One of the first "real jobs" I ever had was working for my dad as his helper. By real I mean I could afford to go to the dealership and order myself a brand new 1978 F250 4x4 XLT pickup. That things was $8,600.00! and I financed it for 3 years! Today? Add a zero to the amount...The one and ONLY car I wish was still in my garage was 1964 Sport Fury convertible 361 Commando. Completely unbadged sleeper from factory. Seafoam green exterior with matching interior. Remember those old Torgueflight transmissions? Couple minor changes and they shifted pretty nice! It wasn't a street racer but sure was a fun car! Convertibles were chick magnets!8 track, 8 speakers and cruising were nights to remember! Drive ins with top down on warm summer night. Dammmmm! Those were days etched in forever.
BTW, saw this and laughed, cause I got really good at fixing this simple mistake. Bet none of you ever did this!
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My dad said I was wasting money. He had just bought a brand new F150 with a 6 cyl, three on the tree, for less than 3,000.00. Both were work trucks that we drove all over the central US. He did have a house payment to make so there was that added responsibility. $86.00 a month if I remember right. I remember when they paid it off. It was a huge burden lifted from him.
My dad fought Hodgkins disease (cancer) off but had to "go back to his tools" as he called it because the chemo and radiation knocked him down so bad. When he paid their house off, he made sure my mom and his kids had a roof over their head. It took awhile for me to understand just how much he went through to feed and take care of his family. Best thing I ever did was work for my dad...
He was an instrument fitter and one of the first things I had to learn how to do was flare tubing. I think fuel and brake lines are double / SAE 45 degree flares. We were connecting gas and air lines up so we only used the 45 degree flare aka AN flare. Not too long after I started we got to use Swagelok tubing fittings. Those #$&$% flares could be a pita. I'd get the flare almost done and it would crack. I wasn't taking my time. I eventually learned but I sure was glad when we stopped using flared ends.
