What was your first car

originally posted by: baddmove
My first car I bought when I was in the Air Force in 1978.

Loved this beautiful car.

A 68 Cougar with a sunroof nice. Rare I would think. I am guessing a 302 Boss. Perfect size for that ride.

First ride was a '68 Volvo 142S, got it cheap with a bad carrier bearing bushing, fixed that and then rebuilt a 1.9l engine with racing cam and weber carb, then got a deal on a rusted '67 P1800 that I swapped the engine into. That project lasted a few years until I scrapped it.

Had toyotas, hondas, isuzu, mercedes and suzuki. Currently I'm pretty happy with my civic, super easy and affordable to fix, seriously reliable

a reply to: strongfp
It's not that I am complete oblivious, like you explained it, hype. I am 30ish now but when I drove that R32 in GT arcade, I had no idea why they gave me that one. The boys set it up.

Only over a decade later I connected the dots what it is about these cars. The R33 originally belonged to my uncle but it was my duty to project and develop the car. Since he had all the knowledge about R32-R34, I learned from him and only sporadic had to go to online forums. Therefor most of the hype went beside me.

I would be lying if I wrote I wasn't scared to death when I unleashed it for the first time on a drag strip, for a complete 1/2 mile. We initially had suspension issues:

When the grip was too high, the car would jump launch almost straight up. Sometimes it would rotate midair, up to 45 degree. That means you're launching it, suddenly you can't see the road and it feels like you're in an elevator, then you can see it again but you look at the spectators now, the light system or the car next to you launching away, you on collision course and be like #### CLUTCH-BRAKE with both feet.

And the first time I launched successful... what a rush! At that time we still drove fixed boost but with a dogbox already. Later we modified the gearbox with two sensors that churn out the current gear and a load cell to detect beginning shifts. Boost by gear and flatshift. When you shifted, you could feel the power in your arms as you put in the next gear it felt like an explosion went off behind the car, it feels like that inside the body. And as that happens, the car like just jumps forward brutal, if you don't hold the breath it feels like someone punching you in the gut.

Nice to meet someone who shares a bit of the enthusiasm

originally posted by: bigfatfurrytexan
a reply to: Raggedyman

I have accounts at 4 separate financial institutions. None have "what is your first car" as a security question option.

So there is that.

One of mine does, exact same question

a reply to: DAVID64

1970 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS 454 (one of ~3800 made)


Grandpa was a partner with a local oil baron so gas for the beast was free which was awesome because it drank alot.😎 Burn a gallon just idling at a stop light. But after 5 speeding tickets, and a few pissed off sheriffs and a judge that couldn't be bought, dad took it away and left me with a rice burner.😭 Got it back when I turned 18, but had to get on with my life so ended up selling it a year later to a collector.

a reply to: ThatDamnDuckAgain

Helped a buddy of mine rebuild his R32. That's one of the most complicated designs I've seen under a hood. Sucker is properly fast though, he takes it out to track days mostly.

I'm more than a little jealous of it, although I'm holding out for a Escort RS Cosworth. It's either that or a mk 2 Focus RS, just depends on what I can get imported. Really wish I could get the 2 door Fiesta ST, stuck with the 4 door here in the states. It's not fast but after some minor modifications it can be quite fun on mountain roads.

a reply to: Hypntick
The R32 looks much more raw and masculine than the R33 that is considered a women's skyline somehow. I can see why because of the rounder curves.

If it was a rebuild on original parts then it was probably still twin turbo right? I don't mess with twin turbo RBs because of that. Last year had one in my shop that had a mystical trouble:

When let off the throttle in boost range, the twin turbos would start to make darth vader noises, left right left right left right, kind of bouncing between the turbos. It was still closed system, no open atmo gates or pop offs. Everytime I thought I found the problem, customer came back weeks later. Diagnostics showed nothing other than what I expected from hearing, that there is swinging fluctuation upstream the impellers. I even exchanged sensors and wired them over the bonnet through the window so I can record values while driving and testing. NOTHING. Two other established Skyline experts threw the towel on it before me. I changed the complete ECU and did it all from scratch. Again.

In the end I still don't have an explanation, I replaced a vaccuum hose between the gates bridge. It had no holes, no pinches was visibly ok. I changed the hose and that was it?!? Why I don't touch twin turbo skylines anymore.

About the RS / ST they are fun cars to drive, even have adorable little boost gauge on the dashboard in the middle
These FWD Fiesta STs with their short 2-door chassis axle distances are little curve beasts. Coupled with the FWD and the tendency to pull in to curves / understeer this makes a great fun car to hunt up hils on serpentines.

The four door is juicy too

a reply to: IAMTAT
My current car was based on that Aston Martin. Jaguar XK8 and last off the original Jaguar production line before they got bought over by Ford I believe the same designer, could be wrong.
I've out speeded you though, snuck my Geraldine up to 145mph....and she still had loads more power!


On topic, my father bought my first car, a Renault 4. It was cobbled together from 2 cars. One had better bodywork than the knackered engine one. All done legally, except they'd dropped the gearbox in backwards. So it was fun learning to drive in it (ass-backward, column shift), official lessons in a Mini (stick shift) and driving test in a huge Chrysler Alpine!
Heater wouldn't work in it, which was a bugger in the winter. So I stripped it all down, put it back together again et voila! It worked. Dad asked what I had done and I said I just cleaned all the bits up on a wing and a prayer.

Rainbows
Jane

originally posted by: angelchemuel
a reply to: IAMTAT
My current car was based on that Aston Martin. Jaguar XK8 and last off the original Jaguar production line before they got bought over by Ford

I believe the same designer, could be wrong.
I've out speeded you though, snuck my Geraldine up to 145mph....and she still had loads more power!

Hi Jane,...I've had two pre-Ford Jags...BOTH were absolutely beautiful driving machines...but that old Lucas electrical system was a nightmare.

CONGRATS on the hitting the 145 mark...the only reason I couldn't take dad's Aston over 120+...was because I ran out of road.

Braincrows
TAT

a reply to: IAMTAT
Bit slow getting up to 120mph then?


Rainbows
Jane