My old man had a good job, but was bringing home about $85 a week in '57...it's all relative. In '62, I had less than $250 in a hemi powered Ford coupe. Cool relics...good find. Honest Charlie catalogs have some good tech info if you're into flatheads.
Yep all things are relevant. The honest way to compare prices from then and now is to figure out what an hours worth of work doing the same job bought then and buys now. 85 a week in 57 probably equals 850 a week in today's dollars, maybe more. In the early 80's some of my students thought I had it so good in the 60's because gas was .35 a gallon. We figured it out and their wages in the same store I had worked in in during my senior year in High school bought exactly the same amount of gas per hour worked as my wages did twenty years before.
Yea, looking at the prices things seemed cheap back then. But the 1.00/hr I worked for in 1965 wouldn't buy very many of those cheap parts. Folks busted their *** back then to build hot rods, it wasn't a cheap hobby. Larry T
I came out of basic training as an E-2 in '65, and I made $97.50 a month...plus a bunk and a meal card.
I have a couple of either Gratiot or Midwest Auto cats. 2 of one and 1 of the other(??)... Also an old Isky cat with a sew-on "patch" still in it if my Son hasn't taken it? It was in my cat the last time I looked.. As well as a couple a flyers from "Cal-Race". Talk about cheap parts from Cal Race back then. They even sold used speed parts. My ol' junk301 had Cal Race hi-po valve springs and rocker sets on it. And the Lady was full frontal **** in onna my flyers!! He, He!! And several flyers from Hollywood Sams in Detroit. I have to say that the Black Guy that talked to my in HS's was THE nicest guy I ever met. He hollered right out that I was welcome in his place because he could tell I was nervous because of the neighborhood and he then came right over and we chewed the fat for, I bet dam near an hour! I ended up buying a G/K 290/218, 114/??, .450" lift hy-cam off him and then much later had 2nd thoughts about it and returned it for G/K's 270/216, 110/??, .454" cam. He switched cams fine.... pdq67
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