I am a big muscle car fan. They dont make cars like they use too. I see kids nowdays in my age limit driving these imports all supped up, which they sound and look awful. My favorite car in the sixities is the 69 Fastback Mustang, with a 302. I get to drive her every day and look at her. : )

Wow, I love 60's Mustangs......always have, they are so hot.

Also like Chargers and El Caminos.....all sorts.

And I know what you mean about the souped up imports, like really who wants to drive a sewing machine??? LOL

But this is coming from me who is a Chopper fanatic. I watch like every episode of OCC. I know very strange for a chick , but I have a thing for Gear Monkies.....LOL....and cars and bikes with balls......hahaha

Candy Apple Red '57 Chevy

I'm not very into cars and I don't know much about those older muscle cars. I think I probably wouldn't care how powerful my car is. I'm like a girl when it comes to cars, I like those pretty and smooth handling cars. Right now I like the Infiniti G35 Coupe, wish I can own one.

I had a 1972 Corvette T-top 454 auto waiting for me at the local Chevy house when I returned from Viet Nam the last time. That was a really fun car at the time. Gas was cheap, light traffic on the interstates and rather understanding cops - a lot of whom were also recent Nam vets - kept the day to day expenses at bay.

Had a 66 ford galaxie convertable and a 69 Chevy SS with the 396 but still a sweet car. Sold both for 500 dollars each. Damn I wish I had them both back.

Had muscle cars. favorite was probably 1967 427 L88 vette.

Later had a 67 Shelby gt500 Mustang with the FORD 427 , sold it . Did not know that today there would only be 4 left in the world.

But I think my favorite car I owned was my 57 Chev Impalla convertable, metal flake gold, built 348 engine & hurst shifter with cue ball on top.

Still ride motorcycles too. Don't like crotch rockets.

Originally posted by Dio Seijuro
Infiniti G35 Coupe, wish I can own one.

Yeah, me too - with the 6 speed and the Brembos.

Having been raised on imports after my dad swore off of American cars (too many crappy cars) I tend to be partial to them.

Why do today's American cars have so many reliability problems compared to imports anyway?

Originally posted by Dio Seijuro
Why do today's American cars have so many reliability problems compared to imports anyway?
Not all imports...what about Jags? (Well, Jags before Ford bought Jaguar, anyway...)

My favorite car is my 1967 Mercury Cougar. Does not run but i have some big plans for it. Once i get out of storage she is coming apart. I also like muscle cars alot.

what car is american and what car is a import? Dio, most American cars are imports. The PT Cruiser is built in Mexico. Most Ford trucks are build in Canada. Most Hondas are built in Marysville Ohio. Toyota will be building trucks in Texas. The crown victoria is classified as a import if you would like to know.

Then more specifically, would you rank reliability of today's car makers who have markets in the North America, and then proceed to explain simply why certain makers continuously make crappier cars?

Originally posted by big worm
what car is american and what car is a import? Dio, most American cars are imports. The PT Cruiser is built in Mexico. Most Ford trucks are build in Canada. Most Hondas are built in Marysville Ohio. Toyota will be building trucks in Texas. The crown victoria is classified as a import if you would like to know.
An American car is a Ford, GM, or Chrysler product. An import is anything else, it doesn't matter where the factory is. Old school El Caminos were built in Mexico too; they're still a domestic car because they use an American company's parts, specifically, GM's.

My mother drove a Mercedes 300 e for 11 years, and I tell you....if the cigarette lighter died on that thing you practically had to import a technician from germany to come and fix the damn thing. They had these weird electrical circuit board thingies, and one thing would screw up the other like a chain reaction.

Parts and service was very expensive.

I am also partial to muscle cars. Growing up my dad had a '70 1/2 Camaro very loud very fast car. He also had a '63 Corvette split rear window in silver.

Something about domestic cars is way sexier.

I think I was the only chick in high school that drove an old 3/4 ton chev pickup to school. No one messed with me on the road (or otherwise). Ahhhh I still have fond memories of that truck......

There is a classification that makes a car a import or a domestic. It does not matter if it is built in the U.S. or out of country. If a vehicle is built with more than 75% domestic content than it is defined as a domestic. If it is built with more than 25% import content (parts purchased outside of the U.S.), than the vehicles can be classified as a import. Vehicles built in U.S., Mexico and Canada are classified as domestic(my mistake). Anything else is a Import. When you purchase parts that are manufactured in a different country and install them on a vehicle(over 25%), you then can classify as a import to of set the CAFE regulations.

Originally posted by Dio Seijuro
Then more specifically, would you rank reliability of today's car makers who have markets in the North America, and then proceed to explain simply why certain makers continuously make crappier cars?

Here's a nice link-up with your other thread - I think it was the American trait desiring quantity over quality. Plus I think they were used to not having much competition, so there was no desire to improve. Once the Japanese brands rose in popularity I think they started getting their ass in gear.

I really think it's far less of a problem these days. They're still behind relative to the Japanese brands, but so vastly better than they were before. Their real problem now is the perception of poor quality and that they don't really understand yet how to match the imports in the more emotional areas, like ergonomics, noise, drive quality, etc.

I was, and still am a fan of Pontiac Trans Am's and Firebirds, specifically those with the SD-475 under the hood and 3rd gen. Firebirds, even though they lacked performance. Most of you here should know that though....Remember "The Screaming Chicken"?

B.V. , Did the galaxie have the 390 engine.
66 was my high school graduation year. I went to the Ford place and saw the new models.
Remember when the new models came out in the fall and everone went down to see the changes?

That year they had a 66 galaxie conv. on the showroom floor,
Vintage burgandy,wire wheels, 390 engine, 4 speed.
I thought it was the most beautiful car in the world at the time.

Now I can't tell what a car make is without going up to it and reading the name. Cars don't have "personality" like they used to.
Man I remember when my car was my baby. Now its just a point A to point B.

Originally posted by Dan Fussell
Now I can't tell what a car make is without going up to it and reading the name. Cars don't have "personality" like they used to.
Man I remember when my car was my baby. Now its just a point A to point B.

I disagree, I think a lot of cars have personalities. I can tell the differences between manufacturers fairly easily. There are a lot of incredibly bland cars out there, though.

Trucks are great. Once you've owned one, they're hard to do without.

agree,es

I agree about trucks....

I just had to get rid of my Dodge Dakota sport extended cab. It was great when the girls were small, but now I can't get their bigger kid car seats in there. Now I need a van!

Oh how I miss my V8..............

Well I have a favorite Car ,I guess the one I have now is very special, one of the many I have had over the years .It's a land Cruise Ship a 1989 Lincoln Town Car SS in mint condition inside and out,loaded to the gills with power goodies and they all still work. Right now is the time to buy these massive older cars this one sold new for $32,000 but I got a hell of a deal on it right from the dealership .People are trading these giants of the road in for these little cars for gas reasons .So if you ever wanted a big car now is the time .My Lincoln is fondly named "The Big Dipper" When I cruise The Dipper threw town she turns some heads now let me tell you !!!

P.S. I just noticed I've just made my 100th post.You know this is really a great messageboard ,I've really enjoyed myself.I almost feel like I know some of you regulars and I look forward to your comments and Post's !!

Originally posted by TMW1956
Well I have a favorite Car ,I guess the one I have now is very special, one of the many I have had over the years .It's a land Cruise Ship a 1989 Lincoln Town Car

My mom is addicted to Town Cars. I can't stand 'em!

I can't imagine anyone under the age of 40 driving a Lincoln Town Car. Good car, though.

Originally posted by Dio Seijuro
I can't imagine anyone under the age of 40 driving a Lincoln Town Car. Good car, though.
Good insomuch as a Ford can be good...a serious boat, too. But if by good you mean "comfortable", they certainly are that. :)

While stationed in West Germany, I had the pleasure of owning a pair of BMW sedans - a year old 735i automatic for me, a 2 year old 528i 4 speed for my spouse. The 735i was a serious autobahn cruiser, easily capable of a sustained 140 + mph from one gas stop to another. The 528i was also very fast, not quite as fast a cruiser, but a more fun in-town hot rod. We left both vehicles in Germany - we'd owned them just over 5 years and there was no sense in bringing either of them back. At the time (late 1980's) simply meeting the federal safety standards was costing about $3,000. per vehicle, while meeting EPA standards could cost another $4 thousand or more.

Originally posted by BorgHunter
Good insomuch as a Ford can be good...a serious boat, too. But if by good you mean "comfortable", they certainly are that. :)

But they're actually not. Instead of seats they just toss a bunch of padding on two boards. Hit a bump in the damn thing and it shimmies and shakes for a half hour. I may feel the initial hit more in my Altima but then you're done with it.

My mom must've broken the addiction - she's picking up a Lexus ES330 today.

Woo hoo. Discussion is turned from muscle old car to cars I actually know.

Dio I'm 48 so I fit the bill,man that Lincoln is so smooth it's like riding on air,I've rode in a Rolls before and it's just as smooth and quite riding.And I still get 17 to 18 miles a gallon. That car is so loaded it even has heated outside rear view mirrors, It's a class act let me tell you .It was a one owner garage kept car for it's whole life,looks like nobody ever sat in the back seats and still has the original real spare tire in a immaculant trunk area. Hell the trunks so big you could almost put a hot tub in it. It's one of the biggest cars ever made.I sure have a lot of fun with it !!!

Originally posted by TMW1956
Dio I'm 48 so I fit the bill,man that Lincoln is so smooth it's like riding on air,I've rode in a Rolls before and it's just as smooth and quite riding.And I still get 17 to 18 miles a gallon. That car is so loaded it even has heated outside rear view mirrors, It's a class act let me tell you .It was a one owner garage kept car for it's whole life,looks like nobody ever sat in the back seats and still has the original real spare tire in a immaculant trunk area. Hell the trunks so big you could almost put a hot tub in it. It's one of the biggest cars ever made.I sure have a lot of fun with it !!!
Depending on the year that Lincoln might be literally riding on air...some of them had air ride if I'm not mistaken...or were those just the Mark VIII's? I know we've had a bit of problem with the air ride on the Marks at our lot...they tend to get leaks in the bags and then sit really low.

Borg it's the mighty 1989 model year,Sure to become a classic one day !!! Hell my wife and me have slept in it going to Florida the seats lay all the way back and you feel like your in a motel room. The A/C is like nothing you have ever felt it has it's own climate control ,let me tell you you could store meat in there it gets so chilled. I woke up and was looking around for the bathroom !!! It's just so damn long it's unreal thats why I named it "The Big Dipper" No the name really came from one of my childhood sports heros some of you may remember who was nick named The Big Dipper, The big guy himself Wilt Chamberlian.I thought the name was very fitting. The biggest numbers the most of everything,just plain bigger than life. Thats my car !!!


P.S. I just noticed I'm a Veteran Member now WOW, Thanks everyone !!

I used to own a 1977 ford T-bird. It was a big car but was very fun to drive. It was nice and comfortable. When the tranny blew i pulled the engine and stuck it in my 67 cougar and drove it. Sold the t-bird for 200 hundred bucks.

Originally posted by bigboy4040
I am a big muscle car fan. They dont make cars like they use too. I see kids nowdays in my age limit driving these imports all supped up, which they sound and look awful. My favorite car in the sixities is the 69 Fastback Mustang, with a 302. I get to drive her every day and look at her. : )

Hey Hey..another Gear Head here

I have a 1968 Chevy Camaro that I'm almost finished restoring. So far she's pushin:

Chevy 350ci Smal Block engine (4-Bolt main bored .040)
Fuelly 64cc Cast Iron Heads
Forged Piston Rods and Heads
Chrome Piston Rings
Comp Cam .490 lift / 280 Duration (Hydraulic)
Lifters (Hydraulic)
Heat Treated Push Rods
Roller Rockers
Hi-Temp Racing Gaskets and Seals
Hi Volume Oil Pump and Screen
Hi Volume Water Pump
Double Roller Timing Chain
New Fuel Pump
Chrome Valve Covers
Chrome Timing Chain Cover
Chrome Air Filter cover
HEI Distributor
MSD Ignition Control Box and Blaster 3 coil
Holley 650 cfm 4-Barrel Double Purge Carbureator
Edelbrock Intake Manifold lifted 1"

Th350 3 speed auto transmission with 2800 RPM Stall Converter, Transgo Shift kit, and B & M Quarter Shifter

Right now I'm working toward bumping the rear differential up from a 3:01 open end to a 3:73 limited slip Posi-Traction

Man, after years of failure, trial and error, she's almost finished... almost

:)

Dunkirk good to hear about the 68, those are nice.I just love popping the hood on a muscle car and you can see what your are working on from the engine compartment. Push on the gas and rev, and hear and feel the car rumble. That is awesome! Once you drive a muscle car you never go back to newer cars, unless when it snows or rains out.

Its kinda funny im supposed to be in the era that loves imports (i am 16) but im a chevy guy personally, its funny because my parent werent into cars the slightest but i am. I own a 1991 s-10 blazer which i use mainly for off-roading, it has power everything and i have never once had a problem with anything (and believe me i use it pretty hard) so whats this crap about domestic cars being loaded with problems!
But i am a muscle car man more than anything im lookin to get a 1968-9 pontiac firebird for me to rebuild (because after all its not yours unless you built it)

Originally posted by bigboy4040
Push on the gas and rev, and hear and feel the car rumble. That is awesome!

No doubt!

Originally posted by bigboy4040
Once you drive a muscle car you never go back to newer cars, unless when it snows or rains out.

Well, it depends on what you're into. I'm not so much into drag racing as I am into road racing, which requires handling and brakes, neither of which your average muscle car has.

Hey Eric good to hear about you and the imports. Thank god that you did not get trapped in this phase. Always good to hear about a gearhead who has his head on straight. Always good to see a young kid driving a muscle car, good luck with the project.

Originally posted by creetwins

I am also partial to muscle cars. Growing up my dad had a '70 1/2 Camaro very loud very fast car. He also had a '63 Corvette split rear window in silver.

Something about domestic cars is way sexier.

I think I was the only chick in high school that drove an old 3/4 ton chev pickup to school. No one messed with me on the road (or otherwise). Ahhhh I still have fond memories of that truck......

WOW!!! What did your dad do with the 63 vette? I'm sure that car is worth a goldmine by now. (Especially if its all origional and numbers matching)

Back in the mid 70's my oldest brother used to have a 68 Plymough Road Runner with a 426 Hemi engine in it. I believe that Plymouth only made a little over 1000 of those Hemi engine models that year, and he wound up selling it to some guy that stripped it for parts :@@:

Hey tmw1956, I am in complete agreement with you on the lincoln towncars. It is like driving your livingroom. I have had a l989, a l991, and I presently have a l997. I am looking at a beautiful mint l989. If you like big cars, there is nothing like it. My twenty-two year old thinks I'm totally insane.

i haven'y bought any car yet. maybe some time soon. hahhaha. just maybe.

I've never wanted a Town Car, but have been kinda - sorta looking for the right Mark VII LSC to play with. It's a good looking coupe to begin with, they came with 302's, there's plenty room under the hood for pretty much anything else one might want to experiment with, full frame, rear drive, ABS & 4 wheel discs already in place. Interiors were befitting a premium Lincoln coupe, fully loaded, swathed in leather.

Folks don't sing songs about Toyotas or Hondas like they did 409's, T-birds, or Vettes. Probably will never happen. A foreign ride just ain't American, ya know, regardless of where it has been put together? Doesn't matter that the last gazillion Hondas came out of Ohio, if the nameplate ain't traditional American, for the time being, it's still foreign. Twenty years from now, who knows?

Some of the cars that I've owned over the years and are my favorites ...

1937 Ford Poplar -- Living in the UK at the time. I rolled this thing over in a ditch on a trip to Scotland and 3 of us picked it up and put it back on the road -- ROTF.

1954 Hillman Minx (Living in the UK at the time)

1957 Plymouth Fury (Can you say Christine?)

1958 Chrysler 300-D (What I wouldn't give to have this one back)

1962 Nash Metropolitan (Actually drove this thing from NY to FL -- worse than riding a horse for the first time -- LOL)

1963 Plymouth sport Fury with the Golden Commando engine. (Nothing short of a 426/427/428/429 could touch this baby)

Dop

Originally posted by es347fan
Folks don't sing songs about Toyotas or Hondas like they did 409's, T-birds, or Vettes. Probably will never happen. A foreign ride just ain't American, ya know, regardless of where it has been put together? Doesn't matter that the last gazillion Hondas came out of Ohio, if the nameplate ain't traditional American, for the time being, it's still foreign. Twenty years from now, who knows?
I think what's interesting is Daimler-Chrysler's recent attempt to resurrect the American muscle car (a fine goal, IMO). If I had the means, I guarantee you I would be driving a Dodge Magnum or a Chrysler 300...with a HEMI, of course. (Or else one of the new GTOs...those things look sweet.) The modern "ricers" are absolutely the stupidest trend in cars in the past fifty years. I drive a Nissan only for the fact that I do not trust used American cars past 100k miles, and of course I can't afford anything very new...I only spent $2200 on my car.

Japanese cars are generally well put together, very reliable, very bland cars. Is there such a thing as an exciting Toytoa?

93 Mazda 929 is the perfect car. 1993 was the last year they built a 929.

Originally posted by es347fan
Japanese cars are generally well put together, very reliable, very bland cars. Is there such a thing as an exciting Toytoa?
They've fixed that quite a bit lately. I rather like the Supras, even though I'm a classic muscle car guy (if I had the means, of course). But yes, 95% of Japanese cars are incredibly boring. And the trend was for American manufacturers to build Japanese-style cars lately. But it looks like the muscle car may be on the rebound...what with the reintroduction of the GTO, the use of HEMIs again in cars, and the new Mustang (which looks sweet...shame they decided against putting the 5.0 in the GT and instead went with the 4.6).

Originally posted by es347fan
Is there such a thing as an exciting Toytoa?

Not anymore, but that's because Toyota as a company is really boring. Like Mercury. There are plenty of exciting Japanese cars.

Da, daa...dada taaaa Nissan 300ZX da ddaaa ... nope. Hmmm. Dum diddy dum diddy dum Mazda RX Rotary Turbo dum diddy dum ... nope. Dum diddy dum daddy took her T-bird away diddy ... might be something there. Maybe Mitsubushi Lancer VIII? No tune there, either. It's not that they're bad cars, just no music in them.

Depends on your preferences, I guess. My preferences tend towards cars that turn and brake just as well as they accelerate. The number of American cars, especially the "classics" that can do that can be counted on one finger - the Corvette. Other than that, no thanks.

I have a 68 Chevy Camaro that I've owned for nine years and just dropped a brand new 350 4-bolt main small block engine in it :banana:


Thats my baby :drive:

All those suspension & braking goodies are wonderful, regardless of the make. Cars are magnciicently better than ever before. All the latest safety gear, most getting commendable mileage - both per gallon & expected lifetime. Wasn't real long ago that any vehicle attaining 100K or better was a rarity. Seems to me, the autos from our Oriental brethren have little personality, regardless of their technical pedigree.