I got it one piece at a time,
and It didn't cost me a dime
You'll know its me when I come through your town.
I'm gonna ride around in style
I'm gonna drive everybody wild,
'Cause I'll have the only one there is around.
- Johnny Cash
On Wednesday, we were having lunch with a new friend in the incredible atrium of the Dali Museum, with its facade consisting of 1,062 pieces of individually tempered glass.
Our friend told us she'd once been a claims adjuster and that started us talking about how much it cost these days to have a car repaired. If you've had to do it recently, you know it's breathtaking.
Later Dave told us about the time, in 1954, when he was driving, with five Army buddies, his 1953 Ford, 4 Door Custom Hardtop, back to Fort Carson. On a wet highway in Western Kansas the car began to jackknife. It flipped three times, end for end, down an embankment, over a barbed wire fence and landed right side up.
This was before seat belts, but miraculously, and because they were packed in like sardines, no one was hurt.
The car, on the other hand, was a mess. Today, I'm sure it would have been declared a total loss. But Dave's Uncle, who was a claims adjuster, knew a guy who liked to fix cars. This guy lived in the country, in a house surrounded by junkers. After accessing the damage on Dave's car, he began the process of replacing just about everything in and on it. He welded on an entire new top, replaced the grill, hood and fenders, etc. When he finished the fix he repainted the car. Two toned. Cream and dark green.
Before long, Dave was again driving his 1953 Ford 4 Door, Custom Hard Top. Sort of.
The cost for all this was $500.
When Dave finished his story on Wednesday, our friend said, "That sounds like the Johnny Cash Song."
***
and It didn't cost me a dime
You'll know its me when I come through your town.
I'm gonna ride around in style
I'm gonna drive everybody wild,
'Cause I'll have the only one there is around.
- Johnny Cash
On Wednesday, we were having lunch with a new friend in the incredible atrium of the Dali Museum, with its facade consisting of 1,062 pieces of individually tempered glass. Our friend told us she'd once been a claims adjuster and that started us talking about how much it cost these days to have a car repaired. If you've had to do it recently, you know it's breathtaking.
Later Dave told us about the time, in 1954, when he was driving, with five Army buddies, his 1953 Ford, 4 Door Custom Hardtop, back to Fort Carson. On a wet highway in Western Kansas the car began to jackknife. It flipped three times, end for end, down an embankment, over a barbed wire fence and landed right side up.
This was before seat belts, but miraculously, and because they were packed in like sardines, no one was hurt.
The car, on the other hand, was a mess. Today, I'm sure it would have been declared a total loss. But Dave's Uncle, who was a claims adjuster, knew a guy who liked to fix cars. This guy lived in the country, in a house surrounded by junkers. After accessing the damage on Dave's car, he began the process of replacing just about everything in and on it. He welded on an entire new top, replaced the grill, hood and fenders, etc. When he finished the fix he repainted the car. Two toned. Cream and dark green.
Before long, Dave was again driving his 1953 Ford 4 Door, Custom Hard Top. Sort of.
The cost for all this was $500.
When Dave finished his story on Wednesday, our friend said, "That sounds like the Johnny Cash Song."
***
