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  • Texas | Columns | They Shoe Horses, Don't They?

    My First Set of Wheels

    By Bruce Martin
    Well, to be more specific, my first mode of transportation with four wheels; not to be confused with the tricycle and bicycles of younger years.

    Prior to my senior year in high school, I “coerced” my parents (as in begging, desperate pleadings, and all kinds of promises) into letting me buy a car. One of my cousins had a 1951 Ford four-door that she wanted to sell. She said that it “ran good, only needed to add a little water to the radiator on occasion”. No problem, I thought; a little anti-leak would fix that nuisance. I didn’t realize until later that the car had a cracked engine block. NEVER, trust a cousin; especially, if her name is Jeanette! So, my first expense was to get that repaired.

    Cruising the streets in 1956 and 1957 was total fun; especially, when you’re the driver and not a passenger! Going to and from school, I had a couple of friends who wanted to ride with me and they would each pay me fifty cents a week for gas. If memory serves me correctly, gasoline was about 17 to 19 cents a gallon, attendants would check the oil and air in the tires, and wipe the window glasses with a chamois cloth. With the purchase of a full tank of gas, service stations would give away drinking glasses, cups, or other tokens of appreciation. That was also when Green Stamps were collected for the redemption of gifts from a catalog.

    Occasionally, other students would ask for a lift and I was more than glad to accommodate. Except that, on one day in particular, I failed to keep track of how many I had said “yes” to. After classes were over for the day, I walked to my normal parking spot alongside the curb of the street and saw a mob standing near my car. Oh, no! I’ve been side-swiped! Not to be… they were all waiting for me to unlock the doors so that they could pile in. There were seventeen of us crowded in the front seat, back seat, and floorboard. No seat belt requirement in those days.

    This was the era, too, when car owners would “customize” their cars. The really “cool dudes” with the ’34 Ford and ’36 Chevy coupes would lower the frames to inches off the ground, chop and channel the bodies, and coat them with mirror-finish paints. I could only afford the less expensive stuff; like, dual exhausts, fender skirts, and spinner hubcaps.

    Another customization was to remove the chrome grillwork on the fronts of the cars and replace it with that of other makes or models of cars. I removed the grillwork, with the dual bullet design, on my ’51 Ford with the intention of inserting a Mercury grill; one that had vertical bars that looked like teeth. I never got around to doing that, though, so my car more resembled a large catfish with its mouth open! About the same color, too.

    Along came 1958, and two transmissions later, I traded my “hoopiemobile” for a 1955 Ford. It was an obviously better car; but, not nostalgic, certainly not classic. By that time, “others” were buying Thunderbirds and Impalas. A decade later, my “dream car” was a Triumph TR-3; couldn’t afford that, either.


    © Bruce Martin

    They Shoe Horses, Don't They? November 16, 2012 Guest column
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