![]() 12/11/2013 at 16:12 • Filed to: None | ![]() | ![]() |
I'm Matt. (1) I bought a Corvette at 25, hence the username. (2) I'm a pretty avid photographer, amatuer for all intents and purposes, but the fact that I have a couple binders full of (a lot of the bigger names and race winners end up framed and hung on the wall in my office at home) signed prints of shots that I've taken of professional racers is kind of neat. (3) My dad and I bought a fire truck when I was a Junior in college...I've now driven a fire truck through a drive thru with people hanging off of the back. (4) I just packed up all of my earthly posessions, 2 vehicles, and a dog and moved 700 miles away from where I've lived my entire life to somewhere where I knew no one a few months ago. (5)
![]() 12/11/2013 at 16:16 |
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Greeting from Oppo-land! Nice thing about us is even if you move, we don't.... unless Kinja has something to say about it.
Anyway, welcome!
Deets on the Vette?
![]() 12/11/2013 at 16:20 |
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Our lives are scarily similar.
I'm Chris
Bought a 1968 Mercury Montego MX at age 25.
My dad bought a 1964 Dodge Police Car when I was in high school (resto finished while I was in college) (he refused to buy the fire truck I found!)
I moved 600 miles from where I grew up in NJ to Michigan to go to MSU and never left the area (I didn't know a single person in the state).
Weird, but welcome to OPPO! Pictures of the Corvette and details are required.
![]() 12/11/2013 at 16:25 |
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Kinja is not my friend I've learned.
It's an 05, 6-spd., Daytona Sunset Orange Metallic...I've put 30k on it in the year and half I've owned it....fun.
![]() 12/11/2013 at 16:28 |
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1. Hi Matt!
2. I see what you did there! What gen?
3. If you haven't already, check this blog out. We'd love to see some new material
4. I want detailed reactions for this. That sounds like a great idea.
5. Ouch. You'll be getting the hang of it sometime, don't worry.
![]() 12/11/2013 at 16:37 |
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My dad and I bought a fire truck when I was a Junior in college...I've now driven a fire truck through a drive thru with people hanging off of the back.
Wait, doesn't everyone have a fire truck? No?
![]() 12/12/2013 at 08:11 |
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Odd indeed...let's find another correlation here. Dad has 2 1968 Dodge's (Charger and a Super Bee)...so that bridges the 64 Dodge and the 68 Mercury.
I'll see if I can't scrounge up some pictures somewhere while I'm at work. I might have something on photobucket that I can grab.
![]() 12/12/2013 at 08:16 |
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1. Howdy
2. C6, a few details up above...going to scrounge for pictures today.
3. I've looked at it, but I usually only look from work, where I don't have stuff readily available...is linking to facebook albums frowned upon? I know their compression of files sucks, but it's where I've hosted a lot of race pictures.
4. So the truck is a 1963 Ford CT-850. It's short (135" wheelbase), but quite hefty. We pulled into the drive thru, and climbed out to order our food since we were a wee bit too high to speak into the microphone, then, the 2 guys that were with me jumped on the back. I pulled up to the window, told them I only needed my part of the order and pulled up so the guys on the back could get their food. One of my buddies concocted some story about how we were new fire fighters and this was part of our hazing having to take the old truck out and blah blah blah.
5. Eventually...yup....I think.
![]() 12/12/2013 at 09:34 |
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First off, awesome on the 68's.
Where are you from where'd u move to? Did we share a state maybe?
Where did you go for college? Married? Kids?
ARE WE THE SAME PERSON?!
![]() 12/12/2013 at 09:58 |
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Alas...no. My TrailBlazer SS came from Jersey...and one of my friends from my old job is from South Jersey and moved to IN for school not knowing anyone, and he didn't leave the state either lol.
Illinois to North Carolina, the cars and fire truck are in Indiana.
University of Illinois...go Big Ten. nope. dog. she counts.
![]() 12/12/2013 at 10:43 |
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Well I also have a dog, so theres that, and the BigTen...oh and I've owned two blazers (one should have been classified as an SS with how much was done to it lol)
![]() 12/12/2013 at 10:54 |
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Almost 2 years later I still kind of have sellers remorese...ish. I miss my TBSS in the sense that it was a sleeper. And just as fast as my car in a straight line. I just had bolt-ons and a tune...but it was fast.
![]() 12/12/2013 at 10:57 |
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My first blazer was an 88 with a really crazy build 4.3L V6. It was nuts off the line.
Now my old 68 Mercury Montego is where the power is. Oooo talk about a fun pedal to floor.
![]() 12/12/2013 at 11:00 |
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LS2 + full time AWD + 4.10s. I figure with mods it was probably about 450-460 at the crank. It hooked and RAN.
I've been spoiled by 2 LS2s in a row...I love driving the Super Bee, but 335 gross hp 45 years ago = it's still quick enough and makes fun sounds, but not terribly fast.
![]() 12/12/2013 at 11:01 |
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The more I look at that picture, the more I'm confused as to what it is. But I do see a big ol Federal Q...and a neato spinning light thing up front.
![]() 12/12/2013 at 11:02 |
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Well to be honest the Montego is really short on actual power. It's just fun as hell. It's fast enough that I can easily get myself in trouble. And loud enough that I'm almost permanently in trouble hahaha.
I can spin the tires when I want to (even with the auto, without a brake torque or a neutral drop) but my little 302 probably has about 280 HP at best now.
![]() 12/12/2013 at 11:12 |
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It's a 1965 Seagrave. Sort of.
There are parts and such from other years of the same series and the entire back of it is a Tom Hooker original as is the roof design.
![]() 12/12/2013 at 11:43 |
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So it's not quite where the power is, just where the proverbial power is. The Bee is manual everything, which is fun. Still has glass packs from a previous owner, which sound awful. I DD'd it for about 3 weeks in 2012, just to see how managable it was...I was happy and sad when Dad and I swapped cars back.
![]() 12/12/2013 at 11:44 |
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This makes more sense. I'm guessing that Tom Hooker is....you? That looks like it might could maybe still be in use?
![]() 12/12/2013 at 11:58 |
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I'm actually the son of Tom Hooker. I am Kevin Hooker. No, I'm not nearly as cool as he is. I can only hope to be half as cool as him. Hasn't been in use since 1980 ish. Also, it didn't look that complete or that good when we got it. Also didn't have a Detroit Diesel motor in it.
![]() 12/12/2013 at 12:01 |
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Oooooo. Gotcha, so it was used in the "modern era" to an extent. Ours is still all original. 534 Super Duty V8, Allison, questionable pumps. We've got more old trucks than we should, and most are in need of complete restoration, which now that I'm 700 miles from them, makes it hard for me to contribute to. I'm always on the prowl for something with a Detroit...ideally something with a 5+4 and Detroit will round out the collection.
![]() 12/12/2013 at 12:01 |
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Super 44s. When you cut off those awful glasspacks buy Flowmaster Super 44s. Do not think about it. Just buy them. Check out this sound change over. This is my Montego and it's only a 302.
![]() 12/12/2013 at 12:04 |
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No offense...but no Flowmasters. I had them for years on my truck. I can't check out the video at the office...no sound, but it'll likely get OEM hemi mufflers (they're louder for some reason).
![]() 12/12/2013 at 12:22 |
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I know there's a lot who really, really dislike the Flowmaster brand/sound. But those same people always here Flowmaster 40s or Super 40s. they rarely ever find a set of Super 44's in action. Try and keep an open mind and give them a listen when you're at home. I know a lot of people have claimed they will even "block up power" from your car, but again those aren't the 44's and compared to the stock replacement muffler single exhaust you hear in the first half, man what an upgrade.
![]() 12/12/2013 at 12:52 |
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I'll give 'em a listen, I'll give you that much. The big thing is with this being a mostly original Texas car (other than getting a crap repaint before we got it, and needing the engine compartment and undercarriage finished...hey its a driver) is wanting to keep it sounding "original" -ish.
![]() 12/12/2013 at 12:55 |
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ok, I have zero intentions of original in this, I'm just hot rodding it. I've already swapped the intake, upgraded to a 4 barrel carb and changed out to aftermarket air cleaner. With more changes to (hopefully) come under the hood.
If I was going original I would have left the old stock muffler on despite it's quietness. Makes complete sense to not go flowmaster on an original build. Thanks for keeping an open mind, let me know what you think (especially now knowing my hot rod intentions).
![]() 12/12/2013 at 12:59 |
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Yeah, the car was purchased because dad had a twin to it in the 70s, and it drives...unlike its all original hemi powered cousin sitting in the shop. Granted, values have been going in the wrong direction as of late, but I anticipate they'll recover a little bit. The nice thing about it, is that it's at a place where every dollar spent on the car is pretty much recoverable, at least to keep it as a driver. It won't get a concours type restoration...no point in doing so.
I'll report back once I hear some small block Ford + flowmasters.
![]() 12/12/2013 at 13:46 |
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Weird creepy facts from other posts...I was a business major in undergrad, and failed calculus at Illinois...2x.
![]() 12/12/2013 at 13:57 |
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Hahaha, good news is i only bombed it once and then changed to the comm arts college and hated myself when i found calculus wasn't a requirement for Advertising Majors.
![]() 12/12/2013 at 13:58 |
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I eventually took it at a community college. Much cheaper that way. Still sucked at it.
![]() 12/12/2013 at 14:01 |
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Oh I definitely still sucked at it. But I DID pass on my 2nd time thru business calculus at MSU.
Sorry for that whoopin we put on you in football, but we had to make it to the rose bowl this year. WE HAD TO!
![]() 12/12/2013 at 20:06 |
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A 2005 Vette at 25? You must've done well after school.
![]() 12/13/2013 at 08:16 |
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I don't do too bad, not awful, but not great. It also helps when things depreciate. A lot.