Random thought for a Sunday morning. “When did I learn to drive with a manual transmission?” Moving my cousin’s 1974 C30 to mow the grass under it when I was 10 was my first try, but I wouldn’t call that ‘driving’.
Thinking about it, it was in a clapped-out 1984 Chevy tow truck while I was stumbling my way through college. Looking back now, it’s hard to believe that I just got in and figured it out. I once backed a dead double-parked car uphill through hundreds of drunk students at a weekend party at an apartment complex. No place to turn around to hook it up the other way.
Months later, I had a car on the flaps when the traffic light turned red. Pushed the pedal...and nothing. Kept grinding along in the left turn lane. So I shut off the engine and lurched to a stop. Light changed, now what? Turned the key and was amazed the starter motor had enough guts to boot the 454 and get us rolling. I called ahead on the radio to the shop and told them to clear a pull-through spot as I was coming in for a dead-stick landing.
I was pretty sore that they made me come in on Saturday to help replace the clutch..the truck was used up even before Junior Staggerwing got the job. I think we turned the flywheel on a brake rotor lathe. The destroyed clutch smelled like burnt tuna fish.
I’ve been rowing most of the time since then.
Thinking about it, it was in a clapped-out 1984 Chevy tow truck while I was stumbling my way through college. Looking back now, it’s hard to believe that I just got in and figured it out. I once backed a dead double-parked car uphill through hundreds of drunk students at a weekend party at an apartment complex. No place to turn around to hook it up the other way.
Months later, I had a car on the flaps when the traffic light turned red. Pushed the pedal...and nothing. Kept grinding along in the left turn lane. So I shut off the engine and lurched to a stop. Light changed, now what? Turned the key and was amazed the starter motor had enough guts to boot the 454 and get us rolling. I called ahead on the radio to the shop and told them to clear a pull-through spot as I was coming in for a dead-stick landing.
I was pretty sore that they made me come in on Saturday to help replace the clutch..the truck was used up even before Junior Staggerwing got the job. I think we turned the flywheel on a brake rotor lathe. The destroyed clutch smelled like burnt tuna fish.
I’ve been rowing most of the time since then.