Mike Rainone
Hammertime
For those of us who are now seniors our very first set of hot wheels were likely the training kind, followed by a balloon tired bike, a push scooter, or a wagon in which we delivered papers or raced down the biggest hills, jumped home-made ramps, and likely acquired many bruises.
When I was going to the Ponoka Composite High School in the late 1950s most of the bike racks were always full to capacity, but pretty soon there were those lucky ‘jocks’ who had rich parents, got their own cars along with most of the girls.
Most of us did not get our driver’s license and our first set of car keys until we were out of school and had a job, and then dear old dad agreed to co-sign for the cash as well as setting out a strict set of rules for our ongoing adventures of cruising around the town and county in our first but well used set of wheels. I’m sure that you will all fondly remember that we polished and pampered that car every day, couldn’t wait to visit the best hot spots and events, but would very politely and quietly pull up to her parents house to pick up your date, who always had to be home by 11 p.m. no matter what.
Fondly remembering our first ‘hot rod’
As so many rambunctious teens have quickly discovered over the years owning your first vehicle may have been a real ‘rush’ and a big boost to our social lives, but it was also a huge responsibility on the pocket book. You pretty well had to have a job to keep them on the road, which included fuel, oil, repairs, PL and PD, and tires, which we tried to make last for a long time but usually had two spares in the trunk just in case of a blowout. There were still a few vehicles in those ‘golden years’ of growing up that had running boards, which were great for riding on and hanging on or for piling the whole crew on to get them to the game or the drive-in.
Not to be outdone we were also expected to add many fancy accessories to our cars, which in the 1950s to ’60s and ’70s may have included fender skirts, white-wall tires, half moon hubcaps and spinners, curb feelers, blue lights, fuzzy steering wheel covers, aerial streamers, coloured bobbles on the windows, and noisy stereo radios c/w a tape deck and sound-all-around speakers to send the hot sixties beat and rhythm into all corners of our prized jalopy.
Up front on the steering wheel we likely had a ‘steering knob,’ which were also called suicide knobs, Hollywood spinners, and necker knobs, while our plush multi-coloured seat covers may have been bought at Macleod’s but were likely just cast-offs from mother’s blanket cupboard. Can any of you dare to recall what you had hanging from your rear-view mirror to impress the girls, which likely may have included a set of beads, baubles, scarves, medals, and all sorts of souvenirs, as well as some unmentionables that can’t be told here? Continental Kits were really neat extensions on the rear bumper, which also featured a compartment for the spare tire which came standard with the very exquisite 1964 Lincoln Continental, but who could afford that.
Our new generation, who now have all sorts of fancy get-up-and-go gadgets on their vehicles would chuckle if they found out that in our days the gas pedal was called an accelerator or a foot-feed, while some early units actually had a starter knob on the floor. These were located right beside the dimmer switch for the lights, the brake, and the clutch, which made for a lot of fast foot action, especially if you were trying to impress a passenger by popping the clutch and doing a speed-shift. All vehicles of those by-gone years had ash-trays and push-in lighters because just about everybody smoked, heaters took a long time to warm up and un-fog the windows, which when frosted up usually had to be scraped with a comb if you were in a hurry. We had to strive to drive carefully and follow the ‘rules of the road,’ because the usually friendly ‘town cops’ were always watching and the last thing anyone wanted was a ticket and a date with the district judge. In those days we even ‘dressed up’ to drive, likely to impress the ladies or the boss, but along the way we roared around with lots of great people and true characters that we will never forget.
Like so many of you I guess I have gone through something like 15 memorable vehicles, from a little old truck to a bright red convertible, but somehow after 58 great years on the road I still have my driver’s license, but have had to let out a lot of notches on my seat-belt as well as gearing down a whole lot. Thanks to the efforts and amazing skills of thousands of veteran motorists from that colorful era of motor-mania so many of those vehicles that you and I drove have been magnificently preserved and are still out on the road in all their glory. The perfect formula for the ‘best ride’ is to take special care and pride in our vehicle, our passengers, ourselves, and everyone else out there on the busy roads. It’s really quite okay to start ‘thinking spring’ and then have a great week, all of you.