How old's the oldest H.A.M.B. member?60+?Tell us a cool story

77 Years Young And Doing Just Fine...Thanks For Asking...

 

I am a youngster at 66.
I started the Drag Cars in Motion thread due to the first post on there as I was restoring the Fred Teixeira 40 Willy's Drag Coupe and little did I know the thread got so big it broke the HAMB server and it is registered as one of the largest social threads in the country.
I thank all the gear heads from around the world for its success.

 

It was a great way to enjoy the teenage years leading to the next thing in our lives...

Hello,

As nice as those memories still pound my brain, just looking at the old photos and films, for the last 66 years has not always been as wonderful as those late 50s-early 60s stories show. Yes, we had a wonderful time growing up where we lived in the Westside of Long Beach, the memories are there for the picking and as some of us are no longer around, they are thinning out as we speak.

But, since those late 90s last days for our mom, moving was on her mind. A new place was being built for her close to our old house in the next county to the East, 50 miles away. So, yes, she wanted to move by 1998. The old neighborhood was changing and it just felt different. Lock the doors of the old hot rods as we drove? Nah... But, as one drives down the same old streets, now, door locks were in place, down, as they should during those late night drives to get to the freeway close by.

Jnaki

Even driving by as I visited the street during the nearby visit to the Lion's Dragstrip museum in 2017 and 2019, it just felt... "Not the same..." So, the old adage of "you can't go home, again..." still rings true in this case. Crowding in living arrangements, more cars on the streets and less things to keep them occupied, other than phone screens, plays a big part. The neighborhood is usually in the local newspapers for some reason or another. So, it is highly active, just in a different way from way back then... YRMV

Note:
For you folks still interested in historic places, the original Taco Bell #2 building is still a few blocks away from our old house. It is still functioning and sells plenty of products. The last time I saw the place, the parking lot was packed, just the same as in 1962.

But, it is now considered the "oldest continuously operating branch, even having a walk-up window. " (Taco Bell #1 is still around, but now it is covered and protected, sitting in the corporate offices parking lot in Irvine...) 63 years is a lot of tacos... Yikes!

Note 2 :

Not all is bad in the change. Our old high school, one of the oldest in the USA and in Long Beach since 1909, is now finally going through a $450 million dollar rebuilding process. The buildings will come down and the new complex will be the most modern high school anywhere.

The auto shop will be equipped with the most modern of tech and have an expanded footprint. So, there is good coming this year. Bad for the misplaced students in the fall of 2026, but at least it won’t all be torn down at once. It will be in phases over several years. A long time coming… for sure.

 

Thanks!

 

I will 91 jan 20 next year still workon my 2 cars a 50 ford 2 door and a50 chevy hard top, but can not do heavy work but can do some easy work. Don

 

I'm only old when I look in the mirror or try to ride my bicycle up a hill.

 

Not much of a story ,I am 74 in 1969 moved to Tennessee from NYS with my 56 Tbird 292 Y block with 312 heads ,I had previous to this lost my license for six months for drag racing in NYS with my 59 Olds convertible, to say the least my dad had not been a happy camper about that ,I got a job working in the local gas station and being from up north my fellow employees liked to tease me about being from the north ,one of them had a awesome 63 Falcon sprint V8 with a four speed he used to tease me that northern boys did not know how to make a car run and that my Tbird would not fall out of a tree ,well as luck would have it I pulled up to a light in Jefferson City on route 11 and he pulled up beside me ,I knew better but could not resist so we both took off ,I noticed as we were neck and neck a car coming rapidly up behind us ,then it disappeared thinking nothing of it I went straight, fellow I was racing went to the right ,so I went about my business. Two hours later I pulled in my driveway ,you never seen so many blue lights in one place ,the officer said to me I want to talk to you about an incident on route 11 tonight ,I said not me ,he said what do you think the chances of there being another 56 Tbird red and white with NYS tags being in the area ,and who owns the baby blue falcon ,I found out later we had gone by him full bore ,he pulled out to catch us and his car lunched its cookies in the road lol ,best part is a couple months later me and the fellow that owned the falcon went on a road call together in his car and who was there but the same cop ,he said to me I thought you didn't know anyone with a baby blue falcon lol ,the car in my aviator is a clone I built of that 56 T bird

 

Here is my cool story.....and I apologize for it not being very automotive related.....maybe a later story going into 2026....I have lots of them.

My actual "cool story". I just celebrated my 80th birthday last week. Had a couple of friends and some family at a great brunch. The cool part of my story......shortly after I lost my wife to a 3yr battle with a rare blood disease.....I was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer in early 2023. Lots of **** kicking mind numbing drugs.....fatigue 24hrs a day.....22 radiation treatments on prostate and lymph nodes.....5 radiation treatments to rib....etc. I am still here !!.
Right now my biggest problem is a huge ongoing battle with lower back/vertebrae pain. Really.....really ....really trying to avoid back surgery with all the rods....screws....misc hardware etc. I just have not had a lot of really positive conversations with people that have gone thru these procedures.....lots of less than successful outcomes.....lots of repeat surgeries.
Please implore your friends and family to get regular PSA tests.....regardless of what your doctor or insurance company might want to tell you.....get it done....regardless of age guidelines.

Have a great and blessed Christmas season......family....family....and hopefully a few close friends......priceless ! And I promise a cool old guy story of two later. Have fun

 

I’m only 68 which seems fairly young on this forum. If you were to ask my grandson if I was old he’d say hell yes then he would complain about how slow I drive, I drive the speed limit and have for fifty years, and then he will complain about Christmas. I don’t know why he keeps giving me **** about Christmas I make sure and leave the jellybeans under, in and around the tree and house on Christmas Eve.
He says that I have CRS, I used to know what that meant but I can’t remember ****.

 

UPDATE!!--------Now 93 years old!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

That's awesome Don !

 

Not so much cool but plenty crazy . My Grandfather p***ed away in his late forty . I don't remember him at all but I have heard some stories . One evening when he was hanging out at the local beer joint /diner/pool hall general hang out spot, a bet was made that my Grandfather accepted . The bet was if he could eat a one pound block of lard he could have the model A coupe outside in the parking lot. After eating the lard he couldn't get the car started. He told the guy to keep the old car, he didn't want it anyway . This would be in the mid forties .

 

Well, Don, that sorta took the wind from MY sails! I thought I was old but just turning 89 in a coupe weeks.

Congratulations , sir.

Ben

 

Just noticed @Balticfox grew up in London, ON, Canada. My hometown. I grew up on the “wrong” side of the tracks. I grew up in the east end, and there was a saying in town “East of Adelaide” meaning that if you lived east of it, you were lower working cl***. There was a bar there at the junction of Adelaide and Oxford where my grandfather frequented. Haha! He had his own room upstairs to sober up my grandmother would tell me. He worked construction, and was always dark skinned from all the time he spent outdoors in the sun. Died of skin cancer and throat cancer from smoking. Later when I was in my late teens, that bar was later named EOA. lol!
@Balticfox Seems to be about 10 yrs or so older than me. I can echo much of what he said. Too bad he was only on here for a couple months back in 2023.
Had the luxury of living next to a forest. Countess trips there to explore and build tree forts. Was a cementary on the other side of the creek that scared us all and so we rarely ventured there. On the other side of the forest was a driving range. We got caught once stealing balls. Owner chased us with his German Shepard into our tree fort. We eventually came down and he dragged us to his “hut”. Called our parents. Luckily, my mom answered the phone and came to pick me up. If it was my dad, it would have been a different story. Had so many great adventures travelling around on our bikes. My buddy and I were almost killed on one such trip just outside the city limits while hiking atop a trestle railway bridge. Train came and we ran away from the train. Two sets of tracks, but not knowing which one the train was on, we just ran the long way back (away from the direction the train was coming). All I could think of was not to trip up on those trestles. I remember the train horn blasting, and jumping clear just as I got off the bridge. I could feel the rush of air as it p***ed. Then it slammed on the brakes. I’ll never forget the sound of all those cars hitting one another. I then realized my buddy was no where to be seen. I started crying out his name. I started crying (I was around 10-11 yrs old) wondering where he was and what had happened to him. I then heard voices yelling “catch that kid”. I took off on my bike, but only far enough away to watch. Finally, after what seemed to take forever, the train started moving. After it was gone (seemed like a 100-car train), I came back to the tracks. I again started calling out my buddies name. I soon saw him coming across a field. I was so relieved. When he got to me, I asked what happened. He told me he jumped on the second set of tracks and stood there while the train p***ed/stopped. He said men came out from the locomotive and caboose and chased him. So he hid up in the rafters of a barn a****st some hay bales. lol! Lost touch with him in high school. He was a character and was getting invoked with alot of bad stuff, and I knew I had to make a choice. Tried looking him up recently and can’t find nothing. Kind of strange.

 

Over 25 million views!
And your Sitting and Rotting…… picture thread has almost 6 million views.
Skip, you created two of the top nine all-time viewed threads here, Kudos to you!

 

Happy Birthday!


The same to others who celebrated recently, and to everyone celebrating a birthday in the next year or so! I hope there is enough cake and ice cream to go around!

 

Almost 85 and forgot all my cool stories but I'm sure they were great!

 

Man when this thread started I was in my late 30s...................

 

Im 83 and dont have a clue how i made it this far. My scariest venture was when i took flying lessons from a buddy of mine that became a flight instructor after he got out of the service. We were both stationed at a weapons testing base in S. California. He got out a couple months before i did and stayed in the area because he married a local girl. I got discharged and came back in mid west and got a job as an aircraft Electrician at Mcdonnel Douglas. After 2 years i got engaged and contacted Bob who by this time had a instructor rating, multi engine , IFR flight rules. Anyway he says fly out for a couple weeks and ill give you cheap flying lessons. So, the following week im in California again. Our first training flight was doing spins and stalls which are usually about the 5th lesson. So to make this shorter i soloed at 6.5 hours after doing touch and goes for 1/2 an hour with him aboard. He says land this time and stop. It was so he could get out and then tells me take it around just like you have been doing all morning. So i take off and let me tell you when you are up there by yourself for the first time its a little concerning. I did a nice and smooth solo and landing, so he says take it up for about an hour and follow the highway and return before the winds pick up. So i take off mind you with no ground training at all. I lift off and get some al***ude and think to myself " i would like to see the military airfield from the air. So i peel off in the direction of the airfield about 7 miles away and holy _ _ _ _ an f4 Phantom goes under neath me about 300 feet. Lucky i didnt wad the thing up right then and there. So i call our tower at the little airport and Bob says you better get back here the military tower wants to know if we had a yellow Cessna in the air. He tells them we dont have a yellow cessna. It was tan and luckily they didnt get the tail numbers. Scared the bejeesus out of me to say the least.

 

Nov. 2025 , I made 84 y/o... Trying to outrun Father Time to finish this "A" Coupe project/$ sinkhole/sentence..

 

Fantastic. Damn.

 

I just hope I can make it that long let alone work on stuff....

 

Sorry to hear that, take care, my friend !

 

I am 77, and dreamed of being a Hotrod builder since I was 6 years old, and lucky to have 3 older brothers that were gear heads. Life has been very good to me, my hard work has allowed me to dabble into many facets of the modified car hobby, including Drag, Oval Track and Land Speed racing. I am coming up on my 50th year as a full time business, the people I have met, along with the places traveled have been a dream come true. But now it's time for this Old Timer to finish his own projects, and enjoy them while I still can. BTW I am the little guy in the picture from the early 50's.

 

Good health Don
miss seeing you at LARS each year
your son still has your roadster ??

 

Yes, I gave it to him to enjoy!!

 

1968----

 

going on 77 in May

 

coming up to 77 in March
we enjoy visiting USA each year for 2 months, sightseeing and LARS
have dropped in to Bonneville a few times in our Rental cars, and have driven on salt
we set a Rental Car Cl*** Salt Record of 182 yard per hour one year and record
still stands
one thrill was to stand on the ramp where Evel Knievel attempted to jump the Snake River on his jet bike