History I guess it finally happened, I have turned into my grandpa

I don't know when it happened but the older I get, the more I want simplistic, mechanical and repeatable stuff. I used to think the latest gadgetry was cool, but I have been shedding these types of things one at a time. This post probably won't mean a lot to most of you, but it is something I have been struggling with more and more, so I will share it with my closest 300,000 friends.


I am leaning towards the more simplistic things, because I understand them I guess. I tend to research things, to see what is American made and heavy duty.

Laugh if you want, but I just ordered a couple more pair of Roundhouse bib overalls. They are made in Shawnee, Oklahoma by my fellow Okie neighbors. You can buy replacement buttons, loops and adjusters. This sounds crazy I'm sure, but somewhere in the past, we lost our standards. We expect things to be disposable. That's not right.

My grandpa had 5 pair of Dickies work pants, one pair of Redwing ,waffle soled boots and 5 button shirts. He liked what he liked. He always said "Why change a good thing?" Recently, I stepped out of management and I told the wife, I was purging my closet. I caught myself saying I just wanted a few pair of work pants, some bib overalls and a few T shirts.

He and his brothers built the house my dad and his 4 sisters grew up in. That house is still standing. It even got moved 100 miles to his farm in the 70's.

I have been drifting towards a nostalgic view the last 3-5 years. My wife says I am becoming anti-social, I say people just get on my nerves more now.

I don't seem to have the filter anymore. If I think it....it comes out of my mouth and I don't seem to care. I used to get embarrassed when my dad or grandpa would send their food back and have folks make it right, but I get it now. He would say "They have one job to do. I shouldn't have to do it for them. Be good at your skill, no matter what it is."

I have been all about performance and power my entire life and I have been drifting towards original stuff more and more. I never thought I would even consider owning a flathead, but I may just own one soon, if I keep looking.

Here's a pic of my dad,grandpa, my son and myself 10 years ago or longer. I'll end up with the LeGrange hump as well. He passed away 5 years ago at the ripe age of 99. I wished I would have spent more time with him. He had a lot of life experience that I could have tapped into.

4 generations of 35-36 builders. by Roothawg posted Nov 27, 2008 at 8:53 PM

Oh well, things could be worse and get off my lawn you hoodlums!

 

Your not alone..

 

I hear you Mark. I always loved this stuff, but it seems to be in overdrive these last 2 years for me. I have killed all of my social media. The hamb is the only thing I look at now. If I didn't order so much stuff online, I would kill that too.

 

I got this bad habit of shaking my head about today's new generation....
Yeah, guess I'm getting old also....

 

I'm the exact smae. I've made a point to try like hell to buy American made (love my Round House bibs). I use hand tools (again....USA made) way more than power tools. I fix what's broken. I want to retire to the woods where I can live simply, use quality tools (cars included) and provide for my family.

 

EXACTLY!

 

That’s why people should use points distributors,,,,what’s wrong with them,,,they work just fine ,,,,and will always get you home .
Carburetors are perfectly fine if they are clean inside and are tuned correctly.
Now,,,I will admit that I like disc brakes,,,,,the simple ones,,,not the over the top ones,,,but a quality set of drums that are adjusted correctly are just as good .
Regular tires,,,,manual windows,,,heat and defrost,,,that’s about all we really need .

oh yeah,,,Roothawg,,,,,really good pic of your family,,,that’s something to be proud of !

Tommy

 

I know progress marches on, but I think I'll stay right here in 1959.

 

You boys sound like NEIGHBOR MATERIAL. My next door neighbor moved in 4 years ago, wouldn't trade him for 9 deuces.
Yes on the Roundhouse Bibs, we called 'em 'Oklahoma Tuxedos'. Best work togs I ever tried on.
I like to step out of my wife's O.T. BMW with the overalls on...folks look, but don't remark... LOL

 

The hypocrisy on here is laughable. I only use the social media I like that I am on every day asking questions so I don't have to learn stuff the old fashion way. I don't have a cell phone but I have a computer that I am on the internet with everyday . I order stuff online all the time so I can't get rid of the internet.

 

Coolest pic ever. You and I are about the same age. My grandpa would have been 99 this year, he was an awesome human being and WWII vet who taught me so much. He and I (along with my little brother, at times) tore down the '51 ford he had purchased new.....took it to the bare frame and spent a lot of great quality time in his shop working on it. That flathead turned into my avatar pic (once I got out of college and had the funds to rebuild it) and is now powering that same F1. With any luck that little motor will be hauling my brother and I to Bonneville this summer for a bucket list trip.

I think of Grandpa all the time, and especially now as I'm older I can sure see how and why he acted like he did in his older years. Thanks for doing this thread.

 

I was starting to think it was just me. I catch hell for not having a smart phone, a new pickup and all the other modern do-dads that my kids and grandsons think you can not live without these days. I hate this use it up, throw it away then buy another piece of shit to replace it world we live in today. It took me a long time to master enough computer skills to be able to do what little I can do on the internet, about the only "up yo date" thing I do my kids tell me. I have started to not give a damn what others think of what I say or do or the way I live. I joined The Old Bastards Club years ago!!

 

Yep I want to get away from it all, I want a simple life so the first thing I'm going to do is put it on the internet! Lol

 

Golden Oldies are Cool

 

I think I'm there too. More and more, I find myself missing my dad, but seems kind of funny because I am also becoming more like him in what I say, do and likely think. Yes--I have the "filter thing" going on too.
All in all--we could have done worse; at least it sure seems so; right?

 

Whatever dude. I said I have no filter, but look at me go....

 

Its a good thing I live in the sticks because the older I get the more the DILLIGAF kicks in. Its interesting how your attitude about things changes with time.

 

I totally agree. I find myself buying the "lifetime" supply myself nowadays. At 70 it doesn't take a very big pile.

 

Roothawg, you and I could be buddies, except that I am somewhat of an asshole.
What you wrote, and most other posters agreed with, is why I'm here several times a day.
My appreciation for old things that always work has caused friction between me and my ex-wife, and several different girlfriends, especially when I refuse to replace stuff that still works fine.
It never seems to help when I remind them that I do appreciate old things, and that's why I let them hang around with me too.
I don't feel like a hypocrite. I just bought several 60s Almquist and JC Whitney catalogs. When I put this laptop down later tonight, I'll be reading them. My computer doesn't smell nearly as nice as old mags and catalogs smell.
That's the beauty of this joint. We all ( mostly) get each other.

 

Like plug wires????.....

 

There is nothing wrong with the fancy stuff some are into, to each his own. What I find most interesting on old things in general are the innovative mechanics people developed to do what a microprocessor does now. Code is bland, boring and has no sole. Mechanics do have a sole. I understand mechanics, can weld, cut, and fabricate almost anything....except computer boards, debug 7000 sensors to get a car to work right, etc. Hey, we developed the atomic bomb and almost destroyed ourselves with slide rules, cranks, levers and pullies during WWII. That was enough technology.....unless of course you want your refrigerator to monitor all your expiration dates, develop an shopping list, prescribe your nutrition and order the food for home delivery while you watch TV, play video games, and fight incessantly with people on social media...if so, have at it order the Super Fridgerator X4006 with optional hand sanitizer dispenser.

 

I like HP, dogs, and old hot rods as long as they don't have a flat head in them. People, not so much unless they have some common sense, it seems to be in short supply though.

 

Of course, the internet has its uses. But it has its dark side, too. For one, I don't like Mr. Google counting my every keystroke and calculating my thoughts and habits. And in turn, storing and selling the data collected for others to influence me and attempt to sell me crap I might like.
I've said enough about that. Instead, I want to talk about how a Coke tasted better in 1954 and a 2-mile walk to town was an adventure in bugs, buds, and birds. A single watermelon was an "All You Can Eat" treat for a family for a whole afternoon. Sleeping with the window open was a lullaby of night sounds without buying a device made in China that electronically produces white noise. "An Out Of Town Trip" might only happen a couple of times a year...... but that was alright because it was usually a family adventure and that made it a pretty sweet trip. Lawyers were happy to help if you wanted to buy or sell property or write a will. But they would laugh at you if you wanted to sue some hapless manufacturer because you drank solvent or stuck your finger in the fan. With fresh sheets and shirts off the clothesline, you could smell the sunshine for a week. New fangled fabric softener in the dryer just smells but it has nothing to do with the smell of sunshine.

 

I had to stop doing that because it gave me headaches.
But on a positive note.........I found a new hat!

 

Yeah, that won't help. I tried that.

 

My grandfather wore striped bib overalls every day when he farmed but didn't tend to wear them when he wasn't working out in the fields. They were his "work cloths"

Father in law wore them when he wasn't actually working but I figured he just got tired of pulling his pants up.

I'm going to have to look the roundhouse bibs up though as I have to wear suspenders if I don't want to be hitching my pants up all the time as it is. I think I have a life time supply of pants left over from work, They fade but don't seem to wear out.

 

I love it!.....

 

Approaching 75 in April and learning that I ain't got time to mess with all the BS anymore. A few good friends and one good lady who has stuck with me through 55 plus years of shared insanity. A couple of hotrod projects, one mostly 1950s style dragster and one mid 1960s style match racer driver. Can't see where I need much more.

Life is good and I plan on enjoying what I have as well as I can.