Ford Galaxie 500 XL ~ When did the car bug bite you?

[911SauCy]

I came across this video on the internet this morning (PP isn't blocked at my office-yet) and had something in my eye....



Long story short: My uncle is a seriously maniacal gearhead and when he was my age owned everyone on the streets in NorthWest CT. Think American Graffiti. Since he met my aunt, I was 7, he has been the single most influential person directing and fueling me to follow my passion for cars. From picking junk to attending the Woodward Dream Cruise...we've done it.

So Saucy, why the video? The guy in the video is a long-time friend of my uncle's, who I met when I was about 10. I was introduced to that 427 dual 4-barrel solid lifter just how it was shown in the film. Guy pulled the sheet off, made a bunch of comments about the crust and rust, while looking at me asked "want me to start it?" I tried to play cool and said "sure" but on the inside I was thinking there's no way that junk is going to run.

To my amazement, 5 minutes later we were going for a ride.

I wasn't sure what to think at the time, but looking back and reflecting through the video. I realized, today, that this was my bug.

What was yours?

~Sauce~

[jwhcars]

The original rat rod. Moonshiner car, super story.

[911boost]

My ex-Father in law had a '63 Galaxie with the 427 and a 4 speed (I can't watch the clip, it is blocked at work). He bought a new car every year back them until about '76. Everything had a manual and the biggest engine you could get from Ford or GM. His list of muscle cars that he owned is nuts.

I got bit by a neighbor with a 1988 Mustang GT. He also had a 70 Mach 1, a 70 converiblet and a 66 coupe.

Bill

[masraum]

My dad was a gearhead, but didn't have much to do with interesting cars after I was born. Until I was about 3 or 4 he did have an MG midget, must have been a 60s model since it was around '73 or '74 and we didn't have money for anything new or expensive. He also had a for a short time, I think after the MG a '69 Nova with an odd/rare 396 that was pretty hot. I remember getting a ride in that once when I was about 4. He told me when I was older that he always had problems getting parts for that one because it was a special motor of some sort. I'm guessing it's always been in my blood. My favorite toys were always matchbox, hotwheels, rc cars, etc.... When I was 15 we moved to a new town, and my first buddy there was a gearhead that came from a father that was also a gearhead. I was always into cars some, but they took a backseat for many years. I guess moving and hanging out with that guy rekindled my car craze. Dad bought an '82 Corvette around the same time that I got my license. I couldn't drive it, but my parents got me a '65 Chevy Impala 2 dr with a 350 and 4 on the floor. I loved that car. I would love to have another one, but with less rust this time.

[vash]

i am a self made motorhead. my dad could check and change oil..but that was it.

i'm not sure how i picked it up. my mom dug a 71 camaro out of a leaf pile and gave it to me as a first car. i got a tool set later that same week, and i was off to the races..literally. hahah.

when a family friend let me drive his 911 (for a date)..whoa!! line - hook - and sinker!!

[Oh Haha]

My folks had 6 kids so we didn't have "cool" cars. The guy across the street from me(4 years older) used to pick on me until my first day of high school(1981). His dad bought him a 77 Trans Am Bandit Edition for graduation. I was walking home from the bus stop and he was out washing the TA and called me over. To my surprise, he didn't beat me up but showed me the car instead.

Tyrone and I became best friends immediately. Although I didn't get to drive the TA he showed me all the cool hooligan things you can do with a car.

I guess that would be my "bitten by the bug" moment. He sold that and bought a 68 GTO, then a brand new Fiero. He and I started our band and he was my best man twice.

Eventually, he bought a 1970 911 and I was hooked on German cars. At one time he had the 911 and an M3 while his wife drove a 328 Cabriolet.

He inspired me to buy my first 911 after my divorce and moving from our hometown to take a promotion at work. Although we have not hung out in many years the times we had with cars and music have always remained good memories to me.


The SC in my signature is my first 911. It's been 14 years and I still enjoy the silly little car.

[GG Allin]

A neighbor of mine as a kid had one a lot like that one. I remember the oval air cleaner, not sure what motor it had though.

[johnsjmc]

My dad was a bit of a motorhead .He drove a 1927 Rolls Royce to high school during the war. Think Downton Abbey. He bought it for $50 and sold it for $400 in 1946. Parents split when I was 15 so then a neighbour was my big motorhead influence. My best buddy,s dad up the street had a Frazer Nash (with chain drive) at the back of his garage Think Steed on the avengers. A 1966 Mustang ragtop and a 442 in the drive. Went through high school drooling over American muscle cars . In University I roomed with 2 engineering students who were buying and selling rusty 911s have enjoyed many different cars since.

[dafischer]

The bug bit me watching my dad restoring his first antique car, a 1930 Model A cabriolet in the very early 60's. He showed me everything he was doing, and I soon started helping. That was pretty much it for me, I was hooked. I learned to drive in a 1931 Model A sedan parts car in the fields. In the late 60's - early 70's I helped with a 1941 Packard, a 1936 Cord, and a 1936 Ford. Mid to late 70's I got into foreign cars, and did a couple of Alfas, a 61 Super 90, and a 66 911, all of which set me up for a life of continuing automotive depravity.

[LWJ]

My uncle showed up with a 930 in 1975 and a huge S eatin grin on his face. I was nine. Hooked.

Larry

[gamin]

Got the car bug when my mom got a '57 T-bird. Red with white top and port holes. My first car was a '53 Ford flat head V8 that I modified to death. Got first Porsche in '67 when I had a regular paycheck. Never looked back. Always had a Porsche since then.

[fastfredracing]

My dad was a gearhead,, but he was not really a wrench turner. He bought brand new, and kept them perfect, under covers in the garage, rarely driven, then washed, waxed, and put away.
I spent a lot time at my grandparents house growing up, and both of my uncles were gearheads . This was in the early 70's. There was a big street racing scene around here at that time. Uncle mark street raced a 1970 small block Nova, and Uncle Jan street raced a big block chevelle. There were also a a few other cool cars in the mix, a 1965 Corvette, a hot little chevy II,and all of their friends had cool cars. One guy had zz top hair, and a beard, drove a John Milner American Graffiti replica coue, and travelled around with his pet monkey. I thought these were the coolest guys on the planet.
There was always a motor, trans or something apart on the workbench in Grandpas garage. They were in their early teens, and I loved to hang around with the crew. Grandpas place was the hangout. Every body would be there on a Saturday night .Drinking beer, smoking cigarattes, and playing pool, before they would head out for their nightly debauchery. I really looked up to all of them. I can remember my uncle taking me out to get a x mas tree in his Corvette, strapping it on the roof, and doing do- nuts in a parking lot, until I nearly vomited. I took the bait .

[Scuba Steve]

I'm completely self made. If the car I inherited from my grandpa (translation: nobody wanted that old POS) didn't run, I had to ride the bus to get home from school. That's motivation to keep the thing alive.

College was the same kind of thing. The first two years I had no car. After that I had an internship but not enough to buy anything with, but we had this F-100 that was also grandpa's sitting in the back yard surrounded by tall grass and weeds so I got on ford-trucks.com to try and figure out how to make it run again. I got it to the point where I could make it somewhere and back without using tow chains about a week before the semester started, and somehow the truck has kept on going ever since.

I discovered German cars when a childhood friend was trying to figure out what to do with this 924S he had that blew a timing belt. For $500 I figured I either had a fun project or a parts car.

[BE911SC]

Love the sound of that big 427/425hp FE with the solids and resonators. I had a cherry '64 390/auto Galaxie 500 hardtop years ago (not an XL, just a 500 hardtop) and it was a smooth cruiser.

[Nostril Cheese]

My dad raced motocross and speedway. My grandfather was a mechanic from Brooklyn, had a Plymouth GTX and a '67 Mercury Cougar . No way to avoid the gearhead life.

[bivenator]

Grandfather was a mechanic. My dad didn't do much more than maintain his cars and I am not that good of a mechanic either to be honest. My 911 is the car that I have worked on the most and have owned it almost 9 years. I have only paid for an alignment during that time. An example of how robust these cars are if I have been unable to break it while learning.

Lack of mechanical skills did not diminish my love of cars. My first crush was an uncles cherry red 55 Bel Air which he then sold to my brother. I was in line for it but it was stolen from my parents driveway and stripped completely. My brother sold the shell for 250 in 1980. My dads Beetle was what introduced me to quirky small cars.

[afterburn 549]

Very kool !