Compliments.....what happens when you drive your car?

A girl pulled up beside me once and got out her cell phone to take a pic which is nothing out of the ordinary but then she wouldn't pass me. I then realize she is taking a cell phone video... while she is still driving, she hops over on top of the center console (big SUV) and is still filming. Once she swerved the second time, I nailed the gas and never looked back. I mean I know im a pretty cool guy and all, but damn i'm not worth wrecking over! haha jk

 

Thats bad ass

 

I like building stuff and talkin’ to people who build stuff. I really appreciate the effect old machines have on people and sometimes a vehicle just fits the bill. It just changes our perspective sometimes. I’ve already got more stories than I can sit down and write about (or that you'd want to read ) but here’s a quick one:

Last night on my way home from work in my '58 Chevy I stop for fuel ( I do this a little more often in this truck than I did with my old daily) and as I’m waiting my turn inline to pull up to the pump, this guy comes walking out of the store and gives me a thumbs-up as he passes in front of me & the truck. Cool enough, but not really enough to write about, right?

Well I pull up to the pump and get out of the truck and this same guy, a couple of islands over filling his late 70's Monarch, yells out,
“Cool Ol’ Truck!”
“Thanks“, I reply politely, still just punching numbers into the pump.
“That’s Got to be the biggest, old flatbed I’ve ever seen! What year is it, ’61?”
“No it’s a ’58, but you’re close. Good guess.”

Then from near the Diesel Ford Pick-up between us, another voice pops up out of the night air, “I bet it’s got some story!”
“It’s got more history than I do“, I quip back and then some kid over by an immaculately clean, high-winged, foreign something or another lets out, “My grandfather used to have one just like that.”

“Thanks Kid“, I laugh, “Shouldn’t you be in bed?“, thinking about how friendly people can be when just one person makes the initiative to break the ice the way Mr. Monarch did.

The conversation went on between the few of us all doing what is usually a regular, run-of-the-mill routine that most people do hundreds of times without giving anybody else a passing glance or thought, but we just talked to one another.

Had it been a warmer Spring evening, we could’ve opened up a couple of pops on the stoop of that gas station and kept at it... but I finished fueling up and yelled out, “Have a good night!” as I climbed back in & fired ‘er up to get home.

 

It's put away for winter, can't wait to get attention again. Sucks driving a Dodge truck like evryone else in winter.

 

If I'm in the left lane speeding a little, they pull to the right lane and slow down and if I'm in the right, no one passes me. But that's because I drive a 2007 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor with the black body and white roof..

In my '68 C10, I get some thumbs up and a lot of rednecks and older guys nodding their heads at me as if they concur.

I absolutely cannot wait to see how people will react when I drive my '50's era '28 A around! I think I'll enjoy seeing the little kids plant their faces against the windows than I will the adults.

 

I now have a HAMB firewall tag with my sons name on it, so when I give him the car when he is 16, the girls at school can tease him

 

I usually get the thumbs up and occasionally people will try to ask questions while at a red light...but no one has ever flashed me yet..LOL

 

I get all the usual stuff but I like it when they look and say, "What year is it?".

I give then a funny look and say, "What year is it? What are you, Rip Van Winkle or something? It's 2012!".

 

The older car that I drive the most is a lowered 62 Impala, so of course the typical comment is "you should put some 28s on that". WTF!!
On the highway I always drive in the left lane as I'm going faster than everyone else anyways. I swear it's like the parting of the red sea. The cars just move out of the way long before they need to. I love it!

 

Gonna change your life, man. I've noticed that a full bodied car, like 40's, 50's and 60's, are viewed as just old cars. But pre 40's... they get called hot rods, by non car folk. Most women and quite a few guys, kinda don't "get it", but taking the time to explain it is cool. I always make it a point to answer questions, if someone is really trying to "get it".

I've had people ask if they can take a pic of thier kid next to my T. But what REALLY makes the kids go nuts is when I say, "Have him sit in it. THEN a pic." Smiles per gallon, baby.

 

So I have the 12 year old nephew this weekend. No idea what hot rods are about, only that it is what his uncle does for a living. I am finishing up a freshning of "endlessearth's" '29 for Good Guy's this weekend, and took him with me to road test and do some errands this morning. COOL! he is having the time of his life! Then, JOHNEVANS calls up and can't go to Good Guy's this weekend, but wants to get his '27 "T" roadster out there to sell... "Ya want to drive it over the weekend ?" Hell yes! Nephew and I ride over to John's with him in one of John's Corvairs, pick up the "T" roadster and drive home. By this time he is all smiles. We drove John's car out to dinner tonight and he says "When I'm 14, will you help me build a roadster to drive?" Driving home he yells to me "That's the fiftieth thumbs up we got today... I've been counting!" I think he's hooked!

 

Let's see! Without the Avanti behind it I get lots of thumbs ups, pictures, vidoes ect. I am finding that if I take the camper I had better not be in a hurry. Had a lady ask a million questions about it. Wants to see the inside of the camper. She's checking it out and she looks at the upper bunk and asked if I've cristened it yet. It takes me a second to realize what she's asking. Before I got into trouble I told her no but the wife and I are planning a camping trip soon so that should get taken care of. She gave me a little smile right after she gave me a "I'm dissapointed it won't be me" look. That was a close one. Most people have never seen a Studebaker camper before. Heck neither had I until this one. They ask me how hard it was to make the camper fit the truck?

With the Avanti behind it. Had two people go off the road trying to get a good look. One guy crashed into a plastic trash can sitting in the street to be picked up. That one was funny to watch cause I know it hurt his ego more than his car. All the way to Bonneville and back it was an amazing journey. People can't get enough of the two. Gas station and food stops take a lot longer with the team. But I wouldn't trade it for the world. Best therapy for my battle.
Dan

 

Lately.... People are just SO amazed that a '31 Ford is on the road. The 6X2 Nailhead, open header, fiasco is more than most people can grasp.


It sounds like a PISSED off by-plane.....

 

What is often the common reply is: Nice car, cool, etc., but inevitably it will be followed up by..is that a '49, '55, '64, Ford, Mercury, Buick, or whatever, and they always seem to miss it by a few years, along with the make (a great indicator who you are dealing with, a car person, or one of the mildly curious unknowing).
Bad guess or not, typically old cars bring a smile, and positive reaction of some sort to everyone.

 

When I drive my Merc around the North side of Chicago, the thumbs-up, compliments and questions are never ending... It's pretty cool.

 

love it! lol

very cool-

the thing i find with the supercars--young children and women love them-wave and all smiles----men hate them and look at you with distain

saweet!

lol

when i was younger i lived across the street from a bar--i worked second shift--usually worked till 1 am-pulling my 55 2 dr sedan in my parking space--a guy yells from across the street i had one of those except it was a convert and a 65------------

awesome! a few more weekends like that and itll def be in his blood

 

Most of the time i get asked "Is it real or a kit?".
The one i will never forget was my first long trip on the interstate .a car passes real slow and on the passenger side was an old woman that looked to be in her 80's or 90's . She just stares with no emotion whatsoever for about 40 seconds or so ,then as they get passed the front she slowly raised her hand and gave a thumbs up.

 

Almost every time I stop for fuel someone will tell me how much they dig my "55 Chevy".

 

First drive around the block with my truck 8 young children started hooting and waving,,they loved it. People smile when they see the truck..In my case it's the colour. All those pretty women are not smiling and waving at me! The colour just makes people feel good...some folks don't get "you messed up the patina" or "flat black and red steelies"

 

I guess I'll chime in here aswell.
What happens to me most of the time,is I get lots of older guys coming up to me in parking lots and gas stations saying how cool my car is and how much of a "chick magnet" it must be. I roll my eyes and say no its defiantly more of a old dude magnet.
Then they look at me like I'm crazy. haha.

 

Last time I went to get gas a fella and his son walked over and dad was explaining to his boy about how this was like his Galaxie he used to have. Ended up grabbing pictures out of his truck and showing me a beautiful 65 ( I think was the year ).

Always get the; 'what year' & 'what is that' questions.

 

Nice

 

I got axed to have my car put onna calander with a big titted chickie babe droolin on it!

 

i have almost exclusively good experiences. I have used my Model A as a daily driver and my 57 T'bird as my nice weather driver. Cell phone pictures and thmbs up virtually daily. Can't get gas w/o a conversation and people do get to know me. All and all a good experience.

 

i have found this to be true , if your in a hurry dont stop for gas..

 

x2

 

I never showed the world my Cadillac, but I'm always telling people about it and they get all hyper and ask me questions.

 

My 2 favorite reactions to my Car (59 Cad Fleetwood)
Cruising I-40 on the way to the Route 66 Car show, a Jaguar pulls up next to me and a lady stands up through the sun roof and is taking a picture of my car, along with a thumbs up.

Cruising through town one evening with the family looking at Christmas lights, a couple of kids are sitting on their bikes near a corner. One of them sees my car and gets so excited he can hardly talk, trying to get his buddys to look at the car. He finally shouts "Its a Thunderbird!" We still laugh about that every Christmas.

Curly

 

I was stopped at a signal when a lady pulled up next to me in a new Mercedes. She rolled down her window, looked at my '63 Grand Prix and said, "Show off!". The light turned green and she yelled, "HIT IT!".

 

Here is one that stands out in my mind. One time when I was riding with my brother in his truck we stopped to get gas. A guy starts talking to us about the truck and says and I quote "Damn! Those white walls are clean and crispy!"