I am not worthy, but I am finally jumping in. I have been interested in old cars and trucks,(primarily trucks,) since I was a kid. I have gotten out of the scene as I built a career and a family, but I always had a true interest in makeing a pile of iron into something I could be proud of. Recently, my middle son started to get interested in muscle cars and the like. I Did not have the money to spend on a camaro, but I knew where I could buy a 1960 F-100 right,(free.) We drug it to my Dads and started bringing it back to life. We took it down to the frame, and then fixed or replaced things as we got a little time or cash. It still has the original 223 six, but the motor has been rebuilt, with a new intake sporting two Webers two barrels, and has a new header setting up the dual exhast. It has front disk brakes and a new gas tank below the bed, but other than that nothing radical has been altered. My son has done most of the welding, and he has found that he enjoys that. He has also invited some of his friends to help, and on a good week-end night we may have three or four helpers at Dads barn to help. The truck is almost ready to fire up, and we are ready. The real benifit has been the quality time I spend with my son and his friends, we are bonding and sharing an interst that crosses the generations. He are having alot of fun and learning alot as well. As a part time youth minister, I have found that this has been one of the most satisfiying and effective things I have ever done. I use this forum for enjoyment and information. I am glad to finally become a contributor, not just a taker.
I have been priviledged to take part in a few young men's lives by working on cars with them. There is nothing like working on an old car to bring the man out of a boy (or the boy out of a man).
The Jalopy Journal
