Passing the reins to our Grandson

[bigjake]

Our Grandson is old enough to start driving our old Regal. In this picture, his father is installing new tires.

[Postsedan]

3rd generation Dykstra.....very cool :-)

Hope you are munching on those yummy home made Chocolate Chip Cookies [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img]

Dan

[Xplantdad]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Postsedan</div><div class="ubbcode-body">3rd generation Dykstra.....very cool :-)

Hope you are munching on those yummy home made Chocolate Chip Cookies [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img]

Dan </div></div>

Those cookies were REALLY good! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/headbang.gif[/img]

[RPOLS3]

So, yes - the newest Jake has expressed an interest in driving a muscle car this summer. A little back ground on the car - a 1987 Regal Turbo T-Type. Dad bought it brand new in 1987 and was his daily driver for around 10 years. Like all of his daily drivers it was very well maintained. It also saw regular duty at the drag strip over the years, clicking off consistent mid 13 second passes with very minor mods (chip and trans kit). When my brother and I were in High School we regularly enjoyed driving it and both have many fond memories of fun evenings on the street with it. Fast forward a few more years and Dad relegated the car to sitting in the garage with only occasional drives. My brother and I said the car had too many memories to sell it and Dad did not want to store it any longer so it ended up in my garage with the stipulation that my son could drive it when the time was right. All the time it was in our garage we made it a point to drive it every summer and put enough miles on it to burn through a tank of gas. In addition it was still maintained with regular cleanings and fluid maintenance. Last summer he was able to drive it for the first time with his learners permit and immediately was hooked. He turned 16 last fall and over the winter asked about the possibility of driving the Regal next summer when the weather was nicer (he has a daily driver of his own). He has been taking auto shop class this semester and it has piqued his interest in cars beyond attending shows with Dad and Grandpa. Needless to say I was excited that he was interested.

The Regal had 25+ year old tires on it, so the first order of business was to take care of those.


After a quick call to Rusty (Smallhurst) we had a set of the reproduction Eagle GT's. Rusty was great to deal with and we had the tires in short order.






On Saturday I loaded up the old ones and headed over to a friends shop. We had a spare set of almost NOS wheels so I decided to mount the new tires on the newer wheels. I was hoping to be able to have Jake help with this process so he could learn, but he was out of town on a school DECA trip and baseball season starts this week, and we had a timeline we were trying to keep so I did this part on my own.




New tires on newer wheels - happy so far.

[RPOLS3]

So the next step was to complete some maintenance items like an oil and filter change, chassis lube, fuel filter change, replace the power steering and brake fluid, all before the new wheels and tires were re-installed. This was last nights project.



Lots of opportunities for him to learn.

Here is the finished product.






We have not driven it with the new setup yet but plan on taking it out over the Easter weekend. We have to move cars around and switch positions in the garage with the Chevelle so it can be taken in and out easier. Updates to follow.

[Craig_Maiorana]

I'm in love. I love those turbo Buick of all flavors.

[RPOLS3]

For those that are familiar with and driven these cars they can be great fun, but also be a handful for the uninitiated.

In preparation for that we went to the Road America Teen Driving School last summer.

I would highly recommend that course for teens as it deals with vehicle dynamics in a very practical way and puts kids behind the wheel in situations where they can experience it.

In addition there will be several one on one sessions coming up that explain how the boost affects the way the car reacts to your right foot.

[napa68]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: RPOLS3</div><div class="ubbcode-body">For those that are familiar with and driven these cars they can be great fun, but also be a handful for the uninitiated.

In preparation for that we went to the Road America Teen Driving School last summer.

I would highly recommend that course for teens as it deals with vehicle dynamics in a very practical way and puts kids behind the wheel in situations where they can experience it.

In addition there will be several one on one sessions coming up that explain how the boost affects the way the car reacts to your right foot. </div></div>

Great story guys!

[Craig_Maiorana]

I agree with that 110% ... I own an 85 with an 87 motor. when I worked for a small shop back east we had picked up an 89 TTA 20th aniv. for those that know these cars had a slightly better breathing LC2 3.8 liter turbo. I made a right turn as it spooled up and needless to say the thing went into hyper fishtail mode for 100 feet.

[dykstra]

This summer is going to be awesome!! More boost!