Customs You never forget your first...

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You never forget your first...

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First cars are in deed like first girlfrenids,time frame in my case was late 1950's,I was told by my Dad who was buying a car for my sis,that a man had to get his own cars{ means he an't getting me nothing]. So I started collecting {looking for junked stuff] parts to build the best hotrod roadster near no $ could buy at 15 years old. I did have her running by late 59,and cuz as you say"Your first" I've still got her,sure I let her get in bad shape a few times over this many years,side tracked by other cars,racecars n other hotrods,but just did this passed 3 years a refresh on my first one.; http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...ng-on-my-hotrod-28a-from-1959-rebuild.793393/

 

The learning curve at that age is pretty steep.When I was 16,I made every mistake possible.By the time I was 22 ,I had done my first successful complete restoration of a BMW 3.0 Alpina coupe.From knucklehead to concours in a relatively short period of time.But I'll always remember my first...

 

The first real trip for my black primer, tri-power 327 four speed, Indian blanket, oil spraying on the windshield, exhaust burning off the red painted Cherry Bomb glass packs 1940 Ford, while I followed Chick who was driving her purple primmerd 63 T Bird was to the Back to the Beach. Not Paso, but a shorter drive. Paso came later that year, I think it was 2000. And we stayed at the Barracks with David Perry as a neighbor. What evening conversations! What memories.

 

I turned 16 in 1996 and had a Highland Green '68 Cougar XR7 for my first car. I bought it with my own money two years earlier and fixed it up and bolted an Edelbrock F4B to the tired 302 and some cheap Hedmans. My first time driving it (legally) on the road, the purr of the duals and the cool green tint from the instrument lights will be forever burned in my memory. I must have burned through 3 tanks of gas that first weekend on the road.

 

I am fairly new to all this hot rod biz but I remember the day I bought this 26 T off a friend and drove my first old car ever. I went from his house to home and then the next day we woke up and drove 200+ miles in that thing through the foot hills of NC. I felt like I was 10 feet tall and the entire time felt like I was doing something illegal. Good times had in that little thing...

 

Here's mine:

 

first old car I drove to Paso from the Bay Area was a 49 Chevrolet sedan. after I got back I head a noise in the front end, took the front hubs off and found one of the ball bearings had come out of the little cage and was scoring my spindle. that sure would have put a damper on my weekend if it had completely failed 3 hours from home.

 

My first ground up hot rod,photo is around 1972 and was built on a shoe string budget.

that truck was a absolute blast to drive and was my daily driver for about 5 years..HRP

 

My first car was a Midnight Blue 1941 ford pickup...my dad gave it to me in 1974 after sitting under a tree next to blackberry bushes 15 years...got it running eventually, and good memories spending with my grandfather fixing it....6 volt was a nightmare that winter!....finally got to take my girlfriend for a ride in it to the next town over, and she wasn't too impressed, especially with the 'spare' battery between her legs on the floorboard & and me constantly watching the oil pressure gauge dropping and mumbling...and then the hood flew up and dented above the windshield....but I had glasspacks on it, and it sounded real good......nice memories (for the pickup of course....girlfriend left me for the guy with a working radio in a VW bug)

 

There were several never finished and later model first's for me in the 60's and 70's. My insurance agent once asked me if I was in a car of the week club.
After selling an unfinished 38 Chevy Coupe to my older brother and getting married, I knew it was time to get something old on the road. In our local Swap Sheet my wife spotted a 37 Chevy Coupe that was very solid and had been off the road for several years. Long story short, the wife and I fell in love with the car, made a deal to buy it and also made a very good friend with the previous owner.
The car had a non running 61 Corvette 283 engine, a beat up tranny and a 57 Chevy rearend. With a little help from my other car buddies, we got it running replaced the tranny. Later I added 54 Chevy front drums and backing plates and freshened up the kingpins and brakes.
My brother was also coming along very nicely with his 38 Coupe and I still had big dreams of what I wanted our 37 to look like. This led to a rumble seat conversion, a 2 tone paint job and a bunch of chrome plating that cost me a whopping $395 back then.
That car got us hooked on 37 Chevy's and gave us years of enjoyment. By the time our 2nd child was born, we made a decision to sell the Coupe and moved on up to 37 Chevy Sedans.

 

Great thread idea Jay. Having grown up in the bay area, I remember going to the first Goodguys shows in Pleasanton back around 1980 or 1981 I think. At the time myself and friends all had musclecars, but we had great fun and learned a lot for improving our own cars.

I think the first real show I went to was the Car Craft Street Machine Nationals in 1979 at Sacramento. Wow was that ever an eye opening experience to see some of the big magazine cars of the day.

 

My first build and first born was taken pre and post birth (born Father's Day Sunday) to and from the hospital in this.......

 

I don't know, I'll let ya know when it happens...

Allow me to clarify- I have been driving my dad's 38 Chevy for 9 years since he passed away. I'm 3 years into a 40 Ford build. Even though I've been to many car events, it's just gonna be different cruising something that I built all by myself.

 

Me with my first car..not just first old car, any car in general.
Nov '88, me (very 80's looking i may add) at 14 with my very own 57 Belair that i paid a whopping 1000 for, with a 62 vette t-10 in it besides. Haha
By summer of '89 it was rattle can light gray primer with decent cragars, a warmed up 355 and 4 speed all paid for by lawn cutting and odd jobs for folks in the neighborhood.
I didnt even have a license yet but was on cloud 9.


27 years later, i still own it. I dont really drive it much, but its become part of my family at this point so i dont ever see it for sale.

 

I had THREE firsts with my first car. Our hunting pal Dan Spain taught me bodywork and paint on it. My first paint job. The day I drove it to Jr High (we can drive at 14 here) and we had a few car guys, a couple who I still call friends. They all knew I had spent months working on it. Might have been a Ridler Debut for some 14-15 year old guys. The first Rod Run would have been the Counts of the Cobblestone Run in 85. Dad and I drove out to the campground (remember when rod runs were HQ'd at nice campgrounds?) and his pal Art Herder (RIP) let us tuck into the tail end of the cruise even though we had not registered. Dad asked me if I wanted to drive, I made him so I could see the sights of a couple dozen hotrods, customs and musclecars snaking through the Black Hills. Priceless.

 

Ah, yes. I remember my first drive in my old car...a 50 ford crestliner I bought with a bad motor the day I turned 16... My dad and I built a 53 Merc motor for it...Offy 4 barrel and headers. After getting the engine running, first drive was up our long gravel drive to the mail box...no exhaust, little plastic bottle for fuel...I was in heaven!

 

Had a few free or $15 junkers that didn't run, but finally made enough during 9th grade spud harvest to buy a 2 owner '35 Olds F-35 touring sedan. Several hours after purchase, we had borrowed a torch, did a nice job of adjusting the front springs & a piece of water pipe where the muffler had been. Already had Port-a-walls, so we just painted the wheels black.

 

Cool thread.

 

1986 and a hot 390 Y block powered '59 Cusso, I was King of the Sydney scene for a moment.

 

my first car, i had saved up enough money when i was 12 (!) to go buy the body from MAS Racing, then me and my dad set about building everything we could on it, when finished i had $3300 into it.

 

My first car ever was my 1960 Lincoln Continental. My dad surprised me with it during the summer when I was 14. The day I got it we cleaned it up and cruised up and down the street. Fast forward about 6 years (and not much at all done to the Lincoln) my brother thrashed on the Lincoln for about 2 weeks to get the car to Paso Robles 2004. Since the first time I went to Paso in 1999 I always wanted to cruise a car down Spring St. It finally happened, late after almost everyone was asleep or drinking at the bars but I cruised Spring St. in my very own old car.... Still have the Lincoln sitting in my back yard, need to get her on the road again some day.

 

My 1st ride was a 1965 Impala Blue Silver Metallic, painted the engine Chevy orange got some chrome Valve covers and a chrome Air cleaner and thought I was cool! had nice paint ,straight body had 2 minor rust blisters, I was the 1st freshman in High school after Christmas break to drive to school ,being from OHIO no car shows

 

My Purple primed '50 Ford Coupe, in '93- Drove it to Paso from LA and back, I was so astounded that I drove it that far that I kept the show reg in the window for months! Sold it to Coop the next year and then got going on my chopped sedan-

 

Baby Blue Metallic Impala only had two dents and less than 60k when I got it. I would love polishing up that car and enjoyed the chrome while it glistened in the sun. I had lots of fun with that car. It got parked for no reason as it was working fine. After a while interests changed and it got sold. Boy do I wish I could have that car back.

 

FIRST CAR WAS A 40 FORD STANDARD OPERA COUPE THAT WE INSTALLED A EARLY CHRYSLER 331 HEMI.

 

she spent more time down than runnin, but I learned ALOT of things in this car!!!! (64 Mercury Comet)

 

Agree, still would like to purchase a 57 Chev before my time is up. Problem being, need to sell one of current rides to finance this adventure. My first car, 57 Chev 210 coupe bought in 64, no engine or trans, $150., went to boneyard, bought a 348 tri-carb w/ trans for $125 or so. Bolted right in, bought used floor shifter, some misc $100, had a decent car for time frame, under $400 total, some my savings from peddling papers, cutting grass, shoveling snow. Thinking back, I believe my generation lived in the best of times for car guys, tons of fun, street racing and not a lot of $$$ involved.

 

My very first car was a 56 Ford Fairlane. I was always either changing something or trying to break something on it so I could fix it. I loved that car and tried to relocate it but I think its now a Honda or refrigerator. Here it is with my military buddies in 1968. I am the one in the door. Wish I were still that skinny. Had to sell her when I went overseas.
Good memories in that old bird.