Youngsters . When , where and what bit you that started it.

I learned to drive in my old mans 37 ford coupe w/ a built flathead, truck clutch and re-cap slicks. I went everywhere in that car, raced every car and was never beat. All this at 6 yrs old and never left the garage.

 

I'm 26 and started building cars when I was 16. I'm sure Dante can relate to this - I first realized how cool a car can really be when I saw a body dropped Nissan Hardbody dragging through the parking lot at my high school. It just made a light bulb go off and I realized that cars can be for more than getting from point A to point B. I was 15 at the time and really anxious to get a job and start driving and my search for a first car immediately turned to minitrucks.

It's funny, my Dad always points out that he doesn't have any interest in cars (other than what I do) and I have no interest in sports (which he does), so I definitely didn't get it from him. A lot of people assume my Dad must have taught me everything, but it's not like that at all.

As far as an interest in traditional hot rods, the night the Monster Garage aired where they built the yellow 54 with all the old school builders was the night I made the call about my Kaiser. IT's so crazy how full circle things have come - Gene Winfield was on that show and painted the car and I hadn't a clue who he was. Since then I have taken his sheetmetal class and met him several times and now he's going to paint MY car.

 

Im 32 and I got bit around age 10 or so. There's a guy my dad knows from high school (name of Bob Christy) who builds lead sleds and damn near customizes everything. Anyways..my dad takes me to go visit him and there is this beautiful maroon 49 merc sittin there in his shop...I fell in love that day and that was it for me and the rest they say is history.

 

also i think grave digger also influenced me in the direction of old cars

 

im almost 20 and i dont think i have ever not thought about Fast old cars....got a ride in a tunnel-rammed 340 duster and it scared me into v8's for good i would say(that was after riding in a turbo vr6 jetta that did some 60mph burnouts) just love the look,sound, and well everything about how they used to build Cars and how we all still should

 

i love that episode
my funny or weird story with monster garage is
one day walking in Manhattan with my cuz we saw a rodded out chevy pull up and park with cali plates we approached the guy talk white guy with shorts and he put on a mini black fur coat
we told him what we owned and how we put hydros into cars and stuff and he showed us his airbag suspension which at the time was a new cali thing not reallly done here in n.y.c. yet we talked to him for a while but he had the hottie out the window waiting for him to come upstairs he was such a cool dude i wished he lived here i would let him live at my house
well after seeing monster garage for the first time me and my cuz frantically called each other and we swear that was jesse we met that day but i am not positive if it was i wish i could talk to him again one day as the jesse from the show has been a influence in my life and so was that guy
does anyone know jesse james to ask him if it was him that day
when i watch shows over and over i download what i see into my head i never went to school for any of the stuff i do im an electrician by trade but hotrodder at heart
check out my project
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...d.php?t=346922

 

I've been a car guy since I was 16. My second car my dad's friend gave to me ... 1970 Maverick. It needed work. I cleaned up the carb and got the engine running then gave it a paintjob. Always into all sorts of automotive things ... Jeeps, rockcrawlers, 5.0L drag car. Got into hotrodding because I had an old tired 8N tractor and was searching Craigslist for a flathead V8 ... thinking of converting it. Found a '53 Customline for $800 and the rest is history.