In the early 50's a friend gave me an old copy of Hot Rod Magazine. That did it for me. First car was a 34' sedan basket case that my parents let me buy at age 14. I guess they knew what they were doing cause it kept me busy and out of trouble (for the most part) for two years til it was driveable and I could get a license.
My father has built car and stuff all my life .he had in shop with he allthe time.teaching me how to weld and fab. Building race cars and chassis for the late and great larry phillips of missouri in the 60s,70s,80s and built dragsters with old racer ronnie dyer that held alot records all over mo kan . He also was the first guy to start building the ozark international raceway in rogersville mo. When i was just a boy. From thier he started building hotrods. Later in life a car fell on him braking his back ending what we did together in the shop. I owe everything.
My father has built car and stuff all my life .he had in shop with he allthe time.teaching me how to weld and fab. Building race cars and chassis for the late and great larry phillips of missouri in the 60s,70s,80s and built dragsters with old racer ronnie dyer that held alot records all over mo kan . He also was the first guy to start building the ozark international raceway in rogersville mo. When i was just a boy. From thier he started building hotrods. Later in life a car fell on him braking his back ending what we did together in the shop. I owe everything to him.
When I was 10 or so,, 1959 my older, brother started building a 32 Ford pickup hot rod,,312 " Y-block ,53 Ford rear, 3 speed..I helped or watched the whole build.When, I was 12 I bought a hot rod of my own...a 1942 Ford 2dr sedan for the outragous price of $12.50,,,He wanted $25.00 But he took all that I had..He kept the electric fuel pump to make up the difference...I was hooked at age 10 and after a few hundred cars I'm still devoted...I have close to 500,000 miles that I have logged on hot rod / street rods since . All my Street / Hot Rods have been built by me for me,,and proud to say all Fords powered by Ford. Farm boys had access to drive , build , and own many types of rides, and over the years I've covered them all......
I was about 9 or 10 years old and this girl around the corner from me was dating a guy name Whitey Allen, nice guy, kinda quiet below the radar type. Whitey used to pedal by on his Raleigh 3 speed, black with nice Von Dutch striping. The next year he's chugging by in a 6 cyl Powerslide '50 Bel Air coupe (yawn). One month latter in the autumn I hear an awesome roar at the stop sign 2 houses up from us, the pedal is out to the front bumper and the tires are doing the smoothing of tire tread deal and it's red line city! My dad jumps out in the middle of our street swinging his lawn rake at the poor driver and yells something to the effect of don't you know there's young children playing out here? This evil looking gray primer '37 Ford 5w cpe lurches to a halt inches from the old man. "Sorry he says, won't happen again sir." I'm totally enamored by this hot machine and I recognize Whitey at the wheel of it. I hop on the drivers running board and ask Whitey what's it got? Whitey responds he just got it, and he's on his way to pick up Nora with it. He further explains to me it's got an Oldsmobile 303 in it. That big black Olds air cleaner on it, the huge by large green valve covers,no hood sides, loud pipes,tach on the dash..... this is not you fathers Fordmobile I thought. That was the hot rod addiction for me, Whitey hooked me for life!
in 1985 I was 15 and my son to be brother in law ((( was dating my sister ))) brought to our house a 1970 camaro it was orange had a blower sticking out of the hood and huge wide rear tires and skinnies on the front and walking out the door as my jaw dropped I seen the yellow lakewood traction bars against the orange and black and fell 100% in love well he wanted 1500 for it and my dad was intrested in buying it for me but when he looked down the side he seen warpage from bondo being used and would not buy it and I voweled to myself that I would someday do a car just like it and then I ended up with a 67 ford falcon painted it and wrenced on it all summer ((( rattle cans and Dad's tools )))... as time traveled on when I got out on my own I bought that same 70 camaro and stripped it down replace both rear quarters and one fender and did it right ((( atleast what I thought was right ))) had it all painted the way he had it years before , Drove it from Nashville Tennessee to Indian Lake ohio ((( 7 hour trip ))) made it in 5 hours and 45 minutes Pulled into my Dad's driveway and he said """ I'll be damn you always said you'd get you one """ and then he looked it over and said atleast this one is done half ass right ... I told him it was Mike's Old car from before he did Not believe me My Dad did not believe me untill about 3 years ago and he stayed up here in ohio instead of going to Florida for the winter and he got to see me do a 57 chevy this was the first time he believed me about the camaro ,,, I've done atleast 30 cars since that camaro but he never seen the start of the project always seen the finish product and guess he did'nt know the work that went into them ... I still drive the camaro everyday even in the winter and no rust and paint still shines and I still smile everytime I see it but after seeing this Hot Rod I was hooked and did the falcon as best as I could but sold it and bought a 70's ford Pickup and then I customized it all done in Dad's driveway Because His Vette lived in the Garage ... I worked 2 years on that truck and it was 100% ME then I seen if I wanted what I wanted then I had to amke it myself ... I did learn a lot through out my years of restoring cars but the best lesson learned was if you want a Million Dollar Barrett Jackson car then start with 2 million dollars
I grew up in Charlotte in the Fifties. Charlotte has always been a hot spot for hot cars. My Dad took me to a race in about '56. Haven't got over it. We had neighbors who raced Modified Ford Coupes. Anytime I heard one fire up I was there. I acquired my first Hot Rod in 1961 and have not been without one since.
If it is at all possible, it is in my blood. I've loved automobiles of all kinds (but especially American Hot-Rods) since I could walk. I used to get extra credit in the 4th grade for reading and reporting on Hot Rod tech articles. I've always loved it. By the time I was knee high to a grasshopper, I could lay in bed at night and ID the passing vehicles by sound. I got pretty good at it. My first Rod was a '33 Plymouth (I was 12 and it was more parts than a car -- a body a frame). No turning back. If its got wheels, I can appreciate it - to some degree anywho.
Stared working on imports when I was 15. Still do, but have broadened my perspective to learn the roots. And LOTS of hot wheels.
readers digest version, is that i came home from iraq, recently divorced... loved anything old... and needed something to keep me around for my kids and not get lost in my thoughts or suck start a 9mm...
Read an early(1948) of Hot Rod Magazine when I was 10 years old (1954). It had the coverage of Bill Neikamp's av8 (1st America's Most Beautiful Roadster winner). The magazine was borrowed from our neighbor who had a '34 coupe with the promise I wouldn't tear it up and return it after I read it. I almost wore it out before I gave it back. Frank
Mine started with a 1986 rx7, which was traded for 1979 rx7, which was sold for a 69 GMC c30. Along the way got several rx7's, several Mercedes, a couple of bikes, and a '30 murray model A. (still have the bikes, one of the rx7's and just starting on the model A)
All the cool guys in high school had hot rods when I was in Junior High. Some of them were older brothers of my pals..they tolerated us. It was the '50s, and the fields.... and even used car lots were full of early Fords. You could buy a running OHV engine for $10 out of a junk yard. The dirt track guys in my home town were all going to OHV, and souped up flatheads could be had for next to nothing. http://www.misschicken.com/Track-Laurel%20FG%20Info%20Page.htm I made enough money from my paper route and from scrounging soft drink bottles for the refunds. Lots of people willing to help out. It was an easy choice.
I was brought up around some version of hot rods. Never really got into them till I turned 16 and started trying to make whatever I had stand out. It really took off when I got into mini trucks, then full size trucks, took a break and came back and built a couple of imports to run on curvy roads in the mountains. Then I finally came to my senses and realized I wanted an old hot rod. So I sold all the cars I had and bout the 55 Vicky. Now I couldn't be happier.
The year was 1957, I was 12 years old and laying in a hospital very ill with a viral infection. For some reason my dad stopped at the drug store and bought me the Nov. 1957 Rod & Custom which was an issue featuring 32 Fords. It lit a fire that has only gotten hotter the older I get. When My dad was laying in the hospital dying from cancer I asked him if he remembered that magazine and he did. I joked that that book had probably cost me several hundred thousand dollars over the years. I still have that magazine in a display case in my office.
I've been interested in cars since childhood.My older brother and cousin were always toying with something,so i guess it's just second nature.I started out with a love of Mustangs and had fun with them through my early twenty's and thirty's.In 1999 I had a friend who knew of a guy selling a flathead Ford motor and I bought it.I didn't know the first thing about the flathead motor so the only way to research it I thought,was to dissasemble it or search the internet.So I dissasembled the motor and bought a computer to search the internet.Found ton's of info and it eventually led me to this site.So the last ten years or so I've been consumed with hot rods,customs,and vintage tin.I'm addicted to hotrodding and probably always will be.
When I was 14 in 1957 I worked part time for a muffler shop installing exhaust systems. The two older guys had hot rods. I bought a 39 mercury coupe. Put a 50 mercury engine in it with the typical flat head goodies. Flat heads were on the way out so everything was cheap. Put a dropped axle nosed and decked it using lead. Bought a head liner from J C whitney. That was a learning experience putting that thing in. I put so much lead in the deck that the springs could not hold it open.
I didn't have a choice. My dad started drag racing in '48 and always had a Hot Rod around the house. My first trip home from the hospital when I was born was in '49 chopped Merc with a carson top! He raced all the way up to 90's. First I started out hanging around his cars than later I ended up working on or building his cars. I think it gets engrained in your genetics when exposed at an early age to the hobby. Here I am almost 60 and I'm still out in the shop 7 days a week building cars rain or shine!!!!
I was blessed to be born in the era of awesome cars (1956) and to have a dad that did everything from building to painting them. That being said, I was around alot of awesome rides. When I was around 6 yrs old I was facinated by the style of some tail lights. Old Lincoln, Hudson, Kaiser just to name a few and body styles as well. Steering wheels facinated me to, 50 ford, old merc were kinda my favorite. So I guess it wasn't just that everyone that had a hot rod was kewl, I had a real love for the design of those awesome machines that will never fade from me. My dad taught me about everything I know about machanical and metal shaping to painting. So not only can I enjoy these work of art..I can build one.
for me, i was born and raised in a garage. my dad used to drag race back in the 60's and always had a project bike or car to monkey around with. so i naturally was always there passing wrenches and stuff, learning and eventually fixing on my own. then grew up, got married, had a fwe kids and it stopped. did not pick up any wrenches for a few years. over the last couple years i have been collecting tools, taking welding classes, sheet metal fabrication classes (with ron fournier -lucky to live 3 miles from his shop) and lots of practice on mine and some of my buddies cars. but i have always had the passion for cars since birth. and now 1 of my 4 kids is starting to hang out with me in the garage, wanting to learn and just "hang out" in the garage. so i guess its in the blood...
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