Déjà vu |
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scream-of-consciousness; "If you're trying to change minds and influence people it's probably not a good idea to say that virtually all elected Democrats are liars, but what the hell."
Déjà vu |
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"If the number of Islamic terror attacks continues at the current rate, candlelight vigils will soon be the number-one cause of global warming. " |
This will be the comment box |
I can't remember if I already showed you guys the 789Chevy yet.
That's a '61 or '62 Falcon on the far right patially cropped from photo. I have a '63 in the garage. Convertable. Nice toy.
Tim
My father had a '58 Plymouth and loved it. Lots of good memories of going to Ocean City and Sunday rides in the country north of pre-beltway Baltimore, when it was some of the prettiest farm country ever.
Also remember the rope swing at Beaver Dam. That quarry had some deep water, over 50'. It was a bit of a rush swimming there, because there was no wading in gradually, just splash and wayyyyy over your head. Nicest thing was all the rocky platforms and cliffs, and tha water was always cool and refreshing, and no chlorine. Dive deep and the colder water at 10-12' depth would take your breath away. We used to sneak into another abandoned quarry at Texas, which was great fun because it wasn't as deep as Beaver Dam and you could snorkel it and see the bottom at 20-30'. There were lots of fish to watch and an old car on the bottom, a Model A or Model T Ford.
Good times.
Lt. Col. Gen. Tailgunner dick
Beaver Springs was just down the road from Beaver Dam. Smaller, but you could wade in. Didn't have that tire swing though, like BD. Used to go to CYO dances at St. Joes, Texas. Did you go to the Peacock?
I drove my Mom's 56 DeSoto with Firedome -331 Hemi as my first car. Took 80 eleben seconds to get to sixty, but once rolling, it would bury the speedo on those leaf springs and bias ply tires. Just don't try to stop too short. It is a wonder I am alive.
Stick
Don't remember Beaver Springs, but the Peacock - whew, that rang the chord of mystic memory. If you hadn't asked I doubt I'd ever recall that again.. Memory is fuzzy, but wasn't it the Peacock Inn, a drive-in where they'd bring your food on a tray that hung off your window glass? My buddy had an MG-TD, which having no window glass, was a good conversation starter with the car hops.
I recall turning west off York Rd and through the town of Texas to go to our secret quarry, and driving along the bumpy twisted street was like stepping into a time warp, passing what seemed to be a big church for such a small place with its tiny houses all crowded together. Texas was what remained of a substantial quarrying/mining community of mostly late 19th century Irish immigrants, which would explain a Catholic church being there. St Joseph must have been that church.
Did you go there to atone for sins at Beaver Springs, or did you live in the area?
Lt. Col. Gen. Tailgunner dick
My old man had a 1964 Mercury Park Lane convertible w/ a 390 Super Marauder and a "Multi-Drive Merc-O-Matic" push-button tranny. He bought the demo car off the showroom floor. He said the sticker price was close to $5k and because it had 150mi on it and he knew the salesman, he claims that he only paid $3250 for it. I borrowed it a couple of times back in the early '80s and was able to lay rubber with it both in 1st gear off the line and in 2nd gear at about 35-40mph. Aside from replacing the rag-top in 1978 and touch-ups, it remained all original. He sold it in 1998 for $10k to help pay for his chemotherapy treatments and lost his battle to cancer in the summer of 2004. That was the hottest car I've ever driven and I miss that machine almost as much as I miss my old man.
Here is a picture of it taken around 1990...
Correction: He lost his battle w/ cancer in the summer of 2002.
Yes, I remember the Peacock and the Timonium Drive In, also Ameche's off Loch Raven Blvd. and the original Gino's on York Rd as you were heading north out of Towson. Lived off Seminary Ave. in Lutherville '58-'62. Learned to drive on my parent's '57 Chrysler New Yorker 4D Hardtop, blue and white two-tone. 325HP 392CI early Hemi and a three speed push button transmission.
Caught the Bus on Seminary in my uniform to go to the McDonogh School in Owings Mills. At that time it was all boys and military, today it is neither.
JLW III
One Saturday night I accidentally punched the reverse button in the family '62 New Yorker while driving about 30 mph. What an awful noise! But, I immediately hit the correct button, and no ill effects and no next morning confession required. A great car.
mary
I love the '69-'73 Chevy truck in that photo MoFiZiX Gr4FiX. I have a '68 long bed. Obama made me ashamed of GM.
Tim
I used to get going about 55mph in the 56 Firedome DeSoto & push low gear to listen to the dual exhaust rumble as it slowed on the compression. Did it at 60 once and the push buttons all fell out in the floor. My dad was in insurance & very suspicious of anything. I managed to pack the buttons into their slots on flat spring loaded rods as I remember & push the faceplate back on while holding the buttons in place. There was a little click at the bottom & NOT BUSTED. I was a very lucky SOB. My little brother - not so much. Wrecked two cars before he turned 16 after I was gone to protect the East Coast from Communism on an ocean going Minesweeper.
Stick
I drove a 51 Olds Rocket 88 in high school. I was the friendliest cuss in school. Anyone who needed a car only had to ask and I would toss them my keys. Every single one of them would bring the keys back to me and sheepishly complain that it wouldn't start. I'd tell them no worries I'll take a look at it later.
Later I would get in the car, put the key in the ignition, turn it, nothing would happen, then i would push the little unmarked starter button next to the steering column. That old tank started up every time.
One day I got tailended by a guy in a volkswagon beetle. Totaled his car, crumpled it up like it was made of aluminum foil. I was sitting still with my foot on the brake at the time. My car was knocked forward about 6 feet. The only damage was a small 2 inch dent in the bumper.
I really miss that car, it had a hydromatic automatic transmission that could be push started if your friends were tough enough to actually move that much steel.
Due to some nocturnal off-roading through PA cornfields in dad's 65 Pontiac, I had to explain the presence of corn stalks hanging from the undercarriage the next day. He seemed to have bought the story of my turning around on a tractor path....
A few years later I had a 69 Chevy van into which I swapped a 283 and 400 turbo auto trans. I just used the original column shift lever that had operated the original 3-speed manual. This arrangement lacked those little notches that required lifting the shift lever to move out of park or into reverse. While buzzing down the highway at 65 I touched the shift lever and dropped it into reverse, locking the rear wheels and stalling the engine instantly. I figured the trans was scrap metal. I restarted it and drove away with no ill effects. That was a tough transmission. Don't try that with today's cars.
Annoyed White Male
WV: hogisha. I had a blind date with her once.
Tim - That's a 71 C-10 what belonged to an old drinking buddy of mine.
If you liked that, here's one you'll appreciate...
A 1967 C-10 I restored for my great uncle back in 1990.
Roger, you magnificent bastard, that story made me snort Dr. Pepper out my nose! I haven't laughed that much in a month.
Thanks very much. Really.
H
My first wheels were under a 63 Mercury Monterrey, the one with the reverse sloped rear windo that rolled down. It was a greattank, and fun to cruise in. Got a 67 Pontiac Catalina once I had my permit. It had 36 miles on the odometer, and when I asked the old owner, my BiL if it was 100,036 he just laughed and said it had 100k on it when he got it. That Pontiac didn't use a drop of oil, and after I had tacked an additoinal 100k on it, I sold it to another BiL. After that it was a 65 F-100, then into a 1970 USS Galaxie 500. I bought it on the same day pop got a 62 Fairlane 500, and since mom liked the Galaxie, we traded. That old fairlane was a beauty, it would just burn up the road with a screaming top speed of just over 60mph. It was sporatic on oil, and when I sold it, I warned the buyer about the oil. After several weeks using narry a drop, he thought I was full of it, and quit checking. Called me about a month after buying it because it wouldn't start. When I checked the dip stick, nuthin, and when I pulled the drain plug, only a little dripped out.
Years later I got a 56 F-250 that I abused. That truck had a 292 that the previous owner had installed. The vintage stuff sure was great.
What a rush looking at that engine compartment, Mo. If you look at that, then pop the hood of your own car, what you see is 30 years of gummint mandates.
Rodge - I know exactly what you mean and couldn't agree more. Points and condenser, cap and rotor, regular muffler or glass packs, no computer chips, no spark control, no emission controls, and no catalytic converter. Those were the days when everything was so simple.
Since I see JeremyR is a Ford fan, allow me to present my baby...
1954 Ford F-100 Custom P/U
I've had it since 1975. It's got the original 223cu.in. straight 6 with an oil bath air cleaner. I dressed it up like the Dodge "Li'l Red Express" with wood siding and Thrush stacks. When I get another place to work on it, I am going to put a small block 305 or 351 Cleavland w/ street blower or tunnel ram, 3-speed on the floor, tight ass-end ratio, tilt-power steering, re-dun interior, chop 3 or 4 inches off the roof, drop both axles, tilt kit the nose, and hydraulic dump kit the bed. All I've got to do first is win the lottery and I'm on it!
Here's another one for JeremyR...
1965 Ford Galaxy 500 convertible
I restored this one back in '86-'88 when I was worked at another shop before opening my own place in '89. The guy in the pictures brought it in with a U-Haul van filled with parts. Knowing that my old man and I did restorations prior to me working for him, the boss gave the project to me to do in my spare time. WHAT A PHUCKING NIGHTMARE!!! Every square inch of that car had to be reworked or replaced! Needless to say, the owner was so pleased with the finished product that, as a gratuity, he treated my girlfriend (now wife) and I to a free lobster dinner at his restaurant.
My Dad still had his first car, A 38 Olds 2 door coupe. He loved that car, Too bad we never got done restoring it before he died 2 years ago.
Just like this one:
http://oldcarandtruckpictures.com/Oldsmobile/1938OldsmobileCoupe-may24.jpg
THor~
III
Nice '67 MoFiZiX Gr4FiX. Like Rodger said. I love the straight 6 250. Simple and tons of power. Then you show the '65 Galaxy. My first car was a '66 Galaxy. A 289 and the Slush-O-Matic transmission.
Tim
My first. A 58 Ford Fairlane 500. 292 and three speed stick. Heavy and a bit under powered, but a fun car to drive. Then moved on to a 62 Impala SS, 327 four speed. Beautiful car, light blue color. My favorite car. Then a 72 Chevelle SS, 402. It had an automatic because I had lost use of my legs in the Army. Red with white stripes and cowl induction hood. Sold it just a few years ago.
Nowdays, all the cars look alike. I drive trucks.
One of the funniest "car stories" I've ever read:
http://groups.google.com/group/triangle.general/browse_thread/thread/4e6eb364be8b15d2/33aaf47cfbd4be40
(scroll down to Tom Gauldin: Crossing Kansas)
Trust me, it's worth the click
--Jack