Instigator over the years

That's too da-n funny Mike! Guess that was the last time you took her out.

 

The 70s, crazy times.
Painted the car purple, bought my first house then got married, got divorced, sold the house, went skydiving,
went parasailing behind a 60s Buick at the Marine Land parking lot of Redwood City with a group of friends,
66 cop bike converted [shovel head], what the hell was I thinking? Guess I wasn't...sure had a blast though.

 

We took the wife's 34 to a car meet at The Cobra Museum in Martinez [Ca.],
our dog Joey drove home...

 

Way back when [of course] the closest race I ever had was against a Triumph sports car
with a 421 Pontiac w/3 twos and a 4-speed.
I won but just barely...

 

No doubt you fellas know who Bones is [Bob Balogh], drove the Big John Mazmanian Willys coupe and others.
When I blew up the Hot Rod motor he gave me this advice.
How cool is this????
See below:


Hi Mick, Forget all those copper headgaskets, and o rings and use a set of Fel-Pro multilayer performance gaskets, part number 1143. I swear by them, I've been running blown small blocks all my life. I'm also using AFR aluminum heads. 23lbs of boost and never a headgasket problem, knock on wood, since I started using them 3 yrs. ago. Hope this helps! BONES P.S. They are a bit pricey, but well worth it!

 

This pickup is really small inside [chopped and channeled] BUT
twice I had to sleep in it overnight.
Always fearing some jerk will try to steal it...
One time I was over a friend's house in San Bruno and it started raining;
covered the distributor, took the seat out/brought it in the house, slept in the car.

Another time I was visiting my upholstery friend in Redwood City, something went haywire with the distributor;
slept in the car in front of his house. Fixed it the next morning/drove it home.

 

The wife and I at a car meet in the hot rod [recent]...

 

Whatever you do, don't make headers like these...

 

Cruisin' in the hot rod...

 

Looking good Mick.

 

Thanks Mikey, on another note I've had the Willys for 30 years today,Happy Birthday Willys.

 

Out of New Jersey?
Our Nephew and Niece are in Colonia NJ.
Nice place, we used to go "down the shore" to Point Pleasant, loved it!

 

Today is our wedding anniversary, married my best friend.
So blessed,
Mick and Elaine

 

We attended the American Graffiti Reunion in Petaluma years ago and now I see the cars are in Texas.

 

BTW, I had previously mentioned doing some "wild things" like skydiving;
well more recently I jumped into the pool with my hearing aids in.
How times change.

 

I'm shocked!
I also have a write up on the HAMB about my Willys coupe.
"mohr hp" from Georgia saw my 30 pickup there and said he was looking through some old magazines
and spotted this [attached] Rod and Custom page from May 1971.
My friend since grammar school Dave H. sent the photo in to the magazine with a short write up.
No, it's not sectioned.
I still have a cut out shot of the car but not the whole page, what a cool surprise!
Haven't seen the magazine in 56 years.
Made my day!
The HAMB, what a great site, thanks all you "HAMBsters,"
Mick

 

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/1938-41-willys-build-shots.1136556/

 

So here's a shot of my friend Dave H. who put the hot rod in the Rod and Custom Magazine
for me way back then.
Still close friends...

 

I spent my early years in Saranap -- playing on the side-tracked train flat cars filled with damaged Korean War vehicles. We'd hot wire the put-put cars and drive them around as we knew the daily two-train arrivals. My older brother scored a machine gun he had the rest of his life. We'd swim in the Creek and watch the walnuts get shook off the trees. Does this sound like the Walnut Creek that you live in?

 

It sure does!
Saranap...between Lafayette and Walnut Creek.
Actually I was born in SF, didn't move to Walnut Creek until 1986 so wasn't able to share your young experiences here.
Beautiful city, really enjoy living here.
Machine gun...SCORE!

 

The fella from Georgia just sent me a picture of the magazine cover from May 1971, I'll have to hunt one down.

 

Last night at our Friday Night Gathering, the wife drove her 34, I drove the 30 pickup.
Pretty good turn out, great weather....

 

What memories, my cousin Fred bought a Henry J in the late1960s.
A street car, high up front with a 348 three 2s, Heddman headers,
three speed on the floor and Chevy 411s w/posi.
Black primer, gutted Zoletone interior, two gauges below the dash with a
Sun tach on the dash; two small black bucket seats.
Radiused rear wheel wells, 12" black rims with slicks; skinnies up front.
All this for a mere $800; out of San Carlos, Ca.

His dad, [my uncle] said he'd roll it over within a week.
We street raced everybody, what a blast; he rolled it over on the 8th day.....
proving his father wrong, huh?

Sure seemed fast at the time, very similar to this car attached.
W hat fun!
Mick

 

"TWO" much fun...

 

Nice surprise yesterday, this cup got delivered yesterday from an old friend that I haven't seen in over 15 years.
Calling him today...

 

When I bought a fuel cell for the hot rod I also bought a "gas tank" for the Willys.
30 Fords [as most know] have the gas tank in the cowl, after a couple of small fires I decided that's enough,
stick a fuel cell in the bed.

 

Memorial Day Weekend, remember our fallen heroes, flags up!

 

So last night we drove the Willys to our Friday Night Gathering.
When we got there my good friend Ward hands me a large envelope.
He found that 54 year old magazine on ebay and bought it for me.
Another great surprise, I sure have some nice friends!

 

Enjoy Memorial Day fellas!
Mick