OT: My Dad's ol 55 vett and other stuff...

Well, since Fathers Day is coming up I was thinking about my dad and how he made me the car freak that I am. Only problem is he always had talent while I am all thumbs in the garage. But nevertheless my earliest memories are of a 55 Vett he had in the late 60’s to early 70’s that he sold in 73 and that car is the reason my 32 is gold. I found some pics of it and some other cars and though I would throw them out on the HAMB for you guys to check out.

First some general stuff on my dad. My dad inherited a Plymouth four door in 59 or so and was broke. He saved up and in 60 he went to town on it.



He was dating my mom at the time and he had hopped up the mill, nosed and decked it, shaved it, and painted it maroon.





He sold it and then got into 55 Bel Airs and 58 Impalas and he had several of them, but for some reason I cannot find any of the picks. At one point he had my mom driving a black small block 58 and he was driving a stick shift blue 58 with a 348. All I can find is pics of the car being worked on. He did say it was faster without all the bumpers LOL.





In 64 he bought a new Falcon, his first new car. Hi Po 289 car and many of the guys he grew up with said he was one of the first guys tearing it up with one of these cars running mags.





He got drafted and had orders several times to go to Nam but they would change his orders and he stayed state side becoming a drill instructor. He bought a new 68 Road Runner at some Petty guys dealership. Any of you guys recognize the base? Maybe he taught you to shoot; he was a rifle range instructor. They used to run drags after hours on the range btw...





He was supposed to go into Special Forces but a chance meeting with Westmorland, my birth in 67, Tet, and some other things caused him to decide not to go career.

In 68 or 69 he picked up a low mileage stock V-8 (one of the few) 55 Vett.











I remember thinking it was the Batmobile or something when I was a kid and loved that car. It was a bronze/gold color, and I remember it best with the red lines at this stage handing him tools.









The blue vett was his best buds he grew up with. I remember around this time they both quit the vett club because they hot rodded the cars and the other guys complained about them not leaving them stock.

 

This is also why I have always wanted a white mill...something my next car is going to have!







In 73 he showed it in the Dallas Autorama and some guy gave him crazy money for it at the show and he sold it. I was super upset when he did it and threw hot wheels all over the place.

BTW, any of you DFW guys remember the drag racer next to him out of curiosity?





I never liked the mags with white letters as much as the red lines...



Judges...blah! I do like looking at the cars in the background in pics like this though.



Oh, and here is one for the Van guys like 67Impwagon/GD430. Just threw it in because I could.



One last thing, this was the lot I pretty much grew up on...it was on the corners of Oakland and Main in the heart of Deep Ellum. Oakland is now Malcom X. It was across from Catalina Motor Cycles and on the other corner was John Connley Harley Davidson. Any of you hang around there in the early to mid 70's? This was one of my dads other vetts btw.



Anyhow, enjoy the pics…hope they are not to off topic for ya.

 

Damn dude, those are awesome photographs. I think I like the red-lines better myself...and are those chrome rallye wheels?

 

Yeah, they were a rally wheel.

I have to try and find more of my dads photos from the 60s and 70s, he used to have tons of them. I love looking in the backgrounds of them.

 

Great thread, thanks for sharing it with us. Your Dad did it right!

 

Cool pics and history! At least you have some pics, my dad can't seem to find any of his old car pics. Your Pop is a cool ole dude!

 

Very cool and not at all "off topic" IMO... Thanks for the photos and words!
I liked the 'Vette best in gold/bronze with the redlines.

Malcolm

 

Your right, that van is sweet.

I can tell you a story about the funny car. Saw it run at Dallas International when I was in 3rd grade. Story too long to tell here so you'll have to get the live version.

 

Your dad is pretty cool.

I like the 55.

 

That 1953 vette was a cool car, great pics !!

 

Neat pictures, thanks for sharing. Happy Father's Day to your dad.It appears he and I are from the same era.

 

Cool photos . Thanks for sharing .

 

Great Story. Thank you for posting.

 

Thanks guys.

I am trying to dig up some more pics...I will post em if I find em.

I did forget this one of the Plymouth with my mom and the interior of the Falcon.







I think the mags on the Falcon are Fentons...

 

awesome story and pics to go with it wow

 

Great pictures and stories! I always take pictures of the cars and my kids helping me work/wash them. Even now my son that is 10 looks at pictures of him when he was 1 or 2 standing on the driver seat pretending to drive and loves them.

 

Great pics of your pop's rides.

 

Great time capsule. The Vette was cool, wonder what he used on the engine. I tried a white engine once never got it rite. All your Dad's cars looked just rite.

 

I am pretty sure it was a 265 and they used header paint for high temps...in 55 around 800 vetts had V-8's in them from the factory and it was one of them. I think the thing that gave them away was they had some gold trim on the side the Blue Flame 6's did not have. I picked up some high temp white engine paint the other day in a can so I will let you know how that works out. They have some sort of engine clear now to make them even more shinny from what I hear.

 

great pics, got any more?

 

Byron...your dad's vette was awesome! I like it best with the redlines also. I'd love to have either it or the blue '58 sitting in my garage...I'm a sucker for pre-63 Corvettes.

The Falcon Sprint is pretty neat too!

 

Here is something from the small world department. My grandad was a used car dealer in Colorado Springs from the 1930's through the 70's, and some of my dad's cars were things they picked up there. Dad has told me several times about a gold '55 Corvette hot rod that he ended up driving back in the 60's. I'm pretty sure it wasn't as nice as your dad's, though, because he said it had a Olds engine that was so tall, whoever built it cut a hole in the hood to bolt the air cleaner on.

So anyway: Two dads. Two gold '55 Corvettes. Two used car lots.

 

Awesome B,
Thanks for the pics, I wish I had pics of my dad's cars.

Mmmm, new Fentons......:tasty:

 

Great thread.

 

great pics and cool post man, thanks

 

That was one little bad ass vette...love the gold and you gotta have some big ones to paint an engine white...even the damn carbs!

 

Don't let your Dad see this. It'll go to his head!

Like I've said on here before, Mr. Crump pretty much go me into cars as well. Byron and I used to tag along to the cruises and swaps with him and his buddies when we were in High School. Seems like we were up before the sun just about every weekend driving all over Texas and Oklahoma to hit the swaps. They would always be talking about guys and cars they knew and telling stories about back in their day.

I figure he's part of the reason why I'm so into 55's and 58's. I wonder, though, if he's why I ended up in the car business?

 

killer story and photos....that gold vette with those reversed wheels and redlines gave me the heebee geebees.

 

55 vette is bitchin-nice pictures

 

Yeah, the Pate trips were usally the best also. Remember the burned up Merc-allac?