Sorry for your loss, I know how it feels.. Just weeks ago I lost a really good friend (24yo) from poisoning in the garage.. One of the happiest fellows I have known, allways with a smile on his face and a joke to crack! Life is fragile, better take care of ourselfs
^^^I'll try to remember that. No need bein a dick. Nick, cry alot and give his wife a hug. Finish the Impala if you can, and God Bless.
This is really sad, stay strong and patient as time will heal. My prayers go out for you and the family. Hang in there brother.
Reminds us all how fragile life is. Do some good things in his memory. Sorry for your loss but it is good to remember the good times you shared with him.
Nick, words are never enough...some pain and heartache is just too deep. I am sorry for your loss, and his families and young brides...my prayers to all of you. Many say the pain subsides, and it does, but it never goes away. I lost a very close girl friend right out of high school, and a couple close buddies over the years...I think of them and reminisce quite often. Spend this time with family and friends, sharing memories and grieving. Hang in there bud...
I am sorry for you loss too. I lost both of my old high school hotrod buddies in the past 5 years. I have to say that I still haven't gotten over the losses. We didn't see each other much in the past 20 years but knowing that they are no longer out there is really odd and really hard.
Lost a good friend the same way in the last year so I know where your coming from. You have my sympathy.
Sorry for your loss. Just know that there ARE young guys out there into the older vehicles. I'm 21 and already have four pre-'70 vehicles.
Nikke, For me, the Bad part of getting Older, is when you start loosing "long time" friends and car Buddies. But when You lose someone that close and that young, it has to be hard. Sorry for your loss, my thoughts and a Prayer for You and The Family. Hang Tight Man.
^^ Insensitive dickhead. ^^ Sorry to hear about your friend. Possibly the authorities will investigate and be sure that safety practices are put into place that will save another young life. Jacks can't be relied on when getting under a vehicle. If that happens perhaps some good can come from the loss of your friend. Remember him and carry on with your passions.
I would suggest working on the impala with his little brother and being there for his wife. you can help fill some of the void just by being there for them to talk to. show his brother that you are there for him and help him make the car into something that he can pass down the family and have fun in. life is short and our bodies are fragile. live each day to its fullest and TELL THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE THAT YOU LOVE THEM.
I'm sorry for your loss. It sucks to hear about a young man dying. All you can do is making a point of living a long life, remembering your friend, telling your kids and grand kids about the good times you guys had growing up.
First off I am really sorry to hear about your loss. Remember the ones you lost and maintain the shared interests you had with them such as building cars and everything else in life that you guys shared in common. It is a funny subject and seen people talk about this before about hot rodding dying. I have some unhamb friendly cars, 67 Camaro, 69 Corvette and my dad has a 68 Camaro built more as a Gasser/early 70s Street Machine build. You have a passion for cars, so if you look you will find some others in your area to share it with. Birds of the same feather.... I do think that Hot Rodding has in some ways changed, there are TOO many people buying stuff off the shelves, however I have a friend of mine who built a later model European turbo car a few years back, TONS of home fabrication, parts from other cars etc, even though was a late model car, it was built in the true tradition of hot rodding in that you actually built stuff yourself. I do think it is harder to come across old iron, but the finds are still out there. I have my eyes peeled for early coupes, with my current projects seeing the end of the tunnel, I do hope to get into something early soon. It is guys your age, who will help keep interest going, I do believe it comes in cycles and the waves of TV shows helps pumps things up for awhile, then in dwindles, then another resurgence.
Nick: First of all sorry that a young man like you has to go thru the loss of a good friend...and that your young friend passed so early.. But.. Think of it this way..Winning the battle is grieving over a lost friend, missing them everyday, caring for your friends when their hurt,and carrying the memory of the good times with you always.. Losing the battle is NOT caring about others, not worrying or grieving for friends, and generally not feeling anything... You, young man, sound like you are on the way to winning... Take care , Nick..it will get a bit easier... Stan
Nick-Very sorry for your loss-as others have said-take time to grieve for your friend, but you will honour him by continuing to do the things you had in common.
Amen. A big part of your own identity is now gone, that's the hardest part. Keep that part of you alive in his memory. It ain't easy to swallow.
I know exactly what he means in the original post. I'm part of a pretty darn big car club community where I live. Quite large. For the most part, I'm almost always the young guy....and I'm almost 50. In the last 10 days or so, we've lost 2 club members...and I think that's 3 this year (plus a wife). Sucks being around a hobby where you see the REAL hard-core hard-to-find knowledge dying off. I hate it. I hate watching the real old-school metal fab guys dying off. It's an art that once lost, is gone forever. I hate watching the real, true, old school flathead guys getting old and not shining around as much anymore. The ones who really got the HP out of those things. They guys who never bought the excuse of "all flatheads get hot" or whatever. I hate it when the really old timers stop talking because they get embarrassed because they can't get the words out fast enough cuz their brain can't keep up with their mouths cuz it doesn't work like it did when they were 40....keep talking, old guys. I'll wait. I'll be patient. Keep coming around. Please. Now there's an old guy down here right now with tons and tons of knowledge, and I just heard he's dealing with Agent Orange crap and Fire- selling off all of his crap. That sucks and I hate it. On a better note, on Wednesdays at our normal weekly burger-night cruise-in, some younger guys in their 20's have been showing up lately. I ALWAYS make a point to walk over where they hang out and compliment their stuff....even if a 1990 Mustang is not my "thing". I hope they keep coming. I feel for ya, bro. I do.
Horrible. So sorry for you and his family's loss. If one good thing can come from this it's that everyone who reads this should think hard about safety and reinforce with the younger guys in their lives that just one extra step could be the difference between life and death. Jack stands are CHEAP. These young guys need to be taught that it's second nature to use them. I always rest my car on jack stands AND have an additional smaller set just a tad under the frame in other locations... just in case. Being crushed to death under a car is USUALLY preventable. So sorry for this poor kid...
Nick, sorry to hear of your loss. My son was the same age when he passed away suddenly almost two years ago this month. It took my wife nearly a year to stop crying every morning at the loss. Try to focus on the fun you two had, the good times, etc. Remember, too, that moving on does not mean forgetting.
^^^This^^^ Sorry for your loss. It's never easy but double tough when they're so young. You're not as alone as you feel right now. I totally get the outcast thing. I've been out of high school as long or longer than you've been alive and you just perfectly described (in your OP) my high school experience. Some of us get lucky and have one or two real friends in a lifetime. You'll always miss him but it'll get better I promise.
Aw man, Im sorry for your loss bro. As a guy who has lost many, many close friends the only advice I have is to honor him by keep on doing what you guys both loved doing. He'll be right there with you.
You got some 200 k friends here. Talk to us anytime you need to talk. We may not post an answer but we are listening to you. Be tough time will help heal but you will never forget that close of a friend.
guys yall have been great, ive read every post and took it to heart, i havent been on he since ive posted this but i did some catching up. its been a long few days and gonna be a couple more with the viewing and funeral the next few days. me and another (car) guy i met in the last couple years are going to go together, he was younger then my buddy paul, but the couple years we spent in college us 3 was always together, and that how we wanted to keep it. i havent even brought it up bc it just seems so soon, but like a few of you mentioned id like to help my friends little brother finish his 65 chevy, or even my friend 66 c10 in the picture which idk but id think his little brother will have. id just hate to see his little brother not be able to complete a hot rod him and his brother started bc lack of know how. i dont have a lot of money but i have some skill, and just dont want his brother to give up. hopefully he'll grow up to be great guy like my buddy paul.
Nick there are no real words to express the loss of a true friend. You were very lucky to have experienced it at your age and to be able to recognize it. Be a mentor to his little brother he'll have a rough road to hoe as will you. The 2 of you can draw off of the love you both had for him. And draw strenth from it.
The Jalopy Journal
