Hello, As if that advertisement wasn’t a part of our lives since we started with Mobil products, gas, accessories and the local Mobil Gas Station was a few blocks from our two Westside of Long Beach houses. The first house was farther West, so we walked by gas station everyday to elementary school. During the summers or vacations, the gas station was a definite stop as their red Coca Cola icy cooler had the best drinks of any store. The bottled drinks even had ice in them to stay cool as we hung around. The owner and other mechanic knew our dad and we were always welcomed there. As teens, our cars were regulars there for tire repair, oil, gas and of course, it was right down the street from our friend’s house which made access easy. The mechanic had his building in the back and always gave out valuable bits of information on cars, builds and repairs. It was where I saw my first custom truck. A first for me, then one day in late Summer, the mechanic was just finishing up doing some work on the custom truck. Custom was a first as no one had a truck that was chopped, lowered, chromed to the hilt, deep reversed wheels, side pipes and a bright Tahitian Red or in the bright sun, some times it looked Candy Apple Red. We were talking and he asked if i would like to help deliver the custom truck to the business owner's store, several blocks away. Wowza! It was the coolest ride, ever. The ride was a little rough on the white tuck and roll upholstery, when we went over some road bumps, but it was very nice. I knew exactly where we were going, as our whole family, besides me, got eyeglasses at this particular shop and knew the owner quite well. Jnaki By the time we started surfing, when we pulled up into the gas station, we were one of the only teens that had surfboards sticking out of the Impala. We always got questions and information about the ocean and shorelines along our San Pedro to Newport Beach coastline. Then the Flathead sedan delivery was a regular there, too. The mechanic in the back was considered the “Flathead expert” in these parts of Long Beach. Finally, it was a place that our mom could drive to get gas and oil service, as they provided full service, even in the days of self serve. Old customers still around got special treatment. For our mom, she always gave them Christmas gifts as a thank you. Note: For all of the years of surf adventures, we usually stopped at Mobil Stations. We used Mobil products for all of our daily drivers. In the years after my wife and I got married, her brother had a job with Mobil Oil in Terminal Island until he retired. Surfing adventures, daily or when we went to the various local surf breaks, were a part of our lives. It was one way to stay healthy, active... and perhaps allowed us to feel/stay young. The feeling of doing something that flows with nature, while being outdoors in the ocean was immensely satisfying. YRMV
The Jalopy Journal
