Where is everyone #5

Thank You!! It's definitely a roll down the windows, slow roll and enjoy the ride kind of vehicle.

My brother in law bought it when he was in high school in the early 80's. Originally it was a regular bed, but it had rusted out beyond reasonable repair. My FIL had a '48 pickup bed trailer he wasn't using. A new set of fenders, some modifications, instant stepside.

 

I think that is a lost tradition anymore. There's a few around here, including my twins (age 20), who occasionally drag main. I've seen a lot more of our generation, and a bit older, who are trying to bring it back. There's a group who meet at sonic on Friday nights during the summer that make a loop around town a couple times. It's hard to be cool in mama's ford edge dragging main. You can forget about lighting them up at the stoplight as well, she gets really mad.

 

Dragging main was a big deal back when I was in school and going out in the country to road trip with a case of beer and listen to your favorite tunes with your friends. Man I miss those days! I don't get to town much anymore but it's not like what it used to be when we were kids. The times have changed thats for sure.

 

Sonic was the spot you rolled through in my hometown win a choppy idle letting people know you got down. Then, you hang out at the Fred’s or Big Star waiting for some action. Head out to the industrial park outside of town and watch some good races. From old F100s with built 460’s to split bumper Camaros with small blocks and nitrous, plenty of cool rides on Friday nights.

 

My old '51 put down a lot of miles on main st. I had my "boom box" on the seat beside me with Hank Jr. beltin out the tunes. It was/is a 6 volt positive ground system, so any type of stereo system was out of the question.

Oh how I miss the good old days. Life was so much simpler back then.
I didn't race the '51, but I would hook onto something and challenge you to a pull. Most people bragged about their 350 or 460 being able to out pull the little old flathead. I never mentioned the 4.86 rear end to them.

 

I’d have a big problem with that. Breakdowns I can understand, but a flat? Good grief.

 

And they wonder why kids just sit in their rooms and play video games and pop pills.

When I was a kid we lived for weekends. Spend all week working to save up gas and beer money for Friday and Saturday night. Shine that ride up and start dragging main before the sun went down, didn’t stop sometimes till 2 or later. Everybody that was anybody was out there.

 

I work with a guy who grew up here where I live now and he talks about the days back when they cruised. He said it was bumper to bumper back then but the places they use to hang out back then are either gone or replaced with something more modern. The police have pretty much shut all that down now too because of all the drugs and MADD and such. Of course back when and where I grew up you knew all of the town cops and the local Troopers and they knew you so any trouble you got in was usually referred to your parents, which in my case I'd have been better off going to jail, lol.

That's exactly how we did it back in the mid to late 70's. Drag main for a while, head out on a dirt road somewhere for a bit, come back and cruise a little more and go home. We grew up in a small resort town on Grand Lake which is a huge lake here in Ok so we always had that at our disposal also in the summer. My folks had a lake resort, where we lived while I was in high school, so we worked hard but we played harder. Wish my son could grow up the way I did, it's a shame the way things are now, just different I guess.

 

Some of the stories that I have heard years AFTER my son used to take my pickup out on the town let me know just how tough that pickup really was!

And yes, he was on a first name basis with the local police. He always treated them with respect, and most of his behavior would fall under the category of good clean fun, so I know they gave him a lot of breaks. They were honestly just interested in everybody getting home in one piece!

Edit to add:

He finally got his own pickup, and one of the stories goes something like this after he was caught burning rubber:

Officer: Good evening MR. xxxxx, do you know why I pulled you over?

Son: Well hello officer so and so, how's the wife and kids? Yes, I think I know why you pulled me over.

Officer: Do you know how fast you were going?

Son: Well, the speedometer doesn't work, but I think the front tires weren't going much over the limit. Seems the back ones may have been going a touch faster.

Officer: Where are you going?

Son: Home.

Officer: Do you think that you can make it there with all four tires going roughly the same speed?

Son: Yes sir, I think that I have identified the problem! (my son has always been a bit of a smart ###, but with good humor).

Officer: Well good, I'll follow you just to make sure!

Son: Thank you sir, have a good night!

And sure enough the officer would follow him clear to our driveway, which was out of the city limits.

I understand that times have changed, but it is a shame that more kids cannot grow up having the same experiences, and a healthy respect for law enforcement. It is a two way street for sure, and it requires good intentions and respect on both sides of the badge.