I have found that my experience with the automobile and Hot Rodding has made my world very small. It has never ceased to amaze me I can meet people from my past or in common from the strangest connections. I grew up with a certain 63 Hemi Scout and the 1973 Hot Rod Magazine feature on it seriously etched into my brain. I consider this vehicle the root of all evil that has become my car obsession. I never would have guessed that 35 years later a chance meeting at a car show would lead me to actually owning it. The day after I brought what was left if it to the shop, 2 guys who routinely came in for Chicken Thursday lunch - were looking at it. Turns out they helped build it back in the late 60’s and early 70’s. Then they helped me build the current version... Fast forward 5 years and one of the guys mentioned above passes away (Pete Boslovitch) at the funeral I run into a lady from my day job I have known for 15 years. Pete was her Father in-law. - I never made the connection. I answered an ad for a 48 Austin PU from Craik Saskatchewan (8 hrs East) only to find out that the owner was a 30 year friend of Rich Bedford (My Scout's 2nd owner). We bench raced and reminisced for an hour when we went to get it. I had some contractors over to give me a quote on home renovations – One of them saw my Meltdown Drags posters and asked if I had been there. When I said “Yes” - he cut me off - and started talking about the Scout from Canada he had seen on the internet. He then mentioned an old drag race / street freak Scout he tried to buy back in 2008 – The story goes that the guy who beat him to it was there when he called the seller (I remember the seller answering the call). You should have seen his face when I walked him into the garage to see the Scout. - I don’t recall ever getting a quote. I made a request for sponsorship to Praxair –The manager I contacted had the copy of the Traditional Rod and Kulture that featured the Scout on his desk. He had just commented how cool the Scout was to one of his salesmen when my email request came through. When I went to meet with him he was talking to a guy I recognized as a softball team mate from Calgary from back in the 90’s. Turns out the Praxair manager is his son. - Yes I got the sponsorship. I was selling a 52 Willys wagon. One of the guys who came to see it is the current “husband / partner” to my last ex-girlfriend (12 years previous – she cheated on me - with him). We both stopped short and rolled our eyes, then laughed about it and talked cars. - He didn't buy the Willys While racing locally, 2 guys wandered over to my pit area to see the Scout. I recognized the younger guy as someone I had played softball with for the better part of 15 years. (When I was younger and not broken) As he turned to introduce his father - I recognized him as the guy who sold Napa parts to my Brother's shop and the guy who sold me my previous race car (sbc Vega) His son never realized I was a car guy and his dad never realized I was a softball guy. I went to buy a tool box from a local Kijiji ad. Talked with the guy 5 times to confirm the date I was coming to get it. We started laughing when he answered the door - He is the father of one of my wife’s curling teammates. He and I have sat in dozens of curling clubs over the years. Just to make it even stranger … as I was loading up - another guy showed up about the box – we immediately recognized each other as neighbors growing up in the 70's. - I turned down a counter offer, had coffee with him and haven’t seen him since. This one is just plain spooky and weird: The husband of one of my co-workers has helped me with the Scout since 2008. A few years back be bought a 69 Camaro race car, so naturally I returned the favor. Last summer, a casual conversation about an Aunt that had passed away, had him making faces. Turns out we are cousins (!!??) My Aunt by family was his Aunt by marriage (His mother’s brother married my Aunt – confused yet ??). My uncle in-law / his uncle had passed away in a logging accident before we were born. Our side of the family never mingled with my Aunt’s in-law side of the family so we never met… (Wow !!)
They are funny stories! Similar stuff but way further distances. My wife and I while working in Sioux City, Ia got word of a Canadian contactor starting work and all of my wife's co workers kidded her about knowing him (as Canada is so small to their American minds). My wife asked his name and where was he sitting in the very large cubicled office where we worked. She walked over with her co workers in tow and after being introduced she asked "Didn't you marry so and so?" "I did." he said. She replied "and your from so and so in New Brunswick." "I am." Well her co workers just looked at each other....."She does know everyone in Canada!" It can indeed, be a very small world!
Not much to add to the thread but your I've used your signature quite a bit out on the Jeep trails haha! "Jesus, If I'd known he was gonna catch that much air I would have videoed it rather than try and get a picture." "Well I told you that I tend to do stupid stuff and be ready with the camera...."
The Jalopy Journal
