What did your dad have? Part II

[rivermobster]

For a tow vehicle!

The 63 Olds is the first one I remember. The one with the gas cap under the tail lights?

Next one was a 67 Chevelle.

Who hung out/rode in the back package tray for bonus points!

 

[bluebleeder]

1970 El Camino. My sister and I would ride in the back on bean bag chairs from San Fernando Valley to Havasu every other weekend.

For a tow vehicle!

The 63 Olds is the first one I remember. The one with the gas cap under the tail lights?

Next one was a 67 Chevelle.

Who hung out/rode in the back package tray for bonus points!

 

[Yoshiro]

F150 with the 300 straight 6 and a 3 on the tree.

 

[rivermobster]

1970 El Camino. My sister and I would ride in the back on bean bag chairs from San Fernando Valley to Havasu every other weekend.

We towed my buddies flat to the river and back all through high school with his 71 ElCo. Had a big block in it. We passed everything but the gas stations!

 

[Backlash]

1971 Jeep J4000. No power steering, 35" tires, 360ci motor with a 4 speed manual that was truly a 3 speed. 1st gear was only for pulling stumps out of the ground and yanking stuck Fords out of deep, black Central Florida mudholes. That truck only got stuck once, because we buried it to the frame rails.

 

[Cobalt232]

1969 Firebird. Orange, with the 400 engine and Hurst shifter. Still has it, but it needs work.

 

[185EZ]

I think the 1971 AMC Ambassador was the first tow vehicle. Might have been the Matador before that
My grandpa was a line foreman at the AMC plant in Kenosha WI so we always ended up with an AMC
I got the 1964 Rambler American for my first car after my sister had it. Straight 6 and 3 on the tree

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

My father tells me the story of how he and his friends would go cruising without drivers licenses. They would all pile into a car without an engine. Their buddies would push the car up a hill and then they would cruise down the boulevard coasting the whole way. Rinse and repeat.

Apparently a cop pulled them over one time but couldn’t write them a ticket as it wasn’t a motor vehicle (or just gave them the warning that was so common back then).

Other than that my dads childhood was pretty much covered in American Grafitti and other 50’s movies of guys with all the hot rods cruising around and going to Bobs Big Boy and The Hat all around Alhambra and San Gabriel and San Marino.

He had other cars like a Chevy Bel Air and an early Corvette and was a member of the San Marino car club with his buddies.

As far as towing a boat I recall him telling me he used his fathers Cadillac when taking the SK to Long Beach or Ming or the other hot boat areas.

 

[warpt71]

His first was a '66 Chevelle Malibu wagon. He still has it and it is what I was taken to school in every day of high school. Small block/glide car originally with AC. We added a 700R4 when I was in high school and he later built a 383 for it. Pretty cool car that he still owns and cruises around every once in a while.

Next was a '76 3/4 ton Suburban Scottsdale Camper special, so it had rubber floors, crank windows and clear glass. It was optioned with rear AC and a power tailgate window. Big block/TH400 2 wheel drive with 4:10's. This became my first vehicle in college

 

[81Sprint]

First car I drove. 82 Collectors Edition Vette, I was 6, he got drunk at my grandparent's horse barn with some buddies. Luckily it was only a mile away from the house, gotta love rural Texas! This is a photo of me driving it when I was in high school.

 

[lbhsbz]

‘86 VW bus. Lol

 

[MK1MOD0]

My Pops had so many cars and trucks over the years it’s hard to keep track! But always seemed to have a truck or el Camino for carrying things around!

 

[OldSchoolBoats]

1978 K5 Blazer
1985 K5 Blazer
1988 Silverado Extra Cab Long Bed
1992 Chevrolet Suburban
1996 Chevy Crew Cab Dually
1997 Chevrolet Suburban

 

[rivermobster]

‘86 VW bus. Lol

How the hell do you tow with that??

 

[bowtiejunkie]

A POS ‘85 F-150 was his first tow vehicle. Unreliable turd nearly killed every river trip. Dad finally bought a new 1992 Chevy 1500. I loved that truck.

Dad always owned POS vehicles, well until 1992, but you know what, they provided endless stories and memories (good and bad). My kids have never experienced any of the vehicle shenanigans. Kind of feel bad for them. Lol

 

[ChrisV]

89 4Runner manual. Had the hardest time towing the boat. In 97 he bought a brand new suburban with an v8 on a Friday. Hooked up the boat and headed Parker. Doing 80 with a smile. I will never forget that weekend.

 

[92562]

1963 C20 long bed with a 283 - 4 barrel. 3 on the floor plus an overdrive, 4.10:1 gears and a posi
1973 C20 Cheyenne Super - Camper Special 454/TH400 with an open 3.21:1 14 bolt
1995 K20 Silverado extra cab long bed - 454/4L80 and 3.73:1 G80 rear

 

[lbhsbz]

How the hell do you tow with that??

15' regatta, and don't be in a hurry.

Dad bought that because it was light enough to tow with the bus....what he didn't realize was that Mom would pack the fucking thing with 1500lbs of shit until the cover would barely fit on it to tow wherever we were going. Pretty sure pops had the diff rebuild about every 3 years before they moved "up" to an AWD Aerostar.
On bass lake trips, we'd take bets going up the grape vine when the overheat light would come on. lol


He had a buddy at work with the same bus...same color, westy, everything. He had a regatta years ago that sank in Blythe never to be seen again (that's who we got the cover from). This guy picked up a Glastron Carlson Challenger tunnel with an old 120 chrysler on it, and it was a piece of shit just like our regatta. They'd join us as the river a few times a year.

We were both getting on the 405 at inglewood ave one friday afternoon...2 VW vanagons following each other (slowly lol) both towing POS boats. We saw red and blue lights behind us and I looked back to see Don getting pulled over, so naturally...we pulled over too. Don talked to the officer for a few minutes and then came walking up with a shit eating grin on his face to my Dad's driver's window....said the officer saw one and thought that was odd, but then saw two in a row and figured there couldn't be 2 people stupid enough to tow with VW vanagons so he pulled us over and asked Don what was wrong with us. lol

Also, VW bus spare wheels fit trailers.

Later, Don picked himself up a 5th wheel and about a 78 chevy crew cab dually....and had welded a hitch to the back of the 5th wheel to tow the boat. He'd only drive this truck about twice a year for his two river trips, so naturally, it was a piece of shit and everything mostly went wrong. Don was a creative guy, and much more fun than my old man, so I always opted to ride with him when the A/C quit in the truck his wife and kid bitched about it. They hopped in the vanagon with my mom and dad, I jumped in the truck with Don. He kept a couple gallons of water in the cab because I had to pour it on the trans tunnel when the carpet started smoking going up the grade out of Indio. Me and Don had fun.

 

[Motor Boater]

Still Have it! 307 3 speed on the column. Not the best tow vehicle in the world but it did the job.

 

[4Waters]

1968 F250 with a 410cid Mercury Marauder Police Intercepter engine and trans, the trans was a Cobra Jet C6

This is after he gave it to me. Pic was taken in 1993 at LACR, it ran a 15.7..... at 97mph and took 1st place that day, took 1st place again 2 months later. It ran a best of 15.33 at 99mph with 33in tires 3.73 gears and an open diff.

 

[pwerwagn]

69 W200 Power Wagon
73 W100 Power Wagon
73 W200 Power Wagon
Another 73 W200 Power Wagon
86 Ford Dually
77 Power Wagon Macho
98 Dodge
08 Mega Cab

 

[Gelcoater]

Still Have it! 307 3 speed on the column. Not the best tow vehicle in the world but it did the job. View attachment 1178328 View attachment 1178329 View attachment 1178330

Ha!!
My dad had pretty much the same truck in white. But a 350.
Same 3 on the tree.

I don’t have it.
But I do have one of its hubcaps!
It hangs up there by his hammerand his Yankee.

 

[Motor Boater]

Ha!!
My dad had pretty much the same truck in white. But a 350.
Same 3 on the tree.

I don’t have it.
But I do have one of its hubcaps!
It hangs up there by his hammerand his Yankee. View attachment 1178359

We had the same hub caps. I’m the one with the yellow chain saw. We were heading out to do some wood cutting.

 

[farmo83]

I don't remember the year but it was a 77-79 Bronco with a 400 which Dad to this day claims to be the biggest Piece of shit engine to ever have a ford badge. The lake was always a 6 pack away in that thing. After that he got a company ford explorer with a little V6 and there is a long steep hill in Austin. He would get that little explorer up to about 85 and it would barely make it over that hill pulling the jet boat. We bought an rv about that time and he pulled it to the texas hill country. Floor boarded it would pull the camper a it 55 mph. Ge would try to draft in behind 18 wheelers on the trip.

 

[mjc]

First was a 66 chevy wagon with a 283/powerglide, then a 73 wagon with 400sbc/t400. Got a bigger boat and a bbc suburban.

 

[HST4ME]

74 Impala Station Wagon 400 sbc/turbo 400

 

[rivermobster]

15' regatta, and don't be in a hurry.

Dad bought that because it was light enough to tow with the bus....what he didn't realize was that Mom would pack the fucking thing with 1500lbs of shit until the cover would barely fit on it to tow wherever we were going. Pretty sure pops had the diff rebuild about every 3 years before they moved "up" to an AWD Aerostar.
On bass lake trips, we'd take bets going up the grape vine when the overheat light would come on. lol


He had a buddy at work with the same bus...same color, westy, everything. He had a regatta years ago that sank in Blythe never to be seen again (that's who we got the cover from). This guy picked up a Glastron Carlson Challenger tunnel with an old 120 chrysler on it, and it was a piece of shit just like our regatta. They'd join us as the river a few times a year.

We were both getting on the 405 at inglewood ave one friday afternoon...2 VW vanagons following each other (slowly lol) both towing POS boats. We saw red and blue lights behind us and I looked back to see Don getting pulled over, so naturally...we pulled over too. Don talked to the officer for a few minutes and then came walking up with a shit eating grin on his face to my Dad's driver's window....said the officer saw one and thought that was odd, but then saw two in a row and figured there couldn't be 2 people stupid enough to tow with VW vanagons so he pulled us over and asked Don what was wrong with us. lol

Also, VW bus spare wheels fit trailers.

Later, Don picked himself up a 5th wheel and about a 78 chevy crew cab dually....and had welded a hitch to the back of the 5th wheel to tow the boat. He'd only drive this truck about twice a year for his two river trips, so naturally, it was a piece of shit and everything mostly went wrong. Don was a creative guy, and much more fun than my old man, so I always opted to ride with him when the A/C quit in the truck his wife and kid bitched about it. They hopped in the vanagon with my mom and dad, I jumped in the truck with Don. He kept a couple gallons of water in the cab because I had to pour it on the trans tunnel when the carpet started smoking going up the grade out of Indio. Me and Don had fun.

That is the best story EVER!!!

 

[RogerThat99]

Tow vehicles:
*70-ish Chrysler Station Wagon with 440
*72 Chevy C-10 Short Bed
*72 Ranchero GT
*78 Chevy crew cab, single rear wheel

Other vehicles:
*Willys (jeep) not sure of the year.
*2 dune buggys - Both green flake with slot mags. The newer one had mustang tail lights (which I thought looked pretty cool.
*65 Mustang
*65 GMC 1 Ton Panel Truck
*64 Chevy Panel Truck
*4 different 71-76 Dodge vans
*86 Chevy Custom Van Conversion
*79 Datsun 280ZX when they first came out.

I had a lot of fun, while growing up, in all those cars. Except the panel trucks, they were both work trucks. I didn't ride much in the 64 Chevy panel.

The 65 GMC (we called it Big Red) was a work truck. We took it a lot of places though. It only had a drivers seat. My mom would sit up front on a tool box. The kids would ride either sitting on tool boxes, or sitting on a roll of carpet (sitting on it like you were riding a horse) . LOL.

 

[Rogers Hopeful]

89 ranger
92 f150
99 f250
05 excursion

 

[mash on it]

Pops bought a new GMC dually, just before Thanksgiving of '77, to pull the jet bötè we got earlier that spring. He put a camper shell and carpet kit, rode in the shell many times to the river and local lakes.

Dan'l

 

[Sherpa]

1962 Chevy C10 longbed. custom cab, big window. 283 and a three on the tree. positraction. Mom and Dad bought it new from Glendale Chevrolet when we lived
in West Covina. Dad gave the truck to me when I turned 16. I had to learn how to keep it running. I've built about 4 motors, 3 transmisstions, and a rebuilt rear end.

still have it. It'll never be for sale......... runs like a raped ape with a built 383, 292 cam, 202 worked heads, 11.1. it was a blast roasting camaro's when I was 16...

==Sherpa

 

[HBCraig]

1963 Chevy panel truck
1972 Chevy van that matched the paint of his 1972 Kona

He always said he wanted to "tow a Campbell with a cadillac "

 

[Big B Hova]

For a tow vehicle!

The 63 Olds is the first one I remember. The one with the gas cap under the tail lights?

Next one was a 67 Chevelle.

Who hung out/rode in the back package tray for bonus points!

73 chevy caprice

 

[Baja 252]

My parents have been boating their entire life.
Gotta take your fishing boat and hydroplane when you go to the lake.

A few years later mom and dad had a twin engine rig.

They even use to go for rides in my first drag boat.

 

[Lumpy]

 

[Lumpy]

Still own this Gem...about ready to ice up my 99 Porsche so I can rebuild the front end on the Jav.

 

[1tonfun]

1967 Chevy C-10
1963 Chevy Impalla
1958 Chevy Cameo
1957 Belair
1954 Belair
2-1940 Mercury
1939 Mercury
1935 Ford Sedan

He gave the 67 c-10 to his dad, sold the 63 impalla, gave me a 40 merc and still has the rest of them.

 

[DWC]

SOB. I just realized why we never took the fishing boat out.

 

[707dog]

I know there was a Ranchero somewhere in the picture but i only remember using my uncles 71-72 econoline van with just driver and passenger seats so we rode on the cooler or the hot ass floor. But that mofo did have side pipes and a sunroof with green shag carpet. It hauled crew and paint supplies during the week then boat to the lake on the weekends.

 

[Go-Fly]

My father loved the Galaxie 500. He had a Skyliner as a go to work car and towed everything with the 500. Somewhere in the 70's he went to an LTD. After all us kids moved out, he turned into 2FF and there was no telling what he would roll into the driveway from week to week. One time they left for vacation with one motorhome and came back with another.

 

[MOUZER]

1968 buick riviera and a 1960 willys wagon

 

[MOUZER]

 

[92562]

73 chevy caprice
View attachment 1178572

Nice ride and nice Caprice but I believe it s more likely an '83. My Gramps bought one when he tuned 75 and handed me the keys 10 years later when he said he had no business driving anymore!

 

[Big B Hova]

Nice ride and nice Caprice but I believe it s more likely an '83. My Gramps bought one when he tuned 75 and handed me the keys 10 years later when he said he had no business driving anymore!

Your right. Oops lol