Ladies and Gents, grab a cup of yer favorite brew, and sit back and hear the "Long Strange Tale of the Free Fenderskirts." The LSRU always makes me reflect on what an amazing group of people are here on the H.A.M.B., and this tale, in particular, really caused me to reflect on what a generous, thoughtful, passionate community I am fortunate to be a part of. . . Once Upon A Time. . . Way back in 2009, when I was going full bore on the paint job for the '59 Edsel (which has been forestalled, due to time and $$, as projects always are ), I had made a comment on a thread about wanting to put fenderskirts on the car, but not having the financial resources to do so. . . Tumbleweed Garage (Mark) said he'd gladly donate a pair he had lying around his shop to the cause. Generous, incredibly generous, and he said that he was going to get them out to me before LSRU in 2009. They never arrived. No big deal, I think, because I am certainly not going to get my panties in a bunch over someone's offer of free parts not showing up. Ain't no big thing at all. . . The whole thing slips my mind and I get back to the business of living and driving the '59. Fast forward a year: LSRU 2010. I get a panicked PM from Mark, who is beside himself, apologizing profusely for the oversight. Seems that the box with said fenderskirts was accidentally left in a friend's garage, sat there a year with no-one noticing them. I tell him, NO WORRIES, but he's over the moon upset. Mark's made a point of sending them out to Texas from Cali, with BenD. BenD, apparently, runs into Marcy, in Kansas at a show, hands them off to her, and she brings them back to Giddings, TX, where they sit at her place for another few months. I run into Marcy at LSRU 2010, and she exclaims, "I HAVE YOUR FENDERSKIRTS!" Fenderskirts? What fenderskirts? Oh, yeah -- those fenderskirts! She brings them from Giddings to Austin, and because I'm still working on mechanical stuff on the Edsel (brakes, starter, leaks galore) and have no time to worry about paint, and I stash them in my closet and promptly forget about them until the fall. Fast forward to Day of the Drags, October, 2010. Right before the DOTD, I pull out the skirts and discover, lo and behold, they're Turnpike Cruiser Skirts -- so long that they start somewhere in the middle of my back door, and end about 6 inches beyond my rear bumper. Yeah. Not gonna work. BUT, they're also Gene Winfield skirts. . .and guess who's up at Mercury Charlie's, doing a metal working class? You got it. The man, the legend, the incredibly generous, Gene Winfield, himself. Drag the skirts, which have now traveled from California, to Kansas, to Texas, and explain the whole convoluted story to Gene, who patiently listens to my tale. I ask Gene to sign the skirts so that one can become a club trophy (because a group of the Dallas THEM! guys were at his class) and the other can be auctioned off for charity. Gene smiles, and says, "Well, why don't we stripe'em while we're at it." Open the box, unwrap the bubble wrap (which I hadn't bothered to do before) and discover, they're already striped, but Gene and Merc Charlie get Joe Creep to add additional paint to them, and sign them and Gene sends one off to Dallas with the THEM! guys to use as a club trophy for their show. I leave the other skirt at Merc Charlie's and figure I'll pick it up in the next couple of weeks. . .but as life goes. . .they sit at Merc Charlie's from October until. . . LSRU X: 2011 Stop by Merc Charlie's after the Ski Shores Cruise, and ask about the skirts which I have, again, forgotten about until then. . . Only to discover that they've been sent BACK to California, to Gene's Shop, and have been auctioned off for charity! So: The skirts went from Cali, to Kansas, to Giddings, TX to Austin, back to Cali, right around the corner from where they began. And this never would have happened if it had not been for: Tumbleweed Garage BenD Marcy Gene Winfield Merc Charlie (and his lovely daughter, who's name I cannot remember , but who took care of sending the package back to Gene's Shop) Joe Creep All of whom I cannot begin to thank, for such a bizarre tale, and for helping out, with no expectation of gain, just because of their truly generous spirit and nature. And it has benefitted a club and a charity, rather than just one Edsel Chick with a project car. Amazing, isn't it? The power of the H.A.M.B. I am honoured to call myself a member of this community, once again.
what a tale, glad it worked out in the end. Crowen57 met up with your van a few times but didnt get to meet ya. We were in the wild painted chevy at a.s.s. Missprint, i asked if you were on the lonestar bike sat night at the continental, didn't even realize it was you until awhile later and i put 2 and 2 together. Had a blast at the roundup. pete
Wow!! What an uplifting story!! Mega props to you,MissPrint,for coming up with the idea & to the others who took part!! Tales like this make us all realise how fortunate all of us HAMBers are belonging to this fab' group!!
Great story MissPrint! Funny how things have a way of coming around again. It is a cool thing to belong to this community. I myself have benefitted a couple of times from the connections we make here on the H.A.M.B. A cool thing indeed. Michael
Ironically, I found a pair of skirts (fiberglass) which actually will fit my car after all this falderal. . .cheap. . .so I'm all good in the hood Now I just need to get the primered beast out of primer and into real paint. . .goal is by the end of the summer. . . Uh, Pete? Uh? Van? I'm . . .I'm an Edsel gal, thru and thru. . . And Jerry, I agree. . .not bad for a buncha "hoodlums" Not bad at all. . .
As The World Turns on the H.A.MB. Ain't it great. Good folks taken care of sisters and brothers, what more could be asked. ~sololobo~
The Jalopy Journal
