This summer I took the old man down to the Jalopy showdown invitaional down in Lattimore valley. We drove down in my old wagon to vend at the swap meet. During the show my dad started to share quite a bit about his first "hot rod" . He's always told me the old story but this time he recalled that he had some old pictures.
I think kids overhear more than we realize. I parked my 47 Mercury with 392 Hemi one year before my son was born, built a roof over it and gradually disappeared it with clutter. The boy took about a year before he started talking and to my amazement, his first complete sentence was, "When are we gonna fix up the old Mercury?" He had never seen the car. 30 years later I asked him about it and he said he grew up hearing stories about the Mercury. Out of my many ol cars, its the one he wants the most.
In July of 1960 my father bought this 1940 ford for $500.00. He was stationed in Lakehurst N.J. This car was for sale at the liqour store just outside of the naval base. It had no motor. There was a 37 Lasalle gearbox dissassembled in the trunk. The 40 had a columbia 2 speed and the motor that was removed was a 283.
Thats great!!! Lakehurst isnt far where me and my family are from originally. I love the striping and also I spot a striagt bar bicycle. My dad and gpa where gearheads too.
The car had Satan Sr written on the fenders. There was pinstriping "everywhere" and best of all it had a devil with horns and a trident pinstriped on the deck lid. My father and his brother flat towed it from Lakehurst to Buffalo along the thruway. When they stopped at the toll plaza They asked if the car ran? Uncle dick told em " we can push it and it starts right up" That's my old man in the back seat and my Grandma in the drivers seat
It was back to Lakehurst where my Father would be in the last graduating class from the lighter then air-squadron (zp-3) From there he would be shipped off on a newly commisioned aircraft carrier (Kitty Hawk). He had 2 years at sea to save up and plan his own hot rod. IN 1962 after leaving the Navy he ordered a new corvette replacement engine. A 340 hp 327 from the parts manager Tommy Glenn at Don Davis Pontiac. He installed a rear axle with 370 gears from a 57 Chevy that came from a junkyard on William Street. To transmit the power between He used a Muncie 4 speed with a Hurst competition plus shifter. The distributor, Carb and generator were borrowed from a car at the dealership on the corner of Southside and Abbott courtesy of my dads brother Dick.
The interior was done by Jay's interior on William Street. The dash is SW gauges mounted behind PLexi and the hanging pedals are out of a 58 Ford
In April of 1964 My dad rolled the car end over end at High speed by the intersection of Broadway + 77. He was ejected from the car while it rolled. The steering wheel bent down onto the front seat and the header bow went through the back of the drivers seat. The car sat at Speedy Greco's junk yard for 6 month's until the insurance settled for $4,800. The summer of 65 my father and a few of his friends rented a cottage in Canada with some of the insurance money. It was ther my old man met my mom. Her dad had a Crosley dragster with a Studebaker mill. There must be something in the blood.
Awesome story and awesome pics! That thing was badass. Your dad's a sharp dresser too! Those '49 Plymouth bumpers looked killer on there in the first few shots.
100% certain of it. Hamber J Scow's little boy M Scow is a total gear head....he's only 2. He drives the truck and the tractor and the hot rod. All while standing on the seat!
I'm almost speechless, except I rarely shut up. It seems if not for hot rods you wouldn't even be here. Plus, obvously, your dad and mom are hip enough to run with the ball, so to speak. Congratulations to them and I'd love to hang out and get to know them better. Relating to your story, I'm now beefing up the suspension and handling on my roadster in hopes that I don't run into some hot babe while I'm recovering from some mistake.
I like how your pops has devil horns while he sits in the back seat of satan sr! cool story and sweet as ride.
Well my parents got hitched in "66". My father spent most of his time working 3 jobs so my mom could stay home to raise 3 boys. After a while the old man got the itch to get another old car. My old man bought a 39 chevy bussiness coupe that the block was cracked, the body was so rotted that there no where to bolt the fenders. He didn't want to tell my mom that it was a mistake to buy it so he restored it to original and loaded it with as may GM accessories as possible. In the meantime he heard about a 39 woodie and waited 13 years to buy it. The coupe before he sold it to buy the woodie. Here is my brother with it. The woodie when the second owner bought it in PA When the 2nd owner had it. When my dad bought it
Ted, I'ts funny.. but seem to recall your dad telling me about the 40 convert once, maybe at macungie? or?? either way.. your folks are still "hip".. and I'm proud to call them, and you, friends.. here's a shot I have of your dads chevy from last summer.. hope to see it, and your dad this summer. Jeff
Great folks and great cars. His dad's woodie is an amazing car and he drives the wheels off it too. Been all over the east coast in it.
I do think tinkering with cars, like art, atheltic ability and music, for instance, can be passed down in the genes. Some college has probably gotten a $500,000 grant to study it, but from what I've observed, it's passed down. Sometimes it skips a generation, but it shows up quite a lot. My dad was a radar tech in the Air Force and was always building things. Just like my grand dad. My brother and I grew up building all kinds of stuff. Hell, we even tried to build a submarine. It was out of plywood and VERY crude, but the idea and attempt was there. No. It didn't get finished. We ran out of wood.
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