Welcome new member Jim. Below is his introductory message.
Thanks,
Gary H.
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While I like all cars, I seriously caught Mopar "fever" after a long incubation period. First Mopar exposure....in late '70, my boss bought a Hemi 'Cuda(!). I then was into sports cars, aiming for a Ferrari in the distant future. To me, the 'Cuda was crude, an axe when a scalpel would do. But, an impression was made even as it sat parked. Have to wonder what would have happened if only he had given me a ride in it, as a year later, after many tickets, he sold it). In '71, I was a salesman at a Pontiac dealer when a wrecked, white AAR Cuda towed in. Riddled with bullet holes, it was a police chase loser. But those side pipes and AAR billboard stunned me. Thought it was coolest car ever, despite that I was regularly driving new 455 GTO's and GP's, trade-in Corvette's etc. But then, both the draft board and my first wife finally snagged me, so fast car dreams faded for years as was overseas, etc. Did manage to get a '72 Norton Combat 750, ran the canyons in Colorado. In '78, drove a friend's '73 383 Magnum Challenger and was impressed, so again thought about an e-body, but funds limited me from cars, so best I could do for speed was trading the Norton to a '79 Suzuki GS1000 (both great rides). Finally, the Mopar "infection" was raging in the '90's, when I frequently raced a friend's '66 Plymouth Satellite at Big Willie's Terminal Island track, the lightly modified 440 doing 12.37's at 109. Most of the Brand X guys knew nothing about Mopars & thought it had a Hemi. He next built a nice '63 Belvedere, a stronger 440 that almost did 11's, but he sold it quickly. So I determined I would get a some kind of an old Mopar of my own and eventually go 11's, or maybe even 10's and be streetable. Wanted to join the Chrysler Performance West club, so bought a very worn, but solid California car, a '65 Coronet 500. A 361 2-barrel, 727 car. Thought I would run it a year or so while looked for a 440 e-body. One thing lead to another as I got the Dodge into decent driving condition, somehow I hit the tip-over point and decided having an "off the beaten track" car was interesting (I try not to dwell upon the rapid appreciation rate of the e-bodies). After many years and many dollars, the Dodge's final build version ended up a dual use approach, the 496 stroker is equally happy on the street or at the dragstrip, has massive torque. But only ran it three times before sudden health problems arose. Sold it to a younger friend, but he's in full Daddy mode with three kids now, he runs marathons, etc., so he also has driven it little since the major rebuild. It is "still in the family", but now he speaks of getting garage space, so likely it will move on & I'm assisting since I have knowledge of car (but am not a mechanic). I'd like to keep touch with your group, as it refreshes those great memories of my racing days.
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