Top this "Lost Key" story of mine!

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Lost Keys...
I was 16 years old and was a couple days into getting a new engine put into my hot rod truck of the day. A 1968 3/4 ton with a fully built 327 corvette motor backed up with a Muncie 4 speed and full Posi rear end.
It was stripped and lightened and QUICK.

The truck was semi infamous around town as it was way too fast for a normal truck.
Looked like any normal old ranch hand truck of the day, It was a true sleeper of that time.
Even had a trick exhaust cut out so it was loud when it need to be!

The night before I was out cruising town with friends in their car.
Just a normal Friday night on the town.
Well this was my lucky night and I ended up meeting a incredibly hot 18 year old, she had seen my truck around town and watched a few times of it racing.
We got along great and made plans to meet up the next night.
I planned on the truck being up and running, so I could show it off, and try and win a few points with the new girl.

Went home that night and promptly hit the pillow, sprung out of bed early and rushed out and started throwing wrenches at the truck as fast as I could, watching the clock all day.
It was quite the task to get everything installed.
Around 5:00 I had everything in and was ready to fire it up.
Reached in my pocket for the key chain and Nada?
Ok must have laid them down, but where?
I though clean up and put away the tools and they will probably be in that mess so I hurriedly picked up all the tools and left over parts and such, and still nothing.


I did do a quick jumper to the starter and to the ignition and fired it up and did a quick tweak here and there, success, she's ALIVE!

I thought I could bypass the ignition but doing all of that in a hurry was seaming to be an overwhelming task at the moment.

Now I needed the keys to get the lights, dash, and the holy grail of all truck accessories of the time the radio with the 8track player working.

It's now pushing 7:00 and I was supposed to meet her at 8.
I run into the house and start calling friends figuring at least I could catch a ride into town with one of them and meet her, not a single one was home.
I'll note that earlier a couple friends had stopped by earlier and asked if I wanted to ride with them later, I said nope, I'll have the truck done, so I'll see you there.

I thought ok, pull the ignition and just hot wire it, OH son of a gun, can't get the ring off the ignition to pull it out without the keys, and for the life of me I could get the connector off the back, in hindsight days later I realized that there was a connector lock that I couldn't see as it was on top of the switch.

I went into panic search mode, look here, look there and look everywhere for over the next hours, it's now 9:00ish and I'm starting to realize that I'm stuck and running out of luck!
That's it I'm defeated, pack up and give up, and boy o boy was I ticked that I didn't have a back up car / truck / motor.... wait I can take the 125 Yamaha, at least I'll get to town, and I can meet the guys and then try and find the girl!
Quick jump in the shower get all the grease off, throw on spiffy going to town clothes, splash on cologne, run out to the Yamaha and ....... ^&%%&$#^*&$^*&$^$&*#%^&@$^#&*&%#^$&*^$&*
The key for it was on the same key ring!

1000% CRUSHED AND DEFEATED!

I walk out to the truck still sitting there begging to be hot rodded to town and strut its stuff.

I've given up and slam the door shut and what do i hear.... CLANK CLANK CLANK!!!!
WHAT THE!
The dang (&*)&*%*&^$#%^&$&^*% keys were in the door lock the whole dang time!
I NEVER locked the truck doors at the house (we lived way out in the country), and never left the keys in the door when I did.
How could they have... oh... Then I remember a couple days earlier I worked on the door lock because it was sticking, Oh I'm an idiot, but now I'm an idiot with a movable, fast truck!
Jumped in and hauled (Backside) to town, I think I set a new record that trip.

Start my search all over town for the girl, this is a task all it's own because cruising was a big deal and there were 100's of cars, cruising 5 miles of town with mutiple turn around and parking spots.
After several trips up and down thinking I'd probably just lost out on the date low and behold I find the girl, and live happily ever after...
Wait nope, she dumped me a couple weeks later for a guy with a Camaro.
I did get my revenge on him when I dusted him in a couple of races!

 

[fried1765]

Lost Keys...
I was 16 years old and was a couple days into getting a new engine put into my hot rod truck of the day. A 1968 3/4 ton with a fully built 327 corvette motor backed up with a Muncie 4 speed and full Posi rear end.
It was stripped and lightened and QUICK.

The truck was semi infamous around town as it was way too fast for a normal truck.
Looked like any normal old ranch hand truck of the day, It was a true sleeper of that time.
Even had a trick exhaust cut out so it was loud when it need to be!

The night before I was out cruising town with friends in their car.
Just a normal Friday night on the town.
Well this was my lucky night and I ended up meeting a incredibly hot 18 year old, she had seen my truck around town and watched a few times of it racing.
We got along great and made plans to meet up the next night.
I planned on the truck being up and running, so I could show it off, and try and win a few points with the new girl.

Went home that night and promptly hit the pillow, sprung out of bed early and rushed out and started throwing wrenches at the truck as fast as I could, watching the clock all day.
It was quite the task to get everything installed.
Around 5:00 I had everything in and was ready to fire it up.
Reached in my pocket for the key chain and Nada?
Ok must have laid them down, but where?
I though clean up and put away the tools and they will probably be in that mess so I hurriedly picked up all the tools and left over parts and such, and still nothing.


I did do a quick jumper to the starter and to the ignition and fired it up and did a quick tweak here and there, success, she's ALIVE!

I thought I could bypass the ignition but doing all of that in a hurry was seaming to be an overwhelming task at the moment.

Now I needed the keys to get the lights, dash, and the holy grail of all truck accessories of the time the radio with the 8track player working.

It's now pushing 7:00 and I was supposed to meet her at 8.
I run into the house and start calling friends figuring at least I could catch a ride into town with one of them and meet her, not a single one was home.
I'll note that earlier a couple friends had stopped by earlier and asked if I wanted to ride with them later, I said nope, I'll have the truck done, so I'll see you there.

I thought ok, pull the ignition and just hot wire it, OH son of a gun, can't get the ring off the ignition to pull it out without the keys, and for the life of me I could get the connector off the back, in hindsight days later I realized that there was a connector lock that I couldn't see as it was on top of the switch.

I went into panic search mode, look here, look there and look everywhere for over the next hours, it's now 9:00ish and I'm starting to realize that I'm stuck and running out of luck!
That's it I'm defeated, pack up and give up, and boy o boy was I ticked that I didn't have a back up car / truck / motor.... wait I can take the 125 Yamaha, at least I'll get to town, and I can meet the guys and then try and find the girl!
Quick jump in the shower get all the grease off, throw on spiffy going to town clothes, splash on cologne, run out to the Yamaha and ....... ^&%%&$#^*&$^*&$^$&*#%^&@$^#&*&%#^$&*^$&*
The key for it was on the same key ring!

1000% CRUSHED AND DEFEATED!

I walk out to the truck still sitting there begging to be hot rodded to town and strut its stuff.

I've given up and slam the door shut and what do i hear.... CLANK CLANK CLANK!!!!
WHAT THE!
The dang (&*)&*%*&^$#%^&$&^*% keys were in the door lock the whole dang time!
I NEVER locked the truck doors at the house (we lived way out in the country), and never left the keys in the door when I did.
How could they have... oh... Then I remember a couple days earlier I worked on the door lock because it was sticking, Oh I'm an idiot, but now I'm an idiot with a movable, fast truck!
Jumped in and hauled (Backside) to town, I think I set a new record that trip.

Start my search all over town for the girl, this is a task all it's own because cruising was a big deal and there were 100's of cars, cruising 5 miles of town with mutiple turn around and parking spots.
After several trips up and down thinking I'd probably just lost out on the date low and behold I find the girl, and live happily ever after...
Wait nope, she dumped me a couple weeks later for a guy with a Camaro.
I did get my revenge on him when I dusted him in a couple of races!

She.....probably does not look quite so hot today

 

[GrizBota]

I've done that a couple of times. I make my own post driver so I can make them extra long and then put heater hose on the handles (before the last bend is made and welded). I do all of this because I'm 6'-4" and those short store bought drivers don't work for me. So when this thing hits the top of the post on the down stroke and leans over to tap my head it's a "bell ringer". It creates a funny taste when your head gets hit that hard!!

If I recall, that funny taste is due to the broken teeth in your mouth. At least the last time I had a mouthful of busted up teeth it tasted funny. Kind of pissed me off too because I knew it was going to be expensive. It was.

 

[bird dogger]

Hey @bird dogger, could you do me favor? Check your pile of washed jeans for the key and fob to my Tundra? I lost the set about a decade ago. Kinda did the same thing you did looking for them. But they are gone! Maybe rehomed in your closet.

Now that's FUNNY! But you know, it isn't that outlandish to think it could happen. There's something called the "Six Handshake Rule" whereby all people are six or fewer social connections away from each other!

I've also heard that today, with all the different types of communication available: Any two people in the world will each know of another person that each know of the same person. That would make it only 5 handshakes away! Crazy!

I'll check my stash of blue jeans and if I find something that doesn't belong to me, I'll report back.

 

[GrizBota]

Now that's FUNNY! But you know, it isn't that outlandish to think it could happen. There's something called the "Six Handshake Rule" whereby all people are six or fewer social connections away from each other!

I've also heard that today, with all the different types of communication available: Any two people in the world will each know of another person that each know of the same person. That would make it only 5 handshakes away! Crazy!

I'll check my stash of blue jeans and if I find something that doesn't belong to me, I'll report back.

Thanks! Finders fee of your favorite rack rack if you find it.

In my County, it’s a two hand shake rule. 110k people. I actually predicted that correctly in 2015. Sad story involving the death of a friend’s adult child, so I won’t go into it now.

 

[lugbolt]

brother of mine texted me a pic of a mustang notchback that I had been looking for. Problem is, it was 5 1/2 hours away (one way) and since I live by myself nobody to "drive" it back. I wanted it. Called the seller, says yep I'll hold it til 1:00 pm. Hurried up, loaded up the enclosed behind the truck, hauled booty to get there. COLD rain falling, windy, just nasty weather. I get there the car is sitting in a mud hole, water up to teh bottom of the doors. In a car lot, back side, can't really get to it. Went inside said let's get it pulled out so I can inspect. Of course he can't find the key. I said ok let's push it out of the hole. 3 flat tires, ain't pushing it. Place had a wrecker, said they couldn't find the key to the wrecker. Awesome. So I looked it over the best I could, wasn't too bad so I went back inside and sat down and said here's the deal. I am NOT paying you $1400 for it. You've lied to me about "it runs", no key so you cant verify. Guy says make me an offer. I said $400 cash not a penny more. Guy said if you're serious, and I know I've made mistakes, take it with you. I handed him the cash, FOUGHT HARD to get it loaded into the trailer. It wouldn't steer so I just had to put a floor jack under the front crossmember and drag it in with the winch. Took almost 2 1/2 hours to get it into the trailer. Left, drove home. Next day (I was off work, a rarity in itself) decided to unload it into the shop, again fighting with the floor jack since it won't steer. Finally got it out of trailer and into the shop. Drilled the ignition lock out and went & bought a new lock assembly. Got it cranking over, no compression. PUlled the head, found 4 stuck intake valves. Cleaned them up, went into town & got a head and valve cover gasket, threw it back together and fired it right up. Ran good. Cool now I can start cleaning it up, it was NASTY inside. Pulled the seats out. Pulled the console out. Once the console was out, I found they key. Only one key. At that point I'm like well crap, already this far along, finding the key is kind of moot now. Fox mustangs all had 2 keys from the factory UNLESS it was a cop car (aka SSP). Mine had the one key, fit all the locks, so I found out later on with my VIN and some paper work, that it was an SSP car from Missouri state patrol in the 1990's. Kinda cool, they're a little bit rare.

Ended up having it painted, dark blue (original color) also put a 2.3L turbo engine from an SVO in it, with mild mods. Fun to drive, lots of attention, good mileage, and cheap (very cheap) transportation. Drove it almost 6 years like that until I got an offer from nowhere to buy it for a good bit of cash. Couldn't not sell it. 1 hour exactly after it left I was at the ford dealer, ordered a new 2022 Mustang also a 4 cylinder turbo which I still have. So far so good. And this 2022 ain't got no key at least not the traditional kind of key.