Rewind the Fifties
Visitors Scrapbook Page 6

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Don, I have cruised your page and it really is right on the target. So many memories and different pages to look thru - keep up the great job. I'm sure you'll never know how many people have enjoyed your work and that you've brought back a happy time to.

I would love to share some memories to put in your page. And I did live thru the Fifties and sixties. And I do have a pink-n-black '55 Ford like the one person asked about. As soon as I get some pictures, I'll mail you one to post. Anyway here's my memories.

I remember listening to Gunsmoke, Interstatium, and boxing on a large wooden radio on Friday nites. Then in 1953, we went to town (we lived out a ways in the country) to the hardware store to buy a Motorola TV. It was a large wooden cabinet with a 21" screen. My Dad had said he wouldn't buy one until he could see the people 's eyes. The first ones had very small screens. We then got to see Gunsmoke and Friday nite boxing from Madison Square Gardens.

My Father was from Kentucky and my Mom from Texas. They meet during WWII when he was stationed there , got married and returned to Kentucky after the war. But every summer for our vacations we drove to Texas to see her family. First we went in a '50 ford (I was a little young then to remember much ) and then in our new'55 Ford. We made the trip from Kentucky to Texas at least once and some times twice a year. Most of this was from 1955 - 1961.

We drove thru the heart of the South, during a time of much unease and tension. Many out of state plates were not welcome in some places. Many times that olde '55 would run straight thru non-stop (except for gas). Running from 24-27 hours straight thru. I could tell many stories about some of these adventures and happenings. But in keeping with the theme of your page let me go into what I really want to talk about that is now missing.

You must remember that this was a time before we had Interstate to take you everywhere. After all it was President Eisenhower in the Fifties that mandated they be built. Before this you followed the main roads. And that meant you traveled thru every town and city. It was quite a learning experience. We saw the cultural and architectural changes. We knew when we were getting into the South (Dr. Peppers) We ate at different restaurants and different kinds of food. This was a time before all the national chains of McDonalds and Pizza hut and KFC on every exit. Now the Interstates by pass all the towns and local establishments. All the exits have the same places, It's almost like you never home.

People talk about the "Route 66" and are trying to relive this , but actually you don't have to go there just get off the Interstate on your next trip (If you got the time) and take the back roads and see what America used to be like before we were all in a hurry and your kids might begin to learn something different too.

Well Don -I guess you can see I could go on more about some these things - maybe later. Please feel free to use my e-mail on your wonderful site.

We are the Andersens, Bob and Sherry.

 We are members of NHRA, Good Guys, ANRA, and the Klassic Kruisers. We also belong to an online car club on AOL called RoadToads. We have a front motor nostalgia dragster, built by Jack Mendenhall in 1957. We have been showing the car for the last two years at different events in Northern Nevada and Northern California. We have a 1951 F-1 Ford pickup to complete the nostalgia look. To put forth a picture, we visualize ourselves as coming through a time warp; a 1951 pickup, pulling the front engine dragster. Let us tell you about the dragster.

 It was built in 1957, and ran until 1963, making appearances at the well known Southern California dragstrips almost weekly. It also was the first drag car to be sponsored a non-automotive sponsor. It had a top speed of 127 mph in 10.5 seconds with the flathead, but as the need for speed increased, and being kids, we put in a 400 cu. In. Cadillac which made the car go 143 mph in 9.474 second, its very best. The car has been at Jack Mendenhall's museum and Dry Lakes Racing Hall of Fame in Buellton, California, since its retirement from drag racing. In 1996, with the help of the Edelbrock Equipment Company and Bobby Meeks, the car has again roared to life with a new engine.

 Ed Iskenderian gave us a new cam, and Roger McPeeters of Cat Welding, Sonora California, rebuilt the rear end. Kro-built Company of Reno, Nevada, has helped us tremendously with re-fabricating our trailer. Jim Cirone of RCS, Sparks, Nevada, has shown an interest in retrofitting the car to be race worthy. Patty Frost of Hoosier Tires has offered her help, and Wade Vanderhide owner/driver of the Sierra Shaker, Reno, Nevada, his racing expertise. But for now, we are still a little on hold, and content to show the car and rev the motor for the crowd, or to get a crowd. Should you see us driving the highway, just wave…don't get out of your car, because we do pull this trailer at the legal speed limit or greater. 

Looking forward to seeing you…honk, blink your lights, or shake our hands, should we be stopped at one of our favorite sponsors, Pea Soup Andersen's Restaurant.

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 Visit Bob and Sherry's Site for more photo's of front engine, whitewall tire oldie Dragsters... Like Cool Daddy-o

Thanks for the memories Bob and Sherry 05/25/98

....... more from Bob and Sherry's Pea Soup Restaurant......

Don, while working on our book  and putting the nostalgia pack for the dragster together. We ran across some black and white pictures of the car taken in 1958 and 1960....Thought you might enjoy them..... A side note we are not sure where this picture was taken, l think it was at Riverside Raceway....pictured are Mark Mendenhall, Randy Chester, Harold Barthalamew, me (aka Robby), Marshall & Shelby Solize, Jack & Dot Mendenhall....note the cars in the background...

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This picture taken in 1960 for the Santa Ynez High School yearbook. Taken at Jack's garage, The Buellton Garage. l was the yearbook advertising salesman and got Jack to buy an ad, oops we forgot the business in the picture...Again pictured Robby (me), Marshall Solize, Jack Mendenhall, and Roy Robinson. This picture was taken by Adelaide Smith. Also note the engine is a Cadillac first picture and present car have the Ford Flathead engine. Marshall and l took the car to Long Beach LADS, at managed to blow the Cadillac up, shortly after this picture was taken....Jack, being a Ford guy, always had a flathead laying around....

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This was taken at Santa Maria dragstrip in 1960,  again the Cadillac engine and Jack at the wheel. Note his head above the roll bar. He was a charter member of the Dragons who ran the strip, we got away with a few things in those days..

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Thanks again Bob and Sherry..... 06/07/98

Loved your car photos! You said to e-mail you with requests of special cars, and there's one I'd love to see... a '60 Chevy Impala, BelAir, or Biscayne. (Preferably a Bel-Air, because that's what I've been working on for about 3 years now.)

Here's what my car looked like when I pulled it out of a field in Southern Utah, after it had been parked here for about 10 years. There was nothing missing on the whole car, although it's not the best base to start from!

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  Well Eric, The car looks pretty good to me, better then the old Pick-up I'm driving. Send Photo's when it's on the road. Would you believe I have over 5,000 photos of cars and not a single one of a 1960 Chevy? I have '59 and '61, but no '60. If somebody has one email it to me so I can forward it to Eric. Thanks 05/29/98

Hi Don,

Love your site, and love the idea of a visitors scrapbook.
I found your site when I was retro styling my home page, and (rummaging thru the album for images to pillage) I also found this terrifying picture of my father and big brothers on holiday @1959. Note Dad's stunning ensemble of tie and two-toned cardigan, and the "dear wee outfits" my brothers were confined in.
Ahhh, memories . . .

Regards, Ali