1999 F-150

This was my 1999 F-150 bought new. It was a damn good truck. I put almost 200 thousand on it. It was your basic truck. No carpet (to much to try to keep clean), air, cruise and tilt...has a V6. It served me well. I know these are getting boring now but car and trucks are boring these days. Soon, very soon you will be treated with my special project and these articles will liven up big time.
Yall take care now. Ya heah..God Bless

My 18th Car - 1995 Toyota Avalon

This was my 18th car. A 1995 Avalon. I traded the LEMON in on it. Got a good deal. 1995 was the first year Toyota came out with the Avalon. It was to be their flag ship. This was one of the most dependable cars I have ever owned to date. I drove this car until 2006. Put well over 100 thousand miles on it with no major problems. The only problem I really had with it was the rear disc brakes. Other than that it was a great car. This was the beginning of all cars looking the same to me. Unless you pay big big bucks you cant buy any today that looks different from others. But I believe the quality of the U.S. cars today are better because of the competition of the foreign market then. Anyway I really liked this car. It was basically a Lexus but without the 10 thousands dollars worth of extras. Same running gear, same engine. A nice luxury car.

My 17th Car - 1993 Ford Explorer

This 1993 Ford Explorer I bought new in '93. Can you say "Lemon". As I was driving to work one morning to Peoria the right front wheel bearings came apart and the wheel almost came off of the car and I was on the interstate running about 70 mph. Scary to say the least. When that happened it only had just over 36 thousand miles on it...the dealer did nothing to help with it and I had to pay all of the repair cost....they even told me it must have been a factory defect...so much for American car dealers back then. I only kept it less than two years and traded it...will tell you about what I traded it for in my next post..which turned out to be a good experience...yall take care now...ya hear...God Bless

My 16th Car - 1974 Lincoln Mark IV

This is my 16th car - A 1974 Lincoln Mark IV. Better know as my "ghetto cruiser" according to my soon to be wife at the time. Bless her heart she rode in the car more than she wanted to but out of her love for me she endured it. And I thank her for that from the bottom of my little old car lovin' heart. Personally I thought it was a grand car. I loved the styling and ride. A very comfortable ride it was to. Had all the bells and whistles for the day. Never gave me any trouble at all. A great road car. Wish I had it today but we can all say that for a number of cars we have had over the years can't we. To be honest this was not my 17th car. I had purchased a 1972 Olds 442 out of a corn field before this but turned it into a drag car. More on those types of stories later. Just wanted to share this car with you all. If anyone has one of these that needs some fix'n up mechanically but the body is good just let me know. I am a pretty good shade tree mechanic but not good at body work. Yall have a good day now. Ya heah...God Bless

My 15th Car

This was my 15th car. A 1977 Lincoln Town Car. This was when they made cars if you know what I mean. It was long and spacious. I could have lived in it if I wanted to. And to be honest I was tempted to a few time. It had a 460 CID engine and tons of power. Luxury is the word that describes this car. Dove gray exterior and dove gray interior, leather, real leather, not a facsimile thereof. Drove this car for a long time. Bought it used in Galesburg Illions for three thousand and got like ten thousand use out of it. If you ever want to go back and live the high life get one of these. What a cruiser. Loved it. Yall have a good day now ya heah - God Bless.

My 14th Car - 1978 Ford Futura

This was my 14th car. A 1978 Ford Futura. Bought new in Tulsa, Ok. It had a six cylinder with a four speed tranny. Good looking car. Only problem was the quality of everything else besides the engine and tranny. This was back when Ford paid little attention to quality and concentrated on quantity. The very reason all the foreign cars started taking over. Glad they have changed their ways now. Yall have a good day now ya heah...God Bless

My 13th Vehicle - 1975 J10 Jeep Pick-up with 360 V8

Purchased this truck in my latter years of cross country power line work. Bought it just before I went on a job in Colorado. It was four wheel drive with a V8 engine. Did a decent job for me.  Did you know that Jeep produced a pickup with an electric drive motor in 1976 (ELECTRUCK). No internal combustion engine to help it along either. Do any of you know where there is an "Electruck" .
Would love to look at one. Yall have a good day now. Ya Heah--God Bless

My 12th Vehicle

This is my 12^th vehicle. I purchased it in Pelham Georgia for $200.00 back in 1975. It is a 1951 Ford F-100 pick-up. All  original down to the 8BA V-8 flathead engine. The 8BA engine was more durable than the V8 that came in cars. The car engines were notorious for running hot and cracking the block. A dog could relieve himself on the left rear wheel and it would crack the block my dad used to say. Anyway I used this truck for a good while. When I started working tall high tower power lines traveling all over the country I went in this. It was cool to go down the interstate and turn heads all the time. Especially being in places like Mn. with Georgia plates.  Yall have a good day now. Ya heah.

My 11th Car - Can you say " Starsky and Hutch" - 1974 Ford Torino Grand Sport

This was my 11th car. All of you that are old enough know this car very well. There were tons of these sold. I found mine at a dealership in Atlanta in 1975. It had a twist to the paint scheme though.  Mine was black with a red stripe. Leave it to me to be different, plus the dealer was having trouble selling it due to the color combination. As was a good thing for me. I loved it. I was working construction at the time building the Proctor and Gamble plant in Albany Georgia. Good times then. I was young and single and has no cares. Went to Panama City Beach a bunch of times in this car. The prettiest sand of any beach I have ever been on and I was on a few including overseas. Yall have a good day now. Ya heah. God Bless

My Ninth Car - 1966 Dodge Charger...got this on out of sequence..how could I foret this one.

This was my ninth car...I almost forgot about it...how could I forget about this one..I purchased it just before I got out of the Air Force in 1972. I was stationed at Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta Georgia..I saw this sitting in a yard with a for sale sign on it and out of curiosity I stopped just to see what they wanted for it. To my surprise the price was only $200.00. But it did come with a catch. It did not have a title...in Georgia you did not need a title for a car until 1963 but this car was abandoned. Probably because of all the military moving in and out of the area...but I took on the task of getting it titled in Georgia...which was no easy endeavor...I had to got to the Sheriffs office and they took the VIN number and had to run a check on it and after a six month waiting period I had to take it back and the officials had to stamp a new serial number on it...after almost a year of exhausting red tape I managed to get a tile for it....it was definitely a Hot Rod...I drove it hard and it gave me good service under my heavy foot...will the cherish the memories, good and bad, while I owned this KEWL car....yall take care now ya heah...God Bless

My Tenth Car - First one after I got out of the Air Force in 1972.

This was my tenth car. 1972 "Heavy Chevy" Chevelle. I purchased it soon after I got out of the Air Force in 1972. It was kewl and fast. Really fast. It was plane Jane with vinyl seats and floor mats. Automatic transmission with the special 400 engine. I even scared myself in this car let alone my passengers.
 Introduced the middle of 1971. It's built around a Chevelle Sport Coupe. You got a special understated black grille. A domed hood with lock pins. Special side striping and 14" X 6" rally-type wheels with special center caps and bright lug nuts. It was available only with a V8 engine (you wouldn't want it any other way). The Turbo-Fire 307 standard, but you could order from three others including the Turbo-Jet 400. Which was the largest and of course that is what I got. If that seems like a large choice, it is. But you know how it's fun to be choosy when you buy a new car.  I also got the positraction rear axle and power disc/drum brakes. It was just a cool fast car as I said and was cheaper than the Chevelle SS (Super Sport) and just as fast. And I mean fast. Just wanted yall to see this good ole car...yall have a good day now ya heah....God Bless

My Eight Car - Got this right after my return from overseas

This was my eight car. Got this after I came back to the US after being overseas for a few years. This is a 1965 Mercury Montclair. Notice the rear window. It could be opened by a switch mounted on the dash. It was a cool (kewl) car also. When I returned from overseas which included time spent in Japan, Philippines and Viet Nam I got this car from my dad and traveled from Georgia to New Jersey. Was assigned to McGuire Air Force Base which was in the middle of Fort Dix Army Base just outside of Browns Mills, New Jersey.

But I am getting ahead of myself. If you remember I was at Forbes Air Force base in Kansas. The reason I went overseas happened like this. I went to work one day on the flight line while I was at Forbes and my supervisor, First Sargent, told me to go back home and pack a bag and come back. I asked him what was up and he said he could not tell me. So being the loyal airman that I was I followed orders and did as he requested. When I returned to the base he told me to go out and get on a certain aircraft, a C130 Hercules set up for troop transport. He told me I would have time to take care of my affairs when I arrived at my new destination. So dutifully I boarded the aircraft. We took off and I was in the air for 12 hours...longgggggggggg flight on a C130. When we landed I realized I was in Japan. Southern Japan to be more precise. We got on an Air Force bus and was moved to a headquarters building seven miles away. You can imagine my surprise and wonder as we traveled the narrow roads and on the wrong side,. It was something like the old south Georgia boy had never seen or experienced. Anyway I should come to the point and tell you why this was so much a  secret in the first place.

This all happened in 1968, just after he Pueblo Incident. Pueblo Incident, capture of the USS “Pueblo,” a Navy intelligence ship, and its 83 crewmen by North Korean patrol boats off the coast of North Korea on Jan. 23, 1968. The United States, maintaining that the “Pueblo” had been in international waters, began a military buildup in the area. It also initiated negotiations that resulted in an agreement that secured the release of the 82 surviving crewmen (one died from wounds suffered during the capture) on Dec. 23, 1968.

I was among only 12 regular Air Force personell that was sent to Itazuki Japan. We were assigned to an old WWII Air Force base we used during our occupation of Japaon right afer the war. It was called Itazuke Air Base, Fukuoka, Kyushu Japan 1952-1972 . We were there to support an Air Force Reseve Squadron of F-101 aircraft outfitted of ariel photo missions. Their mission was to fly over North Korea and gater infomation.

It was a great time and could go on forever about how life was there but it all came to an end when I was transferred to the Phillipines. I knew this was not a good sign because I was moving ever slow closer to Viet Nam on the map. Almost as soon as I was processed at Clark Air Force in the Phillipines I was moved to Viet Nam...was moved from base to base there,. Without going into detail, some of which you would not want the details anyway, I finally got out of there but not  before I re-enlisted for another term in the Air Force. I did so becuase I was not sure what I wanted to do back home yet plus the bonus was a nice one and it was TAX FREE by doing it in Viet Nam.

Now I have you up to date. Hope you enjoyed my boring story and thanks for you patience. The old Merc served me well but this story does have a twist which will come in my next post...dont you just love these cliff hangers ...hehe...yall have a good day now...ya heah...GOD Bless.

My Seventh Car - Just befor I left for Japan

This was my seventh car...1959 Buick Electra Four Door Hard Top...back when fins were in...hehe.
This was the biggest boat I ever owned...it was a great car though...the long wheel base made it ride like a dream but the faster you got the lighter the car got due to the wings up front and in the rear...one of the dangers of owning one of these. I only owned it for a few months. I found out I was going to be moved from Forbes Air Force Base in Kansas to Japan...had to sell it and get my affairs ready for a what they called "non specif amount of time" deployment to Japan..keep in mind what happened in 1967??...it was an event that made the world news...........I will tell you what the connection was to me going to Japan in my next post. Yall have a good day now ya heah....God Bless.

My Sixth Car and second one after high school

This is my 1963 Ford Fairlane I purchased after selling my '56. Right after I bought this car I was transferred from Turner Air Force Base in Georgia to Forbes Air Force Base in Topeka Kansas...yep I was on my way to see the world but the middle of Kansas was not exactly the world I had in mind...........at any rate I drove this car there without incident... enjoyed Topeka very much. My favorite hang out was a place called SASNAKS. That is Kansas spelled backward if you did not notice....learned to play pool there and became very good at it.............oh those were the good old days as they say, but have since learned that those days were just the tip of the iceberg....my seeing the world was about to begin........and man what a trip....any guesses on what happened next after Kansas??  Anyone?...yall have a good day now ya heah..God Bless 

My Fifth car and my First after High School

This is a photo of a 1956 Ford. Other than mine being solid white it is identical.

I purchased this car in Albany Georgia from the Ford dealership where my father worked. Can't remeber the exact price but $500.00 sticks in my mind for some reason. It was then 1966.

I had joined the Air Force six months before I graduated on what they called the delayed enlistment program at that time. You could join and did not have to actually enter the Air Force until you graduated high school.

So just two short days after graduation I was on a bus to Atlanta Georgia to be inducted into the Air Force.

After getting my physical I was given a date to report to Amarillo, Texas for basic training. It lasted only six weeks. Because of the Viet Nam War they were pushing people through pretty fast.

I joined the Air Force to see the world. So when I finished basic I was sent to Cheanute Air Force Base in Illinois for Jet Engine Tech School. Was there 21 weeks and received my first permanent base asignment. Of all placec they sent me right back to south Georgia.

Since my high school graduation my parents had moved to Albany Georgia, the same town I was assigned to. I reported to Turner Air Force Base in Albany Georgia and my parents lived less than a mile from the front gate. Well so much for seeing the world I thought. I lived off base in my parents house. Hmm, it was like going to work at a regular job every day and still living at home. I was not happy that I was not traveling the world. Little did I know what was in store for me the next couple of years. This was all took place in 1966.

I will give more details in my coming post. Yall have a good day now ...yeah heah...and God Bless

My Fourth and final car of my High School Years

This 1949 Plymouth Coupe was my fourth and final car of my High School Years. It was a flathead straight six with three speed on the column. A good dependable car. Had no problems with this car at all and it got me any where I wanted to go. It was not the coolest car anyone had but hey...I was not the coolest guy either so no problem.

I did not use this car for my senior prom though. I and my brother took his car. Now is was cool. It was a 1960 Skyliner Ford Convertible. The only draw back was that I had to take my dates brother along with us. Apparently her father either did not trust her daughter with me or was it he did not trust me. I will let you guess which way it was . Haha.

Just wanted to share this old car with you. Fond memories of it and one I used as passage to adult hood. Well at least I thought I was an adult back then. Really do not know what happened to it after I graduated and went off to the Air Force. I was too busy learning the facts of life at that time I guess.

Yall have a good day now...yah heah!! And God Bless you and God Bless America.

My Third Car

This is the third car I had during high school.  Yes third...the reason I had so many cars to drive while I was in high school was that my dad was a Ford mechanic and was always buying and selling cars for extra money. This old '58 was purchased from Wight Motor Company in Buena Vista Georgia where my dad worked.

This was a good durable car. The only problem it had was its driver. I was cruzin' around one day and had three buddies with me. Stopped at a stop sign and being the kewl guy I thought I was then I put the car in neutral, it was an automatic, raced the motor and slammed it into gear thinking I was going to do a burnout and have something to brag about. As soon as I slammed it into gear the car lurched about one foot, no tire spin...hmmm........

I let off of the gas and no matter what gear I put it in the car would not move. Naturally I had to get a ride to where my dad was and when he got off of work that day we pulled it home...about 10 miles.

He said "Well son you broke it now fix it....uh oh....now what was I going to do. I knew something about cars but nothing about automatic trannys...I jacked it up and started to take the tranny out. As soon as I took the dust cover off the flywheel I discovered what I had done.

The tires got so much grip that as soon as I put all that torque on the flywheel it broke it right around the bolts pattern. I was lucky that I did not damage the tranny. But I did have to take the bolts out of the tranny and slide it back in order to remove and replace the flywheel. And by the way, it was in the middle of the summer in south Georgia and I was laying on my back under the car in the good old Georgia sand sweating my butt off.

Anyway I got it done and needless to say as soon as I did my dad sold it..now what was I going to do for a ride.

That will be answered in my next blog....Yall have a good day now...yah heah

My second car - 1957 Vauxhall

This is a photo of the second car I ever owned. I called it "The Green Grunt." Why I came up with that name escapes me at the moment but it was a cool car back in its day. My father picked it up somewhere in Columbus Georgia. He was a Ford mechanic forever and was always picking up cars that had a different flavor. It being a car from England it was probably pretty cheap back then. I was 16 years old when he purchased it. It was four doors, four cylinder, two one barrell carbs and four speed on the column but was a left hand drive made for the U.S.

It took a very tough car to stay under me back in those days. I took it to the lake one summer Sunday afternoon that was about 50 miles from home and the bolts in the radiator worked loose and the radiator got into the fan blade and you can imagine what damage that did. It ran hot and I stopped and look under the hood and discovered that the radiator was beyond any simple on the road repair. Since the bolts had came out and were lost I simply took the radiator out and threw it in the trunk. Then I proceeded the drive it home. Yes folks, the whole 50 miles. It stayed together until I got it home but as soon as I switched it off the engine locked up immediately as you can imagine.

My dad was not a happy camper to say the least but he did say that at least I made it home safely.

To correct the problem we had to take the engine apart. We wound up having to drive the pistons out with a huge hammer and big round bar. Luckily the engine was equipped with piston sleeves. We mic'd the bore and did some research. The sleeves and pistons were the same size as a four cylinder Ford 8N tractor. What luck. We put it back together and it ran even stronger than before.

What a great car and was diffent than anything that any of my friends had. I think of it a lot today and you never here anything about  these much at all anymore.

Tons of fun. Yall have a good day now---yah heah...

My First Car

Thanks to the Saturday Evening Post this ad shows photos of my first ever car. Although mine was black this old boat was a great car.

I purchased it from a junkyard when I was 15. I was working in the hay fields for a cattle farmer in south Georgia during the summers and my pay was $4.00 a day. I worked 5 1/2 days a week. This car cost me one weeks pay. Yes only $25.00 but remember back then when I was 15, gas was only 25 cents a gallon or you could get 5 gallons for a dollar.

After driving it a few months I decided I needed a pick-up truck but with very little money my only choice was to utilized what I had. One weekend I went out and got my dads axe and cut the body off of the old Frazer just behind the drivers seat and took it down to the frame. It was a project I soon lost interest in but since it was my only way of getting to town which was 10 miles away I still drove it. No body from the front seat back, with  the headliner flapping in the breeze...yeah I was cool...or should I say kewl and a "crazy young man then." Yall have a good day now ,,,yah hea!!

First time at this...I feel 5 years old...

This is my first attemt at a blog...Most of this stuff will be about what I know about old cars and what anyone else would like to tell me about old cars no matter what make or model...so please be patient.
Remember we are mostly old guys just doing the old guy macho thing we could not afford to do when we were young and had the energy but not the money....remember this is going to be a fun blog...so keep it light please.

I appreciate your patients and understanding...this will be fun.

God Bless you and God Bless America