Fathers Day - Was Your Dad A Car Guy?

Not per se, but he talked at times about making some sort of hot rod. His brother had one (33 or 34 roadster, as I recall) when they were in highschool. I think he always wished he had done one, too. However, life (and raising 5 children) took another path. I do remember him working on the family cars, usually just to keep them going and because we couldn't really afford to take them to a garage ( I try to do the same, for the same reasons.) I remember him working on the Farmall cub we had (small farm), particularly one time rebuilding/repairing the hydrolic pump on the kitchen table.

We lived within hearing distance of the old Connecticut Drag Strip (meaning we could hear the louder cars.) Dad knew the dirt back roads from our place to the drag strip. One Sunday, he just disappeared; we looked all over for him. Finally, late in the afternoon, we see him walking back from one of the fields. Mom asked where he had been and he said he walked to the drag strip, snuck in the back way and was there all afternoon. Mom was not happy. It was the only time he pulled a stunt like that, too. He did take us a few times to the Waterford Speedbowl. I still like the old coupes, Pinto and Vega modifieds. I would love to try to build a street version of one, someday, too.

 

Yes he was, he is the one who got me started. He could work on most anything and especially loved old cars. I remember him working on equipment or on one of the cars or trucks around the house all my life. He liked the classic cars left original but he never discouraged me from "experimenting", how else was I going to learn. I miss him.

 

Still is. Old mans 37 on here and a member of the Salvagerz CC

 

My dad was most definitely a car guy. Everyone called him Pontiac Bob because he had at 1 time 26 Ponchos in his possession. I remember growing up me and my buddies would climb in and out of the cars playing cops and robbers. I miss that man everyday. It's been less than a year. I have his 55 Pontiac 2 door post that he used to pick my mom up from work in and she was too embarrassed to get in so he would roll around the corner to get her. Haha she didn't like the yellow/blue paint job it had. this was his 65 Cat that we drove cross country to visit his family in Boston in.


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Yes, my father was a car guy. He was not a mechanic but he loved automobiles. He even worked for Tucker at one time.

This is him when he ran a hatchery in East Texas during the war.



He's been gone for over thirty years but there is not a day that goes by that I don't think of him.

 

He was, but not so much any more. He owned tons of awesome rides in the day, both motorcycles and cars.

When I was a wee one I'd sit in the garage on an over-turned bucket and watch him work or hand him tools. I sat through a frame off-restoration of a 78' Corvette, lots of work on my brother's 63' C-10 pickup and almost all the way through a street-rod 46' Ford Super Deluxe.

Before those he had a 60's-style T-bucket, two SS Chevelles, a few Yamaha motorbikes, a Norton Commando and others that I need to pick his brain about.

First picture is of little-me when the 46' was half-way done, second is of the 46' as it presently sits. Sadly that was the one that never made it out of the garage. Hopefully I'll have the opportunity to rectify that if the family is willing.

He drives a Chevy Volt now and loves it, before that he had a very quick 03' SVT Cobra. I'm willing to bet he wouldn't say no if I managed to get him a 57' Chevy, but he's a bit tired of working on them and just wants to drive now. I don't blame him, shit is exhausting! LOL

 

Dad (b1917 d2006) was definitely a car guy. He was an avid fan of short track modified and stock car racing. He took me with him to the races for many years when I was young, but never raced himself. Being a sheet metal guy, he did interior aluminum work and brackets for some local racers though. He got the muscle car fever in his 50's and purchased a new '68 302ci Z28 Camaro & later a '70 383 Magnum Barracuda. We worked together hopping up both those cars and he went with me to the drag strip on two different occasions and handed the wheel over to me. He didn't want to deal with the stress of the starting line bulbs & christmas tree. He just wanted to see what they would do and save the best timeslips. The Barracuda did a best of 13.94 spinning all the way through first gear on street tires, and the Camaro went 12.77 on a pair of borrowed 7" stocker slicks. In his 70's he became a Corvette guy until he stopped driving in his 80's. WWII Vet, great father, great husband, and great family man. I sure do miss him. --- Steve ---

 

nope, was not a true car guy. but, really liked looking at Hot Rods, etc. Bought me a project '53 Merc when I was 15 - Calif have to be 16 for license. V8 Flathead needed timing gear replaced and a head gasket. only had basic tools. had know idea about torquing head bolts. so, he just slid an extension piece of pipe on a socket wrench and tighten them as tight as we could. engine ran great.

 

My old man owned a body shop... That's where I got the bug!!

 

Mine wasn't a car guy either. I learned on my own. He would joke about my car in High school having more miles on the motor taking it out of the car and putting it back in than it did from me driving it.

 

My dad was. He gave me this bug. I wish he was still here. Love you dad.

 

Here's my Dad in 1947. He was working on one of his Model T's the day before he died at 83. I'd say he was 100% "car guy". He taught me everything I know. I miss him every day.

 

Thanks so much folks for sharing your stories about your Fathers and the relationship to cars and our passion about them. Great reading with some really interesting pictures.

So I would like to wish everyone a very Happy Fathers Day.

 

Thanks for putting this thread up Offset. A lot of guys (and gals) share the same opionion that they had, or have the best dad in the world. They just had to respond to this thread like I did. --- Steve ---

 

My Dad bought a new Buick every year, usually had less than 2000 miles on em when he got a new one, had it washed twice a year whether it needed it or not. Never changed the oil, didn't need it. Wouldn't let me park my 50 ford in the driveway because "it looked like a piece of junk".
He died Oct 10th 1965 wish I could hear him call my car a piece of shit one more time. Love em while ya got em guys.

 

Nope not really he likes cars but never had any desire to work on them or make them fast or cool (he'd be content with 20 min at a car show).

My uncle was always working on his cars. Drag'd a Vega back before I was born and by the time I was old enough he had started to get pretty deep in depression. He has been slowly coming out of it the last couple years and our cars bond has kept our relationship going through the bad years. Now that he is coming out we are even better. He is more of an original guy he has a couple Pontiacs (52 chieftain and a 50 silverstreak) and every family get together we are usually near each other chatting cars. This hobby and culture really does amazing things.

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Nope. He's got salt water in his blood.

I remember as a kid he bought me a comic book I wanted. It was about auto racing and had Can Am cars on the cover. I thumbed through it and came to a part where a guy drove a stock model T into a barn and drove a T hot rod back out. I had a grin from ear to ear and showed it to my old man. Asked him which version of the car he liked better. He pointed to the stocker.

It was then I realized I must have been the mailman's kid.

 

My dad was a HUGE car guy, but mainly muscle cars, he wasent into hot rods. But I am more into hot rods than muscle cars!

 

nope....... didnt work with tools......

 

My dad died when I was 6 years old, but I know he was into old cars - mostly because he couldn't afford a new one. He had an old 29 Chev ute in the early 50's that Mum said they called 'agony' - apparently he had to fix it a lot, along with his motorbikes.
I don't remember much about him other than that. Ah well, life sucks sometimes for some people - good luck to everyone that's got their dad still.
Cheers.

 

Me and my pops headed to Sunday breakfast awhile back in my coupe, he's not a work on it car guy but always loves to watch roundy round and has sponsored numerous racers over the years. He always tells me about his one "hot rod" before he went in the airforce in 60 somethin and how it was stolen by a buddy to never be returned. He really enjoys my cars and doesn't complain about the noise or smell. Grined from ear to ear when we got sideways through a corner and said you do that often huh..... and had a good laugh.

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Cool! Thanks for posting the pic and video link.

 

My dad has been gone 26 years now First engine I remember tearing down with him was a flathead from a 51 Merc. He was a registered L/M mechanic in the 50's. He would talk about the hot cars he owned as a kid but growing up it was Fords and Chevys, nothing fancy. His last car was a 78 Camaro with a 305 and a 4 speed. He loved tooling around in that thing. He taught me nearly everything I know about cars and construction. I say nearly because there has been stuff I have had to learn on my own I miss him alot. If your dad is still around, say something special to him today.

 

I don't know where I got my love for old cars. My dad did maintenance on his cars but never really was a "car guy". He told me about his old 34 Ford coupe when he was younger because I was asking about old cars in his youth but I had to acquire all my knowledge and experience from either reading magazines or deliberately breaking something so I could fix it.

 

Yes he was. He'd been in the automobile business all his life. My first car was a 55 Ford, and you could put your feet on the ground from a number of places from inside the car. He assured me we could fix it, and over a summer we did. I learned a huge amount that summer and had a great time with my Dad. No matter what crappy old car I drug home he was always there to help, and teach. I got as much of his knowledge as I could, but I'll never be what he was with cars or with me.

 

Nope.

 

Yes. My father has always been a car guy and I'm sure that's what got me into this addicting hobby. He raced a '68 Charger at Minnesota Dragways when he was in his 20's. He has been a member of the MSRA longer than I've been alive. In '78 he purchased a stock 1940 Ford Deluxe Sedan and completed a ground up restoration while I was growing up. Then he built a 1950 Ford 2 coupe. Both of his hotrods are powered by flatheads. We will attend Back To The 50's together next weekend.

 

Only when he was a young guy. As he got older, it died away. I'm hoping to develop enough skill to pass on to my boy. I have no doubt he'll have the love for hot rods and customs.

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My father appreciated cars but was not a 'car guy.' I remember him talking about admiring Duesenbergs and Cad/Allards. He didn't work on them but encouraged me to get my hands dirty whenever I wanted too. I will always be grateful that in 1970 he bought a 1968 Chrysler Town & Country wagon with a 440 and factory duals. I've loved fast station wagons ever since. R.I.P. Dad.

 

I don't think my pop had any interests except sports. couldn't draw a straight line with a ruler and had no mechanical ability or aspirations.

I got my mechanical interest from my Mom, she was always fixing something, to the point that my neices referred to her as "Grandma fix it". she had a 1931 Chevrolet in the 40's that bent push rods on a regular basis and she switched them out herself.