Folks Of Interest Remember when the only car you owned was a hot rod?

Technically, I can say the only cars I own are hot rods, the 47 Linc and the wifes 88 Firebird Formula 350. The other vehicles in the fleet are trucks, my 99 F150 and her 00 Expedition, and the moneymaker, 09 IH Prostar. Not what you were asking HRP I know, but they are the only cars I currently own.....

 

Referring more to when you only owned one car,the one you drove to school or work. HRP

 

Yeah, from 16-19 (2000-2003), all I had were old cars. My daily was a 57 Bel Air 4 door post, that got rear ended badly by a kid I went to high school with. Between selling what was left of it and the insurance settlement, I bought the 57 Ford that I still have now, though it's gone through many changes over the years. The Chevy was fun, it ran well, everything worked, and it was beat up enough to not care about. Every weekend I'd visit my gf at the university of Delaware, and id cruise the 100+ miles down the njtpk. The Ford was a different story. When it was pressed into daily driver duty, everything broke. Points, carb, fuel pump, clutch, generator, then the engine finally blew up. It made it hard to enjoy the car. Many days I miss having a reliable, semi-beater old car,but just as many days, I'm glad to have just a normal car where I don't have to think about it much.


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Spring of '84 split up with the ol lady. She got the dd, I kept my '57 chev, with everything I owned packed in it. Tools in the trunk, clothes etc. in the back seat. I slept in the front. Lived in that car all summer. Had a blast but I wouldn't want to do it again tho.

 

Yeppers, 1rst one was a 65 GTO RAG TOP 389- 4 barrel auto, butternut yellow power everything, was the start of a beautiful relationship with hot rods that has lasted 45 yrs lol I'll own an old car until they throw dirt in my face lol my 2nd car was a 64 Impala SS, 3rd was a 69 camaro RS factory 307 4speed 411 gears posi and I've never seen another one with that combo since, and the list goes on right now I'm doing a 57 Chevy sedan gasser, 427 700R4 373 posi 12 bolt, I've had fords, chevys, Chrysler products and even a rambler I love them all lol


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I had a 55 F100 that was my transportation. My wife had a 70 corvette. I lived in Carson City Nevada and worked at the Harley dealer in Reno. It had a 292 Y block with a Isky cam, T-bird heads and intake, and ram horn exhust. I would have to work on it at night and have it ready by the next morning. I remember doing one axle spring at a time. It only took one snow storm to make me put electric wipers on it. It was a great commute back then. I took it everywhere. I towed horse trailers and hauled whatever needed hauling. It was great for going out and finding good old tin in the high desert of Nevada. I traded it for a Halibrand V8 setup up ready to go for my 27 hiboy.
When I moved to Alabama, my ride was a 36 ford pick up. It was yellow with flames. I took it on the first Americruz and sold it to Jim Harden from Sacremento. I used the money to go to law school.
Both were good dependable rides.

 

I had a minor accident in my Falcon and I had pulled the drivers side fender off along with the hood,grille and bumper.

I drove the car to work for almost a week in that state of disrepair, I heard the old joke "Did anyone get killed in that wreck?" more that once. HRP

 

I banged the Pusher into a guard rail in the snow once. But I missed the lady in the little jelly bean car. Hair lipped it pretty good. The raven came over and we are going to remove a fender and the splash pan then drive out to the stock pile and get another fender and splash pan. Turned out that it was going to be a lot like work, but u had a rental car with spoke wheels, so we hooked the cumalong to one of the wheels and under the bumper and started pulling and hammering. its still that way today and only took about an hour.

 

Beano,I thought the Pusher went down the road? HRP

 

Its been at a new home since spring of '09. Went back to the farm.LOL

 

And we wonder why they are called the good old days. HRP

 

Boy oh boy did you hit on something there HRP.
For me anyway. What Life with the capital "L" is supposed to be about.

 

Danny... High school, 1957. My '30 roadster was almost there, (channeled, running; flattie/'39 box, primered, no upholst.)
Registered, new windshield...Dead of winter. Santa Clara, CA. Hell, musta been 58 degrees out!
But I was undaunted...I had taken ownership of my bud's channeled '30 A Coupe we had built for him, in a trade.
Vince Filzone's '42 Ford flattie and a '38 box got me running on the weekend, drove to school in a fenderless black rod with a roof overhead! (that's a top, not a sophisticated 'banger!)
Didn't have a 'real car' 'til I bought my '36 Five window, in '59...

 

My brother built this 33 Dodge (see avatar) and was his daily driver for thirty years until his passing. He drove it from Indy to south Fla at least three times that i remember . We're in the process of restoring it. Those Indy winters were tough on that old primered body.

 

From 1979 to 1987 I bounced back and forth between sport street bikes and a Sherman Tank of a hot rod sometimes also called a 1970 Lemans Sport / GTO clone.

Who the f---- at GM ever thought it was a good idea to put nuthin but un-powered drum brakes such a heavy car?!! And then I had to go and stuff a built GTO 400 into it. Real smart.

Between cooling problems, transmission problems, starter motor problems and brake jobs, it was a 400hp, 8mpg, glass-packed, 100 decibel daily driver. Oh, but the AC did work!

Years later my wife asked me why I sold it before I moved from Florida to California. "Oh, I dunno, I didn't like radio."

 

If it wasn't running I had to walk. HRP

 

I remember when we had 2 hot rods,Danny's 1930 truck and my 1940 sedan and both were broke down and we had to borrow my grandmothers wagon to get work.

 

Did I ever tell the story of my Stude truck.....it was January....it was a little cold....clutch out.....only ride for a bunch of 18 year old's out on their own...trying to make it.....I was on the ground....buddies in truck with drop light...it got late....we got it in that night...and off to work the next morning.....at least they kept warm in that cab with that drop light...my first house....and my second clutch in that old Stude.........they still talk about it......

 

A 340 'Cuda was all I had for 7 years. That Plymouth got me through the thick and the thin. Damn I regret selling it!

Then my second hot rod worth mentioning is my 69 Valiant. It's been 20 years, and it's in my driveway still.

The Camaros, Mustangs, and other cars I owned were also very cool. But none of them held together like my Plymouths did. And those cars were easily sold to keep me going after they had failures.

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Late 70's I owned 2 cars, my 56 Nomad (my truck, wagons are handy) and a 37 Chevy coupe (my hot rod). Seems like one or the other was always down for repairs or upgrades but at least I always had a backup.
Driving to work one morning in the 37 with about 4" of snow on the streets. Stopped at a light, guy next to me get out and chews me out for driving a classic in that weather, I just looked at him and said "what do you expect me to do, walk to work?"

 

My 390 Galaxie was my one and only for 2-1/2 years in WA and it never let me down.

 

I remember once when I was in highschool, I had hot Ford wagon and a Norton single. I lost my clutch in the wagon on my way home from school and my Norton needed a chain. I called my boss and told him I was going to be a little late. He asked how late and what was wrong so I told him. I was under the ford unbolting the tranny and smelled a cigar, it was my boss. he said, "I am not doing your job for you tonight, now scoot over and lets change this damned clutch."

 

For many years(84-90) our main car was a 55 Chevy with a snotty 327-our other car was our 57 Fuely. I had a co car too. Wife drove the 55 daily and we drove it every where. She also ran it at the drags on a regular basis at Sears Pt. When it broke or had a problem I had to work on it into the night if neccesary for her to get to work-she commuted in Bay Area traffic for 5 yrs. Worked on it in parking lots a good bit too when on the road-still have it-in the album. We would have to leave NorCal late on friday nights and drive 300 mile south, pick up the kids and return back round trip. Never had an issue I couldn't fix along the road. I would go over it on thurs night after work to make sure it was good to go. 3rd member went south one time in Yuma--Got one at a junk yard and changer er out-no problem-got tired of swapping 3rd members and put a 68 Camaro 12 bolt posi in it. Carried a fuel pump, generator, fan belt and some tools if needed. Probably the most reliable car we ever owned.

 

I am lucky I owned a motorcycle too, or I never would have made it to work half the time.

 

About 1968 or 69. Gotta love the farm implement rear tires!

 

You know, Olscronger got me thinking...maybe what we did (do) makes sense. A few tools and spare parts and yeah, might have to get out and work on the side of the road but like Tim, you got home. My wife called me awhile back, her dd quit running right in the middle of the street. OT newer "computer" car. I feel I'm a pretty good mechanic but couldn't do anything with it. One tow bill, a computer scan and a $900 electrical gizmo and it ran again. Just glad it happened in town and not out on a road trip. That was it, sold it and bought her a 72 Dodge, yeah it quit on her too but I was able to fix it in a few minutes right there in the parking lot. Ballast resister had fried, simple to find the problem and that electrical 'gizmo" only cost me $7, not $900.
My old duelly I pulled my trailer with had a gas motor with points and a carb. Finally gave it up at 700K miles and only once did I get really stranded, tranny blew up about 500K. Sometimes it was rigged, I filed lots of point on the side of the road or changed a fuel pump or alternator but I got home. New duelly is fancy late model diesel, great truck and I love the power, fuel economy, ect but it had an computer issue and shut down 100 miles from the nearest shop. Care to guess what it cost to tow a crew cab with 24' enclosed trailer? I was sure missing my old Ford that day.
Guess maybe I'm getting off topic, carry on..

 

Early '70's, I had a '69 Road Runner. Driving home from work one morning, I noticed the oil pressure was a little low. Stopped to check the oil level and found it at least 2 quarts over the full mark. Seems the diaphragm in the stock fuel pump had sprung a leak, dumping gas into the motor. Spent the day changing fuel pump and oil+filter. Three weeks later a rod started knocking a bit on start-up. Spent Friday night dropping the pan to replace bearings. That Friday night was my bachelor party! Got it done and it carried my bride and I on our honeymoon!

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That Road Runner was my curse. Besides the bachelor party fun I had with it, I had the throw out bearing seize up while sitting at a traffic light. Didn't have the money to fix until Friday so I drove it without using the clutch. Chrysler starters are tough! Also the alternator diode that shorted, popping the fusible link, forcing me to hot wire the car, using speaker wire, to get home so I could disconnect the alternator hot terminal. I started carrying a 7/16" wrench after that!

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Priceless. I learned why to fuse hot wires near the battery the hard way. One day my wrongly-fused amp gauge wire introduced itself to my firewall and created a lovely, four-foot-long soft-yellow incandescent mood-light between the firewall and the battery. Oh, and generated an insulation melting smoke cloud that blinded me as I drove.

That weren't tire smoke, y'all!

 

I would think most of us have a daily driver and a hot rod,but back in the day I could only afford one automobile and it sure wasn't going to be something every body else was driving. HRP