The old days...

...sure look awesome when looking over old magazines and photos, don’t they? All of the killer cars, shiny paint, classic locations, impeccably dressed people and so-on. It makes it all the more interesting when you either stumble across (or are handed!) an old snapshot that captures real life… an actual hot-rodding moment, frozen on Instamatic or Polaroid paper… In this instance, we have such a subject; one that makes you say "D'oh!"

Yep, it’s harsh reality, there to smack you in the head, as it always seems to. The photo above came to my desk while hunting for source material to fuel my current background project, documenting East Coast customs and hot rods… My father gave me some surviving photos of old cars and car shows, and mixed in was the gem you see above. The car was his personal ride, a ‘57 Chevy 210 that he originally purchased with a six cylinder. The car received a nifty little 283, bored to 301ci, and backed with a 3-speed, 4.11:1’s, and exhaust he described only as “loud”. The car was respectable and quick for the times, running low 13’s. Not too shabby for a kid, and especially for a daily driver.

Anyhow, the moment above captures the aftermath of a floor shift install. Say what? OK, not the IMMEDIATE aftermath… You see, my dad had installed a floor shifter that fine day, and, like so mmany times that I’m sure we can all look back on and say “yup… done that!”, he rushed through to get to work on time (night shift!), and we all know how shifter installs seem to go… Something ALWAYS goes a little haywire. Needless to say, shifting from second to third resulted in, well, nothing.

Youthful thought offered the option to just reach through the ample hole in the floorboard and grab the linkage, when the stars aligned to strengthen the bowtie camp in the infamous Chevy versus Ford battle... and the mighty tri-five Chevy plowed into a ‘63 Fairlane. Certainly ironic.

The car was fixed, using the remains of a t-boned Bel Air hardtop, with the same car supplying the interior for this same car a bit later. The car was sold when my father entered the service, and marked a three year span of ownership in his life. We’ll have to look at the ‘64 Impala and ‘66 Charger that followed at some point, too, all with somewhat better results!

Granted, I’ve done worse myself (and with no shift linkage to blame!), and that’s not the point here… It’s just an interesting look back on a moment frozen in time… one of those images you don’t often see. It’s real life mixing with youth, hot rodding, and all of those experiences we try to teach our own young ‘uns with…