My wife and I have volunteered for over 30 years in the local county 4-H program. My wife much much more than me. Last night we were judges for kids doing "public presentations". Most did presentations on their 4-H project, but there were no reasonable restrictions on subject. Overall the kids did pretty well.
And then....
In walked a 9-year-old boy with his dad carrying a very heavy box.
They spread out an engine block and all the internal parts on a blanket on the table and they set up a poster board for another visual. The dad then left the room, leaving just the 9-year-old, Rory, my wife and I.
He introduced himself and started with his poster carefully pointing out the Ford 9N tractor he and his grandpa had rebuilt, along with a go-cart and an ATV.
Then, to my surprise, he handled each part and explained it's function, covering the flywheel, crankshaft, camshaft, and cylinder head. He also explained the difference between the intake and exhaust valves, and how the carburetor works.
All the other presenters during the evening had notes. This young lad did not. The only other thing he had was a pair of gloves he wore to handle the greasy parts.
I was floored!
He scored a perfect 100 points and I just wanted to hug this kid. He wasn't all that much taller than the top of the engine block sitting on the table.
Young Mechanic
- Paul Hatfield
- 356 Registry Member
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- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2008 5:46 pm
- Location: Washington State
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Young Mechanic
Last edited by Paul Hatfield on Thu Feb 10, 2022 12:11 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Paul Hatfield
"Miss April"
http://www.enginesinback.com
"Miss April"
http://www.enginesinback.com
- David Jones
- Classifieds Moderator
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Re: Young Mechanic
I hope you offered him a ride in a 356.
If I had known I would live this long I would have pushed the envelope a little harder.
Cymru am byth
David Jones #9715
Cymru am byth
David Jones #9715
- Phil Planck
- 356 Fan
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- Adam Wright
- Classifieds Monitor
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Re: Young Mechanic
Get them started young, teach them it's not all about computers. My then 10 year old son riding our back yard track.
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Check out my Barn Find column in the Registry magazine, always looking for good stories.
Check out my Barn Find column in the Registry magazine, always looking for good stories.
- Doug McDonnell
- 356 Fan
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- Location: Augusta,Michigan
Re: Young Mechanic
Too bad Grandpa wasn't there. That kid will never forget the time they spent together.
1965 356C 2000 BMW 740i Sport 1967 Honda CL77 There is never enough time to do it right, but always enough time to do it over.
- Cliff Murray
- 356 Fan
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Re: Young Mechanic
That is a very touching story. Thank you for sharing and giving some old motörheads more hope in the future.
1957 Speedster
1959 Sunroof
1960 Devin D Porsche racer
1963 GS2133 Coupe
1967 911S
2003 575M
Various vintage motorcycles
1959 Sunroof
1960 Devin D Porsche racer
1963 GS2133 Coupe
1967 911S
2003 575M
Various vintage motorcycles
- Paul Hatfield
- 356 Registry Member
- Posts: 1149
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2008 5:46 pm
- Location: Washington State
- Contact:
Re: Young Mechanic
Yes it is. I didn't put it in my original post, but it turns out that Grandpa passed away about 2 months before. He had a very close connection with his grandson, and during the ceremony at the church, this young boy stood up in front of everyone and talked about his Grandpa.Too bad Grandpa wasn't there
Paul Hatfield
"Miss April"
http://www.enginesinback.com
"Miss April"
http://www.enginesinback.com
- Martin Benade
- 356 Fan
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- Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Re: Young Mechanic
Very nice story, all the layers of it.
Cliff, I see you put an umlaut in motor, a sly shoutout for your favorite pre- heavy metal band Motörhead. Not my style though.
Cliff, I see you put an umlaut in motor, a sly shoutout for your favorite pre- heavy metal band Motörhead. Not my style though.
Cleveland Ohio
62 Cabriolet
56 VW
02 IS 300
04 Sienna
62 Cabriolet
56 VW
02 IS 300
04 Sienna