Dad, the accountant and car guy

[JohnRippert]

Dad had a lot of good cars when I was growing up. The one I most remember is the 1967 Pontiac GTO. I can think of many times I bemoaned him getting rid of that car before I came to be of driving age. Not that I really needed a car with a 400ci engine in it. Would have gotten me in lots of trouble for sure. He kept all the brochures and paperwork from his vehicles and I have been going through them and found one that I think would be even better to have than the GTO, at least for me.

In 1965 he bought a Pontiac Tempest Custom Sports Coupe. Just look at the window tag on this one. It had the 285HP top of the line 326HO 4-barrel carb engine with a Hurst 4 on the floor transmission. He even got the Y96 Handling and Ride Package and Air Conditioning on it.

This thing looks like a really nice sleeper for the 1965 time period. I think it would make a excellent cruiser and would love to have it these days. Why is it we so often don't find out our Dad was too cool until after he is gone? Picture of one that should look quite like his is included along with the window tag of this Tempest.

Other cars that he had included a 1971 first year Toyota Celica ST which I bought from him with my first income tax return check, and I wish I had that one back. A 1987 Honda Prelude Si which was a really sweet little pocket rocket. A 1994 Acura Integra GS-R which was another pocket rocket although I preferred the Prelude.

 

[WardenRoss]

Small world. I too had a '65, 326 Tempest, 4 speed. Mine had no AC, but power steering and brakes. I remember the AM radio had a factory rear speaker with a chrome toggle switch that offerd a reverb type mode.

I put Crager wheels on her. They cost $47 each. Big money back then.

The ignition was on the left. Wonderful car.

Here's a pic I found on the web. Identical car.

,

 

[llowry61]

I love the stance and lines of those cars. Just classic looks.

So cool to see that sticker! Those were the day.

 

[WardenRoss]

John, his also had positive traction. VERY rare for the small blocks.

I bet he custom ordered it.


,

 

[llowry61]

He had great taste and wasn't afraid to pay for what he wanted. I am sure that car was special ordered.

Not that uncommon back then. My dad was a Buick guy and he always ordered his cars. I loved the 68 Skylark he had. Too bad my sister got it. I got the Electra deuce and a quarter when gas was a buck a gallon and being rationed. But you could get 10 teenagers in it !

 

[robvious]

my first car I bought with my own monies was a 67 Firebird convertible with a 326 and a 2 speed automatic 3 days before my 17th birthday.. right before my senior year of high school... sold it to my best man years after college... he did magical things to it.. looks like this now... it was butternut yellow with fiberglass patch panels pulling off the rear quarters...

and both of my parents were accountants... barely affected me at all...

 

[67tempest]

I always loved the mid 60's Pontiacs, my father never had what I would consider a cool car. The first car I purchased when I was 16 was a 1967 LeMans, 326, 2bbl, 2 speed hydramatic. A year or so later a friend of mine decided to sell his 1967 Tempest, 389 4bbl, 4 speed with a 4.11 posi, I bought it. The body on the LeMans was better than the Tempest so I decided to swap the drivetrains between the two. I waited until my parents went on vacation then I put one in the garage and one in the driveway. I took both apart and swapped the engine's, transmissions and rear end's between the two, converted the LeMans to stick shift. Kept both for awhile then ended up selling them both. Would have kept the LeMans but had no where to store it, regretted getting rid of them for along time.

Fast forward about 25 years and I decided I needed another Pontiac. I didn't care about the drivetrain, my only concern was finding one with a nice body. Found a 1967 Tempest, OHC 6 cyl, 2bbl, 2 speed hydramatic, vehicle that came from Georgia so other than a couple of minor spot's it was rust free. My buddy and I pulled out the entire drivetrain in his garage and we installed a narrowed frame with a 4.57 posi Ford 9 inch rear with a ladder bar rear suspension, towed the car back to my garage. Pulled the body off the frame, cleaned up the frame, shot it black again and put the body back on. My son's and I built and installed a 468ci BBC and installed a 4 spd trans. replaced all the front suspension and steering components and converted the front brakes to disc, replaced just about all the wiring.

Been driving and beating the snot out of it for the last 10 years and it hasn't blown up yet. Don't think it will ever actually be finished but it was great fun building it with my son's, they learned how to drive stick in that car!

 

[Rustyt1953]

Dad always drove inexpensive basic model cars as he supported a family of five and preferred that mom didn't join the workforce.

This is dad's 225 slant 6 chick magnet that I learned to drive on.

 

[Bald1]

Last fall my good friend bought a 1970 442 W30. He’s the 4th owner. It’s original except for one repaint in the late 80s. He has original sticker and it too was under $4k.

 

[Rustyt1953]

At the height of the oil crisis I sold this:



and bought this:




I hung my head.

 

[JohnRippert]

At the height of the oil crisis I sold this:

and bought this:

I hung my head.

Dad sold his GTO about that time, and bought a Capri.

 

[LVSteve]

Dad always drove inexpensive basic model cars as he supported a family of five and preferred that mom didn't join the workforce.

This is dad's 225 slant 6 chick magnet that I learned to drive on.

Dad bought a brand new '66 model on arriving in Ft Worth, but wimped out and settled for the 170 cube motor. That was still huge compared with the motors we were used to in the UK.

 

[CH4]

Dad had a lot of good cars when I was growing up. The one I most remember is the 1967 Pontiac GTO. I can think of many times I bemoaned him getting rid of that car before I came to be of driving age. Not that I really needed a car with a 400ci engine in it. Would have gotten me in lots of trouble for sure. He kept all the brochures and paperwork from his vehicles and I have been going through them and found one that I think would be even better to have than the GTO, at least for me.

In 1965 he bought a Pontiac Tempest Custom Sports Coupe. Just look at the window tag on this one. It had the 285HP top of the line 326HO 4-barrel carb engine with a Hurst 4 on the floor transmission. He even got the Y96 Handling and Ride Package and Air Conditioning on it.

This thing looks like a really nice sleeper for the 1965 time period. I think it would make a excellent cruiser and would love to have it these days. Why is it we so often don't find out our Dad was too cool until after he is gone? Picture of one that should look quite like his is included along with the window tag of this Tempest.

Other cars that he had included a 1971 first year Toyota Celica ST which I bought from him with my first income tax return check, and I wish I had that one back. A 1987 Honda Prelude Si which was a really sweet little pocket rocket. A 1994 Acura Integra GS-R which was another pocket rocket although I preferred the Prelude.

According to my cousin Vinny, it had independent rear suspension?

 

[CH4]

At the height of the oil crisis I sold this:



and bought this:




I hung my head.

That right there is punishable by death, in some states. Party on, Wayne!

 

[WardenRoss]

According to my cousin Vinny, it had independent rear suspension?

Nope, that's the '63 Tempest. According to Miss Vito who was a lovely, lovely, lovely witness.


,

 

[ACORN]

Nope, that's the '63 Tempest. According to Miss Vito who was a lovely, lovely, lovely witness.


,

Yes she was.

 

[lihpster]

Dad drove pickups. After awhile, and by the time I was driving, mom did too.

 

[67tempest]

I wouldn't discount the Gremlin. Around the same time I owned my Pontiac's a buddy had two different Gremlins, one with a 304 V8 stick shift and the other with a 401 V8 stick shift. Odd looking, I guess you could say so, but light weight and available with a V8. We could never leave well enough alone and after some tinkering they both were pretty respectable in the power department.

 

[llowry61]

I wouldn't discount the Gremlin. Around the same time I owned my Pontiac's a buddy had two different Gremlins, one with a 304 V8 stick shift and the other with a 401 V8 stick shift. Odd looking, I guess you could say so, but light weight and available with a V8. We could never leave well enough alone and after some tinkering they both were pretty respectable in the power department.

My cousin had a purple gremlin with the V-8 not sure which, but he had air shocks on it, wide rear tires, Cragar wheels, a Tasmanian Devil decal on each side behind the rear windows hood scoops. Looked pretty slick and was quick too.

 

[H Richard]

Te very first NEW car I ever bought was a 1966 Pontiac Tempest "Sprint". Externally it looked just like a GTO, had the 6 cyl engine with OHC and 4 speed on the floor. Bucket seats, no post 2 door hardtop. It was a very fun car and still got decent mileage. Wish I had a picture if it.