dmatthews
Dave's not here
I could kick myself for saying that, but then I'd fall down!Uh, I believe it is the other way around, isn't it?
I could kick myself for saying that, but then I'd fall down!Uh, I believe it is the other way around, isn't it?
I had two cars before I got my license. 69 Firebird Convertible 350 2 barrel, bright orange with white top and interior, and, 69 GTO Convertible, Ram Air IV 400. 500 Ram Air IV's made that year, only 13 went into GTO convertibles. 390 posi rear end, automatic transmission. You could be going 45mph on the highway behind some slow poke, you better pull all the way out in the passing lane before you nailed it because from 45mph it would burn rubber when it downshifted into passing gear. BEAST motor.I've got a numbers matching 74 Formula 400, mostly original paint, original interior, modified numbers matching drivetrain. I can't get enough of it.
69 GTO Convertible, Ram Air IV 400.
My official high school self envy. I tried to get a 69 Z-28 but father would have none of it.
High school legend! I recall one day, sitting in class, that the Olds dealer's step-son was accelerating past the high school in a new W-30 442, trying to impress a girl he was dating. Two passes, a squeal and a loud crash and three metal trash cans later he was a joke.
I miss having a rockin’ car stereo. It’s almost impossible to do these days on new cars to have a quality head unit in there that produces quality sound without losing your a$$. My last vehicle, I had an ok system with converters off the stock head unit, a digital amp, replacement speakers and a sub. It was ok, way better than stock, but not the quality sound you could get from those older units. So while I love having all my music at my fingertips on my phone and have that all running through the car stereo, I do miss that old school system that just sounded awesome. I had a full size suv with full range dual 15’s and some amps, graphic eq, that sounded ferocious. Not even for the volume anymore, just great sound.When I got out of college, the longest I had owned any car was 6 months. So while some were envious (and some were jealous. Yeah, you know how high school is...) but as cool as it could be, it was NOT cool to have cars you loved taken from you with almost no notice. LOL. My dad would take a cool car in trade, buy it for me, let me drive it for a few months and then sell it for a profit. To the point, that when I asked for a Pioneer Super Tuner radio, power amps and speakers for Christmas, he bought me an under dash unit so that I could easily move it form car to car. No kidding. And, told me to build myself some cabs for the speakers because he didn’t want me installing the radio and speakers and then someone coming along to buy it and we’d have to remove it all.
I had that super tuner, two power amps, and two pairs or 6x9 speakers, both in cabs, and could move it from Firebird to GTO or whatever was next, in about 5 minutes.
The thing I've always missed is the wonderful "wrrr" gear sound from the manual transmission in the muscle cars, as well as the sound of solid lifter cams and the exhaust.When I got out of college, the longest I had owned any car was 6 months. So while some were envious (and some were jealous. Yeah, you know how high school is...) but as cool as it could be, it was NOT cool to have cars you loved taken from you with almost no notice. LOL. My dad would take a cool car in trade, buy it for me, let me drive it for a few months and then sell it for a profit. To the point, that when I asked for a Pioneer Super Tuner radio, power amps and speakers for Christmas, he bought me an under dash unit so that I could easily move it form car to car. No kidding. And, told me to build myself some cabs for the speakers because he didn’t want me installing the radio and speakers and then someone coming along to buy it and we’d have to remove it all.
I had that super tuner, two power amps, and two pairs or 6x9 speakers, both in cabs, and could move it from Firebird to GTO or whatever was next, in about 5 minutes.
I miss having a rockin’ car stereo. It’s almost impossible to do these days on new cars to have a quality head unit in there that produces quality sound without losing your a$$. My last vehicle, I had an ok system with converters off the stock head unit, a digital amp, replacement speakers and a sub. It was ok, way better than stock, but not the quality sound you could get from those older units. So while I love having all my music at my fingertips on my phone and have that all running through the car stereo, I do miss that old school system that just sounded awesome. I had a full size suv with full range dual 15’s and some amps, graphic eq, that sounded ferocious. Not even for the volume anymore, just great sound.
All mine were automatics. The GTO had solid lifters and a dual exhaust with some upgraded mufflers. I idled pretty smoothly though, for a big cam car. The Ram Air IV came out of the factory with an 850cfm double pumper and an aluminum high rise intake. You could pick up 25-30hp by blocking the crossover in the intake manifold. Mine had that done, an aftermarket cam that was just slightly bigger than stock and the dyna flow mufflers.The thing I've always missed is the wonderful "wrrr" gear sound from the manual transmission in the muscle cars, as well as the sound of solid lifter cams and the exhaust.
And those "state of the art" Goodyear Polyglas tires could never hook up like the modern compounds do.All mine were automatics. The GTO had solid lifters and a dual exhaust with some upgraded mufflers. I idled pretty smoothly though, for a big cam car. The Ram Air IV came out of the factory with an 850cfm double pumper and an aluminum high rise intake. You could pick up 25-30hp by blocking the crossover in the intake manifold. Mine had that done, an aftermarket came that was just slightly bigger than stock and the dyna flow mufflers.
The engine was factory rated at 335 hp, which was a joke. Only 20 more than the Ram Air III was rated and it had numerous upgrades over the III. One magazine said that it was rated about 100hp low for insurance purposes, and that they dyno’d one that had 438hp. With the few little mods mine had, it was probably running real close to 500. Not bad for a first car. Oh, and it handled like a big old car, and stopped like a train. Rocket motor. soft suspension, weak breaks. Almost the complete opposite of my Camaro.
There were bias ply tires! No radials back then. And I had a pair of steel studded "snow tires" for the Firebird.And those "state of the art" Goodyear Polyglas tires could never hook up like the modern compounds do.
Mmmmm...BIG cams...potato..potato...potato THAT was cool!!The thing I've always missed is the wonderful "wrrr" gear sound from the manual transmission in the muscle cars, as well as the sound of solid lifter cams and the exhaust.