Jacked up cars or street machines you guys drove in the '70s...

[Tom Geiger]

It almost sounds like the europeans have a misconception about american car culture that happened 40 years ago. A lot of people were influnced by what showed up on TV and any local car shows and car magazines. Usually what showed up on TV and in magazines could be considered extreme or sensationalistic in order to sell magazines or increase TV/movie viewers.

I thought that about the Japanese models in the "American Violence" series. My first thought was, "Man, is what they think about us!'

[Rob Hall]

I thought that about the Japanese models in the "American Violence" series. My first thought was, "Man, is what they think about us!'

One of those kits...maybe the Challenger or T-Bird police car...had some of the best box art wording ever...'the large V8 power unit vibrates my bowels' or something to that effect.

[blunc]

now the "tuner" "thumper-stereos" vibrate yer bowels.

my first personal car was a 57 Ford Town Victoria that was rescued from a car recycling yard (wrecking yard). didn't jack it up because that would have destroyed any handing it had left.

[mademan]

Photo credit, Six Pack (FB screen name)

Yeah...the engine up that high would be unsafe at any speed, heck even when parked LOL

IM building a 1:1 cutlass at the moment (1987) air shocks out back on RaceMaster N-50/15 on cragar super tricks, 383 Stroker w/ Weiand High ram and 2 500s, vette sidepipes, etc. late 80s custom

[cobraman]

I had to jack up the rear of my 1978 King Cobra to make room for the radial T/A's.

[berr13]

Might as well add the 60s to the topic, because we did the same thing then, too. I can remember adding another main leaf (minus eyes, of course) to the rear springs on my '55 Chevy to raise that sucker up. The most extreme example I can recall was from Colorado Blvd in Pasadena on New Year's Eve back in the late 60s. Two Bob Falfa types with cowboy hats were cruising in a '57 Chevy that was so far in the air that everyone had to look up at them. They'd reversed the rear axle on the springs, and used huge shackles, and I think they'd used a straight axle in the front. The car was level, and the door sill was probably three feet off the ground. They definitely were a hit that night.

[dimaxion]

I did have a '61 Galaxie Crown Vic I put on Long Spring Shackles . Within a month , all 4 Ball Joints were replaced as a Necessity . The rake was in ! I was way in too ! Next was my '65 Mustang Ragtop . About the third time I did a FTPS , It was necessary to replace the Rear Leaf Spring Set . I installed HD Falcon Wagon replacements and .. Air Shocks . I leveled out this by installing longer HD Front Coils . It rode like a Skateboard . It was slightly too tall . As the Poilce only had Bumper Height specs from '69 and up ... BTW , I had Dropped Pipes on it . Good name for these as I was always picking up hot Pipes from the ground travelling the rough roads I was on . The Next car Purchase was a '70 AMC Javelin SST . I left that one alone . I did build models as these in the day . Today , no way , I'm stuck ion Factory Stock and wil stay in this genre . Thanx ..

[AzTom]

I had a 57 Chevy in the late 60's and it was jacked up some on all fours. They used to sell aluminum blocks that you twisted in between the front coil spring to raise it. Air shocks were the norm for the rear.

This was my 69 Camaro in 1970 with just rear jacked up to clear the 10in rears.

[Tom Geiger]

Just reminded myself of a story... back in the day a buddy-o-mine bought a '67 Lemans 4 door sedan with a six at a used car dealer. Someone had brush painted the whole car black with white accents, including hand painted landau bars. We soon noticed that it had different wheel covers on each side. But the most endearing feature of this car was that it was jacked up severely in the back, by method of putting 2x4s inside the coil springs! That was changed very quickly because the car bounced like a basket ball.

We soon found that the black paint was brushed right over the factory burgundy paint with no prep and we could easily scrape it off using our college IDs. So every time he was parked somewhere we'd pass the time scraping paint. Eventually we got it all off, and since he had spent a summer doing dealer prep, he knew how to give it a good wax job. It looked great after that.

[DonW]

I had a BMW 525i from '82, took a coil out of the front springs, it had a great stance on 7 inch alloys and handled well, better with the kids in the back!

I still own a 2002 turbo lowered for racing that I once got stuck in a motorway service station because the speed humps were too tall for it.

You could dump the clutch in that car with the steering cocked a little and it would turn in its own length, I did that once in a traffic jam in South London.

I love the look of jacked up cars, especially gassers, but not too much use around the twisty bits here in the UK!

[johnbuzzed]

1982- bought a '73 Challenger, 318/Torqueflite/Slap-stik, red w/white vinyl top, white and black interior, Mopar road wheels w/whitewalls, COLD A/C, daily driver. By the next summer it had Cyclone headers, a Holley Economaster 2-bbl, Accel ignition components, Edelbrock Lynx air cleaner, dual exhaust w/turbomufflers and stainless steel tips, a self-installed computer/cruise control (it actually worked!) and a rebuilt transmission. A local shop tweaked the torsion bars, re-arced the leafs and added a leaf, so the car had a nice stance- nose, a little low; tail, a little high. But it was not pleasant on rainy days, worse in the snow. I remember swapping ends at an intersection one "damp" evening- never a dull moment.

I have one or two pictures of that car and what I believe I need to build an almost-replica, including a built-up, original MPC '73 Challenger that was a Christmas gift from my parents back in '72. I gotta be able to dedicate all my build time to that project when I get to it; hopefully, that will be very soon

[DonW]

At least you didn't drive it into a dumper like Kowalski did in his '70!

I always loved those Challengers, how long did you keep yours?

[johnbuzzed]

Sadly, I sold it in '85, right after we got our K-car wagon (growing family, you know). I settled for the '76 4 door Granada that we also had at that time. Ugh. I didn't really know how nice that Challenger sounded until the new owner drove it away...

[Tom Geiger]

But it was not pleasant on rainy days, worse in the snow.

I had a stock 1973 Barracuda with a 318 that was lousy in snow. I think that was just a characteristic of that body style.

[43rdMuscle]

Had one? How about have one now? It's a 1965 Malibu (Chevelle) SS with a small block , 4 speed and a 12 bolt rear (unfortunately its a peg leg). It's my 9th, so I guess I did have one in the '70s.

Edited October 16, 2013 by 43rdMuscle

[Ghostmech]

Circa 1978 My '67 SS/RS 427 Camaro (originally a 396 car)

[bbowser]

Tom Geiger, on 16 Oct 2013 - 12:49 PM, said:

I had a stock 1973 Barracuda with a 318 that was lousy in snow. I think that was just a characteristic of that body style.

Any "pony car" from that era, they were all nose heavy which is not a good thing in snow

[johnbuzzed]

Any "pony car" from that era, they were all nose heavy which is not a good thing in snow

You betcha. And, the snow would pile up on the headers, by the collectors, causing the throttle and/or shift linkage to jam up. Lotsa fun... did I mention a manual choke, too?

[1972coronet]

Johnbuzzed - And here I thought that I was the only one whom remember the Holley Econo-Master atomiser ! One of my older neighbours had a 1967 Malibu with a 327 , from 1975-1985 . Its 327 was topped with an Edelbrock intake and the 390 cfm (?) Ecomo-Master (among other mods) . Thanks for popping that memory capsule

____________ ________________ _____________________ _________________ __________________________ ________________

I'm 43 years old , so all of the "Highway Hi-Jackers" I witnessed were the possessions of others . Growing up on a side street from the action on Whittier Boulevard and its fledgling cruising scene , and living in the west part of Whittier , I got to see different styles of cars

Here'a list of cars which I recall from that era ; some Lowriders (west part of town) and mostly Muscle and Street Freaks (east part of town) :

- 1966 Chevelle with an 8-71 GMC huffer (cops were always hastling that guy !)

- 1968 Hemi Dart ( race only car one of my neighbours had in the 70's . I'll never forget that car , as every time he fired it off , it frightened me . Its explosive noises were extra loud to a 5 year old !)

- 1970 Road Runner in FE5 red , with real gold leaf inlayed over the original hood blackout and Air Grabber flap . Its rear was pretty tall , but not ridiculously so .

- 1968 Barracuda Formula-S 383 hardtop ( not the normal "fastback" bodystyle) in Q5 Turquoise , Ansen Sprints , and illegal (read : functional via a hidden slide) Doug's side pipes .

After not seeing this car for over 15 years , I finally saw it again when I bought some brake parts for my '72 Demon off of the Barracuda's owner . The car was still in his possession and was undergoing a "day 2" restoration .

- 1955-1956-1957 Chevy 4 door wagons which were turned into "shorties" by removing their rear door section . One which really stood out to me was a candy tangerine '57 with BBS wheels (!!)

- Tube framed 60's Bug with a tunnelram on its small Chevy V8

- 1969 Boss 429 with a clear hood scoop over its tunnelram ; black with a reddish pearl ; Motor Wheels Spyders set it all off .

- 1960 Pontiac with Cragar S/S in 13" diametre , thin whitewalls ; organ pipe speakers ; Craig 4-Track ; maroon / white / black Tuck-N-Roll upholstery . This was my friend's dad's car ; he eventually painted in a candy red rose , as inspired by the base colour of the Gypsy Rose Lowrider .

[bismarck]

I remember those days well as a kid. (in black and white) . My older brother had a Vega panel that had a 302 cross ram engine out of a 69 z-28 in it. It had the flame job over black, supertricks, slapper bars, The gearing out back wasn't quite right cuz when he got on it too hard, it would tear the rear mounts looses!! That was one white knuckle ride!!

[earlleecliffton]

in 1980,i had a 67 chevelle that was so high i got a ticket.14 inches over the limit