I've been thinking about this for awhile, and I'd like to see pictures of the men who preceded us, with their cars. Not just pics, but tell us what you know about them. I'll start-- My Grandfather, Marvin LaVerne Werth. Christmas 1951, Long Beach California. Judging by the state of his shirt, I'd say he just got off of work at Ford's Long Beach assembly plant. He'd come from the Family farm in Wisconsin a couple of years before and got a good paying job as a welder for Ford, before he went on to commercial fishing, welding in the shipyards, and maintaining the BIG vehicles that were building the highways out thru the desert. He was my fishing buddy, car guru, and best pal for most of my younger days. The smart, tough, and kind man that I don't meet too often any more. Was killed 13 years ago by a maniac with a rifle. Miss him damn near every day.
My pop, born in 41'. served in vietnam as a Deuce and a half driver. always been a car nut and a lil' shit. grew up always racing something on woodward or the surrounding areas, weather it be a 51' chevy four door, or a 57' chevy two door, to and 57' Anglia Panel truck with a 10% set back. he's had a LOT of cars, we stoped counting after he hit 41 cars and that was about 10 years ago. he rarely keeps a car for long periods of time, he builds it up, enjoys it, then moves on to another, thankfully i've kept him with the 56'. he's the one who gave me the knowlage i have and opened my eye to the vintage car world. First memory i really have is riding with him to car shows in his ridiculosly chopped 34' ford 5 window, typical 90's hot rod, no fenders, bright orange and full sized micky t's out back with front runners on Mustang II, but it was sick, even with the seat right on the floor no risers, my short ass had to tell him when the light changed if he pulled up to far. He's a big influence in my life even if we bash heads more then seldom.
my dad, daryl age 52 is the one who got me to what i have and who i am today...he owns a shop with all the tools i needed to get going and he let me stay there and use all of his materials for my first hotrods..he has his own 65 chevy nova all prostreeted that he built from the ground up and about 30+ other muscle cars..he is where i get my mechanical inclination from we were best friends until the past few years..he seems to be caught up too much in women who use him and drag him down more and more each day..now i cant hardly ever talk to him on the phone much less see him..hope he comes out of that stage and me and him can get a project together
My Dad in his second Kurtis midget in 1947. He started his life long obsession with cars when he started driving his dad's Model T at 9 years old in 1924. The second picture shows him with the last car he worked on, a 1913 T touring, a week before he died in 2000. He was 83 years old, and still building cars. He passed that passion on to me and my brothers. Thanks Pop.
My Ol man. His first old car was a 1923 Model T touring car. He got it in the early 80's, was going to make a T bucket out of it. After talking Model T's with my Grandpa Roy, he decided to do it stock. It was all down hill from there. My Dad and I
I love where this is going. Really cool. Chris, it looks like you and I are about the same age. That timeframe looks pretty familiar to me.
My dad 1956 LA Now (not the same 40 ) My mom has a photo of my grandfather standing next to his black 33 three window. I need to get that from her.
My dad got me started Here is a picture of both of our cars finished about the same time. He (we) Didnt start building cars until I turned 15 He was a enduro racer (motorcycles) back in the day, I got my first bike when I was 6 rode/raced till I turned 15 and wrecked my third bike in a year. Guessed cars are safer so made the switch. Havent looked back but I do miss the bikes sometimes. Im away at College So dont have acess to the old motorbike pics sorry.
Grandfather had a horse. Both he and the horse are still dead. My dads first car was a 1953 Chevy 2 door. Green. Used. Although he did have a Indian when he was stationed in Guam in his stint in the Navy. Glamour Navy, LST's. Will see if I have any pics.
My Dad: My father and his HEMI powered, chopped & channeled '32 5wd Coupe (North Dakota, circa 1958) Summer of 1980 (enroute to the NSRA Nats in Memphis) ... The coupe's return to its "birthplace" (it hadn't been back in ND since leaving the Midwest in 1962) ... still looking for a decent pic of my Grandfather with his car(s).
the first recollection i have of any car was my dad's 52 chevy. i actually learned how to drive a 3 on the tree, sitting on his lap. he was a chevy guy until 1978 when he bought himself a cutlass. dad had a bad heart condition, but always loved working on his cars. he would be out there washing and waxing when he couldnt do much of anything else. he's been gone 23 years. would be 100 years old this dec. great guy.
Very cool thread idea. I should see if my little sister can email me some photos of my Dad, and look for some of my Grandpa.
It is a good/cool thread idea ... and variations on the concept have been done here before ... my favorite is Dean Lowe's "Cool Dads" thread (click HERE).
Replying to keep it fresh. Love this thread. I'm going to have to dig through some of my dads old racing pics to scan and post here. We're doing a father and son build of the wagon.
Great thread. Great idea. My Dad could care less about cars, as long as they were new. I think that may be one reason I love cars so much. Anyway he was a class act, a veteran of WWII and I miss him. Slim
I don't have any pics right now since I am at work, but my dad was always a Buick man. He had a couple of old ones back in the day ( a '29 and '37) but his first new one was a '52 with a strait eight, my uncle told me that when he (my Dad) bought that new car he drove it back to the ranch from L.A. to take his little brother for a ride. Uncle Frank said dad scared the sh*# out of him on the gravle country roads doing 100 mph and jumping RR tracks. The first car they had together was a Model T that my dad got at age 12 for $5. Unfortunatly my dad always traded in his old car on the new one so we don't have a line of old klunkers out on the farm, too bad I would have loved to got my hands on the '52 and '59 Buicks or even Grandmas' '17 Buick. Oh well!
Great topic. My dad is one of the best mechanics I know, but never a hot rodder and rarely brakes the speed limit. God forbid he ever race or abuse a car. But he taught me to respect cars, how they work, and how to work on them. There was always an old car around when I was growing up, but always a stocker. I'll have to scan the picture of him, my grandpa, and me running the old '37 Chevy in a parade. My grandpa on the other hand wasn't much of a mechanic, but he loved a fast car and loved to drive. I grew up hearing stories about everything from him stealing a Jeep while in Army training in So-Cal during WWII to drive to Mexico to pick up beer and tequila to him street racing his Hemi powered '57 Lancer Royal. He swore that Dodge shut down the hottest '57 Chevy in town and would put the back bumper on the ground when it launched. Great bench racing right there. He had me behind the wheel before I was 10! After he gave up driving he used to still find excuses for me to go drive him around through the back roads. So I guess I'm a product of both of those influences, hope I can make the most of it. Dad just smiles and asks me what I'm working on now. We lost Pa in 2000, man I would give anything to take him for a ride through the country again.
My Dad and his tudor racecar about 1957 Dad's '50 custom from the 1957 Hartford autorama. Dad and my Daughter in front of his roadster at about 45 degrees. The roadster should hit 100,000 miles next week on the way back to VT from Louisville via Georgia. He's driven it to California and Bonneville too. He's a ruler.
My dad was a WWII & Korean War Vet.He served on Guadacanal and with Merrills Marauders in WWII.Here is a pic of my dad(Charles Beck) on the left at the Indy 500 in 1938 with his best friend Dick Grady,they were both 15 and hitch hiked there from Peru,Indiana.The other pic is of his woody in LA in the 50's.
My grandpa Earl was a kick. Grouchy but fun. He always bought German cars after WWII. I remember him arguing at a gas station about putting diesel in his Mercedes. Him and his brother wired the 1st neon sign in Vegas at the Oasis Cafe. Here's grandpa visiting relatives in 1932. Visalia, California My g-pa had a camera from age 10 and i have a large suitcase full of photos. Below is my dad about 1939 or 1940. Check out the fold-up seat on his scooter by the front wheel. They don't make them like that anymore. Dads or scooters. Marsfield,Oregon, near Coos Bay, My dad and mom before I came along. 1953 in front of his 39 Merc convert. It burned in his garage a year later. Lindsay California. He had some cool cars but always bought them 'done'. His passion turned to outboard boat racing in the early 60's Gold Beach Oregon. My dad fought alcoholism his entire life and that's what killed him. Miss 'ya Dad.......
In order, 1 My great grandfather's model T--2 my grandfathers '33 willys--3 grandfathers new 48 Mercury cpe.--4 Fathers '39 plymouth 2 dr. sedan--5 Fathers '41 Buick 4 dr.sedan (all during WWII)--6 '49 Buick 4 dr.sedan new-- 7 ditto--8 '52 Buick 2 dr. hardtop.-----------Don
my g/gpa + g/pa + uncles before my g/pa worked for henry . hauled frieght , then got a AA to haul to the docks in long beach . just before the depression . .. steve
My Grandfather, Joe Burke, passed away in '68. I was born in '74 so I never knew the guy. I know he was a design/engineer for a sheet metal company that primarily built restaurants (Denny's, Bob's Big Boy's, etc...). And was all about cars/hot rods. My dad kept the '29 Ford his dad bought a few years before he died. Eventually I got my hands on it and am enjoying it everyday!! My grandfather and his brand-new 1959 TR3-A: Here's the '29 when he first brought it home: And here's the '29 today:
my dad and all4 uncles were and are all gearheads and hotrodders! here i am on the fender of my dad's 40 coach with J2, 3 2's, and lake pipes in about 1957!
My dad has an album on my page. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/album.php?albumid=135 I'd like to get more pictures from my mom to scan... I credit him for damn near all my good traits... Love you dad.
My dad in the early/ mid 50's with his 33 coupe and home-made roadster. 2007 in his 36 Ford cabriolet My grandpa drove a dirt track Model T speedster with a riding mechanic in Wisconsin in the 20s-30s but I don't have any photos of it.
Bel-Aire 2 door hardtop, black and silver original interior. It was metallic heather so I had it painted a GTO greenish/blue. Can't imagine how this happened but...The 283 sucked a valve, the head of the valve stuck in the top of the piston, cracked the block so I bought a brand new 365 hp 327 short block from Gotelli's Speed Shop right down the street and installed it, Dad paid $250. I bought a 57 Chevy station wagon for $125 so I could take the entire rear end and suspension out and trade it with his. It gave it 411s and more leaf springs, gave it a slight rake. Sold the wagon for $125, free parts. Days of energy! Bought some chrome rims for it, of course a stereo, all this back in 1966. Next plans for it was a Muncie 4-speed but I got drafted and never saw the car again; wish I had it now, Mick
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