Car Stories Thread

[The_Raging_Bull]

So I thought I'd do a funny car stories thread: EVERYONE has one, some of us more than one. Here's mine:
I had graduated college and was a wild and crazy guy down in 1983/4 North Texas.

I decided to build a hot '79 Z28. The engine was a bored/stroked 376, w/a aluminum hi rise intake,ported heads, popup forged pistons, a Holly Double Pumper (850 CFM) and NOS fogger...all built by an NHRA engine builder out of Lewisville. He used my 79 350 4 bolt main block and some special parts from NHRA engines that had been retired - them. He had such a room of old parts which after magnafluxng were affordable.

For the time it was a state of the art build. The engine had forged internals, balanced and blueprinted @ 500+ hp with NOS jetted @ 200 hp. It had a '72 Chevelle SS 12 bolt rear end with a 4.10 gears and hardened axles, with a tranny rebuilt with a really hard shifting 5 speed that was out of a wrecked Camaro. That made it as fast as my current '09 Z06 w/o the handling. It would run a 126 mph quarter mile. I made my own octane booster in the days before MMT..by using xylene, analine, moth balls and lucas mystery oil @ 220 octane analine---could make smoking fuel just like race gas.

It.was.REALLY.fast.

So on a cruise on 114 West I was headed towards the Trophy Club > near Roanoke in Texas - South of Keller-South Lake near Ft Worth. As I realized that I was in the sticks --- I said why not top her out?? I went WFO and hit the fogger switch - as I went to 137---I thought--- ---138---Hold--- ---- ---139--- Picture Mad Max hitting the Weiland switch.

Then came my "Oh Zhit" moment!!!! a DPS trooper !!! with Mars Bar lights running !!!! Crap you can't outrun the speed of light!!

Decision moment..I mean I streaked by him at 105.

I hit my brakes hard enough to leave the rears with a flatted spot. I quickly stopped, ran toward a field ---Heave Ho--- I left any contraband >beer >wacky tabakky well off the road. Then I hustled back over to the car and > trying to be calm – huffing & puffing. leaned against the car to support my (knocking) knees.

As the officer pulled up I asked simply.."Am I going to jail??" His answer - "Pause……..No!!!…...WHAT HAVE YOU GOT IN THAT CAR???" (smile) "It sounded like a jet going by!"The car sitting there loping/burbling, it had a really ragged cam lope. It sat there spitting raw gas .. We talked for 10 to 15 minutes, he looked under the hood with all the stainless steel braided hose and Aeroquip fittings .. it really did look like it was out of Hot Rod magazine. I remember it as one of those moments when you bargain with God...I'll never do this again--- Wow he gave me a cop who was a Car Guy.

I started felling pretty good, and finally asked THE question: "Do you think you can see your way clear to giving me a warning?" Well he said, you were doing 99 mph or less then yes, but over a hundred ---no discretion. Really nice guy, at court he told the judge that I pulled immediately over to face the music.(If he only knew).

The judge looked over his glasses (sternly) and said "$430 on the ticket, and if You are ever in my court again its jail time AND I'll be telling you how to drive to work for 5 years".

The end game you ask?? Well it marked the end moment of my misspent youth -> I grew up instantly. SR22 high risk insurance was $2500 a yr for 5 yrs 3 months... and during that time I sold the Camaro and bought a Toyota Corolla GTS. I paid about $9000 for the foolishness that netted me that ticket, It convinced me to never drive on the highway like that again...ever. That said off ramps and in ramps ARE not highway (smile).

Of course my days of the misspent youth weren't quite over, as I did go back & collect any beer, green or hmmm...anything else that had been hidden, you know it was the 80's. I drove away with my car in cruise, my knees quaking. rubber.really.for the 30-35 minute drive home.

Funny thing, we were visiting my brother in my Z06 last year, he says lets go at a place called Babes Fried Chicken. Sounded great and !! we ended up in Roanoke right off 114 West !!!!!! @ HWY 377!!! After eating as I walked out I had such a case of deja vu. I was struck as I realized I was about 1/2 a mile from THE place where I had experienced my moment of CLARITY that really changed my life. I seriously grew up grew up when I saw those blue lights. My father was former Dallas PD, so it was a part of me from my early youth not to do something really stupid and get in trouble --- as a kid I was always running into cops who knew my father.

So true story, those are many times the best. Now you'd not only go to jail, your fine would be killer, and they might impound your car.

Epilogue:
I never think too kindly of the old days, since memories always seem fonder years later. I always say those "good old days" were really just that -> the old days. Hey I never got killed or caught,knock on wood... but...I did give up all those bad habits. I went back to my roots in the church and like so many others I got lucky in finding a bride 5 years later who helped tame me and has kept me grounded for the last 28 years.

[macalot]

Attending college at Penn State back in the '70s a friend of mine needed someone to run on his tail while he drove his un-inspected/licensed 340 Duster 15 miles to a friends to fix it for inspection purposes. He plasters a few leaves over the old inspection sticker and away we go. About a mile before he turns where I need to go straight a State Police car comes up behind me from nowhere...and believe me when you are driving a '69 Z/28 back then you know every car near you 'cause you are a marked man. I figure my buddy is busted, but NO the State Trooper follows me! I thinking what the hell? We were not speeding, nothing. After about a half mile he puts on his lights and I pull over...right in front of the Chevy dealer where I would buy my parts. He gets out and asks how my day is going. I say, Sir it was going good until you pulled me over. I ask, just what did I do? He says, Nothing!!!! I was hoping you wouldn't mind as your car is an exact copy of the car I had to sell before I went to Vietnam. I miss it dearly, could you open the hood? How about revving it a bit! I obliged to 6,000 rpm. We talked for 15 minutes or so, he looked all over the car and said thanks, be safe, but have fun! Needless to say the dealership folks were watching the whole time, so I cross the road and park. They are laughing, wanting to know how many tickets I got. I said none, and told them the story, hehe!
How cool is that?

[JUSTIFIED]

Great thread idea, RB and 2 awesome stories Not sure I can come close, but here is one of mine.

When I was a sophomore in high school (1980) I had a 1976 Impala. It was the polar opposite of Raging Bull's Camaro. My mom raised 3 kids on a skimpy salary so I was honestly lucky to even have a car, but that car was a total mess.

The funniest moment... I had literally just gotten my driver's license and had planned a "big" night with 4 of my buddies. I told them I'd drive and boy was I proud! I lived in Johnston, which was a small town just outside Des Moines. So, we decided we'd go to Des Moines and drive around the downtown square, which was an area where teens and young 20 something’s hung out. Most of the time was spent driving around the square (sort of like in American Graffiti), which was ~ 4 city blocks X 2 city blocks. I'd been there several times in one buddy's father's '79 Vette and another buddy's gold 1970 Challenger convertible (very, very cool car). The goal, of course, was to meet girls and we often did... in the Vette and Challenger. It was not meant to be on this fateful night, however. We're cruising around and the sun had just set and a light rain coming down. So, headlights and wipers were on and the radio was blaring…. we were primed and on the hunt. Suddenly the electrical system starts shorting out. The headlights were flashing on and off, radio cutting on and off and the windshield wipers were going crazy. Then the car sputtered and died. I was horrified and my friends were laughing their asses off. Our hunt was over and my car was dead. It was an ugly ending to an evening filled with so much hope. I didn't have the mechanical skills or the money to fix it so it sat in our garage for a year before mom sold it for scrap.

After that my only personal mode of transportation was a moped (at 6'5" I looked ridiculous…). I never wore a helmet and often wore shorts and a t-shirt (I ride something a little different than a moped now and wear gear at all times). One funny story about the moped… I had severely injured my left index finger (nearly cut off when I accidentally put my hand through our front glass door). So, it was all stitched up and heavily bandaged. My buddy and I were riding through a parking lot and a couple of very cute girls we knew drove by in the opposite direction. They were waiving and calling out to us and I did the same. I was looking back as they went by and then "bam!" and I am on the ground. I had run into a cement parking block. I landed on my injured finger and re-injured it. My ego was bruised w/ finger hurting like hell, but those girls were all over me asking me if I was okay, holding my hand, etc. So, I hammed it up a little and soaked it all in. Then I got my 6'5" ass on the moped and went home. My mom took me to the Dr. and they fixed me up.

I have a funny mini bike story as well as funny Ford Gremlin (mom's car) a Dodge Dart (brother's car) and a funny maryjane story (me and buddy in his Civic hatchback), but I'll save those for another day. :-)

[The_Raging_Bull]

In mine ..as that cop got out of the car.. and as the judge looked over his half glasses at me - wow did my butt pucker. While both turned out OK they could have gone so wrong. You can't do stuff like that today since nowadays as there is no tolerance.

Most of my other stories revolve around chemistry, since as a kid I got my first chemistry set in the 2nd grade; and decided thats what I wanted to do when I grew up. Those old sets had some decidedly dangerous materials in them..if you knew what you were doing. I didn't, but that didn't keep me from trying- as early on I found out about "Chemische Berichte" at the SMU engineering library in Dallas. But like you I'll hold those stories for another day.

Cheers all.

[JUSTIFIED]

178 viewers of the thread and only 3 stories? Come on guys/gals... let's here em!!

[Supercup]

When I grew up my crew of friends had a motto we lived by then and still do now:

"If you weren't there you missed it, we are telling no stories and telling no lies"

[JUSTIFIED]

Originally Posted by Supercup

When I grew up my crew of friends had a motto we lived by then and still do now:

"If you weren't there you missed it, we are telling no stories and telling no lies"

You ended my never ending story thread and are now on here telling us you won't share your stories. What's the point of posting anything at all?

[Supercup]

Originally Posted by JUSTIFIED

You ended my never ending story thread and are now on here telling us you won't share your stories. What's the point of posting anything at all?

The first was a joke -

This one proves I am pretty much useless!

[JUSTIFIED]

Originally Posted by Supercup

The first was a joke -

This one proves I am pretty much useless!

Lol. I totally missed the joke. If you have stories that can't be told, then they must be pretty damn good. Shame we can't hear them!

[Mikebrinda]

I’m a senior in high-school. Torrance, California, 1972. Poker game at a friend’s house breaks up. It’s after 1am. No cars on the streets. I’m driving home; '69 Road Runner. Orange w/black vinyl top.

I approach a major 4-way intersection. A VW Bug going through the intersection crosses over to my side of the street, head-on straight for me. I have seconds to process my options. But at the last moment the VW veers away, hits the curb and explodes into a fireball.

It’s like a movie scene--- except it’s not, it’s real. I stop in the middle of the street. I try to help. No chance. You don’t realize how intense the heat is when you see such things on TV. But I’m going to try. I’m taking off my jacket--- I don’t know why, when I hear people behind me yelling, “Stop! Stop!” So I stop. Turns out . . . . the Bug was chained and being towed behind another car. I didn’t know that.

There was nobody in the car.

[swampcritter]

I got caught racing one night. We had tried to run , but his radio was faster than my old truck.He got me out and was giving me the drunk test , I was standing on one foot trying to find my nose with my finger , when I fell into the ditch.He asked if I wanted to continue, I said "Naw , I'll just git in your car before I hurt myself".That night I got tickets for : No headlights,Evading & Eluding,Drag racing,Reckless driving , and D.U.I. {All charges were dropped except DUI in court} But I did get free room & board at York County Jail

[The_Raging_Bull]

Originally Posted by Mikebrinda

I’m a senior in high-school. Torrance, California, 1972. Poker game at a friend’s house breaks up. It’s after 1am. No cars on the streets. I’m driving home; '69 Road Runner. Orange w/black vinyl top.

I approach a major 4-way intersection. A VW Bug going through the intersection crosses over to my side of the street, head-on straight for me. I have seconds to process my options. But at the last moment the VW veers away, hits the curb and explodes into a fireball.

It’s like a movie scene--- except it’s not, it’s real. I stop in the middle of the street. I try to help. No chance. You don’t realize how intense the heat is when you see such things on TV. But I’m going to try. I’m taking off my jacket--- I don’t know why, when I hear people behind me yelling, “Stop! Stop!” So I stop. Turns out . . . . the Bug was chained and being towed behind another car. I didn’t know that.

There was nobody in the car.

Mike thats a great story.

[The_Raging_Bull]

Ok 2nd story about my old 79 Z/28...

I was up on the DFW turnpike (I-30) that runs between Dallas a Ft Worth long ago...mid 80's, after I built my car. That car, as I said would run, and in the 80's I never lost after I built the car up.

I was about halfwy to Ft worth running 75 or so, headed into Grand Prairie. As I passed the Beltline Road exit, along came an old Corvette..as I recall a Mako style 68 or 69 Vette, with the split bumper (ie not later 71 to 74 model). Both of us surged back and forth, trying to get the other guy to go...finally we hit it; and as the speeds climbed..I heard a loud Clang and gears breaking noises..I lifted and looked back. The Vette was smoking and I literally saw what looked to be pieces of a connecting rod hitting under the car and spinning off the road.

I got off at the next (lst) exit then in GP, and went back to help. He was crying and really upset. I offered to give him a ride to a gas station. The moment he got in the car and we accelerated away it was like he immediately quit boohooing- looked at me and said.."I never had a chance did I??" He told me he was trying to keep up, as I took off - and he had kept it in gear too long floated his valves and blew up his engine. But the sound of my car was like a realization that he had just blow up his car on a futile mission - racing a car he had no chance to beat.
I smiled; and dropped him off-- two strangers passing in the night sharing a race..I always wondered if he rebuilt the Vette..it was pretty worn when we ran. He said one thing that I never forgot, he told me that that my Camaro ran like a bull in china closet, and he had NEVER run into a Camaro that ran that well as he blew up his car . That was the night where his of-comment caused me to come up with my moniker "The Raging Bull".

One thing I did find out back then, once a car started to develop rep (for being fast)..no one would race you.

true story..sometime those are the best.

Hey Supercup...what are those stories for if you don't occasionally share them?? You know what you say in Vegas stays in Vegas.