“We Really Got a Bang Out of that!” Boys and Their Cars

I have heard the story of my grandpa Wayne Taylor and some friends putting airplane fuel in their car. He said, “We really got a bang out of that!” I was remembering that and wondering what he meant by a bang. To get the scoop I talked to my Uncle Fred.

Wayne Taylor and Max Paulson (or Palfreyman) had acquired some airplane fuel. It is not remembered who the fuel belonged to before that, but it is certain that the owner of the fuel was ignorant of its leaving his possession. Geneva road was the regular drag for young people. The car went very fast for a short ways and with a loud backfire came to a stop at the corner of Geneva road and Provo Center Street. The engine of the car was shot, but it was a memorable event.

Fred remembers when he was a kid every one would drag race on Geneva road. Their family lived on Geneva road and he remembers hearing cars racing till late at night. He also remembers a tragic event related to a young man and his car. A local boy was driving with his girl friend in the car. He was distracted and driving very fast. He didn’t see the passing train at a crossing where there was no signal. The car smashed into the moving train, killed the boy instantly and critically injured the girl.

Fred remembers when he began to drive at the age of fourteen. He would milk cows for Donald Reece and Loyd Taylor when they were busy or out of town. He always drove himself there. Sometimes during the summer, after milking, he and Randy Taylor would drive out to Strawberry and fish until dark.

Because he began working when he was fourteen and saved some of his earnings he was able to buy his own car when he turned sixteen. It was a 1964 ford galaxy 500 with a 390 police interceptor engine. Gasoline was 25¢ a gallon and a tank of gas cost Fred about five dollars.

Fred went to college at Utah State University in Logan. Once he and his roommate let the dishes get away from them and they didn’t want to dig their way to the sink. They loaded the dishes into the back of one of their trucks and headed to the car wash where they sprayed them clean. I wondered if they had broken any of the dishes and Fred was certain they didn’t. The dishes were all plastic.