Thread: What Planted The Seed For You?

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When I was about 7, my grandfather built dirt track cars for a local junkyard. He didn't drive, just did the wrenching and fabrication. I grew up playing in these cars (and wandering around the junkyard) and watching him build Chevy engines for them. He had a run-in stand that he built from some front frame clip from the junkyard and I remember how loud the open pipes were when he fired one up.

He always had a collection of parts catalogs and some magazines stuffed into a bin by his recliner. I poured over those not really knowing what I was looking at, but fascinated none the least. I remember Honest Charley's when they were a real speed shop.

I wanted him to build me a race car, but he refused with no expalnation and laid down the law to my mom and dad that I was never to be allowed to race. I never understood that then, but now know that it was because of all the deathes and injuries that he had seen at the track. Of course, this "forbidden hot rodding fruit" called out to me and still does. In his defense, he did get me a go-kart that I drove on a make shift dirt track in the back yard until I wore the engine slap out. I taught myself how to drift that thing around that short oval. It was a blast!

They moved on to short asphalt tracks as there were several within reasonable driving distance from northern Louisiana. This went on for several years before they quit, but my grandfather did a lot more than that. He never had a lot of money and tended to buy cars with really good bodies, but needed engine work. He was partial to GM stuff, since he was a factory trained Cadillac mechanic at his day job. There was always some kind of car or truck in his shop. He did mechanic work on the side, too.

Seems to me I remember a Chevy pickup he bought that needed an engine. He had a good Oldsmobile (might have been a Caddy) that had a rotten body, so he did the "hot rodder" thing and dropped the car engine into the truck. He drove that one for several years.

My dad had a big influence on me, too. He grew up in West Virginia and did all of his own service work. He was a welder, too. He and I redid a Jeep truck to hunt in. Built that one from several different Jeeps.

The biggest lesson I learned from these two men was not to be afraid to try something, even if you fail. Just learn from the failure and keep going. The only shame in failing is giving up. They're both gone now and not a day goes by that I don't miss them.

My love of pre-'49 street rods comes from magazines and TV. There were no street rods in my area at all, but I thought they were the neatest things and vowed to own one someday. One of my high school buddies was into British sports cars and I got to drive his brother's Austin Healey 3000 when I was about 15 or 16. That also left a strong impression on me.

And there was a steady stream of models that I put together. Probably dozens over the years before I moved on to full size cars.

"The biggest lesson I learned from these two men was not to be afraid to try something, even if you fail. Just learn from the failure and keep going. The only shame in failing is giving up. They're both gone now and not a day goes by that I don't miss them."

Those are some powerful words, Mike - thanks for sharing .
Glenn

Originally Posted by glennsexton

"The biggest lesson I learned from these two men was not to be afraid to try something, even if you fail. Just learn from the failure and keep going. The only shame in failing is giving up. They're both gone now and not a day goes by that I don't miss them."

Those are some powerful words, Mike - thanks for sharing.
Glenn

Those words hit me too, Mike. I think it was Edison that said, "I never failed at anything! I just found 10,000 ways that didn't work!"