Thread: Grandkids Coaster Car build.

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Super nice job on the paint and interior. Ditto comments above on lucky kids!

Ok mike time too fess up who really built it was it chip foose l.ol. what a great job. the kids will be showing there kids and grand kids these pic. for years to come you will be the famous grandpa I love it ....ted

Today was final assembly and Cade and I had an audience .








Then it was outside for a couple of laps in front of the shop







And finally up to the hill for a LOT of laps.

vid 1 - YouTube

vid 2 - YouTube


This has really been a neat experience for me. The kids, especially Cade had had a good time building it. Besides getting to use his tools and hands I think he’s getting an appreciation on how things work and doing things for himself.

The project isn’t over yet, we still have a few things the kids want to add to the car, and Cade keeps hinting at starting on the motor, so this thread will probably come around again when we motorize it.


This one by the way is my new screen saver

The only word for those pictures.... Priceless!

Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Those kids look like they were having a ball! This might be my new favorite thread!

While watching the videos, this one came up as well, must have been in test phase before paint. Looks like mom got to push too!

That is one young man who will never forget his Grandpa...
Thank you again for sharing your special time.

The Kids have been enjoying the car for the last few weeks, but today was the day I’ve been looking forward to for several years, engines 101 with Cade. We started on the little Power Product 2 Cycle.

The first thing we did was check for compression and spark……..and no I didn’t have him check the mag by holding the plug wire…..thought about it…..but I figure he’ll find out how to do that all by himself like we all did.

We got the fuel tank, carburator and reed plate off, and the carburator dissembled and soaking in cleaner. With luck we should have it together next Sunday and hopefully running.

he seems to be pretty focused on what he is doing

I used my little brother for checking magnetos.

"How will I know if It's working?"
"you'll know".

They are never to young to learn, and I don't mean about the mag. Your doing a great job Mike you can be proud.

Betcha Cade is already wondering how to make that engine have more power!!!! Mighty nice of you to take the time to teach the kids about how things work, it's lessons they'll keep with them always....

It just tickles me to death that Cade enjoys working with his hands and learning about this stuff.

“…..Betcha Cade is already wondering how to make that engine have more power!!!!....”

Dave, if he’s anything like me that’s a real possibility. I still remember the first old engine I got running by myself (I was just a couple years older than Cade at the time). It was an old flat head Briggs & Straton washing machine motor with a kick start that had been laying down in the old machine shed for years. It was so neat to just get it running. Of course after it was running I found out that if I disconnected the governor I could get it to really spin up. It actually survived that pretty well……it was when I started mixing my own fuel that I managed to blow the head right off of it……yup, just a ring of head bolts holding a few pieces of cast iron were left on the block.


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Originally Posted by Mike P

It just tickles me to death that Cade enjoys working with his hands and learning about this stuff.

“…..Betcha Cade is already wondering how to make that engine have more power!!!!....”
Dave, if he’s anything like me that’s a real possibility. I still remember the first old engine I got running by myself (I was just a couple years older than Cade at the time). It was an old flat head Briggs & Straton washing machine motor with a kick start that had been laying down in the old machine shed for years. It was so neat to just get it running. Of course after it was running I found out that if I disconnected the governor I could get it to really spin up. It actually survived that pretty well……it was when I started mixing my own fuel that I managed to blow the head right off of it……yup, just a ring of head bolts holding a few pieces of cast iron were left on the block.

I had one of those old kick start motors off of a Maytag washer on a crude "go-cart" that my Dad made when I was about ten or eleven. All of 1/4HP as I recall, and driving through a jack-shaft it had a top speed of around twelve to fifteen MPH! Used to pull into the Phillips station and "..fill'er up" for a nickle or a dime when there wasn't gas left in the lawnmower can at home....

Love the pictures, Mike. Kids learning how to make things happen is a great part of growing up!

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