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Remembrances >
Car Cruzin 66-71 Part 1
Car Cruzin 66-71 Part 1
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tlturbo
430 posts
Dec 06, 2012
6:24 AM
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I posted a short thread about this on the message blog a while back but I thought I'd expand on it and post it here so Curt wouldn't take this REMEMBERANCE section away. I have also added a lot to the initial post about what it was like for us CAR people back in the Muscle Car era. I feel sorry for the kids today that think they have cool, fast cars to cruise in. SORRY, a Honda Civic with wing and decals does NOT come close to our stuff.
This silly site has a size limit so this post is in 2 parts.
So here is Part 1 of my version of Cruzin Dayton in the 60's
I was very fortunate to have been the right age at the right time to be a part of this scene. I know it started earlier in the late 50's and still continues today but when the Muscle cars first started showing up in the early 60's, it changed everything.
Before them, you usually had to build your own cool car. I remember in the early 60's (Jr High School) several guys in my plat in Beavercreek had 57 Chevy's with small block Chevy's in them. Not much real hot or cool was avaiable from the dealers except the Corvettes, some Wedge Chrysler products, and other miscellaneous stuff.
Then the GTO and Mustang came out around 64.
Of course from then on Bigger is Better was the rule. 427's, 440's, 426 Hemis, 421 Pontiacs, Buick Grand Sports, 442's, etc.
I graduated HS in 65 (Beavercreek) and I know my life after that revolved around cars, racing, cruising and girls.
My favorite cruise spots were Parkmore on Airways, Country Kitchen on Dorothy Lane, Parkmore at Forest Park on N main and Frisches on Keowee.
Friday night was Cruise Night and unless you had a steady girlfriend, you would be looking for a new date for Saturday night.
A typical night (order depended where I was living at the time) started about 8:00 at the Country Kitchen. Everyone had their own little 'click' of people they hung with. If the guys were there, I would stay at the Kitchen, if not, it was in to Dayton to Frisches on Keowee then over to Parkmore on N Main, them back to Frisches then back to the Kitchen. Where and how long I stayed at each place depended on who else was there, if you met a girl, got a race or located a party to go to. I usually made that cruise circuit a couple times every Friday & Sat night. Wednesday was also a mini cruise night because places like Timothy's on Brown St and the Diamond Club had $3 entry and all the beer you could drink. Of course 18-20 was limited to 3.2% beer. Sometimes a group of us would plan on meeting up at a local Drive-in theater and park together in the back row.
Most of the cruise places were packed. At the Kitchen, cars would be lined up on Dorothy Lane to turn in and it took about 1/2 hour to get in and back out to do it again. IF you were lucky enough to get a parking spot, you refused to leave unless for a GOOD reason, The places hated it and made us constantly keep ordering so we had LOTS of fries and cokes. (or order a 7-up and put slo-gin in it and say it was a Cherry 7-up).
The serious (money) pickup races were held at various places like Feedwire Rd in Kettering, Rip Rap in Dayton, 35 between Bevercreek and Dayton and of course stoplight to stoplight races anywhere.
I was in the Greater Dayton Corvette Club and we also put our cars in the Car Shows and raced at the local drag strips. In Jan there was Carl Caspers World of Wheels at Harah Arena.
If it got real boring or no one was out, I would head for the Parkmore? on 35 at the edge of Xenia or the Frisches in Fairborn near Langs Chevy for something different.
Out of room so on to Part 2
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87 Buick GN
Last Edited by on Dec 06, 2012 6:45 AM
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tlturbo
431 posts
Dec 06, 2012
6:40 AM
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PART 2
My dad had a little Olds F-85 in 1966 that somehow had gotten an aluminum engine in it and was (I thought) pretty quick. So I tried to be cool and hang out at the Kitchen. Got my butt handed to me many times at stoplights so I quickly realized this was NOT a race car.
My first serious car was about 1966 - a light sky blue 61 Pontiac built by George Montgomery. 389 tri-power bored to 401, Hurst 4 speed, Pontiac 8 lug mags. One of the 57 Chevy guys at the end of my street had gotten it and decided to sell it to get married.
About 67 I traded the Pontiac to someone near Tipp City I think for a silver 66 vette convertible, 427-425 that we replaced with an L-88 shortblock. Nasty engine. You heard it, you remembered the car. Hung at the same places but mostly Kitchen and Keowee. Occasionally went to Parkmore(?) in Moraine.
Nov 1968 got a new 69 427-435hp Gold vette convertible. Had 67 style sidepipes then chrome Kustom side headers. A lady ran a red light and crunched the nose so I had a wild custom paint job done by the Egyptian. Hung at the same places but practically lived at the Country Kitchen since I had an apartment in Kettering. Also went to the Diamond Club and Lions Dens on Wilmington a lot.
People whose names I remember were Dan Downing, Jim Mallory, Mike Shepherd (worked at Ray Bryant Chevy) and Lonnie Bombock? (had 67 maroone vette) and Mike Ware. Several of this group and I made the trip to Lauderdale for Easter Break in 70 and 71 with our cars. That was so cool I decided I wanted to live there so I moved to Florida in Jan 1972. I believe that was about the time they closed the Parkmore on N Main although I don't remember them doing it.
Hope this gives some insight as to how this time period affected the lives of us that were into cars back then. What a great time. The 60's were such a great time to grow up in. I also hope it jogs some good memories and I look forward to hearing from others that were part of the 'cruise scene'.
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87 Buick GN
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jfox68
58 posts
Dec 07, 2012
4:42 AM
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I'm a couple years younger than you tlturbo, but I remember cruising Frisch's on Keowee and Parkmore on North Main. I lived in Vandalia so we also cruised Frisch's and Parkmoor in Vandalia. Racing was done out on Ross Road and then later out on Lightener Blvd north of the airport. The summer I turned 16 my dad bought a 63 Plymouth old cop car. 383 high performance engine with the push button shift. You could burn the tires off of it.
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tlturbo
432 posts
Dec 07, 2012
4:56 AM
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jfox - I remember back in the late 60's there was a used car lot on the East side of N Main just after you went under the 75 overpass that sold used cop cars a lot. Plymouths usually and most had primer doors where the emblem had been and usually a chrome light on the drivers windshield piller. Made a great, cheap way for a kid to get a semi-fast car.
I never was in Vandalia very much as I was either living in Beavercreek or S Kettering and Parkmore at Forest Park was about as far N as I went.
Yes, those definitely were the days and I miss them dearly. Spent many a night sitting or driving around those places.
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87 Buick GN
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supersix
97 posts
Dec 14, 2012
3:53 PM
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Interesting thread. This is my era, same year for graduating. Same interests. A couple of notes; the dealer that sold the retired police cars was Midwest Auto Sales. I had a '62 Plymouth 2-door sedan from there that I bought right after graduating. I installed factory 413 cast headers and a set of 3.90 gears. What a runner!
The drive-in on the west edge of Xenia was a Frisch's.
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Last Edited by on Dec 15, 2012 6:46 AM
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