OLD Kill Stories...
10-13-2006, 04:10 PM
#1
Launching!
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 285
OLD Kill Stories...
Ok. so they're a while back...a long while...but it's fun to tell, and no one else is saying too much.
I'll share 3 with ya:
KILL
This was back in 1969 (I told you it was an old story...most of you weren't around yet). I had a '68 GTX 440, and it ran good. I loved to race Mustangs, Chevelles, Z-28s, and especially Corvettes.
I was cruising in Kansas City, around Linwood and Main, by a popular drive-in. Hmmm....now I can't even remember what it was called. I think it was Sidneys. I turned North on Main and came up to the first light. There was a guy there in a '67 427 Vette. He had two gorgeous babes in the car and he was really showing off. Said "Go for $5". (Ha ha...probably like $20 now. Gas was .33/gal. But not a big spender). But, I never did bet. I had this theory that if I got cocky, and bet, I was asking to lose.
Anyway, we pulled away from the light slowly, he motiond me to go ahead and hit it, with this look like "I'm wasting my time. I'll give you a head start, then smoke you" type look on his face. And, with the head start, I blew him away good.
Next light: We took off, I gave him an early hit on the accellerator, and withing a half block I was passing him. He fell back and turned off on another street quickly.
Boy, I love beating cocky guys.
KILLED
Another Corvette. Same year, or maybe 1970. I was on State Avenue, at the first stop light up past Peter's Drive In. Back then from that light out it was pretty vacant.
We hit it from that light. By the time I hit second gear, he was at least 4 lengths ahead of me. By the time I shifted into 3rd (that was all the gears that torqueflight had), he was probably 10 lengths ahead of me. I kept into it up to 110mph, and he was probably 15 lengths ahead of me. The guy riding with me was hiding on the floorboard.
Blew me away.
More Recent KILL, COP Survival
This one was with my '56 in my avatar.
I was at the Street Machine Nationals in Springfield, MO with my son-in-law. This was 1998. We were cruising on Saturday evening.
I turned off the main drag as a couple young fellas in a yello pick-up turned from the other direction. We hit it just long enough for me to shift to 2nd (it was a 4-speed then), and take him by a length. Then a COP pulled out in an unmarked car, and pulled us both over. Sigh...
The officer looked at me, a 50 year old bald headed guy; looked at the 20-30ish young man, and he wonderd what teh hell I was doing, I suppose. My son-in-law was laughing his butt off at me.
While the other driver and I was talking to the officer, my son-in-law was talking to the other passenger. He wanted to know what the heck we had in that heavy old convertible. They had a 427 in their 70's truck (or was it a 60's...don't remember). I had the 350 with the B&M Blower.
Oh...the cop gave us a warning and didn't ticket us. WOW. I couldn't believe that.
That spurred me to refresh my '56, and start going to cruises again. I wasn't going too much then.
Love to race. Don't have the opportunity much, as I'm not out all hours of the night now. When I'm where I'd love to do it, based on where I go now, there's too much traffick, or I have too much sense.
Lots of fun.
I'll share 3 with ya:
KILL
This was back in 1969 (I told you it was an old story...most of you weren't around yet). I had a '68 GTX 440, and it ran good. I loved to race Mustangs, Chevelles, Z-28s, and especially Corvettes.
I was cruising in Kansas City, around Linwood and Main, by a popular drive-in. Hmmm....now I can't even remember what it was called. I think it was Sidneys. I turned North on Main and came up to the first light. There was a guy there in a '67 427 Vette. He had two gorgeous babes in the car and he was really showing off. Said "Go for $5". (Ha ha...probably like $20 now. Gas was .33/gal. But not a big spender). But, I never did bet. I had this theory that if I got cocky, and bet, I was asking to lose.
Anyway, we pulled away from the light slowly, he motiond me to go ahead and hit it, with this look like "I'm wasting my time. I'll give you a head start, then smoke you" type look on his face. And, with the head start, I blew him away good.
Next light: We took off, I gave him an early hit on the accellerator, and withing a half block I was passing him. He fell back and turned off on another street quickly.
Boy, I love beating cocky guys.
KILLED
Another Corvette. Same year, or maybe 1970. I was on State Avenue, at the first stop light up past Peter's Drive In. Back then from that light out it was pretty vacant.
We hit it from that light. By the time I hit second gear, he was at least 4 lengths ahead of me. By the time I shifted into 3rd (that was all the gears that torqueflight had), he was probably 10 lengths ahead of me. I kept into it up to 110mph, and he was probably 15 lengths ahead of me. The guy riding with me was hiding on the floorboard.
Blew me away.
More Recent KILL, COP Survival
This one was with my '56 in my avatar.
I was at the Street Machine Nationals in Springfield, MO with my son-in-law. This was 1998. We were cruising on Saturday evening.
I turned off the main drag as a couple young fellas in a yello pick-up turned from the other direction. We hit it just long enough for me to shift to 2nd (it was a 4-speed then), and take him by a length. Then a COP pulled out in an unmarked car, and pulled us both over. Sigh...
The officer looked at me, a 50 year old bald headed guy; looked at the 20-30ish young man, and he wonderd what teh hell I was doing, I suppose. My son-in-law was laughing his butt off at me.
While the other driver and I was talking to the officer, my son-in-law was talking to the other passenger. He wanted to know what the heck we had in that heavy old convertible. They had a 427 in their 70's truck (or was it a 60's...don't remember). I had the 350 with the B&M Blower.
Oh...the cop gave us a warning and didn't ticket us. WOW. I couldn't believe that.
That spurred me to refresh my '56, and start going to cruises again. I wasn't going too much then.
Love to race. Don't have the opportunity much, as I'm not out all hours of the night now. When I'm where I'd love to do it, based on where I go now, there's too much traffick, or I have too much sense.
Lots of fun.
10-14-2006, 04:52 PM
#2
Corvette & Mustang Moderator
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Sugar Land, TX
Posts: 2,310
How did the guy with the 427 Vette get two women in the car? You really had an advantage on him with two passengers. On the other hand must have been awfully skinny even if they were gorgous. Those 440's would run pretty good though. Thanks for sharing!
10-14-2006, 05:47 PM
#3
Launching!
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 285
Yeah. They weren't large women.
I had another guy riding with me, so weight wise, maybe not that much advantge, and the GTX was a heavier car. I'd suspect he would have some difficulty shifting, although if I remember right, the 'middle' gal moved to the lap of the other for the race.
For some reason, the 440 I had was a particularly good runner. Maybe it was the way I broke it in...I don't know. All in all my racing days wiht that car was a lot of fun. Won most races. The other Vette story was the worst I got beat. Had a Hemi Road Runner that pretty much did me in once too.
With my '56, I've had it since 1983, and only raced it about a 1/2 dozen times. I'm in the process of putting in an '04 Vette LS1 now. I'm presuming it won't run like the blown 350 I pulled.
I had another guy riding with me, so weight wise, maybe not that much advantge, and the GTX was a heavier car. I'd suspect he would have some difficulty shifting, although if I remember right, the 'middle' gal moved to the lap of the other for the race.
For some reason, the 440 I had was a particularly good runner. Maybe it was the way I broke it in...I don't know. All in all my racing days wiht that car was a lot of fun. Won most races. The other Vette story was the worst I got beat. Had a Hemi Road Runner that pretty much did me in once too.
With my '56, I've had it since 1983, and only raced it about a 1/2 dozen times. I'm in the process of putting in an '04 Vette LS1 now. I'm presuming it won't run like the blown 350 I pulled.
11-02-2006, 11:04 AM
#4
Teching In
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 7
"For some reason, the 440 I had was a particularly good runner. Maybe it was the way I broke it in...I don't know. All in all my racing days wiht that car was a lot of fun."
Ya.....back in the day some people had nice factory freaks, car companies experimented with production cars. We recently rebuilt my dads 72 trans am (he bought new) that always was a lot faster thanit should be, and it had many different parts that were never offered in that 400 motor from the factory, parts from 455, etc., it would spin pretty fast too. I miss those 3 speeds.
Ya.....back in the day some people had nice factory freaks, car companies experimented with production cars. We recently rebuilt my dads 72 trans am (he bought new) that always was a lot faster thanit should be, and it had many different parts that were never offered in that 400 motor from the factory, parts from 455, etc., it would spin pretty fast too. I miss those 3 speeds.
