In Paradise at Paradise Dragstrip "The short story of me"

[Jason Cole aka Bird]

Figured I would throw out a lil' info about me and what I love to do. I started my motorhead years at the young age of 5 when I worked on my brothers Ford truck , well...I slipped the fan belt on anyhow haha. And eventually got the smell of burnt rubber later on in his roller motor fox body...better than a roller coaster at the time lol . As the years passed I purchased my 1st real car, a 1965 Ford Fairlane 500 with a 289, that I punished beyond belief when I first got her...considering it was all original.

 

This led me to my first tear down rebuild,all during the winter haha, it was snowing when my friend and I pulled the engine out in my driveway, but the excitement of the new parts coming from Summit kept me warm...not sure about my buddy though haha. *Let me insert a WTH story here.....

 

I did have a small garage to tear down the 289 so it was on the engine stand for a few days, one night my plant shut down early ,about 3am and I had to stay up to so I could pick up my girlfriend at work,which was NOOO problem for me since a had that 289 waiting on me. So here I am 3:30am in my garage tapping the cam bearings out ...little tap here,lil' squirt of PB lube there, so on. I'm all into it and getting the job done...then i hear Bam...Bam.Bam.......Bam outside...??? I slowly open the door and look to the right...nothing...I look to the left....5 Damn cops right in my face !!!! Long story short , this wacko neighbor I had called them because she thought someone was making drugs....(The smell of PB lube) well they laughed it off and more important made me notice I was high as hell from that stuff lol, so I took a break that night haha.

 

Now into Photography... I took a few pics like anyone else of my pride and joy but the day I opted for the Disposable B&W was honestly the day I felt something for photography, those B&W prints (crappy now but awesome at the time) just looked killer. But this wasn't the start, it was a few years later when bad times led to a life changing move. I ended up moving in a place near the bottom of Paradise dragstrip, I was bitten when the first trailer pulled though one Sunday morning.

 

To sum up how it all happened, I wanted to be more involved so I borrowed my girlfriends $40 5mp camera and snapped shots until the day someone stole the camera from our house. This was another bad to great accident, it led me to save up and purchase a $120 Fuji 7.1 mp camera that at the time, was nothing but PRO results haha that's when the climb to learn and improve really got going. And now here I am with a Nikon D5000 and tons of equipment from lenses to computer software. And I'm glad I wrote this now, I haven't ever really realized this trip I took to get where I am. So find me anytime at Paradise Dragstrip in Calhoun Ga, ....I'll be the one on the guardrail with the Nikon !

 

 

Jason Cole aka BIRD

ColePhotography

[Jason Cole aka Bird]

That had to be the days !
I'm waiting to get my 65 Fairlane road ready again so I can go back to the Swan drive in, in Blue ridge. That place is just plain cool !!! Wish we had more like it

[Michael Thies]

It was our truck. I should have taken a photo but that was so long ago now. I am sure it has rotted away or the guy who took over the farm has towed it to junk. It was quite a site. :-) I graduated from that old truck to "real" cars that could go on "real" road. My brother had Model A's I helped with and my first car was a '30 Ford Tudor Sedan. I could get the girls to ride in that car, real easy!!! We would pack it with friends and go to drive-in movies. I always liked the movies!

[Jason Cole aka Bird]

Haha, cool story ! Sounds like fun times on those pasture paths, is the "truck" you mention in the pasture w/ maple tree actually your old truck or one like it ? Sounds like it would make a killer B&W photo anyhow

[Global Wheels Events]

Yours is a great story of the start of a gear head. My fist car never made it to the street as it was a pasture "ratrod" before the term was coined. It was a Hudson truck (I think a '47) with no bed and not much cab. We sat on upturned 5 qal. drums. The day I got it running I took it out of the barn onto the road to go to the pasture gate and almost hit the Sheriff coming down the road. He just yelled at me and told my father on me. We really burned up some pasture paths! The last time I saw that "truck", it was out in a far pasture with a small maple tree growing out thru the engine bay. Check out old Hudsons

1947 Hudson Super Six