Brian, thanks for putting this thread in perspective. I just lost my grandfather this past November, he was a seriously cool dude who built tons of cool stuff over the years. He spent the last 15 years caring tirelessly for my grandmother who had rheumatoid arthritis and was bedridden for the last 3 years. I really started to appreciate him when I was in my 20s, but by that time most of his days were spent caring for my grandmother, so we didn't get to spend much time doing things together. My grandmother passed this past spring, and despite the pain of her loss, I looked forward to being able to spend more time with my grandfather. He was in great health for being 80, but he only outlived my grandmother by 6 months due to a tragic accident while trying to clean his gutters at his house.
He was probably the most influential "gearhead" in my life growing up, although I don't think I would refer to him as a "hot rodder". He was an excellent fabricator, and had the mentality that things should be built, not bought. Case in point, when he was younger, he needed a tractor for plowing snow and yardwork, but he didn't just go out and buy one. Instead he cut up a rusted out Crosley and built a tractor from the parts. He fabricated his own gear reduction drop boxes for it, bell housing and adapter plate to run a 10hp motor to the Crosley clutch and transmission, built a leaf blower for it using a squirrel cage fan from a house HVAC unit, etc. He was great with wood, too, building his house from scratch in a barn, then hauling the pre-made sections from the barn and assembling the house on its foundation. He also made his own kitchen cabinets from scratch, and they look better and are stronger than anything you can buy.
On the contrary, despite his experience and skills, I never once heard him say "you're doing it wrong". He wouldn't give his opinion unless you asked him for it. It took me a long time to realize that, and I found myself asking him more and more questions the last few years, as I came to appreciate him more and more. I'm so grateful for that time, but crushed that I lost him so suddenly. I still have to drag home the flathead Ford V8 that he saved from his '36 Ford Coupe (cut up for scrap in the late 40s). He planned to use the engine, not for a hot rod project, but to power a water pump to supply water to his house. He ended up using a different engine, so it still sits in the barn. He gave it to me a few year back because he knew I'd appreciate it.
He was probably the most influential "gearhead" in my life growing up, although I don't think I would refer to him as a "hot rodder". He was an excellent fabricator, and had the mentality that things should be built, not bought. Case in point, when he was younger, he needed a tractor for plowing snow and yardwork, but he didn't just go out and buy one. Instead he cut up a rusted out Crosley and built a tractor from the parts. He fabricated his own gear reduction drop boxes for it, bell housing and adapter plate to run a 10hp motor to the Crosley clutch and transmission, built a leaf blower for it using a squirrel cage fan from a house HVAC unit, etc. He was great with wood, too, building his house from scratch in a barn, then hauling the pre-made sections from the barn and assembling the house on its foundation. He also made his own kitchen cabinets from scratch, and they look better and are stronger than anything you can buy.
On the contrary, despite his experience and skills, I never once heard him say "you're doing it wrong". He wouldn't give his opinion unless you asked him for it. It took me a long time to realize that, and I found myself asking him more and more questions the last few years, as I came to appreciate him more and more. I'm so grateful for that time, but crushed that I lost him so suddenly. I still have to drag home the flathead Ford V8 that he saved from his '36 Ford Coupe (cut up for scrap in the late 40s). He planned to use the engine, not for a hot rod project, but to power a water pump to supply water to his house. He ended up using a different engine, so it still sits in the barn. He gave it to me a few year back because he knew I'd appreciate it.
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