Did they use lead based paint on the wagon? Is there a speed limiting governor? Where's his helmet?! Does it include a bunch of safety stickers?
Now I feel cheated that I never had one as a kid. I never even knew they had them back then or I'd of whined and sniveled and spent my paper money real quickly to have one of these. Without the internet, unless your Dad subscribed to Popular Mechanics or Popular Science or one of those mags how would you ever find out about this stuff? Marketers have it way easier in todays age in that regard. The whole over protection thing has killed a lot of great fun ideas though. One kid does something stupid in Kabunghole, in some State and the whole continent goes on a safety alert and bam, there it goes. Next thing you know they'll be banning trees because kids climb them:banghead3: There, got that out of my system. Now to figure out if I can find a wagon big enough for me and make one of those things for getting from the house to the shop and back . The wife will think I've lot "it" again.
I like that line at the end: "Money can be cheerfully refunded ANYTIME YOU CAN TAKE THE WAGON AWAY FROM YOUR CHILDREN." Imagine the HOWLS from Parents' Associations!!! What a different world it is in just 50 years!
Kind of a sad world in many ways. Kids today, not all, but many that I see, just don't know how to do things anymore. They look at the few who can wistfully and you just know they are going to go back in the house and play computer games.
Sorry for this hi-jack, but you raise a good point. When I was a kid in southern Ontario, they had Reform Trade Schools. This is like the late 50's. The town, Bowmanville, Ontario had the regional RTS at the north of town. 8,000 souls. One unarmed policeman who was also the Chief and local dog-catcher. Population of Canada 18 million. We are merely 16 million more. National gangs: 6 in 1960. 950 today: http://www.cisc.gc.ca/products_services/products_services_e.html These are the older gang reports, from CSIS, not the RCMP? http://www.cisc.gc.ca/archive/archive_e.html We are lower in population than at least 5 cities around the world, and our funds for youth go to sports to keep them off the street? No shop classes, no home-ec classes, smaller apartment chicken-coops in big cities with no place for kids to learn to use their hands, and put their brains in gear? Right here in my neighbourhood, the poorest and most unemployed in Canada 26% unemployment, we have 6 NGOs (Non-Government Organizations) who fight with each other and hire local broke moms about who's territory which one is stomping on. They're so busy with their fights that nobody gets any help! So over this weekend, we had a house shot at and injured one of the sleeping residents, 3 knife-stabbings, now that the Calgary Stampede is winding down, our streetworkers are back strolling for customers and the bike-pimps are trolling for drug-customers. The cops know it, we know it, the Mayor is up for election in October and nobody does squat. The RTS system worked for a couple of good reasons. This is before Minumum Wage came in 1965 at $1.50 per hour. Like around 1958 or so, Dief got elected in 1958. The kids in these Reform Trade Schools were punks. The Death Penalty was still around. Most were in for 5 years. Smokes cost 50 cents for 25. They'd get $5.00 per day! They could keep enough for a pack a day. The rest went into an account. They built baseball stadiums, school desks, fixed public utility vehicles, including the local ambulances, police cars, county vehicles, repaired school plumbing, bleachers, and on and on... When they got out, they were given the money in the account, cash. They had their trade papers, journeymen papers. Mechanics, Plumbers, Electricians, Cabinetmakers, Carpenters, and in the case of women, nurses aids, cooks, secretaries, etc. They didn't go back to gangs! My idea is that we stop building jails, pull the Reform school system away from the Corrections unions - who refuse to train prisoners to earn more more money than they do anyway. and use retired cops (most RCMP are elegible by 45 to 50 for full pensions, and retired tradesmen (because the Feds want to extend the retirement age past 65 anyway) and help the cost of homebuilding to come down with more competition. We all win! The Construction Industry Lobby can chip in with tax-deductible donations. The Trades Unions can support it and reduce crime and gangs, and the only losers are the Community Colleges who'd lose some courses that they fought to get and charge big fees for. There's more criminals than Community Colleges. More victims not paying taxes because they're maimed. The last Federal Prison I have a number for, was funded under Prime Minister Chretien in Lindsay, Ontario at $11 million in 2002 for 1,100 prisoners. A 5 star hotel doesn't cost that! The Provincial Jail in BC was $44 million for 680 prisoners. Our taxes are being poorly used. We aren't getting mis-directed (to the gangs) kids into a secure future, and they won't flip burgers, when they can make big money until they get shot. Lets not keep pouring good money into a bottomless pit! We can't turn them around with a game of street hockey or a soccerball, but we can't deny what worked either, even if it looks tough and pays squat to start with. For sure it beats learning how to make license plates. EDIT! These Reform Trade School grads kept their tradesmen tools. A new Chevy pickup was under $2,000. Tools, a new vehicle, a sign on the doors and they were working! Many went to work at the Oshawa GM plant. The gangs couldn't pay as much.
Check this one out..... http://eugene.craigslist.org/cto/1853685972.html For sale, but it's a bit pricey........$4,000 "I am listing my custom " HOT ROD " wagon. This is NOT some weekend project, but rather took months of custom fabrication and planning to accomplish what you see in the photos attached. Everything about this wagon is custom except for the factory made Radio Flyer Wagon box that was purchased at a toy store. The rest of the wagon in the box was discarded. The 1 inch square frame was hand fabricaed similar to a NASCAR chassis. All welds have been ground smooth, filled and prepped before final powdercoating was done in jet black. The front suspension is a work of art by itself: Hand made independent front suspension, billet aluminum spring cups, chrome upper & lower control arms-tie-rods, bored & stroked custom Briggs & stratton engine, positive action band brake with custom hand lever on the side, mechanical coil over shocks on a rear swing arm suspension, dual exhaust with twin mufflers, fully bushed steering column with deep dished foam steering wheel,, custom padded seat, kill switch mounted on the custom steering column next to the throttle lever with thru the frame wiring, billet aluminum rear hubs to match the wheels used, custom gears, clutch / exhaust guard, and heavy duty chainguard, all fully assembled with grade 8 stainless bolt fasteners. Also, it has a fully adjustable polished aluminum rear spoiler wing and a faux parachute. The front of the wagon sports a one of a kind Von Dutch Flying Eyeball to see the way down the HOT ROD HIGHWAY. Big and little slicks with chrome value stems munted on polished aluminum rims. The box is custom powdercoated red with multiple flames to match our 1938 Chevy Pick-up shown in the background of the first two photos. All parts of the wagon are either powder-coated, billet aluminum, or chrome. Due to the low center of gravity and the wide stance, this wagon will not tip over at any speed. It was shown at the Portland Roadster Show and many other events and always draws a crown and wins trophies and awards. Feel free to call me at: 541-844-8447 It's in my area, so if anybody is seriously interested, I'd be happy to 'test drive' it for 'ya.......
