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

Just stumbled on this today, I'm 76+. My few posts in the past tell some of the times I lived thru as a teenager in Baltimore in the 50-60"s. It wasn't Southern California, but typical I'm sure of most of the USA hot rod scene back then. Still trying to live the dream for the time I have left.

 

I'll be 69 this summer (if I make it) so certainly not the oldest. I've told this story before...but it still makes me smile.

I first saw Ed "Big Daddy" Roth in 1962 at LA's Great Western Exihbit Center, 3rd Winternationals Car Show where he was doing T shirts. He had pre-made shirts (Robert Williams?) and was just air brushing on florescent colors. I slid up next to him and asked "is that an air brush ?" he looked at me and replied "smart kid"

30 years later, in 1993, Bonnie and I had the pleasure of spending a few hours sitting and chatting with "Big Daddy" at Bob Moscoffian's New England Nationals. After we talked a while, I brought up the 1962 story and his "smart kid" comment. He leaned over to Bonnie and said "I don't think he's got any smarter"

 

This sucks I just turned 74 making me one of the oldest guys on this thread. I don't think I like this at all. I grew up in a small town ,it had a hot dog stand like in American Graffiti we had a lot of good times. My father who was not a street rodder , BUT He had 1950 Buick which he would get behind people that we're driving slowly through town and push them, it was fun to watch them panic Try that today and see where you go.

 

I turned 64 TODAY. still have my first car, 56 bel-air 3 owner. My dads truck i rode in when i was 1 and learned to drive in. nothing great!

 

update to previous answer. Eighty two, (82), next Monday 4/19 and for a interesting story Google Jerry Bergs 1934 Ford Coupe, which I currently own.

 

From what I read on this thread you're still a youngster!

Really enjoying the stories guys. Thank you for sharing um...

 

I was born in 1950, and into a family of non car people. My dad bought a new car every 3-4 years. Me, I've never bought a brand new car, as it seemed like a waste of money. Closest I've ever come was 2-3 yr. old cars for my wife. I personally only drive old cars and trucks.
Back when I was too young to drive I was crazy about old cars. Not sure why, but the old pre WWII cars and trucks just appealed to me. I worked for my uncle on his farm every summer starting at 13 yrs. old. Not sure how much help I really was, but he kept me moving and working hard, and paid me $1 an hour in 1963, which I thought was amazing!
I bought an old '47 International panel he had sitting behind his barn, not running, and soft plugs rotted out. But solid and straight, and I worked on it every evening, and weekend when I worked for him. Cost me a whopping $25 to buy, and probably spent $100 on it for soft plugs, battery, carb kit, and a used bench seat from an old Simca! But I got it running in a couple months, and when I turned 16 it was my first high school vehicle!
Neighbor had a sheet metal shop and he wanted the panel badly! He kept bugging me until I quoted what I thought was a high price, simply because it was several times what I had in it, and he bought it. I in turn took the money and some savings and bought my parent's '57 Belair 2 dr. sedan.
I was working for the bakery as a cleanup boy at age 15-17 yrs. so making more money. But working 3:00a.m.-7:00a.m. and then off to school. After school I worked 3:30-7:30 p.m. and I had no personal life, or time for sports. I did only work 4 hrs. Sat. and Sun., but no days off ever! So whatever time I wasn't working, sleeping, or going to school, I was buying parts to sink into my cars.
After graduation I quit the bakery and got a job at the Cadillac dealer, as an apprentice. Making big bucks for 1968 at $2.75 hr. and only 40 hrs. a week! Loved cars, so even more car time, and working around car guys every day too! Pure heaven! I bought a '40 Chev coupe from another kid who worked there for $50, and drove it home sitting in a lawn chair, as it had no seat! I got drafted the next year, and the coupe froze up while I was in basic, and cracked the old 216 block. When I got home after tech school, me and a buddy pulled the engine, trans, and rearend. Then it sat on blocks until I got out of the military.
My same best friend came over when I got home, and told me his dad rolled his '59 Imperial. So we got the brainstorm idea to put the 413, torqueflite, and rear axle in my '40 Chev coupe! $150 for the rolled Imperial, and a couple weeks later I was driving it all over town terrorizing anyone who wanted a race!
From that point on it was an endless string of old cars, and buying, fixing them up, and selling them. Eventually I stopped the turnover, and began to keep them longer. But continued to help buddies build theirs. Now I just build for myself, as I quit doing other's cars last year. Only have a certain number of years left, and I'm greedy about keeping them to my own toys. I'm happy to point, and suggest, but no wrench turning for anyone but my cars.

 

The only thing i own older than me is my 40 chev coupe, by only a few years. My story is the top car memory i've ever had. Good friend of mine, race driver, owned one of the original gran sport 'vetts, 1 of 5 ever built and all are in museums now. We took it for tire testing to the old Texas World track, a 2 mile oval. I did mechanical work on its 427, but it just sucked that day. He told me the problems but we couldn't get it right, and then he said for me to take it out and try it. I told him i was a rodder, not a driver but he insisted we find the problem. So, I got to take it for 2 laps and then he waved for me to go one more. The thing was on rails, nothing like it. I came in and he and the tire guys were laughing, asked how fast did i think it went-I said maybe 120. They had clocked the last lap at 178! We got the problem solved and my bud went 198+ with a lot more available.
I knew right then I'd never top that memory, and I was right.

 

Tomorrow I will have lived long enough to collect Social Security, one more box checked in the game of life.

 

Back in the mid sixties i just got out of the service and having a blast. You know,cars,racing at the drags, roundy round dirt racing or whatever. We would hang out at the local drive thru hamburger joint. It was a Steak n Shake here in St. Louis. They got a new manager and he was a real butthead to put it mildly. No getting out of your car to visit with your buddies and had to leave as soon as you were finished eating . Carhop took your tray you had to leave, not what we were used too, so a plan was developed. There was a large roundy round right outside the place, hence called circle Steak n Shake. So the plan was to get several cars to make a couple laps around the circle and get lined up to all go in at one time. the first car was my brother who pulled in and backed into the very first parking spot going back and forth a couple times just to stall for time. meanwhile the second car that i was in was part way in waiting for the first car to get parked. While waiting i poured a gallon of white house paint through the rusty front floor boards. Bt this time must have had 10 cars lined up to get in. We drove through the drivein and exited the other end and got out of there quick. Made a few laps in the circle,came back through to see paint 5 feet wide tracked all the way across the lot. Manager was out there with veins sticking out of his neck, thought he was gonna have a heart attack.

 

tomorrow I turn 72
have worked for 55 years,six years past collecting Social Service (pension here)
great feeling to be finally retired , get Govt pay and drive my coupe more often
all the Best

 

Youngster here at nearly 62, the only people I knew who were this old years ago were my parents and grandparents Young Noel, OMG you don't look a day over 21!

 

73 now, thankful and grateful to be here reminiscing on the HAMB and still playing with cars. I have many happy memories from my youth, entire life. A story that popped in my old mind this AM is funny, not sure about Kool. 60's the drive in Movie theatres were called passion pits where I lived and a great date venue IMO. One beautiful evening I was bumping nasties with my date and a buddy sneaked up on us and reached through open window and grabbed my butt, pretty sure I hit my head on headliner and what a mood killer, For years when ever our paths crossed it was a good laugh but sadly he did not make it to old age. I sometimes think about how lucky I am to still be here as many times it could have turned out very different for me. I have stated and believe I am a very Lucky man.

 

Old timer here as well...turning age 79 on the first of June. My '40 coupe has several months on me, but not much else around here does. Still manage to play old timer hockey but my back tolerates only once per week, but it is year round, once the pandemic is over. Building another project right now too. No time for everything I wanna' do, so I focus on the big stuff. Took up playing bass guitar to fight back against hand arthritis and love that as well. Never had time before retirement...which occurred shortly after divorce. I simply decided since I was already past retirement age to no longer work in large part to pay overhead, so I answered to call of things I wanted to do while energy and health were still with me. All of you make sure to reserve enough of your time to live!!

 

The guy that owned a local Hamburger Stand was a jerk. So one day when it was busy I climbed up on the Roof with a garbage can that my friend handed up to me. The roof on the back part of the building was really low so it was easy to get up here. It had a big chimney over the cooking area. I was maybe 15 years old the time and all of 120 lb. Al the hamburger guy was like a little bull. I remember pouring the garbage can into the chimney and there was a woman's black high heel shoe in the garbage. I panicked ran to the opposite side of the building and jumped off the roof without even thinking. I would say maybe 12 ft , hit the ground, sprained my ankle and laid in the grass. Luckily for me he didn't see me and it was real busy so he had to get back inside. Later on Al got himself a Chrysler turbine for 6 months to the test out for Chrysler. They said it would even run on perfume ! I was a cute kid

 

That's me on the left somewhere in the middle of Oklahoma on the way to the NHRA Nationals 1958.

 

My best friend worked at the A&W when I was in high school. I worked at one of the local grocery stores. After work I would stop at the A&W for supper. One night when I received my order I opened the wrapper on my papa burger and there was a big bite out of it. I tried to get the carhop's attention when I noticed an arm sticking out of the order pickup window giving me the finger. I knew right away my friend was working that night.

 

HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY MY FRIEND

 

I'm fast approaching 56, but I like to tell people I am the same age as Jack Benny.

Back around '83 my friend Tom borrowed a friend's '73 Plymouth Satellite station wagon; our friend John rode shotgun and I was in the back seat. We were doing donuts in a supermarket parking lot at night with the headlights off, then Tom sped off across the parking lot. As he did, he turned on the headlights; we let out a scream because right in front of us was a shopping cart that we hit dead center at 50 mph and sent it off into the darkness. We were in a panic and got out of there as fast as we could, thinking for sure that we had screwed up the front of the car. Eventually we got up enough nerve to pull up under a street light to look at it, and found it didn't even get scratched! Funny part about it was Tom's brother worked at that supermarket, and came home late that night complaining about some @$#^! who flattened a shopping cart that he had to drag across the parking lot back to the store. We never did tell him who was behind it.

 

84! Need to get the engine back together before I hit 85.
The engine?? Ah, it did not like getting hot last summer and rebelled by scoring a couple pistons.
Dang, getting up from the floor is a b+++h!

Ben

 

You young whipper snappers, ahh what was the question?

 

71 and building my first 32 Ford. Better late than never I guess. I have built several cars over the years mostly 50's model Chevy's. I am learning a lot about 32's everyday.

 

Hello,

When our son was just turning 16, he already had his learner’s permit, had plenty of hours of behind the wheel training with me going all over So Cal, many times. Surface streets, freeways, winding roads, up hills and learning the most important thing for stick shift drivers: the dreaded “hill start”, using only the brake pedal, emergency brake handle/ gas pedal.

He was very attentive when we were both in my car. As we drove all over, those were his places to go, so he was getting used to different ways to get to his destinations. He liked that I knew almost every road in our wide Orange County area. So, those daily hours spent driving around gave him confidence and it also gave me a future, “not to worry,” scenario when he is alone.

He was very involved in his own world of games, reading vast amounts of books, art work, and writing. But, when it came to working on cars, questions came at me like a machine gun. When I explained as much as I could, he just nodded and we went driving around. I was beginning to think that he was looking into being able to fix his own car when he was away from home, soon… away at college or wherever it was going to be. That would be a first, for sure.

We found out later that he had no future plans on fixing his car or do any kinds of builds/rebuilds. He just wanted the knowledge in his vast background. But, when in college, UCSB, he did ask me what mechanic’s shop would be best for him. I called a few friends and found a cool guy that could fix anything and it was just down the road from his dorm.

Now, after he got his license, we went looking for his first car. I took him to see a Mercury Comet Two Door Sedan that an older couple had driven it around our neighborhood. It was cool looking stock, but I told him I would put on some Moon Discs and this is what it would look like finished.

thanks…@themoose

Then we offered a small Ford station wagon, with the hopes that it would cover his interests in camping and going to the beach.

To spice up the plain blue, small station wagon, we told him that some add-on accessories would look good on that small wagon.

Finally, he said he wanted to look at other cars that his friends were driving and we went to several dealers to see the cars. We went for a couple of test drives, but one in particular was scary. He was losing his attention taking test drives in cars that he was not too familiar with, as we stuck mostly to automatics, just for those drives. I wanted him to get the feel of different cars and the automatic made it easier.

Jnaki

As most teenagers are at this point, he was driving well with the salesman in the front and me in the back of a small sporty sedan. We were at a left turn only lane getting on the freeway entrance going across traffic with red lights and green arrows. The salesman made the mistake of talking to him as the light was getting ready to change, but was still red for us to cross in front of traffic.

The oncoming traffic was turning their own left away from the entrance, so my son started going forward and turning left to the on ramp. He misjudged the light changing and the red arrows still on, despite the green light for both directions of straight through traffic.

From my seat in back, my foot almost went through the floor trying to stop the forward motion. The salesman almost fainted and braced himself on the dash and both feet slamming on the front firewall. The oncoming traffic was just across the intersection and my son gently turned left as if it was his turn to get on the on ramp. When he noticed that the oncoming traffic was not stopping, he floored it and zip, we were past the traffic and on the on ramp. Both the salesman and myself were thinking the same thing. Our lives had just been given a reprieve for at least a few more years. Whew, that was close.

As we were getting on the on ramp, I asked my son whether he had seen the oncoming traffic at the intersection. He said that it was his turn to make a left turn, so he went ahead and got on the on ramp. When I told him that there was a red arrow and it was only green for the oncoming traffic, he looked puzzled, as if I was living in a dream. When we talked later, he told me that he was thinking of his friend’s cars and how his new car would fit in with the others. In other words, he was distracted and dreaming in another state of teenage mind.

It was not worth it to continue the discussion and safety. Just several hints at looking at the whole picture and being aware of his surroundings as he is driving his own car. Teenage distractions abound everywhere and there are plenty of them… so be aware. It wasn’t even a cell phone distraction, either.


Something must have clicked. Our son has no accidents and one ticket for darkened windows on the driver’s and passenger’s side. Although his generation is usually on the move, and sometimes his driving is questionable. But, it is what is going on that affects all of us.

 

-
I'm 78 and still actively building cars and trucks. My first legal car was this 1940 Pontiac Business Coupe purchased in 1958. It had a straight 8 in it with a three speed column shift. I loved that car. It had a bad bearing in it so I had to run 50 weight oil in it to keep it from knocking too bad..... My Uncle Skip painted the name on it for me. "Sugar Plum"

 

story #2 1970 I was working part time with my brother in-law at his body shop, his big money maker was fixing wrecked Corvettes, always a 3/4 in process plus the insurance work. I built him a pretty hot 327, was a 4 speed car, , 4:11 posi etc. The car was beautiful, maroon color, chrome cragers, street slicks, chrome hooker side pipes, 63 split window car. We lived in a 2 family, him up, my wife and kid down, so I took the Vette cruising with his permission and got to street racing, won a few and the police show up and I'm gone, got out of their site quickly, parked in a garage nearby where friends lived. I called him to warn him and within 30 minutes they arrested him as they got the plate. He told them somebody must have stole it as it was not there. He sits in the pokey till the am and goes before judge and the judge dismissed everything as they had no witness to say he was driving, car is missing and his girlfriend stated he was home with her as he was. So I go to work thinking Ed is going to be really pissed, came home after work, all he said was, You SOB, Did you win ?, Where in the Hell is my car ? I explained where I left it, He was OK and left it there for a week and when he picked it up with a trailer he had a car cover on it and that car sat a while in the shop covered. He sold it and for 40 + years until his passing this story always came up when we got together. A good man/friend. Now the rest of story I did not have a drivers licence at this time, revoked for speeding/drag racing/eluding, driving without, I worked my butt off, 2 jobs, had just put money down on our first home and I was being a good boy for awhile until this event. I did mature some, did not want to keep pressing my luck and went on to open wheel racing for my adrenaline fix well into my 40's. I have many stories, big time fun all my life with a lot of hard work and a lot of Luck, I am Luckier than Smart. LOL

 

story #3 All my adult life I've had some nice OT iron with performance, not drag race cars, nice driver street hobby type. Well all my racing buddies, same deal, plus a lifelong friend, all through the years we would meet up and it was on, just for the bragging rights. More than once I could see the headline in our small town paper, "Local business/family man arrested for illegal street drag racing" A good racing friend became a Jaguar man, My OT Camaro smoked him, he buys a SHO Ford Taurus, again I cleaned his clock, then has it reworked, still beat him, he sold it, didn't own it 6 months. My HS friend, my 57 Chevy beat his 57 Plymouth, later my highboy roadster smoked his 340 Challenger, then my 32 whipped up on his 33. This man I've known since 1964 and now cannot race him anymore because now he has several real nice/ real fast cars as I always tell him I do not want to spoil my winning record, can't race you anymore. Now in my 70's have not really run anything hard/fast for years, I guess I finally admit to getting/being old. LOL

 

Turning 61 tomorrow.....

 

Turned 61 last month. You aren't but one day older.......no biggie.
Dig the Cammer

Joe

 

Turned 86 in January, have 2projects,55 first series pickup and a 39 ford 2 door.

 

I am 73 . My Father had a Shell Station in Kent, Ohio in the early 60s. His first employee had a 60 Impala , 348. 3-2s and a 4 speed . White with the red hounds tooth interior . Thousands of muscle cars bought Super Shell and down the road at a Sunoco dial 260 ! Elton ( Sonny Hunt ) was one of my friends and a customer with his many 38 Chevys. I have 3 drivable Corvairs. I just stripped all the paint off of the Rampside and I will repaint it . I have excellent health and still get around like when I was 20 . Just luck I guess. Never smoked or drank. I have had several 57 Chevys, a 56 Chevy, 2, 38 Chevys, 72 Nova , Nash Metropolitan and others . Daily driver now is a 73 VW Bug.