I'm a 60 year old Model A hotrodder. This all started when I was 17. I put a 31' Coupe together, fenders here, body there, frame and running gear from the wrecking yard, you know the trip. Couldn't afford much then, so if I needed something, I had to make it, scrounge it, or check out the midnight auto supply to get on the road and keep going. I was always broke, so the speed parts were expensive and hard to come by. I drooled over Honest Charlie's catalog and bought what I could afford. I paid for my high speed aluminium haed by mowing lawns. It was a great time to be alive. Now, I'm drivin' a 28' Model A Pickup (closed cab) with a modified Model A flathead engine. New parts are a whole lot more available today and now I can afford what I need. I kinda miss having to scrounge for the gold, but I ain't complainin'. I don't ever want to quit driving my hotrod. When my time comes, I want to be buried behind the wheel. There is always some new project to work on or improve. Just when I think I've got something figured out, something new comes up and I learn a whole lot more. This is the best trip I've ever been on. I love my wonderful wife, but there are days when I'm tooling down the road, listening to Chuck Berry, just watchin' the world go by, and I have to stop a minute to remember her name. Something else about my partner. She graduated from Hotrod Training in about 6 months. She went from "what a cute little car" to "that's a******in' lookin' iron" and has mastered a smooth double-clutch like a pro. She's been looking around for a ride of her own, but for now we ride together, and I dig it.
The Jalopy Journal
