Hot Rods Red light/gas station talk.

Two conversations stand out in my mind, one that happened many years ago by a elderly lady that I had spent several days hanging wallpaper, I had driven my Model A pickup to her house the last day and when I was loading the truck she said, " That's a cute dune buggy"



A few years ago we were on our way home from a show in Knoxville, Tennessee in the wagon and were in bumper to bumper traffic, a new Lincoln pulled up beside us, there were two elderly lady's and she blew the horn and motioned for me to roll the window down.

When I did the one on the passenger side ask, "Is that a new car?" I really wasn't
expecting a question like that and I was a little dumbfounded and Brenda leaned over and said, "It was new in 1954." HRP

 

I hear about fathers, grandfathers, uncles, or friends that used to have old race cars like mine, that is usually followed by a story relating to a race or a time related to the races. People are nearly always smiling as they remember whatever the event was.
Nearly always they want to know if I or another family member raced it. I tell them the car was built to bring back memories, theirs and mine. Then a few will ask what year and make of car it was. If I'm out of state (the car has been in 26 states), I'm often asked if I drove the car all the way there, and most are surprised when I tell them yes. My avatar was taken in the Rocky Mountain National Park 2 days after they opened the pass at the end of May, 2016, and yes, we drove it all the way there and back home, we even included a side trip to the Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse monuments.

Over the winter I've done some repairs and repainted the car, and I changed the colors. Unfortunately, we have been pretty limited to how far from home we have driven (it doesn't make much sense to drive a long way when everything is still closed up). Most of the local people that know the car seem to like the new colors, judging from what they are saying. Gene

 

If I'm driving my the little red Austin I get, "How much did you shorten it?" or "Is that an Anglia?"

If I'm driving the '39 Chevy I get, "Nice old Ford!" or "Are you gonna paint it?"

And with both of them I often get asked what year car they are.

 

best quote i have seen on the internet this year!!

I get “how many bodies can you fit in the back of that thing?” My reply (looking them straight in the eye with zero emotion), “4 when they’re still kicking and screaming and 6 once they’ve sniffed the rag....”







Sent from my iPad using H.A.M.B.[/QUOTE]

 

I get the "What color you gonna paint it or,what year is that?,I also had some one once ask if it was a checker cab...OR The "My dad had exactly like that!...Except...it was a yellow 4 door and it had a automatic,i think it was a 55 (mines a 54).....oh and the one I no longer respond to is"Whats that car worth?,....you cant put a price on sentimentality or joy.

 

Gonna part it out?
Want me to call a tow truck?
Did they make a man's version?

 

"Are you the original owner?"

 

That reminds me of a tale my Dad once told. Someone offered to buy one of his car's, made a decent offer, but it wasn't for sale. His response was "which hub cap do you want?"

 

I don’t get offended by any comments, I just like a good bit of banter.


Sent from my iPad using H.A.M.B.

 

At a gas stop it’s usually “nice car” or “ what year is it?”
When I had a 37 Tudor a older gentleman once approached me and began to tell me a about a memory traveling out west as a child with his family and his “spot” was laying on the package tray. We ended up chatting about 15 minutes and I recall how his face seemed to come alive while he was reminiscing.
When I left I realized that would be me one day and an act of kindness can go a long way to brighten someone’s day. Be approachable and respectful, it’s good karma.

 

As soon as I hear the words "Rat Rod" I think clueless... lol

 

Well, it is getting better and fewer comments, but.. For quite a while there I can hear families walking by my truck and telling their little son or daughter "Look it's Mater!" Oh I hate that. Even made up a sticker and put it on the truck at one time. "NOT MATER".... but I took it off later because it was too big, I still have it in the shop stuck on a cabinet.

 

I go for a ride and get smiles and thumbs up all over. Thinking im cool in my souped up roadster. I see my buddy's wife one day and she says " i saw you in your little dunebuggy thingie the other day". Can be a bit deflating...
But it always makes me happy when im driving in one of my old machines and i see someone look at it and smile, and i know that if nothing else i brought a touch of pleasure to somebody that day.

 

I was taught it was a "Seymore" door. Both ways, good times!

 

I get the same thing with my 1950 F1. People hollering "MATER" while driving down the road, jumping out of their cars to take pictures at red lights. Twice I have seen someone run into another car while looking at my truck. Can't go anywhere without people gathering around it to take pictures. I don't get it. Maybe it's because my license plate says TOWMATR and I have eyes in the windshield, big teeth in the grill, fake wrecker boom, missing one headlight, graphics on doors, no hood and large air cleaner and tailgate with black and yellow stripes. It's been that way since right before the first CARS movie came out in 2006.

I was at a Car Show a few years back and a Cop asked me, "You are missing a headlight, don't have wipers, and have regular plates, how do you get it inspected." I replied, "I know this guy and for $30. . ." He just put his fingers in his ears and I said, "When it gets dark I put my headlight in and when it rains, I put my wiper on." Just to be clear, when I get it inspected, everything is as it should be.
Another cop pulled me over one day to get pictures and mentioned the eyes weren't quite legal but she wasn't going to say anything. She said some cops might say something though. I've never had a problem.
One other thing, this "MATER" will move, I have surprised quite a few people when I take off.

Sorry, I'm not home, so will have to post pics later. Ron

 

They stare and gawk and I ask them—Got any idea what you’re looking at? Most know it’s a Ford—don’t recognize the nice flathead! I tell them this car is 88 years old and I occasionally race it(drags) but it is driven almost daily—after all this is s. Texas!

 

"Nice Rambler!"

 

^^^^^cool Lark

 

Anyone ever ask, “How do you fit in that thing?“ At 6’4”, I get that a lot.

 

A young guy is filling up a Lexus when I pull in next to him at the pump.
How can you drive a car that loud? What? I said aren’t you afraid that will affect your hearing? What? Third time after leaning closer and shouting, he gets it and smiles.
Unfortunately, I am hard of hearing

 

#1 is just "Nice car".
#2 is "What year?"
#3 most common question about the Model A pickup is, "can you take that on the freeway?", but that's not a red light or gas station question, that comes from clueless friends.

 

Oh yeah, of course. They actually did a pretty good job of making it livable, considering. I'm only 6' but I took my 6-4 pal for a spin, his head was bumping the roof. I've got a few inches clearance. You've moved your seat back no doubt, and the doors look longer. That's a fantastic color btw.

 

The most frequent question I get when i'm out in the car is "what year is it?"
But The craziest, stooopidest, question I ever heard at a show was directed at a friend of mine.
The shifter on his car is a very, very, very, old piece of bone that is now highly regulated.
A guy walks up, looks the car over, points at the shifter handle and says "What's that, a petrified dog turd?"...
Needless to say, that has been the running joke in our group ever since...
Chappy

 

This cracked me up, I'll have to remember that when I can use it on the right person.

My most common questions are:
1. Are you going to paint it?
2. What year/engine is it?
3. Did you build it?

Generally I try to be nice and put up with the questions as most people do like seeing an old car out driving.

Sent from dumb operator on a smart phone

 

I got taken to task at a show by a woke little Karen about not having seatbelts in my '37. I was able to drive her off by asking if she had seatbelts in her school bus.

 

Mostly when getting gas in my Caddy, I get asked "why are you putting gas in the tail light?", I tell em' to make them brighter! Sometimes asked why did you chop it? Uh, to confuse folks!

 

I only get people complimenting my old cars, I generally don’t mind chatting with people, it’s part of driving them. Sometimes I wonder why people are staring, I forget that everyone doesn’t drive old stuff, they are just cars to me.


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Best one I ever got was when I was working in a gas station I had my '59 Vette with 6 carbs on an offy intake parked in front. Old guy is looking it over and asks how I got an Offenhauser head on a Chevy engine..

 

"What year is it?"
"Is it a Ford?" (in my 33 Chevy)
"Did you build it?"
"Where did you find that?"
"I learned to drive in that!" (when I'm in my 46 Jeep)
"I'll trade you!"
"Is that a Diesel?" or "Is that turbo'd?" (I get this in my 46 Willys jeep, because I put a turbo diesel in it, and the turbo is pretty loud, noticeable at idle).



I don't mind questions, I'm glad people like the old vehicles. But sometimes folks want to have a full on in depth conversation at the stop light. we don't have time for that. haha

In parking lots, often I'll find someone waiting at the vehicle for me to return, and then we'll chat for 5-10 minutes. I don't mind that either.

 

Not mine, but my bro's....In his 28 Dodge flathead 6 powered RPU, "Hey! that's one of those trike things, isn't it?"
I got this one ..."Did you buy that new?"- "No, I bought it old."