I'm green with envy!
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My first car was a 77 Supreme. Brown with the landau roof. Had a broken 8-track deck that I replaced with cassette. That car was awesome!
Doug G.
2K Club - QQ Super Nova
Yes, they are beautiful cars. Ours was Buckskin Metallic (which was much more gold than when you look it up online) and yellowish pinstripes. Landau roof, also. It originally had stock wheels but I got a really good deal on some Keystone mags and put them on. Gorgeous!
We hated to trade it in but got another really good deal on a brand new '86 supreme which was also beautiful.
Doug
We hated to trade it in but got another really good deal on a brand new '86 supreme which was also beautiful.
Doug
There's a story here and it's a Deusie!
So, Wednesday was the scheduled pick-up day. My good buddy who hauled the Gremlin to Kelowna, BC was also going to bring it back. Well, he lives an hour away and has two mountain passes to climb over. At the summit of Pass #2, he struck a piece of firewood somebody had lost on the highway and bent his Front Right wheel something fierce. He was outside cell service, so couldn't call me to come rescue him. So, he had to wait for daylight, and luckily, somebody was coming this way and gave him a lift to my place. Boy was I surprised to see my friend without a truck or trailer! Long story short, we drove back up the pass with tools, swapped wheels and got to my place. The plan became if we could source a "new" wheel and get a tire.... and get trucking no later than 10am, we could still do it. (Kelowna is a 4-hour, one-way trip from my place). Well.... "Kootenay Time" struck us bad. Nothing is even open 'til 9am. Phoned the local wrecking yard at 9am... yup, they had a 20" wheel and they're gonna pull it ASAP. Well.... ASAP turned into 12:45pm. Obviously, Abort mission by that point. Phoned the Restoration shop, explained the situation.... we'll try and figure something out. My buddy left his trailer at my place, figuring at least if I can either rent or borrow a truck, I could just go do it myself.
No rental place near me had a towing-capable truck, even though their websites specifically list them. Great.
Now.... I'm not the kinda guy to lean on his friends. I almost HATE borrowing things, especially large and/or expensive items. But later that night, I'm facebooking with another friend who asked me how the trip went. I explained to him we had to abort and I'm trying to rent a truck, or worse still.... ask a family member to help. Then he says out of the blue "You wanna borrow my diesel?" I explained to him that's a monster of a favour and I would never ask that. He goes "I know. I'm home at 6. Come over, get the truck."
Long story short, I had to borrow his 25-foot equipment trailer too, because my first friend's trailer was set up for a half ton truck, and now here I am with a full-ton, 1,000-hp MF'ing diesel. Keep in mind friends and neighbors.... I consider my half-ton, 6-cylinder Dodge a "big truck". Regardless, the whole trip down went entirely uneventfully. Towing an AMC Gremlin with a 1-ton Dodge was like towing a pimple with the Titanic. THE TRAILER is heavier than the Gremlin. The 8-hour round trip only cost us $167 bucks in diesel.
Now here's the funny part. When we took the Gremlin TO Kelowna back in July.... this biker dude kept following us and refused to pass. We finally pulled over to stretch our legs and check everything, and biker dude pulls in behind us. Turns out, his first car was a '76 Gremlin and he was completely enamoured with mine. Loved it. Was happy to follow behind us, eyeballing the car and reminiscing about days gone by. Well, yesterday on the trip home, I pulled off at a wide spot just outside Kelowna, to have lunch and just relax.
An older Dodge truck comes around the corner and bee-lines' right for me at this pull-out. Dude gets out AND IT'S THE SAME DUDE WHO WAS ON THE MOTORBIKE TWO MONTHS EARLIER! He couldn't believe it. He loved the car even more with the fresh paint and all done and gleaming. What are the odds of running into the same guy?? Like, you just can't make this stuff up!
Well... car is home and has bumped the Mustang now for shop space. I've got lots of assembly to do.
Thing is.... I'm so burned out after building this cars suspension before it went for body work. Then all the work I've done since to get the little V6 Dodge back together....
I need a bit of a break but worse still, my unemployment is pretty much done. I think I've got two weeks left and then find one of those.... what're they called.... jerbs? Jobs?? Yeah.... job. That's it! Pretty sure one of them is going to take away from my car-building time.... *sigh*
Needs must when the devil vomits in your kettle.
So, Wednesday was the scheduled pick-up day. My good buddy who hauled the Gremlin to Kelowna, BC was also going to bring it back. Well, he lives an hour away and has two mountain passes to climb over. At the summit of Pass #2, he struck a piece of firewood somebody had lost on the highway and bent his Front Right wheel something fierce. He was outside cell service, so couldn't call me to come rescue him. So, he had to wait for daylight, and luckily, somebody was coming this way and gave him a lift to my place. Boy was I surprised to see my friend without a truck or trailer! Long story short, we drove back up the pass with tools, swapped wheels and got to my place. The plan became if we could source a "new" wheel and get a tire.... and get trucking no later than 10am, we could still do it. (Kelowna is a 4-hour, one-way trip from my place). Well.... "Kootenay Time" struck us bad. Nothing is even open 'til 9am. Phoned the local wrecking yard at 9am... yup, they had a 20" wheel and they're gonna pull it ASAP. Well.... ASAP turned into 12:45pm. Obviously, Abort mission by that point. Phoned the Restoration shop, explained the situation.... we'll try and figure something out. My buddy left his trailer at my place, figuring at least if I can either rent or borrow a truck, I could just go do it myself.
No rental place near me had a towing-capable truck, even though their websites specifically list them. Great.
Now.... I'm not the kinda guy to lean on his friends. I almost HATE borrowing things, especially large and/or expensive items. But later that night, I'm facebooking with another friend who asked me how the trip went. I explained to him we had to abort and I'm trying to rent a truck, or worse still.... ask a family member to help. Then he says out of the blue "You wanna borrow my diesel?" I explained to him that's a monster of a favour and I would never ask that. He goes "I know. I'm home at 6. Come over, get the truck."
Long story short, I had to borrow his 25-foot equipment trailer too, because my first friend's trailer was set up for a half ton truck, and now here I am with a full-ton, 1,000-hp MF'ing diesel. Keep in mind friends and neighbors.... I consider my half-ton, 6-cylinder Dodge a "big truck". Regardless, the whole trip down went entirely uneventfully. Towing an AMC Gremlin with a 1-ton Dodge was like towing a pimple with the Titanic. THE TRAILER is heavier than the Gremlin. The 8-hour round trip only cost us $167 bucks in diesel.
Now here's the funny part. When we took the Gremlin TO Kelowna back in July.... this biker dude kept following us and refused to pass. We finally pulled over to stretch our legs and check everything, and biker dude pulls in behind us. Turns out, his first car was a '76 Gremlin and he was completely enamoured with mine. Loved it. Was happy to follow behind us, eyeballing the car and reminiscing about days gone by. Well, yesterday on the trip home, I pulled off at a wide spot just outside Kelowna, to have lunch and just relax.
An older Dodge truck comes around the corner and bee-lines' right for me at this pull-out. Dude gets out AND IT'S THE SAME DUDE WHO WAS ON THE MOTORBIKE TWO MONTHS EARLIER! He couldn't believe it. He loved the car even more with the fresh paint and all done and gleaming. What are the odds of running into the same guy?? Like, you just can't make this stuff up!
Well... car is home and has bumped the Mustang now for shop space. I've got lots of assembly to do.
Thing is.... I'm so burned out after building this cars suspension before it went for body work. Then all the work I've done since to get the little V6 Dodge back together....
I need a bit of a break but worse still, my unemployment is pretty much done. I think I've got two weeks left and then find one of those.... what're they called.... jerbs? Jobs?? Yeah.... job. That's it! Pretty sure one of them is going to take away from my car-building time.... *sigh*
Needs must when the devil vomits in your kettle.
Just for giggles, I took this pic Thursday morning before we took off. This monster had to haul back the pimple. Over the course of two days with this rig, I drove it with no trailer, with an empty trailer and with a loaded trailer. It drove the same regardless of how it was equipped. Nothing phased it. It's my friends' baby too, so, if I wrecked it.... I'd have been a dead man.
Need a quad 8-track player for that?
Holy crap! What a story!
The Gremlin looks great!!
And that is a killer looking truck. You owe that guy a beer. Nice to have friends like that!
The Gremlin looks great!!
And that is a killer looking truck. You owe that guy a beer. Nice to have friends like that!
Sweet story. You have some good friends.
I wish he still drank. I've been wracking my brain thinking what I could get the dude as a thank you gift. But it's like.... what do you get the man who has everything?
Isn't there a saying somewhere about the measure of a man being the company he keeps? lol.
But yeah, I really do.
Way ahead of you. This is the Quadraphonic Gremlin, after all. But I'm not normally one to turn down a good deal. Whatchya got?
Only 3 gears? Or is it an Auto with 3 positions?
Sonik Wiz
👂 500 MPH EARS 👂
Every year as school days rev up, I am compelled to watch Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Because of this thread I paid attention to the fact that character Mike Damone also drives a very green Gremlin:
No word on the sound system....
No word on the sound system....
The first Gremlin that I remember seeing circa early 1970 was a dark green metal flake. I always thought that those cars looked very cool, I don't understand why some people think that they are ugly. Beauty in in the eye of the beholder.
Owen Smith
600 Club - QQ All-Star
There is no Park position, it looks like a 3 speed manual box to me. I never drove one of those, I've only driven 4, 5 and 6 speed manual boxes.
Doug G.
2K Club - QQ Super Nova
If you had a manual, in those days, a 3 speed was pretty standard unless you got, say, a 'vette or like car.
My 1950 Ford pickup was a 3 speed.
Doug
My 1950 Ford pickup was a 3 speed.
Doug
I didn't learn to drive until I was 23 (probably for the best!) so '81, and the mini I learnt in had a whole 4, even after I'd had a lesson in itIf you had a manual, in those days, a 3 speed was pretty standard unless you got, say, a 'vette or like car.
My 1950 Ford pickup was a 3 speed.
Doug
What? There has to be a story there somewhere Duncan. 23 huh?I didn't learn to drive until I was 23 (probably for the best!) so '81, and the mini I learnt in had a whole 4, even after I'd had a lesson in it
Most vintage cars had three speed manual transmissions, usually on the column. Three on the floor would of been superseded by four and then five speeds. Most automatics would of been three speed as well. I had to drive a three speed manual transmission car on my drivers test. I always thought that it should be requirement to be able to drive a manual transmission car to get a license.If you had a manual, in those days, a 3 speed was pretty standard unless you got, say, a 'vette or like car.
My 1950 Ford pickup was a 3 speed.
Doug
Doug G.
2K Club - QQ Super Nova
I guess I should have mentioned I was referencing American cars because the British/European design mindset was different.
Doug
Doug
Doug G.
2K Club - QQ Super Nova
Heck, my '59 Chevy had a 2 speed automatic cast iron "Powerglide" in it. It stayed in low up to about 40MPH or so and, from then on... It would still do 120, though.
Doug
Doug
