Wann'a know what I really miss?
 

I really miss the good old days when these cars brought people together instead of driving them apart--pun intended.


There will always be rivalries, that's a given--but I miss the days when those rivalries were settled on a secluded stretch of road on the outskirts of town for little more than gas money, a 12 pack of beer, or even just bragging rights. Seldom did bickering ever escalate to anything serious, and even when it did, friendships usually remained once the dust settled.


I miss the days of buying $50.00 780 Holleys and $200.00/pr square port heads all day long out of the Tradin' Post classifieds newspaper. You could throw a $25.00 kit in the Holley and sell it for $100 netting a tidy $25.00 profit and everyone was happy. I miss the days of busting your buddy's ass on the street one day and helping him swap engines or loaning him some parts the next day.



I guess I just miss the days when it was really about the love of the cars themselves instead of the $. I'm sure that sounds contradictory coming from someone who works on these old parts for a living, but I really do feel that way.


I know those days are gone for good, but I still miss them.

Gotta agree. Something special was definitely lost when "How fast is it?" was replaced by "What's it worth?".

I'm still living the dream.

My best buddy is my engine builder and we compete in the same class.

I'd drill his eyeballs out on the starting line (and he would, and has, done the same) but when the helmets come off I'm right there in his pit eating his good food and drinking his soda.

K

PS - his favorite saying is "...I think our eating team has a racing problem".

The lyrics to "Racing In The Street" by Springsteen (you gotta allow some artistic license with regard to the fuelie heads though):



I got a sixty-nine Chevy with a 396
Fuelie heads and a Hurst on the floor
She's waiting tonight down in the parking lot
Outside the Seven-Eleven store
Me and my partner Sonny built her straight out of scratch
And he rides with me from town to town
We only run for the money, got no strings attached
We shut 'em up and then we shut 'em down

Tonight, tonight the strip's just right
I want to blow 'em off in my first heat
Summer's here and the time is right
For racin' in the street

We take all the action we can meet
And we cover all the northeast state
When the strip shuts down we run 'em in the street
From the fire roads to the interstate
Some guys they just give up living
And start dying little by little, piece by piece,
Some guys come home from work and wash up,
And go racin' in the street

Tonight, tonight the strip's just right
I want to blow 'em all out of their seats
Calling out around the world, we're going racin' in the street

I met her on the strip three years ago
In a Camaro with this dude from L.A.
I blew that Camaro off my back,
And drove that little girl away,
But now there's wrinkles around my baby's eyes
And she cries herself to sleep at night
When I come home the house is dark
She sighs, "baby did you make it all right, "
She sits on the porch of her daddy's house
But all her pretty dreams are torn,
She stares off alone into the night
With the eyes of one who hates for just being born
For all the shut down strangers and hot rod angels,
Rumbling through this promised land
Tonight my baby and me, we're gonna ride to the sea
And wash these sins off our hands

Tonight, tonight the highway's bright
Out of our way, mister, you best keep
'Cause summer's here and the time is right
For racin' in the street


Songwriters: Bruce Springsteen

Racing In The Street lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing

I sure do miss the good old tradin post. I would sit at the u-tote-m store and wait for them to be delivered. I totally agree with your post.

The good old days when a car was just a car.You raced it,blew it up or smashed it and just turned around and bought another one!Never worried about numbers matching or even thought much about it.I bought a '65 Corvette,327/365 in January 1973,installed a block heater and put on a set of snow tires and drove it during college..it was just transportation!

Yep, the Tradin Post. Would get delivered early to a local convenience store o Thursday's and it was a race to get there to see what parts were in it. If you waited till the weekend all the good deals were gone. Got a mint Lakewood bell housing for 25 with the block plate.

Going car shopping and coming across a 1964 AC Cobra painted in brown metal flake. The dealer wanted $7000 for it. I bought a brand new 1973 Formula 455 Firebird for half the price instead. I was so proud of my "financial savvy!"

----My great friend and partner in Red Alert, Terry Carney, (RIP) bought a 65 Corvette roadster back about 1980 out of Chicago. He came by my house with it and I immediately saw that the rear fenders were all chewed up all the way around on both sides. The owner had put chains on it for winter driving. Was a nice 350 horse Vette other than that..…..Bill S

I have a feeling this will be my new favorite thread ? this could go on forever !!!