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The salesman says lets take a ride. He turns left heading into town and floors it. We came almost unto main street doing 'one-twenty' (120 mph). Of course I was sold. When we came to sign the papers they tried to pull a 'fast-one', 'upping' the price after we had already agreed on 2700 dollars. I went and looked at the engine and saw by stripped head bolts, that they had done some work on it. So I says, 'forget it -- I don't want it'. 'You didn't tell me it has had major engine work.' So they ran to get the boss. He says it had 'sucked a valve' but that it was fixed. He went back to the original price and I bought the car. A 'sucked valve' meant that a valve had gotten stuck, probably from over revving the engine, and was probably the reason the car was sold.
This car had 409 horsepower and cubic inches. It had two Carter carburetors, some of the biggest ever made, a duel set of contact points distributor, a truck clutch, 'posi-traction' rear end, meaning both rear wheels were geared for traction, four speed 'synchromesh' floor shift, which meant you could 'down-shift' it into any gear including first, something rare in those days; and of course the lakes plugs with removable covers. These plugs which poked out from just behind the front wheels were extra exhaust pipes, that were welded in just behind the main exhaust manifold, coming off the engine, which when you took the plates off, the exhaust by-passed the mufflers, which was suppose to give more speed and made it sound like a helicopter.
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