Motion Pictures What were you driving in 1956?

Almost forgot.....my uncle left E. Iowa in 1956 and headed to Albuquerque NM to build a dealership empire. He and family came back for Aug 1956 family reunion.....in an Aztec bronze and beige 1956 Chev Nomad station wagon ....parked it in our lawn between two big shade trees next to the barn. I was hooked forever !

 

You know, I've really enjoyed so much of the stuff everybody here has written over the years. Some of it is so poignant and deep. Some of it is so funny. Some of it is both.
I think I relate sometimes in ways I don't even fully understand. @tractorguy old buddy, your post is one of 'em.
"... trying not to hit the side of the barn."
And then you do.
Son of a bitch.
Poor kid.... LOL.

 

In 1956, I was riding along with my mother and father in my dad's 1932 Ford 2-door sedan that he's "barnstorming" on in my avatar.
But I wasn't driving.
I was a fetus.

My mother used to tell us the story of the three of us riding in the Deuce sedan before I was born. When my father went to pass a big truck on a two-lane road. And the truck driver started to pass the vehicle in front of him and forced us onto the shoulder and almost into the ditch. My dad didn't have a horn so he pushed in the clutch and revved the unmuffled engine. The truck driver looked over, got a big old scared look on his face and quickly got back over.
And we were saved.
Whew.

 

My mom was only 17, but she was driving a 50 merc.

 

Shifting gears in mom ma

 

My little red wagon down hill on the sidewalk.

 

My Studebaker V-8 powered '49 Chev in 1956.

Mick

 

That's a fascinating combination! How did that come to be?

 

Driving my parent's crazy as a toddler....

 

I was stylin' in one of these...



It had owner-applied flames... that got my ass tanned when almost as much paint got on me and 'other' stuff as what got onto the car. I was wearing new Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes at the time... Had pics at one time that disappeared when my Mother's dementia started kicking in...

 

I was hooked on hot rods and custom cars very early, and my aunt gave me a 41 Buick when I was 14, way before I had a drivers license. I drove the Buick around the neighborhood before selling it with my Dad's help to buy a 1950 Ford coupe when I was 15, sneaking around back roads, still no drivers license.
I saw this Chev on a car lot and I was smitten with the V-8 with chrome valve covers, so again with Dad's help I sold the 50, and bought the Chev. Now I was 16 and could legally drive. It became my high school hot rod.
The Chev's Studebaker engine was hooked to the Chev transmission by a crude homemade adapter.
I learned a lot with that car, changing the looks and mechanics quite a bit. Wish I would have taken more photo's.
Thinking back I actually think that photo was taken in 1957, so I probably shouldn't have posted on this thread.

Mick

 

I started driving a 1938 Farmal A in 1954 at 6 so we were doing plowing at 8 in '56.

 

In 56 i had a 55 delray 210 black and white chevy with a 265, 3 speed.

 

I was riding the inside of a prophylactic for a couple more years.

 

I was 12 and had a Cushman Eagle throwing papers

 

I was 12 and had a 40 Chevy 4 Dr. drove it after midnight when my parenst were asleep.

 

Hello,

The original Oldsmobile was painted a Pale Yellow from the factory and the first thing we did, was to put on some screw in Moon Discs. We lowered the whole car, (lower in front) so it was on a mild rake. He drove it around for a couple of years and had it painted a Lime Green and sold it to a friend. At one time, it was so low on the rake that we had to take off the "under the door, lakes pipes" as they hit the ground when going over the neighborhood road dips. So, no pipes in the pale yellow version.
thanks to @themoose
Jnaki

Old age and being stuck inside does crazy things to the brain. How could I forget the first Lime Green hot rod/cruiser sedan that showed up in the Bixby Knolls cruising scene back in 1956-58? When my brother first bought the 1951 Olds two door sedan, it was a Pale Yellow color. It stood out quite well with the addition of Moon Discs.
1957 in front of our Westside of Long Beach house.
Note:
We decided to pitch in together and buy an old Model A Coupe for our hot rod/drag race coupe build. The Model A Coupe was towed home, got the motor running, and drove it around the block several times for some early fun. My brother allowed me to drive it, since I was half owner, despite me not having a license.

Then as his thoughts and ideas changed, he wandered over to the local Chevy dealer, looking at the new 1958 Impalas in late 1957.

He needed some cash to add in to his stockpile and sold the 1951 Olds to a close friend. But, the catch was, the car had to be the new Lime Green Paint before he sold it. The cost overall after selling made sense, so, he got the 51 Pale Yellow Olds Sedan painted a Lime Green. Both sides were happy and the teenage years rolled on in our hot rod/drag race history. Now, a black 1958 Impala was sitting in our garage and the Model A Coupe + the Oldsmobile sedan were gone.

In the film clip background, I just happened to see our mom trying to be supportive in all teenage escapades, so she came out to wave goodbye to the car load of teenagers… she did not like any hot rods or cruisers. They made too much noise and looked funny, not like our dad’s Buick sedans…
From his long line of purchased Buick sedans, it was leave early in the morning and come home when it was dark and the traffic had died down. But, by 1963, he had his new Buick Riviera and no road was bad in his daily commute. Luckily, I was able to drive his Buick sedans in and out of the garage to the driveway. So, he and my mom could go to their adult gatherings… Ha!

The lowered rake stance did not allow for under the door safety for the “chrome lakes pipes.” It was too low to enter and exit most driveways including the popular teenage hangouts. YRMV

An old movie from 1956-57 in Long Beach:

 

1956 I was riding my new J.C. Higgins English racer.

 

i was 8 and had a used 20" schwinn!