Street cars of the '60's

[Classicvette63]

There seem to be some people here who were around back in the "day". Back then, in real life, how did the 427's fair against the cobra's? Were there any other cars that would give the vette a run for it's money? Most would agree, as do I, that the vette was the best all around package, but I'm talking light to light and bragging rights. Let's drive down memory lane. Classic

 

[SolidLifters]

I was around in the late 60's, and got hooked on cars in the early 60's, long before I could drive. When I was in my early teens my mother would always take me to Sunday School on Sunday mornings, but I hated staying afterwards for church, which seemed to last for hours with a very old minister dragging on and on. The deal she used to make it easier was, on the days we'd stay, she'd take me to the drags about 15 miles away in the afternoon. This was early/mid 60's and before I could drive. It was a backyard kinda dragstrip on an old WWII airfield and the starter used a flag, but from time to time some real interesting stuff showed. The old Pure Hell top fuel altered ran a time or two, Garlits with an old Swamp Rat once or twice, and Richard Petty even came with his AFX Hemi Cuda (old fastback body style) that he ran the year he took a hietus from Nascar racing. There were tons of local cars as well as a lot of Super Stockers from all over the Southeast and the Platts, Sox and Martin, Arnie Beswick, and several others who were big names even came through on occasion.

As far as street racers around here, there never were any Cobras that I was aware of. There were some early 60's Fords with Holman & Moody 427's that were strong in the half mile midnight races and one original L88 Corvette which had a reputation back then and has been in my garage for almost 20 years now. There were some Hemi's, 409's, and a few modified GTO's and 442's which never were very competitive, but I'd say the fastest stuff was the modified big block Chevelles and Camaros. By the late 60's there were several of both running around here with modified L88's and of course as time progressed into the early 70's some open chambered 454's (LS7's) started showing in some of the same cars. The original owner of my L88 pulled the engine in 1970 and stuck an LS7 crate motor in it and later pulled the same engine back out and put it in a 70 Camaro which was a Motion Performance lookalike, complete with stripes and other specialty stuff. His cars always had big legends of being among the fastest around here, but it seemed impossible to find anybody that ever saw him actually race somebody with one. They were just well done, loud, with big camshafts and everybody held them in awe. Interestingly, this same guy is still around with a new Z06, with a Lamar Walden build, rotary supercharged 427" smallblock, and kinda the same "legend" game going on. There are rumors of 230+ MPH among the groupies, but when you try to narrow it down as to when/where/who he ever ran with it, the groupies all get lockjaw.

Unfortunately, there ain't much goin' on around here anymore. Most of the old hotrodders have either died, quit, or put their stuff in either cruise configuration or like me, a few have gotten into original restorations. There are some ricers runnin' around with fart pipes, big sterios, 75 stickers on the windows, but far as I know, 40 on for half a mile died a sudden death about 20 years ago.

Oh yeah, I had a 57 Chevy with an L79 crate motor, gears, tires, exhaust and a good set up, and it was faster than all but the best big block hot rods. None of the GTO's/442's/Z28's/BB Chevy's with just headers and a few other pieces had anything for it, and it surprised several of the 375 cars around here too. 'Course just like any good pool shooter, I knew when to go to the rack, and sit and watch.

Most of my stuff is original resto now, but I do have one exception: a 69 Camaro with an LS7 crate motor, Muncie and 3.73 gears. There's a 12.5:1 540 on the stand waitin' to go in it, but there's just somethin' nostalgic about the old LS7 that's kept me from pulling it out. I guess it's just another shot at something I wish I could've had when I was younger, but couldn't afford.

Damn, I miss the good ole' days.

 

[DkBG]

I was around then too , but it's as Solidlifters said , cobras just weren't around . Cliff

 

[Red73BB]

I was a teenager in the '60's. I never saw a Cobra on the street and not too many Corvettes. If you have a girl friend you wanted a bench seat or a back seat.
I did see Dodge and Crylser cars, Roadrunners 426 and 383, Challenger's, Cuda's, T/A's, GTX's , 440 six pack's etc.
Chevy's: Chevelle SS, Camaro's 427, 396 and Z28's, Nova SS and of course few Corvettes.
AMC: AMX 390's
Ford: Mustanges 351 and 428, Torino 428
Pontiac: GTO 389 tri power and Firebirds 326 and 400
The list could go on forever.....
Never did I see a Cobra.

Gary

 

[vette-dude]

I was in HS in the 60's. Bought a 62 FI Vette with a 4 spd and 4:56 posi. This car held the record at MOKAN Dragway for the 1/8 mile drag before I bought it in 65. I did meet a Cobra up close and personal. It belong to a friend of mine who's Dad owned the Ford Dealership. It was a 427 and fast. I thought I could take him but he proved me wrong a number of times. I had the second fastest car in town till his Dad had them take out the 427 and put in a 289. Then I had bragging rights. That's when I met my match. At an old illegal dragstrip one fine full moon Sat. night a guy walked up to me and asked to race me for $20 prize. I asked him what he had and he said a new Studebaker Lark. After I was done laughing I choke an Okay his way and we lined up. This was one ugly Stude, Biege with a Blue Conv Top. It did sound good and as the flagger waved us off the Stude jumped right out in front by a car length and that's the way we finished. When we got back to the staging area and I handed him the $20, I apologized for laughing at him and asked to look at the motor. It was an R-4 Avanti motor ( that a supercharged 289, cammed up and hot for the uniformed). He was running 3" exhaust, headers and this car would scream. Man did this defeat get around town. Beat by a Studebaker, I could hardly show my face at the local Dog & Suds. Never did see that car again after that night so guess the guy was just passing through. ( Thank Goodness for that!) The only other car that ever beat my vette was a 64 or 65 Pontiac Bonneville with a 421 motor. I missed a shift and sucked a valve but the next weekend got him by two car lengths and it cost him $25. Oh the good old days of 409's, 427's, chopped coupes and mini-skirts. If we get to do this over and have a choice that's the era I want to go back to.

Randy

 

[Jack44]

One of the best...

The best of these was the 1963 Z11, which received a special 409 stroked to 427 cubic inches and rated officially at 430 hp, although that was laughable - the actual output being over 500 horsepower!

The 1963 Z11 was easily spotted by its NASCAR-style cowl plenum air cleaner and its many aluminum parts, including the fenders, hood and bumpers. The classic smooth lines and clean styling made this car as attractive as it was powerful.

A nice Bel Aire 2-door....

 

[Yoda]

That's been quite a while ago Back "home" the fast street cars were the old State Patrol cars. 2 come to mind that were darn near unbeatable at the black top 1/4 mile just outside the city limits... a 1958 Plymouth and a 1962 Dodge, both ex State Police Cars (Nebraska) push buttons and all

Bud

 

[67HEAVEN]

I too never saw a Cobra on the streets in the 1960s or early 70s. Lots of Hemis, 428 Mustangs, 302-Z-28s, SS396 everything (Chevelle, Camaro), GTOs, 442s and several 1966 Biscayne L-72 (425hp) 4-speeds. Even a 1966 L-72 (427/425hp) Pontiac Parisienne convertible - 4-speed with bench seat - factory!!!!!! YES, factory.

The toughest of these was a '66 Hemi Belvedere (4.56:1. headers, wrinkle-walls)......however.....one of the reasons I could never bring myself to sell this car was because of the legend it became........a L-71/L-88 hybrid that nothing street driven (at that time....in this region) could touch. No matter what the other car was, when I hit second gear it was, "Adios Muchachos".

Compensated quite nicely for the really small johnson.

 

[Classicvette63]

67Heaven, are you saying a big block means a small... oh nevermind. Classic

 

[JohnZ]

I was campaigning my AA/Fueler in '61 (hauling it on an open trailer behind a beat '57 Ford station wagon) back and forth across the country, and had a booking agent in Chicago who would call me on the road every week and give me my schedule for the next week. Once he booked me into a strip in Pennsylvania I hadn't been to before, and it turned out to be a 1/8-mile, and I'd never run on a 1/8th before. Checked in with the strip promoter to get my "show money" ($300, big deal in those days), and he wanted me to make two exhibition runs, as none of his customers had ever seen a fueler run before, then run the guy who held the strip record late in the afternoon.

Made the two exhibition runs, the crowd went nuts with the noise, then pulled up to the line for the last run late in the day, and what's in the other lane that holds the strip record? A modified Rupp Dart Kart (one of the first commercial go-karts), running three Mac-10's on nitro! Flag dropped, away we went, and that kart was GONE! By the time I got to the finish line that big blown Hemi wasn't even starting to breathe deep yet (geared for a 1/4-mile), and he beat me by about a car length - he had the perfect setup for a 1/8-mile. The crowd went nuts, of course, for the local hero, but I got a nice standing round of applause coming back down the return road. I'll never forget trying to explain to my touring Fueler buddies later how I got whipped by a go-kart when I ran solid 8's in the 180's in the 1/4-mile; never ran a 1/8th-mile strip again!
:eek

 

[67HEAVEN]

By the time I got to the finish line that big blown Hemi wasn't even starting to breathe deep yet (geared for a 1/4-mile), and he beat me by about a car length

So that's why you've gone with the '67 small block, John. :L

 

[Mikes64]

I also never saw a Cobra on the street. However, there were plenty of bad Nova's, Z-28s, Chevelles, Hemi-Roadrunners and
Vets. I will never forget the doctor down the street driving a 67
yellow big block with black stinger and side exhaust by the house on his way to a from work. Man, I still have a little johnson for that car!!! Also remember a good friend with a Shelby GT 500,
it ate so much gas we couldn't hardly afford it then. They really were good days.

 

[vettepilot]

Around the area where I grew up we had what seemed like two completely different groups of car buffs.... those that could build and drive their own cars, and those that could afford a "turn Key" winner and drive it. Most of the GM builders (my friends) had 55 and 57 Chevys, a couple of "Sunday school teacher" looking Belvaderes with 440s stuffed in them, and one with a 426 Hemi that came out of thin air I swear.
Those GM guys that "bought" their ride went the GTO route, the Chevelle, or Camaro in the later 60s.
Ford guys usually had a Mustang, or if they were builders... the Falcon and and Fairlanes made a nice base car to build.
One guy had a 40 Plymouth, it was built to look like a gasser, it never raced, just pulled up into the HS parking lot very quiet like. Come to find out it was all show and not much go because it still had a flat head 6 under the closed hood. But it sure looked the part.
I had a V6 Buick Special, 3 on the tree, 2 DR coupe. Cloth bench seats, black rubber floor mats. Did what we now accuse ricer's of doing now... chrome slotted wheels, jacked up, (that was cool then) white under carriage.. (remember that guys?) Made true duals and put on Cherry Bomb glass packs...
In those days that was a weird sounding car, (firing order on those V6s compared to the sound of a straight 6 or V8)) today it would sound pretty good compared to the buzz bombs we hear.
My first really hot car was a brand new special order 71 SS Nova, but that's another story for later.
vettepilot

 

[Lucy64]

I spent the late 60's and early 70's in Northern Virginia. We had a large number of hot machines, stock and not. I had a 68 302 Z/28 that was maxed out. It was 12.5 compression and the hot Chevy service cam of the late 60's. I had a pair of Holleys on a street ram, M21 trans and 4.56 gears. She was a mid 11's street machine and did real well on the street. We did have one Cobra that was running a 289 and Webbers. It ran well but really wasn't the baddest thing in the neighborhood. The baddest was a L88 64 Chevy. We also had a couple Hemis and more bigblock Chevys, Road Runners and Mustangs. Those were the days of Muscle Cars............

 

[Gerry]

So many cars , so long ago. Did anyone ever see a Cheetah? I tried to buy one about 9 months ago but got beat out by the first caller (I was 2nd). These cars were street legal but shouldn't have been. Used a 377 ci chevy (punched out 327) more than 520 hp in a 1500lb rocket. Made by Bill Mitchel to stomp cobras but was forced to run against prototypes. 1/4 miles times were in the nines at more than 140 I think. They also made a couple of dedicated drag Cheetahs (brutally fast). If I ever get another shot at one I hope I don't miss out. Oh well keep dreamin.

Best regards,
Gerry

 

[Mac]

generational comparisons

It's interesting to look from our perspective as the automobile graduated from simple transportation to lifestyle choice and recreation. The evolution of automotive technology is remarkable and the impact which the freedom of mobility given by cars has had on our society.

The area where I grew up, the Maritime Provinces (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island) were economically depressed since, well, forever. There weren't that many of the high end models, regardless which manufacturer. I didn't see a Corvette in living colour until I was a teenager.

The few guys who could afford new cars didn't travel in my social circle. We built our own fun as we couldn't afford new factory rockets. I can remember the wailing sound of my buddy's old Dodge Coronet 383 2 door, burning off tires, looking for traction but never finding it. Another guy had a Mercury pickup which he stuffed a 390 into; great at the quarter mile we'd marked off down on the backroad but it didn't corner or brake worth a damn.

I remember too clearly the handling results of my air-shock "tail in the air with tall rear tires" driving stance experiment on my old Duster. After a couple white knuckled cornering attempts, I decided to let some of the pressure out of those air shocks. Eventually, I discovered that the adjustable torsion bar suspension could be your friend if you set it up (or rather, down) right but you need to have the alignment done or the tires go away quickly. I never did manage to get really good traction in my GMC Sprint (same body as an El Camino) but that 327 Vette engine (no idea what year) would squack the tires at both upshifts on the automatic. I had to launch slow or the wheel hop would bruise my kidneys. Sometimes, I wonder what ever happened to the cars I had. Most of them survived my abuse and were running despite my mechanical skills (or lack thereof) but I expect rust has taken it's toll.

 

[SPANISHVETTS]

The closest I ever got to a Cobra was the pictures in Car and Driver. Down south we just didn’t get exotic cars. Heck Corvettes were almost foreign cars in LA* When I bought a BSA motorcycle my Father would not let me keep it at home. I hid the thing in my Uncles barn for 2 years!! (*LA = Lower Alabama)

The Hemi´s were the guys to lookout for. I remember a 56 dodge pickup with a 426 hemi and automatic gearbox that went like $#!t off a shingle. He never ran it at the strip; he would drive to where nobody knew him and pick up a couple hundred bucks shutting down the ¨rich¨ boys.

Back then the full sized cars packed a punch, 7 liter LTD’s, GTO’s, 442’s, all the cars from Mopar. I am going to have to dig out the old Jan and Dean 45´s and listen to them just to remember all the names. But these guys were only the Dog and Suds cruisers. They were quick and loud and good competition for each other however when the serious iron rolled down the street these folks stayed in the parking lot. The serious stuff was always home built. A Dart-Falcon-Chevelle body with the chosen 400cid+ motor.

My first new car, (36 easy payments to 1st. National Bank), was a Shelby GT-350 with 4:11 gears. It ran low 12´s and thanks to that tiny little 289 I could get spotted a few links by anybody who did not know the car. I was the boss until Bubba Lawrence came home from boot camp in a Mickey Thompson Camaro. That animal with its 400+++ cid turned constant 10.5´s.

Luck was on my side, Bubba and I were ¨blood brothers¨ from the 1st grade. It is good to be with a friend when you are both standing beside the unfinished Interstate with empty billfolds watching the tail lights of a 56 Dodge pickup fade away.

 

[Stan's Customs]

Me too, brother....me too!

I was around in the late 60's, and got hooked on cars in the early 60's, long before I could drive. When I was in my early teens my mother would always take me to Sunday School on Sunday mornings, but I hated staying afterwards for church, which seemed to last for hours with a very old minister dragging on and on. The deal she used to make it easier was, on the days we'd stay, she'd take me to the drags about 15 miles away in the afternoon. This was early/mid 60's and before I could drive. It was a backyard kinda dragstrip on an old WWII airfield and the starter used a flag, but from time to time some real interesting stuff showed. The old Pure Hell top fuel altered ran a time or two, Garlits with an old Swamp Rat once or twice, and Richard Petty even came with his AFX Hemi Cuda (old fastback body style) that he ran the year he took a hietus from Nascar racing. There were tons of local cars as well as a lot of Super Stockers from all over the Southeast and the Platts, Sox and Martin, Arnie Beswick, and several others who were big names even came through on occasion.

As far as street racers around here, there never were any Cobras that I was aware of. There were some early 60's Fords with Holman & Moody 427's that were strong in the half mile midnight races and one original L88 Corvette which had a reputation back then and has been in my garage for almost 20 years now. There were some Hemi's, 409's, and a few modified GTO's and 442's which never were very competitive, but I'd say the fastest stuff was the modified big block Chevelles and Camaros. By the late 60's there were several of both running around here with modified L88's and of course as time progressed into the early 70's some open chambered 454's (LS7's) started showing in some of the same cars. The original owner of my L88 pulled the engine in 1970 and stuck an LS7 crate motor in it and later pulled the same engine back out and put it in a 70 Camaro which was a Motion Performance lookalike, complete with stripes and other specialty stuff. His cars always had big legends of being among the fastest around here, but it seemed impossible to find anybody that ever saw him actually race somebody with one. They were just well done, loud, with big camshafts and everybody held them in awe. Interestingly, this same guy is still around with a new Z06, with a Lamar Walden build, rotary supercharged 427" smallblock, and kinda the same "legend" game going on. There are rumors of 230+ MPH among the groupies, but when you try to narrow it down as to when/where/who he ever ran with it, the groupies all get lockjaw.

Unfortunately, there ain't much goin' on around here anymore. Most of the old hotrodders have either died, quit, or put their stuff in either cruise configuration or like me, a few have gotten into original restorations. There are some ricers runnin' around with fart pipes, big sterios, 75 stickers on the windows, but far as I know, 40 on for half a mile died a sudden death about 20 years ago.

Oh yeah, I had a 57 Chevy with an L79 crate motor, gears, tires, exhaust and a good set up, and it was faster than all but the best big block hot rods. None of the GTO's/442's/Z28's/BB Chevy's with just headers and a few other pieces had anything for it, and it surprised several of the 375 cars around here too. 'Course just like any good pool shooter, I knew when to go to the rack, and sit and watch.

Most of my stuff is original resto now, but I do have one exception: a 69 Camaro with an LS7 crate motor, Muncie and 3.73 gears. There's a 12.5:1 540 on the stand waitin' to go in it, but there's just somethin' nostalgic about the old LS7 that's kept me from pulling it out. I guess it's just another shot at something I wish I could've had when I was younger, but couldn't afford.

Damn, I miss the good ole' days.

 

[Rowdy1]

Ah Yes I Remember It Well .........(I Think)

Back in 1965, I was pumping gas at station before Rt. 80 was done on the major road in NJ. A guy used to come in with a Cobra who's father was a state senator and had sent him to college in Fla. He was always racing for money and it was not a strange thing for him to ask me to spot him a tank of gas because he had no money. He'd always come back before closing and pay me and usually give me $5 for helping him out. One night he came in and asked me to do him a favor, he was behind like three months or more on car payments and the repo gang was hot on his tracks and had already been to his house twice. He had the car sold the next Monday morning but needed to keep it hidden and out of that town for the next three days and wanted to take my 1956 Ford, Crown Victoria and have me stash the Cobra. I said "Can I drive it around?" and he said no problem, just stay out of that town and the surrounding others. Well, you know the rest, I drove the snot out of that thing, lost my job, which was coming any way, the owner of the station thought I was a senior in college, NOT high school, raced everything in sight for three days and nights. Was it fast you ask? Yes, did it beat the big block Gm's? NOPE, nice car, fast car, but not my idea of a 1/4 mile race car and that's what I'm all about, Ah Yes I Remember It Well..............

 

[magicv8]

I was a teenager in the '60's. I never saw a Cobra on the street and not too many Corvettes. If you have a girl friend you wanted a bench seat or a back seat.
I did see Dodge and Crylser cars, Roadrunners 426 and 383, Challenger's, Cuda's, T/A's, GTX's , 440 six pack's etc.
Chevy's: Chevelle SS, Camaro's 427, 396 and Z28's, Nova SS and of course few Corvettes.
AMC: AMX 390's
Ford: Mustanges 351 and 428, Torino 428
Pontiac: GTO 389 tri power and Firebirds 326 and 400
The list could go on forever.....
Never did I see a Cobra.
Gary

I agree comletely with Gary. I drag raced on the street and strip in the 60s. The fastest stock cars I saw and drove were SS/A Mopars. The streets were full of fast Chevrolets and Pontiacs. On the strip Mopar ruled the top stock classes. In other classes and on the street, Chevy did the honors.

I STILL haven't seen a Cobra anywhere - not even at car shows. All the cars that look like Cobras are kit cars. If I want a kit car, I'll get a dune buggy.