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My parents' old... - READ ONLY

14 messages,  Last post on May 03, 2011 at 10:32 PM

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#8 of 14 Re: bhill2... [iluvmysephia1] by bhill2

May 02, 2011 (12:37 am)

Replying to: iluvmysephia1 (May 01, 2011 8:26 pm)
Small world. I grew up in Bothell, about 10 miles south of Lynwood. Another coincidence is that my father didn't chew me out either. I never heard any Anglia-equivalent stories but it does make me wonder.

#9 of 14 Shoot... by lemko

May 02, 2011 (5:45 am)

...my Dad had several really cool cars when I was little, but I'd love to find and restore his 1961 Chevrolet Biscayne 2-door sedan as it was the first car of his I remember. It was sort of a cream color with a gray cloth and vinyl interior. It was powered by a 250 cid inline 6-cylinder mated to a three-speed manual shifted via the column. Dad's car was a bit dressed-up for a Biscayne as it sported the nice '61 Chevrolet full-wheel discs and whitewall tires.
 
Two other strong contenders would be his maroon 1965 Pontiac GTO convertible and his 1955 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Starfire convertible.

#10 of 14 Re: My parents' old... [steve_] by hpmctorque

May 02, 2011 (6:15 am)

Replying to: steve_ (Apr 30, 2011 2:28 pm)
That '53 Buick must have had a manual transmission, because it's difficult to imagine a Dynaflow equipped car out accelerating a 4-speed Hydra-matic equipped one off the line.

#11 of 14 Re: My parents' old... [hpmctorque] by steve_ HOST

May 02, 2011 (6:26 am)

Replying to: hpmctorque (May 02, 2011 6:15 am)
It was an automatic.
 
Family legends don't lie.
 
(Dad also told me that he put molasses in his bike tires since he couldn't afford patches, and was the high school quarterback and then put on his drum major uniform and led the band at half-time).

#12 of 14 '68 Olds 442 by slorenzen

May 02, 2011 (12:55 pm)

it was his LAST car, unfortunately.
 
He used to buy a car every couple years, and put the replacement into the "pool" for the kids to use (there were 8 kids).
 
He LOVED that car! Amazing power, 375 HP. He and I drove from Incline Village to Walnut Creek back in the day, and did it in 21/2 hours...
 
I never told mom...

#13 of 14 Re: Shoot... [lemko] by isellhondas

May 03, 2011 (7:47 pm)

Replying to: lemko (May 02, 2011 5:45 am)
Lemko, that '61 Chevy actually had a 235 one of Chevy's best engines ever. 1962 would be it's final year.
 
My parents had a 1951 Buick Roadmaster that I would love to have. It was huge, very strong and powerful. No power steering so I don't know how my petite mother ever managed.
 
My dad's 1962 Volkswagen bug was another one I would love to have.
 
I've (knock on wood) never put a dent on any car but I nearly hit a pole one night in that VW. We were down on the docks in San Pedro CA where I grew up when we spotted a wharf rat the size of a tomcat. I was determined to run it over and I chased it all over with the VW.
 
My buddy screamed out STOP and I stopped with my front bumper about three inches from a huge pole.
 
The rat escaped to live another day.

#14 of 14 my dad by nippononly

May 03, 2011 (10:32 pm)

had a brown 1970 Citroen DS for a couple of years, and I remember taking rides out into the country on Sundays with the whole family in that thing.
 
It was by far the most stylish car I can recall my folks ever owning - excepting the '98 Explorer of course!
I sure wouldn't mind tracking it down and owning it today - if I managed to restore it, it could be my Sunday driver again, a mere 40ish years later!
 
That Citroen was a car that still looks beautiful to my eye today, and of course it was a standout for being one of the first cars to have Bosch fuel injection. In an age today when almost nothing automotive looks very good or distinctive in much of a way (IMHO) except for retro-styled models, that Citroen would catch a few eyes I think if I were to drive around town in it now.
 
I don't remember it giving my dad a lot of mechanical trouble - certainly it never stranded us when I was riding in it - but in 1975 he sold it when we moved to the U.S.
 
My dad also had a '75 Westfalia (pop-up top, fold-out bed and built-in fridge and all), which was mechanically and structurally the biggest POS they ever owned by a factor of 10, but still has a certain styling distinction to it that would pique my interest if I had the chance to own it today. As unreliable, underpowered, and tipsy as all the Westys were for all the years they sold them in the States, I can still understand why their cult following is so devoted to them.

Messages Page 2 of 2

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