History What was your 1st piece of Speed Equipmet

an S7 wheel with a "cheater" slick schwinn baby!

 

A go-cart. Not really a piece of speed equipment I guess, but I got pulled over in it "for speeding" when I was 12. I was pretty proud.

 

My first piece of speed equipment was a two two barrel Zepher intake manifold for a Model A four cylinder. I got rid of it fifty years ago to a friend's brother, and he later gave it to another guy, and I forgot all about it. Early this year I got a letter from the second caretaker after me and he told me he still had the manifold and carbs, and had never used them. We finally connected yesterday and I bought it back at a reasonable price.

 

The first 'bought' pieces were a set of 'high lift' valve springs and aluminum retainers (Erson? Too long ago... 47 years) to go with the 'traded for' C3AZ-6250 427 cam and 'lightweight' solid lifters to install in my rebuilt-in-shop-class-at-school '59 352 PI motor that ended up in a '58 Ford wagon. If I remember right, they cost me a weeks wages. It was all about more power, as this car never got any of the 'standard' goodies like a tach or gauges, just bits that made it faster (or in the case of the Scheifer clutch, less breakage... lol). Baby moon caps were the only exterior 'appearance' items installed, and a set of Corvair buckets to replace the tattered bench seat...

 

Scavengers and flex tubing for my 48 Super Deluxe coupe. Don't know how much they helped, but at least, I had exhaust AND when I cranked it up the water shot all the way out the back.
Maybe it was the header I bought for my West Bend powered Simplex kart much earlier in life.

 

a Thickstun high-rise manifold, I am the third person at least on this thread to list one of these as their first piece of speed equipment...this one had been milled down, not sure why...but I bought it from a kid in high school for my '50 Merc...I was 15 and had no clue that it wouldn't fit my Merc, it was an earlier flathead model...sold it to Blair's for $5.00 --- wonder if it was the same Thickstun that the other guys on this thread bought??

 

I was about 12 years old, 1962, and a group of old houses close to our neighborhood were going to be torn down to make way for new homes. Some of us kids were exploring, and I found an Edelbrock intake for a 216-235 with carbs, and a pair of Corvette, staggered pattern valve covers. I did't really know what they were at the time, and my Father scolded me for dragging "crap" home. I remember selling the manifold and carbs soon afterwards to an older neighbor boy with a 57 Sedan Delivery, but don't remember for how much. The valve covers I gave to an E.R. Physician I worked with around 2002, who had just bought a 58 Corvette; yeah, I had them all those years. Since then I've had to buy another pair of the same valve covers I gave away, for one of my projects. I've got to stop giving stuff away, especially to guys who later sold my stuff for profit. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

Trip 97's for my 1955 more door 272 "Y" block. way back in 1965.

 

A Blue Metalflaked steering wheel from Warshawskys' in 1966 when they were at Archer & State St. for my White 59 Pontiac Catalina w/blue interior. Felt like it went faster. Horn & Turn signals never worked after that.
Hey kid wanna buy a watch?...... As he rolls up his sleeve exposing at least 10 watches. Or how about Casmir sweater instead?

 

Back in '59---I bought a Moon fuel block for the two carb manifold I was saving up for. I finally got it all bought for the 8BA powered '40 Ford coupe I drove to high school. Blew it up on the boulevard---locked it tight. Painful.

 

Two chrome reverse wheels for my 1958 Chevy, from Dick Levy's, located in the old Post Office in Portmsouth, NH. Still have the receipt, but who knows where the wheels are. I remember they were 15 by 7s.

 

A week later went back and bought 2 packages of Twist-Lifts (4 per pkg) to jack the front end up. Had to use grease and a Big breaker bar to get them all in. It would bounce when I would cross the white painted pedestrian cross walk paint in the street. Rode like a Stagecoach!
Same guy tried to sell me a watch again.

 

I bought a new/unused, but second hand, Man-a-Fre intake for my small block powered 56, 210 sedan Chevy.

Mike

 

Headers...My auto shop teacher said any modification to an engine without headers was like going to a pancake eating contest while you're constipated.

 

A set of headers and Cherry bombs for the 283 in my '67 Chevy truck. I don't remember where I got the headers or what brand they were but I remember I took them out of the box they were purple. The first thing I did was paint them white. Then I took off the 2-barrel manifold and carb and swapped on an OEM 4-barrel manifold and 4GC carb from the late 50's. Once the 283 wound up, it ran pretty good with the 4.11s in the rear.

 

I guess mine was a blue windbreaker with the Chevy logo on one side and a white racing stripe on the other side. I still have this photo from 1971 of me wearing it when I was 19 and in the Army stationed at Fort Benning, GA. I couldn't afford a car on what a PFC made back then so I bought a Suzuki 120 to get around on. Do any of you guys remember the windbreakers with the racing stripes?

 

Edelbrock 2 carb manifold flathead.

 

a mag wheel for my huffy bicycle, that was the start of my addiction.....

 

remember the jacket...and the watch band...buy it on post??

 

A used set of Fenton heads for a flathead I was building. Bought them from Blair's Speed Shop Must have been '63 - '64.

 

Fox craft floor shifter for my 1950 ford flathead 8 with a 3 spd.

 

MC Leod clutch in my 64 Falcon sprint, installed on blanchard ground flywheel.

Headers was my 2nd purchase which lead to my 1st Snap-On a 30/60 open end 7/16".
I still have that wrench.

 

Speedometer for my 24" Roadmaster. Pegged it a few times coming down Crabs Hill...

 

I guess the first thing I bought as a kid for my car which I considered speed equipment would have been the old Spark-O-Matic three speed floor shifter. The old red clear vinyl gas line from Honest Charley didn't really help my speed too much.

 

Bought a Crane cam for my 272" Chev from Racing Unlimited in St. Paul.

 

Summer of '60....A set of Jahns 3 3/8" pistons and a Howards F9 cam for my first flathead...followed the next week by a 4" Merc crank!!!
Damn, them were the good ol days...!!!!!
Had started my first job after high school and spent every dime on motor stuff.....Musta set a pattern, since I tend to do the same thing to this day....

 

Hurst shifter and fiberglass hood scoop for my 55 Chevy at "HOTROD EXCHANGE" in Dallas.