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Hopfan

Nice Beaver....
Joined
Sep 8, 2006
Messages
657
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Location
Lincoln University, PA
I know I've seen a few posts & pics of brewers that are also into Muscle Cars. Just curious as to how many of us there are out there. I met a local here who was a master welder and we started talking cars. I was amazed at the amount of pure muscle that was within a 10 mile radius of me that I didn't know about.

I'm currently restoring a 67 Firebird for my oldest (He's only 10, but this car is a basket case so it will be at least 4-5 years before it's road ready) I have most of the major parts in good shape, just need to install a new floor, all the front end sheet metal, engine, trans & set up the rear back to stock. I was hoping to get a 326 for it as that was what it was built with, but they seem to be very precious to the LeMans rebuilders. I hate to go with the 400 or 455 as it's my son and I don't want him to have the temptation, but if I have to, I'll detune it and drop the rear a bit to keep him out of trouble. I have all the original interior bits, including a working radio (the real stereo system will be buried beneath the skin by my nephew who does that stuff for a living). My son is busily wire wheeling the suspension parts in prep for powder coating and come Spring, I think we'll pull the body and do the same to the rest of the frame.

Here's some pics of the before. It looks scary, but I'm enjoying the hell out of getting my hands back into a classic.

So how about it? Let's hear about the rest of the brutes out there.

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Very nice! I love old cars, but have none of the necessary resources to work on one. It's really cool that you and your son can work on it together. I know I would have been plenty motivated to invest some sweat equity into a ride like that if I knew it would be mine to drive in a few years! I'm a fan of the 60's Pontiacs. The only way it could be cooler is if it was a Mopar. :D

Isn't a 326 just a small bore Olds/Pontiac 350? That might be an option. I mention that because it would be way too obvious to recommend a mild Chevy small block crate motor. :D

Also, that thing looks damn good......I doubt it has spent much time in your neck of the woods! Was it a southern car?
 
I love to watch this kind of restoration. I once restored a '68 Honda 160 motorcycle. I loved to ride it around and watch all the "WTF is THAT?!!!" looks I'd get from people.


Speaking of restoration Hopfan, is that Syd Barrett as your avatar?

:drunk:




I love his brand of stream of consciousness, gumble.

:cross:
 
I love Musclecars, Esp. Mopar:rockin:

That is definately a hobby I want to get back into when money is flowing freely. When I was younger, I had a 69 Charger lined up, but couldn't get anyone to cosign for the 2 grand (What a crime!!!), and I owned a 70 GS with a 455 for a week till my parents freaked and forced me to return it (living at their house) :mad:
Someday soon, I'll be back at it, and my insurance will rise accordingly

"There is no substitute for displacement"
 
SwAMi75 said:
Very nice! I love old cars, but have none of the necessary resources to work on one. It's really cool that you and your son can work on it together. I know I would have been plenty motivated to invest some sweat equity into a ride like that if I knew it would be mine to drive in a few years! I'm a fan of the 60's Pontiacs. The only way it could be cooler is if it was a Mopar. :D

Isn't a 326 just a small bore Olds/Pontiac 350? That might be an option. I mention that because it would be way too obvious to recommend a mild Chevy small block crate motor. :D

Also, that thing looks damn good......I doubt it has spent much time in your neck of the woods! Was it a southern car?

Well, I thought about putting a Targetmaster 350 in it and it would definitely be loads cheaper, but I just can't bring myself to do it. And yes, it began it's life in Mississippi and "ended" it in Virginia. When I pulled the interior, I even found a few of the old style pull tops. you know, the ones that would cut the thumbs to shreds of the heavy beer drinkers and that we all made into necklaces as kids.

Spyk'd said:
Speaking of restoration Hopfan, is that Syd Barrett as your avatar?

:drunk:

I love his brand of stream of consciousness, gumble.
Yes it is Syd. His music & ideology pretty much sum up my youth.

Hippie said:
I love Musclecars, Esp. Mopar:rockin:

"There is no substitute for displacement"
I'm a fan of any of the classics. I have owned a 70 Mustang Grande, a 72 Chevelle SS, a 70 Nova SS, and a 74 Nova that was my street car and still did 14.02 in the quarter. My first car was to be a 69 Challenger that my grandfather owned, but the day I turned 14, I was informed that it was rear ended and totalled. I still cry about that.

As far as displacement, when I was into it, there were relatively few performance parts for the Chevy Rat motors, so I tended to stay small block. And now that I'm going to be giving the keys to my son one day, I think I'll stay small block. To this day, I can't believe that I lived through those years. I truly did not learn to "really drive" until I was about 23. Although, I would trust my oldest more than the little guy. he's 6 and already has his heart set on a 70 Chevelle that I found. I told him that he better plan on something more like a bubble surrounded by rubber wrapped in padding. To say he's a bit impulsive and competitive is a huge understatement.
 
Hippie said:
"There is no substitute for displacement"

I thought it was:

"There's no replacement for displacement." ;)

I'm dismayed at the prices of muscle cars these days. When my dad and i were looking for my first vehicle, I could have had a beautiful '67 Roadrunner w/883 for $3,000. Or, a '71 El Camino 454SS with 8 miles on the motor for about $2,700. Both were outstanding cars, inside and out. I couldn't touch either one for 5 times that now. Of course it just dawned on me that that was 15 years ago......
 
I love my Pontiac. I have a 76 T/A that I bought in 1987 when I was in the USAF. It was a real basket case when I got it, but I have guided her through a complete restoration over the last 12 years. 400ci w/ Edelbrock aluminum heads in it now, but I am in the process of building up a 505 IAII (aftermarket Pontiac block) for it over the winter. I have a brand new Moser 12 bolt rear end (3.73 gears) and a Tremec TKO-600 5 speed trans ready to be installed when the motor is done.

If you don't already know, there is a great supplier of Pontiac parts called Performance Years. The link is to the forums. You can get to the online store from there. I have learned more in the last year about Pontiac's from the forum than I ever thought was possible. You should check them out. Some very knowledgeable and helpful people there. Not unlike here!

You definitely want to keep that bad boy Pontiac powered! Don't let anyone convince you to put a crate engine in that thing to save a buck! That is of course unless it is a crate motor from Here or Here.

You could keep it Poncho and put a Pontiac 350 in it. Easy to find and inexpensive. They can make good power but still be easy on a new driver. The classifieds on the PY board that I linked to are packed with goodies for every Pontiac ever made. I'll bet you could find a 326 if you were so inclined.

Best of luck to you on your project. These will be precious years you will have with your son. You will be building a lot more than just a car, but my guess is that you probably already know that. My oldest is only 4, but I am already planning to restore a 66 GTO hardtop with him that I have been holding on to and have in storage. I'll probably wait until he's around 10 as well.

John

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I too love these old muscle cars but alas, living in a condo in the city, I have no place to park or work on a car anymore. I walk to work and SWMBO drives her Miata. In high school I drove a 1964 Chevy Impala SS and shortly after graduation, traded it to a guy for a '72 GTO. I'd love to have those cars today.
 
I miss the muscle cars...Living on a base, I can't have all of the toys I want.

My brother had a 69 Impala SS 396/4 spd.
My brother-in-law had a 69 Chevelle Malibu originally a 307/TH350 wound up a 396/M-22. They're 14 years older than me, so the had the big block stuff in the 70's when I was a rug-rat.
My Second vehicle was a 64 Mercury Comet Cyclone 289/4Spd. I miss that thing. Definately didn't see another coming at you like you did w/Mustangs and Camaros.

Now, I've gone the cheapskate route and have a 61 VW Baja Bug.
 
Nice motors.

I used to have a ford pop with a buick small block. I had to sell it before it was on the road. I was a teenager and no one would insure me for less than my mortgage payments. All steel shell, chopped and channelled.

(This one is not mine)

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John, that is one sweet ride. Good luck on the goat, that is one of my ultimate dream cars but they just can't be found anymore unless you want to pay $30k for one that someone is restoring or $7k for a complete basket case. There is a 70 GTO down the street from me. It's cliche, but it's sitting next to a barn, on a farm, and has been there for at least 11 years. I asked the man who owns it and he said he'll never sell it. It was his very first car and he doesn't want to see anyone else in it. So there it rots, never to see the road again.:( :( :(

You'll probably crap yourself, but I got the 67 bird for $200!!! Then I sold the widetrack rims & tires and a few other misc extra parts that were in it, for about $1,000 on eBay. The Muscle Gods were smiling on me that day.

Thanks for the link, I'll check it out, though I'm in no position to buy anything right now. I have also had good luck finding repro parts at paddockparts.com & classicindustries.com I'm not going to do a historical resto. This will be a driver resto because I think you have to be able to drive these things to appreciate them.
 
orfy said:
Nice motors.

I used to have a ford pop with a buick small block. I had to sell it before it was on the road. I was a teenager and no one would insure me for less than my mortgage payments. All steel shell, chopped and channelled.

(This one is not mine)

n-henderson.jpg
I bet you would kill to get that one back!
 
I have space now and the insurance on a limited milage would be pocket money. Being an all steel body it would be very sort after now. I had a 4 inch chop and was channelled 3 inch. A Steel hood, trunk and doors. It had a small block Buick (Rover V8), ford back end and an old MG independent front end.
It originally had a big block and was an old 70s dragster, I bought it from a scrappy minus, floor, bulkhead, interior and engine.
I got the car and a rover V8 from a scrap yard for £100. A further £200 got it drivable. But then I got an insurance quote and ran out of Money. I also had no where to garage it. So I sold it for £250 and bought a triumph vitesse. Straight six 2l (122 cu).

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I now drive one of these.
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Holy crap johnsma22, those are awesome pics! Good job!

I've been wanting a Charger or a Cuda for as long as I can remember. Guess those dreams are long gone with the prices now, but maybe luck will find me with somethign in bad shape that I can fix up.

Cool thread.
 
I've got a 1966 Pontiac GTO hardtop. Martinique Bronze, black vinyl top, black interior. 389 cubic inches, 360 HP, Tri-Power ("six pack" to you MOPAR guys), PS, PB, AC, TH-350. There's a pic in my gallery if anyone's interested.

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BTW, a few interesting things I found in my GTO when I bought it in '88: a vial of cocaine, .22 shells, build sheet, 1968 Willie Stargell baseball card.
 
BOSTONBREWIN' said:
BTW, a few interesting things I found in my GTO when I bought it in '88: a vial of cocaine, .22 shells, build sheet, 1968 Willie Stargell baseball card.

LOL! All that is prolly worth more than the car (assuming you got it as a bad shape fixxer-upper)!!
 
Awesome rides guys. :rockin:

I keep looking at cars and would love to have a project as well, but there just is no time right now.

First car was a '69 Olds Cutlass S that I bought for $325 bucks and my dad and I rebuilt. (Ok, he did the majority of the work. :eek: ) It was totally stock. Left the body on the frame but yanked everything else. Expanded the block just a bit, put a beefier cam in it. He had the same concerns about turning his 16 year old loose with a totally fresh 350 with a 4bbl, so he left the 2bbl on. Dumped the 2 speed tranny for a 3 speed turbo hydro. I'll have to find a pic or two of that thing, because it turned out nice.

Idiot kid that I was, sold it for $2500, bought a '67 Chevelle ragtop that I never could get to run right, and that was the end of my adventures in muscle cars. I'd still like to get another one for my boys tho... Pontiac or a Mopar... :eek:

Ize
 
Hopfan said:
John, that is one sweet ride. Good luck on the goat, that is one of my ultimate dream cars but they just can't be found anymore unless you want to pay $30k for one that someone is restoring or $7k for a complete basket case. There is a 70 GTO down the street from me. It's cliche, but it's sitting next to a barn, on a farm, and has been there for at least 11 years. I asked the man who owns it and he said he'll never sell it. It was his very first car and he doesn't want to see anyone else in it. So there it rots, never to see the road again.:( :( :(

You'll probably crap yourself, but I got the 67 bird for $200!!! Then I sold the widetrack rims & tires and a few other misc extra parts that were in it, for about $1,000 on eBay. The Muscle Gods were smiling on me that day.

Thanks for the link, I'll check it out, though I'm in no position to buy anything right now. I have also had good luck finding repro parts at paddockparts.com & classicindustries.com I'm not going to do a historical resto. This will be a driver resto because I think you have to be able to drive these things to appreciate them.

Thanks for the compliment! It really has been a labor of love. Just for the record, none of the cars I have restored or ever will restore will be concourse, historically correct restorations. No trailer queens here! I like the word "restorification". Cross between restoration and modification.

$200 for a 67 Bird is a steal!!!! Nice find! The link I provided to the PY forum is the greatest place on earth to learn about all things Pontiac. I've never ordered parts from Paddock, but I have had good luck with Classic Industries. Another place that you may want to check out when the time comes to get some parts for your Pontiac is Ames Performance Engineering. They are great people to deal with and have great prices. They are located in NH and you can save on shipping to PA, as opposed to Classic Ind. in CA.

John
 
I miss my firebirds.. I had a 1973 formula firebird with the 400 ci 4spd posi rear and a 1978 gold edition trans am with the olds 403 ci.

damn I miss them :(
 
I have a '66 Fairlane in my garage. Used to be my daily driver, so it has a stock 289 with a 2 barrel (wimpy!). I'm debating on whether I should sell it or actually get to work on it. It hasn't run in about 3 years.

The body is fairly straight with just a little surface rust under the driver's door, but the interior is trashed.

If I do sell it, I think I'm going to get it running first, then use the money for a down payment on a Ducati:rockin: SWMBO says she wants a new house next year, so I told her if she gets a new house, I get to use my next Christmas bonus to buy a Duck.
 
Owned 2 different 72 Chevelle's. My first and second cars. Fast!

Then I got into a 77 Nova - 250 3 on the tree. Big difference! Loved the engine but it didn't smoke'em as well.

I want a dodge dart demon

:mug:
 
I have what I consider a modern day musclecar, a 2000 Camaro SS. I'd have loved to bought an old muscle car to learn about cars as I worked on it, but with school it's just not reasonable. She's got decent power though, gets almost 20 city, and is reliable. Maybe in a few years I'll do a ratrod buildup. Thinking an old 32 ford, chopped and a Cobra would be under the hood. Long ways away though.


The Camaro is red, and I consider her pretty heavy, so I call her Rosie (a reference to the great AC/DC song about making love to a fat chick)
 
alemonkey said:
I have a '66 Fairlane in my garage. Used to be my daily driver, so it has a stock 289 with a 2 barrel (wimpy!). I'm debating on whether I should sell it or actually get to work on it. It hasn't run in about 3 years.

The body is fairly straight with just a little surface rust under the driver's door, but the interior is trashed.

If I do sell it, I think I'm going to get it running first, then use the money for a down payment on a Ducati:rockin: SWMBO says she wants a new house next year, so I told her if she gets a new house, I get to use my next Christmas bonus to buy a Duck.
What I would do is sell it to me, CHEAP!

There's actually a 66 fairlane down the road from me. It's sitting beside a house, the lady that lives there doesn't own it, her ex son in law does and he called me saying things were a bit complicated. Check Please!
 
Come on, you haven't done it until you've done it with a fat diner waitress at 3AM. You've all done that, right?.... Right guys?.... Did everyone leave again?
 
Fat chicks are like mopeds, they are both fun to ride until your friends find out!
 
I like mine topless...

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It is an 89 with 75K miles, custom interior, some motor mods, headers etc.

I'm building a motor for a car I do not yet own, and have no idea what it will be going in to but oh is it going to be fast.

I took the motor out of a school bus I bought at auction for 150 bucks, pulled the motor and sold the shell for 150 bucks. Nice deal huh?

I have had the machine work done and it now has a stroker crank, rods and pistons for a new displacement of 408 CI vs the 351 it started with. I have new aluminum heads and will be installing a blower from a Lightning pick up as soon as I can get the cash.

I am aiming for 550 HP and 525 lb/ft using a remapped ECU.

Whatever it goes in to is going to scream.....

Cheers,

knewshound
 
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