Dad's abuse

[Barry Donovan]

I thought my dad was the last one to do this to kids.

funny story..
he sent me off with one of his friends, we were all travelling together. Convoy kind of thing.
his friend gets in the passenger side and said "let's go." of the truck we called the canary (ryder rental)
Well, I was 12 years old. Getting too old to just sit there as passenger.
Away I went, through secondary roads rowing the gears. Trailer and loaded.
that was 1984 or so.

the guy I was with ended up a police chief. The tail end of very old school. That crowd must be in their 70s or close to it.

a mack v8 would have been a dream as my first driver. Obviously balanced. (I still hate the six since 1978) My first ride was in a mack v8. I fell inlove with that sound alone.

find the torque. Instructions don't matter.
I play with my gas engines to this day from that saying.

[ratpatrol66]

Teaching the kid proper not even wearing a seat belt!

[Deaf Bob]

Drove Dad's Freightliner, big guzzlin V-8 from Red Bluff CA to the OR border while he snoozed.. Hit a long hill that I needed to downshift for and my efforts woke him up, his hand darted out of the sleeper and shifted and gave me thumbs up.. I was 14.
Dad could up-down shift without the clutch.

[SuperBuickGuy]

Drove Dad's Freightliner, big guzzlin V-8 from Red Bluff CA to the OR border while he snoozed.. Hit a long hill that I needed to downshift for and my efforts woke him up, his hand darted out of the sleeper, snapped the reins and gave me thumbs up.. I was 14.
Dad could up-down shift without the clutch.

there, fixed it for you. we all know you learned to drive behind Father Santa and your first sled was pulled by reindeer.

[Barry Donovan]

Drove Dad's Freightliner, big guzzlin V-8 from Red Bluff CA to the OR border while he snoozed.. Hit a long hill that I needed to downshift for and my efforts woke him up, his hand darted out of the sleeper and shifted and gave me thumbs up.. I was 14.
Dad could up-down shift without the clutch.

3408 cat in a freightliner I presume. Tragedy. Not sure how they got away with that one, as cat is usually very good.
the 3208 cat, 10.2 litre..that is a gem.
balanced.

I found my memories are peculiar with time, as most fade away, outgrowing them.
My peak of interest was at 13, a first ride in the mack superliner, nearly brand new. 500hp or whatever american sizing (austrailia was playing with 600+ in the 80s). The owner hated the wimpy frame..and it even broke the cab...but that engine.
That engine is never going to fade away. We cherish headers, and bellowing intakes in hot rods..
those two stacks of a balanced diesel v8 with boost in the 80s no less..
still the same today. Incredibly casual.

Before disabled, I got talking of custom builds, and getting a modern scania v8 into an old pete/kw.. the engine would have to come from overseas.
I hope that world trade stuff from euro unions allows the scanias to go world wide...
some day.

[Deaf Bob]

His boss tried to get him to give it up,, he fought tooth and nail for "one more rebuild" 4 different times.. I think it was the 7th or 9th rebuild when owner finially said no.. Drive a smaller truck.. Meaning electronics laddened, GPS, etc.. He always kept 2 books.. I remember him waving at empty trucks while he was loaded going up hills, passing them gleefully..