426 HEMI

[JCM 9,130]

@SparkyYour reference to that WH with the Hemi sparked my recollection when in the late 70's I received a phone call from a friend of mine who wanted to know if I was interested in going to look at a 1971 Dodge Super Bee with a 4 speed/ 426 HEMI for sale by the original owner, I am sure you know what my response was. This car, or should I say machine was located in the same town we both lived in but neither of us had never seen or even heard that there was one of these 10 minutes away. Keep in mind that we both owned Muscle cars, he a 1970 Cuda 340 4 speed and myself had recently sold a 1970 challenger and had purchased the 70 chevelle SS.When we arrived and walked up the driveway and when the garage door opened there was not 1 but 2 1971 Super Bee's inside, a purple one and an orange one, our jaw's both just about hit the floor, the owner asked which one he was interested in and he said the orange one. I believe the mileage was around 30,000 and the price was around, hold on to your recliner, in the 3500.00 range. After the transaction I was able to go for a ride in that car and I would have to say it was enjoyable to say the least. My friend was extremely responsible with this car and kept it for many years. Hope you liked this story.

[ebinmaine 67,257]

Flat-out startling to realize call little $$$ the classic collectible muscle vehicles were back in the 70s and 80s.

[Sparky-(Admin) 21,300]

Great story!! And only $3500! Hindsight...should have bought em both. Great investments 

[shallowwatersailor 3,213]

Back in the '60s while growing up on the North Side of Chicago, we had a local pizzaria. I remember that pizza at that time was just gaining popularity. Hard to believe today! The young delivery guy had replaced what ever nondescript car that he drove with  a 1966 Corvette Stingray (C2) that had the 427 and side pipe option. Talk about fast delivery! It probably was purchased used as this was about 1967. It was about eight months later, after going through a winter, that I happened by the pizzaria. Right in front (in the no parking zone of course) was a brand new 1968 Dodge Charger R/T 426 Hemi Four-Speed. Chuck had traded his Vette for a Black-on-Black Charger! No stripes to spoil the lines of the first year offering.

 

As it happened, he had a delivery to make and asked if I wanted to come along for a ride. Duh, yes! Climbing inside I was taking it all in. Not the cockpit of his Vette. What I recall was this bit of a corkscrew shifter (probably an Inland OEM and not the later production Hurst OEM) with a white shifter ball up in the air. We delivered the pizza - and then found a semi-deserted street down by the tracks.  That is when we probably got up to 70 just into 3rd and still pulling on a side street in the city. Luckily no cops, pedestrians, or other cars on the deserted street. Nice press into the upholstery!

 

[clueless 2,975]

Back in the late 70's Forbes Magazine had a small article about collecting muscle cars from the 60's and early 70's for investment purposes. They said definitely not a good investment, sometimes even the smart guys get it wrong.

 

[ZXT 2,401]

My dad's first car was a red '69 Superbee, 383 Magnum and a 4 speed. Bought it in 1976 at age 15 from a school friend for $150. I got it out and drove it to a car show last Saturday. Not a Hemi car, but still fairly cool. Talk about cheap..

 

I hear of all the cheap deals on muscle cars back in the day, and man do I wish I around then.

 

[ebinmaine 67,257]

33 minutes ago, ZXT said:

cheap deals on muscle 

Probably the best or worst, depending on how you look at it, that I ever missed out on was just before the muscle prays really hit. 1988 or 89 I guess.

it was a guy in my town that was just a few years older. He was maybe 22 or 24 at the time. I was 18 or 19.

he was a very very highly talented mechanic and technician all across the board. A rare kind of person. He had a pretty serious liking for 68 69 Chevelles.

He had one that was a rock-solid car. Original 396. He had done what we later came to call a frame off or body off restoration. Didn't really need much but it was painted 360 degrees. Flat black floor frame and suspension. Exterior was blue, black stripes.

engine was completely remanufactured from top to bottom and of course repainted and everything.

It was not super high power because he had enough common sense to keep it's treatable. Still had a cam change and upgrade.

Interior was rough and incomplete.

 

well, he had heard about a 1970 model with a 454 and he wanted that so he wanted to sell this one.

he was a really calm and cool guy and he didn't do anything with that car to make money on it. He said I could have it for the price of the sum of the car and the parts that he had bought. $3,800.

And I didn't buy it........

[JCM 9,130]

Eric, I wonder if that had the RPO    LS6    454   450 HP  which commands some serious coin in today's world, who knew.

[ebinmaine 67,257]

Just now, JCM said:

Eric, I wonder if that had the RPO    LS6    454   450 HP  which commands some serious coin in today's world, who knew.

If memory serves me correctly, it did. I think that was why he wanted it.

 

[JCM 9,130]

@shallowwatersailor  Funny you mentioned  a 427 Corvette and a 426 Hemi . Back in 1995 I had a friend who owned a 1967 Corvette 427  400 HP 4 bbl with 4 speed  4.11 rear convertible with side pipes. He was not the original owner but was a super clean,tight driving car. He decided to have a full restoration done to it, and when it was completed we brought that car from Mass to Carlisle.PA to have the car NCRS / National Corvette Restorers Society judge it and received a Top Flight Award with it. Before he sold it a few years after he pulled into the yard with it and wanted me to drive it,could not pass that one up. I was much younger going for a ride in that Hemi and that 427 was a different type of ride,but honestly that Hemi sure pulled awful hard. Both super nice autos made in the USA . I almost forget, that 427 sold for $125,000.

[elcamino/wheelhorse 9,295]

I know you guys love muscle cars of yesteryear just I like I do , but i have a story about the new muscle Volvo. Couple  years ago went over to my son's to see his new Volvo S 60. Black on black except for the little tag on the back said PoleStar. Shows me all the buttons and knobs . Get car and says tighten your seat belt and adjust the seat as we creep thru his neighborhood.

Get to main road with 35mph posted. He stops pushes this flips that looks over says 110 mph in a quarter and stomps the petal. At the 1/4 mile post the speedo was at 115 and still climbing. 

Nice ride but he would not let me drive it. 

[WVHillbilly520H 10,373]

Never rode in a hemi, but family friends had 67-70 Darts with 340, 360, and 383, early 70s Cordoba 383/400, 66-67 Fury with 383... All sounded good ran hard... One of first "muscle" cars would have been a '68 Chevelle 327 4spd but dad said I would get my "killin' done" so I ended up with '76 Chevy LUV truck with a factory installed California stepside 4cyl 4spd, but after highschool and working my first was a '66 Impala with a police interceptor 400SBC and Muncie 4spd, then a '69 C10 shortbed 350 with a Borg Warner T-10 car 4spd, then a '79 Malibu Classic Landua 305 and factory 4spd and of course the kid I have had since 2001 my factory black on black '78 Malibu Classic with a "built" 400SBC .030" over to 406ci,  10.36-1 CR, solid roller cam, forged bottom end, Dart Iron Eagle Platinum heads, TH400 reverse manual valve body with 10" 3500 stall converter and 4:10 posi rear, good times.

Edited July 5, 2019 by WVHillbilly520H

[JCM 9,130]

@WV Hillbilly    Your dad and mine thought very much alike. In 1975 my Dad had a1970 coronet 440 with the 383 under the hood, it was a 2 door with auto trans. At that time I was driving a 1966 Dodge Dart with a 225 Slant six and begged him to let me drive the 383.He was the kind of person when he said no he meant it, I was persistent and he did let me drive it once. We left the yard and directed me to take 4 right hand turns right into the Dodge Dealership and proceeded to trade it in for a 1975 Dodge Coronet with a 318 Smog motor, he told me he was trading it in before I wrecked it and got hurt,not those exact words, but you get my drift. He hated that 318 and I heard him complain about it until he traded it in in 1981. In nice terms it wouldn't get out of it's own way.I firmly believe that I would still own that 70 to this day if he had given me the chance.

[ZXT 2,401]

On 7/5/2019 at 6:52 PM, JCM said:

@WV Hillbilly    Your dad and mine thought very much alike. In 1975 my Dad had a1970 coronet 440 with the 383 under the hood, it was a 2 door with auto trans. At that time I was driving a 1966 Dodge Dart with a 225 Slant six and begged him to let me drive the 383.He was the kind of person when he said no he meant it, I was persistent and he did let me drive it once. We left the yard and directed me to take 4 right hand turns right into the Dodge Dealership and proceeded to trade it in for a 1975 Dodge Coronet with a 318 Smog motor, he told me he was trading it in before I wrecked it and got hurt,not those exact words, but you get my drift. He hated that 318 and I heard him complain about it until he traded it in in 1981. In nice terms it wouldn't get out of it's own way.I firmly believe that I would still own that 70 to this day if he had given me the chance.

Man, I feel for you! 75's (actually all made post '70) were uglier than sin. Can't imagine why someone would make that trade... At least you got to watch him be dissatisfied with it!

 

In 70 that 383 would've been 335HP and 425 TQ. Not a slouch by any means, but most v6's make 300+ HP nowadays, and 16 year old kids are driving them.

 

Slant 6's weren't fast, but I still like them. Made decent power for what they were and would run forever. The 225 in the 67 D100 that my grandfather bought new has been re-rung 3 times.. My dad said that the last time they had it apart, it had .017 taper in the cylinders! Still runs and doesn't smoke but it doesn't have much compression.

[JCM 9,130]

@ZXT You are right, that 1975 was uglier than sin, it also had on the top of the fenders on both sides small chrome lights that let you know when you signaled to make a turn they would flash amber, but the drivers side would also flash if you stepped on the accelerator to much letting you know you were consuming too much fuel back in the gas crunch days waiting in line to buy fuel. I never remember my Dad complaining about fuel mileage ever, he enjoyed quick throttle response, also thanks for the HP info on that 383, I did not know that.        Take care.