History WHAT IF YOU COULD GO BACK ....

I would have left the 1958 261 six in it and fixed the wiring rather than take it all apart to put a V8 in and never finish. still have it, 40 years later.(with V8) I can't seem to get the body to put itself back on the chassis... guess I'll have to do it myself.

 

I would've bought each and every one of the 57 Chevys that were available at the time for around $250. Who knew?

 

Hello,

If I could go back again to that first car, it would be the 40 Willys, our first race car that we built. The main thing I would change would be the scattershield. We had a legal two piece shield that provided coverage on top and bottom and pass inspection, but there were gaps. We would replace it with a B&M stick hydro right off the bat, regardless of the cost. No La Salle 3 speed, no clutch plates to blow up. The full coverage shields were not made during this time and the stick hydros did not blow up, regardless of how much horsepower your motor puts out. Our 292 SBC with a 671 must have put out a lot of HP. We only had maybe 6 runs on the SBC with just the 6 Strombergs and about 7 runs with the 671 on the SBC. The clutch just gave up at the wrong time. We did have a B&M hydro + install on order before the clutch blew up. It just was not in the “cards.”

Our whole outlook and future would have been different, so I guess it was supposed to happen to have the life that we followed for the last 56 years. An excellent life with tons of memories.

Jnaki
We did have Apple, Microsoft, and IBM stock, but that was gone before they hit big time...

 

Nowadays, I could finish what I set out to do with, but could not complete, my first car in about a month of weekends (if I had a place to work, which I don't).

 

If I could go back, don't think I'd change anything, was happy w/ car, put me on map as a car guy, fun and good memories. The thing I miss from back then, is my ambition and endless energy, can't seem to find it, misplaced it, shows up in spurts and fades away.

 

I still have my first car, but no real cash to finish or rod right now....

 

Kept my '50 Mercury coupe. Decent body, excellent driveline, stupid owner.

 

Would do exactly what I did then, trade it [67 Mustang 6cly] for a 67 Mustang 289. What I would do different would be keep the second Mustang and not buy the POS 68 Caprice two door from my Uncle. Only wanted the Caprice for the huge flat seats for "activities" . Car didn't look too bad after a set of 60's and 70's white letter tires were put on it, but the 327 was worn slap out, drank a quart of oil every 100 miles but never smoked a bit. Traded that POS for a 74 Chevy Cheyenne Super LWB pickup with a 454. Drank gas like it was going out of style, but much better to go on the old logging roads, and the 8 foot bed and a blanket was even better than the old Caprice seats for "activities"! Woo Hoo!!!

 

My first car on the road was a 1954 Chevy four door I bought from the original owner back in '67, I wouldn't mind having it back again. If I was reliving that point in my life I'd be asking Dad what three years on a B-17 base in England was like during WWII, Bob

 

My almost first car was a running 37 Buick coupe that my neighbor stopped by and asked if my dad
if I wanted it. Me being the idiot that I was told him no . I wanted a red/white 55 Chevy 2 door post.
So he drove it to the junk yard . Finally got that 55 Chevy rust bucket.
Your wisdom at 15 isn't always your best effort.

 

Just remembered I do have my first engine, a 1915 Model T that was part of a sawmill. I do have a chassis for it, a 50 year old project that hasn't seen any light in years. Bob

 

The only thing I would NOT have done, was to go to Raceway Park, Englishtown, NJ, on June 2 1979. There, some worthless POS stole my car!
My first car, I drove it for a couple years, then did an entire rebuild on it, spending all my hard earned money working at Burger King, on it. While commuting 50 miles to college. Did it all myself, except engine, and narrowing the rear, and upholstery.
I'd love to build a copy someday, 327 with 283 crank (302), roller cam, rockers, 12 1/2-1 pistons, angle plug heads, 4 speed, 12 bolt with 4.88's.

 

My first vehicle was a 1972 Datsun pickup. I drove it because it was free and my grandfather's. We also lived in the country so I thought a truck was better. In retrospect, I should have asked for my step-granddad's 1966 Impala SS. D'oh!

 

I would have taken better care of mine and learned how to work on it properly. I wouldn't have let it sit rotting after it got stolen. Live and learn...


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would have drove more slower and not smasher the 52 ford sedan 43,000 miles .
would have bought a lot of those early ford

 

Hello,
One draw back to this time travel back to "what if..." Sure, we would have a great looking 40 Willys (new paint,upholstery, BBC, 671 Hilborn 4 port, M&H, B&M, Halibrands) and we could have won the nationals, be sponsored and toured all of the dragstrips across the country. Our Precision Racing Engines Company that we started would have flourished, etc. That would have been great for us young guys, but by 1966-67, the draft would have pinched us and with our luck, sent to Vietnam. In our Long Beach neighborhood, guys were getting drafted left and right. No wedding, no child, no granddaughter, no life...we probably wouldn't be around at this point in that timeline. A sad, but possibly true timeline.
So, our lives were what they are due to unforeseeable circumstances that we did like or not like. But, we had to roll with what life dishes out and create our own niche in the society. It is all good...
Jnaki
We have been around for a long time with lots of memories, good and bad, but "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger..." Kelly Clarkson...

 

Every time one of these first car threads comes around I agonize all over again.
At 15 1/2 yrs old in 1969 I bought a running Roman Red '62 Belair BUBBLETOP, 283/3 on the tree. Needed a grill, headlight doors, and a bumper. I sourced all from an older gentlemen who was junking a '62, for the sum of $15. Wasn't my intentions to flip it, I really (really) liked that car. Didn't have my license yet, but everyday after school/work I was out in my mom's garage tinkering. Used to piss her off when I'd fire it up, it needed exhaust from the manifolds back ($$ I didn't have yet). But an offer to almost triple my money, was too much to resist, dammit.
I'd hold onto that thing for dear life if I had another go-round.
And today it wouldn't be another 409 yada yada. It'd be a solid lifter, steep geared, short stroke, screamin' small block, dressed accordingly.
At least I can always say I HAD one I guess......

 

My folks bought me a 67 Merc fastback. Not the 65 max wedge sport Fury that I wanted for $500.00 !! But in 1971 at 16, you get what your parents will sign for. It was an ugly lite green with a black top and green interior. the car made it through high school and then a buddie wrapped it around a light pole. But if I had the car building skills I do now I would repaint it Black and reupholster the interior in black. And install the M/T frosted mags I bought used for $35.00 that would have cost $20.00 to have hand mounted and buy the special lug nuts that cost a $1.50 a piece!!! I only made a $1.75 cents an hour working in my Dad's cabinet shop after school! Never really cared about the car one way or another back then . But she cruise's through my dreams like this every now and then!! Oh yeah did I mention I been a big anything Mercury fan for years!! Larry

 

BUT..... we can still dream.

 

I'd have bought that 54 Chevy sitting in the orchard for $400.

 

I think if I could go back,I'd just stay
and do it all over again, only thing
different would be, I'd keep the rare
and valuable cars for my future self.
IE. A '56 Chrysler 300-B,standard shift,
a '53 Stude ,h/t cp, a'57 Chev Nomad,
and my ' 37 Chev cp with a '67 Pontiac
OHC sprint motor and 4 speed trans.
There are a few more,but you have the
idea.
........... Jack

 

Hey Bobg,
You are right, that still goes on today. Memories and dreams last until some form of dementia sets in to quash the process. Life has been very good despite the tough times somewhere in the middle of that 50 year span.
Thanks,
Jnaki

 

I would not have let me dad sell him Cutlass convertible, and would have bought it from him instead of that ragged out 67 Camaro. Poured a cubic ton of cash into that car, just to have it stolen from a muffler shop. Was far from done. Stupid kid!

 

1ST I would of stayed with my 1st girl friend.{not that I am not happy now but like you said if we had to do it all over again.I found out she never didn't marry}I would of kept the used 55 chevy I bought off a guy who had rebuilt the 283 motor and bored it out 30 over and had put a 4 speed trans in it. It had a 4 speed trans with a 3 speed shifter handle on it and when I took it to the inspection station in N. J. to get it inspected the guy got in it do drive it on to the brake machine to test the brakes and with the 3 speed shift handle on it the guy kept throwing in to reverse. He got out of the car cussing me saying what the Fuck is wrong with this car????.I couldn't keep from laughing as they slapped the big red sticker{FAILED INSPECTION} on the windshield .LOL. Bruce.

 

I would like to go back in time and have a beer with some of the guys that used to be on this site. I have only been on here for 5 but I've read a bunch of the old posts and man o man there were some good ones.

 

I still have mine. It will be under the knife in the near future. Making it everything a poor Okie couldn't afford in the 1980's.

 

In 1962, when I was a sophomore in High School, I borrowed $100 from my uncle to purchase a '32 Ford three window coupe. I sold it two years later when I enlisted in the Navy. When I got out of the Navy, I purchased a 1960 Corvette, Fuel Injected car with two tops, Wonderbar radio and 4 speed. When I got married two years later, we realized that getting groceries and other shopping wasn't going to work in the Corvette, so down the road it went. Someone please shoot me, I think about those two every day.

 

I would have gotten a job earlier so that I could have had enough money to put a 390/4 speed into my old 56 Ford Fairlane.

 

I still have my first car, a 55 Chevy 210, after almost 40 years. About the only thing that I'd have done different is to keep the compression at 12 1/2 to 1. When I went through the engine in 1984, I had the 283 bored out to 301, and cut the compression to 11 to 1. It had already been bored .080 over with 12 1/2 Jahns pistons.

 

Done differently = bought a house with a barn to retain my cars, and never sold any.

1950 Merc 4dr
1950 Chev conv
1954 Chev 2dr
1955 VW whilst working in Italy
1959 Olds 98 conv - 19' beauty
1959 Cad 2dr - great family car
1956 Pontiac - wife's grocery getter
1967 Cad Fleetwood 60 - littlte limo
1975 Chev Monza V8 - great commuter
1976 Cad Eldorado - 500 cu in muscle car
1985 Buick Regal
1980 Ferrari 308 - kept the longest - drove the least
1998 Ford Ranger
1950 Merc 4dr = full circle

Left a few out Benz's & pickups that I wouldn't repeat.