Yea I can sure feel the sheep thing ,diffently the lone sheep. Like to think I out lived the Black sheep thing. Now that my brother in law just got layed off from chrysler (Corp job of 30+ years) Tell hem I aint got no problem selling any my cars. Hell Half dont even run. But their all seeing now that this successfol Father whos been playing games all these years and refusing to by a new car with the family discont. And like so many of you other guys have mention I'v always was noted as the one that never grew up . But always the guy smiling specially hearing their glum and dume storys . Maybe I,d have more money if i'd be like them and buy a new car. Well I never owned a new one. Other than the one that I kept the wife in .After all these years they have 1or2 new ones. But I got 8+ cl***ics. I win!!!!!! .
O believe me if i would have had some place to go i would have! I think she was pissed cause at 16 i had an 85 Old Cutl*** with a 425 Cadillac big Block in it and was picked up for drag racing improper lane usage, Squealing tires and improper starting of a parked vehicle,thats where alot more of the hatred really came from so my stepdad pulled the big block out and i bought a 350 olds small block and put back in it put headers on it hot cam aluminum intake, and a th400 trans with a B&M Ratchet shifter, some good ol cherry bombs on it and pissed her off even more. Then just as i was going into college i bought the 66 Ford and was building the motor while in school to become a mechanic and she wouldn't give me their tax records so i could even get signed up for financial aid to get into school i had to steal their **** while they were gone.I could tell you guys so much more about being screwed around by her because i liked cars.
I am the black sheep pertaining to hot rods persay, my nephew is the next in the family (he still has away to go). My brother-in-law has raced dirt track cars for years about 20 now, well he hates my Model A. Says a hot rod is a Chevelle, Nova, Mustang, Camaro or mainly anything 65' up. He does not get it when I tell them that which he thinks is a hot rod is a muscle/pony car. He says it should all bolt on or require minimal welding/fab to have it rolling, not build the whole ch***is from 2 rails to a roller by making everything yourself. He is getting better though. When he helped me put the body on the frame for a mock-up he said, "this thing really is gonna be something when its done." Thats a compliment from him. Then my nephew walks out and says, "So what do I need to keep my eyes open for parts wise at the swap meet when we go to March Meets?" Thats was a breath of fresh air.-Weeks
I was going to say you were a stand up guy like most the guys in this hobby till I read the part about you stealing, Just a dum kid I hope Now you grew up. And willing to work for what you got. Thats the Big Satisfaction of puting togeather a pile of **** and making something to rub in their faces
I have been involved in Hotrodding my whole automot ive life (since about 15) My family has never seen me race except one older brother once. My dad always critized me for my interest , my mom had no interest. My family likes cars but not hotrods or racing HOWEVER this saturday when my Sr Dragster project was to be featured on What are you working on Segment of Gearz TV, my Dad, even though he is 85 subscribed to the Speed channel 3 days before and watched it. He phoned me late last night to congratulate me on my 2 minutes of fame. I want to say it was a welcome call even if 44 years late. Don
Very cool thread. Kinda "Yes and No" here... I am the only one in my family who is into cars at all - in any way. But even though they did not understand it - and could not check their own oil - much less change it - my folks did recognize and support my fixation. My dad gave me his $50 '64 Comet - engine already quite dead - and a $35 Montgomery Wards tool set on my twelfth birthday. We never had a garage - I worked outside in Michigan - in the rain and snow - fixing old junk. I think I'm on car number 56... Dad is still around - now getting close to 80 - and is still amazed that I made a decent career out of playing with hopped up cars.
Ya! I come from a large family, and I'm the only nut in the bunch! I don't think there's no one in the whole dam fam that even changed the oil in their cars! All I ever hear is, why don't you go out buy yourself a new car and leave all those junkers alone! They just don't have a clue! Then, my friends use to be in to cars, but they got married and had kids and gave it all up for the better good! Now, they spend thousnds of dollars on a dam lawn mower tractor so it can pull a 10 million pound sled across a parking lot! Go figure! I feel so alone! I think I'll go hug my Halibrands!
I'm sure these stories could go on forever. As stated before I was sort of a renegade I suppose. My brother was 20 years older than me and was a pilot in WWII and was killed there. My sister had a son older than me and my parents were 41 years old when I was born. So basically I was an only child. My Dad had bought a '46 Dodge more door from a guy p***ing though town with a blown up motor. My Dad had a '51 Dodge truck motor put in it and it was my first car. Cars was to be the death of me according to them. After my round with a Studebaker Golden Hawk and a '55 Chevy that I went through about 10 motors and 15 transmission they thought I'd never amount to anything. I hated school so I didn't do to hot there. Once I went into the Air Force my Dad wanted me to stay there until I retired. When I got out I joined the Tampa Police Dept. and for all of my acquaintances that was the most outlandish thing ever heard of. That would have been the last place anyone on the planet that knew me would ever think I'd wind up. In the late '60's I wanted to learn to fly. I had to ask my Dad to co-sign a loan for me to do that ($500). He thought I was crazy but he did go along with it. As years went by I made a pretty decent living flying stuff. The first flight my Dad ever took with me was to Miami and back in a Cessna 414 twin engine cabin airplane. On the way home we were above the clouds and he said "son, how do you know where we are or where we are going"? I told him "I had stuff to tell me that". When we broke out on final at Tampa International and the airport was right in front of us the look on his face was priceless! Finally I had done something he was impressed with! Later on I used to go pick him and Mom up in a helicopter and go somewhere for lunch. I think I finally made them proud of something I did. I finally measured up to my other siblings. Only took about 40 years.
I suppose I was one of the lucky ones cause my dad was for the most part pretty supportive of my mechanical inclinations. He was a car guy too and he loved model A's. He really loved the beam axle buggy spring suspension. I don't ever recall him any happier than when he was drivin' his 29 roadster. He used to say that the suspension rode like a baby buggy. The only thing that used to disappoint me was that he would sell the cars off in no time. With him everything had a price and it seemed to me like he would rather have the money. You know? Like he didn't get emotionally involved. I was only about 10 when I started helpin' out in the shop along with my older brother. Man, some of the cars that he had; only one deuce though, a more-door. He had a dream list of pre and post war fords over the years, but mostly A-bones. He wasn't a big fan of body mods and the car show scene....? he didn't get it. As far as he was concerned; chrome was for bumpers. A slick paint job...? now you were talkin' his language. Engines were supposed to look utilitarian. If it had aluminum parts on the engine, then it was to cut back on weight, not to polish and make it shiny. When I was sixteen I built my first set of wheels, a '66 BSA lightning with my own hand built hardtail frame, oil tank, coffin tank etc. I had gotten a job in a welding shop that was part of a plating company. Talk about a great jpb. I used to work afternoon shift in the welding shop and then go over into the plating plant and asked questions and learned to be a plater and I used to chrome plate parts for my bike. Well my dad hated that bike and when I finally sold it to buy my first harley he was happy as hell. Turned out that before I came along, he was also buyin' and sellin' harleys and Indians when him and my ma first got married. He just hated british bikes. Hey ya can't fault a guy for wanting to buy American. Well anyway I transitioned back to building cars after I got married when I could find the time and I've really never had negative feedback about the hobby from anyone in my family. My ma accepted it as a part of life... old cars parked around the farm. My wife has been ok with it from the get-go...oh she teases me about it now and then...you know..."oh yes well my husband still plays with cars". She says that she's going to get me one of those licence plates that reads... OGRO UP A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush....but if in the bush a fair maiden should stand....a push in the bush is worth two in the hand
My immediate family was always into cars back into the 1950s. I always had something going as a kid, bikes, go karts, mini bikes, boats and eventually cars. My wife digs the culture of rods, tattoos, bikes and enjoys the car shows. The inlaws shake their heads and most of my wife's family does the same as well. They're largely stick up the *** ultra conservatives. Their loss. Bob
My dad was into hot rods before he had the family. I cringe hearing about all the cars he wrecked while driving like an idiot. He likes the cars Ive had and I think he would really like to have another rod but his health is against him now. My bro has talked for years and years about doing this or that but never does. He is always bagging on me about how long it takes me to get a car moving or not finishing one. I figure at least Ive got the balls to try it. So I guess Im not the black sheep.
My oldman was from NY city and loved the subway. He moved south and finally learned to drive in his mid twenties. He was a tightwad to the max and thought a burnout was an absolute sinful waste of expensive rubber.
I'm the blacksheep, that's for sure. No one in my family, mother or father's side, is in to cars at all. My Dad keeps asking me when am I going to quit doing these old cars. I tell him when I can't do it anymore. He then asks when will that be and I tell him when I'm dead. I pesently have only one hope to carry on the tradition - my 3 1/2 year old grandson. No one else could really care. Time will tell.
i have made it a self love, my family was too worried about the next dinner....but in thier HS days, each of them had some very, very bad*** cars...My mom even used to Drag Race, but she doesnt even like to drive out of the town she lives in now....go figure...my problem has been I never was taught anyhting about fixing them, just appreation. So its been a learning curve that I have had to try to figure out myself in my early 30's....I was too busy being a college drunk to care earlier....thank God for Car buddies, otherwise I would have to scap this idea of Hot-Rodding!
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