It's Father's Day! What's you favorite Dad and car memory!

Happy Father's day to all those Dads, Pops and Old Men out there! Hope to join you all one day, but not too soon! Was working on my project today, 57 Pontiac, and was just thinking about all the old car stories my dad told me when I was a kid and the memories I have of him wrenching. So I'll start with my first memory of my dad working on a car. It was when we still had 'The White Goose', it was a '70 Olds Delta 88 2 door, with a 455. Right about the time leaded gas went bye, bye, he decided he needed to tear it down and get the hardened valve seats. All I remember is coming home and seeing him under the hood, it seemed like he was standing right in the middle of the car! I couldn't believe my 4 year old eyes! I was 100% amazed! I don't remember much more than that but it really stood out, him standing in the middle of that car. This was also the car my little brother was born in on the way to Midway Hospital in St Paul, Radio Drive Exit, I-94. HAPPY FATHERS DAY ONE AND ALL!

 

One of my avorite memories with my dad, and the '57 Chevy PU he bought new, was after it transformed from the I6, to a 283 and then to an LS5 454 from a '70 Vette...he used to "play" with anyone in a Camaro, Chevelle, Vette, or HotRod back in the day, stop light to stop light, highway runs , whatever..he'd always let'em know that the old truck had some power under the hood.

I couldn't/can't think of anything specific, but recall thelook on the Caddy drivers, Lincoln drivers/etc...faces when that old '57 left them behind.

RIP dad, miss ya!

 

Well tomorrow my pops and I are going to finish putting the hood on our 49 chevy, and after that gets done all we have to do really is drive it! I'm hoping tomorrow will be a good father's day for him and me!

 

Cruising with Pops in his 56 F100 panel when I was about 7. Hangs a left turn, pass. door flies open, I'm half way out the door in the middle of the intersection, when he catches me by my hood, and reels me in. Damn I loved that panel! He recently told me he was shaking for 2 hrs. after that incident. I had no idea. Takin him for a cruise in the wagon tomorrow, think I'll remind him to lock the door Happy fathers day!!

 

I'm making my favorite memory tomorrow. My daughter is home from North Carolina until Monday and she wants to go to the car show in Howes Caves NY with me as we haven't seen much of each other since she got home. That works for me. We'll fuel up the 55 and head out in the morning for a few hours

 

I have SO many! My Dad helped my brother an I buy our first race cars when we turned 16. He was a hot rodder from way back. I remember when I was probably only 7 or 8 my Dad had just got hme from work, which was way upstate; and he didn't come home everynight because of the overtime. he and some other guys rented a little place near the job site. Anyway, we just sat down for dinner, and there's a knock at the door and it's a New York State Trooper. He said they'd been trying to catch my Dad for weeks, and he just flat outran them; not even knowing he was being pursued! So they set cops up at differnet places along his route to see where he lived, and finally tracked him to home. They gave him a ticket, alright, but that was all. Today you'd probably go to jail.
Years later we did a motor swap for the town of Newburgh N.Y. Police. We took a 318 out of the car and put a 440 motor in this cruiser because they couldn't catch the kids with their Shelby GT500's and 440+6 Road Runners. The cruiser had a three on the tree! Anyway, we had to run it back to our shop on occasion to tweak it for them and my brother or I would drive home in my Mom's '67 440 GTX. Dad would drive the cop car. Several times, he'd put the lights and siren on and chase us home, high speed. Luckily for us no real cops happend by to see us and lend a hand, or we'd have gone to jail for sure! The chief of police loved the car so much he bouoght it when it went surplus. Dad was a hard man, he worked his tail off his whole life, but was always there for us, and as weak as he was in his last few years, I damn sure miss him.

 

About 1962 my brother had a freind who just got a 58 Impala with a 348 and tri-power. All we heard for weeks was how fast that car was and how it had never been beaten in a race. They were going to run it at Oswego drag strip just outside of Chicago. My dad ind I went to watch. Well, my dad got in the wrong lane at the entrance at the strip and we wound up with a big E/SA in white shoe polish in the window of his 57 Belair, 283 pg. 4-door hardtop. He decided to run it just for giggles, and as luck would have it, he was paired up with my brothers freind. My dads 57 made that 58 look like it was standing still. I don't remember the time, but we never heard another word about that 58 Impala. God i miss him!

 

About my earliest memory of my Dad and a car was in 1954, when we went into town in our Willys station wagon, and drove back home in Dad's brand new '54 Olds 88. Wouldn't you know it, about halfway home a violent thunderstorm hit, with huge hailstones thundering down on our new car ! Dad parked under a big tree, and we waited the storm out. Fortunately, there wasn't a single dent in the car from the hail. Dad drove that '54 until about 1966.

 

I was 6 or 7 I think, and dad had a new '78 chev pickup which he took off the new exhaust and and put a couple of 'Big Daddys' (bottles) on. I remember him 'kickin it down' on the freeway and the louder they got my smile got bigger and bigger! After that day I was hooked on cars and begged him to 'kick it down' every chance I could! He obliged. I am about to become a first time dad here in about 4 weeks, and I can't wait to 'kick it down' with my son/daughter?? !!

 

I can remember being real little and my dad told me to take this 5gal bucket and go to the gas station and get some gas to wash some parts.. OK first things first I was about 5yrs old and we lived in a real small town of 300 people and the gas station was behind my dads shop. Well I got the gas in the bucket and remember that gas spashing all over me when I was bringing it back. When I did get bact there was hardly any gas in the bucket and what I can remember the most is that my dad striped me down to my underwear and washed me down with the water hose and some soap. It gets better he made me stay in the front seat in my under wear till about 3 o'clock, that was about 3hrs in the front seat of the car and I think the rest of the 299 people in town came by that day. I would not of had it any other way.
I can also remember my dad giving me rides in his hot rods. Everyday when he got ready to close up shop and pull the car in side we would have to take the car about a mile or 2 outside of town and back. He played those old tapes with the 50's music and I can still hear them playing. I found them tapes a while back and thought it would be cool to drive around my son in my roadster and play the same music. My son is only 4 and he loves it, I hope he can have the same memories some day.
Happy Fathers Day Pops......................

 

Too many as some have said above. I lost dad to the big C 5 years ago but before that we had had automotive adventures for most of 55 years.
The earliest was watching him and one of his buddies paint our 41 Buick Sedanette in about 1950. He traded it on a 51 Ford in 51 and never did like the Ford.
In my early teens I went with dad during "visitations" and we always managed to have some car oriented activity. Attending the Grand Opening weekend of SIR aka PIR when they ran a multitude of different races for a short time o, n the same day. Drags, sport car road course, and motorcycle road course. A big thrill to be part of for a 13 year old kid. We cruised out in dad's 53 Olds Super 88 two door sedan. A couple of years later cruising around on weekends with him in his 57 Olds 88 with a J2 TRi-power. That black beauty was a lot of fun.
Often on weekends we checked out car lots and dealers from Lake City to Tacoma to see what they had that was interesting. That and lots of trips to the drags and the circle track on old 99 for races.
We made a road trip from here to McGregor Tx in 1988 to take my kids back to their mother after I had them for the summer. We took my 51 Merc with the 350 Olds and pulled a small trailer with her stuff in it. We dropped the kids and the trailer and furniture in TX and headed west to Bonneville for the 40th annual running of speedweek. First thing some guy walks up to dad and asks if we were the guys in driving the 51 Merc who were at the cafe in Rock Springs Wyoming a few days before headed to TX. It seems that he had pulled in with his black 51 Merc about a half hour after we pulled out and got the "there were some guys here in a car exactly like that a half hour ago and they are headed to Texas and then to Bonneville. Dad got Don Garlits autograph when he was there to run the flathead car and that was a thrill for him. We had watched Don run at Seattle years earlier when Dragsters ran in the 10's.
When he came to visit he usually ended up helping me with one of my projects and he attended a number of rod trots that I took the cars too over the years. Great times with a great guy.

 

i have lots of great memories of me and my father working together

but i think that the best one yet will be when my oldest son wakes up in the am and we go out to the shop and work on the 53 ford crestline that we just got

well i dont know if this is a dream or will he put down the video games for a day with dad

 

Somewhere around '72-73, ( I was 12-13 at the time) my Dad buys an old Miller beer truck, Ford C-600 series to use for his work. We go to the lot where the truck is sitting, my Dad haggles and buys the truck. Drives out the driveway onto Norwalk Blvd in So. Cal with my Mom, sister and I following in the family wagon and the rearend locks up. Dies right there. Takes us all home, grabs me and his tool box and we go back and drop the pumpkin on the side of the road. Fix it and drive it home.

About a year later, he decides he wants to get rid of all the side entry doors (3 down each side) and replace them with sheet metal panels. We spent two solid weekends and I mean from 8:00 Sat morning to about 5:00 pm, same routine on Sunday working on those panels. He would drilll the hole and I'd come behind him with the manual pop rivet gun...my hands were such a bloody mess from smacking the panel evertime that rivet would pop, I think my Mom threatened a divorce if he didn't give me a break! He's had some serious heart problems the past 4-5 years, he's not working on cars anymore, but at least he's still around to talk about life and the good ol' days.

 

When I was young my dad drove an oilfield transport and left the house before sun up and hardly ever got back before dark in order to make sure we had everything we needed. I missed him a lot but now I respect him for the dedication. Back in 60 when I was 8 my dad bought a 52 ford Custom. The motor was week so he decided to pull it out and rebuild it. I spent every Sunday afternoon out in the garage with him working on it. I would ask lots of questions and he would explain how everything worked in the engine. I actually remember understanding it all. My friends would come by and look in and ask me if I wanted to go play ball and I'd tell them that we were busy and had work to do. I guess that was when the light came on and I got my understanding of the workings of a combustion engine. My dad has been gone for about 7 years and although we didnt get to spend a lot of time together, I still miss him.

 

My Dad and I driving to the 1959 Indy 500 in a 1952 Chrysler Convertible. I got to see Roger Ward win and I also got a plastic helmet. checkered flag and a program. I still have the program. Dad has been gone for several years but I still have those great memories....

 

When I was 15 I got my first car, 1951 Plymouth Cranbrook, He said he would help me learn, but that he wasn't going to do the work for me. I'll never forget the look on his face when, during a tune-up, I pulled all six spark plug wires out at the same time.

 

I am now in the memory BUILDING biz with the grandson. Looks like a little gearhead doesn't he?

This was about 20 minutes after he walked up to me and said, "Papa, can we go out in the garage and play with your tools?"

 

I have several, but one that I will never forget was 30 years ago when he drove 3 hours on a Sunday evening to replace a cracked rotor that I couldn't seem to figure out. He walked up, removed 2 screws, put the rotor in, started the car, got in his and drove back home, another 3 hour trip. Not a word was spoken the ENTIRE time. He was too mad and I was too scared (or smart). I don't know what he thought as he drove home, but I can imagine. I LOVE my old Daddy.

 

My dad was killed when I was only 2 years old. He was driving one of the first 40 Ford's in our area to have a SB Chevy installed.

However I had one of the best stepdads a guy could have ever wished for. He was a car guy too. He had a super nice 41 Ford P/U with a 327/300 Chevy with Lincoln 3 speed tranny. This was 1963 and I was 9 years old. He bowled in a league that was 30 miles away and he let me tag along most of the time. Late one nite in late 64 we were coming back home and got into a race with a new Mustang GT. It happened to be one of the 'hot' young women from our little town. We smoked that little 'Stang that nite and the next morning that was all the talk at the breakast hang out. Never did find out now anyone else knew.

 

My Pops is not a car guy, he likes A/C and all that jive, but he did give me the $400 bucks when I was 15 to buy my first project, and was always supportive. Look where I am now, I am like a junkie for old rusty steel. Thanks Pops

 

It's hard for me to even begin because cars were such a big part of my relationship with my dad. Sandbuggies, go karts, my '66 Mustang. etc. Some of my first memories were of driving the sandbuggy through the desert with a sleeping bag stuffed behind me so I could sit on the edge of the seat. Couldn't have been more than 5 or 6.

One funny one was after I'd bought that same old 'glass body from my dad and rebuilt it. I drove it over their house and as I came up the dirt drive I cranked the wheel, hit the turn brake and spun a 180º. As the dust cleared I saw 'The Look' on my Mom's face so I pointed at my pop and said, "He taught me to do that!"

 

My favorite will always be my Dad buying a used 57 Chevy 2 door hardtop. It was pink and white. It didn't have any hub caps on it so he gave my brother-in-law some cash and sent him to the local Western Auto to buy some for him. When Dad got home from work that night, it sat in the driveway all washed waxed and shining with its new set of Pink/White checkerboard hubcaps with the built in 3 bar spinners...My Dad was pissed.
I lost him at 16 to Bone Cancer but I will always have that memory as well as that 66 Buck Lesabre being parked behind the Center Field fence when I played Little League....he never missed a game.

48 Poncho

 

The best car related thing I can remember about my dad was that he would get me up on the weekends and take me to go test drive new cars. He knew he wasn't ever gonna afford a new car,but loved going and just test driving them. Wish I could remember all the BULLSHIT the salesman would tell us,trying to get him to buy the cars. From 1964 to 1978,we test drove EVERYTHING that was available! The most fun was when we drove a 426 Hemi Cuda. The guy said "go ahead...step on it!" My dad stomped on it and I flew back in the seat and just about knocked myself out! It went all over the place,laying rubber and changed lanes into oncoming traffic! My dad says "well,i've had enough of that!!!". I could never get him to stomp on the gas again...sure miss him,RIP Dusty....

PS-His favorite car...57 Chrysler 300 conv. my mom made him sell when I was born!

 

My dad died in 1988.I miss his humor and his passion for fast cars.He loved the Indy 500,and used to spend the whole month of May at the track.My earliest memories of his cars was a 1950 Ford.I hope to one day get into an old shoebox of my own.

 

Not very HAMBy but it was a 71 impala cop car with a 454. It blew the motor early in service and had a longblock of unknown origin (we eventually suspected to be an LS5) Dad worked for the city and bought it at auction because water cooler smalltalk said it was the only police car in the county that could outrun the state patrol's 440 dodges with headers and holleys.

Dad cut the front springs, channeled the body by removing the bushings, headers, gutted the car and swiss cheesed it down into the low 3000s. Put the whole thing back together with the thinnest semblance of a stock interior. A total bonzai highway cruiser. It'd bury the certified 140 speedo.

It was the late 70s, the car had some crust and rust and a side full of bondo from forcing a superbird in the ditch during a police pursuit. But lay it open at 55 and the 2.73 one legger would lay rubber for 100 feet before leaving EVERYTHING in the dust. We used to pick on new vettes and TAs and any muscle that would run us on the highway with their dragstrip gears. Damn those are cool memories

 

My dad's model t speedster with the rajo head and ruckstell rear axle.
early hotrod 1933. Lot's of storys from going fast to hill climbing.

 

not hamb friendly but my best memory or my dad and car was him teaching me to drive at 11 or 12 in an 88 chevy truck and passing a cop going in the other direction and him telling me to gun it so we could pull over further down the road before the cop got back. truck was lowered with limo tinted windows , cop flipped a u turn and came after us just as we got back on the road with him driving it. ahah

 

My old man was a car guy... as much as he cold be with a morgage and 3 kids. He got a job building bowling alleys all over the south east so travle was mandatory. He started off with a 56 DeSoto 'Firedome' hard top. Was pink and white with the Lancer stripe pattern. He painted his tool trailer in the same patern and was aparently fairly well know by the fuzz in several states. That one gave way to a '60 Impalla 4 door HT with skirts and a 348. It looked lowered, but in fact it was packed with tools. Same deal with the '63 Bonneville, 389/tri power. All these cars were 5~6 years old by the time he could afford to 'trade up' and usually had 70/80k on the clock. I remember going down to the Pontiac store in '65 to find out where they hid the windshield wipers. When he got off the road and opened a plumbing shop he finely switched to trucks and bought a '39 Ford that was burried up to the axels. He bought an engine from Sears and we had to go down to Memphis to pick it up. The guy down there (my first trip to a 'real' machine shop) said sure he could have the Sears contract rebuild, or for an extra 50 he could get a big truck block with a 4" crank. I learned to drive in that truck, and it was the insprition for my current project. He never understood my facination with cars. Things went sour between me and him, and I wouldn't say it was his falt. I split when I was 16 and never went back. Over the years things have got better and we talk on the phone 2 or 3 times a year. Despite the rough parts we have more in common that the differences that seperated us years ago. You can count yourself as lucky if your dad supported your dreams, and even luckyer if your still on good terms. My kids are grown now. I might not agree with some of their choices, but I'll back'em 100%.

 

Having my dad drive me around to do my paper route in his 23 T Bucket.