Folks Of Interest Veterans..Did you leave a car in someone's care when you went into service?

When I started thinking about this question I thought it more geared to the older veterans but I would think it would apply to the younger veterans as well.

When you left home did you have a car that was near and dear to you and you entrusted a family member to take care of it until you returned.

I was fortunate that my dad took care of my car and drove it occasionally but I had a friend that he did the same thing with a 63 split window Corvette and when he returned his younger brother had slipped out of the house and went for a joy ride and wrapped it around a tree,thankfully he only received minor injury's in the accident,6 months later his brother came home to a wadded up pile in the back yard,he was not a happy camper.

One more story,a close friend of mine has a older brother that was in the marines at the time and he left explicit rules that his brother not to touch the car,it was a 64 Malibu,327,4 speed.

Obviously he didn't heed the rules and drove the car almost every weekend,but one Saturday night a young kid ran a red light and did a good bit of damage to the drivers side quarter panel.

Panic set in and he told me his brother was due home the following week,he started calling everyone he knew looking for help repairing the car and finally made a deal with a mutual acquaintance of his brother to work for him for free as long as it took to pay for the repairs and it needed to be done within the next few day.

The repairs we done and to be honest you couldn't tell the car had been wrecked,his brother returned and after he looked the car over said the car looked better than when he left..my buddy lied through his teeth and said he had washed and waxed the car and detailed it as a coming home present.

The man still owns the Malibu and a few years ago completely restored the car including stripping the paint and it was obvious the car had been involved in a accident and knowing he purchased it new from the Chevy dealer, the truth came out after 45 years. HRP

 

Boy can I relate. I,knew my brothers, I chained my 55 royal blue with a 327, and gave my dad the keys. My brother got to Vietnam nam, just before I left. I asked about my car, he said the wheels (chrome) were shined , and the motor ran good. I got home the wheels were stacked in the corner and the motor was sitting on a tire.

 

When I joined the Corps in 1965 I was living at the time with an Uncle and his family in Arkansas. We drove my old 40 Ford to Dallas to the recruiting station there. After all of the paper work was done I was going to MCRD San Diego for boot camp. My Uncle was going back to Arkansas, he would not drive that old 40 Ford home. I didn't have anywhere to put it and knew no one in Dallas. I left the next day and that old 40 Ford was setting in downtown Dallas on the street. Never ever found out what happened to it.

 

My uncle went in the Navy in 1964 and left his 64 Impala with his dad,when he returned his dad had sold his car. HRP

 

I had swapped a 56 Chevy 210 to a married friend straight across for a 57 Bel Air convertible in June of 66. I left for the Air Force in August of 66 and never saw the 57 again

 

When I got drafted I sold my beautiful 62 Impala to a pal. I gave my MGA to my brother.......and he traded it for a Corvair!

A Battery, 4/77th Aerial Rocket Artillery, 101st Airborne Div.

 

I enlisted in the Navy immediately after High School graduation in 1980 and left my mild custom '53 Chevy Bel Air Hardtop in my Dad's friend's barn.
Dad made me sell it four years later to help pay for college.. But I was big into sport bikes at the time so didn't push back much.

 

I left my Austin Healey 100-6 behind in '67. My folks sold it out from under me a couple of months later! Errrrrr. Gary

 

I got drafted late summer of '66. Being the youngest of 3 brothers I decided to sell my 55 Nomad, (the car in my avatar) for obvious reasons. Knowing how I hated to sell it, my Dad found another one while I was away. It was a '57, one lady owner. He bought it and drove it, and liked it so much he kept it and gave me his '63 Imp HT when I returned from 'Nam.

 

Left my 1960 Austin Healey 3000 (#86) behind my mother's house covered and on blocks on my way to Vietnam. Found it uncovered with dogs sleeping in it, gauges knocked out and floorboard rusted out. In one of my less lucid moments I sold the drivetrain and scrapped the rest.

 

Yep and it wasn't there when I got back. Veloce Spyder, who wants that old foreign crap anyway?

 

I have a different story. In my home town I found a 1953 corvette setting in a yard. Stopped and asked about it. The owner said his son was in the military and was killed and the car was not for sale. The car had less than 10K miles on it and was sinking in the ground. Last time I saw it about 10 years ago it had sunk down below the rockers. It will never be sold. It's a shame but I can understand.


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My Air Force Uncle had a 1968 Camaro when he shipped to Viet Nam in 1969.(second tour) Left it in my dad's care because he knew my dad would take care of it. He told my dad to drive it and he did drive it. Took very good care of it..... When ever I deployed, our cars were left on post in a corral with guards to protect them. Anyone caught attempting to break in were taken care of by the UCMJ...... U.S. Army M.P. 1976-2014. 101st, 7th ID Light, Southern Command Panama, 1st ID, 82nd Airborne. Always Division!

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When I went in the Army in January 1971 I had a real nice '67 Cutlass Supreme with the 300 horse 330 and 4 speed. My dad drove it for several months and then sold it a week before I came home on leave to get it. I was going to drive it down to Fort Benning, GA so instead I bought a '63 Pontiac for $125 and drove it down there from Waukegan, IL. It used 22 quarts of oil on the 700 mile drive but it was better than taking the bus which my dad had ordered me to do. I couldn't blame my dad for selling the Olds because I was only taking home $102 a month and couldn't afford to make the payments. The Pontiac died a couple of months later so I bought a Suzuki 120....

 

I don't have, or know any military/car stories, but I just want to say a giant thankyou and that I have the utmost respect to all who served for our freedoms. Those who have, have paid some very high prices to serve, including loss of cars, friends, families and lives. None of us should take those sacrifices for granted.
We now return to your regular programming.

 

Saw the draft headed in my direction so didn't bother to make an upgrade swap from my original '54 Customline 2 dr. that I had run for 4 yrs. Didn't catch me for 2, I showed 'em and joined the Hooligan Navy for 4! Wound up back in MA pounding sand on Plum Island [not my duty or location choice]. Used my M/C for liberty transport the first summer and then patched the old Ford together for one last winter, ran the bike again the next summer and that fall picked up another '54 Customline that the PO had built with a 352. Just got it tweaked into being somewhat reliable when I became the "FA or FN from Group Gloucster to report to the Cutter Barataria in Portland Maine for deployment to Vietnam". When I left the car at home I told the folks to feel free to use it if the need came up while I was gone, be better for it to be used once in a while than just letting it sit. When we came back they had us leave the "B" in Alameda for another crew to use and flew us back to Portland in C-130's. Folks picked me up at the Portland Airport in Jan and when we were almost home Dad says "by the way, something you should know about your car - we used it for a trip to Champlain in VT last summer and on the way home it started making a noise and running rough so I've left it parked since". Kept my cool but would have really liked a little heads up, hadn't expected to spend the first couple/three days of my 18 day leave getting wheels back under me. Fortunately it was only a rocker that backed off, push rod jumped out along with the lifter I found laying in the valley. I screwed up spilling some coolant into the eng when I lifted big intake by myself. After a few runs around town I decided I'd best check the bearings. Dropped the pan and a bearing, sure 'nuff the antifreeze had just started to wipe 'em so it became an in car bearing swap. No lift so on my back on the barn floor. Got it back together and it ran like Jack the bear until a tree jumped out in front of me one night a couple months later....... Picked up a '63 Falcon Ranchero and ran it until I was discharged. Later put a big 240 6, big Ford standard, and 9 inch in it. got well over 20,000 with that set up on it before the back end rotted out.

Ed

 

Friend of mine got drafted before me and left his car with me while he was in basic training. He had just finished building a 55 2 dr post with a 302 and Muncie. He was afraid his younger brother would destroy it while he was gone. I was drafted 6 months latter and left my 1961 BSA gold star with my Uncle who owned a few Indians.

 

There was a junk yard in Maine that was filled with vintage cars that were left buy guys stationed at a nearby Air Force base. I would think that was true with every other base in the USA. Bob

 

Man, there are a couple of really sad stories here. I'll start with my dad, then I'll tell mine.

My ol' man left his channeled '33 Ford in his brother's care while he was in the army, and his brother (not a bad guy, but damn) ran it in dirt track races until it was a worthless heap. my dad was not impressed.

When I went to basic training in 1978 I left my '65 Mustang at home and my brothers were too young to drive, so I didn't worry much. My mom called it a beater (she was right) and would have been embarassed to drive it, so when I came home it was just as I had left it - for better or worse.

 

When I went into the army I left my mild custom '50 shoebox with my folks. When I came home the first time on leave I stuffed the passenger side door pillar into a fire plug. Farewell shoebox. Often I'm my own worse enemy.

 

Knew an upper-class guy in high school who had a 56 Chevrolet Sedan Delivery-Junior Stock Class drag car; part of the reason I'm so into them to this day. He was drafted into the Army, sent to Nam, and KIA. I stayed in contact with his Dad, who would't sell the car, and kept it in a 1 car garage with only alley access. The entire garage was sided with roofing shingles, and was vandalized/torched; totally destroyed the garage and car. When I graduated high school (1969) I bought a brand new 1970 340 Dart, $3410.50, and this 17 year old kid paid cash! Then, I drew a LOW draft lottery number when I turned 19; Dad got me in the USAF (he retired from the USAF after 30+ years), and the Dart stayed in my parents garage with them occasionally driving/starting it. I spent my enlistment in Texas and Alaska, and decided to let my folks trade it in on a new Buick for Mom. Next time I saw the car, the guy that had bought it from the lot, literally beat it into the ground; really depressing seeing it like that. I won't go into the "girl" I had before enlisting; "the one that got away". BUT, around 3 years ago, she responded to my ClassMates.Com school page, and we had an online chat. She's been married and divorced FIVE times (she told me only TWO!)(pretty amazing what you can find out online)! I guess I dodged a bullet there after all!!! After the USAF I got into drag racing. First drag car was a Pro Bracket 56, Model 150 Utility Sedan, followed by my little FED. When I decided to go to X-Ray School out of state, I made arrangements to keep the FED in my folks garage. Dad was supposed to occasionally start the dragster sitting on the trailer, but he died of lung cancer (smoker) within a year. After X-Ray School I picked up where I left off with the dragster, and met a guy who wanted to partner with me; he had been roundy-roundy racer. We swung a deal on a RED, I sold the FED (miss that car!), and then the guy's drama, his family, and work history, started "complicating" things. He decided he needed out, took the spare engine, Enderle injection, and the spare Powerglide trans. What a squirrel, and he had the nuts to prove it! That guy would bother me every few months for years, and did't understand NO! That's the short, condensed version, with all the speed bumps, detours, and drama left out. Unless the car is something extremely rare or valuable, just part with it and, start another later; only YOU can take care of YOUR car, JMO. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

I maybe too young, but the hell with it!

I left for Desert Storm in 1989, I left a couple of cars in care of a close friends father. Well my friends father took care of his son's car, but sold my 1969 Plymouth and allowed a neighbor to strip my 1977 Monte Carlo clean. I forgave the guy, but he lost my friendship indefinitely.... I figured I would be the bigger/better man and walked away. I still get butt hurt thinking about it, but oh well, life marches on.

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I left a 46 Ford Coupe "project car" with my dad when I went into the Marine Corp in 1958.... After I got back from Okinawa the car was just gone, no explanation. Several years later he admitted that he hired a guy to dig a hole and bury my car, along with a 41 Ford 2 door sedan and a 41 Ford 4 door..... He never would tell me where they are...... Afraid I would dig them up.........

LynnW
FoBW

 

I left a very nice '53 Ford 2 door and a '57 ford 2 dr. hardtop with my uncles when I went in the service in 1970, came back after tech school, ( about 6 mo. later ) found one uncle had run the crap out of the '53 and the eng. was shot, and the '57 got buried on the farm. the excuse was, it was all apart, and we thought you were not coming back. I was a bit pissed. I did not talk to either of them for about 10 years.

 

I got my greetings from Mr. Nixon in Jan.71, had to sell my 65 GTO convert as I had no place to store it and no money to keep it. That is my "one that got away" The good part is I made it in and out of the army, wouldn't take a million bucks for what I saw and learned and wouldn't do it again for another million bucks. Life goes on!

 

I was 13 when Viet Nam ended. so I have no horse in this rodeo. but back n the late 90's here in the bay area there was a model T HOT ROD that someone left behind who never made it back from Korea. (?). it ended up being built, then sold at a Pleasanton Ca. classic car dealer, then it disapeared. it was red and flathead powered. the parents kept it all that time.

 

I went to Vietnam December, 1969. The first pic in the snow was taken 3 days before I left home, My Dad and I communicated by 4 inch reel to reel tape machine the entire year. He removed all the bumpers and grill, had them straightened and chrome plated, He reinstalled them with a new grill and light bar. He found 69 GTO bucket seats and installed them. He installed lift front and rear springs, I believe they were from JC Whitney. Pulled the three speed and put in a 68 Muncie 4 speed and Hurst shifter. He installed headers and a full exhaust, all painted white. He got another hood, had it sandblasted, primed, and installed it. He got the new Rocket chrome plated slots and tires. I came home a year later (second pic) and the car was ready to go to my next base (Norton AFB in San Bernadino, Calif. we lived in Reading Pa). It keep us close in hard times. I miss that man, my Father.

 

Cool story. Are those tire chains on the back tires? So what happened to the car-did you eventually sell it?

 

I got drafted in 71 and left my 55 Belair 2 door hardtop with my older brother. His wife hit a fire hydrant and bet the frame and it got stripped of motor and tranny and 8 track . Got sent to the junkyard.

 

I was in the Navy in the late 60s and had a '60 Chevy. My dad sold it while I was gone.