We had a thread about what you drove in high school, now tell us a story about the coolest hot rod in your town you remember growing up. Provide pictures if you got'em.
My hometown was so small(how small was it?) that all the cars could park in front of the one bar. To see a hot rod a person had to drive to the next big town....population 38. Guy had a ‘55 Chevy. No pics. Would have to drive to a big big town...population 412 to find a store selling a camera. I got nothing.
thats funny. sounds like where i grew up. my brother had the only hot rod around. 1970 coronet 440. slotted mags raised white letter tires. this was about 1977 no pics sorry.
1965, in Hampton,Virginia, I was 18yrs.old when l first saw this guy who had a 55’ Chevy 150 2dr.sedan(former Bell Telephone Car). It had radiased wheel wells,hot rod grey primer,ww Cheater slicks with red wheels,Radir wheels and ww tires up front, station wagon rear bumper ,327 w/Muncie 4spd. 54 years later............,.,,,.Still see it.
In the next town over there was a guy who came home from the navy in CA. in about 1960. He was driving a 46 Ford coupe that was nosed and decked painted white and was a tail dragger. It also had a really cool turquoise and white tuck and roll genuine TJ interior. I was 15 and thought it was the coolest car in the world.
There were a couple of guys who ran a small speed shop out of a Union 76 station in Athens, Ohio back in 1969 to 1970. One of the things they did was build a red T-Bucket with a SBC from a kit that they offered for sale. There were great gobs of muscle cars around, but that was the first Hot Rod I remember seeing. The next one was a red '40 Ford Deluxe coupe that belonged to fellow named Adams, I never knew what it had for a motor, but it looked really clean. Mr. Adams belonged to a local club called the Nomads. They had maroon colored jackets with a coupe of some sort surrounded by palm trees embroidered on the back. It would sure be nice to find one of those jackets today.
In my early teens, I got a ride in a crude roadster that belonged to a guy 3 or 4 years older. I recall it had a school bus seat, recapped slicks and was told it had a 318 (poly, maybe?) with a 3 speed stick. I think it also had welded spider gears in the rear end. A wild ride. Gary
The first real hot rod I remember was about 1957, I was six years old. It was a channeled 34 Ford 3 window with a Y-block and 3X2s. I figured all this out a little later thanks to my little hot rod magazines. It belonged to a guy that stopped at my uncles Sohio station and hung out at the beer joint across the street from the station. I checked it out every time I was at the station and one day he took me a ride in it. I always heard he was king of the street races at the time.
I actually have a picture of the coolest car in town when I was a kid. Bill Wilde's Model A coupe. This is from Canadian Hot Rods & Classics magazine after he rebuilt it. Back in my high school days it was a deep metallic green and in my mind, it still is.
We had a few hot rods in our area. But one still sticks in my memory. My folks were visiting friends who had three daughters. One of which this guy who went by the name "Tiger" had a fancy for. He shows up in this Model A roadster pickup. It was crude. But to me it was a piece of art. He saw my interest and asked if I wanted a ride. I nodded yes. I think I was only 4 years old so he had to lift me into the interior. First thing I noticed there was no floorboard. So here's my feet dangling above the pavement. He fires up that flathead and I was in love. Off we go. There's something about watching your feet dangling above moving pavement that has you grabbing for anything in sight. But that had to be the ride of a lifetime. I was smiling from ear to ear and still smile to this day. Whatever happened to him or the car I have no idea. But no hot rod has rivaled my experience since.
Our small town didn’t have many hot rods, there was a Baby Blue ‘39 had a flathead, baby moon hubcaps & small white wall tires. That was 1964 & I had no idea at the time what a flathead was.... I was about 9 years old. Sorry no pictures Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
I was fortunate enough to live in the North Beach area of San Francisco from 1956-1958 when I was 16-18 years old.. There was a lot of activity in the area. In our Galileo High School auto shop class we had Vince Cellini's 1941 Mercury coupe, a 1937 ford coupe with a 265" SBC, another classmate, Rich Marchetti, had a 1931 Ford Victoria with a Cragar overhead conversion. Joe Bologna had a 1956 Chevrolet 2 door hardtop with a Cragar equipped 4-71 on top, as well as a 1932 ford 5 window coupe. Dave Cunningham's 1940 ford two door was in the area, as well as Leroy Goulart's chopped 1949 Plymouth 4 door. Across the street from me lived San Francisco Ramblers member Joe Carlomagno with his flathead powered, chopped high boy 1932 Ford 3 window, and down the street 1 block was a severely chopped 1934 Ford Bonneville racer, GMC powered, as well as a Kurtis roadster sharing the same garage. I was talking with another old time hot rodder last Sunday, and he said the best time to live in California was the late 1950's. I guess that he was correct. I have great memories
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