How I Got Married and Lost my Nuts: The Zen of Marital Hot Rodding (with Pix!)

Glad me and Hannah got to meet you guys. Y'all clean up pretty good. Congrats on the wedding and sorry to hear about all the problems with the cars. Well you guys got through all of problems in one piece and now have some funny tales to tell your kids. Thanks for the run down on the trip...hope to meet up with you guys somewhere later this summer.

 

ha~!!! that is funny! well, you know what i mean... great story joe!!!!

 

Congrats you two.

 

WOW FANTASTIC STORY CONGRATS.

 

congrats and much happyness to you both! I enjoyd the read and pics. Iliked the lace paint work on the white caddy,haven't seen that in years. Great roadtrip adventure, now, the real adventures of life begin! Kids,mortgage,potty training,school plays ,etc. ,and it all goes by so quickly! Enjoy the ride kids!

 

Thats a neat story. Im not one to read long stories like that, but I couldnt stop. Congratulations, seems like you 2 are perfect for each other.

 

60 Merc grille looks cool on the 59. Did you have to modify it?
It looks like it came on the car.
Cool story and pics.

 

Wow, what an experience! I feel like I was in the trunk.....congrats and it was great seeing ya at the Cinematic.....You got a good one there! Everyone is right, you guys have a bright future ahead....

Don

 

Congrats and best wishes for the future. Glad to hear everything worked out for you. I can remember the post about "her build" on the 51, shortly after she had the roof done and Didn't she use some sort of Paisley print rug for the carpet? She"s a keeper.

Get them there cars a runnin' and head out on the road again. Can't wait for the next installment.

 

You are a lucky man, a great story, an adventure to never forget, and a beautiful wife, and two great cars. I am envious and I congratulate you. Rags

 

That's what I keep telling her!!

The Merc grille fits in pretty easy with some simple modifications.

Yep, she used a Oriental rug from the Dollar Store!

 

Congrats, and a great story/adventure. Did any one get you an HEI for a wedding present?

 

Thanks for sharing this with us. How often were ya' lookin' for a reality TV show film crew!!!???

I wanta' know what's makin' the old Chevy run so badly. I thought those things would run with no water in the radiator and no oil in the crankcase for at least a couple of thousand miles!!!!!!!!!

But .............. It looks like this bond has passed this test with flying colors. You're a great match. Both of ya' are keepers!!!!!

Just chalk this one up as "The Trip From Hell".

 

Great read and pics the rest will be easy from here on out. Congrats and best of luck to you both!!

 

God bless Charlie Brown, Bruce Lenz, and all of the good citizens of this world like them. It's good to know that at least a few people still get it.

Congrats on getting married. It's a great journey. And ya'll started ya'll with a great journey. When the dust settles and the cars are safe at home, I think you'll realize how this brought you closer together.

 

wow!!! congrats! great story

 

Congrats all the way around. The marriage, the cars and surviving the "test". Cool cars.

 

Priceless story that will hopefully be handed down to your offspring!!..You just dont hear this kind of stuff anymore...

Congrats!

 

good lord, what an epic story! I'm glad you are all still vertical and married after that.

 

Thanks again for the many congratulations! We're happy and I think we will be for many years to come.

I'm a little sad. She has decided to sell the 51. I shouldn't be sad because her plan all along was to sell it. She has said several times that, for her, building was the truly fun part. I think she had a blast driving it, but would rather drive together. She was going to leave it in MD and sell it, but I convinced her to drive it back to Chicago and sell it here... it made it 2 hours back and disaster struck. So, I feel a little guilty. She's decided to leave it where it is in PA and sell it instead of spending all the time and money to bring it home to sell it. She makes a plan and sticks to it! So, good for her. Plus, she's already talking about 2-3 other cars she wants to build... Volvo PV544, Boxter-powered Karmann Ghia or Bug, 46-48 Ford humpback... and maybe getting back into racing... so I can't really complain.

The car will be up on ebay this afternoon. I just hope a HAMBer buys it.

 

It's up on the block now

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...ftsZ2QQsacatZ6000QQsamcmZ6000QQsaspiZ2QQfviZ1

 

gonna have a million "watchers" now i bet lol!

 

Awww...that makes me sad. But if that is what she really wants.
At least you'll have a nice little nest egg to start your marriage.

 

We'll be sad to see it go... but it will make room for a new project. I think it's harder for me than her! I tend to hold onto projects. Her intention all along was to build it, enjoy it, then sell it. Afterall, for her, the enjoyment is in the building! Now we get to build another one together and someone else can enjoy a 99% done car.

 

hmmm, i bet the grandad didn't help though. shame, it sounded like you'd gone through some stuff together..

 

Joe, Let me add to all of the congrats on here!!
The PV Volvo is a cool car, I've always wanted one. You can certainly tell that the Volvo engineers copied the '48 Ford on that one.
I hope that Elizabeth is eventually able to take what her Gramps has said, with a grain of salt... My Grandfather was a machinist, and always had something condecending to say about what ever vehicle I had at the time...no matter how hard I had worked on it, or how proud I was to show it to him. It was just how he was...but, in the end-I finally figured out that he really was proud of me, and the ingenuity I used in my rides-he just couldn't say it... I've learned a lot from my Grandfather...that is, when my kids are obviously proud of something-I go out of my way to celebrate it. Not tell them how they could have done it better...
You know the saying, "Baptism by Fire"? Y'all should have clear sailing now for many years to come! Best Wishes! Tony

 

What a great story! You will be telling that till your old and grey. Glad you both made it home safe. Congratulations on getting hitched! You are a lucky guy!

 

Great story, you guys are living the dream.

Bummer that the story ends with the car on eBay. C'est la vie.

 

<TABLE id=HB_Mail_Container height="100&#37;" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0 UNSELECTABLE="on"><TBODY><TR height="100%" width="100%" UNSELECTABLE="on"><TD id=HB_Focus_Element vAlign=top width="100%" background="" height=250 UNSELECTABLE="off">Another incredible story of hot rod road warriors, it ain't easy buildin rods and gettin down the road without some problems. Hearing the unselfish assistance from other automotive people is to cool. Networking via this media source (H.A.M.B.) is the greatest boost to our sport. Viva-La-H.A.M.B.!!. Great karma for you guys,People sensed your commitment and were happy to help your cause. It shows you are a super team and will do great stuff together. Hats offf to your marriage and all the heros who went way outta thier way to look out for you-Rock On!!-Sololobo/Roadburners of Omaha
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Gearjam, you're right. Her grandfather is really an incredible person. He designed the diversion tunnels in the Glen Canyon dam... and the machines to dig the tunnels... designed some secret stuff for aircraft carriers that he's still not allowed to talk about... and was hired, as a senior citizen, to design complex new systems for the Trans-Siberian Railway that allowed trains of trucks to go up mountain curves without rails. He built a miniature, fully-functional, Gatling gun from scratch by maching all the parts himself. The cops were so impressed that they didn't even ticket him. He also taught her how to weld. At 91, he's sharp as a tack with an awesome sense of humor, but he expects perfection.. and he was stressed about an upcoming move, the wedding, and I think the pain of arthritis finally caught up to him that day.