Digging Out Dad's Classics For His 100th Birthday

Driving the ‘46 for his 100th birthday. I wanna go riding in my black Cadillac. What a great surprise that was going to be. It's been sitting there 45 years. Couldn't afford a Cadillac new in ’46. Bought  it for 50 bucks in the ‘70s off the original owner. The ‘46 was a carryover  of the pre-war ‘42 models. I went in the service the 6th of June 1942. Walt Walt West was a member of the  Fighting Wildcats in World War II. That 81st fought in the Pacific theater and  returned with MacArthur to the

Philippines. 155 canons that shot a 93 pound projectile.  That's what they shot. A lot of work no doubt but  the payoff would be huge for a veteran and a car collector. I like it, yeah, yeah. What'd you do? Fly the flag for the old man. Your neighbor  Mr. Simpson. Fly the flag for that veteran. That first island we we took, there was  over 600 left there in that cemetery, yeah. The goal was clear - get that Caddy running. The Cadillac was parked next door. This was  the Dodson’s house. They were

here when we moved here in 1950. When the west family  moved into this house that they still own across the street. And where remaining in the  drive was this 1950 De Soto Carry-All sedan. And when Mom was alive - you know she  didn't want it - didn't want it to change. It just hurt her you know when these  old people would die. They were her friends. When Mrs. Dodson passed away, she  bought the property from the estate. On this block we had Mrs. Dodson.  She was a widow lady. Later, across th

e street used to be  Mrs. Mills. She was a widow lady. Corner here was Mrs. Strong,  and she was a widow lady. So we did kind of you know look out for them. And it's just - Dad's always  grown his garden back here where they had their big chicken pen. You know they used this yard here for  chickens, so it made a great garden place. Mrs. Dodson and this strong Mrs Strong  really didn't like Mrs. Mills that much. I was probably in high school and I'd  go down and curl her hair for her. In this old

house and through this old door. And we were talking one day about  Mrs. Mills, and she said , 'you know I just don't like her.' She said one  day she asked me what I was doing, and I told her I was polishing rat  turds and selling them for rice. I was like okay! Yeah, but you know back here this place  is kind of hid. It's just an old house. Seemingly so. But in its day,  I mean you know it was fine. The proximity of this old garage to this old shed, where the Cadillac is stored dictate an exi

t on the west side, and that would tear up Linda's garden. We're gonna try to get that thing out. I don't know if Dad told you. That's another story. Uh, that  thing's sitting on blocks. It’s been sitting there, too, for  a long time but not that long. Not that long when you're a hundred. There that tire goes right there. It's  moaning. Oh i've been sitting here Yeah, I don't think it's gonna hold air. To get it in there you gotta  come in from the west side. What about from the east with Simpso

n's gin pole  truck? Ooh, man that is a bug-spraying monster. And homemade single axle tow dolly.  Just a little too wide to get inside. What are they doing now? You can't make that turn there and back it in. Here's a way to save that garden. Tow that Cadillac out at a right angle  on the back side of the old garage So if you take it out, it's  going to be a major job. Might have stepped a foot or two  into that World War iI garden. '46 models were left over pre-war designs. This thing ain't see

n daylight in 45 years. And  it didn't want to see daylight, not this day. Oh, the humanity. Luckily, it ain't brought blood yet. From here we dragged it out to the street. My name's MC Simpson and I'm a tow truck driving - We're having a ball, ain't we? Neighbors helped one another  like this in the fifties. Maybe I can get a hole rubbed out. What are we doing? We need to push her up in now. Well I started to say, is this going  to hit ? That angle wouldn't work . I know that's better. Raise th

at back end up a little bit. That front side wheel that  had seized was turning now. Is that back wheel gonna turn? Nope it's leaving a black mark. Hold on let me get it off  the ground a little more. They're locked down tight. Here comes the cops. No. That pole almost hit the roof. I was stopping it. I was gonna get it  as far as we could go and then stop it. Ready? When I said in that other video, when we got his  old Ford out , that it was worth all the effort? This was 10 times the effort  j

ust to move this car. Yesterday Dad and I were talking and he said I know y'all had to tear that  car up getting it out of there. You had to tear the bumper off of it  getting out of there and I said Dad . Well, I knew it was going to be a job. Which it could be kind of  a surprise that we didn't. The Cadillac had a stuck valve. We couldn't get it running for the  hundredth, so we came up with a Plan B. Okay now we're gonna get in there and we'll uh... Parked 40 years in that garage. Shouldn't 

be near as hard as that Cadillac. Right? If we can pull that out of there with this. With what? I can't get you off  you don't get off the brakes. I call it my contraption. It's made out of a 1920s  carbon arc movie projector. It's got a little Wisconsin in it. Yeah it's it's about a 10 horse,  one-cylinder, yeah one-lunger. It's got a piston in this stack. Harry drove his contraption into the drive,  negotiating the sloping carport roof. Walt was outside watching on the swing. Would that stack

clear the carport? Harry figured  it would if he took it real slow. But, no. Yeah let's roll it. Man, that was close down there when  I went under - oh, that was close! If you ever bought your dad a  tie for his birthday or whoa whoa sent him a card, maybe do  something a little harder for his 100th. You got air in the tires? Oh god ,they're flat as a board!  And dug into the dirt floor! Okay let's see if that baby will take  some air. Better turn the air on. Oh, it's coming up. Passenger side r

ear tire  also held air. There we go. Hope that ain't got a nail in it,  stuck in that tire. Oh piece of wood. The front tires were stuck in big holes in that  dirt floor or as MC Simpson put it. Yeah, this one over here is going downhill Harry. re were losing  air in another one. No it's just going downhill. She's coming up. That's all the jack I got. I see you're laying down on the job. This jack  won't raise it high enough to get the tire off. Which we were just gonna replace. Oh, you want a

block? Well, I got that two  by four, but it ain't gonna be near enough. Hey look that inspection sticker  expired in August of 1976. I'm laying over here in the critter crap. That old car has been in there since 1980 . It was 40 years. He jacked it up and he's got it setting on  those blocks to take the weight off the springs. So it didn't sit there and ruin  the springs all them years. Pulling the old Plymouth  out was supposed to be easy. With the flat tires down we couldn't  get this under t

he rear axle. So you still think baby boomers  are the "me" generation? You think that hasn't been there a day  or two let's see if the contraption will pull that front end out of those  holes. This thing is turbocharged. There we go. All right. See if you can pop a wheelie .Go the  other way? Put it in D for Dallas, Harry. I'm trying to get it in something. I don't know. Where's neutral on this three on the tree? Yeah oh yeah we probably got  it in gear. It's a standard shift. Come on Nan, it w

asn't budging. Harry traced the problem to this drive  pulley. You saw how much slack it's got. We're going to try to winch it out of that hole . Tire aired up. Walt was no longer on that swing. Even after we winched it out of that hole. Had to break down and bring in Harry's new Chevy. And Walt was back inside but  monitoring what was going on. But it run perfect. It drove real good. That's  the best driving little old car you ever saw. A 1956 Plymouth Belvedere. Of course, you know it's a six

cylinder. Turn a little bit the other way,  just straighten her back out now. Got that big old steering  wheel. You can turn it easy. We were going to clean them up during  the party. That was part of it. Man look at the dirt on this thing. This car was caked with really fine dust. What's it look like in there? Three on the tree, manual shift. Like the dust didn't get  inside muchl No, not much. And that odometer -51 000  just like Walt remembered! The day of the hundredth had arrived. I think a

bout the cars a lot.  And wish I could see them. Like I can today. This is ,this is great! There you go. Now you can  rub on it with them toes! Got us a mud hole started. Close family friend Bob Doucette dropped by. As Walt watched his old cars get all shined up. My first car I guess was a Model T. But I think he's having fun today. That would have been a Model Touring. A ot of West Texas dirt there  coming off this old Plymouth. Early '60s model Chevrolet... Did you catch that ? Shiver-lay. Tha

t's how we say it in West Texas. Dad what make a car is that? That's a Shiver-Lay. See out here it's not Chevrolet . Chevrolet. No, you didn't  say it right. Shiver-lay. Chevrolet . It's a Shiver-Lay.  Oh, old Chevy. Shiver-Lay. There's part of your birthday cake. Okay. I thought of all those World War II veterans. Veterans that sacrificed  their freedom and their lives for our freedom today - happy birthday to you. Okay we understand drive-by birthday  greetings during a pandemic. But you know,

a 100 years? A World War II Vet? How about maybe a fire truck procession? Where a hundred year old  veteran will stand up and wave. Get back. You beter watch it. Don't mind seeing old flag out there. Cost us a lot of lives. Being able to keep it flying, you know. I like them long hoods. Big old Cadillac flathead. Same one used in M -24 tanks in World War II. When Walt climbed in his old Caddy. He wasn't even thinking about that dumb old car. Yeah boy, yeah boy, yeah boy, yeah boy. He was thinki

ng about the love of his family  and friends to go to all that trouble. Yeah boy. I'm doing good physically so I plan on  driving both of them in the near future. I would like to drive them today, but we do  have this epidemic, you know, going around. Which also disrupted Walt's 101st  birthday a year later on may 17th. Well,I was going to get the Cadillac running,  and then this virus stuff came along. Then we got a wild idea. Look somebody drove one  of those new Teslas to Walt's 99th birthday

party. That's the year he got such a big kick out  of driving the '55 Ford he bought brand-new. The kids had backed it out of its  47-year hibernation and got it running. And now a Tesla. I don't know about 'em. About all you need to know is... iI's fully electric. and 0 to 60 - 2.8 seconds. One G, same as a parachute jump. With a 101-year old? That would be kind of Ludicrous. Wouldn't it? Get in it and stomp  it. You think you can drive it? I don't know. It says press brake pedal to shift  gea

rs. Just drop it down in drive. I guess I better get legal to turn us around. Let's get you  strapped in here. We may be going to the moon. The old boy that builds these cars, you know he's  ready - he's trying to build him a rocket ship to go to Mars. So we may, we may beat him. Yeah,  well. All right let's go. All right, Dee Dee. This is first ride we ever took. The first time, for  me, too. First time I ever drove an electric car. Yeah. You think your '55 Ford will outrun this  sucker? Yeah w

hen you was riding around in them old Model Ts, and them old horse-drawn wagons,  did you ever think - never dreamed about this. You want to go fast? Here we go. Uh huh. That wasn't the half of it. Barely  giving it - giving it the juice. Here we go. i'm not even coming close to the floor.  We'll get down here, we will find a mud hole. We'll launch it one more time. Ready. Here we go. I can't imagine. That was power. To go out quick, that  quick . They built some pretty good engine But, nothing

like that.