First Cars and Musclecars

[Supergas990]

The world has certainly changed a lot since 1985, when I burned up all $2,600 of my college money to purchase my 1967 Chevelle. I was a sophomore in HS and that car was the world to me. I hung around with the car guys (still do) and learned almost everything I know from working on the car. Much of that experience has saved me thousands of dollars over the years in restoration and daily driver costs. We used to cruise, race and work on the cars weekly if not daily.

When I was a teenager your car was a part of your life (much like the rest of you I imagine). This was especially true of the guys that put together pretty nice cars.

Fast forward to 2015... I still own my 1967 Chevelle and have completed the full resto on it, my son helped with parts and is very active on my garage projects. He is turning 15 and has earned and saved a substantial amount of money (about $10,000). He would like to get a Chevelle - probably a project. Mom isn't real big on the idea, as she was raised that having transportation was enough.

Just wanted to hear about anyone else's experiences like this. I'm totally supportive and frankly can't wait to help him learn how these cars come apart and go together. The car we're considering is a substantial project, has a strong pedigree (SS396, 4 spd, #'s match, with buildsheet), but is a considerable project that needs a mountain of metalwork. With all the different directions kids get pulled in HS what has anyone seen out there?

Any insight is appreciated.

Blair

[mockingbird812]

Blair - love the legacy. Father/son bonding....priceless. Keep us posted!

[njsteve]

Excellent idea. I learned all my carstuff on my own, starting at age 14 when I convinced my Dad to let me buy a used 1969 Z11 Pace Car Camaro. When we got it home my Mom reminded him that I was 14 and my older brother was the one that just turned 16 and needed a car. (with 5 kids, my Dad forgot which one I was).

I've been including the son (and daughter, who is now in college) for over a decade. They both helped assemble engines when they were in third grade.

Here's our recent project which is actually my son's GreatGrandmother's car.
http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/449019/gramma-s-car-the-new-project#Post449019

Absolutely get a project car for him to play with (but find a nice indestrucible beater for him to learn to drive on). My teenaged son took a summer votech class a few months back and loved the welding instruction portion. And any time I can drag him away from the Xbox is time and effort well spent.


<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif

[novadude]

I grew up working on cars with my Dad. When I was 14 yrs old, I spent a whole lot of time in the garage helping restore my Dad's '63 Impala SS. I wanted a project of my own.

In 1986, we found my '65 Nova, and Mom and Dad bought it for me for $375. It would become mine after graduation if I kept my grades up, and I had to get a job to earn money to fund the restoration. It was great motivation... kept me out of trouble, as nearly every dime I had went into that car. I still have it today, almost 30 years later.

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/634196/day-2-drag-racing#Post634196

I say go for it... it will be a great experience for your kid. I learned everything I know about cars wrenching on '60s Chevys in the 1980s. Dad was a novice too, so a lot of the stuff we learned together (bodywork, engines, transmissions, etc). It may not have always came out perfect (the body on my car, for example), but every project was a great learning experience.

I am proud to say that I've never hired anyone to do anything on my Nova. That same DIY attitude has carried to my daily drivers and probably saved me countless dollars in repair bills over my 27 years of driving.

[miket1]

In 1989 when my son Chad turned 15 I got him a 1970 Chevelle Malibu in original weathered condition, $1500,, 350-2bbl.,350 turbo, the car was in very good cond, no rust, just ugly., we worked together for a year ,installed a new black interior , sanded and painted in our shop a bright Viper Red ,and a new set of rally wheels, so when he turned 16 he had a beautiful 70 Chevelle, I believe he got a date the first weekend he drove it.

The next year we got another 70 Chevelle Malibu, $1500, 350/2bbl/350 turbo,, no rust but again ugly, installed a spare engine I had , an L79 327, 3000 stall converter, headers only, no exhaust, M&amp;H street wrinkle wall tires so we could go drag racing street stock class on Saturday nights,I always let Chad race it and he loved it, he was very good with wrenches at age 14 from helping me over the years, my goal was to teach him mechanical stuff and how figure out how to fix things while building himself a car to be proud of, and to keep him off the street away from the bad guys in life.

[JohnZ]

Many of you weren't born yet when this all came down (1958), but my first attempt at modifying a car was my '51 Ford 2-door; I bought it as a clapped-out stocker, pulled the flathead, and installed a '56 Cadillac and Hydra-matic, set back ten inches - my Woodward &quot;sleeper&quot;. Note the custom metalwork that formed the new firewall and tunnel. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/3gears.gif

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2015/12/full-2502-35957-51fordcadinterior.jpg
http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2015/12/full-2502-35958-51fordcadeng.jpg

[John]

.... That is great that he is helping you and has saved towards his car....

.... but as you know .... restoration work can get to be a real money pit.

.... I would suggest trying to find a car that is already road ready ...or close to it.

.... Keep in mind ...usually kids first cars are Learning tools ... as they may have a fender bender or two.

.... Here are a few cars to check out in your area...

1963 nova (https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/5350406208.html)

1967 impala (https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/5324843323.html)

1968 impala SS (https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/5349849720.html)

1970 chevy c-10 (https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/5349203135.html)

1965 Chevelle Malibu (https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/5347561279.html)

1967 camaro (https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/5346199873.html)

1968 Dodge coronet super bee ? (https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/5335140376.html)

1970 Nova Big Block (https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/5334875466.html)

1970 Monte Carlo (https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/5331280903.html)


..... good luck <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/youguysrock.gif

[novadude]

Personally, I believe a &quot;done&quot; car kind of defeats the purpose.

Maybe a '80s FOX Mustang, or IROC would be more appropriate to a high schooler's budget. You can scour the junkyards for cheap parts like I did 25+ years ago building my '65 Nova. The 80s-90s stuff is still out there and not completely picked over in many cases.

[PxTx]

X2 on the Fox Mustang.

You will be surprised (or I am) how many parents won't let kids ride in cars without air bags. Make sure he has a car he can enjoy with friends. A bunch of metal work on an old Chevelle is a serious project. Would be nice if he could enjoy several smaller successes with entry level skill.

[novadude]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: pxtx</div><div class="ubbcode-body">You will be surprised (or I am) how many parents won't let kids ride in cars without air bags. </div></div>

Really? I didn't own anything with an air bag until I was over 30. Surprised we all made it out alive...

[Supergas990]

Thanks for the comments guys. Mostly wondering if other guys have had a similar experience with their kids and how things turned out.

Right now it looks like we're going to give it a shot. Lots of work equals lots of reward.

Besides, I already agreed to get mom a newer car when he gets his license, so transportation for him is on the hand me down plan with no real expense to him.

The 70 Chevelle is his dream, I'm just a willing enabler.

Blair

[markinnaples]

That '70 Monte Carlo is pretty sweet.

[scuncio kid]

I envy you Blair my kid was into imports and had a Mitsubishi Eclipse with fart cans and a triple stack wing in HS. I don't know where I went wrong! But we built the car together and it was lots of fun.

[John]

.... Here is a nice 1970 chevelle <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/3gears.gif

1970 chevelle (https://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/cto/5319697227.html)

....good luck <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif

[K code Mustang]

My automotive interest and knowledge came straight from my dad. He worked at a dodge dealership as a mechanic and restored cars as a hobby. As a kid, I remember hemi and six pack cars being a way of life...it was just normal to have one parked in my driveway. He restored Ford's as a hobby, so there were boss mustangs and Shelby's as well. I never stood a chance.

[JRC99]

I'm 16 and have a '96 Dodge (or as the tailgate says, DO G, earning him the name Kipper, best friend chose it, good name for a dog is what he said) Dakota. It's just a V6 right now, but if I can scrounge the cash together, I plan to throw a 5.9 into it.

[marxjunk]

my dad drove turds..6 cyl maverics and ford courriers..the old ugly ones..

but i had an uncle that worked at Don Essen chevrolet thru the whole muscle car era..and he was my biggest influence on anything car related..i was fortunate and got to work on cars with him in his prime and we had a blast...hes been gone for more than a decade..but i still dream about him and the cars we built..and every day i think about him or the cars at least once...

too bad my dad had no interest in anything i did..who knows what i could have become...i cant complain because he made sure i made it thru school and college...but as i aged we barely talked...what a waste on my part...i should have done something to get him more involved..he worked at Mc Donnell Douglass and built F-15s and later on the Harriers...he would take us to open house there yearly and i got to sit in an F15..i remember the Harrier was there..but pushed back in the corner and had a few other planes inf front of it...and was bew technology and a secret...kinda

i remeber when Top Gun came out..and my life flashed...i could have been a pilot with some encouragement from him...but..as we say thats all history..his concern was to get us thru school..get a job and get out...and he made sure all 4 of did just that..

NOW is the best time of your kids life..right now..be a part of it..no matter if he drives imports..or muscle cars...just be a part of it..it will be with him for the rest of his life...BUT...make him earn it...stuff given has no value...

[cook_dw]

Mine along with my older brother and sister had 1st gen Camaros.. Ever since I was old enough to walk my father had me in the garage or out at the junk yards with him.. I was 13 and when we went to pick up my car from the 2nd owner I couldnt sleep the night before.. I had saved money for years ($400) and luckily my dad was able to help financially with the body work and paint.. It was a powerhouse 307 backed by the trusty pg and 2.73 10 bolt.. My senior year I had saved enough money working at Advance Auto Parts so my father finally agreed to let me build a little 350 back it with a M20 and swapped the rear to a 12 bolt with 3.55 gears. Both my siblings sold theirs not long after high school and I kept mine up until last year when I traded it and a 97 SS 30th Anniversary Camaro vert to my brother for our fathers green L78 SS Camaro (same car in the preservation thread)..

<span style="font-weight: bold">The day we went to look at it..</span>

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2016/02/full-1263-39589-img_4458_1.jpg


<span style="font-weight: bold">Yes I thought I was king s&amp;@t once we got it home</span>

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2016/02/full-1263-39590-img_4459.jpg


<span style="font-weight: bold">What the car looked like back in 2006</span>

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2016/02/full-1263-39587-69_in_parking_lot.jpg


<span style="font-weight: bold">And the first car I bought after college.. Now that was a fun ride.. Wish I still had it.. 98 SS</span>

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2016/02/full-1263-39591-98_1.jpg

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2016/02/full-1263-39588-dsc01180.jpg


<span style="font-weight: bold">I spent just about every Tuesday &amp; Saturday night at Beech Bend for test &amp; tune..</span>

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2016/02/full-1263-39592-bash_05_008.jpg





So if you couldnt tell I would tell you that is probably one of the best things a father can do with his son.. Cherish it because I can guarantee you he will later on in life..

[HawkX66]

My first car. Bought it when I was 15 for $200. It belonged to a lady in town that blew the 301 in it. It had no miles and a near flawless body and interior. I picked up a boat anchor 400 Pontiac out of a 76 Grand Prix with a million miles on it and installed it over the winter. Where you see it parked, is where the block of ice was that I used as a creeper all winter lol
It was a great first car though. Maroon velour interior. Very comfortable. I put an aluminum intake on it and had a full dual exhaust bent up. I threw a set of Keystones on it too.
I ended up selling and having to repossess it from the guy.

http://i1164.photobucket.com/albums/q573/SgtHawkUSMC/Misc%20Cars%20and%20Bikes/80%20Grand%20Prix.jpg (http://s1164.photobucket.com/user/SgtHawkUSMC/media/Misc%20Cars%20and%20Bikes/80%20Grand%20Prix.jpg.html)

http://i1164.photobucket.com/albums/q573/SgtHawkUSMC/Misc%20Cars%20and%20Bikes/80%20Grand%20Prix%20400%20engine%20open.jpg (http://s1164.photobucket.com/user/SgtHawkUSMC/media/Misc%20Cars%20and%20Bikes/80%20Grand%20Prix%20400%20engine%20open.jpg.html)

http://i1164.photobucket.com/albums/q573/SgtHawkUSMC/Misc%20Cars%20and%20Bikes/80%20Grand%20Prix%20400%20engine.jpg (http://s1164.photobucket.com/user/SgtHawkUSMC/media/Misc%20Cars%20and%20Bikes/80%20Grand%20Prix%20400%20engine.jpg.html)

[markinnaples]

Great stories guys. My first car was a wrecked '76 Camaro Rally Sport, 305 2 BBL auto in light blue and black. Paid $1100 of my own money for it after working for years delivering papers, setting duck pins, scraping the bottom of my uncle's boat, cleaning my other uncle's bar, etc. and borrowing a little from my sister (and promptly paying her back). My dad was an old body man and insurance adjuster in later years and was always able to get me parts for whatever I had. We rebuilt it together and then I wrecked it and we had to get a different sub-frame and got one from a '74 and when we went to swap them out, discovered the '74 was narrower and longer so we broke out the hot knife and cut some holes to make it fit. Against my dad's better judgment, I sanded the entire car down and painted it bright 1980 Corvette Blue. My dad was getting older and wasn't in the best health (emphysema from years of smoking and painting cars with no respirator) so I did some of the bodywork on it alone, but it actually looked pretty good for a rusted and beat Pennsylvania car. Sold it and bought a '78 Trans Am. Man I miss my dad.

[Beavis]

My first car was a pile of junk.

I bought it with two or three months of paper route money and was PROUD to own it.

It had something we called....potential.

That was over 30 years ago, and I worked it every day in my spare time.

My Dad poured his extra time, money, and talent into my project for it to become a great car [unbeknownst to me this was major bonding experience] and we eventually sold the car for a profit after I graduated from high school.

Here's the difference.

Nowadays most kids don't want to know how stuff works on their cars, and most parents don't either.

Given the fact these kids really don't know much of anything about cars, it doesn't matter much. They still don't want to drive some un-cool, (old), fixed up car!

When my son turned 16 he already appreciated the nice cars I've owned. So because of his good grades [and saving his own money] he ended up with a very nice used low mileage 2008 Saturn Aura XR.

It was a little more than I wanted to spend, but since he was such a good student I gave in and he ended up with more options than you'd expect for a sixteen year old, plus a damn good powertrain! (the General rated the 3.6 at 265HP but was later rated at 300HP in the Cadillacs a few years after).

I'm talking about a kid who claimed not to be looking for anything sporty, who wasn't a car oriented kid, who had no list of things to meet his &quot;basic&quot; requirements.....that suddenly changed his tune.

We started looking for cars and all of a sudden <span style="text-decoration: underline">he had to have </span>such items as a V6 engine - check, dual exhaust - check, fog lights -check, 18&quot; wheels -check, heated leather seats -check, sunroof -check, really good factory stereo -check, and the list went on and on....

Here's the bottom line, some kids may not (say) or seem interested in modern cars, but in fact they really are. We ended up buying the best car in our price range that hit all of his hot buttons (sort of like 1970's Dad giving into the muscle car era crazed kid I guess).

I know my kid's not into muscle cars like his father, but he does have some passion for his car and he thinks is pretty cool. Getting back to the original point, the times have obviously changed with our kids....but the same priorities we had in our 80's high school days are still alive today. We just wanted to drive something cool, within our price range, that got respect, and wasn't going to get us laughed at.

Thirty-plus years later, whitewalls still suck..........but four-doors are now finally considered okay in school.

[Diamond_Don]

My first car - 1966 Acadian SD (Nova)! Bought it in 1973 for $1400, it was a 283 4 speed. After 8 months I decided &quot;not enough power&quot; and went to look at another Nova. The owner told me he beat a Corvette in a street race. HMMMhhh, a Nova that out runs a Corvette! Say no more, I just had to buy his 1970 Nova 396, which I did for a steep $3000!


http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2016/02/full-19693-39723-20160224_114225.jpg

[bigjake]

'51 Chevy, that I was given. Grandfather bought a new '61 Biscayne, and I inherited the old stovebolt. Couldn't stand the color or the 216 cu. in. 6. So I made it what I wanted.
http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2016/02/full-7154-39724-245_hp_283_corvette_engine.jpg
http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2016/02/full-7154-39725-51_passenger_side.jpg
http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2016/02/full-7154-39726-1951_chevy_5.jpg
http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2016/02/full-7154-39727-1962_pontiac_catalina_buckets. (http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2016/02/full-7154-39727-1962_pontiac_catalina_buckets)

[Mr70]

1972 SS Chevelle.
Man I'd love to get this one back.Sold it to a 16 year old kid in 1984.
Saw it in a junkyard here years later.He wrapped it around a telephone pole. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/frown.gif

[bbbentley]

Hard to know where to start 'cause the topic is 1st cars &amp; muscle cars. I will start off by saying that no one in my family liked or understood cars, at least in the sense that I did. My dad 'liked' cars, but in the way of just looking at cars and washing them and driving them. He had several sports cars growing up. It is a shame his mother drove an idea into dad that basically told him he was too good to do manual labor or get dirt under his nails. Dad liked to drive M-Benzs and Cadillacs.
Now, dad did subscribe to Hemming's M.N. and that is where I got an interest in cars, I was about 14. I decided then that I wanted a Ford Model A coupe, 1930 to be specific. I had maybe 1 or 2 hundred dollars and I found a few in the $600-$900 range. Dad refused to help in any way to facilitate the purchase. I finally found an old car, just not a Model A. It was a 46 DeSoto coupe for $25. The car was in a barn and the mice had ravaged the interior and the engine was stuck. Dad did pay the tow bill to get it home. Dad figured this was just a phase and I would get discouraged and give up this silly idea of working on cars. I got advice from the local garage to fill the cylinders with trans fluid and 2 cycle oil 50/50. I would get off the school bus everyday, throw down my books, and run over to the car jumping up on it's broad fenders where I had a rope that I would put on the fan blade and pull with all I had in hopes that the engine would free up. I can't remember how long this ritual went on, but one day as I tried, to my amazement, the engine turned over and, with the help of a neighbor, I got it running! This catapulted my passion and interest and desire to learn all I could about cars.
Now, driving age, my dad supplied a car he felt was safe, translated slow like in M-B Diesel slow. While it was good to have 'wheels' as a teen, I started to notice cars that other guys had at my school. Some were loud and jacked up with shiny wheels. I said to myself, I must get a car like that. I did not care, at that time if the car was fast, I just wanted a 'cool' looking car. I persuaded dad into letting my brother have the M-B and get me a different car. Dad's insurance man's son had a 69 Cutlass...6 cylinder. I worked at a tire store and all my jobs were at gas stations or anywhere that I could learn the mechanics of a car. The Cutlass, I jacked it up via Hi-Jackers, painted the rear end yellow, put wide tires and rims on the rear and, lastly, cut off the brand new exhaust and put on a Cherry Bomb which really sounds sick on a straight 6. I trashed the Super Turbine 300 with neutral dumps attempting to lay rubber (dad did not know this). Lastly, some guys at our local gas station, who took me under their wing, told me that a 66 GTO that gad been T-boned hard was towed in. They said the GTO drivetrain would bolt right into the Olds. I start to prepare pulling an engine by sizing up the old barn's timbers and climbing up to that beam with dad's log chain. When dad found out my plans he sold the car.
Summer came and I was now 17. I worked two jobs that summer. I don't know what caught my eye, the Cragars or the muscular look, but I had to have car that I saw down the street at another gas station. $600 later and I was driving my 1st V8 car, a 67 SS Chevelle 396. I loved that car more than any person at the time. I 'cut my teeth' on this car doing engine mods. First headers, then an intake and carb and finally a cam. Not a big deal today, but back then it might as well have been brain surgery I was performing 'cause I had never been into an engine and I was scared that it would not go back together right...but it did and, again, pushed me on to learn and do more. My folks had other plans as they disapproved of my car. They sent me off to Military school. Upon Graduation I went right back to my cars now buying 2 69 Camaros. Here is THE Chevelle. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/pics/usergals/2016/02/full-13059-39738-nikon_1_1730.jpg
If you look close, in the back ground is the Robin Egg blue Cutlass.

[EZ Nova]

Umm, first car. I was born in February 1966. When I was 16, I actually bought a 1970 440+6 B5 blue 'Cuda, 4sp and Dana with 4:10's. I bought in in March of 1982 from a guy who worked on oil rigs. He went out west and would store the car on his farm till May. Well May came and he wasn't back. So another car I was looking at came up for sale. 1968 GTX Conv. 440 4sp and 4:10 Dana as well. It was a bit more then the Cuda back then @3800.00 and I could get it THAT DAY. So I bought the GTX. Street-racing in the summer of 1982 as a 16 yr old kid and the 3rd fastest car around, maybe 2nd as I never got a chance to run for #2. The fastest car back then, 1973 454 'Vette WITH nitrous, put 3 lenghts on my one Friday night. Went on to win the corvette day the next day running in the 11's. Actally won some money with the 'Vette running up in Toronto Westin/Finch in those days. Even caught the eye of Longo's Challenger one night, but I knew better then to run him for $$$.