I was 17 when I brought the floor pan for my porsche powered 56 beetle home on the roof of my dad's station wagon. At 21 I bought my 36 Ford Sedan. Got it on the road at 22. I've had it ever since. rebuilt it numerous times, makeing it better every time. I'm now 52. Damb I'm still not normal.
Started dragging cars home at 12. Couldn't get any of them to run until I scored a '49 Ford tudor at 14 years old (1970). Bone stock, but perfect, with original black paint and grey upholstery. In the trunk was a 2-4 manifold, Fenton headers, and Fenton shifter for the 3-speed, which I installed the first week. I never got around to putting mufflers on it (I thought it was a hot rod then, but...). Used to skip school, and as soon as my mom went to work, the shoebox would terrorize the neighborhood. Oh yeah, starter was bad, so always needed a helper to push start it. In 1970, it was considered an old mans car, and I couldn't wait to get rid of it. Sold it for $200 and got into a REAL hot rod (but that's another story)... Amazing how many people here still have their first rod!
First Hot Rod........ 1963.........a 1955 Chevy 150 post 2 door. Sorry, smoking six and 3 speed/OD. Changed it to a 327/ 300 with Edelbrock C-3, 780 Holley, 30 - 30 cam and a 4 speed........went 12.95 in a quarter in 1964.........pretty quick for the time...... .
14- That was 24 years ago, and it's still my daily when there's no snow here in the Idaho mountains. Pete
The day I turned 16 I bought a '49 Ford coupe from the neighbor for $100. It had a 6cyl 3spd. Immediately (1 hour later) took off the hubcaps, painted the wheels red (Yea, we even did it back then), and took off all of the emblems. Drove it with a gl*** pack muffler (wind it up in second and back it off) for about 1 month. Bought a built flathead off an older rodder (19 years old) who was transplanting a 265 Chevy in his chopped and channeled '30 A coupe and installed it with twin smittey's for that oh so cool hot rod sound. I'm dreaming, but at times I wish I had it back, just to go for a ride and relive old memories. Frank
Not quite a "Hot Rod" but I built it and rode it til it damn near killed me when it broke apart at "top speed". Note the hard-tail and springer front fork. This was just before my first car, a 52 Ford Customline Flathead V8, I was 15 , the helmet came from my uncle a USAF lifer who said it was a "jet jockey's"
i was 14 when i got my '57 chevy 4 dr. wagon. no motor and rusted out.still tryin to get it going. but now im 15 and i got a '65 ford p/u with a 390 im gone drive it till i get my wagon going.
I was 13, when my step dad got me a 56 ford pickup that he and I started to build together so I could "learn".....my problem was, that I wouldn't leave his '29 RPU alone...
i guess i would have to say like 12. My father got us a 1955 chevy truck to build for my brother to drive then for me to drive when I was of age.
****, that was a looooooooooooooong time ago. I had it for a few years (my '39 Dodge pickup) and drove it around the southwest corner of Westfield for a couple of years before I got my license. (we had MILES of old, abandoned roads to drive on out there) Put a '55 DeSoto hemi in it in '63. I guess I musta been about 12 or 13. Bought my '34 Ford the next year and I still have it.
15. 42 yrs ago. 27 T coupe body purchased for $10, farmers chickens had to find a new home, friend welded up a frame etc for me, I put an Olds engine in it, paid a shop to get the engine running for me. Drove the hell out of it but was never street legal.
not my first car but one of the coolest.1990 I was 20 I traded straight up a v8 vega for a 1957 buick super.dad always liked buicks.washed it drove up the driveway and handed him the keys.sadly I got the car back a few years later and yes I still have it now
14. I bought a '36 Chevrolet for $20. It ran so well my dad bought me a Corvair to drive. Not long after I bought a '62 Impala 2-door hardtop. All three have been gone more than 30 years and I'd love to have all three back.
I was 14 when I bought my first car, a 55 Chevy 210 2dr sedan from my older brother. It came with a .080 over 283, Jahns pistons, fuelly heads 780 Holley, Tarantula intake, 30-30 cam, Muncie 4 speed and a 4:56 rear end. However, I had to put the engine, trans and rear end in myself. Paid $800 for it from delivering papers for 6 years. It was dull black with black primer spots. Now it's shiny black, same driveline (283 bored to 301) and has spoked Americans on it. I'll have owned for 28 years, next April.
I was 17 when I got this primer red ´65 Chevelle with 327. Now I´m 27 and after those 10 years I'm here with a pair of hot rods...
Well, I guess you would say I got my first custom when I was 15, that being only a couple months ago, I really havent had much time to make it a custom so its relatively stock.
My 16th Summer, 1990, offered to me a souped up '69 Camaro left behind in a storage yard. Cragar mags, 327 with a Weiand intake, beefy Holley carb, headers. It had had some wild times, I'm sure. It also had Flintstone-style floorboards in the back. Once I had it in the Arcadia High auto shop, Mr. Morgan spied the rust-holes, then spied the New York State permit stickers in the windshield that explained it all. The body was cancerous beyond saving, so we pulled the motor & ****** and completely dismembered the rest, save for the rear leafs and rear given to a friend (he had a restored '69 for them, they later went to a '41 Ford, I believe). Then I learned how to rebuild heads in shop, and later sold the drivetrain to the shop buddy, Joe Anderson, who got my next unfinished project by graduation: a '24 Dodge coupe. At least I got to chop it's top, first.
for my 17th birthday my dad gave me his mom's 67 Fairlane convert. She had it since it was new. since then i have built the 289 up, and am going to put a T5 in. I know it isn't a hotrod, but still my first old car.
Where were you in '62. I was in the SFV and had to have a wagon. Like every body else.. The Chevy Nomad was first choice, but man those baby's could set you back 300 bucks. I was only 13 and had been eyeballin this old '50 plymouth suburban 2 door up the street from me. It had been there for a couple years. Man It was a beauty, four flat tires and faded grey paint. The p, l, and y letters were missing from the front of the hood, so I named it " the Mouth". I bought the mouth for 8 bucks, and dad hauled it to his station so I could get it up and running. Learned alot working on it. Man I had 18" rear shackles on it that I made in metal shop! The big rake look was in. God that seems funny now! I drove it all thru high school, and with a Con board in the back ,it made a many trip over Topanga Canyon and Malibu. I know all about drum brakes!! Sold the wagon in 1968 and bought my first real hot rod..a 29 model A roadster, full fendered with a packard trans and a chevy 283. Seems like yesterday... and still drive'n an old hot rod. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- opossum benders central mo. chapter
The Jalopy Journal
