Featured Club Member's Ride

A YOUNG BOY’S DREAM 

It was 1955, a time when a young boy could venture out without any worry of danger or harm.  In the small South Georgia town of Valdosta, I could ride my bicycle all over the city.  I lived in the northern end of town, out by Valdosta State College, and my father had a business downtown.  My school was about 3 miles north, out by the hospital.  So I spent much of my time riding my bike to school, town, movies, parks, and ball games.  We even had a minor league baseball team there in the fifties.  

I had, on occasion, seen an old black pickup truck go through town.  It was not what it looked like that impressed me, as it was faded and rusty.   But the sound it made as it went by was awe-inspiring.  I had no idea what it was or why it sounded that way.  I just knew that it was different and that I liked it.  I finally found out that it belonged to the owner of an independent grocery store on the south end of town.  I saw it parked there several times and began asking about the truck.  He drove it everyday, as it was his way of picking up fresh vegetables and fruits and supplies for his store.  As luck would have it, I was riding my bike home from downtown one Saturday when lo and behold, I heard the putt-putt-putt of the engine.  I was able to pedal my heart out and keep him in sight long enough to follow him to his home.  And would you believe it…he lived about five blocks from me!  As he was walking to his back door, I rode up on my bike, panting for breath.  I explained to him my infatuation with his truck, and a large smile came over his face.  He graciously showed me the truck with all its faded paint, rust, and ragged-out interior.  He explained it was his work truck.  He then pointed to his open, three-car wooden garage.  There sat a phaeton that shined like a new marble.  It was a dark green and glowed in the late evening sun.  The top was a tan color, and as best I remember, the interior was brown leather.  But mostly I remember the running board.  It was long enough to skate on!  It was the largest car I had seen up close, besides the 1946 Cadillac we had.  In the last stall of the garage, he had a model A coupe he was in the process of restoring.  Our lives took different turns that year, but I never forgot his cars and the awesome sound of his model A pickup. 

On January 6, 2005, fifty years later, my dream came true.  I purchased my 1931 Ford Tudor Deluxe in Ohio, and had it shipped to Thomasville.  It was love at first sight and my heart over-rode my mind.  I knew that the speedometer did not work, and it did not want to crank up in cold weather, but it was beautiful.  Plus, there was the proverbial box of extra parts.  Well, the box included the old shocks that never were rebuilt or installed.  So that was job one.  Next, the wife saw that one light burned a pale orange and the other wasn’t much brighter.  So, to keep peace and be on the safe side, I converted it to a twelve-volt system.  Job number two was done.  Then, the water pump went out.  So I purchased a new, sealed water pump.   In order to put it on, you have to take the radiator out, so I took it down to be cleaned.  You guessed it.  I purchased a new radiator, too.  The third job was completed.  Next, I discovered the vinyl top was coming loose in the front and the rear.  Well, the previous owner did not put in the wire support, and with the leaking roof, the wood was rotting.  So, if you are going to replace the vinyl, wire, padding, wood, and head liner, you might as well redo the whole interior.   After four jobs, we breathed a sigh of relief.  It was all done.  

Peggy and I are enjoying the car until, alas, one day it begins to knock!  Oh well, why not replace the engine, and while it is out, rebuild the steering column?  Now, that makes five jobs that are completed.  I figure there is not much left to go wrong.  (Knock on the wooden roof!)  Now, Peggy and I are enjoying our outings in our model A, which we have nick-named the Lula B.  The moral to my story is to research first and buy later.  Maybe I would have known better if I had been an AACA member sooner.  But we have really had fun and learned a lot along the way.