Bob’s story

My father was very much into automobiles and trucks; in fact he was working in the engineering department of the Kenworth Truck Company, then located in Seattle, Washington, at the time of my birth. That seemed to set the course for my own involvement in the vehicle production industry. I later

went to work myself in the Kenworth Engineering Department drafting exhaust systems. That experience made the difference when after getting a BS degree in Industrial Management, Ford hired me in the San Jose Assembly Plant as an Industrial Engineer.

I spent 18 years at the Ford plant as a manufacturing engineer building Mustangs, Cougars, Fairlanes and trucks, F-150’s thru F-750’s. I look back on my Ford experience as a wonderful time. I am today still a Ford supporter, only in part because of the new vehicle discounts and the retirement check they send me each month.

When Ford shut down the San Jose Plant I decided not to move east and stay with Ford. Lockheed became my employer for 13 years and I discovered that I had backed into a career called Facility Management, which is a many facetted field that includes everything to do with a corporation campus.

In 1956 I purchased a 1939 Chevrolet Coupe and a new 1956 Chev V8 engine and Powerglide transmission package, it had factory dual 4 barrel carbs and dual point distributor, this was the start of a 3 year project. It was a body off, ground up job, which presented many engineering challenges. My goal was to build a car that had no quirks so I could just hand the keys to someone and not have to explain that if you hit the brakes while turning left expect ………  or whatever. I think I was 99% successful in that effort. Oh yes, and I did every bit of the work myself including painting. This car was my transportation for 80,000 miles and I never had a problem.

The 1970 T-Bird that I drive on CHVA events is a car I purchased in 1970. I repainted it and rebuilt the engine in 1983. Had I known then that I would have such a problem with pre-ignition knock now, because of the weak kneed gasoline available, I would have lowered the factory 11 to 1 compression, I am still looking for a reasonable fix.

Judy and I are now trying to figure how we can justify a rag top touring car for future CHVA events.

Judy’s story

Judy started out in Auckland, New Zealand, where she did her growing up. As is the custom down under it is expected that the young people after completing their education will do their OE, which is their Overseas Experience. The OE is a living experience in another country either working or playing.

At the age of 20, Judy set sail for Canada, where she landed in Calgary,  during her 4 month stay she hooked up with two other girls. One was English and the other was another Kiwi like Judy.

They bought a 53 Morris Minor Convertible for their US tour. It would hold their belongings in the back seat, and the three girls sat in the front. Since one of the girls didn’t drive she would sit on a pillow in the middle and operate the hand brake. They were quite creative during the drive, cooking ears of corn each night in the motel room, the brakeman would butter them the next day and feed the two drivers.

The tour route took them first down to San Francisco, for a 6 months stay. When the trip resumed it took a southern route through El Paso and on to New Orleans. In New Orleans a wrong turn onto Canal Street put them as the last vehicle in the Mardi Gras parade, with the top down they didn’t look all that out of place.

It was in Atlanta, Georgia, that they lucked onto an English repairman that recognized their periodic car trouble as a 40 cent gasket which cured the vapor lock problem. It had caused a 150 mile tow into Houston earlier.

Turning North from Atlanta, they stopped in Washington, DC, and finally landed in New York. It was there that they sold the car for $100 to an Irishman Immigrant. The girls split up, Judy took a bus back to San Francisco, where she boarded a plane for Hawaii. From Hawaii it was by ship back to New Zealand. On the ship she met her future husband who was an Australian. 

After teaching school in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, she went to Hawaii, where she married and lived for 26 years.  She raised her two children there.

In 1962, she and her husband took a 3000 mile journey from Syndey to Perth, Australia, to visit his folks. This was done in a Holden pick-up truck loaded down with cans of gasoline and water. Half of the mileage on this trip was on unpaved road which added greatly to the experience.

In 1990, after a divorce she moved to San Francisco and successfully created a new life for herself. She and Bob have been together for the past 5 years, they have thoroughly enjoyed sharing their membership in the Redwood Region of CHVA. Life’s adventure continues.