Was Anyone Here Actually There?

$ 1.10 a carton for cigs in the PX.

 

deep so-cal 60's

 

I was a teenager in the 50`s,some of my peers believe that was the best time to grow up. I loved cars and trucks since the late 40`s and had a 34 5 window that I hacked up severly.What a fool I was and now I`m 70 and appreciate a lot of vehicles some of which I had owned at one time or another but never had the money or the skills to build a good hot rod.Now I have the skills and some money and may get my avatar finished enough to be proud of.Looking back I too believe the 50`s were the best time to grow up.Someone just posted a link to a video of the 59 National Drags in Detroit,I was there and remember some of the cars and drivers names.

 

Woodstock??... Summer of '69???... No!

 

I started right at the end of the 60's. Helped a friend work on his 62 Corvette, went to Irwindale Drag Strip, bought my first car in 1969 (Renault Dauphine. OK, almost a car) at 15. The next one was a beauty. 1950 Olds 88 4 door with Rocket 303 V8 and hydramatic.

 

I graduated Redmond high [16-17 miles from Bend] in 66. We use to drive to Bend and the weigh station east of town on 97 where we'd leave the main hiway, cruise through the junipers to the Old hiway which was abandoned. It was our drag strip. I'd usualy ride with Jim in his merc powered black 50 ford tudor. We'd put up a valiant effort but the 283/4 speed 55s would just kill us.....he finally went to an early 56 Pontiac hardtop 316/'4 speed slant-pan hydro...he did a lot better with it. I bought his merc speed equiptment for my merc powered 50 crestliner which never saw the street..drove a 56 Olds ragtop in high school and then a 55 ford tudor. Scored a set of chrome wheels from Les Schwab in Redmond with 7 inch cheater slicks for that 55.Thought I was king shit!

 

I was there, I'm gonna be seventy in Dec. Wanted a model A since jr. high (middle school for you youngsters). Finally finished one 3 years ago, it was worth the wait and I drive the stink outa it every weekend and on wednesdays to the car club lunch bunch. It's a father- son project and that makes it even better!

 

Been there done that. Graduated in 66. Drove a 48 Ply coupe in high school.

 

Yes, but that's neither here nor there.
Graduated Highschool in 1957. Got first full time job 1957. Got married 1957. Bought first small house 1957. Bought my first car 1956, a 49 Dodge coupe. Ripped off handles, hood, trunk ornaments, etc and customized it the best I could considering what it was and what I had to work with. Used a small propane tank and lead sticks just the way they did it in the Little Pages. Bought first hobby car, a 1931 Model A coupe, in 1958. Learned to use my Sears stick welder on that poor Model a. Got first wife pregnant 1958.
Never been without at least two or three old cars to play with. Still with that same girlfriend ready to celebrate her 55th wedding anniversary in a few days. Even working long hours, camping, boats, motorcycles, and raising three kids, we've always played with cars. Never a show car. Never a race car. But old cars!
Started going to local drag strips, circle track, stock car, hill climbs, etc as a participant watching car and motorcycle events from what I believe was the beginning.
Right here on "Vintage Trophy Girls" thread I accidentally discovered another forum " Peoria Oldtimers Racing Club", Peoria, Illinois.
Here on this HAMB site, that PORC group, and others I've relived many old memories not possible without this stinkin computer. Met lots of other old farts with great memories sharing great times of what we didn't know were the good ole days, at the time!
Taught couple of my kids to love old cars and we still attend as many shows as these ole bones can handle. The workin on cars has temporaraly stopped, but the brain keeps planning the next project that won't get finished. Believe me, getting them done is not nearly as fun as planning and working on a beat up rusty piece of crap. But the smiles and thumbs up do help when cruisin down the road.
Yes, junk yards ain't the same. Auto parts stores are everywhere, cars are built using catalogs and computers to order shiny new parts to build genuine immitation 32 Fords, Mustangs, and most popular models by shops doing 99% of the work for guys with large checkbooks. Jim Bob, under the shade tree, hasn't got a chance winning first place down at the local car show anymore. But it's always been that way. We just didn't know it back then. Yep I was there and I'm still here.

 

I was there in the 50's and 60's I'm now 71 years old. And I raced a 1950 old's.
Went to high school in Arcadia. By the way, the Old's ran in the 12's. what a great time
To be alive, cruising , drive ins , in-n-out burger , rock n roll , and girls.

 

Been there, done that. I'm 70. Bought my first car in '59. A '40 Ford coupe with a 3/8 X 3/8 flathead. Crewed on a series of T/F cars in the early to late '60's and a couple of cackle cars today.

 

i cruised van nuys blvd, whitter blvd, hollywood blvd, sunset avenue, garey avenue in '67-'69 in my '56 safari... good times.

 

Sure remember all that stuff like it was yesterday.

Many of the guy's were chopping tops and sectioning bodies.

Seemed at that time one of the most popular tail lights to use were off a Packard.

Everyone had grilles with plenty of teeth in them and pancaked hoods with frenched head lights and electric doors.

Interiors were all rolled and pleated in those day's

I still have all the .25 cent small custom car magazines from the 50's and early 60's and yet I am only 39 years old !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just Kidding really 66 but feel 39 and my wife keeps reminding me the boy's grew up and the father never did.

She's right Jimbo

 

I'm with most comments here. Originally from NorCal 1950, moved to the east in early 60's, went to school in New England, the went back to California.
The 50's were absolutely fantastic, the 60's are a little "fuZZY" but street & drag raced alot, 70's I did alot of customizing due to the bad designs of cars, 80's did suck, 90's started building old school rods again, 2000's still kicking.

 

Btt ....

 

Thanks for bumping this back up.
Can't believe there aren't many additions. Still I went back and reread quite a few.
Back at the time I didn't believe those were the good ole days. But compared with today we lived it and didn't even realize they were Happy Days.
Once again, in a month my girlfriend and I will be celebrating 56 years married and 57 together. We still ride around in old cars and occasionally snuggle in the back seat at a drive in movie. Yep we were there and here we are.

 

Watched Garlits shave his beard at the starting line, after winning the nationals at Indy. Cruised Woodward Ave. in the 60's. Bought my first Model A in '67, wish I still had that one. Saw E.J. Potter and his small block chevy powered motorcycle in 66. Attended the nationals every year from 64 to 71. I still have a collection of Hot Rod, Rod and Custom, and Car Craft magazines dating back to about 64. Attended the Detroit Autorama every year from 64 to 72. I lived a couple blocks from The GM tech center in Warren and saw the prototype 63 Sting Ray Corvette pull out of the front entrance of the tech center in 62.

Red

 

I hate facebook but reading some of the posts above is so enjoyable to me I almost wish we had a "like" button

I'm 64.25 years old now so a teen through the 60's and always a motor head. Grew up around all sorts of cars from the 50's and 60's and many pre-40's hot rods, too. Reminiscing is nice and a lot has changed, as it will always continue to do. But I'm still having a lot of fun and think I always will find fun wherever it's hiding. That's FUN-da-mental.

 

Being from pa,talked to a few older hambers and they said the laws were strict for open wheeled cars,and loud pipes,how was it in your state guys?


Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

I'll be turning 67 in a couple of months.
Have memories back to the 50's, all filled with automotive adventures.
It's been a phenomenal ride and getting better every day now that I'm retired with new found time to play with my rides.
I really am living the gear-head life.

 

The Drive In stuff did happen in NE Ohio.We hung out at all the Manners Big Boys from Willoughby to East Cleve. We were able to race on Interstate 90 and 2 before they completed and opened them,the good old days in the 60s
<input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><input jscode="leoInternalChangeDone()" onclick="if(typeof(jsCall)=='function'){jsCall();}else{setTimeout('jsCall()',500);}" id="jsProxy" type="hidden">

 

I was there. This picture was taken in either '65 or '66. I still have the Model A. My friends mostly drove Chevys. Dick had a '56 Nomad. He still has it. Don had a '55 2 door sedan. Greg had a '57 Nomad. Gilmore had an Anglia with a 289. We're all still gear heads.

 

BTT

 

was a Midwest farm boy, had to work on farm, no money and junk car drafted for nam and bought some goodies for my olds powered 53 chev fabricated junk for others for money , took auto body after nam and started business still broke PTSD 2 divorces raced stock car for 18 year, went too college and got 4 year degree, started exhaust shop and was finally making $$$ went through cushmans then motorcycles and got into rodding and got 8 cars some of disrepair but got a fairly nice 53 chev now look on facebook for pics am going tor ISCA championship again this winter time to finally get er dun and its been a wild ride
see you at a show someday

 

I wuz there in L.A. in the '50's. Built my first car, a '40 Ford coupe from a junkyard find in 1957. Had a lot of fun cruising the drive-ins.
Oh yeah, can't forget Lions drag strip watching all the hot dogs strutting around with their red jackets from the "under 10 sec, over 150 mph club. Sure woke them up the day we watched Cook & Bedwell break the record 166 mph.

 

back up

 

I posted in this thread back some years ago,the storys are super,an great that so many had fun. The sad part is now many of these good hotrodders have passed on. God bless all there loved ones. The times were amazing,an building hotrods an customs was the way to have a cool car,for most of us there was no $ way to buy a fairly new car anyway. My own 28A hotrod that I put T-bird V8 in,for highschool in 1959,I do still drive. A big input of cool ideas was from the racetrack{ early 60s} so here a photo of our races.

 

I was definitely there. Attached is a picture that appeared in the local newspaper from the early sixties of our 36 Ford gas class drag car at the Westhampton NY Drag Strip. I'm the skinny guy in the middle. The car originally was flathead powered and later we installed an SBC. Feel sorry for the younger guys who never got to experience what I call the sixties to be the Hay Day of hot rodding. American Graffiti was not a myth thats the way it was.
Gary

 

Well Don, since you "resurrected" this thread, guess I'll put my two cents in. Went to high school in the 50s, graduated in '60. Haunted the United Cigar Store every month for the little books that showed what they were doing in CA. I grew up in upstate NY farming town of 1500 or so, maybe you have heard of it, Rhinebeck. Anyway back then not much in the way of hot rods in town. Went to college in Schenectady, NY in fall of '60 when Shirley was still racing at Fonda and doing her "you beat me, you can have your way with me" tour, so I heard, of the local streets. Built my first hot rod in '62 using a '47 Ford tudor that a local welding shop had rigged up to break in engines for their NASCAR coupe. Got the car, angle iron motor mounts on crossmember for Chev V8 and an Offy adaptor early Ford to Chevy for the princely sum of $50. Built a '57 283 from Volce's salvage yard, Duntov cam and solids ($35) from a Chevy dealer in Albany that had a 24/7 parts room for the circle track guys and got a Corvette dual quad setup from a buddy by swapping him a banjo I inherited from an aunt. Those were the days! Used to go through '39 trannys which cost $15 apiece at Hogan's Salvage in Red Hook.
I sat down at one point and listed all the cars I had between 1960 and 2000 and it brought tears to my eyes, wish I had a lot of them today. Lot of my early pictures were tossed while I was underwater for the nuclear Navy, my mother figured they were just junk.

I guess this thread has legs 11 years later because it is an ode to a bygone era. A great era that I am glad I was involved in. I go to events around NH and they look like nursing home get togethers. Do I have any regrets? Well if Mr. Peabody shows up in his wayback machine, I'd like to go back to June 1960 so I could throw my stuff in a gym bag and take the Greyhound to SoCal. Who knows what that decision might have meant to my life. Don't get me wrong, I have been a lucky SOB over my 74 years but upstate NY paled in comparison to what we referred to as the Holy Land.

 

Great story! I love it. Exactly what this thread is about.................Don.