Tales of Fathers & Shops

[Bolster]

Seems appropriate to the holiday...if you have a good story about your dad in a shop, or if your dad taught you something important about the shop, please share it.

[Bolster]

I'll lead off with a story. My dad's been gone for many years but his memory is very much alive in me.

My dad was a "reluctant" high school principal. He had no plans to become one, but he was a good history teacher and they just kept promoting him up the ladder. He was never a shop teacher, but you just could NOT keep that guy out of the high school shop. He'd always stop by the shop on the way home from the office and likely as not would stay there two or three hours helping some kid (or the shop teacher) build or overhaul something. Then he'd come home late with grease on his three piece suit (he'd never change out of his principal clothes, he'd just dive right in) and mom would give him heck about the grease. I remember popping into the shop once and saw my dad under a car, helping a kid change out a transmission...in his three piece suit. It was a sight to see.

But here's my shop story...one day the shop teacher was welding on a car, and my dad (as usual) was hanging around the shop in his 3-piece suit; he was standing over by the door watching. Somehow, gasoline squirted on the shop teacher and he lit himself on fire, mostly around his upper torso. The shop teacher panicked and started running. Later he told us his idea was to run to the swimming pool a half block away, climb the chainlink fence, and jump in. He would have been burned to a crisp long before he got there, but that's what panic does to your brain.

Well as the shop teacher was steaming out the door, dad stood in front of him, opened up his suit jacket wide, and half tackled, half wrapped the shop teacher in his jacket (that he was still wearing, he had no time to take it off). It snuffed out the flames in a few seconds and saved the shop teacher from major burnage.

I always thought that was pretty ballsy, and have wondered if I would have the courage to basically bear-hug a panicked, muscle-bound guy on fire, running at full tilt on a collision course toward me, and just hope for divine intervention that my suit jacket was enough to snuff out the fire.

Here's to you dad! :beer:

[Hoot]

OK, it's not shop related, so I apologize in advance. But it was a good, simple life-lesson that has had many applications in daily life.

It was Christmas Day, many years ago. I received a little remote-controlled, battery-operated helicopter that was mounted to a little cable and flew in a circle around a base. The "pilot" moved two little levers on the controller and the helicopter would go forward, backwards, hover, etc. My dad put it together and was doing the preliminary "test flight" on it. Being anxious to play with it, I moved in a little too close and got whacked (painfully) by the blades as the helicopter came around. My dad, looked me in the eye and said "Son, when something is coming at you, get the hell out of the way". And then he resumed his test flight without another word said.

I admit, you probably had to be there to get the full effect. But it was pretty simple, pretty direct, and I chuckle about it every time I think about it......

[TRTOOLSUPPLY]

My Dad owned his own garage when I was growing up in the late 60's and early 70's.There are too many stories to tell but proof I listened to Dad.....I still have ALL my fingers even with working on the "old" cars...........

My Dad did "host" a VW dunebuggy race every year.........10 to 20 buggies runnin' full tilt on and off road thru our yard around the garage and thru the quarries around us........still have dreams about those times...racing like that will never done again!
NO RULES,EVERYONE DRINKING and NO ONE GOT HURT!

[-B-]

I always go the honor of going with pop to the sops he worked at in the early years it was the Mopar dealership later it was friend of his or the GE. The GE was the most fun because i learned so may diverse things there; driving a fork lift ( got my license at 8) learning the controls of the train, learning to operate the FMC link belt crane, driving the dinosaurs, ( front load trash trucks) riding in the biggest snow blower I have ever seen, getting rides on helicopters from every branch of the military, ( pops was the only certified flight mechanic in the plant) learning to run lathes , mills EDM, and welders, testing jet engines at the cell, moving the giant marine gears at the gear plant, and so much more.

Tomorrow we get to go to the local yearly big car show he will se friends and old cars and I get to be there.

[Rickster]

A small twist on this topic. Yesterday, my youngest who just graduated collage and is out looking for a job - along with the old man - was helping me work on the 65 Mustang. We were removing the front springs and I had him taking off the pass side shock. With the car on jack stands the suspension unloaded it was a bitch to get to the shock bolt on rear of the spring perch. I gave him a universal to use on the extension and he proceeded to contort himself into a position to see the bolt, hold the extension on it and work the ratchet. He gets it broken loose and lets out with a "Why the hell did they make this damn bolt so hard to get at??" I busted out laughing and told him, EVERYONE's who's ever wrenched on a car has asked that question many times. He's just now starting to work on cars and he really enjoys it! I'm having a great time!

[snapmom]

My father handing me a wrench and saying "fix it yourself".

[rsanter]

I know most of what I know because my father.
I was always in the garage with him and he would have me help
I watched and I learned. then when I wanted to try it he would show me how and let me try instead of the typical 'not now son,Im buisy' that other fathers may have done

the great complement came when he started asking my opinion about how I would approach something whe he was planning out one of his projects

bob

[hobie1dog]

Dad never once showed me the first tool or gave any instruction. I found the mechanic who worked at our International Harvester dealership and he showed me how to tear down and rebuild my Tecumseh 4 HP motor on my mini-bike when I was 10.

[jeffhay]

My post is of my grandfather rather than my father and its not really a story as much as a few memories.

When I was as young as 3, he would take me to the basement with him while he was working on stuff and let me try hand tools. I spent many afternoons just "making a board", meaning, pounding random nails and trying different saws with no purpose beyond having the experience of using the tools. The man was infinitely patient with me, standing in the cold basement in a wife beater, unfiltered cigarette resting on the anvil end of the vise, while explaining to me how tools worked. I learned a brace and bit first, but the power drill wasn't far behind. As I got a little older, he introduced more. The circular saw scared me at first but he assured me that "no tool is dangerous if you know how to use it and take care". Snowblowers and chainsaws followed, all before age 10. Through out all of this, I was never just the light holding tool fetcher, I was a participant.

There was the day he showed me what a butane torch was for, by melting a block of lead into a coffee can. I lit and relit the thing a half dozen times just to hear the pop. There was nothing at all safe or healthy about it, but it was the 70's and no one cared. Nowadays, a kid would have to put on his lead melting helmet and have his mom sign a waiver if this experience were even offered at all. Another day, he decided to disassemble an old piano to salvage the wood and cast iron. This turned into an opportunity for me to learn how to use a block and tackle and it was cool. I got to lift something that was probably 4 times heavier than I was, by hand. Speaking of salvage, this man packratted everything and we made all manner of things out of recycled items. The piano bench eventually became a weight bench, with salvaged angle iron uprights and 10 year old blue paint from somewhere. He imparted the engineer spirit to me and the curiousity that fed it. I love designing things, but I think because of him, I have even more fun finding stuff and figuring out "hmmm.... what could I do with THAT?"

I don't have kids, but I take every chance I get to try and pass this on to my friends kids. Sure, my GF's 6 year old wasn't much "help" changing the wheels on the car and it took twice as long. But he got to use a cordless drill with a socket, and pump a jack handle a few times. And I got to see my grandfather live on in me and now him.

[garagefanatic]

My dad will turn 80 in November. I remember back in the early 1960's when I was 4 or 5 years old, my dad used to take part-time jobs as a gas station mechanic (I'm sure there are a few of us on the board who remember when gas stations had mechanics). Back then it was rare for any business to be open on a Sunday, but the guy who owned the station decided to be open for gas only on Sundays. When my dad had the Sunday morning shift, he would take me or my brother in with him. I remember it was kind of boring after we got our candy bar and a bottle of pop from the machine, but my dad would let me go into the service bays and snoop around. I think that when I fell in love with garages and working on cars. After that I always tried to watch and learn whenever he was working on a car.

[De-Ranged]

Me and my old man when I was growing up didn't exactly get along lol he is somebody who arfter 6yrs building a wing for a vintage plane discovered 1 spar was 3/16" out and he had to be talked out of starting again... and me when I was younger lol MX bikes, fast cars, we just never saw eye to eye, we couldn't work in the same work shop :lol_hitti at one time he wandered over (I think he was cheaking to see how long till we finished and he could have his shop back) and he decided to give me some advice... it ended up with me and him raised vioces arguing the best way to do it... it wasn't till he had left in discust that my mates started to laugh... at me, both of us had been arguing about doing it the same way just neither was listening to the other :lol_hitti
Heres a little story I tell some of my clients/mates when there projects get the better of them and they start to lose there temper lol
I was in my late teens and I still building stuff to save money more than any other reason, I was working on a mini offroader in my shop (better relations with my dad after I took over a farm shed as my workshop lol) it was 11 at night, middle of winter and I was still going hard, I can't remember what it was but it wasn't working the way it should and I was just about a boiling piont, swearing and cursing.... and dad rocks in to check I was alright
The embarasment of getting caught in a tantrum calmed me down... he came in and had a look at what was the problem... true to form this got my hackles up, just waiting for him to tell me how to fix it... he didn't say a thing, just turned around and started walking back to the door, about half way there he turned and said something to me that at the time was just a load of cobblers
"building something is a journy it should be something you enjoy, if you don't enjoy doing it why bother, stay at work the extra hrs.... you'll earn more money than you saved and you'll have the toys to play with sooner"
It took me alot of yrs to realise the wisdom in this :thumbup: I now have a project that is 6yrs old, and to be honest I don't think I'll ever finish becouse as I build it, I learn new ways to make it better so I change it and the journy continues

Cheers Reece

[bb1970]

My dad had a stack of Playboys in the office of his shop. Guess mom would let him keep them in the house. He busted me checking them out. I must have been about 8. Just said "Don't tell your mother". He had a huge shop with a storage loft. I always got a kick out of seeing how far up the ladder I could go. But I rarely walked around up there. Just stood on the ladder. God there is alot I remember. Always cool stuff and B.A. cars. I miss him alot.

[-B-]

Had a good day even though pops had to sit and rest quite a lot. One guy at the show had a 6pak 340 that was acting up one of pops friends came and got him to help diagnose. Pop say to the guy you need my son here he can do it he has all my knowledge and has the ear that can fix if for you.


It was a pretty simple fix as he had the linkage springs on wrong and the center carbs jet set way too rich. After I fixed it pops just sat there and smiled talking to his friend.

[Bolster]

After I fixed it pops just sat there and smiled talking to his friend.

That's what a father looks like when he is busting with pride.

[norry]

Dad never once showed me the first tool or gave any instruction. I found the mechanic who worked at our International Harvester dealership and he showed me how to tear down and rebuild my Tecumseh 4 HP motor on my mini-bike when I was 10.

In my case I had a single mom who was Mom and Dad to me! Someone gave me an old Chevy with a bad motor, and she and I set out to put in a 350 that I had sitting in the corner of the garage (long story) with about $20 in tools. I thought it was a major investment when I spent another $10 on a ratchet with a curved handle to get the bell housing bolts! Fortunately the parts palace down the street had a friendly manager who helped me when I got into jams. He and I still chat every so often, although he doesn't work nearby anymore.

Anyway, that was our first big project. Since then we've embarked on all kinds of cool projects together... had tons of fun and basically taught ourselves to handle a wide variety of mechanical jobs. It was a big day when I finally tracked down my first 'real' toolbox which was a '64 Snap-on top box resting on a '72 Craftsman mid and bottom. Still have it...

Our first frame off resto-mod is 90% complete, next project is yet to be decided. We've come a long way from our humble beginnings - when we started out with a few tools, an old car with a bad engine, and her steadfast belief that we could somehow get the job done.

[Diesel_Crawler]

My father only ever gave me on good piece of advice and it went something like. "don't Stick your finger were you would never stick your tongue."

Till this day i still have a tongue and all 10 fingers.

[ByronR]

My dad owned a sheet metal shop. He was a damned good all round mechanic. I remember the day I came to that realization. My first motorcycle (motorbike?) was a 50cc Japanese import (Yamaguchi). I put it down while hillclimbing. Put a big dent in the side of the tank. I was bummed out. Dad looked it over for several minutes, told me to empty the tank, remove it, and wash it out. He then soldered a piece of sheet metal with a schrader valve (the kind used in inner tubes) on to the tank filler neck. He put an air hose to it until the dent popped. He had me sand the paint around the dent area. He applied a little lead, filed and sanded same. We primed and painted the tank and I thought he was a genius!

[81Seca]

Good thread Bolster. My family's been in the business for 3 generations. Grandfather owned several service stations (Remember those-you could actually get Gas, repairs, and directions at the same place. Now you get Gas, and a guy who cant even give directions 'cause he can't speak English). Dad owned a Flying A and a Texaco, then a car wash, all in NYC. Started working with him when I was 12.
We started doing restorations at the car wash. When it became too impractical, he opened a restoration shop specializing in 63-67 Vettes. But we did full frame offs on everything from Model T's to Bentleys to DeLoreans to daily drivers. The old man taught me everything I know, including the most important lesson of all. You can have a rolling tool truck worth of tools, but the most important tool in your collection is COMMON SENSE. The old man is unquestionably the best mechanic I've ever known, be it automotive, electrical, or restoring a 5 B/R home or commercial building. Happy Father's Day Pop.

[stricht8]

OK this is more a tale of father and tool. I was 10 or so living in Europe and I took out my father's vintage (but still in use) hammer to play out in the square. When I returned home my father asked where his hammer was. Yup I forgot it outside and yes it was gone when I went to retrieve it. I learned that he had owned it as a child since before WWII and that it had survived Nazi bombings of his house but that it apparently could not survive me!

[ZRX61]

I always thought that was pretty ballsy, and have wondered if I would have the courage to basically bear-hug a panicked, muscle-bound guy on fire, running at full tilt on a collision course toward me, and just hope for divine intervention that my suit jacket was enough to snuff out the fire.
I'd SERIOUSLY think about at least holding the door open for him :thumbup:

[Chief]

Bolster, great thread.

Unfortunately, my father was not a shop guy. He was not handy and had no interest in tools.

I remember when I first started to fix things and I was having trouble and spinning my wheels, I would think to myself, how angry I was not that my father never taught me anything as it relates to tools/wrenching etc. Many times I felt like walking away. After struggling and perservering to finsish what I started, the sense of accomplishment and pride was overwhelming. I have commited myself to teaching my son how to use and respect tools. Even if he does not take a liking to to it, being able to safely and competenly use tools is a skill no man should be without.

[speed bump]

I can't even count the number of times that my dad has given me good advice about something garage related.

[Coach James]

From my earliest memory I remember my dad working on things. In the 45 years I've been alive, I seldom know of my dad calling a repairman for anything. My dad is one of those guys that can build/repair almost anything. He grew up during the depression and there wasn't money to pay for things to be fixed.

At 17 he joined the army and spent 21 years in armament maintenance fixing small arms and artillery. He spent 14 months in Korea during the Korean War with the 1st Cavalry Division and fixed his usual things but also everything else that was brought to him. In Vietnam, with the 196 Inf Brig, it was more of the same fixing small arms, artillery, night vision eqpt plus any vehicle or machine that needed to be fixed. In war time, you don't say "that's not in my job description".

He's now 80 years old and still changes his own oil, fixes the washing machine etc. He can easily afford to pay someone else to do it, he just won't. If I'm going to do something, I still ask him how he would do it or to give me a hand even if I don't need to. I can see that it makes him happy to know that his knowledge is important.

Best advice he ever gave me was "If you're willing to try and you're willing to be patient, you can fix almost anything." When I'm working on something and it's got me beat I tell myself "Daddy wouldn't quit, he'd keep at it until he got it." and then I just keep going til I get it too.

Coach