Back In The Day
Author: Jerry Rodacker, Townsend Rotary Car Show
Back in the Day
Jerry Rodacker
Townsend Rotary Car Show
Some people prefer golf, pickleball, or whatever. Me I haven’t progressed since adolescence. I still listen to the 50s and 60s, doo-wop, and classic western music. I also enjoy reminiscing about old cars and doing what I can under the hood, even though it’s not much. However, back in the day, I was lucky because I grew up when cars were less complicated and you could find an old beater for around $35. My buddy Larry was handy. His favorite saying was: “I am pretty good with a crescent wrench. Can I help?” He thought all you needed was a crescent wrench to fix a Ford!
In my neighborhood back in the day, you were not a man if you paid people to work on your car or wore gloves to do your work. However, the joy of self-accomplishment while working away on your dream project was shared with others who provided help along the way. The best source of course was a shop manual with pictures, if you could find someone who had one.
I’m reminded of my first car, a 1947 Mercury coupe. Dad took it in trade and wondered if I’d be interested in it. At fourteen, I said, “Sure”. It was a heap, but it was mine! He also said: “Before you do anything, always make sure the brakes work!”. The previous owner must have been a farmer because it was painted John Deere yellow and green. It ran, but it smoked and when it started, it backfired and the dipstick flew out! We fixed the engine, took out a few rattles, and with a hand sander cleaned all the old paint off. The Gambles store had spray paint in small cans. We taped off the chrome strips, painted the car jet black, and even painted white walls on the tires. From a distance, with it parked under a dull streetlight at night, it looked pretty good!
I remember one spring day, I parked my old cruiser in the backyard on the lawn. I changed the oil, the drippings would be absorbed, and I had a cushy place to lie while under the car. I then washed it thinking the water was doing double duty, cleaning the car and watering the lawn. I failed to mention that it was early April, and the frost was still in the ground. Yep! As the water descended into the ground, so did the car. I left deep ruts in Mother’s yard trying to get it out.
Sadly, in my mind, the golden age of driving is behind us. We lived in our cars. We dined and went to the movies in them, hoping to get a little hanky-panky, and even went to a drive-in church!
Aldous Huxley once said: “Speed it seems to me, provides the one genuinely modern pleasure”. And when you think about it, not too many years before his day, 40 mph on a horse was about it for most people. It is what it is and to some, horsepower can be unlimited. It’s an individual thing.
The Rotary Club of Townsend Car Show is on Sunday, October 5th. Registration starts at 7:00 am on South Pine Street.
