Art & Inspiration When did you realize you were/are odd?

I'm not odd, everyone else is.

 

A long, long time ago.

 

Absolutely agree!

 

That reminds me of poor old Marilyn, she wasn't blessed with good looks either

 

When my (then) future wife said "you're my kind of wierd"

Sent from my SM-G965U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

I’m waiting to hear about the next 5....

 

Heck ya mean?

 

But are you “special”?

 

I wonder what they fed that leopard?

 

When I would wag sports or PE classes at school, go to the library, and instead of running around in the rain kicking bits of cowhide or hitting balls with sticks, would read everything I could about mechanical stuff & electronics.
Now all the people I have hung out with for the last 50 or so years are quite normal, most have several cars or bikes, some old American or Australian stuff, some with hot rods, and most can attack a car, bicycle or dishwasher and repair them.
We just look at all those strange cats who don't "get it" and just say "They're weird!"

 

I'm 64 as well, and what you wrote describes me exactly. My parents gave me a Motors Auto Repair Manual for Christmas when I was 12. I sat down and read it like a book. And I think people who aren't into cars are weird.

I met and visited a bit with @porknbeaner at the Springfield swap meet a few years ago. I could hang out with that guy!

 

My grandfather was into cars way before I was born and not so much when I was around......that's it NOBODY else in the family.....no dad, no cool car guy neighbors?!?!?! I dunno what happened.

Who else worked on their car today?
Best day for cruising, antique malls and eating out.......stupid Covid.

 

I've been odd just about my entire life, just ask anyone who really knows me. Mitch.

 

I realized early on that I was into different stuff than most other kids. I've probably been more of the "creative" type, playing music, building stuff, drawing at young age, that kind of stuff. But I've always loved hockey, and at one point in my life, golf too. While I was a better golfer than I ever was a hockey player, there are few times I'm happier than skating around with a stick and puck, or playing a men's league game with my friends.

I often see some disparagement of sports from folks in the automotive community. I don't subscribe to that at all. Sports, and team sports especially, I think are great conduits to instill discipline, physical fitness, principles of hard work and teamwork, etc. I think perhaps some of the backlash comes from the notion that people into sports are not mechanically inclined and typify the "useless man" who is a stereotype who drinks beer, plays fantasy sports, and isn't really good for much else. While there are certainly many people that fall into that description, there is also a large contingent of folks who have a deep understanding of the game and who participate in sport themselves. I also see no reason as to why an appreciation of sport be mutually exclusive to a love of cars and mechanical things.

 

When I was 11 and my cousin and I would walk the local streets on trash day looking for water pipe and or old lawnmowers to salvage for the business we made building and selling minibikes and go karts.

Got even worse in 6th grade when they gave tests nationally to all students in that grade and I scored in the 99th percentile. All my teachers wanted me to skip a grade and get ready for collage bound courses and they had a conniption fit when I said NO THANKS I want to go to trade school and be a mechanic, my art teacher actually broke out the tears telling me I would ruin my life. Went to trade school and never looked back.

 

think my parents knew before I did .

my mom told me one day when I was young “ boy if you could eat grease you probably would !!”

 

Reminds me of how and when I got my first vehicle. I was 13 and working for my uncle that summer on his wheat farm. He had an old blue International panel truck sitting beside his barn, and every day I would look at it and wonder why it just sat there? So one day at lunch I asked him why he didn't drive it? He told me it started leaking coolant out of the soft plugs, and it wasn't worth fixing, so he went and bought a new Ford pickup. That was 1963, and the old panel was a 1947.
I asked what he wanted for it, and if he'd sell it to me? He looked really surprised, but told me if it was OK with my dad I could have it for $25. And if I couldn't get it fixed, he'd give me back my $25, but whatever I spent was my loss. He was paying me $10 a day, so I was "rich" and I bought it the end of the week. Then he took me into the auto parts store, where I bought some rubber expanding soft plugs, a battery, and a carb kit. I worked on it every weekend, and in short time got it running and driving. The seat was just springs, so some wheat sacks, and a blanket sufficed for then and I drove it all over the property. It stayed there for just over 2 years, until I got my license, and I went straight out to bring it home.
Wish I'd kept it now, but we have no foresight of how cool a vehicle is when we're young. It would make a very nice daily driver today with a late model V8 in it. But back then it just made people think I was even weirder, and most of my friends called it a "farm truck". They mostly had tri Five Chevys, and other hotrods. I sold the '47 International a year later, and bought my parent's '57 Chev Belair.

 

"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro; " Hunter Thompson. I should be worth millions.

Started reading Hot Rod at 7 y/o. Mom was the local librarian so I got to see the new issues first. Dad was a car guy but kind of settled down and started driving boring stuff before I got a chance to get m hands on anything fast. But I spent a lot of time in his gas station in the early 60's and that's where I got infected.

Spent 20 years as investigator for 2 law firms and never really fit in with those people. They looked at me as weird with my car habit but who do you think they called when they had a car problem? People I worked with when I owned a NAPA store and when I worked in powersports service had interests much more like my own

Was at a family party and was introduced to a new neighbor of the host. He was retired from GM and had worked in their motorsports program at one time. He and I got off in a corner until his wife came and dragged him off. Fascinating conversation, could have gone on all day. Sadly he passed away not long after that, before I had a chance to talk with him again.

Was at the Gilmore museum looking at a display of the Mako Shark. The docent engaged me in conversation and I felt like I just had to tell him the story about Bill Mitchell and the color of the car. Mitchell was the designer in charge of the Corvette program at the time and had been deep sea fishing. He caught a mako shark and that inspired the name. He wanted the car to match the color of the fish. Repeated attempts by the guys in the styling studio to match his vision of the color were rebuffed every time by Mitchell. Mitchell had the fish mounted on the wall of his office. The styling guys stole THE FISH and painted it to match the car! Mitchell never noticed. The docent nodded politely but didn't seem impressed by my knowledge of trivia.

It's unusual for me to encounter anyone with the same level of car geekdom as I but I'm used to it. Guess that makes me weird. So what, my motto is "why be normal."

 

I prefer 2 balls sports, too.

 

I was an oddball as they said in the day. As life went on, found others more like me! Joined a Street Rod Club (there was only 1 within 150 miles) and began to satisfy the itch for Hot Rods. Still playing with cars and finding friends as those I've hung around pass on. Near 70 and people say "He still plays with cars!" Guess I'm still odd..... lol

 

Born in 44 and by 1950 i could identify different makes of cars & trucks and knew what flathead and oyer head valve ment. Never could spell though.... I must be odd cuase i like Packards & Beetles & Vettes & Studes & .........old wooden speed boats. Don't have any of those, but wish i did...i do need help!

 

My first words were, "B-B-B-R-R-R-O-O-O-M-M-M!!! - "B-B-B-R-R-R-O-O-O-M-M-M!!!

 

I'd rather be weird than be like everybody else.
There were a lot of people in my family and neighborhood that had a classic car, or grandpa's ol farm truck, and that was as far as it went, but dad and us two boys brought it to a whole new level. I know for me I had an obsession with cars and anything mechanical since I had memories. Any chance I could get I would use it for drawing old hot rods, or building model cars....probably explains my lack of social life.

 

It wasn't until I started Kindergarten that I realized not everyone went to the races every Saturday night.

My dad was always building or working on racecars.

My home town Grand Gorge has population of 800. In the 1980s until about 2000 there were 10 racecars in town they were know as The Grand Gorge Gang.

Every Saturday almost everyone I knew in town went to Fonda to race, work on a car, or watch.

 

Oh my golly... LOL.
Pretty fun hangin' out with you guys. Makes my day. LOL...

 

I heard there was some football game this weekend,, I was loading up a 37 Chevy Gasser and working on the windows of my 54 Ford wagon

 

I found out I was weird at a very young age. I always wanted to fix everything even if it didn't need fixing. I remember being about 8 years old and my uncle was talking about wanting to buy a lawnmower. I said why if we have tons of them in our junkyard. He said yeah but they're all junk and tore apart. I said I'll be right back. I put one together in about an hour and he couldn't believe it. Gave me 30 bucks for it. I rarely buy anything new or pay someone else to do something for me. I always figure I can make it myself.

 

When I took my squirt gun to the car show and squirted everybody, if you did that today the folks with finished cars would be calling the cops and lawyers.