> > My 'Dan Hughes' story occurred back in High School when I was stupid as
> > to the ways of the mechanical world. I had a 1977 Honda Civic,
<snip>
> >
> > Thomas James Pokrefke, III
I did something similar to my Papa's sports car, when I was first
learning to drive. I suppose it qualifies as a Dan Hughes story.
He had a Datsun 280Z he'd bought for to ease the pains of his mid-life
crisis, and he thought to treat me to a 'let's learn to drive' session
in it. He was trying to teach me some things about driving a manual
gearbox. He backed the car up to one of those little concrete parking
space dividers, gave the car over to me, and patiently explained the
mechanics of the clutch-and-gas deal, for something like half an hour,
with illustrations on a paper napkin and a lot of gesticulation. I'd
driven tractors every summer since I was 8, but for some reason Papa
decided that with a sports car, extra explanation was necessary.
Upon finishing his sermon on the stick, Papa actually let me start the
car and said, "Go ahead son, now ease out the clutch and give her some
gas ... just like we talked about ... but be careful! She's a powerful
beast." He wasn't kidding ... that car has a lot of get up and go. And I
must say, for my first time in a sports car, I did very well with
getting it into motion.
Unfortunately, during this whole rambling spiel, Papa had never shifted
the car back into first. I backed the poor Z over the parking block,
suspending the wheels about four inches above the pavement.
He didn't let me touch it again until he sold it to me eight years
later.
Corey
75 MGB 'Rags'
RD#373750
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