70's era hotrodding...history lesson please

[jerry moss]

around here there were a few chevy IIs with straight axles but most cars had the famous "cricket in heat" stance with the butt in the air with N-50s. my brother was friends with a guy that owned a GTO that was a former 1/4 miler, still had all the decals and painted name on the sides-CHASSIS PLUS-that could lift the front tires in second gear. i was in fourth grade at the time and once in a while he would give me a ride to school in that car- made me real popular since it was known to be the fastest car around and all the kids thought it was cool, i was on cloud nine every time i got to ride in it.

[Ironhorse]

I had just come back from 'Nam in April of '70 and couldn't believe the cars and trucks running around then. So much of what has already been mentioned plus a few other things. Here in the mid-west it was big to super clean and scrub under the front wheel wells, paint an off white and attach colored lights such as blue, red, yellow were most common colors and wire in with your park lights. Roll thru the local drive in with no headlights and just park and wheel well lights on. Good effect back then if you had a car that had a decent rumpty-rump cam to go with it. Another thing used to see was jacked up ass-end with cleaned and painted gas tank. Either Chevy bowtie, Ford blue oval, Mopar medallion or some such. Seen one jacked up '66 SuperSport with a US Flag painted on the tank and blowing in the wind.

[Mack81]

For any subscribers out there...
I've been collecting more parts slowly. I got a Crower mechanical solid cam 00350 grind 2000-7000 rpm range, Victor Jr (which will have a 2" spacer on it), a pair of World Prod. Torquer 2.02 iron heads, a Hughes 3500 converter, and a set of roller rockers. I'm also working on getting a 750 proform race carb from a friend that needs rebuilt.
All this stuff is used, but at least I know what kinda condition everything's in and there's no suprises.
So the parts pile is growing ever so slowly. I'll start a build thread soon.

[70cst]

Originally Posted by chuckmc8

Old Style Americans, white letters out on 15", bigs in back, littles in front. Mines lower than I remember them in the 70's. I'd like to have some sidepipes to hold up and see what the look like, I don't know if I would run them tho

[IMG][/IMG]

WOW...
Those are the wheels and tires I just bought for the Circuit Rider. Although fine69 is working on the truck...he has been getting nothing but thumbs up.

I luv this thread as it sure does bring back a lot of memories. Maybe the reason I have a 402BB CST is because I could not afford a BB back in 1970 when I was 18 and at 59 I still could not afford a BB Super Sport.

[DesertCat]

Reading through this brings back a lot of memories, not all good

I grew up in the NorthWest, there we left the front end at stock height. Used 6 cylinder front springs and 90/10 front shocks (or no shocks ) talk about scary...

Back end jacked waaay up with chrome slapper bars or bright yellow ladder bars, air shocks with the mandatory Hijacker decal on the back window


Bias ply 50's sticking way out. Radiused wheel openings how many quarter panels were destroyed?

Had to have a chrome rear end cover (so the guy about to rear end you could see the reflection of what his bumper would hit first), some guys put small red marker lamps on the rear axle (secondary tail lights???).

Most guys ran header mufflers and that was all for exhaust. Roll bar meant you were wicked fast as did wheelie bars.

Small foam black steering wheel or one of those metalflake ones. Sun tach on top of the column, dash, or hood. Black vinyl upholstery diamond stitched.

Front bumper was optional as was anything that weighed too much. Beer keg for a fuel cell... 15 gallons in an old keg was supposed to be lighter thus faster

There was more, but all I dare think about right now someone already mentioned drilling hundreds of holes in frames and bodies... oh! The humanity!

[oldblue1968chevy]

Bump to the top cool thread!

[special-K]

Yeah man,we're really diggin' this hip thread.

[70cst]

When it comes to this thread...
"Sock it to me baby"

[special-K]

Uptight,outta sight,and in the groove,baby

[m6z]

diamond stitch. You can't forget the diamond stitch. My dad had a 68 camaro when I was a kid. Silver with black stripes. Cragers sticking out the back. Black cloth diamond stich interior. Muncie 4-speed, 355 with botie heads, solid cam, NOS nitrous system. Slapper bars and 4.88 gears in the 12 bolt. That car was stupid fast.

And yes it had the 6x9's in the rear deck with the booster/amp's of the time.

[into69z]

OK....remember "prism" tape, that stuff that kinda looked like machine-turned metal only flashy
I got the bug to "do it in a van" so I traded in my 1969 302 4speed Z/28 Camaro for a brand new 74 Chevy Van. The things I remember were to line the inside with plywood , make a bed and cover in carpet-nobody told me not to use 1/4 inch plywood and a regular screw driver( should have used 1/8 paneling and a screw gun) anyways I had smoked bubble rear windows, a sunroof over the bed, a "super scoop" vent on the roof, flared fender extentsions w/ a wrap-a-round front spoiler, Hooker sidepipes that always burned my polyester pants, a gold anodized roof rack, a quadraphonic 8-track player, a realistic 23 ch cb with 104" whip antenae, fog lights, U.S. 200s daisey rims with g-50/15 up front and N50/15 out back. What a shaggin-wagon!! I joined "West Coast Vans" and spent weekends going to "van-happenings" I remember all the eye candy guys would paint on the sides to vans like "rusty pelican", "fractured duck" "sorcerore's apprentice" and they reminded me of the nose art done by WWII fighter/bomber crews. We would caravan with 100+ vans to events like "the Beaver burnout" at crazy horse campground, Lake Havasu......"if this van's a rockin-don't bother knockin"........keep on trucking, baby...

[special-K]

Yeah,prism tape and all the stickers done with that effect too. There was the mild to wild. We remember the wild and tacky more than the subtle and tasteful it seems. I think because mild and tasteful is class and that never goes out of style. I actually like this stuff (not the clothes,still) more now than I did then. Now,it's about nostalgia. Then,it was "Better you than me".

[special-K]

More street machines:

[special-K]

More:

[special-K]

...

[hot trux]

built in 79. Taaking a lap at Indy 500 speedway at the '80 Street Machine Nats.

[special-K]

***

[kelsfine69]

Heres a Good Example

[406 Q-ship]

Originally Posted by kelsfine69

Heres a Good Example

That is the Corvette Summer Corvette.........wow how kewl is that. Where is Mark Hamill?

[kelsfine69]

Yup!..

‪Corvette Summer Trailer (1978) High...

[1969K10]

Originally Posted by hot trux

built in 79. Taaking a lap at Indy 500 speedway at the '80 Street Machine Nats.Attachment 773996

i think i remember this pic being in HOT ROD magazine or similar back in the day.

[special-K]

Originally Posted by hot trux

built in 79. Taaking a lap at Indy 500 speedway at the '80 Street Machine Nats.Attachment 773996

That's such a great time capsule shot. There's your answer right there.