History STORY TIME, CHROME WON'T GET YOU HOME!

This is not a earth shaking tale but it is true, almost 50 years ago my father-in-law had loaded up the 1954 Ford Ranch Wagon with his camping & fishing gear along with his boat in tow.

He had spent a couple of days at Clark's Hill Lake and had loaded up all his gear and as he started to back the trailer in the water the gas pedal broke, he only had a few tools with him but no extra gas pedal, he had noticed a old derelict building close to where he was camping and thought he might find something there to get him back on the road.

As luck would have it he spotted the rotten door of the building laying on the ground and he spied a single hinge still attached to the door, he pulled it off and went back to the car and attached it with what was in his small tool box and was able to drive the car home.



Many years later when he gave the car to Brenda, the door hinge gas pedal was still in use.

When I restored the Wagon one of the first things to be removed was that hinge, it;s still hanging on a nail in the garage, the gas pedal sure looks better now and the chrome still don't get you home but it sure looks good. HRP

 

Chrome don't get you home BUT, when your car is on the roll back it sure looks cool to the passersby's. So I got that going for me, which is nice.

I saw this on the HAMB classifieds the other day, it has you written all over it, complete with hinge!

 

My 52 F3 MH Ford had a hinge under stock gas pedal. Been on the same ranch since new. Do not know if it was the father or son who incorporated the hinge.

 

Some stuff around the shop is just special.
Dad's homemade axle puller will be with my tool set always.

 

Billy, back in the late 60's I had the barefoot gas pedal on my 63 1/2 Falcon Sprint (Less the strap hinge) HRP

 

I had one on my 64 Galaxie around 1970, and drove around barefoot a lot.

 

I did too, that darn barefoot pedal could sure burn your barefoot on a hot day! HRP

 

Danny, I think your brides daddy might have been a clever old fellow.

 

the clutch was always hard on my bare foot

 

I have an OT dune buggy that I think would do well to have a bare foot gas pedal. hmmm

 

I bought the foot and high beam floor switch mini foot. Never used them though, but came across the gas pedal foot 20 or so years ago as me and my pops were building a 3 wheeler out of a Cushman scooter for my nephew. We used the foot for a rear brake pedal.
Regarding the hinge for a gas pedal, the ‘59 Chevy PU I had was hinged the same way as I recall, it was how Chevy made it.

 

Moving the throttle all "hinges" on the gas peddle ...... or necessity is the "mother of invention". Gotta go now, time to open the gate ....hey there's a hinge missing .......

 

Still have the barefoot throttle pedal on my 50 F1. Lost the dimmer switch foot somewhere along the line. LOL

 

That’s really neat HRP.
As nice as you made the wagon I think I would of reinstalled that rusty old hinge as a as salute to her fathers ingenuity!!

glad you kept ot

 

Should have kept the hinge and got it chrome plated.

 

I'll add a little back up for CHROME !
As I love shiny!!!
With out the extra ambition,that my rod gave me, from it looking as good as I could make it!!
It would of not been fixed as well n as soon.
Call it inspiration motivation after the fact!

 

after buying my first roadking i had to explain to my wife, that the bike was a down payment for the chrome

 

Billy and a dune buggy.........tell me when you're going to Sandlake.........I'll stay away!

 

Chrome got me and a buddy home one night. We were headed home from heartland speedway when the fuel pump went out in his Nova. The local parts store did not have a oem style pump in stock and could not get us one until the next day. However they did have a Dress up section that had a chrome Mr Gasket clockable inlet pump in stock. It was over twice the price and the guy who gave us a ride to the parts store loaned us some tools. But I guess I can truly say that "Chrome did get me Home" Lol