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I think I became a car guy when I was about 8. I built a cart out of wood and rode it down a hill next to our milk house. The hill was probably 12 feet from end to end, but it was steep. The two things I learned were that bailer twin isn't a good steering medium and when you make axles by driving lag bolts into 2x4s the axles and the 2x4s don't last long.
After that, there was a long period of fascination with lawn mowers because they had engines. I built a badass 20" push mower by bolting 6 or 8-inch wheels on it (it came with little 4 inch wheels).
I bought a go-cart with a REO lawnmower engine on it, which I immediately modified by drilling out the carburetor venturi from whatever it was originally to a size that only worked when the throttle was wide open. From there it was to a racing cart with a McCulloch chain saw engine that I managed to modify to the point of destruction.
I did own an actual car when I was about 10. A cow dropped a sick bull calf during planting season and, being a bull calf, it wasn't worth my dad's time to care for it. I raised the calf to about 500 pounds and dad traded it to our neighbor for a 1953 (or so) Henry J sedan. I drove the Henry J around the farm a little, but it didn't figure large in my quest toward being a Car Guy.
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