Long term planning, father/daughter first car build

Starting early aren't you? I have two daughters. They knew of my fondness for things automotive from the beginning. The older daughter wanted her DL as soon as she could get it. The other waited until she went off to college. The older one didn't/doesn't care one wit about how they work. The younger helped me with an oil change and wanted to learn how to change a tire. I let them ask and answered their questions without a lot of detail. They both were shown how to check the oil and water levels as a condition of driving our cars. The younger changed a tire (using a floor jack).

This is my way of saying each child is different. I'd like to see your daughter grow up to be healthy, happy and be reasonably stable mentally. If she develops a Mopar gene along the way, so much the better. Character and the ability to make good decisions will serve her much better than any car.

Along the way, I suggest involving her in some of the mundane objects of restoration as appropriate to her age and physical development. For instance, I asked my daughters to sort screws, nuts and bolts by size and type. At first, I'd be in there with them working along beside them. As their skills improved, they would challenge me as to why I would group something the way I did. Cleaning things, using tools properly, and painting are skills that can be used in a number of different ways.

Her tastes are going to be different than yours. As she is growing up, she may prefer a 4-door to a Duster. She would get her own door and window control. My kids liked the fact that both 66 Darts I restored were hardtops. They could crank down the window and enjoy a panoramic view uncluttered with a center column. And none of their friends had cars like them. When I had the 73 4-door, it got consistently favorable comments from younger people because it handled people (friends) getting out of the back seat more easily than with a 2-door.


Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it. (NASB)