Fathers/Sons/Cars

Dave's (BlackStig's) post and corresponding photos got me thinking. I'd be interested in seeing photos of good Father/Son (or other Parent/Child) bonding involving cars.

Here's my dad and me at the end of his first track day:

My dad taught me to appreciate German cars.

bludroptop's driveway 1967:

I'm not sure where I picked up my love of cars. They are just appliances to my mom, and I gots no dad, so... I dunno. When I was wee I used to sleep with a matchbox under my pillow. I used to hope there was a car fairy. I might have to try that again just in case

Here's me and my son (look carefully in the passenger seat). Will prefers autoxing in the Miata, though, because he can see better:

Here's my dad at the same event:

We're hoping to become the first three generation competitors in our club.

Here's Will's soon to be step-mom:

My brother and sister also compete with our club.

Honestly, except for the two hyundais I had.. my father had something to do with all of my cars.

We rebuilt two VW beetles together three fiats tried to tow home a frog eye sprite

Helped me pick up my BMW from Mass.

Helped me pick up my Saab from MD and helped me finish the trans install.

Without him, I would have only boring cars

My son and i are ice racing a pair of civics,i used to race a lot before he was born then raising the boys took precedence.A couple of years ago we started my son out in chevvette in the rwd class,he did well but the car was junk.Last year we put the civic he and his friend are sharing,they won second place in fwd.This year my son and friend insisted we run a second car,six weeks of intense work weve got two top notch cars.This past weekend my son won all three races he drove and i managed a second place right on his tail in the first race and a third and fourth place in the other two.Of course my son likes to rub it in that he is faster but i keep reminding him that i can detune his car in ways that he will never find.All in all its the most fun you can have with your clothes on. Sorry about the lousy picture we havent had time to take ony good ones yet,and i only jus t got my grassroots stickers in the mail yesterday,we will submit pictures soon.The picture has my son in the forground and me trying to chase him down in the orange civic.

My dad had minimal interest in cars. But he was always there to help me. Always.

Here's my Dad's patrol unit along with my Bullitt and my Miata:

Workin on the Miata:

Back in New York, working on the Thunderbird LX:

-Dave

In 1964, my grandfather helped my dad by his first car, a '57 T-Bird. In 2001 my dad did the same for me, helping me buy a '95 T-Bird. Here are the two of us in my SC (I'm driving). This was the first autocross he'd ever been to and he said that he was finally able to keep his eyes open by the last run.

My Valiant is the last car my grandfather bought (used, from a little old lady). He passed it on to my father, who later gave it to me. It's been in the family 30-some years, and with me for 22. I think that's one reason I hang onto it.

How does that Valiant drive? Is she a commuter, weekend toy/warrior? What's the mileage on something like that? 200k? I think that's an awesome looking car, very clean!

-Dave

While I don't have a pic of me and my dad together with his/our cars, I do have this misty pic of his Caddies, which I'm mostly in charge of keeping running...

My dad is second from the left in the Disney t shirt, his brother. my uncle John is next to him in the green 7up shirt and I'm kneeling down in front of the checkered flag. I was about ten. The picture was taken at White Lake Speedway near Monticelo NY.

The Driver was Bill Hutchenson. He's in the white shirt holding the flag. They normally raced at Freepport Speedway but once in a while would travel north.

Today we are mostly spectators.

Black Stig wrote: Back in New York, working on the Thunderbird LX: -Dave

Why is your dad so small?

This was a fun - frustrating project.

Dan

Black Stig wrote: How does that Valiant drive?

Thanks!

By 2009 GRM standards, she's slow and sloppy. However, in GRM fashion, she's coming along. Upgrades happen when I have time and cash. Tires, brakes, torsion bars, and bushings helped, and more suspension/steering work is planned. Then the engine will get some attention.

She's a frequent if not daily driver right now. The carb is a little cantakerous in cold weather.

280,000+ miles and counting, with one rebuild on the 225 Slant Six.

My dad is a car nut, but not a driving nut. He'll be able to spot the difference between a 1952 and 1953 Oldsmobile from a picture of the door handle, was able to give me a dissertation on what year our old outboard motor was at the cottage based on the chrome trim, and could happily spend an hour discussing the evolution of Holden. But squealing tires, smelly brakes and dented rev limiters? Umm, no. I think I puzzle him a bit.

My parents did serve as our crew at the Targa Newfoundland, though. It was a family affair - my wife was my navigatrix, my parents did support and my aunt and uncle worked on one of the timing crews. Here's my wife Janel and my Mom during the race - no picture of Dad, because Dad's taking the picture.

Dad and me (behind the camera) working on my 1973 bug project. :

Me with dad's 1953 Ford project:

I learned to use my hands at an early age by watching my dad build motorcycles and airplanes in the garage. welding, machining parts with the milling machine and lathe, bucking rivets... Now I'm into the cars, and he's into old tractors.

My father has always been supportive of me working on cars. We've painted cars in his garage, crushed cars in the pasture behind his house (bulldozers and backhoes are great tools!), and driven his vehicle hundreds of miles to pick up cheap crap.

Once, my friend and I stayed up all night removing and installing engines in a car. We were finally ready to fire the new engine, complete with zoomies sticking up thru the hood (open headers). Dad was sound asleep. We fired the car, and were trying to set the timing, when dad poked his head out a bedroom window. His comment, after being awaken at 4:30 AM, was "It sounds like you have your distributor off a notch!"

Another great memory was when a magazine came to do a photo shoot and article on dad's 1947 Chevy panel van. It was neat assisting the photographer. Here's one of the pics--the truck didn't make the cover, though.

Dave (BlackStig):

I love that first pic of you and your Dad!

My Dad never knew anything about cars other than that they are appliances. His one foray into a "mid-life crisis" was the purchase of a 1970 LeMans convertible, which he sold after 2 weeks of my brother and me complaining that the top down messed up our hair (6 or 8 years old).

My further perspectives are as a father. I came to a love of cars late, partly because of my 12 y.o. son's interest (he's 21 now). I hoped for one of those great father/ son projects, but to be honest, it never fully materialized. I learned a lot.

One of the things I learned (which I am now putting into practice with my younger sons) is that it is LESS important for me to show interest in my son's interests than it is for me to INSTILL in my son my own interests and passions.

Following a child's interests and passions is an exercise in futility. Their whims will change with their moods.

But it is important for a young man to go into the world with an idea of what is important to his father, whether or not he ultimately chooses to pursue similar interests.

I now have good father/son projects and relationships developing with my younger sons, because I like them. My sons see me as someone interested in cars (and other things), hard working, available, and eager to learn and to teach. It is less important whether or not they end up liking cars.

This is a shot of my daughter when she was 4 months old with me working on my project B6t Festiva.

She has since gotten much more girly, so luckly my 2 year old son is VERY much into cars, his favorite pastime now is to sit on my lap and watch youtube videos of power wheels that have been modded, and wants me to do that to his.

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Here is a pic of the both of them helping with an oil change last summer

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Thanks for sharing all the great stories and pictures so far! The one of Black Stig and his dad is great!

My dad is not only the source of my enthusiasm for cars, but also the source of my DIY attitude, and the provider of much of my knowledge, and more than a few hand-me-down tools.

These are from one of my first trackdays, probably ten years ago. My dad had an ITR at the time, and can also be seen riding along in one of my Corollas as my instructor.

This was taken maybe five years back in his old garage...his Lotus is in the foreground with the rebuilt engine recently installed, and another of my Corollas is in the back getting new springs, shocks, and bushings.

Good times, good times.

Rumnhammer wrote: <img src="" />

If that picture doesn't make it into the magazine.. I'm calling Margie out..

period!

my dad was always taking us to car shows as a kid and always doing work oon his own cars in the driveway. i was never wanting to help out working on them and it was not unitil my mid 20's or so when my brother started with one derby car that it went down hill from there. many demo cars latter i found autocross and my dad has never stopped bithching about the cars i bring home and work on and my crack addation to racing. in 07 he started sreaming about me buying an old circle track car to race with. but i just talk to him a for several months because of it and i just kept up on the project and i do plan on being done in march for a drift event in april. he has come out and rode shotgun to at least one autocross and does not under stand me being obsecced with cars...then again my grandmother hates the subject also since said cars end up in her driveway... i am trying to corruct up neice and nefew also, she not so much, him totaly...into cars.

My oldest son (now almost 7) at about 3 years old, sharing my disdain for the Vortec injector spider: