The connection to our youth?

[PatS....]

Rodney mentioned in his Studebaker thread that he had been chasing his dream 57 Ford Convert for 35 years. Hope it turns up, Rodney:)

Got me thinking that the reason I have my 49 Chrysler Coupe can be traced via a straight line to my youth as well. I grew up around an identical Chrysler, it's in a whack of family pictures, I coveted it all my childhood and I was finally able to buy it.

The grin on my face that day was almost permanent. We tend to forget the real bad times and I have and I really missed that car.

When this one turned up after 25+ years of looking, I pounced on it, and it's something I'll never sell.

So, how many of you can trace a line from your old car, Mopar or not, to your youth?

Stories please...

[50PlymouthSled]

I'm still in my youth, but my first car I ever had was a 71 Dodge Dart Swinger with a 440 and 4 speed. Built it myself. I had so many good times in that car, learned to drive, and race in it. Makes me think when I'm sixty, I'll probably be looking for another, so I can relive those times. Hah.

[Don Jordan]

My father had a brand new 46 4 door. He went fishing with some friends, fell asleep while driving and went off the road, air borne, came down on the passenger side. Since I was a little kid I saw the pictures. 3 guys died my father was pretty messed up but lived. Since I saw the pictures I always wanted one - don't know why. If I can figure out how to transfer the pictures I will post them. One side of the car is brand new - the other side destroyed.

When I drive around and look at the ship on the hood I think to myself - that's what my father saw. It just pleases me.

My father worked for James F. Waters Desoto/Plymouth dealer in San Francisco. He was the service manager. Some times I went to work with him and just got to walk around the garage. I was at a swap meet last year and I found a James F. Waters license plate frame - I couldn't believe it. So I've got 48 plates on the Plymouth.

That's probably more information than you were looking for.

[BobT-47P15]

Don, If you have a digital camera and some good light, you might be able to

take a picture of those photos of the car.

There were a couple things that prompted me to get the convert.

First, our family purchased a new grey four door Plymouth in 1946.

Someone once told me they thought it was the first one sold in our

town once they became available following

the war. Always thought it was a rather

neat car.....of course I was pretty young at the time.

Then, when I was a senior in high school I actually got to ride in a

47 or 48 Plymouth convertible. It was maroon and kind of run down

by 1960-61 and someone had put a Dodge truck V8 in it. Otherwise

it was original. It belonged to a fellow who worked at a service station,

owned by the father of one of my best friends. So my friend borrowed

the old Plym on occasion and we would ride around.

It had a piece of

that "flex pipe" connecting the exhaust pipe to the manifold. Every so

often, that pipe would slip off, the engine would get nice and loud. After

a while we would stop and re-connect the pipe. I always thought that

top, with no rear side windows was real neat. So, after college and

after moving here to Joplin, I began looking all over the area for a similar

car. Found it parked in a garage at a small salvage yard in Springfield,

MO in 1973. Have never been able to find out what happened to the

ol ragtop we rode around in during high school.

As it stands now, I will probably give the car to my daughter and

son-in-law when I'm done with it.

[JerseyHarold]

The first car I ever rode in was my father's 1952 Plymouth Cambridge (I came home from the hospital in it). It was a black four-door sedan. We kept it until 1965 when we got a new '65 Dodge Coronet. I had a lot of good memories of the car, was sad to see it go, and promised myself I'd get another one someday.

On the same day (literally!) I got my '51 Business Coupe, I saw an ad for a '52 Plymouth 4-door. I called the seller right away and asked what model it was, and he said 'It's the cheap one...a Cambridge...and it's black'. I wanted to go see it that night, but he said not until 8:30 the next morning. I was there at 7:30 and bought the car on the spot.

That was in 1988 and I still have both cars. They need a lot of work but just knowing they're in the garage makes me happy.

[DEADMAN RUNNING]

well..i've always tinkered with cars and bikes...just about everything! taken lotza stuff apart...mostly to see what made it work! and although i quite often don't put things back the way i found em'....it's been a learning experience for sure. most of my car days were all about speed and the "hopped up" variety...but my old coupe is much different. the first thing i notice about it is...."ooohh that smell" it has a musty smell...not a new car smell. just takes me back....i have to wonder if the seat is'nt stuffed with horse hair? the car is nearly original in every way so the temptation to see what makes it tick is very hard to resist: but something about just driving it down the road with it's poor brakes...that big old cracked dirty stearing wheel...and shifting knob nearly missing completly....well..."that smell is really why i enjoy it so much"....don't want to change a thing...really...~DEADMAN~

[DEADMAN RUNNING]

good ol' flex pipe....lol that stuff should be onboard every space flight! ~DEADMAN~

[JerseyHarold]

DEADMAN,

Funny you mention the old-car smell. The first thing I noticed when I opened the door of my Cambridge was that it smelled like our original car!

[DEADMAN RUNNING]

it's an aquired smell...lol

[Young Ed]

Ok I suppose my old car involvement really begins in 1966 even though I wasn't born yet. In June Dad bought a 51 plymouth convert. He drove it until the early 70s when the engine blew and it was parked. As I was growing up there were many other cars around. To name a few: 66 Mustang GT, 66 Olds 88 convert, 77 CJ7, 54 ply 4dr, 52 ply 4dr etc. And the whole time this crusty ugly 51 convert stashed in a garage. In 1990 Dad was set to get rid of the car. I told him he'd kept it too long and saved way to many parts to give up now. So at age 10 I helped him install the rebuilt engine and all new brakes suspension etc on the chassis. The body was at a resto shop where it would live for I think 6 years.

Shortly before I turned 16 my parents bought 6 acres in WI which would eventually get a cabin built on it. In this little tiny town on the way there we spotted this old truck in a backyard. Each time we'd slow down and look at it. After a few times we determined it was a plymouth. Well eventually we were going by one weekend and there was an estate sale. Needless to say a deal was struck and the truck was hauled into WI to the cabin site. Driving this truck around the woods and working on it is what lead me to hunt for a truck of my own a few years later when I was getting my first old vehicle.

[Merle Coggins]

I still have fond memories of my grandparent's '66 Chrysler Newport 4dr. It was actually the car I got most of my driving practice in while I was going through Driver's Education. Although the first vehicle that I drove, aside from the farm tractors, was our '55 Ford F200 farm truck. I was driving that around the farm well before I had a license.

Still, if I came across a decent '66 Newport I'd have a tough time passing it up.

Merle

[Young Ed]

Here you go Merle. Not quite a newport but close. Friend of Dads bought this after we found it for him at Mopars in the Park.

[Merle Coggins]

Thanks Ed,

That's a New Yorker, yes? Very similar, but fancier. Similar color too, light blue. Also, that one is a 4 door hard top. I don't remember the Newport being a hard top.

[Young Ed]

That one is a 300. New yorkers usually had a more open grill and the 300s have the T grill