Dads, did you pass the wrench on to the son/daughter??

Many gearhed dads I know have driving+ age sons/daughters that could care less about hot rods. My son got a mech engineering degree and the father son projects helps him be a good engineer. He knows how to wrench, weld, paint etc, but his priorites are not hot rods. My dad wasn't into cars so maybe it's just something certain individuals are born with - I've had cars on the brain forever.

 

my dad was into cars, I am into cars, my son, not so much, my daughter not so much. Both my son and daughter know how to do a little more than basic maintenance on their cars, so maybe there is hope once their teenaged hormones settle down. I think my son lost alot of interest after he wrecked his car and I made him fix it instead of junking it. I know it certainly slowed him down.

 

My dad didn't care one bit about cars. He raised Arabian horses. My kids (two daughters and a son) don't care about cars either.

I've been a motorhead my whole life. Early pictures of me show my hands full of toy cars. My parents told me that I had always been fascinated with cars. I hope I never lose that fascination, and even now that I am AARP eligible, I still am car crazy.

 

well my grandfather was a boilermaker/welder/mechanic, my Dad is a heavy duty mechanic, I'm an industrial mechanic.

neither of them were ever really into cars, but I'm picking up the torch from my Great Uncle was was a hot rod freak back in the 50's.

It's too bad he couldn't be here to see where I'm at now

 

18 year old daughter / paints /welds / and trying to learn pinstriping..
she will be attending Miss State for art and metal arts next year..



she painted my scoot..

 

pop passed it on to me....I remember "helping" block his 57 chevy when I was knee high to a grasshopper...

Now, the boy (2.5 years old) loves daddys "ruck" (he hasnt figured out T's yet) and EVERY car we own is a racecar....he's a trip...learned righty tighty lefty loosie as well as the difference between a phillips and a flat head at 15 months and has been taking everything apart since....hopefully he learns how to put things together someday....

 

My dad is a retired jet mechanic for the Air National Guard, he always fixed our cars instead of taking them in to some automotive shop. I would lay under the cars with him and hand him wrenches and watch. I got my first minibike at 8 years old and he got me started racing motorcycles at 11 years old (Yamaha mini enduro) 1971. I raced all the way up to Pro speedway bikes in 1981, then I got married. 12 years later we had our first daughter then 3 years later our second daughter. I started them racing quarter midgets at 6 and 9 years old, we raced for 4 1/2 years and they both watched and helped me set up their cars. They have won over 50 trophies each and this year we started building my oldest daughters first hot rod...32 rails from Kiwi Konnection (thanks Duane!) Flathead and 39 trans, 40 rear end and a neat old drop axle. She and her little sister are helping with every single thing and if you ask her a question about the car, she can answer it. She knows we are using a 34 wishbone (un split) and can tell you every differance between a 28/29 and a 30/31 model A, but she really knows her shit about 32's. In other words....they have no choice but to pick up the passed torch and burn up the strip with it!

 

Im pretty lucky I guess. My daughter is only 7 and she is already into old cars and 50's music. She runs around the house singing Elvis all day. I plan on building her and old car for her 16th instead of going out and buying some new thing. Good thing Cali has the new law that kids that just received there licence cant have anyone in there car until 18 unless with someone 26 or older.

 

My Dad was a big gearhead/racer and so am I.. My oldest daughter is taking a huge interest in it (shes 9 and wrenches with me and wants to get into Jr. Dragsters) My youngest daughter is a girlie girl and my boy (he's only 2) is showing some interest in wrenching...so we'll see

 

I have a daughter 25 and a son 20. My daughter likes all kinds of cars but my son is really ate up with hotrods and customs. Both kids went to their first car events before they were a month old and have been to virtualy every show that I go to ever since.

My son had Jr Dragsters prior to being able the get his license. He was the only kid at the track that always worked on his own car. He then picked up pinstripping and detailing cars. Earned enough money to buy his first car, a '55 Desoto which he still has. He works fulltime in a body shop that specializes in restoring old classic cars. He loves the challenge. He just finished a complete redo of the paint on our roadster and the quality of his work shows it in spades.

 

My grandpa and my dad are the reason why I am into the whole classic car scene. Alot of you know me, I am 16 and building a 54 Cadillac. I have been into cars since about 7 when my dad first started changin the motor in his 68 pick up truck. We are a chevy family and my grandpa had a 54 at the time and I rode in that and just loved it. Now he has a 50 and a 55 that are fully done. My dads 68 is an on going project as well as his 79. And me, I have the most expensive project just because it is a cadillac my brother who is 18 has a 70 cadillac but really isnt into wrenchin on cars as much as I am.

 

My boy is nearly 2y/o. He loves cars. Sittin' in 'em, drivin' in 'em, touching wheels, opening doors, turning the steering wheel and playin' with his many toy cars. He will learn everything that I can teach him about cars for as long as he is interested. If later he chooses other interests, at least he'll be able to maintain his own car and think of his Old Man when he sees a '32 Ford , a '55 Chev. (or a '47 Knuckle), and know what they are. Which ever way life takes him it'll be something we share.

 

I know my dad has passed them on to me for sure. It never fails I have to pass the wrench back alot. He is a great mechanic and I sponge off him every time I see him turn a nut or bolt.

 

My dad was very good as a mechanic. Still knows far more than me. My daughters would walk before they would fix anything.

My daughers Baretta needs a water pump. I'll sit in the chair while my 17 year old son changes it.

 

Took my 2yr. old grandson with me Monday to the salvage. Have a great pic of him with a screwdriver. Will try to get it uploaded later today! He had to stop and look at every truck passing up the cars that I was needing parts for.

 

I learned so much from my dad and I am passing my knowledge on to my son.
Plus, I buy tools for my son for his birthday and Christmas every year. He now has a better selection and a nicer tool box than I do.
Trying to Keep Hot Rodding alive with our kids.

 

My son seems to have picked up the motorcycle gene from me..funny thing, since his mother & i split when he was very young.
He attended the roundup with me last year, first time we had spent any kind of time together in about 20+ years.

Grandson has to be at my side if i'm in the shop, just to watch, or hold onto something (4 years old) He digs old cars & i'm gonna try my best to make sure he gets a proper education on the subject.

 

Dad was hot rodder back after WWII. I have been a car nut since I was small back in the mid 60's. I build them and drive them. Neither one of my grown kids have any "gear head" blood in them, and it breaks my heart. I'm waiting on the grand kids, maybe they will want to get their hands greasy!

 

I certainly got hooked on cars from my dad. He had a car at 14 and I got my first car at 15.
Funny thing is now I think I'm the one that keeps him into it. Otherwise he'd still have a car, but would probably only go to a few shows a year. I'm the one that will drive 5 hours for a one day rod run.

 

mines just over one, and she makes motor noises when shes playing with her toy cars. id say she'll be a motorhead in no time

 

I definitely got the bug from my father and we will do what we can to keep my son interested into it. I've learned a lot over the years and certainly have a deep appreciation for it even if it's not my primary career path. It is however my primary hobby path and I love it dearly and I hope my son can learn that same appreciation for old tin that's been in our family bloodline.

 

I think my 28 year old daughter is more into the rods than my 24 year old son.
She went to her first rod run when she was 5 weeks old. She learned a lot as my extra set of hands when she was younger and still wants a steel bodied 40 Willys coupe.

My son is an industrial mechanic and can weld anything but doesn't have custom wheels on his 2000 GMC truck. He does help me with projects when he has the time though and is a pretty good wrench when he needs to be.

 

i've been into hotrods all of my life. here's my son Josh at 16 with his 57 Ranch Wagon and at 17 chopping his model A coupe. He loved the Caddy so much he was going to name his baby Cadillac Lee. He's working on the 32 frame. I'll have to pass the torch to his kids now that he's not with us.

 

yea my kid learned to read from all my rod mags. maybe not the right way to learn but he can read. He worked as a mech, but quit that so he can 'enjoy' workin on his stuff. Now he likes to work on his 31 model A project.

 

My 15 year old son is all gearhead.He has the basics of paint and body down.He just finished his 1989 Toyota pickup and now has bought a 78 Camaro to do.
Mike

 

Yea, I kinda did the same. Swore to my dad, never to become a mechanic so I would enjoy it as a hobby. He never wanted to look at a car of his own after a day at work. I am mostly Mopar, but told him if he found one to fall in love with, build it and I would be right behind him. His 1st was a Duster we did. he loves this stuff. He has a toolbox out in the garage left to him from his Grandfather (A mechanic for 30+ yrs). Yea, I'm passin wrenches allright. It's all good!!

 

When my son was small he used to hand me wrenches when I was under a car and could tell all of the sizes and different applications(open end, box end, etc.) when he was about 4 years old. When he was 15 I bought him a real '69 Z-28 and we spent a year rebuilding it. He drove if for the first time the day he turned 16. He drove it through high school and all through college. After graduation he called and told me he wanted to sell it and buy a new car. I bought it from him so he had a down payment for his first new car and kept it stored for 18 years. He called a couple of years ago and wanted to know if I would sell it back to him. Now he and my grandson who is 14 are rebuilding it pro-touring style. Makes me smile everytime I'm over to his place and watch the two of them working on it.

Frank

 

That's COOL Frank!!

My Dad has been a hotrod guy pretty much his whole life. We do lots of projects together, and I wouldn't trade any of it for anything. On my first full build (my 34) he was at my house almost everyday helping me until it was done! I'm going to be a dad come May, so we'll see what happens with my little one!!

 

My dad was a bootlegger when I was a kid, so he always had hot cars, mostly all Olds powered. I didn't really get to spend much time with him working on the cars, but I used to look at all his pocket sized car mags.

My oldest son, now 30, was only interested in imports for a while, but now he's got a 51 Merc convertible and a 37 Chevy PU (although he's selling the PU.) My younger son, now 22, did a makeover on a 66 Caddy for his senior project in high school. Then he bought a 55 Merc and we started customizing that. He's since had a 54 Buick, but sold that to buy a 56 Chrysler Winsor to customize. He's definitely more into the custom scene than the hot rod scene, but he does want a 36 3 window. My daughter, 21, shows no interest what so ever (has a Honda Accord.)

My grandson, 3, has a fetish for tools. He can name more tools than some of my students. Loves to be in the garage.

Plus I have the privilege of teaching high school kids as much of this hot rod stuff as I can. Obviously, they don't all care, and some of them apply it to the rice burners, but at least they are hot rodding.
So it's gratifying to have some of them go on to automotive careers, some of them in the hot rod business.

We also are campaigning 2 race cars in the NHRA high school series this year. The kids do 90% of the work on the cars. One of them we are building from the ground up (50 Chevy coupe in my signature.)
So, yeah, the torch is being passed as much as is possible here. Gotta keep it alive. db

 

My dad liked cars that he could drive over 100MPH on vaction, but never went beyond that. He did work with his hands, did everything himself, and made sure I started down that path. However, I heard the phrase "Those damned cars", when he was talking about my working in the family garage. I know he was proud of my business during the last years of his life.

My wife and I each had three kids, so I had six to work with! One of the two girls has an interest, but not "hands-on". The other is mechanical, but not a car nut. Three of the four boys got into sport bikes, and the oldest one liked 4X4s.

The only one that seems interested is the very youngest, who just bought a project car, is creative and artistic, but I don't know if he has the focus and commitment to see it through. He is married, and does a lot of other things, that will distract him. He seems excited about the project, but I am trying not to be overly optomistic.

I always assumed one of them would find the passion I did, but I never forced it on them. I guess I just want them to do whatever makes them happy. I did, and have no regrets.