But for the engine conversion this sounds eerily like myself.

Stephen

--- On Thu, 8/14/08, neil N <musomuso@GMAIL.COM> wrote:

> From: neil N <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
> Subject: Re: Are Today's Young People Mechanical Nitwits?
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Date: Thursday, August 14, 2008, 7:28 PM
> Learning how to get things done yourself. For sure. --- :^)
>
> I'm sure part of my Dad's master plan, was to see
> how well I did
> removing that engine, replacing the broken "hockey
> stick" in the
> tranny and "rebuilding" that 36 HP engine. He did
> buy it after all,
> and he paid for parts for the first while. A totally decent
> thing to
> do I must say. I digress....
>
> I did learn the value of sticking with something (well most
> things
> anyway) and that one should be able to rely on themselves
> to do
> things. Working on this Beetle did teach me some valuable
> lessons.
>
> I can put take apart and put together a computer tower, I
> cook ok, I
> can't sew worth a darn, but I can fix my dryer, washer,
> or stove (the
> "old school" ones anyway), do some aspects of
> renovating, etc.
>
> And I too got yelled at (for good reason) about related
> things.
>
> "Put the tools back!" and what not.
>
> I still have a cluttered bench.... --- ;^)
>
> But This all paid off. Now I have a running engine
> conversion in my Westy!
>
> Cheers,
>
> Neil.
>
> On Thu, Aug 14, 2008 at 10:57 AM, Aristotle Sagan
> <killer.jupiter@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Well, yes...
> >
> > Spend half as much money and twice as much time as you
> think is right on
> > your kids.
> >
> > My Dad (MHRIP) had me out there on cold February
> nights explaining how to
> > rebuild a carb on a 65 Rambler, how the transmission
> rods worked on a 63
> > Pontiac Tempest (and why torque tubes are a bad design
> on a 68 International
> > Travellal). How to rebuild brakes and bleed them, etc.
> etc. Yep, I got
> > yelled at occasionally when showing initiative (Where
> the HELL did you put
> > those lug nuts?!) He gave me presents like a wood
> lathe at the age of 12, a
> > drill press at the age of 13, and a band sander at 14.
> At 17 I got my first
> > set of Craftsman tools (He was tired of me losing his)
> and the promise that
> > if I fixed the brakes and transmission issues on said
> Tempest, I could have
> > it. Fixed the transmission, never got around to the
> brakes ( I couldn't
> > afford the insurance to get it on the road).
> >
> > The one thing he taught me carried over to all aspects
> of life... Don't
> > expect others to do your life's chores for you.
> Not your sisters, not your
> > girlfriends, not your wife, not the guy down at the
> service station.
> >
> >  Hence I cook, I clean, I built my own computers, I
> program, I have rebuilt
> > the gas tank system on an 83 Vanagon, troubleshoot
> robotic systems, I make
> > my own quilts, I have a woodshop most of you would
> love to own. I have
> > replaced the engine in an 84 vanagon, rebuilt the
> bottom end of an 81
> > Scirroco, rebuilt the head on a 78 Celica GT (Now that
> was a nice car). I
> > have a darkroom where I can process and develop up to
> 8x10 negatives,
> > enlarge up to 4x5 black and white (just not interested
> in color) and.. I
> > don't watch TV. Neither do my kids except for
> movies that we monitor. Still
> > haven't gotten them to change the oil in the
> family car yet...
> >
> > Anyhow,
> >
> > Thanks Dad.
> >
> > tim in san jose
> >
> >