History THAT FIRST RIDE IN A HOT ROD OR CUSTOM - AS A PASSENGER

Who gave you your first ride in a hot rod or custom and what were you ridding in?

The year was somewhere around 1960-61 and Darris was my grandad's next door neighbor, he was in high school and he gave me a ride.

I vividly remember sitting in the passenger seat in a black 1947 Chevy convertible with a white top, I emulating Darris with my arm hanging over the side, the car had a hopped up inline six with a split manifold and a trio of carburetors, I suppose the car was more a custom than a hot rod, with the fender skirts, wide whites and the full hub caps. HRP

 

Late fifties in Fresno, CA, in a very low 1935 Chevrolet sedan. It was my cousin’s car, and he remembered it because the steering wheel came off during the ride and he was concerned that word might get to his folks. For me, it was just a very cool car.

 

My first ride was this year. It was a steel 32 highboy roadster with a 8ba flathead. Im 30, and it was worth 20 something years of the wait. Ive been dreaming about a ride. And Honestly we don't have too many hot rods here in these parts. And if you do there not too friendly. Here's a photo.

 

yep,with my uncle riding around with him with this on the radio in a 50 ford just like mine here but was maroon red 1963

 

1977 for me. my brother worked at the Milwaukee jounel in racine wi. some customers didn't get their paper for some reason. my brother asked me if I would help his co worker go out and deliver them . the car was a 68 hemi four speed charger all black. he was racing around like a mad man. he would stop at the house and I would run the paper up to the door then it was all out burnouts to the next stop. I didn't know anything about cars then but it made a impression. fast forward to 1983 in high school. a guy got transferred to our school mid year. he drove a 67 gto four speed. he was in one of my classes and gave me a ride I wont ever forget. I was ruined. I had to have a fast car. I got a ride to and from school in the gto for the rest of the year. sure beat dads four door chevette.

 

Grew up bouncing around in my dad’s 56 panel truck but my first proper ride in a “hot rod” I still remember vividly. Early 70’s at the nastalgia drags at Irwindale drag strip. My pops had a buddy with a hopped up root beer brown 32 Ford PU. He was gonna make a run down the strip and asked me if I’d like to go for a ride. They threw a helmet on me and I jumped in. I’ll never forget how it felt once the Christmas tree hit green and he mashed down the peddle. What a thrill for a 6 year old!

 

It would be in my Dad's '47 Ford super deluxe convertible. He bought it for $50 in 1961! He installed some Offenhauser heads, an Edmunds dual carb intake, and some headers. That car was his hot rod for many years...

 

My dad and several of his buddies all had Corvette’s and I rode in lots of them growing up from the time I was 5 or so. But, I didn't ride in what I might consider a hot rod until I was likely 14. I had started hanging out at my next-door neighbors house in the garage because the son played with jacked up 4x4’s and a 69 Camaro. His sister was dating a guy that worked at a local speed shop that drove a road race prepped Corvette. But, the day that another friend of theirs showed up in a t-bucket with a blown SBC was the day that ruined me for life when he gave me a ride and launched it out in front of our house. It lifted the left front tire about a foot and I was instantly hooked. I tried to ruin my own two boys when they were about 2 riding in a Chevelle I owned at the time. Pretty sure I am fixing to pay for that as one of them turns 16 in 6 months from now.

 

I was probably about 5 in 1968 when my dad's friend picked me up in a Model A to weld the seat post that broke on my bicycle.

 

I won't put words in your mouth Brian but that hemi Charger must have been your "gateway drug", one of mine was a hemi car too.
I actually had three opportunities to get hooked, all by the age of 12.
First was a 62 Corvette that belonged to the son of my mothers' friend, then my grade school pals' two older brothers' cars, a 64 Studebaker Avanti, and a 65 Sunbeam Tiger, then a couple years later an older friends' 66 Factory 2x4 street hemi/4 speed/Dana 60 Belvedere sedan that he raced locally as a Super Stocker.
I didn't have a chance!

 

Late ‘64 /early ‘65 in high school. Friend had a ‘55 Chevy 4- dr. Sedan. British racing green, Lancer hub caps and white walls (thin). Hot 265 / 3-spd. Manual/ Hurst shifter. Can still hear that 265 winding tight with shift to 2nd. gear. Scared me shitless, still hear it today. He has had 3 heart attacks and does not recognize me and others now. Those were great times.

 

My first one was my Dads '49 GMC pickup , with a hopped up 331 Cadillac engine , in about 1962 . He also had a strong running '57 Chevy that he bought new , but it was a factory built car , not a hot rod .

 

The first would have been when I was under a year old in 1992. Defiantly with my grandfather in either the 33 ford pickup that I own today or 55 Chevy that my grandparents have owned for a long time. The 33 was still being drag raced at that point and the 55 had a pretty hot small block in it at the time. I have grown up around those two cars so there was never a time I was not around a hot rod.

 

It wasn't a rod or a custom, but I was 10-11 and we were visiting close family friends in Edmonton, and their youngest kid - 6 years my senior - took me for a ride in his red 54 Corvette. It was neat to have everyone pointing and thumbs up and all that.
What makes this story even neater was this was "THAT" car, the one urban legends start with. As I was told: they were on a family vacation in Utah, and stopped at a garage sale. The conversation went something like this: "What's under the tarp?" Old guy says "1954 Chevy", followed by the untarping and $1500 later, the car was loaded on a uhaul and headed back to Edmonton. He had it going and took it to his high school graduation.

 

My cousins 30 Model A with a built V8 60. Wound it out tight in 3rd gear, no idea how fast, but seemed WAY TOO FAST for me. The next week i wanted to do it again. I was 14; 1958. His dad, my uncle alwasy had cool cars: supercharged Stude Hawk, 60 T-bird with the Lincoln tri power engine.....

 

My first ride in a fast car was home from the hospital I was born in, in a '57 with a 283. A fast car for the day, but needless to say, I dont remember it.
My first ride in a dirt car was at Fountain Inn, the old Golden strip Speedway when it was still just a quarter mile. It was time to "iron the track out" and they decided I could ride along, with my Uncle. The car was a 54 Ford, with a 223, in those days it was a "Hobby" car. I stood in the floor board with my back against the roll bar and arms threw out to each side to hold on, barely able to see over the dash, I guess I was 4 or 5. Nobody was wearing a helmet, or a driving suit, typically they only went 30 mph or so. Some jackass passed us on the outside and then spun in front of us, and we hit him in the drivers door. Scared the shit out of everybody but me, it just pissed me off because my ride got cut short and I didnt get to ride again until many years later.
I often wonder how much money I would have now, if it had scared me so bad I never wanted to get in a race car again. I always was hard-headed.

 

My first ride in an actual hot rod was when I was driving mine, I didn't know anyone with a running hot rod when I was growing up. The closest thing to riding in a hot rod as a passenger was when I was in service and a buddy and I got to ride in his friends 57 Chevy 150. It had a 425 horse 409 with two fours and a four speed out of what I think was a 64 Impala. There was no back seat so I had to sit on the floor. When he punched it I was almost in the trunk until he let off. Awesome. I knew then and there that my next car was going to have a big block something in it.

 

My uncle Dougs 55 chevy. 1968 , I was 13 . It had a glass tilt front end, 327, dual quads , 4 speed , 64 Impala bucket seats and rader mag wheels. He was not even getting on it but that first to second gear shift dam near snapped my neck. Been a gear head ever since! Larry

 

Took a ride in a 55 Corvette my cousins friend drove. Straight pipes and V-8 engine did it for me!
6sally6

 

It was the spring of 1975 in the yellow 33 Ford coupe shown in this photo. Ran a 327 with a four speed.
Never forgot that ride in the channeled coupe. and it inspired me to build one years later.

 

Sometime in the early sixties, Marge would drive me to Sunday School in her green Henry J that her sons had swapped in a 283. She was a sweet little old lady.

 

Probably about 1968. My long time neighbor (we're still friends today) was building a 33 Ford coupe that he still has today. Anyway in a somewhat unfinished car we went for a late night ride in his 389 powered Hot Rod. Man that thing would move. It's seen a few changes over the years and has sbc power now.

 

17 years ago just before our coupe was finished
"Free Willy" took me for a cruise in this and let me drive home
I stalled it 3 times on take off

 

It was right after WWII, 1946, my cousin had a '29A roadster with a flat motor & LOUD pipes!
When he wound out in 2nd gear & my hair was flying-----I was hooked!---Never will forget that thrill!!!!!!!

 

Rode on the back of my Dad's motorcycle in my Mom, In my Uncle Chet's motorcycle leather saddle bags, cousin Randy in one side, me in other, rode in Dad's Midget racer on trailer early 50's to fair park, a couple miles from where we lived, I had/rode cycles 40 years, involved in racing from birth into my mid 40's. I had a grade school buddy, his Mom's boyfriend had a hopped up 50 Olds coupe, loud/cool, he took her and us kids, cruised Mitchell street, about 1960 neighbor home from service had a 57 Chevy, took me cruising, also on his Harley. Growing up I was exposed to the thrills of racing/cars/cycles from preborn on, so many people contributed to my passion, need for speed/thrills, I THANK ALL OF THEM, I was and am a very Lucky man. I definitely was an adrenaline junky all my life, But age/issues have toned that down for me, now it's exciting to poop regular get a decent night's sleep, remember where I parked my car AND driving/cruising one of my hobby cars with my Garmin to be sure I can get back home, I recently attended GoodGuys, Scottsdale, them rental scooters are looking pretty good/racy to me. LOL and Thank You HRP for another trip down memory lane.

 

Dad's friend ran cars at our local dire track. They lived on the edge of town, on a farm. Along one of the fence lines in an open field, they had about a 1/4 mile run they used to test the race cars. The father had a 34 Ford coupe with a hot flathead. It was a pretty regular feature winner, it ran well. One day I got a ride through the "test field" with Dad's friend.
Dad's friend had 2 sons, the oldest one was a hard core hot rodder. When he started racing, they had just started running a modified class. His 1st dirt track car was a model A coupe with a 394 Olds. I got a few rides in the test field in that one.
As time progressed, I got to know a lot of the dirt track racers, and got lots of rides when they were running in the track. The track process was they watered the track (high clay dirt track), so they would start out packing the track in backwards. Then anyone could ride along. After the track was pretty well packed, they cleared the track, had the driver put on the helmets and all and then sent them out for the hot laps. the last few laps before they brought everyone in were some fun laps. The guys could put down some power on the straights. The pull from a high powered car with wide tires on a clay based dirt track is a lot harder then the pull on any asphalt street.

My 1st hot rod street ride that even came close to the dirt track experiences was the ride with the guy that had the 8 year old 66 Dodge Coronet with the 426 dual quad Hemi and a 4 speed. We went to the last traffic light on the edge of town, where the road was wide, flat and smooth. He asked me if I was ready, and I thought I was. The launch set me back in the seat, and I pretty much stayed there through all 4 gears. Yep, really hooked!
Through the years I worked at the gas station I got a lot of rides in some pretty fast hot rods, both factory and owner built.
It wasn't until I got the factory job in the late 70s before I could afford to build my own street version of a hot rod. Gene

 

first ride in an old car was my friend Steve's 1932 Plymouth coupe in High School. probably as a freshman. I usually sat in the rumble seat so my "pretty boy" buddy would not mess up his hair. it was stock with American 5 spokes on it.

 

My uncle came to visit in his brand new twin H Hudson Hornet. I was about 5 then . He took me and my brothers out and showed us how fast his new car was. He said don't tell your mom. Ruined me forever.

 

I was 14 and tb33anda3rd's father was 17 and he gave me a ride in that same 33 Chevy that tb now has and rebuilt. It was the thrill of a life time. Almost as good as my first (well you know). A few years before that I did get a ride in George Sally's Cadillac powered 49 Ford with Lasalle trans. I was going to help the Black Road guys clean out their club house. I was maybe 12. George was a crazy bastard. He would come up to some old lady driving slow and hit the gas as she shit her pants over and over again. But the real thrill was Ted's 33 solid lifter coupe . I was car high for weeks!
George is in the first row second from right . You can just tell!

 

Was suppose to be in school. Friends 1957 Chevy 2 door hardtop 327 4 speed.