tomcat wrote:
I had an old 63 Dodge, push button. Oil stick broke off, so I added a quart each month. Had to add water each week because the radiator leaked, but it was a great car to drive. Rode really well. Keep me going while in school for several years. Wish I had it back.....
My very first car was a 63 Plymouth Valiant. I worked part time in a service station and a salvage yard and an auto parts store. I'd been tearing down and rebuilding cars and motorcycles and things mechanical for several years at that point. The Valiant had the big slant six with 3 on the column. It needed some body work when I acquired the car, but mechanically the car was quite sound.
My friends and I did a lot of work on that car, we basically re-did it from the ground up. We beefed up the suspension, installed a hyper pack, headers and dual exhaust. The 3 on the column was a sluggish pain so, when the transmission developed problems, we converted to a push button 3 speed automatic.
My friends and I put a lot time and effort into that car. The last phase of the project was paint. We painted the car ginger bronze metallic and it was gorgeous.
Several months after the car was done, the youngest member of our group, he was a senior in high school, asked to borrow the car to take his date to prom. He was a good guy and a careful driver so I said yes.
Later that night, on their way home, a delivery truck ran a light, struck the the vehicle in the right rear quarter panel, sending it into a spin then eventually into a utility pole. Needless to say ( but I will anyway) the car was destroyed.
I was glad no one was hurt but I was totally devistated about the car.
Maybe we'll get back together and build another one, this time shoehorning a V8 into it.