Hello All

[flash]

Im older than I care to think about .I always thought a grease monkey was the local mechanic ,we dont have them anymore .Im talking about the guy that could fix anything and didnt charge a war pension to do it .

[grandsport]

I like all types of monkeys,but I don't want one on my back.

[Rank]

Originally Posted by flash

Im older than I care to think about .I always thought a grease monkey was the local mechanic ,we dont have them anymore .Im talking about the guy that could fix anything and didnt charge a war pension to do it .

Yes that is what the term evolved into but its origins are in the factories wa-a-a-y back in the industrial revolution...

The saws, lathes, drill presses etc were all powered by one huge belt that ran around the whole shop at cieling heigth and was held up by a pulleys. The belt was sometimes powered by a water wheel or a steam engine.

A guy or two was assigned the job of dancing from rafter to rafter with a oil can lubricating the pullys .... because of the appearance of monkeys jumbing from tree limb to tree limb they were given the term "grease money" .... it later applied to the oilers on the trains who kept the train lubed up .... and refers to a mechanic today.

[GreaseMonkey]

Originally Posted by Rank

Yes that is what the term evolved into but its origins are in the factories wa-a-a-y back in the industrial revolution...

The saws, lathes, drill presses etc were all powered by one huge belt that ran around the whole shop at cieling heigth and was held up by a pulleys. The belt was sometimes powered by a water wheel or a steam engine.

A guy or two was assigned the job of dancing from rafter to rafter with a oil can lubricating the pullys .... because of the appearance of monkeys jumbing from tree limb to tree limb they were given the term "grease money" .... it later applied to the oilers on the trains who kept the train lubed up .... and refers to a mechanic today.

I didn't know that. I knew the mechanics version. Thanks for the history lesson. And my wife says car forums are a waste of time

[Ms Grumpy]

Welcome GreaseMonkey.

It was really cool reading your story. I loved it. I think that we would all agree that it doesn't matter what you drive as long as you enjoy it. Yes a lot of us own Chevelles, but we also own a lot of other cars. And we love to hear about every one.

I would love to see some pics of your cars, past or present, finished or projects, it does not matter, we love 'em all.

Again, glad you are here.
Nancy

[GreaseMonkey]

You asked Nancy, here they are. This is my 1993 ZR-1, which I'm thinking about selling next year to pickup either a Chevelle or a Camaro. I've had this car since 2002, I bought her with 32K on the clock. The car is over 500hp when she's running right and gets26 mpg. Bit of bad luck with her over the past two years. No timne to deal with the issues based on other things at the homestead. Currently it has 43K on the clock...



The next one is my 1964 Corvette convertible. I've had her since 1997 (OMG). She's been a time .vs. money sort of girl. When I have the time, I don't have the money.. When I have the money she sucks me dry
This is the day I brought her home:



That's me on the right with hair

This is the way she looked in June/July of this year. I have more completed on her but any new pics you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. More internals than visuals. My goal was to have her done for my 50th, which was in September, but I missed the mark. Spring 2011 is the new date:





The mouse: 327ci Holley 650 dp



Now, you may ask why I bought the '93 before I had the '64 completed. It's a long story. My first wife was diagnosed with breast cancer on our 9th anniversary, in 1995. We got through a few battles with it for the next couple of years. We were DINKWACS (Dual Incomes, No Kids, With a Cat) at the time. In 1997 I started getting the itch to do a car. She had her hobbies and at the time I was into woodworking(since I couldn't affored doing a car earlier). I've always loved cars and got that from my Dad (as mentioned earlier).

I wasn't particularly looking to get into vettes. Actually the first car I was really serious about was a 1972 Chevelle Malibu vert. A kid was going to college and needed a computer. He was asking $1,200 for the car. The engine was a wormed over 350 auto car. Mechanically sound, but the body was trashed. Floor pans gone, etc. I looked her over, and told him I'd get back to him. Went home, discussed with the wife and called him back w/i 2 hours. The car was gone.

Then I looked at other cars, and got hooked on getting a vette. Originally wanted a 1960 but the price of a complete car was too much and a project was too much as well. Looked at a bitched out '63 which I had my heart set on, but then backed off of it after realizing that there are lot of 1963 only vette parts, which runs into a TON of $$$$.

Found the '64 in July of '97. Went up to look at it, then took the wife up to look at it. She wasn't impressed. The guy I bought it off of is a Corvette guy. It is in his blood. His Dad bought and sold vettes and parts. Well, when we went to look at the car he had it in a barn with another vette under a cover. She said to me "I have no idea why you want this thing but if you want it, buy it, but when it is done, the car has to be red". (Hmmm... I was intending black, but, then again she didn't say it had to be an original red.)

After my wife's "I have no idea" comment, the guy I bought the car off of pulled the cover off of the one next to mine and said "Because he can have something like this..". It was a 1965 Corvette BB A.I.R. Coupe. The rest is history.

From August 1997 through January 2002 I worked on the car when I had the time and the money. At one point in time the car was in two states and then again in four garages. The frame was in North Carolina, the engine was in a shop, the body was in a shop, parts in my garage, and parts in a friends garage.

I finally, in early 2001 got the majority of the parts back together to send it to the body shop. Decided upon the 2001 C5 Magnetic Red paint for her. It was the closest I could get to candy apple red w/o dropping the dime for candy apple red. I brought the car home from the paint shop on 1/9/2002. My wife passed on 1/21/2002. At least she saw that I stuck to my part fo the deal for her.

My last thing to do when the car is finished is to have a pink ribbon muraled on the back of the car in memory of my first wife. If everyone in the world could have been blessed knowing her, there would be no turmoil in the world. She enjoyed life and gave it all to many.

I think of her daily....

[Bowtie-Bri]

Welcome to Chevelle forums Mike!

[Ms Grumpy]

"I finally, in early 2001 got the majority of the parts back together to send it to the body shop. Decided upon the 2001 C5 Magnetic Red paint for her. It was the closest I could get to candy apple red w/o dropping the dime for candy apple red. I brought the car home from the paint shop on 1/9/2002. My wife passed on 1/21/2002. At least she saw that I stuck to my part fo the deal for her.

My last thing to do when the car is finished is to have a pink ribbon muraled on the back of the car in memory of my first wife. If everyone in the world could have been blessed knowing her, there would be no turmoil in the world. She enjoyed life and gave it all to many.

I think of her daily.... "

Mike,
I know this is a car site, but this is one of the coolest posts that I have ever read. I am sorry for your loss, but it sounds like you are carrying her in your heart and remembering her and honoring her with the Vette. That is really cool.

I lost my dad when I was 9 years old. He was the one who got me into cars, I remember climbing under the car with him and spending a lot of time in the garage with him. I plan on having "this one's for you dad" put on my car, to honor my dad.

Thank you for your heart warming story. And definately the pics of your cars.