Featured Hot Rods Where were you in '62?

Going to college in Utah. Driving a 53 F100 with a 292 Y block. Also still had my 33 Ford coupe, that was running off and on. Was waiting for the 62 406 that I had on order but never came. At the end of the year I figured I would be on a ship fighting the Russians in the Caribbean.

 

Riding shotgun, with my mom:

 

I was invited by LAPD to join the service and leave town so I was in Japan in the USAF's 56 WRS working on WB 50's, C130's and WB57's . Also learning quite a bit from the josans in downtown Fussa

 

In ‘62, I was 16 and I bought my first old car, a 30 Ford coupe with a 8BA, as a learning project.
Not running, of course, but nothing that a teenage dream and lots of ambition couldn’t cure.
The model car builds for the last four plus years had honed my skills in anticipation of the real thing.

It was in an ad in the Jacksonville paper, so me and Daddy went to look at it. I was in love, Daddy not so much.
Can’t remember what I paid, I think that it was $75. Couldn’t have been much as my income was from a paper route and a pump jockey job at a Texaco station. But with an ambitious promise to “get it runnin’”, it was blessed by both parents and it got dragged home. Even Momma was excited, remembering riding in a Model A down dirt roads as a girl on the farm.
It was a perfect plan.

The house garage was only partially finished, so the pitiful coupe sat in the back yard, much to the old lady neighbor’s dismay. Eventually the Parents (and neighbors) got tired of looking at the stalled project with its rust, busted gl*** and faded black paint, and even though I had camouflaged it with a tarp and some scrounged plywood, it got sold off after a summer of inactivity.

But I had an excuse.

Girls had taken over my life, draining all my available time and money. The lofty dreams of cruising in a cool Hotrod were displaced by those of tempting females! Many times later in life I would question myself about choosing that fork in the road.

The many years of addiction to the little pages of Rodding and Restyling, the little Rod and Custom and Hot Rod Magazine with its rotogravure center pages continued, however, and the neighbors couldn’t complain about that.
Just Momma, for leaving them ****tered all over my room.

And here we are today, 64 years later, and I’m still suffering from the same incurable addiction.
I’m just glad I don’t have to deal with the female one at my age.

 

In '62 I was 12 yrs. old and had already gotten the hotrod bug! I was a freshman in high school that fall and my dad used to go to the largest Goodwill store in town, and I always rode along because they had old car magazines for a penny a piece! I usually bought at least 10 of them every time we went there.
The next year at 13 yrs. old I bought my first ride, a 1947 International panel truck I got from my uncle for $25! I started working on it and in six months it was a running driving truck! Then I spent the next few years fixing it up more until I got my driver's license and began driving it to school and work! Those were such great times, and great fun memories!

 

I have posted this in the past but feel like it fits perfectly with this post.

Back in late 1962 we had a neighbor that lived behind us on a corner lot, Mr.Burton was his name, I never knew his first name and from the time I was 10 years old I cut his gr*** during the summer.

He drove a 53/56 Ford truck to work and had had some kind of accident and walked with a bad limp that's probably why I cut his gr***.
Anyway,I would go to his barn and get what I needed to do his yard work and there half covered with a old canvas army tent was a 32 Ford 5-window coupe.

I always looked forward to entering that sacred tomb each summer until that day in early June he told me that my services were no longer needed, he explained that he was moving up north to live with his sister and he ask me did I want the lawnmower to go into business cutting other folks yards, I gladly went to the shed to retrieve the mower and gaze one last time at the coupe which had not moved the whole time we lived next to him.

I ask him was he gonna drive the old car to his sisters or pull it? His answer was, No son,I'm gonna have to sell the old gal, with that reply I fired back how much?

His answer was already established because 75 bucks came back as quick as I ask, I'll buy it,I said.
He looked at me and said we need to talk to your dad.
Not wanting my dad to say no I told Mr. Burton I would talk to dad tonight when he gets home from work.

Next day I sat outside Mr. Burton's front door, it seemed to be forever but I knew he worked second shift and I didn't dare wake him up, It just might screw things up.

Around noon he exited his house and ask how long had I been there and if I had discussed the sale with my dad, I told him I just came over a few minutes ago and dad said it was OK with him.

BTW, I never once said a word to my dad, I really didn't need the money, I robbed my cigar box and with my gr*** cutting money, birthday money and my entire life savings I had enough money and some change, I had enough money to buy the coupe and fix it up, Hey I was 12 years old, I didn't know what I do today.

So, I handed Mr. Burton my hard earned cash and we proceed to unearth the coupe,That car was nice with original black paint, flathead V8, and all 4 tires were shot and rotten but I had the biggest grin on my face as I fought with all my might trying to guide it as Mr. Burton pulled it behind his truck across his yard into my parents side yard.

I was the happiest kid in the world for about three hours.

That was when my dad got home, the first words out of his mouth was what was that junk car doing in our yard?, from there it got ugly dad called Mr. Burton and woke him up, remember this man worked 2nd shift, to say he was a little more than annoyed would be a understatement. dad got into a debate about not clearing it with him first and that I was 12 years old and had no business with a car and for him to come and get it out of his yard and if he wanted to keep the money Danny gave you for lying to us both and he would take care of me, I knew what was gonna happen because they don't call this part of the country the Bible Belt for nothing.

Heavy on the belt! long story coming to a end, Mr. Burton gave me my money back and had a big laugh and a few days later both he and the car were gone never to be seen again.

All you guys got is my word on this ,all the players are deceased with the exception except of me and nobody knows what happened to that 32 coupe. but I'm willing to bet the owner ain't 12 years old HRP

 

Practicing for this. my chopper pilot, CMH Col. Bruce Crandall taken at LZXRAY by UPI reporter Joe Galloway

 

At 15 years old, I was fortunate enough to have an older brother and friends who were into hot rods. Going to the drags, car club meetings and trips to Northern California speed shops fueled my car interest. Traded my running Honda motorcycle for a non-running, but cool looking, ‘35 Chevy Pickup.

 

I turned 8 in August of '62 and was already a car nut. Dad had started racing dirt tracks with his '51 Ford Crestliner and 1 of my jobs was painting the cow catcher front bumper and going to the races with him and sitting in the stands by myself cuz I was too young for the pits. Dad always had a hot car and at that time it was a '57 Fairlane 500 with a 312 with two 4 barrels and a Dana 4.09 rear end. I was building models like The Outlaw and Lil Coffin amoung others.

Dave

 

Turned 16 in November 62 and spent a lot of Friday nights cruising the Ave riding shotgun in my Buddy's 55/56 Ford. I bought my 51 Merc in March of 63 but didn't have a lot of money for gas until Summer and didn't drive it much. I think the first few months My Mom drove it more than I did as she had just gone through a divorce and her Big 58 Mercury Station wagon was a gas hog compared to the 51.

 

I got my drivers license in the summer of 62 and soon after bought a 54 Ford which needed work and I didn’t get it on the road till the next spring. Half way through my senior year it was gone and I bought a 60 Chevy Bel Air post,283/ 3 on the tree where I learned how to replace more than one transmission. Six months after graduation ordered a new 65 GTO. Life was good until interrupted by extended trip to SE Asia. Sixty years later still playing with cars.

 

1962 was a pretty big year in my life, I was still eleven when the Draggins Easter Car Show took place and I spent the weekend sitting on our curb watching the Customs and Hot Rods go back and forth to the show (including two channeled rods that would stop next door to see the older girl there).
Fall of '62 brought my twelfth birthday, and, as I had done for a few years previous, that brought opening day BBQ for the local junior football team. When I rode my bike over to grab a burger I rode past the most beautiful car I had ever seen! One of the team's alumni had turned pro that year and had spent his signing bonus on a brand new 1963 Corvette coupe - WOW! I swore to myself then and there that I would have a car like that as soon as I landed a permanent job. Did that.. ..and.. I STILL HAVE IT!! Wisest investment I have ever made!

-Dave

 

You guys are old

 

My 62 Bel Air was built. I wasn't yet.

 

I was one year old and in Israel... This could be late 63 but in 62, probably being driven to that beach in that 54 Chev

 

I was in Germany with the US Army driving a duce and half truck with trailer. My personal car was a 1955 Chev 2dr 6cyl 3on the tree. A great little car at the time!

 

On the farm, 7th grade, had just finished the last year of the one-room school house. I'd been driving the John Deere H for awhile and had just been allowed to start driving the '47 Dodge pickup in the fields. Good times!

That was the year that the local Mobil station owner decided to retire and asked if I wanted to buy the '32 Chevrolet coupe he had out behind the station that was used to haul junk to the dump every few months. $35! "Just have to put a charged battery in it and it'll fire right up". I didn't make HRP's mistake... but asked my old man and got told "NO! You're not bringing junk like that on this farm!" Oh well.

At the time I was building all kind of models; cars, boats and airplanes but the only way I was exposed to motor-sports was following the coverage of the Indianapolis 500 and the drags at Omaha in the pages of the World-Herald.

I didn't really get into it until a couple of years later when I bought a copy of Mickey Thompson's "Challenger" at the bus depot in Columbus while on my way to a different life in the NW. But it stuck pretty well!

 

I was 16 a sophomore in high school and all ready bit bad by the cars and hot rod bug.

 

sure is a lot of old farts here. I turned 2 in January '62. my brother was 5, so I am sure there were Tonka trucks and ***orted toy cars in the toybox. it wasn't for another 6 years that Hot Wheels came out and my life was changed forever, I still have some of them. in 1972 I got a subscription to Street Rodder and subscribed until they started to **** in the 90's.

 

I was in the NAVY stationed on the USS Fulton AS11, half way through a four year hitch.

 

In 1962 I graduated from Frontier Central High School in Hamburg, N.Y. . That July 4th weekend went with my family to visit my aunt and uncle in Ashley, Indiana. While there my uncle offered me a job in his dry cleaners. Had nothing else going on so I stayed. That's where I found the car of my dreams, a 41' Ford convertible. Already a custom, nosed decked, louvred hood, door & trunk handles removed and what was left of a candy apple paint job.Under the hood was a 48' flathead w/ 39' three speed. All for $295.00. I had so much fun back then cruising the burger joints ( when it was real cruising, not pretending with your lawn chair and cooler). Never stayed long, moved on to the next place or the next town. It was a great time to be a kid with a cool car.

 

Freshman in High School in Western New York. Dragged my first car home, a non-running 50 Ford Convertible. Turned out it was a California car, body was way to nice to be local. Reality finally hit home, very little money, no tools, no place to work, and pretty much no clue sent it down the road with a small profit. It was another two years before I dragged my first 55 Nomad home.
Side story - back to Freshman year. Hitchhiking home in the middle of winter my older brother's best friend gave me a ride. A chopped 50 Merc Convert, light gray primer, white top, lowered, skirts. It must have had a really good heater, toasty warm inside, and Joey in blue jeans, dungrees, white T shirt and I'm sure a DA haircut. The hook was set!

 

In 1962 I was 3 and probably taking things apart with no intentions of ever putting them together again.

 

second grade, going the drags and watching my uncle race.

 

This is already starting to become one of my favorite HAMB threads!

 

Dealing with a new born son and writing my first tech article that appeared in the February 1963 ROD & CUSTOM. Hooked up with an advertising agency in San Diego and wrote press releases for Dragmaster, Crower Cams and bunch of other clients on a free lance basis.

 

I was a 13 yr. old freshman at Aviation HS in LI city NY and hanging around a garage in Elmhurst Queens. These guys had this MG and would take me out to the track every Sunday. Fast forward 50 or so years and brother Mike and myself restored the car to the way it looked in 64. I took this picture at Westhampton drag strip probably 1963. Dave Daly (owner/driver)L and Willie "The Welder" Feyh (builder) R.

Pat

 

Graduated high school in 1962. Our mascot was a Yellowjacket. My aunt did the design on the yellowjacket when she was in high school in the very late 1920's. It continues to be the mascot to this day. I owned this car in stock condition while in high school, sold it, it moved around town and 50 years later I bought it back and finally completed it as the hot rod I wanted all those years before. As we completed the purchase, I was handed back my original signed pink slip as no one had gotten it re-***led over all those years. How about that!

 

I was 6, in first grade