Where were you in 1957? (Tulsa inspired!)

I see this talk about the buried Plymouth from 1957 has a lot of you thinking about what your situation was at that time. I thought it might be fun to hear from members about their memories of that time, and where they are today. The younger members may not be able to offer a story, but perhaps they can gain some insight. I'll start, but I'll try to keep it brief.
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That was a quite different time. Our society, the world situation, and the way cars are built, have been turned upside down several times. Today has very little to do with how things were then!

'57 was a fabulous year for cars! The '57 Chevy is an icon! The '57 T-bird is still the best year-model to me. It even had a blower! ...and the '57 Chrysler had the 392 2X4 engine that evolved into the ultimate drag race power plant! There are plenty more highlights, but there is something magic to car people about the number, 1957!
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In 1957 I was a 9 year old, living in Illinois. My Mom had just remarried, to a guy who ended up being my dad and roll model. We had the coolest car! It was a 1955 Chrysler New Yorker, and it always took us on vacation at 100 MPH! Dad worked a lot with his hands, and eventually helped me to start custom painting my own bicycles.

I was building military models then, but was still a year away from meeting my friend Phil Harris, who would "sell me" on model cars, and hot rod magazines. He eventually got his mom to take two impressionable young kids to the U.S. Nationals! That "sealed the deal", and I became obscessed with hot rods and customs.

Today I live in Tucson, Arizona, and have spent most of the last 50 years neck-deep in rods and customs. My initial urge to drag race was eventually replaced by my greater love of creating those wild paint jobs that help give each car a special personality. Years ago I decided to work for others, which keeps me involved in an endless string of projects.....AND I CAN DO IT EVERY DAY! :-) It's been a bumpy road sometimes, but I have no regrets about my choice to follow this passion. 1957 seems like a lifetime ago!

1957 I was in Danville, CA and in 2nd grade. My Dad was a travelling life insurance salesman and drove a 1957 Cadillac Coupe de Ville. My Mom's car was a 1953 Studebaker Commander (go figure!) that was passed to her after Dad got his Cadillac. Dad drove 40k miles a year and the Cadillacs were comforatable and would stand up to that kind of use. He later quit the road and opened up his own insurance agency. I could walk to school by myself then. Still have some friends I made in cub and boy scouts. Went into the Air Force and travelled all over the country and world for 24 years. Ended up about 100 miles from "home". Been playing with cars off and on all my life and still love it. Life was good then and in my opinion, life is good now, just different.

Pat

Pat, I've got to say we like some of the same things. I would pick the '53-'55 Studebaker as the most timeless design of all cars built to date. Raymond Lowey was a genius! It still looks as good as the new cars of today! :-)

I was not thought of yet, my parents were 4 years old then, so i have no cool stories.

Maybe you can enjoy the ramblings of a bunch of old geezers, while we can still remember what happened in 1957! :-)~

In 57 I was 16, got my D.L. and Flamed my 41 Ford Bus coupe with
rattle cans. Lowered the front with 6" shackles. 750x16's on the rear I got off of a Packard. My dual exhaust I took off of a junk car. I've always been
in So Cal except while in the service. Things were simpler then, but it didn't
seem so at the time. I still have a 57 Ford.
Ron:toocool:

:eek: **) :HMMM:

You want brief?!! I'll give you brief! I was fifteen. :whacked: **) :LOL:

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It's kind of funny; I hardly remember any detail of that particular period of my life. All I have is a fast moving jumble of vignets of things that were going on then, and they all seem to have something to do with being a teenaged boy, living in a hormone induced state of pubescent angst. I have virtually no memory of anything that was happening in the larger world, outside of my own little space.

We were living in Azusa, California, (when that Plymouth was put in the vault) I was just out of school for the summer, between my soph and junior years, I was just about a year short of getting my drivers license, and hauling really hard at the traces - I was a fairly accomplished driver, already, just not legal. I was a good kid, with decent values, in Scouts - Life, and Silver Explorer, youth group at church, a "band groupie" at school (I didn't play an instrument, but all of my friends were in band, so I hung out with, and went along as a sort of "equipment roadie"). But I had a real wild streak (I guess I always have), and it's a great wonder that I didn't get into any serious trouble. Seems like I was always breaking and fixing stuff, and almost always had a wrench or a hammer in hand, or was machining something in metal shop or wood shop, or doing leather or plastic crafty stuff. Underlying, or perhaps overlaying all of that was that hormone fog - I was seriously in lust with almost any human female between the ages of thirteen and thirty, and frustrated beyond expression. Howinell did it all fit into a day?

Just a short year later, we moved to Twentynine Palms, and life changed dramatically. But, in my memory, that summer of '57 was either empty of substance, or so packed full of it that it is too dense to see into. :cool: :toocool:

Yeah, I remember---I was 11 years old, growing up "in the bush" near Bancroft, Ontario. Hadn't discovered girls yet, Hell, hadn't even discovered cars at that time of my life. Seems I was either in school, or riding my J.C. Higgins bicycle around "picking up pop-bottles"---a time honoured way of scraping up enough change to buy an ice-cream at the general store. (got 2 cents for each bottle returned---a single scoop ice cream was 5 cents, a double scooper was 10 cents, a small bottle of coke was 5 cents to drink in, 7 cents to take out, and jaw breakers were 3 for a penny.---and a black liquorice pipe or cigar was 2 cents each!!!!

In 1957 I was a tenth grader and 15. That was when I learned how to hot wire a car. When friends would sleep over at my house we would slip out after the family was asleep and hot wire the family 53 Ford and spend an hour or two cruising around town. That ended when an alert cop noticed I was seeing the road through the steering wheel. Calling home for a ride was no fun.

sounds like I'm the baby :CRY: so far , since I was only 14monts old :rolleyes: at that time. most likely I was either crawling on the floor of our home, in my crib sleeping or sitting on the bar at my dad & moms bar/diner being feed beer :eek: by the farmers. but then that's what my parents have told me, so it's all second hand info.......joe

Maybe the farmers fed you too many brewskis to remember! :-)

I was ll, had just finished 5th grade (and closed down the one room country school, started school in town the next grade) . Was helping dad on the farm, along with my brother Larry (10 years old). The two of us got in to building model cars and had lots of fun. Although the next two younger brothers would mess with them when we were at school.:HMMM:

We sold the farm and moved to town in 62, right when I got my liscense. Bought a 52 Chevy Deluxe, gun metal gray. Put on Port a Walls, 57 Plymouth style cone hubcaps, and split the manifold with dual glass packs.

After graduating HS went into the Navy and stayed for 20 years. Then worked as a bowling center mechanic on Brunswick equipment until 99. That was when I got divorced from my Second Wife and medically retired and moved back to Iowa.

I was 10 years old, and that was the year, for me, that the seed was planted. There was a guy who lived across the street from us that had a 55 Chevy. His friend had a 57 corvette. They would work on there cars almost every week end and all I could do was watch. I wanted too help them so bad but they wouldn't let me do anything.
So one Saturday morning I asked my dad if I could clean the engine in his car, 47 Chevy fleetmaster. He said sure, so I got his box of tools and went at it. The only problem was I kept taking things off, like the cylinder head. I thought my dad was going to kill me. That car was our only transportation. He got some help from a friend and they got it back together.
I was living in St. Louis then and in my sophomore year my dad got sick and I had to quit school and go to work full time to pay our house rent. I soon realized I was more of a liability, so I went into the army. Got out in
Colorado and went back to school. From that time on I have been deeply involved in cars and murdercycles.
Ken

I was born in September of 57 so my memory of that era isn't too good.

I was a wide-eyed ten-year-old fresh off the farm, living in Vancouver, BC, and watching A-V8's and chopped Mercs cruising Broadway, and staring up in awe at Sputnik! Loved all the new cars with fins.

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Originally Posted by HOTRODPAINT

Maybe the farmers fed you too many brewskis to remember! :-)

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now that is a possibility :rolleyes: ...joe

I was 14, and just out of the 8th grade - waiting to enter that exciting realm known as <fanfare> high school. I can't remember how many times I overhauled, rebuilt, repainted or customized my Schwinn bicycle. I was already working in my dad's service station during the summers - pumping gas, washing cars, changing oil and removing road tar. Our little town rocked and oiled the streets every spring, and it was a holy mess.

My only real hotrodding at the time was in my dad's ski boat, because I was old enough to drive that on the local lakes.

One of my dad's friends built a '32 highboy roadster with a Cadillac engine, and a guy up the street from my dad's service station won the NHRA nationals in the F dragster class with his flattie digger. He was a pretty nice guy, and we were able to hang around his dirt-floored shop while he built his motors and chassis.

I was 7... Biggest thrill of the year was going to town with Dad one Friday evening and riding home in his BRAND NEW 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 2 dr hardtop!!!!! On Saturday I got to "help" put a coat of DuPont #7 polish on the car, and 2 coats of paste wax!!!! It was a two tone, Cocoa Brown Metallic and white!!!! Even got to ride in the front seat with him and Mom when we went to church on Sunday with our brand new car!!!! Had to show it to all my buds after church. Dad was out there showing all his buds, too!!!!!!:LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL: I thought (and still am inclined to believe) it was the most beautiful car ever built!!!! The most impressive part of the car was opening that front hinged hood and showing everybody that big V-8 Y Block engine!!!!!

I was 4 at the time. I was takin' a nap about that time of the day, so I missed the whole Belvedere deal. :LOL: :LOL:

I was three in 57, probly sitting in my sand box with my tonka truck.

As I stated in another thread, I was 11 years old in 1957, still in elementary school (back then ours were grades 1 - 6). Had a crush on a girl in my class who had no eyes for me, not then, not ever. I got over it. My dad bought a new 57 Chevy that year and it was pretty cool. He kept it until 60 when he bought a Ford wagon (UGH) :eek: . Not cool. Walked to school everyday as we lived in a small beach town population 300 in winter, about 600 in summer. Always enjoyed those lazy days of summer, part time beach bum, part time renter of umbrellas and rafts (good way to meet girls). What I remember most was the issue with Sputnik, my first sighting of a huge aurora borealis, my first time at a Buddy Deane hop and listening to the music of the up and coming rocker, Buddy Holly.

Those days are gone forever, but the memories are still fresh.:D

Bob
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Places to Go, People to Annoy!

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Originally Posted by pro70z28

I was 4 at the time. I was takin' a nap about that time of the day, so I missed the whole Belvedere deal. :LOL: :LOL:

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hmmmmm. And not much has changed concerning nap time since then, huh????:LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL:


Other then it used to be because Mom made you, now it's only if you can get away with it!!!!

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Originally Posted by Dave Severson

hmmmmm. And not much has changed concerning nap time since then, huh????:LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL:


Other then it used to be because Mom made you, now it's only if you can get away with it!!!!

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Gotta' get my beauty sleep. I know, I know, I LQQK like have have sleep deprivation. :LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL: I've heard it all B4. :whacked:

I was 5 in 57. I do remember the vehicles we had, a 52 Plymouth Cranbrook and a 49 Dodge pickup (Dad farmed).

Dad through the rods in the Plymouth one day (probably in early 58) when he tried to get it unstuck on a muddy county road. The Dodge truck eventually rusted away.

I was still drinking milk from a bottle I guess . Did they have bottles back in 56 and 57 :D .

I was 13 and had just finished the 8th grade and preparing to become a high schooler. At the time my step-dad had a 49 Chevy four door which he traded off in '58 for a '57 Chevy Bel Air two door post. I was big into models and thoroughly
P.O.ed at the Cincinnati Reds for trading off Ted Kluszewski. Later that year I met Tech and we've been good buds ever since.

'57 oh yeah. Got my DL week after my 15th birthday in FEb. I was 15 Soph in Hs, basball, football, hockey, swimming, broomball, control line model airplanes ..stunt and combat. .......and hot rods. I had just come from the Minn Iron range schools so I had already become pretty proficient in welding, machine shop, drafting, wood working, electricty and most other shop class. I knew what tools were for. Helped get a 40 Ford flathead running real strong, remember it well. Got a buddy's 50 Olds running real well too. ( I had access to a Sun dist. machine). I well remember going down and looking at a 57 chev with a 283 hp Rochester FI. and 4spd Exceedingly rare as these were really made for Nascar. Little did I know that 6 yr later I would have a duplicate of this and made a shambles of the local records for the class at Minn dragways.

Dad got a 57 Merc Cruiser. First car I could burry the speedo. Lost another trans ...racing. (3rd one) Began really learning to "lie like a rug" about car problems that always seemed to happen to me. haha By this time I had been driving for 3 yr.

Not much time for girls. Too many sports and mechanical things.

Not much of a trouble maker in school as I didn't want to miss my sports due to detention etc. Did well enough to get by and not get dropped from sports due to grades. ( mistake)

Didn't cause a lot of trouble at home either as I didn't want to lose the car privilidge or sports participation.

Knew about Korea and the trouble brewing in Viet Nam. I had good history classes. Didn't concern me at the time. I figured we could just bomb hell out of them and it would be done. After all, I knew all about airplanes etc Besides we won WW 2 and Korea was just a police action so the cops won right?? I was just a kid.

From there it just got better. Rock and roll started, ice skating and roller skating with the girls got a little better. ( I should have stayed with cars and got a dog).

I well remember Garlits, Cook and Bedwell, Isky, Engle, Hilborn, Gene Adams and a lot of the other pioneers. Tom Ivo ( I later waxed him with an alcohol funny car drinking nitro). 160 MPH, 170. I remember the physics teacher explaning why 160 was as fast as possible in 1/4 mile. Then showing him the HRM with the new 170 mph record. He said just maybe due to the tires gripping better than 1:1 like a gear.

58,59,60 were just the begining of the hotrod movement as we know it. The beginning of the gassers and the dragsters.:3dSMILE:

I lost track of the original intent here. The 57 Plymouth. I remember reading about it. (school project). Frankly as long as it wasn't a 57 Ply Fury with 2 x4 's I didn't care what they did with it. 50 years in the future. heck my dad wasn't even that old. It was just too far away.

I was 6yrs old ,attended catholic school, just getting into model cars and riding bikes. My two oldest brothers were helping out at the family gas station, or out working on stock cars at a neighboring truck garage,big junk yard right across the street, life was good for a gearhead. Hank

24 years old and cruising around in my '56 Dodge D500 looking for 283's to demoralize. The only way to tell that the Coronet two door "cheapliner" had anything other than a gasping flathead six under the hood was a little crossed flags emblem on the left front corner of the hood. It had a little 315c.i. hemi in it that was factory rated at 260hp.

So I had a bit of an unfair advantage. Is there a problem with that?

Also, stuck in a job I didn't like in and industry that didn't interest me and freshly dumped by a girl I thought was the only woman in the world for me.

....... You gotta take the bad with the good, don't you?


Jim

I was 12 years old in '57, and just starting to really dig cars. My Brother in Law had a bright red '56 Ford, and I remember my Sister dusting some guys in another car at a red light. She was embarrassed that she had done it, but I thought it was the coolest thing, and had to promise not to tell her Husband. Go karts were my main focus at that age, and I always had one under construction.

My Dad had died the year before, and had bought me a '32 Ford 5 window for $25 for an early Christmas present. But then he thought he was doing me a favor and sold it, without telling me, and bought me a '49 Willys Jeepster for $200 . He was furious with me because I cried and wanted the '32 back........couldn't understand why I would prefer a non running old Deuce to a Jeepster that ran and was mint. I guess I was ahead of my time, and knew the Deuce was cooler. After he died my Uncle talked my Mom into selling the Jeepster because they feared I would get killed driving it around our farm. (never did care for my Uncle :rolleyes: :rolleyes: )

Like most of us who grew up back then, times were more simple and our memories are generally good ones. I wouldn't trade growing up then for anything.

Don

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Originally Posted by bluestang67

I was still drinking milk from a bottle I guess . Did they have bottles back in 56 and 57 :D .

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That was so long ago they didn't even have cows yet! LOL!
(BTW, I can joke about it because I'm even older!)

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Originally Posted by Mike P

I was 5 in 57. I do remember the vehicles we had, a 52 Plymouth Cranbrook and a 49 Dodge pickup (Dad farmed).

Dad through the rods in the Plymouth one day (probably in early 58) when he tried to get it unstuck on a muddy county road. The Dodge truck eventually rusted away.

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So your love for MoPars was your dad's fault! :-)

.....in '57 I was 10 years old & living in N. Hollywood, Calif.... And my Dad had a '57 Plymouth, Plaza, 2 door w/ post {sedan?}, 318 w/ a single 4 barrel, 3 on the column & no radio {the business coupe???}.... One of my fondest memorys of my childhood was riding to the market with my Dad cuz he'd ALWAYS burn off as he turned the corner onto the main st. & THEN catch 2nd. gear!!!

:eek: :eek: :LOL:

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Originally Posted by Big Tracks

24 years old and cruising around in my '56 Dodge D500 looking for 283's to demoralize.
Jim

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I was 15, living in Dayton, Ohio, not too far from Ken (NTFDAY) and driving a '47 Dodge 4-dr. sedan that my dad had bought me for $100. He had lied at the motor vehicle bureau and told them I was 16 so I had my license. I had been reading Hot Rod magazines for a couple of years at that point and like many others in this thread, I was hooked on cars. Weekends I was mixing mortar and carrying brick for a group of brick masons that dad was friends with so I could help out by buying my own clothes and paying my own expenses. A year later, I would be bagging groceries for Liberal Super Market, a much more acceptable position in my mind over carrying hod for the brick masons. :LOL: Looking back, I remember a quarter tip for carrying groceries to the car for the customers as being a big deal. (Hey, it bought a gallon of gas!)

Dad had just bought a brand new '57 Studebaker Golden Hawk with a McCulloch supercharger on it and I got to drive it on occasion. I used to keep a list of cars that I beat at the stoplight derbies. As I recall it, nobody ever beat me. What a beautiful car it was! Solid black with a red leather interior.

As far as the old Dodge, I took it to the local welding shop and had the guy heat the front coil springs to drop 'er into "dago" mode. It had a few dents and scrapes on it from previous owners, so I pounded them out as best I could and shot primer on them. The car was a medium green and now had flat grey and flat red primer spotted around her. I had been into pin-striping for a couple of years at that point, so I laid some designs on the trunk lid and hood. Too cool!! Lots of guys named their cars in those days and painted the name either on the lower front fenders or on the trunk. I carefully painted "Bouncing Beulah" on the bottom of each front fender because of the way I could get her bouncing up and down in second gear as a result of the (now stiffer) front springs. Several young ladies were converted in the back seat of that old heap.

We all had "DA" haircuts (Duck's A--) and pegged Levis. The tighter you could get them at the bottom of the pants leg, the cooler you were. Most of the time, we just wore a T-shirt with them, but when wearing a collared shirt, the collar had to be turned up in the back or you were "square". Most guys didn't wear a belt, but if you did, it had to be the real skinny kind or you were square. Pegged pants were rated by the circumference of the pants leg at the bottom. Number 9 pegs referred to the fact that the pants leg was 9" and you had to squirm like he** to get into them.

Nobody that I knew had any knowledge of drugs of any kind. We had all heard tales of the effects of marijuana, but nobody I knew had ever used any. There was no LSD, PCP, cocaine, crack or any other drugs of that type in those days. The worst it could get was to "shoot-up" heroin and we had only heard stories of that nightmare. Nobody I knew was ready to stick a needle in their arm. The way to get beer was to have an 18 year old buddy to purchase it for you and then it was only 3.2% alcohol, called "three-two" beer. In order to get the good 6% stuff, you had to be 21.