Studes in Roadside Americana photos

[j.byrd]

Thanks guys ! Now, for the only oldie in the pic....the light blue coupe behind the Dodge camper...what'cha think ?

[Dwain G.]

Light blue coupe: I think about a '40 Chevy that has been mildly customized.

[Skip Lackie]

Agree with Nox and Craig. The dark red one is a 61 Chevy 4-door sedan.

[52-fan]

That 52 Starlight looks very well used (tired).

[BobPalma]

I say its a '61 Chev Impala four door sedan going by the side trim, and the rear window with the overhang. Craig

I'll beg to differ just a little, Craig.

How about a 1961 Bel-Air 4-door sedan? I say that because it only has two taillights on each side and the trim strip down the side of the car appears to be the same width from front to back, which would be a Bel-Air. If you remember, the Impala side trim got wider as it went down the side, to accommodate an second-color insert (accent) color toward the rear of the car. BP

[JRoberts]

[christophe]

Here's a link to the full resolution picture for post 7991: https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2017/0...s#&gid=1&pid=1
Just click onto it two times to enlarge.

[Skip Lackie]

I know that several regular posters here are Navy veterans, so they may already know that the NASA Ames facility was a tenant on (what was then) the Naval Air Station, Moffett Field, California. Moffett had been a blimp base and had/has three huge blimp hangers. Hanger #1, built in 1931, is one of the largest free-standing buildings in the world, covering 8 acres. In the 1960s when that picture was taken, NASA had a small fleet of aircraft there, including an already-rare Convair 880 airliner. The Navy closed the base during the 1990s, so NASA now owns the whole facility. NASA recently leased some of the base to Google.

I spent quite a bit of time there in the 60s and 70s, and think the picture captures one thing that will be familiar to some ex-Navy people: the NASA facility is clean and modern, with well-manicured landscaping, while the Navy property across the street (lower right corner of the picture) is covered with dead, scrubby grass and trash, with a couple of decrepit buildings.

[Commander Eddie]

Skip, you should know that the Navy would probably put all their resources in to keeping their ships "ship shape". You never know who might see them in the middle of the ocean and they must look their best in port.
Kidding aside, every naval base I served on was kept in good order. An untidy base would have gotten the skipper in hot water. I'm not sure what happened here.

[Studedude]

[Skip Lackie]

Skip, you should know that the Navy would probably put all their resources in to keeping their ships "ship shape". You never know who might see them in the middle of the ocean and they must look their best in port.
Kidding aside, every naval base I served on was kept in good order. An untidy base would have gotten the skipper in hot water. I'm not sure what happened here.

Was not trying to put down the Navy -- I worked for the Navy for 40+ years and enjoyed it. But I also noticed that (as you said) they preferred to spend their money on ships, submarines, and airplanes -- and often skimped on non-essential infrastructure. This was particularly striking in those cases where Navy and Air Force bases were adjacent to each other (eg, Hickam and Pearl Harbor)-- the USAF base always looked like a high-end country club by comparison.

[Studedude]

[HAWK64]

Gee, I just purchased a packet of cigarettes for my Wife @ $31.00. But now we pay high taxes to stop smoking. By the way, I don't smoke!!

[dpson]

A well optioned car, with a chrome or stainless rear wheel well cover that I've never seen before. Likely a Commander.

Oddly no radio antenna.

[Alan]

Skip, When I was in the Air force, one of the the first things they told me was. "If it moves salute it, if it doesn't move, pick it up and if you cant pick it up, paint it".