Yes, I will be lurking and learning-possibly posting when I have something to contribute.
I've grown quite fond of the 67 in the garage and I believe I'm getting the bug back. I may look to the future to build a mid-year, resto-mod but it needs to have rear exhausts. My wife doesn't like the smell of 100 octane CAM-2 coming out of the side exhausts on this car.
I had forgotten how much fun an old car is to drive. Maybe I've suppressed the memories but it reminds me of my high school days back in the early 1980s on Long Island, NY. My friends and I had a fleet of cars that would fill an evening at Barrett-Jackson. Here's what some of us had:
(3) 1970 Chevelle SS396, one with a Turbo 400 tranny
(1) 1970 Chevelle SS454 Convertible with 4-speed and A/C in triple black (man, how much would that be worth today!)
(1) 1970 Monte Carlo SS454 and Turbo 400. This car could do mid-13s from the factory. We called it mom's car because it was such a sleeper. It was your everyday dark green with a white landau roof but would kill you off the line.
(1) 1969 Camaro 396, 4-speed, convertible
(1) 1969 Camaro 302 and 4 speed
These were the cars I grew up with! We used to go down to 'the avenue' AKA Route 231 in Deer Park, NY. We parked at the Pathmark 24-hour grocery so the cops couldn't throw us out. Late night on weekends there were a few hundred cars cruising up and down 231. When the players showed up, the talk would turn to money and/or pink slips. We usually raced at around 2-3 a.m. on some predetermined destination and saw some wild battles. The Avenue was featured in several magazines back then and the law enforcement became too much. Great times, though.
I eventually bought my first car in 1982: a 1979 Camaro Berlinetta with a 305 and 4-speed. That car went with me to college in Florida which explains why I never bought that '69 396 Camaro I pined for. I upgraded the suspension, tires and rims, and added a true dual exhaust to the Camaro. My main goal was to create a car that could handle corners very well and I succeeded.
Unfortunately, that Camaro gave itself up in an accident and saved my life in a T-bone with a red light runner. I eventually bought my brother's car, a 1976 Datsun 280Z with a wonderful 170Hp straight six. That car was light and fun to drive in SCCA Solo-2 competitions. I sold that car when I received my engineering degree and bought--you guessed it--a 1989 IROC camaro with a 350V8. You know what IROC stands for: Idiot Right Outta College. I raced in local autocrosses with that car but it ate me up with insurance bills when I moved back to NY. I needed to pay $5,200 per year if I kept it! Needless to say, I moved to a placid japanese car and have been an automotive Eunuch since until the Corvette arrived. I drive BMWs now because I still like a daily driver car that handles well.
Anyway, that's my little boring automotive story. So, you will see me from time to time posting but I will mostly be lurking.
