Stovebolt.com Forums The Front Office The Greasy Spoon Stories to tell.

I was trying to explain growing up with my Dad to My Son, seems he just doesn't get it. I was telling him about my Dads 60' Apache, one story goes like this (the short version)...

We lived in Colorado Springs when I was about 8, Dad had been trying for a couple of week to fix the horn button on the truck, he was just never able to get the steering wheel off. A couple of weeks into the project we were going across town to some friends for a cook out. Along the way we crossed a set of tracks, about 3 sets if I remember, the steering wheel came off... seems he never put the nut back on. Now you need to picture this, 5 of us the the cab, Mom, Dad, Sister, My Brother and Me (long before suck things were deemed unsafe) Dad fighting to get the wheel back on Mom screaming "VIRGIL VIRGIL VIRGIL" and us kid along for the ride all at about 30 MPH. We ran up a curb, through a park and stopped just short of a park bench and trash can. Mom was having a fit, us kids trying to figure out what was going on and Dad... well he just said "Hey look I got the wheel off". Mom was not happy... So this was life with my Dad, guess you had to be there.

Sounds like a Kodak moment!

Sometimes that happens. Did he get the horn fixed?

"Hey look I got the wheel off". In a rather tragic way, that is hilarious! At least your dad was an optimist.

Sounds like an everyday ride in *my* truck ...

Yep he got the horn fixed, he did put the nut back on too.

A long time ago in a land not far away, a young Tiny and one of his friends used to go raising cane in a car owned by said friend what had a steering wheel that was not fastened to the steering mast. Said friend had the habit of saying "here, I'm tired, you drive a while" after pulling the steering wheel off of the mast and handing it to you (me) in the passenger seat. All this while traveling down the road at highway speed. Because I'm still alive to verify we never crashed, said experience was followed by extreme name calling and (once the steering wheel was back on the mast) boisterous laughter. I believe there was alcohol involved......

I think Mom needed some alcohol...

I had a 65 falcon which I paid $150 for. I think I got robbed.
The 3 on the tree collar was broken a the roll pin hole, but worked fine as long as you didn't pull it straight out
I had a habit of demonstrating how easy it was to pull out, and would then hand it to the unsuspecting passenger. Always at speeds exceeding common sense in a vehicle with front tires showing two of the four plys.
I was always the only one laughing...

I have a friend who drove an F100 for years with the rag joint hanging by threads, he could turn the wheel almost a full revolution be fore the tires would move. To make it worse he had a new one in the glove box,when he sold the truck the new part was still in there.