# It's heck getting old...



## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

Restore that sucker !!!

If you are like me then you lived the muscle cars and the street drags and the hamburger drive-ins with real car hops and you know who Art Arfons was and probably owned a few sets of Cragars and Keystones after you graduated from the Baby Moons, you have riddin' in a *real* HEMI and swapped spit at a drive-in theater and you know that a Barracuda isn't only a fish and you probably even shot your BB-Gun in town without the neighbors calling the cops on you every day for something and you probably road your bicycle more than three houses from your home and spent all day at the local swimmin' hole dreaming about owning a new Javelin and painting your year of graduation on the new roof of the high school. 

If any of that rings true then RESTORE THAT SUCKER, there isn't much time left to enjoy it. Later someone else can sell it off for $150.


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## nil4664 (Dec 14, 2010)

Hey Dexter, I grew up 1/2 mile from Art Arfons feed mill. Used to hear him rev up the Green Monster from time to time. Sorry to hijack your thread Mr. Cline. Couldn't resist.:wink:


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## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

Not a problem. I was at a track in Alton Illinois one time when the tree went green and the Monster skewed coming off the line and set fire to all the paper banners that lined the fence along the track blowing them into the crowd.:yes:


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## Jackofall1 (Dec 5, 2010)

If you do sell it don't sell it short, those old Mopar's are worth a small fortune.

Mark


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## DexterII (Jul 14, 2010)

Yeah, I'm leaning toward the fact that the she may not be leaving home except for the occasional trip to A&W or the DQ with my lovely bride of, well, uh, let's just say that was a few years ago as well. Bud, as I mull it around, I can't help but recall that, yup, I used to be able to set up three duces on a 440, or synch the dual points on a 426/425 hemi, so nothing that I shouldn't be able to handle, and yes, those really are about 40 year old Crager S/S's on it, albeit maybe in need of replacement if the paint comes out pristine enough. Heck, I even have the original redwall spare; never been on the ground! Mark, you are exactly right, which is the reason that it's never gone up for sale, even though I have never established my own plan for it; I started sketching out one this evening though, and it actually looks like we might be able to make it happen by next spring. Nancy, can you imagine that today?!?! Someone firing up something like that down the street?? The neighbors would go bonkers, because it would interrupt their thoughts while they were trying to text somebody/anybody about absolutely nothing. Yup, might be time for this guy to dig out the old striped overalls and get greasy. (Oops, they probably won't fit any more!) 335 REAL horsepower, and four gears (and no, that's not 3 and an overdrive!) Who knows, I may be offering rides by this time next year! So, thank you for allowing me to bounce this around a bit; I appreciate it.


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## polarzak (Dec 1, 2008)

Bud...thanks for the drive down memory lane and a review of times when sanity prevailed. Brings back memories of my 69 GTO, friend's Duster, and even that old Chrysler with the rusted out floor boards. The times were good.
DexterII...GO FOR IT. You are never too old. Fix 'er' up and have fun doing it.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

My brother and I used to hand Bill Maverick Golden (and Don Garlits too) tools while he was working on "The Little Red Wagon". The owners of our local dragway lived right up the hill from us so we saw a lot of trailers coming and going with dragsters in them too, and had a lot of fun seeing them close up.

DM


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## Maintenance 6 (Feb 26, 2008)

So..... at least tell us what model Plymouth. At 335 HP, I'm guessing a 383/440, but sitting in what? Swapped engines in and out of a few GTXs and Road Runners back in the Glory Days. Fooled with a few 428s and 429s too. Nothing like the never ending torque of a big block.


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## DexterII (Jul 14, 2010)

M6, a 'runner, coupe, 383 magnum, 335 HP from the factory, and a Racer Brown cam, which, if I recall correctly, purportedly gave it another 15 or so horses. I also converted the distributor with a Direct Connection electronic package. Other than that, just the basic 22" shifter managing four gears, leading to the standard 8-3/4 3.23 rear end. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! That reminds me; I have to try to track down the gray velvet tee shift handle that I personally was handed by Linda Vaughn, and which I foolishly "loaned" to a buddy's kid a number of years ago. The original white ball is on there right now, but LV's presence would be the frosting on the cake. Toss in my autographed photo of Sox and Martin, and we should be good to go. Man, I have a feeling that I have a few days of a sore back and a few skinned knuckles in the future, but I'm pretty glad that kid came along; might get me off center on this damn thing!


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## 4just1don (Jun 13, 2008)

working on my 69 Camaro I can tell you one thing. I dont fit under the dash for getting stuff done,,,very well like I used to on my hugger orange Z-28 back in the old days. AND bifocals dont work worth a hoot looking up.

Sure miss the intake sound of that baby DZ-302. It was small but had distinct whine!!! You could turn heads in cars 20 yards in front of you at highway speeds. (and NOT from exhaust noise either)


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## DexterII (Jul 14, 2010)

Yup, I was not much of a Chevy fan, but '69 Z's with a 302 were movers too! I forget the particulars now, but it seems the story went something like somebdy came up with a way to mix an overstock of 283 and 350 blocks and cranks, figuring that would be better than melting them back down, and more-or-less by dumb luck ended up with this little beast that would redline at something north of 7 grand. Onandaga, DM?


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

No, 131 Martin Dragway, Dragway, Dragway, Michigan.

DM


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## rusty baker (Feb 13, 2009)

Wait til you see what restoration costs. I backed out on restoring my 70 Chevy PU after I saw what it would cost.


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## DexterII (Jul 14, 2010)

Okay, yeah, Martin is probably about 60 miles west, as the crow flies, from Onandaga. I only got there a few times, but figured it was somewhat in your neck of the woods. Rusty, you're right, and that's one of the reasons that it hasn't happened yet. I sure as heck don't want to undertake the body work, even though it's actually still in good shape, but I happen to personally know 3 guys who do this type of work, and two of them are close enough that I will at least know that what I pay will be fair. The gear box, rearend, brakes, etc. will be no problem, except for the time, and I think I know a guy who would do a quality job on the short block, after which I think that I will actually enjoy setting the valves, carb., etc. Just need to dust off some tools that haven't been out of the chest in a while!


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## rusty baker (Feb 13, 2009)

I still work on some of my stuff, but a total restore is beyond me.


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## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

> AND bifocals dont work worth a hoot looking up.


I have a friend who's a carpenter/remodeler. He has his work-glasses made with the bi-focals at the bottom and the top of each lense. Wonder what that costs.


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## rusty baker (Feb 13, 2009)

Well, I do have this to play with.


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## 4just1don (Jun 13, 2008)

those z's were chebbys answer to the furds etc for Nascar racing. they had to pump out so many to be called stock regular units and then they could go nascar racing with them. 

the 302 was RATED at 290 hp but rumored to be more like 335 with a good tune up and a couple easy tweaks. 

Saw a bare block somebody wanted 8500 bucks for,,,and how do you KNOW for sure its build able???? After the money is paid defects come fast. btdt.


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## Maintenance 6 (Feb 26, 2008)

rusty baker said:


> Wait til you see what restoration costs. I backed out on restoring my 70 Chevy PU after I saw what it would cost.


But when you see the dollar value of a restored 60s-70s era muscle car, it makes the resto cost a little easier to live with.


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