Don't recall my age, but I was young. My uncle Harley did the majority of the wrenching at the company. I remember always wanting to hang out over there with him, working on the equipment. (get all grease)
My best guess would be 5 or 6, cause I recall mother always having me rescrub my hands in the mornings before going off to half days of kindergarten.
He would put me to work washing parts in the "parts washer". A cut off 55 gallon barrel, with gas as the washer fluid.
That's what they used back then, so when in Rome, do what the Romans do...
Then I was an expert.
Well with all the repair skills I learned, I started taking apart things that didn't need it, but somehow figured out how to put it back to a usable condition again.
At 14, my best friend from school, his granddad had a very large junk yard, with the majority of the vehicles being 40's and 50's. I would stay overnight on some weekend, so cool. Old Lee, his granddad would turn us loose, we had the run of the yard.
We would take a battery, gas can, pockets full of tools, and go out in the yard. Get a car running, and run around the yard roads. That/those were the best "tinkering" times ever.
Today. Uncle would be locked up for child abuse. Old Lee would be sitting right next to him, and I would have no tinkering memories forty some years from now.
