As Australia celebrates dads all around the country this Father’s Day, Haynes tells the tale of two father figures helping younger family members find their feet in the world of DIY car repairs and restorations
Fixing your own car is a great way to save money. It also helps to give you good knowledge, so you know what to look for in any new car you’re thinking about buying. But there’s another way in which it is a very important part of anyone’s life – it helps to bring families closer.
That’s because older and younger family members can get together over a broken engine and work out how to fix it, all the while sharing knowledge of the way things work, what tools do what, and how to avoid expensive mistakes.
One household using generational knowledge to repair and rejuvenate a vehicle in distress is the Mercieca family in Queensland, where three generations have got together to put a 1988 Ford Maverick short wheelbase back on the road.
The Mercieca motoring family comprises Matthew in the middle, his father Joseph as ‘The Oracle’, and Matt’s son Ewan as ‘The Young Apprentice’.
As for ‘The Patient’, it’s a 1988 Ford Maverick SWB that resided on a friend’s farm.
Among other duties, it was used to teach Matt’s son how to drive. However, a hard life in the bush began to take its toll on the Ford, and Matt and Ewan decided to take it home and treat it to a full-on restoration.
They began by using their trusty Haynes Manual while dismantling the vehicle, cataloguing everything as they went.
Then it was a case of Matt and Ewan rebuilding the 4.2-litre straight-six petrol engine while Joseph, a panel-beater by trade, set about exorcising the demon rust.
They’ve also used wiring diagrams in the manual to trace and remedy various electrical glitches, and to check various tolerances in the oily bits.
According to Matt, the engine is reassembled and ready to be installed in the car. The bodywork is also nearing completion, and will shortly be ready for paint.
Another person who learned from a master is Gary Lavender.
Gary has spent a great many years in garages learning from his ‘Pop’, aka his grandfather. Gary says: “Over the years he’s taught me how to carry out plenty of repairs.”
As part of that, Gary and Pop have rebuilt the engine in a Holden HZ ute. The motor in question was a 3.3-litre straight-six Red motor, which was also fitted with Yella Terra heads and a Holley 350 carburettor. Not only that, but they also rebuilt the differential. Top work, gents.
We in the Haynes family are delighted to be part of the process of bringing families together in a backdrop of oil and rust. On top of that, we cannot wait to see the results of the Merciecas’ project.
If you and your dad, son, daughter and grandad happen to be working on something that involves wielding tools and bringing an old vehicle back to life, or just keeping your car or motorcycle on the road, we'd love to hear about it. Just get in touch through our usual social channels and we'll take it from there.
Happy Father’s Day one and all.