Wheels Up!
By noderel:
WHEELS UP!
What vehicle has the aerodynamics of a brick, a top speed of 80 mph, the sex appeal of your smelly Aunt Mildred, and will lift the front wheels off the ground like the fastest dragsters of the day?
The summer of 1966 was one of the best times of my life. I’d just landed a dream job that consisted of driving hundreds of miles a day seven days a week, staying in bad motels, eating bad food and keeping the machinery of a rock and roll band properly greased. I was a “roadie” for the legendary Fabulous Wailers, the first NW rock and roll band to hit big on the national scene. Their recording “Tall Cool One” charted number one nationally and they did the obligatory tour, appearance on Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand”, and follow up recordings that have kept them busy right up to today.
In 1966 the band needed a fleet of vehicles to keep up with life on the road; a 1966 Ford station wagon to haul luggage, a 1966 Oldsmobile limousine to haul the band members and a 1966 Ford Econoline to haul the band’s equipment. I usually drove the van or station wagon on the endless “only 300 miles more to the next show” excursions. Each of the cars had its own characteristics; the station wagon was a great driving car, the Oldsmobile provided comfort and the necessary aura of success and the van was a good storage closet on wheels.
You would think, correctly, that the van would be the least likely “performance” vehicle in the Wailers’ stable. And you would think, also correctly, that the van could never do a “wheelstand”, the result of a car having so much horsepower and torque that, upon accelerating at full power, the front of the car raises off the pavement. Wrong! The secret is getting as much weight as possible as far back in the van as possible, causing the rear to go down and the front to go up upon abrupt departure. So what weighs about 800 pounds and is maneuverable enough to occupy every square inch of the rear couple of feet of the van? Five of the roadie’s friends of course! I only attempted this feat in a safe environment such as a large parking lot full of admiring fans. The image of the band’s van, with “The Fabulous Wailers” painted on the sides, traveling a short distance with the front wheels off the ground was a promoter’s dream and an insurance company’s nightmare.
The lifespan of any struggling band’s vehicle is short due to the excessive amount of driving in a short period of time. It was not unusual for the Wailers to put 100,000 miles on a car in a year. And it was not unusual for the front suspension of the Wailers’ van to be worn out in that same period of time. I wonder why?
Program note; The “Vintage Vehicle Show” is now broadcast weekly on 45 TV stations, can be viewed via iPod and streaming video, and can be purchased at thousands of retailers around the nation. see your local listings for times and channels or go to: www.vintagevehicletv.com