Monday, May 24, 2010

Auto-biography -- Aaron Schulte and a 1929 Ford Model A Pick Up


Aaron Schulte
Since I am young, I don’t have too many experiences with vehicles. I’ve been driving since I was sixteen years old and am proud to say I have never gotten a speeding ticket, gotten in a fender bender or had any major car problems. That doesn’t mean I haven’t come close quite a few times....but I’ve been lucky.
I have been lucky enough to have parents who own their own auto repair shop. Both my Dad and Mom have been auto mechanics for close to 35 years. Ever since I can remember, I spent most of my time at the shop doing small chores. These included taking out the garage’s trash, sweeping floors and going on tows with my Dad.
I have seen the strangest things happen in cars. Some of which involves bird’s nests under the hood causing fires, ground hogs sleeping in the engine block and raccoons tearing appart anything it could in the car. However, none of these memories compare to the trips I have taken in my Dad’s 1929 Model A Ford pickup truck.
Completely original except for the bed and the bench seat, this truck has been one of the many treasures of our family. We bought it in 2004 and since then, have gone to a number of car shows and gone on many small trips. I personally have used it in two films I have made during college. I can remember my Dad trying to get me to hurry up and get my shots because the headlights were draining the battery. We were concerned the truck wouldn’t be able to make it through the scenes I needed it to. I appreciate the cars we have today for that reason.
From the trips I have taken, all I can say is “legroom”. There is none. The seat takes up a large portion of the cab. I soon found out that there is only one certain way to get in and out of the truck. When we took it out during the winter months, there is an after-market heating system in it that blew engine heat through the front portion of the floor board. Again, I appreciate the cars we have today for that reason as well.
The best memory of the Model A I have was on a day when we decided to load the entire family, dogs and all, into the model A and drive 6 miles to a Dairy Queen. My parents were in the cab and my sister, 2 dogs and I were in the back. The bed was just big enough for us to fit. On the way down to the DQ rain clouds appeared and it started raining. Needless to say, after we got our ice cream, ate it and headed home, the rain soaked my sister, dogs and I. Through the trouble and the wet cloths, it was just another family trip in the Model A Ford.

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