it was built before I was even born.. I got the car because I asked the right question at the right time.
You see it all started when my brother Rick got a call from my cousin Steve in Longview WA. Steve said that he had too many cars and had to get rid of some, so he thought of Rick. Steve told my brother if he could pick it up it would be free. So by Saturday Dad, Mom, Rick and I all got in Dad's Rambler wagon and off to Longview we went. When we arrived at Cousin Steve’s home it was time for lunch. After lunch Mom and Dad started visiting with Mom’s sister Vivian and her husband Uncle Mark, so Rick, Steve and I went out to see Rick’s free car.
The car was a lowered blue and white 1956 two door Oldsmobile, it had a couple of dents here and there but other than that it ran good; inside the car there was a lot of chrome, plus it was the first car I had ever seen with electric windows, it looked really cool.
Soon it was time to go so Rick thanked Steve and then drove his free car away. As I was getting in Dad’s Rambler I yelled out to Steve, “Hey Steve, you got a car for me?” To my surprise he said, “Yes!” Then Steve told us this story, “When I went to college over in Pullman I drove an old car to school every day, then one day it wouldn’t start so my buddy and I pushed my car into his backyard; its been there ever since; it’s a 1935 Chevy; it might make a neat hot rod so if you want it, it‘s yours; I’ll even let you use my trailer to pick it up.”
After a couple of weeks Dad, Rick and me drove back up to Longview to pick up Steve’s trailer. Then off to Pullman we went. As we left Longview it started to rain; it rained and rained all the way there and all the way back.
When we got to Steve’s friend's house, Dad backed the trailer into the backyard so the car could be loaded. Seeing my first car in the shape that it was in was still very exiting, even though it had four flat tires and years of debris inside.
Dad opened the hood and said it didn’t look too bad; Dad removed the old battery and replaced it with a new heavy duty one; Rick and I started filling the tires up with air and going through the debris that had been accumulating over the years. Then dad got a gas can out of the Rambler and poured some gas down into the carburetor; Dad said, “Lets see if it will start.” To our surprise it started right up and stayed running. We were all quite excited but sopping wet from the rain. Rick said, “Now we can just drive the car onto the trailer, we don’t have to push it.” After my car was secured it was time to go home.
After driving for sometime Dad and Rick started talking about the temperature on the Rambler, this was the first time Dad had towed anything heavy, Dad seemed concerned about the hills ahead of us. As we started up the grade I could see from the back seat that the needle on the temperature gauge was moving higher and higher but by the time we reached the top the needle had leveled off and was well below hot. Dad was a happy man; the Rambler made it to the top without having to stop for a cool down. I think I heard Dad make a little giggle! It also made Dad a Rambler man for life. After the hills it was onto the freeway and then into Portland.
As we backed into the driveway at home the trailer made a spark in the night as the tongue gouged a mark into the sidewalk going up the driveway. Then silence, we just sat there a moment. For Dad and Rick the adventure was over but for me it was just the beginning.
Grandpa Tom
