Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2008 10:57:36 -0700
Reply-To: Aristotle Sagan <killer.jupiter@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Aristotle Sagan <killer.jupiter@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Are Today's Young People Mechanical Nitwits?
In-Reply-To: <8991120.1218734631219.JavaMail.root@elwamui-hound.atl.sa.earthlink.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Well, yes...
Spend half as much money and twice as much time as you think is right on
your kids.
My Dad (MHRIP) had me out there on cold February nights explaining how to
rebuild a carb on a 65 Rambler, how the transmission rods worked on a 63
Pontiac Tempest (and why torque tubes are a bad design on a 68 International
Travellal). How to rebuild brakes and bleed them, etc. etc. Yep, I got
yelled at occasionally when showing initiative (Where the HELL did you put
those lug nuts?!) He gave me presents like a wood lathe at the age of 12, a
drill press at the age of 13, and a band sander at 14. At 17 I got my first
set of Craftsman tools (He was tired of me losing his) and the promise that
if I fixed the brakes and transmission issues on said Tempest, I could have
it. Fixed the transmission, never got around to the brakes ( I couldn't
afford the insurance to get it on the road).
The one thing he taught me carried over to all aspects of life... Don't
expect others to do your life's chores for you. Not your sisters, not your
girlfriends, not your wife, not the guy down at the service station.
Hence I cook, I clean, I built my own computers, I program, I have rebuilt
the gas tank system on an 83 Vanagon, troubleshoot robotic systems, I make
my own quilts, I have a woodshop most of you would love to own. I have
replaced the engine in an 84 vanagon, rebuilt the bottom end of an 81
Scirroco, rebuilt the head on a 78 Celica GT (Now that was a nice car). I
have a darkroom where I can process and develop up to 8x10 negatives,
enlarge up to 4x5 black and white (just not interested in color) and.. I
don't watch TV. Neither do my kids except for movies that we monitor. Still
haven't gotten them to change the oil in the family car yet...
Anyhow,
Thanks Dad.
tim in san jose
On Thu, Aug 14, 2008 at 10:23 AM, Joseph Fortino <fortino1@earthlink.net>wrote:
> hehe " they way " thats good, yes we all start as grunts well some do.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> >From: Jeff Lincoln <magikvw@GMAIL.COM>
> >Sent: Aug 14, 2008 10:00 AM
> >To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> >Subject: Re: Are Today's Young People Mechanical Nitwits?
> >
> >My father was a union carpenter for many years. He's very good at it. The
> >only teaching I ever got from him was "you can help by staying out of the
> >way". I love the man dearly but he certainly didn't help me learn any of
> his
> >skills. I picked up what I could by watching but it wasn't much - it's
> easy
> >to lose interest as a kid if you're not involved. I refuse to be the same
> >way with my boy.
> >
> >
> >
> >> Amongst other things, my Dad was a decent carpenter. Not so good with
> >> cars though. He wasn't a man of words, but he tried to be patient with
> >> me and relay what info he could. Regardless, I had to learn the hard
> >> way getting my seized '58 Beetle, unstuck and running. Great
> >> experience which continued into having several more of them. Having
> >> more "crusty old guys" to dispense information, would have been a big
> >> help though.
> >
> >
> >
> >--
> >Thanks,
> >
> >Jeff
> >'90 Carat (Grover)
> >'86 (We call this one Parts)
> >'78 Bus (Melissa) Patty's Bus
>
>
> Have a nice Day :)
>
--
Where ever you are, there you be. Unless you're driving my van, in which
case, you ain't got there yet.
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