I was shocked to see the post about my "giveaway" dart.

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340john

340john

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I know that Joe doesn't come on this site too often so to see he posted about the Dart was a nice surprise to me. I met Joe when I was selling my car and he wanted it...but was too young and not in the right position. When we spoke on the phone for the first time, I asked to speak to his mom or dad and asked one of them to come with him to my house. His mom came and explained that she was a single parent. I could see that he needed structure and guidance and asked if he would like to help me in my garage. We all became friends and spent a lot of time together. His mom was very thankful. I took him to Carlisle, hershey and local shows to. Tought him to weld, paint, do bodywork and Restoration work. He wanted a 1970 340 dart, it didn't have to be # matching and it could even be a clone. He just loves the look and performance. We found a real LM23H0R car in a junkyard and stripped it. I told Joe that I wanted the parts "just in case something pops up". But i knew i was going to build something for him. Over time I asked him hundreds of questions about colors, drivetrain, options and so on in a way that he wouldn't know i was asking for "his" car. I'm just really happy we kept it a secret and that he loves it.
 

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That is so awesome John, that is a great thing you did helping a young boy become a good man, sounds like you taught him a lot of things and was there to support him too, more importantly, building a great friendship. The car was an awesome gift and I am sure he will cherish it forever. I am sure he will pass on the knowledge he learned from you and hopefully have kids of his own too share this gift with. Thanks John!!!
 
Way cool story and way to help an up and coming kid! My hat's off to you John!
 
I gotta say John, that was one impressive selfless act on your part. There isn't a bunch of people that would do what you did.

You Sir, most likely changed his life forever. My hat is off to you!
 
cool deal john!your a good man.i aplaude you and your efforts:prayer::prayer::prayer::prayer:
 
Be sure to give yourself a big pat on the back. You deserve it! You did something very special, and made a very positive influence on a young man's life! Hats off to you.
 
What you did was help shape that young man's life forever.As someone who lost his Father at 14 I can't help but think of a friends Father who helped me in my time of need. I applaud what you did.
 
john340,you are one top notch person in my book,people like you make the world a better place.
 
Go for a drive with the young man and video the smile on his face when he is driving the car you gave him so the rest of us can share in his and your pride. Good on you for doing this for him!


:prayer:
 
Thanks John for sharing a bit more of the story. That was not a minor undertaking.
 
What a great story and thanks for sharing it with us.

I think what you did for Joe is really nice even before you gave him the car. I was raised mostly by a single mother so I can kind of relate. I was fortunate to have a great set of grand parents that help me along in my youth. I hope this thread may inspires more of us to help out the younger generation when the opportunity may present itself.
 
1968dartman said:
Go for a drive with the young man and video the smile on his face when he is driving the car you gave him so the rest of us can share in his and your pride. Good on you for doing this for him!


:prayer:
Click to expand...


x2 and some build pics of the two of you working on it would be great.
 
John, I have read all the posts and I just wanted to add my thoughts. What you did is off the charts. Stories like these are what makes our hobby special. What you did for the young man might never be measured, but you changed his life and you touched our hearts. Thank you for what you did.
 
Again, as I said in the other post, that's just great. Really shows that people can still be kind to one another for nothing more then that.

Truly awesome.
 
I forgot what it looked like before :glasses7: again I applaud you for taking this young gun under your
wing and giving him a father/friend figure and fill his life with some great memories he will never forget as he moves forward in life :colors:
You have made a giant difference in Joe's life and
made a friend for life, something tells me this young man will do the same one day. :colors:
Thank you John, life looks a lot better around me on this day :glasses7: this should be written
up and a story of a young man and his new found friend that let him in his life :colors:
 
Not many people like you around john340 ! Nice to see some good for change, what you did was fantastic !!
 
I read Joe's post last night and it is obvious you have had a tremendous positive impact on this young man. How great of you to see that he needed the type of mentoring and teaching that you were willing and able to provide. Hats off to you!
 
Huzzah!!!! Well done, sir!!! (and the time invested will outshine the Dart, too!)
I salute you both!
 
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