My dad gave me a '59 Studebaker Lark when I was 13 or so. I proceded to tear it apart to see how cars where put together. I bought a '36 Chevrolet Standard Sedan shortly after.

First engine conversion was a 283 into a '41 Chevy pickup (with a cast iron powerglide and a big Olds rear). I got that motor in a '62 Chevy Belair wagon that I dismantled. The motor spent some time in a '62 Impala before I rebuilt it and swapped it into the '41.

Later I put a 327 in a '54 Austin Healy and a 350 Chevy in a Firebird. The 350 then migrated to a '66 Chevy Pickup and then to a '70 Blazer before I sold it with the truck.

At that time I had a 327 in a Vega GT that would smoke the tires all day long.

At one time I could claim I'd never bought a car with an engine unless I had bought it for the engine.

The Blazer and the Vega were still in my hands in the early 80's, but not much longer than that. Somehow getting married and having kids distracted me for 20 years or so.