chopt top kid

I bought my first Hot Rod Magazine in the fall of 1957 when I was nine years old. I've been a Hot Rodder ever since. When I was a kid, I remember that my older cousin dated this guy who drove a tail dragger shoebox ford coupe. It was nosed and decked, had Buick side trim, full length lakes pipes, skirts, flipper wheel covers and dual exhaust. I thought that car was the cat's meow.
During jr. high and high school, I kept myself busy building model cars, hot rods, kustoms, and drag cars. Always kept a stash of "little books". I remember that I always wanted to have my first rod built by the time that I got my drivers license, but my dad didn't want me "junkin' up the driveway".
My first car was a 1959 Impala Sport coupe, 283, 290 hp with factory t-10. It had Olds flippers, wide whites, factory skirts, chrome tip's on the duals and clamps on the coil springs to get the rear end down. What a sled. After high school I was lucky enough to find a 1940 Willys coupe. I had plans to build a drag car, but Uncle Sam sent me a letter that started with the dreaded "Greetings...". I had no place to store the car so I sold the Willys to a good friend who still has the car today. After Basic and AIT I got orders to go across the pond, I sold the Impala to a guy who put the engine and tranny in a '37 ford coupe.
After the Army, I came home from southeast Asia and found myself right in the middle of the Muscle Car Era. The Willy's was a drag car now and I helped my buddy run the car from '69 into the early '70's. I had a couple of 1966 Chev II's during this time. The first was a Marina Blue 2 door SS with 327, 275 hp and saginaw 4-speed. The second was an SS also, 327, 350 hp with M-21 Muncie and 4:10 posi. It was warmed over pretty good with a double ended Holly, mallory dual point, tube headers, Lakewood bellhousing and traction bars, Gabriel air shocks, Mr Gasket shifter w/T-Handle and Keystone Mags. I painted it '68 'vette red. Would pull the left front wheel w/60 series street tires and ran like a scalded dog.