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My first car was a 1951 Ford convertible that we built in a one car garage with a dirt floor. It had a fish mouth grill shell that was frenched with a 1954 Chevy grill with teeth added. It was nosed and decked and had solenoid operated doors. It had rolled pans, front and rear, with kneerfs. In those days we didn’t have tires like today, so it had 850/15 on reversed rims. I bought a kit to put a Chrysler Hemi in it with the Ford transmission - it had a Fox Craft shifter. I had the interior done by a friend and it wasn’t too bad. We were the backyard torch guys back then and the conditions were crazy. I had a friend who was a master with paint. He had a '53 Chevy, and using paint, made the wheels look like Western Mags. Through shading, he made the car look like it was frenched and had wild scallops. We used to buy these cars for $35 to $75, and make the look like a million. We tried to imitate George Barris and Daryl Starbird. We got most of our ideas from the pocket-sized Rod and Custom magazines. I could go on for hours about the things we did, if you want to hear, let me know. I could write a book about the backyard built cars of the '60s glnolson@hcil.net

My name is Tom Worthington. I lived in Maryland when I got my first car. My first car was a 1969 Impala. You can see it as one of the pictures on my webpage www.hotrodder.com/Tom396 . It was a hand me down from Dad. It was also my first "racecar". You see, immediately after high school (I mean that very summer) I started attending classes at the Northern Virginia Community College. There I meet my friend Mike Mortimer. Mike was already heavily into brackets, and immediately turned me onto them. Hence, I never got into the street racing stuff.

The Impala was powered by a 396. However, it was the 396/265hp 2 barrel version. I convinced Dad that the Impala would get "much better gas mileage" (LOL) with a small aftermarket Holley 4 barrel. As it turns out, that was quite true. It sure didn't hurt the performance any either though. I put a full stock style dual exhaust system, an Edelbrock Streetmaster intake, and a Holley 6619 vac. secondary carb on it. I kept, however, the longlegged stock 2.56(!) rear end gears. To this day, I wish I had put a 3.73 and a posi in it. Oh well. It ran "OK.".... 17.0s. One day, however, I found a small trick that picked me up 6 tenths! I left the shifter in 2nd for the entire 1/4 mile. The ET card read 16.40. I had a blast with that car. I miss it.

It did briefly go on to bigger and better things ....without me. I sold it to a fellow who saw the potential for the big Impala as a legal Stock eliminator car. I had all the original stuff (two barrel manifold/carburetor, etc.). I sold him the rolling chassis for $500 and traded him the engine for a used 396/375hp. The next time I saw the car it was wearing O/SA emblems, pulling the front wheels off the ground, and running low 13's. My understanding is that the car never really did much competitively, Al Provost was running O/SA at the time also, and pretty much had everybody covered.

The Impala sank the 396 hook into me though, and my next "racecar" was a 1967 Camaro also powered by a 396....the one I have now. :-)

My name is Alan. My first car was my dad's 73 SS454 Chevelle. He had it since college, and he and I both loved it. It had been sitting for about ten years, but was still in pretty good shape. We replaced the fuel lines and gave it a tune up. It ran perfect. The only major problem was the shocks did nothing, because they were so old. We decided to replace them. We got some KYBs. We only had time to install the front then, so we did. The next week around nine I installed the rear. When I drove it to test them out, an oncoming car had its brights on and it blinded me. I then rode off the road into sand and applied the brakes which locked up. I slid out and totaled it. It has gone to the other side now. I own a fast Escort now, because that was the only fast car I could buy.

Hi everyone, Frank here (aka rh), I'll tell you about my first cars. My first car was a 73 Cutlass Supreme, but I don't think that it counts as I only had the car for about 3 1/2 days before it was written off (not my fault!) The car I got after that was a factory original 71 SS 454 Chevelle, four speed with a bench seat. It was black with white stripes. I bought the car from the original owner. Initially I didn't want to buy it at all, I thought it was too old and a little outdated, this was in '83. Anyway the owner was a mutual friend of the family's, and he insisted that I try the car out. I told him that the only way I would even consider it, was if he let me take it for the weekend. By the way, it was Labor Day coming up. He tossed me the keys and said, "If you wreck it...", said, "I know, I bought it", he said, "No, you're life will simply end". So with these words, I was off. I'll tell you, I never had a better weekend in my life to that point. I took the car to the nearest beach, and cruised up and down the strip just about all weekend. You couldn't even imagine what I felt like driving that car around, completely awesome. Anyway, long story short, Tuesday rolls around and the owner comes back for the car. I would not give him back the keys, and we finally agreed on a price. Now all I had to do was figure out a way to come up with the money (He gave me two weeks), but that's another story. An interesting twist to this story, ten years later, I sold the car back to the original owner, for his own son. Take care and stay straight. www.hotrodder.com/skunkworks

My name is Todd Jensen and I'm from Wisconsin. My real first car was a 1977 Mercury Marquis, 2 door, 400, best car I ever owned... blah blah blah... but my first hot rod was a 1953 Ford Customline four door sedan. My father had brought it home one day, filled with rat nests and dead sand fleas (thankfully nothing alive still took up residence). The deal my dad got was "You haul it away, you can have it", so he took it. It was totally stock when we got it but had a cracked block. I turned it into a mongrel. 302 out of a Torino (I think, the motor had found homes in numerous vehicles before mine, including a 1953 Ford pickup), four bucket seats out of an Escort, automatic transmission out of a Thunderbird. The car was dechromed all the way around and ran the stock Ford hubcaps on the stock rims. It had a Jensen stereo system (of course), none of the gauges worked (you judged speed by the tach and measured fuel with a wooden dowl kept in the trunk, the gas tank we found on the ground in junk yard after unsuccesfully trying to fit one from an Opel GT. Do you know what a pain it is to get a gas tank out of an Opel GT who's doors don't open?), had black bumpers and a custom diamond grate grill and marker lights. The whole car was rewired from scratch and we never did get the exhaust past the two glass-paks that ended right behind the front seats... making it a bit loud to ride in. If you left it idle,it would jump out of park and into reverse without notice. It almost hit the local Ford Garage in my home town once when it decided to take off by itself when nobody was in it. All in all it was an uncomparable learning experience. I never had so much fun but the real kicker is that I only drove the car for three months before choosing to sell it when my father's machine repair shop went out of business and I went to college (I chalked it up to bad timing). I fully intend on getting my hands on another Shoebox ford one of these days and doing it up right, how about a '51 Custom Victoria, black... with flames, and a built flathead... that sounds just about right. CARtimes Automotive Directory http://cartimes.com

My first car was a 1957 Chevy with a 454 bored over .30. I live in Tanner, Alabama.  The car was estimated at 550 horsepower through the mufflers.  It has two Holley carbs on it, forged pistons. I just put a Kuhl 14-71 supercharger with a set of jet hot zoomies on it. The valve covers are from Moon, a B&M shifter and a lot more that I do not want to say.  Mark M.

Hello HotRodder.Com, my name is Tommy aka TommyK57@Juno.com. The first car I ever drove legal was my mom's Ford Falcon. 1964 2 door coupe, 6 cylinder automatic. It was transportation to and from work, remember I'm only 16 years old. I learned a lot about fixing cars, especially that one! What do you expect from a Ford anyway, LOL, sorry blue oval fans. I have some good and bad memories. The bad one was I avoided hitting a dog, and wiped out the front end, no problem, junk yard's full of 'em. My good memories are ...ahh ...ummm maybe going out on dates <grin> (would have been better if it was a Vette but) Drive Inns were the thing to do back then. It was a safe and good on gas ride. If anyone is interested to see what I have now, check out this web page here at http://www.hotrodder.com/TomK57/ Thanks, be safe and enjoy!!!

Just thinking back on that time in 1969 when I came out of the Army, it was great to be alive. I went and bought a 1969 4-4-2 Olds brand new for $4000.00 and it was fully equipped. Color was trophy blue with a white vinyl top and white pin stripes on the hood and trunk. Bucket seats and shifter between the seats. I washed and waxed that baby till everyone said I rubbed all the paint off of it. I cruised every weekend around the big town in it. Wish I had kept it.

My first car cost me a million dollars. It didn't seem like it then but now that I'm older and wiser it adds up. Let me run it down for you. I started with a nice solid car, a '64 Dodge Dart to be exact. I paid $400 and drove it home with a purring slant 6 and a solid state AM radio that cranked out of 1 speaker on the dash. It was a 2 door 270 with 13 inch wheels. Within a week of getting it home I decided to start by completely disassembling it and prepping it for paint in the same California Red that was original. Everything went perfect and within a month it was back together with Cronar Base Clear inside out on it. I did all the work and all the paint added up to about $1200. Time to step up the power...out with the S6 and on with TRW forged pistons, Direct Connection largest S6 cam, Chet Herbert intake (4 barrel) and split 3 headers, electronic ignition, and other minor stuff. Also time to add rally wheels, (14in small pattern) used 225R60 14 Goodyear tires. Buy, scrouge, trade and another $1000. Now we're partners for about a year and really in love. Plus this baby will crank 15 flats at about 84mph. Real hard on the clutch and rear, still the 7.25 open. Bang! time to upgrade. Move the springs in, find a 8.75 A-body suregrip with 3.91's and rebuild a 904 to shift like a slamming jail cell door, and stickier tires. $700 and now we are at 14.40s. Pretty good 6 tenths for $700 bucks. Not enough for me though! My friend has a 340 out of a 72 Duster that he wrecked and he says I can have it for $850. It's mine, low compression and all. It picks up ONE TENTH! ouch!!! Better get some headers right away, bigger cam, bigger exhaust -- $600 and I'm down to 14 tens at 96mph. Bang! loose the head off the number 2 exhaust valve. (Thats why they call it #2)! It doesn't wreck anything major, just need some valves and a valve job, and one new piston. Love knows no boundries. Driving back and forth to the track just ain't what it used to be and this car isn't getting any faster this way. Might as well go for it. Art Morrison 12 pt, Muscle Motor's stroker kit for 440, MSD, Turbo-Action trans brake, Convo-pro wheels with Goodyear slicks, Dana 60 with spool and Strange axles and all the other assorted goodies. Half of you reading this have been through it and the other half are working on it. We've been partners now 10, almost 11 years and that last little bit cost another $8000 over the last three years. I know you're adding this up and saying "not even close to a million!". Well I plugged the numbers into one of those computer programs that shows you what you need when you retire and projects what the values might be if you saved something and came up that I could have retired at 55 with at least a million bucks. Now I can also tell you that life would not be worth living without this love affair. Just figure how you can invest as much as you spend on your car in a good mutual fund and you will have life by the tail. Thanks for reading, name withheld because my wife doesn't really know what I spent.

My first car was nothing to look at, but it was my first car. I found this 1962 Ford Fairlane 500 2dr. buried under about 5ft of snow. After digging it out and firing it up. I purchased it for 300.00 and drove it home. It was straight and in fair condition, with a 292 Y-Block,Dual exhaust and a 3speed on the tree. It had been fitted with heavyduty springs out back along with a posi out of a station wagon. It would run strong and did for a couple years,before I decided to let it go, and sold it to my cousin. It has since moved on to a couple of new owners.But, it was my first car none the less. Tim

Well my first car cost me nothing a 1975 plymouth fury 360 with a bad trans it was sitting in the weeds up from my moms farm and this is were my wrenching begins i got it towed home the person up the road happily gave me the rusted out beast after i got it home and the screaming from my mom was done my moms boyfriend started helping me with it first we obtained a diffrent trans a 727 because he told me the 904 is shit i tell you shit now we got that put in of course we go up the road he goes to me close your eyes i go why im gonna have try your car out so we punch it and there is some wheel spin not posi we get back he goes to me get in my old car we start it up this is a 71 super bee 383 slap stick auto we go down the same road we are rolling along bout 55/60 when these kids in a 85 monte fly by us he starts bitching tromps on the bee i just feel my back slam in the seat as we fly by them he goes to me your fury will never be this fast but we have to go and get a ! 4 brl mainfold and carb and well we were at his buddies junk yard his buddy told me he had a posi trac rear that would fit in it so now my rusty fury had headers 4 brl and posi me and my friends beat that car up every road after putting the rear end in and i jumped the rail road trackas and ripped a oil pan off so there we sat long story short i had the car for 6 months before i was in my first roll over it still runs and its not for sale mad man

My first car was an old beat up 1984 camero. I paid $1000 for it and i got it in may before my birthday in july. Man was it a piece of junk. It had electric windows and they would only roll ulp when they wanted too. I would have to hit the door panel to get the window to roll up. Half the time that didn't work either. It had a very detoned 350. It would not even roll the tires baketorqing it. I only had it 5 months after my 16th bday before i wrecked it. It was not only my fault. It was in a residential neighborhood and the guy was speeding and did not have his headlights on yet the cops wrote ti up as all my fault because the cops happened to be his drinking buddies. dixiersdneck49

long story, but I'm still driving my first car. She's a '78 Chevy Caprice (305 2-barrel)and she won't die! I bought her from my ex's dad who got it when his father passed;he already had two cars, he didn't like 'boats' either. It's all original except for a power steering pump from a '84 camaro(don't ask) and the brakes and tires. The windsheild is spidered pretty bad from a freak bumper-loss incident; the heater core...well, it's more of a strainer now, so the hoses have been 'rerouted'; the front left fender is/was a good punching bag; the rear brakes had to be cut off with a torch(original!);and the headliner is held up by staples(from Staples no less). I've had her since '99 and she had about 72,000 miles on her; not even really broken in yet. She is my daily driver and is now sporting about 382,000 miles(lots of trips to WI from Flint, MI). I still have the original AM radio, but not in the car. Still have the single speaker in the dash too. She has got to be the ugliest, sun-bleached, baby blue and rust car I think I've ever seen; but she's been more loyal to me than any woman I've ever known. My next car is already in the yard and ready for a transplant. That 305 from Big Blue is going to get reworked and put into a '79 Pontiac Pheonix(2-dr). I just hope this one will stay as trustworthy....Johnnie

My first car was a 1964 Chevrolet Impala, I bought it from an old man for $2,500 and it was cherry! I love this car so much I have made it into a low rider and it has only 8 switches but it realy does the crip hop! In fact, I know all of you out there know about this...why we love our cars so much and the same reason i love mine! OUR FIRST PEICE OF A** IN THE BACK SEAT!! Cruz

My first car was a 1988 Mercury cougar LS I got it when i was 16 from my uncle it needed a few odds and end things it has a high output 3.8 nothing special i am building a 5.0 liter v 8 it is white white blue interior emaculant has crome american racing wheels a spoiler with a L.E.D brake light i had a viynl decal made for the windsheild it says Cougar in old english i just resently put it in storage for the winter i am ordering a 3 inch cowl induction fiberglass hood off the web its a screamer now i was clocked at 131 m.p.h i can't wait to put the 5.0 in it Shawn

my frist car was a ford mustang 84 and i still have it i got it whan i was 13 it was red and now it is white and blak, fm am cd player, 270 amp and more

It was 1980 olds cutles it was a big dust bag. I bought it spring of ninty-six. I fixed it up real good . And drove it to spring break. when I got there this man came up to me and said he would trade me his ninteen sixty seven chevy bel air.For it. so i did and i had that old sixty seven chevy bel air seince. Jeremy

I was working in a bowling alley in 1966 when I turned sixteen and got my driver's license. A used car salesman, Gus, an older gentleman around 60, was a "regular" there. We talked cars all the time. He worked at the local Chevy dealership and promised he would keep an eye out for something I could afford. As promised, he gave me a call, an elderly woman had just traded her '55 Chevy Belair in on a new Impala. He said he talked to his boss about "turning" the Belair over quickly, and if I could come up with $300.00 she would be mine. I was in Gus's office two hours later, but because I was a minor, I had to get my mother to sign the paperwork. She suggested that her brother Hal should check out the car first, to make sure it was in good shape. So Mom, Uncle Hal, and me showed up in Gus's office, an hour later, and ready to do battle. But, it wasn't much of a fight. The '55 was mint, cherry, showroom fresh, with only 18,500 on the odometer. Gus said the back seat has never even been sat in. Not a single scratch or ding. Uncle Hal kicked the tires, checked the color of the oil on the dipstick, and drove her around the block. We signed the paperwork, paid the invoice, and drove her off the lot. The next week at the Bowling Alley, Gus asked if I wanted to learn how to learn how to change the oil and do a tune-up, which we did right in the parking lot. He explained pistons, valves, crankshafts, camshafts, fuel pumps, oil pumps, transmissions, differentials and driveshafts to me I was amazed at his knowledge. I never knew that Gus was a pallbearer at my Dad's funeral eight years earlier. It turned out Gus was my dad's supervisor at the factory they both worked in. 9 years later, I got a call from Gus's wife, asking if I would be a pallbearer for Gus. The '55 was right behind the hearse all the way to the cemetery……

My first hot rod was a '71 Camaro. It has a 383 stroker. It is the fastest car in town it has a 292 cam. Richard

Once upon a time, well when I was 16, my parents gave me my first car! The only problem was that it had been sitting in the woods, torn apart, for about 7 years. The car was a 1971 Ford Maverick Grabber. Original color was that Metallic Green with the reflective black/yellow stripes down the sides. It also had a vinyl top(at the time it was spray painted flat black since the top had blown off years earlier), black vinyl interior with the factory high back bucket seats, and a three speed manual shifter in the floor. The engine, dismantled and sitting in the trunk. More rust than sunken ship. I guess my parents thought they were being funny when they gave it to me on my 16th birthday. So I decided I would show them!:p I spent 4 years working it. Two of those years were in my junior and senior year in high school. I took a vocational auto body class(and only worked in that field 6 months after graduation). I finally finsihed the car in late '93. Here is a picture of it from when we were visiting some friends in Nashville in 1993. It's a poor picture, but the only one I have. We were snowed in for 4 days during that March. The front bumper is missing, and at the time was sent off to be rechromed. And the passenger side fender was primer colored due to some much needed repainting. http://www.tvmotorsports.net/stuff/maverick_1.jpg About six months after completion, I was headed home from work at about 2 a.m. when I rounded a curve in the road at about 65 mph(we lived in the country). In the middle of the road stood a nice sized deer! But what could I do. I hit the deer with the left front fender and under the car he went. Something broke in the steering, and needless to say when all was said and done, the car was totalled. Not a straight panel left! Ended up selling the motor, trans and wheels to some guy who needed it for an old mustang. And sold the interior to someone else, and the body to some guy who was going to make a dirt track car out of it. But last I saw of it, it had made it to the junkyard. So, here it is, ten years later, almost 2003! And I really want to find another '71 Grabber with factory high back buckets and shifter in the floor! Preferably black interior. I am now married with a 4 year old, and a new one on the way. So there hasn't been much in the way of funds lately with the wife not working. I have started a new website that I hope will help accomplish this project. I have seen websites on the net that ask visitors to "send me a dollar". And all they do is sit back and collect money. Some report having recieved anywhere from $50 to $5000 bucks, and with no goal in mind. My website has a goal! To build another Maverick! Check it out if you get time. Any help woud be much appreciated! The website isnt completely finished yet, but will be soon. So far, I have made enough to purchase a complete, used 302 roller motor from a '92 Mustang. If the, in the future, this website proves to help, I will build a 331 stroker out of it. And find me a '71 Mav to put it in..... Here is the link......www.hotrodfund.com Katfish

My first truck was a 1972 Chevy C-10. I got the truck from my dad. He traded his 1969 Chevelle for it. When I got the truck it was a long wheel base and had an old 305 in it but now it is a short wheel base with a '88 step bed on it and a 350 in it. When I got the truck it had 15" wheels and so old tires, but now it has 17" wheels and 40 series tires. It had an AM radio in it and now it has two 10" square solo-baric speakers and a Memphis 500d amp. Ryan L.

My first car IS (still) a 1969 Dodge Charger with a 440 and a 4 Speed manual tranny. It is Hemi Orange with a Dukes of Hazzard sticker kit on it. The interior is shot beyond all belief, but it is still sweet. It looks like a million bucks until you see the inside. But I'll redo that soon. Vaughn K.

My first car was a 1977 Chevrolet Caprice Classic. Originally had a 305 2bbl now I've upgraded to a crate 350 4bbl and have racing cams, intake, and true dual exhaust. It is my first and most favorite car, she realy goes! Chase G.

When I was 14, I acquired a 1968 Camaro SS 396. My step dad bought it used in 1969. He drag raced it from 1969-1971. It was then parked until 1996. It needed to be restored badly, so he gave it to me. I worked my tail off for 2 years. When I got it, it had the original black leather seats with the seat medallions in unfaded shape. The paint was faded but had the original 375 horse 396(torn apart in the backseat in boxes) and a close ratio Muncie 4-speed(together, but in the trunk). It also had a modified 12-bolt, 4.11 geared. It had all the power options for that year including hide away headlights and center console. The passenger side frame rail was cracked. But after 2 years of hard work, and working my tail off, the car was reassembled. It was baby blue, and had the slotted Fenton drag wheels on it. All it needed was a new paint job. Mike Chinski

My first car was a '74 Chevrolet Camaro LT. It had a rebuilt motor and tranny and was almost completely rust free; it also had a near mint interior. With a new paint job it would have been perfect (though it did still look sweet the way it was, the previous paint job wasn't the best, it was starting to chip and crack here and there). There was a switch that I turned on for the electric fan before I started the car, a cool 6-disc CD changer and stereo, and a nice graphic equalizer. Originally, it had air shocks, but I hated the ride that way so I put regular ones on. I sold the car a few years later for way less than it was worth and boy did I regret that. Well, two '65 Chevy Corvairs later (one rust bucket and another in very good original condition and a rebuilt motor), I decided to go back and get another camaro. I guess I'm partial to older chevys; I love the fact that I can do most of the work to keep them running! Now I have a '78... I flew out to Anaheim California from Minneapolis to get the car (it's even been to VEGAS:)... so it's in really good shape, but needs some interior work and very light body work. It, again, has very little rust. The best thing is, this car is MUCH faster than my first camaro (I had to change the cam for every day summer driving because it originally had a cam built more for racing; even without it the car is very fast)... I have a lot of fun speeding (well, going with the flow of traffic perhaps, I would never speed, that would be wrong... wink, wink) past newer Mustangs on the freeway with a car that cost me at least 1/5 the price! What's best is this: the car is also extremely dependable since most everthing under the hood has been replaced. I don't want anyone telling me that they shouldn't buy an older car because it won't be dependable; I think that if a person treats their automobile properly it will BE dependable. I would take a restored classic v! ehicle over a newer vehicle in a heartbeat, they're usually more stylish, you usually get more speed per dollar, and they're less expensive to maintain if you know what you're doing. But, like Dennis Miller likes to say, "I could be wrong"! ` Jay

Hi, my name is Jason and I am 18 and my first car was a 1990 GTA Firebird. I bought it for $3,000 dallars. It has a 350 V8 engine in it. It is red. I painted my rims black. They used to be gold. I thought that they where kinda ugly. I also painted my mirrors black. I looks kinda like a hot wheels toy.

My first car IS a 1983 Cadillac Sedan Deville. Yes, it is still in my possesion.(I'm 15) I Only paid $500 for it. The body is near a 9/10 for being in mint condition. However, the whole under body is covered in rust. Rust is like cancer. Early detection can prevent it. My car has it terminal. I love the car to death, so I will never get rid of it. I plan to have a fleet of classic cars WHICH WILL include the 1966 Ford Mustang and the 1980 Cadillac Coupe Deville. I'll probably spend more than 30,000 on just restoration. Chris

When I was 17 I bought a 1984 Grand National for $500. After a year and about $8000 later I decided to go to Sudbury to do some street racing, so me and my girlfriend went. About ten o'clock is when they start. They had me race a 1969 TA and of course he has an eight and I have a six supercharged motor. As the flag went down I smashed the pedal to the floor I took him on take off and the quaRter mile I was so happy To beat that car that I didn't see the end of the road and I totaled my first car at 110 mph. There was nothing left and now my girlfriend will never ride in a car with me again. Thanks for listening to my story. By the way that was only two years ago. Tom.

My first car was and still is my 1979 Trans am 10th anniversary. We bought it in pretty bad shape for 2000 dollars but to me it was worth every penny. It came with the auto olds 403 motor which still screams till this very day. It has the 4 wheel disc, turbo wheels, power windows, cold AC, leather interior 2 tone paint with the 6.6 shaker. It is now nearing complete restoration all we need is minor interior work. I will never part with her. ~ Brent

REMEMBER THE HEAP? Remember the first car you ever owned. Chances are that it was not a new automobile. In fact, it may have been quite a few years old. In my case, my first car was older than I was. Your first car was most likely far less than your ideal car. You'd seen the movies and watched the television commercials, and you knew what you really would have liked in an automobile. Red and fast, sleek and stylish, powerful and convertible. It was easy to imagine yourself, wind blowing through you hair, cruising past your friends in a beautiful auto. Most likely, this daydream was not to be. Your first car quite possibly had faded paint, a bald snow tire on the front right, a couple of missing lug nuts, a couple of dents, some loose cylinders, a less than fully charged battery, a rusty fender or two, a noisy muffler, stains on the upholstery, and it drifted right if you took your hand off the wheel. It wasn't perfect, but it was yours, and nothing could dampen your excitement at being able to drive. From the look on your face when you were behind the wheel, people would have thought you were driving! a Ferrari. You were free at last!! Sure you had to jump-start the thing once in a while and it overheated on long hills, but it was worth it.

Each of us has a physical body that's kind of like that first car. God gave us life and turned us loose upon the world, and we're not quite perfect. We're too tall to fit comfortably in a 737-economy seat, too short to play in the NBA. We're not smart enough to understand nuclear physics, or even supply side economics. We don't look as good as Tom Cruise or Pamela Anderson. We can't sing like Hootie or the Blowfish. Our nose might have belonged to Jimmy Durante. Our eyes are a strange shade of green. Our ears remind us of Dumbo. Our hair is Phyillis Diller like. We've never been in a major motion picture. We were born into a family that couldn't have possibly been from the same planet. We're just not as cool as James Bond. We don't even want to talk about our behavior problems. We're wanna-be Rolls Royces stuck in '65 Chevrolets. Perhaps if we were Rolls Royce's, many of our problems would simply disappear. The problem is that the '65 Chevy is the only physical form that we'll ever have. It will never be a Mercedes, a Rolls Royce, or a Ferrari, or even an Indy racecar. It's what God made us and we're stuck with it. Often, we spend a substantial amount of time yearning to be that fancy car.

Sometimes we feel that if we can't have the Rolls, why bother getting on the road. We let the '65 Chevy fall into disrepair and don't realize what it can do for us. If we tune the engine, clean the upholstery, install new tires, fix the dents, and wax the paint, the less than perfect car will serve us well. With the proper maintenance and care, it may not win the Daytona 500, but it will certainly help us reach our destination safe and sound. And in many cases, a '65 Chevy can be a lot more fun than a stuffy Rolls Royce. The thing that we really need to remember is that our '65 Chevy is a gift from God. The soul that occupies the driver's seat needs to find that enthusiasm, excitement, and gratitude of a teenager with a first car. After all, the gift of life is something to truly get excited about, something to appreciate each and every day. Imagine what it would be like to awaken each day and feel blessed for the opportunity to be able to drive, to be grateful for the fact that you've got wheels and can do a lot with what you've got, and to avoid dwelling on the dents, stains, and other apparent shortcomings.

You can get on the road and go, and be joyful all the way but we also need to appreciate all the other '65 Chevy's, '58 Plymouths, '62 Ramblers, '55 Dodges, '61 Oldsmobile's, and other seemingly plain models drivin' down the road with us, because it can get darn lonely when the road gets rough. Tom.

http://members.accessus.net/~tmcdonld/lighthse/index.html

My first truck was an '88 Chevrolet short bed stepside silverado 1500 4x4 stick with a 350. Me and my dad were walking around the amherst classic car show we saw a 78 camaro lt for $6500 another boched 78 camaro for $4500 and a chevelle malibu for 1500. I would have gone for the chevelle but my dad's '79 Chevy cab mounts rotted so the clutch naturally wont engage and will no longer plow the driveway (we have a long ass drivway) any who the truck needed a base gasket and new plug wires he said the parking brake needed adjustment and had a 3500 price tag on it so it was hard to pass up so he fixed it and we bought it thinking it was all set (wrong) turns out it also needed spark plugs lower driver side ball joints a new parking brake cable because it was completly rotted off and a tailgate lever but hell it is stil the best truck my junior class has!! Tim

My first vehicle was a 1963 Ford F-100 Stepside farm truck. It was a long wheelbase with tall skinny 16" wheels and hay in the box, it even smoked like a farm truck. I paid $800 (cdn) for it in 1997 and have invested much more.I have replaced the old chassis with a 1979 Ford Twin I Beam chassis and lowered the truck about 8". I also shortened the box up to a 6' short box and built an aluminum rollpan for it. As for the powerplant, I ripped the old 335cid 6 cylinder and Three-On-The-Tree out and replaced it with a 351 Cleveland bored out .30" with a lumpy camshaft, 4V aussie heads and Edelbrock Intake and 750cfm Carb connected to a C6 tranny which turns the 355 gears. The interior is mostly stock except for the Grant steering wheel, Mustang buckets and shifter and the new floor because of the lowering and engine mods. it is just flat black primer with all the emblems shaved off and looks real good. I think it is a good little truck for a 16 year old, not to mention t! he 2 other custom cars i have (87 ranger lowrider 5.0L and a 78 Merc on air bags and wires) Well thats about all, good luck and have fun!! Lee

Last year i got a 1997 Acura 1.6 El. I lowered it and all performance parts and drops alot on rims to die for. I put a Black widow 2 body kit on and spent $8 grand on a sound system and computer that will blow your mind. It is my baby and I will never let it go. It really brings in the chicks.
Rich (rich_man14@hotmail.com) on Monday, July 1, 2002

my first car was a 66 mustang coupe it has the original sprint 200 engine in it my dad had bought it from somone before i was born and i added hi perf glass packs and lined the inside with floresent lights and painted it blue
lache wilson (harveyshouse_55@hotmail.com) on Thursday, June 27, 2002

my first car was a 1962 f-100 stepside. my unckle is helping me restore it we are puting a wood bed in it we had to redo alot of the wireing. i got chrome valve covers and a chrome air filter for it. i'm painting it ice white with cobalt blue flames. i hope it looks good. if any one has a 62 stepside and would like to talk about are truks e-mail me. also i am looking for new seats if any body knows any body that sells seats contact me.
cody clem (octmissy@aol.com) Tuesday, June 25, 2002

My first car is a 1983 Chevy Camaro. Its got a 350 small block w/a 4 barrel carb. It runs great and everything. I picked it up off of some old guy fol $300. All I've done to it is bought a new battery, bucket seats, bought a B&M shifter. Its a 4 on the floor. I am currently fixing the steering column. Its black with a gray interior. SHE'S GOT BALLS!!! I'm trying to sell it for $500 cause I'm gonna buy a Cavalier. Insurance is gonna be TOO DAMN MUCH for a 15 year old!!! My first car...
Derek Erwin <no_reason125@hotmail.com>
Austin, Minnesota USA - Saturday, June 15, 2002 at 21:20:22 (EDT)

hi my first car story is a bit differant than most on the site.I am 15 and I have a75 dodge coronet. It has a 318 with a 2bl carb and a 727 tourque flight tranny it is pretty cool it has 4 doors but has nice body curves it is green with a green interior none of the gages work accept the speedo.All my freinds make fun of me becuase it has 4 doors but hey I fit more people.
kyle
colorado springs, co u.s.a. - Saturday, June 15, 2002 at 18:32:37 (EDT)

My first car was a 1966 pontiac 4 door lemans but the roof was no good so i then traded my sled for a '67 2 door rag top lemans the body was no good but the gave me a 350 olds rocket with a hurst 4 speed with it so i took the deal i turnede around and put that motor and trannie into a 1984 Camaro Z28 T-Top I beefed it up it has a 6 point roll cage the car has been tubbed out for pro street has every thing imaginable done to the motor a light weight drive shaft and a 4:11 posi rear end. I was clocked at 195.876 MPH and running 9.5 secs down the 1/4 mile.
Dylan <Detlor>
syracuse, new york usa - Tuesday, June 11, 2002 at 20:53:38 (EDT)

my first car was bought in pieces and was a plymouth duster -70 with a 273 V8 engine. i put it together sloppy, and had just one ride before i again dismantled it. the year after i bought a valiant -68 in good condition except for the missing engine (originally a slant six ) i put my 273 in it, and had several good miles. later this engine was replaced by a 360, very powerful, and made the valiant run at approx 11 sec at 402 mtrs. at this time american cars were expensive in scandinavia, and i sold both the valiant and the duster to be able to buy a t-bird hard top -60. what a car!! but i prefered the hard way and sold the t-bird, bought an english motorcycle, a´bsa shooting star, and later on a corvette sting ray -70 later on also this one was replaced by a brand new hd dyna super sport 2000, and a oldsmobile cutlass supreme coupe 350 V8 during the winter. nice car, but due to high petrol prices its a pain to fill up. still have it though, my best american car to handle, even compared to the vette. johan
johan selander <forever-changes@lycos.com>
mariehamn, aaland finland - Monday, June 10, 2002 at 16:16:54 (EDT)

Hmmm...My first car was a 76 mustang II v6. Loved that car, mustangs were the way to go for me i guess. i was 17, paid 400 for it , and took off running. did some body repairs { spent near 1200 on it.} then sold it a year later. well now i am 28, and have purchased an 88 mustang convertable lx . I bought it in prime condition ...the top has been replaced....the purchase price was 800.00 and the top was 750.00{ poetic justice the top is worth almost as much as the car.} i have found a 302 engine and transmision to match, that goes in it in two weeks......yeahhhhhhhhhhhh fun in the sun and speeding tickets if i am not careful.....LOL
Ndru <ndrusnt@hotmail.com>
N.Y USA - Thursday, June 06, 2002 at 01:52:13 (EDT)

My first car was a 1963 Ford Galaxy 500 I had to share it with my older sister.We brought it together and my dad made us share it,my sister got to use it three times a week,while I got it four times a week. My sister would get mad because I got to have it four times a week, but my dad said that if I was the one to keep it running then I could have it the most.It had a little 390cid in it,the engine was a little sluggest. So me and my best friend worked on the motor,and we got it going real good. I was only 15 years old at the time,and my best friend and I was not that good of mechanics yet,but we did good for 15 yr. old.Finally I brought my sister out, and the car was all mine.I put some cragers on it,with some mickey thomson tire I fond at the junk yard. then I put in a 8 track tape player in it. Mine you this was in 1971,also we put a pair of glasspacks on it to give that hotrod sound,Oh, they where Cherry-Bombs.Then we flip the shackels over to get that right height in the back. That's what you did when you could not afford Hi-Jacker air Shocks.One more thing we used to do is to get that deep roaring sound is to run cold water up our Glasspacks when they where hot to break the glass inside the mufflers.Well I think that I have went down memory lane long enough so I will say good bye until next time. Thanks for having me Tyrone Allen
Tyrone H. Allen <tyefly6@msn.com>
Peoria, Illinois United State - Tuesday, May 28, 2002 at 21:44:48 (EDT)

My 1st (car)was realy a 1969 chevy custom 30 pick up with a custom 1oft bed it was candy apple red with 16in white enamal rims it had a 350 combo in it i got it in 1976 for $1000 in cleveland ohio boy was it a head turner.
Dave
neon, kentucky usa - Saturday, May 25, 2002 at 00:40:01 (EDT)

My first car was a marroon 1964 2 door Ford Fairlane 500. I bought it for $2400 dollars in 1994. It had 79k miles on its original 260 V8 small block with a 2 speed transmission. I drove it for a while and the transmission went. I pulled it to have it overhauled and it came back tight as a barely legal philly. A couple months later as I was driving along the unknown dry rotted fuel line cracked over the distributor and the engine sparked and caught fire. Thankfully, I had a fire exstinguisher in the trunk and was putting the fire out as a fire truck pulled up. The firemen said most car engine fires result in a total loss, he said my Fairlane and I were very lucky. I then pulled the motor due to the fire damge and had it rebuilt. The car had no damage from the fire except the engine's electrical and rubber components. When it came back from the machine shop I added a 4 barrel holley , cast iron HiPo 289 headers, and a pair of flowmasters. I a while later I re-did the front and rear end and gave her a fresh coat of its factory original color acrylic marroon paint. She still sits in my driveway to this day as sharp as she must have been in '64. I will never let my Fairlane go.
Travis Faulk <conaking@hotmail.com>
St. Petersburg, FL USA - Tuesday, May 21, 2002 at 21:45:54 (EDT)

My First car is going to be a 1969 Cadillac. All i am waiting for is for me to get my licenses (I'm 17) and a decent job then I'll be big pimpin in my 69
SweenDawg <sweendog03@hotmail.com>
Seattle, WA USA - Friday, May 17, 2002 at 16:13:37 (EDT)

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