Teaching my 15YO to drive my A

[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