More High School

    They old junker, the 47 Dodge brings back some memories.  I paid $35 for the car from one of the policemen that my dad worked with. Jim Torello.  I  removed all of the interior, including seats, headliner, etc.  For  seats  I bought some old kitchen chairs from a yard sale.  I bought a couple of old army helmets. A ragtag group of friends would drive all over town in that old car on those kitchen chairs.  If I accelerated to quickly the chair would go backwards my foot would come off the accelerator and I would frantically try to get the chair back under me without wrecking the car.  It's a wonder we weren't all killed!  I painted it flat black including the grill trying to make it look like a  gasser.  I painted white letters on the rear side window like they did on cars competing at the drag strip.  If I pulled the choke out all the way when idling it would chug, chug, like a  dragster with a 5 cycle cam and racing engine.  That was great when cruising slowly around the parking lot at Allen's Drive In at 63rd @ the Paseo.  Everyone would back  in to park and watch the cars cruise by.  Everyone wanted to know what engine I had in my gasser.  Ha!

     When I first bought the old Dodge it needed some minor work before I could drive it.  It also needed license plates.  It sat at the radiator shop ready for me to pick up but I couldn't pick it up 'til Monday after school.  It was Friday.  I was so wound up about having a car  of my own to go anywhere in that I couldn't stand it!  My dad's car was parked in the parking lot at city hall for the night.  He was on duty working night shift.  I snuck into the lot and stole the plates  off his car.  I walked to the radiator shop which was closed and dark.  I attached my dad's plates, jumped in my car and was off for adventure!  I picked up Bill Shupert at his house and we went cruising.  I was higher than a kite!  I still can clearly remember the pure ecstasy of driving down Blue Ridge with the windows down.  Free to go wherever I wanted !  I never got caught.  Around midnight I parked the Dodge back at the radiator shop, returned my dad's plates, and walked home.  He never found out and I never told him.  What fun!