What is the very best time you ever spent in a garage

getting my 62 falcon show car ready for the falcon club of america show in north carolina, just returned from the show in breckringe colorado, got it shined and ready to go the next day, car outside on trailer, beautiful was gonna win the big one, left to help a buddy for a " few mimutes " sudden hail storm in west texas, came to rescue my car, some asshole parked a forklift in front of my car and trailer. hail beat it to hell and back, sold it the next day for nothing

 

Today.... Everytime I go out there and actually get something done, it's the best time. Sometimes we have a real plan and get it done. Other times we have a real plan and don't do shit besides hang out, drink beer, and shoot the shit.

Either way, anytime I get to spend time in the garage with my wife, kids, dogs or friends is my NEW best time. If we actually work on the Hot Rods, then thats just a bonus!

Kevin
Ooltewah Speed Shop

 

The best times in the shop for me have always been doing mischievous things...

Like blowing things up, setting things on fire. Shooting things across the shop with the airhose, banging on stuff and making ruckus. Doing long smokey burnouts on the dirtbike. Just staying up so late that we get slap-happy and do goofy things. Good times...

 

A few of the good ones aren't printable but some of the best times were when I was teaching auto shop and would run out to the school shop on Saturday to work on my own projects. I usually took my son with me and he would work on a bicycle that he was rebuilding while I worked on the Merc or the 48 or my daily driver at the time. Some of my students knew that I was there on Saturdays and quite often one or two would show up and hit it hard on their own projects.

Lately it's when my younger son has time to spend working beside me out in the little one car garage here at the house.

 

The best time we I had in the shop was when me, my uncle, my dad, and my grandad decided to get my 1969 Honda 50 Mini-trail running for me to ride around on, I was 8 at the time, we worked, had fun and finally got it running with a pull start at 9 that night, I was riding on the back of the truck and my dad on the bike trying to get it to fire. It finally did and I rode it around with snow falling and I could have been in a t-shirt and shorts and still been warm because I was so happy and excited. I rode it around the circle at the shop while dad, grandad and my uncle sat in the shop with the big door opened and watched me ride.

 

My best times were the days I spent in the garage trying to help my Dad - I know now that I was more of a hindrance than help at the old age of 3 to 4 but he just kept asking me to get tools, I don't even think I new what he was asking for, but I still got him the tools and he kept asking me for my help. I loved it when we would walk in the back door and my Mom would pretend to faint cause we were covered from head to toe in grease, well, not so much my Dad, just me cause I was really busy getting him all of the tools.

 

Some of my best times were in Norris's garage getting the digger ready to go out on Thursday or Friday, all excited. Or Monday evening getting ready to tear into another busted '92. Tired, hung over, ears ringing. 1970. It was golden times in top Fuel.
We fought all the time. We laughed all the time. We were brothers. I'd do it again in a minute!
I'm having fun working on the greaseslapper, but it's not the same.

 

Any time the daughter comes over to help with a job in the garage. It is a real good feeling to be working on something with her helping.

 

For me, whenever me and my old man worked in his garage on his cars and equipment, then when he bought a full service gas station and we worked together as mechanics there. I was 12-16 when he had that and the times we spent working, me learning, was always great to me. Then as I got older and started driving and racing stock cars we spent many long hours in our garaage building, repairing etc my race cars. The times with him made me who I am today...and I hope I have made him proud.

I also have a very special moment that was not with my dad, but ranks right up there with them. I moved to Holland Michigan 1986, and shortly after ran into a local guy who had a body shop, John Kouw. I was working in an automotive parts store, John was a customer there. I knew that he worked on old cars and had a custom, but I had no idea exactly who he was. I used to help him out with mechanical advice, even got to rebuild a 430 buick for his personal 52 buick custom.

As I got to know John better, I had bought a 67 camaro RS-SS drag cars. It had been in a minor wreck, and I was working on a dent in the front of the fender around the headlight area. I had spent quite a few hours trying to get that dent hammered out...but it would either be out too far...oil can back in...just not working out. So I loaded up that fender and headed over to John's place to see how much he would charge me to fix that damn dent for me. I got there, brought the fender in, and told John what I was trying and how long I had been f**king with this piece of shit...well, he kind of laughed at/with me and said let me see it. He took a look at it, and started to explain to me what the metal was doing as I trie to work it..and then he proceeded to show/teach me how to shrink metal with the torch and quenching it with a wet towel.

He didn't stop there, he then showed me several more "tricks" to work out stretched areas and crases, flanged areas etc. I was there for probably 4-5 hours while John showed me things I hope I will never forget. When he finally said he had to close up and head in the house, I asked him what I owed him....not a dman thing. He said he was just glad to be able to show me something and hoped it was a help to me. From that time on, John and I have been close friends...something I charish and will always respect that man for taking time out and showing me some of his tricks.

 

Fresh out of High School my first Mechanic Job. Working all day then working on the shops Drag Car. We would take a break for Dinner. Fred's chicken. Nothing tasted better than Chicken and fries sitting on a milk crate bench racing. I got to meet a lot of my Dad's racing buddy's and was in the inner circle at the shop. We didnt make much but is was a great moment in time, it was years ago but was just yesterday.

 

There's been several.But the most recent was a several months ago when I was at slddnmatt's shop helping Bad Bob fix his oil pan.It's like merc heaven with all those mercs.

 

I don't know who she is, but I love her!

 

Being about eight years old, in my grandparents logging shop. I was sitting on the back of a D-4 cat, watching one of the craziest and smartest people I've ever met tearing apart the final drive. It was cold outside, a snowy December day where the ice was creeping around the panels of the roll-up door. There was a giant fire in the old oil furnace, and the whole place smelled of it, It's a smell I've never lost a love for.

Up until that day I had never picked up a wrench. My job around the shop was to pick up garbage, put stuff away, and sweep up. The people who worked for my grandparents tolerated me, I think, because I did the grunt jobs that no one else wanted to. If there were any jobs that required laying on the greasy floor, I was there. I felt like a man among men in that shop.

Anyways, there I was with Glen, me sitting on the side, him bent over the exposed gears. I remember him cussing and I asked what was wrong. He gave me a funny look and asked if I really wanted to know. I told him I did, and that started what was, for me, the eye opener of a lifetime.

Glen was a natural mechanic, engineer, designer, and just about anything else you could imagine. He designed and built the first ever feller buncher (it's a machine that grabs a tree, cuts it off, then sets it on the ground, but that's a story for a different day). He taught me, on the back of that old Cat, how machines worked and our relationship to them. He called it symbiotic, I didn't understand at the time, but I did later. there was just enough room in that shop for a Skidder and the little Cat, but after that day I never saw it the same way again. Off and on for the next few years I would learn things from Glen, he never hesitated to ask me questions and make me feel like I was somebody.

Like most great people, Glen had some issues, one of them alcohol. It took his life a few years later. A truck driver for my grandparents was hauling logs down the Columbia Gorge and Glen passed him in his little pickup. The driver said he could follow the trail of beer cans right up until the road traced along the bluffs and then they stopped. He pulled the truck off and went back. Sure enough, Glen had gone over the side. I didn't know any of that was going to happen that cold winters day, I just remember that he started me down a path of mechanical interest. I wish I could thank him for that.

 

One of the best moments was when, after about 3 years of building my LSR sidecar from scratch it fired up. Its always fantastic when something that has your heart and most of your soul in it fires up on the first crank of the starter.

 

Anytime I have w/my son helping me is always a pleasure. He became my jackman and was greasing bearings for me at the age of 3, maybe that's why he became a mechanic in the Marines. Last time he was home on leave(April of this year) he tore his old exhaust off of his OT truck and came in & asked, Dad I'm having a problem out here can you come & give me a hand. Made me feel great that he still wanted and needed the o'man for help...joe

 

I have a couple. First was my Dad, and my Brother helping me chop my 34 five window. We had a great time, there was some good energy and it went really well, with lots of yucks. Steve documented the chop for Rodders Digest.

Second was years ago I bought a partially finished, but drivable 29 Model A full fendered closed cab pickup. Labor day weekend I drove it to Sioux Falls SD for their run. Sunday night I started a complete teardown of literally every nut and bolt for some final work and paint. By Monday afternoon it was completely dissasembled, the motor going back to college with me to for rebuild, the suspension separated for painting, all the body components separated (cab panels, cowl everthing!). I wish I had the same energy today!

 

When building my previous 34' Ford pickup I finally got the flathead running and my 15 yr. old step daughter ran out into the garage and jumped up & down that I got it running and that it ran really good. (It was anly hitting on 5 cylinders). Or when ever I was fabricating my 8 yr. old step son would wanna use the plasma cutter to make "lava". Those WERE the days!

 

'ONE OF THOSE TIMES' 1958, My buddy Al, was having a 'prime and keg' party on his 31 Model A panel, at his mom,s place while she was on vacation. well word got around fast and and with plenty of help we were sandin' prepin' and taping, and the party was jumpin to the oldies [when they were new].Finally I had to leave and they were still at it. next day I decided to head over to see how it all turned out. I asked him how,d it go, he said ok 'I guess', he didnt look so good, he must have really overdone it. so we went into the garage, and there she was, lookin good with grey primer, oh whats that? hmm little sag here , another there, as we went around to the other side to the door there were spots and sags and almost a waterfall then on the panel which wasnt even primered were somebody's, initials and in capital letters was, 'F-, IT' written out. I think thats when the party really got going. Al, and I had many car adventures and fun times after high school but with jobs girl friends etc. we drifted our own ways. On our 40th HS reunion, heard he had passed away in '95 .

 

Over the years there has been uncountable things i've helped my dad with, he's helped me with and so on. All in that little one car garage packed full of every tool and random car part you could think of. But one memorie really stands out because its what started Everything for me, Intrest in cars & mechanics, paint and body, Electrical, Everything.

We had a Friend who had left this old craftsman riding tractor sit next to his garage for a winter or too, it was a bit rusty, tires rotted and a lot fried. but i was just a little kid with not a lot of interest in anything, and im sure my father saw that. He picked the tractor up from the guy, rolled his typical early 90's hot rod 34' Ford five window outside and pushed the tractor in. I think we spent about a week or two, just doing a bunch of things to it, Removed the deck, Sanded and panited it GM dark blue W/ Victory red hood side spears. Chrome Prisim Tape pinstripes, Wired up some switch activated lights front and rear, Silver rims & new tires.

Spent forever trying to get the engine started, I will admit i jumped like a scared puppy when that thing backfired & shot a nice big ether flame out of the carb. Chopped the muffler off and Added some new belts and i was motivating. Mom took countless videos of me just full throttel putting around the front yard, imitating slides and burnouts, Even if the engine and clutch weren't strong enough to do so.

Over about 2 years it was the same way all the time, Me and my dad working on the clapped out thing, Then i got a old-as-dirt GoKart with an engine that went like hell, years later a car, then went through a few of thouse things. And it never changed, same garage, same tool's, Same oldies station playing low in the backdrop of air-tools & swearing, only different is the things being worked on, and how me and Dad both look.

 

Damn I knew that everyone's life couldn't be all bad.
Uh could someone pass me a tissue.

 

My bud scored a 69 El Camino three weeks before hot Aug Nights 1999. It was in a pal's garage for 10 + years. While working full time we both thrashed out a 85% rebuild (including paint) and made the show. I'm still exhausted ha ha

 

My best day so far was when the realtor handed over the keys....

 

My son is three. He recently started coming to the shop with me, and has been helping out with tools, picking up trash, etc. He loves it. Made my day, though, when he didn't do any work to a vehicle. He's all about drumming right now, and he was picking up trash while I was on the other side. He comes over, asks me if he can have two wrenches for drum sticks...I ask what the drums are (gulp), and he smiles real big (double gulp!). He grabs my hand and leads me to the other side of the shop, and he has two old air cleaner lids stacked on 4x4 wood blocks for symbols, an old steel wheel for bass, and a few cardboard boxes for snare and toms. I gave him the wrenches and he played his heart out.

 

For me it is everytime I spend time wrenching with my long time car buddy Phil, we always have a great time building and bench racing. Gary

 

Best times were with my sons. we always had projects going on since they could walk. My wife once said why you guys always have to lower this ,cut that cant you ever leave them stock? I said least you know where they are in the garage with me. They will have stories to share about the old man smashing his hand jumping up smacking his head on the mirror. Or welding the roof of the pickup and catching the interior on fire.Oldest son moved to Fla. younger son is finishing collage. just me and the dog to build the A

 

I would have to say anytime my boy is out with me under the hood.