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.

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~ 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!

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[dansangel]

Miles per gallon were comparable!

I'm pretty sure my folks had the same car, omly the '75 version, or something like that. And, *yes* - you had to take out a second mortgage to gas that baby up! LOL!!

Thank you ((((((Meg))))))

[dansangel]

Eeeeek! Goofy me! It IS a 74! LOL!!

LOL! You just wanted to see if I was paying attention! :-)

I'm *so* glad it wasn't my eyesight, fuzzy bro' - you had me going there for a minute!

[dansangel]

Hey ya ((((((Meekie))))))

So, like, what are you driving these days? ;-)

[dansangel]

(((((((((Billie))))))))

Thank you dear sistah. I had fun with this one - but then I have fun with them *all*, don't I?

:-)

[dansangel]

Does an old beat-up Saturn qualify as a "muscle car?" If conditions are right it might even hit 80 mph.

ROFL!!!

My daughter turned me into a first-time Saturn owner when it was time to give up the Monte Carlo **sniff**. She bought one in '96 and then a VUE last year. Still has the '96 - my s-i-l drives it!

I've had two in the past three years. I bought a 300LS in September of 2001, then turned it in for the L300 I have now in May of 2002. Saturn paid off my loan on the first one (heck, after almost two years it had less than 10,000 miles on it and still *smelled* new!) and gave me 0% financing on the one I'm driving now. I can't complain!

Well, yes, I can. It's front-wheel drive and I really dislike that. Oh well.

I don't like this thread....... it depresses me. :-)

Have to come up with at least one a week that qualifies! :-)

(((((((((((TTM)))))))))))

[dansangel]

Wow - I teared up reading that sistah Billie. I can really understand where Mr. B was coming from. But, I feel more like you do. I would have wanted to hold on to it and make sure it was *cared for* properly in the friend's memory.

(((((((HUGS))))))) to you and (((((((Mr.B))))))

[bmwcyle]

Here is to speed and wasting gas.

[dansangel]

Here is to speed and wasting gas.

In some people's eyes, I guess that's what it is. To others, it's a hobby or an interest or a passion that is "in their blood."

I belong to the second group. Thanks for your input!

[MeekOneGOP]

So, like, what are you driving these days? ;-)

hehe ! I'm, like, drivin' my wife crazy ...

:O)

I'm driving my wife's car or her sisters car when I need to. Looking for another car or a motor for this one. I'm probably gonna get another car and get rid of mine ...

[dansangel]

I bought a 300LS in September of 2001

Arrrggghhh! Make that *2000*.

It seems like everything that happens in September happened in the year "2001" ever since 9-11.

[dansangel]

hehe ! I'm, like, drivin' my wife crazy ...

I think .45MAN can relate to that - in the reverse! LOL!

Good luck in your car search. Sometimes that's not very much fun.

[FormerlyAnotherLurker]

"Wasn't there a problem with them ..."

Who let Nader on here? LOL
Overheating could be a problem. Like most things it was idiot owners. 'Broken belt? I'll drive it in for service...' The handling was excellent in the later models but just like a Porsche they could swap ends with a driver's mistake.
I have a friend who swapped a Corvair into a buggy. Hilarious! He didn't know the Corvair rotates opposite to possibly every other engine ever made. 1 speed forward, 4 speeds reverse! Funny as H_ll.
Mine, both have Corvair transaxles with posi. Kit from Clark's Corvair or Corvair underground. (Both have websites if there are any other nuts reading this.) The buggy is quicker than a Viper (and the Vette) to about 80-85 but has the aerodynamics of a barndoor. It is fun, 200+hp in ~1200lbs. makes a fun ride. Corners like a Lotus 7. I've beaten really well-prepped (and driven 7's) in autocrosses.
I'm thinking of getting 4-valve heads for a VW engine and installing that - 250hp and 100lbs lighter.
The camper is entertaining with quadruple the horsepower of stock, torque commensurate. Either one would shred a stock VW tranny in a millisecond. The friend who finally got his to rotate the correct way stripped first gear at least once a month. Did I mention he was stupid? With the huge boost in torque the Corvair transaxle (w/beefed up spider gears) seems a must.
Overall, the buggy is just plain fun. The camper when I get wider tires fitted (a real problem) is somewhat practical. Maybe!
Future project is going to be putting a small-block (w/ 4-valve heads) in the Corvair body one of the motors came from. A company called Crown had a kit in the '60s to put a input shaft in the Corvair transaxle so you could mount a V8 midships. I had bought the 2 major machined parts and the manual while in school then never got around to doing it. See a pattern here? Finally traded them to a Porsche mechanic for a free rebuild of a 911E that I got at a drug auction - cheap. Less than a month after, I found that Clark's still had all the old hot-rod Corvair goodies including the rest of the parts to build one. D_mn I was pissed! The Corv-8 would weigh several hundred pounds less than a Corvette and handle better, close to 50-50 weight distribution.
Too bad I have to work else I'd just be fooling with cars 80% of the time. It's hard enough waxing everything regularly.
Also, the NEW Meyers Manxter looks real intriguing. Again with some excess of power. When will I grow up? I hope never.

[FormerlyAnotherLurker]

Did you get On-Star with any of them?
And, more important, do you like it enough to re-up (and pay) for the next year?

[uglybiker]

Wasn't there a problem with them (I don't want to say, "exploding"), *failing*?

Their only problem was catching Ralph Nader's attention. Remember his dumb book: 'Unsafe At Any Speed'? His rant against the Corvair put him on the map. Not to mention killing one of the most interesting cars GM ever made.

After the brouhaha settled down, it was discovered that the Corvair was neither more or less safe than any other vehicle its size produced at the time.

Too bad Commie Ralph couldn't have disappeared along with the car he killed.

[MeekOneGOP]

hehe ! Thanks ! :O)

[Aquamarine]

Great opening post Dansy!

Mr. A had a muscle car green Mustang that I've heard alot about over the years, will have to get the details from him, what year make and all.

[The Thin Man]

I bought a 300LS in September of 2001

I don't believe it. Bet it was 2000!

*Several posts later as dansy realizes that I saw right through her web of deceit*

Arrrggghhh! Make that *2000*.

Ha! I was right! Playing loose with the facts again.

:-)

[Mama_Bear]

Oh gosh.....thank you! But, I am blushing from all this attention. I TOLD you I did not want a big fuss made over my birthday. Enough already, okay? LOL!

*smooooooooooch*

[Mama_Bear]

Awwww........thank you for the beautiful birthday rose. :-)

[Mama_Bear]

And being it's her birthday, wolfie will not fight with her over it. : )

How very thoughtful of you. ;-)