American Muscle

a reply to: Blaine91555

Can you imagine what they will think about the big muscle cars when everything turns to electric?

You're right about being able to work on them yourself. There's nothing like a real muscle car hot rod. I guess the closest thing to a modern muscle car would be the tuners, just because they work on them and modify them on their own. No way they'll ever be as cool as a real muscle car though, imo.

a reply to: esteay812

There was nothing like having an engine in parts in the garage, surrounded by manuals and discarded parts boxes. By the time it hit the road, you knew every last bolt.

You could walk around the neighborhood and shoot the breeze with all the other people tinkering with their cars in their drives. You did not know something, you asked the guy up the street. The parts guys could answer any questions and would drop what they were doing and come out and give helpful advice and loved to do it.

Tools were shared by everyone. I might have a nice torque wrench and the guy next door had the timing light. It was a very social thing.

I think their will be enough younger people in the future that would love to restore old school muscle cars and general old cars, like the Ford model-A or Mustang's​ cause they're worth money and look cool, even if they're not completely original cause many people do put huge engine's and other performance packages​ on them.

As an ex car mechanic i completely understand how amazing the feeling is working on your own car and say damn right i finished that engine rebuild put it back together with a turbo upgrade etc. what would we upgrade on these new electric doodad's? probably just the interior.

I'm not a fan of These new electric cars​ just yet, yeah they got some fast ones and environmental friendly etc but they don't have pure muscle/grunt.

a reply to: Blaine91555

I live in the country and it's still like that to an extent here. Some guys have their old muscle cars, but most of them have 4X4's and take them out "muddin'" a couple times a month.

I remember growing up in a neighborhood where everyone seemed to spend the weekend working on their old cars and drinking cold beer. It really was a community thing. I guess people still do hang around the garage, but I don't see it as being a community thing anymore.

a reply to: DarkvsLight29

It just seems like the cars are only going to get more and more rare and will make it harder for newer and younger enthusiasts to get into the hobby. I mean, I don't think more modern cars will be as collectible or sought after as th classics and muscle cars.

As far as electric goes, I've not really checked them out. It's a weird thing, being in a car, accelerating, and not hearing any sort of rumble from the engine. Then again, I could definitely be down for an electric car that will drive me where ever I want to go, autonomously.

originally posted by: esteay812
a reply to: Blaine91555

I live in the country and it's still like that to an extent here. Some guys have their old muscle cars, but most of them have 4X4's and take them out "muddin'" a couple times a month.

I remember growing up in a neighborhood where everyone seemed to spend the weekend working on their old cars and drinking cold beer. It really was a community thing. I guess people still do hang around the garage, but I don't see it as being a community thing anymore.

I've got too​ say it was similar to me hanging around my neighbourhood​ watching people fixing car's etc, and i agree it's not the same as it used to be, now a days people just go to the the garage and ask them to fix it and be back in a couple days​ or few weeks if it's a complete overhaul. somehow i think the old days will return when the streets are full of electric cars.

originally posted by: esteay812
a reply to: DarkvsLight29

It just seems like the cars are only going to get more and more rare and will make it harder for newer and younger enthusiasts to get into the hobby. I mean, I don't think more modern cars will be as collectible or sought after as th classics and muscle cars.

As far as electric goes, I've not really checked them out. It's a weird thing, being in a car, accelerating, and not hearing any sort of rumble from the engine. Then again, I could definitely be down for an electric car that will drive me where ever I want to go, autonomously.

I guess we'll find out what happens in the future as new electric cars are everywhere...Not sure if i would like a car to drive me everywhere (I'd definitely like to try it) plus cars are ment to be driven not the other way around, we can only find out how well they work by trying them.

a reply to: DarkvsLight29

I was thinking more along the lines of going out and having a few beers without worrying about a designated driver.

It would be cool to have a car drive you for times like that, but no way it could ever replace the driving experience.

originally posted by: esteay812
a reply to: DarkvsLight29

I was thinking more along the lines of going out and having a few beers without worrying about a designated driver.

It would be cool to have a car drive you for times like that, but no way it could ever replace the driving experience.

Didn't think of the few beers or drinking night out without needing a taxi or driver.. I'm definitely 100% behind that, true they couldn't replace a real driving experience.

The first cars I remember my mom had a 69 Barracuda and my dad had a t bucket of some kind that my uncle had to pull it down the highway and he would crawl out to the motor and pour a mcdonalds cup of gas in something or another.. and make it run that way.

It was definitely nurture and not nature as to why I always had to have a "faster than I needed it to be" vehicle.

a reply to: Advantage

Sounds like some really good memories.

'69 cuda? That's one bad motor scooter. One of my favorites, no doubt about it.

I always liked the t bucket too. I don't remember seeing one at the show that was properly restored, but I may have just overlooked them. There were so many cars there, it was like sensory overload.

a reply to: Advantage

mcdonalds cup of gas in something or another.. and make it run that way.

my dad always used a coca cola bottle. i can't tell you how many times we had to put out fires.

a reply to: hounddoghowlie

I'm not sure we ever put gas in it, but there always seemed to be a Yoo-Hoo bottle laying around whenever we needed a container.

Some forgotten muscle: www.curbside.tv...
momentcar.com...

a reply to: pteridine

That Studebaker is a cool car. I didn't see any like it there, it must be pretty rare. I did see the redneck Studebaker truck. It's in the video in the first several minutes.

The Avanti's front end reminds me of one of those amphibious cars. It must be the closed grill. Thanks for the link, cool to see that car.

originally posted by: esteay812
a reply to: pteridine

That Studebaker is a cool car. I didn't see any like it there, it must be pretty rare. I did see the redneck Studebaker truck. It's in the video in the first several minutes.

The Avanti's front end reminds me of one of those amphibious cars. It must be the closed grill. Thanks for the link, cool to see that car.

The Studebaker GT Hawk could be ordered with the Avanti engines. Andy Granatelli's Paxton Products provided the Paxton centrifugal supercharger and the supercharged engines were claimed to put out at least 1hp per cubic inch.

en.wikipedia.org... "Beginning with the 1963 model year, the "Jet Thrust" R-series V-8 engines designed for the Avanti could be ordered throughout the Studebaker line, with the naturally aspirated R1 delivering 240 bhp (180 kW), the supercharged R2 giving 289 bhp (216 kW) and the limited-production supercharged 304.5 in³ (5.0 L) R3 powerplant issuing forth a full 335 bhp (250 kW). Handling and braking improvements were made to match the high-performance engines, with front and rear anti-roll bars, rear radius rods, heavy-duty springs, and front disc brakes all available ala carte or in a "Super Hawk" package (introduced mid year) with an R1 or R2 engine."

a reply to: esteay812

Cool thread. I'm not a big muscle car fan, but the history of Nascar and street racing in the country is pretty fun with its links to bootlegging.

a reply to: esteay812
In 1996 (when I was 17), my dad took out a loan so that I could get my first car (and I paid the monthly payments). He gave me a choice: I could either have a mini-truck (they were a thing back then), or a classic car. I chose a classic car, and without any loyalty to any brand, I settled on a 1966 Mustang Coupe, C-code with an automatic 3-speed. When I drove her home, she was an oxidized powder blue (probably Silver Blue) with crappy aftermarket "pony" seats and 1965 hubcaps and original-size whitewall tires.

Over the years, I did quite a few things to that car, to include (in no particular order):
- Upgrade suspension (1" 620lb drop coils up front, stiffer leafs out back, KYB shocks, Shelby upper control arm relocation)
- Cragar S/S wheels (15x8s) with 235/60s in back and 225/50s up front
- Added a GT-350 hood scoop and front valence (for use with a bumper) and removed the bumper vertical support pieces
- Painted the car Wimbledon White with Guardsman Blue racing stripes (to spec from the GT-350)
- Replaced 2v carb with 4v Edelbrock 550, along with the Edelbrock Performer Cam and Intake
- Re-upholstered the interior with standard upholstery (not the Pony interior)
- Added a modern (at the time) CD-changer and receiver with some 6x9 speakers in the package tray
- And probably a million-and-a-half other things to the car that included necessary maintenance and upgrades and customizations.

She was my first car, and I owned her for most of my high school life (I got "best car" in my senior yearbook, which is saying a LOT because I went to a high school where quite a few wealthy kids went...I was not one of them), and when I joined the Army in 1999 and got stationed in Germany, I had the Army send her over to Germany with me, which was a blast, and I was always known as "the guy with the old Mustang."

But, by the time that I brought her back in 2002, the salts that Germany uses in the winter had taken their toll on the body, and she had rust in some spots. From that point on, it's kind of a sad tale of me having the best intentions, but not the time nor the means to keep her going over the next 12 years, between college and marriage and a growing family.

I had to make the adult decision to sell her in 2014, and it really wasn't that hard to do at that point, because I knew that if I held onto her just out of nostalgia, she would continue to be neglected and fall apart.

In reality, though, she wasn't that great of a car, and I knew it--she had evidence of front-end damage, so body panels and doors and windows never lined up correctly (and for someone with great attention to detail or mild OCD, that's a BIG issue). It was a run-of-the-mill, base-model 289 Mustang coupe, and if I ever get a classic car again, I'll do a better job choosing the vehicle.

So, long story short, the car that my dad taught me the mechanics of a vehicle and that took my wife and I on our first date, drove across America with us, and brought my son home from the hospital after being born would have to be my favorite care, and it just happens to be a Mustang.

I'll always have a place in my heart for Mustangs, but there are so many beautiful cars from the late-50s through early-70s to choose from that I can't really say that I have a favorite.

If you read this far...thanks for reading. It was a nice walk down memory lane.

There were some beauts in that vid. The Plymouth Roadrunner really grabbed me.

One thing though, why wasn't someone sat in each car revving the knackers off it. Possibly the very best thing about big cube V8's is the sound that hits you in the chest when they are opened up.

Kinda like a well tuned Harley, but several orders of magnitude bigger.

a reply to: SprocketUK

They park them and then just sit there watching cars drive down the street all day. I got out pretty early and got to hear them warming a few of them up. There are a few I wish they had started and let run while I was there. I would've loved to hear a few of those blown out cars get revved.