When a Car Comic Got Me Emotional

[@blakeneysanders4264]

Nice story time. Thanks Jeff

[@desertduck4177]

And thank you for your impact on me, and countless others back in your Magazine editor days. I’m an alumni, Pony Trail 2001 in Seattle !

[@desertduck4177]

Finally, thanks for including Red Barchetta … I’m a lifelong Rush fan, perfect simili.

[@lilorbielilorbie2496]

desertduck4177 R.I.P. Neil Peart.

[@desertduck4177]

@@lilorbielilorbie2496 yes, 1/7/2020, we lost our drumming brother. Lest we forget….

[@lilorbielilorbie2496]

@@desertduck4177 But thanks to you tube .Neil will never be forgotten.

[@et76039]

I remember when Krass & Bernie first came out. I was disappointed when the magazine they were in disappeared 🤥, but was thrilled when they reappeared in a different rag 🤪. But I was truly apprehensive about how my old gang might inspire the youngsters 🥴; turns out, they admitted to being inspired to out do us 😵‍💫.

[@FlameInGa]

Was it Car Toons? I remember that magazine

[@et76039]

@@FlameInGa, YES!! Thanks for binging it back to mind. I still have a few issues hiding somewhere in deep storage.

[@Fordfalcon263]

In the summer of 2023, I was ready to put the rebuilt 260, with the Tremec 5 speed bolted to it, back in the 64 Falcon. I had no one around to help guide the engine and trans. into the engine bay. So I asked the neighbor kid who was 14, for some help. He had already been around when I worked on the car in the past,and seemed really interested. We shoe horned it in with the headers attached, was not easy. For helping me I took him to several car shows and cruise ins. He seemed to be into the old car thing big time. But at the end of the summer I asked him what car he would like, and he said he wants a 2019 or newer Chevy 4 door extended cab 4x4 truck. So it did not work as far as introducing him to old cars! Happy holidays to you and your family.

[@jamestravis1147]

I wouldn't call it a "failure" quite yet. At 14; he has a few years to go before he is likely to be picking out his first car. Who knows by then what his tastes and his budget will allow him at that point? And even IF he sticks with trucks rather than vintage cars, that's cool too because a car guy is a car guy. The choice of ride can and usually will expand over time, but if the appreciation is there for working on/building his favorite truck, then that may well in time grow into cars as well. Even if it doesn't, at least he has an interest in vehicles, right? Every single kid who "gets the bug" is one more future adult who may be the ones keeping the hobby around when we are all in the ground and the cars of our generation are seen as being akin to people who collect Model A or Model T Fords, or maybe Cords and Duesenbergs. Rare, old and interesting but perhaps no longer common enough to be accessible to younger people and too expensive to be able to afford to modify. It may not be "Ford vs Chevy vs Dodge" at that point, it may be "ICE vs EV vs Hydrogen Fuel Cell" or some such? But hey; if they still have the drive to make it their own, then a part of the ghost lives on.

[@Fordfalcon263]

@@jamestravis1147 Our 1st car is seldom a classic car, I was just trying to tell my story of trying to pass the hobby along to the next generation. I think it is great that he is not afraid to get his hands dirty, so to speak!

[@jamestravis1147]

@@Fordfalcon263 I didn't mean it as a criticism; only as a compliment for your planting the seed for another generation of car guys, regardless of which type of car they go with.

[@FE428Power]

TY Jeff. Both of my sons are in the automotive industry. My oldest has his own shop, doing anything from repairs to bagging cars. His first car driving experience was a burn out in my 68.5 CJ Cougar when he was 10( now 32) and we were living in Mexico. My youngest, 26, works at at small high end hot rod shop and does everything from sheet metal work, body work, paint, and much more. He has a 68 Cougar and is into hot rodding EF civics.

[@bjsteg79]

Super relatable!!! My son (nearly 3 years old at this writing) loves-loves-loves our mustangs. The s550 gt we take to his school for drop-off, he loves pushing the start button on the dash and about a month ago I let him rev the car after warming up. The giggle and laugh that came out of him was pure mania and joy mixed. Thanks for the story, Jeff; Merry Christmas to you & yours!

[@andymartin4747]

One of my soon to be stepdaughters has gotten into classic for trucks from the 70s. When her mom and I were dating she would send her mom pics of 70s Fords she seen at body shops wanting me to help her build one like it. It's a feeling you can't describe when one falls into this life.

[@davestephen7647]

Just this past Summer, a couple of kids (12 yr olds) from a few streets down stopped on their bikes to ask what i had under the car cover. They had me take the cover off my '66 Mustang. I let them look through it, popped the hood for them, started it up when they asked. Reminded me and one of my childhood buddies when we were that age! I had to shoot my buddy a text and tell him the story. I have a good feeling that those two kids are well on their way to being car guys, if they're not already.

[@ClintonsCars]

I have a '64 Westcoaster Post Office truck that I take to local shows. One of the few cars people are allowed to touch. I let people (mostly young ones) sit in, climb through, etc, & I tell them about it. It's fun & the kids get enthused. When building it, I had local kids all over it, helping (even if I had to redo their work)

[@jamestravis1147]

Merry Christmas to you and yours, Jeff. And yep; I spent way too much time in study hall back in High School reading Cartoons. And between George Trosley and Shawn Kerri, I gained a deeper appreciation for that art form because it reflected my fascination for the cars that I grew up seeing as "new cars" on the street back in the 1960s. So by the time the 1970s and then the 1980s rolled around, I had the bug. Well, technically I had the 1957 Chevy Bel-Air coupe that my dad gave me for Christmas in 1979 when I was 15. The first Bug wouldn't come for a few years later, and was the first car I ever rewired from tip-to-tail, but not the last. I can still remember my dad taking me to Daryl Starbird's shows and Hunters Custom Rod and Auto shows, and we would go through all the show cars, observing what we each liked and didn't like, comparing notes and discussing what to do with the 57 Chevy. And you know what? That car was one of the deepest bonds I got the chance to experience with him before he passed away when I was 19. So this cartoon reminds me of that, and of one other important lesson. In the end, it's not JUST about the cars. Cars come and cars go. A good project is a reflection of the person who puts some of themselves into it. But in situations like what you are talking about here, it's the bonds of common interests, of sharing that part of yourself with someone who has the spark but perhaps not the years of the flame burning already, that will be remembered most when you are a memory and a legacy. Much like your friend's Torino project, we remember the person by the car. It's not just transportation; it's a talisman to evoke some of what we share with others, even IF (in the case of the cartoon) the effects our efforts far exceed the initial actions. Anyway, good post and I wish you a successful next year.

[@stephenhotzjustdriveit]

I have 2 gearheads I am raising. 1 loves Mopars and 1 is into 63 Fairlanes and 72 Rancheros. Awesome to see them having fun.

[@leovargas3013]

I was converted by the guy down the street who had a 67 Ford Fairlane GT. This was back in 69. I have always been open to kids and teenagers who ask about my 68 Ranchero.

[@robertmcdonald5857]

That sure is a sweet ride that you drew for your friend.

[@Cale442]

I get like that every so often (nostalgic) about my car growth and the old car guys who made me. My uncles used to like to tell the story of when I was a little kid back in Hopkins, South Carolina and they would always keep me around them and their 340 Dusters, most of their friends had mopar, I was a rambunctious kid around the cars and their friend that had a 69 Roadrunner would fuss at my about running my hands up and down his clean car, but he wasn’t mean about it. Now that I’m a 55 year old man I wax nostalgic about those days, I didn’t become a mopar guy, I’m Oldsmobile because that same uncle helped me purchase my first car, a 77 Cutlass S (anyone that knows NASCAR and my first name may see the irony). I passed my love of cars onto my kids.

[@MarioSS396]

Chevy Nephew! Merry Christmas Jeff and team! 🎄🎁🤶

[@incampbellsshoptoday2599]

I am a High School shop teacher that runs a drag racing club, I have had this feeling many many times.

[@nickbruni8041]

Good stuff Sir … A very Merry Christmas to You and Your Family.🎄⛽️

[@FlameInGa]

Trosley was an inspiration to me as a young artist too!

[@terremolander5243]

Awesome stories.

[@donbellot4214]

A Merry Christmas to you and yours.

[@Paulie1232]

Merry Christmas 🎅 🎄

[@desertduck4177]

Way to bring in Cody, Carla’s nephew, to cars. Keep converting all souls and bring them to the junkyards.

[@rcadd1ct]

I had a fast lightning sitting in my driveway. Found a note on it where a kid was interested in buying it. I told him all about it. Started it and saw his eyes get wide. Let’s go for a ride around the block. Well we made it to Mexico and I asked if he was ready to hear it in anger? Yes. Truck lifted the nose up and we were gone. I looked over and the big eyes were back, but also was a Cheshire Cat grin from the kid. We get back to the house and he is disappointed to find out what a built truck costs. I’d like to think he would remember when some crazy hippy looking guy took the time to show him around Mexico. At least I hope so.

[@leethomas9198]

I've got a nephew who has recently started working on Tesla's(thankfully he drives a '19 f150 w/ coyote😁) so i put him on the Scanner Danner training book and youtube videos. The boy cannot get enough. He was already doing some import drifting etc. I bought my youngest son his first vehicle this summer. I looked for a year to locate a solid '94 F150 5.0l w/ less tah than 100k original miles. He has never been happier. Showed him today how to tighten the cooler lines at radiator to stop a leak. Now who turned me on? Honestly, probably a surveyor i worked with after high school who was yapping one day anout his "new" toyota camry. I couldn't have cared any less. However, when my '68 f100 started skipping he was quick to tell me how to diagnose it in the parking lot...leave it idling and pop plug wires off 1 at a time and when you find one that has no effect you got it. Yeah i got it all right- 1 thru 4 were fine. #5 was not! I don't recall hearing anything but $>×)@&^! Did it shock the crap out of me. My elbow ached, my eyeballs were sore, i thought i died and was shocked back to life. Seems the boot had a break in the insulation. Son that was not a good introduction but since then I've wanted to help work on anything from 8N tractor, to '04 3v 5.4l triton (if it isn't a Ford it doesn’t sleep in my driveway! ). I do allow wife's '17 Jag because most parts have FoMoCo embossed on them.😅

[@biglakehotrods381]

Merry Christmas Jeff. Maybe I’ll get to get over there visit with ya and see the shop in 2025.

[@hickeyskustomresto]

Krass and Bernie 👍

[@rusttooresurrection813]

Nice !