Was your dad a gear head or no?

[Kern Dog]

No, my father was a master carpenter and didn't know anything about a car, except if it was dirty or clean.

My dad was a mason contractor and could build anything with stone but nothing automotive.

It surprises me that there are people that are so skilled at hands on trade work but just don't grasp the principles of automobile repair.
I worked with a variety of guys in the trades that were great in their field as well as being at least competent in other things...Plumbers that could frame, Electricians that could plot an HVAC system, Carpenters that could rough in the plumbing. I have only known a very few that knew enough to be competent at almost everything.
I was a decent Carpenter/framer but never developed a high level of skill to pull wire and actually connect electrical outlets but I can do it.
I was interested in cars a few years before getting into construction. Dad liked cars but wasn't technical about them. I don't recall him ever doing anything more than adding a quart of oil.
Whatever gearhead traits that I have, I developed them myself. He got annoyed with me staining my clothes and getting oil/grease in the house. Mom had to act as a go-between several times, telling him that eventually, I'd save him money by fixing the family cars. She was right. I've saved the family a bunch of money in those 40 years.

 

[Cranky]

It surprises me that there are people that are so skilled at hands on trade work but just don't grasp the principles of automobile repair.
I worked with a variety of guys in the trades that were great in their field as well as being at least competent in other things...Plumbers that could frame, Electricians that could plot an HVAC system, Carpenters that could rough in the plumbing. I have only known a very few that knew enough to be competent at almost everything.
I was a decent Carpenter/framer but never developed a high level of skill to pull wire and actually connect electrical outlets but I can do it.
I was interested in cars a few years before getting into construction. Dad liked cars but wasn't technical about them. I don't recall him ever doing anything more than adding a quart of oil.
Whatever gearhead traits that I have, I developed them myself. He got annoyed with me staining my clothes and getting oil/grease in the house. Mom had to act as a go-between several times, telling him that eventually, I'd save him money by fixing the family cars. She was right. I've saved the family a bunch of money in those 40 years.

My dad was a carpenter and so was I but most of my work was in home construction. Did build some furniture but it was basic stuff. For awhile the shop had wood working tools in it and metal machines and quickly found out that they didn't mix so well with the wood working stuff so the wood working tools got sold off because I liked lathes and mills more. Dad could do stuff on cars but he didn't really like it that much probably because he did it when he was younger and well, he just didn't like it that much. He was a pretty good carpenter though and I learned a lot form him.

Also took wood working in school and took all that was available. In my senior year I took metal shop and even though the instructor didn't know how to weld, he knew how to strike up an arc and that's all it took for me. Never really got good at gas welding but did pretty well with MIG and Stick and got decent with TIG until my second torch died and said screw it.

 

[Don selleck]

My dad hated cars, transportation only was the interest, was more of a gardener, worked on it every spring and summer, about 2 acres worth, kept him busy. Was a factory rat at tecumseh products making refrigeration units and tecumseh engines retired in 1986, made it till oct. 2001 right after 9/11. Think about him often, didn't really seem to connect until his later years, RIP old man!

 

[Hey-O]

It surprises me that there are people that are so skilled at hands on trade work but just don't grasp the principles of automobile repair.
I worked with a variety of guys in the trades that were great in their field as well as being at least competent in other things...Plumbers that could frame, Electricians that could plot an HVAC system, Carpenters that could rough in the plumbing. I have only known a very few that knew enough to be competent at almost everything.
I was a decent Carpenter/framer but never developed a high level of skill to pull wire and actually connect electrical outlets but I can do it.
I was interested in cars a few years before getting into construction. Dad liked cars but wasn't technical about them. I don't recall him ever doing anything more than adding a quart of oil.
Whatever gearhead traits that I have, I developed them myself. He got annoyed with me staining my clothes and getting oil/grease in the house. Mom had to act as a go-between several times, telling him that eventually, I'd save him money by fixing the family cars. She was right. I've saved the family a bunch of money in those 40 years.

Greg,
Just like you could pull wire and connect outlets, but you probably never stuck you hand in the main box. Doesn't mean you couldn't or you weren't smart enough, you just didn't. The only thing I can't do is HVAC, weld very well, rebuild a rear end and rebuild a car transmission. Why, because I got lazy and had several friends that were very good at it, causing me to back away. My dad was the same way with cars. He had friends he would pay to do it, one less thing for him to deal with or bother to work with. My dad could add oil and man, did he keep a car clean, including under the hood. He didn't care what made it go, it just had to go! LOL. In other words, he'd be covered with sawdust, grease and where it came from was not his forte. I hated being rushed when working on a car. When I started building a few cars, I'd walk away if I wasn't enjoying it and come back later when the mood hit me. It just comes down to likes and dislikes..... Ulli

 

[eldubb440]

I realize now that pop had his hands full, and not much time to spend fixing things that got broken un-necessarily due to "monkey shines and shenanigans".......

for context, I was last of 8....... a mistake, 5 years after a mishap, who was 5 years after the other 6....... he was 46 when I was born, obviously a glutton for punishment

anyway, my brother, 5 years older than me bought a 67ish Impala; some of his friends were motor heads.......

one of them did a burnout leaving our house, I remember Pop being very adamant saying, "if I catch any of my kids burning the tires, they'll get a foot in their ***!"

when I was ready to drive 5 years later, he helped me buy a 68 Chevelle with an SS hood and dual exhaust!..... guess he mellowed out a bit

3 years later we drove over the bridge to philly to check out a 68 GTX....... he helped me out with that one too; and bought me a mig welder for Christmas

he'd be 104 right now, I like to believe he can see what I've been up to.

 

[Cranky]

I realize now that pop had his hands full, and not much time to spend fixing things that got broken un-necessarily due to "monkey shines and shenanigans".......

for context, I was last of 8....... a mistake, 5 years after a mishap, 5 years after the other 6....... he was 46 when I was born, obviously a glutton for punishment

anyway, my brother, 5 years older than me bought a 67ish Impala; some of his friends were motor heads.......

one of them did a burnout leaving our house, I remember Pop being very adamant saying, "if I catch any of my kids burning the tires, they'll get a foot in their ***!"

when I was ready to drive 5 years later, he helped me buy a 68 Chevelle with an SS hood and dual exhaust!..... guess he mellowed out a bit

3 years later we drove over the bridge to philly to check out a 68 GTX....... he helped me out with that one too; and bought me a mig welder for Christmas

he'd be 104 right now, I'd like to believe he can see what I've been up to.

My dad would be 103.....miss him too as we connected later in life. My dad helped me too after many years of fighting each other lol

 

[eldubb440]

My dad would be 103.....miss him too as we connected later in life. My dad helped me too after many years of fighting each other lol

my pop passed away 2 years later...... I was only 22 and still pretty stupid, but I think he had faith in me

 

[Cranky]

my pop passed away 2 years later...... I was only 22 and still pretty stupid, but I think he had faith in me

Sorry that he left so soon.....my dad was 77 when he left and I'm glad we connected finally a few years earlier. He wasn't exactly easy to talk with but I finally 'assembled the right words' that made him think about us and it was good from then on. It was like a light turned on and even though I was still his 'child', I wasn't a child anymore.

 

[Belvedere408]

I don’t know my real dad much but my mom said he had a Duster back in the 70s when they met. My stepdad was not a gear head but could do basic vehicle maintenance. I became a gear head from my best friend in school has had his 1967 Belvedere since he was 13 in 1994. He still has it 29 years later along with 3 more Mopars.

 

[fourgearsavoy]

My dad was a great mechanic and could weld or fabricate anything. He was heavy equipment mechanic with service truck with a welder and crane. He really never worked on cars for fun though just to keep them running. He always told me never be a mechanic because it's a dirty thankless job and you will never get rich busting your knuckles. But here I am a mechanic for over 40 years on everything from paving equipment to my current occupation as a Toyota technician for the last 34 years.
I make good money and I have about 40 regular customers that think I'm some sort of genius with a heart of gold.
Pop had a couple of Harleys that he rode and kept after them but that is as far as his "fun" gearhead stuff went.
He taught me everything I know about welding and mechanic work.
I lost him about 15 years ago and I do miss him.
Gus

 

[Cranky]

My dad was a great mechanic and could weld or fabricate anything. He was heavy equipment mechanic with service truck with a welder and crane. He really never worked on cars for fun though just to keep them running. He always told me never be a mechanic because it's a dirty thankless job and you will never get rich busting your knuckles. But here I am a mechanic for over 40 years on everything from paving equipment to my current occupation as a Toyota technician for the last 34 years.
I make good money and I have about 40 regular customers that think I'm some sort of genius with a heart of gold.
Pop had a couple of Harleys that he rode and kept after them but that is as far as his "fun" gearhead stuff went.
He taught me everything I know about welding and mechanic work.
I lost him about 15 years ago and I do miss him.
Gus

My dad told me pretty much the same.....but I fell in love with machinery. He told me that being a machinist was a dirty job and to stay away from it and I did until I got a job doing it after being out of a job and fell in love with it! I still love doing lathe and mill work even though it gets harder and harder for me to do....

 

[Hey-O]

Sorry that he left so soon.....my dad was 77 when he left and I'm glad we connected finally a few years earlier. He wasn't exactly easy to talk with but I finally 'assembled the right words' that made him think about us and it was good from then on. It was like a light turned on and even though I was still his 'child', I wasn't a child anymore.

My family was pretty tight, aside from the occasional BS I brought home. Coming so far and many times, the four of us were all we had. There was nothing left unsaid on the day he left. My brother called today and we had this conversation about family and the likes and dislikes. My brother is seven years older and remembers, lord knows not more, but earlier. My father would now be 97 and my mother, 96.

It doesn’t matter when you came back together, it nice that you did. It was closure for both of you.

 

[Cranky]

My family was pretty tight, aside from the occasional BS I brought home. Coming so far and many times, the four of us were all we had. There was nothing left unsaid on the day he left. My brother called today and we had this conversation about family and the likes and dislikes. My brother is seven years older and remembers, lord knows not more, but earlier. My father would now be 97 and my mother, 96.

It doesn’t matter when you came back together, it nice that you did. It was closure for both of you.

Tight family is always good! My sister is the pissed off one. She never forgave dad for bringing us to Texas from the north east but I think she is finally mellowing out now that she's about to turn.....77! That's how old dad was when he left the earth. She's even being somewhat nice to me lately and she has never been nice to me. I'm surprised she never moved back to the north east since she loved it so much but her husband's job never took them there I'm guessing.

 

[Budnicks]

Depends on which dad, my dad 'biological one' Harvey
(my mom kicked him out when I was 18 months old, for cheating on her
I'm the 3rd child)
He was handy & good business man, owned a delivery service, shoe buss.
then as a contractor when I was in HS
& then 20 years as a school bus driver/union contract negotiations rep.
He could do some of the basic stuff, really basic
but didn't really repair much 'if any', unless it was an emergency...
Now he takes everything to the dealership where he buys it...
Old habits are hard to break, no matter how hard I try
he's 87 lives with me now...

Now my step-dad Bob, he married my mom when I was 6
he was very mechanically inclined...
Total gearhead at the time...
Bob had a 39 Indian Chief (IIRC)
& also had a cool HotRod 35 Ford PU with a Roadmaster 425 Buick v8,
LaSalle trans/later T10 & Dana-60 rear, fast lil' truck...
A street racer, I remember a lot of rides & to "don't tell your mom...
He raced a 64 GTO 389 4speed in H/S like 12.50's @ 112-ish,
later 68 Firebird 400 Ram Air II 4 speed G/S 11.90s-12.0s
then a 70 GTO Judge 400 Ram Air IV 4 speed also G/S
& later F/S 11.50's-11.70s (? IIRC)
Car was supposed to be 'body in white' car, didn't come
so the Meridian Pontiac Dealership his best friend Wes worked at as a tech
they sold him the car off the lot, at the same price (as Body in White deal)
He had a 53 F100 352 FE with trick 428 heads T10 4 speed & Dana-60 Rear
he street raced "don't tell your mom", I learned to drive a car in that vehicle
"loved that truck" at 10 years old, Park & Shop Parking lot in Concord Ca.
He built many cars or even trikes & bikes
I grew up around racecars & the 28 tracks in Calif. loved the AA/FA , FE Dragsters
I learned many of the skills I have today, automotive or welding
& even plumbing from him (Union Welder/Pipefitter/Plumber)
He built my mom & my sisters a few cars, wagons, customs
on I really liked a 57 Ford 2 dr Del Rio Ranch wagon hopped up
FE 352 T10 4 speed (yeah mom was a hotrodder of sorts, just drove them)
that was another of my favorites...
Dad got her a ordered new Nov. 1967, her 1st & only new car ever
a GG1 & White top, w/white buckets interior
1968 Sport Satellite 383 4bbl 4 speed & dealer installed 3.91:1 gears/sure-grip
& custom wheels 15" polished slots, H60 rear & F60 frt raised white letter Uniroyal tires,
from SF Chrysler Plymouth...

I had several 2nd cousins quite older than me,
I called 'Uncle Jim & Pete, their good Marine buddy/friend was Uncle John',
all "total gearheads"
& my Great 'Uncle Tink' (their Jim & Pete's father, my dad Harvey's uncle),
All military guys that loved MoPars...
Tink was a Truck driver & farmer after the military, owned a huge farm
100+ years family owned ranch/farm 1,000+ acres on/in Bethal Island...
I learned a lot on an old Ford tractor from Uncle Tink, he have me steer it
riding on his seat him standing beside me, I couldn't reach the peddle even yet.
His wife, my Aunt Anne, salt of the earth (she had a 340 Duster 4 speed)
Mom took me out there to visit, (these were my dad's Harvey's kin)
so I could have a good male influence in my life, they loved my mom...
Anyway she/Anne had a cool old photo (I wish I had it) of me at like 2-3 y/o
sitting in a oil drain pan, covered in dirty oil, that Tink just changed...
Tink had 2 speeds haul *** & stop...
When I was really young he had a cool custom Hudson, always driving fast...
He always had some sort of MoPar, or big Chrysler...
I inherited a 68 Barracuda Formula S 383 4 speed, from 'Uncle' Jim
(he died young at 39, of complication from agent orange chemicals used in Viet Nam)
he was a bad *** military guy, Vietnam in the Marines 1st & then
reenlisted in the Army, to become a Green Beret Lt.
He followed in my Uncles footsteps, Tink was enlisted in 41',
worked up to a Col. also 1st in the Marines then Green Beret later
he fought in WWII, Korea Marines & then Vietnam as a Green Beret Col.

I had another older cousin Joe, like 5-6 (?) years or so older...
Had a really good job at Chevron as an operator, made good $$...
We were close, he'd come & pick me up to go cruising or riding...
I got a bunch of hand me down projects from him, when he grew out of them
or got bored...
Mini-Bike Go-Cart dirt-bike 'I earned', that he gave me for helping
with his projects...
He was always having/paying Bob (Stepdad) always building/welding,
body work or painting him something...
Choppers or trikes or cars/Hot Rods/Customs etc.
I cut my teeth on a many projects of Joe's...
I'd be right out there helping, hand them tools, doing some dirty work,
cleaning or sanding on something usually...

I just carried way farther then any of them...
Equal Opportunity Gearhead

You get the gist...

 

[PlymCrazy]

Here’s to all the Dad stories in this thread…