Last weekend I decided to change the oil and tune up my classic car, a 1972 Datsun 1200. (My wife has other names for it.) It sports a “four on the floor” and a simple four-cylinder engine that doesn’t even need fancy smog controls. Since I hadn’t tinkered with this car in a long while, I was relying on my keen memory and understanding of auto mechanics rather than the operating manual.

In addition, I wanted to contribute to my 9-year-old son’s understanding of the inner workings of a classic car, and by so doing share with him the immense knowledge I had acquired over the years as a quality professional. Here’s how his learning experience began.

I decided to drain the old oil, and while that was happening I would connect my timing light. But soon after hooking up the timing light, I found that I couldn’t start the car. My son asked me if I thought it might have something to do with the fact that I hadn’t put any of the new oil in it. “Good work, Son!” I replied. The kid really learns fast, I thought. He sure is a chip off the old block.

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