History Hot Rods are Dangerous. And that's OK.

HA! I was just gonna relate that very story about Sodbuster's 34 headlights. Not sure what Chris Did but I had the headlights of the Rocky 33 shining on him and he fixed the lights with a bic lighter and a toothpick! True story..

 

Yep.......the good ole' toothpick wedged in the fuse block. Haha.......we replaced it a couple of years after that and it may have been a 'fire hazard'.......oops.

Tman........I thought of you when I read Jay's story & @Jive-Bomber ...........great story and your little HJ will never forget it. Thanks for sharing.

Chris Nelson
Kansas

 

The worst thing that happens to kids on the road nowadays is.. "Shit!!! the bluestooth won't connect to my phone thing so I can't talk to my friends for 8 seconds! AAARRRGGHHHH! It's the end of the world , I tell ya!!!"
I have lost count of the number of times when I have been on the road, car dies/wont start/makes a funny noise...
You stop, think, diagnose, fix with what is available, continue your journey or head back home. When you get home, you repair properly, put those tools you wish you had with you when you broke down into the trunk, and learn just another little thing. And the kids go on to play for another day, everyone happy.

 

Man I just enjoy driving my T Coupe.All the people in there new shit boxes don't know what to think seeing a car like that on the road. I get a kick out of the biker guys giving ya the head nod seal of approval and the old guys smile because they know what it is about.

 

Memories. Years back was on my way to a rod run in my 32 sedan, wife and kids on board, on a winding hilly road between Blenheim and Nelson in NZ's South Island. It had just got dark - that's pitch black out there- and I was congratulating myself on how good the lights were.
Then the lights went out. Immediate problems were; Where does the road go? Is there a bend?
What happens if you run off the road? Why is it taking so long to stop?
Did stop OK. Wife and kids wide eyed and fully awake!
Yes I did have a torch, burned my finger on the fuse box, stole a fuse from somewhere less important, and carried on to Nelson.
Unexpected adventures are what make memories.
Garpo

 

I have a similar story of loosing the headlights.

We were on our way home from the nationals and I was almost 60 miles from home when I flipped on the lights and blew a fuse,I eased the sedan of on the shoulder of the interstate and replaced the fuse,.

I cranked the sedan and hit the lights again and the second fuse blew.so i limped down the shoulder until I got to the next off ramp and pulled into the first station,by now it's good and dark.

I tried another fuse and had the same outcome,the kids were tired and so were we so I decided to get a room for the night but the motel at that particular ramp didn't have any vacancy's

It's about 11 pm and I went back to the station and when I pulled up to the pump to top my tank off a couple of hot rods pulled in and I recognized them as members of North Atlanta Street rods and I told them my problem and they suggested I get between them and they were going in the same direction.

For the next hour I drove about 45 miles with their headlights and tails lights until I got to the off ramp and headed home.

Fortunately there was a full moon and traffic was light after midnight and I drove very slow and was within a couple of miles from home when a car passed me and immediately turned around and I saw the dreaded blue light of a Sheriff's patrol car and I pulled over..

He came up to the window and ask why I was driving with no lights and shinning the light in the car and saw my girls asleep in the back.

I told him the story and that I have been on the road since early in the day..he looked at my license and said you are not far from home, I'll led you home.

We were whipped and the next day I found a wire to my brake lights had gotten pinched between the frame and the body...had it fixed in twenty minutes. HRP

 

Bomber, a great story and one you both will remember/share for many years to come. The male bonding process can be a wonderous (and sometimes scary) thing. At first I thought it was going to turn into a "slasher flick" kinda story (key in appropriate music), but I like this version better. Glad there was a happy ending, Carp

 

I too had all the lights go out on my 40 on a very dark country road, and I was only about an 1/8 mile from home. It's amazing how dark it can be out there at night. I had a shitty little flashlight that I hung out the window to get home. Pretty scary. Of course when I got home, safe in my garage, I was grunting like Tim Allen on tool time! First thing I did was get rid of that 75 year old headlight switch.

 

Good story, enjoyed it!

 

Funny, I was reading the original post and thinking about a lightless adventure when I was travelling around New Zealand in 1995.

Driving my '69 Ford Escort (and the North American guys are thinking, "there were no Ford Escorts in 1969"... there were in New Zealand and Australia) I was in the middle of a tunnel when my lights went out. The Homer Tunnel en route to Milford Sound is a little short of a mile long but it's on a grade, so you can't see end-to-end. No lights (they installed them in 2004 so Wikipedia tells me) and I can assure you, when the headlights go out it is BLACK. I had another guy with me, luckily both of us backpackers so we had flashlights, and we drove down the middle of the road shining our lights on the walls on either side... praying that a tour bus didn't come barrelling through and wipe us out.



This tunnel is tight and scary even with them new-fangled lights installed.

 

You fellers wouldn't have all them electricicle lighting problems if you'd use carbide headlamps, as God intended.

 

Tell your son he is your hero and he saved the day! (Or the night as it was)

 

Great Story, brings back Memories when I used to Cruze
back in the Day.


Just my 3.5 cents
Live Learn & Die a Fool

 

Since when was a flashlight the proper tool to bop someone on the head

 

I'm not sure. I never asked the Cop that used one on my buddy breaking up a fight about 40 years ago. He definately saw the light though.

 

My grandpa would have put the kid on the front bumper holding the flashlight. When my dad was a kid my grandpa use to put him on the front bumper when the fog was too heavy and my dad would point which way to steer.

 

A toothpick?? I thought .22 rounds were the preferred sub for that application.

I've seen pencils used to replace resistors in old school electronics, just keep cutting it shorter till the proper ohm value is met.

 

............................In more ways than one!

 

My first car had its share of Marlboro fuses in it. The foil that we tore off to open a pack of smokes worked well wrapped around a glass fuse!

 

Cool story. Now get him a nice new flashlight as a reward for being prepared.

http://www.fenix-store.com/fenix-e12-led-flashlight/


Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Depends on the flashlight. I have a 5 D cell Maglite that doubles as a bopper when the need arises. Fortunately it's been a long time since any heads needed bopping.


Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Now that's thinking outside the box!!! I love it!!!

 

I'm old school. I use the flashlight on my cell phone.

 

Haha ok I guess that would qualify.

 

Today the cop would charge HRP with child endangerment instead of helping him home. Times are changing!

 

What's a cell phone?
Great story!
You know what I always say and have been saying it since I was a kid: "HOT RODS TO HELL"

 

......................Being a non-smoker, I preferred the Juicy Fruit fuses.

 

40 Ford Sedan Delivery
Hello,

I don’t see how I was able to drive a 40 Ford Sedan Delivery back in high school with all of those blind spots coming from the solid right rear panel area. I had been legally driving for about 1.5 years and never had and accident or a ticket. But, I guess I was lucky…maybe it had something to do with less cars on the road back then. There was a small round outside mirror, but the sight down that side of the car was terrible. I remember asking one of my friends during a run down the coast if it was clear to change lanes and get in the right lane. But, somehow I was ok with it back then. Maybe it was just being a happy teenager driving a hot rod to the beach and school.

Jump up 10 years later and another 40 Ford Sedan Delivery that was made to look like my high school hot rod. Another small round outside mirror had the same problem, along with the solid rear panel. Now, there were more cars on the road, the commute was over an hour in morning and afternoon traffic. Driving on the freeway was a no go, so it was coastal driving all the way. Luckily, again, no tickets or accidents. The hardest thing during this time was night time driving with the limited visibility on that side of the sedan delivery. There were plenty of times that I had to ask my wife if the coast was clear for a lane change or if a car was coming up on her side. She liked the delivery, but did not like driving it as the mirror situation and sight lines were so awful for her.

The small rear door window was absolutely useless as only a big semi truck was able to be seen in the rear view mirror. With the full upholstery in the later version of the 40 Sedan Delivery, even the sounds of another car was muffled. The 40 Sedan Delivery, high school version, had bare metal walls and at least we could hear cars coming up on that side of the car. The only time we could tell if there was a car following us or coming up in that blind spot was when we took out the rear door glass and had a surfboard sticking through the window into the empty rear section. The sounds of other cars were fairly clear, so caution was advisable.

With today’s larger mirrors, the convex surfaces and better vision, cars coming up on that side in traffic are clearly seen. But in keeping with the 50-60's styling, a small round mirror has to be your only vision on that side of the delivery. Heard? Yes, but not so much as the newer cars have so much better sound proofing and protection. At least there is a clear sight line to lessen the blind spots in just about any car. “Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear”

Jnaki

Hot rods were/are fun to drive and enjoy. But there are many plusses and minus points to this way of life. With more drivers of big cars, texting, cell phones, always in a rush to get someplace, today's teenage drivers, the list goes on and on…Be careful out there.

 

I guess I'm thinking differently than some of you, I try to make my cars as safe as possible, seat belts, good HP headlights/LEDtaillights, Including the dreaded 3rd brake light, disc brakes, everything new and to the best of my ability correct and drive like the old man I am. Was not always that way when young and dumb, but Lucky enough to be here today to talk about it, Soooooo. I do have a headlight story, coming home on my bike, late, first high beam dies, within 5 miles, low beam dead, again being the lucky man I am, on I94, wayside was there, pull in and start thinking how am I going to get home and I had been drinking, so hoping sherrif does not show up to assist me. Within 10 minutes a large group of bikers make a pee stop, talked to me, I explain my problem, asked where I was going, lived about 10 miles off of highway, leader says, I know that area, get in the middle of us and we'll take you home, I Thanked them ! And they did, right to my driveway. I have several stories from years of being on road, different situations and always met good people, No bad stories. To this day, I will stop and asked someone if they need help, but didn't/donot in central city situations in later years, I lived/my shop in a Milwaukee WI. Suburbs for 40 years had some customers in inner city areas, scary stuff, only visited them in the AM.