Spring of 68 I found me a mint 57 Belair with an oil burning 283 for $395. I got my learners permit, and drove it till fall and pulled the engine. I rebuilt it and dropped it back in in spring. Drove her for the summer of 69, and parked it for the winter. I was 16. By the middle of the following summer the tranny was cooked, and I traded it to my brother for a 69 CB350 Honda motorcycle that he had just plowed into a tree. I figured putting on new tubes was easier than fixing that PowerGlide!
But now I was without wheels for a time, so I began shopping.I had $1200 saved up, and I wanted a muscle car! I took several different cars for a ride, all out of my price range, but I was aiming high.
In the fall of that year,1970, I ran across a fellow selling his 1970 Swinger 340/4-speed/3.55s. I showed up at his place just after dark. It was PlumCrazy! He took me for a ride, and I was sold! I haggled him down to 2400, and we shook on the deal. Now I was committed. Next day, I went to my bank of 4 years where I had been dutifully depositing 20% of my paychecks since age 13, and inquired about a loan. Sure we can lend you 1200, no problem, they said.
So, I go back to this fella's house, to seal the deal, and when I get there, there is no FC7 car there. Instead I see a Pink Panther Dart.
It turns out under a Mercury Vapor streetlamp Pink turns Purple.Well, a deal's a deal, so we traded our assets, And I was well on my way to having a new nickname.
That was late 1970. I drove that car til the snow came down, and those stinking nearly-new E70-14s gave up,then parked it 'til spring. At the first sign of pavement, I was out there learning how to drive all over again.
I won't ever put Goodyear Polyglass GTs on anything again. I burned those off in short order, and it was good riddance.Over the time I had that car, until spring of 76 when I sold it,That Car, managed to burn up 6 more sets of rear tires. That's 7 sets,including those loser GTs, from spring of 71 until fall of 75.
It also wore out,or broke, IIRC; 2 sets of synchronizers, 2 MS gears,1 shift fork,2 clutchs,1 rear end,1 alternator,and 1engine.I got rid of that money-pit in February of 76 just as the starter cranked for the last time.I was 22.
I was of course hooked on Chrysler Power.
That 340 did not do well at the track, turning just
[email protected], but after I put in the 4.10s and the custom slapper bars it took all comers on the street.Right up until I blew the engine. Thank goodness for the 5 and 50 Warranty.
But the second engine was a dog. I was not sad to see the old girl go.
Then I met a girl. Then I met a 65 V100 longroof. And a 340.
After that comes a lifetime of Mopars.
I lucked into that pink Swinger. It had only 11,000 miles on it. The tires were practically new when I got it.But I kept breaking stuff,and as a very young man still going to hi-school until 73; on my part time work,I couldn't afford to pay someone to fix it for me. And so I had to learn how to fix the stuff I broke or wore out. I became sorta knowledgeable on Mopes and so I stuck with them.
On the yard or nearby I still have 6 of my own, 3 of which are currently little more than empty shells, and 2 are drivers, and one I think the valves are stuck. I while back I hit the key to move it, and it made an awful racket....
I guess I'll be fixing that then.
I'll be 64 next month, and still fixing Mopes. That's nearly 50 years, I suppose.
.
1994 comes around and I buy a new Ram 2500 diesel that I still have today. 
