Headed for Florida: MUST FIND SPACE!!!!

Guys, I can''t take it anymore... Space must be found!!! I''m headed for Florida this Friday afternoon and will not return until I am assured he is safe and sound!!
 
 
Actualy...
 
My parent and I are going to Florida to visit with my family and go to Disney World for a day or so.  We plan to go down to north Florida and find a beach front motel on Friday or Saturday night, depending on which day we end up leaving.  We will head into Lakeland, FL on Saturday or Sunday and spend time with my grandfather and visit my grandmother in the nursing home. 
 
On Monday, we are going to visit my Uncle Jerry across Lakeland.  He isn''t a good mechanic... his friend who did that for him died a few years back.  Some of you may remember me mentioning him as the one we got our 1950 Chevrolet from.  He has a 1951 Chevy Bel Air 4 door and a 2 door, yellow and green respectivly. My dad''s going to install an electric ignition system on one since it keeps burning up it''s point and condensors so he can hopefully have a reliable ride (everytime it leaves the tow truck brings it back).
 
On Tuesday or Wendesday, depending on when we get there, my family and I will vist Disney World for a dya.  My parnets bought 4 day passes back in 1994 that were good forever... we only used 3 days. 
 
Then we will tkae our time coming back and should be in sometime late Thursday or Friday sometime....  I look forward to seeing you guys when I get back :)

Have a safe trip!
 
Gotta go get ready for work now.
 
Midnight shift.

Have a wonderful time and stay safe.

I''ve stayed in Leesburg a few times which is a stones throw away from Lakeland down 41. (I think) It''s a really nice area. Not to mention DETROIT TIGERS TRAINING CAMP...lol. :o) Have a safe, fun trip!

I haven''t posted for a while and I need to explain why:
 
I have decided to not post on this forum until Space is located.  I cannot and will not in good faith post on a Space-less MC forum.  It is my way of showing my support for Space and all the post-aholics he represents. 
 
Cowboy - let me know if you locate Space.  I have lots to say and don''t know if I can hold out in my protest much longer.

What''s to protest?
He wasn''t banned.  The virus that hit our site screwed up some of the user''s accounts.  Space was one of them unfortunately.  He also chose not to disclose his email addy to the forum, so we can''t contact him.  All we can do is hope he reads our posts to him.
 
Of course, he is welcome to create a new username if he decides.  Hopefully we hear from him soon.

that will put a big damper on his quest for 10,000 posts....

Space always said that it''s not the number of posts you create that counts.
 
What counts is the quality of the words put into the post.
 
 
_______________________________

I have reached Florida.  I am typing to you all from my grandfathers computer.  So far my search for ''Space has turned up nothing. 

check the surf and the sky d00d

Head down to the beach and park your Monte on the beach.  He''ll show up eventually.

we took the Odyssey... more room for my 400 lbs dad and 300 lbs mom to ride in... 25 mpg is what we got coming down, me driving 100% of the way at around 70 alot of the way and near 80 for about 45 minutes trying not to get run over in Georgia.  I think the Monte could have done 28-29 based on what i''ve done with ti before.

hey thats still damn good mileage for all the ass you was haulin *literally*

lol.... true
 
well today we got thsoe 2 old cars running.  the 1951 4 door was in Uncle Jerry''s garage, the other was at his shop about 5 miles away.  we got the 4 door running first.  we rode around to get it "broke back in" so to speak... get the octane booster and seafoam we dropped in the tank to mix in and get thru the system... get taht 2 speed auto to shift again.  this is definitly the nicer of the 2 cars.  i took some pictures.. i''ll post them when i get back and upload them on my own computer.
 
then we got the 1951 2 door going.. it''s been sitting in a shed for 4 years.  the chrome is a little rusty.. it needs a shiny coat of wax, but it cleaned up half way well... it''s got a 3 speed on the column.  we wanted to get both back to his house where it would be more convenient ofrh im to clean both of them very well, especially the 2 door (he''s retired, doesn''t go to the shop much at all).  the door had a few cob webs in it the interior.
 
so anways, somebody ahd to drive the other car.  his shoulder bothers him a little to drive a stick shift, and i much prefered riding in the 3 speed (long story, he drove both to break them in a little), and the 3 speed feels like it has 50 more bhp''s.  it''s just where those old automatics took alot of power away as ti went to the wheels.  i much prefer driving it.. although the 4 door is the nicer car with ti''s shinier chrome and vinyl interior (as opposed to the 2 doors cloth).  it was great to drive it... i followed him as he drove the 4 door back to his home.  once again, i''ll post pictures when i get home.
 
tomorrow we''re heading out.  we''re oging to stop in St. Augustine to visit old friends and come on in probably Wednesday sometime... we''ve decided not to go to Disney World... :)  we''re going to wait and go with my brother and his 2 little girls and wife later on.
 
and as far as the search for ''Space... well we cruised the town in old Chevy''s half the day.. if that don''t draw him out, I don''t know what will :(  no sign of him

alright my monte carlo brethren, i have returned, and so has Kid ''Space :)  my search for him was a success :) apparently my driving around in old chevies all day monday lured him out :)

Alright guys... while down there we got those old Chevies running... here are some pictures of them.
 
The green 2 door was kept in a shack.  The paint is still in great shape... it has a lot of dust and dirt on it when we pushed it out.  However, the chrome is in rough shape from sitting.. a little TLC and a good coat of wax and I think it''ll be in great shape.  We got it running, and it''s a good 10 footer without the TLC.
 

 

 
Those 2 pics were taken in Uncle Jerry''s driveway after we took the cars from the shop back to his house.   We drove the 4 door yelllow Chevy over to where the 2 door was after we got it running first (more on it in a minute).  To get them back here (his driveway), he drove the 4 door and I got to drive the green 2 door with a 3 speed on the column across town.  I always figured the 3 on the tree wuld be a challenge to me.. being so used to it on the floor.  But I picked it right up.. VERY EASY ACTUALLY!!!
 
Here is the interior of the 51 2 door.
 

 
... and me behind the wheel of the 2 door.
 

 
 
 
The 4 door is still the nicer car, even after you give the 2 door some TLC.  The problem Uncle Jerry had was cleaning that cloth interior... so he decided to do the 4 door in vinyl.  He did not spare a penny on this car.  This car was kept in the 2 car garage that is attached to his house.  It is very smooth, very nice.
 

 

 
Here is the interior...
 

 
And here is me in the backseat... I don''t know how well you can see it, but there is SO MCUH ROOM in this backseat... there hasn''t been a car made since probably the 50''s that had this kind of room in it.... it is also VERY easy to get in and out of.   I couldn''t believe how easy it was and how much room there was in the car.  I had to lean forward and scoot to the edge of the seat to talk to my dad and Uncle Jerry in the front.
 

 
 
My preference of hte cars ahs to go to the 2 door though.. a little TLC and it would be in great shape.  Plus, the yellow car has a 2 speed automatic.. and I like driving manual transmissions now.  I wish I ahd even bought a car with one :).  The 1950 Chevy truck has made me wish I had one... I love it''s 4 speed.  The 3 on the tree in the 2 door also feels like it has about 50 mroe hp.. a product of how much hp old transmissions took. 
 
My Uncle Jerry is looking to sell the 2 door.  Howver, he hates aggravating with selling cars.  He doesn''t want people coming over, test driving the car.. plus alot of people my age have no idea how different drum brakes and the handling on old cars was (my dad practically taught me how to drive again telling me little things as we restored that truck), and he doesn''t like haggling with a price.  He joked that he would give it away before he aggravated with selling it.. but he wants to get rid of it.  Therefore, we have no idea what he''s going to do it.  He said he''d let it rust away too and lose the $18,000 he''s got in it before he aggravated with selling it.. and thats when he said he''d just give it to somebody before he tried to sell it.  I told him he was talking my price range now :)  Who knows.. maybe we can get us a 2 door Bel Air to park beside the ''50 truck.
 
BTW, my moms whole family was killed in a 1950 Chevy 2 door... same body.... when she was only 3.  She was raised by her grandfather, the only person in the family who wasn''t in the car and killed.
 
So anyways... after this we went to Daytona.  I''ve got pics, but they''re nothing special.  No pictures of me infront of anything.  You''ve all seen Daytona on TV.  All I can say is those banks look much steeper in reality than they do on TV.
 
But it is good to be home...

the Odyssey got around 25 mpg highway going down.. it gets around 20 in town.  scarily enough, i kind of like the minivan... very nice, very user friendly.

o yeah.. forgot my summer plans.
 
i''ll be riding with my dad in the truck... starting in a week or so a farmer i know is going to start harvesting his crops, a nd will need help for that.  i''ll be doing that for a few weeks, then it''s off to Campbell University for college.

Sorry to hear about your mom''s family.  I know it was a long time ago, but I imagine seeing the green 2 door must have brought back some painful memories for her.
 
I can understand your uncle Jerry''s view on selling.  I''m kinda the same way.  That''s why I trade my cars in now.  Too much hassle to try and sell my old car.  Plus the idea of having to continue paying for insurance and licence plates on the old car while trying to sell it. 
 
I think those two cars need someone like your uncle Jerry.  Someone who will keep them restored.  I hate to say it, but most buyers would end up slicing them up.  Engine & tranny swap, gut most of the interior and modernize it, trash the original wheels, and lower the stance.  More ambitious buyers would even chop the top.  Sure when it''s done you got a really nice looking hot rod.  But in doing so, you''ve lost a great vintage car in original condition. 
 
I''m all for modding, trust me.  But there simply aren''t that many of those cars left in original condition.  Kinda like when Boyd Coddington took that restored 100 year old Model T Ford, in showroom condition, chopped it up and turned it into a rat-rod.  For fans of "American Hot Rod", it was the ill-fated rat-rod competition with Blue-Bear.

yeah... i''d leave it just like it is if i had it... but my Uncle Jerry is 70 years old and had his knees replaced.. he could pass for 60 easy though... he''s in good shape and as i said.. looks 60.  he can''t move around too much or his knees get to bothering him either.  however, he can drive them good... i think he may have just lost interest.  he said he cleaned up the chrome on that 2 door and they came out perfect... no pictures though.  i don''t know what he''s going to do.  i hope he don''t park it in that shack again though.