Just a car story that REMINDS:
Linda and I attend a Celebration of Life yesterday--Bruce Barnes a "Parky Friend" of ours who grew up on a farm in Coldwater Mi.
I tell this story because I lived part of it: I started reading HRM in 1956 as a freshman in Rusk, Tx.--One of my monthly must do-- was to read the "For Sale" every month--lots of dreaming and drooling---I had savings and could not wait to get me a car my fav's were the coupes and especially the roadster pus.
I think I remember in the April or May HRM-- an add for a 34 5 window with an Olds 303 somewhere in Mo. St Louis I think. I got real excited because it was something I might could afford. My folks said I could not have a Hot Rod until I could legally put it in my name and pay for everything.
Well Bruce was graduating from HS and hitch hiked to MO.-- bought the car and it was his daily driver all through college as he majored in ME. He interned at GM in the eng. lab between his Jr and Sr. years and as he was leaving he asked about a Buick nail head that they had been running in the endurance dyno. lab on propane. He bought the eng for $ 50. and GM rebuilt it with the hi-compression propane pistons and even put a "3/4" cam in it for him as a thank you.
After graduation, he sold his horse, that he had won boxes of ribbons with during high school and college, loaded the 3 boxes of ribbons, the Nailhead and a single suitcase of clothes in the 303 Olds powered 34 and headed to Tucson to enroll in the UofA Master Degree program in ME--got a job with Sperry Rand---courted his bride to be in this 34 and continued to be his daily driver until the 303 expired..
Parked it his the new house in Phoenix until 13 years ago we he was downsized 1 day before he was going to give his 2 weeks notice. Took the 6 months severance pay and stared the "restoration" by putting it on a Nissian PU chassis with the Nail head in it. I helped him several small times---he had no experience with the late 50s early 60 emissions.
When Bruce had to move into an assisted living unit they sold the 34-- I would have loved to drive and enjoyed it--- but it never would have been anything but what all of his friends knew it by "Bruce's 34"
