Who are we???

[magart]

There are people of all walks of life on this site-from every possible corner of the continent. I was just wondering ...Who Are You???...I'm a 41 year old father of two...truck mechanic by trade...bent wrenches for 18 yrs then gave it up to teach the trade...tired of getting hurt...bought my duster from my father-in law who bought it from the original owner(75 year old lady)...had it ten yrs...will be on the road this summer...finally...what about you??? ...

[nothingbutdarts]

 

Yea, who are we? I'm pretty new to the sight, never attended any functions or met any members as of yet. My name is Kim, I live in Bailey, Colorado. I'm 51, been doing the Diesel mechanic thing now for something like 29 years. It gets to your body for sure. I have a 69 340 Swinger thats waiting to be put back together from a 9 year old paint job. Though I'm moving to another project that I hope will be running in a year which is installing a 426 Hemi in another 69 Swinger. I sent out the "K" frame the other day to be modified.
I have three daughters and a granddaughter of which the oldest daughter and granddaughter live with me, the little one is such a trip! Glad to connect with you and hope one day soon to meet some of you all!
   Kim

                                         

[Ryan (Strange246)]

I'm a Customer Service Assistant for the Verizon repair service, I'm one of the people you yell at when you call because your phone line is out...I've been there for close to 10 years, prior to that I was a welder and Commercial Diver for 15+ years, I went to Verizon for the benefits and pay, now it's like working for hell.

Ryan
IBEW Local 2321

[b569rr]

I'm 38, been a  Steamfitter in Seattle for 17 years and haven't met anyone from the board in person. Been here about a year and a half. Bought a /6 Dart that I hope to have running under its own power by the end of the year; 500 Stage 3 look a like. It's great to talk with people like yourselves and the knowlege here is incredible. I'll be at the Portland Swap meet and the RR will be at the Seattle All Mopar Spring round Up in May.

Tom

[DaBigNuttedMan]

started with automotive machine work then heavy truck mechanic, earth moving equipment, then 5,7,9,axel transportation of earth moving equipment, [did that the whole time] then owner operator with 3 semis, went belly up in 92 said fuc well never mind, restored and raced Corvette Grand Sport 1, been on a few road race teams, the sprint cars, hot rods, if it's got some pipe  PIPE IT...PIPE DA SHIT race it then leak it down, lash it up, pull the springs and PIPE IT,  PIPE DA SHIT BRO   " LEAK IT LASH IT PULL IT AN PIPE IT "     

[urchinhead]

I'm 25, about to turn 26, and I've been working as a waiter for the last seven years while going to school, and I've dabbled in residential and commercial construction for even longer. I'm still a registered member of the Laborer's International Union Local #261, but I start my apprenticeship with IBEW Local 6 ( San Francisco ) as an inside wireman at the end of the month.

[69 GTS Clonvertible]

I'm a 38 year old father of 2. I grew up around hotrods and street cars ever since I could remember, Got my first job when I was 13 as a gas station attendent, tire, and oil changer, so I could by my first car, a 1963 Valiant. I worked in an Automotive Machine shop, Pepboys, Shell station, a Wood shop making dog houses and patio furniture, and some other places not worth mintioning all while going to Jr. High and High School. I moved out of my mothers house when I was 16, and moved into my own apartment at 17 while going to High School and working at a part time job to pay for the apartment, my car, and all the other responsiblitys it comes with. I graduated from High School at 19 (because I dropped out for 1 yr to see if I could make it with out a High school education [NOT]) with 29 more credits than I needed, so they gave me an industrial major for auto shop, autobody, and architectural drafting. Moved from CA. to AZ. to get my Architectural Drafting Degree..got that, met my future wife...been married for 16 yrs in April. I worked in the manufactured housing business for 7 years drafting up thousands of single, double, and tripplewide house plans, while still working on my own automobiles on the weekends. I finally caught a break and went to work for a million dollar home building firm and have been doing this for more than 10 years...more than 7 with the company I'm with know and love making the $ to spend on my car hobby.
Shawn

[Brad4406]

I'm a 37 year old C-17 engine mechanic E-6 in the Air Force for 17 years currenlty stationed in Turkey.  My first MOPAR was a '65 Barracuda w/ /6, 3-speed on the column, and an 8 1/4 w/ posi that I bought in Fairbanks Alaska and drove all the way to Charleston South Carolina.  My current A-bodies are a 440 Duster and a '65 Barracuda that I plan to stuff a 500" 440, 4-speed, & Dana 60 into as soon as I get back to the states.  I already have 90% of the parts, I just need the time to do it.

Brad

[chryco]

Hi , I`m 48, married 16 years, and a father of two great kids from Winnipeg, Canada. I`m an Electrician turned HVAC tech for almost 30 years now and a musclecar freak since before High School . Finally lucky enough to own a couple of my dream cars . This is a truly awesome site and I enjoy chatting with all the great folks here .
   Chryco

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[BrianT]

I am 44, married 16 years, father of two great kids (sometimes), and been with the same company 13 years doing paintless dent repair.  Have been working on cars since I was 16 as a grease monkey oil change boy.  Have a degree in economics with a minor in business (barely used, make me an offer!!).

[Dcuda69]

Hi I'm 45 and a father of two great girls. Married 20 yrs. Turned wrenches on cars for 20 yrs now I also teach the trade at a local tech college. Got my b'cuda about 12 yrs. ago in a basket. Now it has a 470" strker low deck,4spd,3:73 rear.

[eldubb440]

42, never married, no kids....always took an intrest in anything mechanical. completely rebuilt my dirtbike when i was about 14 or 15 and it ran when i put it back together..... had a car in the driveway at 15..... my father was a union iron worker, and tought me how to weld early on........ learned machine shop skills in high school, but got into auto body after i graduated. at the time i thought it would be cool to be able to do custom paint jobs and stuff.....worked in a collision repair shop, then a Porsche resto shop...... i realized the world was full of oppuortunity, but id never see it locked in a body shop all day; so i quit my job in 88 and havent had a boss since...... after almost 20 years of hustlin', im buildin the cars i have collected over the years. i never thought they would be worth so much.

[gregpurcell]

I'm turning 50 this year (ack) but life has never been better. I have a radio and TV broadcasting and commercial copywriting  background. For many years I was a radio DJ moving around the country, working in small stations. I also worked as a news reporter when there was no DJ work. Later I got into TV commercial production and voiceovers in the Dover Delaware- Salisbury/Ocean City, Maryland market. After creating a few award-winning TV spots, my general manager dubbed me the "Wordmeister", a term which later became my gregpurcell.com webpage trademark. My voice can still ocassionally be  heard on TV commercials in that area today.

Ever since I was 16, I have owned and driven Mopar products starting with the family station wagon, a 1971 Plymouth Fury with a 360-2bbl (which, much to the chagrin of my father, dusted many of the local Mustangs of the time!).
My Dad (also an IBEW local 5 electrician) was an avid Ford and Chevy man. The Plymouth was the only Mopar he ever owned. He bought it because it was on sale when he was looking for a family wagon.

Dad kept hearing in the local bars he attended, about how FAST his gold station wagon was. Everyone wanted to know "what engine he had in it?" Guys would buy him a beer and tell him how their Mustang or Camaro had been blown off at a light or in a high speed road race,THEN he would come home after a "few too many" looking for ME! My relationship with my father was strained for years.

My first car was a 383 4 speed 67 Coronet, and it didn't last long in the hands of a 17 year old kid. I was playing "Dukes of Hazzard" long BEFORE Bo and Luke ever slipped through the window of the General! There was a winding country road near my house, and, if you could accelerate up to about 98MPH on a certain little straight stretch, you could clear the hill and get all 4 wheels in the air! (At this point you are probably marveling at the fact that I am still ALIVE!)

One morning, just after I had slammed 4th, cleared the rise, and achieved the desired airborne effect, I was surprised to see my next door neighbor (and Mom's best friend) coming around the corner in her old Ford station wagon! I'm certain that the producers of "Hazzard" could have coordinated a stunt version of what happened next, but I can tell you from personal experience that BRAKES do not operate with the WHEELS OFF THE GROUND! My beloved Coronet landed on TOP of my Mother's friend's car!

After that fiasco, my insurance company told me "NO MORE high performance cars" and over the next few years I drove a variety of 6 cyl Darts, Dusters, and 318 Chargers (the heavy 73-74 style). I soon learned that having a whole parts car was cheaper than going to the junkyard, and the hobby that eventually became my profession was born.

Before this STORY becomes a BOOK (which I may write someday) I eventually began selling parts on EBAY part time and making more money than I was at the TV station. After a divorce from my first wife of 11 years (no kids), I quit my job and moved to Savannah, Georgia to marry an old girlfriend from many years back. That's where the Hallmark story comes into play, but you'll have to wait for the novel.

I currently live quite happily with my wife in a 1974 doublewide trailer with a TREE growing through the tongue! It would make Jeff Foxworthy proud, but, as they say, it's PAID for!

I take on occassional freelance writing jobs, but most of my income is provided by the good folks who bid on my items on Ebay! (Thanks Guys!)

I have owned and restored many cars over the past 20 years, including several Darts, Dusters and A body Barracudas which eventually became big block cars. My true love however (please don't vanquish me from the site) is the E body convertible. I have sold 5 Challenger convertibles over the past 15 years, including 2 built into R/T clones. I eventually plan to get another despite the unbelievable prices that they demand.

In the interim, I am transforming a 67 Dart convertible into a big block 4 speed to satisfy my need for the power of a Mopar 440 convertible cruiser.

Thanks for offering this thread! It's a great chance for us to get to know each other more personally!




.

[mopardude318]

Hi, I'm James. Im from Califorina and Im 20 years old, and currently in the Army as an M1A2 Abrams Armor Crewmember. Been in for 2 years already, and got back from Iraq in Nov. 06. Got my first car (70 Dart / Slant 6) at age 16 from the original owner, (96 yr. old lady). At 17 I got a job stripping and sandblasting cars, which was a great learning experience. I've always been fascinated with muscle cars and hot rods, and of course, that V8 sound. Progress with my car has been slow, cause Im never home to work on it. But over the times that I went home on leave, I bought an alterkion, 833 4spd, and still workin on that 408 sb, whenever I have the chance. My father and my brother are helping me with the build. Hopefully this summer, Ill be home again to wrench on it. This site has helped me tremendously. Thank you all.

[guzzimike]

James, Thank you for your service to this country..

My name's Mike, 50 years old (I never thought I'd make it..). Wife Kim, one son, Josh (18). Live in Huntington Beach, Ca.

 Run my own electrical engineering business, mostly field servicing and troubleshooting Low and Medium voltage ( 480 V - 15KV) electrical power distribution systems (Breakers, Relays, Transformers, etc..). Went to school and got a Geology Degree. Then went back for an Electrical one...

Life is funny that way..

Our '68 Dart GT daily driver was built as a family project / High School car for our son.

[d55dave]

 O.K. - here goes - I am 38, live in British Columbia, Canada, been married for almost 13 years, have two great kids (8 year old son and 10 going on 16 year old daughter) - they grow too fast. Sounds like a fairytale family but we all have our share of difficulties, dont we? Good thing they are outwieghed by blessings!

I am a helicopter engineer, been working in aviation for 17 years and it has been very good to me. I currently run the component overhaul shop for the company I work for and spend my days overhauling transmissions, driveshafts, rotor heads, swashplates etc. from ouf fleet of Bell 212, 206L and 407 helicopters.

I have been mechanical for as long as I can remeber, Dad brought home a family project ('30 model A) in the early '70s and taught us how to wrench on it. I came home from the hospital in 1968 in Mom and Dads brand new '67 Dart GT 273 hp 4 spd. and must have caught the mopar bug then and there. I have often thought I should try to track down that car - any one know of a copper colored one in Western Canada?

I have bought and sold several mopars over the years - sold most of them due to life changes (houses, kids, moving etc.) but dont plan on selling my Dart Sport (408) unless I can replace it with a nice '67 - '69 Dart or Barracuda. Some of the favourite cars I owned were - '67 sport Fury 383 4 spd. and a '69 Dart GT 383.

My older brother helps to run the local drag strip, has several mopars and races a 440 powered '68 Dart post.

That is me in a nutshell, I love this board and spend far too much time on it. Great people here!!

David

[71 demon child]

35 yrs old.Graduated school went to work for a dodge dealer in Newark ,DE.This is where i got my love for mopars.At that time i was more interested in racing the 4cyl. turbo cars(had 1 glh turbo and 2 87 shelby turbo's).Had a chance to buy a plum crazy 4 speed 340 duster...but didn't because i had to travel far to work.I had just started my employment with UPS.Spent 5 yrs. at the dealership doing body and paint repair prior to going to UPS.Spent 8 more yeras doing paint,collision,graphics and what not for them.Then made an internal move and started wrenching on trailers doing FAI inspections and repairs such as air brakes, elec.,and so on.Believe it or not it got boring doing just trailers(no engine ).Did that for a year,made another internal move and now i do FAI inspections and been turning wrenches for the past 3 yrs.AND YES......I DO get to race the big brown truck .All said it's not too bad.I have a wife and 3 great kids to keep me straight.One day i'll get the demon done!

carl

[451 valiant]

Hi guys, my name's Matt. I live in southwestern Ontario, Canada.  I'm 28 years old, been married for 7 years in Sept.  I'm a mechanic and have worked at a GM dealer for 7 years (I know, I know - but  it's very good job security  ).  My dad has always been a Dodge man and that's what got me into Mopars. He's had several Mopars, current one is a 69 Dart Swinger 340.  My current project is a 1968 Plymouth Valiant 2dr.  It was a /6, now totally stripped and in the body shop for paint.  451 is just about done, 727 is done and the 8 3/4 is finished. Hoping that it will be driveable by the end of summer and complete the interior and wiring and final details over next winter.

This sure is a friendly and informative site, and I appreciate all the help you guys have been....

[moparhead]

Well....Doug here, all 57yrs of me.Married for 28yrs, (3) GREAT kids, (1) grandchild....Law Enforcement for over 22yrs, now working as an LPM for K-Mart Corp. in Fl. Graduated many moons ago in 68' that was some good times .....In 1969 Flipped my 68' Charger RT end over end 3.5 times on the Expressway and slept for 2 months  ......changed my way of thinking towards life ! After I woke up my dad said that when I'm OK to drive again he'd get me a car. I went to "Bonded Dodge" in Stoughton Ma. and looked at this car that was covered with a car cover. I asked to look at it and the guy said he couldn't sell it yet because it hasn't rolled out yet. He finally took the cover off this 1971 Hemi Orange Dodge Demon,4 speed,340, Orange interior high back buckets....it didn't have the emblems on it yet it was so new. Still got the sales sticker from the window. My dad said I'll buy it, Howey(salesman) said can't sell it yet ! My dad said I'm paying cash !! He said would Monday be good ? It was Sat. I wish I still had that car it was beatiiiifull. It was def a babe's car for sure.   A red RR after that 383.
Then..(2005).. I was driving a few towns over,went over a hill to see in the disatance My next car ...1973 Dart. Never had one, raced a lot of them, and it became my second childhood.....NOW with the help of the best site and great bunch of guys and ladies with a lot of knowledge..............Thanks for helping me feel younger !

[wrflyer]

  I'm a 42 yrs old, Married, 20 yr old son, Division Manager for Advance Auto Parts. Born and raised in Philly. Moved south to Alabama about 14 yrs ago then to Ga about 12 yrs ago. Have been in the auto parts/engine business since I was 15. Started at a jobber store with a machine shop run by two of the most talented machinists I have still ever met. They were there since the 50's. I learned a lot from them and then moved on to an engine remanufactor. Learned to grind cranks, Balance assys, and run a Serti head machine.
 Left to open an engine and engine parts whse then moved south and never looked back. Moving from middle Ga to north Ga this week.

[Jim_Lusk]

Ok, I'll try to stick to the short version.

I'm 47, been married for nearly 25 years. We have two grown sons. Both own big block a-bodies. I've been an electronics tech for 26 years, but also have a real estate appraiser trainee license and a few other irons in the fire. I grew up here in Fresno, CA (it's an acquired taste), but spent most of the 80s living in the San Jose area.

I bought my first Mopar the summer of 1977 and my first a-body the fall of 1978. I always wanted a Dart convertible and even passed on a 70 Barracuda Gran Coupe convertible to wait for a Dart. In Jan 1983, after following a lead and waiting a couple of months to afford it, we bought our 68 GTS convertible. A few cars have come and gone in that time, but the GTS remains. We also have been able to collect a few more convertibles, including Jeff's (my younger son) 67 Dart GT (440/4sp) and my 67 Barracuda. My other converts are all LeBarons, but two of them are rare (906 built) intercooled turbo 89s.

[dustertogo]

 I'm 34 , born and raised in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia but moved to Calgary ,Alberta about 12 years ago. I'm a bodyman/painter for a big bodyshop chain. My Dad is a mechanic and a Dodge guy so that's where I get it from. My first car was a 1984 Diplomat cop car , then a 1974 Cuda(still miss it). I had to sell it before I finished the resto to move out west. I got the Duster about 10 years ago, raced it alot, used it as a daily driver, and am finally getting around to restoring it now.  Troy


To respond I am from Donkin, just outside of Glace Bay but the other direction from Reserve .

[magart]

The information coming from you guys is pretty much as I expected-well educated, highly motivated people with a passion for performance. Still a little rebel left in all of us , isn't there...the fact that we're spread out all over North America is kinda bitter-sweet.....we have varied backgrounds,different zip codes but lots in common, and most of us would find at least a few friends...but we'll likely never meet...maybe at the all- chrysler show in Carlisle or something like that   -sure would be cool...

[magart]

I'm 34 , born and raised in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia but moved to Calgary ,Alberta about 12 years ago. I'm a bodyman/painter for a big bodyshop chain. My Dad is a mechanic and a Dodge guy so that's where I get it from. My first car was a 1984 Diplomat cop car , then a 1974 Cuda(still miss it). I had to sell it before I finished the resto to move out west. I got the Duster about 10 years ago, raced it alot, used it as a daily driver, and am finally getting around to restoring it now.  Troy

...Troy-where in Cape Breton are you from...that's where I am now...I only knew of one other "Caper" on the site.....I'm in reserve Mines...just out side Glace Bay...

[PinkE]

OK...let me see...I'm 56, graduated High School in `68...I lived in the Muscle car era, the first time it was popular, I remember driving my Brothers 68 Z-28 Camaro, and hearing him scream when I used to "get on it" at street lights when another car would intimidate me into a little confrontation.... ...Married my high school sweetheart in `70, he was big into Mopars, hence the love for Mopars entered my life and never left, when he started coming around he had a 67 fastback barracuda, 273 Formula S car, the confrontations between that and Bro's Z were never ending...the 273 would get him off the line but the Z would always catch up...   There's a lot of Drag racing in my past with my Ex building a record holding Super Stock car, he held many national records back in the day and has 4 Wally's on his mantel to bring back memories of that time in our lives...Fast forward to the early nineties, I got a bug up my  ..that I wanted a Challenger, a convertable...well for 2 years we looked and went on alot of goose chases till finally after going to Carlisle in 92 and not finding what I wanted we picked up a swap sheet and low and behold someone in Richmond Va. had a decent looking car for a decent price.  We left carlisle and went for a look, bought the car and drove it back to Buffalo....We did a total Rotisserie resto on the car that took 2 years I helped with every aspect of it, I remember sifting sand from the sand blasting through the screen I took out of a window in the house so we could save money and reuse the sand...We did everything on that car ourselves, we couldn't afford to have it done, so we did it ourselves, we rebuilt a 340 for it, I learned how to restore steering wheels with doing my car, and how to put upholstery on with doing my own, we both did body work, and we painted it in a small 2 car garage, and everything in that garage ended up pink, walls, floor, chair...what a mess it was before HVLP guns came around.... ...We finished the car the week before Carlisle in `96..loaded it and took it there...parked in the show field with the rest of the E-Body's and went to walk the swap meet...We got called over the loudspeaker to report to our car immediately , Oh crap, I thought it was on fire cause we had some electrical problems on the way in that morning...As I got near the car, there were a bunch of people there, I didn't see any smoke so I thought someone accidentally ran into it.... ..Nope...Magazine people were there....They wanted to shoot my car, they wanted to put it on the cover, and another mag wanted to do a feature article, it ended up in Mopar Muscle and Mopar Action... and in several other articles in Mopar Magazines in `96...We were very proud that our One of None car made the magazines on it's first time out.... fast forward again...I'm now divorced since last May, the one thing I was sure to get was my challenger...He always hated that car, he called it the car from Hell... ..And now I've met a new love, here on this site...Randy (DaBigNuttedMan)  ...He's a sweetheart, a Mopar guy, we like the same things, and he's single.... ...We've been having a blast, and I'm looking forward to helping him restore his Dodge and getting it on the road again, he said I could help...I loved the restoration process of my car, in fact when it was finally done it was a big let down to go to swap meets and not have to search for parts, or good deals on things...I'm hoping to get that going again with Randy's cars, I have Mopar on the brain now.....I wanna work on them, and Drive them....I wanna slide into my grave sideways in a Mopar, and my last request is that I don't be taken for my LAST ride in a cadillac Hurse, if that's what they got, put me in the back of a Dodge Pick up truck to get me to the cemetary...My Last ride better be in a Mopar....

[Hemi GTS]

I`m 53 , married 32 years got 3 great Kids, and a Loving Wife, 2 Dogs and alot of Great Friends on this site. I have been wrenching on Heavy Diesel engines for 35 years now and  always loved High performance cars since I was a Kid.I was the Kid that never cared about sports, just Hot Rods. In High School I always seemed to be the one every one called after they put on the new carb and couldnt make it run right. Or put on the new plug wires and couldnt get it to start up again. But it was worth it. I would go and straighten out another Guys mistake, and always ended up with a sense of satisfaction that I was able to help. This led to alot of Freinds over the years. In My High School days, I built My first Mopar a 68 Charger with a 440 4 speed. Back then 260 Sunoco gas was the diet of choice, so 12.5 -1 compression was the norm for the street. I was 17, and My late Father, was there helping. The car earned respect back then with all the Guys I hung around with. After High School I went to work on over the Road Trucks and was the Kid that all the older Guys busted on. They were tough, but I learned alot from them. In 1973 The price of Gas was going up faster than My pay so the Charger had to go.A 1970 Coronet 318 replaced it. In 74 I Married and My Family started. I worked Two jobs most of the time to keep things going. Fast forward 1991. My oldest Son comes home from school one day, and starts Yacking in My ear about a Dodge Dart He saw at a local body shop. He told Me it was for sale and I should look at it. I didnt want to I told Him. My wife told Me to go look. So I did. It was junk like I figured. The Guy wanted 1100.00 for it, I llaughed at Him and offered Him 600.00.He said no way, I gave Him My number and said call if You change Your mind. Next day He called. I went and picked it up.After I paid Him He asked what are You going to do with it? I looked at Him and saiid" Im gonna put a Blown 440 in it" He was laughing this time,I wasnt. July 3 1993, The car hits the road and its been cruising ever since and meeting new Friends. Around 2002, I got a deal on a Supercharged 426 Hemi, which I thought would look neat as Hell in that car. So the 440 came out, and the Hemi went in.My Younger Son Shawn came to Me around the time the Hemi entered the picture, with a idea of Him gettind a 100 dollar 88 Dakota. Well I wont get into details, but the damn thing is real fast now. Go figure.

[DART VADER]

Lets see, I'm 38 and live in New England. I've been working for Titleist Golf for 20 years. I have two boys. I've been a Mopar guy since the 70s. Dukes of Hazzard was probably the biggest influence. I am also an artist which I'm sure a few here will attest to. I am proud to say that I was the one who drew the flaming skull Dart for our T-shirts (thanks PinkE for getting them printed). I have my 69 Dart GT with a 440/727 and a 69 Sport Satellite convertible. I also have a 56 Ford F100 but I'm not allowed to talk about that here.