The "My First Car" Meme

OK, I’ll play.

Ranch kid, so I grew up driving in fields and country roads. If the deputies happened to see you, and it was a farm vehicle, they would just wave.
Driving something else into town was different.

A great uncle I worked for in the summer had a ex Marine Corps M-2-4-233 one ton 4x4, no top, and no seat upholstery left. At some point, surplus 24 ply aircraft tires had been mounted. The plies were slowly peeling off but there were so many plies the tires held air. My great uncle would send me to “town” to get a load of bailing wire. Coming back one day with a load, a Colorado Courtesy Patrol officer (State Trooper) pulled along side me as I chugged along at 35 mph or so with tire cords flapping. Here was a 12 year old kid, sitting on two boards over a seat frame, no license plates, no windshield, and most certainly no current safety sticker, operating a motor vehicle. We made eye contact. He just shook his head and accelerated up the highway.

At the time, at age 14, you could get a license to ride a powered scooter. Two cousins had one they didn’t ride because they were old enough to drive cars.
Early 1950 vintage Sears Allstate, probably built by Cushman. Ah, freedom. Not practical for Colorado winters unless you are very stubborn and 14.

First car, 1951 Ford. Flathead V-8, manual 3 speed with overdrive. The previous owner had damaged the right front fender. I didn’t care, drove it for three years, and sold it for more than I paid. I could fix anything that went wrong with it with help from my father or uncles.

When I got it, the rear end was lowered, the shift lever had been moved to the left side of the column (allowing you to keep your arm around your date) and the dome light painted with nail polish. Nice pink glow! Got rid of the lowering blocks to improve the handling. Kept the other modifications. The one serious problem was the vacuum powered windshield wipers. They only got enough vacuum at low rpm. Fitted an electric fuel pump which had a vacuum boost on one side and fuel pump on the other side. Took at little plumbing to get everything working but I could both drive fast and see; a good thing!

Push button AM radio. All buttons set to KOMA, OKC, or XELO, Chihuahua, MX, the only stations we could receive at night that had good (teenager) music.

"Yes indeed folks, get your 3D framed wall mounted picture of our savior. His eyes follow you everywhere. Just send $5 to XELO, Chihuahua, Mexico for a 3D picture of our savior autographed by he himself! Yes, $5, XELO, Chihuahua, Mexico."