Another story....my first "HOT ROD"

[CQQL33]

MY FIRST "HOT ROD"

[ A LONG LONG TIME AGO IN A PLACE FAR FAR AWAY......]
   DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS I GOT A JOB WORKING AFTER  HIGH SCHOOL FOR 97 CENTS PER HOUR (I WORKED MY WAY UP FROM 92 CENTS) AND SAVED AS MUCH MONEY AS I COULD TOWARD THE PURCHASE OF MY FIRST AUTOMOBILE.
   NEEDLESS TO SAY, IT TOOK SOME TIME TO SAVE ENOUGH TO BE CAPABLE OF PURCHASING ANYTHING THAT WAS DRIVABLE.  BUT THE DAY FINALLY ARRIVED I HAD FOUND THE WORLDS MOST FABULOUS CAR AND IT ONLY COST 350 DOLLARS.
   I TOLD MY FATHER ABOUT THE CAR THAT I HAD SEEN THAT WAS FOR SALE.  I FURTHER TOLD HIM I HAD ENOUGH MONEY TO PURCHASE THIS CAR BUT I WANTED HIM TO CHECK IT OUT AND GIVE ME HIS OPINION AS TO WEATHER I SHOULD BUY IT OR NOT.          I TALKED MY FATHER INTO DRIVING OVER TO THE FELLOWS HOUSE AND WE CHECKED OUT THE CAR.  WE EVEN TOOK IT FOR A RIDE.   MAN, IT WAS THE NEATEST CAR ANYBODY WOULD LOVE.    IT WAS A 1949 MERCURY, TUDOR SEDAN, ALL BLACK WITH WHITE-WALL TIRES !!!
   DAD THOUGHT THE CAR WAS JUST FINE.   IT DROVE WELL AND LOOKED AS THOUGH IT HAD BEEN WELL MAINTAINED.   (THIS WAS ONE OF THE FIRST TIMES ME AND DAD HAD AGREED ON ANYTHING).    I GOT THE APPROVAL TO PURCHASE THIS CAR.   IT WAS THE GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE.   WOW, A COOL CAR.   I COULD GO ANYWHERE THAT I PLEASED.    FREE AT LAST, FREE AT LAST, OH LORD, FREE AT LAST............
   AS I DID NOT HAVE EXACTLY 350 DOLLARS, THE OWNER AGREED THE CAR WAS MINE, BUT HE WOULD KEEP IT UNTIL I PRODUCED THE FINAL 25 DOLLARS.   HE GAVE ME THE CAR KEYS BUT HE KEPT THE CAR IN HIS DRIVEWAY.
   FINALLY THE BIG DAY ARRIVED AND I BROUGHT MY CAR HOME TO MY (ACTUALLY MY FAMILIES) DRIVEWAY.   IT WAS FABULOUS !   I SPEND THE REST OF THE DAY "GUNKING" DOWN THE ENGINE, ADDING CHROME NUT COVERS TO THE BOLTS HOLDING DOWN THE FLAT HEADS TO THE BLOCK, AND PAINTING EVERYTHING I COULD SEE UNDER THE HOOD.     ...WASHED AND WAXED (SIMONIZED) THE CAR.       I THEN WENT INTO THE HOUSE TO CLEAN THE "CAR" OFF OF MYSELF AND PREPARE TO TAKE MY FIRST RIDE, BY MYSELF, IN MY "NEW" CAR.  
   NOW CAME AN UNEXPECTED STUMBLING BLOCK.    WHEN I CAME DOWN FROM GETTING CLEANED UP, MY FATHER STOPPED ME WITH "HEY MISTER, WHERE ARE YOU GOING? ".      I THOUGHT THAT WAS A RATHER DUMB QUESTION, HE KNEW I NOW HAD A CAR.   I SAID " I GOING TO TAKE A LONG RIDE IN MY COOL CAR".      "WHAT ABOUT INSURANCE", HE SAID     ..."INSURANCE" ?    
   UNFORTUNATELY I COULD NOT DRIVE MY CAR FOR SEVERAL WEEKS UNTIL I COULD COME UP WITH ENOUGH MONEY TO PURCHASE INSURANCE.    
   AFTER SEVERAL WEEKS I PURCHASED ENOUGH INSURANCE TO DRIVE THE CAR FOR ABOUT 3 MONTHS, (WHICH IS A LONG TIME WHEN YOU'RE ONLY 16 YEARS OLD).

   DURING MY NEWFOUND "FREEDOM" I LEARNED MUCH AND MET A LOT OF NEW PEOPLE.   ONE PERSON THAT I MET (ED) WAS IN THE PROCESS OF CLOSING DOWN A BODY SHOP FOR HEATH REASONS AND WAS IN NEED OF SPACE TO STORE SOME OF HIS EQUIPMENT UNTIL IT WAS SOLD, WHICH WOULD BE IN ABOUT 9 MONTHS.    A COUSIN AND I HAD A GARAGE THAT WE RENTED TO WORK ON OUR CARS (WHAT DID WE KNOW) AND WE ALLOWED ED TO STORE ALL OF HIS "STUFF" IN OUR GARAGE "IF" HE WOULD WORK ON OUR CARS FOR US.   HE AGREED.
   IT DID NOT TAKE VERY LONG UNTIL I WAS DRIVING A CUSTOMIZED '49 MERC.    NOSED AND DECKED, SHAVED DOOR HANDLES (ELECTRIC DOORS), ROUNDED HOOD CORNERS AND DOOR CORNERS FOR A TOTAL COST OF 50 DOLLARS FOR LEAD AND SANDPAPER (NOT COUNTING THE STORAGE IN OUR GARAGE, WHICH WAS BASICALLY NOTHING).    ED WAS A TRUE ARTIST, HE EVERY REMOVED THE TAIL LIGHTS, FILLED THE HOLES AND REINSTALLED THE STOCK TAILS LIGHTS AS LOW AS POSSIBLE AND FRENCHED THEM IN (AT THE TIME I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT WORD MEANT).
   WHILE THE BODYWORK WAS BEING DONE, I FOUND A NEW JOB AT A GAS STATION WORKING FOR 1.50 PER HOUR (BIG RAISE !).   GOT ENOUGH MONEY TO BUY LOWERING BLOCKS TO LOWER THE MERC IN BACK AND, NOT KNOWING ANY BETTER, USED A TORCH TO LOWER THE FRONT AN EQUAL AMOUNT.       THE BODYWORK WAS FLAWLESS.     AFTER I HAD DONE ENOUGH SANDING (DIRECTED BY ED THE BODY MAN) WE REPAINTED THE AREAS OF THE CAR THAT HAD BEEN WORKED ON TO MATCH THE BLACK ON THE REST OF THE CAR.    

   MY FIRST HOT ROD WAS A 1949 MERCURY, TUDOR SEDAN WITH EVERYTHING CUSTOMIZED EXCEPT FOR A CHOPPED TOP.    ...AND THAT IS THE TRUTH.    
   MANY LESSONS WERE LEARNED WITH THIS CAR.   I INSTALLED SMITTY MUFFLERS, STEEL PACKS, ON MY HOTROD.      THE SOUND WAS WAY COOL, BUT UNFORTUNATELY THE LOCAL POLICE DID NOT AGREE.    I LEARNED ABOUT TOWING COST AND STORAGE FEES ALSO COURT COSTS.  
    ONCE I WAS WASHING THE CAR IN THE DRIVE WAY AND BLASTING THE CAR RADIO AS LOUD AS POSSIBLE TO ENTERTAIN MYSELF AS I FINISHED UP THE DETAILED CLEANING OF THE INSIDE OF THE WINDOWS, I LEARNED ANOTHER LESSON.     THE ELECTRIC DOORS WOULD NOT OPEN.    I HAD RUN THE BATTERY DOWN SO LOW THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH ENERGY LEFT TO UNLATCH THE DOORS.    I SPENT MOST OF THE DAY INSIDE OF THE CAR UNTIL A FRIEND STOPPED OVER AND FOUND ME.   WE USED HIS CAR TO JUMP THE BATTERY TO OPEN THE DOORS AND LET ME OUT.   I BELIEVE I SPEND ABOUT 6 HOURS INSIDE THE CAR THAT DAY.    THE LESSON LEARNED, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE MECHANICAL DOOR HANDLES ON THE INSIDE OF ANY ELECTRICALLY OPERATED DOORS.
   ANOTHER LESSON I LEARNED, WHEN ONE OF MY FRIENDS WANTED TO RACE HIS CAR AGAINST MY CAR.     .....THE GEAR SHIFT LEVER WAS ACTUALLY UP IN SECOND GEAR BUT THE FORK INSIDE OF THE TRANSMISSION WAS BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND GEAR, AT LEAST THAT IS WHAT THE MECHANIC AT THE GARAGE TOLD ME AS HE HANDED ME A BILL FOR 125 DOLLARS (MAJOR MONEY AT THAT TIME IN MY LIFE).   THE GARAGE HELD MY "HOT ROD" FOR THE BEST PART OF THE SUMMER UNTIL I COULD PAY THE BILL.    THE SECOND TIME SECOND GEAR GOT "BUSTED" I HAD FOUND A FRIEND THAT HAD ONE TRANSMISSION REPAIR UNDER HIS BELT AND TALKED HIM INTO ASSISTING ME ON THE REPAIRS TO MINE (MUCH CHEAPER THAN A GARAGE).
   BASICALLY MY FIRST CAR WAS MORE OF A "CUSTOM" THAN A "HOT ROD" BUT AT THAT TIME THEY WERE ALL THE SAME.   WILD TEENAGERS DRIVING TOO FAST FOR THEIR OWN GOOD.      AS A YOUTH I HAD ONE OF THE MOST WANTED LEAD SLEDS IN THE    
WORLD BUT HAD NO IDEA THAT SOME DAY THAT CAR WOULD BE WORTH MORE THAT THE PRICE OF A BRAND NEW CAR.    I KEPT THIS CAR AND DROVE IT FOR SEVERAL YEARS.    EVENTUALLY I SOLD IT FOR 1200 DOLLARS TO A YOUNG FELLOW THAT LIVED IN THE SAME TOWN.  AFTER HE BOUGHT THE CAR HE AND HIS FAMILY MOVED AWAY AND I HAVE NEVER SEEN THAT CAR AGAIN.     EVERY TIME I SEE A CUSTOMIZED '49 MERC I MUST CHECK IT OUT CAREFULLY.    ONE DAY, JUST MAYBE, I WILL FIND THAT CAR.  THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT WERE WORKED ON THE CAR THAT I COULD RECOGNIZE,  WHEN I FIND IT..........WELL WHO KNOWS.......
   THE FUNNY THING IS, TODAY, WHEN I AM DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD IN MY '33 COUPE, IT IS AS THOUGH I HAVE TRAVELED BACK TO THAT SAME TIME, 1956.   THE MUSIC IS PLAYING  THE SAME SOUNDS THAT I HEARD ON THE RADIO BACK THEN.   THE TIME SEEMS TO HAVE GONE BACK TO THAT PLACE FAR FAR AWAY.   I GUESS THIS IS THE MAIN REASON I LIKE STREET RODS & STUFF.     I DON'T BELIEVE I WILL EVERY LEAVE.....

[enjenjo]

I can relate to that story, although it wasn't a Merc. Those of us that were car lovers have the same feelings about the first one, no matter the make and model.