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  #1  
Old 04-11-2016, 05:48 AM
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Kamakiri Kamakiri is offline
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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

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
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File Type: jpg 100_0264.jpg (102.5 KB, 143 views)
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  #2  
Old 04-11-2016, 07:07 AM
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Ed in Tx Ed in Tx is offline
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I think that "Desert Storm" sticker really tops off the "Patina" paint job!
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Old 04-11-2016, 10:41 AM
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old_tv_nut old_tv_nut is offline
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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!
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Old 04-11-2016, 10:51 AM
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CoogarXR CoogarXR is offline
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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
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Old 04-11-2016, 10:53 AM
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Kamakiri Kamakiri is offline
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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!
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Old 04-11-2016, 01:21 PM
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Proud papa!
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  #7  
Old 04-11-2016, 03:18 PM
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KentTeffeteller KentTeffeteller is offline
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Indeed, Proud Papa. That old Nova will be a great first car for your teenager. And something he can learn to wrench on.
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  #8  
Old 04-12-2016, 06:06 AM
Dude111 Dude111 is offline
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Congrats on his car (And for turning 16)
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  #9  
Old 04-12-2016, 08:29 AM
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Kamakiri Kamakiri is offline
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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

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 . 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.
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Old 04-17-2016, 11:47 AM
old_coot88 old_coot88 is offline
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You guys ever watch Roadkill on UTube? Great motorhead stuff.
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  #11  
Old 04-17-2016, 01:46 PM
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Kamakiri Kamakiri is offline
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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

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.
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Old 04-18-2016, 10:50 AM
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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
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Last edited by DavGoodlin; 04-18-2016 at 10:58 AM.
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  #13  
Old 04-19-2016, 03:51 PM
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lnx64 lnx64 is offline
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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.
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Old 04-21-2016, 08:38 PM
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sampson159 sampson159 is offline
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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
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  #15  
Old 04-22-2016, 09:36 AM
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dtvmcdonald dtvmcdonald is offline
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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
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