MY FIRST CAR WAS A 1947 CHEVROLET FLEETSIDE FOUR DOOR POST SEDAN BUT I DID NOT GET A PERSONAL PHOTO. THIS WAS THE FAMOUS STOVE BOLT IN LINE 6 WITH A THREE SPEED MANUAL SHIFT ON THE COLUMN. SORRY, NO PERSONAL PHOTO. THIS CAR WAS PURCHASED FOR ME BY MY DAD, IT WAS IN MY MOM LAURA’S NAME AS I WAS A SOPHOMORE IN HIGH SCHOOL. I WANTED IT PAINTED THE SAME COLOR AS MY DAD’S NEW 1957 CADILLAC CONVERTIBLE. IT WAS A LIGHT PASTEL GREEN. JIMMY ON LINMORE STREET IN TOLEDO HELPED ME NOSED AND DECKED THE CAR (THAT’S REMOVING THE HOOD AND DECK LID EMBLEMS FILLING IN THE HOLES WITH FIBERGLASS AND LOTS OF SANDING AND REPAINTING.) LOOKED GREAT. I COULDN’T AFFORD THE REAL WHITE WALLS, SO WE HAD PORT-O-WALLS AND CHROME DOMED NUT COVERS ON THE WHEELS.
SPINNERS WERE A BIG THING BACK THEN, SO I ENCOURAGED
MY DAD TO BUY ME FOUR BRAND NEW 1958 IMPALA SIMULATED KNOCK OFF THREE BLADED CHROME SPINNERS FOR MY CHRISTMAS PRESENT. MY DAD WAS AN EXPERT AT MOUNTING THEM PERFECTLY ON THAT ROUND SURFACE. THEY LOOKED COOL. MY FRIENDS AT ROSSFORD HIGH SCHOOL, JIM AND AMIL, HELPED ME TO SPLIT THE MANIFOLD AND INSTALL DUAL EXHAUSTS WITH GLASS PACKS. MY DAD WAS IMPRESSED UNTIL WE INSTALLED CRUDE CUTOUTS (THE CABLE RELEASE DEVICE THAT ELIMINATES MUFFLERS). SOUNDED GREAT BUT MY DAD WAS FURIOUS SO WITH SOME FAST WELDING, WE REINSTALLED THE PIECES WE HAD CUT OUT TO BE STREET LEGAL. I WAS NOT THE BEST AT SHIFTING GEARS WITH MY DATE SITTING NEXT TO ME. MY FOOT SLIPPED OFF THE CLUTCH AT A STOP LIGHT IN TOLEDO AND I HIT A SMALL UTILITY TRAILER PULLED BY A NEW 1954 BUICK. MY CHEVY WAS DAMAGED AND WOULD BE DECLARED BY TODAY’S STANDARDS A TOTAL. IT SAT AT FRANK’S GULF GAS STATION IN ROSSFORD WITH SNOW ON IT ALL WINTER LONG AS A REMINDER OF MY STUPIDITY AND LACK OF DRIVING SKILLS WHILE EMOTIONALLY INVOLVED. HEART BREAK HOTEL.
DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN MILK WAS DELIVERED TO YOUR HOME DOOR? THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN BY MY DAD IN 1950 OR 1951 IN DETROIT.