I know there alot of Dads that do most of the automobile work around home. Don't you remember the days when you were young and something was wrong with your automobile? You'd say, "Dad somethings wrong with my truck,(or car in alot of cases)". His reply was, "Well I guess you better figure out what's wrong and get busy fixing it". So you'd go and get after it and repair the problems. If you didn't you didn't just stayed broke or you didn't drive anywhere.

These days your kids look at you and tell you the problem and you try telling them that same thing, but funny you look up in a week or so and you find yourself on your back or under the hood because they can't do it or won't in some cases.

Yesterday, I found myself on my back underneath my son's truck bolting his tailpipe to the frame to keep it stable. It came loose about 6 weeks ago, and I told him that he needed to get a heavy duty Muffler Clamp,(U-Bolt) and fix it. For the likes of me I can't figure out how hard that was to do. I still can't figure out why I ended up doing it when it only took me about 30 min, about 10 min. if I had it up on a lift.

I'm sure some have had simular expeirences.

Guess mine is positive. After decades of doing mechanical and body work on pieces of iron we owned - some of it has rubbed off on the older boy who turned 18 last year. After HS graduation he took a couple months to relax (screw off) before starting college at night. After getting bored he went down to the Hummer Store (GM) and landed a tech job without any formal training. He is now reaping some decent rewards. Continuing School, decent job with pay advancements, and free advanced training from GM

Oh - and he has all his own tools now!

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BENZ THERE DONE THAThttp://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/...c/progress.gif
15 VW Passat TDI
00 E420
98 E300 DT
97 E420 Donor Car - NEED PARTS? PM ME!
97 S500
97 E300D
86 Holden Jackaroo Turbo D
86 300SDL
(o\|/o)

Awesome! I may see if my son wants to do that as well. He graduates in May. He's going to college, but I may suggest that he does part time He may gain something from it.

My daughter isn't old enough to drive yet, but she has helped me do work on my vehicles so that at some point in time, she can do a bit of it on her own.

I hope to find a nice example of a W126 as her first car. Not a lot of electronics, still repairable for shade-tree mechanics, and most of all, decent protection in the event of an impact from one of these monster-truck driving yahoos!

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2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle
2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car
2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver
2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car

My first car was a 59 Karman Ghia. got the body from my brother who wanted the good engine in it and I got the blown engine. rebuilt it, not very well though, and drove it. dumped that when the "little old lady" across the street sold me her 63 Checy Impala convertible. Actually that littl old lady was my current age when Igot it .
My sons 65 Mustang was a 2.5 year project Just to get it on the road. It has continuously been a project ever since. But his knowledge ahs increased tremendously and I provide more guidance then wrench turning. Especially since its in Oklahoma with him. His group of fiends are very wrench happy at their current age right now. 21. His feind with the 68 Cougar is on teh SAE racing team at University of Texas, Austin and a Mechanical Engineer major. His other fiend works at a speed shop while going to school. so they are turning into a bunch of wrenchheads.
Here was their Chistmas project, getting the Mustand ready for a paint job.

December 23 in my shop.

My Daughter will get right under the car with me working on her car. she does not mind getting greasy and really loves her car, the 83 240D.

I worked a deal with my kids, something I learned from a senior captain while flying as his Flight engineer. He split the cost of a car with his son. Hie son had to pay for any parts that he needed to get the car going and his son ad to do the work, With his guidance of course. this was what we did with our kids. but the Mustang was a little more involved and for 2 months my Daughter was at school so I did the wrenching.

Dave

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1970 220D, owned 1980-1990
1980 240D, owned 1990-1992
1982 300TD, owned 1992-1993
1986 300SDL, owned 1993-2004
1999 E300, owned 1999-2003
1982 300TD, 213,880mi, owned since Nov 18, 1991- Aug 4, 2010 SOLD
1988 560SL, 100,000mi, owned since 1995
1965 Mustang Fastback Mileage Unknown(My sons)
1983 240D, 176,000mi (My daughers) owned since 2004
2007 Honda Accord EX-L I4 auto, the new daily driver
1985 300D 264,000mi Son's new daily driver.(sold)
2008 Hyundai Tiberon. Daughters new car

When Thing One started to drive we found a beater F100 that needed brakes, an alternator and a clutch. Before that vehicle ever left the driveway with him behind the wheel, he had enough hands on experience and sweat-equity in it to have a fair amount of respect for what it took to keep a car going. Thing Two went through the same lesson with the vehicle that is now called "The TOAD" and when the Toyota pickup she bought from her brother finally puked a head gasket, I said that I'd be happy to rebuild the top end...but only if she was willing to get in there and work whenever I worked on it....Scout is a trooper and we worked hard side by side until we had it going again. The benefit being that now there's one more young woman that won't be hoodwinked by a mechanic and a mechanical engineering student walking the planet that has real hands-on experience with working on something functional. After that project (and my cussing about it) you can bet too that she'll never willingly design something as stupidly positioned as the exhaust downpipe flange on a Toyota 3VZE.

FWIW-That Toyota project had to be some the best time I've EVER spent with my children.

Nellybell, the W115 240D, is Scout's daily driver and has achieved some level of notarity at her school since it is practically 30 years older than the plethora of SUVs and other Detroit junk in the parking lots there. Remember, this is a gorilla knob car with series glow plugs and she's fully qualified in troubleshooting potential starting issues.

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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.