Your first mopar...?

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My first Mopar purchased in 69 was a 69 Dart Swinger 340 automatic with a reverse manual shift valve body and 3:91 gears and a little engine work, it was my big block killer. My second was a 68 Dart GTS 340 automatic that I only had for a couple of years that turned out to be nothing more than a money pit then sold it to buy my current Mopar a numbers matching 68 Dodge Coronet R/T 4 speed in 2006. Don't have any pictures of my 69 Swinger as there wasn't much left of it after a very large truck pulled out in front of me back in 1972

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My third Mopar is a 65 Barracuda which is a plain 273, 2bbl, 904 auto trans that is a very dark green with a black flop that's had a quick restoration.
Barry,

I'd be driving the snot out of that car every chance I could.

I drive mine when I can (maybe once a week) but it's not enough.
 
Lots of cool cars and great stories. Mine was a 65 Barracuda Formula S. It had a primer gray front clip and a very oxidized rear part of the car. Looked like a red primer rear section. Had brought it to several older more "experienced" mechanics to figure out why it was .lacking the power it should've had. Finally it was the 17 year old son of one of my neighbor's who opened the hood and in less than 10 minutes who said it's got dual points that weren't set properly. His adjustment was the right one that woke up the engine and made it fun to drive again. Unfortunately the ex got it and sold it because she was stupid. I won't go into details because I'm sure a lot of us have similar stories. My second Mopar was a 64 1/2 Valiant Barracuda. This car was a complete basic. Slant six one bbl with a three on the tree. Even had the radio delete cover. The body was gorgeous or so I had thought. Even got a couple of second place trophies. After an engine and transmission failure (at separate times) it was time to replace the drivetrain with a 360 police engine and a 727 torque flight(also a police model) both of which were from a 79 Cordoba 300. After finding out from the machine shop that the block was cracked I was encouraged to go all the way with a complete restoration with some friends help with the body work. After tearing the car down and getting it stripped that friend took his own life. The other friend had passed away from "old" age(he was only 61)after his wife died suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 58. Now being left with no one I trusted to do the quality of work I wanted and needed the car has sat in my garage on stands for the last 20 years. It's a very clean rust free car besides a couple of spots on the quarters and some small spots on the doors and decklid. I did win a couple of trophies while the car was being driven. My third Mopar is a 65 Barracuda which is a plain 273, 2bbl, 904 auto trans that is a very dark green with a black flop that's had a quick restoration. Now I've been diagnosed with terminal cancer and can only dream about what I'd like to do with it. I'll just try to enjoy it while I'm still around.

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Drive it all you can. I do the same with the GTS, when ever and where ever.

Cliff
 
I was lucky enough to get a job at a chrysler plant when I graduated and still lived at home at that time. so making good money I went out and bought my first car, a hemi four speed challenger and still have today. the last picture is of me working on it when I had hair. its not an a-body but I did finally get a 1969 cuda.

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I was lucky enough to get a job at a chrysler plant when I graduated and still lived at home at that time. so making good money I went out and bought my first car, a hemi four speed challenger and still have today. the last picture is of me working on it when I had hair. its not an a-body but I did finally get a 1969 cuda.

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Might be my favorite story here...just based on the fact that you worked at Chrysler right out of high school.. your first car was a Hemi 4spd Challenger, AND you still have it..
Doesn't get much better than that..!!
 
Bought car (1974 duster) in October of 1980 for 2 thousand dollars and drove it down over next couple of years. Sat for next 15 and have been restoring it ever since. Still got the matching numbers 360 and auto, Picture is from Majestics in Regina last spring.

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First MOPAR i bought my wife couldn't have her driving a round in a vega any more . was a friend of mines car and he got a 1970 road runner.
1970 dodge challenger 318 slap stick 8 3/4

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First was a '69 Fury III more-door that was a graduation present. In tech school I rebuilt & warmed over the 318/727, 3k stall converter & added 3.91's - ran a handful of street trophy classes at the local strip - ran a best of 15.3 (not bad for a 4,000 lb. yacht). A couple years later it met its demise as the meat of a 3-car sandwich.
After that happened, I found my first Fish... '67 Notch /6 for $750 that seized up on me like the 3rd time I drove it... and on the same highway where the Fury got crunched :BangHead:
I had pulled the 318/727 from the Fury before it was scrapped & transplanted them into the Barracuda, along with Kelsey-Hayes front discs. That's as far as I got with the car & then life got in the way, and it sat. Ended up selling it around '97 for WAY less than I should've. Always wonder if that '67 is still out there - from what I remember, the guys I sold it to had plans on tubbing it & making a drag car. Don't have many photos of either of them.
Mopar toy life fell dormant until I bought my '69 nearly 6 years ago.

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In 1975, just before I turned 16, my uncle sold me his 1968 Charger 440R/T. It lasted for one semester taking me from my house in Bernal Heights to Lowell high school in San Francisco. My mom found out and whacked me with chancla until I gave it back to my uncle! He sold it to me for $200 because it was a gas guzzler, I only had $50 to my name and he accepted it! He lived in Stockton and sold it to another young guy. It was blue with white vinyl top and white trunk stripe. Pretty rare Charger from what I've found out since, bench seat and column shift automatic. Had over 100k on the clock, burned oil, looked new and ran strong! I was so upset that I tried to run away by joining the Navy! I had to wait a couple more years for that! Still get teary eyed when I spot a Charger with the round tail lights!
 
My first mopar I owned at age 14 was a 68 two door coup, 383 4barrel Monaco. Blue, and owned it till almost 16, traded it in to drive to Arkansas to meet my father, 1970 Ford XL.
 
Very first Mopar I got, was my dad's
1975 400c.i. Newport 2 Dr. Brougham.
Burgundy with the dark red/white /black"Navajo" Indian design
velour interior. He handed it down to me, for a H.S. grad present, after he bought a new car, the year I graduated in '83.
First Mopar I bought with my own money, a year later, was a 1969 Chrysler 300 convertible. All original car, I was the third owner...bought it from a co-worker of my dad's at Chrysler Corporation.
Paid $1,200 for it. 440-4bbl with black bucket seat interior. T7 Bronze.
First picture is after I restored the car. Second pic is just after I bought it. My brother has it now.

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Very first Mopar I got, was my dad's
1975 400c.i. Newport 2 Dr. Brougham.
Burgundy with the dark red/white /black"Navajo" Indian design
velour interior. He handed it down to me, for a H.S. grad present, after he bought a new car, the year I graduated in '83.
First Mopar I bought with my own money, a year later, was a 1969 Chrysler 300 convertible. All original car, I was the third owner...bought it from a co-worker of my dad's at Chrysler Corporation.
Paid $1,200 for it. 440-4bbl with black bucket seat interior. T7 Bronze.
First picture is after I restored the car. Second pic is just after I bought it. My brother has it now.

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Nice..!
 
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That’s me in the top pic in 1973. My dad bought the duster just before I was born in 71.
The 72’ demon in the second pic was my first car I bought when I was 15.
Then almost 50 years later I buy the duster from my dad!

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It was our family daily driver.
It was parked in a garage in 1980 with 76000 miles.
 
I wish I had pics from when I got this 67 I got when I was 14, I'm 34 now and this is her current state with my wife and kids. Now I have a few more but my first car I bought at 12 at an auction on accident for $200 it was a 69 road runner 383 auto and hit on front passenger corner. My great uncle ended up buying it from me and he restored it and still has it to this day. Then I bought a 69 charger no motor no trans and I traded that for this 67 that was already painted and needed to be assembled.

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mine was a 1960 Desoto, my grandfather bought it new, Mom and Dad got it next, then it was passed down to me at 17

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This is me and the dogs name was Whiskers, standing in front of a 1953 Plymouth Suburban. Probably 1953-54.
Flathead 6 cyl, 3-speed on the tree and an overdrive knob under the dash. Two door station wagon with electric windshield wipers. This would be my first car 12-13 years later. Wish that I had it now.

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My first MoPar in '69
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My 2nd MoPar '69 Charger 318 Console auto a/c.
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Got my first Mopar back in 1971.
This 71 Cuda. 383 Automatic. 3.55 Sure Grip car.
Factory ordered it, and kept it for 39 years, before selling it in, 2010.
Cost me $3,900.00 bucks, back then in the dinosaur days.

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My first Mopar, although never making it back to the road, was my Moms 1973 Satellite Sebring Plus. It was her first new car, she traded in her trusty old 1965 Galaxy 500 to get it. That car was rode hard and put away wet, and the daily commute of 110 miles took its toll on it. My brother got the 1971 Duster, I got the SSP. I took it to auto shop class where it was deemed too far gone to bring back, and was scrapped, the junkyard came and picked it up at the high school, that was 1980.

My next Mopar didn’t come to me until around 1988, when I bought a 1972 Harley as a basket case, and put it together from swap meet parts. It belonged to a well known biker in our area, and my buddy called and said “Chucky Boggs wants his old bike back (now that I got it running), and he will trade you this 1964 Belvedere he has for it. Done deal. I have some pics of the Belvedere when I first got it, but they’re on film. I drove that car around and to the Nats, where I dropped it into a huge hole in the show field, big enough to put a 55 gallon drum into it. I did just that, and took pictures of the barrel in the hole, and the damage to the car and went to the tower. K&K was the insurance carrier of the facility ( Indy ), and paid to have the car fixed and the entire car painted. Here’s a pic of the car, the bride and I, sometime in 1990 or so, with the car painted and at a car show. I traded that car for my old black GTX, and traded the GTX for the Roadrunner I have now, so in a way, that old Belvy is still with me.

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Got my first Mopar back in 1971.
This 71 Cuda. 383 Automatic. 3.55 Sure Grip car.
Factory ordered it, and kept it for 39 years, before selling it in, 2010.
Cost me $3,900.00 bucks, back then in the dinosaur days.

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Beautiful, still my favorite looking car. In high school we used to race against the clock in reverse, from the bottom to the top of Lombard, lots of bent fenders had to be explained to lots of moms and dads! Thank you for sharing this!
 
First Mopar was a 1991 Dodge Daytona ES. It was two tone blue/silver and had the Mitsubishi V6. The valve stem oil were shot on it when I got it... the smoke screen was amazing!!! I had it from around 2000. But, I had to sell in 2002 when I changed jobs and I couldn't afford its up keep. Sold to a gent who consequently wrote it off in an accident having not been careful enough getting use to driving a left hand drive car in the UK... I haven't got any photos as they were left behind after my divorce.
 
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