Learning to drive

[Kevin]

I learned to drive on what we called a "field car". It was a Model T from the 1920s, converted to a tractor for plowing. Sketchy brakes, steering that was more suggestion than command. The pedals were weird - clutch, reverse, brake - hand throttle, and a spark advance/retard. Hand crank to prime the engine. You sat on the gas tank and went up hills in reverse because the carb was fed through a gravity system. Two forward gears but we never got into high gear out in the field. It was more car than our other tractors but a lot less than anything you would recognize today.

It was a VERY rudimentary engine and working on it was sometimes exciting. A neighbor was working with my grandfather on the coil boxes, with one at the controls and the other fiddling around with the coil boxes. Lots of mumbling and soft cursing, then Homer (the neighbor) says, "Try that, Dick" and there was a huge arc of light, Homer got blown out of the cab onto the ground. We ran to see if he was OK and all he would say was "Think that's got 'er, Dick". Homer was a man of few words.

What did you all learn on?

[FredK]

Nothing like that. 55 Oldsmobile. Dad got a new 64 Pontiac and I got to drive the 55 to school. Big deal in those days.

[Truckman]

'54 Buick Special...It was Dad's company car for his sales calls until they bought him a new one in 1959, then he had the option to buy it...I always liked washing it and keeping it shiny...It was a little boring driving the two-speed Dynaflow, but when we visited my grandparent's farm my uncle always let me drive his four-speed VW......Ben

[Kevin]

We had a series of VeeDubs back in the day. The first was an early 1960s model with force fed heat from the exhaust. Once you got the engine hot, you kinda had floor heat, sorta. In the winter, you opened the wing windows to create a draft to try to draw the heat up. The faster you went, the more heat you got.

In the 1970s, we got a Super Beetle that actually had decent heat but the vent was under the driver's seat. You had the hottest left foot in town all winter.

[Sandman]

1949 Willys Jeepster.. flat head six, three on the tree.. starter bendex was engaged by a foot button on transmission hump next to gas pedal..

[UTAH]

First car was a flat 4 VW Fast back w/4 speed. Bought it when 14 and stuck it in the garage because parents said I had to have a car before getting a motorcycle. Got the bike (Yamaha 125 Enduro) and drove it to SLC from San Francisco to see my Mom. Then, joined the Army and spent time with tanks that had the biggest Diesel engines I had ever seen. Good times. To get our tank license, we had to prove driving abilities by driving a Duece and half truck around Fr. Knox. Best thing about being 17 and in the Army? You were suddenly old enough to drink and hang in the clubs.

Hunter

[Truckman]

Best thing about being 17 and in the Army? You were suddenly old enough to drink and hang in the clubs.

Hunter

It was grow-up-fast time...I was 19 years old and responsible for not only a 60,000 pound aircraft that could fly at better than Mach 2, but accordingly the lives of the men who flew them...Then in my off hours I could drink all the beer I wanted as long as I showed up for work reasonably sober again...And I owned my very own four speed Beetles, a '52 and a '56......Ben

[Honda]

I started out in a 1969 Volkswagen bug that my dad bought new for $1,900. I loved that car and held on to it till 1990 and like a young fool I sold it. I Rue that day.

[Phillbo]

Sand Rail....

[Dave Grubb]

I learned to drive at 4, on a Cletrac HG-68, pictured below (I have two). I could not reach the pedals. The only thing I could do was pull the steering levers.

My Father would lean over the side, push the clutch in with one hand, shift it into gear with the other and leave the clutch out. The hand throttle was already set to wide open. I would disk or harrow in plowed fields until My father came back in time and move me to another field.

[Sandman]

In the 1960s.. and until 9-11-2001.. city buses going over the 14st bridge into Washington DC (Alexandria and South Arlington) would go through the Pentagon bus station, three tunnels running under the Pentagon (the post 9-11 pentagon bust station is outside, 100 yards from the building).. above the bus lanes was the pentagon concourse.. a small shopping mall for building employees.. there was a bulletin board with cars for sale posted on index cards.. guys getting transferred from and selling their “beater commuter car”.. I bought a 56 Ford , 223 I-6 3 speed.. a 55 Ford 272 V-8 three speed for $25 each.. a few years later bought a 54 Ford Victoria 239 V-8 3 speed for $100.00..

Oh.. the ancient daze.. anyone could get off of the bus, go up the stairs and shop .. no questions asked..

[UTAH]

This has become a wonderful thread.


Hunter

[Dave Grubb]

Now that I have more time I will tell the rest of that story.

On one occasion my father did not come back for a long time, and since there was nothing else I could do, I continued disking. When he did get back, I had ground the soil down to dust---and my Father was furious with me. He told me all the problems that I had caused by over tilling. The soil would clump up--at least what didn't run off. Even at the age of 4 or 5 I sat listening to his rant and thinking (silently)---what did you want me to do----I can't stop this darn thing!

[TriGuy]

I was 12-13 and we had valet parking at our beach restaurant. We would pack em in three deep and a foot off side to side. You got in and out through the windows. I learned to drive autos and sticks and how to maneuver in tight spaces really quick. During the off season I would borrow dad's 1966 BMW 1800 and go joy riding around Los Angeles at the age of 14. Good times.

[Ferraridriver]

I was 12, working at the local theater as a doorman ticket taker, marquee changer and one afternoon the manager who had a 41 Buick convertible, asked me if I could drive. "Sure" I said then he asked me to drive the day's receipts to the bank. The theater was in the Sunset district of San Francisco, the bank was in Chinatown!
Anyone who knows San Francisco knows this is daunting but I made it.

Things were different in 1945