my89notchback
Club Member
So this spring, my dad was diagnosed with lung cancer. A three inch by three inch mass at the opening of his left lung. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do was tell him he had cancer when he woke up.
I have been pretty fortunate to have been brought up working in the garage with my dad on cars my whole life. When I was 8 yrs old he bought this raged out 1973 Corvette with a clapped out 327 in it. Most of the car came home in the trunk of our other car. Extended family laughed at it and made fun of it, but he worked on it with me in his shadows following and asking a million questions about ever move he made. I can remember taking parts to school for the science fair. I was in love with that car. It ended up being black with new saddle interior and was in the day what I thought was fast.
Fast forward 10 years, my dad bought a drag boat. 18ft 454ci jet drive water rocket. By this time I was picking things up on my own and we went crazy. I had a great job as a 20 something in the automotive design industry with no dependents or cares as I still lived at home. We raced the boat for a while and then built a monster motor for it. It ended up being a 690hp 13:1 468BBC. Dart heads the whole nine. Well we soon found the limits of the boat hull. So I bought my first air intrapment hull. Out of the box with that motor it ran the quarter in just over 10 sec at 87mph. Just my dad and I racing. Mom thought we were nuts. This boat was so light it shook like jello when that engine idled. We made it thru that fase which out injury somehow. Lol
Eventually I ended up married and was expecting my first son. The boat left but my dad and I still hit the cruises and built a killer 64 Plymouth Fury for him. I wanted to give him something back for all he tought me.
My son and I had been putting this 86 mustang together for about 4 years. (Three kids now) me dad was in the garage with us mocking it up, placing the engine etc. 3 generations of us wrenching on this car. He watched all the crazy crap go into this car and had to be asking what is wrong with you? ( I know my wife did)
We weren't sure how the whole cancer thing was going to end up. Tons of thinking about the past and all we did together and if it would continue with my boys and I. He ended up beating the cancer after 6 laps my months of treatment. Today, three generations, me,my son and my dad took the car out to show him how it ran. I live in the sticks, so we found a flat back road, cleaned the tires off and I left at 6k on the trans brake. When we got to the corner, we were all laughing so hard at the tire smoke in the car that it was absolutely priceless. That was dads first ride in the car. We'll never forget it.
Be a great dad to your kids and give your dad a hug. You just never know.
I have been pretty fortunate to have been brought up working in the garage with my dad on cars my whole life. When I was 8 yrs old he bought this raged out 1973 Corvette with a clapped out 327 in it. Most of the car came home in the trunk of our other car. Extended family laughed at it and made fun of it, but he worked on it with me in his shadows following and asking a million questions about ever move he made. I can remember taking parts to school for the science fair. I was in love with that car. It ended up being black with new saddle interior and was in the day what I thought was fast.
Fast forward 10 years, my dad bought a drag boat. 18ft 454ci jet drive water rocket. By this time I was picking things up on my own and we went crazy. I had a great job as a 20 something in the automotive design industry with no dependents or cares as I still lived at home. We raced the boat for a while and then built a monster motor for it. It ended up being a 690hp 13:1 468BBC. Dart heads the whole nine. Well we soon found the limits of the boat hull. So I bought my first air intrapment hull. Out of the box with that motor it ran the quarter in just over 10 sec at 87mph. Just my dad and I racing. Mom thought we were nuts. This boat was so light it shook like jello when that engine idled. We made it thru that fase which out injury somehow. Lol
Eventually I ended up married and was expecting my first son. The boat left but my dad and I still hit the cruises and built a killer 64 Plymouth Fury for him. I wanted to give him something back for all he tought me.
My son and I had been putting this 86 mustang together for about 4 years. (Three kids now) me dad was in the garage with us mocking it up, placing the engine etc. 3 generations of us wrenching on this car. He watched all the crazy crap go into this car and had to be asking what is wrong with you? ( I know my wife did)
We weren't sure how the whole cancer thing was going to end up. Tons of thinking about the past and all we did together and if it would continue with my boys and I. He ended up beating the cancer after 6 laps my months of treatment. Today, three generations, me,my son and my dad took the car out to show him how it ran. I live in the sticks, so we found a flat back road, cleaned the tires off and I left at 6k on the trans brake. When we got to the corner, we were all laughing so hard at the tire smoke in the car that it was absolutely priceless. That was dads first ride in the car. We'll never forget it.
Be a great dad to your kids and give your dad a hug. You just never know.
