Beaters (cars)

[wmw999 2,589]

My son just bought a "new" beater today (his current car, a 1991 MR2, is in the shop for extensive engine work, and he needs a job). It made me remember some notable beaters in my past, but I must admit his is way better.

Mine: a white 1963 Ford Falcon SW with holes in the roof, floor, and seat; no radio or side mirrors, and the worst case of brake fade in rain I've ever seen. When I tried to wash it, the water came off white (it was a white car).

But his is much better. A red 1988 Taurus SW; the last owner had it 14 of its 15 years. Original (peeling) paint, but since he's a thermal engineer at NASA, he painted the top white and installed a solar-powered clamshell ventilation system. He has all maintenance records, and the panels stick out about an inch on the top. It's a completely classic engineer car. For some odd reason, his 16-year-old doesn't want to drive it , but my 19-year-old now appreciates the beauty of a car that has a valid inspection sticker and tires, runs, that doesn't require a note.

Actually, it's a good deal for $800 or so. But his uncle has already told him it needs a beer tap as a hood ornament. Maybe he'll get interested in solar power.

So who else has owned (or still owns) a really awesome beater?

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[Viking 0]

MR2 Turbo? i LOVE those cars!!

oh ya mine was an 85 Mercury Grand Marque with 270,000 on it.

I swear you must have footprints on the back of your helmet - chicagoskydiver
My God has a bigger dick than your god -George Carlin

[skybytch 273]

Beater #1 - 1976 Chevy Monte Carlo. It was still in decent shape when I got it, it was destroyed when it went to the junkyard two years later.

Beater #2 - 1972 Dodge Dart. This one was in really nice shape when I got it for $500. Less than 50k miles on it, perfect interior, perfect exterior. I kept it real clean until the day that damn deer jumped out in front of me. After that I didn't give a shit.

Beater #3 - 1968 Camaro. This was supposed to be my project car. I purchased it two months before I started jumping. It needed quite a bit of work when I bought it. It needed shitloads of work by the time I finally gave up on it. Let's see... the passenger door wouldn't open, the muffler was shot, the driver's seat had only springs and a bit of the vinyl covering left, the headliner hung down, there was rust all over it, the engine was blown, when it did run it would die if you drove through a puddle... If I ever hit the lottery I'm going to get another one and do it right.

btw... has the tranny in that Taurus been replaced yet?

[2fat2fly 0]

1969 Chevy longbed. I had it in '82 and it had what was left of the original old, chevy, baby crap green paint job. It was rusted through at the top of the bed on the passenger side. You could hear it flap any time you got over 40mph. In line six banger-you could rebuild the top end with a 9/16 open end wrench and a putty knife. I drove it on all my first dates. It probably saved me from knocking someone up because I had to hold it in 3rd gear and couldn't cop a feel unless I got them to go parking right off the bat. I was so glad to see that beast go...I miss it now, some days.

I am not the man. But the man knows my name...and he's worried

[Michele 1]

1969 Plymouth Valiant.

Loved that tank. Saved my bottom in a drunkdriving incident - her, not me...she jumped a stopsign and totalled her car against the side of mine. There were dents and things, but nothing of note to the Plymouth, but her Datsun was about half the size of it's previous size. She was alright, too drunk to tense up...

Ciels-
Michele

~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek
While our hearts lie bleeding?~

[billvon 3,120]

I had a 72 Datsun 610 that I drove for six years. It had 280,000 miles on it by the time I retired it. When I finally did retire it there was nothing really wrong with it; it still ran just fine. There were a few problems with comfort though:

There was no floor in the back seats. This made a "fred flintstone" stop possible by the backseat passengers but I always worried about the safety of doing that.

The headliner hung down like a tent. You had to lean close to the windshield so the headliner didn't get between you and the windshield; this made it hard to see.

The front fenders were more fiberglass than metal. I gave up painting the repairs to match the car after the second round of fiberglass. (We lived near the ocean and they used salt on the roads.)

The headlights sort of pointed in random directions since their mountings had rotted away.

The ignition was gone, and was replaced by a bunch of toggle switches. This made it extremely confusing to start, which was great theft protection (not that anyone would have stolen it.)

[racer42 0]

1969 VW Beetle it rolled over and died finally with something like 300,000 miles. Of course the floor pan disappeared in 1970.

Best beater I had was a canary yellow 79 Cadillac Coupe de Ville. 425 cu.in. V8. The little Cadillac motor. It cost me nothing in insurance or parts, just $300/month in gas. Sold it so I could jump. Jeez, I loved that car.

L.A.S.T. #24
Co-Founder Biscuit Brothers Freefly Team
Electric Toaster #3
Co-Founder Team Non Sequitor
Co-Founder Team Happy Sock

[Islandcool 0]

Not a beater but vintage. One my favorite cars I've built. 70 dodge challenger conv. Show winner many times. Picture taken at the Pacific Nationals in Vegas about 5 years ago. As of last year now resides in Minnesota. Bye baby.

Ed

[Viking 0]

holyshit!!! *drooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool*

I swear you must have footprints on the back of your helmet - chicagoskydiver
My God has a bigger dick than your god -George Carlin

[SkymonkeyONE 4]

Beaters I have owned:

-1974 Ford Pinto. Dark Green Metallic paint which was the only perfect thing on the car other than the mandatory Cragar SS wheels that we all owned back then. This car blew so much smoke out of the tailpipe you would have thought it was a smoke generator off an M-1 tank. The drivers seat slide latch did not work, so I held the seat full forward with a bent up clothes hanger. That ALWAYS broke at the most inopportune times, like when I was stipped at a light on a steep hill with the clutch pushed in. It had those HUGE chrome bumpers that became mandatory that year for the 5mph crashworthiness. I paid $500 for that car and gave it to one of my sisters when I went in the army.

-"Blackie", my current 1987 Ford F-150 four wheel drive truck. Flact Black, straight six, granny low four speed. Sounds like a pulpwood truck because my friends like that it backfires, so the do it on purpose and regularly blow out my muffler. Front end well out of line and camber. Dry rotted 31 inch tires that go "wa wa wa" and a windshield so cracked it's hard to see out of. Another five hundred dollar sled that I could never sell. It's my general purpose dropzone and bashing vehicle.

[Islandcool 0]

Quote

the mandatory Cragar SS wheels that we all owned back then

Yeah ya old bastard! I love the classics. Of course only the rich guys could afford centerlines. That was back in the day when they didn't measure tire width in millimeters. I had a pinto once. It had a 302 and would turn 12s but that was another time. Frickin' cars were great when we were young..um...younger.

Ed

[skybytch 273]

A Mopar man, eh? That explains a lot.
Chevy's Rule!
Nice car though.

[RevJim 0]

Um, I preferred Keystones.

It's your life, live it!
Karma
RB#684 "Corcho", ASK#60, Muff#3520, NCB#398, NHDZ#4, C-33989, DG#1

[johnny1488 1]

Quote

btw... has the tranny in that Taurus been replaced yet?

and th head gaskets if its a 3.8.

Mine and 86 jetta that gets 35+ mpg

Past ones included a 72 pontiac ventura and a 74 duster that I got for $100. Ran without oil and antifreeze when I took it home. Quick story, We did a voltage drop test on the starter in class (to see if the voltage from the battery was making it to the starter.) Teach said any more that .5 volts was unacceptable. Mine dropped 3.5 volts. Teach said that cant be right how the hell does this thing start? Compression, what compression?

Kim had a killer 68 nova with a straight 6 with 250K on it for 5 years. Miss you girl.( the car)

Johnny
--"This ain't no book club, we're all gonna die!"
Mike Rome

[lurch 0]

It's name: The Beast.
ID: '83 AMC Eagle SX4. Four wheel drive.
Miles on odometer: 147,678...6 years ago when it finally broke.
Estimated actual mileage: approximately 250,000+.
Options: homemade/reese combo trailer hitch: The Blair Hitch Project.
96 amp wagoneer alternator
holley 350 2bbl.
4 years since new 258 I-6 engine installed-brand new, not rebuilt....along with racing prepped autotranny and oversize radiator. It will not overheat. Even pulling a 2-ton trailer up a steep hill at 4200 rpm in first gear. In summer.
Jacobs ignition, dual modules for backup
homebrew suspension lift, rancho shocks, stacked double spring packs, shackle lift, ex-large front springs, ball joint spacers
28 inch bfg mud tires on stock steel rims-indestructible.
wagoneer rear brake drums
wagoneer/eagle hacked transfer case with visegrips for the second gearshift, ford escort shifter knob for the third
480 watts of lights in the stock holes, another 440 watts worth of cheap driving lights (depending on how many are currently smashed off)
it used to have another 450 watts worth of aviation landing lights on the roof rack till the whole shebang got took off the car at 92 mph by a low flying wild turkey on interstate 50 not too far from Sacramento about 3 years ago.
Approximately 200 lbs of steel plate/tube armor, front, rear, and underneath.
1400 cca bulldozer battery in back, optima marine up front.
plastic rear window
no heat
almost no real rust
I've owned and loved this warrior ride for almost eight years now. Paid 250$ for it as scrap metal.This car will live forever. It still goes. Fast. It was beaten to death and totally factory stock when I bought it-fried engine tranny radiator axle gears bearings oil leaks.....

Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

[lurch 0]

Imagine seeing THIS coming for you on the highway.

Live and learn... or die, and teach by example.

[dterrick 0]

Grey market 1970 BMW 2500 sedan.

This became the 7 series eventually but would most likely be known to Americans as a "Bavaria". It belonged to a neighbor of my parents and I knew the history of the car... it was brought over by a German serviceman stationed here and it stayed. the car was "restored" but the Germans had yet to figure out rustproofing. By te time I bought it, the rear fenders were a bit preggers - but not so bad as to be visible at a distance.

That car rocked! Four of us with full ski gear on top and trunk loaded did the climb between Calgary (almost prairie) and Banff (best skiing in the world)at over 100 mph . All the instruments were in metric (no problem) and German (slight problem ... just whathtelhell is a bremsen or fernlight or...). The turn signal stalk is on the RIGHT side of the wheel and the headlight dimmer on the left (seriously).

Back then, eurospec cars were not burdened with emission controls. Different carbs, cams, distributor and exhaust made for a fairly wild 2.5 litre motor in a big sedan. If you wound it up the car went very well. I took my racing school in this car - the body roll made it feel as if it would tip over like a Ford Bronco, and the oil light would come on every time I braked hard at the end of the front stright with a corresponding huff of smoke. It just wouldn;t die.

After it started eating my sportscar budget, I traded it for a 1982 Mazda RX-7 racing car. But that's another story.

Dave

PS: there is only one known photo of this BMW and I can;t find it

Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

[Islandcool 0]

Quote

A Mopar man, eh? That explains a lot.
Chevy's Rule!

oh my lets not get off on that... this thread would be in serious danger of being hijacked. Wait a minute...your dad a gas station didn't he? We'll discuss the finer points of muscle cars over a few beers at the boogie. Cheers Bytch!

Ed

[wingnut 0]

my first and most loved car.... a 1984 el camino.... rings were shot, had to replace the mufflers and rakes and it lasted me all of 5 months.. bought it for 400 at an auction back home... oh great memories......... riding in the back of it in december drunk while my sister drive it back from a friends house......


and my second favorite a 1983 bmw 318i that i bought for 200 bucks in 2001 and sold later that year for 500.. it had 160k km.. and it took me all over europe including up to texel to jump with screamer and down to switzerland to my friends wedding.... that car rocked.... even before i replaced the front tire that was so unevenly worn i would get a VERY bad shake if i took it over 130 kph... a pair of 50 deutsch mark retreads fixed that though and she ran smooth as silk........ below is a picture of huffermoose, skreamer, and benw at texel.... with my beloved beater

______________________________________
"i have no reader's digest version"

[riggerrob 643]

1984 Honda Civic
The door sills were rusted out when I bought it.
Had to replace brakes an muffler to get it past safety check.
Driver's door was dented - from the inside - from trying to open it after freezing rain.
Driver's seat rotted out along with holes in all the other seats and headliner.
Blew a cylinder crossing Iowa - and continued to drive it for another year.
The last machanic who looked at the rusted fornt end warned me not to drive it on highways.
Radiator developed a bad leak in the Mojave desert.
Battery gave out in the Mojave desert.
The last few months I only topped off radiator, battery and oil on a regular basis.
When I drove it to the junk yard, I did not dare shut it off for fear they would have to push it into the yard.
But she was beauty because she got me started down the road to becoming a professional skydiver.

[n2skdvn 0]

1971 VW squareback sedan put it through hell
mudding every thing still ran like a charm when i got rid of it .

if my calculations are correct SLINKY + ESCULATOR = EVERLASTING FUN
my site

[happythoughts 0]

Quote

70 dodge challenger conv.

Had the same car back in the day. 383 magnum engine. Pos-trac, 10in tires, air shocks. At 50mph, I would go to pass another car and when I kicked it, the tires would light and the body would torque over. Last of the muscle cars bro.

I think the motor is in Yemen today providing electricity to a small village.

[freefallfreak 0]

Well, so far mine is the oldest...but not the worst. In fact, it's in pristine condition and turns 9.9 in a full quarter. I won't go into detail here except to say that it's a Chevy powered 1949 Ford. (see attachment). I wrecked it in a high speed pass a couple of months ago but it's now back on the road with new paint. I don't have a new pic of it with the purple flames yet, so I'll just post an old pic of it.
(Care for a dual of rapid acceleration, under full throttle, for a financial gain, win or lose? Tee-hee)
I quit racing it cause it gets too expensive. Parts are just too much but I somehow come up with the $3.99 a gallon fuel and drive it on the street every day.

FFF

"Upon seeing the shadow of a pigeon, one must resist the urge to look up."

[Islandcool 0]

Quote

Had the same car back in the day. 383 magnum engine. Pos-trac, 10in tires, air shocks.

Dude....Mopars have sure-grip rear ends..Get it right!

Ed

[VectorBoy 0]

Dude Round lights, Round lights, Round lights! This is an abomination almost as bad as square lights on jeeps.
Nice chop top though! Glen