About me and my passion for cars

My passion for cars started back in 1967 when I received my first “Hotwheels” car and it just so happened to be a firebird of all cars, it was “Light My Firebird” a redline wheel car. (I still have the car somewhere packed away) Is it in mint condition? No way! I played with that car so much it needed major front end alignment work! It ran fast for a while but heavy racing seasons on those jumps and loop-t-loops took a tole on it. But it still looked bad to bone!
While growing up, the interest grew to into working on all type of equipment, lawnmowers, bicycles and eventually cars which my step dad had helped me and taught me a few things. I had attended San Jacinto college in Pasadena, TX. I had taken Engines I, II, and III, front end alignment and manual transmissions/drive train, and engine diagnostics over several semesters. I did rebuild my brothers 75 Trans Am 400 cid engine there. I then attended a course at College of the Mainland in Texas City, TX in Automatic Transmissions. I got to rebuild my brothers 75 Trans Am turbo 400 transmission here.
There were not many cars that did not pull up in our driveway that was not a Pontiac. My brothers and step dads influence of various cars over the years help me know what direction of car I would soon look for when it was time for me to start driving. All of us kids learned to drive our step dads 67 firebird that he had when we were growing up.
My first car happen to be a 68 firebird that did not have a transmission, but I really didn’t care because I hade a turbo 400 sitting the garage from another car. The car had a 350 cid in it. Once I installed the transmission in it and everything running right I thought I was in heaven.
It was a long time that I was able to get my first Trans Am and that being in 1999 after seeing a few Trans AM commercials on the TV. I was hooked and headed to the nearest dealership to find one. My in-laws own a dealership in Hugo Oklahoma but it is a small dealership and they could not get one for me. There was a salesman who helped me locate one for me. It was in Purcell, Oklahoma at Sparlan, Pontiac. I called and set up a time to go see and test drive it. It took less than a minute before I knew that I wanted this car and instantly called and made arrangements to take delivery of this car. About a week later all paperwork was completed and make ready had the car ready for me to pick up. Just so happen that this was the time and very moment that the killer F5 tornado was doing all of its deadly destruction just up the road (15 miles away) in Moore, Oklahoma. We were ready to head SE away from it as fast as we could all the while looking to the north of us we could see the exploding transformers in the distance. We made it home safe and sound without any incident. About 2 years later we had found another 99 WS6 Ram Air for sale and purchased this one for a daily driver for my wife. It was a clean car and there were a few items that needed to be taken care of but once taking delivery of it and getting all the bugs worked out of it, a little elbow grease and sweat, it cleaned up very nice. It wasn’t long before we had our tags reading Ramair1 and Ramair2, the one two punch and the rest is history!

My first car

1968 Firebird

Car I wish I still had

1968 Firebird

My dream car

1973 SD 455 Trans Am "Brewster Green"

Car clubs I’m in

Dallas Area Pontiac Association (DAPA)

Favorites

• Type of racing: Drag
• Driver: "The Professor" Warren Johnson
• Driving song: Sammy Hagar's "I Can't Drive 55"
• Car movie: Smokey and the Bandit (the 1st one, not 2 or 3)
• Car book: "The Glory Days" by Jim Wangers
• Car magazine: High Performance Pontiac (HPP), GM High Tech
• Car game: Beaver

— Profile last updated: Nov 9, 2009