I got an old 1972 Ford Maverick for $175 way back when - when I was in college. One day while running with my buddy Paul VanderLei thru Calvin College we saw a Maverick with two-toned outdoor carpeting on it. A big ol' steer's head had been cut out at the doors. Well that started us talking and what is a Maverick, but a wild horse? What is a zebra but a striped wild horse?! Well, such is the logic and inspiration that led me to paint my incredibly ugly, puke-green car and turn it into the masterpiece you see above.
Yes, this old car haunted the streets of Grand Rapids, Michigan for a few years (when it was running and not parked out in front of friends' parents houses for a few weeks, [right Beth?]) and was seen in Milwaukee for a short time. It sat - covered - on the side of our house back in Brookfield while I took my bicycle trip. I managed to get it back into running shape with the help of a high school bud, Bob Wilhelm.
Well, I loaded up the zebra with all my stuff, including a waterbed - boards sticking out the back door window and everything, and I struck out for Phoenix. Managed to get to East St. Louis in Illinois and got gas. Back in the car, put it in gear and - nothing! The car died. Started it up again (and again...) and each time it died when I put it in gear.
Some guy sees my trouble and offers to help. We messed with that car until midnight and he figured the gas line was rusted and had holes in it and no gas was getting to the carborator when I put it in gear. Well, that didn't sound good. I slept in the car and the guy helping me crawled into the back of his station wagon and slept.
In the morning nothing had changed. We tried and tried and I thought maybe I could talk a trucker into letting me tag along to Phoenix. This guy says he doesn't have a job and says Phoenix is as good a place as any to look. If I pay for the gas, he'll drive down with me in his car and go to Phoenix. There was also a junkyard nearby he knew of that paid $80 for a vehicle in running condition.
We did manage to find that if we put the car in neutral and pushed it, then jumped in and put it in gear it would stay running. Can't exactly try to drive all the way to Phoenix like that, so we put my junk in his station wagon, bed, bike and all, and he followed me to the junk yard. Fortunately, the pay station was at the top of a hill. I stopped and told them I wanted to sell the car. It obviously ran. They told me to park it down below. I put it in neutral, coasted a bit and drove it down to a spot. I couldn't just let it go without a final check. Started it up, put it gear, and it died. Good choice to sell it.
The zebra car is history.
5 comments:
And let's not forget the time it took us to Milwaukee and back to GR in January with no heat. Oh for a recording of how that thing sounded when it was firing on 5 cylinders.
And when we tell these stories, those were the 'good old days?'
I got the reputation in High School of living in the Zebra Car house! Nice!
So when are you going to draw the zebra car?
Hi Dan,
Funny story about the car...whatever happened to the guy you drove down to PHNX with?
I took my drivers test in my Uncles '72 Mercury version of a Maverick called the Comet. Fuuny, the framer in town I use drives a '72 Maverick that is tricked out. He has it painted an almost lime green color.
When I went to college I had an old '75 Honda 450 motorcycle. Winter rains were coming and my Dad was getting nervous so he found me an old '70 Ford LTD that I bought for $600. Kept me dry and alive but also had the smoothest ride I've ever had in a car even at high speed. Yep...those were the good ol days.
Ron
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