Chanda ranga: WWW.Car Parts

Sunday 5 August 2012

WWW.Car Parts

Frank, like a lot of you, became interested in cars and all things mechanical at a young age. In 1958, at age 12, he was already building model cars and airplanes and reading hot rod magazines. His favorites were Car Craft, Hot Rod, Rod and Kustom and many others.
His first car at age 16 was a '47 Ford convertible that was immediately suped up with reversed wheels, white side wall tires and three 97s. The flathead was eventually replaced with a small block 283 with the obligatory "Corvette" valve covers. The engine was mated (via an adapter) to the stock "three on the tree" trans which later gave way to the 39 Ford floor shifter.
Those were the "Happy Days" back in Bellingham, when Frank could be found out in the garage late at night with the Ford jacked up in the rear, while he and his friend Hank replaced another broken transmission. (Okay, technically they both should have been doing their homework.) The Ford was eventually replaced with a '56 Ford and then a '55 Chevy.
It was off to Vietnam after high school. After his tour of duty, he arrived in San Francisco, looked in the classifieds, went out and bought a red '61 Corvette Fuelie and jumped in and drove back to Bellingham Washington.
He is a fourth generation Washingtonian, whose great grandparents emigrated from Italy in 1901. Frank served in the US Army from 1966 to 1968. Due to his high mechanical aptitude, he was trained in multi-engine, gas turbine, multi-rotor, heavy lift helicopters, as well as single engine gas turbine UH1B "Huey" Gun Ships. As a Helicopter Flight Engineer, Frank was authorized to make any repair to the "ship" in the field to make it fly. Twice decorated for heroism, he received the Cross of Gallantry and Air Medal with "V" devise for valor while participating in aerial flight. Those were exiting times for a young man!
After the military, Frank settled in Seattle and enrolled in flight school at Boeing Field. He became a private pilot and went on to earn a commercial pilot license, with float and twin engine ratings. His hopes of being a commercial pilot were dashed when an old 30,000 hour pilot told him, "Pilots are like piano players. There are a lot of them, but very few make money at it."