Got me started

[spidernut]

A special thanks to my father (and all the other fathers out there) who instilled a love for working on cars, a love for classic vehicles and a love for life.

My father, though he passed away back in 1972 at the tender age of 42, introduced me to auto restoration, car shows, custom cars, and car repairs as I helped him in the few minor ways that I could as he restored our 1939 Ford Deluxe Coupe, 1957 Trojan ski boat, and worked on our daily drivers. He also showed me that no task is too large to tackle if you have enough thought and patience. As I work on restoring my cars this 40 years later, I still think of the great times we spent together and how his guidance is why I can work on my cars to this day. Love you dad!

Remember to give your father a special word of thanks - you may never have a chance tomorrow to give him thanks today.

[supplyguy]

Nice post John. Wish I had seen it yesterday. I remember my father and my uncle working on our family car regularly, not out of a love for mechanics, but because we were dirt poor. I recall my swing set being diverted to the street to hoist an engine out with a chain, and under the lights and many beers later it would go back in and usually work. I bought my first car, a 1966 Barracuda for $125 in 1977, and my father tutored me on the art of replacing ball joints, idler arm, gas tank, brakes, and automatic transmission. Oh yeah - and an alligator clip to the fuse box to make my heater run. I remember asking if he had done some of these before, and his answer was always the same " How hard can it be? Just remember how you took the old one off and put the new one on in reverse". I also recall every time we seemed to be in a jam and repair beyond our reach, he would say "we ain't whooped yet!" and find some way to improvise. He passed away in 1989 and over the years I thought he would have been horrified to know I took my car to Jiffy Lube for an oil change. How snooty have I become? That said, every time I dive into this Fiat, I think he would have been really helpful and enjoyed the hell out of this old car.....except for it being an Eye-talian car and all that.