History Where were you in '62???

Share where you lived, your ride, your experiences and your take on life in '62. A good history lesson for "young ones".

I was a junior in high school in Honolulu, HI. - Metal shop was my favorite subject. I had a '55 2 door hard top Bel Air with peeling paint (bought it with a cheap paint job) but it was pretty quick for a 265, 4 barrel & PG. We could have a driver's license at 15 back then. I worked at a supermarket after school to pay for my car, gas & spending money. Did some street racing though I eventually won I/S, D/MP & E/G at the track after I graduated. Don't remember how much gas was but I usually ran Chevron "Custom Supreme" and probably cost around $.35/gal. - I can still picture that "blue" gas. Money was tight so I did everything I could on a very limited budget. The British Invasion was on and Beatles were the rage with Viet Nam beginning to flareup. The 409's were kings but a guy brought in a 413 Dodge Dart and kicked everyone's butt - that thing was wicked! Then the 426's followed... Radical engines on the street were the thing. I can still hear solid lifters and wild lope of cams on the BBC's and Duntov cams in factory injected SBC's.

Kids ran around without supervision and had to be coaxed to come home for dinner. Most walked to school barefeet, but in high school, shoes were manditory. We wanted to wear shoes anyway because we discovered our masculinity and dressed cooool - bell bottom pants, 3/4 sleeve shirts and Oxford shoes (black & white) with colord shoelace tips. Ducktail hairdos were in, slicked back with Pomade hair grease. We had moonlight picnics at the beach without fear of weirdos and having to worry about protecting the gals. Gals went out with guys for their cool car, not for their looks. Many of us had acne and zits so we had to deal with that...ugh! We snuck friends into Drive Inn movies as most everyone did. Never wore seatbelts, no safety child seats, cordless telephones, cassette players, microwave ovens or color TV's. We fished and swam in streams which are probably polluted today.

Life was so much simpler (though not necessarily better) then... where were you in 62?

 

playing in my first rock and roll band, trying to get an education, and helping Pa in the body shop after school wet sanding cars the size of 59 impalas and ....oh...I forgot....raging teenage hormones were in there about then....

 

Two goofs...no BBC in '62 and white pump surpeme was 26 cents...
great story...thanks for that

 

Fort Lewis Washington. Driving a 5 ton IH wrecker. Green. Uncool.

 

Couple more...

British Invasion/The Beatles wasn't until '64
Gulf of Tonkin was in August of '64


I get emails forwarded similar to this every once in awhile.
"Where were you in '65,'70 or '75".

 

22 years old, married and had a son 1 yr.old bought my house I still live in. Getting ready to pull my 37 Ford apart for a complete rebuild. Driving a 58 Impala with 3 duces and 3 speed floor shift.

 

BBC was then the 348 & 409s. I remember the custom supreme was blue from a white pump... hmmm memory really going? Gas was a lot cheaper in mainland than in Hawaii - we only wished it was as cheap there.

 

In '64? I was out of high school by then but I remembered them when I was still there. Okay, maybe Hawaii got the word about them first or the Beatles sneaked in before the invasion... Too much gray matter forming up there...

 

You know what they say, "It's the first to go" they aren't talking about hair either. 1964, my first year in trade school, the only 9th grader to arrive by a 250 Harley, Mervo Mustangs rule.
We all have better than what happened memories.
JMHO,

 

I was born in`62! What a party ever since!!

 

This was about 62. I am the bass player. Please don't dis the red jackets as they allowed us to play in the band, buss tables while we were on breaks and park cars before the gig. I was also able to work as an Italian waiter on my off nights.
JMPRO

 

Limbo?
I have been serving humanity since '70.
1962 seems to have been an interesting time in history though.
Wp

 

Only 10 years old and not a care in the world !

We where dirt poor and I remember having a great childhood.....

One brother had a 50 ford ( four door)

The other had a 56 Oldsmobile (two door )

I loved that car and still like the OLDS to this day...........

My Mom & Dad would make them take me everywhere with them,

So I got to go to alot of drive ends ,where they would kick me out ,

Lots of other guys and gals had to baby sit also because their was alot of us young

people their walking around and checking out the cars and other stuff

me and my friends got to hang out alot and drink 10 cent cokes........

Like I said I had a great childhood......

 

Married with kids. Cad powered 55 Nomad family car, Olds powered 39 Dlx Ford
for the toy car.
Pomade and Saddles Shoes were long gone in this area by then.
Good years though

 

I was two, my ride was a double seated stroller, powered by Momma'

 

Getting my ass shot at in a distant Southeast Asian Country...

 

In '62? I thought it was '64 or so before Uncle Sambo challenged Uncle Ho to a duel. Of course I could be wrong I wasn't born yet.
Wp

 

Late '62 I was just a bump in mom's tummy. Wasn't born till June '63.

 

10TH Grade! Saunders Trade & Techical HS, Yonkers NY.Yes, I was in an AUTO class!

 

In high school. Graduated in 63. Driving a manual shift 55 Ford Convertible that I wish I still had. Trying to put a nailhead in a Morris Minor.

No worries. It was the best time to grow up. Lived 5 minutes from West Virginia where you could easily buy beer.

 

sandmountainslim

YOU ARE WRONG DUDE .........

It started way before then
(like ten years before)

and ended way after
(also like ten years after)..

It was a long and draw out war and it sucked no matter what time frame anyone was their................

Sgt C.M.C
US ARMY
32nd Signal Corpes.............
..(RETIRED)..long ago..
..one of the lucky few.

 

I was serving aboard the USS Navarro ( apa 215) troop transport,
first child was born, spent time in Subic Bay , Bangkok, and involved in the cuba crisis...... still had a yr to do on my four year Navy enlistment..

mean time my twin brother was in Tx, driving a new 62 super sport convert, with the 409 and four speed............while he was having fun crusin, I was doing the same thing.................just on a ship of sailors and Marines..lol.

yup, I remember 62 well...........

 

Hello Vic,

I was living in Virginia and I was 19 years old. Photo#1 is at the 1962 NHRA NATIONALS in Indianapolis, Indiana, and that is me standing in the doorway of Gene Altizer's 1931 Plymouth A/Gasser. Photo #2 is what I bought for $25.00 when I got back from Indy, a totally worn out 1937 Willys coupe. Photo #3 is the same car today. A lot of years have gone by (47 to be exact), but those definetely were the best of times!!!

Here's lookin' at you in '62.

Dave

 

I was a freshman in high school still building car models. Wishing for my first car.

 

In 7th grade reading Little Books learning phrases like Chopped, Channeled, Sectioned, Bored, Stroked, Isky 3/4 race, Dummy Spots, Dynaflow, Rolled and Pleated......

 

was farming with my folks, 2 years out of high school, running a 57 Pontiac with tripower at the drags at Madera and Raisin City when time allowed and just having a good time

 

Yeah,
I know it was started by the French post-WWII and dragged on until the US got wrapped up in the 60's and it ended in '75 (I remember the end, my dad was in the USMC then) but I was unaware the US had any combat troops actually on the ground in '62. I thought it was just "advisors" at that point.
But as I said I could be wrong.
Wp

 

In the back seat of my 55 Chevy with my girl friend, I mean my old girl friend!! To tell the truth it was my first girl friend.

 

18 in the navy,over in okinawa and nam special boat ops,dreaming of seeing a round eye again,and anything with oldsmobile on it

 

I was a shot in the old mans chamber.