Passing the hobby on to a new generation - Thoughts from an 80 year old

I got a request from a long time friend that his 15 year old kids wanted to learn to drive standard transmissions. This friend is the non-custodial parent (a situation that I am way too familiar with). One kid lives 80 miles from here and the other lives 200 miles from here. The weekend after Christmas, we were able to schedule some driving time. Both kids are slightly too young to get their Arizona learner's permits. After a remarkable short amount of instruction time, they were able to go solo.

Both of these vehicles have newer 5-speed overdrive transmissions swapped in to them and I have a couple of fenced acres available. The F150 has a 4 cylinder Cummins diesel (4bt), an excellent vehicle for teaching clutch control (almost impossible to stall in 1st gear).

The boy is about 6 foot and the girl (camera shy) is about a foot shorter. Ironically, his favorite vehicle is the smaller Volvo (He has several more hours driving my vehicles). She very much likes the F150.


The is the boy, throwing a little dust. This is his second trip here, he is getting some confidence and is developing a gentle feel for the limits of traction. I was able to take him out on some unpaved (very much "unimproved") roads. We could only get up to 2nd gear, but it put a big smile on his face. Side note: A few years back, an unnamed grandchild put this truck into the fence (My last words to her were: "You need to get more aggressive!"). I just laughed and told her that she was just doing exactly what I told her to do.

Both of them were driving solo, they did not run into each other or any other obstacles. They want to come back. With learner's permits in hand, I can build up the skills, dirt roads, paved neighborhood roads, 45 mph, 55 mph and 65 mph roads.


And a trip, including all of the above (and a roundabout) to lunch at the Bisbee Breakfast Club is only 27 miles from here.

Take some risks to pass the skills on. That said, the 1986 Ford F150 was a $1,000 Craigslist find - it is "sort-of-expendable <wink>". Over the years, kids and grand-kids, some as young as 11, have learned to solo on this property. The fleet has gathered a few dents over the years (Fence, ether ball pole, fence post, a couple of bushes, etc), but the learning accidents were not done on the public streets with innocent victims involved.

My 2 and 1/2 cents for New Years, Russ

 

Taught three of my four kids to drive on the sedan version of my avatar. 75hp, three on the tree and drums teaches you a lot about how cars work and react. People couldn’t believe I’d let learners drive “a classic”. To me, they are there to use.

The odd dents are like the scars on my arms - each has a story.

Cheers,
Harv

 

Glad you’re passing on some skills to your kin. I taught my then 10 year old grandson to drive in my avatar on some of our used to be nearly deserted back roads. He’s 22 now and has fond memories of the experience.

 

cool beans, Russ.

I got to learn how to shift in a 544 when I was 14, on a long Arizona dirt driveway. Can't be beat.

 

That truck with 4bt will outlast most of us . I’d love to life out west near you . The climate is way better on my destroyed body. Not the restless tin drives me nuts . My old Power Wagon would love to have some swapped on desert tin . It’s a great thing to see kids wanting to learn these skills and not buried in the computer .

 

@TrailerTrashToo - good on you for passing it on! Those young people will remember the experience for life. Little story - when my daughter got her learner's permit, I taught her to drive. In my pickup, stick shift. Much complaining, etc.. ''Why can't I just drive mom's car?"
We got through it, didn't even cost me a clutch. Picked up a barn find Z24 for her 1st car, stick. She ran up and looked in it, saw it wasn't an automatic and actually rolled her eyes!
Fast forward, years later she's a Sgt. in the Army, over in the sandbox. A driver was out, no one in her unit could move the deuce and a half. They put out the word, and out of all of those men and a few women, only my girl could drive a clutch! She's proud of it now.

 

Good of all of you for teaching another generation on how to drive a manual transmission. 3 of my daughters can drive a stick . The 4th one didn’t want to learn . I’ve spent an afternoon showing my granddaughter how to drive a stick . I’d like to get her in the 66 KW later this spring and teach her how to drive a 10 speed . We’ll need to be on backroads for sure lol

 

I learned to drive a manual in my dad's F-150 with a 300 I6 and 5spd on the winding hilly roads of the Texas Hill Country. It was very frustrating for me because the long pedal travel and long shifter throw, but my dad was patient. My first truck was a square body Chevy with a TH350, but my 2nd vehicle was a Ford Ranger 4x4 with a 5spd manual and I was pretty much forced to relearn how to drive a manual. I also learned how to replace a clutch soon after picking that truck up. 30 years later and countless manual transmission vehicles later, I still think about some of what my dad taught me when I drive my little Tacoma 4x4 that has 245k on the original clutch.

 

I taught my son. if I live long enough, I may teach the grandkids. I might be the only one left with a clutch.