Blonde to Blue.....my attempt to tell you a story.

At the invinceable age of 17 I learned a hard lesson.
Humility.

I was out cruising my 36 Ford pickup with a buddy on a hot sultry Sat. evening. It was one of those nights where the sun seems to stay overhead til almost ten o'clock.
We were cruising down an old 4 lane blacktop road, just hanging out listening to the pipes of my newest 327 rebuild. It was the fastest thing at my high shcool. Undefeated I was.

I look over to say something to Andy and pulling up beside me was an elderly man with white hair...in a 36 Ford coupe!
So I lean out and say to him, "Beautiful car sir!" You see, we were taught to respect all of our elders. My dad would slap a knot on my head if I didn't.

He leans out and replies....You wanna run that thang...BOY?
BOY? Who's he calling boy? Sorry Dad, but that repect thing just went out the window.

Yeah old man....I'll run that heap! You'll be sorry, though.
OK, we'll run from the stop sign at 29th street to 7-11.
You see, things in the country are measured in landmarks, not miles.

Easing up to the stopsign, I roll my shiny silver metalflake pickup to the line...the imaginary staging lanes.
His deep burgandy 36 has a weird sound to it....what is that? That sounds like it is pinging? Why would an old man's 36 be pinging? Cheap gas?

The old blue haired racer raises his hand and motions for me to start the bidding.....so I do.
I jump down hard on the 327 and she screams to life ....the sound of the old Engle solid lift cam has a distinct sound to it. I grab second...the rear starts to drift .....6200...6300...6800...6900.. just a little more Now! 7000....bang her into high gear!
I should be leaving that old man behind by now. I am sure he won't be coming back.
Wait...what is that I see out of the corner of my eye? A door handle? No it's a .......rear fender? No it's a bumper?
Hey...what is the deal? Those taillights are getting smaller? Oh my God....I just got spanked by a senior citizen.

As I roll into 7-11 with my tail tucked between my legs, the old man is getting out of his car and starting to raise the hood.

Boy....you run a good race, but you lost.

I know...Sir.

Come here and I'll show you why.
As I wander over slowly to the coup, a smile starts to appear on the old codgers face. Boy, let me tell ya what you have just been whupped by. This here is my 360 cubic inch, all roller, 13:1 dual quad Chevy motor. I built this here motor for boys just like you.

It was all starting to fit together...that pinging wasn't cheap gas it was a compression knock. Dang...

He told me that I reminded him of a young boy he once knew. The only difference was that boy went from Blonde to Blue.

Root

 

Very cool story Root. I love reading hot rod tales. Thanks for sharing.

 

cooooollllllll!!!!!

brings back a few memories.thx


jerry

 

Very cool Root, I been on both sides of that deal.

 

True story.........all my stories are true stories...just some truer than others.

 

That was great. I've been missing the fiction on the HAMB. I just re-read Purgatory Auto Salvage toe other day for lack of anything new - a good story itself.

 

Thanks!
40Studedude, look out! There's a ney guy on the block.
Jim

 

Man, that's great. Great, great story.

 

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks!
40Studedude, look out! There's a ney guy on the block.
Jim

[/ QUOTE ]

Jim, I am not even close. I am NO writer, just had to relay a story.

 

Good one Root, enjoyed it.

Been there too only my old man was a young doctor in a supercharged 54 Buick Century.

Write some more, they get easier as you go along and this one was laid out well.

 

Thanks c9, I take that as quite a compliment.
I have a few more but they are all life stories about street racing as a kid.

 

Gawd Root, ya made me blush. That's hard to do these days.
Our first racer came about from about the same type situation. My blue hair was a country bumkin lookin' dude in a ragged out ol' chebby. He said it was a 265 (yea right)
Play hard or stay home Bro.

 

Jim, I am not even close. I am NO writer, just had to relay a stor

Root, you both have different styles, that is for sure.
Roger does tell a convincing story, and has ploished his style.

But, I see a flair for stories in you I had not known.
You and Roger have lived your stories, and in different time frames.

Try another, I think you will doo well.
JIm

And, remember, you are my heroe.
Sorry Rashy.
Jim

 

Awesome story!!!!! Do you have any pisc of your truck? Wicked Kool!! Nate

 

Nice one, Root!

 

Thanks Root that was a cool story.

JT.

 

Thanks guys. I might try another one later this evening if I can muster up the courage.

Kustumizer, here's a pic.
36 Ford pics

 

Sweet

 

What ever happin'd to C-9's story hour???

 

imfatdad,

You may be thinking about 40StudeDude's Friday night read.

I just fling em out there every now and then.

 

Cool tale, well told Root.

 

C-9, You are right, I apologize, I remember you occ***ionally spinning yarns too as well, though maybe again they were more tech. Could be the blows to the head from the wife have done more damage than I thought...

have your Cali book, I really enjoy it.

 

Hey Root...don't sell yourself short. Anytime you can make the reader "see" the story unfolding...like a movie flickering on the big screen inside their head...
you can most certainly consider yourself a "writer". Thanks for the tale...I enjoyed reading!

 

Great story. Reminds me of the many 5.0 Mustangs I have spanked with my 32 roadster. I have that same high compresion dual quad smallblock. And I'm that "Older" guy. They are always stunned.

 

1964----Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. Stopped at a lite beside a Studebaker Lark. We were sitting in a buddy's new 1964 Pontiac with a 327 Chev, (this is in Canada). He revved the engine for the guy in the Stude to see if he would race. Lite changed and all we heard was ungodly tire scream and disappearing tailites on the Stude. My first introduction to a cad powered Stude or Studillac. Remember it like it was yesterday. Great times.

 

When I was 16 my buddy had a Chevy Malibu with a stroked 383, and all the typical goodies... We were racing one night, mostly against kids in thier mom's cars - when we pulled up to a late model extended cab Chevy truck with the big pipes... It was 4WD and had all that bolt on Lund **** on it, pretty much a Texas old man custom truck.... Anyway, there was an old man behind the wheel... We tached it up and so did he, the light turned green and he SMOKED us! Later on I found it had a blower on it! Never judge a book by it's cover.

 

Are you SURE it was a Caddy motor in that Lark? You might have been a "Super Lark" victim! Studebaker put out "package cars" in 63/64. They were Avanti powered with Avanti drive trains!

Watch out for those old Studebakers, plenty of us have put the old superchargers back on 'em!

In fact, you can take a look on the Pure Stock Muscle Car Drags website for some real eye-opening Studebaker stats. OR, you can join us at http://racingstudebakers.com/v-web/bulletin/bb/index.php for lots of Studebaker racing!

 

Great story and the wise old guy was very cool.

 

Great story Root,

My GF drives my 83 "Girlinetta"; very stock appearing 83 Berlinetta- most came with 2.8 liter six- this one was a 305 car, later changed out for 355 Tuned Port, Head work, cam, 3.42 Zexel, etc. mid 13's- not the fastest but she humiliates the ricers who don't turn down the rap "music" long enough to hear the header's warning growl...