[cars] Your first or most memorable ride! (Both good and bad).

[Foxx]

I was a Mopar Man in my early car years. Once had a Dodge Challenger with a small block 340 in it. It was a little rough around the edges but that car was F. A. S. T., fast AF.

 

I had it decked out with Cragers and ladder bars. One drag race, I had forgot to close the hood completely after inspecting prior to the race. Took off with both tires spinning, rubber laying and all kinds of smoke... all of a sudden the hood flies up, stuck my hand out the window to grab it and kept going. 

 

The speedo on it went to 140... topped it out once, that was enough for me. 

 

What a time to be young, dumb and full of... somehow managed to survive those years mostly intact.

 

[Sig1Hunter]

15 hours ago, Fansince88 said:

 FORD!!! 2.3LTR 4 BANGER??? What were you thinking!

but what about the SVO version?? Or, even better - the Merkur XR4ti version 😂

[KD in CA]

First car I drove was the aging family trucker - '72 Vista Cruiser.  It was 1984....seniors could go off campus for lunch and I usually drove.  We plastered a bunch of Reagan stickers on the bumper and called it the GOP mobile.  The 350 v8 could beat a lot of much cooler looking cars off the line.

 

Edited November 5, 2022 by KD in CA

[CarpetCrawler]

 

'71 Plymouth Fury II 

It was a hand me down company car I got from my uncle for $400 3 or 4 months after my 16th birthday. The deal was my parents paid half and I was the family school bus (fine with me). Not much to look at, I don't remember my first drive in it, but I have great memories about it's first trip to the drive-in movies.  It had a back seat as big as a bed, it was wonderful.

 

Could also easily fit 4 people in the front and squeeze 5 in the back for day trips. Just out of curiosity one day, we packed the trunk, it held 11 teenagers and we could close it. The suckers trusted me....I took them on a nice 10 minute joy ride and hit every bump I could ))))).

 

It was also the first car of many I installed an 8-track player and Jensen speakers in, that became a nice little side job for me. I charged guys 40 bucks, girls....it was negotiable ; )  Those were the good old days for sure.

[ExiledInIllinois]

1979 red Mazda RX-7. 2 seat, 5 speed rotary, moonroof.  Gold knock off BBS style rims:

Had the Porsche style fiberglass front-end air dam, similar to this, but not exactly:

195/50 tires...

 

Sucked in snow... But a fun car to drive. Understeer, go-cart quality... Semi-manual (disengaged once warmed up) choke... Love to backfire upon start-up and the rotary engine used a quart of oil every 1,000 miles.  Used, consumed, but didn't leak or burn it. How it disappeared,  I don't know!

 

 

 

Edited November 6, 2022 by ExiledInIllinois

[ExiledInIllinois]

Then later on during my "Rice Burner Years" I moved onto a brand new 1986 Suzuki Samurai. Red, white soft top and put a extra couple leafs in the springs to take it 2" higher on the suspension, put an 1" body lift on it (when fitted with body lift it wouldn't go into 2nd or 4th gear, had to do some minor floor cutting 😆) and squeezed 31" tires on that poor little 1.3L motor.  Awesome little trail ride, went where bigger trucks couldn't, fit between trees, etc... Like a street legal ATV... 😆 Amazing the thing didn't rollover when going around a turn.

Blew the head gasket up in Pulaski, New York then traded it in for a 1991 Dodge Daytona. "Electric Blue" this time as my "Domestic Years" would follow!

Had that till 1998 and our son was born and car seat wasn't a practical fit in there...😏 

[snafu]

Wow!
I’ve never seen the quadruple repeat post!

 

 

Edited November 6, 2022 by snafu

[ExiledInIllinois]

1 hour ago, snafu said:

Wow!
I’ve never seen the quadruple repeat post!

 

 

Too many memorable rides! 😆 

[Foxx]

2 hours ago, snafu said:

Wow!
I’ve never seen the quadruple repeat post!

 

 

Anyone else have this happen?

[Crap Throwing Clavin]

21 minutes ago, Foxx said:

Anyone else have this happen?

 

Yes, once, on my phone.  This board software has a habit of double-posting when I reply at the end of the page, and double-posting when I reply on my phone.  Once the combo caused a quadruple-post.

 

Since I know it happens, I just double-check, and delete the duplicates.

[Crap Throwing Clavin]

On 11/5/2022 at 9:14 AM, Ann said:

My first car was a late 70s model V-8 Chrysler Cordoba.  If it didn't stall,  it had plenty of speed.

 

I hated that car. I called it "the pig" because it ate my money in constant repair dollars. 

 

That was my second car, the money pit.  1984 Saab 900S.  Saw it sitting in a guy's driveway, covered in dust and pine needles, tires flat, but otherwise looked sound, with just shy of 75000 miles on it.  Asked the owner what was up with it, and he said "It hasn't started in four years.  If you can start it, you can have it."  I came back the next day with some tools, regapped the spark plugs, and it started right up.  

 

Owner agreed to replace the tires and replace the brakes (which were rusted solid), and I'd give him $1500.  Test drove it, drove fine, paid him, too the car home.  Then I learned something about 1980's Saabs: the transmissions blow up at 75,000 miles.  Like clockwork, the beast dies three days after I buy it.  Six weeks later, with a new transmission, the entire fuel system craps out.  Three months later, the electrical system just...stops working.  I rewired the whole car (I still have parts of that electrical diagram committed to memory).  

 

It was a great car when it worked.  When it needed to be repaired, it was a royal pain in the ass.

[Foxx]

34 minutes ago, Crap Throwing Clavin said:

 

Yes, once, on my phone.  This board software has a habit of double-posting when I reply at the end of the page, and double-posting when I reply on my phone.  Once the combo caused a quadruple-post.

 

Since I know it happens, I just double-check, and delete the duplicates.

Good to know. What OPSYS and browser, please?

 

I guess I should have better qualified my query though. Did what happened to @snafu happen to you. Did you view @ExiledInIllinois post being posted 4 times?

[Uncle Joe]

9 hours ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

Then later on during my "Rice Burner Years" I moved onto a brand new 1986 Suzuki Samurai. Red, white soft top

Buddy of mine had one we used to go hunting. One year we went elk hunting near the former logging town of Valsetz. It rained 3 inches that day, When we came back to the Suzuki to get some shelter from the rain we opened the doors and water poured out from the floor.

Long watch, but since you're a geography guy.

Actually I don't think I've bothered yet, Probably save it for a rainy day 😁

 

Edited November 6, 2022 by Uncle Joe

[Crap Throwing Clavin]

1 hour ago, Foxx said:

Good to know. What OPSYS and browser, please?

 

 

Chrome browser, Android OS, Samsung Galaxy Note 10.  I'll have to check the OS version.

 

1 hour ago, Foxx said:

I guess I should have better qualified my query though. Did what happened to @snafu happen to you. Did you view @ExiledInIllinois post being posted 4 times?

 

No, I didn't see it.  But I try to avoid viewing @ExiledInIllinois's posts once. 

[Fansince88]

11 hours ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

Then later on during my "Rice Burner Years" I moved onto a brand new 1986 Suzuki Samurai. Red, white soft top and put a extra couple leafs in the springs to take it 2" higher on the suspension, put an 1" body lift on it (when fitted with body lift it wouldn't go into 2nd or 4th gear, had to do some minor floor cutting 😆) and squeezed 31" tires on that poor little 1.3L motor.  Awesome little trail ride, went where bigger trucks couldn't, fit between trees, etc... Like a street legal ATV... 😆 Amazing the thing didn't rollover when going around a turn.

Blew the head gasket up in Pulaski, New York then traded it in for a 1991 Dodge Daytona. "Electric Blue" this time as my "Domestic Years" would follow!

Had that till 1998 and our son was born and car seat wasn't a practical fit in there...😏 

I had the 89 Charger hatchback. Basically a Omni with a 5 speed. Only Dodge product I ever owned. That Choke on the carbs then were a pile!

[Fansince88]

2 hours ago, Foxx said:

Anyone else have this happen?

I repeat myself all the time. Not as much since the kids grew up and moved out.

[Taro T]

On 11/6/2022 at 1:42 AM, ExiledInIllinois said:

Then later on during my "Rice Burner Years" I moved onto a brand new 1986 Suzuki Samurai. Red, white soft top and put a extra couple leafs in the springs to take it 2" higher on the suspension, put an 1" body lift on it (when fitted with body lift it wouldn't go into 2nd or 4th gear, had to do some minor floor cutting 😆) and squeezed 31" tires on that poor little 1.3L motor.  Awesome little trail ride, went where bigger trucks couldn't, fit between trees, etc... Like a street legal ATV... 😆 Amazing the thing didn't rollover when going around a turn.

Blew the head gasket up in Pulaski, New York then traded it in for a 1991 Dodge Daytona. "Electric Blue" this time as my "Domestic Years" would follow!

Had that till 1998 and our son was born and car seat wasn't a practical fit in there...😏 

 

You jacked up a Samauri?  

 

The commercials played Steve Winwood's "Roll with It"* and you jacked it up raising the CoG even more?    You didn't by any chance ever get asked whether you were stoned or just stupid back then?  

 

* Not really, but it SHOULD'VE been.

 

 

[ExiledInIllinois]

2 hours ago, Taro T said:

 

You jacked up a Samauri?  

 

The commercials played Steve Winwood's "Roll with It"* and you jacked it up raising the CoG even more?    You didn't by any chance ever get asked whether you were stoned or just stupid back then?  

 

* Not really, but it SHOULD'VE been.

 

 

NOT so fast.  It isn't all about center-of-gravity. SHOULD'VE is on uniformed opinion. 😉 😜 

 

Yeah... It just goes to show you how "operator error" really drives these "consumer safety issues." As much as I am an idiot, I am not that much of an idiot. There are many parts to the equation. If you're interested, read on.😉 

 

Here's the write-up:

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2013/10/07/lost-cars-of-the-1980s-suzuki-samurai

 

"...The spring rates were softened and a larger anti-roll bar was fitted. While the changes may have helped with ride and handling, they did little to shore up the model's lagging sales; the American public, it seemed, had lost its faith in the Samurai. ...

 

...Eight years after the Consumer Reports debacle, Suzuki filed suit against the magazine's parent, Consumer Union, perhaps spurred on by a 1996 Consumer Reports claim that that the automaker had seen "Samurai sales dwindle away" as a direct result of the magazine's scathing review. During the course of the lawsuit, it was revealed that the test administered by the publication had reportedly been doctored, as the standard Consumer Reports Short Course Double Lane Change test showed that the Samurai was no more prone to rollover than other short-wheelbase, high center-of-gravity SUVs of the day. The magazine's zeal to find fault with the Suzuki was allegedly prompted by a rollover incident reported by a staffer during similar, but undocumented, testing. ...

 

...Also revealed during the litigation was that GM declined to distribute the Samurai, fearing that its design would lead to potential rollover issues with untrained drivers. Eventually, the case was settled out of court, with both sides claiming victory and agreeing to disagree on the validity of the tests. ..."

 

 

All things considered, I enabled a pretty balanced lift with tires, body, and leaf rebuild, shocks, stabilizer, etc... And with the overall geometry. Actually, the lift probably helped it, lessening the body roll by stiffening the springs. More on body roll. Kinda crazy, if ALL you are dwelling on is CoG.

 

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/lean-less-what-body-roll-and-how-reduce-it/

 

"How to Prevent Body Roll

By definition, body roll only occurs when one side of the suspension is compressed (moves into jounce), while the other extends (moves into rebound). Therefore, we can limit body roll by making it harder for the driver-side and passenger-side suspensions to move in opposite directions.

One fairly obvious method to achieve this is through the use of stiffer springs. After all, a stiffer spring will compress less than a softer spring when subjected to an equal amount of force. And less compression of the suspension on the outside edge will result in less body roll.

However, stiffer springs require the use of stronger dampers (struts or shock absorbers) and have an immediate and substantial effect on ride quality. So, even though handling is improved, they may not be the easiest or most cost-effective way to achieve the objective of reducing body roll.  ..."

 

The minimal body lift kit I personally added is in play here too. High quality kit was used... Not just hockey pucks. 😉 

 

Again, of course I did something right with the geometry overall. Of course new shocks, steering stabilizer, etc... added Then the bigger tire and contact with ground.  The only thing that suffered was that grossly underpowered motor. 

 

Now the give and take:

 

https://autoactuality.com/how-to-make-a-leaf-spring-truck-ride-better/

 

"One of the best ways to soften your leaf springs is by reinforcing them. This will not only make driving more comfortable but also enhance safety for you and those around you! ..."

 

https://www.4wheelparts.com/the-dirt/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-leaf-springs/

 

I did have a professional spring shop rebuild the leaf springs during the add-on.

 

"Many thin leaves mean that each leaf can have a lower spring rate, which results in a softer ride. A spring pack with many thin leaves is thicker overall than one with a few thick leaves. That is a good thing in a spring-over application since the main leaf is flatter giving a better ride. In a spring-under application, the thicker spring pack can eat up ground clearance."

 

Samurai is spring-under (axle).

 

Anyway, I wish I still had it. Pretty serious ORV for it's mini size... And would it bring a pretty penny today if it was well kept.

 

 

[snafu]

17 hours ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

NOT so fast.  It isn't all about center-of-gravity. SHOULD'VE is on uniformed opinion. 😉 😜 

 

Yeah... It just goes to show you how "operator error" really drives these "consumer safety issues." As much as I am an idiot, I am not that much of an idiot. There are many parts to the equation. If you're interested, read on.😉 

 

Here's the write-up:

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2013/10/07/lost-cars-of-the-1980s-suzuki-samurai

 

"...The spring rates were softened and a larger anti-roll bar was fitted. While the changes may have helped with ride and handling, they did little to shore up the model's lagging sales; the American public, it seemed, had lost its faith in the Samurai. ...

 

...Eight years after the Consumer Reports debacle, Suzuki filed suit against the magazine's parent, Consumer Union, perhaps spurred on by a 1996 Consumer Reports claim that that the automaker had seen "Samurai sales dwindle away" as a direct result of the magazine's scathing review. During the course of the lawsuit, it was revealed that the test administered by the publication had reportedly been doctored, as the standard Consumer Reports Short Course Double Lane Change test showed that the Samurai was no more prone to rollover than other short-wheelbase, high center-of-gravity SUVs of the day. The magazine's zeal to find fault with the Suzuki was allegedly prompted by a rollover incident reported by a staffer during similar, but undocumented, testing. ...

 

...Also revealed during the litigation was that GM declined to distribute the Samurai, fearing that its design would lead to potential rollover issues with untrained drivers. Eventually, the case was settled out of court, with both sides claiming victory and agreeing to disagree on the validity of the tests. ..."

 

 

All things considered, I enabled a pretty balanced lift with tires, body, and leaf rebuild, shocks, stabilizer, etc... And with the overall geometry. Actually, the lift probably helped it, lessening the body roll by stiffening the springs. More on body roll. Kinda crazy, if ALL you are dwelling on is CoG.

 

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/lean-less-what-body-roll-and-how-reduce-it/

 

"How to Prevent Body Roll

By definition, body roll only occurs when one side of the suspension is compressed (moves into jounce), while the other extends (moves into rebound). Therefore, we can limit body roll by making it harder for the driver-side and passenger-side suspensions to move in opposite directions.

One fairly obvious method to achieve this is through the use of stiffer springs. After all, a stiffer spring will compress less than a softer spring when subjected to an equal amount of force. And less compression of the suspension on the outside edge will result in less body roll.

However, stiffer springs require the use of stronger dampers (struts or shock absorbers) and have an immediate and substantial effect on ride quality. So, even though handling is improved, they may not be the easiest or most cost-effective way to achieve the objective of reducing body roll.  ..."

 

The minimal body lift kit I personally added is in play here too. High quality kit was used... Not just hockey pucks. 😉 

 

Again, of course I did something right with the geometry overall. Of course new shocks, steering stabilizer, etc... added Then the bigger tire and contact with ground.  The only thing that suffered was that grossly underpowered motor. 

 

Now the give and take:

 

https://autoactuality.com/how-to-make-a-leaf-spring-truck-ride-better/

 

"One of the best ways to soften your leaf springs is by reinforcing them. This will not only make driving more comfortable but also enhance safety for you and those around you! ..."

 

https://www.4wheelparts.com/the-dirt/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-leaf-springs/

 

I did have a professional spring shop rebuild the leaf springs during the add-on.

 

"Many thin leaves mean that each leaf can have a lower spring rate, which results in a softer ride. A spring pack with many thin leaves is thicker overall than one with a few thick leaves. That is a good thing in a spring-over application since the main leaf is flatter giving a better ride. In a spring-under application, the thicker spring pack can eat up ground clearance."

 

Samurai is spring-under (axle).

 

Anyway, I wish I still had it. Pretty serious ORV for it's mini size... And would it bring a pretty penny today if it was well kept.

 

 

tl:dr

 

 

[Foxx]

11 hours ago, snafu said:

tl:dr

 

 

tl;dr