Great reminiscence Verl, that was a magical time in SoCal. My first car was a '51 Merc tudor, not nearly as sharp as yours, but still stirs fondness.
Your dash knob comment tickled a memory. In 1960, junior high in the Valley (SF not SG) we had shop class as one of our mandatory sessions. Along with making telegraph sets that taught basic electrical theory, how to wind a coil, use a router, and so on, we laminated plexiglas in multi color layers, cut to shape (yep, tear drop) and then polished to a high shine. Learned gluing, clamping, how to safely use a band saw, drill press, taps, sanders, and buffers. Simple things, but such value for life.