Newb that loves his '71 SSP
Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 1:59 am
Howdy, folks. I figured I'd introduce myself. I was directed over here from the cuda-challenger boards quite some time ago and have been lurking ever since. Unfortunately, I kept having technical difficulties and couldn't sign on until recently. Anyway, a brief history:
As a kid I used to sit plastered to the tv watching Dukes of Hazzard thinking how cool those cars were. Unlike most, however, I fell in love with Daisy's '71 Satellite that she drove in the first season or so. The General Lee rocked and all, but for me, there was just something about her car, kind of like the unsung hero...until they destroyed it. When I was 13 (in '90), my dad made sure that my first car would be the main focus. After searching a while, it came down to my love for the B-Bodies. E-Bodies, as much as I loved them, were my dad's thing so I needed to be different. Besides, I still wanted Daisy's Satellite. It came down to a local '72 Charger and a '71 Satellite in PA, both 318 cars, and of course, the Satellite won. At 14, I was in heaven and had big plans for the car. I worked delivering papers, cleaning people's garages and other odd jobs of that nature to save money to put towards the car. Unfortunately, I was so busy working, as was my dad, we never really got to work on it as we had planned. I loved the look of the '71 RoadRunners so I decided that I wanted a clone so I scraped together enough money to get a new hood from the Mopar Nats, a cheap paint job and stripe kit. It was done and I drove it during the spring/summer months through my junior and senior years of high school. I loved it and was one of the only kids in school with his own classic car. Unfortunately, I had no garage to keep it in so it was exposed to the irratic elements of Ohio's seasons during those years and was even more neglected when I moved away to college and eventually started working. Between the years of weathering and cheap paint job/poor body work, the car lost. After my dad passed away, my mom decided to sell our old house and I had to get the cars out of there. I tinkered on my Satellite for a few days to get her started and was able to sneak it over to my house and I parked it in the pole barn where it would sit and soak up moisture for another 8 years until I had the time and money to get the floor finished. The floor is now finished, but the years have been unkind and the dirt floor soaked up the moisture like there was no tomorrow only to destroy the gas tank and build up the rust. I don't have the time or money to put anything into it at the moment and am torn on its' future. It's my first car and I am still in love with its' lines so the idea of parting with it only depresses me. I need to read these boards to remind me of the future it could have so my son may enjoy it when he gets older.
Anyway, here are some OLD pics:
Pic1: My other project, my dad's '73 Challenger
Pic2: My '71 after we brought it home
Pic3: My senior prom in '94
Pic4: My '71 after I had the stripe kit put on in '92
Pic5: My '71 before I put some Keystones on it
As a kid I used to sit plastered to the tv watching Dukes of Hazzard thinking how cool those cars were. Unlike most, however, I fell in love with Daisy's '71 Satellite that she drove in the first season or so. The General Lee rocked and all, but for me, there was just something about her car, kind of like the unsung hero...until they destroyed it. When I was 13 (in '90), my dad made sure that my first car would be the main focus. After searching a while, it came down to my love for the B-Bodies. E-Bodies, as much as I loved them, were my dad's thing so I needed to be different. Besides, I still wanted Daisy's Satellite. It came down to a local '72 Charger and a '71 Satellite in PA, both 318 cars, and of course, the Satellite won. At 14, I was in heaven and had big plans for the car. I worked delivering papers, cleaning people's garages and other odd jobs of that nature to save money to put towards the car. Unfortunately, I was so busy working, as was my dad, we never really got to work on it as we had planned. I loved the look of the '71 RoadRunners so I decided that I wanted a clone so I scraped together enough money to get a new hood from the Mopar Nats, a cheap paint job and stripe kit. It was done and I drove it during the spring/summer months through my junior and senior years of high school. I loved it and was one of the only kids in school with his own classic car. Unfortunately, I had no garage to keep it in so it was exposed to the irratic elements of Ohio's seasons during those years and was even more neglected when I moved away to college and eventually started working. Between the years of weathering and cheap paint job/poor body work, the car lost. After my dad passed away, my mom decided to sell our old house and I had to get the cars out of there. I tinkered on my Satellite for a few days to get her started and was able to sneak it over to my house and I parked it in the pole barn where it would sit and soak up moisture for another 8 years until I had the time and money to get the floor finished. The floor is now finished, but the years have been unkind and the dirt floor soaked up the moisture like there was no tomorrow only to destroy the gas tank and build up the rust. I don't have the time or money to put anything into it at the moment and am torn on its' future. It's my first car and I am still in love with its' lines so the idea of parting with it only depresses me. I need to read these boards to remind me of the future it could have so my son may enjoy it when he gets older.
Anyway, here are some OLD pics:
Pic1: My other project, my dad's '73 Challenger
Pic2: My '71 after we brought it home
Pic3: My senior prom in '94
Pic4: My '71 after I had the stripe kit put on in '92
Pic5: My '71 before I put some Keystones on it
