06 April 2016

A Blast From My Past

Long-time readers will recall that I refer to an '68 Dodge Super Bee which I drove in college.

I also frequently lament that I don't have any pictures of it, although my sister claims to. :)
But after looking on-line for 15 years, there's finally a pic of a Bee in the same colors as mine, which was a rare combination.

Here is what I tore up the streets with, back in Smallville, Missouri in the late '70s.


17 comments:

MaddMedic said...

Nice. My first was a 67 Plymouth Sport Fury with a 383 under the hood...
Heh...Lots of fun and good memories...

Rev. Paul said...

383 Magnum, Holley 4-bbl, 400 HP, 4.10 Sure Grip posi rear end, and no power equipment or A/C. Just lots and lots of horsepower to the rear tires. Rode like a stagecoach, too. :)

I still miss it.

Keads said...

Awesome. The old stuff always has a place in my heart!

Rev. Paul said...

I thought you'd like it, sir; your stable of 'Stangs kinda gives that away. :)

drjim said...

In 1969 my Mom was terrified to drive her 1967 Corvair anymore, after reading Ralph Nader's book.

It didn't matter that the second generation Corvair had an entirely different suspension and was no longer "unsafe at any speed", it was a Corvair, and Mom didn't want anything to do with it.

In the process of "helping" Mom and dad decide on a new car, we finally decided on a Dodge Charger. Since dad was always big on buying any and all "Heavy Duty" packages on his cars, I was able to finagle him into agreeing to get the "R/T" package on the Charger.

He didn't understand that it also came with a 440 Magnum engine!

So, Mom and I wound up with a 1969 Dodge Charger R/T with the SE package, and AM radio, 3.23 Sure Grip rear end, and a TorqueFlite automatic tarns.

We ordered it through the dealer in Mom's home town, as he gave us a killer price on it.

Unfortunately (for ME!), he ordered it with white walls instead of red line tires, and checked the "stripe delete" box on the order form!

Instead of the stripe, it had very discrete "R/T" emblems on the rear fenders.

It was "T5 Copper Metallic" with a tan interior, and was a real sleeper, because you couldn't tell it was an R/T until you were on top of it.

And it would smoke those poor little F70-14 bias-ply tires for several blocks.....

Ed Bonderenka said...

You guys were the kids I envied.

Rev. Paul said...

Jim, I hear you. After racing several Chargers and other Mopars with the 440, we came to the conclusion that the only real difference between the 383 and the 440 was that the 383 got 11 mpg, and the 440s only got 8. :) Sounds like you had a nice one, though. Cool!

Ed, mine was 10 years old when I bought it in '78, for $800. What I wouldn't give for a chance to do that over, and keep it this time.

Well Seasoned Fool said...

Seattle had a guy at Pacific Marine who was a great Mopar tuner. One day we took in a 72 Charger "project" the owner had given up on with a Pacific Marine 383. My youngest was working in the shop. Came to me with, DAD..... Bought it for him. That car would do 150+ mph per Idaho photo radar.

drjim said...

It actually got about 15MPG if you kept your foot out of it.

And around 10 if you were in a hurry.....

Rev. Paul said...

WSF - sounds like fun. :)

Jim - mine got 13 if you were really careful, but I got 10 to 11 in "normal" driving.

Bob said...

Yeah buddy!

Chickenmom said...

My first car was a Plymouth Scamp. My BIL always carried a tow chain in his truck so he could drag me home!

Rev. Paul said...

Bob - I get that. My soundtrack for the road was a cassette of Smokey and the Bandit; when "Westbound and Down" came on, I could rarely keep it under 90.

Chickenmom - the Scamp was not one of Chrysler Corp.'s better ideas. You have my sympathy. :)

Guffaw in AZ said...

Smallville?
Was there a Clark Kent in your class?

And what Ed Bonderenka said...

gfa

Rev. Paul said...

Guffaw - LOL! "Smallville" is a euphemism for the little place where I went to college; name changed to protect the guilty. ;^)

Sandy Livesay said...

Rev. Paul,

Nice!!!
I remember a car we owned while stationed at Torrejon AFB, Spain it was a 65 Mustang dark green bottom, black top. It was gorgeous, an entertainer (won't say the name) once owned it before we bought it. Before we left Spain we sold it to a military guy. Loved that car!!!

Rev. Paul said...

Sandy - '65 Mustangs were fun; we had one for a time, in the early '80s. Was only a 6-cylinder model, though. I sold it to a high school kid who thought he'd died & gone to heaven. :)