Topic: Those were the days

[jgger]

Remember the drills at school in case of a nuke attack..........hide under the desk??? Those were simpler times, indeed!

[72 yellow]

Remember the drills at school in case of a nuke attack..........hide under the desk??? Those were simpler times, indeed!

My mom purchased a stainless steel dog tag for me.  Had my name, address, DOB, her name, and religion stamped on it.  Since we lived only a couple of blocks from the school I often wondered how she would somehow survive to come to the school to ID my remains.  We also received a booklet from Civil Defense on how to construct a shelter in our basement. 

[rb550four]

Yeah, those desks were allot stronger then.  By 4th grade my school decided that under the desks didn't offer much protection so the new way was to hussle everyone out into hallways, I guess so they could find all the remains in one place. I lived in NYC then and my Dad told me that NYC was the Russian's best target and we didn't stand a f'in chance anyhow. He was such a delicate man...teachers at the school weren't amused by this report any time there was a drill.
When I moved upstate  the panic over the initial blast was over, we learned how many warheads we all might all have pointed at each other that survival didn't seem likely , especially when we heard about the sore loser strategy. After that it really didn't matter if you were under a desk ,in the hall, or in a shelter for the next 10 years... it's all gonna be bad when you get out. So it turned out to be a no worry situation then. Still a frightening thought but,what you gonna do?
  I built model cars, liked Revel for the bodies and interiors but Monogram had better engines and larger tires. I'd cut them up and use the parts trees for rollbars and bumpers to mimic or local hero's cars at the nearest clay track that we would hitchhike to and sneak into every Friday night in the mid 70's. Lost interest when the favorite new stock car body styles for the sportsman class changed to Gremlins and Pintos. Fortunately, there was motorcycle flat track on Saturday.

[Steve F]

All us baby boomers remember these

Heck, some of us baby boomers remember phones that didn't have those curly cords and no dial at all.  You'd pick up the phone, the operator answered, "Number please" and you'd reply with something like 4-0-9-M (which was my home phone number).  All phones were on a party line and sometimes you'd pick up the phone to hear your neighbor talking and you'd have to wait your turn to make a call.  For a long distance call, that was a whole new ballgame and could take several minutes to get through with the assistance of the operator.

[dhall57]

My grandma had one of those a party lines.

[rb550four]

  Remember slap me 5 or give me some skin , depends where you came from , it could start any meeting of 2 or more, could be used anytime in conversation as a sign of agreement ,and then again when all would part ways.
it all  seemed normal back then, but what did I know, things were far out  ,funky ,or solid . groovy , yeah I was there for that to but it was fading in the early 70's. The cops were the fuzz ,pigs ,the heat or the man. I was upstate NY not far from Woodstock so we knew all the lingo, so much more natural and easy to pick up unlike today's high tech talk and symbols which I find it hard to follow or connect with.
  Dirty Harry, who didn't like dirty Harry or Bullet or the French connection back then? I saw them all recently and was amazed by the chase in the french connection , back then it was a great chase under the L , today it's Hackman couldn't couldn't drive to save his a$$. and Harry is still Harry your probably thinking in all this excitement did he shoot 5 or six , this is a 357 magnum ,the most powerful handgun in the world and can blow your head clean off.... Bullet well that's just timeless.

[72 yellow]

All us baby boomers remember these

Heck, some of us baby boomers remember phones that didn't have those curly cords and no dial at all.  You'd pick up the phone, the operator answered, "Number please" and you'd reply with something like 4-0-9-M (which was my home phone number).  All phones were on a party line and sometimes you'd pick up the phone to hear your neighbor talking and you'd have to wait your turn to make a call.  For a long distance call, that was a whole new ballgame and could take several minutes to get through with the assistance of the operator.

I remember in the mid 50's spending the night at one of my aunt's house.  She wanted to call her sister who lived outside Krakow,Poland in a small village.  She had to call the long distance operator, who had to call the overseas operator, who had to call the local operator in Krakow.  They had to send someone out to the village to tell her she had a call.  Once this was done the process was reversed and many hours later my aunt's phone rang.  Since most of Europe was still in ruins this was no small undertaking.

[jgger]

Rb, it was a 44 magnum. The Eastwood movie that freaked me was "Play misty for me"!

Dirty Harry 's 44 was bad azz, but it couldn't hold a candle to my Fanner 50!

[70CB750]

Remember the drills at school in case of a nuke attack..........hide under the desk??? Those were simpler times, indeed!

In our school in Czechoslovakia we all had gas masks assigned to us and we would clean them twice a year and practice wearing them.  We also collected toys and money for kids in Vietnam.    I grew up with a firm believe that one day they will send me to the trenches - just like in All Quiet on the Western Front. 

It was impossible to imagine that communistic government is not in power forever and ever.

[72 yellow]

One memory of the mid 60's was Detroit PD's Big 4.  It was a basic black car with Detroit Police on the doors but no lightbar.  3 plainclothes officers, driven by a uniformed cop.  A rolling arsenal in the trunk.  They cruised around looking for trouble.  If you got stopped you better be on your best behavior.  If not you would most likely end up in a local emergency room.  Saw them in action after a carload of guys cut them off on a busy street.  As we drove by they were pulling these dudes out through the windows.   

[Don R]

 I too, am a 52 model, graduated in 70. drove a black and white 56 chevy until my dad took it out and was freaked out by the lack of brakes.  Before that we raced slot cars. I still have them. Mostly Lola T70's, I built a hand controller with a 9V battery in it activated by car points for dynamic braking. Pretty advanced for then
 Out town is at  the intersection of Burlington Northern and Santa Fe railroads with switch yards for both. We were also a nuclear bullseye.
   Lots of cruising the loop, I owned a 53 ford, a Karmann Ghia, a vw type 3 wagon, nash metropolatin, 56 chevy, 64 2 dr. Buick wildcat 425 and my still have 69 firebird. We had a school yard through the block and my brother cut a hole in the fence so we played ball all summer. In 73 I was gifted a gutted 40 chevy coupe I still have it too.  My first Honda was a 73 K2 cb500f. in 74 I got a 750.

[Mr. Mike]

I too, am a 52 model, graduated in 70. drove a black and white 56 chevy until my dad took it out and was freaked out by the lack of brakes.  Before that we raced slot cars. I still have them. Mostly Lola T70's, I built a hand controller with a 9V battery in it activated by car points for dynamic braking. Pretty advanced for then
 Out town is at  the intersection of Burlington Northern and Santa Fe railroads with switch yards for both. We were also a nuclear bullseye.
   Lots of cruising the loop, I owned a 53 ford, a Karmann Ghia, a vw type 3 wagon, nash metropolatin, 56 chevy, 64 2 dr. Buick wildcat 425 and my still have 69 firebird. We had a school yard through the block and my brother cut a hole in the fence so we played ball all summer. In 73 I was gifted a gutted 40 chevy coupe I still have it too.  My first Honda was a 73 K2 cb500f. in 74 I got a 750.

OMG!
My dad had that Buick Wildcat....copper color with a black landau top. That thing was faster than anything I’d ever driven...scary fast!

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Don, in my neck of the woods the "electric" brake was "less than legal". When it started going in reverse at the staring line you knew you were busted. It was harder to detect but if you carefully removed some windings from the motor armature and very carefully perfected your soldering technique to look original vs rewinding with heavier gauge wire  you would be faster.

[my name is nobody]

I too, am a 52 model, graduated in 70. drove a black and white 56 chevy until my dad took it out and was freaked out by the lack of brakes.  Before that we raced slot cars. I still have them. Mostly Lola T70's, I built a hand controller with a 9V battery in it activated by car points for dynamic braking. Pretty advanced for then
 Out town is at  the intersection of Burlington Northern and Santa Fe railroads with switch yards for both. We were also a nuclear bullseye.
   Lots of cruising the loop, I owned a 53 ford, a Karmann Ghia, a vw type 3 wagon, nash metropolatin, 56 chevy, 64 2 dr. Buick wildcat 425 and my still have 69 firebird. We had a school yard through the block and my brother cut a hole in the fence so we played ball all summer. In 73 I was gifted a gutted 40 chevy coupe I still have it too.  My first Honda was a 73 K2 cb500f. in 74 I got a 750.

OMG!
My dad had that Buick Wildcat....copper color with a black landau top. That thing was faster than anything I’d ever driven...scary fast!

my dad had the '66 fastback "GS" option with that engine. The only thing he feared was the mighty GTO..It was fast but got eclipsed later by the newer and more powerful offerings that came after it.
Still, cool in it's day. The car wars were a lot of fun.

[Stev-o]

I too, am a 52 model, graduated in 70. drove a black and white 56 chevy until my dad took it out and was freaked out by the lack of brakes.  Before that we raced slot cars. I still have them. Mostly Lola T70's, I built a hand controller with a 9V battery in it activated by car points for dynamic braking. Pretty advanced for then
 Out town is at  the intersection of Burlington Northern and Santa Fe railroads with switch yards for both. We were also a nuclear bullseye.
   Lots of cruising the loop, I owned a 53 ford, a Karmann Ghia, a vw type 3 wagon, nash metropolatin, 56 chevy, 64 2 dr. Buick wildcat 425 and my still have 69 firebird. We had a school yard through the block and my brother cut a hole in the fence so we played ball all summer. In 73 I was gifted a gutted 40 chevy coupe I still have it too.  My first Honda was a 73 K2 cb500f. in 74 I got a 750.

OMG!
My dad had that Buick Wildcat....copper color with a black landau top. That thing was faster than anything I’d ever driven...scary fast!

my dad had the '66 fastback "GS" option with that engine. The only thing he feared was the mighty GTO...

Hey Nobody...I like Pontiacs too!   Have had a couple in the past and currently have this one in my garage, I'm "testing" it for a good friend! [The 400 V8 ram-air passed with flying colors!]

[my name is nobody]

A nice one indeed Steve. That's a "true" Pontiac, with the Pontiac engine. It's getting harder to find
ones that haven't been bastardized with "corporate" engines. Nothing at all wrong with Corporate
engines, but it bothers me to see classic ponchos without Pontiac power. Butler engineering in Tennessee
makes re engineered , traditional Pontiac engines now that make power equal to that of the "big boys".
They're expensive, and they run like hell. Big Chief on street outlaws runs one. Most all limitations the
original engines had have been addressed. They are fast and very dependable. That ragtop is a fine example. I haven't heard the sound of a ram air3 in a while. I miss it. The idle alone is sweet. I'll stop
here, I could carry on for hours

[Steve F]

Pontiacs.....ah yes!  My Dad bought a '62 Bonneville, bright red.... what a gorgeous car.  It even had electric windows and a radio with the search button that would slide to the right until it found a station, power antenna too!  Wow. Had that car for I think 3 years and then bought a '69 Bonneville with the 428.  That thing was awesome, dad used to tow his travel trailer with it and it would smoke the tires with the trailer attached  !

[dave500]

not many cool cars in oz at the time,heres mum on a falcon,we had this xp falcon for ever,had the "super pursuit" 200 six with BorgWarner 35.

[Old Moe Toe]

School football back in 1894. That is my grandfather with the ball.

[Stev-o]

not many cool cars in oz at the time,heres mum on a falcon,we had this xp falcon for ever,had the "super pursuit" 200 six with BorgWarner 35.

Hey Dave...my dad dove a '61 Ford Falcon, it was his commuter car when he worked at Ford.  It had a six banger with "three on the tree".  My older brother would sneak it out before he had a drivers license when my parents were out for the night!



*not actual car!

[Don R]

 I was in the 64 wildcat 2 dr hardtop at a stop sign, 4 of us in the car. My buddy had turned and stopped then dropped the hammer on his 66 GTO tri power 4 speed car, My friends wanted to see the GTO so I hammered it too. About 1/4 of a mile later the Buick was almost beside the GTO when we lifted. That GTO was legendary for being fast. I believe it was but also a legend because he never actually raced anyone or took it to the track. 

[Old Moe Toe]

Old oz cars.

[dave500]

I had a Monaro Moe!those were the days,$1750 couldn't give em away once ten years old?

[dave500]

I had a dragster bicycle aswell as hair,those were the days when hair was on my head,now ive got more growing out of my ears and nostrils and about nil on my head!(whats with that white denim jacket?)

[dave500]

those were the days when people wasted valuable kodachrome on #$%*ed up photos then waited a fortnight to see how #$%* they were?