Post by Volktales on May 21, 2022 10:22:22 GMT -8
Well it has happened. As some of you know, Dad's time in hospital finally came to an end on Thursday night at 6:30 pm. He was surrounded by all his family as we watched him take his final breath. This marked the end of two months in hospital with many ups and downs. In the end it was his failing heart that sealed his fate. He spent the final day unconscious, but the previous day he was still able to communicate. I will cherish those final hours as we chatted about mostly cars, unsurprisingly...
As you have probably guessed by now, my Dad was a car guy through and through. Although we had very different taste in cars, Dad and I could talk about them for hours and hours. He always loved cars and bought his first one back in the exciting times of the mid 1950's. Volkswagens were certainly not on his radar, but the brand new 1955 Chevrolet small block certainly was. Through hard work he was able to buy a '55 Bel-Air convertible back around 1957. And not surprisingly this original black car was soon painted Buick Titan red, and was lowered with lakes pipes, spotlamps, chromed rims, and trendy Dominion Royal Master pinstripe tires! This was a very sweet ride in the day, and he enjoyed taking it to car shows. Unfortunately life moved on, and he sold his beloved Chevy not long after my sister arrived in '64. After this he became more interested in boats for some time and did less car stuff, although he always had interesting daily drivers...
So I came on the scene in 1969 and was born a car guy. Dad was still more into boating and fishing at that stage, but he supported my car habit with HotWheels and Matchbox. I convinced him that in the early '80's it was time to fix up his rusty '69 Chevrolet pickup that he owned from near new. I don't think he was impressed when I poked my finger through a weak spot in the side of the box, but he agreed it was time to do something about it. That truck project re-kindled his interest in cars, and this led to the purchase of a 1959 Thunderbird convertible. Dad owned a '59 hardtop after he sold the old '55 Bel-Air, and he always talked about getting another T-bird. I was very excited about this purchase, and it became our first "full-on" father and son restoration. Many more were to follow, but this car had the most meaning to both of us. Dad polished off old skills and learned new ones, while I pushed him and myself to do the best job we could. This car went on to do very well at the shows, and Dad and I enjoyed driving and showing it. This is also one car that was always destined to be mine, and I am looking forward to getting it out on the road again in the future.
We ended up doing around 15 cars between the both of us, although admittedly he was not enamored with my Volkswagen interests. I think he liked my red bus the best, although he made it very clear his favourite VW was Rob S' black oval window Beetle! In later years Dad switched from mostly stock restorations, back to his hot rodding youth. His final builds were heavily modified customs, and this is what he liked the most. In our final talks, he admitted that his highly modified pinky '56 Thunderbird was likely his favourite, although he was always quick to remind everyone the official colour was "Lilac Lace". This was also his most ambitious project at the time, as it was built entirely from leftover junk parts. His 1937 Ute was his final project, and the one the most technically difficult. I was always proud of him for having a vision right at the start of what he wanted for this car, and then carrying it to completion without compromise. It may not to have been to everyone's taste, but he loved driving it, and hard too.
I really do have Dad to thank for supporting my love of cars, and it was something we enjoyed doing together, even when we did not see eye to eye on exactly how things should be done. I was the stock "purist", and he was the customizer, but we always managed to get things done. I will always be thankful for what I learned from my Dad, and am very glad we had something in common to bond with each other. To one of the greatest Dads ever, I will always miss you!
As you have probably guessed by now, my Dad was a car guy through and through. Although we had very different taste in cars, Dad and I could talk about them for hours and hours. He always loved cars and bought his first one back in the exciting times of the mid 1950's. Volkswagens were certainly not on his radar, but the brand new 1955 Chevrolet small block certainly was. Through hard work he was able to buy a '55 Bel-Air convertible back around 1957. And not surprisingly this original black car was soon painted Buick Titan red, and was lowered with lakes pipes, spotlamps, chromed rims, and trendy Dominion Royal Master pinstripe tires! This was a very sweet ride in the day, and he enjoyed taking it to car shows. Unfortunately life moved on, and he sold his beloved Chevy not long after my sister arrived in '64. After this he became more interested in boats for some time and did less car stuff, although he always had interesting daily drivers...
So I came on the scene in 1969 and was born a car guy. Dad was still more into boating and fishing at that stage, but he supported my car habit with HotWheels and Matchbox. I convinced him that in the early '80's it was time to fix up his rusty '69 Chevrolet pickup that he owned from near new. I don't think he was impressed when I poked my finger through a weak spot in the side of the box, but he agreed it was time to do something about it. That truck project re-kindled his interest in cars, and this led to the purchase of a 1959 Thunderbird convertible. Dad owned a '59 hardtop after he sold the old '55 Bel-Air, and he always talked about getting another T-bird. I was very excited about this purchase, and it became our first "full-on" father and son restoration. Many more were to follow, but this car had the most meaning to both of us. Dad polished off old skills and learned new ones, while I pushed him and myself to do the best job we could. This car went on to do very well at the shows, and Dad and I enjoyed driving and showing it. This is also one car that was always destined to be mine, and I am looking forward to getting it out on the road again in the future.
We ended up doing around 15 cars between the both of us, although admittedly he was not enamored with my Volkswagen interests. I think he liked my red bus the best, although he made it very clear his favourite VW was Rob S' black oval window Beetle! In later years Dad switched from mostly stock restorations, back to his hot rodding youth. His final builds were heavily modified customs, and this is what he liked the most. In our final talks, he admitted that his highly modified pinky '56 Thunderbird was likely his favourite, although he was always quick to remind everyone the official colour was "Lilac Lace". This was also his most ambitious project at the time, as it was built entirely from leftover junk parts. His 1937 Ute was his final project, and the one the most technically difficult. I was always proud of him for having a vision right at the start of what he wanted for this car, and then carrying it to completion without compromise. It may not to have been to everyone's taste, but he loved driving it, and hard too.
I really do have Dad to thank for supporting my love of cars, and it was something we enjoyed doing together, even when we did not see eye to eye on exactly how things should be done. I was the stock "purist", and he was the customizer, but we always managed to get things done. I will always be thankful for what I learned from my Dad, and am very glad we had something in common to bond with each other. To one of the greatest Dads ever, I will always miss you!
