Some of us are now "that guy"...

My neighbor across the street was "that guy." His name was Russel, and he had a bunch of cool stuff. I can't remember exactly all of it, but a 70's Corvette and some sort of Porsche for sure. He worked on them himself. I wish I would've asked him if I could help before he died. His late wife offered to let me put my Desoto in her garage because I was losing my place, but it wouldn't fit...you would think a house built in '46 would have a big enough garage! Anyway, my friend Wayne put up with all my dumb questions until I got my boyfriend, now he fields them all. I have no idea where I would be without them. I do miss Russel though. I have just met another girl who has a Karman Ghia and wants to learn stuff, so when I get around to finishing the brakes on the Plymouth, I'm having her over. P***ing it on is what it's all about. ) Hell yeah!

 

Ah but that guy did exist on Strang Ave just off Baychester back in 1960 and went by the name of Jr. and was my cuz. He started off specializing in 52-54 Ford is a single car garage behind his family's three family house and that's what helped get me going at about 10.

Then there were the car shows in Fordham Armory and up in Westchester. Can't forget singing DooWoops on the street corners either.

 

In the 9th grade I walked p***ed a house on the way home from school every day that always had dragsters sitting in the garage. I stopped off one day and asked if I could walk around and look. The guy handed me a broom and said to make myself useful. Next day I was cleaning parts. The guy's name was Jerry "the King" Ruth. Ed "the Ace" McCullough (only an Ace can beat a King) would stop by some times. They were my guys in the neighborhood. I get an occasional kid come in now must mostly adults. The kids don't seem as enthusiastic as we were back then. I worked a couple of hours in exchange for a bent rod or a burnt broken piston.

 

thats not a bad thing , its a true gift!

 

I am working at being that guy.I pick my son up from JR High on fridays in one of the cars and it is cool to see the kids look in wonder.If I can save one kid from driving a new piece of import **** to school than it is all worth it.

 

What a great thread! This is going to bring back a lot of memories for a lot of folks. When I was 13,14,15 a guy named Doug DeBord lived two doors away. He was "that Guy" to me. He had a beautiful Emerald Green "57 Olds hardtop and a '51 Olds coupe that he raced at Aquasco Speedway in So. MD. Didn't matter what him and his friends were working on, they might be welding up a set of headers or radiusing the rear wheelwells on the '51, he always took the time to explain to this "dumb kid" just what they were doing. A couple years later, Doug had sold both Olds and now had a '64 Corvette roadster, red,327-300, 4spd. w/ power windows. He loved to see the car come down the street after he had washed and waxed it (which was daily). As I was the only kid in the neighborhood that he trusted with it, he would have me take it around the block, stop just about 12 houses up the street, then "gingerly" go through the gears as I approached his driveway. You couldn't have wiped the smile off my face with a greasy shop rag. Doug was "That Guy" to me.

 

That is such a cool photograph

 

Technically I was "that kid" in the neighborhood I grew up in. Pretty sure they formed a neighborhood watch just to watch me. Granted on saturdays they'd show up asking me to listen to a noise their car was making or get their mower running but god forbid I make a noise in or out of the garage when it was dark. In my defense I was going to school fulltime and working fulltime so afterdark was pretty much the only time I had. Maybe the complaints for breaking in motors after midnight were warranted.
Luckily I had a mom (BTW- She raced at Aquasco up till it was closed and damn near any other track as well as the street)who thought growning up being dedicated to this was a noble thing. So when someone would cite me for working on something outside she had me bring it inside. And by inside.....she helped me finish building one of my bikes on the porch and we fired it up in the living room. At least two of my vw race motors got built doing an allnighter on the coffee table.
Now I have my own home complete with wife and kids. I am definitely still that guy and some of you know that cause you've been the one p***ing by seeing the light on in my garage. Now i'm teaching the kids the same things and amazingly the neighbors still can't get mowers started without coming to ask "that guy". For what it's worth......I'll still fire up an open exhaust project after midnight from time to time.

 

Great story, R.C.! What a cool Mom as well. Sounds like she was "That gal" for you when you were coming up.

 

I'm that guy to my son (he's 10) and he is becoming that guy to his friends. Once I showed him the speed difference between riding a bike with no air in its tires vs. with 20 pounds of air led us to his next education which was.....adjusting the brakes. Now all his buddies want him to work on their bikes.

Its kinda cool working on my junk and watching my son work on his friends stuff at the same time and listening to him dispense his ever growing knowledge to his buddies.

 

We had a "that guy" in our neighborhood when I was a teenager.He had a big block 4 speed Vette and a 54 chevy with a 327 4 speed and the first cross ram 2x4 intake I ever saw.A really neat character full of **** and lots of stories.He would always do welding and little fab jobs for us cause we didn't have 2 nickles to rub together.No matter what he was doing he would stop and explain things to us that we didn't understand.This really whetted my appe***e for mechanic work at an early age.I hope there's a lot more like him out there helping the "new generation" of rodders along.

 

I think I have been "that guy" for quite a while.

From helping the neighbor kids with their bicycles when I was in the garage working on my T or the 48 when I first built it. (A lot of dad's in that neighborhood didn't seem to have time or tools to help those kids). Later helping students rebuild their cars in the autoshop where I taught for 13 years and now answering questions when they pop up.

It is a pretty nice feeling when I run into former students that either have become successful in the automotive trades or have been involved in the automotive hobby in one form or another and get to see what they have accomplished.

 

When I started this thread I forgot to mention my power mechanics teacher in high school, Jon Bill, cool guy with alot of cool old studebakers...easy going and always had time to talk cars with you

 

During the recent power outage due to Hurricane Ike, I got to meet neighbors that I had only seen in through the windows or in p***ing since I moved here 5 years ago.

Most of them actually said it.

"You're 'that' guy...with the hot rods. Wow."

 

The was a guy I went to school with, whose dad had a repair garage in town. I'd go hang around his shop and talk with him, and he'd let me hang around the shop, and occasionally let me turn a wrench. His was a revenue-producing shop, putting food on his families' table, and he really did not have the time to "mentor" me in the world of spinning wrenches. He had a great influence on me when it came to cars, anyway.

My bro-in-law lived just a few houses doors from me for a while when I was 16 or so. His garage was definitely the neighborhood car kid hangout. He raced a '69 Dart *******, 340 automatic, heater, and no other options on this bad-*** Mopar! I loved hanging out over there, too.

Far as my house goes, we live out from town a ways, so my sons' friends don't come by to hang out in the shop. I'm usually out in the shop by myself. My oldest is in the local vo-tech auto shop cl***, but doesn't have much interest in my old stuff. That's good and bad, I guess. My younger son can't wait to drive, and he likes coming out in the shop to help. I guess I'm "that guy" for my kids. That's what counts to me.

 

Being "that guy" for your kids is the ultimate achievement whether it be cars or just life...

 

That guy rules