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Post by trailboss on Sept 22, 2018 21:52:13 GMT -5
The closest that I ever had to being classics was a 68 Impala 2 door coupe with the 327 four bolt main, all stock except the Cragar wheels.
I had a 1986 Pontiac Fiero GT, sold it in 2005 in pretty mint condition.
My brother in law had cars in Hotrod magazine, unlike me he was a real motorhead, he had a Chevy wagon that could really deliver the groceries.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2018 22:40:24 GMT -5
Charlie, the 1986 Pontiac Fiero GT is now a car that many collectors are restoring, it’s a beauty 👍👍
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Post by trailboss on Sept 22, 2018 22:46:39 GMT -5
Charlie, the 1986 Pontiac Fiero GT is now a car that many collectors are restoring, it’s a beauty 👍👍 Yeah, I regret selling it. Right after I moved to Arizona, I met a retired engineer that worked at the GM proving grounds in Mesa, he told me that they had some wonderful prototypes scheduled for production, but the bean counters at GM pulled the plug on it all. Unfortunately they were labeled as fire hazards which was never really true, but that affected the buying public's perception. |
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Post by Dramatwist on Sept 22, 2018 23:13:42 GMT -5
...probably the best one I ever owned was a '65 Shelby Cobra Mustang GT... but the f***er broke down all the time... fun as hell to drive, though... dropped a driveshaft one time on a RR track... that was it. Done... bought a Mazda.
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Post by Dramatwist on Sept 22, 2018 23:17:16 GMT -5
...still trying to keep the '55 Triumph TR3 alive, but it's a losing battle... had it since '76...
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SCF Dan
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Post by SCF Dan on Sept 22, 2018 23:20:17 GMT -5
...still trying to keep the '55 Triumph TR3 alive, but it's a losing battle... had it since '76... Yep, those Triumphs are tricky. Electrical issues? |
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Post by SCF Dan on Sept 22, 2018 23:21:36 GMT -5
I had a '65 Mustang. Dented hood. Radio broken. Crummy paint. No AC. Exhaust smell in the cabin. Man, I miss that car!
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Post by Dramatwist on Sept 22, 2018 23:24:28 GMT -5
...still trying to keep the '55 Triumph TR3 alive, but it's a losing battle... had it since '76... Yep, those Triumphs are tricky. Electrical issues? ...electrical and oil seals... |
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Post by Dramatwist on Sept 22, 2018 23:25:29 GMT -5
I had a '65 Mustang. Dented hood. Radio broken. Crummy paint. No AC. Exhaust smell in the cabin. Man, I miss that car! ...I feel your pain, man... |
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Post by smellthehatfirst on Sept 22, 2018 23:26:00 GMT -5
69 Pontiac I had.  Folks, these are all really special pics. I am glad you two shared them with use. Thanks so much. |
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Post by smellthehatfirst on Sept 22, 2018 23:26:40 GMT -5
I had a '65 Mustang. Dented hood. Radio broken. Crummy paint. No AC. Exhaust smell in the cabin. Man, I miss that car! You know what I don't miss about 1st gen Mustangs? Drum brakes. |
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Post by Dramatwist on Sept 22, 2018 23:28:05 GMT -5
Charlie, the 1986 Pontiac Fiero GT is now a car that many collectors are restoring, it’s a beauty 👍👍 Yeah, I regret selling it. Right after I moved to Arizona, I met a retired engineer that worked at the GM proving grounds in Mesa, he told me that they had some wonderful prototypes scheduled for production, but the bean counters at GM pulled the plug on it all. Unfortunately they were labeled as fire hazards which was never really true, but that affected the buying public's perception. ...those were cool-looking cars, but watching the Mecum auctions, they don't sell for much... |
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Post by smellthehatfirst on Sept 22, 2018 23:29:15 GMT -5
Charlie, the 1986 Pontiac Fiero GT is now a car that many collectors are restoring, it’s a beauty 👍👍 Yeah, I regret selling it. Don't regret it, man. Right after I moved to Arizona, I met a retired engineer that worked at the GM proving grounds in Mesa, he told me that they had some wonderful prototypes scheduled for production, but the bean counters at GM pulled the plug on it all. Unfortunately they were labeled as fire hazards which was never really true, but that affected the buying public's perception. GM never worked out the kinks in the Fiero. The bodywork was great, but they were unwilling to put any effort into the engineering. The fire risk was real, and even the V6 model was surprisingly gutless for such a lightweight, mid-engined vehicle. |
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Post by Dramatwist on Sept 22, 2018 23:30:26 GMT -5
Yeah, I regret selling it. Don't regret it, man. Right after I moved to Arizona, I met a retired engineer that worked at the GM proving grounds in Mesa, he told me that they had some wonderful prototypes scheduled for production, but the bean counters at GM pulled the plug on it all. Unfortunately they were labeled as fire hazards which was never really true, but that affected the buying public's perception. GM never worked out the kinks in the Fiero. The bodywork was great, but they were unwilling to put any effort into the engineering. The fire risk was real, and even the V6 model was surprisingly gutless for such a lightweight, mid-engined vehicle. Agree. I owned one. |
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Post by SCF Dan on Sept 22, 2018 23:33:10 GMT -5
Yep, those Triumphs are tricky. Electrical issues? ...electrical and oil seals... That's right. It wasn't just the Triumph bikes that leaked.  |
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Post by SCF Dan on Sept 22, 2018 23:41:29 GMT -5
The fire risk was real, and even the V6 model was surprisingly gutless for such a lightweight, mid-engined vehicle. There weren't many US cars in the 80's worth their salt. I exclude the Buick Grand Nationals, IROCs, and GT Mustangs. I had an '86 Mustang LX that was over smogged, undepowered, and underwhelming. The Fiero was interesting, though. |
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Post by Dramatwist on Sept 22, 2018 23:54:29 GMT -5
There weren't many US cars in the 80's worth their salt. I exclude the Buick Grand Nationals, IROCs, and GT Mustangs. I had an '86 Mustang LX that was over smogged, undepowered, and underwhelming. The Fiero was interesting, though. ... a lovely design, but the performance sucked... |
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Post by smellthehatfirst on Sept 22, 2018 23:56:26 GMT -5
There weren't many US cars in the 80's worth their salt. I exclude the Buick Grand Nationals, IROCs, and GT Mustangs. I had an '86 Mustang LX that was over smogged, undepowered, and underwhelming. The Fiero was interesting, though. You ain't wrong. You have well noted two of the "big three" bright moments.
The GM "G-body" high points were considerable. God how I lusted after a Buick GNX as a teenager. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2018 23:58:55 GMT -5
I had a '65 Mustang. Dented hood. Radio broken. Crummy paint. No AC. Exhaust smell in the cabin. Man, I miss that car! Do you remember if it was the 64 and a half.....not the 65?? |
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Post by SCF Dan on Sept 23, 2018 0:07:53 GMT -5
I had a '65 Mustang. Dented hood. Radio broken. Crummy paint. No AC. Exhaust smell in the cabin. Man, I miss that car! Do you remember if it was the 64 and a half.....not the 65?? '65. It was the C code 289 engine. |
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Post by Dramatwist on Sept 23, 2018 0:11:06 GMT -5
Do you remember if it was the 64 and a half.....not the 65?? '65. It was the C code 289 engine. ...the 289 was a great engine... |
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Post by trailboss on Sept 23, 2018 0:19:57 GMT -5
I never claimed the Fiero to be a hot rod or high performance car, it certainly never was, and I would be surprised to see one at any of the major auctions that sell pricey cars. As for the fire risk: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontiac_Fiero |
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Post by SCF Dan on Sept 23, 2018 0:20:34 GMT -5
'65. It was the C code 289 engine. ...the 289 was a great engine... Yep, mine came originally with a 2 barrel carb but I swapped it out for a 4 barrel Holley. Unfortunately, it was a 3 speed and not the K code 4 speed. |
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Post by SCF Dan on Sept 23, 2018 0:22:20 GMT -5
I never claimed the Fiero to be a hot rod or high performance car, it certainly never was, and I would be surprised to see one at any of the major auctions that sell pricey cars. I recall some of the later Fieros were getting good performance reviews before GM pulled the plug. Never drove one, though. |
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Post by Dramatwist on Sept 23, 2018 0:25:35 GMT -5
I never claimed the Fiero to be a hot rod or high performance car, it certainly never was, and I would be surprised to see one at any of the major auctions that sell pricey cars. I recall some of the later Fieros were getting good performance reviews before GM pulled the plug. Never drove one, though. ...it was fun to drive... |
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Post by trailboss on Sept 23, 2018 0:43:33 GMT -5
By virtue of what I do for a living, I really never had the desire to have a hotrod, you can never legally drive them like they are capable of performing, and I don’t need the temptation to rack up tickets. Watching my brother in law that built racecars, made me acutely aware of how expensive that rabbit hole can be to go down... just not my thing. Having said that, I still appreciate a fine muscle car for what it is. For my tastes, I would like to have an old classic for a cruiser, as long as I had the coin to visit the guys over at vintage air in Phoenix to keep the cabin cool... a necessity in the Southwest for me.  |
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Post by Dramatwist on Sept 23, 2018 0:58:01 GMT -5
...certainly, if one goes "whole hog" into cars, or anything else, it takes over your entire life... I know, because I've done it... but I've scaled down in my old age, and am selling off all I can so my kids don't have to deal with it... but I have the memories... and that's all we get to take with us...
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Post by unknownpipesmoker on Sept 23, 2018 1:15:55 GMT -5
What defines "classic" is getting later and later.. and even Japanese/non-domestic in the USA... Like I have taken a liking to this '82 Nissan Skyline R30 I got a few days ago..  |
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Post by michael on Sept 23, 2018 1:33:29 GMT -5
Not my generation. A new Ferrari or Aston Martin looks better, is presumably faster, and is more recognizable as a status symbol than a classic collector race car.
I would never want a 69 Ferrari or Aston Martin over a 2019 Model.
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Post by unknownpipesmoker on Sept 23, 2018 1:43:37 GMT -5
Not my generation. A new Ferrari or Aston Martin looks better, is presumably faster, and is more recognizable as a status symbol than a classic collector race car. I would never want a 69 Ferrari or Aston Martin over a 2019 Model. For us its not about speed. If it were about speed we would never ina million years be into this. Its about the experience - classic cars are time machines, in an almost literal sense |
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