FE Power Forums
FE Power Forums => Non-FE Discussion Forum => Topic started by: jayb on June 11, 2015, 10:24:38 AM
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Felony's Conundrum post, and the associated age admissions, got me to thinking about the average age of our forum members. Generally speaking us FE folks are older than the hot rodding public in general, but I'm curious about just how "long in the tooth" we all really are. Click the buttons in the poll to vote. You have to vote to see the results.
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I would think we're mostly 45 to 65. I'm 60.
Those ages would have the most memories of and therefore zest to own the cars we do.
Must say I really admire younger guys that get into older cars. Shows depth of character. :)
Was kinda curious if FElony and I ever we're on the same streets at the same time since we're both valley boys and almost the same age.
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I'm wondering who the other sub-40'er is on here...I'm 38...
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I would think we're mostly 45 to 65. I'm 60.
Those ages would have the most memories of and therefore zest to own the cars we do.
Likely right. I clock in at 59 and that includes a roughly 25 year run when mortgage, family raising and the like put this sort of thing on the way back burner. In the end we tend to return to what lit the fire to begin with :D.
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It's nice to know you are a young one Brent. Engine builders should be able to see, hear, & have patience & memory. all the stuff I struggle with. Dammit where did I leave my glasses, is my computer dinging, or is it my phone? what the hell were we talking about here?
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I would think we're mostly 45 to 65. I'm 60.
Those ages would have the most memories of and therefore zest to own the cars we do.
So far it looks like you're right. Its interesting to me that the biggest category so far is my age group (I'm 57). We started driving in the mid 1970s, when the FE musclecars were at the bottom of their price curve. And buying them when we were young, they had an outsized impact on our car preferences, I think.
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I would think we're mostly 45 to 65. I'm 60.
Was kinda curious if FElony and I ever we're on the same streets at the same time since we're both valley boys and almost the same age.
Probably. I raced at many, many locations on the West Side, Thousand Oaks, and Simi Valley. Also at the location you mentioned (did you know Bottle Bob?), in front of the Veteran's Administration, next to L.A. Valley college, under the bridge in San Fernando, etc., etc. My racers were a blue GT/CS, brown metallic '67 Cyclone GT 410 6-V, dk green '68 4-4-2 455, blk/wht '68 CHP Polara 440 Interceptor, Gulfstream Cobra R-code, Lime Cobra R-code, light yellow XR7 R-code, Comp Gold '70 Spoiler, '67 Cyclone GT 410 cnv, white '68 Torino GT (daily cruiser). That about covers '74 to '90. The brown Cyclone and the cop car are no longer in my possession.
Recognize anything?
http://wildbunchcarclub.com/id21.html
Yes, I was a Wednesday nighter. And, more seriously, a Saturday nighter.
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I'm 65...Still have the 60 Starliner I bought in 1967 for $75.00. Turned out to be a 360hp 352. That engine is long gone as it was wore out and not running when I bought the car.
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man, that was top dollar for a non-running car. always wanted a 60 star. closest I got was a 60 wagon. 352 though. OK I'll give ya $100 for it. you are entitled to make a little profit.
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I'm 46, going on 16.
Ahhhhh 1969, I wish I could pick a brand new car from 1969. I wish we had a real space program like we did in 1969. I wish we had lawn darts like in 1969! Dang.....as far as I can tell my birth was at the pinnacle of human civilization. It's been kind of depressing since then.
JMO,
paulie
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(did you know Bottle Bob?),
Yup, brown '68 'vette.
Didn't know him personally.
I was just trying to beat any small block Camaro I could with my little 289. (gold mustang fastback).
Don't remember your cars but that doesn't mean much. I don't remember much from those days. ::)
Lived for Wednesday nights. Thanks for the link BTW.
I got in with boat racers after high school. Went to work for Cole. So was in the boat scene for a while.
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Im born in 64 so i remember the last years of the 60s
Around here the only US made cars you saw then was
Mustangs. Except for the Valiants the cops had.
There was an Austrian bodyman that worked in my
dads shop that i used to hang around with and see him
work. I was fasinated by how he could straighten out
crashed cars and do leadwork. And i dont realised that
then but i learned a lot about bodywork..Anyway he
fixed a lot of Mustangs and had a 65-66 fastback for
a while, And a blond big boobed girlfriend in miniskirt
It was then at age 4-5 i decided when i grew up i would
have a Mustang to and then i would get a girlfriend like that ;D ;D
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And a blond big boobed girlfriend in miniskirt
It was then at age 4-5 i decided when i grew up i would
have a Mustang to and then i would get a girlfriend like that ;D ;D
LMAO
Awesome
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Yeaa they say it a good thing to plan for
your future when your young ;D ;D
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I may be low man on the totem pole at 22 yrs. old. ::) I was lucky to inheret my grandfather's car a few years ago that he owned since '70. I LOVE FEs and always will. My family has been into Fords and FEs for many years. If I didn't inheret the car, I would have found something else to build, with an FE of course. I plan on keeping the car forever.
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47 here. I was lucky enough to grow up with over 100 Fords in my back yard, the newest one being 1964. So Ford cars have been a major part of my entire life. Helping my Dad rebuild flatheads starting at about age 5 gave me a head start to most people I knew growing up. I cut my teeth on Fords. Literally! At the age of 4, I got my front two teeth knocked out falling into a bumper bracket on a '37 Ford coupe. ;D I had to sit on my legs just to see out the windshield, when I helped him move cars.
The price of the cars and the FE in general has everything in the world to do with the age group associated with the forum. I've found that, generally speaking, the younger crowd LOVES the older cars and big blocks, they just can't afford them now.
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I may be low man on the totem pole at 22 yrs. old. ::) I was lucky to inheret my grandfather's car a few years ago that he owned since '70. I LOVE FEs and always will. My family has been into Fords and FEs for many years. If I didn't inheret the car, I would have found something else to build, with an FE of course. I plan on keeping the car forever.
Jared, that is AWESOME!! You're a lucky guy to have such a cool car at your age. And it's even better that it was your Grandfathers car. That is a neat story by itself.
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I voted for 1975, but I feel older and try to act younger. ;) Never had an FE until I bought the first wagon, now I've collected a pile of 'em. NOTHING noteworthy for cars in 75 that I know of. My Grampa did buy a Lincoln Continental that year, and I own it now - It's one month older than me. Later, Travis.
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I may be low man on the totem pole at 22 yrs. old. ::) I was lucky to inheret my grandfather's car a few years ago that he owned since '70. I LOVE FEs and always will. My family has been into Fords and FEs for many years. If I didn't inheret the car, I would have found something else to build, with an FE of course. I plan on keeping the car forever.
Jared, that is AWESOME!! You're a lucky guy to have such a cool car at your age. And it's even better that it was your Grandfathers car. That is a neat story by itself.
Thanks Doug, I agree I'm lucky there. Last fall, I took it to a local show and a guy came up and asked me who's car it was and I said it was mine. He said, I think I used to own that car. So we started talking and it turned out he was the second owner of the car and gave my dad and I a full history on it. He said the original owner ordered it in at the Ford dealer about 35-40 mi. from where I live. How cool! He sold it to a guy in late 69 and that guy flipped cars so he ended up keeping it for a few months and selling it in early 70. He later asked if I would sell it back, I said NOPE! He said, I figured.
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Awesome Jared.
As I said earlier, shows character.
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I will hit the big Five-O in a couple of weeks. I grew up with a Ford loving dad, but didn't get my first car until 1982. Aussie muscle cars were still affordable then, and if you had a US model car, you were a celebrity back then.
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My first car with a FE was a 66 Fairlane 500xl ,black
with Cragar ss bought it in the early 80s
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Thanks Doug, I agree I'm lucky there. Last fall, I took it to a local show and a guy came up and asked me who's car it was and I said it was mine. He said, I think I used to own that car. So we started talking and it turned out he was the second owner of the car and gave my dad and I a full history on it. He said the original owner ordered it in at the Ford dealer about 35-40 mi. from where I live. How cool! He sold it to a guy in late 69 and that guy flipped cars so he ended up keeping it for a few months and selling it in early 70. He later asked if I would sell it back, I said NOPE! He said, I figured.
Great story. Not many people know the whole history of their car. But I have to ask, why did your Grandfather will it to you? Did he know you wanted it?
Sadly, I see familys inherit stuff and sell it as quick as they can for the money. I guess if they're not into it, then it's for the best.
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I am 56 bought my mustang when I was 15. I saved my money from mowing lawns. I helped my neighbor rebuild the engine in his 68 Torino and fell in love with the car. I saw a 69 Mach1 S code in my high school parking lot and bought it for $475.00. I drove it till the middle 80s and started restoring it. I think I am almost there it looks good runs low 12s possibly high 11s with a driver mod.
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Great story. Not many people know the whole history of their car. But I have to ask, why did your Grandfather will it to you? Did he know you wanted it?
Sadly, I see familys inherit stuff and sell it as quick as they can for the money. I guess if they're not into it, then it's for the best.
Well actually after he passed it went into my grandmas name and I purchased it from her for a "small amount" and now have the title in my name. Yes, they both knew I wanted it and would take care of it. It could have gone to my uncle, but he was pretty much a (cough)Chevy guy growing up despite being surrounded by Fords. She figured if she would have given it to him, he probably would have driven it for a while and sold it. Also, it didn't go to my dad, he knew I wanted it and he has several cars already. I just got the new license plates in the mail, 66 FE GT. It was going more towards stock when my grandpa passed even though he raced it several times, but I had other plans. He used to drive it everyday to work for a few years and drove it shortly with a 4.88 gear in it. I love street/strip, so I have been working on it since the day I got it. Minor engine upgrades for now(healthy rebuild coming in a year or so), complete front susp., rear susp., complete exhaust with headers, built a new 9in. assy. after I grenaded the old 28 spline trac. lok on my college dyno, complete fuel system front to rear, all new Autometer gauges and radio delete dash, homemade safety loop, Ram street/strip clutch., line lock, fixed reverse lights to work with the comp. plus shifter, and so on.
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Cjshaker My great grandfathers service revolver and FN cal25 auto
had ended up someway with one of his daughter. And my dad tried
to buy them from her but no way she would sell them. When she died
she willed everything to her church.And in sweden all guns have to
be registered .So they were ilegal but my dad bought them from the
Priest.So the crurch was involved in ilegal gun trade ;D
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You gots me a'think'n 'bout all the time I spent street race'n in the Valley.
I'm from up on the Rock, the Sunland/Tujunga area. We Foothill boys took our street racing very seriously...and did a lot, usually 3 nights a week from '77 to about '85. Wentworth, Glenoaks and Peoria, Woodman and Saticoy, Sepulveda and Plummer, Chatsworth and Zelza, beside Burbank airport and lots of other places. The track was for tuning...the street was where the action was. Lie'n, cheat'n, and fight'n...you know...real fun!
Remember the first "bottle" run I ever saw. It was at Sepulveda and Plummer. Wild! Went out and bought an I.C.E. unit the next week.
The streets of LA became a mean place to be at 3am by 1985...and my street race'n days became a thing of the past.
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Wow Tommy
You're bringin back some memories also.
Chatsworth and Zelza was my home turf.
I lived at the top of Balboa.
The early 70s were somethin' else.
We used to go to the north end of Van Nuys also, up in Arleta.
My brother used to work at Shelleys auto parts so fixin' stuff was AOK.
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We never did any of that street racing in Detroit.
Sounds like it was fun..... ::)
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It was Barry.
SoCal was pretty cool back then.
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I am 47, but getting older all the time. Seems like Motrin is the drug of choice between the wife and I LOL
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We never did any of that street racing in Detroit.
Sounds like it was fun..... ::)
LIAR!! ;D ;D ;D
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Felony's Conundrum post, and the associated age admissions, got me to thinking about the average age of our forum members. Generally speaking us FE folks are older than the hot rodding public in general, but I'm curious about just how "long in the tooth" we all really are. Click the buttons in the poll to vote. You have to vote to see the results.
Added another to the 1955-59 crowd. 33% now
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Very enlightening. Looks like Jared is our 1990 and later candidate and cudos for keeping Pop's car. Brent may still have good eyesight at 38, but that should go in the next few years, mine did!! And Barry tends to bend the truth about street activities in Detroit. :o
Lord willing, we will all surpass the age of the current lone member in the pre 1945 column.
At 45, I barely fall into the 65-69 group, just a few weeks before the 60's ended.
Dad was a Ford guy for trucks and Broncos, grandparents were Ford folks too, does that make it hereditary??
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I`m 62 and still out there raseing He-- when ever I can. We live in a small town that used to be the gate way for the PA kids to come and drink (21 in PA then, 18 in NY). We we the hot rod capital in the area. More drag racing than you could shake a stick at. We coulda had own own tv show and put that show that on to shame. Hey Lenz remember?
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Dang. It's as I suspected. We are a dying breed. That's awesome that Jared is carrying the torch, but he is a rare guy nowadays.
JMO,
paulie
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I'm 49 and still I can remember being 11 and going out and "helping" my dad change the valve stem seals on the 390 4v in his 66 galaxie. My dad was very handy but the funny thing was he hated working on cars but needed to save a buck so he did everything he could himself. I remember him letting me feed the rope down inside the sparkplug hole so he could bump the pistion up to hold the valves up so he could change the seals. I felt like I was helping and will always remember him telling me, "boy, this cars been good to me and someday when its yours if you take care of it it will be good to you to. I loved that car right on up to the time when I was 25 and a women made a left turn at a high speed intersection right in front of me.. uggh...
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Cjshaker My great grandfathers service revolver and FN cal25 auto
had ended up someway with one of his daughter. And my dad tried
to buy them from her but no way she would sell them. When she died
she willed everything to her church.And in sweden all guns have to
be registered .So they were ilegal but my dad bought them from the
Priest.So the crurch was involved in ilegal gun trade ;D
I'll bet the priest recognized the family sentiment that was involved with the gun. Cool story, and I hope you still have it...registered of course ;)
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I'm wondering who the other sub-40'er is on here...I'm 38...
I'm barely in the club, 39 here.
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44 Here trying to live the dream
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35 years of age here guys. :)
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I`m 62 and still out there raseing He-- when ever I can. We live in a small town that used to be the gate way for the PA kids to come and drink (21 in PA then, 18 in NY). We we the hot rod capital in the area. More drag racing than you could shake a stick at. We coulda had own own tv show and put that show that on to shame. Hey Lenz remember?
Yeah GJ, I do. ::) For me it was down 89 and turn left at Wattsburg. NY was a 10 minute run at best... Seems like forever ago but it really wasn't.
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After seeing the results come in, I suddenly feel younger. ;D
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I`m 62 and still out there raseing He-- when ever I can. We live in a small town that used to be the gate way for the PA kids to come and drink (21 in PA then, 18 in NY). We we the hot rod capital in the area. More drag racing than you could shake a stick at. We coulda had own own tv show and put that show that on to shame. Hey Lenz remember?
Ah yes- the old drinking at 18 thing in NY back then- I was in a bar in the next town shooting pool at 15, when all three of our high school coaches walked in the front door- out the back I went, didn't get caught hehehe...
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Just chiming in I am 48 will be 49 in July CJ Shaker were ya from in NY I am from Massapegua grew up in Baldwin I used to hang out and race cars right in front of were Motion used to be. Those were the days I don't think those days will ever be back
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I just turned 56 a few weeks ago...bought my first 427 around 1982/83.I have had the one that's in my 68 since around 1986..Always working on a FE for some project......Cory
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Just chiming in I am 48 will be 49 in July CJ Shaker were ya from in NY I am from Massapegua grew up in Baldwin I used to hang out and race cars right in front of were Motion used to be. Those were the days I don't think those days will ever be back
It was some of the other guys that are from NY. I'm from Ohio.
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We never did any of that street racing in Detroit.
Sounds like it was fun..... ::)
Cough, cough!!! 8) :o ::) ::) ::)
KS
And I'll add that my first ticket, as a high-school senior, was for drag racing the family car on Woodward. It was a '53 Merc flathead with headers and glasspacks, a Mallory ignition, and an Offy intake with 3 97s. The ticket cost me $10. I had to go to a JP office in Keego Harbor to pay it.
My first new car was a '64 Custom with a 427-T and all the other mandatory stuff that came when you ordered it.
Back shortly after 2000, Neil Van Oppre, who was Editor of Mustang Illustrated at the time, asked me to write a story about street-racing with Brother Lon's '67 TP 427 Mustang. The 'victim' was a tri-5 chib that had been gutted and was running a 440-inch rat motor. We were established that night as the "King of the Drive-in" with the drive-in being the #1 westside hangout---called Telway.
I'm one of the '3%'. I was 74 last month.
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I'm one of the (at this time) 4.4%. Turned 71 last April. My first FE was a 1966 Fairlane GT, ordered in November 1965 with nothing but a 4 speed and radio. FE's have always been my favorite engine from the Ford family.....and I've never owned anything but a Ford product in my lifetime. I'm getting ready to build a 427 4V for my 61 Starliner next month. Have a 406 6V in my '60 Starliner and a 352 in my '68 F-100 SWB. My two sons, 45 and 49 (both Ford drag racers) have already spoken for the Starliners when I'm gone.... ;)
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39 here.
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Nice to see other old Pharts here (pre 1945). Here's my current ride at 77..
(http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n275/mistral427/My%20Johnex/Jan242014PS2_zpsedcce8ac.jpg) (http://s114.photobucket.com/user/mistral427/media/My%20Johnex/Jan242014PS2_zpsedcce8ac.jpg.html)
First Fe was Mustang 390GT fastback delivered in April/May 68. Late Oct 67 I placed an order for 427 Fastback Mustang but had to cancel the order a couple of weeks later because I was in the hospital having my unhealed (broken) lower right leg repaired. Hey Tom P this was in Victoria, BC.
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39 for me. Age doesn't matter. It's all about what you like. When I was in my teens I remember hearing so many people say "I wish I never sold that car". A neighbor of mine had a story of trading in a 69 396 Camaro on a new Pinto. I guess thats the start of my problem as to why I have 13 Mercs. Today I bought two 45' truck trailers to store the excess in....I think i need a couple more trailers.
70 Cougar XR-7 460
69 Cougar Sport Special 351w
70 Cougar XR-7 conv 351c 4v
69 Cougar Eliminator 351w
69 Cougar XR-7 390
58 Mercury Parklane 430 (black)
58 Mercury Monterey 383
58 Mercury Parklane 430 (white)
64 Mercury Montclair Marauder 390
68 Mercury Monterey 390
68 Mercury Monterey conv 390
68 Mercury Colony Park 428
68 Mercury Colony Park 390
post edit-----ooops just realized all but one of these are in my signiture.
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I'm wondering who the other sub-40'er is on here...I'm 38...
right there with ya Brent.... I'm 36 at the moment.
Blessed that I can play with cars as a hobby, also nice that I'm in a line of work where they need my help, if I need an extra $4k for a project, all I need to do is pick up the phone and they'll buy me a plane ticket to go to work. Far too often in my early life I was scrapping around for work and couldn't get the extra time. Nice situation to be in, hope it maintains.
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Hi Mark i see you have a cougar with a sunroof
There cant be many made of them. I found one
68or69 here in Sweden in the late 80s but the
price was to high and the condition to bad.
Red metalflake paint
with a lot of rust under it Filty crushed velvet
interor :o :o wireing made with all red cables
No one had heard of a sunroof cougar and
said it must be a homemade conversion
but as far as i could tell it was factory stock
as i remember it the enginecode was 428
but it had a Cleveland 4v instaled
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Hi Mark i see you have a cougar with a sunroof
There cant be many made of them. I found one
68or69 here in Sweden in the late 80s but the
price was to high and the condition to bad.
Red metalflake paint
with a lot of rust under it Filty crushed velvet
interor :o :o wireing made with all red cables
No one had heard of a sunroof cougar and
said it must be a homemade conversion
but as far as i could tell it was factory stock
as i remember it the enginecode was 428
but it had a Cleveland 4v instaled
Hi,
Hertz Rent-a-car ordered a fleet of 101 Eliminators all 351w, FMX, p/s, p/b a/c all with Sunroof for 69 Then another 101 of 1970 Sunroof Eliminators.
The Eliminators were the only sunroof cars that were non-vinyl top. There were not a lot made. But they did make them in standard and XR-7 Cougars.
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That one was a Xr-7.I think the factory paint was
yellow, black int.Dont know if it had vinyl roof
from factory Imagine replacing the leather int.
with some cheap lampshade crushedvelvet stitched
by a crosseyed girlfriend in red and white with
golden ropes dividing the colors. :o yeah customising
makes your car look so much better ;D
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Nice to see other old Pharts here (pre 1945). Here's my current ride at 77..
(http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n275/mistral427/My%20Johnex/Jan242014PS2_zpsedcce8ac.jpg) (http://s114.photobucket.com/user/mistral427/media/My%20Johnex/Jan242014PS2_zpsedcce8ac.jpg.html)
First Fe was Mustang 390GT fastback delivered in April/May 68. Late Oct 67 I placed an order for 427 Fastback Mustang but had to cancel the order a couple of weeks later because I was in the hospital having my unhealed (broken) lower right leg repaired. Hey Tom P this was in Victoria, BC.
Holy Mackeral!! Is that a twin turbo Cobra??
Nah, I see linkage there. What kind of intake set-up is that?
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Holy Mackeral!! Is that a twin turbo Cobra??
Nah, I see linkage there. What kind of intake set-up is that?
Yes it is twin turbo Cobra replica.
It's single plane Tunnel Port Intake modified with welded top plate so that Hilborn Fuel Injection can be bolted to the top plate.
I bought this TP Hilborn intake with mechanical fuel injection from Jim Dove 15 yrs ago. I had to fabricate this linkage because each side has 2 short throttle shafts (like Weber setup) instead of 1 long throttle shaft through 4 throttle bores. I needed to make 2 throttle shafts act as 1 so that 4 throttle plates are in sync on each bank.
I had it converted it SEFI and ran it that way for couple of yrs. Several yrs ago I decided to put couple turbos on a FE and had the work by a turbo shop. You don't see many turbo FE about.
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That's a sweet setup. Any estimated numbers on power ? Is it strictly street or dull duty or all race ? Its a nice piece. Thanks for sharing.
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That's a sweet setup. Any estimated numbers on power ? Is it strictly street or dull duty or all race ? Its a nice piece. Thanks for sharing.
Little disappointed in the numbers; 421 HP and 487 torque at the wheels @ 5 psi. Short block is std 427 cu in with C8AX - C Hyd camshaft and std Ford Tunnel Port heads (no head work done) with small intake valves.
For a light weight car HP and torque should be sufficient at my age. :)
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Very neat looking setup there! ;)
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Very neat looking setup there! ;)
Thanks Jared
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40. In 87 dad told me I could have the 65 F100 or the 71(?) Scamp. I chose wisely.
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At 69, I started with a '56 Fairlane Victoria and 292 Y block back in 1962. First FE was a 1964 Galaxie hardtop with 390 and 4 speed. Next came the new '66 Mustang with 289, and then the Fairlane Cobra caught my attention again for a FE. The '69 Fairlane Cobra was one of those cars that should have been a keeper, but leaving for Vietnam and two small boys, I traded it for a Torino so that my wife would not have to always be shifting gears and worrying about the kids while driving. I bought a new Shelby GT-500 when I returned from Vietnam, and still have it to this day. Getting a fresh new FE ready for it's 45th birthday this August. Now, I have a '55 T-bird with 292 Y block, and I have come full circle, so to speak. Going to keep both I think, and maybe a fresh new stroker Y for the '55s 60th birthday this summer. Joe-JDC
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Sounds like some nice cars Joe. If you get a chance, please show some pics of the Shelby and T-bird along with the engines please.
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25 years old here. I bought my galaxie when I was 22, I'll have it for life. Working on a 445 for it currently
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25 years old here. I bought my galaxie when I was 22, I'll have it for life. Working on a 445 for it currently
Maybe there is hope for the youngsters yet :) Most young men your age are only into video games and what ever the electronic toy of the week is. Yesterday I went to a local carshow and greybeard gathering and the average age seem to be 60 years old. The few "kids" there looked bored or more interested in the free hotdogs & soda that was offered.
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25 years old here. I bought my galaxie when I was 22, I'll have it for life. Working on a 445 for it currently
You sir, have a bright future ahead! ;D
Wish I'd been that smart at 22.
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25 years old here. I bought my galaxie when I was 22, I'll have it for life. Working on a 445 for it currently
I may be the youngest, but not the only one, lol. Glad to see you're into these engines too, LuxurySportCoupe. It looks like a nice galaxie you have. ;) Btw, isn't there another "younger" guy on here, Autoholic?
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I will be 45 next month. I have been in love with the FE since my first pickup. '73 with a 390 and 4 speed. I made the big mistake of selling it when the engine was tired and buying an '83 with a 302. That mistake taught me how much I liked the FE.
Now I want to put an FE in everything I build. :). I am also working to see how much boost I can put to an FE and what kinda power I can get. Should be a fun but expensive adventure. LOL.
I love these engines and the era of cars that they came in.
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Soon to be three score.First FE purchased was in 1974.Sold my last in 2004.
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What a nice bell curve emerging from the poll :)
Well except for the peak itself, my guess is that is the unique age of guys still working too hard to have time for the internet and too old to want to know how LOL
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I noticed the same thing, if there were more people in the 1960-1964 birth years it would be a nearly perfect Gaussian distribution, with the average age in the early to mid 50s. Still plenty of time for most of us to be building FEs ;D ;D
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25 years old here. I bought my galaxie when I was 22, I'll have it for life. Working on a 445 for it currently
Maybe there is hope for the youngsters yet :) Most young men your age are only into video games and what ever the electronic toy of the week is. Yesterday I went to a local carshow and greybeard gathering and the average age seem to be 60 years old. The few "kids" there looked bored or more interested in the free hotdogs & soda that was offered.
Yes, there are way too many people my age into electronic devices. But most of my friends are true car guys, most of them are into imports, but that has alot to do with initial affordabilty. It's way cheaper to buy and build a nissan 240sx than it is to build american iron. I'd probably be doing the same, but God blessed me with a decent enough job so that I can build something FE powered. No matter what they're into, they all love my galaxie, lol.
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was 55 in May, still working on my project..........Al
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I am 61. My first car was a 63 boxtop with a broken 352 handed down from my parents. My brother and i spent the summer in our first motor change. Outside on the grass with a bottle jack and wood blocks. He promptly hit a bridge with it. I have had numerous 73-76 pickups with 360s and 390s. most recently a 76 F-350 that I converted to a dually and built a 416 for towing. A 63 G code Gal fastback with a 4 speed bench seat.. I restored a 63 M code bird and drove it for about 10 yr. Built a 428 with some of the first Edelbrock heads and was the first FE to hit 500 hp on the R&R dyno with pump gas. That was slated for a Cobra kit car that never happened.
Alas i am currently FE-less, as my interest has turned to earlier more obscure Ford engines: MELS, Y Blocks, and Lincoln Y blocks, with a flathead V-12 Lincoln thrown in for good measure. The Cammer is still on my bucket list of engines to own, along with a Boss 9. Always have a warm spot for FEs
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"on the grass with a bottle of jack" You Y and MEL guy's are something.
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Well except for the peak itself, my guess is that is the unique age of guys still working too hard to have time for the internet and too old to want to know how LOL
Well, I think it's got a lot to do with finances as well. Until I hit 30 years old I simply wasn't situated to own a vehicle that wasn't a daily driver.
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I turn 58 next week, 1973 was the year I hit 16 and got my drivers license.My first car was a 57 Ford Sedan Delivery, with a tired 272 Y block and 3 speed manual., being a broke 16 year old, it made perfect sense to swap on a 4 barrel intake from a 57 312, and put dual exhaust on a worn out, oil burning 272, but it did hit mid 17s at 78 MPH back at Mission Raceway! In 76, I bought a 70 Mustang "sportsroof" (fastback non Mach 1) from a local musclecar lot for $2100. It was Grabber orange, black interior, M code 351Cleveland 4 barrel FMX, with a Shaker scoop, rear spoiler, fold down rear seat, ran 14.7 @ 94 MPH bose stock with 3.25 open rear end, with Cyclone headers, welded to the factory pipes and mufflers, and a Ford/Holley 600 from a 66 Fairlane GTa, it ran a best of 14.2@99 MPH. Around that same time, I was having a local Ford Super Stock racer building me a 390 that was origionally going to go in another 57 Sedan Delivery, but when a buddy hurt the 390 in his 66 Fairlane GTA, I swapped a 57 Ford driver (272 3 speed, paid 200 bucks for it) for the non running Fairlane. In 1977, my 66 Fairlane was running mid 12s at 110 MPH, which hooked me on FEs, and in random order, lead to me owning 2 R code 428 CJ 69 Mach 1s (1 auto, 1 4 speed), 1 70 R code 4 speed Mach 1, 2 69 Fairlane Cobra fastbacks, a 67 Mercury M100 shortbox fleetside (352 auto), 76 F350 ramp truck 360, then 390 4 speed, owned 26 years). A few cars that were not available with FEs got them, in 78 the 390 from the Fairlane went into my 64 Falcon 2door sedan, my "other" 57 Sedan Delivery got a 360 from a buddys 72 F250, and in 1986, I bought my 78 Fairmont sedan, which has been FE powered since early 1988 (1 390, 5 or 6 428s, and the current 427 w 428 crank.WhenI got my driver license in 73, the car lots and classified ads were full of cheap used late model Mustangs, Fairlanes etc, yeah, the Musclecar era was dead by 73, but I couldnt afford a new car than anyhow.Back in the mid 70s, Boss 302 Mustangs were $2000-2500, 428CJs were about the same, real bargains were available in used MoPars, 340 Darts and Dusters were EVERYWHERE for 800-1500 bucks, 383 Road Runners not much more, a buddy turned down a 69 426 Hemi 4 speed Road runner for 2500, WITH the Hemi freshly rebuilt! Pretty good time to be a budding car freak, although the horrible Disco music experiance was on the horizion, luckily I had plenty of Beach Boys, Guess Who, Jan & Dean, and other 60s 8 track tapes to keep my state of the art Craig Powerplay tape deck well fed. Certainly no Donna Summer, Bee Gees, or Village People music was allowed in MY cars! I gotta say though, the last few years, the pages of the calander sure seem to turn over a whole lot faster than they used too! Seem to go to a lot more funerals than weddings these days.
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Old enough to know better but to young to resist! 67 and new to FE's mostly small blocks in my past.