History The crazy things we did

that spring story is hilarious. And I’m glad you never stopped doing shit like that lol

 

I had this car in high school that would do one heck of a burnout, being I grew up in farmville some small towns didn't even have a school so they came to the nearest town with a school. We had this weird basketball tournament of sorts at one town and a few surrounding schools would all join in.
I'm hanging out in the bleachers watching with my buddy, I was 5'11" and he was about 5'7", not exactly basketball dunking material, so we mostly went to check out the girls from the other towns.
We were getting our asses handed to us by the rival town so I had this great idea to drive to their school and do a burnout in front of the entrance, where did I get such a light bulb moment.
Their school had a pretty good circle drive out front with one entrance/exit, a long 100 ft awning to the right of the main entrance into the school, my buddy says back right up near the front so the rubber shoots toward the front doors. At that moment an epic plan overloaded the commonsense side of my brain, dude I'm going to back under that awning and do a full length heater right down the sidewalk, he had that look in his eyes of what, where did that terrible idea come from.
I pop over the curb, twice pipes with blown out glass packs echoing under that awning all the way down to the front doors, we are grinning ear to ear, he looks at me and yells HIT IT ! I commence the start of one of my best burnouts ever, smoke boiling off the L-60 tires as I sit in one spot with what seemed like triple digit wheel speeds, slightly letting off the brake rolling along baking rubber deep into the school that just kicked our school's asses sidewalk.
Get to the end and we are dieing laughing, smoke so thick you couldn't even see to get back on the circle drive to get out of there, I hang a right to go back past the main entrance to look at my masterpiece that John Force would be proud of. As soon as I get past the main doors a freaking janitor with a push broom emerges through the smokey haze like a damn demented ghost running right towards us ! I'm in an 18 year olds sure panic trying to get around that circle drive to the main entrance/exit, the janitor is in a full sprint in a straight line across the grass (the center of the circle) to head us off of my escape route, I swear I heard Jerry Lee Lewis on the piano playing Great Balls of Fire !
I can see it's going to be close but there is no absolute way I'm stopping to get busted for that epic display of revenge, he makes the circle drive right about my drivers door swinging that broom like Babe Ruth, it connects right into my quarter panel. I'm trying to stomp my foot through the floor on that gas pedal, hit the main road fishtailing scared as shit, look in the rear view at the janitor standing in the road, arm raised holding the broom like Gangus Kahn.
The following Monday at trade school, which again was at another school where all the surrounding schools merged, they were talking about how someone did a full length burnout under the awning at Richland, almost 40 yrs later and I still remember that janitors face with that damn broom ! Ha ha ha ha
It looks a little different nowadays, but that awning on the right is the one I was under lol

 

That’s a great story!

 

My friend Tom used to borrow another friends beater 1973 Plymouth Satellite station wagon every now and then. One night we were doing donuts in the supermarket parking lot with the headlights off before zooming away. Tom turned on the headlights, and right in front of us was a shopping cart. We hit that thing at 50 mph, and we got out of there as fast as we could. Eventually we got up enough nerve to stop and inspect the car. We were both surprised and relieved to find no damage to the car. But his brother, who worked at the supermarket, came home later that night complaining about some @#&! who had wrecked a shopping cart that he had to drag all the way back to the store. We never did tell him the back story...

 

Back in 1961 I lived a few doors away from the gas station where the local street racers used to hang out. A high school kid had his fathers new 1961 Ford hardtop, 292 automatic. He was going to show it off in front of the gas station. He revved it up in neutral, pulled it into gear, destroyed the front universal, and the car went up in the air ,balanced on the drive shaft. I wonder how he explained that to his father.

 

how have you gotten away with that profile pic?

 

Yes, he should be reported immediately!

 

I bought my first motorcycle when I was 15. I figured out a short cut through a field, a railroad/cattle underpass and back roads so I could ride it to school "un-detected". I'd ride it up to the back of the school by the cafeteria and park it by the bike rack. Until one morning, as I was fixin' to go inside, the dean of students happened to walk out the back door... We made a deal; I wouldn't ride it to school any more & he wouldn't call my Pop... A deal we solemnly kept!

 

LOL I had a hardship license from the time I was 14. I could ride or drive to school legally. I was not popular at school and they would not issue me a parking spot in the student parking lot until I was 16. I parked by the bike rack which was by the Ag shop. Whenever anyone asked the Ag teacher told them it was a teaching aid for ag shop. I got out of school one afternoon and had to put my brakes back together before I could leave for work. LOL

 

I grew up in a ND ghost town, a friend grew up on a ranch south of town. His dad bought him a 63 Ford Galaxie so he could ride home from football practice with my older brother and me, then drive that back home. It was equipped with a powerhouse 260 and 2 speed. On Friday nights we would leave his house and take township roads and section lines over to the next town. We would park by elevators and walk to the nearest bar. After enjoying a coke and listening to the adults, we would buy a pack of Swisher Sweets and smoke those all the way back to the ranch. Pretty benign, but whenever I see an old Galaxy, the memories come back. I accidently knocked the rear window out, so that came in handy when we found a dead skunk. After hitching it with a rope, we strung the rope through the back window and drug the skunk to the driveway of our JH math teacher. That didn't go over so well.

 

I mentioned earlier that I had a "hardship" license. I could legally drive to and from school, work, the grocery store, or the Doctor. I could not cruise or take a chick out on a date until I turned 16 and got a regular driver's license. I got caught a couple of times breaking the rules and the judge told me not to get caught again.

So that is the back story. I had this date to go to the drive-in on a Friday night, and had been told that was a no-no on Wednesday. I was gonna cheat and test the system and the Ag teacher found out. he said that it would not be good for me to loose my license but there was a loophole. I could legally drive farm equipment without a driver's license. So he loaned me the FFA tractor. off to the drive in we went. That chick was a trooper, she stood on the 3 point hitch in both directions and did not mind having a picnic on a blanket at the drive in.

 

Did ya marry her? Sounds like a potential "keeper"!

 

I think I still see traces of rubber in that pic. Hooligans.

 

Good stuff, sparked a memory.
We had HS graduation on a Thursday, this was so we'd all behave and come in Friday for our diplomas. My buddy came by early and said something, so we went to town...he and I, riding my mini trail 50.
We get to school and park it inside the AG building, teacher Mr Smith? Cool guy, said he'd keep an eye on it.

So as we did our rounds through class, hearing the teacher speak about our future, etc, you hear this mini 50 buzzing up and down the hall ways.

It was loud, lol, no muffler, just a conduit pipe where the muffler was.

At noon when they let us out, head to the Ag building and Mr Smith is smiling like a possum eating shit. Tells me " best get it out of here soon".

So even though I didn't roam the halls with it, seems every Ag student (and then some) did.

 

Since this thread was heavy on 59 Fords, I guess I had better tell my tale. In my Senior year in High School in McMinnville, Oregon 1966, I had landed one of the few jobs available to a student, at an OK Tire Store. I was driving a 49 Olds Fastback, but wanted 50's Corvette, and they could be had for around $800.00. Since I had a job, I could handle a car payment, so I sold the Olds for $175.00. In February my oldest Brother Jerry, took me to Portland to search the used car lots. Well, the selection was out of my price range, so we settled for a white 59 Ford Retractable, with a 332 engine. About a month later, some of us decided to go to the drags at Madras, as we were longing to see some racing, since Winter was still upon us. Another guy in town had a 61 Corvette that he wanted to race, so we set a plan to meet on the outside of town early on Sunday morning. With a friend, and my folks along (they were drag race fans, as well) parked on the shoulder of a large sweeping turn on the edge of town. We were listening to Buck Owens on the radio, and I could see the red Vette coming in my mirror, and just before he passed by, he touched the brakes, the car slid into the left rear quarter of the Ford, and careened up the entire side of my car. The damage estimate was $234.00, so I collected the money and bought a 500 Ariel motorcycle. I drove the car for a year or so, and sold it to my Brother in Law, who drove it for a year. About that time Dune Buggies were getting popular, so I bought it back for $40.00, and made a buggy out of it. I shortened the WB to 74-1/2", because that's where the frame fit together. I drove it all over the place, for over a year as a cruiser, only taking it to the beach once.

 

Sounds like a fun date to me!!

 

An E mail pal.. His escapade with a Fiat 600.

It was Summer break, 1966 and I had just sold my Bill Heitkotter 1932 Ford roadster and took one of these exact red imports in trade (a $600 allowance).

I Worked at Allender Foam and Fabric at the time. With Tom Pritchard at 260 lbs across the rear seat and Mike Leonardo 215 lbs on the passenger side

we tried mightily to float the thing by taking several running starts down the boat launch at Millerton Lake. We’d get out, roll it back up the ramp and try again.

Darned thing wouldn’t float but wouldn’t die either. Tiresome business, trying to float a Fiat.



On the way back to our new (Vito Di Marini) apartment on San Jose Ave (became known as “Sin City” long after I was gone) we took the left at fourth street a

little too fast for the interior weight distribution and knew something was afoul when we heard the right side hubcaps grinding against the pavement.

Well, we did a slow but sure 90 degree roll and old Tom, his feet now pointing skyward and a quarter window shattered between his back and the asphalt and

Mike’s elbow scraped to the bone from hanging it out the window trying to look cool.


We were laughing so hard that we paid no mind to the shards and scrapes until after Mike climbed up and out of the top hatch(door) and I followed with Tom still laughing.

We rolled the Fiat and Old Tom back into a car-like stance and drove it home. The little 600 was totally lunched on the passenger side so I parked it un-securely behind the apartments

and within two weeks there remained but a skeletal shell of my red Italian job.


It was a totally irresponsible $600 thrill ride that I shall never forget.

We were criminally stupid and very lucky that Summer day in 1966. RK

 

At the ripe [legal] age of 21 in 1969 me and my buddy Doug were over another guy's house watching movies, stag movies. They were copies of copies and grainy as hell so you had to imagine what you thought you were seeing, maybe some Boone's or Apple [yuk] wine helped our eye sight. Doug got a little loopy and on the way home decided he needed one of those flashing yellow warning lights that are affixed to saw horses at construction sites, he insisted I stop. So I did, he got out and some how wrestled the flashing light off the saw horse. So I drive off with the light flashing in Doug's lap while he was trying to find the off switch. I stopped at a light and a cop pulls up next to us so Doug puts the light under his shirt to hide it, still flashing yellow through his shirt and lighting his face up with a shit eating grin, cop never noticed. Dropped him off home and and he walked into his house with it still flashing under his shirt. He looked like a yellow flashing M&M. I never found out what he did with it.

 

I knew a guy that had a 1960 Fiat 500. He, along with a couple other guys, decided to drive it on the beach. They got it stuck, and with the other 2 guys pushing, while he was driving, still couldn't get it to move. So, the driver pulled the throttle wide open and got out to help push, and it took off, and went into the Pacific Ocean and out of sight, while the 3 drunks watched helplessly. It washed back to the beach a day or so later.

 

Late seventies, my brother and a friend are gonna drive from Denver to Dallas to hook up with some young women they met at a concert. Friend has a 70 Impala station wagon with a big block. Unfortunately the two back tires are bald with cord showing. Night before the trip they go out and steal two wheels from a Hornet or Nova, I can't remember but the tires are E-70-14s.
Speed limit is still 55 so they are going 60-65 and the engine is roaring. Somehow they make it back but by then the engine is knocking and smoking, car went to the junkyard a week later.

 

porknbeaner brought up these memories. In the 60's I painted my cars/Dads racers in the driveway with an old Binks spray gun but this story is about a 51 Ford coupe, V8 stick, a $50 purchase. I had just crashed my beautiful 56 Chevy mild kustom rag top, no insurance, needed something to drive, so I was starting over so to speak. I found the car in local paper, went to look and drove it home. It ran very good, not banged up or rusted, looked awful, sat outside, interior was junk, I realize now it must have been a southwest car. JC Whitney ( my parts store) supplied many items, seat covers, baby moons and portawalls. I heated front coils and added lowering blocks. painted engine compartment, spray cans, chrome air cleaner. Painted body after sanding flat black with about 20+ spray cans, bumpers silver again spray cans, wheels red w/the portawalls. The only performance upgrade was dual exhaust with glass packs and a cheap floor shift kit. All in all in looked pretty good for a kids car, a 20/20 car. I put a 4 sale sign in window for $325 and it sold quick for full price. I was a pretty wild when young and have posted some stories about my adventures and I always state, "I am a very Lucky man, had/have a Gaurdian Angel that has looked over me all my life" Next car was a rusted out 57 or 58 De Sota 4 door, hemi engine w/ 2 4 barrels, ran great, a $75 car. I didn't do anything to it, cruised it with engine/trans 4 sale sign, $350 sold it instantly full price, buyer wanted to know when I could pull engine/trans, my answer was, Buddy you get the whole car, OK with him, now I had enough cash added to what I sold wrecked 56 for to buy a 58 impala ragtop for sale in neighborhood, spent time and some money on that car, painted it with the Binks spray gun, kept it almost 2 years, a long time for me back then.

 

I've got this cousin who could always crash anything, anywhere- snowmobiles and minibikes in particular. He had found this minibike that came with a little 2-1/2 hp Clinton engine. Plan went sideways when someone gave him an old rototiller that had a 4hp Briggs in it- and he was determined to keep up with my Rupp Roadster (wasn't gonna happen lol). His old critter was complete with "suspension" on the forks, which looked like some small-diameter valve springs partway up the tubes. We had a little track at my gramps that went around the back and down in the hole where the loading dock was, and on the way back up, there was a pretty good bump. He came up there and reared back on the bars as he hit the bump- at which time we realized that there was nothing that held the fork lowers onto the uppers... The wheel and fork lowers bounced off in the weeds, and the look on his face- if only I had a cell phone with video! When he came down, the forks dug in the ground, flipped several times and so did he, landing right on his face of course

 

@swade41
Keep posting please. I kinda think you wrote some words, but I could care less, I just wanna see your avatar again. Thanks, buddy!

 

Hello,

My high school friend who owned a 57 Chevy Bel Air Hardtop had the most modified sedan of all Chevy sedans in our teenage group. Lowered rake, Traction Master Bars, headers, dual quads on a modified 283, and a 4 speed transmission. It was fast, sounded good and left a lot of people wishing they never challenged the white 2 door hardtop.

While we were doing some modifications on his 57 Chevy, he did not have any transportation at night. So, we borrowed his parents 1961 Pontiac 4 door hardtop sedan. It was summer and hot, so the A/C was a welcome sight and feel. But, he never liked the 4 door sedan’s look of the funky hardtop when the windows were rolled down or just the overall look.

similar in style and color

It was the green metallic color, but, it just was not a teenage cruising car. One of our friends had just bought his first car and it was a two door Pontiac that had the most beautiful blue color and some fancy wheels.

similar in color and looks…

My friend said that if his mom and dad’s 4 door Pontiac Sedan looked like the blue two door sedan, (with the sloping roof, similar to the 57 Chevy 4 door hardtop) he would be happy to drive it around. He kept teasing his parents and wanted them to trade in the 4 door Pontiac . So, one night he decided that if the 4 door sedan had some major problems, then perhaps his parents would get tired of fixing the problem and get a new car for the family.

So, we discovered something that astounded us stupid teens. While driving the 4 door hardtop Pontiac, we took it out to the Cherry Avenue Drags location and proceeded to make some full-on runs. But after the first uninspiring runs with a silent motor and a blah acceleration, we decided to do something different. We decided to leave the transmission in low instead of starting in drive. We assumed we had to shift to drive at some point.

At the time, my 58 Impala had the C&O Stick Hydro and for the manual shifting portion, I had to move the lever through the gears to get to the final D for the final drive. Or if I started in D, it would automatically start in 1 and go through the gears automatically, only a lot faster and with a solid shift.

So, we decided the stock Pontiac automatic transmission starting in low would be fine, if we shifted to D for the acceleration’s final power before the finish line. But, in laughing and having normal teenage fun, my friend forgot to shift it out of low and kept the pedal to the floor. Much to our surprise, the transmission shifted to drive at some point in the quarter mile run. The surprising thing was without any manual shifting from L to D. What was that?

Jnaki

We were confused and that trick of trying to damage the transmission so his parents would get a different car fell through with a clunk for us. We did not know that any transmission would do that under stress. If I left the C&O in the first gear position manually, the transmission would blow up within 50 feet or high revs from the motor, which ever came first.

The normal race procedure as told to us by the masters at C&O, was to just leave it in drive and let the 300 hp motor pull it off of the starting line like it was supposed to do with the gearing. But, the lever had to be in drive, not number 1. He said that the manual portion was so quick that it may not be the best for racing. They were confident that the automatic portion of D would be sufficient for the fast starts off of the starting line and shift itself as the car was going down the quarter mile.

So, we tried our best and my friend’s parents still kept the big 4 door. The only time we used the big 4 door Pontiac was to use the A/C for comfort and odd ball cruising scenes. YRMV

 

I was 16 years old and had a pretty nice 40 Ford convert—-hell, the top even went down using the stock “cylinders” but not enuf stuff to pull the top up,so that was done manually. The 40 had a stock flathead right down to the stock 2 barrel carb and I wanted to go faster. J.C. Whitney(older hambers will remember them well) offered ultra thin head gaskets to add compression and of course more power. I bought a set, put them on and water poured out everywhere even b4 starting the engine. As best as I can remember(58 years have passed since then) the head gaskets were literally THIN sheets of copper with no substance in between—-literally very thin sheets of copper. The local guru(considerably older than me) told me they wouldn’t hold water—-he was right on!!! Still messing with flatheads 58 years later. Have bought,sold,traded over 50 engines through the years.Flatheads Forever!!

 

The story of how I wrecked my beautiful 56 Chevy mild kustom ragtop. My avatar was my first car, pretty fast for a kids car, I built it, 348 tri-carb junkyard engine, (saved up my grass cutting, snow shoveling, paper route money) carefully picked my street races and the cars reputation was bigger than the car was fast. A guy from the neighborhood came home from the service and brought back a beautiful 56 ragtop from Ca. first time I saw car it knocked my socks off. This guy followed around the street race deal, never raced as it was a looker not a racer. He kept asking me about a trade, I thought he was just BSing and one evening he shows me the title, we went to my house, got my title and we traded, I thought he was nuts and I like kustom cars. So here I am at 16 driving a beautiful 56 Chevy ragtop, 2 shades of blue, white top with diamond shape in rear widow, lowered, Dodge lancer hub caps, tuck and roll interior, chromed out 265 2 barrel, power-glide, slow but what a looker. I was so proud of this car, I made the deal of the century, owned it all of 6 weeks. OK................ now the dumb ass part, we would skip school in afternoons on occasion, go to someone's home and party, some beer and girls involved what great memories I have, So in my infinite wisdom I'm taking 5 kids with me and being frustrated missing my 57 I'm practicing my driving skills sliding around in the light snow, streets very slick, having fun doing donuts, drifting before that was a sport. It got away from me, I hit a power pole hard, moved frame rails over in front end. we all get out of car, a few bumps and bruises, a friend was following, they all jammed in his car and left me, I'm thinking I'm screwed, my licence was just suspended, had a few beers, and Shit ! I wrecked my car. (no insurance)I walked over to a pay phone, called Buddy (Crazy Dave) who was working for a flatbed service, shows up in 20 minutes or so, loads it up and we take to my Sisters house. From the time I hit pole to leaving scene at least 45 minutes to an hour had passed, no police showed up, I Lucked out again. I drove like a Dumb Ass from 16-20 years old, did many stupid wild things and I'm Luckier than smart, a gift that has blessed me my entire life. Side note, the guy that traded me totaled the 57 almost instantly loosing control in one of his first street races.

 

did sorta the same thing only at my school on a Friday night. Nice black stripes in first, second and a start on third before I ran out of room. Busted by the night janitor and ended up with weekend detention and a scrub brush, assigned with cleaning all new results. Of course my “buddies” decided to help by installing additional decorative striping while I scoured mine. No one saw their handiwork so I had to scrub their tracks as well. Seemed like a good idea at the time

 

Not really that wild or crazy, Another memory this AM. From 12-16 I had a paper route and hung out with another paperboy Craig who's parents were the best about having us kids hanging at their home, at 15 Dad let Craig buy a 47 DeSota 4 door with stick (weird clutch deal) and we proceed to customize it, spray can flat black, hub caps off, 1 glass pack muffler and man we were cruising, windows down, radio blasting, burning rubber, 5' maybe LOL up his 100' driveway, back it down and do it again, I believe it's the only kid's car wore out in a driveway, it lasted all summer. His garage had a loft and us kids with his Dad's help had turned it into a club house, we spent many a summers night there, us guys, his sister and her friends, neighborhood kids, somebody always brought a little beer, what fun was had. I had such a crush on his sister, it all was good, nothing bad ever happened just kids fun, normal boy/girl stuff, part of growing up, a summer I have not thought about for many years. The following year I was 16 and Then the Wild and Crazy shit started, WooHoo, I should write a book.

 

My high school story about burning rubber at school.My avatar had an open 4:11 rear at first, then tried welded spider gears, then a posi unit was found, it would fry the tire, so in my infinite wisdom before the posi unit I decided to set a school record. I was in HS auto shop class and the teacher was a Ford TBird guy, somehow the rubber burning subject came up, he talked a lot about legal drag racing and he did not like the strips on street by the classroom. So........ I lay down a 100' footer or so late one night, I did not know about foot braking, just lit it up hard. Next day in class, he takes me in office and chews me out big time, I never admitted it, who told him I never found out. It was common to race in front of our high school and so naturally I did that, never lost a race but school took away my parking lot permit, had to park on street for rest of that year. I did street race a fair amount, won many $10/20 races and all the shit that goes with it, broken parts, licence/insurance problems/lawyer fees/threat of jail time. There always seems to be a price for Fun, raced open wheel many years and paid a price for that. Was it worth it, HELL YA ! Would I do it again, YOU BETCHA ! Memories, Priceless !

 

Nope lost track of her.

I did marry Mrs beaner (uh twice LOL). If you don't count tuning my door slammer in the driveway on a Saturday or Sunday at the track with her and her dad our first date was on a '57 Norton. I had sold my '55 wagon to pay the rent and other then the door slammer all I had was the Norton.

I had a smoke before I picked her up because girls scare the hell out of me. Her dad came out and said, "Well at least you are not in that wagon. You kids have a good time and don't stay out too late." So the town we lived in had one stop light. I managed to hit it on red. When the light turned green I took off and as I was crossing the intersection her voice kept getting farther away. I remember thinking, "Damn that must have been good smoke." Then I looked over my shoulder and there she stood in the cross walk. I spun around and went back, she jumped on and said, "Guess I better hold on tighter." We headed out into the country.

She is a keeper.