Teaching my 15YO to drive my A

[eagle]

Took my 15 year old with her learner's permit out last night for some "stick shift" lessons. She did really well, went to a restaurant a few miles away and had dinner, it was dark when we were done so I drove home. Took her about three stop/go times to start getting the feel for the clutch engagement. I told her to just wait between gears, and she had no problem with shifting. I think a lot of the time kids get a bad rap but if parents/grandparents were more willing to spend time teaching them they'd love to learn.

[KenBolton]

Cool!

[mercman from oz]

Congratulations - Nothing like Teaching them young to get an appreciation for old Fords

[Patrick L.]

Yep, I believe thats the key. Spend some quality time with them.

[Synchro909]

Over here, a young person is able to get a learner's permit at 16. My grandson is 16 1/2, has his permit but hasn't spent any time behind the wheel of any car. He is not alone. Many younger people are not bothering to learn to drive at all and that is not good for the old car movement, IMO. Never the less, Good on you eagle and learner daughter

[ChicagoBob]

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I did that. About a month later, she got pulled over on the tollway for driving too slowly.

[Gene F]

Good for you. My local chapter had an event where the ladies were taught to drive the A.

[Synchro909]

Originally Posted by Gene F

Good for you. My local chapter had an event where the ladies were taught to drive the A.

There are a couple of regular events held here especially for women to drive. Our club also runs an annual event called the B40 rally. Drivers must be under 40 years old and the cars not later than 1940. Both are hugely popular and are being copied interstate.

[Brian SATX]

Both of my daughters had to be able to drive my A before they could do anything else. They both like to tell people they learned to drive in a Model A. They are 37 and 40 now.

[holdover]

I live on a farm where we use to raise Clydesdale horses, the horses are gone (getting to old to do the chores) but the Model As are still here. I always start the kids driving when they are 8 years old. When we had the clydes I needed someone to drive the tractor while I pitched the hay bales on the wagon, that's where my son first learned to drive. The two grand kids, now 11 and 15 started early also. My 15 yr old adopted my '29 Coupe at 8 and the first thing I did was teach him to drive it around the farm. The 11 year old fell for my '29 CCPU when he was 7 so he was a bit ahead of his brother. I started him on a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee that has been his to drive, since he was 7, when he got that down safely I had his 12 year old brother teach him how to drive the '29 CCPU when he was 8. We run autocross and track days with the SCCA (Miata, Mustangs and 1st Gen RX7) and usually take one of our race prepped vehicles in our enclosed trailer. The grand kids drive them both in and out and have been for years. We have all had a great time doing this and have never scratched a fender...

[Robert/Texas]

Good for you eagle. I let my 15 year old great grandson who has his learners permit drive my modern car with me in it. He wants to drive my '28 roadster and I'll let him soon. He is the only one in my family who interested in my old Fords and helps me working on them. I plan to give him the '28 some day.

[Keith]

Now she will have to get a "A" of her own

[Jordan]

As a teacher, I can absolutely confirm a lot of the issues with teenagers could be solved if parents were simply willing to spend time with their children. Good job.

[katy]

Methinks it's better for the youngsters to learn to drive w/a standard transmission before learning w/an automatic transmission, makes an easier transition. That's the way both my kids learnt.

[kbinde2]

I always enjoy watching Jack Bahm (RIP) teaching young people how to drive the Model A.. my grand-daughter started with the Model A at 15, really priceless memories.!

[Alwaysamopar74]

Good for you and great for her....She's already ahead of her generation and the generation older than her.

[burner31]

That's the way to do it.
When our Daughter graduated High school we did not have the Model A, but we did let her take our '57 Chevy, she was quite popular, heard she was doing burn-outs and doughnuts in the parking lot.
Yep...she takes after her Dad

[amclass]

I have to admit. I needed a youtube video to find out how to drive and shift a Model A properly ...

[Lannis]

Originally Posted by Synchro909

Over here, a young person is able to get a learner's permit at 16. My grandson is 16 1/2, has his permit but hasn't spent any time behind the wheel of any car. He is not alone. Many younger people are not bothering to learn to drive at all and that is not good for the old car movement, IMO. Never the less, Good on you eagle and learner daughter

Lots of kids here who are eligible to learn to drive at 16 don't do it. When I were a lad, it was 15 years 8 months and 1 day (where they got that I'll never know) but I was camped on the courthouse steps the night before waiting for them to open so I could get my learner's permit.

As far as I'm concerned, if a kid doesn't have a need for a car because he has access to public transportation, or rides his bicycle, whatever, that's fine. But if he's not learning to drive because he can just whistle or wave his royal hand, and his parents leap to attention and say "Sala'am, sahib!" and take him wherever he wants, that's pitiful all around.

Lannis

[sdpet56]

My father gave me his 1930 5 window before he passed...It hadn't been running for 30 years and my 3 kids remembered dad taking them for rides and they all were in the rumble seat...I got it running on my mothers 84th birthday (she has Alzhimers) and we went for a ride around the block...Mom remembered the good times she and dad had in the car...A couple years later my 10 year old granddaughter drove it down my driveway...I had to take the seat out to have enough room to have her sit on my lap and turn the steering wheel...She had "Bumpa's" cap on driving the car...I have been working through mechanical issues one by one and the car will be Payton's when she is old enough to drive it and I put her name on the registration as a co owner in case of my early demise...Payton will be the 4th generation to enjoy the car so I understand very well the pride you felt in the original post...

[Synchro909]

sdpet56. Welcome tot he forum

[Ayers1]

I learned how to drive a straight drive and an A when I was about 13. My dad and I were restoring a AA truck. Once we got everything but the bed on, he let me run it up and down the dead-end street that we lived on. I also made all of my kids learn to drive a stick when they were learning. A couple didn't like it but they all thanked me later on......

[1930artdeco]

Took my daughter out for the second time in the A. This time she was able to get her into third gear, go around a corner slow down and then put her into second. She went slow enough she did not have to double clutch. She got better by the end of the session. She doesn't even want to drive really, but we are making her learn and she has to learn stick just for emergency sake.

[Mulletwagon]

All great stories. Taught the grandsons how to drive a standard transmission and now they swagger when they tell their buds, "Yeah, I can drive a stick". Grandkids and old cars make great memories !!

[Ken B]

I started teaching my daughter to drive our 1930 Coupe when she was about 12 years old, on private property. She drove the Coupe a few times when she got her license at 16 and also on a few trips with our Model A Club. I was so proud when she asked if she could drive the Coupe on her last day of High School.

[JoeCB]

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I have taught many youngsters and some not so "youngsters" how to drive a stick in my "A". The Model A is the easiest to learn on because for a beginner there is no worry about the coordination of throttle and clutch movement as is required on modern vehicles. Just set the throttle at a slightly faster idle and let the big flywheel do it's thing, all the way through the three gears. Work on foot throttle control after learning clutch control.
Joe B

[pgerhardt]

Originally Posted by amclass

I have to admit. I needed a youtube video to find out how to drive and shift a Model A properly ...

Actually the model A is great for learning how to use a manual transmission. It has so much torque and 1st gear is geared so low that clutching without bucking or stalling is easy. Also - I never use the term "double clutching" since it is misleading. Changing gears involves simply taking your time, stoping in neutral, and then moving on to the next gear. If you go easy enough then stoping in neutral is not even needed when up shifting. Down shifting involves stoping in neutral, blipping the throttle a couple of time, then move on down to second.

[mass A man]

Hey SDPET56---By a pure coincidence, MY granddaughter, "Payton" will be learning to drive my '31 pickup this coming summer when she comes up from Virginia for a stay with Nana and Gramps. She just got her license a week ago. I started driving a '30 Buick at age 13 when there was nobody to supervise me. At 14, I drove to a car show, a man who had a '33 Dodge asked where my dad was, told him he was far away working. He introduced himself as a Mass. registry police officer. I knew I was bagged big time. He told me to drive the Buick home carefully and not to do this again until I get my license. So I did just that. At 16, HE was the officer giving me the road test. He laughed a tiny bit and said "I KNOW you can drive". He had the pink slip filled out before we left the parking lot. Ahhh-the good old days!!

[JayJay]

When I was in high school in the late '60s my Model A mentor sent his daughter off to freshman year of college in Oregon driving a 28 or 29 Model A phaeton. It made quite a human interest story. That was back when we actually had rain on the left coast, I'm not sure I would have chosen a phaeton with side curtains for a student car...

JayJay