Quote:
Originally Posted by tom_a
For me it was not any one car, rather it was my Dad. I grew up around them. I am pretty sure I was the only 5 year old dropped off at my school in a 1941 Ford Coupe, cragers and with 283 Chevy complete with a cross ram and no hood  Me and my brother would always run to the window when we heard a rumble looking to see what he had bartered or traded for. My mom just came to accept it. He passed about four years ago, but even through my adult life he would show up at my house with something. It's funny even at 38 years old now ,every time I hear a rumble coming down my street I still catch myself thinking to look for Dad  |
Tom...great story, brought a tear to my eye.
The car for me was a 76 camaro. A local family bought it brand new, the daughter had it first then the older brother, they always kept it mint. I watched "Mike" take the 305 out and freshen it up with a cam, headers, intake, Cragar SS wheels etc...I was always hanging around like a s**t fly asking questions.
Well I ended up buying that car with 36K original miles and drove it hard! It was my daily driver thru HS and when I started making some decent money the car ended up Ferrari red with a BB 454, built trans, 3:73 posi etc... it was a great car. I sold it many moons later to fund a V8 s10 project of all things.
It's funny...my Dad is a great guy with some great qualities but I remember growing up, he was never interested in cars and actually discouraged me at every step of the way. Not in a bad way but one example in particular sticks out:
When I got the Camaro, I ran it with the 305 for a year so and decided to build a 350 for it. After all... I had been reading every car magazine for years, I was practically ASE certified! I remember going through the whole deal: machine shop, getting the parts, assembly etc..well I finally get the thing put together, all dressed up on the engine stand. I had a smile from ear to ear. You know what my Father says? "It looks good, leave it on the stand, it will never run" Looking back on it, it makes me laugh.
I put the motor in, got everything right except the timing and I had a few plug wires crossed. My father said: "see". LOL He felt bad for me and called a friend of his. His buddy was a great guy, came right over and straightened the thing out. It ran like a champ.
When the 454 build came along, can you guess what my father said? LOL