Ok, I had to share this one.

The boys (my 8 year old twins) have actually started wanting to help me work on the car. On Saturday, they helped me paint the back side of the fenders. Since I had them off I went ahead and painted them, they were showing just a slight amount of surface rust but nothing major at all.

I just about have my new fender apron / radiator support in now....have a few more welds to go along the bottom of the radiator support but getting there. My el-cheapo welder has a pretty low duty cycle so it has been slow going. Not to mention I have never done this before so really taking my time. Also taking my time to clean up some things since it is apart anyway.

Yesterday they were playing in the yard waiting for a friend to come over and I was messing around with the car. I had to drill some new holes in the fender apron to put in the bolts that hold the deal that covers the shock on the back side of the shock tower...whatever that piece is called....the star washer bolts on the side of your engine bay hold it on. One of the boys decided he wanted to help. So I let him drill the holes...granted all he did was squeeze the trigger on the drill and I kept my hands on it to help push it hard enough but you would have thought he was the greatest mechanic in the world because he drilled two holes, LOL! Now he wants to use the welder....I told him he'd have to wait a few years on that one.....

Guess we have at least one new classic Mustang fan because now he is telling me when he gets 16 he wants to build "one that the top comes off"

 

Thats awsome man! Get them into it.. I think my daughter (4yrs on Wednesday) wants a Pink convertible. and I definately will build one..

 

Gotta love it! My four year old girl came and sat down on the sofa next to me the other day while I was reading Mustang Monthly. Usually she will take it out of my hands so I will read her books to her, but she just started commenting on all the cool cars in the mag. What I loved most was that she said nothing about the newer cars, but when a classic was on the page she said "COOL!!!!"
My nine year old is very logical and curious. I have really enjoyed explaing how things work to him. I've recently been rebuilding the brakes, so we have had several discussions about how the brake pedal makes the car stop. I love that I can go out to the car and show him what I am talking about. It makes it so powerful for him.

 

I think it is great myself, these days it saves you a ton of money knowing how to do things yourself and I was happy they showed an interest. The more positive stuff I can find to keep them busy with the less time they have for getting in trouble when they get older. Plus doing a father / son / son project in a few years would be fun. One thing is certain...if they build one themselves with blood, sweat and tears they would be a lot less likely to tear it up then some of the rich brats around here that get handed a car when they turn 16.

When I was growing up my dad was never around since he left to run off with the office **** when I was 3. My step-dad is a good guy but not mechanical at all. So I had to wait till I was 16 or 17 when I started dating a girl who's dad was always working on cars and I would help him out every chance I got and learned a ton. I have always wished that I could have started learning more earlier because when kiddos are young they just absorb information like a sponge.

But young boys really love that kind of stuff. I know when I was growing up my grand dad had a full wood shop out back and I used to love to go out and help him build projects.

Besides if they learn some starting this young maybe they can get a first job working in a shop or something when they are older...sure to pay better than the crappy minimum wage grocery store job I had. I know one summer in college I worked at a company that made oil field machinery and made a lot better money then flipping burgers or whatever. Not to mention after a summer of running a sand blaster, turning wrenches, etc in this Texas heat I went back to school the next semester and made dean's list, LOL!