Late-winter blahs (too cold outside, nothing to do inside) have me cruising memory lane; playing re-runs in my head. Since it’s mostly car-related stuff, though, my memories must have some value, right? In recent years I’ve seen a lot of old school hot rods and other cars of that style that got me remembering some of the cars from my old school days.
I went to high school in the early sixties and tri-five Chevys were pretty new (Moms and Dads were still using them as daily-drivers and grocery-getters). My friends with cars tended to have less exotic rides. Eddie, for instance, had a flat-head six ’53 Plymouth and his brother, a four door Ford of the same vintage. I fell out of Eddie’s car while he was doing do-nuts in the school parking lot. I don’t remember if being seen riding in that car or falling out of it was more embarrassing.
My friend Jim had several cars while we were in school. One was a ’56 Ford; a two-door hardtop with a V-8. It was also a beater with no rear shocks. Riding in that car taught me how important shock absorbers are to both ride and handling; it was unsafe at any speed! Maybe it was the experience of putting our lives on the line every time we hit the road that made us all such responsible drivers as we got older.
Another friend, Rush (not that one), seemed to have access to lots of cars. His supplier was partial to Cadillac’s and we spent a lot of time running around in them, or not (because they broke down a lot!). He had a ’30 Model A coupe with a Caddy motor and transmission. It, too, was a beater (maybe the proto-type for today’s rat rods) with orange crate seats and a vise-grip gear selector. Three guys in a Model A teaches lots about togetherness. His other Cadillacs, while not necessarily things of beauty, were definitely the class of teenage cruising vessels (when running).
Not all of the cars I remember were old or raggedy. Charlie had a ’64 Ford Galaxy two-door hardtop with that NASCAR-style fast-back roof and a dual-quad 427. I have it on good authority that car would do over 150 mph. It also took a bunch of us more than 8 hours to make a 150 mile trip in the damn thing due to a combination of Ford engineering and poverty. Charlie could barely afford to keep gas in the car and certainly couldn’t afford to keep it tuned. The radiator water tank was not part of the radiator. It mounted on top of the front of the motor and had connections to the radiator and thermostat housing that were prone to crack from vibration. Charlie’s did and, on that trip, we spent more time pouring water in the cooling system than we did traveling.
The other evening I was talking about cars and teen-agers in this neck-of-the-woods with a fellow car club member (he grew-up in Middletown). Not a lot different than from where I grew-up (Arizona) except things here were/are closer together and greener. He, too, had a story about a Model A with vise-grips and make-do (cinder block) seats. In his version the vise-grips were used to steer! One thing universal about teen-age boys; they’ve got more guts than brains (it’s a blood-flow thing).
My friend was telling me about cruising the loop in Frederick. As I understand it, the loop went east from the Circle S Drive-In on South St. to Market St., up to 7th St., west to the Red Top Drive-In that used to be across from the new entrance to FMH. Then either back to Bentz St. and down to South St. to complete the loop or out U.S. 40 north to a hang-out where Mountain Motors is now located.
We cruised Central Ave. in Phoenix, with stops at Bob’s Big Boy at Thomas Rd. and Central and side trips up to South Mountain Park to (whatever we could get away with). By the time I was old enough to know better (and had a wife and kids) cruising Central was officially banned and Bob’s became a office tower and parking lot.
Man, this makes me want to crank up the old 8-track with the Box Tops or Three Dog Night blaring, circling for hours on a dollars-worth of gas, wishing for (whatever it is young men wish for—I don’t remember). I could forget $3.50+/gal. gas, $35000+ cars, $350,000+ mortgages, and just enjoy! Or worry about whatever it is young men worry about (don’t remember that, either). Let’s all go to a cruise-in or 35 this season and rekindle some of that weekend driving in circles nostalgia!
Showing posts with label Confessions of a Drugstore Car Guy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Confessions of a Drugstore Car Guy. Show all posts
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Confessions of a Drugstore Car Guy
By Carroll G. Anderson
June, 2010
Last month I “confessed” I thought it is nice to have access to goods and services provided by Car Guys who’s interests are similar to mine. Overall I’ve had pretty good luck in finding what I need and in dealing with the Car Guys that had it. If there’s any cloud around this silver lining, however, it seems to be my fault; I apparently don’t give off the right Car Guy vibe. I just don’t show up on real Car Guys’ radar.
The other day I drove over to a Performance shop in my area. I parked my Old Car right in front so it could be seen by anyone looking out the front door. I thought maybe that would establish that I hadn’t just fallen off the turnip truck; that I, too, was a Car Guy. No such luck; turns out my bona fides cut no cheese what-so-ever!
There were a trio of customer Car Guys in the shop when I got there; looked to me like a set. They were being attentively attended to by the guy who runs the place and no wonder; they were obviously talking about spending some big bucks. The guy who mans the counter was also at his station, tending to whatever business counter-tenders-to tend to when . . . well, you know.
I started looking over the stuff they had hanging from the walls, bits and pieces sandwiched between cardboard and impregnable clear plastic. I was still looking at the wall hangers when the trio took off. Then it was just me, the guy who runs the place and the counter-guy. Did I mention the space was about the size of a McMansion master bath? In any case, they apparently didn’t notice me examining their stock of shrink-wrapped stuff.
I have no doubt there’s a lot of business-related business that the crew of a business like that need to discuss; inventory and accounting issues that need to be resolved, etc. And, for the next ten minutes or so that’s what they did. I continued looking at the wall hangings. Eventually, however, I decided I’d waited long enough to not be noticed and I left. It’s OK, though, since I didn’t find anything hanging on the wall that I wanted to buy.
I’d like to think I’m not so insignificant that, in a space the size of a single car garage, I could go completely un-noticed for 15 minutes. I know it wasn’t the way I was dressed, I had on my best lavender shirt. In retrospect, I probably should have been wearing something a little more noticeable. Like a cropped Metallica t-shirt that showed off the “I Hemis” tattoo right above my plumber’s crack.
Actually, while that get-up might have worked at some of the Salvage Yards I’ve visited, it would have done no good at this particular shop. No, there I should have dressed like a preppy Lawyer and parked a Z-06 in the spot where I put my Old Car. A fat bank account and a new Corvette would have all the right stuff to get those guys’ attention! In a place that gets $120/hour to maximize your ride’s performance the $6.95 I was looking to spend for a breather grommet didn’t warrant much attention.
A lot of the blame for this whole situation is mine; I didn’t have to get into a snit and not ask for help. I chose the passive/aggressive route. Also it was obvious I was looking for something that didn’t cost much; there was some high-dollar stuff lying around that I ignored completely. Drooling over a NOS System or an EFI Conversion would have increased my attractiveness considerably. I could have even worn my gold “750” necklace outside my purple shirt.
All of the money we spend at a place like this speed shop is discretionary, we don’t have to spend it and we certainly don’t have to spend it there. It’s not like changing the timing belt on the Honda or buying a set of tires for the minivan. The money we spend on Old Cars (or new Z-06’s), whether for bling, performance or whatever can always be not spent.
Any small business that caters to hobbyists, that provides goods and services that are wanted rather than needed, must be aware of the precariousness of their position. According to the Small Business Administration, only 44 percent (of new businesses) survive at least four years and one of leading causes of failure is poor customer service. If I were in this business I’d make sure that the red carpet got rolled out for every customer, even the ornery old guy in a purple shirt driving the raggedy “survivor!”
June, 2010
Last month I “confessed” I thought it is nice to have access to goods and services provided by Car Guys who’s interests are similar to mine. Overall I’ve had pretty good luck in finding what I need and in dealing with the Car Guys that had it. If there’s any cloud around this silver lining, however, it seems to be my fault; I apparently don’t give off the right Car Guy vibe. I just don’t show up on real Car Guys’ radar.
The other day I drove over to a Performance shop in my area. I parked my Old Car right in front so it could be seen by anyone looking out the front door. I thought maybe that would establish that I hadn’t just fallen off the turnip truck; that I, too, was a Car Guy. No such luck; turns out my bona fides cut no cheese what-so-ever!
There were a trio of customer Car Guys in the shop when I got there; looked to me like a set. They were being attentively attended to by the guy who runs the place and no wonder; they were obviously talking about spending some big bucks. The guy who mans the counter was also at his station, tending to whatever business counter-tenders-to tend to when . . . well, you know.
I started looking over the stuff they had hanging from the walls, bits and pieces sandwiched between cardboard and impregnable clear plastic. I was still looking at the wall hangers when the trio took off. Then it was just me, the guy who runs the place and the counter-guy. Did I mention the space was about the size of a McMansion master bath? In any case, they apparently didn’t notice me examining their stock of shrink-wrapped stuff.
I have no doubt there’s a lot of business-related business that the crew of a business like that need to discuss; inventory and accounting issues that need to be resolved, etc. And, for the next ten minutes or so that’s what they did. I continued looking at the wall hangings. Eventually, however, I decided I’d waited long enough to not be noticed and I left. It’s OK, though, since I didn’t find anything hanging on the wall that I wanted to buy.
I’d like to think I’m not so insignificant that, in a space the size of a single car garage, I could go completely un-noticed for 15 minutes. I know it wasn’t the way I was dressed, I had on my best lavender shirt. In retrospect, I probably should have been wearing something a little more noticeable. Like a cropped Metallica t-shirt that showed off the “I Hemis” tattoo right above my plumber’s crack.
Actually, while that get-up might have worked at some of the Salvage Yards I’ve visited, it would have done no good at this particular shop. No, there I should have dressed like a preppy Lawyer and parked a Z-06 in the spot where I put my Old Car. A fat bank account and a new Corvette would have all the right stuff to get those guys’ attention! In a place that gets $120/hour to maximize your ride’s performance the $6.95 I was looking to spend for a breather grommet didn’t warrant much attention.
A lot of the blame for this whole situation is mine; I didn’t have to get into a snit and not ask for help. I chose the passive/aggressive route. Also it was obvious I was looking for something that didn’t cost much; there was some high-dollar stuff lying around that I ignored completely. Drooling over a NOS System or an EFI Conversion would have increased my attractiveness considerably. I could have even worn my gold “750” necklace outside my purple shirt.
All of the money we spend at a place like this speed shop is discretionary, we don’t have to spend it and we certainly don’t have to spend it there. It’s not like changing the timing belt on the Honda or buying a set of tires for the minivan. The money we spend on Old Cars (or new Z-06’s), whether for bling, performance or whatever can always be not spent.
Any small business that caters to hobbyists, that provides goods and services that are wanted rather than needed, must be aware of the precariousness of their position. According to the Small Business Administration, only 44 percent (of new businesses) survive at least four years and one of leading causes of failure is poor customer service. If I were in this business I’d make sure that the red carpet got rolled out for every customer, even the ornery old guy in a purple shirt driving the raggedy “survivor!”
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Confessions of a Drugstore Car Guy
I was recently working on a schedule of Cruise-ins for Maryland and adjacent states. Cruise-ins are relatively informal, regularly scheduled events that occur through-out Car Guy season. The number and frequency of these cruise-ins is huge; every night and weekend day from one end of the region to the other. In our area there are over 50 separate events, many of them occurring every week! Some of these get-togethers draw hundreds of cars and, obviously, some Car Guys hit some cruise-ins every week and sometimes more than one a week. Still, that’s a lot of cars getting out and getting their stuff strutted on a regular basis.
Each month we update the calendar of events in our newsletter, typically devoting two full pages to events all over this part of the country. Included are usually not cruise-ins but shows, swap meets and other non-recurring car-related events. During Car Guy season we only have room for a couple of months-worth per issue, maybe fifty or sixty events. Although most occur on weekends, some of these events cover periods of several days and some involve substantial travel. Between the Calendar of Events and the Cruise-in Schedule, each month we are notifying our readers of approximately 150 choices for their Car Guy pleasure.
Is there a point to all this? I’m not sure but I think I’m working toward some observation about how healthy and widespread leisure-time interest in cars, cars as a hobby, is today. I find that encouraging. Besides involving cars, something in which I’m always interested, the Car Guy thing is also owned by my demographic. Sure, Car Guy stuff is opened to people of all ages; we get a lot of younger enthusiasts at our Shows and lots of youngsters show up at area Cruise-ins. But it’s us, Baby Boomers, that dominate the events; the AARP crowd is well represented! And this, to me, is good.
So, is there any way to exploit or benefit from all this activity involving car-loving Baby Boomers? Well, HMCCC is able to donate over $20,000 per year to various charities, money collected at our Car Guy Events. Several of the cruise-ins mentioned assess each car attending their event a couple of dollars which they then donate to a charity. That, I’m thinking, is a significant benefit; we’re able to have fun and do some good at the same time! Too bad more jobs don’t provide a two-fer like that.
Speaking of jobs that provide a two-fer, I have several friends who are parlaying their love of cars (and some expertise and talent a lot of us don’t have) and spare time into car-related enterprises. So many of the things that go into the building and maintaining of old (and not so old) cars exceed our skill level and guys who can lend a hand are worth their weight in gold.
Too many auto service businesses are too busy and too specialized to have any interest in supporting old cars. You can’t just take your ’55 Chevy or ’68 Roadrunner to the quickie lube or chain auto service center and get dependable help. Their equipment is not set-up to handle the cars and their techs are not trained to troubleshoot, let alone fix, stuff that’s older than they are. Ask an auto parts store about how to get a part to fix a fifty year old motor and, after the laughter the abates, they might explain that their parts books don’t go back that far.
You’d think, if there was money to be made building and maintaining old cars, there’d be an Old Car Garage in every town. There are certainly enough old cars and you know those old cars always need something (just ask my wife). Businesses that cater to Car Guys seem to do well, businesses like Jeg’s and Summit, Coker Tire and Eckler’s. SEMA is living proof that Car Guys have and spend money; so is Car Guy TV. That (Car Guy TV) runs the gamut from the sublime to the ridiculous, or maybe from the just silly to the ridiculous. But it wouldn’t be on if it weren’t making money.
I’m thinking maybe there should be a government sponsored program that subsidizes Old Car-related enterprises; maybe grants to start shade tree mechanic business or tax credits for buying old cars. I know a lot of folks bought houses this past year or so because of the First-time Homebuyers Credit. It would be much easier to convince the Little Woman what a good buy that ’40 Willys Gasser is if you could get an $8000 tax credit for buying it. How about a bailout for ailing Hot Rod Shops or financial assistance for folks nearing retirement age and going back to school to learn paint and bodywork skills? I would certainly vote for any politician who supported legislation to subsidize my Old Car!
Speaking from the sublime to the ridiculous, I guess I’m digressing. Really, though, there’s a ton of Car Guys with tons of money out there and, hopefully some talented Car Guys with useful skills and ideas about how to snag some of it. I like free enterprise, especially when it means it’ll be easier to get the goods and services I need from people whose interests are similar to mine.
Each month we update the calendar of events in our newsletter, typically devoting two full pages to events all over this part of the country. Included are usually not cruise-ins but shows, swap meets and other non-recurring car-related events. During Car Guy season we only have room for a couple of months-worth per issue, maybe fifty or sixty events. Although most occur on weekends, some of these events cover periods of several days and some involve substantial travel. Between the Calendar of Events and the Cruise-in Schedule, each month we are notifying our readers of approximately 150 choices for their Car Guy pleasure.
Is there a point to all this? I’m not sure but I think I’m working toward some observation about how healthy and widespread leisure-time interest in cars, cars as a hobby, is today. I find that encouraging. Besides involving cars, something in which I’m always interested, the Car Guy thing is also owned by my demographic. Sure, Car Guy stuff is opened to people of all ages; we get a lot of younger enthusiasts at our Shows and lots of youngsters show up at area Cruise-ins. But it’s us, Baby Boomers, that dominate the events; the AARP crowd is well represented! And this, to me, is good.
So, is there any way to exploit or benefit from all this activity involving car-loving Baby Boomers? Well, HMCCC is able to donate over $20,000 per year to various charities, money collected at our Car Guy Events. Several of the cruise-ins mentioned assess each car attending their event a couple of dollars which they then donate to a charity. That, I’m thinking, is a significant benefit; we’re able to have fun and do some good at the same time! Too bad more jobs don’t provide a two-fer like that.
Speaking of jobs that provide a two-fer, I have several friends who are parlaying their love of cars (and some expertise and talent a lot of us don’t have) and spare time into car-related enterprises. So many of the things that go into the building and maintaining of old (and not so old) cars exceed our skill level and guys who can lend a hand are worth their weight in gold.
Too many auto service businesses are too busy and too specialized to have any interest in supporting old cars. You can’t just take your ’55 Chevy or ’68 Roadrunner to the quickie lube or chain auto service center and get dependable help. Their equipment is not set-up to handle the cars and their techs are not trained to troubleshoot, let alone fix, stuff that’s older than they are. Ask an auto parts store about how to get a part to fix a fifty year old motor and, after the laughter the abates, they might explain that their parts books don’t go back that far.
You’d think, if there was money to be made building and maintaining old cars, there’d be an Old Car Garage in every town. There are certainly enough old cars and you know those old cars always need something (just ask my wife). Businesses that cater to Car Guys seem to do well, businesses like Jeg’s and Summit, Coker Tire and Eckler’s. SEMA is living proof that Car Guys have and spend money; so is Car Guy TV. That (Car Guy TV) runs the gamut from the sublime to the ridiculous, or maybe from the just silly to the ridiculous. But it wouldn’t be on if it weren’t making money.
I’m thinking maybe there should be a government sponsored program that subsidizes Old Car-related enterprises; maybe grants to start shade tree mechanic business or tax credits for buying old cars. I know a lot of folks bought houses this past year or so because of the First-time Homebuyers Credit. It would be much easier to convince the Little Woman what a good buy that ’40 Willys Gasser is if you could get an $8000 tax credit for buying it. How about a bailout for ailing Hot Rod Shops or financial assistance for folks nearing retirement age and going back to school to learn paint and bodywork skills? I would certainly vote for any politician who supported legislation to subsidize my Old Car!
Speaking from the sublime to the ridiculous, I guess I’m digressing. Really, though, there’s a ton of Car Guys with tons of money out there and, hopefully some talented Car Guys with useful skills and ideas about how to snag some of it. I like free enterprise, especially when it means it’ll be easier to get the goods and services I need from people whose interests are similar to mine.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Confessions of a Drugstore Car Guy
As a card-carrying Baby-Boomer I’ve been thinking a lot lately of re-writing history from the viewpoint of my generation. What better a vantage point for looking at the world of the last sixty-some years; my fellow boomers and I have witnessed (and perpetrated) some amazing and truly significant stuff! Realistically, I’ve mostly witnessed, but some boomers have actually contributed big time.
None of us can take credit for some of the things that mean a lot in the context of baby boomers as car guys. We weren’t around for the development of Tri-five Chevys, for instance. That’s not to say we weren’t totally responsible for preserving them as American Automotive Icons and insuring that succeeding generations also appreciate them. And, if it wasn’t for us, the Muscle Car would never have happened; you think it was our parents who bought all those GTOs, Mustangs and Chevelles? They may have been designed and built by our parents generation but they were for US!
Yup, before we were in a position to actually do important stuff a lot of important stuff was done for us. Think about it: drive-in movies and restaurants; 45-rpm records, transistor radios and eight-track tapes; tract homes and supermarkets, interstate highways, cable television. These are part of our heritage, some of what our parents made sure was available for us. Bless their hearts; they’d just gone through the Depression and World War II and they wanted to make sure we had it better than they did. Honestly, no generation in history had ever done as much to make things better for their kids than our parents’ generation did!
Our parents left us with Rock and Roll, small-block Chevys, Mr. & Mrs. Cleaver and the fastest growing, most rapidly changing world in history. I’d like to think we met the challenge and carried on the tradition; left a big load and a great example for our kids and their kids.
Looking back I have to think we also succeeded; we left plenty for the generations that followed us. Baby Boomers can take credit for many things that add character to the lives of subsequent generations: heavy metal and disco, the ‘70’s and ‘80’s, Big Macs and Macintosh computers (PC’s, too). Although we can’t take credit for political-correctness we can certainly take a bow for elevating it to an art form.
Getting back to what’s important; we took the Jeep from the previous generation and turned it into an SUV. Put one in darn-near every driveway in America, too. Harley-Davidsons were motorcycles when we started riding them; now they’re a lifestyle. Earlier generations put a car in every garage, we upped the ante to three or four, sometimes more.
I guess the hardest part of growing older is the realization that stuff is being done by and for a younger generation. It’s our kids, and their kids, who are in charge now and they are doing what they want, the way they want. All my life it was the older generation that was running things; all of a sudden the President is just barely in our generation. And movie and sports stars are the same age as our grand kids. There was a time when I couldn’t understand my parents’ objection to the things I did and the way I did them. Now I know exactly how they felt!
If there is an upside to all of this it is that I’m getting to the point where I welcome someone else taking the heat; it’s suddenly good to not have to be responsible for the fate of the world. Good thing, too, because I really don’t think I’m up to the job any more. Thanks both to my parent and my kids!
None of us can take credit for some of the things that mean a lot in the context of baby boomers as car guys. We weren’t around for the development of Tri-five Chevys, for instance. That’s not to say we weren’t totally responsible for preserving them as American Automotive Icons and insuring that succeeding generations also appreciate them. And, if it wasn’t for us, the Muscle Car would never have happened; you think it was our parents who bought all those GTOs, Mustangs and Chevelles? They may have been designed and built by our parents generation but they were for US!
Yup, before we were in a position to actually do important stuff a lot of important stuff was done for us. Think about it: drive-in movies and restaurants; 45-rpm records, transistor radios and eight-track tapes; tract homes and supermarkets, interstate highways, cable television. These are part of our heritage, some of what our parents made sure was available for us. Bless their hearts; they’d just gone through the Depression and World War II and they wanted to make sure we had it better than they did. Honestly, no generation in history had ever done as much to make things better for their kids than our parents’ generation did!
Our parents left us with Rock and Roll, small-block Chevys, Mr. & Mrs. Cleaver and the fastest growing, most rapidly changing world in history. I’d like to think we met the challenge and carried on the tradition; left a big load and a great example for our kids and their kids.
Looking back I have to think we also succeeded; we left plenty for the generations that followed us. Baby Boomers can take credit for many things that add character to the lives of subsequent generations: heavy metal and disco, the ‘70’s and ‘80’s, Big Macs and Macintosh computers (PC’s, too). Although we can’t take credit for political-correctness we can certainly take a bow for elevating it to an art form.
Getting back to what’s important; we took the Jeep from the previous generation and turned it into an SUV. Put one in darn-near every driveway in America, too. Harley-Davidsons were motorcycles when we started riding them; now they’re a lifestyle. Earlier generations put a car in every garage, we upped the ante to three or four, sometimes more.
I guess the hardest part of growing older is the realization that stuff is being done by and for a younger generation. It’s our kids, and their kids, who are in charge now and they are doing what they want, the way they want. All my life it was the older generation that was running things; all of a sudden the President is just barely in our generation. And movie and sports stars are the same age as our grand kids. There was a time when I couldn’t understand my parents’ objection to the things I did and the way I did them. Now I know exactly how they felt!
If there is an upside to all of this it is that I’m getting to the point where I welcome someone else taking the heat; it’s suddenly good to not have to be responsible for the fate of the world. Good thing, too, because I really don’t think I’m up to the job any more. Thanks both to my parent and my kids!
Friday, November 7, 2008
Confessions of a Drugstore Car Guy, Oct. '08
I don’t stockpile these “Confessions”; each month I think until I come up with an idea I can run with. Sometimes the ideas are kinda lame. I know even Brett Farve can’t throw for a touchdown every time so I guess the best I can hope for is to not get sacked too often. Enough of the pitiful attempts at metaphor, this month I’m thinking about what we do and why.
By we, I mean HMCCC, individually and as a club. We’re pretty lucky, you know, in that most of us are able to do the things we love; we have both the time and the money to pursue our passions at least to some extent. I remember the days when just the pressure of providing for a family kept me scrambling 24/7. There wasn’t time or money for unessentials and lots of “like-tos” took a backseat to “have-tos.”
It warms the cockles of my Loman & Barkley heart* when I see “us” doing the things we love to do and, at the same time, giving back to our community. Although it’s pretty obvious we don’t all love exactly the same things and sometimes don’t agree on how to show our love, we seem to agree on the “giving back” part. As a result, this year both the Alzheimer’s Association and Toys 4 Tots will be better able to do what they do. Everybody wins and that’s a good feeling!
I said last month that as long as I can cruise in my old car I don’t care too much about “economy crashes or hurricane breezes.” The fact is, in the coming months, some of us won’t be able to play with our toys to the extent we have in the past. Of course we’ll only have to wait until the new administration makes good on their promises. Then we’ll all wind up with a new Chevy in every garage and a new garage for every Chevy!
As good as our generosity makes me feel and as well as we seem to be able to overlook those things our colleagues do to annoy us, there is room for improvement. That’s what I thought the other night as I overheard one of my compatriots essentially telling another that “ . . . your cars aren’t as worthy of attention as mine.” I’d like to think that no Car Guy hates any other Car Guy because he (or she) loves his (her) car(s) too much (or not enough). We are in deep doo-doo if we start judging one-another on the amount of money we spend or the way we choose to make our cars look!
I happen to know that not too long ago one of our favorite Chevy guys attended an event celebrating . . . (wait for it) . . . Hemis! We certainly live in turbulent times. Nowhere is this more evident than in the auto industry. In fact, in the near future our favorite automaker may be changing its name; it’s possible we’ll soon be buying cars from General Mopars!
I don’t want to sound too P.C. here but I believe the strength of our association lies in its diversity; we share an appreciation of things automotive and the opportunity to interact with others who feel the same. We need to cultivate our differences, however, as much as we do our similarities. I, for one, will never support any mistreatment of either Ford owners or folks who trailer their old cars even though being around that kind of people makes me extremely uncomfortable.
*An obscure reference to the ‘70’s morning radio show on KFI, Los Angeles.
Shoeboxes in a Parking Lot
To the tune of Little Boxes
Shoeboxes in a parking lot,
All lined-up for another show,
Tri-five Chevys shined-up pretty,
And they don’t all look the same.
There's slammed ones and fast ones
And plain ones and fancy ones
All built by Chevy in the fifties,
But they’re just not all the same.
They are hot rods or customs,
Or restored to mint condition,
Though they all are Tri-five Chevys,
They are not just all the same.
There's convertibles and hardtops
And gassers and just survivors
Built by Chevy in the fifties
But they’re just not all the same.
Car Guys drive the shoeboxes
To shows and to cruise-ins,
And love their trusty Chevys,
Making sure they’re not the same.
There are Bel Airs and Nomads
And even some pick-up trucks,
Built by Chevy in the fifties
But they’re just not all the same.
With big blocks and small blocks,
And four-speeds and automatics
Some are trailer queens, others drivers
So they’re clearly not the same.
They come out in the spring time
And cruise on through the summer,
Then go back into their garages
Which are also not all the same.
I’ve been watching old episodes of a Showtime series called Weeds. The theme song of the show is Little Boxes which I remember from the Sixties. I think Pete Seeger sang the version I remember although it may have been written by Woodie Guthrie. It’s one of those songs you can’t get out of your head. Anyway, I modified it a bit to fit in this space (there’s a rumor going around that I may have too much time on my hands).
By C.G. Anderson
From: Heart of Maryland Classic Chevy Club Newsletter
October, 2008
By we, I mean HMCCC, individually and as a club. We’re pretty lucky, you know, in that most of us are able to do the things we love; we have both the time and the money to pursue our passions at least to some extent. I remember the days when just the pressure of providing for a family kept me scrambling 24/7. There wasn’t time or money for unessentials and lots of “like-tos” took a backseat to “have-tos.”
It warms the cockles of my Loman & Barkley heart* when I see “us” doing the things we love to do and, at the same time, giving back to our community. Although it’s pretty obvious we don’t all love exactly the same things and sometimes don’t agree on how to show our love, we seem to agree on the “giving back” part. As a result, this year both the Alzheimer’s Association and Toys 4 Tots will be better able to do what they do. Everybody wins and that’s a good feeling!
I said last month that as long as I can cruise in my old car I don’t care too much about “economy crashes or hurricane breezes.” The fact is, in the coming months, some of us won’t be able to play with our toys to the extent we have in the past. Of course we’ll only have to wait until the new administration makes good on their promises. Then we’ll all wind up with a new Chevy in every garage and a new garage for every Chevy!
As good as our generosity makes me feel and as well as we seem to be able to overlook those things our colleagues do to annoy us, there is room for improvement. That’s what I thought the other night as I overheard one of my compatriots essentially telling another that “ . . . your cars aren’t as worthy of attention as mine.” I’d like to think that no Car Guy hates any other Car Guy because he (or she) loves his (her) car(s) too much (or not enough). We are in deep doo-doo if we start judging one-another on the amount of money we spend or the way we choose to make our cars look!
I happen to know that not too long ago one of our favorite Chevy guys attended an event celebrating . . . (wait for it) . . . Hemis! We certainly live in turbulent times. Nowhere is this more evident than in the auto industry. In fact, in the near future our favorite automaker may be changing its name; it’s possible we’ll soon be buying cars from General Mopars!
I don’t want to sound too P.C. here but I believe the strength of our association lies in its diversity; we share an appreciation of things automotive and the opportunity to interact with others who feel the same. We need to cultivate our differences, however, as much as we do our similarities. I, for one, will never support any mistreatment of either Ford owners or folks who trailer their old cars even though being around that kind of people makes me extremely uncomfortable.
*An obscure reference to the ‘70’s morning radio show on KFI, Los Angeles.
Shoeboxes in a Parking Lot
To the tune of Little Boxes
Shoeboxes in a parking lot,
All lined-up for another show,
Tri-five Chevys shined-up pretty,
And they don’t all look the same.
There's slammed ones and fast ones
And plain ones and fancy ones
All built by Chevy in the fifties,
But they’re just not all the same.
They are hot rods or customs,
Or restored to mint condition,
Though they all are Tri-five Chevys,
They are not just all the same.
There's convertibles and hardtops
And gassers and just survivors
Built by Chevy in the fifties
But they’re just not all the same.
Car Guys drive the shoeboxes
To shows and to cruise-ins,
And love their trusty Chevys,
Making sure they’re not the same.
There are Bel Airs and Nomads
And even some pick-up trucks,
Built by Chevy in the fifties
But they’re just not all the same.
With big blocks and small blocks,
And four-speeds and automatics
Some are trailer queens, others drivers
So they’re clearly not the same.
They come out in the spring time
And cruise on through the summer,
Then go back into their garages
Which are also not all the same.
I’ve been watching old episodes of a Showtime series called Weeds. The theme song of the show is Little Boxes which I remember from the Sixties. I think Pete Seeger sang the version I remember although it may have been written by Woodie Guthrie. It’s one of those songs you can’t get out of your head. Anyway, I modified it a bit to fit in this space (there’s a rumor going around that I may have too much time on my hands).
By C.G. Anderson
From: Heart of Maryland Classic Chevy Club Newsletter
October, 2008
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