The Language of Cars

I will never forget the first time my father took my to a car show. It

was the summer of 1989, just a few months before I turned sixteen. I

was standing next to a beautiful black and silver car just staring at it

in awe. That is when a perfect stranger came up to me and said.

“Would you look at that 67 fastback. She has a 428 cobra jet with an

850 holly double pumper, a c-4 trans, 9 inch ford and she puts out

425 at the fly.” The man was so excited that I got excited even

though I had no idea what he was talking about. I looked at him and

quickly said “hell yeah that rocks.”


A few weeks later on a Sunday my father, mother, and I all got in the

truck and went driving. We pulled up to a house and got out. My dad

introduced me to the man and I shook his hand like dad taught me

to, nice and firm not like a wet fish. I noticed the two of them went

over to an orange car and started talking. About an hour later my

dad looked at me and said “son if you ever want to drive this thing

you better help me put it on the trailer.” In my haste earlier I hadn’t

even noticed we had the trailer.” Is that mine?” I said. “Yes it is,” my

father told me. I remembered what the stranger at the car show had

said. “Does it have a 428 cobra jet with an 850 holly double pumper

and a 9 inch ford?” My father and the man looked at each other and

laughed. “No Bryan it doesn’t it has a straight six. If it had a cobra jet

I couldn’t have bought it for two hundred dollars.” “Ok,” I answered,”

I was just wondering.”


When we got back into the truck my dad look at me and said, “when

did you learn about cobra jets and 850 holleys?”

“Some guy at the car show was telling me about the 67 fastback,” I

replied.


“Well this doesn’t have a cobra jet but don’t worry you will learn all

about it very soon.” Little did I know I was about to embark on the

greatest learning adventure of my life.


That evening after we got the car off the trailer my dad told me “this

is a 1974 Ford Maverick with a straight six and a two barrel.” “Ok

dad” I said “but what does all that mean?” “Well son, a straight six

means the engine has six cylinders and they are in a straight line. A

v-6 has three on each side of the engine like a v.” “Oh I get it now.”

“A two barrel is the carburetor and it lets gas into the engine.” “A two

barrel has two gas lines and a four barrel has four.” “Then when

somebody says the have a double pumper they mean a four barrel

carburetor?”


“Ok dad but what about the 9 ford?” “Well son that is the size of the

rear end.” “But dad I said the back of the car looks bigger than nine

inches to me.” He laughed and said “no Bryan not the back of the car

the rear end.” Just then he pointed at a part under the car right in the

middle between the tires. “That is the rear end.” Well it turns out I

would learn a lot more over the next few months as my father and I

started fixing the car so I could drive it.


I turned sixteen that November and I was ready to go take my

driving test. I passed it the first time and I couldn’t wait to get home

and drive my new car for the very first time. The only problem is it

didn’t run yet. When I got home I told my dad I passed I passed.

“Good job” he said “well I guess we should go get some Bruams ice

cream to celebrate.” “Do you mind driving us there?” He tossed me

the keys to the Maverick. “I would love to drive you there but these

are the keys to the maverick dad.” “I know that” he said. With a big

grin on my face from ear to ear I ran out to the bright orange and

rust covered car and put the keys in the ignition. I turned them to

the start position and she fired up. “You fixed it dad you fixed it.”

“Yes it was the starter.” “I replaced it while you and your mother

were taking your test.” I drove us to Bruams and my dad bought us

ice cream. To that point I had never had a better day than that one.


Then on the way home from school my car died in the middle of the

street. “Oh crap now what do I do?” I thought to myself. So I did the

only thing a man of sixteen would do. I walked up to some guys

house and asked to use the phone. When my dad answered the

phone I said “dad my car died and I don’t know what to do.” As we

talked on the phone the kind gentleman that let me use his phone

asked if he could talk to my father for a minute. I gave him the

phone and they talked for a few minutes. Then he said “come on son

I will show you how to change the fuel filter on that old thing.” He

popped the hood an took out a wrench from his tool box. Then he

removed a small cylinder from the front of the carburetor. “This is

the fuel filter” he said as he banged it on his wrench. “If it gets dirty

your car won’t run.” It turns out the guy was a mechanic. He showed

me how to remove and replace the fuel filter and then had me do it

once. “Thank you for fixing my car sir” I said and then I went on my

way.


After that day I learned to keep two spare fuel filters in the glove box

at all times. Back then I hated that I had an old ugly car that I had to

work on every day when all the other kids in school had brand new

cars. Now that I am thirty two I can appreciate what I learned that

they didn’t. I worked on that car every weekend for the next two

years with my father. Always learning something new. I have a

knowledge that most people never will.


Just this last July on a Friday night at Harrah Church I went to a car

show with my entire family. I was standing in front of the very same

1967 mustang fastback I had almost seventeen years earlier. That is

when a man in his late forties walked up to me and said “now that is

a nice car what kind is it?” With a smirk on my face I looked at him

and said “it’s a 67 fastback with a 428 cobra jet, an 850 holley

double pumper, c-4 trans, and a 9 inch ford rear end.” “Damn that

sounds great I sure would love to drive it.” claimed the man. “Me too”

I said, “You know a 428 cobra jet puts out 425 horse at the fly so it

would suck you back like a rocket. The 428 isn’t original to the 67

though. Ford didn’t introduce the 428 until the 1968 Shelby GT 500

but it is still the most popular engine for rebuilds.” “You sure seem

to know an awful lot about cars for such a young man” he said. “Well

my dad and I are rebuilding a 67 fastback with a 351 Cleveland that

puts out 800 horse on the fly and 750 at the rear wheels. It has

12:5:1 compression heads, an 850 nascar 4 barrel, 463 gears, a

trans brake and it will run the quarter in 9.2 seconds.” “Holy crap

son how fast is that?” asked the man. “It is like going from 0 to 150

miles per hour in nine seconds.” He just shook his head as he walked

away. I had never been more proud of myself as I was that day.


My sister looked at me and said “what does all of that mean?” “What

does all of what mean?” I said. “The stuff about the fly and the rear

wheel.” She explained. “The fly refers to the amount of horsepower

the engine outs out at the flywheel and the rear wheel horsepower is

how much it puts out at the rear wheels.” “Never mind I will never

understand what you and dad are talking about when it comes to

cars.”