Hot Rods Living in the past, it ain't so bad

Painted with a wide brush probably none at all. HRP

 

My wife { Jackie }. We were married in 1975, same car and same girl. Yeah we had avocado appliances, and shag carpeting too.

 

BRAVO DANNY! I just saw this and read all 10 pages, smiling all the way. Thanks for another great thread!

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Thank you sir! HRP

 

Tom Jones 8-tracks, Fondue pots, Jarts, and a hook rug kit for those cold winter nights?

 

The year was 1979 ,my grandfather had just passed away, and I had to take my mom from Ohio to Illinois for his funeral. There was a gas shortage at the time, and I was not sure about the availability of fuel on the road. My solution was to take my Model A with a Mullins trailer that had a 40 Ford gas tank inside, outboard boat fuel connectors, and we were on our way. My mom would go anywhere with me, no questions asked. I knew we could go all the way without stopping if we had to. We were about 50 miles into our trip,(in Indiana) when she looked around, and realized for the first time that we were in the hotrod! She asked why, and I answered that this could go all the way on fuel and was the most dependable car we had. She was fine with that and made sure she told all her friends about our trip. Trips nowadays just aren't as much fun as they used to be!

 

Lol...that was great, Danny.
Glad you asked her a second time if she wanted to go for a ride. Like asking someone if they want ice cream. They say "no thanks", but sometimes people just need a little nudge to go ahead and live a little...lol.
Not hot rod related, but we lived on a lake when I was a kid. Good swimming all summer long. One summer Sunday, my mom's dad (Grandpa Ted) was visiting. We were all out at the end of the big dock, us kids diving off the diving board and in and out of the water. Mom and Dad were getting ready to jump in with us. Dad told Grandpa that he should do the same, but Grandpa said "no". He hadn't swam or had even worn a pair of shorts for many many years...lol. I remember my dad saying to him, "C'mon, Ted...LIVE A LITTLE!" I'll be damned if Grandpa didn't put on a pair of trunks. White as you can imagine...lol...he walked out to the end of the diving board and without hesitation, dove right in...
...and proceeded to do one of the worst belly-smackers I've ever seen!!! Omg...lol...poor Gramps came up the ladder and now he was pink from head to toe...LOL!!! I thought he was gonna be done...but he stuck with it and we all had a great time. With my father's encouragement, Grandpa stepped out of his comfort zone for a change and "lived a little" that day. And we made a good memory to share...
...as you did for you and your sister, Danny.

 

my brother asked me a similar question a few years back...

 

woke up late one sat. mornin w. a hangover . walked over to the dresser to grab my wallet etc. but didn't see my car keys . oh hell ,what happened last night ? went to look out the window for my car , and sure as shit ,it was nowhere to be seen . went & asked mom if she saw my car keys ? she said yes, your dad had them & said he was goin for a ride ! Now my head is really starting to ache ! So i go out to the street lookin for him & hear my 400 h.p 63 vette /4 spd. /4:56 posi ,cheater slicks ,hurst shifter etc. cross the intersection w. someone thrashin the gears . OH NO ! pops ,that's not that easy to shift w. heavy duty clutch etc. ( runin high 11's at that time on the street yet ) yeah ,it was beaten ,but never lost ! so now, i actually start running after my dad as he's cruisin & thrashin . i finally gave up ,and waited . well he shows up ,leans out the window & says" where the heck is reverse on this thing ". i said " i don't know i never back down " he laughed & said u park it ! now is the funniest part watching my 69 yr old ,260 lb. dad trying to get out of that car without grimassing ! great memory ( because all the gears still worked fine after bein tortured . ) miss u pops !

 

Dad took my '59 Vette every Sunday morning while I slept of Sat night- always brought it back empty- to my complaint he always laughed and said "paybacks"

 

Our appliances were Harvest Gold but yes to the shag carpet-

 

I brought this thread back up to tell you guys today is my sisters birthday and I took her to lunch but this time I drove Brenda's ranch wagon to her house and convinced her to ride with me, I told her we can keep the windows up & I'll turn on the air, I also told her I would conduct myself in accordance with the accepted norms of a society, another-words I would behave.

I didn't spin any tires or exhibit any geriatric high jinks on the way to the restaurant and when we arrived she said this car is nice and she noticed several people giving us the thumbs up.

After lunch I carried her home but the devil was seated on my shoulder and said, "When the light changes floor it!" the light changed but I stayed calm and eased my way into traffic and carried her back home.

Life pulls us in many different directions and when I get the chance to spend some time with my sister I take advantage of the opportunity.

Now all I need to do is get the '50 Ford coupe up and running and take her for a ride in it. HRP

 

In 1988 I ran into an old friend who asked me in kind of a snide way, “are you still fooling around with those old cars?” Yes. And I still am 40 years later. Not reliving my childhood, just driving what I like.

 

As much as I dislike the term lifestyle the old cars are a big part of my life. HRP

 

Before I was married in 1971, my only car was a 57 post BelAir, 327, 4 speed, etc. and my future wife rode a thousand plus miles with me. After marriage, I gave up rodding for 20 plus years. In the most recent 20 plus years, she hasn’t riden five miles in my hot rods. Glad your sister is slowly converting to enjoy older cars. Job well done.

I still enjoy regular, solo 500+ mile trips in my old cars. I am happy for the continued tolerance of my car building addiction. Another great thread.

 

I don't think my sister will ever be a convert but fortunately Brenda enjoys the old cars as much or more than I do! HRP

 

The next step is to let her drive one.

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Rick my friend HELL will freeze over before that happens, she never learned how to drive with a manual transmission.

Brenda on the other hand will blister tires, she is a hot rodder! HRP

 

I came about yay = close to buying a beautiful '71 Vette last year... I told my uncle Frank about it and he talks me out of it.... Needless to say, I'm still pissed off at him....
He's only a little over a year older than I am.....

 

My wife has always declined a ride in my coupe until a few weeks ago. Her reason for not riding with me is the car has no A/C and if the windows are open her hair will get messed up. The other day we had a cool day and she rode with me to get something at Walmart. I was extra careful not to get squirrely or bang a gear and she loved it.
Hasn't ridden with me since.

 

Not lifestyle but life's blood.

 

I could write a dozen stories about my mom and cars. She's been gone for 16 years now, and I miss her (and Dad) every day. She was born in 1911 and learned to drive on my great-uncle's Model T huckster (there's another story...). One evening, back somewhere in the '90s, I was at her house when a friend of mine called. I happened to answer the phone and he said that my wife had given him the number. Well, OK, no surprise - then he asked to speak to my mom. To back up just a bit, my friend’s dad was a grumpy old Ford junkie who expected his son to know his way around cars. On this particular day, he wanted my friend to drive one of his Model Ts from their garage to wherever he was…

Back to the story: I handed the phone to my mom and listened while she gave my friend detailed instructions on how to start the T and shift the planetary gear box. This after not having driven one for, at the time, well over 50 years. I got a real kick out of it and she kept my buddy from getting dressed-down by his dad.

 

My dad "stole" my first Harley while I was at work, fell over and dented the tank with his knee, told my mom not to tell. (like I wouldn't notice). I'd give my left nut to go back to that day...….they're both dead now.

 

many yrs. ago i picked up my mom in town w. my harley sidecar setup on a sunny sun. . she had a big smile on her face as i helped her in ( she was around 80 at the time ) we then looked up & alot of the neighbors were checking out the scene , coming over & asking her if she was scared ? she said "oh i'm not scared i'm going to a picnic " !! and off we rode " what a great picnic day it was . she lived over 98 yrs. & i don't ever remember her saying she was scared . MISS YA MUM !

 

While working on the 57 in the garage one day my wife ask If I would just put a bench seat in it ,I am assuming she still wants to set close to me.

 

Hey H,
Your sister was in her own world, her side of the picture is a reliable, quality car that does not take the whole week to tune, keep clean, repair and has A/C. When she starts her car, there should not be any worries about starting or getting to the destination with any glitches. As good as any hot rodder can make his/her car, there will always be a glitch or two. Turning the key over, hoping the sound is not a click, click or any other awful noises, should not be something to look forward to on a daily basis. She has her bases covered...

The feeling you get when that key is turned over, can’t quite match a 4 year/50000 mile warranty that guarantees your sister the comfort of being able to carry on with her lifestyle. It is the quality that is built in that sells those cars by the thousands. We can’t lease a 40 Ford Sedan Delivery by the month, either.

These days, when I see an old friend, like at those silly reunions, I am asked if I still like hot rods and drag racing. I give them a pleasant answer and the conversation moves on the the next mysterious subject from a long time ago. No need to get into likes and dislikes at those reunions. After all, we haven’t seen or associated with those old friends for ages, since high school. As far as they were concerned, I still drove those two cars from high school and live in Long Beach.

Jnaki

Living in the past is fine for most, as those memories send sparks inside the brain. We can’t all ride around in a custom 55 Nomad or 40 Ford Sedan Delivery every day, but we can dream… Those memories keep the brain functioning like an old Joe Hunt Vertex Magneto sparking those plugs for some hot times. (My brother’s favorite joke was to have me check the spark plug wires for a tight fit. While the plug end was in my hand getting squeezed, the motor turns over and send my hand flying with a super sharp jolt…ha ha, some joke.)