Who got you started?

My older brother told me that I didn't have what it took to get a '52 F1 Panel Truck on the road. I went the gold chainer's way and paid someone to put a subframe on it. Mike Bond of Rockford IL screwed it up so bad that I never did get it on the road. I did however, get the next one, my 57 on the road, by myself.

 

My mom got me into old cars...she bought me, in 94, a 66 stang to start with (don't complain it was really old when I got it), then I did some work on it sold it and bought my F100; I was a lost cause by then....most of my family don't understand why I'm not "normal"...

 

My dad. He can fix anything (cars, tractors, houses, etc...) and loves cars. Always talked about cars; what he likes, what he had, what his buddies had, racing them, wrecking them, etc...

When I was a freshman in HS, my first vehicle was a '79 F 150. I paid for everything and he built it from ground up. At that time, I wasn't smart enough to help out much and actually learn something from him. I had buddies I "needed" to run with. Now I wish he was close to me to help me build my car. He's probably getting tired of me calling all the time to ask questions.

He knows all the 50's and 60's cars. He always talked about a '58 Impala hardtop his buddy wrecked and how he wanted that car. His buddy bought it brand new. One night (actually most of his life) the guy was drunk and wrecked it. It ended up at dad's uncle's place. My dad never had guts to ask about car to see if he could have it. I have no idea why. A couple years ago, I called and tried to buy car for my mom to give to him. Unfortunately it had been crushed in 70's.

Well I had heard enough about that car and was frankly tired of it. I always said, if I get the chance to get the car I want, I'm just going to get it. So when I got the chance to get the car I wanted, my 54, I discussed with wife and we decided just to do it, even though it wasn't best time financially to do so. The deal was good and car was solid. Wasn't going to talk my whole life about car "I wanted" but never bought. It was one of the best decisions I have made.

Now I try use what I did learn from him everyday I work on it: Do what is possible to do yourself, and do it right. If you don't do it right the first time, do it again until it is. Also if you don't know how to do something, at least try to figure it out. So all the mechanical stuff, I'm going to at least attempt and try until I get it right.

 

My dad was definitely the driving force for me gettting into hot rodding. I don't really ever remember "getting into" it. I was just brought up in it.

Then I found the HAMB (via my dad) and got heavily into the traditional stuff.

 

My Dad. Not just cars, but racing. My Dad was a master mechanic, on heavy equipment mostly, but got his start when he quit school after the 6th grade to support his Mom and other brothers and sisters. He eventually became an Indian Motorcycle dealer, and did bikes until long after Indian shut down (the REAL Indian, not these modern knock offs!) He always kept all the Aunt's and Uncle's cars tuned, and did some odd car work for extra $$. When my brother and I turned 16, and we showed an interest in cars, he took us to the track, and said, I'll help you, I'l tune your cars and tow them to the track, but if I ever catch you street racing, you'll never drive again". That was a simple warning that Dad would kick our ass (he was also a Golden Gloves boxer at one time, a good one). We had to buy the car and most of the parts. In '64 we stepped up to Super Stock Dodges with a brand new max wedge. Those were the days! Anyway, it was my Dad. He was a rough man, and we sure didn't get along that great all the time, but he taught me how to deal with people, how to be a good friend and have good friends, etc. He was well respected in the community by all but the worse snobs. Great man.

 

my farther for shore, start the day i left the hospital after being born, i left in a blown bc 57 chev he had recently finished prior to my arrival, i always tell people that was my first taste of it all... from then on, i would sitt in the shed or yard and watch all day long and try guess wat tools he needed next an fetch them first, i would ask him a million questions bout everything, every hour i would tell me "one" car i would one day wanna build... i remember taking notes on wat i had learnt each day... i learnt to start working with him, helping him any way i could, now we both work on cars together, and build some truelly amazing cars, and do some great things together, i think im the luckiest son on earth.

 

I did, started cutting out pictures of cars for a scrap-book when I was 6 yrs. old, then progressed to models . The first engine I took apart was a 55 chevy 265 from my older sisters boyfriends car, I was 14 yrs. old and only had pliers and a cresent wrench. My first car was a 40 opera coupe that I bought from my math teachers son for $125.00 in 1962. Cars have always been a passion for me, I don't have to go any further with that statement on here, you all understand where I'm coming from! It gets in your blood...

 

My brothers. They always had drag cars and I am the youngest. My early years were spent riding in a 63 427 galaxie that was being flat towed to the track. Just told me to NEVER touch the steering wheel while going down the road. Today they would have been arrested for child endangerment! Sheeesh....how did any of us make it to adulthood!

 

My Dad tought me to wrench but he didn't like hot rods, cars were for transportaion only. My older brothers (10 & 12 years older) got me loving cool cars, the oldest was into street racing and the other into shiny paint & tuck & roll. My high school auto shop teacher (he was all into building "show cars" for the ISCA circut) is the one that planted the seed that made me choose building rods and customs as a profession. 40 years later I still visit with that teacher, never lost touch after graduation.

 

My father got me hooked on speed (boats, snowmobiles and super-modifieds), my uncles got me hooked on cars and my grandfather showed us there was honor in knowing how to do things for yourself.

 

When I was young, about 10 years old, we moved next door to a fellow named Emmit Austin. Emmit's best friend was my uncle Leo. My dad's best friend was a fellow named George Warren. My dad was not real interested in cars, but Emmit was the local "Ford hot shot", Uncle Leo was the local street racer that you had to beat to be "King of the Hill", and George was one of the local "Chevy hot shots". I spent the next 10 years going to the drag races with these guys. George went on to a factory sponsored AMX Super Stocker, Emmit had one of the Ford factory Thunder Bolts, and Uncle Leo sold me his '61 Starliner with a 406 in it.
By the way, George and Emmit hated and envied each other and I was expected to "spy on the enemy" all the time. So I was getting favored and spoiled by both sides.
I'm still not sure how I ended up a Chevy guy, but I know how I ended up a hot rodder.

 

My dad did he race stock cars . By day he was body man . I can remember win I was 5 or so I was in his way & he side if I was going to be in his way I was going to work. So I did . I stated prepping new panel for paint . I was 12 or 13 we went on the tool truck and he had bout a body hammer & a dolly & body file for me . He told me if I cudint feel metal that I didet need to bother trying to be a body man. Win I was 14 I bout my ferst car a 51 chevy fast back. I thote I was Bill Hinns . I tride to chop it I faud it up. But I tride . I gess I have to be gafel for that . Becous I have over 20 years of being a body man ouning my oune restrashion shop it. Thanks pop for being in my ass to be good at wot I do.

 

Dave Wren - Drag racer from Missoula Montana - ran 70 Cudas - Kool guy - Jaxx

 

My father got me started. He bought me my first truck with a hot motor in it when I was 15 1966 chevy short. We went to look at cars at a salvage yard but they were all to far gone and he settled on the truck. This passion has allowed me to find my calling in life.

 

A guy that lived at the end of the road I grew up on. Him and his buddy's were aways driving Hot rods and hanging out in his driveway.They did'nt seem to mind the kid on the bike (Me) always hanging around. I wish I could Thank him for turning me on old cars. I don't even remember his name.

 

Myself? I always liked cars and at 8 years old a friend had a toy Bel aire. I thought it was the coolest looking car I had ever seen. It was told it was a 57 Chevy. I started watching out and for years knew where a real one was sitting and made a goal to get it some day. At the age of 13 my sister was doing a school fund raiser and selling magazines- I helped her out and bought a subscription to "Hot Rod". I saved $ working since I was 12 and at 16 I bought my '54 with the help if my grandfather only 2 months before he passed

 

I think it was the very first time I heard a car with a loud muffler!!!!!!!

Also riding my bike past some guy's open garage door about 50 times before he came out and asked me if I wanted to see his Hot Rod.

I jumped off that bike so fast because I really wanted to know everything about it.

After he let me look at it I became a regular visitor and would hand him tools.

When you are young and don't have a father you are eager to learn and that what's really got me going in the right direction.

Jimbo

 

I went for a 10c thrill ride in a Myers Manx metal flake dune buggy ay my primary school fair and that was it - done. Been f¥€ked since!

 

John Pickle and Paul "Kip" Dunn, Over the Hill Gang

 

I started on model cars, moved up from 1:25 scale to 1:1 scale at 14 when I gave $15 that I had saved up for the '38 Ford pickup I still have.

 

Hangin' ' round a bad crowd done it!

 

I guess my uncle Red that's what we called him never new his real or hole name I would go and see him race those micro midgets I was hooked then he stopped racing those when I was young so never got to get in the drivers seat liked I had hoped. His daily driver was a 56 ford truck his shop was full of cool stuff a 40 ford 55 and many other cool shop stuff. Miss him a lot.

 

My brother.... and he still a bad influence...

 

When I was 14 or so I saw a guy building a strange yellow car out back of my Gran's place back in the UK. He kinda took me under his wing and let me help on some of the trivial jobs. Gave me a ride in it when it was finished and hooked me up with a 66 Impala a couple of years later. My first 'yank'.

This is a photo I took of him back then. He is on the right, Guy Gubbins was his name and I only found out two years ago when trying to track him down to say thanks that I had left it just a little bit too late, he died 6 months earlier. He was a star in my books and I owe a lot to him. He was pretty big on the UK scene and there are several pages dedicated to him...

 

My Father, he always was fixing an old car for his daily driver and he owned a Midget racer, grew up at local race tracks. I had the "car/hot rod/race addiction" from day 1 that I can remeber. Made model cars, bought car magazines every chance I had, customized my bicycle, went to car shows etc. My Mother loved to tell the story, when I was 3 or so, They had to hide tools as I would find them and take things apart. They let "help" with racer, but watched me close so I did'nt "help" too much. Always had kool cars from 16 on, junk by todays high standards, but kool for the times. Funny, Nothing has changed, Still play with cars and enjoying it more than ever. John

 

I think my older brother in a weird way. He has never owned an old car, but used to buy hot rod magazine, lowrider, and american rodder once in a while when we were kids. I used to read them.

Later my friend and his dad, who were into muscle cars mainly, taught me that you can work on cars, hop them up at home etc.

Most of the rest has just been through reading and looking at stuff online. I know very few people in real life who are into old cars and even fewer who actually build their own stuff.

 

If you were a kid growing up in...say as late as the early '60s...you didn't really need a particular person to get you started with hot rods. The car culture was so popular and visible, that it was just a matter of being exposed to whatever happened to come rumbling down the street, or what was in the media.

 

His name was Leonard Redwine. I was about 12 in my parents front yard on a saturday afternoon and I heard a rumbling coming up the street. It was Leonard in his completely home built 34 all steel ford. He was then (I learned later) running fenderless with big and littles on Hilterbrands with a chop top and a 33 grill shell. I thought that was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. He was wearing his hollywood sunglasses and doing the Billy Gibbons arm dangling out the window(no offense Billy). I am still trying to save up to build one just like it. Leonard past a few years ago and I still think of him offen and what he did for me..


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Two people were major influences in my becoming addicted to cars. The first was a guy named Lloyd Hammond who built this car in his garage about six houses down from me in Rialto, CA when I was 12 or 13 years old.

The next was my good friend Dick Patterson and his Model A Coupe who lived a few blocks away in Rialto, CA. Also Ron Aguirre of XSonic Corvette Fame lived just a block or so away. So I was kinda surrounded by some of the best.

 

My uncle drove sprint cars for a guy by the name of Lloyd Shaw from Toronto. My uncle was an accomplished artist although the did not spend much time with it. When I was a kid he used to draw me pictures of sprint cars that I just loved and somewhere along the line managed to lose.

The other influence was my buddies brother in law Brooke DeShaw (rip). Brooke always had cool cars, Olds powered 31 Chev, F/S 63 Impala and a stunning 23T B/A roadster. He always had time for us even though we were probably a real PIA. When I built the new 327 for my Austin Healey Brooke led me through the steps. He was a great guy and certainly had the biggest influence on me with cars.

Some great stories folks.