Are E-bodies Muscle? Or Pony?

[sir_veza]

Guess you guys weren't into cars very much back then. Drum brakes were standard on most cars until 1972. You had to buy a package to get disc before then. Just like electronic ignition was not standard until mid 72. Like I said in an earlier post, it is very easy to find answers today with computers. Or read books like we did for the last 50 years. Motors Manuals, Mitchells, etc..
I have been in the automotive business since the late 60's. Seen a lot happen in that time. Like I said before the good old days weren't as good as people think they were. You had to know how to work on cars back then and not just for fun. They required a lot of maintenance. They all used oil, designed that way. Needed lots of lubrications. Getting an oil change and lube job use to mean something different than todays oil change.
Oils, lubes, fuels, gaskets, seals, etc... were nowhere near as good as todays stuff.
Modern guys are spoiled.

Well in 1972 I was 13 years old and my car knowledge was somewhat restricted to the Hot Wheels cars my brother and I had...Didn't really start getting much into the mechanical side of things too much until high school in the mid 70s...when the auto shop teacher would allow one or two kids to bring in a project to "supe up"... but mostly early 60's Chevys or Fords...not too many Dodges or Plymouths...(maybe the odd Fury or Coronet)...certainly no E Bodies...but those were my good old days!

 

[moparleo]

Good for you. Unfortunately today there very few if any vocational classes in schools anymore. Auto shop, Metal shop, Wood shop, Print shop. And the Teachers who were young , experienced and motivating.
Our wood shop teacher was a surfer and taught us how to build surf boards from scratch.
Metal shop learned welding, soldering, brazing, all phases of machine work and sand casting parts.
Our Auto shop teacher was personal friends with Ed Iskenderian, (we got free cams and stuff), Offenhauser, Ansen, Edelbrock, Halibrand, Dean Moon, Fred Blair, LA Roadsters etc... So I got to meet these guys and we got Lots of donated speed equipment. We had everything in the Snap-on catalog in our tool crib. All the Sun equipment, Distributor machines, valve grinding equipment, leak down testers... A hot tank, gas and arc welders. A 2 post and single post lift
. You could rebuild everything in our shop without having to send almost nothing to an outside machine shop.
Nothing at all today. Only computer classes. Very sad...
My 19 year old grandson doesn't even have a drivers permit and is not interested in driving at all, but love to play video war games all day long...Don't get it.

 

[sir_veza]

Can completely relate to what you're saying Moparleo. Music to my eyes to read!
Thought my high school auto shop was good but you must have been in heaven!!! I live in Brampton, Ontario Canada where the Chrysler Assembly factory is today - where they build the new Challengers, Hell Cats etc. Can't count the times when I've been filling up at the gas station near the plant - line workers and engineers, most in their (30s / early 40s) want to see what an "original" looks like...they can't get enough info...
Regarding the young generation though - you're right, most could care less for the cars we like (not just E Body) - and the car lovers are all about rice rockets and BMWs...Really hope our hobby continues when we're gone but have my fears it may not...but really appreciate your knowledge and insight.

 

[WinstonWolfe]

Good for you. Unfortunately today there very few if any vocational classes in schools anymore. Auto shop, Metal shop, Wood shop, Print shop. And the Teachers who were young , experienced and motivating.
Our wood shop teacher was a surfer and taught us how to build surf boards from scratch.
Metal shop learned welding, soldering, brazing, all phases of machine work and sand casting parts.
Our Auto shop teacher was personal friends with Ed Iskenderian, (we got free cams and stuff), Offenhauser, Ansen, Edelbrock, Halibrand, Dean Moon, Fred Blair, LA Roadsters etc... So I got to meet these guys and we got Lots of donated speed equipment. We had everything in the Snap-on catalog in our tool crib. All the Sun equipment, Distributor machines, valve grinding equipment, leak down testers... A hot tank, gas and arc welders. A 2 post and single post lift
. You could rebuild everything in our shop without having to send almost nothing to an outside machine shop.
Nothing at all today. Only computer classes. Very sad...
My 19 year old grandson doesn't even have a drivers permit and is not interested in driving at all, but love to play video war games all day long...Don't get it.

I've had a driver's license (farm permit) since I was 14, so I've been legally driving since then. I've been driving cars since I was probably 10-12.. go-karts/dirtbikes/atvs since like 4. I've had my '70 for four years now, and I'm 25. By the way... still has points, complete #s matching drivetrain, and even still has drums all around. Thing works great, it's reliable as hell, and it's easy to work on. To each is own!

 

[moparleo]

Is it your daily driver ? 10-15K per year ? live in the "city" ? Old cars worked, they just work a lot better now. I am sure that if your car had electronic igition, fuel injection and disc brakes when new, you wouldn't put in a points ignition and drum brakes. That wouldn't make sense. New cars are Much safer and stop much quicker. The old days were the old days. Times have changed. I''ve had dozens of cars, old and new from an old 48 Plymouth I bought for $25. back in 69 to a BMW 750 IL. I'd rather drive the BMW. Wait 40 more years to see what you think then.

 

[Daves69]

As drivers of these old cars you need to realize the limitations of them. You don't need to be crawling up the back side of a car made in this day and age. It's bad enough these cars seem to have a targets painted on them when out on the road.

'71 Challenger RT the stopping distance from 60 mph ideal conditions was rated 195 feet. (I would not bet on this number from the 1970 Chrysler Consumer Information printout)
in comparison,
'20 Challenger .............................................................................................. 105 feet.

 

[WinstonWolfe]

I am sure that if your car had electronic igition, fuel injection and disc brakes when new, you wouldn't put in a points ignition and drum brakes.

Of course not... Perhaps you're missing my point...

My point is that there are still young people in the hobby, and we don't all take only computer classes. Your 19 year old grandson is not representative of the whole.

By the way, to answer your question, it's not my daily driver right now but it was when I was stationed in Maryland and lived in Baltimore (through the winter, no less), and I've made two cross country road trips in it.

 

[sir_veza]

I've had a driver's license (farm permit) since I was 14, so I've been legally driving since then. I've been driving cars since I was probably 10-12.. go-karts/dirtbikes/atvs since like 4. I've had my '70 for four years now, and I'm 25. By the way... still has points, complete #s matching drivetrain, and even still has drums all around. Thing works great, it's reliable as hell, and it's easy to work on. To each is own!

Good for you Winston! It's a positive testament young people like yourself are not only interested in the hobby but also participate. Really impressed you have a 1970 Cuda. What is it's history? what motor & drivetrain etc? What plans do have for it?

 

[WinstonWolfe]

Good for you Winston! It's a positive testament young people like yourself are not only interested in the hobby but also participate. Really impressed you have a 1970 Cuda. What is it's history? what motor & drivetrain etc? What plans do have for it?

Was able to pick it up from a guy in Wisconsin after my dad and I restored an old pickup through high school, and made a good profit on it (my dad used to do restorations full-time). It's a numbers matching 383 2BBL/727 car and it still runs like a top. I'm actually in the Air Force and have moved around a few times in as many years, so I've just been driving it and having fun with it while it's in a condition that allows me to treat it like a normal car. Lots of fun for sure. A restoration is definitely a priority in the future, but right now I'm just focused on enjoying it.

 

[heminut]

My opinion is that the cars with either no back seat (AMX) or almost unusable (for a normal sized adult) back seats were ponycars. The term 'ponycar' originated with the Mustangs which had the aforementioned tiny back seats. If I remember correctly, some of the first fastback Mustangs didn't have back seats.

 

[budascuda]

Yes standard. But many selected the updated front disc break option. With today's power upgrades so wildly available? It would be almost criminal not to upgrade brakes.

So, short rear end.......
It makes sense, ponies have short rear ends, and they got an unexpected "kick" !

 

[TheTieWrapKid]

Both !