Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Another Taylor-Tot installment

If you've read more than just one or two of my posts, you've probably noticed that I have a love for the old Taylor-Tot strollers. It's almost become an obsession, so much so that I have started my own restoration business. You can find me at http://www.3r1enterprises.com/ .

Anyway, I just wanted to let everyone see my latest restoration.


It started out as the oldest Taylor-Tot that I had ever seen on ebay (which seems to be where most of these show up for sale). I don't have anything that tells me exactly, but I suspect it was from the late 1930's or the early 1940's. I just decided to call it a 1940 and leave it at that until I can prove differently.
NOTE: I now have confirmation that this was a 1937 stroller and the color was called "Spanish Brown".

Here was what I started with:

You can see that the front 'nose' has the art deco look and is sort of pointed. That's a lot different than the others I have seen.


Someone had decided that it was supposed to be blue, just like most of the later models- so they painted it.

Only thing is, once I started the teardown phase of the restoration, I found out that it was originally a maroon color. you can see that in the next picture.




The bottom of the rear sheetmetal shows the original color.

Me being me, I had to go original, so after the teardown, the media blasting, the priming, the painting, the detailing and the reassembly- it looks a lot different.

It's shinier because I use a base coat-clear coat paint and it makes them look a lot better than when they left the factory.





For your viewing pleasure:






I think it turned out nice.
Another piece of American history, returned to life.

If you'd like a reply to a comment- be sure to include a return address or visit us at http://www.3r1enterprises.com/ . I'd be glad to help you.

Friday, November 7, 2008

Grilling Goodness # 6



1. What is one of your 'must see' tv shows?
Smallville and NCIS...oh..that was two - sorree...
2. Do you have a facebook page?
Nope
3. How old were you when you got married?
19 and 48.
4. What is one bad habit that you need to break?
Only one?
Eating the wrong foods.
5. What is your favorite cold-weather activity?
Eating sno-cream.
6. At church, do you always sit in the same area?
Yep - right in the middle at a table.
7. What do you like best about blogging?
Fun way to keep in touch, but I don't do enough of it.
8. What's the last funny thing you remember hearing from a child?
"I don't have any clothes". The sayer of which shall remain nameless.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Grilling Goodness for Oct. 10, 2008


1. What can cheer you up when you're feeling grumpy?

Driving a car. Not sure why it does it, but it sure does.

2. Give one feature that could make or break the deal if you were shopping for a new home.
Having the garage empty into the living room. It needs to come into a mud room.
3. What's the craziest thing you've ever let your children eat for breakfast?
Hard to recall, but I'm sure they had pizza more than once.

4. If you are a 'watch what you eat' kind of person, share a meal or dish that makes it easier to diet.
I'm not- so I can't answer this one.

5. Is there something you used to do as a child that you would never let your children do now?
Whatever my children want to do is up to them. They're too old for me to have any say-so.

6. If you have a daughter, are her ears pierced? When did you allow it?
I suppose they are now, but when her mother originally did them, she was far too young.
7. Are you the only person in your house who changes the TP roll??
Foot no... last man using gets the job.

8. How old were you when you no longer lived with a parent(s) for the first time?
I was 19- went into the Navy and found myself onboard the USS America, under the right rear corner of the flight deck.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Goodbye, Coco...

Our 13 year old English Springer Spaniel, Coco, passed away this morning. She would have been 14 next month.

Over the past few years, she had lost her hearing, and it was getting difficult for her to get up off the mat and she had numerous infections, but over the past two days, she just took a nose-dive.

When I went to the gym this morning, she was standing on her mat, but 2 hours later she was in her doghouse and not coming out. My wife had already come to realize that she just needed to be put to sleep, so I made sure I was available to go to the vet with her. From about 8:45 till 9:42 she was out there alone...and when I went to check on her, she wasn't in her house. So I looked around and found her in the kiddie pool behind her house. We kept it there for her because she loved water and the summer is better for her to have a 'pond'.

Anyway, she was just lying in the water and had slipped into eternity.

Coco was a dog with a mind of her own, but she was so lovable. You couldn't sit still with a hand dangling because the next thing you know, there would be a slimey nose getting poked into it...you could just hear "pet me, pet me".

She loved swimming so it is perfectly fitting for her to pass away in the water.

I know there aren't supposed to be any tears in heaven, but if dogs aren't there...I'm thinkin the tears will be... so I expect to see her again...running across the clouds with those ears flopping.

So long my friend...we loved you.


Friday, August 29, 2008

The trip to Atlanta

Well, it has been a while since I’ve posted…sorry for the delay, but as some of you might know, I recently took a job that has very limited internet access during the day. Not that I get paid to post during working hours, but I’m not sure how doing so during my lunchtime would/should bother anything… but that’s ok.

Anyhow, once every two years, the International Woodworking Fair comes to Atlanta. This year was the year. All of the companies I used to work for would be there…so a few weeks ago, I had the chance to get a free ticket and I felt I needed to go, so I went.

I have a good friend living in Atlanta who schooled me on the Atlanta MARTA train schedules, so I parked in North Atlanta and rode the train/subway down thru town and out to the World Congress Center where IWF was.

On my way there, I had to change trains at “Five Points Station”- sort of a main hub. Whils standing there, I noticed two fellows standing by me, who were wearing their IWF badges. As we stood there, here comes a skinny, bearded guy with a clipboard and a form and he asked them: “You guys want to update your voter’s registration?” They shook their heads ‘no’…then here he comes toward me- I noticed he was wearing an “Obama ‘08” t-shirt…and he asked me the same thing: “You want to update your voter’s registration?” So I said: “DOOD, You’re not really going to vote for that Muslim-Communist, are you?”
The two guys there busted up laughing…and beardo just got this blank look on his face and turned away without saying a word… so I says “Hmmm, I guess he is”… we all had a good laugh about it.

I caught the right train and went on to the show. I saw a few of my friends, but missed some of the important ones I wanted to connect with…it seems they leave on Friday…rats…oh well.
So I saw all I could see, caught the return trains and headed home.

Coming up I-24 toward Monteagle, I passed a van that had water standing under the front end. There was a man and woman standing by it. I had an initial feeling that I should stop, but kept going. When I got to the top of the mountain (about a mile away), I couldn’t help it, Something kept telling me to help…so I turned around and drove the 3.5 miles back down the mountain, then turned back around (would it have been better to stop the FIRST time? Maybe, but then I wouldn’t have seen the 24 hour truckstop that I thought could help) and drove back up the mountain and stopped behind the van.

After introducing myself to the couple, I offered to take them, or one of them, on up the mountain to see about some help. They had already been on the phone with AAA and supposedly had a tow truck on the way. So the fellow left his wife with the van and I took him up to the truckstop.

He found out the tow truck was coming from someone the truckstop operators know, so he was in good hands and told me go ahead – they’d be fine. So I headed on back home.

In this life, there are no coincidences…Someone set it up that I would be coming along just at that time…maybe that was the reason for the whole trip? I’ll have to ask Him one day.

Monday, April 21, 2008

The movie star...









Wow, I have a ‘star car’ now.

Do what?

Well, it’s like this… a couple of years ago we were at a car show at a local high school and ran into a guy who owns “Ragtop Picture Cars”. He supplies cars to movies, music videos, commercials- you name it- he does it. The guy owns 72 cars!!

Anyway, I sent him pictures of our cars and told him to let us know if he could use them in a production… and last week I got the call.

A movie about Billy Graham’s Early Years is being filmed in the area and they needed cars for a 1934 tent revival scene. In those days, they used to line up cars around the tent, shining their headlights into the crowd. That was the main light they had.

So anyway, I agreed to show up with our ’34 Ford. I got there about 3:55pm and met some other fellows who brought their cars. One guy had a replica of the car that Bonnie & Clyde got killed in- minus the bullet holes and blood. It was a sweet car.

Anyway, about 4:30 they called us to start bringing the cars around. The shooting was in a field behind the Wilson County Fairgrounds in Lebanon, TN. They had a huge tent set up and many, many extras dressed in 1934 clothes. We parked our cars and then waited…and waited…and waited some more.

A crew from Daystar out of Dallas were shooting some background and doing some interviews and they were 15 feet from me. I went behind the interview camera and found that they were using the ’34 as a backdrop for their interviews…How Kool!

Finally it got dark and they started shooting. The first scene was shot from a high boom camera showing all the people arriving for the revival. My little car was VERY visible…and I was in it. Since my car is already 12v, we were going to hook a battery charger up to it so I could leave the lights on without the battery going dead…but we didn’t have enough chargers at first, so for the opening shot, I sat in the car and let it idle. I’ll be looking for my arm hanging out the window!!

Later we moved around to the other side of the tent, found an extra charger and I just sat in the car all night turning the lights on when they were needed. During the crew’s “lunch” (at midnight) I got about 90 minutes of sleep and during some of the scenes that didn’t need the car lights - I got maybe another 2 ½ hours of sleep. We finished at 5am this morning.

Needless to say, I am ragged out, but it was a neat way to meet some interesting people and see ‘behind the scenes’. Look for the movie: “Billy: The Early Years”. We’ll be there.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Friday's Feast #6

Happy Friday!

Appetizer
Name a color you find soothing.

Soothing...a nice soft teal... sort of reminds me of freshly cut grass. Ever since I went to Navy boot camp and couldn't touch the ground for 9 weeks, I have never minded cutting grass or the smell that goes along with it.

Soup
Using 20 or less words, describe your first driving experience.

When I was a small boy (like 3 to 4 years old) my dad would put me in his lap and let me 'drive' the car... or so I've been told.

Salad
What material is your favorite item of clothing made out of?

Cotton. I have some soft cotton houth panths that I wear and they are super comfy.

Main Course
Who is a great singer or musician who, if they were to come to your town for a concert, you would spend the night outside waiting for tickets to see?

I cannot think of anyone that I esteem that highly. This one is a bust, I guess.

Dessert
What is the most frequent letter of the alphabet in your whole name (first, middle, maiden, last, etc.)?

A = 4. R = 3.

Til next week...

Friday, April 11, 2008

Friday's Feast #5

Appetizer
Who was the last person you hugged?

My lovely wife, on my way in to work this morning.

Soup
Share a beauty or grooming trick or tip with us.

This is easy. I'm baldheaded-except for the typical 'fringe' so my 'beauty trick' is to go get all of it cut off every six weeks and it's really easy to wash and curl after that.

Salad
What does the color yellow make you think of?

My race car hauling pickup truck-we used to call it "BigBird" It was '78 'vette yellow.

Main Course
If you were to make your living as a photographer, what subject would your pictures revolve around?

Old stuff- old cars, old furniture, old people...anything that was made in years past.

Dessert
What was the longest book you ever read?

This one has me beat-I read so much that there's no way to remember them all, or a certain one that was really long.

Th-Th-Th-That's all folks.

Friday, April 4, 2008

Confessions of a wannabe comic.

Ok, I finally did it.

I was in Wal-Mart's pharmacy yesterday getting a prescription, and it was raining cats & dogs, so my coat was all spotted with water drops. I was standing there and one of the cashiers said, "Is it still raining outside?"

I looked down at my coat then back up at her and said, "Uh, nope, I just got out of the shower.... here's your sign." and I laughed....

She looked a little perplexed (as IF she didn't know Bill Engvall) and said, "Well, I thought maybe you were walking around in the store..." ??HUH?-soaking wet??

So I said, "No, the showers in the store are broken."

I couldn't help it... I repent.

Until next time... heh-heh.

Friday's Feast #4

Appetizer
Invent a new flower; give it a name and describe it.

It's the "caffineaddictusdelightus". It's really pretty. It has soft green stems and small blue coffee cups as the blooms

Soup
Name someone whom you think has a wonderful voice.

Charlotte Church used to, but I haven't heard her in a few years.

Salad
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how clean do you keep your car?

Oh, dear... outside or inside?
Outside...maybe a 3
Inside... a 4.
I KNOW- I need to do better...

Main Course
How do you feel about poetry?

If it RHYMES... I like it fine. "Poetry" that doesn't rhyme is like dog poo that doesn't smell...unnatural.

Dessert
What was the last person/place/thing you took a picture of?

A get together at our car club http://stonesriveraaca.googlepages.com/

Till next week...

Friday, March 28, 2008

Friday's feast #3 and it's on time!

Appetizer
What does the color dark green make you think of?

A swing set that my DD painted up when she was a teenager. ..and MY blog background, of course!

Soup
How many cousins do you have?

Only 3.

Salad
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how honest are you?

Gotta be a 10. Since I was in the 4th grade and got caught lying to my dad - and got the whipping that followed, lying is something that I guard against. I get kinda tactless at times and the truth does often hurt, but I won't lie.

Main Course
Name something that is truly free.

The love of God and His gift of eternal life thru His Son Jesus.

Dessert
Using the letters in the word SPRING, write a sentence.

Some People Relish In Nekkid Groping.

Small Persons Really Intend No Growing. (small in character - not size)

'Till next week

Monday, March 24, 2008

Friday's Feast #2... and yes, it's late.

It's kinda tough to do one of these on Good Friday.
Anyway - here we go..


Appetizer
Given the choice, would you prefer to live in the country or in the city?

Now, this is tuff... I think I'd rather tlive in the country, but no further than 10 miles from a Wally-World. :-) (Does that make me a city-slicker?)


Soup
Who is the cutest kid you know?

It's TIE... (no way can I pick only one!) Ella & Evan!


Salad
Fill in the blank: I couldn’t believe it when I heard ___________.

Obama's 'pastor' curse America. Seems to me that he is always free to relocate.



Main Course
If you could star in a commercial for one of your favorite products, which one would you want to advertise?

Easy - I'd want to be doing laps around Talladega in a race car as the pitchman for NASCAR!


Dessert
What type(s) of vitamins and/or supplements do you take on a regular basis?

Is macaroni & cheese a supplement? Actually, none...

Till next week...

Friday, March 14, 2008

Maybe it's time to start the "Friday's Feast" thing that my DD does.
Here's #1

Appetizer
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 as highest), how much do you like your own handwriting?

If we're talking about cursive and really can't go any lower than a 1... I'm stuck with that. I discovered, years ago, that I can print reasonably well so that's what I do...if I can't find a computer anywhere.


Soup
Do you prefer baths or showers?

Gotta be showers. I'm a git-er-done guy and baths take too long.

Salad
What was the last bad movie you watched?

One that comes to mind is "Anger Management". My wife to be and I went to see it and sat thru about 10 minutes of it and the language and innuendos were so pathetic that we got up and left.

Main Course
Name something you are addicted to and describe how it affects your life.

Custom-made macaroni and cheese. Make the standard box of Kraft M&C, add 8oz of Velvetta and woo, boy-how nice...but the downside is... how fattening!...

Dessert
Which instrument is your favorite to listen to?

I'm thinking the banjo. I would love to be able to play that thing like Bill Monroe.

OK- I survived... till next time...

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

The "LOOK AT THIS STUFF! ISN'T IT NEAT?" meme

Courtesy of my DD at http://thegoldensblog.blogspot.com/
The assignment: 1) Find five things around your house that say something about the person you are and snap a picture of them.
2) Tell us about them.

"Around your house" ... mmm... I assume that past and present are game? For me, it has to be that way because the past is such a great part of who I am.

So, first off is my 1934 Ford. My dad bought this car in Mississippi in 1958. It looks a lot different than it did in this 1971 pic, but that's because of all the BS&T (blood sweat & tears) that have been put into it over the past 36 years.


Next up is our mucho-kool bookcases that are beside our fireplace. My wife and I are readers and pack-rats, so we have things in the bookcases that could be elsewhere...but what the heck- it's OUR house, right? This first one is 'mine', that's on the left of our FP.

This next one is 'hers' and she's on the right of the FP. The trophies are some that she won with her 1955 Ford Town Sedan, Ms Mayberry (see her story down below)


Next up is about the only mascot that I have ever had. He doesn't even have a name, but he has been hanging around my bedroom for 20+ years (no telling what all he has seen or heard... and it's probably a good thing that he can't tell us!) He just stays in his place, swinging from the ceiling fan light.


And lastly, but never the least... my two darlins...(well, one darlin and one bag of Trouble - haha) rollin around our living room in their 1949 Taylor Tot stroller. Ain't they the cutest little rascals?


So, there you have 'em... five things.... thanks Tina....






Friday, February 15, 2008

60 Things you might not know about me...

I stole this from my DD's blog http://thegoldensblog.blogspot.com/

1. What is in the back seat of your truck right now?
A jacket, my resumes, earphones and an umbrella.


2. When was the last time you threw up?
It’s been a while…I can’t really remember.

3. What's your favorite curse word?
Hmmm…is ‘jerk’ a cuss word?

4. Name 3 people who made you smile today?
My wife, Tina and Dave.

5. What were you doing at 8 am this morning?
Praying and catnapping.

6. What were you doing 30 minutes ago?
I was in the ..uh…well… nevermind.

7. What will you be doing 3 hours from now?
Getting home from work.

8. Have you ever been to a strip club?
Yes, I was a Millington, TN Police Officer.
On the job.

9. What is the last thing you said aloud?
“You shoulda told him he was the daddy.”

10. What is the best ice cream flavor?
Butter Pecan.

11. What was the last thing you had to drink?
Diet Coke from Cap’n D’s.

12. What are you wearing right now?
Purple shirt, khakis, NB tennis and underwear.

13. What was the last thing you ate?
Fish & Chips at Cap’n D’s.

14. Have you bought any new clothing items this week?
Nope, but my wife bought me some new trousers for Valentine’s Day.

15. When was the last time you ran?
If bike riding at the gym counts: This morning=21 miles.

16. What's the last sporting event you watched?
NASCAR Gatorade Duel yesterday.

17. Do you like to play games?
Some…

18. Who is the last person you emailed?
Phil

19. Ever go camping?
Nope.

20. Do you have a tan?
UNUUUH??? Strawberries can’t ‘tan’.

24. Do you drink your soda from a straw?
When it's from a restaurant, yes.

25. What did your last IM say?
Glad it worked.

26. Are you someone's best friend?
Sure..

27. What are you doing tomorrow?
Doing my taxes.


28. Where is your mom right now?
In Memphis: Frayser, TN

29. Look to your left, what do you see?
A wall, a scanner and my diet drink..

30. What color is your watch?
Silver & gold.

31. What do you think of when you think of Australia ?
Steve Irwin and Olivia Newton John.

32. Would you consider plastic surgery?
“Plastic”? Maybe not… “Iron”? Depends on what they were workin on.
But only if they didn’t have to put me under.


33. What is your birthstone?
ZIRCON and TURQUOISE . How’d I get 2?


34. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru?
I go in…ya can’t see the people from a car.

35.How many kids do you want?
No more.

36. Do you have a dog?
Yes…a 12 year old Brittney Spaniel.

37. Last person you talked to on the phone?
Some woman from Philly.

38. Have you met anyone famous?
Dale Earnhardt – Morgan Shepard – Jimmy Hart – Louise Mandrell.

39. Any plans today?
Work and try to make some money.

40. How many states have you lived in?
Four – TN, MS, VA, FL.

41. Ever go to college?
Yes, and have 3 degrees to show for it.

42. Where are you right now?
In an office.

43. Biggest annoyance in your life right now?
Instability in the income arena.

44. Last song listened to?
“Praise you in this storm”

46. Are you allergic to anything?
Nope.

47. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time?
House shoes.

48. Are you jealous of anyone?
Nope. My journey is mine.

50. Is anyone jealous of you?
I hope not.

51. What time is it?
2:30pm

52. Do any of your friends have children?

Grown ones.

53. Do you eat healthy?
I try…but I’m not as successful as I want to be.

54. What do you usually do during the day?
Depends on if it’s a work day or not.

55. Do you hate anyone right now?
Nope, I refuse to.

56. Do you use the word 'hello' daily?
Yes, answering the phone at work.

57. Are you learning anything new?
I hope so, although I don’t specifically know what it is.

58. How old will you be turning on your next birthday?
54.

59. Have you ever been to Six Flags?
No.

60. How did you get one of your scars?
Ran into a crossmember on a swing set. Busted my cheek wide open.
It was dusk, the crossmember was dark green.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

The Story of Ms. Mayberry


Around the 4th of June, 2003, my wife and I were in the middle of our honeymoon. Early on, we had discovered that we both loved to ‘get off the beaten path’ and cruise the backroads. We had been down the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia and were headed into North Carolina. We decided to visit Mt. Airy, NC…the real “Mayberry”…Andy Griffith’s hometown.

We toured the local museum and saw all sorts of ‘Mayberry’ memorabilia. We saw Otis’ suit, the signs from the doors of the Sheriff’s office and many other interesting items. The ‘Mayberry’ jail had a 1963 Ford Po-lice car sitting outside and we even had our picture taken with “Floyd the barber” (Yep, he’s real and he’s a really nice fellow whose shop has Polaroid photos of visitors covering all the walls).

We started out of Mt. Airy, attempting to take route 601 but unknowingly, I turned a block too early. As we headed down a hill toward an intersection, we passed an Auto Body Shop and noticed a long row of cars sitting facing the road. Among the cars was a really pretty 1955 Ford. We both looked at each other, “Wow, Kool car!” and turned right around and drove back to take a look. There was no “for sale” sign anywhere but this Ford was looking real good. It turned out that it was a “Town Sedan” with a color pattern that I had never seen before. The green color was above the moulding, on top of the white. The chrome was nice, the paint looked sharp and the interior looked like it had just rolled out of the factory. We could tell the interior was original because the headliner still had small burn marks by the vent window where someone tried to flick their ashes out and missed the opening. We looked it over for a bit and then got back in the truck and headed on our way.

Once we got home and back into the daily routine (if that’s even an accurate statement for newlyweds), I couldn’t get that ’55 off my mind. So, I called back to Mt. Airy and after a few days of talking to the Chamber of Commerce and several other people in the area, I was able to find out that Mr. John Mittman owned the Auto Body Shop, and presumably the ’55.

After a few tries, I was able to talk to John, who relayed the story of the ’55 to me:

A gentleman named Mr. Watson Harris had bought his car new, in March of 1955. Mr. Harris only drove it to church and to Florida once or twice over the 46 years that he used it. The car had only 56,300 miles on it when Mr. Harris passed away in 1991. Mr. Harris’ daughter put the ’55 into a one-car garage and left it there for the next 10 years. Unfortunately, this was the same garage that she used for sheltering her pet cats.

Sometime in 2001, John bought the car from Mr. Harris’ daughter (Helen Starr) and took it down to his shop. Once there, the damage from the cat urine was evident. Some parts of the lower body and the chrome needed attention. The most fortunate part of it was that the windows were always up, so no cat ever got inside the car.

John had the bumpers and accessory bumper guards re-chromed and the gas tank ‘re-nued’. He had the front door upholstery redone and did the bodywork necessary to be able to repaint the car in its original colors; Sea Sprite Green and Snowshoe White. Once he had the car looking good, he parked it alongside his shop and waited for the right folks to come by.

It looks like my wife and I were “the right folks” because after talking to John, and hearing what his price for the car was, we decided to go back and take a closer look…and this time, we’d take the car trailer with us. J

The third weekend of June, we made a flying trip back to Mt. Airy to check the car out. When we drove up to John’s shop the car was sitting there running and I had to look twice at the turning fan blade to make sure…it was smooth. John got in the car with us for a test drive and we started off down the street. At the first traffic light, I stepped on the brakes and the right front tire locked up. (made lots of folks take notice J) Then, after taking off again, the car stuttered a bit, like it might need a tune-up. We drove over to Ms. Starr’s house, which was only a few miles away. Her driveway is a steep up-hill off the main road, at the bottom of a long down-hill. I hit the brakes and they wouldn’t stop the car. We just slid right on by Ms. Starr’s drive. Since I’m always a glutton for punishment, we made the block and came back around for another try. Luckily, the parking brake worked ok, so I was able to get the car slowed enough to make the turn and got up her drive just fine.

Ms. Starr came out and talked with us and told us of how many fond memories she had of being in the car with her folks. She even said that my wife getting out of the car brought back visions of all the times that she had seen her mom get out of it. It seems that the two ladies were similar in stature. After a while, we decided we needed to get on the road, so we headed back to Mr. Mittman’s shop to work out the sale.

We got all the I’s dotted, and T’s crossed, and went out to load it up…and the battery wouldn’t start the engine. John looked sort of pained (like, “Oh, man, I just sold him this car, and now this”), but I just reached into the back of my truck and pulled out the 6-volt battery that I had brought from home. With a big grin on his face, John said, “Man, you came prepared, didn’t you?” I told him about converting my ’34 Ford to 12 volts a few months back and how this little 6-volt had just been sitting there waiting for a new home. Little did we know that it would be in a 1955 Ford.

We got the car started, loaded her up and headed for home. The return trip was uneventful, but loaded with admiring glances and every gas stop was an occasion for someone to start that familiar refrain; “I remember when…”

Once we got back home, I put the car in the air and proceeded to give her a good inspection. The brake cylinders were corroded, the exhaust pipes were rotted, the master cylinder leaked, and the heater core was leaking onto the carpet, but she sure was pretty! I replaced all the brake components (hoses, shoes, cylinders, etc) and bypassed the heater. It still ran kind of rough on take off, but I took her down to get new mufflers and pipes installed and once those were in, it ran like a new car. The old mufflers had fallen apart and were almost rusted shut internally.

But “Mrs. Mayberry” (as my wife named her) was on the road…July of 2003.

Since then we have put about 3,700 miles on her and haven’t had but one real scare. On the way back home from a cruise in Union City, TN, she started running horribly, almost like on 2 cylinders. I thought we had broken a rocker arm or something internal in the engine. As we limped along, I decided to pull the choke (I was desperate). Lo and behold, she perked right up and we made it back home just fine. After getting home, I decided to rebuild the carburetor and in my “junk box” I found a carburetor that my dad had used on one of his dirt track stock cars back in the late 1950’s. It was exactly the right carb for Mrs. Mayberry, so I rebuilt it and put it in. Boy, did that wake the big 272 up! After a while I had to put in smaller carb jets, but that’s not surprising…Mrs. Mayberry isn’t a race car. She is just a sweet old car that has found her home with folks who appreciate her and who will enjoy making new family memories with her.
Thus far, Mrs. Mayberry has won a “people’s choice” award, a ‘second in class’ trophy at an antique auto show here in Jackson and had her “fifteen minutes of fame” in the local Christmas parade. We drove her all the way to Branson, MO and back, where we picked up another ‘second in class’ and attended a show in Savannah, TN where we got another 2nd place trophy… Unfortunately, time took it’s toll on Ms. Mayberry’s engine. She lost her compression and a rebuild is needed. The engine is now in pieces in my garage. We hope to return her to the road this summer…the adventure is just beginning.