Folks Of Interest HERES TO DADS

My father was very talented. He built houses and worked on cars. We were both designated as shop hazards. I launched a chisel into the ceiling in my high school shop class My father jacked up a 59 Imperial on the grass with a bumper jack to do an oil change. The car fell on him. He got pretty well banged up but he survived. Every week he would come home from work with Band-Aids on him . One time he fell off a scaffold ,did not hit the ground, he managed to fall into the opening for the stairwell for the basement . I brought my first car home at 14 and my father would walk by and say for the time you fix this old car up I could build two houses. He was my hero he could outwork me till the day he died at age 59. I miss him, his hard work has made life easier for all of us he left behind

 

Good topic, like many, I owe everything to my Dad and Mom. My Dad was a big influence , came up thru the depression served in WWII. Dad was a mechanic before and after the war ( Oldsmobile dealer, then he bought a Sunoco station). He really could fix just about anything, and when he sold his house late 80's, the realtor had to insist he put a new washer/dryer in( curb appeal) the old ones were early 1960's Kenmores ( easy to fix) and very typical for Dad. He viewed cars as "units" plain and simple. My Mom's car was a 62 Impala station wagon until getting a nearly new Chevy s/w. in 1974. I recall Dad adjusting the hyd lifters in the 283. He really did not like my brothers and my love of hot rods , primarily , we were replacing "perfectly good parts /designed by engineers". As we got older we realized how Dad saw things, he lost a lot of friends in the war, and was a volunteer fireman for years after wards. He was just being protective. He was a life member of the local VFW and was their bookkeeper for years. Looking back the camaraderie he got from the fire house and the VFW helped him with the ugly things he'd seen, ( beer for 10 cents a gallon didn't hurt either). Here's a shot of Mom and Dad ( he splurged and loved his Cadillac "o-t") ) and some of his keepsakes , his "shell back" certificate for crossing the equator , and a part of an intake manifold from the Kamikaze that hit the ship he served on (Destroyer Escort) at Okinawa.

 

The response to this thread has been great. I'm looking forward to summer so I can see my mom and dad.
I hope to have my Stromberg WW installed so dad can flog that turbo. Love to see the smile on his face.
I'm also looking forward to flying the C-180 with him. Cars and airplanes have always been our passion and being able to share that is very special and keeps us young.
Thanks again for sharing everybody.
NORM

 

I am so lucky to still have my dad around he is an old time drag racer a few years ago he got inducted I to the drag race hall of fame. All of the story's he has told me over the years. I'm currently building our dream car 1932 ford together and other projects 283 rebuild. He has handed down so much knowledge as do I try with my kids so hot ridding will never die

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My dad worked on and could fix any of his cars as I grew up but he did it more out of necessity rather than a passion for the hobby. He's not really a car guy like most of the dads talked about in this thread. But when he was doing anything related to mechanics, I was under his nose, bothering him with my questions. I guess I'm lucky my son is a car guy and him and I have quite the time around the hobby. I've also got friends who's kids have absolutely zero interest in the car hobby so I don't feel it can be forced. But should be appreciated when a father and son (or daughter) enjoys the hobby together.

 

Family tradition

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Passing on the hot rod tradition. Skills every kid should have. Seems like just yesterday.

 

My Dad didn't have much money raising 5 kids but loved old cars I don't have much money either but have been lucky enough to work on & own a few The good thing is we got to work together the last several years of his life It was the best time of my life Been gone 9 years I miss him every day Glad we had the time together

 

My dad grew up in Corbin KY in the 50’s. He was a car guy he told stories of a deuce roadster with a v12 and a 50 ford. After high school he moved to California and bought a knuckle head from a guy in some club called hells angels. He rode the knuck back to Ky then up to Gary Indiana to follow a girl he knew from Corbin whose family moved north for work. Shortly after he married her (my mother). When he was out west he got a ride in a 57 vette fuely and was hooked for life. In 1962 at the ripe old age of 23 he traded in his 60 ford skyliner in on a 57 vette at Len Pollacks “car city” used car lot ( i have the paper work). By about 66 after a move to Florida and back to Gary and the birth of my brother the vette was worn out so he tore it down. Shortly after i was born then he bought a sail boat. There was a failed 57 vette race car project and a fastback 4 speed mustang. Then the car thing was over for a long time. The whole time i was growing up we never did any car related activities but the 57 was buried in the garage. Finally i brought home a 69 camaro and kept asking him how to do things next thing you know my camaro was ejected from the garage and we starting working on the old corvette. We got it finished right after i graduated high school. After several engines, transmissions and paint jobs a late model corvette and several larger boats the Old Man gave the newer vette to my brother and the 57 to me. He passed away less than a year later at 78. Even though we never did car things when i was a kid i still caught the bug, my brother did not. Dad and i hit a lot of races and events after i was grown. I miss him every day.

 

ScottyT, that is a great picture.

 

Yeah, dads as opposed to fathers, I'm 66 now, my dad had a massive heart attack when I was 28, he's been gone a long time, but the scar is still fresh. He was a native indian, my step father, I met him when I was three, he was a tough sob, taught me man stuff, fixed my wrecks, stole my harley almost every day till he put a dent in the tank, taught me self reliance, when to beat the shit out of someone, when to just walk away, things I've taught my kids. I'm a stepdad, a word not allowed in my dad's house, not allowed in mine, they're my kids, I'm their dad, I got two, a boy and a girl, they'll follow me through fire, as will their friends. We all either got cars, or ride bikes, we can all hang out together, my dad did not only the car thing with me, but iron (equipment) as well.
He was proud of me, as I am proud of my kids, he was a very unusual man, walked his own path, made very loyal friends, and wasn't afraid to make enemies, His name was Archie Lawrence McCauley, his closest friends were allowed to call him AL, otherwise you called him by his name, he commanded respect, the kind of guy, who walked in the room, showed up on the job, was in the shop, he was the boss. If you were lucky enough to be his friend, you were blessed indeed. At his funeral, the place overflowed, it was truly amazing.
I will miss him forever.

 

My dad and my graddad...
Early in my life my mom's dad built race cars for the local dirt track scene... early 40's cars, narrowed and sectioned. My dad's dad and his brother, along with my dad and his cousin, restored model Ts and As. There was always a car or two being worked on, plus the family fleet if daily drivers that always needed something.
My early involvment consisted of fetching beers, I then graduated to handing over tools and holding flashlights...<Shudder>...
Around 10 year old or so I graduates to doing fuel pumps and the like...I think it was because my hands were small enough to fit between the block and the headers...lol.
My dad also painted cars out of our garage as a side hustle so I got to sand louvers...lots and lots of louvers...I will never have a car with louvers that isn't already painted...
Through the years my dad and I didn't always see eye to eye on things...especially when I was a teenager and knew everything. My dad sure did get smarter the older I got. But we always had cars, and we seemed to get along just fine when we were talking about cars, working on cars, looking at cars...
Dad has been gone a little over 3 years now and I miss him everyday. To this day there are times when I will have a car question or a life question and I will instinctively reach for my phone to call him before I remember I can't.
I feel fortunate that I got to spend a lot of time with him over the years and when he passed there was nothing left unsaid.
When he was in the service , and after, his nickname was "Link". Cars were always the link he and I had, and when he passed I was finishing up the A.
Sooo...