Well here is a fun topic? How many of you Hambers have been involved with hot rods or just the car hobby your whole life? I know its been apart of me my whole life, ive been to almost every Back To The Fifties, helped my dad with his cars and even started building a T-bucket when i was 12 or 13 with him, It been a fun time and i dont think id ever be into cars without his upbringing! Its a way of life for me now. But then there are those of you fresh to the hobby, and those of you whos parents had nothing to do with cars and are involved as much as other, that musta been hard, not having anybody to show you how to do this or that, but then there are always the people who wil help you out with anything and those people are good too. Well anyways, heres a pic of me in my dads garage when i was about 1 year old, in 1982 sitting in my "super coupe" helping my pops on his 33 ford tudor. Enjoy
My dad always liked old cars, but never would ake the plunge and get one to work on. His dream car is a 56 Crown Vic with a bad FE in it, like the one he ran off the mountain as a kid. We went to shows and stuff but I never really got to work on any hot rods until high school when I started hanging out with some hot rod types. Some of my friends had cars like a 40 Chevy 2 door sedan w/SBC that we drove to the 25th Nats in 1994. I'm trying to start my boy out a little sooner. He's 2 1/2 now. This is him a few months ago checking out my "new" flathead.
You were 1 in 1982? Kids these days....I thought you were older....Your wise for a kid... How are those Nailhead Spark plug covers??? You should of had your dad add a dropped axle to your walker... evel
I'm first generation. Rode horses every day till my 16th birthday. I bought my brothers 63 Impala SS rag top that day, haven't been on a horse since.
[ QUOTE ] NO family into hot rods at all... [/ QUOTE ] Same. I remember the distraught look on my mothers face when I told her that I had joined a 'rod' club......took along time to get across to them that I hadn't joined a 'mob' like the 'Hells Angels' etc....... All is good now. Cheers, Drewfus
Arbuckle Ca 1974 the day I got my 3 window L to R my friend Tony nice old guy we got it from my dad, 50s so cal hot rodder me? Behind the camera. my dad and his 40 1956
hmm i blame everything i know on my dad hehe.he was into the custom cars back in the 60's and still has his first car (1953 ford coupe nosed, decked, shaved n custom grille with chrome reverse wheels with thin whites) he taught me everything i knew and i'm so glad that he's till here this day so we can build more cars together. soon to be our next project is a 30 A pickup so we'll see what kinda fights we get into this one cuz i know there will be one when i want to Z the frame
Hmmm.. was it all the old pix of my Dad and uncles with Jesus hair and beards next to dropped Imps, my Grandpa's(mom's side) delivery and his stepson's Cuttys with hydros, or my Grandpa that built Street Performer Challengers (still my dream car) and Novas, who use to take me on the fastest cigarette runs in town I'd have to say D all of the above
I was a weird ass kid, I was fascinated with bikers probably from that movie any which way but loose. I thought bikers were cool. I pretty much got into hotrods on my own. My dad did race flattrack bikes formula fords and sprint cars.
I'm 28 and was born in 1976 AD but i feel like i was born in 1976 BC LOL anyway i first started digging hot rods and old cars back in 1980 when i moved in on this street that the nieghbor next door to us had a yard full of toys and remember being'mezmorised'at his 66 G.T.O i remmebr it to this day having freakin 15/10 inch alum slot mags all the way around LOL aftyer that i've been forever cursed with the incurable hotroditis.
My Dad worked for Ford training mechanics on new engine systems and he would have a new company car every year. My two favorites: brand new 69 Mach 1, red & black, shaker scoop, hood pins, 351 Windsor, 4-speed. The following year he got a Gran Torino with a 429 Super Cobra Jet, factory oil cooler, mechanical lifters, 4-speed and Detroit locker rear-end. He would do a little burnout after dropping me off at school I was in the 4th grade.
my dad built dirt track cars in the basement since i was born and we went to all the "old timer" meets...plus ive been to hershey every year since before i was born (my mom was pregnant) i remember always opening the door to the basement so i could hear the motor on the race car and it making my new "baby" sister cry...so i was 3...we went to the dirt track races every week ...my mom worked the pit gate...my dad quit the car deal when i was about 4 and took us every week to wacth..then when i was about 7 or 8 i started helping out a little and eventually actually worked there untill i was 18...still all along reading all my dads old programs with the "big" coupes and whatnot...they always interested me so much more then the "new" cars plus all my other older relatives used to race roadsters and jalopy's in the 40's/50's i guess this and going to hershey every year and whatnot evolved into hot rods funny cause theres a pretty hot 69 torino (428 cobra jet 4 speed notch back with 24,000 miles) sitting here in the basement but i never got interested in muscle cars...didnt liek things that were the "way they came" even if i could have one free ...plus 69 is way to new......isnt it? oh a friend of ours had tons of flatheads and i always wanted one for some reason...but he ended up selling them before i was old enough to go through with it...even offered them to me free a few times...but i wasnt into it enough to have a stack of motors sitting here ...sure kicking myself now zach
Here's me checking out Dad's 40 convertible circa 1973. (He had to sell the car before he really got started on it, though.)
I have no hot rodding blood in me whatsoever. I do however blame my mom and dad for me taking the direction I did. Dad especially has an appreciation for the 50's and 60's, so as a real yound kid I was always listening to oldies music and soaking in a bit of 50's culture. My parents used to take me to car shows and local cruise nights. I guess all the chrome and shiny paint left an impression on me, because when it came time to buy my own car, a '57 Chevy seemed perfect. I met up with the guys that are now my friends and clubmates at a local cruise and they showed me the way. I've been going to this one annual car show for the past 11 years, and last year I entered my car. It was kinda cool to have one of the cars there that some little kid may have the same reaction to that I did.
HEre's Slide Jr this past weekend (similar to a photo I posted a couple weeks ago, but still not posed.)
My dad drag raced a 35 chev coupe with a stroked 348 in KC back in the late 50s/early 60's. Growing up we had a 56 ford F100 with a mopar 440 sporting stage 3 max wedge heads. There was always alot of stuff around dad's shop back in the mid-70's, 69 hemi charger, Triumph chopper. We've still got the 67 Triumph Bonneville that my dad bought new. That's where my go fast blood came from. As far as the old stuff, I must have been born with that since I'm the only one in my family that likes all the old cars. I bought my 40 Ford pickup in 1981 when I was 17 and they all thought I was nuts. I've still got the 40 and always looking for more.
this pic is a couple years old. shes 4 now..i dont push this stuff on her . if she wants to be a ballerina then fine,but shes infatuated with the old cars.shes awesome
i almost forgot the point..when i was a kid my mom worked nights at a restaraunt,so my dad watched me and my bro 3 nites a week..so everynite we would go in the callar listen to 50s records with the reverb on high. dad would sit in his reclining chair and me and bro would sit on the arms of thechair and he would teach us how to read using the little hotrod magazines..thats no bullshit!!!! during the day as soon as i got out of school i would ride my bike to his bodyshop and stay there till he came home, then he would throw my bike in the trunk of the merc and off we go this was the mid 70s
I have been into cars in general since I was two (1949)but didn't get interested in hotrods and customs until an older cousin dumped all of his Hotrod magazines on me in about 1956.I've been hooked ever since.
I envy you guys that took the time to learn from your dads. I didn't. You always think that you have all the time in the world until the unthinkable happens. I was a huge bum growing up(still am somewhat) and never took to time to hang out with my dad and get his wisdom passed to me. He never pushed me to help and to learn. I really wish he would have. I grew up around rods and alway like to see them and ride in them (Getting dropped off at school in the bright red 56 was the coolest) but never had the drive to wrench until about a year after he passed away. I regret my mistake every day. Fathers push your kids to help you. They may hate it at first, but will realize how valuble that time was later on.
My dad never even changed his own oil. I had to figure it out all on my own. I still don't know what I am doing half the time! Now he comes over to see what I am doing. He doesn't really "get it" until something is done and I am not sure he really understands then.
Definatley would not have ever had a clue without my pops Dirty2 putting the scene into my head at a early age. I remember going all over the United States when I was a kid to all the big shows. It was a blast and definatley got to see some great cars and the way things have changed the last 20 years. Just glad I finally quit taming the bulls and can relax and enjoy my own cars with my dad. If you think it is a joke then you can look at my little sister in my pops 32 Sedan. It has open headers and she loves it. She is 2 years old and the louder the better. For all you guys out there that got involved through your dad should be very thankful and glad because you will one day get to relay what you have learned or are learning on to your kid or kids. It is definatley not a hobby but a way of life that is instilled in you.
Jeeeezzzz, seeing as how this all happened over the span of 4+ decades, it may take a minute or two............. I was born in'52, was at the airport drags with my dad and uncles by '55. My uncles and my dad & his buds were a bunch of wild-asses, always street racing and running from the cops. I heard every gory detail about chases, races, chicken, ditch-'em, fights, you name it. We started going to the oval track "jalopy races" in '58, and I was ruined for life. Here were '36 Fords, old Stude and Chevy coupes, haulin' ass in a circle, beating the shit out of each other. Then they'd go in the pits and beat the shit out of each other! Then they'd all go(race) to their favorite bar and get drunk together. I loved the"Modifieds", chopped, sectioned, channeled, no fenders, pipes thru the hood, squealing around on those narrow-ass tires, raising holy Hell. The "late Models" were 55-57 Fords, Chevies, Ponchos, Mopars, you name it. My dad had a Harley when I was little, and rode it to work all the time. Another bad influence. When I was fourteen,my dad & I got a pair of '56 Ford tudor posts for $60, put the good 312 in the good body, spent a year or so getting it ready for when I got my license. We painted it with Dulux enamel, using a Kirby vacuum cleaner with the spraying attachment! Cheater slicks, reversed "chromies", exhaust cut-outs, JC Whitney seat covers. I systematically went through a whole bunch of cars, got into bikes heavily in '68 as well, went through even more scooters. I was in the Navy for 6 years, got out and started stock car racing. Still am. I've built V6 trikes with all "made-by me" frames and fiberglass bodies. I do all my own paint & body, 'cause I can, and I'm cheap. Basically, I'm just a gearhead, and it's all because of my dad. THANKS SO MUCH,DAD!! Now I have fifteen year old twin sons and we're building them both a vehicle. They're not into the old stuff yet, but at least they're not into ricer boy racers. We're doing an '82 Mustang and a Ranger pickup. They buy all the parts, I do the critical work while they watch and help. Custom paint and wheels are in the plans, and it's fun watching them figure out what they want. I don't want the cars to end up the way I would do them, rather the way the boys want 'em. I need to help them enjoy this whole experience, so they can enjoy it with me for years to come. P.S. I took the boys to Sturgis when they were 6, on the back of my trike. What a blast!
My dad was always into customs since he was little..he used to have mid 50's fords. When I was born in 1977 he had a 53 F100 with a flip front on it and one of those (now) old style "Truckin" magazine stickers on the tailgate This was the first old car i remember, then there was the 63 dodge, the 56 Victoria, the 55 sunliner...I kind of grew into it too along with building model cars and stuff, then once i got to that age when i needed a car, he was there to help me buy my 53 ford, and there to help me cut it up Glad he's still here.... Paul
I guess I'm 3rd gen. I got into it from my dad at an early age. His everyday pickup was always something cool. He still has the A coupe he bought in 62, and he's almost done redoing it now for the 3rd time. He also has a 35 cabrolet he restored to original in the early 80's, and now he's customizing that late 40's style. And he has a 51 vicky that is an old custom. Before I started to drive we got a 67 mustang to cut my teeth on, but now I got a 47 coupe, so I'm joining the wonderful world of flatheads. My dad got the bug in the 50s as a kid when his dad bought a year old 53 merc hardtop that was lowered, nosed, decked, skirts, duals, and some speed equipment on the flatty. My grandpa always had cool cars after that on.
never had any close family into cars. I had an uncle who built (and still does) lowriders and Harleys as long as I can remember. But he lived in El Paso when I grew up in Ca. Now I see the guys I hang with and how they all have grown up around cars and dads who are awesome mechanics and I feel left back or like I missed out on something. I didnt get into cars for along time (late 20's) was always to busy skateboarding, I dont regret that, but wish I turned a wrench at a much younger age.
I got my influence from my Dad too. We bought my dream car for 800 bux I think, when I was in 8th grade from a garden in Missouri. It was a '65 mustang fastback and it was rough - but all there! I did every side job possible through high school to get that car finished. It took me 4 years and alot of help from Pops, but I drove it to HS my Senior year. Made all the Auto class kids jealous cuz I never took a shop class. I can't believe it was almost 15 years ago! Anyways, here's a shot of it taken this summer before I had to sell it to fund my roadster project and some house projects. That was one of the saddest days of my life, seeing that thing get trailered away. You can't put a price on sentimental value! I still can't believe it's gone - I'll own another one some day! It was bought by a guy in the Madison area, so, Sidevalve, keep an eye out for it!
Well, my dad got me into old cars. Had an old packard in the garage till I was about 12. Then he sold it. Darn shame, was a nice car. He took me to car shows all the time, but didn't teach me much more than oil and tire changes. He told me stories of his "hot rod" days, but most of it included paying somebody else, or trading services to get his car's hopped up. He did a lot of electrical work himself, and has showed me many times different wiring diagrams and tried to explain how to do things, but he aint the best teacher. He's better at doing it, than at teaching it. I'm 27 years old, and I've had my 60 cad for about 4 years. My dad and I have done a few "projects" together. Like wiring up aircraft landing lights behind the grille, wiring up a third brake light skull with working turn signal eyeballs. Putting in seatbelts for the rear seat. But that's about it. I still couldn't tell ya how we wired the lights, because he did all the work and I passed the wire cutters and soldering iron. I guess that makes me pretty much a newbie. I've learned how to do neat things like swap a battery, and alternator, and spark plugs. And I've even changed out a distrubutor cap and rotor button. But that pretty much tops out my mechanical abilities. Dad gave me the bug, got me started and interested, and I'm pretty much picking up the ball and running with it. I'm always willing to learn more.
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