Zs of Yore...

[Danglybanger]

I found an old family album with pics of the Zs I grew up with... My dad owned all these in the 70s/80s, decided they would almost be an interesting thing to make a thread about.

Among my dad's first, (and apparently smog is not a new occurrence in San Bernardino)... 71 240 with mis-sized slot mags that would rub if he took a dip or turned hard enough, but damn do they look good... Can't tell if the hood is a bit wonky or if it's an illusion, but I think this one's the coolest

From there to Hawaii, this one had oxidized paint so he had it redone in boring metallic blue (the same shade that my mom made him paint our flamed 59 El Camino after she was sick of being embarrassed by it sitting in the driveway). But I think it was his first, he was apparently hooked after his friend traded in an E type for one...

The 260 is the car I was brought to the hospital in (to be borned, that had to induce some labor ), but unfortunately I believe I was taken back in a brand new Ford Tempo :ogre: My dad was never too enamored by this 260 anyway, it had been hooned a bit previously and had a broken aftermarket valence...

...and probably memories of beatings endured from the owners of the lowered Impala he obviously left on blocks to procure those wheels.

HAHAHA LeCar, I actually sorta want one of those, luckily since it's a Renault it's probably still in the exact same position as pictured (somewhere in Colorado, 1986), hell, the hatch probably hasn't found the mood to stay down either (my dad also owned a Dauphine... and then ANOTHER Dauphine, so it wasn't always good times). The turbo versions were cool though. Bonjour le George!!!

He felt obliged to get a ZX at some point, but "it wasn't the same", and his next sports car wound up being a Corvette. My brother drove this one to Phoenix to a skateboarding competition and "somehow" the transmission blew, my dad went through a few (JDM) trannies with the wrong ratios before he gave up and traded it in for a Ford Probe for my mom to tool around in, bah.

I remember this one most vividly, being driven around San Bernardino, stopping at the 7-11 for slurpees

Edited September 9, 2008 by Danglybanger

[sblake01]

My father once owned a Renault Dauphine with a Judson supercharger! I was quite young at the time, so you know that was a long time ago! All I recall about that car is that it was hot and noisy and my dad seemed to always be working on it.

[Danglybanger]

haha, iirc Dauphine #1's points would rattle out every 100 miles or so, and he'd have to get out and affix them with a screwdriver when that happened... Usually in the snow somewhere.

I'm not sure that Dauphine #2 ever ran often enough for that to happen, I'm pretty sure he traded it in either for his Corvair (with the gas powered heater negating any economy car aspect), or the Karmann Ghia with the punched in nose and no reverse gear. Still I think Caravelles are cool despite, and Alpines are lusted after...

Other cars of his I miss are the aforementioned El Camino, a 356B, and a few MGB/Midgets... He's managed to hang on to all of his fun things since

[sblake01]

Sounds like your dad was much more of a 'car guy' than mine. Other than the Renault, I don't recall my dad ever tinkering much with cars. I guess with Renaults, if you wanted to drive them, you had to tinker with them. All of his other cars were more basic. 60 Ford Falcon station wagon, 66 Chevelle 4 dr. hardtop, couple of VW bugs, a Pinto, Ford Granada, 70-ish Buick Skylark, gas guzzling 70s Buick Centurion with a 455 ci V8. Not in that order and I'm sure I've left a couple out.

[Danglybanger]

A Ford Granada is in common, it was a substitute Z for a while after the Air Force moved him somewhere else and he needed something to drive before he replaced the one he left behind... As I recall he hated that thing with a passion but thankfully I don't remember it well

He also had a bug, but for some reason put a Ferrari Dino kit car on top of it, with sparkly speedboat paint. I really wish I had a picture of that.

I don't know if I could have counted that in the "cars I miss" list though

Mostly with my dad it was just a series of hot rodded and/or POS 55-65 Chevies, but there was a point when all my aunts and uncles had Datsuns (510s and pickups mostly, but my dad had to dissent with his Zs). I wonder if anyone else has Datsuns in their blood

[2-4-T-Z-MAN]

My Dad wasn't into cars and certainly not foreign cars but he did own a 1966 GTO. Bought it new. It was always fun to drive around with him, as younger guys with Mustangs, Firebirds and Camaros would sometimes pull up next to him at a stop light and race their engines. He'd look over at them, do the same and when the light turned green act like he was going to race. Every once in a while there would be a cop up the street and the kid would get pulled over. My 5'8" balding Dad would drive by and the kid would point him out to the cop. Dad would just drive by with a smirk and say nothing. Now I sometimes do the same thing with the ricers. I guess the apple really doesn't fall far from the tree.

[Carl Beck]

Great thread Danglybanger... fun to read

My Father liked big fast cars 40's Caddy's and early to mid 50's Packards. Something he had in common with my first Step-Father (Dad died when I was 11). My first Step Father had a 56 Packard 400. When his son got to drive the Packard he was 17 and I was 13... there wasn't a Chevy nor street rod in town that big huge Packard couldn't walk away from.

Step Dad, his son and I went "car shopping" in 58. He drove a Chrysler 300, then we went to the Pontiac Dealer and drove a Bonneville with F.I., then drove a Star Chief with Tri-Power... The Star Chief was a 4 door, and StepDad liked the throttle response on the Tri-Power... so he bought that. For the next couple of years, the only car in town that could keep up, indeed would edge it out by about half a car length in the 1/4 - what that F.I. Bonneville... (that 2 door coupe was lighter than the Star Chief).

I'd still love to have another 61 Pontiac Bonneville.... that was the car he traded the 58 in on... By then I had my first car - a 57 Star Chief Convert... Wow those were the days...

FWIW,

Carl B.