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Your local car trends from yesteryear?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Duration, Apr 5, 2012.

  1. Duration
    Joined: Oct 2, 2006
    Posts: 543

    Duration
    Member
    from Wayne, MI

    was talking this over with a couple friends last night and we got to remembering some of the "musts" that we all did to our cars back in the day. Some might have been the same across the country, but some were probably local here on detroits west side. heres the ones we all agreed on:

    1. mags on front. It was ok to run mags on the front of your car with steelies out back. It was under stood that if you had street tires on the steelies you were just gonna burn em off. if you had slicks on the steelies you were hard core

    2. no hoods allowed! seems we always pulled the hoods off our cars when we'd cruise. no laws against it around here and it looked cool.

    3. cam stickers on the oil pan. no body could remember who started it but we all put our cam stickers on the sides of our oil pans when we rebuilt our engines. that was probably a local thing but we all did it for some reason.

    4. exhaust out the side or dumped at the axle. why we didn't like tail pipes i have no idea, but we always ran the pipes out in front of the rear wheels or just had turn downs on the mufflers ahed of the rear axle. made sure we came home smelling like car exhaust!

    5. bye bye sway bar. some body came up with the idea that cars launched better with the front sway bar removed so we always chucked them as fast as we could. combine that with the typical vw or front runner tires we ran on the front and it's a wonder we drove anywhere except in a straight line!

    6. reverb. we didn't have bass pounding subwoofers but we had reverb units. even if it was the only mod to your sound system, you had to have one!

    7. yellow high beams. cars with four headlights always got those. don't see them anymore but every car we ran had them.

    there was more i am sure, but those kept coming up as things we all had to do to our cars. every one of those things applied to my 61 chevy. it wasn't the fastest local cruise night hero but i did all the cool stuff to it!

    any of this stuff strike a chord? what did you guys all do to your rides back then?

    share your local trends!
     
  2. 40StudeDude
    Joined: Sep 19, 2002
    Posts: 9,536

    40StudeDude
    Member

    Back in the mid '60's (prolly ought to put a time-line in your request), blackwalls were hot, along with the new five spoke mags..."spaghetti pipes" were the ultimate (dual five foot long chrome tubes with a 'bell' tip that came directly off the muffler, hung down just about level with the rear axles and stopped at it. Along with a forward rake, the pipes were obvious.

    Before that, "taping" the dash was the hot ticket...one inch white adhesive tape (bandage type) vertically over the dash, one inch apart...the entire top of the dash was done...

    R-
     
  3. A must have that I remember was, you were cool if you had a Craig 8 Track or Pioneer Super Tuner.
     
  4. Furst moadication wuold be too yoink the shaft couple degreas, an some stikers
     

  5. Uh yea..... uh.... me too! :confused:
     
  6. 1950ChevySuburban
    Joined: Dec 20, 2006
    Posts: 6,187

    1950ChevySuburban
    Member Emeritus
    from Tucson AZ

    What time period?
    Are we talking the '80s when hoodless primered Camaros roamed the streets in Cragars, or the '50s when gas tanks had tiger tails hanging out of them and antennae had coon tails?
     
  7. 40StudeDude
    Joined: Sep 19, 2002
    Posts: 9,536

    40StudeDude
    Member


    I think the "tiger tails" was in the '60's, when the GTO's made their appearance, wasn't it...???:confused::confused:

    The "coon tails" on antennas were always there :D:D...depending on what state you lived in...:rolleyes:

    R-
     
  8. Mr48chev
    Joined: Dec 28, 2007
    Posts: 33,861

    Mr48chev
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    That would be late 60's on the tail hanging out of the tank.
    Most of the above listed things sound more mid 60's 70's than 50's or early 60's.

    One of my buddies became a master at popping the hubcaps off his dad's early 60's Mopar and cranking the torsion bars up or down without getting dirty. He finally got busted on that one night when his folks had gone out to dinner and there he was cruising down the Ave with the front of the folks car sitting superstock high with about three turns on the bars.
    The biggie on my 51 Merc when I was in high school was the fader switch for the rear seat speaker. That and the well documented loudest pipes in the parking lot.
     
  9. Mid/Late sixties; raked hoods. We'd add a spacer between the hinge and hood, readjust the latch so the back of the hood was a couple inches higher than the cowl.

    Paint the rear rims half white and half black, not sure why.

    Of course jack the front end up as high as you could get it and pull the front bumper.

    Swirl smoke the side windows. Spray on tint.

    Paint the fenderwells white or silver.

    Dumps. No one could afford headers. Many nights of driving one side of the car on the curb and crawling under to uncork them for some street action.
     
  10. Nobey
    Joined: May 28, 2011
    Posts: 1,489

    Nobey
    Member

    RCA 45 rpm record player, with a reverb rear speaker. When You ran
    over a bump, it sounded like thunder in your car. Yeah good old days......
     
  11. Upswept chrome or copper tailpipes were popular in Australia in the 70s. But only on old Holdens and Falcons and Valiants :D
     
  12. Choptop
    Joined: Jun 19, 2001
    Posts: 3,303

    Choptop
    Member

    Noisy gear drive was the "in" thing in your muscle car during high school (early 80's).

    didnt matter if you had a built engine or not... as long as it had that gear drive whine it was FAST!!! :D
     
  13. Let's not forget those fucked up lights guys would hang off their rear axle.

    On the other hand, let's forget those fucked up lights!

    That was the stupidest shit I ever saw!
     
  14. 49ratfink
    Joined: Feb 8, 2004
    Posts: 18,829

    49ratfink
    Member
    from California

    the first modification anyone did to a car was turn the air cleaner lid upside down. really gives your mom's Vista Cruiser wagon that high performance sound.
     
  15. Zerk
    Joined: May 26, 2005
    Posts: 1,418

    Zerk
    Member

    I seem to remember one summer in the mid '70s when we were fascinated with clear distributor caps. Big rakes were pretty common. Detailed rear axles with white or dayglo paint and sometimes peace signs ;)
     
  16. Rusty O'Toole
    Joined: Sep 17, 2006
    Posts: 9,657

    Rusty O'Toole
    Member

    One short lived California fad no one remembers. Hot rodders buying brand new pickup trucks and fixing them up.

    When the new OHV V8s came out in the early fifties all the hot rod kids wanted one. But they were in $5000 cars like Cadillac and Chrysler New Yorker. Even the cheaper cars with OHV V8s were a little pricey like Olds and Studebaker.

    Then in 1954 and 55 the low priced 3 got them. Chev and Ford, and even Plymouth. But a 2 tone Bel Air hardtop with Power Pak and all the trimmings was a $2500 car. Even a stripped 2 door post was $1800.

    At the same time you could buy a pickup truck with V8 and stick shift for $1400. Or about $35 a month. A lot of guys bought them including Ed Roth. He spoke of wanting a new Chevy V8 when they came out but couldn't afford one. So he bought a 56 Ford pickup and fixed it up. Then, in 1957 he sold it and bought the Bel Air hardtop he wanted all along.

    That's what guys did. Bought the pickup for $35 a week and fixed it up. Maybe the first week go to the muffler shop for a set of duals. Save up some more money and get Roth or Von Dutch to do some flames and stripes. Save up some more and get a Dagoed front axle. Maybe after 6 months or a year drive down to Tijuana for some tuck and roll and a tarp over the bed.

    Well before 1960 you could buy a Chevy V8 off a used car lot for $500. There was no point in buying the pickup just to get the V8. But the fad continued for a while as garage owning hot rodders fixed up their shop trucks.

    The original fad ran for a couple of years 55 - 56 - maybe 57. Then a few more as shop trucks before it petered out completely.

    This is Roth's Ford. Note that it is the cheapest model with painted grille and bumper, no chrome around the windows, no chrome at all. Lowered, and dressed up with paint, hubcaps, and a tarp or tonneau cover on the bed.
     

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    Last edited: Apr 5, 2012
  17. Rusty O'Toole
    Joined: Sep 17, 2006
    Posts: 9,657

    Rusty O'Toole
    Member

    Some more custom 56 Ford pickups. Note that all are lowered and have nice hubcaps and custom paint. On some those are the only mods. Others have different grilles but all would be classed as mild customs except one with a chopped top which I believe was built long after the period I am talking about.

    http://www.kustomrama.com/index.php?title=1956_Ford
     
  18. RRuss
    Joined: Feb 6, 2009
    Posts: 54

    RRuss
    Member
    from Lowman, Id

    Rusty, you brought tears to this old mans eyes. For a minute I thought you were talking about me. Your description was right on.
    I was one of those who bought a new truck. Around where I grew up if they bought a new truck it was a Ford. Not wanting to follow the pack I bought a '56 Chev p/u.
    The first thing I did was shave the Door handles, Hood and fender emblems. Then a Bed Cover. Then the dual exhaust.
    Still not happy with the look, I lowered it to about five inches off the ground. I might add it now rode like a TANK but oh it look sooooo goooood

    Not being the smartest kid around I quit High School to buy this truck. It seemed to me the only important things in life was Cars, Girls and Parties. Not too bright huh. My parents where devastated.
    I'm happy to say I did go back to school and ultimately got a degree.

    Thank You for the Memories
     
  19. Duration
    Joined: Oct 2, 2006
    Posts: 543

    Duration
    Member
    from Wayne, MI

    When ever your teen cruising years happened to be. for me it was the late 70s.
     
  20. tfeverfred
    Joined: Nov 11, 2006
    Posts: 15,791

    tfeverfred
    Member Emeritus

    Crazy stuff. We used to yank the AC because it robbed horsepower. Nothing says cool like sweating your ass off in stop and go traffic. Decals. Everybody put car parts decals in your rear quarter window. Even if you didn't have the part. Dual exhaust to go faster. 5 spoke mags. Everybody had 'em. If you could afford it, a Holley double pumper carb. Even though the engine was stock!:D
     
  21. bje31
    Joined: Feb 13, 2007
    Posts: 320

    bje31
    Member
    from Western PA

    ALL 3s on the tree went to a floor shifter, chrome pots on the 2 bbl., tach on the dash, "mood lights" under the dash, and decorated pillows in the back seat...Times were simple and good.
     
  22. Late '50's-Early '60's....(Milwaukee, WI) depending on whether you leaned Custom or Rod.....In no particular order. Dummy Spots, names on the Rear quarters, Lakes Plugs (known by several different terms on the HAMB), Thinner Whitewalls with Black Rims and Baby Moons, Full Sized Spun Aluminum Moons, '57 Caddy Hubcaps, Paint job Customs (A Strong Tribute to Larry Watson!) California Rake with Scavenger Pipes hung below the rear axle, Nosing/Decking, All around lowering by heating the coils, all these mods were for the guys like me without any money. A nod as well to Dyed Bulbs for the interior, Sun Tachs on the Dash, Oil/Amp/Temp Gauges under the dash, and no fuzzy Dice, but HS Graduation Tassles/Shrunken Heads,Devil Heads hung from the Rear view Mirror..... Popular with nearly everyone for the same reason.....Centurion9
     
  23. I believe you may have yoinked your shaft a few "degreas" too many
     
  24. el caballo loco
    Joined: Mar 7, 2012
    Posts: 166

    el caballo loco
    Member
    from colorado

    steering column tachs, air shocks, flipped air cleaner lid, yank the backseat. (my first apartment had a '66 nova backseat for a couch cuz i was pissin all my money away on stupid parts n rent. : )
     
  25. 39cent
    Joined: Apr 4, 2006
    Posts: 1,569

    39cent
    Member
    from socal

    Did a lot of the above^^ also names on side windows, my 50 Buick had "Raunchy" . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfDUw3UyEkE . how bout tall floorshifter with a Budweiser knob, flipped rear shackles for the rake, etc.,. I ran WW tires on my Duece, they were coming back on some rods that was in '58.
     
    Last edited: Apr 6, 2012
  26. firingorder1
    Joined: Dec 15, 2006
    Posts: 2,147

    firingorder1
    Member

    Thank you for remembering that. I had a neighbor with a 57 Ford that was severely raked and the long scavenger pipes under the rear axle. To a 12 year old it was the coolest thing ever! It seemed to be short lived and I often wondered if I was the only one who remembered it.
     
  27. I recall a short period of time, mid sixties we painted the rear steel rims two colors, usually orange and black or white and black .... the parting line of colors split the rim down the center (12 0'clock to 6 o'clock) ..... looked hypnotic when doing a burnout!
     
  28. ... and a big ol' bow-tie in the back window of a tri-five, made with electrictions tape, was common.
     
  29. 4dFord/SC
    Joined: Sep 12, 2004
    Posts: 837

    4dFord/SC
    Member

    Much the same in south Minneapolis. Also, Echo cans, flames, pin striping, antenna(s) on the rear fender, louvers (10 cents/punch, as I recall), Lake pipes, Fiesta hubcaps, car club plaque in the rear window. Also, White Castle hamburgers.
     
  30. Early 70s..... it was nose down, rear up. 15x6 front, 15x10 rear.....Cragars, slots, whatever. M/T or Goodyear Rally GT tires, usually G60 front and L60 or N50 rear. Hijacker air shocks. White VHT on cheap headers. Thrush header mufflers. Yellow traction bars. If you had all that, you were king. If you had anything more, like a lumpy cam, deep gears, dual carbs, custom paint...you were a GOD :eek:
    One of my buds worked all summer and bought a 66 LeMans post car, 326 auto. He soon traded around for big and little Ansens, but couldn't get the back end high enough to run the 10s--the springs kept falling out. Somebody said 'hey man, get some front springs and put on the rear--they're real tall' He did.....and it lasted until the first rain.....he hit a dip in a curve at about 30 mph and those front springs didn't give, and he proceeded to bounce off the wet road and flip over. The only thing hurt was his pride :(
     

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