My 16 year old's first car!
 

Well, my oldest son turned 16 about 10 days ago. Took him on Saturday for his learner's permit. There's nothing that ages you instantly like the baby who you put into a car seat now being taller than you and getting behind the wheel of your Cadillac for the first time. Wait, didn't I buy that car just a few years ago? Oh yeah, he was in elementary school back then. Wow.

About a month ago I got a message from an old friend on Facebook. While he's local, I haven't seen him in about 20 years. Back then, we were all motorheads, and we all had cars that were easily recognized. Me, I had a red and white '58 Edsel with a 361 bored .030 over with an Edelbrock carb and a C6 transmission. Used to eat IROCs (the "hot" car of the day) for lunch. Wasn't really that much of an accomplishment....after all, those were what, about 200 HP back then?

Yep, we each had our "signature" rides. Mark had a canary yellow '70 Monte Carlo, Tim always had a mid '70s Malibu of some kind that he kept swapping a Laguna S-3 nose from car to car as he blew them up. Bill had a big lifted Dodge truck. Other Bill had a '74 Ventura. You get the idea.

Well, my friend Chris had this 4 door '76 Nova, lime green, with a small block 350 with a 4 barrel carb and a big K40 whip antenna on the trunk. It was in amazing shape back in the day, but wasn't the ideal car to deliver pizzas in, gas mileage wise. His sister bought it at a used car lot back in the early 90s in the state of Washington, then offered it to Chris for free if he wanted to drive it home to NY. So he did.

This was the early 1990s, I don't think my hands were ever clean back then. And my hands were always fisted around either a socket wrench or a beer. Usually both.

Fast forwarding to about a month ago, Chris sends me a message, saying that he still had the old Nova, and seeing the projects and project cars that I've brought back to life, he wanted me to have it...as long I promised to treat it right and bring it back to its former glory. It hasn't run in over a decade. The last time the car moved under its own power was back in the mid 1990s. He had the transmission rebuilt with a shift kit....something happened the next day when he went to drive it, and it wouldn't go into gear. He parked it, and never drove it again.

Meanwhile, he decided that it was time to paint the car, and sanded and primed it, removing all of the trim. But then life and children happened, and it never got finished.

Knowing that my son was turning 16, this was the perfect time for a father/son project. My son's beside himself with excitement.....we got it out of my friend's garage yesterday, and the flatbed will be picking it up today after he gets out of school. First time I've seen the car since I had bangs :D

And kudos to my '96 Caravan, which pulled it out of the garage easily with a tow rope...in spite of the fact that the brakes on the right rear wheel were locked up solid (hence the skid mark). Told my son that counts as his first time laying down a patch of rubber :D

I think that "Desert Storm" sticker really tops off the "Patina" paint job! :D

Wow, this is great. You will keep us up to date on the project, of course.

--
Now, I have to tell you about a story of my dad and granddad. My father's first car was a used Model T. This would have been in the mid 1930's. Grandpa said he could buy it if he tore the engine completely apart and put it together again. So, my dad did, but when he was done, he had 4 bolts left over. He told Grandpa about the bolts, that he just couldn't figure out where they could go, and Grandpa made him tear it down again. He carefully took it apart, and still couldn't find a place for the bolts, so he put it back together and threw the bolts away. He did not tell Grandpa. My dad said that he never figured out if Grandpa had pulled one on him with four extra bolts or not.

Sadly, my granddad was killed by a hit and run driver in 1949, so I never got to know him and can't really remember him at all.

--- returning hijacked thread to you guys - Have FUN!

If you need parts (and feel like pulling another one back from Ohio), this one has been on CL for quite a while, he'd probably take less (no affiliation):

http://cleveland.craigslist.org/cto/5507387930.html

Working on cars is a family affair. This was the thread about the '55 Buick that I got from New Mexico that hadn't seen the road since 1968

http://www.videokarma.org/showthread.php?t=250868

And here's a short video of our first ride :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEb6Z24Y84k

And now, it's his turn!

Proud papa!

Indeed, Proud Papa. That old Nova will be a great first car for your teenager. And something he can learn to wrench on.

Congrats on his car :) (And for turning 16)

Well, she came home yesterday :)

The right rear wheel fortunately unlocked, or at least gave way allowing us to push it with considerable effort. And of course, my initial Rock Auto order is in :thmbsp:

Some kind of animal was living inside it at some point, so my son had the opportunity of getting grossed out vacuuming all of the mouse poop and nests under the back seat :yuck: . Welcome to car restoration, son!

He just sat behind the wheel for over an hour....gazing, dreaming, and talking about what's next. I saw the look in his eyes, and remembered having that same feeling....not so terribly long ago.

You guys ever watch Roadkill on UTube? Great motorhead stuff.

I'm usually too busy to watch stuff like that, honestly. Between TV repair and car repair and housework and a little remodeling (gutting the mudroom after having a new kitchen floor installed this week). Yep, that's what life is like here. I really SHOULD slow down and watch youtube videos for a change tho :D

Here's what I mean.....

Yesterday, I put the first coat of paint on the utility trailer I built for ETF, as shown in the background of the pic. We did a ton of work to the Nova...cleaned the carb, changed the oil, checked over the wiring, pulled the plugs and lubricated the cylinders and got her to spin over.

Today I washed, waxed, and vacuumed 3 cars, finished the prep and shot color and clear on the left fender I have to install on my Caravan.

We got a new cap, rotor, and wires on the Nova, and cleaned the old plugs (figuring that they'd get changed once the initial crap was burned off). Oil was changed yesterday. Dumped a little gas down the carb and it fired once very briefly, but the plugs were soaked when we pulled them. Letting it dry out, if I can't get it to fire over we'll just stick in new plugs and try another day.

After the sad tale of your van passing on, starting over on another (and older) SB Chevrolet is a great story so far.

Good thing its a project for a first car and not a really wacky Fiat or Peugot ;), It helps the young-uns learn when Dad makes it look easy.

I had to start with a MoPar cuz my parents owned them. Next I got a 68 Mustang 289 V8 with a C4 that evcentually needed a rebuild due to excessive manual shifting, and found my self a Ford lover as well.
I never did have nerve enough to own an AMC or interesting imports than some VW's, Toyotas and Subarus.

For the last 25 yrs I've had two late-60s Pontiac G-P's - surrounded and kept company by TV and Radios of course.

I can just hear that four barrel - sucking air and growling

I got my first car before I even had my license. It was my 1994 Chevrolet Caprice. Purchased $500 dead, it didn't run, wouldn't start. I spent a while after high school and in my technical college for IT, to get it running again.

Here's a pic when it was left in our driveway, 11 years ago now after I paid for it out of High School.

http://i.imgur.com/sirEJS3.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/prBkN7M.jpg

And now, as it stands just a few weeks ago when I went to New Smyrna Beach.

http://i.imgur.com/BNuVc0E.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/DfInh4F.jpg

I still drive it, and it's still my daily driver. That feeling when you get your first car is so special, it's like a bond you have with the machine.

1950 cadillac hearse.it was my first car.after i sold it,1962 plymouth 2 dr coupe.under the hood was a 413 with a crossram and 2 4 barrels.this car was a sleeper.looks like a business coupe but it breathed fire on the street.primer black with baby moons all the way around.no radio but a heater.thats it.ran in the very high 12 second bracket and was king of columbus ohio streets.then came the 1970 torino cobra jet with a 429 scj.too young to have appreciated it.they are all memories
now

Well, I didn't get a car before a license, but my British friend and colleague Eric did.
He made a bundle saving Exxon a couple of billion bucks in a lawsuit with Shell.
First thing he did with it was start a company selling the service that did the trick to
the oil companies. Made more money.

Second, he bought a Porsche 928. Third, he got a learner's permit. He let me
drive him around in the car a bit. Him: how fast are we going, I have no idea,
doesn't really seem too fast. Me: no, its nice and really smooth, 146, my Vette is rough at 130.

That's a nice thing about bean fields ... no where for cops to hide.

Doug McDonald

Do keep us updated, sounds like a great father-son project. Your son will definitely remember it for years to come.

Novas always looked nice too.

Things have progressed nicely since!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8G6r...ature=youtu.be

Last weekend we did the rear brakes.....drums, shoes, hardware, wheel cylinders, e-brake cables, and the master cylinder as well. I want him to be safe in stopping this thing once we get it done, so that was a mandatory next step. We'll get to the fronts in a week or so, then bleed the whole system. Much to my shock and amazement, all of the lines were original and broke free without any issues :)

We've got the valve covers off, there was a leak (not a big surprise), so he's stripping them with aircraft stripper. We'll clean them up and paint them to make them look pretty as long as they're off.

It goes into reverse, but not in any of the forward gears. Since the transmission was totally rebuilt, I'm betting that a band or something broke or came loose. My theory is that gears 2 and 3 work fine, but first needs attention. We'll get there :)

If it's auto it has a 350 trans and one of the easiest units to rebuild, no drive gear, hmmm. Those 76 Novas were decent cars just make sure the front frame is solid. Check the choke pull off was a big problem back in the day and even bigger in the winter. If you know the Rochester 4 barrel carb then you know how to set it up if not find someone who knows them since they have been gone for so many years. This generation of auto techs have no idea what a carburetor is, lol.

I rebuilt a "computerized" quadrajest last year. If I can do that, this one will be a cake walk :)

Yes the quadrajet is the Rochester .

Sweet Nova, practical too. Lots of potential there.
Ha! Same sort of thing happened with an early '88 Escort I got when I was 17. We got it from a dealer who was desperate to unload it; he gave us some load of crap about it going up for auction before we said we could get it. Yeah, it was a rust bucket with a cracked windscreen and a busted quarter window sitting across the road from the dealership. I believe it was the same wheel that was locked up; we towed it with a pickup truck 4/10 of a mile to our destination, locked tire screeching the whole way. I was following and was very tempted to let go of the steering wheel to cover my ears whenever possible in case of a loud blowout. I heard we passed a cop on the way there who gave us a surprised look but kept going. The tire was worn right down to the steel belts.

I never got it on the road but drove it back and forth in the parking lot enough to get somewhat used to a manual shift. The clutch eventually quit.

Bud of mine had a '76 PONTIAC "Nova" 4 door. It has the 200 & some six cylinder & auto in it. He worked-And now owns-a company that rebuilds/services gravure printing presses. Their specialty was working on printing register devices, which is a black art. But Elmore was pretty smart on this stuff, he rigged a few of the register control motor up & made himself an impromptu bottle rocket launcher, mounted under the front bumper. Damthing actually worked pretty well for awhile. That "Nova" had had a hard life-His mom or dad, I can't remember had wrecked it in '77 or '78, & they cut the bad parts off, & mated another Nova up w/it. They kinda pushed the limit on how far you could "Revamp" a unibody car. Drank many a Co'Beer in that car, though..

Speaking of the "Pontiac Nova", did anyone see what happened to Roy Scheider's Ventura in The Seven-Ups? I haven't seen a car chase end quite like that any other time. Too bad about the phony engine sounds though... and using the steering wheel grip to sound the horn... and the shifter being in park when the car is supposed to be in motion.

Well, my son's finally admitted that the car's a little too big of a project for him....

These are the shots we last took of the car back in September....I started bodywork and shot some color on the fender just as a little encouragement. I can't say that I blame him.....at almost 17 now it *is* an ambitious project.

A turbo 350 trans or dropping and fixing the freshly rebuilt trans would get the car driveable (it has all new brakes and runs fine). Now, do I take over the project, give him his investment back and finish it and drive it myself, or sell the car as is?

Especially, taking into account that the '62 Mercury Meteor I bought last August is a few issues and a little finishing work away from being done enough for daily use......

Perhaps he found out what the car's name means in Spanish...

No va = It won't go.

Seems like a good time for a lesson in perseverance plus figuring out when to enlist help. Can some things be done by both of you together and others be done by him (like the painting) with some encouragement and letting him know it's normal that learners don't always get it right the first time and may have to do it twice? It can be hard for a kid to realize that he doesn't have to be perfect from the get-go when he tries something with Dad watching.

Believe me when I tell you, I'm far from a perfectionist....I'm a realist. I don't have any high standards that are intimidating him here.....I just don't think he realized the amount of work it takes to complete something like this.

I knew that when I got the car. And now, my son understands this....but it's things like this you can't explain....you have to experience. I told him that this past summer was the last summer he will have for the next 50 years all to himself.....from there, he'll have an employer that owns a good share of his time.

I'm very proud of the amount of work he's done, and I'm not upset in the least that he's changing tack.....sometimes in life you need to learn when to say when and not let pride get in the way of accomplishing something that may not be important enough to you to do. It's all about choices and opportunity cost.....and why I'm half tempted to finish the thing to show him what he could've done if he wanted to.

Tim - Cry once, I say - buy him a 2017 Acura NSX or TLX. Done! :D

Based on how good that Mercury looks Tim, Id say you are doing him a great favor just setting an example in perseverance already.

He can realize for himself its time to cut losses, get the trans moving and prep it for sale. Somebody who is all about body work would recognize the value of having all those mechanical items already addressed.

Does he have an idea what he wants as a replacement?

My dad had a very utilitarian view of cars and I was not permitted to buy anything over 10 years old with over 100K miles. My first car was a 1973 Fury cop car, an emissions-control disaster. I had to learn everything about carburetors, intakes, exhaust etc by helping neighbors and friends. My second car was a 68 Mustang with a 289-2V, totally appropriate for an 18 year old.

Most of us who started driving as the big 4 automakers were cheapening, downsizing and basically experimenting in awful ways making cars ugly, which took decades to reverse. We revered cars from the pre-1975, that ran on regular gas and had vacuum hoses for only necessary functions. Unfortunately, the older dudes that had the 1950s-early 60s cars weren't letting them go anywhere close to our budgets :(

If the trans is all that it really needs to be useful to him then he ought to just save/pay up for it or go ahead and work on it...Unless he does not really like it or what he could do with it.

If you bought a car to love as a classic then you gotta put the sweat and or money in to keep it on the road. If you buy a car to flip then knowing what your getting into and knowing when and where to quit are essential. If you buy a car for it to be low maintenance you either have to pony up on a classic (for a great original or for restoration before or after you buy it), or get something recent and make sure there are no problems before you buy it.

I feel I was fairly practical in choosing my first car (for wanting something old, cool, and oomphy). I bought something already road worthy, in presentable, but less than perfect shape, and have done basically all the work to keep it moving without resorting to having repair shops do it.
My second I was too cheap/broke and rushed on, but I may make it good enough to be happy with it yet....If not I have the horse sense to cut my losses.

Could you just pay somebody to put in a used transmission? I bet a local mom-n-pop type shop wouldn't charge much for a relatively easy job like that. At least then your son could drive it then, and fall in love with it, and in turn rekindle his desire to fix it up.

Plus, if you decide to sell it, a car that can be driven home obviously sells WAY better than one that needs towed.

The trans was rebuilt? By who? Might be past warranty by now, but still, ask them wtf happened.

No forward... did it ever work after the rebuild? Because if it did and you drove it, I'd be tempted to say it might have chewed up a band or something. I'd have to look up the chart to see what's on when it's in drive. I assume you've tried moving it in 1 and 2. Smell the oil, it shouldn't smell burned if the unit was just rebuilt. If the fluid is still clean and fresh, it might be something simple like a stuck valve. Especially makes sense on a project car that probably sits around and never gets driven.

If the oil still seems fresh, and the car can run good enough, start it and let it run for an hour to get the trans nice and warm, see then if it'll engage.

Let me know a little more and I'll see what I can come up with. It's not easy when I'm not there to see it. :/

To make it *driveable*, the thing just needs the trans, and some taillight wiring. The seats are vinyl and are torn to shreds, plus the paint and bodywork. Unless you've done worse (which I have), it looks like a long row to hoe.

Trans was rebuilt about 20 years ago by a friend of the former owner. Said it pulled hard after the rebuild, but eventually lost all forward gears...it was driven for only a couple hundred miles after the rebuild and started to slip in the end. Reverse was fine.

I got a bunch of parts "left over" from the rebuild still in the kit box.....and dropping the pan and valve body tell the rest of the story. To make it "pull hard", all the guy did was remove a couple check balls. I was hoping to find some particulate in the pan or a clogged passage in the valve body that would tell me that something let loose. Nothing. Bands looked fine from what I could tell.

Since it worked in reverse we know that the front pump and TC are okay. I've rebuilt a TH350 before, but I was 10 years younger and I'm not yanking the thing on my back like I used to do.....I'd just send it to a tranny shop for repair.

Thought of that too. But if I'm going that far, he will learn the lesson of "once it's gone it's gone" :D

I'll probably hang on to it and work on it. I just bought and sold a Philco chairside radio bar for almost enough to give him all of his invested cash out of it :)

It is best to pick your battles and know how to space work out. In his shoes I'd fix the trans and lights, search the junk yards for one with good seats to swap in, then gradually start the other ~4/5 of the body work/paint.

Granted given that it is winter and your in the north this is not a time most sane people want to work on cars:thumbsdn:....Unless you are one of the lucky few with a heated garage.

Just a car and a half garage that gets pretty damn cold :)

Scrap yards around here don't have anything older than the early 90s/late 80s...I had thought of a front seat out of a Durango or some such, but I decided I could recover the interior myself by re-learning how to use a sewing machine, making a pattern, and making a new custom seat cover out of black corduroy.

Just like TVs or any restorative work, when you work on them you need to remember that many years down the road after you're long gone someone in the future will curse you or thank you for doing things the way you did.

Fair enough.

Until that dumb cracker decides he's no longer needed and kicks him to the curb. He may prefer running his own show rather than being kicked around and ultimately discarded. Big savings in taxes in not being a low-wage lemming too, up here anyway.

Power to the underdogs y'all. I'm outie.