Art & Inspiration One of the best ways to have fun

Outstanding! That picture is a great way to show someone in one snapshot what "hotrodding" is to me. A gateway where one generation connects with another. Age, income, status.... nothing matters except the lessons learned and memories made.

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Great photo, and a great story. I am beginning to decide that I got short changed in the grand kid department even though I lay claim to my daughter's best friend's two kids. I claim her as my own as I have for the past 25 years. I don't think either of the kids will be into cars though.

 

Yeah, me too. My only grandchild, a boy, is too hyper and can’t sit still long enough to learn much. He also doesn’t like any kind of loud noises, even a lawnmower is too loud for him. Poor kid got it from both sides, both his parents are druggies and had their own learning problems. I do what I can with him and his short attention span, but doubt I’ll ever take him to a racetrack, he would be ready to leave when the first car cranked up.

 

I had a friend whose son didn't like the noise at the drags. He solved it by letting him wear a pair of shooting ear protectors. Just a thought.

 

Don't give up, every child deserves at least one positive role model and thankfully he has you!!

I speak from experience, I had a dad that didn't care to do anything with me growing up. I seemed more of a hindrance to him. At 15 I meet my mentor who took me under his wing and had patience with me until the "light bulb " came on and he taught me many things and that being a "man" was more than dominating some one.

So please don't stop reaching out to him!

 

Good for you !!!

Ronin is not mine by blood, he belongs to my girlfriends daughter BUT he IS mine, blood or not! He is as important as my own blood grand kids and every bit as a part of my life and being.

Family is not always blood, family is those who love you with or without that blood tie.

My hats off to ALL of you who reach out to children regardless of their ties to being blood. Sometimes a child needs little more then a little attention and love and to feel they matter to At least some one and anyone who steps up to fulfill that for a child is a person who will live on forever....

 

In the mid 70s I autocrossed a '67 Mini. My oldest son, Kenny, was 4 at the time and would change the sparkplugs for me, 4 cyl, engine sitting crossways, plugs in front and I would initially loosen the plugs and then tighten them. My other son, Michael, was 2 at the time, would take the valve stem caps off so I could check air pressures. I'm color blind and have trouble when doing wiring, so at age 4 or so Kenny would tell me the colors. One day while helping me bleed the brakes on the Mini, he was pumping the pedal and said it was getting harder to push. We were at an autocross once and Kenny was steering the Mini while I was pushing it to the line. When I went to get in, he looked up at me and said, "Let me drive it this time." He was 5 then. Years later, he finally got to autocross one of my Minis and did pretty well.

Kenny's not interested in working on cars now, he takes his in for servicing. Michael on the other hand is mechanically inclined. He has always enjoyed taking things apart. When I work on his '03 Mini, he always helps. Around '08 or so we rebuilt the front of his Mini after an accident (other persons insurance paid for it). That was enjoyable working with him on that project.

Both sons are in late 40s now and neither are married, so like others, I have no grandkids. In England I did have a neighbor kid in base housing that liked to come over and help me work on Minis. And 20 yrs ago I had a cat that liked to watch me work on cars, he couldn't pick up tools though. Ron

 

Lol...over 20 years ago I'm in the shop with my first daughter, she's about 2.

I'm beating dents out of an old Dodge PU, I'm starting to hear this echo kinda noise...then I hear the banging without me pounding.

I look over and she's got a small ballpeen going after the front bumper on my Camaro...only time I was happy to have a plastic car

 

My nephew Vinvent is always in the garage with me or helps in the shop.Last weekend we rebuilt a TH700 transmission together. 5 yearsand he has done ist first automatic transmission, hahaha
He loves old cars and can´t wait until he is big enough to drive my Riviera.

 

Dang baumi !!

All those neat cars I wanna come over and play at your house !! Lol

 

Sounds like we grew up the same way. Other than a few basics, I got most of my skills from reading and hands on doing.

Don’t get me wrong about my Grandson, he’s smart as a whip and learns fast if it’s something he’s interested in. But he has severe behavioral problems along with the hyperactivity, he can be a great, loving kid one minute and then suddenly turn violent. He is under medical care, but at his age there isn’t much they can do other than meds to slow him down so he can function. My wife and I are in our early 60’s, so we are going to do what we can as long as we can, but he will have to have specialized care in a few years when we can no longer handle him. And then he may grow out of it, who knows. We have a good time together as much as we can.

 

Keep it up and this is what you get in return. My grandson
taking me for a drive in his roadster. Most fun I have ever had. Had the same experience with his Dad

 

My shop. My car. My son. My grandsons first weld. Priceless

 

Did the boss ( his mother) knows about this?


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My son and I are going out to the shop right now to disassemble an IH Flathead four right now!


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Now THAT is a hotrod.

Ben

 

This picture was taken fifteen years ago when my grandson wasn't yet a glimmer in there eyes.
Photo of my sons wife (aka 'the boss') trying out the view from freshly chopped 49 windsheild.
My family and my shop have kind of gone hand in hand.
Looking forward to some summer shop projects with the grandkids.

 

Great story, Grandkids are the best !

 

Yikes, I gasped in horror thinking you were going to say '67-68 Camaro. Still, kinda funny
when you think about it, isn't it?

 

What a great photo. That should be nicely framed and hanging.

 

Those are some great pictures. We need the future generation to get interested in old cars. I have 4 year old nephew who is my next hope. He goes to the garage and get in my 34 Chevy and has a great time.

 

My two little Hot Rodders.

 

Looks like their hot rod needs a little front end work! Haha. Great photos.

 

Another time down on Hollywood/Sunset Blvd, we put a guy on roof top of my 38 La Salle Hearse put a white sheet over him had him hold a bunch of

flowers while we cruised up and down then over to Scrivners Drive in. Scrivners kicked us out. said funeral vehicles were bad for drive in business. More big fun in Hollywood in my hearse that was just like this one, wood curtains and all.

 

You don't know the half of it. He'll go as fast as he can in reverse. Then push foward button, and try to pop a wheelie! I tell him to stop, or it will break. But he doesn't listen. Yeah he's a Hot Rodder alright! lol Here's an older photo when he was only two. He's a big three now. He really LOVES CARS!!! Ron.......

 

I think I need to move closer to grand kids...both my kids moved to other states and then both had kids...got 6 grand kids and I don't know any of them...

thanks everybody for sharing....I am so envious...

MikeC

 

Had a step-daughter that would help me in the garage from about 6-7 yr. Her mother would tell the girls to clean their room, but she'd come to the garage to help me and let her sister clean the room!
First she was wire-brushing rust off a boat trailer with gloves, goggles,and an angle grinder with wire wheel.
When I got a brad gun and was working on a wood project, I shot one through my finger accidentally...she cried and ran off when I wouldn't let her use that tool.
She liked bugs so I went to a VW dealer to let her sit in some around 11 yrs. At Christmas, I went to the parts dept and bought her VW pens, a calendar, and the parts guy gave me a bunch of tiny bug cars when I told him what I was doing.
Her Mom and her had matching yellow '72 bugs, and went to lots of shows as a M/D team. Her Mom still says it's my fault for getting her into this( not really, they love to do it)
Got her into powerboats, sailing, and diving also

 

My boys helping with sway bar bushing replacement on our Sprint. Each boy did one side (with my help of course). They both know how to use a screw driver and which way to turn a socket to loosen or tighten a bolt. I am going to need a bigger garage for these guys in the near future!


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Lemme guess, it was a umm, two cylinder model?


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Have to give a little update.

Now my grandson ronin has "helped" me a couple times since this post. He now has his own starter tool box that has its own special spot on one of the work benches.

Funny thing though, the other night I'm working on the tudor. I'm c-clamping the roof seams together when I can't find my 1" c-clamps then it dawns on me Ronin had them the night before.

The first words out of my mouth was "ok what the hell did my grandson do with my clamps!" I stopped for a moment and started laughing, it was the first time I have ever uttered those words and Lord willing it won't be the last !!

Hopefully Ronin will become a common pain in my butt fixture around my shop as he grows.