KSL '67 101234

I enjoyed reading the comments in the post of "feeling old."

Taking a twist of that post I thought it would be interesting to find out what us Corvette guys and gals were doing, driving, and where we were living 40 years ago on July 4th 1974.

I was in between high school and college and was at work by 5:30 am on a farm 30 miles south of Bakersfield so I could be ready when the farm "opened" at 6am to pull weeds in Icardo's cotton fields. Pulling weeds was the way old-man Icardo weeded out the lazy from the eager youths while waiting for the onion crop to "come-in" in mid-July.

I was on to my 3rd car at 18 on July 4th, 1974, which was a beautiful red 1968 Triumph TR4AIRS. While I did not own a Vette at the time I had just sold my 2nd car, a '31 5-window Ford with a 327 Vette engine. It was ALL ENGINE. My dad would not let me buy a '65 FI convertible silver/black Vette a year earlier, so I did the next best thing and purchased a Vette engine! It blew the doors off my '66 SS396 Chevelle Super Sport which I still owned.

Life at 18 with a job, sports car, girlfriend (now my wife), and all the opportunity that I knew was ahead of me made for a wonderful life back then!

Cheers, and Happy 4th of July 2014!

Easy Rhino

I have a vague idea of what I might have been doing that day, but I am pretty sure that it probably involved beer.

I was 19 years old, the state's youngest licensed real estate agent at the time. This was between working construction jobs. I drove a new Mercury Montego , but most all cars in 1974 sucked. I traded a burnt out 1966 VW Kombi van (hippy van) for it.

That was about 6 years before I got married and settled down, and 5 years before starting (and finishing) a 24 year US Navy career.

AZDoug

I will guarantee my day involved beer. It started when four of us went to Canyon Ferry lake (Helena, MT), in a newly painted red 1969 Chevelle, wading around in the lake, drinking beer on the way, there and the way back.

Nobody had swimming wear, so we just waded in wearing our levis. After we got out, this one guy got a real funny look on his face, and unsnapped his pants and this carp about 4" long fell out of his pants.

It finished up at the drive in movie in my '61 car, i don't remember what was playing, but more beer and a teenage girl was involved.

Doug

Gary's '66

Yep, most DEFINITELY involved beer so I don't remember a damn thing!

Easy Rhino

So, I'm guessing that the statute of limitations has most likely run out on anything we would admit to having done 40 years ago.

Nowhere Man

That was ten years before I was born....

Subfixer

I was 20, in between High School and Navy. Was a window washer in NYC during the day shift, worked at a gas station on the evening shift and drove a tow truck on-call on the swing shift.

I was on my 7th car (previous: 61 Falcon, 65 Malibu, 69 Malibu, 62 Corvette, 62 Cadillac, 65 Impala), 70 Challenger 440 Six-Pak.

On the 4th, I was with a group of High School friends getting stupid drunk watching fireworks with everyone else on Northern Long Island.

fyreline

Let's see . . . July 4th, 1974. I was approaching my first year anniversary with the Syracuse Fire Department. Looking back through the old schedule cards, I would have been working nights so not too much carousing during the day, I was due in at 4 PM. My old personal log shows we had a fairly busy night, a lot of alarms but no really bad fires. Boy, those 40 years went fast. Just retired last year. In 1974 I was using my new-found solvency by driving a new 1973 Chevelle Laguna with a 454. I don't think I had many miles on it by then, but most of them were 1320 feet at a time. Good times.

KSL '67 101234

My '67 was purchased at Salina Motors in Syracuse, NY, which I believe the dealership has since been converted to a fire station.

Dave Tracy

It was summer break from college. I was a swim instructor/lifeguard and was working that day at the pool(which I did 7 days/week over the summer). This job funded my entire year at San Diego State.

capevettes

Summer break from Boston College and spending it on Cape Cod where I moved later that year. I was driving the same 65 Corvette convertible that I am now. Owned it since 71. Three of my good friends also drove midyears at that time and we went everywhere together. They are still good friends but I am the only one still driving a Vette.

DZAUTO

I can't remember what/where I was 4days ago, much less 40yrs ago------------------------------------and I'm not sure that I want to remember!

Sky65

Just got out of the service in Feb 1974 after four years in the AF. My wife was pregnant and I was in a tech school learning how to make topographical maps. I had a 70 Dodge van and a 65 Sprite. The van I bought new and the Sprite I bought out of a junk yard and got it running. It was my "Gas Crisis" car. It got great gas mileage!

Tom

RoadKing96

I was into my 4th year of 6, serving in the Air Force in some 'other' country overseas....

I still had my very first car, a 1969 GTO and was, as I still am, Loving Life !!!

Happy 4th,
RK

63Corvette

Daytona Finale 250 Miles
Camel GT Challenge (round 12)

(Entry List)

No. Drivers Entrant Principal Make Type Model Engine Gr.
0 Milt Minter Toad Hall Motor Racing (USA) Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Porsche GTO
1 Michael Keyser Toad Hall Motor Racing (USA) Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Porsche GTO
2 Ciccone / Buffum Tom Ciccone Ford Escort Ford GTU
3 Horst Kwech Harry Theodoracopoulos (USA) Ford Capri RS 3100 Ford GTO
4 Bill Schmid Ted Trudon Porsche Audi??? Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Porsche GTO
5 Pedro Vazquez (USA) Porsche 911 S Porsche GTU
6 Dickinson / Wachs (USA) Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Porsche GTO
8 Bob Beasley Bruce Jennings?? Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Porsche GTO
10 Roger Pierce Chevrolet Corvette Chevrolet GTO
11 Mann / Bostyan Lamar Mann Chevrolet Corvette Chevrolet GTO
12 Smith / Young S.T. Smith??? Chevrolet Corvette Chevrolet GTO
14 Al Holbert Holbert's Porsche/Audi Corp. (USA) Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Porsche GTO
15 Garcia / Garcia Javier Garcia (Garcia Racing) Chevrolet Corvette Chevrolet GTO
16 Chitwood / Chitwood Chevrolet Camaro Chevrolet GTO
17 Vince Gimondo Vince Gimondo Chevrolet Camaro Chevrolet GTO
19 Paul Spruell Paul Spruell Paul Spruell Porsche 911 S Porsche GTU
22 Bill Polich Porsche 914 /6 Porsche GTU
25 Bob Lapp Datsun 240Z Datsun GTU
26 Williamson / Cosentino Chevrolet Camaro Chevrolet GTO
30 George Dyer George Dyer (USA) Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Porsche GTO
31 Warren Tope Ford Mustang Ford GTO
34 George Drolsom George Drolsom (USA) Porsche 911 S Porsche GTU
37 Waddell / Wedel Garrett Waddell (USA) Chevrolet Corvette C3 L88 Chevrolet GTO
40 Buzbee / Ross Spencer Buzbee Datsun 240Z Datsun GTU
41 Jones, Jr. / Faul Jones Indust. Racing Chevrolet Camaro Chevrolet GTO
42 Koch / Reid Chevrolet Camaro Chevrolet GTO
43 Graves / O'Steen John Graves (USA) Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Porsche GTO
44 Naon / Freyre Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Porsche GTO
49 Darrell Carter Chevrolet Corvette Chevrolet GTO
51 Bob Christiansen Chevrolet Camaro Chevrolet GTO
53 Dennis Dallmeyer Pontiac Firebird Pontiac GTO
54 Bob Speakman Bob Speakman Bob Speakman Datsun 240Z Datsun GTU
56 Bill Webbe Porsche 911 S Porsche GTU
57 Heinz / Thompson Race Ent. & Devel. Corp. Chevrolet Corvette C3 Chevrolet GTO
58 Gang / Cook Adrian Gang Porsche 911 S Porsche GTU
59 Peter Gregg Brumos Porsche-Audi (USA) Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Porsche GTO
60 Rusty Bond Rusty Bond Porsche 911 S Porsche GTU
61 Scott Chapman Chevrolet Corvette Chevrolet GTO
63 Frank Harmstad Porsche 911 S Porsche GTU
67 McClain / White David McClain (USA) Porsche 914 /6 Porsche GTU
68 Hay / Nagel Rick Hay Chevrolet Corvette Chevrolet GTO
69 Coleman / Johnson Chevrolet Vega Chevrolet GTO
70 Leonard Janke Chevrolet Camaro Chevrolet GTO
71 Bill Arnold (USA) Chevrolet Corvette Chevrolet GTO
72 Ausley / Mitchell Chevrolet Corvette Chevrolet GTO
74 Ludwig Heimrath Ludwig Heimrath (CDN) Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Porsche GTO
75 John Greenwood John Greenwood Racing (USA) Chevrolet Corvette C3 Chevrolet GTO
76 Norm Ridgely Norm Ridgely Porsche 911 S Porsche GTU
77 Noseda / Small Chevrolet Camaro Chevrolet GTO
78 Tom Ross Ford Mustang Ford GTO
79 Juan Montalvo Juan Montalvo Ford Escort Ford GTU
83 Larry Ross Chevrolet Corvette Chevrolet GTO
86 Kleinpeter / Goldleaf Hugh Kleinpeter (USA) Hugh Kleinpeter De Tomaso Pantera Ford GTO
88 Maurice Carter Mo Carter (CDN) Chevrolet Camaro Chevrolet GTO
89 Causey / Parish Barrick Motor Racing (USA) Porsche 911 S Porsche GTU
91 Ron Connelly Chevrolet Corvette Chevrolet GTO
93 Gene Harrington Chevrolet Camaro Chevrolet GTO
94 Tony DeLorenzo Leldon Blackwell Racing (USA) Leldon Blackwell Chevrolet Corvette C3 Chevrolet GTO
95 Bob Hagestad Bob Hagestad (USA) Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Porsche GTO
96 Gene Felton Gene Felton (USA) Gene Felton Chevrolet Camaro Chevrolet GTO
97 Charles Urschel Datsun 260Z Datsun GTO
98 Alspaugh / Persinger Chevrolet Corvette Chevrolet GTO
99 Phil Currin Currin Racing Chevrolet Corvette Chevrolet GTO
110 Nehl / Mitchell Bolus & Snopes (USA) Chevrolet Camaro Chevrolet GTO

ifitgoesfast

40 years ago? I was learning to tie my shoes and playing with matchbox cars thinking one day I want a completely chromed out car like the matchbox.

(I was 4)

Gary's '66

Depends on what state and watcha did.

5thvet

Just graduated from college and was taking the summer off before looking seriously for work..........Cruising in my 68 L71 ( probably with a beer in my lap back then)...

pullin-gs

Got my introduction to wrenching my rides (sort of) 40 year ago.
My neighbor gave me (I was 10) an old mini-bike that was in pieces.
Dad was no help with this sort of thing (one-on-one time with the boy), so I put it back together as best I could and toyed with it for about a month to no avail. Finally I got hold of a lawn-mower service book from the local library and figured out there was no spark.
I filed the points and it ran like new!

1974purchase

i owned my 67 435 for a little over two months. getting better with a manual transmission, and scaring myself regularly with its power. playing golf nearly every day as i was working midnights, and it seemed like the best thing to do at 8 am when i was getting off work.