About me and my passion for cars

If I had to put a time on when I started to develop a serious interest in cars, I'd have to say it was when I was 10 years old. My father (one of the smartest men that ever lived) was replacing the head on our '48 Chev. I told him that I thought I'd like to be a mechanic when I grew up. His response, which I'm sure he said to make me angry enough to prove him wrong, was: "You don't have the patience". Well, his psychology worked, because I've spent a great deal of my life 'playing' with cars, and probably to prove to my father that I did have the patience and could develop a few skills. He had actually tossed me the keys to that '48 Chev and told me to drive it home from a field and he'd bring the tractor when I was 9 years old. He even had me haul all the grain from our farm to town in his brand new '54 Ford F-250 when I was eleven. Things certainly have changed today, haven't they?!?! Definitely A LOT MORE traffic, plus an almost "given" that I would be arrested!!

During my lifetime, I've owned a salvage yard in Arlington, TX, a restoration shop in Rockwall, TX & Omaha, NE, and built stockcars, custom cars, go-karts, racing engines, etc., and raced sportscars, stockcars and go-karts. All of this has been wedged in between 24 years in the US Army. I guess I have to say that motor vehicles have been a great part of my life. I cannot even begin to remember, let alone count, the number of motorized vehicles from go-karts, through cars, trucks and motorcycles to wooden boats that I have owned (and many that I really wish that I had kept!!). At age 65 I still love to make little tires out of big ones and love that smell of burning rubber and to watch the 'tiredust' fly!! As a friend of mine so aptly puts it, I don't need an accelerator - it should be replaced with a switch or solenoid!!

To sum it up: Started driving (John Deere tractor) at age 5, built a VERY crude go-kart at age 8, bought a Cushman motor scooter at age 13 and a new Cushman Eagle at age 15 (I've still got it!) and driven in all but 3 of the states in the US. LOVE THINGS THAT GO FAST and MAKE LOTS OF NOISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My first car

'52 Ford 2dr with a flathead. The flathead cracked (as if you would have never guessed!!) and I replaced it with the 215 c.i. 6-cyl. The reason I went to a 6 is simply because my dad bought it. Wore out the 6 and overhauled it. Bored .060 over, .010 off the block, .040 off the head and added a J.C. Whitney Full-Race cam. That 6 would turn just over 100 MPH in a quarter!! Shocked (and angered) a number of other kids in Eastern Nebraska!!! My greatest coup was taking a new, '60 Olds (with, I believe, the big 394) by two car-lengths in a quarter mile. The owner hasn't spoken to me to this day, after he looked under my hood and saw a 6cyl!! Wish I still had it.

Car I wish I still had

I can't settle on just one, or just cars. 1) My first car, the '52 with the wild 6cyl. 2) My '63 Jag, XKE roadster. 3) My (bought new) '65 Buick Skylark Gran Sport 4) '67 Dodge Polara Conv with 426 wedge & 6-pack. 5) '65 BMW R69S motorcycle with Steib hack. & Last) '64 Century, 19ft wooden boat with 401 nailhead inboard.

My dream car

I'm actually happy with whatever I have at any given time. However, a '36 Cord Sportsman would put a BIG smile on my face!!

Car clubs I’m in

STARDUSTERS of Mead, Nebraska

Favorites

• Type of racing: Drags
• Driving song: It's about a small car wiping out a fast one (bad memory!)
• Car movie: Thunder Road

— Profile last updated: Nov 2, 2008