Old Car Fever, Who Infected You?

Back in the early seventies Andy Jenkins used to drive a stock bodied 28 A tudor with a ohv converted B model 4 banger and a Halibrand quick change,15 inch wires and an angry rake. I followed him on my push bike a lot of times before I got to talk to him. He lived on the outskirts of town and had a shed full of cool stuff, a streamliner bought out from the states, 2 Lincolns in the driveway,wooden bucks for casting ohv four banger heads, a front engined rail frame......It was heaven to a 15 year old. He showed me some posters by Robert Williams and changed my art for ever. I've never recovered.

 

My dad detested "vintage tin" in almost every form, but I suppose after owning 10+ air-cooled, un-customized VW's in the heat of Lodi's vineyards, that would happen to anyone.

Grandpa, (mom's dad) on the other hand, felt that things should be maintained and kept as long as possible, using and keeping his 8n scoop loader and 9n tractor every-damn-day of his life (unless he was repairing them) 'til he p***ed. Grandpa "taught" me to drive his '53 long-bed granny-geared p/u when I was in 4th grade- (by giving me the keys and just cutting me loose in the field; "don't go past 2nd, but REALLY don't go past 3rd, IGNORE 4TH", he'd say) I forget how old that would've made me?? And in 7th grade he gave me my first car- The 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 I still own, the car I'll keep forever. He gave it to me in 7th grade "so I could have it running by high-school", and my second year that finally was the case.
Grandpa's way of teaching was explaining how to do something, then just letting you ****-up til you figured out how to do it the right way.
I sure miss that guy...

Here's a picture of me about 13 y.o., sanding the dash, outside the "hog-barn" it sat 20+ years in, waiting for "one of the grandson's to fix it back up"

 

I grew up around old cars. Came home from the hospital in a 49 Hudson Super 6.. Both my dad and uncle have had a considerable amount of cars over the years. So it was only natural my brother and I developped the p***ion as well. I can certainly thank my dad for his influence but I also have to thank my mom. Through the years she has put up with giving up her side of the garage, cars parts in the living room, dirty shop rags in the washer and more than a few incapicitated old cars on her lawn and in the drive-way lol