Christmas fantasy.

Christmas would be a great time to get an old car but the reality is that it is a busy time of the year. Old cars and old car desires seem to go on the back burner as the Holiday pushes all else aside.
You can still get the old car fix with using old car models with Christmas displays as they come in all sizes to match decorations. I have a 1/18th scale 49 Ford pickup hauling a Christmas tree in our dining room.
Several hand painted buildings are grouped with 1/64th scale vehicles of various vintages. One of the buildings even has a 30's relic poking out of its open doors. A true barn find for the Holidays. Our tree is not to be left out as it has its share of car ornaments including old Volkswagens.
Speaking of VW's one year when we lived in Georgia I decorated my 66 Beetle with lights and had it parked in the yard. It attracted a lot of attention with an inflatable Santa in the drivers seat.
So much for rambling on.a Merry Christmas to all and don't forget to think of that person that might need your help at this Holiday time.

I wish I had-------

Did you ever look back and think "I wish I had----" My all time wish I was in the mid-70's when my wifes foster mom had a farm sale to settle the estate of her late mother. I had the chance to preview all items and tell Wanda (the foster mother) what I wanted. Dumb me I only got a few little things but passed on several step down Hudsons, some of them drivers, and a nice assortment of flat bed Chevrolet or GMC farm trucks. They had a model A also that brought big money ($1200) and many farm tractors. What I remember most was the sale price of the Hudsons. Some sold for as little as $5 but nne more than $50. I could have had a fleet for under $100! At the time I had no place to put anything but I bet I could have found a way. I wish I had! On a high note this is where I got my perfect 1913 porcelain Indiana license plate but thats another story in itself.

Dream

This is one of my all time dream cars. A 1935 Reo that would look nice anywhere. My choice of places would be my driveway but where it's at is not there. Who knows what tomorrow may bring? It could bring that old car to your driveway.

1964 MG1100

I have already talked about my first foreign car but this is about my first English car,a 1964 MG1100 sport sedan. Found it at a Rambler dealership near my parents house. At the time I was a newlywed and going to college and we needed a second car. It was British racing green with a grey leather interior. A past owner had retrofit it with 13 inch wheels and tires to replace the 12 inchers. Of course it was a 4 speed and I thought I was Jackie Stewart everytime I drove it. Front wheel drive was news to me as were the dual carbs. It came with no owners manual but since Iwas young and knew everything that did not matter. There was full instrumentation on the dash but remember it was English. We Americans are used to red lights warning us of a malfunction. In the infinite wisdom of myself I did not realize the signifigance of the orange/yellow light on the dash. Turns out it was oil pressure and you guessed it I fried the engine on the way to school one morning. Alas that was not the end of this fine car as I went back to the dealer I bought it from and raised hell with the support of my dad. They finally agreed to pay a fair share for repairs. A few weeks later with a newly rebuilt engine Iwas once again off to the races. I was a good car and I eventually went back to the original 12 inch wkeels with a new set of Pirelli's that greatly enhanced its handling. Old green as she was called was a good car and a learning experience such as why it stopped running in the rain.(Water would splash up on the distributor and short it out) Cured that by fashioning a shield out of aluminum to protect the distributor.Later found out there was a factory fix for that. It was a shield like I had made. All good things come to and end and we traded Old green in on a new VW in 1970. That car has its share of stories also.
Later

Road trip

The road trip was a bust as far as seeing any old iron with one exception. On the east side of Indianapolis Indiana on east 10th st. there was a real piece of work on a trailer. It was not a classic or a muscle car but someones personal creation. Faded red was the color and it looked like a 30's pickup in half-size. There was no hood and no top(roadster?) and from the distance it was'nt bad. Once it was somebodies dream and now it may be someone elses.

Why?

Have you ever seen an old car in a yard or behind a building that looked like it was something you or someone could put back on the road? You check it out and inquire about the owner and if it is available. You guessed the answer,its not for sale as so in so is going to fix it up soon. We all have seen cars like this and see them over and over again and they never move. They are slowly deteriorating before your eyes and you are powerless to stop it. Repeated kind inquiries are still turned down but the car suffers on. Its hard to understand owners like this but all we can do is keep trying. Some day you will succeed and take home your treasure. Keep looking.

First foreign car.

My first foreign car came before Iwas married but while I was dating my wife to be. It was a 1957 VW beetle that came with 256,000 miles on it. Needless to say it was a project that never saw completion. Since it was th 60,s it got decorated with giant stick on daisey's and yes my true love hated it. I never noticed that it smelled and was not bothered that it had no gas guage. The interior was a little rough and the paint a little faded but it was a bug and I thought it was cool. It's back window was tiny and too dirty to see out of anyway,this along with it's unpredictability was just part of the charm. I kept it several month's eventually selling it to a friend I worked with who resold it to another we worked with. It led a interesting life but ended up spilling its guts down a dusty alley.

First car

Everyone has a first car and it is usually not anything fancy. My first was a 1963 Ford Falcon that had belonged to my grandfather. It was real plain just a 2 door sedan with automatic transmission. It had no power steering,no power brakes and no power windows. It's only option besides the transmission was an AM radio--woo-hoo! Kept that car for quite a while and it had a rough life but always came through for me. It was the first car my wife drove and remember no power! We sure got it easy now but do we have as much fun?

Be alert

Keep your eyes open for old cars! Just yesterday I was working in the yard and what comes by but a 1955 Plymouth occupied by an old couple. The car looked every bit of its 50 plus tears old but ran quietly ans sat proudly. They are still out there,keep looking. This one lives near me and I will tell about it in the future.

Dig out the old cars.

Got any old relations that dont drive anymore? They might have and old treasure in the garage that you could end up with if you want. Look up that old great uncle or aunt and talk it up to see what may be there. Use common courtesy of course and if nothing else enjoy catching up. Give it a try.

Discover old cars

Do you like the old rides? Would you rather have a 60's compact than a modern cookie cutter car? If so this could be the place for you as we search out and discover old cars of the past. Some may be a driver where others might be a project but all will be a blast from the past. Come along on the trip and if you have a car you want to discover let me know.