Say Thanks

Thanksgiving is a time to express gratitude for the good things in our lives. A modern expression of the harvest festivals that have taken place since the beginning of civilization, it recognizes the role of the sun, moon and rain that have brought plenteous crops and raised fatted beasts, as well as the divine providence that caused them to arrive in the correct proportions. In our post-industrial age, however, the plenty that feeds us is rarely grown in our back yards. More often it comes in boats and trains and planes - and automobiles. Thus it's appropriate to give thanks, too, for our self-propelled transportation.

I was given a car when I was fourteen. It was not my first car - I had purchased a 1937 Ford when I was nine, but it was not sufficiently complete to function. This second car had belonged to Stanley Pratt, a family friend, and we had agreed that when he entered the Army after high school I would buy it for $75. When enlistment day came, however, the car refused to run, and a few weeks later his father pushed it down the road to our house. He was so glad to see the end of it that he refused my $75.

My benefactor had left me a 1947 Ford Super Deluxe fordor sedan. It was not rotten, but was rather battered and the interior was a shambles. It didn't take much to get it running - a fresh battery and a new fuel pump made it start; a rebuilt carburetor made it run fine. I read extensively about what made it tick, and drove it in the fields near my home for over two years.

Thinking it might be more useful as a truck, I cut off the back end and constructed a dump body out of 2x6s and plywood. In theory it was fine, but in practice I had failed to allow clearance for the rear tires when the suspension was loaded, so its useful capacity was less than a wheelbarrow's worth of sand.

When I finally received my driver's license I wanted a car fit for the road, one with an interior that my friends might want to ride in, so I bought a 1940 DeSoto for $30 and gave the Ford to a friend. When he moved out of town he gave it to our high school as an auto shop project.

I've been given other cars in my lifetime, some in need of surgery (and which I later put on the road), and some as running parts cars (which I didn't). I've also given away a Rover that I drove for 15 years, its companion parts car and a Ford van that was an arrested project. If you've got a car that's surplus to your needs and doesn't owe you any money, consider giving it to a young person who can learn from it. That boy or girl will thank you, even if their parents don't.

Come to think of it, I've got a car to give away, and I'd be thankful if you wanted it. Contact the CarPort for details.