The Driller
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
  • EDUCATION
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
  • SUBMIT
  • ABOUT
  • SIGN UP
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • NEWS
  • Water
  • Geothermal
  • Construction
  • Environmental
  • Mining
  • All Industry News
  • EQUIPMENT
  • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
  • Consumables
  • Pumps
  • Featured Products
  • VIDEOS
  • Newscast
  • Drill Talks
  • Ask Brock
  • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
  • Drilling Business Insights
  • Reference Desk
  • Sponsored Insights
  • EVENTS
  • Conferences & Demo Days
  • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
  • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
  • Contact
  • Advertise
The Driller
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
The Driller
  • NEWS
    • Water
    • Geothermal
    • Construction
    • Environmental
    • Mining
    • All Industry News
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
    • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
    • Consumables
    • Pumps
    • Featured Products
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
    • Newscast
    • Drill Talks
    • Ask Brock
    • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
    • Drilling Business Insights
    • Reference Desk
    • Sponsored Insights
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
    • Conferences & Demo Days
    • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
    • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP

Dad's 1947 Lincoln

By Howard "Porky" Cutter MGWC
January 1, 2003
Howard "Porky" Cutter's old classmate requested this story about him and Porky racing a1947 Lincoln.

Remember the story about me finding my old truck in Oklahoma in front of a farmhouse? What follows is when this friend read the story . . .

A while back an old classmate of mine, Buell Olmstead from Covington, Okla., wrote to National Driller to advise that Porky should write a story about himself and Porky racing his dad's 1947 Lincoln. I don't think my sons or grandchildren have even heard this story. My Dad is gone so I can now reveal this story.

This four-door Lincoln had hydraulic-powered windows and seats, a big V-12 cylinder engine and standard three-speed transmission. It was about the biggest car in the area in those days, and it was impressive. I think the speedometer registered to 120 miles per hour.

As I remember it, Buell and I were driving the Lincoln up and down the dirt road from our oil lease in Lovell, Okla., to Roxanna, Okla. Both are ghost towns now; Roxanna is gone completely. We were trying to see how much speed we could get from one highline (electric) pole to the next from a standing start. I think it's kind of like what we know as drag racing today. People who drove Lincolns back then usually didn't race them; they were known as luxury cars. Anyway, I do remember it did pretty well.

My dad, living on an oil lease, had free drip gasoline (right out of the oil well separator). Using this high-octane fuel, the engine ran much hotter and you usually had to put it in gear to get the engine to quit. It also was prone to vapor locking. Many times we had to pour water or ice (if we had it) on the fuel pump, on the top rear of the engine to get it to run again. Back then, people using drip gas added food coloring and mothballs to their drip gas to give it color, and I don't remember what the mothballs did.

I remember that I was only about 12 or 13 years old, driving my jeep and an old International pickup all over the county on free drip gas. At that age, I was even plowing with a John Deer model D tractor and drove a 11¿ton truck hauling wheat to town.

Later on (in about 1953 Buell reminds) I didn't want to go to school in Covington. So I rode my Cushman Motor Scooter to school in Marshall every day. A roundtrip distance of about 26 miles. Buell says that arriving at Marshall school early each morning, my face would be beet red. Buell further reminds that they didn't call me Porky back then as I was of a slender build. However, with me being bundled up for the trip on winter days, I was almost as wide as I was tall.

My dad traded my old International pickup with me for a jeep for me. With it, I graded the oil lease roads, ran errands and drove the jeep to grade school in Lovell and later to Marshall. I drove the jeep on good days. . . on bad days, I would tear up the muddy roads to our house with the jeep then go back home and wait for the bus to pick me up. The bus driver would see the bad road to our house and take a bypass around our house. This way, when the bus didn't come by to pick me up, I wasn't counted absent in school. As we would say today, "pretty cool" -- until dad found out what I was doing.

On days that I drove my jeep to school and my dad had other things for me to do right after school, instead of leaving me a note or telling my teacher, he would just remove the bug (rotor) from the distributor on the jeep engine. The jeep wouldn't start and I couldn't go anywhere until he showed up with the bug. Even the best mechanic wouldn't think of the bug being missing from an engine that had been running fine. These kinds of tricks made me a better mechanic.

On days that the Highway Patrol was going to be in town giving driving tests, the superintendent, Mr. Shades of Marshall School would tell me to take my scooter or jeep home. Since I was underage, he preferred that I didn't get caught and kept me from being absent again.

I'm sure many of my other classmates in Covington, Marshall and Lovell could add to my future stories.

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Howard cutter 200px
Howard "Porky" Cutter, MGWC, is a regular contributor to The Driller. For more Porky columns, visit www.thedriller.com/porky.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • geotechnical drilling rig

    6 Onsite Phrases Environmental Drillers Hate

    Here are six phrases that highlight common frustrations...
    Geotechnical Investigation
    By: Jeff Garby
  • Wayne Nash

    Pipe Stuck? Common Causes and Solutions for Drillers

    If you have drilled for any length of time, sooner or...
    Oil & Gas Drilling
    By: Wayne Nash
  • submersible pumps, water well pumps

    Selecting and Sizing Submersible Pump Cable

    This article helps pump installers and servicers decide...
    Water Wells
    By: Bob Pelikan
You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Subscribe For Free!
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • Manage My Preferences

The Driller Newscast: 21st Century Drillers | Part 1 DEMAND

The Driller Newscast: 21st Century Drillers | Part 1 DEMAND

The Driller Newscast: New York Geo Talks 2025 Conference with Hands-on Driller Education

The Driller Newscast: New York Geo Talks 2025 Conference with Hands-on Driller Education

The Driller Newscast, Episode 147: Global Geothermal Collaboration at NY-GEO 2025

The Driller Newscast, Episode 147: Global Geothermal Collaboration at NY-GEO 2025

The Driller Newscast: Coiled Tubing Drilling and the Future of Geothermal

The Driller Newscast: Coiled Tubing Drilling and the Future of Geothermal

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the The Driller audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of The Driller or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • demo of a DM450 drilling rig during a customer factory visit
    Sponsored byGeoprobe

    Built for You: Smarter Drill Rigs, Stronger Support, Bigger Opportunities

Popular Stories

MainPhotoTwoBrothers.jpg

Two Brothers' Journey Through the Drilling Industry

demo of a DM450 drilling rig during a customer factory visit

Built for You: Smarter Drill Rigs, Stronger Support, Bigger Opportunities

AI and Drought Concerns

AI’s Growing Thirst for Water and Power

The Driller Classifieds

COMPRESSORS

EAST WEST MACHINERY & DRILLING IS BUYING AND SELLING AIR COMPRESSORS, AIR BOOSTERS, AIR ENDS & PARTS
Company: East West Machinery

DRILL RIGS

LOOKING FOR LATE MODEL TOPHEADS & DRILLTECH D25'S
Company: Spikes’s Rig Sales

DRILL RIG PARTS

MEETING DRILLERS NEEDS AROUND THE WORLD
Company: East West Machinery

ELEVATORS

SEMCO INC. PIPE ELEVATORS
Company: Semco Inc.

GROUTERS

GROUTING EQUIPMENT - GROUT PUMPS & GROUT HOSE REELS
Company: Geo-Loop Inc.

PUMP HOISTS

SEMCO INC. - BASIC PUMP HOISTS
Company: Semco Inc.

WELL PACKERS

LANSAS PRODUCTS - INFLATABLE WELL PACKERS
Company: Vanderlans Lansas Products

WELL SCREENS

WELL SCREENS & SLOTTED PIPE
Company: Alloy Screen Works

Products

Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

By carefully explaining both the underlying theory and the underlying mathematics, this text enables readers to fully grasp the fundamentals of physical and chemical treatment processes for water and wastewater.

See More Products

Subscribe to The Driller Newscast

Related Articles

  • Porky's Hole Thoughts

    Cutter and Dad Drilling Go Camping, Scouting

    See More
  • Porky's Hole Thoughts: A Dandy Pony for Porky

    See More
  • Porky's Hole Thoughts: Being a Kid, Porky-style

    See More

Related Directories

  • Vanair, a Lincoln Electric Co.

    Vanair, a Lincoln Electric Company, offers an extensive product line of vehicle-mounted air compressors, generators, welders, hydraulics, Electrified Power Equipment, chargers/boosters, and engine starters, making it the most comprehensive Mobile Power Solution® provider in the world. Through innovative design, training and support, Vanair delivers rugged and reliable products that enhance efficiency and productivity globally. Wherever, whenever and however you need it... Vanair is there. For more information about Vanair and its products and services, visit the Company’s website at https://vanair.com/.
  • Nebraska Well Drillers Assn.

    The NWDA has served the industry by providing technical training, new product exposure, idea sharing and fellowship among the members. The organization represents businesses and industries as well as technicians dealing with water well drilling, pump installation, manufacturing and the supplying of equipment and material for water well work.
  • Western Hydro

×

Dig deeper into the drilling and water supply industry!

Build your knowledge with The Driller, covering the people, equipment and technologies across drilling markets.

SIGN UP NOW
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
    • Classifieds
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eNewsletters
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

The Driller
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
The Driller
  • NEWS
    • Water
    • Geothermal
    • Construction
    • Environmental
    • Mining
    • All Industry News
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
    • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
    • Consumables
    • Pumps
    • Featured Products
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
    • Newscast
    • Drill Talks
    • Ask Brock
    • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
    • Drilling Business Insights
    • Reference Desk
    • Sponsored Insights
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
    • Conferences & Demo Days
    • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
    • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP