History What was your best experience with a famous vehicle?

Me, I got to wrench on Bill Goldens Lil Red Wagon. I was at Norwalk Dragway in 2002 for one of the Chrysler Classic events and wandered over to Bill Goldens pit area. He wasn't too busy and we struck up a conversation while I poked around his truck. We took our golfcart down the track aways to watch him run and he was having some serious problems with his wheelstand. When he got back he was working on it with one helper, changing out the fuel pump. Can't think of the guys name, George I think, he was towing the wagon around behind a Dodge firetruck, Anyway I was standing back gawking and Golden asked me to get a line fitting wrench laying on the toolbox. I got it and then it was get this, get that, here hold this and then they were both inside the bed and asked me to lean over the side and tighten a couple of bolts while they started the nuts. They took it out again with the same problem, brought it back and we put a third one on. This one went a lot quicker because I knew what to do. That fixed the problem and everyone was smiles all around. When I got back to where the wifeyperson was sitting with my '72 Polara she said "what the hell did you do to your new t-shirt" ? By the time I finished telling the story she had dug me out another new shirt and I was seated in my favorite chair working on a cold one.

Bill Golden, one of the class acts of drag racing.

 

I got right up to the ropes in a car show once. I was gonna talk to the lady on the turn table but she was too busy.

 

Me and some of my buddies went to an indoor car show in a Chicago suburb and got to talking to the current owner of the Bill Thomas "NOVEL NOVA" John Tinberg. My buddy Joe and I were currently building altered wheelbase cars atthat time ,so we got to go behind the ropes and look at everything you could'nt see from the aisle . When he had us feel how light the fiberglass doors were I thought he was crazy if it was mine I don't think I would have done that.

 

In 2010 I got to sit in the Ralph Schenck Streamliner.

 

At the Roundup this year, I got to sit in the Sam Barris Mercury. I still have wet dreams about it.

 

i got to help bill maverick golden load and unload the little red wagon a couple of times
and sold him some trans parts when his trans popped at tristate in hamilton during a chrysler classic event

 

My son in laws uncle works at the G.M. Design Center and once a year they have an open house. He's invited me a couple times. You don't get to see everything but you see some really neat stuff. Right in the lobby as we came in was Harley Earls LeSabre we got to look it all over actually got hands on it. i thought that was going to be the best thing we did there but...As i wandered off deeper inside by myself i knew there was areas that were off limits. I walked in a small doorway that looked like a working auto shop, and that's what it was. there was several of G.M.s concept cars parked in a row. A guy in a shop coat turned around and looked at me....I asked if it was O.K. to be in there. "Sure" he says "come on in" I loked down the row and there's Bill Mitchells original StingRay and the Buick Y Job!!! "Hey, that's the Y Job" I said. the guy seemed surprised that i knew what the cars were. we walked down to it and he showed me what they were doing to it, some very minor paint touchups and cleaning. I asked if it had the origianl Straight eight in it. "Yeah" he says "Open the hood" He pulled the inside release And i lifted the hood. It's actually kinda rough under the hood, but 100% original. We went around it and opened the doors and looked it over eal good. Then we went over to the StingRay... the interior is all ripped up in that one...

 

I had a picture taken with Mario Andretti at the Woodward Cruise a couple of years back.. I gotta dig that one up..
Also got up close and personal with the "High & Mighty"... I already posted pics of that one...

 

Helped push the Rod&Custom Dream Truck out of the Greeley Mall after a car show there when I was a teenager.

 

Over the years I have met, talked to, drank beer and wrenched with some of the most famous names in racing...All types of racing. And it's still going on.
And the really neat thing about it is, most of them remember me the next time I see them.

 

I had the X51 in my shop for a week for some minor mods, back in the 80's. Drove it up into the truck, for owner John Corno.

 

When I was 15 I worked at Stamford Studebaker & Mercedes on Saturday mornings as a helper and I got to get a ride in Clark Gable's 300SL Gullwing that was touring all the U.S.Dealers.

 

I was in my 57 sedan delivery, when Scott Sullivan cruised by in the black 57 ht he ended up selling, giving me the thumbs up! Made my day, for sure.

 

Da Grump told me to "Get outa da fukkin way" when I got to close in his pit around 1980

Good times.......

 

When I was younger one of our neighbors worked for Chrysler and one day he drove home one of the Turbine cars. Would have been around 1964 or 65. He took a few of the neighborhood kids for a ride but I didn't get one because I was the youngest. Plus I think that he didn't like me because I walked on his lawn all the time on my way home from school.

 

Now that would be a thrill,, I love that car. I would be stoked for life.

 

O/T but- In Pheonix,Bruce Allen asked me to help him with his pro-stock car,as I was the only one at the Reher/Morrison pit.They were very cool,and showed me some secret stuff= intake(with the cardboard wrapper)-I asked..I "helped" for almost an hour.
Class guys,very down to earth,and took in a spectator to help with their car.One of the things I won't forget.....

 

I stored in my garage overnite a bubble top car built by Joe Bailon(sp).

 

I was 14 or 15 years old, in the pits at Minnesota Dragways. George "Pa" Hoover asked me if I'd do him a favor and sit in their dragster and hold a pedal down while he made some adjustments. I was so nervous and excited I was almost shaking and I was awed at the same time that I was afraid to touch anything. As soon as I got in a bunch of fans came over and watched him work while I sat there stunned and enjoyed the admiring looks the older guys were giving me. It still feels cool to think about it.

 

The Aztec went up Oglethorpe st in Hyattsville Md. in front of my house as I was coming out the front door. I damn near walked off the porch. I had only seen it in magazines but it was not hard to identify. For an east coast teenage motor head it was an unbelievable moment. You cant understand how shocking it was to see a famous hotrod drive up a street in a suburban bedroom community 3000 miles from it's home. I had just ordered an annual from the back of a magazine just because it was on the cover. The first time that I sent away for a magazine. It was a traumatic experience for a pimply faced teenager. I can still picture it in my mind.

 

We were asked if we would mind having a picture of our car and the original Stone Woods and cook car taken (Mind hell we jumped at the chance) and both my husband and i got to actually sit in it. You could smell the history. It was very cool.

 

Lucky bastard.

 

I got to hang in the pits with my uncle and the Tom Thumb Special (Pierson Coupe) for several years out at Bonneville (80's - early 90's). Got to sit in it a few times as it was being pulled (or pushed) back to the pits. It was noisy in there at only 40mph. Can't imagine how loud with the engine running and traveling at 200+.

 

Summer of 1965 was out at the Fontana Drag Strip with Bob Porter. we had flat towed his Mickey Thompson's A F/X Pontiac Tempest out with the Doyle Gammel (I still have trouble calling it Doyles) 32 Ford 3 window..

Bob was racing the Tempest and I was towing him back from the finish line cooling down between rounds. A friend of Bob's was riding with me. He threw a Budweiser bottle out the window in the pits. and the officials asked me to leave. I was prepared to hitch hike back to Pasadena. Bob insisted that I take the coupe for the day and come back about 9 PM to pick him up.

If your not familiar with the Bob Porter coupe. it was a chopped 32 ford 3 window. torsion bar front suspension, Corvette independent rear. in between those two was a aluminum headed 427 inch L-88 big block chev and a 4 speed. I spent the day cruising tavern to tavern on route 66 for over 10 hours. I had driven the coupe on other occasions but to have it for a day was the ride of a lifetime. I have never wanted a 32 ford since. I could never build or buy a better coupe

I can't find my photo of the tempest but we towed out a pitted with Skip and his Foothill speed center 40 willy's

 

I had this car for about a week at my shop! what a fun car to drive. It has all the pictures from the filming on a poster in the trunk.

 

Got a weiner whistle from that little guy in the weinermobile. Early 1970's

 

I got to sit in this iconic A coupe many years ago, owned by my friend Dick Patterson.

 

Probably last year when my boy (then 7) got to see and get several pictures taken with the original "Red Baron" car and then last month he and I got to sit down and chat with Chuck Miller at the KKOA show in Salina this year. My son just couldn't believe that he built it and was asking him all sorts of questions about it. It was awesome that he is getting to meet and talk to a bunch of "my" idols, after all his generation IS the future of hot rodding.

 

I got to drive the Topper car (from the old movie) on the oval of the Ontario Speedway 500 back in the 70's.
Our neighbours cousin was a manager of the "Cars of the Stars " museum in California.
He also brought the "Happy Days" family wagon.

Janet Guthrie was a driver in this race.

 

One day back in the 60's when I lived in the San Fernando Valley,
me and a couple of my buddies were sitting on the curb.
We all could here it coming, and it rattled all the house windows as it
idled on by!
Gods speed Dick.