re <VV> three onna tree

[Rick & Janet Norris]

> Once drove a '59 XK-150S from North Carolina to The City with my right 
> hand in a cast.

I wasn't one of those lucky guys with a cool 55 or a floor speed. I had to 
make do with a 60 Ford Falcon four door two speed automatic. I did try to 
make it sound like a standard shift and fake a floor shift by timing the 
move to when the tranny would shift up.
My story of shifting with your left hand comes from the old drag racing days 
and features a Corvair. The local 1320 was my hangout every Sunday to watch 
the locals burn rubber and crush gears. There was 406 Fords and 409 Chevys 
and an old Army jeep with a Plymouth slant six in it.
One day a Dude pulled in with a new 62 Corvair Spyder. Besides the car, what 
made me look was the fact the guy was missing his right arm up to a stub at 
the shoulder and he was classed and ready to race. This I had to see as did 
everybody else. I don't remember what class he was in but he surprised 
everyone by the way he could hold the wheel steady with his stub and lean 
over and power shift the Vair! I never heard him miss a gear and he was 
winning. He became a regular at the strip. That's a true story!
On the other hand a buddy of mine had his sisters old 55 three on the tree 
Chevy to cruise around in and as usual I was with him. It burned oil faster 
than gas and we would stop at the local Kay-o station for a quart or two of 
that 25 cent re-manufactured oil in the glass bottles with the screw on 
metal pour spout top. The tranny was so worn out that if you were in second 
gear and put the clutch in it would drop in to second. Also at 15 MPH you 
could pull it down in to low without a sound!

Rick