(Restoring) My 1st car.....what was yours?

My first car was a brand new red 1996 Dodge Neon, and it was bare bones and only cost around 12K. I decided to work full time right out of high school and it was what I could afford at the time, and I had wanted a Neon since I saw them come out. It was also in the shop more then it was on the road, which is why it was the LAST American Car I would ever buy! Traded it in as soon as it got to 30K for a Honda Civic, which never had any issues.

T

 

First car was a 1972 Datsun 240z, midnight blue, white interior with dual webers..................hardly any floorboards. Today I drive a 1972 Datsun 240z, white on black with dual SU's and it has floorboards. 2nd car, 1982 Datsun 280zx turbo, 3rd car 81 280zx turbo, both black on tan......and my most recent car 50 zx's later, a 1981 Datsun 280zx turbo.

 

mine was a 72 chevy LUV

 

My first car was a 55 Chevy 2 door. It was a farm car and had a lot of rust. It even had some corn stalks starting to grow around the trunk lip. Paid 400 for it and fixed most of the rust with Bondo. I eventually sold it to my dad when my family started growing.

 

1974 Plymouth TrailDuster. I should have kept that thing, can't find them now at all. Little did I know at the time, it was a one year, no window frame model. With the top off, it was a true vert. I beat the crap out of that thing ripping across frozen stubble fields in montana chasing down coyotes with a shotgun.

 

First vehicle was a ‘90 F150. Loved that truck with the big 300 straight 6.
Bought a ‘95 Eddie Bauer F150 that I am restoring.

Sold my 2015 Tundra two years ago. I miss that truck but not mad I got the ‘95. A new Tundra will be had by the end of summer. Damn house remodel lol

 

1974 Ford Pinto Wagon that I got from my Dad.

 

My first is a 1966 Mustang I bought 23 years ago for $600 when I was 14 years old. Spent the next two years (and all of my money) restoring it with my dad to have it ready for my 16th birthday. Photos are from right around my 16th birthday. Still have it - staying dry in the barn. It was my daily driver until age 22.

 

https://www.tundras.com/threads/what-was-your-first-car.25986/

https://www.tundras.com/threads/what-was-your-first-vehicle.1973/

 

I had a 73 Gran Torino with a 351 Cleveland engine. 4 door and green of course. Purchased it when I was 15 from paper route $ and what I earned as working as a cook at Golden Skillet. Not my actual car but similar below:

 

My first car was a 1978 Mercury Zephyr Z7 2dr with a 302 police interceptor. I drove it all through high school and a few years after going to work . I bought it in 1987 for $900 had it for 12 years and drove it daily , certainly didn’t owe me anything . Wish I had pictures of it since nobody seems to know what it is when I tell them about it. lol

 

98 jeep grand Cherokee mechanically was a piece of sh*t. But I did hit an embankment once in the winter didn't put a scratch or dent in the bumper still blows my mind

 

I found some pics ( not mine ) but looks the same

 

Damn, Bryan. That is one SWEET first ride. Very nice.

 

Thanks but it didn't look like that when I first got it Believe me. Lol
After I bought it I got all new GM sheet metal.

 

I don't know about you rich kids, my first was a 1937 Studebaker, Dictator, 4 door, Flathead 6 with 3 on the floor and overdrive, drum brakes no power, AM radio, AC was hood scoop with wind wings and 4 windows down. Sold it 3 years later, upgraded to a 1938 Chevy Master Deluxe coupe, ohv 6 with 3 on the floor, no overdrive, drum brakes no power, AM radio, AC was hood scoop with wind wings and 2 windows down. And yes, I still have it, haven't driven it much since the '60s.

 

There are some people on here that really had some boss cars as their first vehicle. Me = not so lucky. 1980 Chevrolet Chevette. Rear wheel drive was great on the upstate NY winter roads...NOT!

 

A 1999 Buick Regal that was free, had a rusted out sway bar. Rusted brake lines, Rusted exhaust......actually everything was rusted. all speakers where rotted to nothing, windows didnt work and held up with chicken wire, no gas gauge, great AC, Great passenger side heat, worlds hardest leather seats, lots of room for activities in the backseat, basically a rally car if your brave enough..... or stupid enough depending which of my parents you ask.


(not actual car, mine was in way worse shape lol)

 

1971 RS Camaro...beater. 350 small block, 4 barrel carb and quick shift but that's all about it had going. The car was half bondo but I paid for it myself for $500 between 15-16yrs old working at a gas station for $3.10/hr min wage. Loaned to my bro who somehow blew the engine 300 miles away and took it a junkyard. Never saw it again. He was cool about it when I just about totaled his 89 Toyota 4wd a few months later so it was a wash.

 

1974 oldsmobile cutlass supreme
Black my dad paid 500 bucks and I loved that car until I crashed it

 

My first car was a '74 Mazda RX4 with only 60K miles which I bought for $100 in the late 70's. It had the notorious rotary engine and it needed a rebuild. It ran good but oddly smoked like a locomotive in only in 1st gear. It seemed like a very simple engine to work on BUT no one could do any machine work on it. It was only by accident that I found someone who could do what I needed. I ran into to this guy in a wrecking yard by accident who was looking at the same car for parts as I was. We got into a conversation and found out we had the same cars.
Long story short, I was able to rebuild the engine and got the car running really good. It was a blast to drive but got horrible gas mileage. I sold it and ended up with a hand me down '70 Ford Maverick that had once belonged to my grandfather. It was really boring but fairly dependable.
I sometimes wish that I still had the Mazda since they're really rare nowadays but have a lot of possibilities because of the interchangeability with newer models that followed.
This one is nearly identical to one I owned except for the RHD. I didn't care for the yellow color and I couldn't really get the hang of the 4 speed it had so I sold it.

 

It’s probably still running it’s way between side jobs and Home Depot!

 

89 Hyundai Excel Gl
This wasn’t it but exact model in white. Different color pinstripes too. I wasn’t even 16 yet and paid 3200 for it running like a top. It was comfortable as hell though I’m sure I changed the starter at least 3 times.

 

My first car in the early 1960's was a 1951 2 door hardtop Pontiac with a huge boat anchor straight 8 flathead, I was in the Air Force at the time, stationed at McCord AFB in Tacoma Washington and became friends with a guy that owned a bodyshop in south Tacoma, I did odds and ends of work for him and he allowed me to do work on my car. I ended up pulling the straight 8 out and I installed a 287 cu. in. Pontiac V-8 engine that my room mate sold me it ran pretty good but my next car was a favorite, a 1939 Chevy coupe that I ended up installing a 1959 Mercury Marauder 430 cu. in. engine in, that was a wild machine, I used 430 Lincoln engines in a lot of other vehicles, they came with at least 375 hp and nearly 500 ft. lbs. of torque , if I topped those engines off with a Carter AFB E series carb they really upped the power even more, it was a great way to have a monster street rod on the cheap. I bought that Marauder engine from an Army guy that came into the body shop that wanted that engine installed in a 1949 Ford coupe, which I did for him, he actually pulled a few wheelies with that car racing people, his problem was that he never got a hold of a heavy duty transmission and was continually blowing square side cover ford transmissions, at that time the only transmissions that would hold up to that much power were T-85 three speeds and a T-10 four speed, which I used later when I had a 430 in a 1953 Studebaker, that set up took care of a 1963 Chevy 409 ci. in. 425 hp., beat him by a car length twice, the guy was amazed that a ratty old Studie could do that. I know this is a story beyond being about a first car, but I really loved working on fast machines and the last wild machine I owned was a 1951 Ford 1/2 ton that I installed a 430 in with a T-85 three speed tranny, this thing was a Rat Rod before they were known as rat rods, I'm pretty sure the guy that owned a 340 six pack Plymouth/Dodge remembers running across that truck, not only was it ugly but it was fast. I still miss it and wish I still had it, however, now that I have a 5.7 2007 Tundra DC, it's my new hotrod and I don't feel so bad anymore.
































air

 

I loved the RX2/4's. I had a 74 Celica I put an 18RG engine into back in the late 80's. That thing ripped. I miss the early japanese cars, they were fun.

 

Is that a police car in the photo?

 

My 1st was a 4 door 1972 Chevelle that I bought for $125.00 in 1984. Loved it so much I went and bought another 72 Chevelle but it was a 2 door, SS convertible.......I wish I still had it.

 

Oh man, here's a thread idea "what vehicles do you regret letting go":
65 GTO
1952 VW Split Bug
1963 Bug "Hilde" sliding Rag
2005 Audi S4 Avant 6spd
1964 Corvair Spyder Convert (Turbo)
A bunch of other VW's
197X Jensen Interceptor (had in England when I was stationed there)
1985 Ducati F1 race bike
1995 Ducati 900SP Race Bike

 

Well I dropped the fuel tank and well as we all know what happens to them when they sit for years.

Now what to do:

Try to restore the tank with the multi-step process

Order new tank


Thoughts from anyone who has tried the restore method.