Car-show

Wrong (1932 Ford roadster hot-rod). (Photo by the so-called “old guy” with the dreaded and utterly reprehensible Nikon D100.)

Yesterday (Sunday, September 7, 2008) I took my old friend Art Dana to a car-show in nearby Mendon.
Dana, you’ll recall, is the retired bus-driver with Parkinson’s.
I think Dana is a bit confused, but really appreciates my dragging him along.
I was planning to attend the car-show anyway, but he lives nearby.
Dana is also the guy I recently chased trains with on the Water-Level.
Other factors are at play.
—1) the fact we are both old bus-drivers and can swap stories, and —2) we both have brain-injuries; me the stroke, and him Parkinson’s.
People are always making allowances for him, but I don’t. -a) I don’t know how, and -b) I’ve deduced I don’t need to.
He’s got a mouth. He can complain if need be.
I think Art appreciates not being treated like an invalid.
“I got a ‘31 Model-A roadster; a rat,” he said to the guy with a rat Model-A five-window coupe (pictured).
“Oh, do what ya can, and farm out the rest,” five-window man said.
“Baloney!” I interjected. “This guy built that entire rod himself!”
“I can’t push wrenches to full torque,” Art said; “so I get somebody that can.”
“Well, do what ya can in your remaining time.”
To me that’s baloney too. Ya don’t assume your days are numbered. Live for the moment! Get that sucker on the road no matter what it takes.
Art knows a lot about hot-rodding.
We walk up to a ‘60 Chevy Belair two-door sedan.
“348!” Art says.
“Could be a 409,” I say.
“Nope; can’t be. First 409 was the ‘61 model-year, so it’s a 348.”

“Rat” 1929 Model-A five-window. (That’s Dana at left.)(Photo by the so-called “old guy” with the dreaded and utterly reprehensible Nikon D100.)

The two best cars at the show, both of which regrettably I didn’t photograph, were:
—1) A very plain-looking gray ‘60 Chevy two-door sedan, “a sleeper,” Art said.
“Did you hear that, Art?” I cried. “I haven’t heard a sound like that since Cecil County Drag-o-Way in the middle ‘60s.”
“He’s got the lakes-pipes uncorked!”
“I might do that with my Model-A,” Art said. “See if I can get away with it.”
“Holy Tamolé,” Art said; “the 270 horsepower engine.”
“Yep,” the owner said. “Only the 283.”
“But twin four-barrel Edelbrocks,” Art said.
I remember a 270-horsepower twin four-barrel application in 1957; it was second to the Fuely.
So for all I know this could be the same motor.
“Is this the four-speed?” I asked, pointing at the floorshift.
“Three-speed.” —Deduct one point for wrong tranny.
But still very righteous. Very stock. About the only mod was small stainless eyebrows over the quad headlights.
A true ‘60s hot-rod.
—I told the guy later it was the best car I saw — or heard.
“I’m gonna keep drivin’ that thing even if gas goes to fifty bucks per gallon!”
—2) A wine-red Chevy-II two-door sedan, with super-stock Small-Block and four-speed. The car’s owner was the original owner, who bought it new in the ‘60s.
“All I ever did was dragrace it,” the guy said.
“Been through six owners. I brought it back from California.”
A geezer looked at the display-card.
“I used to drag-race this guy. ‘56 Chevy and he always won.”
“Notice that everyone here is a geezer?” Art said.
“You betcha,” I said. “Us old farts are the only ones that understand. These new kids have no idea.”
A guy named Joe Muscato was there with his 440 Charger. He had bought it new in the early ‘70s, and hung onto it. There was a yellowed picture inside of the dealer delivering the car to Muscato. Only difference in 2008 was gray hair.

RE: “‘Old guy’ with the dreaded and utterly reprehensible Nikon D100.......” —My macho, blowhard brother-from-Boston, who is 13 years younger than me, calls me “the old guy” as a put-down (I also am the oldest). I also am loudly excoriated by all my siblings for preferring a professional camera (like the Nikon D100) instead of a point-and-shoot. This is because I long ago sold photos to nationally published magazines.

For 16&1/2 years (1977-1993) I drove transit bus for Regional Transit Service, the transit-bus operator in Rochester, N.Y. My stroke October 26, 1993 ended that.

“The Water-Level” is the old mainline of the New York Central Railroad across New York State, now operated by CSX Transportation. Called “Water-Level” because it followed river-courses, and thereby avoided mountain grades. (The topography of New York State, north of the Allegheny Mountains, made west-east transportation easier.)

Ford “Model-A,” made from 1928-1931. Replaced the Model-T.

A “roadster” is an open-top two-seater with only a flimsy canvas top attached. It’s not a convertible. The top has to be removed to make the car topless. —Roadsters are no longer made; although current two-seat convertibles are often called “roadsters.”

A “five-window coupe” is a coupe with five windows other than the windshield; two in each door, two small side-windows in the body behind the doors, and the rear window. —“Three-window” coupes were also made; no side-windows in the body.

In the 1958 model-year, Chevrolet made a large truck-engine available since the car was much heavier. It displaced 348 cubic-inches. In the 1961 model-year, the 348 was enlarged to displace 409 cubic-inches; the first hot-rod motor over 400 cubic-inches.

“A sleeper” is a car that doesn’t look much like a hot-rod.

“Cecil County Drag-o-Way” was the dragstrip in northeastern Maryland I went to often while in college. —Drag-racing is standing-start to the end of a quarter-mile. First one there wins.

“Lakes-pipes” are unmuffled exhaust outlets. They could be capped for street-operation; an application found long ago at races on the dry lake-beds in the California desert.

“Twin four-barrel Edelbrocks” is two four-barrel carburetors made by Edelbrock; much more powerful than standard carburetion, which was usually only a single two-barrel on a V8.

“Fuely” is fuel-injected, not carburetors. Chevrolet introduced fuel-injection in 1957, mainly to maximize engine-breathing. Now all cars are fuel-injected, mainly to control emissions — it can be more precise than carburetors.

“Tranny” is transmission. A “three-speed” is a three-speed standard shift; not automatic. Standard transmissions by then were usually shifted by a shift-lever on the steering column. But floor-shifting was more direct.

The “Chevy-II” was Chevrolet’s first real competition to the Ford Falcon. Chevrolet also introduced the rear-engine Corvair in the same year as the Falcon (1960), but it wasn’t as successful. The Chevy-II could accommodate the Small-Block V8.

The Chevrolet “Small-Block” V8 was introduced at 265 cubic-inches displacement in the 1955 model-year. It continued production for years, first at 283 cubic inches, then 327, then 350. Other displacements were also manufactured. The Chevrolet “Big-Block” V8 was introduced in the 1965 model-year at 396 cubic-inches, and was unrelated to the Small-Block. It was made in various displacements: 402, 427 and 454 cubic inches. It’s still made as a truck-motor, but not installed in cars any more; although you can get it as a crate-motor, for self-installation. —The 348 was Chevrolet’s first big motor, but it wasn’t the “Big-Block.”

The “440 Charger” was a Dodge Charger coupe with the 440 cubic-inch “wedge” engine — not as strong as a “Hemi,” but nearly. The “Hemi” had hemispherical combustion-chambers, and the “wedge” didn’t (it had wedge-shaped combustion chambers). The Hemi breathed better at high speeds, so could be more powerful.