Folks Of Interest R.I.P. Our Hot Rodding history.........

I watched many people make "things" out of several International trucks, and Dodges, and several others and they were for the most part: UGLY.. I lived in a small car town, Lots of altered cars in our small area.. Looking back 55 years, Some were not "that bad" but nuthin' I would want OR take.... Ok, in YOUR driveway tho....

 

Last month I received a PM from a HAMBer asking if I would communicate with a person regarding that person's grandfather. While I've played with cars for 60 years, I was fortunate to work in the high performance industry for almost 50 years. I was pleased to pass on info to this person based on the fact that his grandfather was a client back in the sixties. This is not the first time that a grandson has asked for info and I'm always been happy to comply. However, as an old phart, I still find that there are a lot of twenty somethings posting here that bought a box of little books at a swap meet and now know more about the fifties car culture than those of us who lived through it!

 

Again , the last line is a pet peeve of mine

 

When I was living in Reserve, NM (pop. 368) I ran into a couple guys wearing jackets that said "Speed Sport Special" in the local post office - I asked them why they were wearing them and one of them introduced himself - Red Greth. Some of you younger guys might not know that name, but Red and his partners held the world record in '57 running a rear engine roadster against the dragsters. Probably one of the most famous drag cars of all time. Turns out he decided it was too hot in Tucson in the summer so came up to Reserve and bought a little adobe house which he fixed up really nice and I got a chance to help and get to know him better. You've never lived until you sandblast a tin ceiling inside a house, but we always had plenty of cold beer and time to BS. I learned (and am still doing so) a lot of old time tricks that still apply today from Red. He's in the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame and, as far as I'm concerned, a national treasure (though he'd tell me I'm full of crap for that last part.)

 

Binders were wood trucks. Nothing wrong with that. If you own a rod you need a hauler.

 

Hot Roddings history and truths are out there. You just have to get off your ass and find it.

 

If us old farts tell the young folks about the "old days" do we have to tell the truth? I think I still have pics of the hemi powered Radio Flyer wagon I had in the 2nd grade somewhere...

 

.....................You mean you had one as well!!? Small world.

 

Judging from old pictures, Internationals must have been good for hauling logs. I dont know why anyone calls them binders. I have my grandpas horsedrawn corn binder. It was made by John Deere. I dont think any binders were made by International trucks

 

This subject has been on my mind a lot lately, I have a few passions, one is WWII fighters and have been lucky to talk to some pilots but they are mostly gone now and the same with steam locomotives but there is always so much more you hear about and want to ask the old guys....but sadly they are all but gone.
Never let a chance pass that you can find out first hand about the things that matter to you. I have a lot of stories that I want to pass on as im getting older, many don't fit hear but will hopefully help some with their interests. JW

 

No, but International Harvester made corn binders long before they made trucks.

The roots of International Harvester run to the 1830s, when Cyrus Hall McCormick, an inventor from Virginia, finalized his version of a horse-drawn reaper, which he field-demonstrated throughout 1831, and for which he received a patent in 1834.

IH made light trucks from 1907 to 1975, beginning with the Model A Auto Wagon

I can remember the term "binder" being applied to anything International in the mid-1940's.

 

A few years back I purchased a Kubota B7100 tractor from a family friend, Roy Morris. I knew he had been an engineer and a machinist (he had a fantastic shop in his basement!), but it wasn't until after he passed away a few weeks ago at 92 that I also learned he had worked on the Manhattan Project. He never talked about it, so very few people knew. I wish I'd known, as I would have enjoyed hearing about his role in it.

 

Back in the early sixties, Earl Howard, Bill Coleman and me (David Coleman) were at York PA drags one night, when Red Greth had his rear engine Speed Sport on exhibition. The car had all eight pipes pointing straight back, and sounded like the heavens opening up when it made a good run "down the canyon." Red, of course, was our hero, and I just had ask him to look at our spark plugs for his advice. He said "Hell, you guys are going faster than me, I should be asking you for your advice." A real gentleman and owner of the best sounding car I ever heard.

 

I grew up with and learned from the elders of our gig. Mainly circle track guys, but there were enough hot rods of the time and a few "exhibitions" now and then. Dad was always a Cadillac fan, 4 hot rod trucks done that way in my currently clear recollections. Soon I'll eclipse a 6th decade but for some reason I don't feel it. I just don't adjust well to the cliche' of that age. My back, my heart, my teeth, they seem to adjust just fine, all fucked up to some measure in keeping with time. I also have a hard time with the social norms of those more than 1/2 my age. What most of us here like they could care less about. They don't "feel it" like we have and that's due to the lack of exposure. TV doesn't help, these fuckin new phones even less (!), but that's progress I reckon. If anyone wants to be bored to tears by some of the ol man's stories I'm game, but most of my breakthroughs come in the shop. Someone a generation or more behind that turns out liking the same living and talents. That I find easy and have been told what a good teacher I can be. And as to some of the initial replies, it's my story, I'll tell it my way, but I do not talk to myself...as far as you know

 

IH was a tractor company that made trucks, I think that is why the trucks are what they are. I don't doubt that someone made a hot rod IH back when hot rods were not yet traditional, but I don't imagine anyone fell over themselves trying to drool on it.

@theHIGHLANDER you are a luddite my friend. Welcome to the club.

Sometimes it is hard to see the world through a younger man's eyes. 6+ decades isn't hard we are used to seeing the world through those eyes. 3 decades though, that's rough.