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Art & Inspiration The stories old cars could tell

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by 36couper, Nov 22, 2014.

  1. 36couper
    Joined: Nov 20, 2002
    Posts: 2,014

    36couper
    Member
    from ontario

    I was tearing into my 1940 Ford pickup today getting it ready to pound the dents out. I came across these initials scratched into the door jam. I'd like to have been a fly on the wall to see "JNA" do this.
    [​IMG]
     
  2. For the last few years I have written my name & address in a hard to find spot on all of the cars that I have owned.
     
  3. kbgreen
    Joined: Jan 12, 2014
    Posts: 341

    kbgreen
    Member
    1. Georgia Hambers

    All of life happened in many of these old cars. Marriage proposals, hot dates, family arguments, Jr's accident on the back seat, groceries for the week, and grandparents riding in something that wasn't invented when they were born in the 1800's, someones last heartbeat. Pretty amazing actually.
     
    36couper and Saxman like this.
  4. I think about this with every old car I have owned. Even though I may never know all the details, sometimes there are clues and it's the closest I can ever get to time travel. More than any other thing, this is what attracts me to old cars.
     
    tb33anda3rd likes this.

  5. junkyardjeff
    Joined: Jul 23, 2005
    Posts: 8,588

    junkyardjeff
    Member

    When walking around in old junkyards I wonder what stories those cars could tell if they could talk.
     
  6. 36couper
    Joined: Nov 20, 2002
    Posts: 2,014

    36couper
    Member
    from ontario

    Well said!
     
  7. Some cars just appear to have had a interesting past. This is true of my model A drag car. You can almost see the ghosts from the past rising off of it.
     
  8. SanDiegoHighwayman
    Joined: Jun 26, 2012
    Posts: 951

    SanDiegoHighwayman
    Member

    Last edited: Nov 22, 2014
  9. I bought a really clean 1961 Impala bubble top about ten years ago.......didn't keep it long.....just had it to pass along.

    When I got it, the front bumper had an odd ball angle up...so to speak, with a mild kink in the front lower fender reveal. Everything else was just tits up.....had the old FingerHut clear plastic covers on the upholstery...which I took off to celebrate near new looking original seating. Spare had never hit the ground. Rear trunk mat, still pliable....and there.

    It was a beautiful old car. White on red. Son said, his dad parked it, and never knew why exactly. Couldn't recall any bumper incidents.

    I flushed the tank, all the fluids, rebuilt the carburetors, new wheel cylinders/new master, put new tires on, new battery, washed and polished every inch......massaged the fender kink, reset the bumper brackets.....you name it.

    Receipt in glove box had a rebuild of the original powerglide transmission 1978. I'm not an automatic guy, but was happy it wasn't leaking....so I guess a good sign....cool for me.

    The day I fired it up was a good day. Found some NOS Mallory points and condenser for its period Mallory dual point. Had the old school Jardine headers blasted/freshly painted/installed for the firing. Resealed the finned W valve covers. Replaced the fuel pump/new fuel line/etc. I was ready to roll.

    Put the original key in the ignition....pumped the pedal.....hit the key on....fired right up........BAM.....right into the work bench. Mother F*c$er !!!!!

    Picked up the phone, and called the kid the next evening......told me the transmission was rebuilt and his dad was too cheap to have it re-installed. "Said he could do it himself and save some money. Towed it home, and put the tranny in himself."

    Well fuck me !! I know why it got parked......I guess he did the same shit I did. All together.....let's hit the ignition !!! Boom !

    Two new headlights, a grille, a painted replacement hood , and a fresh set of auto linkage(bent) later.....and it was on to the next guy.

    "Oh the stories old cars SHOULD tell." I would have listened to the bumper.....
     
    Last edited: Nov 23, 2014
    tbolt-64 likes this.
  10. BamaMav
    Joined: Jun 19, 2011
    Posts: 6,711

    BamaMav
    Member
    from Berry, AL

    Wow Kid, that was a surprise I'm sure! I always hate it when folks forget to tell you things like that when you buy something, whether it was forgot on purpose or accidentally.

    I think kbgreen pretty much said it all, life happened in these old rides. Some good things, some bad, all a part of life. Something different for every one of them.
     
  11. I put my drivers license number all over my car, "CAL OP K409XXX". It is my understanding that this will help the police return the car/parts to you if they are found. Nothing would be worse than having your car stolen, finding it, and then not be able to prove it is yours. Many of the places would require a complete disassembly of the car to find them since my car was in pieces when I started adding numbers.

    Charlie Stephens
     
    Last edited: Nov 22, 2014
  12. When these old cars were new-they were "just cars" for the most part -sure the original owners were proud of them I expect-but noboby was thinking of keeping them forever-they were part and parcel of their lives-weddings,funerals,picnics,vacations,groceries,everyday life-same as most DD's today
     

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