adorshki
Reverential Member
Kinda gives a whole new meaning to the term "hot a--".Pinto has body to die for ;[]
Dream cars
- Thread starter Guildedagain
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adorshki
Reverential Member
Yeah they actually had surprisingly good handling. Just had to watch out the guy behind you didn't catch up too quickly.
adorshki
Reverential Member
You know what I love? Those ivory-aged knobs. Pure authentic original and period correct. A tiny visual detail that sets off the sea of red.The Falcon was a "Sport Futura" which came with buckets and a center console. I designed the frame and tubs in such as way as to keep the back seat. I wanted the car to be a sleeper. It looked like a cool hotrod, not a 10 second 1/4 mile prostreet car.
Guildedagain
Enlightened Member
I've seldom confessed this to anyone, but I just got my license in '78 and I begged to drive mom's friends Pinto, and he says ok, so I take off, maybe my 1st time of ever driving legally in the city, except this is winter, and Pintos don't handle that good I found out, or do they?
So, I head away from the house downhill past the high school, get on a flat four lane thankfully devoid of parked cars, and having slammed into low taking off from the light gunned it so hard it started fishtailing - probably just bad road maintenance, excessive crowning - and it really got out of control, I'm sure many of you had this happen in this short of time on your first solo drive in the city, but the car was fishtailing from curb to curb on a four lane, a wide one at that, posh neighborhood.
Well the car finally came to a halt on the wrong side of the road, and I had never hit any of the curbs, so the car wasn't fd up. I did the quick flow chart [wtf did you just do, does anybody know, etc] and then I drove back real careful and didn't say a thing to actually really good friend Russel S. RIP about what had just happened, but I should have, like "Be careful driving that car";[]
That was probably the 1st time I started believing in guardian angels, and I still do.
In retrospect I can see that I handled the car supremely well because I never did pirhouettes in the road like later on many occasions in a variety of vehicles. A lot of ice here in the winters. Always came to rest softly having missed any and all parked cars.
So, I head away from the house downhill past the high school, get on a flat four lane thankfully devoid of parked cars, and having slammed into low taking off from the light gunned it so hard it started fishtailing - probably just bad road maintenance, excessive crowning - and it really got out of control, I'm sure many of you had this happen in this short of time on your first solo drive in the city, but the car was fishtailing from curb to curb on a four lane, a wide one at that, posh neighborhood.
Well the car finally came to a halt on the wrong side of the road, and I had never hit any of the curbs, so the car wasn't fd up. I did the quick flow chart [wtf did you just do, does anybody know, etc] and then I drove back real careful and didn't say a thing to actually really good friend Russel S. RIP about what had just happened, but I should have, like "Be careful driving that car";[]
That was probably the 1st time I started believing in guardian angels, and I still do.
In retrospect I can see that I handled the car supremely well because I never did pirhouettes in the road like later on many occasions in a variety of vehicles. A lot of ice here in the winters. Always came to rest softly having missed any and all parked cars.
NM156
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I got to borrow a Mustang LS convertible rental. Foolishly took it to my HS parking lot to show off. I was driving down a lane of parked cars and had to hit the breaks. Might've turned the wheel slightly. The car fishtailed and did a 180. I must have missed a row of parked cars by inches or less. Dumb luck.
Soul Tramp
Member
That's the sort of thing that gets you serious street cred in high school. Impress the crap out of your buddies by doing a 180 in the parking lot full of cars!
davismanLV
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My brother who's 7 years older was in the Air Force and he was gone 2 years and came home before deployment to Vietnam. He'd just bought a 1969 Pontiac Firebird. Not the huge big one but the Pontiac SOHC I6 250 cu in (4.1 L). It had a Hurst shifter is all I know. I was a horse kid, only knew about keeping cars running!! So then, I was in high school and I went from taking the bus and occasionally taking the '64 El Camino (beat to crap) to school. Then one day I showed up in the red Firebird. It was a chance for some people to be cool and impressed and another reason for the bullies to gang up. But I made it through. Kids in school are awful. But that was a super cool car!!
It looked like this:
It looked like this:
Soul Tramp
Member
My brother who's 7 years older was in the Air Force and he was gone 2 years and came home before deployment to Vietnam. He'd just bought a 1969 Pontiac Firebird. Not the huge big one but the Pontiac SOHC I6 250 cu in (4.1 L). It had a Hurst shifter is all I know. I was a horse kid, only knew about keeping cars running!! So then, I was in high school and I went from taking the bus and occasionally taking the '64 El Camino (beat to crap) to school. Then one day I showed up in the red Firebird. It was a chance for some people to be cool and impressed and another reason for the bullies to gang up. But I made it through. Kids in school are awful. But that was a super cool car!!
It looked like this:
Nice car! I'm not a GM guy, but I always thought the Firebird was prettier than the Camaro.
adorshki
Reverential Member
Not the huge big one but the Pontiac SOHC I6 250 cu in (4.1 L). It had a Hurst shifter is all I know.
It looked like this:
Those Pontiac inline 6's were quite unique, with an overhead cam, it was known as the "Sprint 6".
There was also a 2 carb/exhaust factory upgrade kit. (Above example has a custom manifold used for the development program) Great torque, it was actually being developed for the TransAm series because they didn't have a small enough V8 to meet the 5.0 litre formula. Also the first use of a hood scoop, originally offset.
Ultimately wound up using Canadian Pontiac (Chevy) blocks during the first year.
It was first intended for the Banshee, DeLorean's pet project:
But when Chevy got wind of it they objected for some reason.
So DeLorean was given the Trans Am program.
https://www.motortrend.com/news/how-the-pontiac-trans-am-was-born-part-1/
https://www.motortrend.com/news/how-the-pontiac-trans-am-was-born-part-2/
https://www.motortrend.com/news/how-the-pontiac-trans-am-was-born-part-3/
That worked out so well they rewarded him with the Vega program.
That didn't work out so well.
"Revenge of the Banshee"?
GGJaguar
Reverential Member
That's a cool engine!
Pontiac also had a 4 barrel carb option, quite the engine! I had one in a 1966 tempest with a 4 speed and posi. Great car!
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Guildedagain
Enlightened Member
A '66 Tempest w/326 was my/the first car that terrified my mom, she didn't understand needless wheelspin.
Guildedagain
Enlightened Member
So it's a boat?
Guildedagain
Enlightened Member
davismanLV
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That's what I thought, too!!
JohnW63
Enlightened Member
I liked those late 60s Firebirds too. I friend in HS had one with a 400 under the hood. You don't see those much anymore. Cameros and Mustangs, yes.