My first car at 2 years old, Christmas 1956. By 3 years old I was working on that year old car! Also 1957, trailer need some work apparently. Summer 1959, almost 5 years old. Dad put a gas engine in my car. Had really low gears! Towing 2 wagon loads of neighbor kids. In wagons, Billy and Kat Wittenborn, my little brother Wayne and my sister Brenda. Car had been painted by then. By 1965, Dad had bought our '40 Standard Tudor, which I still own. This pic was in Bethel MO, where we lived when purchased. I'm 11 years old there. Pic of the '40 now. Taken at the Mid West '40 meet in Crane MO last fall. It's all your fault Dad that I have 30 cars! Dave
Pretty much every day! Have a lot of projects to get done while I'm still above ground. Dave Wait a minute, young? You talking to me?
No idea what happened to the pedal car. We graduated to gokarts. Little brother Wayne was a great guy but sadly lost him 40 plus years ago, run over by an idiot in a hurry while my brother and his friend were jogging on the proper side of the road. I should have crashed and burned long ago but if anyone was prepared, it was him. Still miss him. He would of been 66 this June 12th. Dave
Oliver, my hair is a different color now and the whiter it gets the straighter it gets, so I got that going for me! LOL I need to send you a pic of my grandson, he looks so much like your son in your avatar. Dave
At 8 and 9 I was painting the bumpers on Dad's '51 Ford Crestliner dirt track car and sitting in the stands by myself. Our family car was a '57 Fairlane 500 with a 312 Y block with dual quads and 3 speed O/D and 4.09 rear gears. Then a '57 New Yorker 392 Hemi car. Always figured I was conceived in the back seat and born underneath a car. For years I leaked 30w Havoline instead of bleeding. Dave
Love to see it! Wont be coming with the mrs this trip to bend but i believe shes up there all next month so we should be seeing each other soon!
I had the Fire Engine model, next bicycles, modified/raced, first builds were the downhill wood racers with whatever I could round up for materials, no wood, wagon wheels, roller skates were safe. I built my avatar starting at 15 3/4 in 1964 with my paper route, grass cutting, snow shoveling money saved, I've never stopped though now at 74, more talking than doing. LOL
Marvelous story Dave! I guess I was late to the party. I got my first "real" car, a non running 48 Ford coupe at 14. I mostly babysat to get the money! It cost me $82, my father lost his garage for 2 years, and my life chanel for ever! I am 75 and still doing it, BUT, NO longer have to sneak around and avoid friends so that I wouldn't be the butt of "guy babysittng" jokes!
My first real car was a '61 Falcon that my uncle Johnnie gave to me if I could get it home from where it died. I now live just over a block from where it died! I got it running, had to hold in 1st and grind into 2nd but got it home. I was 15. A couple months later Dad and I shoehorned a '57 312 Y-block into it with automatic and 4.11 nine inch rear end. Took a lot of cutting and welding. We had an old article from a magazine where they did it with a '60 Comet. Later put a 3 sped O/D in it then broke the 9" and swapped in a 4.27 Dana rear end. Tons of goodies in the 312. Used to shift it at 7000 which sounds crazy but we ran it that way for a long time. Car was a real beater sleeper and was never beat except by Dad's '69 340 4 speed Swinger but I always pulled him off the line. Stayed ahead 'til he hit 3rd and waved goodbye. Car was light blue and was the fancy bucket seat console model. Seats looked more like rats nests! Wish I had pics of that one. Dave
The Jalopy Journal
