48 year old picture of a car I'll own someday

[Blue Oaks]

I was over at my folks' house the other day and saw this gem of a picture. That's my dad in 1971, the day he bought his '10 T from Bill Harrah. He eventually fully restored it, and has driven it about 20,000 miles since then. I drive it from time to time. It's fun, though my mom says, "I'm never quite sure if it's a treat or a treatment to ride in it."

Here's a recent pic of those same two old timers.

 

[Jacob J.]

That is freakin' cool.

 

[Blue Oaks]

The car is fun to drive, provided you're going down a straight country road with no turns. With the positive camber on the front wheels, it really doesn't like to turn!

 

[CentaurG2]

Damb cool ride! That thing is like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Be a bugger to store and upkeep unless you have a really decent garage. What is its top speed?

 

[Blue Oaks]

Damb cool ride! That thing is like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Be a bugger to store and upkeep unless you have a really decent garage. What is its top speed?

My dad has a nice shop in his backyard where he keeps his cars. Since it's in CA, the elements are not too difficult to deal with. Polishing the brass is probably the biggest maintenance item! Top speed is probably 35 or 40?

My long term goal in life is to buy a house with a large enough shop to inherit and properly store the half dozen or so vintage cars my dad has.

His current stable:

1910 T Touring
1913 Oakland Touring (unrestored, but we rebuilt the engine)
1924 T Coupe (he restored it in the 60's, sold it, then bought it back about 40 years later!)
1932 Model B Woodie Wagon (Dearborn Award Winner)
1932 Model B Five Window Coupe (Dearborn Award Winner)
1935 Phaeton (he's currently restoring it to Dearborn Award standards)
1939 Convertible Sedan (mostly original, never restored but in great shape)

 

[CentaurG2]

Wow! That wagon is just killer! I would have that thing at the beach with a couple of long boards sticking out the back. Car storage here in NE is hard. Hard winter is about 4 months long and the long soak leaves stuff vulnerable to mice and moisture. You would be amazed as how much damage a single mouse can due to the vehicle and the rollercoaster weather causes moisture issues in unheated garages with cement floors. Only about 75 more days till I can unpack the roadster.

 

[grizz55chev]

My dad has a nice shop in his backyard where he keeps his cars. Since it's in CA, the elements are not too difficult to deal with. Polishing the brass is probably the biggest maintenance item! Top speed is probably 35 or 40?

My long term goal in life is to buy a house with a large enough shop to inherit and properly store the half dozen or so vintage cars my dad has.

His current stable:

1910 T Touring
1913 Oakland Touring (unrestored, but we rebuilt the engine)
1924 T Coupe (he restored it in the 60's, sold it, then bought it back about 40 years later!)
1932 Model B Woodie Wagon (Dearborn Award Winner)
1932 Model B Five Window Coupe (Dearborn Award Winner)
1935 Phaeton (he's currently restoring it to Dearborn Award standards)
1939 Convertible Sedan (mostly original, never restored but in great shape)

The best thing in the collection is your dad, you’re a fortunate man to still have him!

 

[Blue Oaks]

Dang. Yeah, we have rats and mice. They're pretty bad. That's why I'm happy some bobcats have moved in close by.

Let's see the roadster!

 

[Blue Oaks]

The best thing in the collection is your dad, you’re a fortunate man to still have him!

Thanks, yeah he's pretty solid. Tough ol SOB. He's 83, beaten cancer a few times, and still goes out and works in the shop just about every day.

 

[grizz55chev]

Thanks, yeah he's pretty solid. Tough ol SOB. He's 83, beaten cancer a few times, and still goes out and works in the shop just about every day.

Can relate, I’m only 65, had some experiences with cancer, and my shop is my favorite place to hang out! Just got some news on my latest bout with cancer, I was diagnosed with stage4 squamous cell carcinoma last Nov, took out a cancerous lymph node in my right groin. After numerous biopsy’s and scans along with a colonoscopy, all tests came back negative! I still have a drain in my leg where they removed most of the lymph nodes in my right groin, along with repairing a large hernia , so I’m sore as hell, but still kicking! I have an appointment with a radiologist when you surgery heals, but my oncologist seems to think I won’t need any treatment at this time! I am in a rare class of cancer patients where the origin of the cancer doesn’t show itself, like only 5 percent of cases .Im extremely encouraged that we caught it early, and from here on out, I go for regular checkups to monitor my progress, should be back to my normal routine by mid Feb, been a tough 3 months, but I’m on the other side of the hump now! One last thing, fukc cancer! Sorry about the long post, but I just had to share!

 

[Blue Oaks]

Good work! Keep at it. My dad was diagnosed with Lymphoma, and it was the reason they found some lung cancer. He never smoked a day in his life, but has been around paints and solvents and glyphosate. He had them remove the lobe all-together vs just the tumor. He even runs on the treadmill three days a week.

 

[CentaurG2]

Dang. Yeah, we have rats and mice. They're pretty bad. That's why I'm happy some bobcats have moved in close by.

Let's see the roadster!

Just a Mazda mx-5. Nothing special. I hate dry docking the car. It has a heater that will melt your shoes and I have actually driven it with the top down and snow coming in the cabin. The problem is the road conditions here go from “bad” to “surface of the moon” as the winter goes on. Between the potholes, frost heaves, salt and ground up asphalt, cars get beat up bad.

 

[rarefish383]

Great cars, unfortunately we are loosing all the old guys that really loved them. That's kind of bringing the prices on driver grade cars down. A couple years ago I was helping a friend clean out a barn on his aunts farm in WV. Uncovered a T pickup frame with engine and trans in it, that had been turned into a power unit for a saw mill. Another friend collects T's and has 3 T roadster pick up cabs with no title. I was thinking of getting one of his cabs and building a car for the Race of Gentlemen. I was always into hot rods, but, I'd never cut up a steel T now. But, I would take a bunch of T parts and build one of these beach racers. If you have never seen the Race of Gentlemen, do a search for it, I wind up watching it for hours. They also have parades before the race with show quality restorations, and hot rods.

 

[Blue Oaks]

I'll have to take a look. You know it's funny, they made fifteen million Model T's, but you hardly see them around. That's a true comment about the values. My dad's '32 Woodie was worth nearly $140k ten years ago. Now he'd be lucky to get half that for it. Part of it's problem is it can't go fast enough to go on a highway, which limits the potential buyers.

 

[rarefish383]

My buddy has a T Hucksters truck with a wooden "C" cab. Beautiful truck. I had a 39 Ford coupe in high school. That would be a nice one to still have. I wanted to put a Paxton or Mcculloch super charger on it. I had a Columbia 2 speed rear to put in it. Sold it to buy a 37 Cord 4 door. Should have kept it too. Got a whole bunch of should haves.

 

[Ted Jenkins]

I bought my 55 F100 when I was 14 and still have it. Yes I still like although it has always been quite a bit of work. Thanks