When I was like 6 or 7 there was this cool guy lived 3 houses down from us. Had the baddest 55 Chev. Used to let me watch him workin on it. Told me one day he was'nt going to be around for awhile and gave me the original steering wheel off the 55. He replaced it with some custom one. I used to balance that wheel between my knees everywhere I went with my parents, pretending to steer the car. Found out years later from some old neighbor he shipped to Viet Nam and was MIA. Only wish I had the chance to Thank him for lettin me hang out as a young punk.
Early memories of riding in my dads Model a coupe and just being tall enough to see over the dash!! Loved it. he gave it to me when I was 12, I couldn't get it to run so I sold it to the kid next door.The old man bought me another one when I was 19, wanted to slow me down( had a 57 Starchief) That was 1965, it's out in the garage waiting for me to finish the brake job. PS the other one is still in the barn next door to my mothers house---someday!
Lets see, about 1965 My dad brings home a 41 ford truck, I am under the truck watching him wrench on it, then helping him work on it bleeding brakes etc.... fast test drives down the road with hub caps flying off!!! Fast foward to 1978 High school years and Dad starts givving me little projects to complete on the same 41 ford during my junior year and summer, He gives me that truck to drive My senior yr and then gives me the pink when I graduate! fast foward to today and still have that truck although other projects have come and gone the truck will allways stay!
My dad had a 62 nova when I was growing up. I loved that car. When i was old enough to drive, I wanted to buy the same type of car. A friend of mine suggested I check out the Pomona Swapmeet. That's when i got my 1st taste of traditional hot rods and customs and it's been downhill ever since. I love traditional cars. Most of the cars on this forum are amazing! I can't wait to be able to drive my 54.
I grew up loving old cars but never got to experience getting my hands dirty on them as my parents weren't really into them. When I was 16 I wanted a 65 valiant safari wagon that my friend had informed me was for sale, went and checked it out and loved it. When I told my parents I wanted to buy this car they flatly said no way. I wanted the car so bad I went down to the guys house with my $300 deposit and sat outside knowing what would happen if I bought it. Later on they gave in and let me buy a 66 valiant, loved that car, worked hard on it and learned a lot. Now I got a 53 chevy, not a lotta money and wouldn't have it any other way
My dad for sure. Very fond memories of a 29' Model A roadster, a pair of 40' Buicks, a 40' Pontiac, a 51' Merc, and his most recent 47' Merc. I grew up with a lot exposure to the sickness. The disease has also manifested itself in me with old crusty motorcycles as well.
Necessity...1977 and I was 16 and my first job paid 2 bux an hour (working at a car wash in Fort Wayne, IN)...got tired of walking to work in the snow and saved up a whopping 140 bux and bought a 54 chevy belair...that's right a belair for only 125 bux and had enough money left over for 10 bux worth of gas and 4 bux worth of oil...drove it for 2 years...never used a key...my buddies would cruise it during their study hall and bring it back...the deal was ya had to leave a buck in the ashtray...between working at the carwash and checking out all the cool rides that used to run through there and wrenching on the 54 I was hooked...
Growing up the De Rosa way.... Some of the best memories are of working down at the shop and going to shows way back when with my dad. Now my kids are doing it and into cars...
Its because thats all I ever knew. I still remember the amazed feeling of finding out having hot rods wasn't normal for all family's when I first went to school! Im the third generation of a four generation hot rod family. I thank (Insert religion deity here) every day for it too. Doc.
We need pictures!!! Oh,i'd say Dad ,trips to my uncles where all sorts of Hot Rod magazines lived, and my 1rst Hot Wheel(bought in 1968,still have it and many more)
American Graffiti i couldn't sleep that night and went into the living room and seen that car on the boob tube. It was like a calling. I was only 11 at the time but knew what my life was going to go after that. Now i am 21, well 22 in a few days, building a 28 business coupe, painting pictures of hot rods, and pin ups, pinstriping, and drawing souped up CARtoons. Nothing could be sweeter. well maybe having the business coupe done and working on the 54 pontiac pathfinder.
bouncing down the highway to paso in a caravan full of kustoms nothing could have been kooler than that to a lil kid! or a big kid for that matter still havent missed a year yet!only 28 days!
I've been into hot cars most all my life, then one day about 15 years ago at a local car show, a guy/friend had a T-bucket and he offered me a ride in it. He fired it up and we took off up the street and that was it, My love for the T-bucket began It sounded awesome, it had a decent ride and it felt like a street legal go-cart on steriods! I fell in love with T-buckets and I had to have one, I'm working on number two now, LOL!!!
grew up around them, my dad was into traditional rods as a kid, when i was growing up,we had a yard full of rusty cars and parts,he was big into Mg's, at the same time my uncle was building a T bucket in his basement with my cousins, also owned a restored model t, they are a lot of fun to ride in going that slow with everyone honking and waving. My Older Cousins were always working on some rusted out pieces of crap, trying to make them faster, there were others too, but i was too young to remember. I also remember riding in the 69 buick special deluxe,with the olds 455 rocket motor in it, the details about who did the swap and when are pretty much lost to time, since a lot of my relatives have passed on. but I remember that car. and the Hot Wheels, I was a hot wheels nut. still am to thisi day. Ok I'll shut up now.
All I ever messed with is old cars starting 60 years ago. I have had a love affair with cars as long as I can remember. The 20,s 30,s 40's and 50,s is still a turn on for me. Born a motor head and will die one.
Close your eyes..... Listen to the Beach Boys singing..... She's real fine my 409...... and .... My little Deuce coupe.... Then Surfer Girl.... In my woodie I will take you.... Those were my pictures. Rock and roll was my pictures. I can still feel that music form the early -mid 60's.
As far back as I can remember, my Dad restored cars. I can remember going to car show with him as a young kid. I have a picture taken around 1969, I am about 2 years old, sitting on the running board of his '36 airflow...I owe all my automotive interest to him.
My dad restored a 1922 Ford coupe ... It was the sharpest car in town, at least to me. I remember driving it and it was an adventure ... my brother used it for his wedding. Joe
Same answer a lot have given, my dad. He always had something. More cool cars than I can remember. When I was young, we didn't get along so well, except when we were in the garage. It was the one thing we could do together without fighting. We get along better now and still spend most of our time together in a garage. I'll cherish the time when he's gone. He let me drive his custom '52 Chevy Fleetline to the Homecoming Dance my senior year in High School. My date didn't see why that was so cool. It was our last date.
I just wanted to be kool like Doc Watson ! ! ! Hey doc ! ! just kiddin seriously same as Doc....my Dad was into hot rods rubbed off on me at young age. Plus Dad helped me into my first car at 16 years old. Was a 1967 Gto tiger gold , dual gate shifter, hood tach, dash tach, 400 4-bbl, turbo 400, black interior. cars in early eighties like this were dirt cheap ! ! I consider myself very lucky.....feel bad for kids today having to pay scalpers price for cool tin.
Paid $600.00 for a '68 Camaro when I was 15 in 1977. It was originally a 6 banger, someone had swapped a 327 into it. If I drove real fast, the peeling paint job would fly off and leave a little trail behind me like snowflakes. And that 40 watt Craig Powerplay 8-track I installed fuckin' rocked.
When I was a kid, Saturday was the day Wide World of Sports came on and they used to show racing, crash up derbies, Evil jumping stuff, all kinds of car related stuff. I could not wait till Saturday. Im the only one in my family into cars. I blame Wide World of Sports.
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