What are your favorite Pre Crisis DC stories?
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Adventure Comics 247
Green Lantern/Green Arrow 85-86
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1979 Detective Comics 471 to 476 Batman by Steve Engleheart and Marshall Rogers
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When we talk about pre-Crisis stories, we’re talking about essentially 50 years of stories, so it’s hard to know where to start with a list. There are just too many options.
In the Golden Age, I really love the Superman stories from Action Comics #1-23. That gets us to the first appearance of Luthor and covers the evolution of the Man of Tomorrow from populist vigilante to proper superhero.
In the Silver Age, Action Comics #241 remains my favorite, and I still don’t know why it’s entirely missing (even in its reprint forms) from this site. It introduced the Fortress of Solitude, people! Batman messes with Kal-El’s head as a birthday present and then bakes a giant cake! This is essential reading! 
It also marks the beginning of some of the best Silver Age Supes stories.
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@AlexanderKnox: You are so right about this “50” year period and where to start. This is the “Comstock Lode” of comic book treasures. So many great creators producing the world’s greatest comics. And with deference to those amazing creators, I will attempt to name a “few” of my favorite Pre-Crisis stories.
Adventure Comics #‘369 & 370 (first Mordru)
Superman #199 (The first race between Superman and the Flash)
Flash #123 (The first DC multiverse story)
Green Lantern #40 (The origins of the Guardians, Krona, “the hand” and the prequel for the COIE)
Justice League of America #’ 21 & 22 (The first JLA/JSA crossover)
Batman #232 (The first Ra’s al Ghul)
Batman #'242-244 (R.I.P. Bruce Wayne, Ra’s and the Lazarus Pit)
Batman #251 (The Joker’s Five-Way Revenge, Nuff said)
Wonder Woman #'178,179 & 180 (The “New” Wonder Woman debuts)
Aquaman #'40-48 (The Search for Mera)
Action Comics #'358 & 359 (The mob frames Superman for murder! Only in the Silver
Age)
Detective Comics #327 (First “new-look” Infantino issue)
Detective comics #359 (Barbara Gordon debuts as Batgirl)
Detective Comics #'444-448 (Len Wein’s amazing Bat-Murderer story line)
Brave and the Bold #'34,35,36,42,43,44 (quite possibly Joe Kubert’s greatest body of work)
And last–but not least–Superman Vol1, Annual #11: “For The Man Who Has Everything”.
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Infinity Inc. 84’
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Green Lantern/Green Arrow: Hard Traveling Heroes by O’Neil and Adams.
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Superman #156. Go read it. I’m not going to say anything else. If you know the issue, you know what I’m talking about.
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“Not a hoax…Not a dream, but REAL! The Last Days of Superman!” Superman #156, Oct, 1962, Edmond Hamilton, Curt Swan and George Klein create a Silver Age masterpiece!
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The Alan Moore arc “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow”. Resolved things for Pre-Crisis Superman by showing fans what crazy happened to him before they had to see a brand new superman. Reminds me of a recent film…
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I think it would have to be The Laughing Fish for me. I also like a lot of the early Detective Comics Batman stories, and while I think New Teen Titans is overrated, Terror of Trigon is fantastic. In particular, it’s quite possibly George Perez’s best work as an artist, and George Perez’s worst work is better than most artists can ever hope to be.
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I wasn’t born during this time but I have been re-reading Jack Kirby’s Fourth World and WOW!!! I would love to have seen Kirby finish it.
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Great pick…can’t believe I forgot that. Kirby is almost all I ever speak of.
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When I was a kid reading comics in the late 80’s early 90’s I though Kirby’s work was crap. Now I realize how awesome Kirby was. His style is like no other and I love seeing his influence on other artists. It was studying Bruce Timm’s art style that led me back to Kirby. 
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It’s crazy how many times I’ve heard that exact, or almost exact statement. Truly ahead of his time.
The Laughing Fish is such an underrated Batman story. One of my all-time favorites. That whole Englehart Detective run is great, actually.
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Speaking of which:
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DC Comics Presents #26 - 28 I believe this is Mongul’s first appearance.
Alan Moore’s entire Swamp Thing run.
Superman has an excellent storyline with the intro of the Master Jailer which sadly is not on DC Universe yet.
Also Superman/Batman Family comics featuring the origin of the Composite Man was for me amazing when I first read it. One man with all the powers of the entire Legion of Superheroes.
And of course the “Great Darkseid Saga” and the death of Ferro Lad storyline from Legion of Superheroes.
Those are the standouts I remember as a kid.
Also just any Superman comic that had Curt Swan as artist on both covers and interiors.