Kids nowadays

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Back in 8th grade (1969) I had a crush on a 7th grade blonde "tomboy". About 8 yeats later, I finally got the nerve to ask her out. Took her to Fremont Raceway with my '65 four door Valiant bracket racer in tow. She helped me swap the tow tires for the ten inch slicks! A former high school classmate was asking where I found such an attractive pit crew member. The good night kiss was not half bed either.
 
My son is outside in the rain right now (6:30am) changing a flat tire on his truck because he has to be to work at eight. I'm not saying he's perfect but he knows where my jack and impact wrench are and how to work them.
 
My son has chosen the path to the dark side,heavy duty mechanic. Dont know why, i told him to go learn to be an electrician.
He was 16/17 and was working on his atv. Desperate to get it running but too stubborn to ask for help. Worked until the wee hours and couldnt get his flywheel off. He got up early next morning, still mad. I asked. "Couldnt get the damn nut off " was his reply.
As i headed to shop i stuck my nose in the shed where he was working on it. It was a perfect cone shape, chewed it until nothing would grab it. Within 5 seconds i knew what his problem was,another 30 to get it off. Before he finished his breakfast, nut was on table beside him.
"How did you get it off" i replied had you asked me when the trouble started last night you would already know. Left hand thread. A good sharp punch and a couple whacks and off it came.
 
I had my 3 girls all take auto shop in high school. They just do simple stuff, oil changes, light bulb changes, etc. I also sat in a chair in the driveway and gave directions while they changed tires. More than once they were out with their friends late at night or a long way away and they were the only one that knew how to jump a car or change that flat.
 
dibbons said:
Back in 8th grade (1969) I had a crush on a 7th grade blonde "tomboy". About 8 yeats later, I finally got the nerve to ask her out. Took her to Fremont Raceway with my '65 four door Valiant bracket racer in tow. She helped me swap the tow tires for the ten inch slicks! A former high school classmate was asking where I found such an attractive pit crew member. The good night kiss was not half bed either.
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i used to know a girl like that
i was 16 at the time, and my only means of transportation was a dirtbike
i had a honda of some sort, and was just buttoning up a big bore kit conversion
the bike had a cast aluminum intake manifold (for lack of a better word) between the reed cage and the carb

she came into the garage and i asked her to hand me the manifold
she pick it up of the workbench without even searching for it, held it up to the light and said "arent you going to port it...or at least get rid of some of this casting flash?"
 
I was really proud of my dainty step-daughter when she came home after beginning a new high school semester and annouced she was taking auto shop. Later that month, asked her how the class was going, said she dropped it. Seems the first time they opened the roll-up door and the outside air blew in, she became chilled.

Now she turned 38 years old and we have 3 classic Mopars in the family. Although she drives a 4Runner, she has: grudge raced me against my stock "72 318 Satellite and beat me by two seconds at Sonoma Raceway; adjusted the AFB on our '65 Formula S; helped rebuild the Carter BBS on the Satellite, and primed the carbs before starting the Mopars after they sat idle for months. Dont have any boys in the family.
 
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dibbons said:
Back in 8th grade (1969) I had a crush on a 7th grade blonde "tomboy". About 8 yeats later, I finally got the nerve to ask her out. Took her to Fremont Raceway with my '65 four door Valiant bracket racer in tow. She helped me swap the tow tires for the ten inch slicks! A former high school classmate was asking where I found such an attractive pit crew member. The good night kiss was not half bed either.
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Ahh Fremont .. Old family friends lived right close to it .. On Saturday nights we camp out in the back yard .. You could hear the Nitro cars like they were across the street .. I was hooked
 
I am 23, I have been around Mopars and old cars since I was 3. My Dad taught me a lot but I also had to teach myself a lot of stuff as well. The problem with other guys my age is that they just weren't taught anything, (that could be said for most of my generation) I have friends who may not know much about cars but can at least Change their tires or oil. I wish people would just apply themselves to something other then Their phone and just learn some basic, Common knowledge .
 
dibbons said:
Now she turned 38 years old and we have 3 classic Mopars in the family. Although she drives a 4Runner, she has: grudge raced me against my stock "72 318 Satellite and beat me by two seconds at Sonoma Raceway; adjusted the AFB on our '65 Formula S; helped rebuild the Carter BBS on the Satellite, and primed the carbs before starting the Mopars after they sat idle for months. Dont have any boys in the family.
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didnt i see footage of that?
or at least pics ?
 
limegreen70 said:
I am 23, I have been around Mopars and old cars since I was 3. My Dad taught me a lot but I also had to teach myself a lot of stuff as well. The problem with other guys my age is that they just weren't taught anything, (that could be said for most of my generation) I have friends who may not know much about cars but can at least Change their tires or oil. I wish people would just apply themselves to something other then Their phone and just learn some basic, Common knowledge .
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Exactly the same for me, right down to the same age even! :D
 
I took the time when my Daughter when she was 15 how to change a tire. Fast forward to 2001 she called me at the fire house and told me she was out with three guys and had a flat tire. That news had me concerned, so we loaded up in the fire truck and drove to where she was at ( it was close by the station. When I get there I see my daughter in the middle of changing the tire on a Toyota, When I exit the truck to see what was going on before questioning my daughter what see was doing out with three guys! I see the three boys reading the owners manual about changing a tire! When the three of them started apologizing for not know how to change a tire. I could tell they were all 3 gay and were college
class mates with my daugter. I kind of chewed their *** out for not knowing how change a tire and that a woman had to do it. Oh I was no longer worried about her being out with three guys.
 
diymirage said:
Late last night I'm heading home from dinner when I spot two car with the hoods up
I decided I'd see if I can give an a hand and when I get there, there are three kids staring at these cars, one with a set of jumper cables in his hand...all three of em looking lost like all get up
I asked the kid with the cables if they needed any help
He told me they were trying to get one car started and I took on end of the cables from him
That's when I noticed he was holding both clamps together in one hand...together
So I took a moment to warn him of the possibility of the other guy not paying attention and zapping him
(I showed him how I always clamp one of the clamps on the cable so they can not touch)
Then I showed him red on red, black on black and got her running post-haste

I took the cables off my car, clamped on clamp on the cable (as I always do) and turned around to hand the kid the cables and saw him holding both clamps in o e hand again.

Makes me wonder, didn't their dad teach them the basics anymore?
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There's an app for that.....on snapyourfacebook.

My father always told us to "dress like you might have to get out and walk".
I have a mental image of my two lovely nieces leaving one Christmas.
They were shivering in their "underwear " outfits with pretty shoes while waiting for my brother in law to start the car.
I suggested the above. It was a long drive home.
What if the car broke down and they had to wait for a tow?

Cripes. I'm my father.
 
limegreen70 said:
I am 23, I have been around Mopars and old cars since I was 3. My Dad taught me a lot but I also had to teach myself a lot of stuff as well. The problem with other guys my age is that they just weren't taught anything, (that could be said for most of my generation) I have friends who may not know much about cars but can at least Change their tires or oil. I wish people would just apply themselves to something other then Their phone and just learn some basic, Common knowledge .
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I see it is as more of a lack of confidence. And it is not just Millennials. Most people today, old and young, are so specialized that they believe anything outside of their specific skill set is unobtainable without training and academia. And yet there has never been a time in history with more available knowledge and DIY information.

Sounds like you were raised to be confident and capable. Much more valuable attributes than knowledge IMO.
 
adriver said:
There's an app for that.....on snapyourfacebook.

My father always told us to "dress like you might have to get out and walk".
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couple of years ago we had some girls stay with us, daughters of friends of ours ,18 and 16

While they were here, I let them use the charger
Well, one snowy, freezing winters day they go to meet someone, but instead of pulling left out of my drive, they turned right and got lost
Luckily for them, they ran out of gas before they got too far lost
It was also that day, they learned the lesson of keeping a cell phone at least partly charged
 
I was with a chick (well two chics) back in the 80's cruising in the one chics Ford Maverick. Now the Maverick 6 cylinder, I beleive the distributor is down low in the engine bay. Its raining, she drives through a water puddle and the car shuts off. She jumps out, opens the hood and gets right to it. Its dark and raining mind you. She is saying"all I have to do is dry the distributor out" I am thinking, "Oh **** we are going to have to walk in the rain" Anyway, she does her thing, and gets the car running. That is the one I should have never let get away, a woman that knew how to get her car running on a rainy night with minimal tools.
 
so i went to get a pizza yesterday and the kid behind the counter is wearing an apron
BUT behind that he is wearing a shirt that features the unmistakable lines of a 68-69 charger (even though they messed up the grille)
so i asked him, is that a 69 charger on your shirt?

he said "i have no idea what it is, the shirt is from some youtube channel. they were doing this thing and i went there and got a free shirt"

now, i dont expect everyone to recognize the icon that is a dodge charger, but i do expect people to know what in the world they are wearing
 
Here in Mexico, many are seen wearing t-shirts with English logos. I forgot what it said exactly, but one young teen-age girl wore a very provocative, suggestive announcement on her t-shirt one day and had no idea that she was, in effect, "advertising herself".
 
Not sure how most of these young men are going to be able to take care of their wives/girlfriends/children one day if they don't step up NOW and learn some basic "man skills".
 
Mopar-Man said:
Not sure how most of these young men are going to be able to take care of their wives/girlfriends/children one day if they don't step up NOW and learn some basic "man skills".
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The women will learn it, and do it. It might be my imagination, but aren't most of the young men you see looking/acting more feminine, and the young girls looking/acting more masculine? I know girls are much more interested in having good careers and making a good living than the guys are. Girls also seem to be more into technical careers involving science, technology, chemistry, math.
 
I taught a 20 year old how to change brakes. He used the tire iron to take the wheels off. It got late and my 16 year old came home and I asked him put the the other tire back on and he broke out the impact. The other kid asked why he didn't get to use that and I told him "because you don't have one". My son just laughed and went inside.
 
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