[stephenjohnbanker]

Stories??

OK, here we go. Dateline June,1965,South Bend,Ind. My dad brought home a 1965 Ford Mustang 289, 4 speed, 4 barrel, british racing green, black rag top, black interior. A week later, around midnight me and 2 buddies rolled it down the long driveway(I had snuck the keys after dinner), started it and took off. Never had so much fun in my life. Drove all over the Michigan countryside. Returned about 2:30 AM..........there was my dad, sitting on the front steps, smoking a cigarette, sipping a cup of coffee, looking calm.....too damn calm.

My 2 friends offered apologies, and ran like a thieves in the night. There I was, all alone, facing certain doom.

Dad: “ Nice car, huh?”

SJB: “Oh yeah.”

Dad: “Where did you go/”

SJB: “ Michigan”

Dad: “ I suppose Chicago was a bit too far. OK, every father should cut a kid slack one time in their life. For you, this is it. All is forgiven. If you do it again, you will die. A corpse, understand?”

A couple days later I asked why. He said he would have done it too! LOL!!

[Dem Guard]

That is great! Unfortunately,my dad didn't buy many new cars.
When my engineer dad decided to sell a car it was no less than 10 years old. Naturally, being in the junker price range, I bought a series of them from him for no more than 300.00. My dad didn't really believe in body shops. He had his hammers and he pounded out occasional dents himself and bought paint at the hardware store that “approximated” the color.

[Landru]

"Stories??...OK, here we go. Dateline June,1965,South Bend,Ind. My dad brought home a 1965 Ford Mustang 289, 4 speed, 4 barrel, british racing green, black rag top, black interior."

*Brand* new, in '65??
Good grief!
You were one hot dude in a very cold world, pal. LOL!!

"A week later, around midnight me and 2 buddies rolled it down the long driveway (I had snuck the keys after dinner), started it and took off. Never had so much fun in my life. Drove all over the Michigan countryside. Returned about 2:30 AM...there was my dad, sitting on the front steps, smoking a cigarette, sipping a cup of coffee, looking calm...too damn calm."

BBBBWWWWHAAAAAAA!!!
Oh sweet Jesus, I can just SEE 'em in my mind's eye.
Just waiting, patiently. Your soul in God's hands, your ass in his. LOL!!!!!

"My 2 friends offered apologies, and ran like a thieves in the night. There I was, all alone, facing certain doom."

HA!!
Ain't it ever the truth.
"Dem Guard" would leave me in a lurch with my ol' man & bolt like a scalded cat for the safety of his home every time. Some pal, Pal. LOL

""Dad: 'Nice car, huh?' SJB: 'Oh yeah. Dad: 'Where did you go' SJB: 'Michigan' Dad: 'I suppose Chicago was a bit too far. OK, every father should cut a kid slack one time in their life. For you, this is it. All is forgiven. If you do it again, you will die. A corpse, understand?'"

Bet'chu understood so well that moment of clarity stands unequaled to this day. LOL!!

My old man, stephen, had the gall to have --unbeknownst to me, naturally-- taken mileage on his Dart 340 Swinger before I left on a Saturday night.
In the morning he approaches me, asks if I'd been to Chicago? I shit-u-not.
I said I'd never left the city of Brookfield (where we lived) and City of Milwaukee confines, never did too. One of those rare times he caught me totally flat footed so the honesty just flowed out quite naturally.
In a night's driving, I'd put on 500 miles!!
Like running the Pocono 500!!
Bet to his death he thought I'd lied, simply could not believe nor accept it could be done!

"A couple days later I asked why. He said he would have done it too! LOL!!"

Man must've been quite a man and a great father, stephen.
Mine too, I really miss 'em. ;^)

[mkjessup]

FRiend, you really had me laughing about your adventure with the Mustang, I actually did something just as (no, actually MORE) foolhardy ...

My Uncle (the one with the fuel-injected ‘64 Corvette) traded cars like horses, always had a different ride every few months or so (probably not but it seemed like it), anyway he acquired a ‘71 deTomaso Pantera, that was the rear mounted 351-Cleveland w/5-speed transaxle, in proper trim it could do an honest 200 mph on the street.

ANYhow ... I was visiting my Uncle (a few states away) and happened to have that Galaxie with me, and as it turned out I had to do a brake job on my car, and not thinking ahead, I pulled the drums and shoes and then realized ‘hey wait a minute, I don’t have replacement shoes’, so I figured my good Uncle was at work (worked at an auto parts dealer in town) and he left the keys in that Pantera, sooooo into the driver’s seat I jumped in like Batman, turned the key, listened to that Cleveland rumblin’ away and I proceeded to drive to the local Sears automotive where I picked up a set of brake shoes and assorted parts, and drove back, and I actually behaved myself, no wild acceleration, I treated that Pantera with respect. It was a scary piece of machinery.

My Uncle comes home from work. He says “ok wise guy, whats the idea of taking that Pantera out?” and I tried to play dumb asking “who me?” and he says “yeah YOU, you forget that there is only ONE Pantera within about a 100 mile radius of this little burg, and EVERYONE saw you!”

So I admitted what I did, and why I did it, and he said “next time just ask me, call me up, ok?” He wasn’t too mad at me, but I learned a valuable lesson:

Next time, take the Corvette, it’ll blend in easier. LOL