History What us trad rodders were doing in the 70's...

I was born in 67 but as a kid, I would take the wheels off of my toy cars and add giant wheels from other cars to make em look like them pics.

I remember street rodder had a Bell cartoon with a 55 chevy and gto all jacked up as a heading for one of their regular columns back then.

I also used to make models with no front hood or bumpers, add toothpicks to the back to jack the rear ends up.

Guy down the street had a 68 mustang then a 67 cuda.

All the older car guys had long hair and mustaches, wore jeans and buckle boots, smoked like chimneys.

 

That pinto brought back memories. I confess, I did it too.

 

I gotta go thank dad tonight for never building those shitty looking 70s styles! Never a jacked up car, 50s series etc in our garage.

 

Yep, late 70's early 80's for me, 71 chevelle n50 14's on anson's, air shocks, ladder bars, m/t valve covers, sun tach's, van halen's first on 8 track.

 

That comment was tongue-in-cheek ... they still make them and one size doesnt fit all ..... heres the link. http://gabriel.com/our-products/car-light-truck-van/hijackers

 

You can stll buy them from NAPA. The pusher had gabriels on it for when it needed a little extra boost. Like when we hauled 1000 lbs of compressor from the Raven's to Macon Missouri. and hauled two model As in pieces plus whatever I thought I couldn't live without back.

 

The music was fine, in fact bitchen, it was those damn car stereo shop commercials that were damaging to the ears !!! LOL

"DOW DOW DOW BUY NOW NOW NOW" and then the announcer went on to name every electronics manufactuers name under the sun!

 

I was writing ads for Bill Thomas Race Cars and Nicky Chevrolet in the seventies. Just put some Hi-Jackers on my GMC Conquistador, bought them at NAPA.

 

Hey gang.

Up in the rear is my tumblr. I started it as a place to organize all of the images I'd squirreled away in researching my own Street Machine build. Glad it's taking some of you down memory lane and I hope it acts to spark interest in those too young to have experienced the build style the first time around.

It's a build style that drew me into cars as a child and one that I'm having fun with as an adult. There are few images of my '72 Swinger "Beer Run" on the tumblr. It's a fun driver project that I'm just enjoying (TALL Shackles, Polished Slots, Traction bars, Air Shocks, vintage G50's, mild cam headers, intake etc, etc). It's nothing serious.

 

Who DOESNT love a 70's street machine????

I expect a revival coming, to counter the queer "G" Machines that guys are building as of late.

Brian Motherfucking Morris knows his shit. Great blog.

 

If anyone has images they'd like to contribute, please send them my way.

 

Very cool,... thanks.

 

Burned lots of rubber, gas, and brain cells in the 70's Just glad I'm still here to deny all of it!

 

Ha Ha!! Me too. But, I learned to read from car magazines of the era, so that style of car was a huge influence on me.

 

pretty cool site, i like the way its laid out. too bad all you see is squished jelly beans and family 4 doors with fart cans anymore. what happened to real cars? haha

 

super awesome

 

Oh gawd, I thought I had wiped from my memory the black with flames 289 hi po '67 Cougar with shackles, Thrush side pipes, slot mags and 60 series General Grabber bias plies. That was one evil handling POS and now I cannot unsee it again - aargh....

 

I did that in Aug 69 on the way back to Texas to get married. I pulled into some little gas station in west Texas in the middle of the night as I didn't have gas to go any further and nothing was open. The station operator woke me up about 6:30 filled the tank, and gave me a cup of coffee.

Those jacked up cars, I don't have a photo but When I worked in the Firestone store in downtown Waco in the early 70's there was a kid who went to Waco High that drove a blue 56 Chevy four door with two pairs of shacles bolted together to get the rear of the car "higher". When he made the turn in front of the store every afternoon after school the left rear wheel would be clear out of the wheel well. That was usually with about four kids in the car.

 

November 17th 1974 baby.....
Me and Mrs. Lowkat at 19 years old starting our life's journey together.

El Camino had all the latest. Purple Hornies, Hijackers (see the window sticker)
Ansen slots, N50's, Pioneer Super Tuner 8 track and a crate LT-1 with an
Edelbrock SY-1 intake.

I had to laugh thinking back about the stereo. I wanted more power and the
small 40watt amps had just been released. I bought 4. One for each speaker.
Had some 12" home stereo speaker boxes behind the seat.. WE ROCKED.

Crocodile Rock - Elton John
Frankenstien - Edgar Winter Group
Bad Bad Leroy Brown - Jim Croce
Brother Louie - The Stories
We're an American Band - Grand Funk Railroad
Ramblin' Man - Allman Brothers

 

The funny thing is that 15 years ago people used to laugh at straight axle gasser cars because Pro Street was all the rage, and look at them now. I guarantee that the 70's look will come back at some point.

 

Actuallly Hot Rod already built thier 70's style crusher camaro...within the last year or so, Acell Super Coil, still have Dad's from the 70's, velocity stacks and moroso valve covers,
http://www.hotrod.com/thehistoryof/hrdp_0912_70s_80s_musclecars/

 

okay..I'll admit that one of mine made the site..lol

nice job!

 

Last month in Tucson here I spotted a spot-on Mercury Cougar street machine. Looked just like 1970s-1980s.
Nailed the stance, the tires, the wheels, everything! Took me back to my days with my 75 Duster 440.
Hell, he was probably playing his Helix cassette tape as well!

 

Helix, the pride of Kitchener Ontario - 45 minutes from here - wow Spandex!

 

I know the 70's happened....I just don't remember it all that well. (and most of it I'm glad I don't). Actually I was into NHRA drag racing almost full time, didn't get back into hot rods until the late 80's early 90's. (2 more decades best forgotten).

 

Wow, that was a trip. Lots of memories rush in with those pictures. This was in the waning days of my afro years. It used to be twice this size. What the hell was I thinking?

 

Perm? No big! Dinner and drinks to any young beautician could get a guy curls like that!

 

No perm required! Naturally curly hair and an afro pick is all you need!

Of course, most of it has gone clear over the years.

 

yeah i know you can still get em and i know one size dosent fit all i just was interested in buying THE REAL DEALS in the right box (for nostalgia) after installing display the box with the rest of my car "treasures" garage art

my stang has gaberial airshocks on it

its funny walk into aparts store today and ask the young kid behind the counter for airshocks they look at you like you just turned green infront of them or something then they have to ask you what they are for (meaning what you do with them) and you tell em they raise your car one kid thought he just learned the new way to cheap hydralics i just smiled and walked away

 

That site is Bitch'n man.
Sure took me back.