I grew up in a motorhead family.

I was thinking old stories again tonight.
Thought about brother Al, and Pa, and the '63 Ford Fairlanes.
Brother Al got his license. Pa got a '63 Fairlane ugly brown 2 dr... 6 with a 3 speed. Pa and Al went through it, stock. Brakes, got the 6 running good, new clutch.
Al pounded all that fall and through the winter.
Next spring, Pa got a 289 2 bbl and a 4 speed for it. Got it in.. all stock. Car ran pretty good. Al got it painted cheap, gloss black. Some Cragar wheels.. tough looking car.
A month later, a big Buick ran a stop sign and t-boned him just behind the door. Then he went up into a concrete porch across the street.. I watched that, was a block away from my house, was hanging out at my friends house. We all ran over.. Al was ok, but pissed, lol. Frame bent above the rear end, and in the front. Car was junk.
Pa dragged the car the block home, spent the next day rebuilding that porch, along with the dad of the kid who hit Al.
Nobody in those days called the cops, or insurance companies, if you knew the kid and family. It was worked out.
Next weekend, Pa brought home a '63 Fairlane 4 door.
Brother Al wanted nothing to do with a 4 door. Pa sat him down, and made him realize, a 4 door of the same body is lighter..and faster. And cops don't look at a 4 door (in those days anyway). "You won't have to open your door for someone to hop in!"
Then Pa went to work.. Pa was an old school guy.. heard stories about the flatheads he used to build.
Torch and ax to get the 289 out of the wreck. Pa rebuilt it with Al.. all the way through. Shaving heads, filling with hand files on heads, intake. Cam. Pa got a rear end and put screws in it.. 4 something.
Pa had him get rid of the mags.. black painted wide rims. Also got him to keep the dual exhaust quiet.
That car walked away from a 454 SS Chevelle 3 out of 3 on the local backroad 1/4 mile.