We scored a Model T coupe for my 10 y/o this week. He has wanted one for a few years and is very excited now that he has it. It looks rough in the pictures but it's just the old paint flaking off. It needs a couple of patch panels on the rear but other that that, it's very solid. We pulled it from a barn that it had been in for over 25 yrs. We have 5 yrs or so to get it finished and he has a bunch of build ideas. We will post pics as we go. CTJ
Thats awsome! My 8yr old girl owns my rpu......she tells her friends...."this is my hotrod...there is my dads....he got me into hotrods and nascar"... Hotrods make great for great family time! Great score! Enjoy the build...
thats rad!! i've been trying to get my boy into cars for ever but all he wants to do is play video games, and skateboard. i still love him though! good luck to you guys.
X2 on not chopping the top just yet, I'm 6' 5", and your boy looks taller than I was at his age. Awesome find, great project for father and son! My 11 year old grandson refers to Henrietta the '38 Ford pickup as "my truck." It will be his when I'm dead or too old to drive.
What a great project to keep him involved in.That is how most of us started out,helping or watching fathers or grandfathers work on there cars and trucks.I'm sure it will be a very fun build project plus at the end the bonus is you own a beautiful car that you built with the family.And he also learns a trade if he wishes to follow it or just build more cars for himself .... ... I hope he never sells it as i wish i kept my first car... Good luck on the project, Steve
Good job dad! What a great thing to look forward to when he's old enough to drive. Plenty of time for you and him to work on together.
Thanks for all the support. I agree on not chopping it at this time. At least not a real heavy chop. I told him today that regardless of the amount of chop, we need to save the cut-offs in case we change our mind in the future about the height. Has anyone used the Speedway T frame with the 6 inch rear kick? I think that's what we might use as a foundation. CTJ
MAN THAT'S A SWEET SCORE..EVEN GREATER SCORE FOR MICHIGAN.....good luck to your son......does he have any desires yet for drive train?????
There's an easy fix for everything..... Take the games away from him and take him to some local car shows... And NOT the import type....... I'll send you my bill.
I've known about this coupe for over a year. The guy just wouldn't sell it until now. He has had several offers over the years but at 70+ years old he decided to let someone else build it. Guess we were in the right place at the right time. As far as drivetrain, we have a 331 hemi and a 302 Ford in the shop right now. The hemi needs a rebuild, the Ford doesn't. The hemi is obviously way cooler but the Ford would be cheaper... I guess we aren't sure at this time. We are sure it will be a manual trans though... Real Hot Rods have 3 pedals...CTJ
Do the Ford first - get it running - then work on the hemi as a swap / upgrade. Teaches him about both build and re-build.
awsome! my 10 year old has been hanging out in the garage with me for a few years already. We are curantly working on a 5" chop on my 46 chev truck. He wants a 50 chev truck for his first vehicle. Guess I should start looking!
Buy something now and give yourself time to get it done. That was my theory. Good luck in your search. CTJ
this is a very good thing to do, when i was 8 years old my parents bought me a 51 studebaker pickup, with the stipulation that i must do well in school. it encouraged me to do well, i finished wit a very good G.P.A., ended up getting a college scholarship. one small problem, it did give me this sickness that most of you can relate to, hotrodding. i plan to do the same when i have kids.
I totally agree. Understanding the fundamentals is a requirement to upgrading and modifying cars. Another thing, learning about engines will help your son in school. I couldn't figure out fractions and decimals worth a darn until I applied them to spark plug gaps, valve clearances etc. I started helping my Dad at 10 or 11 years old. By the time I was 13 I was in charge of tune ups and basic maintenance. I've always appreciated what he taught me, never looked back & never regretted it. Nowadays I give the old man advise! lol If I could only talk him out of my Grandma's '54 Chevy!
Congrats on getting a project that both of you can be involved in. I gave my son a 1969 Z-28 when he started high school and we spent the next three years rebuilding it. He drove if for the first time on his 17 birthday. After driving it to college it sat for 18 years and now he is rebuilding it again with his son. Frank
Just one tip from me... make sure you both Stay Involved, no matter what comes up in life. My dad got in the mood to start a father/son project for the two of us, and he started shopping around for a car. At the time, I was really into ridiculously proportioned T buckets, because I was somewhere around 8-11, Roth monsters drove them, and I thought the tiny body, huge engine deal was awesome. He ended up finding a 1915 T Touring body, sold as a rolling project. We drove 6 hours to the other side of Pennsylvania to look at it, and we took it home. I spent my afternoons after 4th grade cleaning the mouse nests out of the seats, dis***embling things I was physically capable of dis***embling, and learning what I could about early Ford technology. We had a few V8 60s to use to make one solidly running engine, and I learned how to rebuild old drum brakes. Out of nowhere, my dad threw out his back, and we stopped working on it because he couldn't walk for a while. When he got back on his feet, he couldn't lift anything for a while. By the time he was capable of every day life, it had sat in the garage for a few months, and we lost interest in the project. Years p***ed, and he ended up selling it at Hershey. Years p***ed, and I have regretted that a lot since then. I am now 19, and just found my own 26/27 T coupe, in much worse shape than yours, and am very pleased to finally have a project to turn into a hot rod. I'm young for this hobby, and I already have a list of regrets. Don't let your kid end up the same way. Keep progress going, even if it's little by little. I wish you two the best of luck!
That Is rad! My 10 year old has alread started collecting parts for his first hotrod including a model a frame a rear end a buick motor and ****** etc.he wants a closed cab pickup so the search for a good but cheap body is on!!!! Keep this kinda things goin fellas sooner rather than later these kids are gonna be tearing up the streets in somethin. at least help em make it something cool!!! Eric
Good point. We should make grades a priority. Even though he is already a good student, this could help keep him focused on academics.
The Jalopy Journal
