One Man’s Love Affair with Motorized Transport

(Chapter 11: Stories about vehicle #10)

Out of all the ’63 Chevy’s I ever owned, this was my favorite. This one was special, not only was it the nicest car I had ever owned at the time, but we made a lot of memories in this car.  Mostly good ones, but a few bad ones as well.

It was also the most powerful up to this point, with it’s 327 V8 and four barrel carb, it was very quick for it’s size.  So much so that I actually raced a ’68 Camaro with a 350 V8 at Edgewater dragstrip and lost only by half a car length!  Not bad for a big ol’ boat like this.

Debbie was also driving now and I used to let her drive it quite a bit.  A lot of times she would drive and I would lay my head in her lap and torment her as she drove by turning on the wipers, turn signals, etc. while we cruised through the Frisch’s parking lot in NCH.

Not to get ahead of the story, but this is the car I owned when Debbie and I got married and it stayed with us a long, long time.  We took a lot of trips in it, some short, some long, and even her parents went with us from time to time.

Stan and Eileen were kind of frugal when it came to vehicles, Stan drove a early to mid 60’s model Rambler Classic and Eileen had a ’64 Ford Custom which she dearly loved.  I remember Stan’s windshield would be so dirty and I would kid him about it.  He always said it was to keep people from seeing in.

I was working at Reliable with dad at this time and another guy who worked there had a red ’64 Impala SS, complete with a 327 V8 and 4 speed.  It was equally as nice as mine and of course I longed for that car a lot, strictly because of the 4 speed.  I never really cared all that much for the ’64 Impala body style, but his was a really nice car.

The color scheme of vehicle #10 was unique as well.  I don’t recall ever seeing another one like it either.  I knew the paint was not original, but it really went well with the interior color and of course the white top really set the whole thing off.  If I had to guess I would say the aqua paint was a Ford color, but I’m really not sure.  I just know it looked good.

The interior was very nice, with it’s front bucket seats and console, power windows and factory air, The green vinyl was perfect and so was all the chrome.  Nice carpeting and headliner as well.  Of course it had a typical Impala rear speaker in the middle of the back seat as well.

Speaking of audio, this was also the time when music played a larger role in automobiles.  With the advent of after market tape players (8 Track and cassette), sound was getting better in cars.  I bought my first, a Ranger mini 8 Track player and installed 2 more speakers in the rear deck.  In addition, I also bought an FM converter for the AM only radio so we could listen to the popular FM stations as well.

Yep, vehicle #10 was one fine ride, but as everyone knows, all good things come to an end, and so it was with this car.  I won’t go into the story here, but suffice to say I had to let this car go for a fraction of it’s true value.  Life sometimes gets in the way of the things you truly enjoy and such was the case with this car.

Find out more next time when we continue with the big breakup!

For those who would like to follow the count, I will keep a running tally of my vehicle list here.

One Man’s Love Affair with Motorized Transport

(Chapter 10: The Trail-O-Tel)

We moved to Fairfield in 1971.  A nice enough place, well kept and mostly proper people, unlike the Harrison park. Everyone referred to their trailers as mobile homes up here. Lot 71 of the Trail-O-Tel became our home for the time being. Mom and dad stayed there for a long time, but I only stayed about a year.

With the move came a new job as well. I had asked my father if he could help me get on where he worked and he said he would do what he could. So soon I was working a proper adult job at the Reliable Castings Corp. on Spring Grove Ave. in Cincinnati. Dad and I rode to work together which cut down on expenses for me so I would have more money to woo my girl.

Judy had met a guy and had gotten very serious, so much so that they ended up getting married. Huey Ray Martin became my sister’s second husband and they moved out of the dump in Harrison to an apartment on Hamilton Ave. It was located on the hill between Northside and College Hill and would serve them well for awhile. It also came in handy for Debbie and I once in awhile to use for some serious make out sessions.

Vehicle #8

Huey had an old green POS station wagon that he was trying to get rid of. The tail gate had been hit and no longer closed, but it ran good and so I thought it would make an excellent vehicle for the drive-in. I gave him the outrageous sum of $75 and the ’63 Chevy Biscayne wagon was mine.

I bought a tail gate from a ’64 Chevy wagon at the junkyard and installed that. It was a different color and the outer skin contours didn’t match, but it opened and closed as it should and even the window went up and down. Equipped with a couple of old blankets in the back, this was the perfect car for the show.

Vehicle #9

I never actually owned this one, but drove it more than my dad did, so I am calling it mine. Dad made a trade to one of his co-workers for a white ’63 Chevy Impala 4 dr. sedan with a 283 V8 and automatic transmission. The guy wanted dad’s ’66 Chevy pickup, so the trade was made. He never told me, but I know he got some serious boot money in the deal as well.

This car would serve to take us to and from work everyday as I had given the ’61 Tempest back to Tom so he could have some wheels. Debbie and I also used it for non-drive-in dates as the wagon was the vehicle for that purpose. Like all of the other ’63 Chevy’s I had owned, this one ran like a top and never failed to get us where we were going.

One of the places I visited a lot these days was Debbie’s house after work. I would go over in the evening and we would sit out in her back yard doing things young lovers often did. Debbie had been talking to her more experienced girlfriends picking up hints and tips on how to please her man. I really enjoyed our time together out back.

It was also about this time that Stan and Eileen had decided to buy a house. They had been renting the one they lived in for a good while and when a deal presented itself so that they could own they decided to take advantage of it. Of course it meant a move, but it was only over to North College Hill, so it wasn’t very far. Tom and I helped with the move and in no time at all Debbie had a new place to live as well as a new school to attend.

We kept the same procedure after the move, except now Debbie had herself a nice upstairs bedroom to call her own. It was really ideal as Debbie’s mother was the only one who came upstairs, her dad never did and her grandmother was not able. Plus Eileen was on a bowling league and was often not home in the evening, a situation we took full advantage of to be sure.

I can remember one time when we were both very tired we fell asleep on the bed and Eileen came home and found us there.  She never said anything, she just went back downstairs.  I suppose she thought it was innocent enough, but we were anything but innocent.  Ah, good times.

Dad decided to purchase a more economical car for mom to drive so he traded the ’69 LeSabre for a ’69 Toyota Corona. Again, no mention of the deal, but I’m guessing he got some boot money on that transaction as well. He also decided to get rid of the ’63 Impala and traded that in on a brand new ’72 Chevy pickup. That left me with the old wagon to drive and that didn’t go over very well with Debbie.

Vehicle #10

I spotted it coming home from work one day. Dad had some business to take care of on the way home from work and so we took Vine St. instead of our usual I-75 route. As previously mentioned, there are a lot of small car lots on Vine St. I suppose what caught my eye was the unusual color, aqua with a white top, but it was a beautiful car as well. A 1963 Chevy Impala Super Sport, with matching green interior, bucket seats and console. It even had factory a/c and power windows, not to mention a 327 V8 with automatic transmission.

A deal was struck for $800 and dad placed a call to a finance company he had dealt with in the past. But I guess the people had changed since the last time he had done business with them as no one there knew him. This made him mad. He slammed down the phone and told the salesman we would just pay cash for the car. We had both just gotten paid, including a vacation check for dad, so the money was not a problem.

This was by far the nicest car I had ever owned and I kept it spotless.  Debbie had no complaints, she loved it. She didn’t even mind sitting on the console so she could be beside me when we went out on a date. This car would serve us well in the coming months and even once we got married. But I’m getting way ahead of the story now so be sure to join me next time when the saga continues…

(Editor’s note: I have been adding a chapter each week, but that pace may need to change as other duties are calling.  I will do my best to write on a timely basis, but no promises as to when new chapters will appear.)

For those who would like to follow the count, I will keep a running tally of my vehicle list here.

One Man’s Love Affair with Motorized Transport

(Chapter 9: More stories from Harrison)

Mom and dad did not particularly enjoy the time spent in the sleazy little trailer park in Harrison, OH, but they had put their name on a list for a much nicer park in Fairfield, OH on Tylersville Road.  It would be some time before a spot opened up there so we made the best of our situation.

Judy now had another vehicle, a 1967 Ford Fairlane station wagon which was nice enough.  I’m not totally sure of the financial arrangements, but I know Alan had at least helped her to get the car.  It served her well, what with her 3 girls to haul around.

Plus I borrowed it now and then to drive to work when other transportation was not available.  Judy didn’t mind so much as I always filled the tank up at Hudson because I could save a few cents per gallon by using the truck pumps.  For those who don’t remember, discount gas stations often had a different set of pumps for commercial vehicles with lower pump prices.  It was common to save as much as 3 cents per gallon on a fill up.

I learned a lot while in Harrison, like how to change diapers.  I often found myself in charge of 3 young ladies, with the youngest, Angela, still in diapers.  I didn’t mind the minor changing duties so much, but when a major occurrence happened, I tried to save those for her mother as much as possible.

Tom was in search of another GTO to replace the one he had to sell, but I recall one night while he still had the red one that I borrowed it to cruise a bit in town.  While there I stopped by Ted’s Sohio station and talked with him awhile.  Ted had a ’68 Ford Torino GT fastback with a 390 V8 4 speed, so as conversations often do, it led to a challenge.

A short time later we found ourselves out on Campbell road, where local street racing often took place.  Heck, they had even painted lines across the road in a quarter mile increment to make it easier.  While a fierce competitor, Ted’s Torino was no match for the GTO.  Ted could not believe the result and insisted on a rematch.  I was happy to do so and promptly smoked his ass again!  He went back to town and I went back to tell Tom about it.

I thought perhaps Tom might be upset knowing I was out drag racing his GTO, but while mildly upset, he was not upset with my drag racing his car, but rather that he had not done it himself instead.  So off he went, looking for Ted to prove it for himself.  He returned a short time later very happy with the results.

Another adventure that Tom and I shared was going to the Ohio State Fair.  While not great fans of the fair itself, Tom knew that the girl he had dated for awhile was attending college up there so we decided to make the trip and see the fair while we were there.  I was basically the driver for the trip in the ’61 Tempest.

The fair was okay, got to attend the Neil Sedaka concert while there, but we soon tired of the activities and decided to find the girl in nearby Newark, OH.  From what I can remember, she was attending the OSU campus at Newark.  It didn’t take too long as Tom knew where she was located.  He had his reunion while I waited in the car.  I suppose it went well enough, she was naturally surprised to see Tom, and then we came back to Harrison.

And while not really Harrison related, it was during this time while I was working at Hudson that Debbie happened by driving a red 1960 Pontiac Bonneville.  I recognized the car as belonging to the people that Debbie sometimes babysat for and this fact was confirmed when I spied the 2 little girls along for the ride.  Keep in mind that Debbie didn’t have a license, but the fact that the girls’ parents told her she could use the car to take the girls for a ride if she wanted to was all she needed.

I told my co-worker that I would be back after making sure her and the kids were safely back home and followed them back to the house.  I believe I was more shocked by the fact that she had done this than I was mad at her for doing so, but I told her not to do anything like that again.  Of course more than likely she did, but at least I never knew about it.

Another Hudson story revolved around one of my more crazy co-workers.  A likable enough guy, he turned out to be looney tunes in a major way.  He had a cool car, a black ’70 Plymouth Duster with a hot 340 V8.  I remember one wild ride I took with him on the ramp from I-75 to I-275 we were doing 140 MPH.  Keep in mind this is a ramp and as such is a curve.  Granted it is a gradual curve, but I was white knuckled to say the least.

The really crazy part came later when he was fired from his job.  He showed up late one night while I was working after closing time.  I was in the office counting the money in preparation to put it in the safe when he showed up half-drunk demanding to be let into the office.  Of course I refused and then he told me he had a gun.  I told him to go away and promptly called the police.  They arrived a short time later and carted him off to jail.  Never saw him again after that.

It was also near this time that Judy had managed to get herself pregnant again.  I never really knew the father of her child that well, but knew he was already married, so she decided to put the child up for adoption.  You would have thought maybe a bell would have went off in my head when that happened, but it never really occurred to me that I might someday be a father.  I guess I just assumed that Debbie was taking care of that and never really gave it much thought at all.

While not the greatest place in the world to live, I learned a great deal about life while living in Harrison.  I made some new friends and managed to experience life in a whole new way.  Having had sex with a girl I thought of myself as a man, but little did I know what it really took to be a man.  But as fate would have it, I was getting ready to find out in a big way.

Join me next time for the big move to Fairfield…

One Man’s Love Affair with Motorized Transport

(Chapter 8: The truth hurts)

There was no way to avoid it, I had to be a man and face the music.  I was in love with Debbie and wanted her to eventually be my wife.  The time had finally arrived for me to have a meeting with Debbie and her parents at her house.  I was very nervous, but knew it had to be done.

Debbie had softened up her mom and dad the best she could and now it was up to me.  After knocking at the door and being invited in, we all sat down in the living room.  After some courtesy small talk, I decided to let it rip and simply explained how I felt about Debbie.  They asked a few questions about the future and what my plans were and I told them as honestly as I knew about what I had in mind.

It always surprised me just how much parents know about what it going on and yet they keep it to themselves.  They asked point blank if I had been seeing Debbie behind their back and I said yes and explained about Tom being my good friend and all.  They seemed to admire me for being honest about it and told me that it was pretty much up to Debbie who she dated.  She quickly chimed in that it was her desire to date me and that was about it.

After more small talk I said my good-byes, kissed Debbie and left on another cloud.  It had gone too well I thought, but just figured I was having a streak of good luck for a change.  We had already made plans for the weekend either way it went, but I was glad I would be able to pick her up at her house and have the blessing of her parents when I did it.

What about Tom?  Well, Tom did see Debbie’s friend a few more times, I think her name was Rosie, but that ended up badly and Tom was once again left to fend for himself.  Debbie did try a few more times to fix him up, but I guess he was just a bit too awkward around girls and we decided it would be best if he found a girl for himself.

Of course Debbie and I eventually found a way to consummate our relationship.  In fact it happened at the drive-in, of all places.  A terribly awkward moment for both of us, but getting it over with seemed to be the most important step so we could at long last stop worrying about it and concentrate on being in love.  Once that first time was over with, we could be  more comfortable in that situation and work on improvement..  I’d always heard that practice makes perfect and we were determined to find out!

Vehicle #6

When I was not with Debbie or working, I thought a lot about cars and how great it felt to drive Tom’s GTO with the V8 and 4 speed.  That became my next vehicle target and it just so happened that one might be available in the near future.  A guy who worked at Ted’s station had a ’64 Falcon Sprint with a small V8 and 4 speed and was willing to talk trade for my car.

I was very excited at the prospect, even if it was a Ford, but before the deal could be finalized, the Falcon was found to have a cracked block from being left out in the winter with no antifreeze.  The original deal was to trade my car and some cash, but now I wasn’t really sure what to do.  Tom had assured me that the block could be welded, so I ended up trading my Chevy straight across for the Ford.  Not a smart move on my part, but I really wanted that V8 4 speed!

We had no problem getting the block welded, and the guy seemed to think it would hold okay.  A couple of the freeze plugs also had to be replaced so we set about doing that next.  One problem was the one in the back could not be located in the correct depth.  We figured a slightly deeper plug would make no different and so it was installed.

The moment of truth had finally come, the starter was engaged and the motor came to life.  It seemed to run a bit rough and noisy, but I figured it was just the fact that it was a Ford and that I was not used to working on them.  I went for a short drive, emphasis on short.  I made it about 1/4 mile before the motor just quit.  Trying to restart produced nothing but the sound of the motor turning over.  We towed it back to the garage and proceeded to see what the trouble was.

It turned out that the freeze plug I had installed in back was directly behind the camshaft and that when I tapped the deeper plug in, it pushed the camshaft forward, which put the timing chain in a bind.  That explained the noisy operation and of course the chain just snapped when I tried to drive it.  Having done all that work and the results I had gotten pretty much dimmed my excitement over this car and Ford’s in general.  Rather than fixing it I found someone who wanted it more than I did and sold the car.  Another lesson learned.

Also during this time period, it seemed that Tom had a run in with the law.  He was hauled into court after being clocked on New Haven Road in excess of 100 MPH while driving the GTO.  The result of this debacle was that Tom sold the car and had a spend some time in jail over it as well.  Now we were both without cars, but I still had the Honda.  A little difficult to date on a bike though, so something with four wheels and a heater was sought.

Before we could find a suitable car, I remember one trip that Judy and I made up to Alan’s gas station on the Honda.  It was extremely cold and had in fact snowed.  We bundled up the best we could and wrapped blankets around us as well.  When you have to go somewhere you use what ever is available and Judy needed to see Alan about a pressing matter.  We made it, but was completely froze by the time we arrived there.  Alan was kind enough to load the bike in the truck and take us back home after that ride.  I was never so happy to ride in a truck before in my life!

Vehicle #7

It just so happened that Tom’s previous car, a baby blue ’61 Pontiac Tempest had been sitting at his house for a long, long time, so I asked him about that.  He told me the engine was blown and it was not drivable.  I inquired about the difficulty in replacing the engine with one from a junkyard and he said it should be a fairly easy job.  I told him if he gave me the car, I would buy the engine and we could at least have a vehicle to drive once it was installed.  He agreed, but said he also wanted some cash for the car, I forget the exact amount, and I agreed.  By the way, I never did pay him the cash.

In any case, we located an engine at a nearby junkyard for $35 and proceeded to change the little 4 cylinder once we got the motor back to his house.  For those who don’t know, the 195 CID engine in the Tempest was actually the right bank of cylinders from a Pontiac 389 V8 and shared many components with the larger motor such as the water pump.  Another interesting fact was the designer of the Tempest was John Z. DeLorean, who went on to form his own company and produce the gull-winged DeLorean car later on in life.

It didn’t take too long and before we knew it we had basic transportation once again.  This time I was certain to get the registration in order before we started driving the car on a regular basis.  The car was kind of fun to drive with it’s 3 speed manual transaxle in the rear.  A similar design to that of the Corvair, but this car had it’s engine in the traditional front spot while the Corvair was rear engined.  It suffered from the same fold up rear end problems which plagued the Corvair and was promptly dropped after the 1963 model year.

Join me next time for more adventures…

For those who would like to follow the count, I will keep a running tally of my vehicle list here.

One Man’s Love Affair with Motorized Transport

(Chapter 7: The art of deception)

I timed my visit to arrive as school was letting out for the day.  I figured Debbie might just be walking home as she often did.  I was correct in my assumption and soon spotted her walking along the way.  My heart fluttered at the sight of her, but I had no idea of just how she would react to my visit.

I pulled up along side her and once she recognized who it was she came over to the car.  I asked if she wanted a ride and she said she did.  We found a convenient place to park and talk and I told her that I really missed her.  I was very relieved to find out she missed me too and she had stopped seeing Mike..  But the problem was that her parents (Stan and Eileen), still did not like me so we decided a little deception was in order.

I told her about Tom and what kind of guy he was and how he could sure use a date with a nice girl.  We quickly came up with a plan which would help Tom and us at the same time.  Tom would pretend to be dating Debbie and pick her up at her house.  We would then meet at a prearranged place where the 3 of us would pick up Debbie’s friend to be Tom’s real date.  I kissed Debbie good-bye and dropped her off at her house.  Her parents didn’t know I had a different car so they were none the wiser.  Debbie just told them a friend had gave her a ride home.

I simply floated back home after that kiss.  I felt so alive and relieved all at the same time, it was a great feeling.  I went directly to Tom’s house and told him about the plan.  He was thrilled with the idea, especially if it meant a date with a girl.  Tom was a good looking guy, but very bashful and shy around girls.  Sometimes deception is a good thing.

The plan worked brilliantly for awhile.  Debbie’s parents simply adored Tom and was oblivious to what was actually going on.  Tom was happy and we double dated at first which was okay, but I soon was trying to figure out a way to get Debbie alone and let Tom have some fun as well.

So after a proper time with all of us being together, we made arrangements to split up once the initial pickup had been made.  Debbie knew what was going on and was all for it, but Debbie’s friend was a little reluctant.  She didn’t know Tom all that well and still felt a little awkward around him.  We managed to convince her it would be okay and the time finally arrived for Debbie and I to once again be alone.

Of course I had my own plan and I’m sure you can figure out what it involved.  We went back to my sister’s trailer as I knew she and the kids would be away for the evening.  I had made sure of that.  So I put on some records, I remember very vividly the set which was playing, Rare Earth’s Get Ready album.  Very appropriate I thought.  I had the volume up, we were teenagers after all, and we proceeded to make out on the couch.

A some point in the middle I asked if she wanted to go back to the bedroom where we could be more comfortable and to my surprise she agreed.  I almost lost it right there, but managed to keep it together while we made the trip to the other end of the trailer into the bedroom.  We resumed our activities on the bed and at some point I heard someone knocking at the door.  I suppose someone didn’t appreciate fine music, but I ignored it and was determined not to lose my sense of purpose.

Luckily about the same time the album ended and the music stopped, along with the knocking noises.  So now we could concentrate on the task at hand. Debbie had worn one of my favorite outfits of hers, a light brown mini dress, which showed off her best assetts. I think it was my favorite because it almost unzipped itself!  It really happened very quickly after that, Debbie made no attempt to stop me from undressing her and even helped a bit along the way.  I had my shirt off as well.

When I caught my breath and first got a good look at her completely naked, that was all it took.  Sometimes the best plans have a way of going off on their own and completely ignoring the one who made them.  Such was the case for me, it was over well before I even had my pants off!  Debbie didn’t really know what was going on and she just looked at me.  Ashamed, I got up and went into the other room, not saying a word.

Shortly afterwards, Debbie came into the room, now fully dressed and still looking like she didn’t understand what had happened.  I apologized and told her I would take her home.  We didn’t say much on the way home and when I dropped her off I didn’t really know if I would ever see her again.  So ended my big night and I just set my mind to the fact that I would be a virgin for the rest of my life and that was that!

I finally got up the nerve to call Debbie the next week.  By now she had talked with her friends and was completely aware of what had happened.  She assured me that it was not a problem and that her friends told her it happened to a lot of guys.  I felt somewhat better after our talk and decided it was time to come clean with her parents and face the music, whatever it was.

Be sure to catch the next installment where Stan and Eileen find out the truth!

 

One Man’s Love Affair with Motorized Transport

(Chapter 6: Moving on)

The end of summer school also meant the end of warm weather and while I enjoyed riding my Honda a lot, it was quickly evident that I would not be able to keep my job at Hudson if I had to ride the bike all the way from Harrison during inclement weather.  So another vehicle of the 4 wheeled type was sought.

Vehicle #5

It just so happened that Charlie knew a guy who had a nice white ’63 Chevy Impala 2 dr hardtop for sale.  When I arrived at the guy’s house to look at it, I was completely blown away when I saw the 409 emblem on the fender!  Looking inside I saw a floor shifter and immediately thought I had stumbled onto a 409 4 speed!  But when the guy came outside he was quick to mention that the original engine and transmission had been changed to a 283 with a 3 speed.

While not as happy as I was, I still liked the car and a deal was quickly struck to make the purchase.    Of course I wanted to drive it that night, but the license branch was closed and I would have to wait, unless…  Charlie had an extra set of tags for another car he no longer owned and I suppose he understood the dire need to drive the car that night, so he offered to let me borrow them for the evening.  He cautioned me not to do anything to attract the attention of the law and of course I agreed to that.

Agreeing and doing are two different things.  It just so happened that the car was located right down the street from my friend Steve’s house and of course he had come along to check it out.  It turned out that Steve had indeed survived the wrath of his father from the Florida trip and had even managed to buy another car in the meantime.  While not as sporty as the Firebird, it was still a very nice car.  This one was another Pontiac, but Steve was also dating on a regular basis and bought a blue ’69 LeMans with a 350 V8 and automatic this time around.  He also made sure his name was on the title instead of his dad.

We decided a night of bowling, complete with a few beers, was in order and proceeded to Princeton Bowl, located in Tri-County.  All was well until the trip home when we decided to have a little speed contest on Northland Blvd.  The cars were a fairly even match and we headed home.  Or so we thought.  Little did we know that we were in fact being watched and shortly after turning onto Sharon road, flashing red lights could be seen in the rearview mirror.

Steve was in the lead and so I slowed down to allow the cop to hopefully pass me as I still was not sure we were the target.  He pulled along side of me and shined his spotlight directly in my face.  I slowed down even more and he went on around me.  Somewhat relieved I turned left on the next road and made my way back over towards the Hudson gas station where I worked.

Fate has a way of explaining things to a young man who doesn’t yet know when he should zig and when he should zag.  I had formulated a plan to contact Charlie from Hudson and tell him if the cops called to say his tags had been stolen.  I would hide the car and then get it properly registered the next day.  It was a good plan, no one would be any wiser and all would be well with the world again.

Unfortunately, fate was not on my side that night.  Shortly after I pulled into the gas station, I noticed another car approaching.  Upon closer inspection I saw lights on top and the markings of a police car.  Uh Oh, not good.  Wow, what were the chances of him just happening to be going along that way as well?  Of course I didn’t realize it then, but cops aren’t as dumb as one might think.

He explained that when he shinned the light in my face that was for me to pull over.  I protested and said I could not see anything when he did that and thought he was chasing the guy in front of me.  He explained that he had already taken care of Steve and now it was my turn.  He said to follow him to the police station which I did.  They impounded the car and I was left to find a way home on my own.  I called Steve who thought it was funny, but he did come and get me and take me home.

This was an expensive lesson.  The charges were drag racing, fleeing and false registration.  My parents didn’t want anything to do with it and basically said it was up to me to get out of it or go to jail.  I asked Mimi for help and she said she would go my fine, which she did.  I don’t remember the exact amount, but I know it was over a hundred dollars, which was a lot to me at the time.

Lesson learned, I now had the car properly registered and was living with my folks at a rather sleazy trailer park in Harrison, Oh.  My sister, still not quite divorced from Alan, had rented a trailer just a few doors down from us.  I spent a lot of time there as hanging out with Judy was certainly better than being at home with the old folks.  I sometimes would babysit for Judy while she frequented the bars in Harrison. Not a great time, but it was something to do to pass the time when I was not working.

Judy met a guy named Ted Colgate and was seeing him off and on.  Ted was a neat enough guy and ran the Sohio gas station in Harrison.  He was a car guy and had a very cool ’62 Corvette he was in the process of restoring.  Ted had friends who would hang out at the station and one of them was a guy named Tom Becker.  Tom was a tall red headed bashful kind of guy and he and I quickly became friends.

Tom was also a car guy and had his eye on red ’65 GTO 2 dr hardtop which did not have an engine.  As luck would have it, he stumbled onto a ’61 Pontiac Catalina for sale which had a good 389 engine with 4 barrel carb.  Both vehicles found their way to Tom’s parents house shortly thereafter and the work began to transfer the engine from the Catalina to the GTO.

Luckily the rest of the running gear came with the GTO, which included a 4 speed transmission.  The swap was pretty much bolt-in and didn’t take very long at all to complete.  This was my first experience with such an operation and I was both impressed and in awe of Tom’s abilities.  Of course the final step of starting the engine and backing out of the garage was very exciting too, but not as exciting as driving the big V8 4 speed muscle car.

As happy as I was to be getting my hands greasy on a regular basis working on the GTO and other projects with Tom, I still had a very strange, burning desire to be with Debbie again.  She was still in school so I decided to take a trip to the old stomping grounds and see how she was getting along.

Tune in next time and hear all about what happened next!

For those who would like to follow the count, I will keep a running tally of my vehicle list here.

One Man’s Love Affair with Motorized Transport

(Chapter 5: Going back home again)

Before I go too far I need to give a few well deserved paragraphs to my good friend Roger Cauvin, who I’m sure you all remember from earlier chapters.  Roger was a very resourceful person, always had money and more importantly he always had wheels.

Besides the ’57 Chevy I talked about earlier, he later had a full-sized beige ’60 Dodge Dart Seneca with a slant six and  push button transmission and after that an early ’60s model red Studebaker Lark with a 327 V8.  Those both provided basic transportation, but the vehicle of his I remember most was not a car at all.

It was springtime and Roger had traded the foul weather comfort and convenience of a passenger compartment for the seat of the pants performance of a motorcycle!  And not just any motorcycle, but a brand new red Suzuki 250 X6 Husler to be exact.  This little red demon would go and how!  A little reluctant at first, he finally convinced me to get on and go for a ride.  That was all it took, I was hooked and in no time at all I found myself in control of the fastest vehicle I had ridden to date. I had to have me one of these things and soon!

Some decisions are harder to make than others and this one was pretty much a no brainer for me. Now 18, I had asserted my independence and proved my point, staying with Judy and the girls any longer would not have been helpful to anyone, so I decided to return home.

My parents acted somewhat relieved, but at the same time they made it clear that they would only be semi-supportive of any future decisions I made.  My room had already been converted into a den, complete with a sofa bed, so things had changed a bit, at least as far as the decor.

I had spoken with the school councilors and an option to graduate was presented at that time.  Basically I would be allowed to go through the graduation ceremony but when I received the case which should contain my diploma, it would be empty.  Only upon completion of a single credit summer school course would I be able to get my diploma.

Sounds pretty easy, right?  Wrong.  My school wasn’t offering any courses which qualified so I had to find another one which did.  It turned out my best option was taking Earth Science at Princeton High School, located in nearby Springdale, OH.  The school is actually located near I-75 over by Tri-County mall, so some form of transportation would be required.

Vehicle #4

A bit skeptical, my parents were not receptive at all to helping me buy another car, so as part of the agreement to move back home, my grandmother (Mimi) had promised to buy me a motorcycle.  Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!  I remember like it was yesterday.  Down to Central Parkway Honda we all went where Mimi laid out $850.03 in cash money for a brand new gold and white 1970 Honda CB-350!  I was in love once again, and didn’t really mind having to spend the summer in school.

The Honda was the perfect vehicle for me at the time.  It was summer, so riding conditions were all too pleasant and I made the most of it.  I even skipped summer school one day when they took a field trip to Mammoth Cave and used the time to visit my friend in Corith, KY again.

While possibly not as quick as the Suzuki, the Honda was plenty fast and very smooth to operate.  And at roughly 70 MPG, I could go a long, long way on a tank of gas!  It was also at this time I switched jobs.  A new discount gas station had recently opened at the edge of town and I was hired there to work after school and weekends.  I spent many a night pumping gas and cleaning windshields at the Hudson Oil company.

I don’t remember the exact reason, but something had happened during this period of my life which caused Debbie and I to break up.  It could have been the fact that I gave a ride on the back of my Honda to another little blonde girl from church one day, who knows.  It might have been not having a car to take her out in, but whatever the reason, we drifted apart.  She was seeing another guy (Mike) and I was mostly busy with summer school and working at my new job.

The manager of the Hudson station, Charlie Newman, had a nice red Honda CB-450 and we used to ride a lot of places together.  Charlie was a good guy and I got along with him very well.  I quickly learned the operation at the station and in no time at all was doing the opening and closing chores by myself.

It was also during this time the my parents had been pondering selling the house and moving into a mobile home.  Dad was still a few years away from retirement, but didn’t want to wait until the last minute to get things done.  Plus the fact that the county kept hinting at building a new cross county highway which might or might not take our house when it was finally constructed made the decision a little bit easier.

So it was no big surprise when I got home from school one day and was informed that we would be moving just as soon as summer school was over.  My parents had sold the house and bought a brand-new 65×12 foot mobile home, temporarily located in a mobile home park in Harrison, OH.  Even knowing it was going to happen, I was still in a state of shock at hearing the sudden news.  My whole world was about to change once again and I was not all that happy about it.

I missed Debbie and was extremely jealous when I passed by her house and saw her out with her new boyfriend.  And what made it worse was the fact that he had a nice ’69 El Camino.  Besides whatever the reason was that we broke up, Debbie’s parents didn’t like me all that much either so watching them all have fun in the front yard was just killing me.  I decided maybe it was for the best we were moving far away, so I would no longer be subjected to passing by her house and could finally move on with my life.

As always, to be continued…

For those who would like to follow the count, I will keep a running tally of my vehicle list here.

One Man’s Love Affair with Motorized Transport

(Chapter 4: The time of my life!)

Everything seemed to come together during this period of my life.  I had a steady girlfriend, I was a senior in high school, I had a nice car, a job, things were just great!  Of course there were a few dark spots, like the fact that I was failing Algebra II and without it I would not have enough credits to graduate, but that was a minor detail to me at the time.

I would pick Debbie up for school every morning and we left a little early so we could park on a dead-end street near the school to discuss current events and the world situation.  Yeah, like Hell we did, we made out like bandits!  Ah, good times.  We were together on the weekend nights, sometimes she would have to babysit for someone so I would go over and sit with her.  Ummm, more good times.

Although we were normal teenagers for the most part, most of my advances were properly rebuffed and for the longest time I never actually got to see or touch any of the good stuff.  Often when we skipped school we would go to a shopping mall parking lot and park way out away from everyone else.  It’s a pretty good place to make out in the light of day, right out in the open.

During one such escapade, it was the K-Mart parking lot on Colerain Avenue, I managed to finally achieve one of my goals.  Well, sort of.  Normally she would allow me access under her dress, but if I made any attempt to unhook her bra, she would instantly put the kibosh on it, and that would be the end of of that session.  But this one time, I managed to distract her with one hand in front, while using the sly one-handed unhook routine with my other hand around back.  Ta Da!

I could tell she was annoyed with me, but to my surprise she allowed me to continue.  Either she was still trying to figure out how I did it, or just felt sorry for me and gave in.  Whatever the case, I now had access to bare breasts and I was not gonna retreat now!

Expectations are a funny thing.  I mean I knew what she looked like on the outside, but sometimes those appearances may not reflect the actual contents.  I guess what I’m saying is you can’t judge a book by it’s cover, because when I actually made contact, it was not all it seemed to be.  Okay, let’s just dispense with the cliches and say it, had she been an ad on TV, she could have been sued for false advertisement!

I tried my best not to act any different and continued my advances, but I think she could sense my initial reaction and although she didn’t say anything, I just felt that she was somewhat embarrassed by the situation.  Soon after getting a peek at the area in question, a noise outside caused us both to pull back and regroup.  We decided to call it a day and headed back to school.

Of course I now knew why she didn’t allow me access to this area for so long.  I suppose she thought I would be disappointed, but honestly I wasn’t.  I was surprised, but still very happy to have made it this far and finally have access to one of the forbidden zones!  Let’s face it, to a teenage boy, touching boob is touching boob, no matter how big or small.

We continued at this level for some time, I was content with my new found exploration area and she seemed happy that I was not disappointed.  Access to this area was now granted with minimal fuss and of course I continued to attempt exploration of new territory only to be turned back with each advance.  I was still the proper gentleman and upon hearing “NO” I retreated back to the safe position after a couple more tries and grumbling about how I was going to be the only 18 year old male virgin on the planet!

I was also now skipping school quite often and very seldom even stayed for afternoon classes as I knew I was already failing Algebra II anyway, so what the heck.  It was more fun to hang out with Debbie and/or my friends, so eventually I took the next step and just stopped going at all.

All good things must come to an end, and so it was with my good time Charlie cavalier lifestyle.  Things at home we not so good, my parents were not happy with my decision to drop out of school and so the car was taken away from me.  Not to be outdone, I decided to move out of their house and in with my sister who had recently separated from her husband Alan.

By this time, Judy and Alan now had 3 children, all girls, and so she needed someone to help out too.  Needless to say I learned a lot about having a family  during this time.  Kind of a crash course on how not to raise kids if you will. It wasn’t that my sister was a bad mother, but I just didn’t agree on how she set about doing it all the time.

It was also during this time that my best friend in high school, Steve, who just happened to be Alan’s brother, decided to go to Florida when he got his income tax refund.  He asked if I wanted to go with him and I said sure!  Actually I didn’t really think he was serious until we crossed the bridge into Kentucky.  Steve and George Stamper were two of my skipping school buddies, we always had a good time just riding around and hanging out.

Steve had a 1967 Pontiac Firebird, which was a cool enough car.  Small V8 with a 4 speed, it was fun to drive, which I did every chance I got being as I no longer had a car.  We shared driving responsibilities on the trip down and it was a pretty cool trip.  We went to Daytona, where we drove on the beach and read comic books.  Okay, not the coolest thing, but we were having a good time.  Then Steve decided to call his girlfriend back home.  It was then we found out that a warrant had been issued for our arrest for stealing a car!

Even though it was Steve’s car and he was paying for it, the fact remained that it was in his father’s name and so they used the only leverage they had to get us back.  So after a couple of hours in Florida we started the long journey back, somewhat dejected and somewhat relieved.  It’s nice to assert your independence now and then, but also nice to know that you are still wanted.  Even if by the police.

It was on the trip back that we had a little mishap.  While playing high speed tag with a Saab Sonnet after we just passed the Tennessee line on I-75, the 326 in the Firebird had enough and decided to call it quits.  I suppose the stress of driving straight down and then right back after a two hour rest was just too much for the car.  Not to mention a lot of the time we exceeded the speed limit just a tad as teenagers are known to do.  Looking back down the road, it was fairly obvious what had happened from the streak of black gold on the highway.

We coasted to a stop on the side of the road and started walking, but before we got anyplace, a very nice police officer stopped and asked if we needed a ride into town as he had seen we were having car trouble.  Of course we accepted and little did we know we were going no matter if we had wanted to or not.  The officer said he was aware of who we were and by the time we arrived at the police station we had told him the entire story.  Steve called his father and arrangements were made for his father and Alan to come down and tow the car back home.  This was a very long wait and neither of us were really looking forward to seeing them.  At least with Alan there it wouldn’t be so bad.

It seemed like an eternity, but finally they arrived, complete with the Humble service truck and a tow bar for the Firebird.  With limited space in the truck, Steve and I rode back in the Firebird on the way home.  I have to admit that I was somewhat relieved to see Judy and the girls in Mt. Healthy again.  Funny how things like that work out.

Join me again when I release the next chapter of my continuing saga.

For those who would like to follow the count, I will keep a running tally of my vehicle list here.

One Man’s Love Affair with Motorized Transport

(Chapter 3: What’s Love Got To Do With It?)

One thing I neglected to mention in the previous chapter was how the family’s vehicles had changed. Dad had purchased a gray/white ’66 Chevy C10 pickup for his own use and to drive back and forth to work. He bought that new while we still had the ’65 LeSabre. So when he traded for the ’67 Wildcat, Mom and I were the primary drivers.

I already mentioned my parking lot debacle with that car and just for good measure, Mom hit a pole, putting a big dent in the front fender. And don’t forget the fact that I hot rodded the car so much that the wiring burnt up, I guess my father figured his streak of good luck buying 2 year old cars had come to an end. In any case, he decided to go for another brand new Buick, this one being a kind of greenish brown 1969 LeSabre 4 dr. hardtop with an off white vinyl roof.

I suppose it was a nice enough car, but I never did get too excited over it. I had my old ’60 Chevy and so Mom was the primary driver of this Buick. Of course I did borrow it on special occasions, like when I got up the nerve to ask out that certain little blonde who lived up the street.

Her name was Debbie Ruege and we had been friends ever since she moved in with her mother, father and grandmother a few years before. Like most of my neighborhood friends, we hung out over at the Heinbuch’s back yard. The Heinbuch’s had 4 kids, one boy and three girls, so this was the place to be in our neighborhood. Of course our relationship started out innocent enough, playing ball, tag, and anything else we could think of to pass the time.

Of course things change and before we really knew it was happening, our feelings for one another began to blossom into more than just a casual friendship. We would often find ourselves alone which made me a just little bit nervous. While it had not been uncommon to roll around the ground with one another while playing games, this felt a lot different. Of course I had the standard public school education on the facts of life, plus a book my parents gave me called Finding Yourself, but nothing I had heard about in school or read in a book prepared me for the kind of feelings I was having.

At the same time, her parents had become a bit suspicious of me. Little did they know I was the most naive boy of my age on the planet. All they knew was a 17 year old boy was spending a lot of time alone with their 14 year old daughter. I remember very vividly a time when we were down in the woods which was located at the end of the street, we were just talking, not really doing anything, but her father found us and I thought sure this was the end of my life. He made it very clear to me that I was not allowed to be around his daughter any more.

Of course if that were the case, it would be a short story, but you know how kids are. We continued to meet clandestinely, and the more I saw her the more I wanted to see her. I still didn’t know exactly why, but I was quickly figuring it out. By the time she turned 15, she had convinced her parents that I was not a sexual predator and was just misunderstood, so they allowed us to go out on a date to see a movie at a local theater.

This would be one of those special occasions so I borrowed the new Buick for our date. It was everything I hoped it would be and more than I expected at the same time. I was a proper gentleman and concluded our evening with a kiss goodnight at her door. The very next day I started in on my father about how much I needed a better car. I suppose he understood and figured it would be better than seeing his new Buick destroyed like the previous model was. So soon thereafter we went in search of a car which was more fitting for courting a young lady.

Vehicle #3

For years in Cincinnati, Vine street had been THE place to look for a car. There was one car lot after another, but lately Colerain avenue had become the new hotspot for finding a used car. And so it was we headed out, our first stop was Hock’s Buick, which had recently opened a used car lot on the strip. Dad eyed a 1962 maroon Corvair, which I was not crazy about at all. He discussed the car with the salesman and when it came time to see how it ran, it wouldn’t start. Dad gave him a couple of chances to get it going, but he quickly knew this was not the car for me. I was very happy.

I was even more excited when we went next door to the new Joseph Chevrolet dealership which had just opened up. There on the front row was a sharp looking blue 1963 Chevy Impala 2 dr. hardtop. On closer inspection we found it had mag wheels in the front, a Hurst 3 speed floor shifter and I was in love all over again! The salesman gave the price as $750 and we had driven my old ’60 Chevy in to see what kind of trade we could get. Of course I let Dad do the talking, I just made it clear to him that this was the car I wanted. In the end we came away paying $450 difference, financed of course, and I had my new car!

While the ’60 Chevy had been like a good friend, mostly dependable and it got me where I wanted to go, the new Chevy was a sharp car, more fitting to the needs of a young man out to win the heart of a young lady. There was not one inch of this car that didn’t get polished, I waxed and buffed and buffed and waxed until I thought the paint was gonna come off! Dad had to constantly remind me that cleaning the family Buick was still part of my chores as well, but I didn’t mind, I had a new car and a girl that wanted to ride around in it, what more could a guy ask for?

To be continued…

For those who would like to follow the count, I will keep a running tally of my vehicle list here.

One Man’s Love Affair with Motorized Transport

(Chapter 2: My first car.)

Perhaps a little more info about the area where I grew up would be appropriate here. The first house I remember was located a few miles north of the suburban Cincinnati town of Mt. Healthy, in an area known as Seven Hills. While not much more than rural farmland when we moved into the house that my father built at 2236 Roosevelt Drive, the area was constantly changing and growing very quickly. The vehicles our family owned when we lived at this house was the ’56 and ’58 Buick’s mentioned in the first chapter.

When I was about 10, we moved a little closer to Mt. Healthy, to another house my father built located at 2129 Pinney Lane. Dad was an avid carpenter and could build about anything. In addition to these houses he built, he also built several more in the previous location which he sold. The cars we had at this house was the afore mentioned ’61 and ’63 Buicks, but in addition to that, Dad also bought a cherry yellow and white 1955 Chevy pickup truck which he drove to work and used when he did carpentry work as well.

We didn’t live there very long, about 4 years as I remember, as my parents said the property taxes were too high. So the decision was made to move to the town of Mt. Healthy, which we did and my parents bought a house at 1493 Rugg Street. A nice enough house, previously owned by the family of my sister’s friend. It would be here that I learned a lot about life and other things.

Vehicle #1

My father was a hard worker and in fact worked at the same job for 37 years! An aluminum foundry no less, complete with all the heat and foul odors which usually accompany such places of business. It so happened that one summer in the late 1960’s, a union was trying to organize the workers and there was a small strike at the plant.

One of the unfortunate casualties of the strike was a 1959 Chevrolet Biscayne 4 dr sedan. All of the windows had been broken out and the paintbrush painted gray body was pretty dinged up, so you can imagine my surprise when this car appeared in the driveway outside my bedroom window and my father proudly announced that this was my new car. At least the car had a good 6 cylinder motor and 3 speed manual transmission and I knew it wasn’t that best car in the world, but hey, it was gonna be mine and so I was excited!

Vehicle #2

It was soon very evident that I could not drive the car the way it was, so my father called his mechanic friend who said he had just the thing to fix it up, a blue 1960 Chevy Biscayne 4 dr body with no motor! We went to look at it out in the field and it really didn’t look too bad, so a deal was struck to have the motor and transmission switched to the ’60 Chevy and before long I had an actual car which could be driven!

Once back home plans were made to fix up the rough spots, like the rusty quarter panel behind the rear wheel well. Alan had told me just what to do the patch the area and before I could even buy the bondo, my father appeared from behind the car, hacksaw in hand, and proudly explained that he had fixed the problem area. What could I say, he thought he was helping. It really didn’t look too bad, so I moved on to the next problem area without telling him what I was doing next.

The seats in the old car were not in bad shape, but the carpeting was completely gone. So I secured some fashionable bright orange carpeting which would do until something better came along. I cleaned and polished as best I could, but the old car still didn’t look too good. No matter, I had wheels and that was the most important thing to me at the time.

I drove that old car everywhere, at least when I had gas money. One time I even talked my parents into letting me take the old car to visit a friend who had moved to Corith, Kentucky. I can remember going down I-75 in downtown Cincinnati during rush hour on a Friday afternoon. Anyone who has experienced this can attest to the fact that traffic does not move very fast going southbound to Kentucky.

I thought the old car would explode it got so hot, but finally the traffic moved and the car cooled down. This was my first trip out of state and first real expressway driving with the old car so it was quite an experience for me. I would never do anything like that now, driving an old car with mostly bald tires 70 MPH to a place I had never driven before with probably less than $50 in my pocket, but I was young and stupid so I just had fun and never really thought about the consequences.

Another time when I was hanging out with my buddy Roger, who you may remember from the first chapter, we all decided to go to Houston Woods in Oxford, Ohio. No one really knew why we decided to go there, but we had girls and beer with us and thought it would be cool to drive up there at night. Okay, we were guys, we thought we might get lucky, but no chance, we ended up just driving straight back when the girls whined and cried that they wanted to go home. It was daylight by the time we got home and I was lucky my parents were on a trip to Florida, so I didn’t get into much trouble for that.

All in all this car was everything I wanted at the time, it provided me with transportation and more importantly independence, which was essential to a 17 year old boy. But all things must pass and I was working more steady now at Alan’s gas station and it was time for a change. Something a little nicer that might appeal more to a certain little blonde who lived up the street from us. Yeah, that’s right, I was in love, and knew I had to have a better car to win her over. Stay tuned for the next part when we meet vehicle number three, can you guess what it might be? Stay tuned!

For those who would like to follow the count, I will keep a running tally of my vehicle list here.