Good onya boy!

[FROSTY]

Our oldest lad isn't the greatest at school work. His report shows that pretty clearly.
He was pretty down in the dumps about it.
So I dug out all the leftover LT50 parts I had in the corner of the Gargre. it looked like there might be enough bits to build one good quad but no way I had time.
so I TOLD the lad to build me a quad.

He started with a crankcase with the crank n rod in it. from there he rebuilt the engine complete with a new set of rings and a decoke.
He straightened a bent front and rear subframe to create a straight frame.
New axle bearings.
Built a wiring loom
Replaced all the tyres.
stripped out the carb.
Fitted the best setof brake shoes.
painted all the frame black
Then got it going and fitted the tidiest set of cosmetics.
The best bit was the look on his face when after just 3 pulls on the starter rope it fired up into life.
he spent a very cool arvo today zipping up and down the grass next to work here on the quad he'd built.
So gooodonya boy (in best speights kiwi accent)

[EJK]

That's a true skill (which I don't have).

Well done that chap.

[Headbanger]

That boy deserves a speights.


Uh....Is the quad for sale?

[cave weta]

That is just awesome Frosty! how old is the boy?

[FROSTY]

That boy deserves a speights.


Uh....Is the quad for sale?
THAT quad is sold already. -We sell em as fast as we can get em this time of year.
Ive got a DR80, 2 x JR50, 2 x chinese 150 2 wheelers and ONE LT50 left

[FROSTY]

That is just awesome Frosty! how old is the boy?
13-- so at college.

[ManDownUnder]

A lack of schooling is no reason to panick...

Check this out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Branson ...especially the bit about the poor grades.

It's not the size of the dog in the fight...

[FROSTY]

A lack of schooling is no reason to panick...

Check this out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Branson ...especially the bit about the poor grades.

It's not the size of the dog in the fight...
No mate I'm not stressed--Trouble is from HIS POV
I promised him he would getto do a track day if he came home with passes in his report.--he diddn't so he knew what that meant

[Conquiztador]

Good on ya Frosty (and Frosty Jnr!). As he did not build the quad for him self I assume there was a reward at the end? If not then some sharp eyed Labour Dep chap could have you done for child labour. ;)

He go far! He will find his true calling and there is no stopping him.

[buffstar]

Good stuff Dad :first:

'School work' is not the be all and end all, awsome that you helped your boy build himself back up.

Little dude: AWSOME WORK!! :clap:

[lb99]

Our oldest lad isn't the greatest at school work. His report shows that pretty clearly.
He was pretty down in the dumps about it.
So I dug out all the leftover LT50 parts I had in the corner of the Gargre. it looked like there might be enough bits to build one good quad but no way I had time.
so I TOLD the lad to build me a quad.

He started with a crankcase with the crank n rod in it. from there he rebuilt the engine complete with a new set of rings and a decoke.
He straightened a bent front and rear subframe to create a straight frame.
New axle bearings.
Built a wiring loom
Replaced all the tyres.
stripped out the carb.
Fitted the best setof brake shoes.
painted all the frame black
Then got it going and fitted the tidiest set of cosmetics.
The best bit was the look on his face when after just 3 pulls on the starter rope it fired up into life.
he spent a very cool arvo today zipping up and down the grass next to work here.
So gooodonya boy (in best speights kiwi accent)

awesome buzz eh.

I have a 7yo that is not physical at all, he even cries when they make him do PE, BUT he is the lego master, and can build anything out of meccanno. so i gave him a complete pw50 in bits along with all the exploded diagrams he needed and set him free. obviously he needed a bit of help with the tools but he got all the bits in the right places.

right untill it fired up, I dont really think he believed it would run, he was so stoked lol

[CookMySock]

I promised him he would getto do a track day if he came home with passes in his report.--he diddn't so he knew whatthat meantWatch the grim look on his face next time though, as he knuckles down and gets those school reports up to scratch.

A little dissappointment is not a bad thing.. Strong negative feelings are almost the only lasting impetus to change, and if you want to see him grow and change then you will have to let him go through it without unduly rescuing him.

Just as long as he is persuaded Dad loves him, and I'm pretty sure he does. :niceone:

Steve

[Bender]

Frosty - I did a lot of work with Competenz over the last 5 years or so (they are the standards-setting organisation for engineering apprenticeships).

I met a lot of young guys who, if you put a pen in their hands, didn't know what to do with it. Give them a lump of metal and a lathe and magic would ensue.

The feminisation of our education system, and the fact that the dpb has left many young men without fathers with bloke caves means these young guys just feel useless and that they have nothing to offer.

I'm no flag bearer for the Labour Govt but they did invest in the trades training system which provides career paths for these guys - not academic but talented in a practical way.

Good on you for providing your son with a "bloke cave."

[Danae]

Wow, that is awesome! I wish my dad wouldn't care so much about my grades and let me loose with a spanner and an old bike...

[Swoop]

I met a lot of young guys who, if you put a pen in their hands, didn't know what to do with it. Give them a lump of metal and a lathe and magic would ensue.

The feminisation of our education system, and the fact that the dpb has left many young men without fathers with bloke caves means these young guys just feel useless and that they have nothing to offer.
Quite true. The amount of focus that goes onto kids being forced down the "academic pathway" is horrifying. A lot of young kids (boys AND girls) really leap forward in a practical environment. There are serious dollars to be earned with their hands and the opportunities keep growing!

Onya, Frosty!

[FROSTY]

Quite true. The amount of focus that goes onto kids being forced down the "academic pathway" is horrifying. A lot of young kids (boys AND girls) really leap forward in a practical environment. There are serious dollars to be earned with their hands and the opportunities keep growing!

Onya, Frosty!
There is though the need to know the three R's in my opinion.
I'll give key his due on that one--refocus on basic schooling

[p.dath]

That is really impresssive Frosty!

Engineerng at high school is going to be a very simple class for your child! They'll be able to get an 'A' in it for sure!

[Genie]

how about onya dad.....you really rock...the world needs more dads like you who get their kids motivated :first:

[boomer]

nice work frosty, maybe with the sale of that bike u can afford to pay me the 20 u owe me :D




..Strong negative feelings are almost the only lasting impetus to change


AS for this little Gem... how far back does the black hole go, for you to pull this **** out..??!

[sunhuntin]

how long did it take for him to get it put together?

im damn impressed he was able to do that at 13... most kids would look at the pile of bits and declare it too hard. well done to you both!

swoop, i get what you mean about kids needing practical skills as well. im one that learns better by doing rather then reading.

[Fatt Max]

That is a fecking awesome effort....top marke from the Fatt family...

[Ratti]

Hey Frosty. Its Milo here....remember me back in the Darby St days? You can pm me if you like would love to catch up...you're never gonna believe what I been up to the last 19 years or so....

[FROSTY]

Hey Frosty. Its Milo here....remember me back in the Darby St days? You can pm me if you like would love to catch up...you're never gonna believe what I been up to the last 19 years or so....
milo me ol darlin :devil2:
hell yea --last time I saw you was the tail end of ya lil mbus

[XxKiTtiExX]

I met a lot of young guys who, if you put a pen in their hands, didn't know what to do with it. Give them a lump of metal and a lathe and magic would ensue.


My dad was like that. Could only read to himself at a very very slow pace. Couldn't write properly, and would put random capital letters in the middle of some of the words he had written.
Yet if you handed him a hunk of metal or a piece of machinary he was very smart.

Some people are gifted when it comes to textbooks, and some are just as smart when it comes to anything hands on.

Good on him!

[Tink]

I love posts like this... new to the teaching industry... I work with kids that are far from academic and some that blow me out of the water...and some of the posts on here.. well they reflect that not all kids are cut out for paper work.. part of my goal in life now is to find a childs abillities.. be it in or out of the classroom.. as both depict education... in one form or the other...

:first:

[hayd3n]

great effort to your boy ,he will find a suitable future in this world,
I am not one to write or type much at all.
But i managed to get school c and i am finishing my apprenticeship as a plastics technician next year,
Its great that a lot of my assessments are hands on practicals .
english whats that for?
drawing/graphics/maths are my best subjects

[LBD]

I sympathize...sthmpa...cimpath.....feel sorry for the lad....he has the......Knack!

As I have mentioned in another post, he will will grow up with women wanting him for all the wrong reasons....not for his looks, personality or charm, but because he will be a reliable, dependable, employable provider who can also fix the dish washer.....

But...well done Dad

[FROSTY]

Well things diddn't go exactly as planned--- but it was really funny.
The new owner came in his van. Inside the van it looked like cheech n chong had had a major session --with smoke billowing out.
In the back of his van was the lil quad idling away happily. as it aparently had been doing for the entire 8km trip to me.
The lad did a really good job and the quad runs fantastic. The only trouble is he forgot to tighten ONE tiny little seemingly unimportant bolt.
Its a 6mm bolt at the back of the coil.
Unfortunately its the bolt that the kill button uses as an earth.
a quick rag over air intake killed the quad
Fixed in 5 minutes
I suspect the ride home was less smokey

[FROSTY]

serious question here folks.would abnyone be able to offer this lad work experience in a real workshop. Even half a day a week.
His work in the workshop this week has been
1)change rear wheel bearings in DS80
2)swapout rear bearings in LT50 and change sprocket and chain.
3) strip out carb in 150 trail bike and clean out then refit.
4) strip/paint and rebuild LT80
5) various other small mechanical jobs.

[DarkLord]

That's awesome, Frosty. Way to encourage the lad. I'd bling you but I have to spread it around first (ho ho!)

Good stuff.

[FROSTY]

his latest effort
Before and after pictures