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So this story deserves a litte back story. I am the epitome of a gear head. I have had an obsession with all things mechanical for as long as I can remember. I remember tearing down radio controlled cars as a kid just to see how they worked. From there it evolved to mower engines. Into my teens the car bug bit and never let go....why does this matter? Because I do not come from a car family. My dad is the type of guy that would change the oil and brake pads on our cars but far from being a "car guy". I come from a family of doctors, pharmicists, nurses, etc...to say I am the black sheep of the family is putting it mildly. Not that I mind, but I have no "heritage" in hot rods. I am as first generation as they get. I have no cool old pics of my dad next to his baby. No passed down street racing stories. I am simply pursuing something I feel internally driven to do.
My aunt Linda on my dads side has always lived out of state. I didn't grow up particularly close to her or her husband (my Uncle Chuck). They have lived in Phoenix for the past 20 years or so and I started attedning the Barret Jackson auction in Scotsdale anually about 8 years ago. Since then I have stopped in to see them every year. My Uncle Chuck (now 70 years old) I always knew was a bit of a car guy back in the day. We would share a little car talk but nothing too in depth. We seemed to be polar opposites in terms of what we dig so the converstions never really took off. My oldest sister got married a couple weeks ago and they made the trip up to Iowa. They stayed with my dad a few days and one day my dad and Uncle Chuck made a visit to the shop. It was GREAT. We have a couple Vipers sitting in the shop which are cool but my uncle was really digging on a 69 Camaro and a 68 Plymouth Satellite that we are starting a "resto mod" project on. My 57 F100 was sitting in the back room and we BS'ed about that a bit and argued over drive train options. I have never seen this side of my uncle before. At risk of sounding cliche-ish it was like he was 30 years younger when he was talking cars. All said and done 3 hours had passed that felt like 30 minutes. It was a good day.
Today the UPS truck showed up....I wasn't expecting anything. I walk outside and the driver says he has a few packages for me. He starts unloading a total of 8 boxes that he sets insided the door. I was confused but then noticed the shipping labels said Phoenix, AZ. I open the first box and I would be lying if I didn't say I was a bit taken back...My Uncle Chuck decided to send me his entire collection of Hot Rod magazines....EVERY issue from 1958-1994. I literally got nothing done today thumbing through the old magazines of the late 50's and 60's. Seeing the original articels on Mickey Thompson, Carrol Shelby, Garlits, the Sox and Martin cars making their debuts in their ORIGINAL print was surreal. A buddy and a customer of mine stopped by the shop and saw the magazines. They too joined in on the history lesson. It was kind of amusing to look up and see us 3 grown men standing around wide eyed looking at car magazines. Reminded me of being 14 years old again.
For me it was more then the magazines. It was looking at the shipping labels on them. The early ones being from Knoxville, Iowa where my mom, dad, aunt, and uncle grew up. From their the address changes to his college dorm in Iowa City at the University of Iowa....and so on and so forth. For me this is more then a bunch of magazines. It's a glimpse back in time in the life of a car guy. Thinking about what was going on his life through the years...what articles got him excited, which articles made him want to write the editor complaining. The literature is such a huge part of the life of a car guy and I think I have never really seen it that way till now...
I have no real reason for posting this. Maybe I'm bragging, or maybe I am just stoked and feel like sharing with like minded car guys. All I know is that I now more then ever understand the importance of "passing it on" and I will make a concious effort to do so.
My aunt Linda on my dads side has always lived out of state. I didn't grow up particularly close to her or her husband (my Uncle Chuck). They have lived in Phoenix for the past 20 years or so and I started attedning the Barret Jackson auction in Scotsdale anually about 8 years ago. Since then I have stopped in to see them every year. My Uncle Chuck (now 70 years old) I always knew was a bit of a car guy back in the day. We would share a little car talk but nothing too in depth. We seemed to be polar opposites in terms of what we dig so the converstions never really took off. My oldest sister got married a couple weeks ago and they made the trip up to Iowa. They stayed with my dad a few days and one day my dad and Uncle Chuck made a visit to the shop. It was GREAT. We have a couple Vipers sitting in the shop which are cool but my uncle was really digging on a 69 Camaro and a 68 Plymouth Satellite that we are starting a "resto mod" project on. My 57 F100 was sitting in the back room and we BS'ed about that a bit and argued over drive train options. I have never seen this side of my uncle before. At risk of sounding cliche-ish it was like he was 30 years younger when he was talking cars. All said and done 3 hours had passed that felt like 30 minutes. It was a good day.
Today the UPS truck showed up....I wasn't expecting anything. I walk outside and the driver says he has a few packages for me. He starts unloading a total of 8 boxes that he sets insided the door. I was confused but then noticed the shipping labels said Phoenix, AZ. I open the first box and I would be lying if I didn't say I was a bit taken back...My Uncle Chuck decided to send me his entire collection of Hot Rod magazines....EVERY issue from 1958-1994. I literally got nothing done today thumbing through the old magazines of the late 50's and 60's. Seeing the original articels on Mickey Thompson, Carrol Shelby, Garlits, the Sox and Martin cars making their debuts in their ORIGINAL print was surreal. A buddy and a customer of mine stopped by the shop and saw the magazines. They too joined in on the history lesson. It was kind of amusing to look up and see us 3 grown men standing around wide eyed looking at car magazines. Reminded me of being 14 years old again.
For me it was more then the magazines. It was looking at the shipping labels on them. The early ones being from Knoxville, Iowa where my mom, dad, aunt, and uncle grew up. From their the address changes to his college dorm in Iowa City at the University of Iowa....and so on and so forth. For me this is more then a bunch of magazines. It's a glimpse back in time in the life of a car guy. Thinking about what was going on his life through the years...what articles got him excited, which articles made him want to write the editor complaining. The literature is such a huge part of the life of a car guy and I think I have never really seen it that way till now...
I have no real reason for posting this. Maybe I'm bragging, or maybe I am just stoked and feel like sharing with like minded car guys. All I know is that I now more then ever understand the importance of "passing it on" and I will make a concious effort to do so.
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