Post pic of the 1st vehicle you built or customized

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HAFROD

Royal Smart Person
Jul 15, 2013
2,179
3,331
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Claremore, OKLAHOMA
Not your first car but the first one you built up or customized. Guess it could be the same though. Lol . I literally drug this car on its chassis (no wheels) out of a gulley. Took two long chains and my friends 62 Chevy truck. It had no engine, trans, wheels, windows, or seats. This would have been around 1992 93. It took me a year cooking at a restaurant to build after I got a loan from my local bank for $1500. Was my first 55 I cut my teeth on. I even painted it in my parents garage. It was my true daily driver and I street raced it too. Had a 383/400 turbo trans, and 12 bolt posi with 4.11 gear. I think I was 21 in this pic. Had lots of old street racers help me out on tech problems. Those guys used to street race in front of my parents house. We lived out of town on the county line. My parents had a restaurant and they would gather in the parking lot after we closed and get it on. As a kid I would sit on the fence and watch. My uncle would even race. He had a 55 hard top with a 427 and Muncie 4 speed. I gathered all these guys up about 10 years ago and we met up at my parents place. Not all of them had hot rods but they showed anyway. We got about 9 races in before the county police showed up. He was cool and told us to shut it down.

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lilbowtie

Comic Book Super Hero
Jan 7, 2006
3,460
3,965
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Canton Mi
The "57" was my first car that I had - got it in 1965 w/ 28,000 original miles. Had a 6 cyl auto and within a year it had a SBC and converted to a 4 spd. The 61 was the car that got me hooked on drag racing. Bought it for $100 and built a 327(dual quads) converted from an auto to a 4 spd and 4.56 gears. Painted the car myself and installed a 65 chevy SS interior. Although it was a tank @ 4,216 lbs it got into the high 12's which was pretty quick for the 60's. Flat towing ???

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theoldsone

G-Body Guru
Dec 26, 2014
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I dont have a picture of the first car I have but after its wreck I bought another one. It lies in shambles to this day. A peice of me always feels torn appart every time I see one. I was young and stupid I tore the car appart (most of it still there minus engine/trans). One day I will rebuild it like I had planned.
 
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MrSony

Geezer
Nov 15, 2014
6,791
6,675
113
Des Moines, Iowa
1970 Ford Thunderbird. 360hp 480tq 429 with the good D0VE-C heads. The previous, previous owner "installed" a 6AL box and an electronic dizzy conversion from the points it had. 11something:1 compression. 600cfm Holley. I had a buddy of my dad's rebuild it for dirt cheap (he builds 1200hp engines for fun), and I added a 1" phenolic spacer. It ran really good, always started within about 3 seconds. I bought it for 650 bucks in December of 2015. The front end was jacked on it. It ended up falling out from under itself and I rebuilt the whole front suspension, save for UCAs and springs, as the springs were still plenty stiff. Car rode like a cloud. First repair I ever did on a vehicle was the leaky valve cover gaskets and painted them and replacing the temp and oil pressure senders on this car. I ended up selling it for 1000 last May after bending a pushrod doing a burnout. I miss it every day.
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PS That wingnut on the air cleaner is a Ford Emblem. First thing I bought for the car.
 
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axisg

Comic Book Super Hero
Jul 17, 2007
2,685
2,354
113
YYZ
Bought my Black on Black Vinyl, Maroon Buckets and Console 1980 Olds Calais ( my First Gbody ) in 1991. This picture would have been 93 or 94. Over the years I did paint, 3 different motors, 3 different trans, rear from an SS, numerous wheel and tire combos, truck manifold back dual exhaust ( couldn't afford headers LOL ).
Before we brought our first kid home from the hospital with that car in Jan 1996 it had been coast to coast with my GF ( now wife ). Then more than a few trips to the maritimes and boston without fail when my kids were small. I got a company car in 1999 and pulled the cutlass off the road in favour of a Neon with working Air Conditioning LOL. After being parked at work for 2 years the floors were soft, PS line leaked, and it needed oil seals so it was parted and scrapped. That was a hard day when we hooked the carcass to a friends towtruck and dragged it into the yard. Parts still live on from that car though. I still have the carb and distributor. Motor and trans are in a farm truck now. I have owned my Monte the same length of time and only have 1/10th of the seat and wrench time I did with the olds

Pictured below taken early in the morning as were leaving for PEI with my sister and 2 nephews.

 
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79 USA 1

Royal Smart Person
Sep 2, 2011
1,062
2,033
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Cheektowaga, New York
1961 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88.
394 2 barrel engine with the "Slim Jim " Roto Hydramatic transmission. Purchased new by my Grandfather in 1961 and passed through the family until I purchased from my Dad in early 1980. Became the first of many Father & Son project cars we have completed.
Olds 1.JPG
Olds 2.JPG
 
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Longroof79

Rocket Powered Basset Hound
G-Body of the Month
Oct 14, 2008
12,156
9,762
113
Gainesville, Fl
1961 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88.
394 2 barrel engine with the "Slim Jim " Roto Hydramatic transmission. Purchased new by my Grandfather in 1961 and passed through the family until I purchased from my Dad in early 1980. Became the first of many Father & Son project cars we have completed.
View attachment 61561 View attachment 61562
Bob,
I always loved the '61 Olds body style... What a great looking car. I wouldn't mind a '61 Olds wagon.
Btw, I still have a few old yellow and blue NY tags hanging up in my garage.
 
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motorheadmike

Geezer
Nov 18, 2009
8,976
27,522
113
Saskatchewan, Truckistan
I still have my first hot rod.

Bought my rusty 87 MCSS in 1999 just as I was graduating highschool, threw a temp permit on it and drove it to the drags... I think it ran in the 17s? It needed doors, rockers, floors, paint - all of which it got in the Winter of 1999/2000 - there is a picture below of the day it came home. After that it got a junkyard Goodwrench 350 with some 305 heads and a used cam - and it never let me down (still have the engine); then some Vortec heads, a built 200-4R, 4.56s in an 8.5" diff, and a little spray. This was good enough for 12.7 @ 110mph on motor, and 12.5 @116+mph on the NOS. It really has been through a few sets of wheels and looks over the years. In 2011 I decided to fulfill my dreams of a twin turbo small block - and I built it, just to realize that the body mounts in this car were toast - so we bought a donor parts car in the Winter of 13/14. Right now the car is out back on jack stands with only the interior left in it waiting for another rebirth, this time with a little help from my oldest daughter.

In one form or another this car will always be with me.
 

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