Detroit Iron - Part 1

When Detroit was in it's Full Glory

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 1956 Ford Thunderbird

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1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Convertible

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1960 Plymouth Fury

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1959 Chevrolet Impala 2Dr hardtop

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1956 Ford Fairlane Victoria

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1958 Cadillac Series 62 Sedan

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1960 Lincoln Continental Mark V Four Door Landau

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1957 Buick Roadmaster 2 Door Hardtop

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1957 Lincoln Premiere four-door Landau

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1959 Buick 2 Door Convertible

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1959 Edsel Citation
Ford lost $350 million ($1.55 billion in 2009 dollars) on the venture.

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1958 De Soto

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1959 Mercury Colony Park Country Cruiser

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1958 Cadillac Fleetwood Sixty Special

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1958 Dodge Custom Sierra

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1949 Oldsmobile 88

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1959 Ford Thunderbird Convertible

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1949 Kaiser Virginian

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1960 Imperial Crown Convertible

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This Is A TRUE Story

This is a TRUE story about U.S. Army Veteran Ed Freeman.

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He was a veteran not only of Viet Nam, but of World War II and Korea.
Also was the recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions on November 14, 1965, at Landing Zone X-Ray, in the Ia Drang Valley of Vietnam.
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During the Vietnam War Freeman served as a helicopter pilot with the rank of Captain in US Army's Company A, 229th, Assault Helicopter Battalion, First Cavalry Division Air Mobil.
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On November 14th, 1965, a US battalion was surrounded by the enemy. In the heat of the battle when all hope was lost, an unarmed helicopter came to their aid, bringing water, much needed supplies and ammunition.
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According to survivors of the battle the unarmed Huey returned more than 21 times with supplies, evacuating the wounded each trip.  That day, more than 70 soldiers were flown to safety by Captain Freeman.
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Freeman was decorated with the distinguished Flying Cross for his act of bravery but for decades those who survived this battle felt that a higher honor should be awarded to the helicopter pilot.  On July 16, 2001, Congress awarded the Medal of Honor to Freeman with the persuasion of Lieutenant Colonel Bruce Crandall, other survivors who were rescued by Freeman, and Senator John McCain.
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That day, Freeman and his wife, Barbara, were invited to the Whitehouse  where President George W. Bush presented the Congressional Medal of honor before witnesses consisting of Vice President Cheney,  the secretary of defense, secretary of veterans affairs, the joint chiefs as well as members of the Joint Chiefs, Senator John McCain, Senator Craig, Congressman Otter, and Congressman Simpson from the delegation of Idaho.
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On August 20, 2008, Major Ed Freeman passed away from complications of Parkinson's disease at the age of 80 and was laid to rest at the Veterans Cemetery in Idaho, where he settled.
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In March of 2009, the United States Congress bestowed one more honor to Major Freeman. They designated the US Post Office in his place of birth McLain, Mississippi, the "Major Ed W. Freeman Post Office."
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Click for CNN Transcript of President Bush's presentation of the Congressional Medal of Honor.
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A Good Explanation Of Death

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A sick man turned to his doctor as he was preparing to


Leave the examination room and said,


'Doctor, I am afraid to die.

Tell me what lies on the other side..'

Very quietly, the doctor said, 'I don't know..'

'You don't know? You're, a Christian man, 

 

 

and don't know what's on the other side?'

The doctor was holding the handle of the door;

On the other side came a sound of scratching and whining,

And as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room

And leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.

Turning to the patient, the doctor said,

'Did you notice my dog?  ~ 

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He's never been in this room before.


He didn't know what was inside..


He knew nothing except that his master was here,

And when the door opened, he sprang in without fear.

I know little of what is on the other side of death,

But I do know one thing...

I know my Master is there and that is enough.'

May today there be peace within you.

May you trust God that you are exactly
where you are meant to be..

I believe that friends are quiet angels

Eddie Rickenbacker & the Sea Gulls

It is gratitude that prompted an old man to visit an old broken pier on the eastern seacoast of Florida. Every Friday night, until his death in 1973, he would return, walking slowly and slightly stooped with a large bucket of shrimp. The sea gulls would flock to this old man, and he would feed them from his bucket.

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Many years before, in October, 1942, Captain Eddie Rickenbacker was on a mission in a B-17 to deliver an important message to General Douglas MacArthur in New Guinea.

 

But there was an unexpected detour which would hurl Captain Eddie into the most harrowing adventure of his life. Somewhere over the South Pacific the Flying Fortress became lost beyond the reach of radio. Fuel ran dangerously low, so the men ditched their plane in the ocean. 

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For nearly a month Captain Eddie and his companions would fight the water, and the weather, and the scorching sun. They spent many sleepless nights recoiling as giant sharks rammed their rafts. The largest raft was nine by five. The biggest shark...ten feet long. But of all their enemies at sea, one proved most formidable: starvation. Eight days out, their rations were long gone or destroyed by the salt water. It would take a miracle to sustain them.

And a miracle occurred. In Captain Eddie’s own words, “Cherry,” that was the B-17 pilot, Captain William Cherry, “read the service that afternoon, and we finished with a prayer for deliverance and a hymn of praise. There was some talk, but it tapered off in the oppressive heat. With my hat pulled down over my eyes to keep out some of the glare, I dozed off.”

 

Now this is still Captain Rickenbacker talking...”Something landed on my head. I knew that it was a sea gull. I don’t know how I knew, I just knew. Everyone else knew too. No one said a word, but peering out from under my hat brim without moving my head, I could see the expression on their faces. They were staring at that gull. The gull meant food...if I could catch it.”

 

And the rest, as they say, is history. Captain Eddie caught the gull. Its flesh was eaten. Its intestines were used for bait to catch fish. The survivors were sustained and their hopes renewed because a lone sea gull, uncharacteristically hundreds of miles from land, offered itself as a sacrifice. You know that Captain Eddie made it.

 

And now you also know...that he never forgot. Because every Friday evening, about sunset...on a lonely stretch along the eastern Florida seacoast...you could see an old man walking...white-haired, bushy eye browed, slightly bent. His bucket filled with shrimp was to feed the gulls...to remember that one which, on a day long past, gave itself without a struggle...like manna in the wilderness.

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“The Old Man and the Gulls” from Paul Harvey’s The Rest of the Story by Paul Aurandt, 1977, quoted in Heaven Bound Living, Knofel Stanton, Standard, 1989, pp. 79-80

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The First Motorhome

This is really neat

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The Ford House-Car  Q-dog 

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This is one of only six Ford House-cars said to have been made per year in the mid-30's at the Ford plant in St. Paul , Minnesota ,
according to an article in a 1993 "Old Cars" magazine.
Very few others--perhaps none--remain on the road and certainly not in such amazing original condition!
When discovered in a garage under a heavy cover in northern Minnesota in August of 2001, it had only 19,000 miles on the odometer and the owner's manual was still in the glove box in like-new condition!
The RV had always been garaged and treated with much 'TLC' as a collector vehicle.
The all wood lined interior was still the way it appeared in the '30's complete with framed photos of the original owner on his travels, mainly to Florida , and his cabin in the North Woods. It also had other memorabilia from that era.
The Ford House-car was built on a '37 Ford Pickup frame and cowling and was powered by a 60 horse power, flathead V-8 with aluminum heads. The rear framing is all wood, with the metal skin wrapped around it. The roof structure is all wood over which the heavy, waterproofed canvas top is still very securely fitted. The structure of the body is solid, appearing to be all oak hardwood and it's still in a remarkably unaltered, undamaged condition!
The door frames are thick, solid oak as are the window frames although those have been painted over.
This House-car was a big hit at this campground once we got that great old 'flattie' V-8 hummin'! Note the expanding roof (it's that 'extra' roof piece barely visible in the picture) and the original dark green color, which has been repainted. All four side windows open while the back one tilts out in three positions. The windshield also tilts open at the bottom for 'natural' AC while driving.Here are a few shots of the Ford House-car on the road... 

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Here's a look at the interior.
It's a slice right out of 1930's just as the original owner had it. All the windows have curtains for privacy and there are pull-down shades on the back window, as well as on the driver's and passenger door windows. Note the wide storage cabinet under the bed. 

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The wood headliner gives the 'cabin' a warm and inviting rustic feel. You can also see it has a ceiling vent and the canvas expanding roof portion visible in this picture. Four wood pieces securely support the expansion when it's in the 'up' position, while clamps secure it when it's down while traveling. 

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Note the cedar branches hanging in the corners to give the cabin a natural, north woods aroma. Cabinets and the aluminum sink, that includes a wooden cover insert, are visible on the left. All the antiques inside, as well as on the walls, came along for the ride. Also note the collapsible table behind the driver's seat. 

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It's amazing how simple vehicles were back then! No computerization to be concerned about, eh?

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Awesome Pictures

 These Pictures Are 

 

 

  

     

       

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