It is no secret that there is no cure for Old Car Fever. Just gotta keep bringing them home. I thank my dad for infecting me at a young age, and I did them same for my son, Brian. Here are a couple of pictures of my dad and his two favorite rides. Guess that is why I built a 36 coupe, and it is the first car I remember riding in. Wish he could have seen my 36, but unfortunately he went missing in Oct. 2000.
Definitely my dad!! And growing up around first 22 acres and then 40 acres of cars didn't hurt either since he has had an auto salvage yard since the early 60's. So I was the only kid living in the country in our area that wasn't a farm kid.
Back in 1963 I played in a band whose keyboard player had a beautiful customised 36 5W. I loved that car, and went out and got my own hot rod. A couple of years later I was to own that 36.
i definitely did not get it from my dad , he thought cars were just transportation. i have loved old cars as long as i can remember..got my first Model A ford at 16 and 40 years later still messing with them
the only thing I can figure is that somehow HOT WHEELS warped my brain when they came out in 67. I was 7.
A Close Family Friend got me into Hot Rods, he owned a 57 Chevy and a few other Mustangs etc.I think what really did it for me was when I was 16, he took me to Graffiti Night in Modesto,Ca and we cruised Mc Henry Blvd and raced a a couple cars from street light to street light..
My dad and grandfather, Dad always talked about his 48 merc (had before he got married), my grandfather had a garage and dad worked for him so I was always around cars, my grandfather always seemed to have a 47 or 48 chevy sedan delivery around for his shop truck. guess that planted the seed for the delivery I have had for 34 years
Definitely uncle Ray. My pops passed away when I was real young, and my uncle is 15 years older than me. I remember all the model cars in his room when I was about 2 or 3 years old. He had a pontiac, a 67 mercury cougar, a 64 impala, and a 56 cameo. I remember he drove my grandmothers 64 fairlane (which ended up being my first car when I turned 16) from Abq. to LA. I always loved the smell of the old cars and the attention you get on the road. nothing beats the bench seats!
My dad owned a speed shop in St. Paul MN. when I was a kid. Transportation in our house consisted of Two "T" buckets, (dads was green M/F, moms moms was purple M/F) a Lathem blown '63 Jag XKE, a chopped '57 Ranchero, a '40 deluxe coupe, a new silver T-bird ('67) with ansen sprints lowered a bit. So my interests were absolutely predetermined! The tough part was staying a part of this stuff after my parents divorced, and mom remarried, and moved us to Az. Stepdad is one of the best guys ever, but cars just were not part of the program. My connection to this soon became the magazines on the racks, which I have bought religiously since I was about eight. At about ten or so I stated to notice that some of the guys in the nieborhood were street rodders, and asked if I could watch and learn. Fred Adrian, Don Dohr, Frank Shafer, Lee Lebhart dragged me along to so many runs and shows, I can never thank them enough.
Dad is totally responsible for infectin me. I paid him back though. Years before I got my license, my buddies an I would ride our bikes all over hells half acre lookin for vintage tin. I'd whine until Dad went to the "Find" with me,only to find out the owner was gonna "restore it" or "they were saving it for the grandson"
When I was a little kid, my next door neighbor, (1 of 2 hotties) had a boyfriend, looked kinda like jesus, He had a 41 Willy's Gasser, named Midnight Auto Sales, I used to stare at this car in awe, drew pictures of it in class when I was Supposed to be studying, His Name was Chuck Ples, I wonder if there are any pictures of that car around? Ahhhhh someday I will own a 41 Willys and paint it blue just like his ! Hemi and wheel well headers too !
that is the car that did it for me my dad bulit that car when i was a little boy then sold it, after 17 years i found it sitting in a little garage and was able to buy it back in aug of 2004. my dad helped me get it back in shape and its just the same as i remember it when i was 4 years old.its great having my dads old hot rod.
Several years ago we were loading a 60 Ford panal truck we bought and a phone repairman asked why we bought it. Simple answer....old car fever. It just gets into your blood and stays like the ever ready bunny. I am glad I have it and don't know what I would do if my dad hadn't gotten me interested in cars. Fishing, hunting, camping are ok, but they don't come close to being a part of the car culture...especially the HAMB.
When I was about eight years old, my Dad had a 41' Ford pickup with an olds rocket in it, dummy spots, Moon discs, painted Firengine Red with red and white tuck and roll, BUT MY MOM HAD A LOVE OF CARS THAT FAR EXCEEDED HIS. SHE HELPED ME PAINT MY 1ST CAR AND WE WENT TO MANY, MANY CAR SHOWS AS A FAMILY !!!!!! I LOST THEM BOTH IN 87' TO A CAR ACCIDENT AND I MISS THEM EVERYDAY.
I'd say it was a neighbor way back in 1959 when I was 8. He had a '56 Corvette and washed and waxed it almost everyday. Of course I was there to "help". He built a model of his car and gave it to me for a birthday gift. I was hooked ever since. I still have the model in my office after all these years. I could loose anything cars except for that model. As a kid I built well over a hundred model cars until I bought my first hot rod with his help... A 1940 Ford Opera Coupe with a 53 Merc flathead and 39 transmission rolling on spray painted silver reversed wheels and straight pipes. This was my high school car for my junior and senior years. He has long passed but I will never forget him as he laid down my foundation for my love of hot rods.
My dad as well. He could identify ANYTHING before the mid 60's, then, after that, he said they all "looked alike". He had a hard time know which end of a screw driver to use too so that MADE me figure it out on my own. I've swapped engines, carbs etc but I watched my buddy rebuild a 1 barrel carb and had a hard time figuring out what all of those springs and check balls and such were for.
Some kids raised with gloves & bats, me a wrench. Pop always had something going on in the shop. Took me to the drags and dirt tracks. Helped me build our winning stock car and some cool street rods. Pop is my hero. Always has been. Always will be. He's building a 51 Ford P/U now. Keeps him young.
Neighbor around the block had a '39 Chevy hot rod. SBC, 3 2's, stick, steelies.....righteous! I wandered over when I was about 10. Hook set! I still tell him that car owes me lotsa $$$. Thanks, Budd.
My Grandfather started it in the 40s hes passed now I need to get to my grandmother and see if I can get some old photos , But my dad is an auto tech teacher at the local high school and has always built hot rods and hes the one who infected me I remember getting woken up early in the morning as a little tike to go to shoes and swap meets now I take my son to do the same.
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