First Car or Truck Stories

[Daewoo10356]

Was just thinking of the car I took my drivers test in and drove for about 2 years after I got my license. This might take a minute but is a decent story.

Well any way my mom bought this 1975 Impala four door from her dad and she drove it for awhile then I got old enough and kinda inherited it. So took my test in it and passed easily and let me tell you that a 75 impala is not the easiest car to parallel park but I got it done. Well it was a good car had a 350 and a 350 turbo trans would run down the interstate pretty good and haul everybody I knew in relative comfort. So my friends and I proceeded to beat the car to death nearly knocked the gas tan out one night, looped it in the mall parking lot on new rain slick asphalt, and it even got smashed by of all things a burned out dodge truck they didn't think the brakes would be affected by a four alarm engine fire. Well anyway the trans finally started slipping and lost reverse so the car was parked had the whole passenger side cratered from the dodge truck incident and dad just started storing stuff in figured maybe we would use the block or trans for a core charge sometime. Well one day this random dude shows up at dad's house asking about the Impala out back dad told him it didn't run the said he didn't care he wanted it I don't remember how much cash dad got but I wasn't upset the car had served it's purpose as far as I was concerned.

So fast forward about a year later I am over at dad's and the History Channel had a special on about demolition derby so we watching it and all of a sudden dad goes I know that guy and behind him you could see the nose of a 1975 impala which was red just like my first. Anyway dad got the check out and it was the guy that bought the car and was probably it in the background I like to think that the Impalamobile went out fighting and at least took one ford with her.

so anybody else got any cool first car stories

[Deathdeelr]

Actually this is a second car story. My Dad always had some sort of military trucks in the yard. Our first and the vehicle I learned to drive on (when I was 10 BTW) was our '44 WC56. We have had numerous M37's and a 715 during my upbringing and due to our extra large yard we used to store friend's trucks. Mostly fellow MVCC (now MVPA) member's trucks.

Anyway after driving my Dad's Caprice wagon around my first everyday truck was an '86 Toyota which I beat the snot out of. After a friend survived a rollover in his '87 Ramcharger and drove the truck home afterwards, we purchased an '83 Ramcharger with a 360, 4" lift and 33's. Finally I was back in a Dodge. Very roomy, and just like Dae's Impala could handle any amount of people I decided to pile in.

One day I was showing off running through a local mud hole. I decided that I didn't want to drive the two miles or so through the woods to leave the area and I knew where there was a chain link fence on the edge of the property that was missing a few poles and let out on a local road two minutes from my home. I edged up to the fence and pushed it over with the grill guard. The front wheels went up on it and flattened it out enough to get over. After a few feet the truck seemed a little sluggish so I gunned it but we were stuck. As it turns out chain link fences don't break as easily as they do in the movies. The fence got caught up in the rear end and pulled the muffler right out of the head pipe. I knew I was going to be in trouble when I got home as it was so I didn't have anything to lose. I just floored it until the fence finally let loose and we drove away. After a new muffler and tail she was as good as new and I only recently told that story to my Dad. He didn't seem too surprised...

[Threetoughtrucks]

Me surprised at Deathdeelr's story? Not a bit, my trucks were for me and my boys to play with.

Was I surprised at the other son riding through the woods at night with the M-37 and falling into a big hole. Straight down almost 20'. There the truck sat with the rear end sticking straight up. A buddy got a dozer and pulled the M-37 out with no damage. Surprised? No.

How about Deathdeelr pulling up to a stop sign and deciding the address he was looking for was in the other direction. He was in the Ramcharger which was almost 4 foot off the ground. When you look in the rear view mirror that high you can miss things. Like the small import that had pulled up behind him. He backed up, over the hood up to the windshield (smashed) and taking five years off the female drivers life......

Surprised? Just a little....... after all I bought him the Ramcharger the size of a house in the first place.....

All and all, my boys have grown up to be great drivers and grew up to be son's a guy could be proud of...

TTT

[Deathdeelr]

WOW Pop, I forgot about those two stories. I think I still have that chick's right side door laying around somewhere...

She was a cutie...

[BrightRanch]

How about a first Traffic Ticket story

The truck that I learned to drive in interestingly enough was a 58 FFPW that my folks bought new in Casper Wy. One day my Dad sent me out to check water for the cows for the first time by myself. WOW I was grown up! So I got my dog, made sure my 22 was loaded and proceeded on my adventure.
Nothing much stands out about the windmill checking but I remember finding a wadded up dollar bill in a coffee can that was screwed to the floor. Obviously Dad intended for me to go to Shawnee and by a MT Dew with it or he wouldn't have left it in the truck right? That all worked out fine, until I decided instead of driving through the pasture with two gates I would just boogie down the highway to get home. OPPS Bad idea! Well, one deputy sheriff later (who by the way was not at all impressed with my deranged blue heeler that tried to bite him) I got hauled back to the house and got to witness my Dad get my ticket.
And then get chewed by the deputy for letting a eleven year old loose on the world with a gun, a idiot dog, and a truck that hadn't been licensed since 1967.
Things weren't looking real good when the sheriff left. My Dad looked like he was about to have some kind of attack, or had swallowed his chew or something. I figured the best course of action would be to find out what Grampa was doing in the shop. Long story short Gramp paid the ticket, Dad got reminded of a few stunts he had pulled, and Grandma drove the truck home.

[Warren Watt]

My first car was a hand me down 63 Impala wagon

that I only drove several months. No stories there. The 2nd car was a 1971 Opel 1900. Not an Opel GT. This was a larger car. It was a 2 dr sports car. The 1st year for that body style. It was fast and handled great. I put it through its paces everyday. It would outrun all other sports cars EXCEPT MGB-GT's, Capri V-6's and rotary engine Mazdas. All other small cars got great views of my round tail lights on a regular basis. Teenage poor judgement and quick reactions at work. It was a blast to drive. I gave it to my younger brother when he got a license.
My Dad said it was the best car ever made (sarcasm) since it took the punishment I dished out and continued to run. Good times.

[Ron in Indiana]

My first car was also a hand me down from my folks. It was a 1965 Coronet 440 station wagon. It had a poly 318 in it. When I was given the go ahead the first thing I did was clean it top to bottom inside and out. When I had finished my mom asked why I never cleaned it like that before? Well it wasn't my "ride" before. No it wasn't a cool car like some other the other guys had but it was mine to drive. I remember I used it to haul my tools out to my first contracting job. A widow had a farm building with some shingles missing just below the ridge. I replaced the shingles and felt good when I got paid for my first contracting job. This was in 1971. I drove that Coronet in my junior year of high school until I bought my 72 Dart Swinger. My brother inherited the wagon which had racked up over 160,000 miles on the 318 before succumbed to rust worms and was eventually scrapped.
I loved my new Dart Swinger and someday would like to get another one. A Mack truck took mine out on June 4, 1974 at 7:53 AM. I can still see it crossing in front of me as I slid into it sideways. It was totaled and I got a head concussion. The truck driver said he didn't see me. The car was Hemi Orange with a Black vinyl top. I miss that car.

[Bob Thompson]

My very first car that I owned and drove was actually a Jaguar MkII saloon. BRG tan leather and a beautiful burlwood dash. I bought the car for $50.00 as it had a broken cam. A local Jag mechanic assisted me with the repairs and I drove the car to school regularly. You could fit several young ladies in the car and it was quite useful in that respect.
My first truck I purchased from a neighbor. It had sat so long the tires had rotted off. It was a 58' d100 step side. The poly motor was torn down but upon inspection it really only needed head gaskets and a timing chain to bring it back to life. I rolled the dice and took the minimalist approach and got the truck running. I then set about making the truck stopable and streetworthy. Mind you this was before I could drive so I had the time. I drove to school in my junior year . It was a great truck and in it, my friends and I had some great adventures .

[jross]

I grew up in a "Ford" family. Before the station wagons dad had his 64 mustang, and my older two brothers followed suit. But as I read the issues of Car Craft and Hot Rod, I would always look for the rare Mopar that would appear. After I got my license and borrowed the wagon a few times I noticed a 67 Dart GT in a front yard. No for sale sign on it but couldnt get it out of my head. After a few weeks and many trips by, I finally knocked on the front door. The old woman who answered explained that the car in front was a parts car, and the real one was out back, but they were both her sons.

After talking some and a few weeks later I had 2 67 GT's both with 273 V8's, and both taking most of my paper route money to buy.

Managed to get one to auto shop, and after 9 months rolled out of auto shop with a rebuilt 273 Commando, and it lasted me many years.

Had allot of fun with that car and still have it in the garage today next to my second car a 67 440 4sp GTX. New quarters, fiberglass nose and doors, 8 3/4, rear end and other parts have patiently waited for over 16 years for the GT. After a project truck for the business, I most likely will be driving it yet again ....

[Jeff in N.Tx.]

The car I learned to drive in, was our family's 1966, Dodge Coronet 440. Dad bought it right as I was turning 16.
As soon as I got my license, Dad and I went out to buy me a car. I had saved money from mowing lawns, and had about $800.00 saved up. I had visions of buying a nice used "sporty" car.
Well, Dad had other ideas. We went to a friend of his, who owned a used car lot. I came home wit a nice, clean, one owner, 1962 Mercury Comet. The typical car owned by a little old lady, who only drove it to church on Sundays.
It was a 4 door, 6 cyl., auto trans. car. WHAT A LETDOWN.
On the positive side, I had me a set of wheels, and I ran the heck out of that little Comet.
Boy, those were some fun times.
Jeff

[Dana Singsaas]

'55 DeSoto Fireflight Sportsman...

Not my first car but one of my first after we got married… in 1981 I bought a ’55 DeSoto Fireflight Sportsman. Not restored but an all original, super nice car. Big 291 Hemi, power seat, power windows, “Feather-light” power steering, AM Wonder-bar radio, wide white walls… factory curb-feelers! Every factory option except A/C - but it was still a cool ride! (Pun intended.)

http://photos.imageevent.com/singsaa...5%20DeSoto.jpg

But later, in the Army stationed in Germany I met Ted who found out I had owned a neat old car and he said he owned a ’55 Pontaic Star Chief when he was in High School. This is his story… if you've ever owned a car from the '50s you can relate, and it's hilarious! Still makes me laugh and shake my head to this day...

The ’55 Pontiac, much like my DeSoto, were top of the line in their day. BIG V-8s, two-speed trannies ('cause that's about all they had for automatics, Dynaflow, Ford-o-matic, Powerglide, Powerflight, etc.) There was a kid in Ted’s high school, total jerk, that always ragged on Ted about his old car. One day after school Ted was leaving, this guy was standing outside the school and yells, “HEY Ted, gimme’ a ride home.” Ted says he looked at the kid… “You want a ride home in my car that you give me crap about all the time?” The kid played it off that he was just teasing Ted, so they hopped in. If you know old cars you know how silly some of the instrumentation was compared to modern cars that we just don’t think about anymore. As they’re getting situated the kid sees the ring around the heater knob that says, “Blower”. (The fan for the heater to you and me.) The kid says, “Whazzat?” Ted says, “Oh… (Ted has a twisted thought here...) it’s got a blower in it.” The kid didn’t believe him, so Ted got out, the kid followed, Ted opened the massive hood… there sits this monstrous oil-bath air cleaner on top of the engine. Having never seen one the kid just looked at Ted, Ted said, “That’s what they looked like back then.” Back into the car, they head down the street… as they got going Ted could tell it had shifted into second gear already so he stayed right above that speed and reached over and POPPED! the cowl vent open! The kid's eyes got real wide. Ted then turned on the "blower”… and as the fan for the heater wound up with a quiet whine getting louder, Ted punched it!! The four-barrel opened up the V-8 with a throaty roar, the two-speed tranny downshifted back into first-gear kicking them in the butt, and they shot down the street accelerating all the way!!

Ted said he never had to do any bragging, this kid did it all for him from then on. “Ted’s got a blower in that thing! The big hood hides it but there’s a built in scoop for it that he can open from inside and MAN, will that thing move!!!”