Be a Car Restoration Mentor. C'mon, it doesn't hurt...

I was just finishing the work on the wooden rolling cart that would carry the Thunderbird's body for the next several months when the phone rang. It seems a neighbor of mine works with a woman whose 15 year-old son is crazy about cars and car restoration. The young man has been pestering his parents to buy him an old sports car that he could "fix up" in the garage (sound familiar?)

She was a bit hesitant, but eventually she asked if I would consider letting her son come over and observe the car restoration process on some Saturday. She said he was eager to help out, but warned that kids have a way of losing their enthusiasm pretty quickly. Anyway, I said yes, realizing that this could represent a waste of time for me if the young man didn't pull his weight.

That conversation set me to thinking about when I was 15. I'd have jumped at a chance to get involved in a big-time car restoration and learn to use all the shop tools, not to mention having an expert teach me automotive theory. If I could instill the love of the automobile in a budding new car-guy, I thought, then why not?

The young man showed up the following Saturday with his father. After introductions and light chat, dad left and we got to work. I had planned to remove the engine from the frame that day, so after some explanations and a safety lecture we got to work.

The young lad (Cameron, by name) proved to be inquisitive, helpful and not afraid to get his hands dirty. Once I'd explain the nuances of, say, setting up the proper extensions on a socket wrench he'd go right to it and crank away. He quickly learned to love the impact driver after his shoulders got sore from turning wrenches, by the way.

Cameron even came up with a few clever suggestions. A particularly sticky cylinder head wouldn't come off and he solved the problem by hitching up the engine crane and using it to pull while we carefully tapped knife blades into the gasket. As every piece was removed he got more and more fascinated with the design of engines.

We got the engine out and onto the rolling stand just as his father arrived at the end of the day. It was obvious by then that Cameron had the car restoration "bug." He'll be back many more times, I'm sure, and his father will probably join him. It's not that dad is that interested in cars or car restoration, but he recognizes the opportunity to bond with his son on a long-term project. How often does an opportunity like that come around these days?

If you have the chance to be a car restoration mentor to a young man or woman, do it. You might influence the next generation in some way, and at the very least you'll get some help.