Stev-o, I had a 69' GTO 400/4-speed when I was 18.
I bought a 69' Torino GT convertible as my first car;it had a 302 auto and was very nice all the way around;so,being a kid, I traded my nice Torino GT for a black 69' GTO 400 4spd ! that had been hit in the front-end and needed some bodywork plus it needed a clutch..
The things I learned.. I left it parked and drove my Yamaha RD350.
Hey camna... an 18 yo with a GTO, you had a charmed life! [I had a '68 Firebird way back then]
I love the Torino's...they dont get the love like GM GTO's & Chevelles. My buddy in HS had one, I think it had a 429, didnt have it long as he totaled it after losing control and hitting a tree!
Stev-o,if I could I would change a Lot of decisions I made back then like.. I would have just kept the Torino GT and put a bigger engine w/ a Ford Toploader 4-spd. in it;that car was a good 'platform' to build a Hot Rod on.
Looking back though.. it would have de-valued the Torino
I really miss not having kept a 1968 Dodge Coronet 440 R/T convertible;it was in very good condition including the top and interior,although lots of races on it.. and had a 440 Auto and it was the local 'Hot Car' down the beach where I lived. I had a buddy Pat who kind of inherited it (he was family to the McGowans who owned it originally) but Patrick was a bit retarded and left the car sitting outside w/o the carb. on it over the Winter(hood closed)and snow melted down into the engine.. but Patrick wanted my beat-up black GTO so he traded me straight-up:my GTO for his R/T.
The #$%* of it was,I never got to run-around with either one of those two Hotrod cars;the GTO needed clutch work and front-end work to drive straight down the road and the R/T was seized !!
My father had a large air compressor business in Milford and I could have rebuilt the R/T 440 engine with his help,but as was his way,another dead-end;Ah family!!!
.. being the first born son isn't worth much when I'm washing toilets.
I'd like to have those 3 cars back again and fix $ them up the way they should have been when I was 18 and stupid and made $75 a week working for my dad.
My 73' Yamaha RD350 pulled me through lots of tough times because it was my only wheels for a while
I did enjoy making a solid trade a while after that;I traded my 1971' Suzuki T350R for a 1967 Buick GS400 400 c.i. with a 4 speed.I had that Gran Sport for a little more than a year and had some Fun driving it.
The decisions I made as an uninformed kid with no friends..
The best part of that time in my life was getting away from my Family and living in a shared upstairs of a house right near Silver Beach: E. Broadway Milford,CT. I was free to choose;I just didn't know what was best.