Why did you buy your classic Mopar??

[imon_2nd]

I guess I have a thing for the 1960s, especially the big block land yachts like my 1967 Imperial. My previous Mopars were a 1970 Satellite and a 1976 Duster. My last big block vehicle was a 1976 GMAC motorhome with the Olds 455. I sold that in 2012.

 

[detmatt]

I guess I have a thing for the 1960s, especially the big block land yachts like my 1967 Imperial. My previous Mopars were a 1970 Satellite and a 1976 Duster. My last big block vehicle was a 1976 GMAC motorhome with the Olds 455. I sold that in 2012.

Who's on 1st?

 

[300rag]

Who's on 1st?

Correct!

 

[goldfish65]

I typed something long but here's the short version...grew up with them, realized how durable they are, owned several and always enjoyed driving them and talking about them, and the feeling of sometimes my mind wandering while driving and being put back into the past for a few seconds. After not owning one for several years and missing them, recently I found a Fury III in very nice original shape at a price I felt I couldn't pass up if I ever wanted another one.

 

[computerhater]

I grew up around demolition derbys, saw these cars getting smashed all the time. Knew I wanted a C body, but I initially wanted a sub frame imperial just to drive to the local derbies and get a good laugh from our friends. I ended up looking into a wide range of C bodies, good pointys on a y framer are alright, but I hated the interiors. I wanted manual windows, no ac, nothing to break, nothing to fix. I'm 6 foot 3, and really wanted a bench up front. Ended up with my 66 Nyer because I saw it on the side of the road, no for sale sign, and I had to stop. the guy was there, talked about his other 66 he was restoring to be like the one his grandpa had. apparently he had bought mine as a parts car sight unseen, but then couldnt bear to tear into it once he saw its condition. Plus his one was a no post, so his doors and some other stuff didnt quite fit anyway. His price was low, so I started saving. went back about 9 months later and spent 2800 bucks on the best car I've owned. I also have a 76 f-250 so I assumed that all old cars and trucks handled like ****, were sloppy going over 60, and had **** for comfort. Good lord was I wrong.

 

[67 chrysler300]

Thanks Goldfish and 'hater'. You both bring to mind more of the positive attributes of these cars. They are VERY durable and for the most part VERY reliable!! That's one thing I love about them. Another thing is I MISS an old Mopar if I don't have one. Driving my 67 300 also has my mind wandering back in time when I'm relaxing and driving it.

Another thing I often think about is how far ahead of their times these cars were compared to the GM and Ford products that were out there at the time. I think American car makers didn't produce a better car than my 67 300 until the mid 90's!

 

[Rwc]

In 1992 I had a 68 charger I was working on and my oldest son really wanted it. I decided to find another car and gave him the charger. My father in law at the time had this 70 fury convertible he had owned for years and asked me if I wanted it. I had grown up with my Dad always having a fury or an LTD so It seemed natural to me.
My father in law had it since 74, and when he bought it he Intended to have a polara convertible, so he was going to go find one finally. He sold me the vert and a 76 monoco for spare parts for $100. Honestly, I am glad that happened instead of the charger.

 

[live4theking]

Cool picture!

 

[70bigblockdodge]

74 Dart Sport in 1984, it was not a classic yet. GMs are so poorly engineered, and Fords have too many driveline options and mid year changes and engineering flaws to be a viable option.

 

[rapidtrans]

I just grew up around mopars. Dad started work at Chrysler the year before i was born. Over the years we had many different mopar models including a few 60s imports. As i kid i loved the big cars of the 60s. Dad liked his C Bodies loaded with options. I even remember a couple 300 letter cars he brought home in the early 60s. Had a lot of fun with the muscle cars he had occasionally but i loved cruising in those big Imps and New Yorkers.

 

[jaysix]

I was in the market for an old car and happened to see this along the road for sale. It had zero rust and zero dents. The price was right so it came home with me.

 

[Chuck Stone]

The young man that worked for me was a huge Mopar fan and had this 65 Newport two door. I own a machine shop and I told him if he let me take my time I would build his 383 for him. It took way longer to build than either of us thought it would, but it turned out pretty nice. Shortly after the engine was done he lost his life in a automobile accident. His older brother came to the shop and told me that Chris wanted me to have the car if anything ever happened to him. I tried to convince the family to keep it, that it should be theirs. He told me it was mine just come pick it up. Chris and I must have built that car in our imaginations a hundred times. At some point I fell in love with it almost as much as he did. It's a big project, but should be pretty cool when it's done.

 

[cantflip]

The young man that worked for me was a huge Mopar fan and had this 65 Newport two door. I own a machine shop and I told him if he let me take my time I would build his 383 for him. It took way longer to build than either of us thought it would, but it turned out pretty nice. Shortly after the engine was done he lost his life in a automobile accident. His older brother came to the shop and told me that Chris wanted me to have the car if anything ever happened to him. I tried to convince the family to keep it, that it should be theirs. He told me it was mine just come pick it up. Chris and I must have built that car in our imaginations a hundred times. At some point I fell in love with it almost as much as he did. It's a big project, but should be pretty cool when it's done.

Welcome Chuck, sounds like you have a big dream to bring to reality... I hope you enjoy it and the memories that go with it.

 

[mrfury68]

My dad bought a used 68 Fury III sedan in 1971 when I was 9 years old. I loved everything about that car and used to pretend I was driving while just sitting behind the wheel. Unfortunately here in the rust belt of SW Pennsylvania the frame and quarter panels rusted out by 1977. I was hoping to learn to drive on that car but the frame was too far gone. I was heartbroken when he traded it on a new Volare station wagon. Fast forward 5 years to 1982. I'm looking through the cars for sale section in the classified ads of the Sunday Pittsburgh Press and see an ad for a 68 Plymouth Fury 2 door. I call and find out the car is only 10 minutes from my house. I pull up behind the Fury and it has a North Carolina license plate on it. I crawl underneath it and can't believe how clean it is. I walk to the front of the car and see the Commando V8 badge on the fender and think "big block". I open the hood to see the 2 bbl 383 with the York A/C compressor and think "I found my Fury!" The Fury has never seen a Pittsburgh winter and since 1985 hasn't seen much rain either. I had the car stripped to bare metal and repainted the original Yellow Gold (HH1) in 85 and since then replaced the vinyl top, front seat cover and carpeting. I rebuilt the front suspension about 10 years ago. The engine has never been apart and it runs strong using very little oil between oil changes. My son shares my passion for "our Fury" as he says and that makes it even more fun. My avatar pic is my Fury sitting in front of the dealership my dad bought his Fury, and most of his cars from. Beckman Motor Co. Mt. Oliver PA. Since 1914 They are still in business today although not a Chrysler franchise, just used cars and service.

 

[TNT-C]

I bought my first 1968 New Yorker to be an engine donor for a 67 GTX clone project that I wanted to build. So, yeah... I was gonna be one of THOSE guys. I sat in a 67 Belvedere and decided that it was too small for me because the seat would not go back far enough to be comfortable. So I was stuck with this $400 68 New Yorker which I had already pulled the 440 out of and was in the process of rebuilding at my engine rebuild class at the local city college. Since I didn't have a 67 Belvedere to put the engine in when i was done, I put it back in the New Yorker. Now 9 1968 Chryslers later.... (that engine has been in 4 of those) I'm working on my 68 Chrysler 300 which I converted to a 4-speed. And I always think about selling it because I want so many other cars but I can't seem to part with it. It's too much fun. Plus I have about 4 C-bodies worth of parts stashed around the house. And yes, this car has the engine in it that I built in 1998 at the city college!

 

[Snotty]

I grew up in a blue collar family in a very blue collar neighborhood. Our next door neighbor owned and raced a AA Fuel car powered by a 392 Hemi. Neighbor on the other side drove a '57 T-Bird every day. Hot rods and old cars were everywhere. I built models all the time and talked cars with my friend across the street.

In '65 my folks bout a 4-door hardtop Newport new. My dad was always a Ford man but he loved the new styling of the Chryslers in '65. It hit me hard - I loved that car!! It would be the only Mopar he/they would even own, but the bug bit me.

However, I've never had the money to buy the cars I'd like to have. In College I bought a '70 Challenger, 225 3-speed car. Drove it for 7 years when i sold it to buy a new '87 Ramcharger. Some 6 years later I bought a '62 New Yorker. I wanted a '60, but when I realized the dash board was the same in '62 I looked and bought the car. I LOVE those '60-'62 Chrysler dashes!

Always wanting a '69 Chrysler ragtop, I found my '70 on ebay. (I thought I'd end up with a '69 because there were more of them made.) Since my wife's rule is, "You can have all the toys you want, but only one at a time," the New Yorker had to go. That was in 2003, I still ave the car.

The Gremlin is my Son's so I was able to side-step her rule.

 

[Poppy]

My recent purchase of a 66 Fury III was an impulse purchase. I found it by accident and it was one of those deals like when you see a lost stray by the road, so I brought it home.

I've done a lot of 50's and 60's GM cars and trucks, but nothing MOPAR so I'm really looking forward to learning about these cars. I do know MOPAR enthusiasts are some of the most avid out there so there must be something to them.

 

[brianshaeffer]

My first classic Mopar was a 1968 Imperial sedan in 1988. I wanted to get into classic cars and was looking mainly at 340 A-bodies and early 70's Chargers and Road Runners. These were all starting to take off in price, and I felt they were generally too expensive.

At the time, I was taking evening classes at the Penn State campus in New Kensington, PA. One of the guys in my electrical engineering class saw me looking at the classic edition of the Autotrader. He asked if I would be interested in his dad's 68 New Yorker with about 20,000 miles on it. I said "sure!".

He came back the next class and said that it was an Imperial, not a New Yorker with 23,000 original miles in nice original condition. I figured if I couldn't find a performance car in my budget, why not a luxury car? So, I bought the Imperial and kept it for 21 years. I only sold it because I had accumulated too many cars.

All through the 70s and 80s, I had my eye on a 1969 Chrysler 300 convertible, owned by the owner of the local Chrysler/Plymouth dealership. He also went to my church. He had sold it when new and taken it in trade three years later. He saved it for his retirement car. Once he retired, he decided he really didn't want to mess with old cars that much and decided to sell. Since I had expressed interest several times over the years, he called me first. It was original and had about 40,000 miles on it. I still have it today, though it need some brake work and a gas tank right now.

My 8 year old son is bugging me to fix it up so we can cruise in it. So, we're planning to work on it together next summer.

 

[67ragtop]

Cool cars without spending alot of loot

 

[68Nwprt]

Nice