I just got back from a family gathering where I had time to sit and try and chat with my 95 year old grandpa. I say "try" to chat, because he is basically deaf. He spent many years as a round engine mechanic before OSHA and hearing conservation. He worked for Douglas in 1942, then he went to work for the Feds at Tinker field after the war. He dropped out of school in the eighth grade to help run the family produce business. They hauled eggs to family owned grocery stores. He started working for the family produce company in the early 20's and he said the downfall of the produce man was chain grocery stores. Sound familiar? He told me stories of flying out of a avaiation field that is now a park. He said that as a boy he wrked for a film developing company and he would deliver film to the field where 2 brothers had biplanes used as a courier service. He would trade them pics of themselves, that he would take wityh his camera, for rides in the airplane. He also would help hand crank the bigger airplanes that had inertia starters for free rides. One he told me about was the Tri-Motor Ford owned by Texaco Petroleum. What's my point? Talk to your elders. This generation I speak of is, in my opinion, the last great generation. I plan on videotaping my grandpa and his 4 remaining brothers and sisters telling stories. Just for future reference. BTW, he told me the address, and phone number of the old produce co.He still remembers after 65+years . I am building sideboards for my 36 pickup with that info on them in his honor.
You are so right Root. I spent all day yesterday sitting my Uncle's garage listening to the stories of the "good ol' days". They have a car show there every year and his garage backs right up to the main drag. We look at cars, and the many pictures he has hanging in his garage of all the cool rods and customs he and his brother owned over the years and we reminise (sp). I wouldn't trade those moments for anything. They are what inspires me.
none of my grandparents, all have p***ed now, had any cool car type stories but they did have lots of other very interesting local history type stories. one of my grandmothers came from a well to do family (wish i knew where all that well to doness went) was telling me about her first airplane ride, it was with eddie rickenbacker. befriend the old folks they have great tales to tell.
I remember my grandfather telling us storys about being a gunner on the side of an aircraft carrier in the pacific during WWII and how he met my grandma because she liked his Harley Davidson, she thought it was cool and when he dropped her off at home her dad chased him away with a shotgun ha ha! I wish I could have been there in the 1940's ya know, seemed like a really cool time.
Your right. Where I work we have a group of older guys, ages 60-80. I love sitting and talking with them when I have time. Several were in world war II and have some great stories. One told me about the mint sedan they got from thier neighbor and cut down into a tractor. Another guy who knows I'm into cars brought in pictures of the '50 merc he had, and a two tone '50 Ford business coupe with crestliner trim and a sunvisor he had. Once I was looking over a hot rod mag, and when I came across a pic of a deuce highboy one of the guys started telling me about how when he was stationed in California there were lots of cars like that, and the cops would hid thier motorcycles behind parked cars and wait for them to go by... The stories are priceless!
Two years ago i went to a day time wedding reception, it was out side and a beautiful day. I spent most of the time talkin to an old timer. Alot of my friends I could tell from lookin over at them, were making fun of me talking to this old guy. But man ROOTHAWG you are right. These guys are full of stories. And the best one that he told me was, " When I came home frome Europe" and I cut him off and I said "what were you doing in Europe?". And he replied " THE GOD DAMN WAR!!!!!" Like it was the stupidest question he had ever heard. And it probably was, I should have known. Man I love talkin to these old guys. New stories, how many times have you hung with your buddies and listened to their bar room stories that you heard a thousand times. Man these old guys have bar room stories you have never heard and they happend in the south pacific or europe or some old dirt floor bar on old route 21. (back whe route 21 was a dirt road). So i say to you Roothawg film them old guys and send me a video tape or you tube it.
My Grandfather told me no less than a hundred times how he modified a Model T engine to run on 2 cylinders and used it in his fishing boat. I always listened like I'd never heard it before. My favorite Uncle was also a machine gunner in the Pacific Theatre during WW2, but would rarely tell any stories. When he did I would hang on every word. Roothawg, the video is a great idea. Otherwise once he's gone, so are a lifetime of experiences. I always try and listen to the "Old Timers" hoping maybe Karma will make some poor guy listen to me ramble in a few years. LOL!
It's really too bad that "youngsters" do not take an interest in their grandparent's life until it's way too late...they've seen things that were unbelievable in their life and you now take for granted...some of those things make for very interesting stories... Get to know your grandparents...even your parents could probably tell you some stories about themselves you'll find unbelievable. All of my grandparents have been gone for many years...my Dad died when he was 52, way too young, and my Mom left his planet three years ago...Dad always had great stories to tell when I was young...and Mom did too... R-
All of you younger guys, and older ones, too, if you have elder relatives still living, or even friends, neighbors, or other aquaintances, try to get them to tell their stories, listen to them, write them down and preserve them. They are sometimes referred to as anecdotal history, and the likes of them will not be heard in this part of the world ever again, unless civilization collapses in on itself. Those folks lived during, and participated in the building of this great country, and sometimes, it was a real adventure. I am now the oldest living member of my family, and was fortunate enough to have known all of my grandparents, and a couple of my greats, into my adulthood; all of them were born in the 1800s - the great-grandmother that I remember most, was born in 1875 - and the last of them p***ed on in 1980. I remember the stories, and try to p*** them on to my kids and grandkids, but all too often, they are too wrapped up in their own lives to listen. But not too many folks today will have the same type of adventures they, or even me and those of my immediate generation had. There are few frontiers left, and frontiers are where adventurous history - and it's attendant tales - is made. Something happened to me the other day that has caused me to reflect on just where I have been in my 64 years, and what my elders saw in their lifetimes. I was at Lowe's getting some sinks for our kitchen, and laundry room re-do projects, and as I was getting ready to put them in the back of my truck, out in the parking lot, a young man in his late teens or early twenties, dressed in mostly black and sporting many piercings and tattoos, was p***ing down the next row over. He spotted me, and called out: "Hold up, there, 'Old School', you need some help, there." It is a great responsibility, being "Old School".
Yeah, I was at the doctor's office the other day and the young girl receptionist made my next appointment for Dec. 7, 2006. I said." That's Pearl Harbor Day." She replied, "What's that?" Wonder what stories she will be pasing on to her next generation when she gets old.
At the Round Up this year, the R&C guys were taking some pics of cars outside the park in the parking lot of a retirement home. At one point, this older fella rolls out in his wheelchair to see what all the hub-bub is. We start talking a bit, and he has the usual questions on the old cars and comments on hot rodding from 'back in the day'. A few minutes later, this 88-yo woman rolls out in her wheelchair and starts telling us about how she was into cars back when she was younger... she liked to drive fast, scared her mom to death, etc... "I used to have a '58 Ford convertible...", she offers up. "Really? Those are great... wish you still had it!", I replied, making the small talk. "Yeah... I put two fours on it with progressive linkage...", she says. JimA and I look at each other and smile... "Oh really..?" I says. "Yeah. The speedo only went to 120, but I had it pegged many times - had to be going way more than 120. That thing would fly! Used to drive my mom nuts seeing me out under that car adjusting the clutch and all...", she says. Talk to the old folks... they just might surprise ya!
A lot of time while I"m working I read the newspaper on breaks, and my partner always gives me a hard time for reading the obituarys. I tell her that they're the best storys in whole paper...some of the lives people have lead are incredible. On another note, my next door neighbor was a japanese POW, and he's very talkative. What he went through is unreal.
I like talking to the old guys (and gals)... you can learn a bunch... The video sounds like it'll be real cool and a good way to do***ent a part of you family history...
I am also the oldest in my family ,except my mother in law. the first drag race i saw ,was on dirt. ,the first airplane ride ,we had to chase the cows away. my first hr experience, was handing wrenches to a guy with a channelled 32 roadster with a olds. i have lots of younger people ,40s that listen to me.
Traveling in an old car is probably one of the best "You know, when I was a younger man. . . " conversation starters I've ever seen. Gas stops have a way of getting out of hand, but getting there is half the fun anyway, right? Truly some friendly old folks out there when somebody takes the time. My sted-dad's spinster Aunt (Aunt Bob as we kids called her) used to tell stories about her days as a WAC in WWII and her later "for the hell of it" cross country trips her brand new '55 Pontiac convertible with her little chiwawa by her side. One of her favorite magazines was Reminisce http://www.reminisce.com/ pretty cool book of stories from days gone by.
Everyone should do this. I was talking to a freind of my Dads (he p***ed away when I was in mddle school) when I was back home last and I found out my dad had a A Roadster when he was in hign school. After that one he had a 33 Chevy painted purple, one of the school colors. I am on the hunt for pics and have been told there is even a pic of the Roadster in his yearbook so I asked my mom to dig that out when she has some time. I do have a pic of him in a 55 Chevy Conv that I have had digitized and blown up. He was an award winning tri five salesman. My mom has a picture with him getting a bonus check from a GM regional sales guy. Can't get enough of the old history!
My Dad 87 Years Young I Beleive Comes From That Ww2 Generation Which In My Opinion Was The Best. Te Most Patriotic,hard Working Bunch Ever
Where I work there is a man who is a survivor of the USS Indianapolis, he doesn't have a lot to say about it however. Both my parents died in 1987 . My dad did not approve of hot rods as such, he always said that the engineers got paid a lot to build them the way they were & that they should know what they were doing. He was a master electrician & had been a mechanic as well. Some of my first memories are of helping him take the shims out of the bearings to tighten up the rods in a 30 something chev six. He taught me a lot about cars & even tho he thought that it was dumb to hop up an engine , he helped me to do that. The first ****** I ever worked on, I was about 15, was a 37 Buick super box. I bought it thinking it was a Roadmaster box & was going to convert it to open drive with Olds parts, a bolt in switch. Well ,that would not work, so he scrounged around a junk yard with me , helped me find some Pontiac parts that we could use. He then helped me to remachine the pieces to make it work. I never got a lot of stories from him, but my older brothers & my mom told me a few things about him. He was a crack shot with a rifle or shot gun, I found out how he got so good--- when he & his brother were about 10 or so times were a bit tough so the boys often had to hunt rabbits for food , the shot gun they had had no hammer on it, they hunted by my dad aiming at the rabbit & his brother hitting a nail in the shot gun with a hammer to fire it!!! He took his first airplane ride in the ARMY in 1918 , he joined just before WW I ended, He was in training & they were offering 5.00$ a month more for observers . Needing the money he decided to try it, ONE ride in a JN4 Jenny proved to him that he did NOT need the five bucks that bad!! He did not fly agin untill the 60s, had to go to some little town in Georgia, flew a 4 engine airliner to Atlanta --- then was horrified to find the trip to his final destination was in a Ford Tri Motor-- I would have loved that , but he was not at all happy about it . He took a bus back to Atlanta!! I was visiting them in about 1984 or so & we were at my sisters house , her husband had a pool table & thought he was quite the hot shot at pool. I never knew my dad to play pool at all, but my brother in law kept after him to play a game, my dad finally agreed. As he was selecting a stick, my mom nudged me & whispered , "watch this" & smiled real big. My dad broke & then proceded to clear the table without missing a shot!! Asked how he managed that my dad said , "pool is just about Mathamitics". My mom then told me that when they were first married the depression was in full swing & money was real scarce, so my dad used to hustle pool to pay the rent!! He got real good & she knew even 50 years later he would still be good at it!!
Im reading through this thread and realize I am real close to being one of the old timers you youngsters should be listening to. Im 64, and dont think of myself as old yet, but when I read some of the posts where traditional rods are discussed, I find that I lived a portion of that era. Southeastern Pennsylvania, 35 miles or so North Philadelphia was pretty much farm country when I graduated high school in 1960 and heres a partial list of some of the local cars I took for granted: 1936 Ford 5 window Coupe, Buick with 3 carbs, 39 Ford topshift, painted maroon with Moon discs 1957 Chevy fuel injection black 2 door hardtop 1963 Plymouth 413 el cheapo 2 door sedan, push-****on Torqueflite, black, set-up for the strip, run on the street 1960 Pontiac Catalina 2 door hardtop 4 speed, tri-power 3 1962 409 Chevies 1 1961 409 Chevy Mid-fifties Jeepster 2 door wagon with a dual-carbed 394 Olds and Hydro; ate the 409 Chevies for lunch .(with apologies to the 409 guys ..they were friends and I drove all 3 of the cars at one time) 38 Chevy Coupe with a 371 Olds and LaSalle Trans a true sleeper 1955/56 Olds 2 door hardtop with a 4-71 blown 394 Olds and a Hydro I loved to watch this thing eat Corvettes. The owner would tell the Vette driver to go ahead and start, Ill catch you and he did except for the last race. I was behind the Olds on the right side, a top-running 62 Vette was on the left. When the Olds launched he went about 50 and blew the engine all over the road. I towed him home. The owner was home on leave from the Army, and he never re-built car when he was discharged. 1950? Ford chopped convertible converted to a hardtop because the convert top was ruined running an out of the crate 394 Olds with a LaSalle trans There had to be at least a half-dozen tri-carbed 348 Chevies from 58-60 An Olds powered dragster, built by the same guy with the Jeepster, started racing on gas, switched to fuel and went at least 180mph, might have broken 200 but I wasnt around then I rode in and/or drove most of the cars on the list, and could tell stories by the hour. I was never top dog (well, my 365hp 327 1964 Vette didnt do bad but that was after the glory days of 58-64) and it was a time that will never be repeated. To anybody from that time and place that recognizes my name and I didnt mention your car ..I apologize!!! Maybe I should write a book
Dave, That was a cool TRUE story. Yes, you should write a book.Like the writer Henry Gregor Felsen, who wrote HOT ROD. I graduated in 1961 and if you were into cars, you had to read that book in highschool.
i had a bunch of drop tanks for sale,an old guy came over and was looking at them,he was telling me a story about being on leave during WW2,he was in a bar,drinking beer,after he got full of beer he went into the bathroom which was a room added to the back of the pub,as he was standing there ******* a plane overhead dropped his fuel tank,the tank ripped the back right off of the bathroom,one minute he was ******* into a toilet,the next he was ******* into the back yard! holy ****!! randy
I know this is an older thread and have thought many times about telling my story about how the younger generation should "shut up and listen to the old guys"...I read every post and loved all the stories...So I guess you can say it's as good a place as any to let er' rip. I'm 45 and have always been the youngtser. I have traced my family roots back many generations. I come from a family of metal workers, Tin smiths, blacksmiths, bridge builders..all worked for foundries back in York, PA.. I guess you could say my grandfather (Pap-Paw) started the fire. He had a blacksmith thing in his garage and was always working on this model T. I would spend summers out in this hot garage helping him. I was taught how to make parts that could not be found. He also showed me how to use every hand tool known to man, and if he didn't have it he made it. Most of all he taught me patience. Fast forward to 1983. my stepdad opened a Jeep parts biz. Westside Jeep in Lakewood Co. He told me stories of how he worked for Amc in the late 60's and knew Mark Donahue and Roger Penske and suppield parts for thier Can-am racers. I spent alot of time with his employees, all old guys showing me how to build parts for old Jeeps. I listened to every word and loved the history these guys would bestow on me. Present day: After 30 years of building Cars and Jeeps I had a shop next door to a guy named Tom Custy, on the other side, Bob Moore. Tom owns Dependable towing. Bob Moore, Bob Moore electric. Unknown to me at the time were who these guys were. They would gather in the evening from time to time and drink beers and generally goof off. Oh and they always would bring thier hot rods around. I would be working late and they would pop in for a spare part and i would hook em' up every once in awhile. I got to know these guys pretty well and started finding out who they really are. These guys are a huge part of sprint racing here in Colorado. And thier famous. Tom's brother, **** Custy...Funny car driver in the 60's. Bob Moore held just about every motorcycle record possible. Dude had more trophies than you could imagine. Davey Crocker, held every track record from late 60's to 1975. Sandy Hunt, 3 cars in Hotrod magazine. Glen sparks, John Norby, the list goes on. These guys are my heros and have helped me on many occasions. Who would know these old farts next door werea part of the history I love so much. they built and raced cars on every track in Colorado including the short lived century 21. I take pictures and film conversations with them now and they all think I'm nuts. But everyweek when they come over to my new manspot to drink and tell lies I milk these dudes for eveerything i can, I usaully go back to the web and can't wait till the next week to ask questions and get answers to information I am so privelidged to be a part of. sorry this is so long....thier story needs to be told and I am hanging on every word these guys speak....So shut up and listen to the old guys...they might live right next door. thanks for reading, Smitty
My great aunt is 107- will be 108 in January - she advised the TV crew that was at her birthday party ( usual stupid why have you lived so long question ) Hard work - always work people are too lazy and fat ha ha they cut that out - I do have her sisters car my grandma s DeSoto so I have that anyway
I always loved hering all the stories my grand fathers told me from back in the day!Now that was livin! All the history they lived through and struggle. One of my grandfathers was a gunner on the TEXAS RAIDERS B-17 and just hering the stories gave me goosbumps. After the war him and a lot of his brothers got into saltflat racing, He told me once you go fast you cant go back. Thats why I'm building the 28 jalopy in memory of him. I just regret not being older before he p***ed. But all the info on life he gave me is priceless! Thats why if I ever talk to any seasoned Gentalman I open my ears and pay attention.Trust me they know what their talking about!
The Jalopy Journal
