Early 70's I would be crusing Van Nuys or Colorado on a Saturday night. Damn.. At 15 I already had a kid to look after. Saturday was my night out. Sometimes I would exchange it for a Sunday night and hit Whittier, 2010.. Just "removed" a girlfriend that was a few months older than I am. My mother is more exciting than she was... Poor woman.. Didn't like the car thing.. My friends were clowning me about her saying all that was left of my life is waiting on Golden Girl marathons and Matlock re-runs... So here I am... Typing away with 2 fingers 'cuz.. When I was in school... It wasn't cool for a guy to type...
If I was able to get it together to take the 55 to the dragstrip(gasoline,homework,cheater slicks,hamburger money) thats where I was. Sundays was fixing whatever I broke because there was Hell to pay If I wasn't ready to take me and my sisters to school Monday morning. At that time in Texas mid-sixties in High School there were Jocks, I played football but still didn't fit in, Cowboys, did OK there because me and my Dad were always raising some kind of Livestock, didn't care for the boots and hats though. Hoodlums, had the 55 and raced some of them after school but still didn't fit in, Hippies, wasn't fitting in there yet because I liked the Beach Boys and Elvis. Surfers, kinda had a niche there I guess, always was a decent surfer and skateboarder, although it was 200 miles to decent surf. I guess that makes me a Loner/Geek. Trouble was, usually all the groups were mad at you because you were after the girls from all the groups..
I'd be sitting in the Queenstown Mighty Mo at the counter watching for strange cars that might come through. A strange hopped up car usually meant someone was looking for a race. If all went well we would all be scrambling for Rte 29 or NASA to watch.
If this was the summer of 1960, I would be in the pits at Norwood Arena. Before nascar ruined it. and on Sunday in the pits at New England Dragway. Helping my friends and having a ball.
1956. I didn't have a car, so riding with anybody that would let me was a big thrill. At Chanute air base (Illinois) we would go over to Danville to the whore houses. I was a sissy, just rode along, didn't have any money anyhow. After that transferred to DM air base (Tucson Az), had a buddy with a nearly new Chivvy, a '55, that he was customizing. Between working on that with him, nosing/shaving/decking, along with chasing cunt at the UofA, and running down to Nogales, Mexico, I was a pretty tired boy. In '57 I got a dirt track stock car, had a '51 Ford convertable that had been rode hard and put away wet as my tow car. Worked on it at Young's Welding shop, learned to weld a little and drank a lot of beer, Lucky Lager, Fallstaff, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Black Lable; My fav was Fallstaff because the father of a gal I knew owned the brewery. She had a brand new black and yaller Ford (Falstaff Beer Colors!). She picked my up in it at the air base. That didn't last long, she found out that I went to Nogales one night when we were supposed to be doing something else............ I had a mini-sponsor, never won a race so pickin's were slim. Besides letting me work on the car at his shop for free Burl Young gave me a free sixpack and three gallons of gas on race (Saturday) night. After the races we would stop at the Pink Panther on Prince Road and trade our pit pass for a pitcher, then drink beer until we got ran out. What I did in one day then, couldn't do it in a week now that I'm 73............
Well, I am not a super old fart but I am getting there. I probably would have had a gig with my band.
Snuggled up on the couch with a gorgeous 105lb babe with long blonde air and Double D's watching a movie and then.... OH WAIT, that was LAST night! Some of us old farts are still holding our own!! And NO I don't have to pay her! lol
Makin' dune buggys out of volkswagons. Shorten the frame 15 inches and start welding bars around it! Jim
sittin with my honey at Big Boy in my 67 chevelle startin off in the front seat then to the back and then back up front with the windows steamed up
That's easy....I'd be exactly where I usta be on Saturday nights...out at the old, deserted hiway [replaced with a new one about 1/4 mile from the old one] with my girl....watching my buddys race 55 chevys, 409 Belairs, 406 galaxies and fairlanes while sitting in my trusty 389, 4 speed powered 57 Pontiac, listening to XERB IN CHULA VISTA CALIFORNIA BABY!!! .....the ol' famous Wolf man Jack... Or cruising Broadway in Portland in that same 57 Poncho with my sweetie...who I later married
Coasting down the hill to my house at sunrise with the engine shut down, the birds are singing, the hot exhaust is tinging, and a few more people have seen my taillights. LBC's ( Little British Cars ) with V8's life is good.
Friday night was for raising hell with the boys. Drinking and carousing or woods bike riding or chasing girls or just cruising. Saturday night was date night with my favorite girl (at the time). That meant: 1. the Drive-In 2. Indoor movies 3.Going to a New York state night club (drinking age was 18 in NY; 21 in Mass.) for dancing,etc. 4. House party 5.If the weather was real cold or there was nothing to do, hanging with the GF at the parents house watching TV. Glenn
At Lion's they played the National Anthem on an old record player, sometimes it stuck...they told us not to fire until it was done, but you wanted to fire before the guy in the other lane to build up more heat...so we signaled the starter to start the rollers right before the last verse, but then the record stuck..."anthem violation," so they made me shut off. 35 years ago? under the Ardun fixing what I broke the weekend before, wishing I were at Bob's, but knowing that the best looking girls wouldn't go out with greaseballs like me...
Cruisin' Sheridan Dr in Buffalo, NY in the early to mid sixties. They had great hot dogs with hot sauce and pickles @ 3 for a dollar. Had my '37 Chevy, 283, 3 spd. Cruise later with the guys or on my own till maybe 2:00 AM and listen to AM on my stock tube radio. Kids should be doing more of that cruising today and I still sort of do it. All of us are getting older so it's no big deal--point is to get off the couch and build something. And it's no shame to use some re-pop parts, a 'glass part if you need to or whatever to help things along. We already know how to do metal work. If kids dont like it, kick their ass.
Looking for chicks to impress with my 49 pontiac hearse A true babe magnet. Watch to see where they looked first. If they looked in the back, that's the one you wanted. Then it's off to the end of the Island, kick open the back door, and enjoy the 8 track and the ocean sounds.(among other things)
Yep. Still very good, but different. Just got back from a week in FL, including taking in the Amelia Island Concours. Got a chance to see the Andy DiDia Dream CAr in the flesh: Absolutely unbelievable. I think this the car they all promised us we'd be driving in the future instead of egg-shaped Priuses. Nevertheless, I wouldn't mind going back for a few weekends in my high school/ college years.
"I may grow old but I will never grow up. Party On." Right on.... A typical Saturday night in the early 50's would have found me at the Aurora Stadium Speedway winning B mains. I sure miss that. Our "nowdays" races are fun and we go a lot faster but the "atmosphere" is different. As the old saying goes, "You can't go back till the next life".
The Jalopy Journal
