{"id":2726,"date":"2007-02-07T04:14:00","date_gmt":"2007-02-07T09:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kitfoster.com\/carport\/2007\/02\/car-of-my-own\/"},"modified":"2010-12-30T12:02:03","modified_gmt":"2010-12-30T17:02:03","slug":"car-of-my-own","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.kitfoster.com\/carport\/2007\/02\/car-of-my-own\/","title":{"rendered":"A Car of My Own"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"1937<\/a><\/p>\n

Walter Chrysler<\/a> and I have something in common. When he was 33 he bought a Locomobile<\/a> and took it apart. I know the feeling: during the summer I turned nine I bought a Ford and did the same thing.<\/p>\n

I knew I’d have a car sooner or later. I’d been consumed by them from my earliest memory, had learned to read from hubcaps and radiator ornaments. My moment came during the summer of 1953. A family friend had given me a copy of Ford at Fifty<\/i><\/a>, the company’s commemorative book for the golden jubilee. It was a bit of puff publicity, a paean of praise, but it had lots of fascinating photos and some vignettes of folks with Fords. One concerned a farming family with an all-Ford fleet<\/a>. One of the photos showed a youngster<\/a> working on an old Ford truck. “I wish I had an old Ford to work on,” I mused.<\/p>\n

It happened that my older cousin Ben had an extra one. He had recently traded up from his first car, a 1936 Ford convertible sedan<\/a>, to a similar 1937 model. In the process he had acquired a parts car<\/a>, but had taken all the parts he needed. He offered me the spare Ford for seven dollars. I didn’t hesitate. My dad towed it<\/a> to our house, my uncle steering, with our Jeep. I was ecstatic, and spent the rest of the day daydreaming<\/a> behind the wheel.<\/p>\n

Thus started my Walter Chrysler period, learning by doing, taking my Ford apart. I read extensively<\/a>, finding out how Fords were made<\/a>, how they worked<\/a> and how to fix them<\/a>. Unlike Walter Chrysler, though, I didn’t put my car back together. Quite a few of the engine parts<\/a> were missing, and not knowing the local junkyards I was at a loss to find them.<\/p>\n

Ford built 4,378 convertible sedans<\/a> in 1937, along with 3,723 phaetons<\/a> without side windows. Whenever I see one<\/a> I get nostalgic. I don’t feel any regret in failing to restore it – eventually I sold off many of its parts. The lessons it taught me, however, were invaluable. When I was given a complete but inoperative car, a ’47 Ford sedan<\/a>, five years later, I was able to get it running within a week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Walter Chrysler and I have something in common. When he was 33 he bought a Locomobile and took it apart. I know the feeling: during the summer I turned nine I bought a Ford and did the same thing. I knew I’d have a car sooner or later. I’d been consumed by them from my….<\/span>
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