The Mrs. and I took the roadster for a ride last night and ended up at a small cruise-in about an hours drive away from home. I was talking to a friend I have known for a few years and after the conversation a man walks up to me and ask if I remember who he is,,,, I say,," I'm sorry,I can't say that I do",,,He introduced himself to me and my wife and said that I took him for a ride in my Model A pickup and that he was a kid at that time,,,,and that ride was something that he still remembers to this day. He remembered more about that truck than I do,,he also said that was the reason he is building a 31 roadster pickup,,, He never said how many years ago that was but I kinda figure it was at least 23 years ago and the last time I saw him,,to be honest I really didn't remember taking him for a ride in the truck but I have always offered rides trying to light a flame if someone shows an interest,,,young or old. I have done a lot of things that people remember me for,,,some regretfully not good,,,,,but meeting a guy who said he has a love for old cars because I took the time to take him for a ride in a hot rod and tell him about my truck made me feel a little uneasy and happy at the same time. Just goes to show ya,,,what goes around comes around,,,,HRP
Now theres a nice post to wake up to on a Sunday morning. I know alot of the things I've been p***ionate about in life were because of a small moment in my youth and the influence of someone I looked up to whether they knew it or not. Pay attention to kids. Watch the example you set. The smallest things have lasting repercussions. I'm looking at a 6 month old as I write this and thinking back 25 years ago to my first car shows. What a time.
I know a fellow who now has a roadster ... whose wife DROVE my roadster ... and shortly there after he was a roadster owner ...
Pretty cool. There is one kid on my street that goes nuts waving at me every time I cruise my 57 by. I always smile and give him a thumbs up. The other kids just look annoyed they have to get out of the street as I drive by. Something tells me he is smarter than the rest of 'em.
Either he's smarter than the rest of 'em or he's the same kind of stupid as we are. Saw your 57 in the other post, looks great by the way.
I was that kid 40 years ago .....and I still like 57s .......and 55s...and model As....and 32s.....and 34s...and all the rest of 'em
Great story!! Mr & Mrs HRP looked cool in their '32 highby last night. Small event, but the car quality was excellent. I was out hunting parts with two of my buddies and wound up in the area. Got hooked up with another I know and was chauffer driven to the cruise in a '34 Rolls-Royce. What an elegant car. Down on power, but is plush!!!
I really think that those of us that do not have cars we are not super sensitive about should invite the kids at the shows to sit in the seats (hell stand on them if they need to) and let them look out the windshield. When ever I am at a local show and some kid looks at it.. I like to ask if he/ she has ever sat in one.. if they say no.. I open the door and invite them in.. sometimes, I will fire up the engine and rev the gas a little for them.. it put a big smile on their face and took very little effort to make it happen.. I always let them know that they should ask before touching someones car afterwards just so they do not get their heads torn off my someone who is sensitve about it.
My neighbor as a kid growing up, was a car painter (Union man). But every month he'd bring a project home to polish or detail for a little extra cash. I still remember each one of those cars, and wish I had one. Stuff like a 61 Vette, 61 TR-3, 60 T-bird, lots of Cadillacs, all roadsters, all primo. Several kids would all pile-in and he'd take us to the river or lake on Saturday. Everyone else wanted to go to the river or lake, and I just wanted to ride in the cars. It has affected my brain severly, just like the kid with the Model-A.
Thanks for posting this, we need more posts like this. Ultimate compliment to have such a small insiginificant event that you don't remember, probably because you do it all the time, affect someone in a positive way like this. And I'm sure he will do the same for some kid when he has his car going. I love nothing better than to have a kid show interest in my car, and show my interest in his interest, whether he is 5 or 55.
things do come around my cousin and i broke down in his ford a few years ago and some rodders saw us walking and picked us up. the car i got a ride was one a freind of the family owened when i was around 11.I rememered the car and the guy was amazed that i knew what was in the car befor he owned. thanks to all that help us broke down on the side of the road youl'll never know who you'll meet
Really nice post. Thanks. I took my 45 yr old brother-in-law from Boston to the SF Rod & Custom Show a couple years ago. He had a great time and was really excited seeing all the cars. He told me as he left that he felt life was p***ing him by. He was going to look into this rodding culture. A few weeks later he call me ecstatic. He had bought a red roadster! It was so cool he said! I asked him if it was a 32 or 34 like one he had admired at the show. No he said, it's new! What, fibergl***? No he replied, a Miata! I died a little that day. .
HOTRODPRIMER, thanks for the post. I remember very distinctly my first ride in a rod at the age of 11. That was 32 years ago. I can still see that car in my mind, hear the engine and the hum of the tire, smell the gas and exhaust and feel that thrilling pull of acceleration. I'll never forget it and I blame that guy for cementing the affliction. Wish I knew where he is so I could thank him.
I dont have a story such as that....BUT seeing as my satin black paint is already battle torn (scratches and dings from thrashes, mishaps etc) I dont mind kids crawling all over it (I as well instruct the young uns to check with the owners of vehicles as well seeing as they might not be nearly as liberal as I) I cant seem to hurt my truck (and I've tried....hard) so I let em climb in, ask questions, start er up, actuate the air ride (the kiddos love it) they have a blast, plus it helps to havve a hot rod ambasador to grease the wheels (my 20 month old is one switch hittin dude, he's got it down!) I hope to have one of those talks with someone in future years....for me its all about the family, friends and fun that can be had with a common bond...*****en old ****....nothin better.... plus as a final note, the majority of the hot rodders are up there (codgers....not that there is anything wrong with that, they are just getting old) we need to spread the gospel as much as possible before our lifestyle/history preservation fades back into the bone yards and museums....we need the young ones to take up the reigns in a bad way....
When Hatch had his roadster he and I would always let the little kids sit in it and pretend to drive. The best was when one or two would walk up real shy like and stand back and look it over. Then you would ask them if they wanted to sit in it. Their eyes would light up like a christmas tree and invariably would look at their parents to see if it were OK. If the parents gave to OK it was like a cannon going off they were so anxious to get in ,sit down, grab the wheel and pretent to drive. As already been said, you never know how that impression will last but if just one in a hundred turn out to be hot rodders it was worth the effort. Frank
Funny....on Thursday I read a post on another forum (FTE) that depressed the hell out of me. An "old fart" (I'm presuming, but judging by the references in the post) decided to slam a young guy, just starting in the hobby, because he was referring to an engine swap/install not ever done by Ford (MEL into an Effie). WTF? Really got me down for a number of reasons. I read this & now I feel better. Keep it up, gentlemen & ladies.....pay it forward. Some cool anecdotes here.
That is a great story...Impressionable kids turn out to be a product of their enviornment... I was turned on to cars at an early age. Dad grew up around one of the Alexander Bros. shops, so he had a p***ion for Kustoms, and could draw. That's about where the cars w/Dad ended. He took me to shows, but never would buy or work on anything "old". He instilled that kustom car thing in me from an early age. I was always facinated by cars, semis, locomotives, really all things automotive/mechanical. My toys were Lincoln logs, Erector sets, Legos, and Capsella's. My father was NOT mechanically inclined, and although he had the desire, he lacked the funds/knowledge to carry it all thru. When I was in my "semi" phase, he arranged a surprise meeting with a friend of his, I'll never forget his name- Bob Hatmaker. He drove a supply truck for Ford, and through one way or another, Dad arranged for him to meet us on a foggy Saturday morning in an empty parking lot by the DTW Airport to take me for a ride in 'a big rig.' I was in heaven. Eventually, I got out of my "BJ and The Bear" phase, and took on cars as my new p***ion. There was a fellow that was 10 years my senior. I remember because this was in 1985, I was 10, Rob was 20. He was into RATT, and swore a lot, LOL... He also was into cars, Cadillacs specifically...and had bought 4 1978-older Caddys while living at his parent's house. He had a really nice 1969 Charger at one point that he sold before I met him...I only saw pics, but apparently, he'd walked into a deal, and got all the low-mileage Caddys for a good price. His Dad got the 1969 blue two door conv., Rob got the 1969 burgundy two door sedan, his Brother eventually got the convertible 1969 two-door, and Mom had the 1978 white 2 door. There was a blue 1971 4 door I remember they sold off. They had to add-on to their driveway to accomodate all the cars. He and his family were from New York. His Dad had gotten a job in Michigan (those were the days!) Somehow our paths crossed, and I was a 10 year old kid on a dirtbike from the next street over "helping" him work on cars. I remember helping him 'tape off' a 1978 Mercury Grand Marquis 4 door, so he could paint it for a friend in their garage. He'd also painted his personal ride, the '69 Caddy 2 door- it was burgundy with a black vinyl roof. It looked flawless. He singlehandedy turned me on to bodywork...and working on old cars. When I think back, how cool he was...a 20 year old putting up with the likes of me, a nosey 10 year old with an interest in cars and a dirtbike...I'm not so sure at his age I would have done what he did, but what he did was let me "hang out". I look back on it now, and he was really cool. One day, I went to see Rob, and he was putting these old ****ty Sears bias plys on the back of the Caddy...I couldn't figure it out. Why?! Later that night, while trying to go to sleep, I heard his car drive by. I knew the sound of it. I got up out of my bed, and I saw those Caddy taillights in the night. I lived about 5 houses from the corner of another "feeder" street in our neighborhood. He put those tires on to do BURNOUTS that night. He lit them up, all around the corner, and easily laid down 200 feet of old Sears bias-ply. I can still smell the rubber in my bedroom as I go to sleep... Next morning, I ride over...guess what he's doing... I think I took exactly one short ride in that big boat. Maybe that explains my "affliction" now... Last time I saw Rob, he was driving a truck (a semi). His parents eventually had moved away. He stopped by my parents house one night because he was in the neighborhood....I was about 15 at the time, (my parents loved him) and that's the last I've heard of him. Rob Pardi, wherever you are, thanks man.
Thanks for all the replys and PM's.... I have though about this a lot yesterday and this morning,,, sometimes actions do speak louder than words,,, I was lucky enough to have met a guy that introduced me to hot rods when I was in my early teens and he was a mentor to me,,,, Had he not took the time to help a kid out with a few questions and then to help that same kid with a engine repair on his first car,,,,I may never had the experience of owning and driving another older car or a hot rod. I lost contact with Daris after he got married and moved away and sold that ol' black 48 chevy convert and life went on,,,, I ran into him a few years ago and took the time to tell him that he had made a big impact on me and I thanked him for the help and guidance. Daris last owner a old car some 40 years ago,,,wife,kids,business,on and on,,,, The point is just a few months ago I ran into him and he had found an old 4 door 40 chevy and is in the process of gathering parts for building another car,,,and he is asking me questions,,,,,and I am really happy for him,,,, HRP
The Jalopy Journal
