How old's the oldest H.A.M.B. member?60+?Tell us a cool story

I just turned 51000 on my 40's odometer that I bought in 1955 drove for two years, sat in pieces for 44 years and restored in 2001. My odometer just turned over to 80. Last year did a trip to Charlotte Motor Speedway for a national meet. .Did 3 laps on the speedway. Logged 4449 miles on that trip. I have been a member of the Early Ford v8 club Hi Country Regional Group for 18 years. I did all of the restoration myself except the paint job I did the top, interior, rebuilt all the parts needing rebuilt and a good friend helped me build the motor. My master plan is to keep on driving it.

 

That sounds like a plan to me.

 

Channeled my 34 Ford 5W coupe when I was 13 in 1950 and knew NOTHING. Lot's of re-does but eventually it paid for my first two years of college. Now at 80 I just replaced the wood with steel and channeled a 34 Chevy 5W coupe. Going back to the shop directly and try to mount steering column in a dash that is now 5" lower than factory. Still get up and down off the floor---with creaks and groans, but real bitch is the eyes. Was very good welder and loved wiring but both are down the crapper now. Don't ever look back, the bastard with the big curved blade over his shoulder is probably gaining on you.

 

love these stories!

 

I'm only 34 but back in high school a bunch of us were helping a friend pull the motor out of his Hurst olds, and from what I remember we were using a come a long and a tree branch in his front yard, I remember this because when we'd maxed out the come a long the motor was still too low to push the car out from under it. We had to let the air out of the front tires and have a couple guys sit on the front end to get the front of the car low enough to slide under the engine.

 

Well he better put on roller skates. LOL

I am a young man compared to many on this thread. If I manage to hang on as long as most of you fellas old father time had better be pretty patient.

 

I once had an AJS S-18 500 single.They had a chain driven magneto sitting in front of the engine.The chain was covered by an aluminum cover and had "AJS" engraved in it.Mine was broken.I had it welded up and polished it down.Looked fine but the lettering was gone.I took the cover to a jeweler I knew and had him engrave "WFO" in it.There was no other marking on the bike.Come bike week sitting in front of the bar I discovered there are three kinds of people.Type one walks by and says-"Cool old AJ,I love the WFO".( means wide fucking open) type two walks by and says "Whats a WFO ?"Those I told all about Wilburn Ferguson Ogelthorpe a british guy who had made these very advanced for the 1920s (it was a 52 model) motorcycles but he had been killed in a road accident probably set up by his competitors Type three takes one look and starts bending your ear about how he has one of those in the barn and knows all about them etc------

 

I am 68 years old. When I was 17 I had a 40 Ford, 2 door. The car was basically stock except for a black and white
rolled and pleated interior. It had a 39 trans and a 42 Merc. engine that was a smoker. I and my girlfriend (now my wife) took the 40 to the local drags as spectators. After the races were over I noticed that a kid that worked with me at the local carwash was still there in his 56 Ford, 4 door. Trying to look cool I challenged him to run down the strip.
We took off and just as I power shifted into 3rd., the track custodian passed both of us in an old 40 something jeep and yelled for us to get the hell off the track. We will be married 50 years this year so I got the girl anyway. I later rebuilt and installed a 56 Chev. 265 in the 40 but that's another story.

 

What is the story on theRPU?
That is a real nice unit!

Bill

 

LOL if it were mine I would have had my an graver put ASS on it, then everyone would know who owned it.

I had a friend that had HATE EVERYBODY engraved on his rocker boxes. He rode up to a deal in Jackson Hole with me, what a deal that was, dirty no goods having the time if their life and tour busses full of aging June Cleaver types. I remember this like it was yesterday, we were sitting outside this bar, he was sitting on his bike with his feet upon the bars and I was sitting on the edge of the walk. It was hot and he had his shirt sleeves rolled up over his shoulders. This little old lady walks up, her pink and white pinafore was pressed perfectly and her matching hat was sitting square on her head with he pink hear streaming back toward a little bun. She says "Sonny that's just rude." He sat up and says, "Mam?" which threw me off a little bit sort of out of character I thought. I was expecting to hear a lecture about the slogan on his rocker boxes. She reached out and rolled his sleeves down, smoothed them ever so carefully and said, "You can't go out in public like that with your shoulders hanging out and all." and turned and walked away just like she came. We laughed until we cried right there in front of gawd and everybody in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

 

The car was built by the late John Fleckenstein when he was 16, he is 17 in this photo.

 

Don't know about the oldest member, but that's an old quote. Pushin' 49 now!

 

What are you about 12. 60+ is not old you little shit and 1961 was not a million years ago you need to show a little resect to your elders or I will slap the crap out of you

 

haha calm down old timer, take it easy on the ol ticker

 

Well, lets see, 72 soon to be 73. early interesting cars stuff, at 15 drove from Seattle to Sacramento in a 1913 model t with my parents for a Horseless Carriage Tour, 1st car 1953 Jaguar XK120 coupe, traded a Lincoln 225 amp welder and $50.00 cash. Lots of interesting cars over the years . In 1966 I purchased a 1959 Ferrari Testa Rossa factory race car serial number tr0768. Paid $2500.00, yes twenty five hundred dollars. Got it running drove it on the street. Wife at that time wanted a house so sold the Ferrari for $12,500.00 and paid for the house. Today don't have that wife or that house and the last time that Ferrari was sold to McCaw of cellular fame he paid $4,500,000.00 yes 4 and 1/2 mill. Story of my life always sell short. Presently have 3 vintage Ferrari's, a 1928 banger dirt track car, 1907 Reo 2 cylinder roadster(original unrestored) 1912 model t Ford (original unrestored) 1913 Reo roadster(original unrestored), 1930 model a phaeton, Winfield carbs, and Vertex mag, 1966 Shelby Cobra tribute, 407 cu inch sbc and turbo 400 transmission. Last but not least 1926 model t touring old restoration just a fun car. All my cars run and drive and we use them as weather permits. Been a car guy since a teen and will die a car guy. The best thing is second wife is a real car girl, if its loud and fast she's in. she loves her Cobra, the hopped up model a phaeton, and her new flip top Mercedes. I work everyday in my restoration shop, presently finishing the banger dirt track car and soon to start on a 1920's Morton and Brett 2 man racer, We are car people thru and thru. When I die I have instructed my wife to have a tv and solar panel installed in my coffin and grave so I can watch Velocity for ever.

just sayin'

brasscarguy

 

Brasscarguy, you got it! I am presently doing the cowl section of a 1911 Cadillac for a local retired gent. He is 78 now, and is doing a fantastic job on the car (a touring) , He also has a 1914 T Touring and a really neat 1907 Rambler. Still loves working on the stuff, and driving it as well!

 

hello,
in 1971, i was taking photos for chopper/street bike magazines and writing stories of the bikes and the builds. we drove up to the photo shoots in our 65 red el camino. the guys who owned the choppers liked the mods on our 65 el camino, but we did get some stares ...we were not bike people. so, my wife decided that we needed a thing to connect to the guys who owned choppers and street bikes. we purchased a 71 harley sportster. it needed something other than looking stock. so i built a short "sissy bar" and bracket to hold my camera equipment on the back. had risers installed and put on some short pipes for that true harley sound. now, when we drove up to the photo shoots, it was instant recognition and acceptance. sometimes, we took both the el camino and the bike as shooting action shots from the harley was not conducive to safety. so in the back of the el camino for the action shots and still had acceptance from the motorcycle guys. we had it covered...
thanks,
jnaki

 

Hello,
We called these mini cycles...Doodlebugs in So Cal back in 58-60. Ours was a home made “Doodlebug.” The retail Doodlebugs were too expensive and ours was hand made from old grocery store chrome baskets. The bends in the lower frame was perfect for our needs. Just a few modifications, a bicycle head unit with handlebars and wheel barrow rims and tires with a bicycle gear hub for the chain. a throttle lever and cable from the lawnmower was mounted on the handlebars
The modified lawnmower motor from our homemade go kart made this Doodlebug fast. Time to tell mom the lawnmower broke and that we needed a new one. One version used the small wheels and chain from the lawnmower, but he larger tires were better. The doodlebug was very cool and fun to ride around the neighborhood. Stopping was made up of thick soled tennis shoes or old dress shoes with thick soles. Stopping was an exciting adventure. there were a few errant shopping carts roaming around long beach...sorry...
thanks,
jnaki
this guy had the right idea going back and forth from the pits, to the entrance, and to the spectator seats.

 

I'm older than ever right now!!!!

 

1964.......My high school buddy, Rick said he wanted to build a hot rod so we went looking for an old chevy to build. He found an old 38 tudor sedan sitting at the edge of a hay field next to a supercharged Graham......25 bucks. We made plans to drag it home the next day with my Olds.
I had a slew of old fords at my parent's house and one fresh 53 merc engine I kept switching from my 50 crestliner to my 41 tudor.....none of 'em were street legal so I'd bought a "late model" 56 Olds convertible to drive to school/work. We tested the brakes on the 38 and amazingly they were up.....grabbed my dad's long 3/8th log chain and attached the Olds rag top to the 38 chevy and pulled it out on the hiway. About 1/8th mile down the hiway, a wheel and tire passes me on the left side....I look in my mirror to see Rick gesturing wildly in the 38...waving his arms around and when I turned the radio down, I could hear him cussing me.
Somebody had removed the old chevy's dust cap and robbed the outer front wheel bearing and put the dust cap back on! Oh man! Rick was mad...........we went to town and hit the parts store for a bearing and finished the tow job.
Rick went on to build a killer 324 Olds motor and hydro for that old chevy...
I only have about 42,000 more stories like that one.

 

more stories than i can tell... and WAY to long to read...
would shake you to your core.....

 

I'm 60+ and I like sitting in the A/C. I'll sit until I freeze. This one time at band camp, I was sitting in the A/C and it was so cold....

Sent from my SM-G930T using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

I am 67 years old. When in high school built a 50 Ford with 53 Olds engine J-2 intake and 4 speed Hydro. Built chopped Harleys for several years Built my 39 Deluxe Ford coupe in the mid 70's put about 70,000 miles on that car. Started driving the convertible in 2002, now have around 16,000 miles on that car. I have loved every minute with this hobby. I am currently building a 42 Chevy Coupe for my daughter.

 

Hello,

Back in the 70’s, I was busy writing stories and photographing cars and choppers for the local So Cal magazines. One cold day, I was in Pomona taking photographs of Jim Lattin’s super nice 32 Ford Phaeton when out of the back of one of the other cars pops up this ultimate Doodlebug. It was about the same size as the standard Doodlebug and the one we made at home back in 1956. It was almost 4 feet long and could easily be picked up by one person. The fit and finish was outstanding. Everything looked like it should be a full size custom chopper, except you could pick this one up to move it around. This was a quality build with perfect proportions, but it would have been perfect companion to our old homemade doodlebug back in the late 50’s. The photo was taken with the mini chopper on top of a block wall. How did it get there? Well, you know the story...

Thanks,

Jnaki

 

lol, tell my bones that.

 

In the early-mid sixties I was in elementary school in a little town in western South Dakota, not exactly a hotbed for hot rods. My buddy down the alley had an older brother that drove a red '55 or '56 Ford set up like they were back then; nose high, no front bumper, red with chrome reverse wheels. I can recall him working on the tri power Y-block with a big cam and loving the sound of the rough idle. Whenever I heard the car rumbling down the street I'd run out just to see it drive by. Still makes me grin to this day.

 

I'm only 72 so I'm sure not the oldest one here. Went to high school in Redlands CA from 1960-1963. Lots of great cars and people back then. Good story? We used to race out in the orange groves back then. Was racing one night and neither I nor the guy I was racing would back off for an approaching car. He went off the road, turned around and started chasing us. I hightailed it back to the starting point so I'd have lots of reinforcements in case the guy wanted to kick my ass. Turns out he wasn't pissed at all. He just wanted to race the winner LOL.
BTW I lost.

 

Summer of '69 Awful Ed and I closed the gas station at 10 and went to hang at Mcdonalds on Metcalf Ave. in Overland Park, KS. The back lot was where all the cool cars parked, we cruise in in my '66 Belvedere I and back in next to a 390 Mustang. Didn't recognize the car from anywhere but get to talking shit about whose faster, my 383 or his lump. Well, we couldn't agree on a race; I have a 4-speed with 3.90 gears, he's an automatic with highway open dif. Ed gets the bright idea to race from a dead stop to top end for as long as it took or run out of road.

We decide to go to where the housing developments ended which was 103rd & Metcalf (Hiway 69 southbound). The road was four lanes divided highway and went down to two lanes about five miles out. Go on the third honk, left the Mustang like he was parked. I had just hit fourth when the car pulled hard to the right over the shoulder and down the embankment. As it went down the embankment it rolled onto the roof and stayed on it's top. The windshield had left and the header to the roof acted like a road grader blade shoveling dirt, mud, rocks and all kinda shit into the interior.

Awful and I end up on our backs in the back seat covered in shit wondering how we're going to get out. We kicked the back window out and crawled out under the trunk. When I stood up the road was a little higher than my head but in front of us was a culvert with concrete abutments about 10 feet away. Ed jumps into action and starts grabbing empties out of the car before the fuzz show up. Best we could tell is the right front tire went down.

After the insurance paid out I bought a '69 Charger. Never did see that Mustang again.

 

pushing 75, many stories but one was a friends mothers 53 ford wagons floor was rusted out over the muffler,when we were crusin around someone would always take a leak on the muffler and the whole inside of car would steam up, all headed for a window....friend needed a carb for his 56 ford, went to a used car lot , raised the hood on a 56 and put a friend ''junior'' under the hood w/wrench, closed the hood, drove around a while then went and let junior out w/ carb, midnite auto supply....red head at a&w was alleged to not wear underware, we were in a 40 truck, no doors or bed, 3 friends sitting on gas tank w/feet hanging out back, pulled into a&w, my job was to slide under truck and when she came to ask eddy what he wanted to order, i was to stick my head out and look up her skirt to see if the legend was true.......

 

68 now, something I have not thought about in years, 14 and friends w/ fellow paper boy, his Dad(car guy, had a Porsche) let him buy a 47 DeSota 4 door w/ fluid drive. We all lived in city (Milwaukee Wi.) Side driveway about 90' long. We cruised his driveway up and back for hours at a time, windows down, radio blasting (his parents had the patience of saints) wore out the car, never left his driveway. Also they had a garage w/ loft, we camped over night and alot of nights of fun w/ neighborhood guys and girls. His name is Craig G. Had a beautiful sister 1 year older, Gail, I had a crush on her big time, gave me a woody Everytime I saw her. So....only one of MANY happy stories I have from my life.