Thread: What Was The First Car To Inspire You To Hot Rod

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For me it was a 1966 Mustang GT . My Dad had a friend that every one called Wolf Man . I know back then he used that name on the C.B . Well this 1966 Mustang GT was black on black and had a 4speed built 289 with some large geared 9" rear end I think it was a 456 . This car had the pony interior . The first time I went for a ride in this car the right front fender was not on it ! I just looked but got in and man that Ford was fast ! Latter the Wolf man installed the front fender and painted on the back/ Terrible Thing ! And I did hear that this mustang was a street fighter that won many races .

i almost downplayed 289's for racing until i seen a guy at the track has one in a 65 mustang honest to god ive handed him his time slips high to mid 10's out of a 289! i was like :O because you dont see many people hopping them up for racing <at least out here ya dont>

Tango if you go on 57 and see the water tower for Posen at 147th i lived at this time (1967) in the row of brick houses on the east side. The sup for that row had a son who drove a early 60 Dodge made lotsa noise . Then at the end toward the north of that row someone moved in with a BIG ole Cpe i say now had to be the 40's and that was it . He would fly by and the loud pipes was roaring , this is when i started my yearn for a hotrod .

Oh i got my license in a 65 Mustang Cpe my sister had in 1972 .

Mine would have been a ride in a 68 RS 396 4sd 4:56 camaro, open headers on city streets of NO, I was 13 and had a ball, the hot rod bug bit me and has'nt let go yet, I'll carry it to the grave.

Originally Posted by bluestang67

Tango if you go on 57 and see the water tower for Posen at 147th i lived at this time (1967) in the row of brick houses on the east side. The sup for that row had a son who drove a early 60 Dodge made lotsa noise . Then at the end toward the north of that row someone moved in with a BIG ole Cpe i say now had to be the 40's and that was it . He would fly by and the loud pipes was roaring , this is when i started my yearn for a hotrod .

Oh i got my license in a 65 Mustang Cpe my sister had in 1972 .

Bluestang67 I would say I am very much a SB Chevy guy . And have a Monte Carlo that is a 80% strip car with mufflers and lic plates . But 3 years ago When I first layed eyes on My 1965 Mustang GT 289 HI-PO for sale . And when I looked in the side window to see that 4speed . Man I had to have it . And if one of the hot rods have to go . I will miss my Monte Carlo . Every time I look at my 1965 Mustang I think about my first ride in a hot rod . COOL

Think late 50's and you know where it all started for me. My Dad had a garage and my older brothers had their 33 Ford p/u with a 49 Olds 303 . Talk about Happy Days, Hank

My insiration was caused by a 1934 Ford. I bought my 1st 34 in 1977. It was sitting in a alley in German village. Ohio. It had a skull painted on the back of it, but even thru all the rust I thought it was beautifull.

I learned how to do chop tops w/that car. I painted it black & kept it for only 2 yrs. before I got the bug for a 32 roadster & the list continues today however, now I am building bigger cars because of my age related need for feature comfort.

I got bit at an early age saw mine on tv,IT was the MACH-5 on speed racer,then I saw Herman Munsters coffin rod and the rest is history,the big burnout,pulling Herman around the track gota love it.

I started reading Hot Rod about the time time it first started coming out. I was seven or eight and I just drooled. The car that most caught my eye was Bill Burk's belly tank. Bill lived near me and his garage was just a short detour on my way home from school. On occasion the door would be open and I would get a peek. But I was to shy to go up and ask questions. Funny thing is, once I got into cars I lost intrest in both drag and land speed racing. But I never lost intrest in traditional hot rods.

My best friend in high school's older brother had a black/white 1957 FORD 2 door Sedan. It had dark tinted windows, some homemade flat red plastic tail light lenses, cragar mags, a 3 speed with floor shifter and (of coarse) a lumpy cam.

Whatever that car did to me has no cure because I have had it 42 years now and am still striving to "Make cars better".

The local street drag king had a red 71 Monte Carlo with a built 402. That's still my favorite Chevy muscle car. I've owned different Monte's; a 305/th350 1977, a 327/th350 1975, a 350/th400 1972, a 396/th350 1971, and a 454/4 speed 1970. Great cars, every one of them.

In about 1983 I was done in KC and the Pro street craze had just started.
There was a bright red 66 GTO that had been "back-halfed" and had a very large set of M/T just about touching in the middle.
At first the guy was an a$$ but then when he knew we really wanted to know about the car he let us go to his shop and see a bunch of pictures from the build up.
I still look for the car but have not seen it over 20 years.
Sure there where the magazine cars like Rick Dobbertin's J-2000 but that car was so wild at the time it might as well been from another planet.

My 1st ride 68 Camaro ss/rs 396 4spd, 425 hp, bounced it off a few poles
strret racin was an annual event back then

When I was about 9, my grandfather built a built a dirt track 57 Chevy and wrenched it for a local junk yard. Later on they moved up to asphalt with a Chevelle. I thought being around these cars was about the greatest thing in the world and got bit early by the 'Hot Rod" bug. Watching the cars being built and the engines go together are great memories.

The movies American Graffiti and California Kid got me interested in Street Rods.

THere were three. One was white '32 Ford hoghboy with a Cadillac motor owned by one of my father's friends - circa 1956-57. Another was Stan Lomolino's flathead dragster. The last was a '64 Goat tri-power owned by a guy across the street.

Over the years, I've done all three: A Super Comp 27 T altered (drag car), a '68 GTO (muscle car) and 30 Ford (street rods). That's not all of them by a long shot, but those three were directly influenced by the original three.