Looooooooong time H.A.M.B. reader, first time caller. I've Google searched this board hundreds of times and found almost everything I've needed information on. I'm 31 and live in Atlanta. I grew up in my dad's tire shops pretty much being a pain in all the mechanic's sides. I always asked "why" and "how". By the time I had decided I was going to be a mechanic my dad drug be back inside and made me learn how the shop worked. Dad dreamed of turning the shop over to me, but by the time I was 15 dad's shop was closed (business is business dad always said, no reason to get mad). I had spent my summers digging ditches and saved to buy a very non-Hamb friendly '83 Camaro for my first car. The first thing that went wrong my dad turned to me and said "well, I guess you need to fix it" and that was the beginning. I bought a cheap set of tools and proceeded to make both fix and mess up the car until it was totaled in an accident (not my fault amazingly). After the shop closed my dad had a stroke and had to partially retire. He worked part time for his friend's shop as a service writer. One of the bonuses of this was some cars the owners didn't want to fix, so they just left them at the shop. Dad and I hatched a scheme to fix these cars and sell them to pay for my college tuition. It worked and with my dad doing the spotting, I began flipping cars for cash. I paid for half my degree doing that until I got my grades up for the HOPE Scholarship. After a few years of wrenching and flipping cars (some I wouldn't have let my own mother drive) I was invited to my cousin's church to work at their Mechanic's Ministry. I was about as far from a church goer as it came. The words "heathen bastard" pretty much was how I described myself. I figured why not, I can help a few people out this weekend. That weekend turned into another weekend, and another. I made some good friends and found out that they used to call themselves "heathen bastards" too. Guys who had lived some pretty crazy lives but didn't mind telling anyone they loved the Lord. Two years later I gave my life over to the Lord. Once weekend a month we get together and fix cars for people who need help (not just a cheap oil change). I've learned so much more in the last 7 years thanks to being around a bunch of old and new mechanics, and now I've been told that the young guys look up to me (why I have no idea). Guess even I can do some good. The man I attribute my love of real hot rods to is Richard Van Guilder (everyone calls him Van). He moved next door to me when I was about 8 and became the grandfather I never had. Van was an original hot rodder from Virgina. His garage had the most amazing assortment of tools. He worked at a foundry and did metal work like I had never seen before. He was always building something or fixing up his truck. And one day Van brought home two '40 Fords (a sedan and a coupe). He promptly sold the sedan and started work on the coupe. Me being the nosy kid I was he immediatly put me to work helping. He showed me how real body work was done. I spent almost every free hour I had with him in that shop, watching and helping. Van then brought home a special car, a '34 Ford. Turns out it was his FIRST car! He found it in a barn back up in Virginia and managed to talk the guy into selling it. By this time I was well into my teens and able to help properly. I eventually moved out of my parent's house and Van moved to south Georgia to be closer to his family. I haven't seen him in years, but he changed my life. I've got a helluva lot more stories to tell, but that's a start. Right now I'm working on my '61 Olds F-85 with a 215 V8 and crap-tastic Rotohydramatic 3-speed auto. I've got some other cars, but they're non Hamb friendly (but my '69 Olds Delta 88 convertible with a 455 is pretty cool).
Ha! I had heard he might have moved back up here. I never understood why he moved cause he had his shop perfect finally. Now I gotta track him down.
Glad to have you aboard. I plan on retiring to North Georgia in a few years. May be I'll see ya around.
Welcome from Rockmart GA, between Aragon and VanWert, 6 miles SW of Taylorsville. Need to get you and your car up to our show at Rockmart High School on May 30.
WOW, now that's an intro. Welcome from Floirda. Have some friends in the Atlanta area, Canton and Flowery Branch. Planned on moving up that way when we retired then we had grand kids and there was no moving Grandma, or me for that matter. Have you been over to the H.A.M.B. Chapel in the Community Links - Social Groups? Again welcome. Lee
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