I was only 3 years old at this time, and much of my youth was spent riding in this car, sitting in the Colonial repair lounge and so on.  Although I did not learn to drive in this car, it was the first one I got to "solo" in.  I basically inheritied it when I got to high school.  And began to cut my auto mechanic's teeth on it.  By this time it had seen better days and was on the return trip from the moon!

 

Over the next 6 to 8 years, I drove the piss out of the car.  Taling it with me to college in MD and makeing  that commute many times.  Eventually it gradually went from relaible daily driver to hobby.  Finally in 1987, the engine began to sound awful, like it was revving too high in all gears.  So I swapped in a P type TH 400 and hoped that this would help.....nope......   Of course it would get nce and quiet when you got over 70.   That spring I got a new (to me) 280ZX and turned the old lady in for an engine and tranny rebuild. 

 

Of course this wasn't until after I hit over 125 mph on the way home from school. A buddy was following me in his brand new Honda CrX, and wanted to race all the way from Annapolis.  I told him to wait for RI, where I figgured I might have a chance of getting a ticket fixed, and more importantly where I knew towing would be much cheaper, in case of engine failure.  Needless to say he punched it about 5 miles into RI on 95 and I slammed the secondaries open just as he got to the door.  He was able to hang on till aobut 75 mph, and then rapidly bacme a dot, then invisible.  When I hit 125 mph I took my foot off the gas and coasted till he caught up in Providence!!!  Got the car back from the rebuild and put it on blocks for a short time....till the Nissan died.......

 

Still was a hobby so I bought a new truck, which is almost to the moon and much the worse for wear.

 

 

The first one shows how differnt the firewalls of AC and non-AC cars are.