Seems everyone is always able to remember a lot about their first “real” job on a company payroll. Happens that a friend of mine worked as a gas jockey at a Shell gas station in 1971, and when the station was looking to hire another employee for the summer, he suggested that I should apply. I got the job and worked full time during the summer and continued to carry on as a part time employee until December. In this short period of time I racked up plenty of gas station/car wash memories and a supply of job related stories that I still chuckle about.
The Under Hood Discoveries Of A Gas Jockey
As I said, we were referred to as gas jockeys – it’s probably a moniker that has dropped from regular usage now since the majority of motorists now pump their own gas at self-serve stations. For those who don’t know or may be too young to remember yourself, here is a brief job description of a full service station gas jockey: Hustle out to any car that pulled into the station, gas up the vehicle as requested, squeegee the windows, ask if the customer would like their engine oil level or tire air pressure checked , and finally, try to sell the driver a discounted car wash. A lot of times the car wash was free if the customer filled up with a pre-set amount of gas – then you would try to up sell the Hot Wax feature as they drove up to and on to the car wash rollers. Other than a low hourly wage – what better job could a teenager saving for their very first car actually have in 1971? Lifting the hood of all types of vehicles was interesting, but it was the muscle cars of the day that rumbled in to gas up that really made me eagerly jump out to the pump aisle. Now I could get a close up look at some really cool cars and was often able to chit chat with owners. And the best part – sometimes I got under the hood of these high performance beasts! Now that I have set the scene, read on as I share my 1971 list of what I loved to discover when/ if I had the chance to get under the hood of a ground ripper muscle car (times change, personal tastes change – since I no longer have the mind or hair of a sixteen year old, my same list today would be different).
#1 – 427 Cubic Inch Tri-Power Engine
When you lift the hood of a Corvette – this is the engine and carburetor setup that brought a big smile to my face. Yes, if you were blasting around town in your big block Corvette you were also spending a lot of time and money at the premium pump. In my experience, some Corvette owners insisted that they personally handle the filling duties so that a gas jockey wouldn’t inadvertently drip fuel across the rear deck lid paint.
#2 – Headers
I always liked to spot a set of headers nestling under the hood. The performance gain and unmistakable sound from a good set of aftermarket or custom constructed headers made them a popular upgrade. But headers can be troublesome; they didn’t always clear other engine bay components very well and once installed were a pain to work around. The driver that could put up with the inherent hassle of headers in order to wring out more horsepower was usually the more
serious gearhead who also had some other go fast engine tricks up his sleeve.
#3 – Hemi Heads
I associate hemi heads with serious drag racing engines… and that’s why I was always surprised and somewhat in awe to find them under the hood of a street driven car.
#4 – Air Grabber Hood
At first glance, a Plymouth muscle car may appear to have an uninspiring flat hood. But, upon closer inspection you may discover the N96 Fresh Air Hood option, more commonly referred to as the air grabber. With a simple flick of a switch to activate it, the ram air grabber would rise out of the hood. When in the raised position the air grabber revealed a snarly toothed caricature, which looks to me like a tribute to the paint scheme found on the World War II fighter planes belonging to The Flying Tigers squadron. The air grabber is undeniably a pretty cool feature, and probably an intimating sight to other stop light racers.
#5 – Fuel Injected Engine
O.K., admittedly there were very few fuel injected Corvettes to be found around the entire city. At the time, I didn’t even know how an “exotic” fuel injection system worked. What I did know was that fuel injection was a high performance Corvette engine option, and, because it’s quite simply a stunning work of motor art, it had to be on my list of best under hood discoveries.
#6 – Lift Off Fiberglass Hood
You just never know. I’d seen a Super Bee six pack car on display at a local car show. So there was some small hope that same car could thunder into the gas station some sunny day while I was manning the pumps. Sadly, this was not to “Bee”. All the right package ingredients make up this particular hood. A tough looking scoop, weight saving fiberglass construction, contrasting flat black color, and of course, a hood designed to lift off completely in order to offer the best possible access for engine work. That’s what I’m talking about!
It’s five o’clock somewhere… see ya next time – Diamond Don
