A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....10-01-03....Muscle Car Mania!

dansangel

[dansangel]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in need; and congratulate those deserving. We strive to keep our threads entertaining, fun, and pleasing to look at, and often have guest writers contribute an essay, or a profile of another FReeper.

On Mondays please visit us to see photos of A FEW OF FR'S VETERANS AND ACTIVE MILITARY

If you have a suggestion, or an idea, or if there's a FReeper you would like to see featured, please drop one of us a note in FR mail.

We're having fun and hope you are!
~ Billie, dansangel, dutchess, Mama_Bear, Aquamarine ~

Muscle cars have been a huge part of the American heritage. Songs have been written about them, movies made and legends born. Americans are fans of different incarnations of racing; NASCAR, Indy Car, drag racing and Formula One, to name a few. Mario Andretti, Dale Earnhardt, Michael Schumacher and Don Garlits are all household names.

Today at the Finest, we celebrate the American Muscle Car. Presented here are just a very few of the wealth of American muscle cars from which to choose.



From the Corvette History Site:

The first Corvette was built on June 30th, 1953 in Flint, Michigan. The antennas in the '53 Corvettes were mesh screen fiberglassed into the inside of the trunk. The '53 vettes had two interior hood releases, one for each hood latch. There were only 300 Corvettes produced in 1953, all were roadsters. All 300 were polo white on the outside and red on the inside. The only engine available was a 150hp six cylinder engine with a powerglide automatic transmission. The base price of the '53 Corvette was $3,498.00.



From the Automotive Intelligence Site:

The original Ford Thunderbird, introduced in 1954 as a '55 model, was a sporty two-seater. It's long cowl was set off by elegant round headlamps, an "egg-crate" radiator grille and a wraparound, aircraft-style windscreen. A scoop in the bonnet and a row of chrome-like vents in the bumpers hinted at the car's V-8 power. In 1956, the famous porthole window was added to Ford Thunderbird's optional removable hard top.



From the Mustang Maniacs Site:

The Mustang was the brain child of Lee Iococca .The Mustang debuted at the World's Fair in Chicago on April 14, 1964. The car was available with a wide choice of options in coupe and convertible only. Reaction to the Mustang's arrival was tremendous and dealers could not get enough. The first day the car went up for sale, April 17, 1964, saw 22,000 cars sold at or above retail.



Chevrolet's answer to the Mustang was the Camaro SS. Shown here is a 1969 model:

The 1969 Camaro SS featured a 5.7 liter 350 cubic inch V8 engine. With 295 bhp and a 4-speed manual transmission, it reached top speeds of 121 mph. For the serious muscle car collector, the 1969 Camaro SS is a must-own.



A personal favorite of mine is the 1970 Chevelle SS:

The 70 Chevelle SS boasted a big-block 454 in either an LS-5 with 360 bhp or the more rare LS-6 with 460 bhp. An LS-6 car was tested by Hot Rod magazine and ran 108 mph in the quarter mile in 13.44 seconds. Be still my heart!



For all of you Mopar fans, here is a 1971 Plymouth Barracuda:

This Mopar Muscle Machine boasted a 383 cubic inch, 4-barrel engine. It has been known to run 12.13 seconds at 107 mph in the quarter mile. It's sleek good looks made it a favorite that resurfaced in the TV show "Nash Bridges" with Don Johnson's character at the wheel. Nostalgia at its best!

I must admit I have a long-standing affection for a later model muscle car. From 1986 until 2000, I was the proud owner of this beautiful 1986 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS:

Yes, that's .45MAN - notice *his* long-lost love right beside the SS, a beautiful 1988 Merkur XR4TI.

When I purchased the Monte Carlo SS brand new in 1986 it was "love at first drive." The Chevy always gave a great ride, had excellent acceleration (small-block V-8 with a 4-barrel carburetor) and ended up being low-maintenace over the course of our long relationship. In May 2000, someone decided they wanted my car more than I did and tried to steal it. The theft was foiled by a combination of .45MAN discovering it in process and the fact that the rank amateurs damaged the steering column so badly the floor-mounted shift would not move out of "neutral."

After the car was in the shop for a long 8 weeks while parts were located around the country, it was found that the transmission was slipping and the a/c was shot. After much soul-searching and a few tears, it was decided that the car that had served me so well over 14 years, needed to go on to "greener pastures."

Please feel free to share a fond "Muscle Car" story with us, or just kick back, relax and enjoy the show as others cruise up and down Memory Lane.



And, while you're at it, check out our own St.Louie1's pride and joy, a pristine 1974 Corvette:

Martin_Fierro doesn't call me Dans"Gearhead"Angel for nothin'! ;-)

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 09-29-03 Military Monday 09-30-03 Hall of Fame #5

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' The guy's good, folks!

Thanks, Mixer!

1) Click on the graphic to open the Calendar.
2) Once there you can click on any month and even click to the right to go into next year. Once you are in the month that you joined FR you will need to click on the number in the calendar and then an add item screen will come up.
3) In the next box enter your name in the "Calendar Text" field and then click on submit.
4) If any of the screens fail to load simply click on refresh in your browser and that will usually fix it.
5) If all else fails or simply if you want me to do this for you send me a FReepmail and I will gladly do it for you. ~Mixer

Click on the photo to view the album. To
submit your photo, please contact danbh59@yahoo.com
and include Freeper Photo Album in subject line.

[Calpernia]

My husband was looking for a Corvair. Then he found this big, black Mob Car that takes up the entire driveway. I think he still wants a Corvair too.

[MistyCA]

Billie! What a great thread! I use to power shift my 66 Red Chevelle Super Sport through the quarter mile is just under 12 seconds! It's still in my blood! I have had a series of "hot" cars all my life with a few rare exceptions. Resting periods! LOL.

Dave...my uncle has a 66 mustang in the garage with 40k miles on it. One day we will get it out from all the spiders and dust balls! He put it in the garage years ago when the paint "blew" off! LOL.

[Calpernia]

>>>Oh my gosh, Cal. You're going to be a *mess* when your children go off to college! No I fixed that. After Frankie is bathroom independent, we are no longer celebrating birthdays. I'm holding everyone hostage at their current age. I ain't going near the stage of my 'babies' taking off in cars with others driving. NEVER MIND dating. Nope. This age is nice. So we stay here. won't work, huh?

[TexasCowboy]

"BTW...it should be mandatory for you to post that gif of him that Louie made on the Termite thread every hundred posts or so. :)"

Ahhhh, you caught me!

I've been stingy with that graphic because it's the centerpiece of the Web page I'm building for the Termite.

You're right, though.
It shall be done!!

[MistyCA]

AFter I got rid of my souped up 66 Chevelle Super Sport I bought the stock big block 70 Chevelle SS like the one at the beginning of the thread. Got rid of that one and had a Mustang Mach 1 (yellow). Those were the days!!! My brother and his friends thought of me as "the secret weapon!" LOL.

[The Mayor]

66 Chevelle Super Sport
70 Chevelle SS

Memories, sweet memories. I just want one more toy. I'd take a basketcase and do it "right" slowly over time in my garage. That would be fun..

[MistyCA]

Well, I don't know what possessed me, but I bought a broken down little fiat as a project car. That was at the end of 1999. Yes...I know what possessed me! I was going to get a little car that my daughter's and I could tear apart and easily put back together ...... to teach them enough so they could keep their own cars running if need be.

Welllllll.......next thing I knew, with the dashboard out of the car and part of the floor panel removed, 2 daughters decided to get married! So much for the car! I was so busy planning weddings that the car just sat there! And it is still sitting there! LOL. I had a vision of getting a luminescent paint job and new leather from Italy. What a waste! LOL. ;)

[Calpernia]

LOL. I think if Former Lurker and uglybiker started a car thread here, my husband might actually register for FR. He was sitting here reading their posts about Corvairs, World Fair, and GM talking to the computer. I tried to explain to him about needing to post to communicate...but he went to the Garage to play with his Impala and Buick.

[Calpernia]

Thank you for the b-day wishes to Frankie Mama_Bear. He his fast asleep from all the fun.

[Mama_Bear]

for the birthday wishes. :-)

[Aquamarine]

Happy Birthday (((Mama Bear)))

[Calpernia]

My husband's Impala he restored is a '66. He painted it fire engine red.

[Mama_Bear]

Thank you, Aqua. I have had a very nice birthday. :-)

(((((((((((Aquamarine)))))))))))))

[LadyX]

A little late for the car party, but see what you said about Frank: "My husband was looking for a Corvair."

That brings memories of our last year in Alaska when we invested in a Chevy Greenbrier Van, with a Corvair rear engine. It was perfect for the fellows to go hunting for caribou (easily accommodated half a dozen caribou, dressed out) and moose, and was one of the few vehicles that could plow through deep snow there. The previous owner had added a personnel heater in the back, so it was toasty for all passengers.

When the summer of 1966 came, we were to return to The Lower 48, and I upholstered the long seats on either side that spread out to make beds - and made side curtains to match, planning to camp out every other night on the journey. We spent $300 to ensure the engine was in top condition, and at one minute into 1 June, finally headed back to civilization.

By 0200, we had to put on sunglasses, driving southeast.
Bernie finally decided to get some sleep in the back and let me drive a while. ERROR!! As I approached the end of the paved highway near the border of Alaska with The Yukon Territory, looming ahead was nothing but a sea of mud! It had rained heavily there, over a torn up stretch about to be repaved.

DILEMMA - I knew with the 70 hp engine, if I slowed down at all, we would never get going again, and we hadn't seen another car for a couple of hours. No way to get help in total wilderness.

Picture the dog and four humans aboard, asleep, suddenly flying through a quagmire, Mommo at the wheel, going like Gangbusters, mud streaming past the windows..:))
LOL

That succeeded, however, in getting us through the border (unmanned), and to the rest of the Alaska Highway, then all gravel.

The passengers settled back to sleep again, and I plowed on - toward The Next Disaster. Going around the top of the Rocky Mountains is a bit tricky.

They woke again with me going up, nearly to the peak of one long stretch on the two-lane road, only to have two road graders working in tandem, only slightly apart rather than side by side, coming around it toward me!

No way to stop or get out of the way, with several thousand feet of a drop to my immediate left, and to the right, a mountain wall - to do anything but grit my teeth, hit the accelerator, and snake through a tiny gap between them! Whew - needless to say, at the first opportunity, I was replaced as the driver..:))

[Aquamarine]

I'm having trouble opening music posts since I hooked the digital camera up to the computer last month to upload some pictures. Quicktime is overriding everything.

[LadyX]

Wake up, martini_ferrari - meant to hail you to see Young ZOT Woman in # 194..:))

[LadyX]

{{{{{ Mega Birthday Hugs to you, Lori! }}}}}

[lonestar]

WHEW! Didn't you see the warning: Professional drivers; don't try this on your own!

[Calpernia]

Sounds like a fun and theraputic visit lonestar! Your voice back yet?

[Mama_Bear]

Awwww........thank you, Maggie. :-)