Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Rick]

Morning all,

I keep hearing about how important it is that knowledge about old vehicles, and how to fettle them, is passed onto new generations of enthusiasts.

Are you in a position to pass on handy tips about our old crocks to son(s), daughter(s), nephew(s), niece(s) etc etc and do you?

I also read that many young people don't even bother learning to drive, let alone buying a car, when they're legally able to, even if they have the funds to do it. Why is this? lack of interest? excellent public transport where they live? cost of buying/insuring a car??

RJ
_________________
Rick - Admin
Home:https://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk
Videos:https://www.youtube.com/user/oldclassiccarRJ/videos
OCC & classic car merchandise (Austin, Ford ++):
https://www.redbubble.com/people/OldClassicCar/shop

[Minxy]

First point my son is not in the least interested in my old cars, he can't wait until he's 17 (very soon) to learn to drive but as a means to an end not because of any interest in cars. Strange in a way because as I worked in, relatively, high profile Motorsport I could have got him a job with any number of teams in most aspects of Motorsport but he simply was not interested. Interestingly my Lanchester came from a chap who had owned it for nearly forty years and had kept it stored for a number of years in the hope that one of his sons would take it over - in the end he could see this was never going to happen so sold it to me!
My daughter (22) shows more interest in my cars but, and to your second point, has never learnt to drive and shows no signs of wanting to. Some of this is being at Uni and a car would be more in the way than useful ( uni is in Cheltenham and she lives and works in the town centre) I think the lack of a licence and car won't hit home until next Summer when she starts looking for work.
_________________
Hillman minx convertible. Lanchester LD 10

[Penguin45]

Similar tale - no. 1 twin no interest whatsoever; no. 2 twin passed his test at the earliest opportunity (1st time, fair play) and made off with MrsP's shopping trolley (A Matiz). It reappears from time to time, then "Dad....." I have managed to teach him to check the oil, water and brake fluid and blow up the tyres from time to time, but that's about it.

But then, he's a musician, so what do you expect?

P45.
_________________
'67 Wolseley MkI 18/85, '70 Austin MkII 1800 The Landcrab Forum.

[Penman]

Hi

[kevin2306]

My son (now 17) works in the garage with me, esp so if we are working on our trail bikes, he is very handy and is doing a 5 year mechanical engineering apprenticeship.
He has just started driving lessons (thanks to the bank of mum and dad) And we have bought him a lovely clio tonight so will be able to get out with him doing additional driving..did the same with daughter and loved it.

Kev

[Rusty]

Well ! I trained as a mechanic when I was younger, got my ticket (even though I haven't worked in the trade "officially" for decades) so when my nephews came along I passed my knowledge and enthusiasm on to them. The eldest when he was doing a round Australia trip was competent enough to work as a mechanic at the Toyota dealers in Broome WA for 7 months until he moved on,(his employers were talking about "mature age apprenticeships" when he was there) and the twins have both completed trades, one still working as a mechanic in the northwest and the other has completed a panel beaters apprenticeship but since left the trade and has outside employment (I recon he will go back sometime in the next year or two)
All three of them are car enthusiasts and all have completed at least one restoration each and two are currently restoring classic cars from the 60s/70s, so I like to think I have done my bit to encourage their interest in the old car movement.

[Keith D]

My three sons (now all in their late forties and all established in their own non-motoring fields) are all petrol-heads. However, not really in the classic car direction as we know it! They all went through the four wheel drive fad that seems to be very popular with younger guys in Australia and then progressed on to sports cars. My eldest son finally bought a BMW Z3 after two years procrastination, and it's a low mileage, six cylinder absolute beauty. My next son bought himself an immaculate restored Corvette Stingray about three years ago and I suspect, still takes it to bed with him! My youngest is casting eyes towards a very early MX5.

However, all three are very competent with the tools and I guess I can take at least some of the credit for that, even if they look at my cars as escaped museum pieces that keep Dad happy!

My daughter just thunders about in her top of the range Jeep Grand Cherokee. Her husband takes care of anything that needs doing. Lucky girl!

Keith
_________________
1926 Chrysler 60 tourer
1932 Austin Seven RN long wheelbase box sedan
1950 Austin A40 tourer
1999 BMW Z3
Its weird being the same age as old people.
You are either part of the problem or part of the solution

[norustplease]

My children are a mixed bag. We started the oldest daughter and son off on classic cars as a cheap way into car ownership and they ran around for a few years in a Beetle and a Mini respectively, both of which we restored, my son assisting with the Mini.
However, pressures of modern motoring meant that the mini eventually was sold and a Corsa substituted, but the Beetle survived as a daily driver for quite a few years.
Alas both are now in modern cars. I suspect that if money and space permitted my daughter would like another Beetle as a Sunday driver, and my son covets the Traction. However, as a newly married man with a massive mortgage, and a wife who will no doubt want to start a family before too long, it is hard to see how he would get onto the classic car ladder in the foreseeable future.
My two younger daughters appreciate a nice car and can drive, and own modern cars, but have no particular interest in classics. However, all have been recruited from time to time to assist with jobs needing an extra pair of hands.
All of them were keen to learn to drive and become self sufficient in mobility terms as soon as they hit their 17th birthdays.
_________________
1953 Citroen Traction
1964 Volvo PV544
1957 Austin A55 Mk 1
Boring Tucson SUV

[Rootes75]

My daughter likes to drive in the old cars but that's about it. My son though, even now at 5 years old shows a keen interest in anything mechanical. He has helped me strip down a stationary engine and can be quite keen with a paint brush!

I am 41 now and am still learning a lot from my father, I in turn will pass that on to my boy in time.
_________________
Various Rootes Vehicles.

[Da Tow'd]

We had our grandson stay with us for a few years while his mom finished her courses.
So I did my best to put him into as many different mechanical situations as I could, in the picture we just finished rebuilding the whole brake system on the '58 VW single cab.

Last month my 33 year old son and I completely rebuilt a 2001 VW Golf 1.8T. Timing belt-water pump- all the brakes. He took it for a drive and found out that it would not come out of reverse so we dropped the transaxle and checked out the clutch. It had the bogus dual mass flywheel so we replaced it with a new single mass set up. He took it for another test drive and it still would not come out of reverse. We looked on youtube and found that the clutch master cylinder might be the problem so we replaced both the master cylinder and slave cylinder. It still would not come out of reverse.

We did the procedure to adjust the shift cables and found that one of the cables was bent after replacing the cable it shifted fine.
So I think we both learned a lot.
Hank

[alastairq]

I haven't consciously passed any apparent skills or knowledge on to my kids......of any of my past [now ex] wives.

Which hasn't stopped them [any of them] being motorcar enthusiasts.....my eldest lad being very heavily into the Alfa Romeo world [esp. at owner's club level] [my fault, years ago]....as was/is his Mum[ ditto]....

My last ex has developed an unhealthy interest in her very clean, low mileage Puma.....to the extent, when she discovered a rust scab underneath, she spent a day or so, stripping it, cleaning back, protecting, priming and painting.....

The skills haven't been passed on...but.....maybe, the enthusiasm?

[Penman]

Hi
Here is someone who is encouraging youngsters. Stick with it for the full 10mins.

about 20min 50 in

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b094fjc2/inside-out-south-11092017

It's at Bicester.

http://bicesterheritage.co.uk/events/


I'm copying this to the shows board as well.
_________________
Bristols should always come in pairs.

Any 2 from:-
Straight 6
V8 V10

[lowdrag]

Strangely i had an hour-long conversation on the same topic today. On visiting my daughter she had no idea how to open the bonnet of her car and I had to show her how. I had to show her where the dipstick was to be found on her new car - and most importantly the difference between the oil filler cap and the washer liquid. It won't make the slightest bit of difference because it goes in one ear and out of the other, as it has always done. She just has no interest except for getting from A-B. She had no idea that her GPS covered Europe and not just the UK, so I had to show her. That was last year. This year she had to ask someone how to do it and had somehow excluded toll roads, so came all the way on the old roads. I once showed her how to change a wheel, but she knows how to do it now - she calls the AA. And so it goes on. And I am sure that like the majority of us she will sell my cars before I am even cold.

[ukdave2002]

A survey carried out by Leasing Options of 1,000 drivers asked if they were savvy enough to carry out simple tasks on their car, from opening the bonnet to checking the oil and brake fluid.
Of the all the drivers quizzed from a number of the nation's major cities, including Birmingham, Cardiff, Leeds, London and Newcastle, just 45 per cent said they could replace a wheel on their own.
However, with fewer and fewer cars being sold with full-size or smaller space-saver spare wheels,changing a wheel will soon become a redundant skill altogether.

Source:
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/cars/article-3412299/More-half-drivers-t-change-wheel-need-to.html#ixzz4sZfNBdwR

[Peter_L]

There is a very old saying that goes a bit like this.

"when an old man dies a library is lost" and I would add the same sentiment for a woman.

I have a daughter who has many interests and skills but mechanics is not one of them.

My father was in the building - decorating - flooring business and we never lived in a house that wasn't being remodeled. He trained as a vertical lathe operator during WWII and returned to the same work later in life. He had his own horizontal lathe and developed self taught skills. He did all his own car maintenance under the watchful eye of our neighbour who was a mechanic in the RAF.

I started with the simple maintenance and progressed to full vehicle rebuilds, bodywork and mechanical. For mechanics now I just have the tractor, grass cutters and the like to maintain.

We moved across Canada for years ago and are now renovating some 5000 sq ft of house, sound familiar

I have never stopped learning but there is no one to teach.

I guess I am not the only one but I enjoy what I do.