first Mopar. It was a 383 4-speed car I bought in my Senior year of High School. Was originally silver w/ red interior, but I had it repainted after it got hit & run in front of my parents house. That's the car that made me come to HATE 383s, since it was pretty much an underperformer in my mind. On those $hitty Firestone Super Sport tires, the best I could get was a 14.0 at 101 with a restrictive factory-type exhaust after a set of cheap headers.

The '69 Dart was an original 383 4-speed car... looked better than it ran, as I recall. Still, a factory BB A-body was/is pretty cool.

The red early Chevy II... actually, there were two around that looked virtually identical. This one was an auto that ran in the 12s and was really street driven. It's "twin", although owned by someone else, was a 4-speed car that I never saw without slicks and a nearby trailer, and was known to have gotten into the high 10s. That was pretty freakin' quick in the pre-N20 era, as I recall. That car never came out if there wasn't $$$ on the race.

The '66-67 Chevelle... was an absolute turd with a 396, but the next owner threw down some $$$ and stuffed a much healthier LS-7 (BBC) that pushed it into the 11.3s.

The big-a$$ Chevy Biscayne... very much the sleeper. Had a pretty stout 454 and was capable of going 12.5s. That car made some money because NOBODY thought something that big could be very fast, and this was at a time when a "good" legit street car might be lucky to get into the 12s. Oh, IIRC, that's one of those silly staged pics where they put a bottle jack under the front end to make it look like its pulling the front tires on the street.

Wish I had a pic of another friend's car, '67 Camaro 327 4-speed car. Never knew exactly how fast it was, but I was the guy he was racing when he hit a slick spot on the road while reeling in a 10-car spot on my car... he rolled it at speed and ended up hanging upside down on a telephone pole guide wire. Not too much later they put a police station about rock-throwing distance from where that happened; it was a pretty heavily raced section of road back then.

The bottom picture is a 66 Caprice.

Works for me; I just know it was a freakin' 454 boat that took a lot of people's money. I flagged a few races w/ that car and it never failed to leave some people shaking their heads, even if it didn't win.

No harm meant Biscaye's were post cars and those tail lights were caprice only.


Here's my heap from 75 1970 V code supertrac 4 speed cuda.in violet white interior
30 over 13.1 590 solid cam alum. rods 4.88

Very cool !!!!

Love it and the stories, keep them coming. If posting pics wasn't such a chore for me to figure out, I could add a bunch of quality vintage pics of my dads stuff.
The vintage good car pics are so neat.

My old GTS383 sold in 1984

Road Beater I sold in the 80's

The X still has this LS6 454

My 1st Mopar, a 48 Plymouth that I bought on September 17, 1977 when I was a senior in high school. One with me in my graduation outfit, the other with my girlfriend in 1980 on a trip out west. BTW, I still have the Plymouth, but not the girl!

My Coupe in the early 1980s.... 440 2x4bbl, 727, 4.10 8 3/4
Still own it....

FIXED ! .... that's RIGHT 1880's ... and that horse drawn bUgGy !

Post it rIgHt cRaZy !!

BUT that ride you post is a goody ....wanna sell it ?

My 73 Charger in 1984. Sold it to buy my house after I got out of the U.S. Navy.

Dig the old pictures.

This was my daily driver for awhile in the mid/late 80s, then I got the GTX after that in the late 80s.

I still have it and it still runs, but it doesn't look anywhere near as nice. Big plans for it, hope to get around to it.

This was a failed joint venture, legit 440-6 pack, 4 speed 4.10 dana had one paint job in the orig. Bahama yellow color.

It ran and drove, but was missing a few important parts.

Worst part? The inner fenders were butchered really, really badly.
It looked like total junk underhood.

We had no business buying this car at that time but thought we'd either sell it or fix it. Ended up selling it for peanuts. Really regret that but could not hang on to it at the time.

Bought this one in 77. Started with wheels, then headers, then cam, then gear, then a 340 with a blower. My wife and I went on our first date in it. Dizuster and his brother both had their first ride home from the hospital when they were born. Though it's been parked a few years we still have it.First time out with the blower it went 13.99. Eventually bolted on a set of slicks and uncorked it, 11.88. Still same engine package except cam and converter. Currently been 11.0@123, 3875# in street trim.
Doug

This was my nice weather daily driver back in about 1982/1983.
Factory B5, 383 auto, bucket seat console car.





In 1986.
Factory E5 Rally Red V-Code, auto, shaker hood was added.
Obviously the T/A spoiler was an add on.



I was a whole lot skinnier back then and had hair.

AHHH yes!Had few back the wish I didn't sell.........

63 Max Wedge Polara with the 4:56 GEAR
71 440/6
65 440 4 speed Satelite
85 GS 1150,,,was a 1300cc with hidden nitrous
Great memories!

Yes I think most of us have at least one car they wish they could have back.

Keep them coming...... So cool,
This is the reason I will never sell my good cars, listening to all of you and my dad over the yrs and relatives, saying I wish I never..... I want all of my dads old cars back lol. We still have a treasure trove of epic mopars cars and parts still in the immediate family, so we are very fortunate.

My 1972 (340) Duster from the late 1970's

my first duster 001 by John Cadamore, on Flickr

My old Duster at Keystone 001 by John Cadamore, on Flickr


Then my first big block car (1969 Dart) from the mid 1980's


69 Dart at Norwalk with dad 001.jpg_thumb by John Cadamore, on Flickr

69 dart 001 by John Cadamore, on Flickr

Unfortunately, I don't know if there any pics of my '72 340 'Cuda (a factory TorRed car repainted by previous owner to gunmetal gray). "Welcome to the world of E-bodies, Thermoquads, and Slap Stik shifters!"

Kept it basically stock and tuned since it was my daily driver for a few years. I didn't have the $$$ to give it the full front-to-back rebuild treatment it deserved after that and sold it cheap to somebody in the same area. Not sure I ever saw it running again; guess he didn't have the $$$, either.

1983 Testing new cam in 73 cuda. Measured the stripe off my 70 and used white spray paint and hobby store numbers (which were dead on)

1980 When a factory ramcharger hood was just a hood

1982 When the short bus (hauler) was more then just the short bus. I started with a full size school bus.

No offence intended but I like the tractor! We just put chains on my 1963 3010 yesterday..

Id like to have a 3010.

I had a killer deal on that tractor, brand new, and the dealer was closing, so every part I took off that could be cleaned up as new got returned to JD stock.

So my cost was very low in the end.

1983, The hidden shame one feels when sticking to a brand. While hunting some of the good ones.

I'll play... Cool cars posted so far. This was my first car. I was selling it here for $500 in 1980 or 81. '69 post, bench seat, 383 4-spd. Also pictured is my '66 Olds I bought for $300 and drove for about the next 5 years.

My brother Doug's '74 parked in front of my Mom's house in West Seattle in 1978. Somehow had a 340 in it. Rally dash, slapstick.

When a real A12 car was just a rusted out, wercked, multi carbed headache.

When a Detroit Diesel 6V- Silver 92 was being progressive AND hauling it home in a old ford truck was cool. I bought a chassis from a testing ground without an engine and put this in it.

A couple of friends had cool Chevy's. Both LT-1 350's and 4-spds. The Nova was fast, the Camaro was super clean and had a bunch of chrome under the hood as his cousin worked at the chrome shop. It sold for $3,500 in 1979.

When Earl Schieb was $49.95 and painted everything.

cars I had form 81-84
67 440 4spd
70 - 440 auto
70conv 318 auto
46 jeep all original

I hope this qualifies for the thread, my first car. '74 Challenger circa 1989.

318 2brl with an auto. Single exhaust.

In a way I did not like the car because what I really wanted was a '70 big block Challenger, or anything Mopar with a big block. I didn't have the tools or knowledge to do anything to change it.

I paid $1400 for it. Which was probably about $300 too much at the time, but who is really a good negotiator when they are 18? I wasn't, and my parents were not either.
It came to me with a serious rod knock. Pretty reliable car though.

When it was time to sell it, I didn't really know what to do because I had never sold a car before. I pretty much knew where the local mopar cars were in my small town, and there was a house a few miles away with a '70 Challenger parked in the driveway. So, I drove up to the house down a long dirt driveway, with a bunch of wild dogs there to great me. I got out of the car, knocked on the house and asked if they wanted to buy my car. I didn't know him, he didn't know me. He said sure, how much. I told him $1100. He gave me a couple hundred dollars cash and the rest in a check. The check cleared.

From 1975. My first hemicuda. Vitamin C, 4 speed, super track pak, original paint, interior, engine, trans, build sheet, fender tag. A very nice car.

Love the car and story. We have had ours for 34 years now

1982??? Dig them socks!

Here's a couple of pics from UK around 1985 at North Weald Aerodrome of my 340 car>

somewhere near 1980,440 6 pak 4 gear dana,70 rr

I love old pictures like these. Reminds me of when we were kids & riding up & down the street on our bikes & everyone's driveways were full of old cool classic cars. The first one is My Charger R/T S.E. from 1988-89 out at Milan Dragway. Still have today, still unrestored. Last one is from this summer.

september 7, 1983. last day of NU-BE existence.
the demise of the dancing bear.
R.I.P. to both.

Gotta love Nu Be. Great times.

Took the engine out of this one. Sold the car just before the muscle car cost escalation in the 80s. 5 years later he bought the numbers matching engine and trans from me for 3times the cost of the car.

Cool thread. I grew up in a GM family, so my first cars were Chevy. Had a nice 75 sb Monte Carlo in high school. No pics but i put BB springs in the front and air shocks in the rear. Had a nice stance with G60's on corvette rallys all the way around.
Next car was this 79 Monza spider 4 speed with a 355. Street raced a bunch in the mid 80's on our ST. John street. Their was a Hot Rod article about that Flint race scene. Surprised a bunch of folks with that car.
Next car was this 74 Barracuda 318 car. Not fast, but a very nice daily driver. Not many 74's were built and it was the rare off white original color which i read there were only 2 built that color. Was frost white while i owned it.

This is what my 67 Barracuda looked like when i brought it home in 96. Saved it from the crusher as the whole once solid floor was butchered from the fire wall clear back to the rear bumper. Had a good 12.5:1 340 with a good 4 speed and Dana thou.

Thats funny. I had a few pair of those socks back then.

My 69 swinger 340 4 speed with 3.91 rear. I bought it at 16 in 1987, was a fun car in high school. I had the original hood but thought I needed a scoop.

This is one thread I wish would keep going. Love the old pics.

My Buddies Road Runner that we raced in High School

My friends 440+6 that got wrecked

OOPS

before

After

Wow that looks like My wifes car "Primal Scream"

Wow. Cool stuff.

I had one of each, Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth and Dodge Truck

This is from the 60's 70's sold in 1980, friend of mine 426 Hemi powered Vett, called the Mongoose .

This is my old white GTS 383 car that I posted earlier in this thread, recently found still alive in Texas.

My friends T/A Challenger that we blew up. Not me in this picture

My old Monza Spyder sold in the 80's

My old Chevelle again & friends I worked with, Mustang & Big block Camaro.

Bought my 79 monza spider in 84 and had same wheels as yours. Did yours have a v6?

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