Something way cool happened to me last night. I was taking out the garbage and one of the neighbors across the street called me over asking for help. I said "Sure, no problem!" She had an old potted plant she needed dumped into the oraganics recycling bin. It took me about 5 minutes to dig the thing out for her. "I can't thank you enough!" "Anytime!" As I was doing so she began to tell me how much she loved my old cars and how much she loved seeing me out there working on them. With tears in her eyes, she went on to tell me how her husband, who passed away 3 years ago, would have loved me and he'd be out there tinkering with me. Apparently they used to be regulars in the old car show circuit. They owned a '49 and '50 Merc (at the same time) and used to go to Hot August Nights, a whole family affair. Long conversation short, she told me to "Wait right here" and she ran into her house. She brought out her late husbands "The Flathead" newletter/magazine collection and handed it to me. Holy smokes! There's around 40 of them. They range from 1974 to about 1981 and are full of Ford pictures, tech tips, old catalogues, etc, and many have line art drawings of cars. She again thanked me for helping her and I told her "ANY TIME." Help those old ladies!
Yep there is a older lady up the street from me. One day I was walking up the street and she came out and said, "You the one with the loud cars?' All I could think of I am about to get yelled at and said "Yep." She replied," i like the old black one, it sounds good." All I could think of is she must have been a cool lady back in her day. Yea she picked the flathead with dual glass packs.
Do her one better and invite her along on a cruise, bet she would love that. wish my nieghbors were that cool.
I helped an old lady change her tire a while back (she was on the side of the highway trying to put a can of fix-a-flat in a tire that was clearly tore away from the tire and in shreds). Anyway I changed her tire, all the while she was bitchin' about her useless son-in-law not answering his phone, haha. When I finished, she felt compelled to say "God bless you, Jesus is blah, blah......." I didn't have the heart to tell her I was an atheist, and yes us non believers do good deeds too. ....but I wanted to. P.s. My Mom (becoming an old lady) does all her own wrenching.
my mother in law is 88 and was just offered a ride a motorcycle, she said if she could've gotten her leg of the saddle she would've went for a ride. It made her day just knowing someone cared enough to think she'd like to do that. (Which in her day she did) Elders should be treated with respect and if you listen you might even learn something. Very cool story !
I had an old lasy give me a 57 T-bird porthole top, two fender skirts and three exta rear windows for the top at the end of the summer because I mowed her lawn all summer for free. But I REALLY wanted the 31 Caddy V-12 Roadster she had in the garage!!!!
I love the former cool chicks, too. I was in the middle of a small town in Oklahoma with my chopped '53 Chevy and a woman stopped me and said "What kind of car is that?" I said a customized '53 Chevy. She says "Oh, I thought it was a Mercury because my boyfriend had a Mercury with windows like that" while making a gesture to show low, long windows. She dated a guy with a chopped merc back in the day! That was cool. (And based on the look on her face while remembering it all, I'd guess the merc had a comfy back seat, too!)
The Jalopy Journal
