I was 16 at the time (now 53) and my dad told me about a friend he works with wanting to sell or trade off 2 Mercs. One was a 1950 four door parts car and the other a 1951 2 door. My dad had known this guy for a long time and ended up trading two chainsaws for the pair of Mercs! I was soooooo excited to get these cars home (as evidenced by the pic of me taking a pic of the towed '51 Merc!) Just wanted to share this as the best memories I have involve me and dad and an old car to work on.
The stuff relationships are made of. Hope you still have your Dad. Relish the memories and experience.
Thanks everyone.....my dad actually passed away from cancer at the same time I was going through chemotherapy for mine. I sure miss him. We would take off on the weekends just looking for old cars and trucks behind barns and out in the fields. Get's me going just thinking about it.....
My mom and me spent countless hours looking for 55-57 thunderbirds in the late sixties and seventies most of time my dad was at work We even towed a few cars my mom and me home with a tow chain lol great memories kept me out of trouble both are gone now but I thank them everyday for being my parents who loved me unconditionally
Man I sure am thankful to have had the mom and dad that I did too! Mom always supported us in our love of tin but still would give me "that look" when seeing what rusty project we would drag home! That's great that you and your mom did that and also that you cherish that memory!
Hey man, sorry to hear about your Dad. Perhaps I can understand a little where you're coming from, you and I are the same age and my Dad died three years ago last month. We spent a ton of time together hunting for and restoring cars. (see my post on barn finds)<O</O I still have vivid memories of my first trip to Hershey with him, I was 10, it was the first time I got to go away with just my dad (no sisters!) we were hunting for parts for the 38 Lincoln Zephyr he was restoring at the time. A year later (at 11) he bought me a 55 Nash Metro Conv for my first car. He paid $215 for it, took me 2 years of cutting lawns and doing jobs for neighbors to pay him back. I still can't believe he never complained about me ripping up the yard with it. (Of course that's also why I learned how to plant a new lawn)<O></O> Many of my best memories revolve around cars and my dad. Perhaps my favorite was the road trip he and I made to western NY to pick up a 53 Catalina, I only had my license for a few months but he let me drive his Olds 88 hardtop (455 4bl) home.<O></O> Of the 100+ vintage cars we had over 40 years, the Catalina was always his favorite and the one car he didn't sell in his later years, <O></O> I still have it, working on getting it back on the road for spring.<O></O> I hope you had a chance to tell your dad how much it all meant to you. I waited too long and missed mine. <O></O> Spending time in my shop, with vintage signs, tools and other stuff he gave me, some of which even came from his dad, and doing anything car related with my boy, helps me still feel a connection to him. I hope you find something that keeps that connection strong for you. Wishing you continued good health. Norman<O></O>
Thank you so much.....I appreciate hearing from you and can relate to everything you said. The everyday memories of what dad and I shared are enough to bring tears to my eyes and also great joy. Thanks again and best to you and yours!
The Jalopy Journal
