I know this is going to sound stupid, but here it goes! Just this week, I put in the Scarebird kit on my car (1954 Dodge Royal 4 Door)! I love the brakes and I actually have a good pedal now! On Saturday, I rebuilt my carb and it does not stumble. Today I tweaked the adjustments and it runs smoooooooooth! So here comes the cheesy part! Needless to say, I have been driving it quite a bit in the past few days. Each time I take it out, people are complimenting me and talking to me about it, from older guys to hot rodders, to women in SUV's! My car is unrestored and has patina on it! I owned many cars and trucks. I still have my OT 68 Firebird and have had many wheelers! None of them have gotten this kind of attention! I guess the point of this is that I am not used to this type of attention. I totally dig it, but am not used to getting compliments! That is all!
My observation is that anything made after '64 is considered, "Just an old car". Before '64, "cool car". The older, the cooler. People are very appreciative of things that remind them of "the good old days".
Just remember to smile and say "thanks" to the nice peoples. And if you can manage it, still smile and say "yup...ok...see ya" to the ones that aren't such nice peoples.
Yea Ya know ya just gotta get used to it... I have the same problem with my Old ride. '52 IHC.. It's "just" a work truck.... Really!
Funnest thing that happed to us,We took it out to a rest home,and all the older folks were looking at the cars. A little lady looks in the sedan and says to Irene"yep,lots of room in the back of that ford" We both still laugh when we talk about it. We had a OT mustang that was worth a lot more,and no one gave us the wave like they do in this old ford. Later Russ
If your babe-magnet car was a station wagon (like mine!) having a mattress in the back would be traditional ... think about it.
i get the same thing with my 48 i even have had mine in a wedding that 2- 80 yr olds were renewing thier vows. He was dressed up like a gangster and she was in a flapper outfit----sure made my day and theirs. Was real cool when they arived with open headers on that 383 stroker, he was so excited that I let him drive it---I told him hell its just an old truck-------------that goes fast.
I have never owned a "late model" car of any sort, so I'm just sort of used to talking with folks about the car. About 6 years ago, my then brand new girlfriend, "The Increadible Miss Judy" out of a clear blue sky asked if she could ride up to Seattle with me in the '48. She had been in the car only once prior for a ride about a mile away to dinner with Elpolacko and his girl in their Hot rod, and didn't seem too impressed. Nothing like the taxis of her native Hong Kong. So the day arrived to leave and I picked her up at her place and we started out of Phoenix. By the time we had got to the Northern end of town, she turned to me and said "the people in the car next to us are waving, what do I do?!" I said "wave back"! She did, and it was like a light bulb went off over her head, like, "this stuff is cool"! by the time we got to Seattle three or four days later she was spouting facts and figures about the car to anybody that asked at gas stops and restuarants and such. I've never been so proud!
On the 4th of July I took my first real legal licensed drive in my 64 C10. I took it in to town, and attended all the regular events. When leaving the local wood carving show, I walked up to my truck to find an elderly woman just standing at the front of my pickup staring at it. Behind her were two women in their late 50s patiently waiting for her. I'm admitedly not as cordial as I should be when people talk to me about my vehicles, but, my interaction with this woman certainly reminded me to be more patient. When I stepped down off the curb toward the door she quietly asked "Is that your pickup?" I replied that yes it was. She said to me "It's a '64, isn't it?" I was slightly stunned. People sometimes get close, but as most of you guys know, they rarely guess the year. I said yes, and she replied "It's the windshield, and the fender badges. The flat windshield with the fender badges is a '64". Now I was really shocked. She hadn't gotten lucky, she knew her stuff. I closed the door that I had just opended while turning to talk to her, and she smiled. She said she hadn't heard a car door that sounded like that in years. She went on to ask me what drivetrain my truck had. I told her it had the Inline 6 and a 4 speed. She asked if it was the 292. I couldn't believe it. Maybe I just underestimate people, but, this elderly woman knew everything there was to know about my truck, and turned out to be quite an old spitfire. She told me that her husband and her had bought a '64 Panel brand new in 1963 with a 4 speed, and "that 292". The two women waiting for her ended up being her daughter's, and they patiently waited, and helped recount the stories of their mother hauling them to Ocean Shores every summer in that truck. This woman had stories for days. She told me that she had rebuilt the Rochester carb on that 292 a few times, and had it rebushed once. I told her she was more than welcome to get it in, and start it up. She was bashful about it at first, but, after a bit more talking decided she would like to sit in it. After a while of sitting in the driver's seat, and telling more stories she decided she would like to hear my truck run, so, I gave her the keys and told her to go for it. She went through all the motions on with pure muscle memory. It was incredible watching this small elderly woman depress a heavy clutch, give the stick shift a healthy shaking to make sure it was in neutral, and then crank it over. I watched her face, and it was so damn cool. I could almost see her years of memories, her children growing up, and the trips made in that old Chevy. She was so incredibly happy, and it was obvious that her daughters were even realizing this was special to her. We talked more, and finally I asked if she would be up to showing how one of these things is really supposed to be driven. It took some coaxing from her daughters, and assurance from me that it was fine but finally she took me for a trip around the block in my pickup. She laughed that she had forgotten how hard it was to steer, and that you had to get moving to make the steering easier, but, she still remembered every last bit of it. When we got back from the drive she just sat and looked around the cab for awhile while she told more stories. Then we all had to be going. She was so kind, and polite, and thankful. I pulled away thinking how fortunate I was to have stumbled in to her path, and that the time I had spent in frustration wrenching on that truck had put a smile on her face. I think of that every time one of my friends asks why I drive that "old ugly truck" or why I spend so much time and money on something old and worn out. The people that value our hobby that much are few and far between, but, quality over quantity, right?
I drove my '46 Chev moredoor to work one day and on the way home I was followed by a workmate, the next day he asked me "if I knew all those people", I said "what people", "all those people that waved to you", I replied "na man it's just the car but I didn't see anyone waving at you in your silver Subaru wagon", he had no reply. It's a nice feeling. Scotty.
I get an offer to buy almost every time I take out my 65 Falcon. People really like the lines on those.
yeah its pretty cool to have people want to talk to you about your ride and boy do they wave alot...lol but these old rides also draw the attention of local law enforcement and if you have longhair and a beard sometimes it aint so cool....
It's true about the older cars. When I drive my 55 Chevy people wave and honk and if i stop anywhere someone comes up to me every time to tell me about the one they used to have ( they made a lot of those Chevys!). I drive my OT Olds Rallye 350 with its gaudy yellow paint and not even a waive. People will always tell you old car stories. I always listen and never correct them if they get some details wrong. Just plan on an extra 10 minutes for every gas stop!
When we were working on my son's project we had to run to the store why not take the clunker? we were getting out of it & this cute little girl about 3-4yr old comes over & looks at us & yells 'WOW!' I bet the folks in mini vans don't get that
I get it all the time. I am especially surprised at the old ladies that talk to me about my truck. I get stories all the time about raising 5 kids, throwing them in the back and going to town. Grampa, Dad, Uncle had one, drove one in school, remember standing on the front seat in Grandpas' truck. I even got a "Got my first piece of ass in a truck like that". When I delivered the 53 I restored to my uncle, I took it by my Grandmother's and showed it to her. She jumped right in and took it for a spin.....not a chatter from the clutch, like it was nothing new. I have never known her to drive a clutch in my life, I'm 40. She knew exactly where the gears were on the 3 on the tree and the foot starter. The truck now lives in the Villages, Fla., a huge retirement center, driving it brings responses at every corner.
Why is that eww? Ewww is remembering your mom kissing you on the lips goodnight after her and dad were "talking" in their bedroom
Maybe you are just so hot looking and the compliments on the car are just an excuse for them to talk to you...
The Jalopy Journal
