Thread: car stories

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Here is a story that is a tribute to "improvization". :-)

Back in '68 I was 19 years old. I had just gotten my second car together, which was a '57 Chevy Bel Air 2-door hardtop. I bought it from a local junkyard, along with a '59 283 4-barrel engine, and a Corvette 4-speed trans. I rebuilt the engine, and added a Melling reground solid cam.

It was running pretty good, but did not "sit" quite right. The popular "look" was to raise the rear with airshocks, but I had spent all of my cash on the build. How was I going to raise the rear body on a budget? .....then it came to me!

Being "exceptionally clever", I reasoned that I could jack the car up, and put a muffler clamp around each shock, keeping it from collapsing back to normal ride height!

I ran down to Fagan's Auto Parts, local purveyor of "hot rod things" in Danville, Illinois, and picked up the right sized clamps for a buck or two. Arriving back home, I experimented with the height of the car until I got it just right, and put the clamps around the shocks nice and tight! I then changed clothes, and jumped in the car to go show off the new stance at the Steak & Shake drive in.

Now we lived in the country, and our gravel drive had a few dips in it before you got to the dirt road out front. I started the engine...checked the oil pressure.... stuck it in first.... and eased the clutch out....

Now I didn't hit those dips fast, but by the time I got to the road, I had cracked my head sharply against the roof at least three times!!!

I stopped and looked around to make sure nobody saw my stupidity,.....rubbed my head......backed up very slowly,....and took the clamps off of the shocks. My Chevy no longer had that jaunty look I wanted so badly, but I did have a newfound appreciation for the value of having functioning suspension! :-)