wingspread7

After reading "Gentleman Start Your Engines" by Wilbur Shaw I built my first car @ 10 using an old baby carriage I found down the hill in the woods behind our house for the chassis. The rest was fabricated from wood. It was the answer to my rich friend's soap box derby racer. The brakes, however (wooden lever to earth), wouldn't hold a high speed down hill turn and I flipped it with my cat behind me. I sustained further injury as he did a burnout on me when I opened the trunk. At 12 I taught myself how to drive in my uncle's '41 Chevy ragtop (vacuum shift) on his farm and the next summer did a valve job on Gramp's '51 Starlight coupe. After coming home for lunch and test firing it he tossed me the keys saying "Be home by dark" much to Grandma's dismay. I've been goin' down hill and flippin' out after dark ever since.