Every town had its John Milner

Oh and a third was actually a woman (Milneria?) who drove a Mopar, with words on the back "If you beat me, you can eat me".

 

Very Cool Story.. Thanks for sharing.. One of the best parts of the HAMB is reading these stories that we can all relate 2 ....

 

Actually he was, I remembered it after reading Glenn33s post.

 

Prior to that was a Blown BBC Anglia... one of my 55 Chevs... a Nasty abbreviated fendered 34 Ford 5 window with a blown 327 and many muscle cars.

Some of the named cars I remember were... "Night Shift"... "Sun Burst"... "Executioner"... "Lime Light".... all bordered on Show car and weren't always as fast as the primered race cars that made it to the streets but did look very cool.

Highway 100 was the scene where the race car trailers were emptied behind the industrial buildings and a couple of serious races took place and the cars were quickly replaced on the trailer and removed from sight until the Heat cooled down and it was time for another round!

 

Chemainus, BC, 1980s, I was in elementary school and the Milner of the town was the principal's son, who was probably 20 years older than me, but a real gearhead and ran a hole in the wall bodyshop out on a country road and also owned one of the local taverns called the Green Lantern, though I'm not sure if he ever owned both at the same time, not that it matters. I'm just painting the picture here.
He had a '55 Chev that started life as a 4 door, but was shortened into a 2 door. I'm not sure the wheelbase, but it was pretty short. It was painted yellow like Milners duece, but ran a big block and wheelie bars. And boy did it need them. I remember one time I saw him pulling out of the parking lot at the Green Latrine as it was known, and as soon as he got it pointed in a straight line down the road, he got on the loud pedal, the front tires lifted, and the thing looked real hairy to control, seeming to want to run sideways down the road as he kept on it, blowing by us as we stood on the sidewalk. It was deafening loud and a streak of yellow as we stood there with our jaws dropped. The story was that he had a hole cut in the floorboard so he could see a front tire and the road. Not sure if that was a local myth or not though.
He also had a black 67 Fairlane with a 428cj 4spd with real wide Kelly Springfield SuperChargers on the back. The 55 was one of those cars that was legendary in the local area, kind of like a sasquatch, you'd hear about it, but you'd never see it. Everyone in town knew about it. I only ever saw it on the road that one time, but I still remember it vividly.

 

Great story Don, and a happy ending too! I hope you and your friend can get together face to face soon!

 

Remember 'Sand Storm'? It was a 65 straight axle Satellite, tunnel rammed 383. Most bad ass car when I was a kid.

I've seen some awesome stuff go down out on Tower Rd, some wild purpose built cars out there.

 

What a great thread idea, Don, as usual!
For anyone that cares or just has too much time on their hands, I will share mine. I think the key element in your story was the tolerating of the youngsters. I grew up in the late 50s-early 60s where there was a gas station on every corner with some kind of hotrod, dirt track, drag race endeavor happening after hours. The ones I still remember are the guys that let us actually hang around for awhile before shooing us out of the shop.
My "Milner" was a guy named Bob who we thought had it all. Good looking guy, lived in a bachelor pad on a lake, had the prettiest girls and the koolest cars and was the best mechanic we knew. He worked at a dealership so we never bothered him there, but he would work on his own stuff anywhere. I saw him change a cam in a sbc in a 7-11 parking lot one morning for $100.
He put a 327 in a bug-eyed Sprite with a straight axle under it once. We saw him at the fair a few days later on crutches and with 2 black eyes and some hottie helping him around. We said, "Bob, did you learn anything?" .....He replied, "yeah, don't ever put anything that fast on the road again!" The car was totaled right behind our main drag the night before!
When I built my first 327 with all kinds of speed shop parts at the age of 14 my buddy insisted on bringing Bob by to look at the short block before I put the heads on it. My buddy did not trust me! I told Bob I had tore it down a half dozen times and he very politely told me I would do so again because I had the oiling holes on the rods facing out instead of in. He could have been a jerk but I saw in his face he was genuinely trying to point out all my flubs without hurting my feelings. Incredibly nice guy--I was so embarrased but he insisted on sticking around until I felt better, offered to do it for me, and I realized only later what an honor it had been to know such a guy and what a great role model he had been.
Don't know what ever happened to him since I moved away since those long ago days but he had such great Karma working for him I am sure he is somewhere smiling and enjoying life!

 

I remember the name Bottle Bob. Never met him but heard of him. Must have cruised the Van Nuys area. I was doing Whittier Blvd back then, not that much Van Nuys. I stopped in 70 for my vacation overseas .

We had a Milner, his name was Larry Farmer. I remember he was alot older than me, had the greaser look down pat but always had time to talk to me.
He had a few cars, all built by him. None were pretty, they were stupid fast though. Got in trouble more than once when my mom caught me riding in his car. Larry worked at the Standard station in town (didn't everyone?) & that's where he did most of the work on his cars. He kept a couple of cars there in the back & one in his mom's driveway. He always lived at home but always seemed to be at odds w/ his parents. He had an almost new 1960 Ford Falcon that was running a straight front axle & a tunnel ram. I don't remember what motor was in it but it was fast. He just finished the car & had it painted a dark green color.
Then he disappeared for about a month- I assumed he got into another fight w/ his parents because the Falcon was gone. Parents never talked to any of the neighbors so we never knew what was going on. One day, I came home from school & there was a car in the driveway w/ a tarp covering it. There was oil & coolant dripping on the driveway. It looked like Larry's car but badly wrecked. A few days later the car disappeared. Larry Farmer was hit head on by a drunk driver who crossed the center line & died at the scene. I seem to remember it was out near Palmdale somewhere around 1966 or 1967. Shit- that just made the hair on my neck stand up.

 

I am blessed in the fact that my late Grandfather was considered our town's 'John Milner'. There are many men from our town, now well into their 60's who talk about spending time in the shop when they were teenagers and watching him work on the cars, many of which I am still blessed to have. See my albums for photos...
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/album.php?u=71902

 

Great stories, a real pleasure to read. Thanks for sharing.

Brad

 

Here ya go...

 

A Scrambler has been my dream car for as long as I can remember, should have bought them up before the prices went to the moon...

 

i've heard of that wreck. do you remember the junk yard at Coal Hollow rd and rt 136? the wife's family lived on Coal Hollow rd, the family name is Hommey.

 

Yep, it was right after you made the turn off of the road on the right side. I was intimately familiar with all the junkyards in the area.

Don

 

wow great stories, great thread...and most are so well written...

 

hahaha wow ! i know the guy that had the green gremlin! wingnutz, you may know him too since you know The K.K.

 

Your so right...every town....

 

My Milner growing up in Richmond Va. was a guy named Willie Glass. Everybody hung around the local Shell sation in the late 50s and early 60s. The major hot rod club was the Va. Creepers and most of the guys were in their mid 20s when I was in my late teens. Big age difference in those days. Willie had Altereds,rails, drag bikes (BSA's) and later drag boats. Well the old fart, Bless his heart, is still going at 77. At 73 or 74 he set records at Bonneville with gas and fuel with a flathead roadster and is in the 200 MPH club. So far no magazine will feature the car because it has a little fat Rebel and a Confederate flag on it. Oh well,, The South still might rise again.....

 

In Hutchinson ,Kansas it was BOB FAST ! Hows that for a name? He had a orange 1940 Ford with a jumping frog painted on the lower front cowl. We used to line up on the side of the street every time he came down the road.You always had plenty of warning.It was loud !

 

great thread