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[gmwillys]

My folks were members of our local Jeep club, and they did a lot of the same events. They ran old gravel pits and strip mines. I don't know what the name of the club was. Truth be known, I was concieved at a Playboy club resort, while they were on a club run to Wisconsin. Then after I refused to be born, two weeks after the due date, dad would take Mom for Jeep rides. He had a CJ5 Renegade. When I was 1 dad would take me for Jeep rides while Mom was at work. One afternoon we even chased a tornado. Mom wasn't happy. They also had a '69 Camaro, that mom drove. In my child's mind, we had the coolest cars ever... Then my brother was born. I rode between the seats, when we drove to trade both rides in for a family friendly Caprice. The good times were over, in more ways than one. I did get my '63 wagon from a farm auction, for $500.00. I drove it a bunch, but it wasn't terribly reliable. I was constantly working on it, so I purchased something newer for everyday use. The wagon went into storage for 15 years.

When I turned 18, I started building demo derby cars. I loved going when I was a kid in the seventies, so when I turned 18, and didn't need anyone's signature, I put together my first car. I had set cars up prior to that for my uncle, but by then he had lost his nerve....or figured out that it didn't feel all that good the next day. I started out running a '70 Impala, and did alright. Then my Great uncle had a '79 Caprice that I was more than happy to dispatch. I ended up running it for a couple of season, and actually made a little money. . After a while, I took a job with Caterpillar in Minnesota. Little did I know that it was a hot bed for demo derbies. I bought a house, and built a nice shop, and before long, I had several sources for cheap land yachts, so the inventory was extensive. There was pallet racking as high as the cieling full of parts. When I took my current position down here, there were car haulers and pick-up trucks wrapped around the block to purchase stuff. It was a sad day, but after 10 years, it was time to get out, and do something a bit less destructive.