What is the best reaction you have gotten from people?

I have really enjoyed reading all of these, thanks to everyone to contributing! I was really glad to see this pick up again.

I got a slew of new best reactions a few weeks ago. I got to take my project for it's first test drive! First reaction was my 3 year old daughter, she is now terrified by my 55 because of the open exhaust manifolds.... My 2 year old son loved it! Every time we go into the garage to leave, he begs me to "go in that one!?" and tries to climb into the driver seat (future hot rodder!) And the third reaction is my favorite: My dad who is a diehard vette guy, and who I'm pretty sure never expected to see it move under it's own power simply said "you did it." I couldn't have been happier.

<object height="390" width="640">


<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YhjnMWK2-Uo?version=3&hl=en_US&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="390" width="640"></object>

 

I have a 59 Vette, this guy asked me if it was a 69 then he procedes to tell me his neighbor has the last year Vette made out of plastic. Some people should just keep their mouths shut.

 

Just tonight on my way home a school bus stopped in front of me. A small boy about 8 got off and was checking out my car as the bus and I start to leave. He gives me that arm-pump sign like we used to give truckers as a sign to blow the air horn. I gave him a little shot of the throttle and as I went past him he yelled " nice car". From an 8 year old boy that is quite a compliment....at least in my mind.

 

I always shake my head when people ask:
What kinda truck is it ? I'll say, It's a Willys.
Then they say, Yea, but is it a Chevy or Ford.

 

At a stop light in my 60 Vette a car comes up beside me, looks over and says to my wife, " nice hat " My wife likes to tell that story..


Some guys not just one, say weren't the first Vettes made out of sheet metal??????

 

took my DeSoto out to run some errands today, and stopped in a local "old time" body shop. As I was standing in the doorway a guy driving a shiny brand new Ford pickup pretty much locks up his brakes and pulls up next to my car. Yells across the parking lot "this your car??? Is it for sale?" I told him no, then he shouts back "Are you sure?" I walked over and converse with him a while, he tells me how he's addicted to '50s cars and that he has over 20 '50s Fords at home. I stuck to my guns and told him I wasn't considering selling it.
As I walked back into Tamby's shop I said "Do you think I should have let it go?" He then told me that the guy is a lawyer, and probably would've paid big bucks for it. I dunno, maybe I should have had him make an offer....

 

Some years back my son opened a small hot rod and custom bike shop in between stints in Iraq with the Marine Corp.We had built a vicious looking 88 inch Panhead bobber,rigid straight leg frame,Springer,18 inch apes , jockey shift etc,etc. This was at the height of the TV chopper craze. A middle aged non bike looking guy came into the shop one day asking about having a custom bike built.When we asked him what he had in mind he pointed to the bobber and said "well,i don't want anything like that ! it looks like some hooligan should be riding it" My son and i looked at each other and knew we had done well!
Another time,i went to a local car show with my deuce roadster,the one in my avatar.I pulled in and parked next to some gold chainer that was polishing his very high bling 36 Cabriolet street rod.He looked at my car,then looked at his and without saying a word he got in his car and drove it to a different spot as if he didn't want his car to catch what mine had ! Another confirmation that i did good ! Bob

 

I used to own a little roadster than Vern tardel and bishop had at one time. I gave it a makeover and Vern saw it and told me he loved it and that I did a great job. I also love anything skoty chop says to me. He's super stoked always and reminds me why I love what I do!

 

just got home from a cruise in the shoebox tonight. all the usual thumbs ups etc, i enjoy it. we were at a a red light and the guy behind me honks his horn quick a few times. glance in the side mirror and thought he was waving, he was making hand signals. took me a minute but i figured it out. my arm is already hanging out the window, so i make a 5 then a 1. he honks again and a big thumbs up.
still like the old lady and the little kid thumbs up the best.

 

Our 56 is our only car so we drive it all the time and get thumbs up, pictures taken by cell phone users going down the road and nearly every time we stop someone asks "what year is it". But the best story is right after we got it running wife left the shop to wash it. We hadn't had a standard for a while and she had never driven a 3 on the tree. So after nearly an hour I borrow my buddy's pickup to go find her. She pulls in the drive way just as I am about to leave. I ask where she's been. Said some folks from Italy were traveling across America on vacation. Seen the car at the car wash and pulled in. They talked to her forever about the car, took pictures of her and the car and just couldn't believe we drove it every day. We thought that was pretty neat.

 

A couple incidents stand out with me.

The first was a stoplight to stoplight romp with my biddy's old 57 210 four door. It had a HEALTHY dual quad 283, m-22 and 4.56 posi. He dusted off the local druggy guy's Road Runner, after which he yelled over "what's that thing got in it??" I yell '283'. He yells back "3-83??" NOPE and I held up two fingers. He got pissed off and took off.

Another friend of mine's ex was out tooling around in his nice 65 Chevy ragtop, when this beat up Eagle Talon stuffed full of young Native-Canadians pulls up beside her and yell out "Nice Impala-a-a-a-" I guess you had to be there...

 

We were hanging out with Flight 75 one night and decide to take a drive in the old trucks. Went by a local cruise night a little late, and most of the people had left already except for a few hard cores. My dad is driving and as soon as we park this guy is all up in his face asking questions and he responds i don't know you'll have to ask the owner. Keep in mind I'm only 16 and don't get my license until this Tuesday. The guy ask me "this your truck" yes sir it is. He replies "YOU SUCK".

We always have people driving by looking and giving thumbs up. I think that everyone thinks the truck is my dads, which its pretty cool to see their reaction when i say im 16 and me and my dad built the whole truck.

 

The top coming up she was hot.

 

Love your roadster... people would say that about our roadster when we'd drive in the city.

 

I was gassin' up and a guy in a mini van with wife and kids pulled of the highway and up behind me. He said he just wanted to look at the A with his wife and kids and went on his way. Many times, at car shows a parent will be taking pics of their kids beside the A. Some times I'll let the kids sit in and let them take pix. Most mentioned by lookers is the iron(brass) knuckles I have for a hood ornament?

 

mark and i stopped to get lunch and layed out flat on the rockers, some college girl asked, "what the hell does it do that for? does it save tires or something??" i said, "no, its just for fun" she replied, "wow, you guys are a couple of wackos"

i laughed and looked at mark and said, "shit, its not even noon and we've already been called wackos"

she got pissed and left.

 

My favorite is when older guys pass by and give me "the nod" . You know the one that just says right on youngster.

 

^^ and thats no lie... it was filmed by a documentary crew... I seen it.. IIRC it was called BOYZ IN DA HOOD.. lol

 

An ole feller stuck his head in the window as i was parkin ya gonna finish it right ,,,I sez yeah i got to put some clear on it

 

I stopped for gas in SouthWest Wisconsin on my way to Torquefest last year. Driving the '64 Merc Wagon with my '57 Va-Ka-Shun-Ette camper behind. Lady comes up right in my face and says "I've heard about people like you." She kind of caught me off guard, I thought maybe she was trying to pick a fight or something. So I stepped back and said excuse me?!? She said, you know, people who drive old cars and pull old campers. WHEW!!!

 

Going down the road mosty good comments thumbs up ect. At rod shows comments form non Rod fold like What color you going to paint it, when you gonna finish it.
At general shows "How did you get here, you didn't drive that THING her did you"?. Most of that come from the wife of a fancy car, Street rod or whatever.
I will drive it anytime. Just have to deal with an oil leak out front.

 

I think the best one I've seen was this thread from a couple of days ago. I don't remember how to post links, so here's the post.

 

Not the best reaction to my car but the most unusual.An elderly woman ran up to my car and told me that she lost her virginity in the back seat of a car just like mine. TMI

 

I was cruising along in the right lane on my way home the Scrap Drive somewhere in Illinois, and a full dress Gold Wing pulling a small trailer came up on my left. The couple on the bike were both grinning from ear to ear and giving me the thumbs up.

 

The one that I will never forget is sitting at a stop light in my 40 plymouth. This mini van pulls up next to me. This little girl is staring at me she is maybe 5 or 6. She's smiling at me and the girlfriend. So we wave then mom comes into the picture gives me a look of death then takes off from the light. So I take off and we are running along side the mini van. I look over and she's smiling and waving again. So I backed off a little bit then hammered it. Her eyes were huge her mouth was wide open it was the best reaction I have ever gotten.

 

cruising the gasser, stopped at a stop light in downtown flagstaff, college town, tourist everywhere. some young guy on the sidewalk says boldly, "that guys getting laid for sure tonight". i told the wife, who didn't hear it, she didn't have much to say...

 

I was dragging home an o/t car (muscle car) when I had to stop at an intersection. Now, this car was beat to hell and most people would have hauled it to scrap but this fine looking woman was standing on the corner (other corners were also covered by people) collecting donations for the area school. She stops, runs over to me and says all excitedly, "what are you going to do with that?" I said I was going to fix it up. She's like "that is so cooool. I love it"
Enjoyed the rest of my trip home. I could only think, if you like it now, wait till its done.

 

I had an experiance that I couldn't respond to when it happened, I just laughed? I had my '59 lyndwood dragster on display at a local dragstrip reunion one year. I was standing in line at the food stand waiting to get some grub & over heard a guy talking about his dragster that he has pain stakenly restored over a couple years, being a dragster guy myself I had to listen to the guy. He had a small captive audiance and the story seemed to dipict a lyndwood rail. So I spoke up and asked about the old rail, if I could see it etc, and before I could tell him I had an old rail as well he told me and the group that his rail was here on display? when he told us what it looked like & were it was parked I realized he was talking about my dragster. I just had to laugh. later I even saw him showing my car to other people as if he had restored it? I never said anything I figured he was nuts.
Paul

 

It was about 25 years ago now, I was filling up my '64 Galaxie(that I still have) - anyway, I was waiting in line to pay inside after pumping, when a guy opens the store door and asks me:" can I pop the hood?" WTF!?! "Uh.... OK?....I Guess?" I pay and come out while he's staring at the 390, he explains that he is a Ford Fanatic and has seen the car in the parking lot where he works and wondered whose it was. I had started working at the factory (600 employees) two weeks earlier. We've been Buds ever since and have spent the last 25 years trading cars back and forth. What I had originally thought was kinda random/creepy, turned out to be a great friendship!

 

the only reaction i ever get right now is "are you ever gonna finish it??" . I just shake my head and smile.