52 Ancestors Week 20: Wheels

 From Amy Johnson Crow: Week 20:

The theme for Week 20 is “Wheels.” I have to admit that this prompt is dear to my heart, since my Dad owned and operated a service station for 50+ years. Anyone like that in your family? How about someone who took an epic road trip (or train trip – they have wheels, too!)

We now return to All Roads Lead to Haverhill

    I have a feeling my father would have gotten along very well with Amy's father because he wasn't just a dentist. Doctor James Ferraiolo liked to tinker with all kinds of engines be it boat, lawn mower and even cars. It's a trait he likely inherited from my grandfather Marco. Marco liked to work on cars and other things with wheels and when my dad was old enough he was promised a set of wheels of his very own. Think of it as one of those "rites of passage" deals. Fathers tended to give their sons their old cars back in the day. Things may not have panned out the way he expected because my father's fondest memories were behind the wheel of a 1968 AMX. 

Not my dad's old AMX. Actual pic coming soon.

      The reason why my father was so fond of the AMX is simply because it has a cool design. I have to agree. It does look pretty cool. Sure I grew up in an era with Lamborghini Transformers and cars that fought crime, I still appreciated the look of quite a few real life cars. What's not to like about a car that's built like a tank?

    My dad drove an AMX like the one in the picture mostly through medical school in the late 1960s. It survived four years in New Jersey and it served my parents quite well since they ran the wheels to the ground. Seriously, it took quite the beating in that era since they went everywhere with it!

    My parents recall taking the car to and from Haverhill, Mass on many occasions. One time they even drove on the Tappan Zee Bridge with a Christmas tree on the roof! That had to have been an interesting sight and likely caused several people to turn their heads. Let's be honest here. It was the early 1970s and a car with a tree on the roof was likely not the strangest thing people have seen on the highway. Nope. People would have done way weirder things for sure. It's a shame no cameras were around to capture everything like we do these days!

    Sadly, all good things have to come to an end. By the mid 1970s, they traded in the AMX for a family car. That made sense as they were starting a family and everything. AMXes weren't exactly known for their family-friendly reputation, you know. So, it had to go. It was the end of an era.....or so we thought.

    Over the years my father went through different types of cars from a Supra my 3rd grade teacher was infatuated with (Don't ask!!) to various Toyota sports cars. In his heart,  he was still a fan of the AMX. It got to the point where he had to buy and restore an AMX in the early 2010s.

Oh, yeah....

    We erected a car garage in the backyard around 2010 and my father went right to work on restoring an AMX with the help of his friend, Ron Abraham. Ron had a repair shop in Andover, Mass and had been a friend of my dad's for years and years.  In fact, he even had a boat behind ours for as long as I can remember. More on him some other time!

    My father and Ron worked on the car and  whatever parts they couldn't find, they found on eBay. 

    It took a while to finish and you can't argue with the results! The car runs very well despite the engine being over fifty years old. Some parts are missing, though, like a side view mirror and a few other odds and ends. It's all good. It works great and I took a ride with my dad once for a test drive.

Chikka chika chikaaaaaaaaaa

    The ride was a little bumpy to be honest. I was riding in a car that didn't have the advancements that modern cars have. It was still a nice trip around the block and my dad likely felt like he was back in time. Back to when cars didn't have access to satellite radio or seats that warmed you up on a cold night. There was no power steering or air conditioning, either. It was a strange experience for me! Bur, I bet I'd have felt the same  nostalgia if I rode in a car my parents drove in he '80s and '90s.  I do miss my mom's Toyota Camry.

 Our smooth ride was cut short when the brakes started acting a little weird. That's not a good thing to happen on a country road! We took it back home and put the AMX to bed. 

    We called up Ron and he and my father fixed the problem. I'm no car expert so I couldn't begin to tell you what was wrong with the thing. At least the engine worked and my dad was happy with the results. In the end, that's what really mattered. He has an affinity for old cars like the AMX and to this day he still tinkers with it every once in a while. It's a hobby of his and fixing an old car that he enjoyed in his youth is a great one to have!

    Cars have always played a big role in my family and even though I'm not much of a car guy like I said. I can still appreciate them. You just won't ever see me riding a motorcycle or anything. I'd rather have a steel cage around me than be exposed to high velocity with a helmet being the only thing protecting me! At least cars afford some level of protection and it's great to see my dad relive old memories with his AMX hobby. At least it isn't a motorcycle....

See ya next time.