This recent string about fathers, first cars &
roll bars sounded very familiar, and I just now
remembered why;
When I first got my license I was living in
Florida with my father. The car I used to get my
license was a Nash Metropolitan of questionable
mechanical integrity, affectionately known as "The
Batmobile". After my father had to retrieve me and the
broken-down Nash several times, he suggested I find
something "more reliable". What he had in mind was
something American. What I found was a Series II
Sunbeam Alpine. Much to his chagrin I would not be
dissuaded, and he finally allowed me to buy the car.
(Luckily the seller *wanted* the Nash in trade). The
only condition of Sunbeam ownership was that I had to
have a roll bar installed before I could drive it.
Thankfully Dad had a plan, as locating a rollbar
for this car would surely prove to be a daunting task
for a 17yr old wanker in No. Florida. At the time my
father worked at "Round Trampoline", which was the
company that made the Jog-N-Tramp mini-trampoline. They
built all of the tramp frames at Dad's building, which
meant they had miles of steel tubing, benders, welders,
well - you get the picture.
One Saturday morning we drove the 'Beam over to
R-T and proceeded to build the most creative 6-point
rollcage you've ever seen. Dad was happy, and I had a
ROLL CAGE ! I later found out that my father's concern
was because when he was younger he'd had his girlfriend
get killed when she'd rolled her un-rollbar equipped
big Healey. It was Dad's way of saying he cared,
automotive style.
cheers-
dstone@sc9.intel.com
|