Parents 25th wedding anniversary and a 48 ford Oct 17th 1972.
I was fourteen and three quarters years old and sophomore in high school A classmate had this car without a front clip with leopard skin interior and a 51 Mercury flathead, that he wanted to off for twenty-five bucks. Of course I had to have it. So Ray Kaszuba and I schemed how to get the car home. Devise a plan to make it acceptable with a place to work on it.
It was three months until my parents twenty fifth wedding anniversary and the car was the same year they were married. The plan was we would get the car running and give it to my parents, mainly my dad on that momentous day. How could they refuse, I would be driving my own wheels soon. Yes one year minus fifteen days from October 17th 1972.
A neighbor was nice enough to us use his garage, and keep the surprise gift a secret. Actually the whole block was in on the rouse. My dad actually drove by the garage when he parked his car. Amazingly the secret was kept.
We put hot rod fenders on the front we fixed the driveshaft. We cleaned the leopard skin interior and did manage to get the old 2 door Ford running a few times. One of our compatriots Dan Wolski worked at a platting plant and had a bunch of the engine parts chromed. We also sat in the car and drank beer.
This was about the same time the movie American Graffiti came out. A lot of people notice the resemblance to the lead cars in the movie. If I could have only painted the rust yellow. Me not being a movie go-err, I did not know this until I saw the movie at the Starlight Drive In a few years later.
October 17th 1972 came and the car would not start. To live up to the original plan and to keep our dignity, we pushed the car in front of my parents house.
When Verne my mother saw the car I thought I was going to get hit with the broom. This was alleviated by John my dad laughing so hard there were tears in his eyes.
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