I spent last evening and today at a viewing and funeral for my friend Bernie Arnold. Bernie helped me to figure out the problems in my stromberg carburetors. So juging by the nice weather of today, i felt it was fitting to dig out my little 4 banger and take it to the church. The car has been giving me problems with water leaking, not starting, electrical gremlins, tire balance problems, etc..... just a general headache. so ive had it tucked away with a cover on it for some time now but today....i left work at 9:30 am came home...put the interior back in and she fired right up ran like a charm, drove straight as an arrow all the way to the funeral. snapped into gears just like 1939! boy it was great....here i am on a very hard day in my life but i can still find relaxation in my old 4 banger jalopy. after the funeral i spent quite a while talking with all of the other local old time hot rodders who attended. Stories from the 50's. street racing. hopping up flatheads etc. (aside from his grandkids im pretty sure Heidi and i were the youngest ones there) time came for me to head home. a little caressing and to my suprize she fired right up again. Off we went down the road. i dont know what came over me but something just said FLOOR IT! with not even an ounce of thought put towards police, trouble, handling, brakes! i watched that little speedometer wrap itsself right around back to the beginning while that sweet 1243 sang me a nice song as it reached it max RPM. what a feeling of euphoria, of nothingness, of peace, of remembrance of those who have past on but put a mark in the hearts of those of us left here fiddling with these wreched old machines. i just kept wanting more and more and more....that pedal was so far burried into the wooden floor boards im suprized they're not cracked i dropped off my girlfriend and decided to head out for one last p*** through the back roads by my house. with no one in the car i can always push it a little more...hit the gears a little harder and throw it into the corners a little farther. my little black time machine took me back...back into those stories i heard today back into the past. the farther the pedal goes down the more blurred the present day gets and the more clear the past shines through wide open beyond the ticks of the speedometer i was finally happy again. finally ready to go back and face every day life finally at peace with the p***ing of my friend i got home...took a break....went back to move the car.....GRIIIINNNDD.....the starter and the flywheel dont seem to like each other anymore but you know what.....who cars....that thing did me good today helped me hot rod away my sorrows it took me back.....when your pushing that pedal down .....sometimes the floor boards just arent far enough away...... hope everyone gets to enjoy an old jalopy today Zach
That's a great story. Look out though, someone will say you're gay for being sentimental about something that touches you.
thanks everyone.... I'm one of the most sentimental guys there is when it comes to old hot rods....so say what you will??? i spend more time engulfing myself in the past then i do actually working on cars the people are what make it all great, without anyone in the past we'd all be figuring it out now for the first time. you gotta learn from other peoples mistakes and take joy in their triumphs ....and broadsliding on the back roads never hurts either
Cool. I'll bet having that car at the funeral probably meant a lot to many of his friends. Good memories and a great day for a drive.
Great story! Sounds like the little banger wanted to honor your friend also Who says they don't have their own soul. RIP Bernie.
Great post! I felt like I was there with you. This old iron has a heart and knows that the driver lovingly cares about it too. Giving that 75 year old metal the opportunity to sprint again. It's going to reward you!
Nice post, Zach. A fitting tribute to a good friend and Ol' Hot Rodder. To be remembered with such a tribute as your post and your run down "Memory Lane" with your little banger purring, that, my friend, is one of the greatest, most meaningful good-byes a Hot Rodder could hope for. Jerry
I have often found that going for a drive can cure a world of problems. I'm sure Bernie was riding along with you. I see that you wrote this on Monday. Monday night I had a hot rod moment like that as well. I had gone to a cruise I had never been to (I don't really do cruises, led alone on a week night!) that was quite aways away. My route home was on a freshly paved state route that the roadster travels great on. It was dark, the warm autumn breezes were blowing and the moon was beaming. Traffic was non-existant so I turned of the headlights and roared down the road. For that stretch of two lane nothing mattered. It was a feeling I soon won't forget. We've talked before about the souls of old cars and how they can take you to a different time and place. It is times like that that make me feel like I did invent a time machine!
The Jalopy Journal
