I know there's lots of old timer hot rodders on here. I thank them all for their part in what this hobby/addiction has become. I am one of the semi-younger hot rodders that became hooked due to a real-deal hot rodder- My dad. I know every parent teaches their kids in different ways. My dad took a strange approach sometimes, but effective. When I was really young, my first time really working on a motor, dad handed me a pair of metal pliers and had me hold the end of a spark plug wire. He said "hold that while I see if it will start." You all know what happened next. I'll never forget that. Lesson learned. What did you learn from your dad in a "non-conventional" parenting way? This should be good. Pass the popcorn.....
My dad did the same thing to me, told me to hold the spark plug wire on the lawn mower while he pulled the rope. Thanks to him I learned that day to think about anything I was asked to do.
After wrecking my first car (1974 Duster) he said, fix it or walk. With his help I fixed it, learned a bunch and that lead to lifetime obsession with the automobile...
My ole man once told me.. OUOTE.."if it has tits or wheels you will have problems with it. "AND THE BOWTIE ROLLS ON"
That's hilarious!! Me and my pop picked up one of those old time rotary crank phone boxes with the mechanism in it.... I put my finger in on the contacts and slowly cranked it and I could feel the tingle... when I told him it worked and to put his fingers on there and I'd crank it slow, he followed and I cranked it fast and he yanked his fingers outta there so quick... followed by a slap to the back of the head!! I still laugh to this day thinking about that!
Dad didn't teach me nothing other than to stay out of trouble... So, I had to figure it all on my own... So, after a dozen or so years with lotz of hands on training, I went and got myself certified...
My dad straightened frames and did suspension work and, later on as he got older and more worn out, worked as a mechanic. 50-60 years worth. When I was a little kid I'd watch and help (here, hold this and dont move..) him take some old rusty something or other and rebuild it until it looked and functioned like a new something or other. I never saw him replace a starter, generator, or anything else with a rebuilt or new part or component. The only new parts he ever bought were bearings, seals, etc.... And that applied to house repairs, too. The Old Man would take apart anything...faucets to lawn mowers to our bicycles. If a hard part was worn he'd weld it up and hand file it back into shape... If a part was completely shot and he couldn't find a replacement to rebuilt or fix, he'd make one out of existing materials or modify something else to fit. You get the picture. It wasn't sloppy work, either. He was a true craftsman. Sumbitch could make or fix anything... from body and paint to upholstery to fiberglass boat building to electrical, lath and plaster, roofing, cement work, etc, etc. He never paid anyone to do anything..... I didn't think his way as a little kid, though... I couldn't understand why he didn't just save the time and buy new parts. It took a while but by the time I became a teenager and started working on cars for myself and as a means of putting food on the table, I started to take the lesson... It has stuck with me my whole life. It's the only way to build things, especially cars. Everything I build is done on a tight budget and with his philosophy of actually "building" what is needed. I don't have anywhere near his talent and multi trade skills, but the philosophy is what's important. It has paid me benefits over and over...
My father has taught me that if you pull your head out of your ass early in life, them the rest is easy. Almost there... Viva
My dad also taught me that the rag you use in the garage to wipe up everything (gas, oil, sludge, etc...) is not the rag you should use to choke out a fire when a backfire lights up the carb! Glad the house didn't burn down.
He showed me a picture of his '51 merc when he was in the military.he said"thats the car to have"that was the lesson,at the time i was heavy into F100s.I sold my '56 f100 and bought a '51 right away.been hooked on them since.
I came from a family of NJ mobsters.....Dad taught me when it was time to leave town,don't hesitate...
my dad has helped me all along the way and still helps me with his 50+ years of hot rodding!!! thanks dad
A few of the many. " Righty tighty, lefty loosey". and that "MY WRENCHES AREN'T HAMMERS!" And of course " Even though it looks like a hammer DO NOT POUND NAILS WITH MY BODY HAMMERS!" I must have been a handful in the shop when I was younger.
My dad is spending a week with me while my wife and mother are away on vacation. He was out yesterday teaching my youngest (17) how to build an animal snare. Dad doesnt want to play with the hot rods or play in the shop but it is great having him and spending time catching up. Dad likes my 41 truck because he had an original one many years ago but does NOT like the fact that its a hot rod. He doesnt have ANY use for the sons 49 F1,says it is a money pit.
My dad taught me that you can work construction on mechanical things, get frustrated, bang your thumb with a hammer and still never ever utter a curse word. As they say he wouldn't say shit if he had a mouthful. I was not a very good pupil. He was a whiz with HVAC control systems for large buildings so he helped me with the wiring/electrical part of building a hotrod in the early 60s. He was born in 1910 so saying he was old school doesn't even come close to describing him and his principles. I feel privileged to be his son....although it took me a while to understand that like most kids/teenagers.
I was 10, my Dad used me to keep his car from rolling while he adjusted his brakes. I used my legs against the bumper and braced my hands on the ground, thus slitting my palm open on a piece of glass. I got up to get a bandage and my Dad stopped me. I showed him the cut, which was dripping blood, he said, "What are you? A girl! Get back here and finish what you're doing!". After we finished, he took me inside, held my hand over the sink and said "You'd better not cry! Only girls cry!". Then he pour iodine over my hand. At 11, he told me to change the thermostat on his '49 Chevy 3100. He said, "God gave you a brain, figure it out!" At 15, we dragged a '54 Buick Super 2 dr home. I paid $50 for it. My Dad said, "Take the engine apart, clean it and put it back together. Then you can drive it".
Dad told me to always look at/listen to, the mom of the girl you're dating. Your girl will end up the same. In my case, he was right. THANKS DAD! My dad wasn't a car guy so he was always questioning what I was doing 'that' for. He did teach me many 'life's lessons' that still replay in my mind with his voice.
My Dad was the ultimate old time hot rodder. I grew up in his shop where flatheads gave way to small blocks and "overheads" as they were called to hot 409s'. Everything was thought out on the spot and fabricated on WWII era machinery. I wish I had him here still and had so many questions to ask before his passing. I had the good fortune of living in this thinly veiled Texaco station that so many youngsters now can only imagine through the nostalgia mags. I owe him everything!
Two things--- Knowledge is taught,,Wisdom is earned second never walk close by him if you are going to smart off
I had to laugh at the first two posts because I got the same lesson. ...and a neighbor kid down the street tried to teach me about the old hand crank phone magnetos; but some how I held on lightly, didn't react, and then got him to hold it while I cranked it a lot faster. ...but more seriously, my dad absolutely insisted on no mechanical brakes on my Model A. He had his Model A for 2 years, when it was brand new, and never felt they were safe. When the brakes can lock the wheels, it means the car has lost traction and is somewhat out of control.
When I was growing up and you would smash your thumb or do something that hurt like hell, my dad would say did it hurt. My reply would be yes and he would say well dont do that. now i say that to my kids. Thank for the wisdom dad or is that just being a smart ass?
I love my Dad. He wasnt into cars and his idea of working on cars was 7-UP poured on the battery to get rid of the corrosion. 60 Brookwood station wagon with a 348. He'd like my cars though. He always wanted a hot rod. Hug your Dads.
My old man tought me ---if there is ever a day you DON"T learn somthing---you wasted the whole danm thing
My dad has horrible taste in cars and isn't mechanical at all.. Thank god for my mom, she could make any shitty $300.00 car run for years! She always said " why am I goona pay some chump to do it when I can do it myself?" Shes the best!
My Dad taught me what how to use tools (don't use an open end where a box end will fit), and how to weld. Those lessons still follow me to this day. Also, he left me the dream of owning a 63 impala SS. He sold it to buy a truck so he could work on the weekends to make extra money for our family. Still don't have the impala, but I've always kept at least one hotrod to keep as mine. Like this thread. Hotrodding will only continue as long as we carry on the tradition.
My Dad is 79 years old and an old time hot rodder, he taught me everything about our hobby, always there to help on my many project cars and drag cars.
A similar thing happened to a co-worker of mine. He pulled the old lawn mower trick on his daughter when she was little. Several years later he was working on an electric fence. He asked his daughter to shut off the power to the electric fence so he could re-string a sagging wire. "It's Off!," she yelled" He grabbed the wire and it shocked the piss out of him. "I thought you told me it was off!" he shouted at her, "remember that lawn mower?" she asked as she strolled back into the house...........you know what they say about pay back......
The best thing my Dad taught me was back when I was about to get married..He said "Son,don't fight "something" that gets bigger everytime you "hit" it"
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