Music to a Father's ears...

[Al N.]

So last night, I'm paging through the latest issue of Low Flying while my kids are brushing their teeth. And there's this article about a guy who built up a new Caterham to look like a Series 2 Prisoner. With narrow fenders, narrow tires, the frame painted in grey not black (to be period correct!), and so on. Admittedly pretty nutty.

 

So I tell Laura about it, and my older daughter Isabel comes over and asks "Pops [yes, that's what they call me], can we build a Caterham?" And I said, "Well, maybe in a few years, Isabel...maybe about 20. But yeah, that would be fun."

 

It's the first time I've ever wished for my kids to grow up faster.

[powderbrake]

Al:

I know how you feel. It is great fun and a real learning experince to build a car with your kid. Back in 1980, my son asked me if he could have a dune buggy. We made a deal, I would match him $ for $, and would help him build it. There were two restrictions. He could not work on it until his homework was done, and I would never work on it alone.

 

We got a Chenoweth frame, bought a 1972 Beetle for donor parts, and we were in the build. I was really stoked.... I wanted to be building all the time, but I had to wait for him to finish his homework, or to come home from playing ball with his buddies etc. , but we did it on his schedule.

 

When it was done he drove it to high school for two years, in all weather. He was tougher than me for sure.

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/85102806_dunebuggy.jpg

 

 

When you daughter gets older, I bet you will have fun building with her. I have a good friend who resoterd a 1964 Camaro with his daughter. She got mechanically inclined, eventually got an engineering degree, then a law degree and became a patent lawyer. Perhaps the build had something to do with that

[Al N.]

Jerry-Thanks for sharing the story and pix. Isabel is pretty bright and into science...so I could easily see a repeat of your friends' story.

[BusaLoco]

You can say that again! ... My youngest told me that he wanted to get into the "auto" business and we decided to build our "7" as a family project. ... Absolutely Purrfect! ... Building our Deman SR7

[powderbrake]

One of the side benefits of having your children learn how to work on cars is that when you need new plugs or an oil change, you can assign them the job, while you sit back with a beer. :cheers: