What was your first?

Topic: What was your first? (Read 9602 times) previous topic - next topic

What was your first?

February 22, 2009, 10:15:13 PM

Just reading the Hot Rod magazine "First car" feature and thought I'd do the same thing, FTBCF style.

What was your first car?

Mine was a '78 Trans Am. Power came from a 1970 LT1 350, funneled through a TH350 to a posi rear with disc brakes (the car had the WS6 package). Dunno what gears were in it, but I do know I could do 55MPH in first, 90 in second, and had the 160 MPH speedo indicating 140 MPH on a long straightaway (oh, the things we do when we're young). When I bought it (for $600) the shaker scoop sat about 3" below the hood, thanks to the SBC in place of the original 400 Pontiac. I had to make a cylinder out of sheet metal to bring the shaker back up to the proper level. The interior was trashed: Ripped vinyl seats, no carpet (bare metal floors), cracked dash, and of course, the corners of the top of the dash had rotted away (common in old F-bodies). The rear quarter panels were 1/2" thick bondo that only vaguely resembled what a Firebird quarter panel is supposed to look like, and the whole car was painted spray-bomb black. Wheels were polycast "honeycomb" style except for one brief period when I had 15X10 Keystone Classic wheels and N50-15 tires on the back. For one day. Floored it on the school road and did a 360 with absolutely no intention of doing so, then later that day I hit a large bump and destroyed my bondo quarter panels. The wheels came off that day.

I knew absolutely NOTHING about cars when I got this thing. My first oil change was a spectacular failure. Done out on the street, with two wheels up on the curb to give me clearance, I had to drive a lug wrench through the filter to remove it (it had probably been on since 1970), and when I was filling the engine I looked down and saw a spreading pool of fresh new oil running down the road between my feet. I'd forgotten to install the drain plug. One time when it was laid up (I thought I'd blown the engine, but it turned out it was just a broken flywheel - it knocked like a broken crank) I loaned a friend a spark plug for his Chevette. That's how car-stupid we both were: The plug fit the hole so it was good enough. When I put the car back on the road I simply found another plug and installed it, with no knowledge (or care) whether it was the proper plug.

Then there was the time I was doing something under the hood (I don't know what it was I was doing, but that doesn't matter, I probably didn't know back then either) and a wrench slipped and I nearly broke my hand. I got so mad I beat the valve covers in with a hammer, so bad the car wouldn't run. I ended up getting replacement valve covers off a burned Monte Carlo in the woods. Months later I'd return to that Monte Carlo to get the brake rotors, calipers, and yes, even the pads, after a caliper seized up on Bertha.

It was a pile o' . And I loved it. All my friends had Chevettes, Omnis, Escorts, etc, while I had a Trans Am. Because it was so light (bare interior, lots of missing metal) it was extremely fast. And because it was extremely ugly nobody suspected it of being fast, so I shut lots of people up on the main drag. I frequently showed 5.0 Mustangs my tail lights. One time I walked out of the high school to see a bunch of black guys in a Capri laughing at my car. I said something to the effect of "It's ugly, but it'll kick your ass". We went down to then main drag and I beat them silly. They then started claiming they'd beat me top end, so we went up onto the highway that bypassed the town and I beat them even sillier. I was at a gas station pumping gas into the car when they finally caught up to me. Their jaws dropped when I showed them the well worn SBC under the hood. We became friends after that (one of them dated my sister for years).

It was the only car I'd owned that I'd ever named. I called her Bertha. I had to sell her when the Safety Inspection Gods came calling. She just needed too much work and I was a poor high school student. I replaced her with an '80 Formula Firebird, but it wasn't near the same car. Perfect body, beautiful interior, but saddled with a 301 that would better serve as a boat anchor (the '85 V6 T-Bird I bought after it was faster). It was no Bertha, and no car I've owned since has captured my heart like she did.

So, what was your first, and why was it special to you?

*EDIT* I don't have any pics of Bertha but this is about as close as you can get to what she looked like, including the missing front ground effects. Add a set of honeycomb wheels and a tan interior and this would be a dead ringer. The second pic is the '80 Formula I replaced her with.

What was your first?

Reply #1 – February 22, 2009, 10:27:01 PM

Mine was a 1983 cougar 3.6. It was black with a red pinstripe, charcoal or black interior. I loved it. But, the engine harness was bad (sso i was told - didnt know much 'bout cars when i was 16 - still dont lol) and i sold it for 500 bucks. Next car was an '88 tempo - thats another story....

What was your first?

Reply #2 – February 22, 2009, 10:30:17 PM

1977 Buick LeSabre 4-door
green vinyl interior/exterior with a white vinyl top
buick 350 motor bored .060" over
buick TH350 trans TCI saturday night special converter
bought for $100
chrome buick rally wheels

What was your first?

Reply #3 – February 22, 2009, 10:32:19 PM

1974 Caprice Classic with a 400 SBC

What was your first?

Reply #4 – February 22, 2009, 10:36:23 PM

1966 Nova
Baby blue on baby blue.
256 inline six out of a truck with a 2 speed powerglide.

Car started bellowing smoke and the trans was slipping. I thought it was doomed so I got rid of it. Learned later it was a $15 vacuum modulator.

What was your first?

Reply #5 – February 22, 2009, 10:44:38 PM

Then and Now

What was your first?

Reply #6 – February 22, 2009, 10:55:09 PM

1965 Plymouth Fury I two door post. 318 poly head, 727 automatic. First attempt to paint. First H/C/I swap (those things had SFT cams stock), custom duals. Magnum 500's off a 67 Mustang w/Wide Ovals. It was a slug off the line, but man would it pull from a 25 MPH roll (needed a real gear to get it to move). Had to really work to get a one wheel peal, but once that tire got spinning the car would fill with smoke! Michigan rust had eaten away part of the trunk floor.

Swapped in a bench seat that slid all the way to the back seat. Made it nice, no need to get into the back! That part of high school was fun!

I screwed up more stuff on that car! I first swapped on 500 cfm two barrel Holley. Left the shift linkage for the trans off because I couldn't figure out to hook it up. Well, that regulated the trans pressure, time for a new transmission!

The engine was out of production for 7 years before I began searching for parts to "soup it up". My first experience with getting too much cam. The first cam I got had 1/2 the lobes reversed. Took me a bunch of time to figure out I had the wrong part, then took a couple months to get one with the right lobes. I was an idiot! If I had had any sense, I would have swapped in a 340. They were everywhere then (340 Dusters and Deamons littered the junkyards then) and cheap.

But no, I just kept spending money and break'n stuff. Of course a daily driver. My girlfriend hated that car (except for the sliding seat!).

The blue was the same color as my T-Bird. Always loved that color.

What was your first?

Reply #7 – February 22, 2009, 11:14:24 PM

My first car was a 85 notch mustang 2.3l carb and a 4 speed. The car was rusted up bad. Never got it on the road and ended up trading it for my 88 t-bird. Here is a pic of the day I got the t-bird and said goodbye to the mustang.

What was your first?

Reply #8 – February 22, 2009, 11:15:35 PM

92 ford taurus. Her name was Susan.

What was your first?

Reply #9 – February 22, 2009, 11:22:38 PM

Quote from: 86T-bird;258158

But no, I just kept spending money and break'n stuff. Of course a daily driver. My girlfriend hated that car (except for the sliding seat!).

LOL that is hilarious! My girlfriend hates my car. So do her parents.

1986 Cougar 5.0

Had 53xxx on it, TRX, old lady's car (seriously). Had hail damage, Maaco re-spray (enough said), Needed a good scrub, $400. Car was so nice when I bought it. It sat in the driveway for almost a year an
a half before I got my license. Bought it early, I cleaned the hell out of that car NON STOP. It makes me sick to think how nice it once was and how horrible it is now. I dont ever plan on selling it but I think everyone says that. Going on 5 years now, 84xxx now, wrecked twice, three tone black paint, wouldnt trade it for anything.

What was your first?

Reply #10 – February 22, 2009, 11:30:45 PM

86 cougar with (about) 220,000 miles when I got it. $110 police impound. No igntion trunk or door locks. Its the car doing a peg leg brake stand in my avatar. They sold it with a paper saying what got it into impound. It was first involved in a hit and run accident where cops got involved and got away because it was in a 25 mph speed limit zone and the cops didn't want to hurt anyone. Then it was in another hit and run where the cops cut off the chase at 110 mph on the freeway because they couldn't keep up with it. 4 years later it was found along the side of building lodged into the wall.

My dad bought it for an engine swap in his 91 crown vic when his block cracked when he lost a freeze plug on the freeway. He ended up not using it and getting a rebuilt motor thrown in instead. When I got my license I was told that I had to take auto before I could buy my own car so that I could fix it when the battery went dead or something like that. When I got the car it was missing the front disc break. Thats not entirely right, because the brake caliper was seized and there were parts of the disc still inside it. I spend my whole $130 check on it putting a new hub and caliper on it and took it to auto where it stayed for about 3 months getting worked on.

My teacher liked using my car for tests and to show how to work on. We did a compression test on it. 65 lbs low 110 lbs high. While he was showing it he pulled out 4 spark plugs and told me to crank it. It fired right up and idled at about 400rpm. He had me pull two more spark plug out and it started on the back two passenger side cylinders. He then pulled off the coil and continued showing us how to do a compression test.

The tranny started going out at about 290,000 miles when I lost overdrive. My compression was only about 85 high the last time I checked it. I broke the shifter off of the colum when I was reverse driving it out of a ditch along a parking lot. When I came back to fix it on pay day, they towed it. It had 297,000 miles on it when they came for it.

I got that speedo to read over 130mph and could spin a tire from a stop up to 40 mph in a straight line. Even the newly rebuilt motor I have sitting in my father in laws garage with e7 heads and H.O. upper and throttle body felt like a dog compared to that car. I kinda wish I knew more about cars when I first got it. The engine I rebuilt was supposed to go in that car just a week or two before it got towed. They keep sending me storage fee bills on it. I think the last one said I owed them $15,000 at $45 a day for almost 1 year. I called them up and told them I saved up $20,000 and wanted to get it out and they told me they sped it, but they keep sending me a newer updated storage bill on it.

That car was by far the best car I ever drove. It never left me stranded and never actually broke down. If I wouldn't have broken off the shifter I am sure I would still be driving it today. I put around 60,000 miles on it in just over 3 years. I used to brag that I could get from any point inside the salt lake valley (about 15 miles from one end to the other) in less time then it took you to smoke a cigarette. I'm also fairly sure that car had some H.O. parts swapped into it. It still ran out of steam at 4,000 rpm though.

Man I was a stupid kid.

What was your first?

Reply #11 – February 22, 2009, 11:32:20 PM

78 Mercury Monarch. Got it when I was 18 in 1984, for $2000 and 38,000 miles on it. mint condition with brushed aluminum wheels. drove to Daytona Beach in it for spring break a couple of times. I remember parking next to a black 88 Xr-7 with ground fx on it while in Daytona. I knew one day I would have a cougar. ended up getting my cougar to replace the Monarch in 89. and the rest is evolution history.
the only pic of my Monarch

and the earliest pic I have of my cougar in 91 or 92 next to my 88 E-250

What was your first?

Reply #12 – February 22, 2009, 11:45:42 PM

does this count too
my first van when I was 18
1975 E-100. Used it to haul my band equipment to gigs.
replaced the entire bottom all the way around.
did a front end swap to an 84 front grille and head lights
here it is right before I sprayed it

here's a before

What was your first?

Reply #13 – February 23, 2009, 12:00:26 AM

88 Lincoln Town Car

It actually had no options, but somebody put a carriage roof on it.

trans slipped in and out of overdrive
the last 3 years it had no heater
the valvetrain clattered like crazy when it was cold
half the time it would die if you left it alone to warm up in the morning
I was constantly having problems keeping the doors working

It did get me through high school somehow. In March 2003 I traded it for a 93 Mustang convertible, and that was a major upgrade even though it was a 2.3.

What's hilarious is that Town Car is still sitting at the same Ford dealer I traded it at almost 6 years ago.

This is the Mustang I traded it for. In my mind this was really my first car.

What was your first?

Reply #14 – February 23, 2009, 12:29:23 AM

i was 15 when mine was a handy down from my sister.
dad got it for $50.00 with bad head. he replace head, so my sister could have a car to drive. she had rolled it over, 2 years later.
dad fix it and painted. but forgot to put hardner in the paint.so every time i wash it, my rags turn maroon. i learn how to power slide with this beast on dirt roads,now days they call it drifting.
the beast was 1967 2door 220 American Rambler rouge:bowdown:

i fix the body on dads 1972 AMC AMBASSADOR(that sis wreacked too) because he didn't believe me that it could be done.i bet him it could,so he gave me the 72 . i then sold the 67 to a friend. who flip it ,on to it top, in small pond.two days later. i was pissed because i only sold the 67 to him because he was in need of a ride to school.

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