The Mallory twins, Steve and George, have been crazy about cars since they arrived in Merriam in a 1941 Ford woodie. It was 1949, and their dad came here to work for TWA.

 The Mallorys, who live in Shawnee, have always modified any vehicle they could get their hands on, and it started with the family lawn mower.

 “Our mower had a Briggs & Stratton engine. We milled the head and put a straight pipe on it,” George said. “We mowed the grass three times a week whether it needed it or not,” Steve said.

 The exhaust pipe was waist high, and when they closed the throttle the engine would backfire. Imagine how surprised their dad was when the mower shot flames at his waist while he was mowing the lawn.

 George recounted with a grin: “He came into the house grumbling to our mom, ‘Where are those boys? They’ve been hot-rodding the lawn mower again.’”

 The Mallorys’ hot rod high jinks weren’t limited to the lawn mower. They talked their dad into buying a 1951 Ford woodie station wagon, and then they chopped the front springs. When their dad saw what they had done, he gave them two hours to put the car right because he had to drive it to work. They jacked up the neighbor’s car, grabbed the front springs and put them in the woodie. Another time they removed the hood ornament and tried to French the headlights.

 When the boys were 16 years old, they bought a 1946 Ford sedan. In went a Buick V-8 and on went wire wheels. The car was featured in Rod & Custom magazine in 1973. Today they own it again and are in the process of restoring it.

 Steve and his wife, Patty, own two hot rods, a 1947 Ford woodie and a 1940 Ford coupe. The ’40 Ford is a near-perfect rendition of a 1950’s hot rod. It has no hood, a flat-head Ford V-8 with three carbs and several primer spots. Steve painted the flames himself with spray cans. “That’s the spirit of hotrodding,” he said.

 George and his wife, Sharon, are restoring a 1941 Ford coupe that was built by George Barris, California’s famous customizer.

 The Mallorys think and act almost as one. They, too, worked for TWA, but they are retired. Not only do they love everything about cars, but they also married cousins. Their energy and enthusiasm is as vibrant today as it must have been when they hopped up the lawn mower.

 “We’ve been doing this for a long time and we’re still having fun,’ George said. “This car stuff is an illness, but it’s not a bad one. I’ve been to three doctors and there’s no cure. People ask what’s wrong, and I say I’ve got gas in my veins.” Ditto for Steve.