I used to go to this one Saturday night cruise behind a burger place. I'm hungry so I go get a burger, fries and a Coke. I set myself up on the fender of my Ford and start to eat. People would come by, ask me what year the car was.. I'd tell them no idea, I'm just having my dinner here. I'd have napkins tucked under the wiper arm so they wouldn't blow away.
My brother who now is 74 was a old car nut in his early years. He finally bought a beautiful 61 impala a month ago. I normally never do shows but he asked me to hit one with him last week. I took him to a cruise in. Funny he looked at me and said this ain’t a cruise in. I asked why. He said back in the day everyone parked along the perimeter and watch all the cars drive through in the center of the lot. Funny thing. He was right.
I was working at a hot rod shop for a couple years, this was a very high end "show car" shop. Many SEMA and Detroit awards. So one afternoon i'm headed out to the parking lot to leave, and there's the owner sitting on my hood talking to one of the guys. My car was only a couple years old, was $65k, and had a factory aluminum hood. Not a classic but not a beater (not that it should matter). The shop owner, who was a serious builder/painter acted like it was no big deal. I pointed out his ass had dented my aluminum hood and he just shrugged it off. So I informed him that dent just cost him $3000/wk because I no longer worked there (his cut after my salary). I got in and drove off with both of them looking puzzled. It's not just random people who don't have respect, unfortunatley it can be anyone.
He is not my friend but I hang with the guy at car events he watches his car like a hawk. If anything comes close to disrespecting his ride at a car show he will go off like a lit stick of dynamite. He will at the very least embarrass the s#@t out of the offender and on 2 occasions has come close to blows. I was raised to be respectful of other people’s stuff but for those those people that aren’t — watch out!!
For some reason my '56 attracts nice ladies in their 80's and they always nice with stories and I've taken many a photo both in and out of the car. It also attracts "Rockabilly girls too which is really OK by me. While cooking at an Elks Lodge gathering, one of the member had one with him who wanted to do some photos and I couldn't leave the grille. A few who knew me panicked a little but my wife who was there also said I had given permission.... I wish I was on the photo list..
Let me start by saying my wife was never really a car person, nor is anyone in her family. The day we got married I got a whole new family of vehicles to repair on a regular basis. But that is a story for another time. We had the sedan for about a year or two at the time and was at a very large car cruise. As we were walking with the kids, my wife said she was heading back to the car to go sit down and get out of the sun for a while. Of course, I said go ahead and I will meet you back at the car. The kids and I walked around for a bit more and headed back to the car. The next thing I know I see my oldest daughter make a quick turn and start walking the wrong direction. Of course I ask where is she going, she replies saying she is going to the car. I say, you are going the wrong way we are parked further down. She laughs at me and says I am silly and trying to to trick her because she sees her mom sitting in the car over there and points. Sure enough my wife was sitting in a black primer sedan with flames on the front. Only two problems. It had four doors and was a 48 chevy, not a 47 ford. I walked over to try to get her out of the car before someone noticed her in there, but it was too late. The people who owned the car were sitting behind it and my wife was sleeping in the front seat. Well, this conversation got real awkward real quick. Fortunately the people who owned the car were very nice. The man said to me he figured someone would come by and claim her eventually. His wife said she looked peaceful and figured she would let my wife rest for a while. When I rolled up with the stroller with my youngest of three daughters in it, the lady laughed and said she now knows why my wife was sleeping in their car. I explained the fact that we have a 47 ford sedan with the appearance, they both laughed and the laughter woke my wife up. Needless to say she was very embarrassed about the whole situation and extremely confused. The owners of the chevy never let her live it down and would remind her that their car has four doors while ours has two on a regular basis. I have never had this problem with random people, my car doesn't have door handles and people have no idea how to get in.
The following is a true story, the religion was changed to protect the agnostics. Back when I was a teen, during a rare moment when I was actually tuned in to the preacher for a minute or two, he told the congregation of a happening that past week that set the framework for his sermon that Sunday. Pulling into his own driveway one afternoon that proceeding week he parked next to a car he did not recognize. When he exited his car the door flew open and abruptly into the other vehicle. He remarked that it did hit hard enough to leave a small dent and marred the finish. The other car, as it turned out, belonged to his daughter's suitor who had come calling. The young man, in the car at the time, was angered and confronted the preacher about the damage. I don't remember the outcome or if there was any resolution, all I remember was the point the preacher was making with his tale. It was not that we should take care of our brother's possessions as we would our own, it was not about respect for others and their property, rather it was to belittle the young man for becoming upset about the trivial damage to a physical object of concern only to "earthly minded" persons. I remember nothing else from that sermon, but that example and "lesson" has stuck with me for a lifetime (and not the one he meant to make). A lot of people have elevated themselves to a level that supersedes mere respect of others and property ownership, in their mind they are not the problem...we are, and that scares me just a little.
I had just got my new black S-10 back from getting the hood louvered and repainted. Went out to the local meat market (bar), had a couple drinks and when the band took a break I went out to the parking lot to get some fresh air, some douchebag is cutting coke on my hood, takes up a line and goes "there's a toot on your hood". Took some work to get those razor lines out.
A little different view.... More than once I have seen people lean into a car, not touching, with a cup of beer in their hand, Yep, spilled beer into door and/or interior of car! Messy!
I was at a little show at the local airport last Saturday. When I am standing close to the car for some reason and a little kid comes up I will offer him a chance to sit inside. This is, of course, only done with a parent close by. I'm not a fan of going to jail. Any how, a kid about 8 comes up with his mother and looks in the car. Like a dumb ass I offer to let him sit in the car. His mother says it is ok and I open the door. Junior gets in the car feet first on my new interior and is walking around on the front seat and climbing into the back seat. I ask Junior's mother to either make him sit down or get out of the car and she replies that he is not hurting anything. I pondered my options and realized that I still don't want to go to jail so I just stood there. Eventually she told Junior it was time to get out and they walked off. No thank you, sorry for his lack of breeding, or kiss my ass. Maybe Junior did not learn a lesson but ol' Larry surely did.
My loved ones ( including dogs ) are so much more important to me than any car will ever be. I get a lot of enjoyment out of old cars but in the end they are just things. People should always be respectful of other people’s property. I don’t know what else to say.
Apparently it must be taught as it does not seem to come naturally. The mother was the in the wrong and not the kid.
The Jalopy Journal
