History Lost History for Future Generations

At the end of 2023, one of my long time idols, local Hot Rodder Harvey "Nertz" Tarnasky passed away. He was everything from Bonneville to KKOA, Diehards to CSRA. He was an integral part of the Roads End Gang from Bonneville. His 50 Ford Coupe was entered in car shows as early as 1963, and his 40 Ford coupe went everywhere, even featured in Rod Action magazine. He was everything historic, hot rods and customs.
Having no children, he had left his entire collection (excluding the cars) to me. I'm no spring chicken, being 47 myself, but I was blown away at how honored and humbled I was to inherit his 60 plus year collection of so many things. As we cleaned out his house and garages, I was mentally documenting everything, all the while only partially containing my excitement to my family who helped me. Aside from the display flatty and massive car club plaque collection, there was a plethora of custom car accessories (he owned Nertz' Neat Car Stuff in the late 80's, purchasing inventory from Night Prowlers). So many custom things, such as Lancer hubcaps, Hollywood spinner caps, early 60's chrome Cragar steelies, 54 Pontiac grille, custom tailights, a vast history of black and white custom car and hot rod photos, late 50's car club patches, photos, autographed Bill Hines and Gary Minor personal photographs, and on and on. I still haven't processed it all, and I find new things each day.
My son, who is almost 21, shows a little bit of my excitement, but yet doesn't understand why I get excited over things like the Pontiac grille, or the scrapbook of vintage hot rod photos. I think he will get the point one day, but I feel my excitement is at a level 10 in my head; not so much with the other parts of my family.
I guess my question is this; what happens to so many historic artifacts and historic collections for the future generations? Nertz was 83, and I'm 47. I grew up around all this, but hey it's very rare around southern Alberta to find many customs or those who preserve the history these days. Where is the future collector? Will all the cool things disappear in a dusty garage rafter, only to be thrown away and discarded by future generations? A large number of my custom and hot rod heroes I grew up around are fading away, passing on and some leaving these collections for the few of us who "get it". Am I the only one who is a little uneasy about the future of hot rods and customs, specifically the history and memorabilia??

 

I’m 26, very awesome stuff you get to add to your collection, I love his red 40! I have a 1940 Ford Coupe, a 1935 Ford pick up, 1961 Chevy Bel Air… I LOVE Minnesota car club history and have been collecting for awhile. Anything from plaques, jackets, courtesy cards, old photos to anything 1950s/1960s local drag racing history. Old guys in Minnesota don’t have to worry to much as long as I can I’ll keep collecting and building hot rods and customs! It’s my life. I love everything about them and especially the memorabilia side of the stuff. My whole goal for what I collect is to keep preserving it for the future.

 

Everything here we enjoy is on loan from the creator....I'm impressed with a life fully lived ..my condolences to you and friends..

 

Very cool, keep carryin' the torch! Good to see a young feller such as yourself with such interest. Makes me feel better about things. I have been finding so much happiness in stuff I'm finding, like in progress builds of chopped Mercs in the 80's, and early 60's Drag Race programs. I love collecting everything!

 

Thank you for the kind words, it's appreciated. He was one of those guys I could always count on to pass on historic nuggets from days gone by. I will honor his legacy and treasure the memories as I preserve and enjoy what he has left for me.

 

I'm very proud of his plaque collection he left for me too, so many interesting and rare ones. Good thing I have a lot of projects and customs to display some of them!

 

What does your own question tell you? You out and enjoy all of it. Unless planning a quick flip on something don't concern yourself on resale value. Enjoy it as if you are going to be the last person to experience it. Actually the best way to win the younger generation over.

 

Being 80, my days above ground are not going to go on for ever. I have been a "hot rodder" since I was a small kid reading Hot Rod Magazine in the 50's. The really important old hot rod stuff I have saved over the years out in the garage would only fill half a dozen plastic tubs. This is nothing compared to Mr. Taransky's collection. The 32' and 29' hot rods are it for real cars. There are a few tubs of 356 Porsche stuff also of value/importance too. I have no kids or family with any interest in cars to give these things to. My wife keeps asking what to do with these things if I leave the planet first. I have no answer and am left sitting in the garage enjoying looking at/through it all on a rainy day. Any suggestions about passing it all on???

 

If there is a family member interested, by all means move the good stuff along to them, maybe even do it while you are alive, you can share in the process. I collected, bought, sold, traded antiques and car stuff since I was a little kid. I was introduced to the concept of memorabilia and wall hangers as art. What a concept, giving up valuable wall space to create an interesting work space rather than just to store tools and fan belts. With a little research you can find an auction house in your area to handle your items, some are better at it than others. In today’s world your treasures will go far and wide to someone that will appreciate them, or there is always “ pay it forward “ for on the hamb. You have options.

 

Great point. Even typing this thread, it made me think differently. I have no intention of parting with anything, or very little if that (I don't have anything with a flathead, and my buddy is building one for his 51 pickup so I may sell him an intake). Appreciate your response!

 

I appreciate your position, and completely understand. I was in a position where I was around Nertz my whole life, and he looked at me as the son he never had. He took note of my interest in everything hot rods and customs, and unbeknown to me named me in his inheritance. I can understand the situation is different than yours, but is there someone younger in your life who has interest? Someone you may have met at a car show, had a good conversation with? I will never take for granted my relationship with Nertz, and now that he's gone and he's thought this much about me, I am forever grateful. See who is around you (maybe a car club member?). Hopefully it will work out, and I appreciate your sharing your story.

 

You are a lucky individual. Enjoy what your friend wanted you to have.

 

Thanks, I appreciate the advice. My son does show interest in the 500 plus die cast models that were part of the estate, so there's a start, haha!

 

I do some vending at a flea market, and every once in a while a person will just bubble over with emotion when they find something that their grandmother had, or something that they have been looking for, or something they hope will spark some joy with someone else, it makes my day.

 

Im watching and aiding in help where i can, with something similar. Im 36, and a friend whos nearing 70 and a long time hot rodder, who's cousin, also a long time hot rodder, recently passed and my friend has been tasked with dealing with all of the car related stuff these last few weeks. Walking through the basement and garage, shed, under the deck, theres just parts stashed everywhere you look, and while we're trying to save as much as we can, its an almost insurmountable task that we have to be fairly realistic about. Its a strange, somewhat somber feeling seeing the decades of someones passion projects just to be kind of thought of as clutter to someone else, and as a slight hoarder myself, it pains me to think of anything old being junked

 

Sounds like you have some items @Moriarity might be interested in. You should let him know if you want to get rid of anything. They would be in good hands.

 

Great collection!!Carry the torch!I'm 61 and have a small collection of stuff.My wife's not interested in and I have know kids.Most of my friends are older than I am. Told her to donate my stuff to a museum or find someone who does a
estate sale?

 

Wow that’s quite the collection to become the care taker of. Like your self there are younger guys still interested in this stuff so I believe it will live on.

That Red 40 is something else. I believe I saw it advertised for sale this spring and its was definitely a good car. You’re right you don’t see many like it in Alberta.

Do you know where the 50 ended up? I spotted one that looks similar driving around Okotoks last weekend. I was not able to track the car down afterwards but it sure looked good driving by.

 

For guys from the era of me and Nertz, I consistently say, if you want your old stuff to be cared for, pick the caregiver for each item while you can. Sell the items, or give them away to good homes.

Most often after you're gone, the dumpster will get backed up to the house/garage, and it will all be loaded away.

Find good homes for the stuff while you can.

 

Also passing stuff along while still here keeps probate from getting their hands on what you want someone else to have

 

Man, did your statement hit home. It put into words what I have been feeling. I've been dissecting this mentors life bit by bit, finding so many items that I know what it is, but not knowing the significance. Then, I feel almost guilty taking it home, and even moreso guilty for enjoying it, because it was his, not mine, even though it is his wishes that it's passed on. I appreciate your response, very well said.

 

Absolutely. I have a ton of respect for Mr. @moriarty. I think years ago he ended up with a set of pictures of the Circuit Breaker that my dad took at a 1968 car show when it was orange!

 

Thank you for the kind words sir! Torch will be carried for as far as I can!

 

I agree. I have thought so many times that if he hadn't thought about me, his niece (through marriage) who was the executor, would have been overwhelmed without my automotive knowledge. The one guy she had helping with the estate, often expressed his feelings of "Throw everything in the dumpster". Let's just say we didn't get along well!

 

To you older guys : I'll pass on what my mentor told me : "MAKE YOUNGER FRIENDS!!" Yes, now I am 79 so I can say that without feeling strange.. To you younger guys : make a point of taking at least a recorder with you whenever you are going to spend time with one of us : Who knows what useful tidbit you might learn... I'm so glad that I sat down with two of my friends with a video camera & was able to save the image of my mentor to share with others as well as my own memories, & yes, I do attempt to find younger friends, if only to be my pallbearers! LOL!

 

Part of why most older guys since I was like 22 were always caught off guard by the way I talk is I made a point to hang out with people 60+ that even happened to mention a hot rod. And thanks to me having another obsession with Sherlock Holmes I was actually able to learn about rods back in the day even from non car guy observers. At one point around 2006 I had a side gig where this 75 year old dude paid me to come over and drink beer and talk hot rod model as. He'd even buy my choice of beer as as he said decades of asbestos and camel non filters in the navy made all beer taste the same to him. Basically he had no family nearby and had a hopped up 31 banger roadster a back around 1950. And he said I was the first person under forty to talk model as like I did. Best part was he got the VA to pay for it as "home health care". Apparently after spending a couple hours talking hot rods and looking through his vintage hot rods magazines did wonders for his blood pressure. And he forced me to take the fifty cash each day I drank with him.

 

Growing up around Nertz was interesting. I went from being a snotty nosed kid running around gawking at his stuff, to a teenager who he really respected and taught me so much. As an adult and father of my own kids, we would visit him often, and watching him with my son was like seeing myself back 30 years before. His knowledge and historical artifacts (and cool parts and things) were like holy grail stuff to me. He was invincible. He should have been around forever. These guys who I looked up to were "the" car building idols of my youth. Now, especially since he's gone, I find myself in a feeble way trying to imitate him, and now I'm building my own cars and carrying on his legacy as well as somewhat creating my own. It's a sobering reality, knowing that I'm responsible for bridging that generational gap. I try to teach my son (and daughter) about as much as I can. This hobby means so much to me, and I want to do the best job paying it forward.