History READING: An Old LOW DOWN I Just Came Across....BECOMING a Hot Rodder...When?

This is what did it for me:



It was around '58 or '59 when I was 10 or 11 and I bought one of these kits with the money I got taking empty soda bottles back to the store for the deposit. (Who does that anymore?) I was hooked and I wanted a car just like that.

Then a couple of years later I discovered Hot Rod magazine and there was no turning back!

 

I saw AG in the theater when I was five, but I was born addicted. No way I could have not been a hot rodder, as my Dad had car magazines, and then a project car, for as long as I can remember. Spent most of my free time either watching Dad build cars, visiting his friends building cars, or in the basement building model cars with my brother.

A month ago I saw AG in the exact same theater as the first time I saw it. They restored the theater and show "vintage" films there now.

 

Awesome read. I was strongly impacted by a movie when I was young. I watched "The Exorcist" start to finish through the crack in a slightly open basement door while my brothers were supposed to be babysitting me. I think I was 7 or 8. Ya, that had an impact on me. Wish it would have been American Graffiti instead!

 

easy one for me. 1986 at Bonneville. this pic is from '87.

 

My daughter is named after Regan from the Exorcist.

 

I don't know when it happened, it wasn't just one thing. Lego's, growing up on a farm, RC Pro-Am on Nintendo, working at a newsstand and reading car magazines to pass time (you can only look at so much porn!) it all added up to get me where I am with this addiction. I can't put it on one moment or thing that happened.....

To all of you with pictures from back in the day in your dad's car or whatever, way too cool.

Donny

 

This thread just doesn't seem the same without "The Fonz's" input...

 

I think he's upset that his pics from Puyallup were deleted by the management.

 

Pretty sure the event was birth, or perhaps conception. I was never a regular citizen.

 

Great read KIRK, thank you.
I've been into cars as long as I can remember, and I can't think of any one instance in particular, but, there are certain car related events that I remember so vividly, much more than other stuff in my life at the time.
When I was five, my dad brought home his first "street rod", and I remember it in detail that shocks me. It was a T bucket, gold and green flake, '65 mustang tailights, chrome slotted wheels, big block chevy with M/T valve covers, surfer scoop, and open headers (headers painted white of course, this was the early seventies. Dad would hang them from the garage ceiling and repaint them every couple months or so).
Of course I would remember the car, but I also remember exactly how it smelled, the sound the door latch made when you pulled it shut, how the black vinyl seat felt in the hot sun going to rod runs or just to the store with my dad. I remember my view of the wood dash, SW gauges with the green stripes and orange needles, and the 8-track player, (which was stupid because it was a T bucket with a big block and open headers). Even though you couldn't possibly enjoy any music, my dad would put in his tape anyway (I think he only had one), and you could occasionally hear over the engine either Janis Joplin screaming, or the drums at the beginning of "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man".
Thanks again , it was fun to start thinking about this stuff.

 

What a great article for those of us who are reminisent!

 

Great story KIRK! It was like being there with you and Beth. Great way to start my morning.

I was born in 1965, don't remember a time without cars. Grandma had an old blue pedal car on the back porch I'd ride in. I seem to remember it as a Galaxie or similar. Was my aunt Sue's. Went from there into model cars, then HO slots, then real cars.

One of my earliest rides I remember was in the parent's Barracuda. White with red interior. That became the blue Satellite Sebring. Grandma had her green 67 Dart GT, then a gold Duster, then a yellow 81 Mustang. I grew up around cool cars.

Dad never hot rodded, just maintained them perfectly. All our cars were spotless and ran smooth. Mom's 65 Fury was driven by her, yet steered by me from the right side. Geez, I would NEVER let my kids do that!

So, I can't pinpoint my exact birth moment into hotrodderness, but I do remember evolving well.

Thanks KIRK for this cool start to the day

 

With the HAMB hiccups this morning, I thought I'd bump KIRK's thread back up. Pretty enjoyable reads in here.

 

Redmond, WA? I was born there and spent my first 45 years there, watching it go from a small farm town to a Microsoft campus. My conversion occurred there also. We lived on the border of Bellevue and Redmond, and my dad worked at a small Chev dealer. I started going to "the garage" when I was about 5, looking at all the new and customer cars, enthralled by the lines, colors, and diversity. Model cars came soon after and then I'd see models of hot rods in the store and thought they looked pretty fun. Magazines were still small, and I was reading everything I could, so Felsen books were on the list with all the monthly publications. Somewhere around 8-10 years old I was on 164th Ave NE, just about a block north of what is now Interlake High School, checking out the "new project houses" when a bright jade green '40 coupe came by. Perfect paint an chrome, whitewalls, rings, and caps, front on the ground, dual exhaust sounding great, nothing out of place. It stood out like a neon sign on that street, and I knew exactly what it was and where I was going-to get one of those. It had more style presence than any new car. I only saw the car two or three times after that, each time it was still perfect and I still wanted it. There have been a lot of cars pass by since then, and I've had a few, but I will always remember that moment.

 

I was in sixth grade - my 'mentor' (a HS neighborhood kid) and I had been building flyable balsa/fabric cable-controlled planes for several years. One day he came home in a beautiful baby blue 41 Ford coupe....twice pipes, couple carbs, floor shift, blue and white T&R interior. Within a week, we were both all done building planes. We (my family) moved from that town (Richland, WA) to Clarkston, WA and I got a car as soon as I could rub enough dimes together. That mentor is still a car person - aircraft engineer and is well-known in SW and Mexico off-roading circles. I'm not famous, but I'm sure proud to be a hot rodder.

dj

 

it was 1979 i was 7 years old and my dad let me come with on a joy ride in his souped up 1950 olds "88" a new friend of his asked for a ride. I vividly remember him and his buddy passing back and fourth the Purple bag "crown royal". It never occured to me that what he was doing was super stoopid but hey i was only 7. It was at night and i was standing on the back seat cushin in my route 66 Feety pajamas when WHAM HE NAILED IT!!!! i remember flying down to my ass and the roar of that vette 427 exploded and the tires just frying the smell of burnt rubber engulfing the car then feeling that modified DualRange Hydro SLAM through the gears cooking the tires each time........I remember screeming when i jumped to my feet.....Lets do it again!!!!....Again!!!!! ......Again!!!!!

I think he forgot i was in the back seat. Thats when he realized what he had done was really dumb. He made me promise not to tell mom.......
I never did......Dad my addiction is alll your fault......THANKS..I love you


P.S. he sold the car in 1980 ..(FAST FORWARD)..I found it on craigslist 3 weeks ago needless to say my brother and i bought it back. Its back home after 30 years. Shes in bad shape but she will rise again . My Etch-a-Sketch cover sheets were under the back seat still after all this time.



THANKS KIRK FOR BRINGING THIS MEMORY BACK TO ME TODAY.