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maveRick
06-04-2002, 07:58 PM
Okay, here I was out in the driveway tearing the 90 Vert apart. My 10 y/o son is helping me (actually pretty handy with an air-ratchet). I’m answering his sixty questions an hour. “What is this thing? What is that thing?”, all the things I used to ask (or should have) at the age of 10.

We were both up working on the car by 9:00 and exhausted by 3:00 today. The sun wasn’t kind to either of us. We couldn’t drink enough water and root-beer (his fav).

While doing more ‘mechanic work’ (garage detail), he walked over to me holding “something blue" as he's looking at it. As he’s in the middle of asking me what the “blue thing” is, he proceeds to stumble, drop the blue thing and step right on top of it. CRUNCH! He slowly picks up his foot to reveal about a hundred pieces of blue plastic – ‘something’. He quickly tries to piece it all together so it'd look like I might could super-glue it back together.

He looks up at me (like I’m gonna skin him alive) and says, “oops?”.

I don’t even know what the blue thing was. It didn’t matter. It was hot. We'd been working non-stop and he was hanging out with a 'real mechanic' (uh....he still thinks I am, so please don't tell him the truth).

I ask him just to sit down for a while (sweat was dripping off his face) and to take it easy. He proceeds to sit, no – straddle, the item nearest me – a 20 gallon air compressor.

I’m half-way listening to him when he says to himself, “I bet I can ride this thing!” So he proceeds to "gallop" the 20 gallon compressor in to the sunset.

As 10 year old boys are curious as to what ‘things’ do what, he decided to give a tug on the on the pop-off valve ring - which immediatley unleashes 130 psi of air right in his face, at the same time - because of the drop in pressure – the motor kicks on! I look up just in time to see his feet straight up in the air as he’s falling backwards off the compressor!

“What was THAT thing!??” he says after the compressor turns off.

I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard!

Neither of us will ever know what the “blue thing” was, but he DEFINETLEY knows what a pop-off valve is now!

My ribs still hurt!

Rusman
06-04-2002, 08:29 PM
LOL!

That's pretty much how I learned not to do things...by doing them and getting hurt or embarrassed!

That's cool that he's into cars at such a young age! Hopefully he'll keep that interest going.

Timebomb
06-04-2002, 08:42 PM
That's a great story Rick. I can't wait till mine is old enough to share in events like this but I have a couple of years to wait...

BTW if the kid is 10 where is his Jr. Dragster?

Shaggy
06-04-2002, 08:55 PM
I wish I was there i laughed till I cried just from reading it....reminds me of the way things are around here sometimes...and how I learned.
http://www.AzChatfield.net/Comebacks/OhCrap.jpg

Bubstang
06-04-2002, 11:25 PM
Cool Rick!
I'm with Brent though, you need to get that Jr.Dragster going so I can buy your handme downs in a few years. My 3y/o (girl) is chompin at the bits to get one.

Later,
Bubba

maveRick
06-04-2002, 11:45 PM
At the risk of getting all mushy-n-stuff, kids are great - at any age.

I find myself living vicariously through him.

Oh...to be 10 again....





(pic of Tyler and Granps)

maveRick
06-04-2002, 11:49 PM
LOL @ the pic you posted, Shag



He did say afterwards, "It's a good thing I just went to the BATHROOM!"

red95gts
06-05-2002, 01:13 AM
Like Brent mentioned...I can't wait to have my son out there "helping"...LOL

I'm sure it'll be here before I know it! Hell, the last 3.5 months have FLOWN by....:)

maveRick
06-05-2002, 09:43 AM
Originally posted by Big Shot
BTW if the kid is 10 where is his Jr. Dragster?

Actually, we looked into that. There are plenty of 'outgrown' JR Dragsters out their at LOW LOW LOW prices (complete outfits for $3K or less), but like Chris mentioned, it won't be long and he'll be wanting a Mustang of his own.

I'm going to keep an eye out for a steal-of-a-deal on a project car for him to work on for him to have when he's old enough to drive it down the track (he's already called dibs on the Maverick though - might be a tug-o'-war in our future).

Chris, as far as me taking him out to the track - I have, on plenty of occasions. The little ingrate only wants to the "Big Dawgs" and Pro-Streets though. Once he saw those, "Street Racers" at the track just doesn't get his adrineline flowing like it used to! :) "Awh...those cars are SO slow" blah blah blah...." (little ingrate, I tell'ya!).

I ought duct tape him to my air compressor and set off the pop-off valve. :D