There's a New Pony in Grabbers Stable

[Grabber]

There is a new Pony in the stable tonight. Well it's not brand new, but it sure looks like it and drives like it.

 

It's a 1996 Mustang GT. Pure stock, and un-molested. 28,531 miles on it. One owner vehicle - 65 year old man. It was his pride and joy. This thing is straighter than and arrow, and cleaner than a whistle. This will be my son David's car after he gets his drivers licence in 2 years. Next year when he gets his learners permit....I will teach him to drive.

 

Here's what she looks as I just pulled it into the driveway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My son David is now 15 - 1/2. He received his Drivers learners permit Friday. You have to answer at least 20 of the 25 questions correctly on the exam. He scored 21 of them correct. Missed some of the bike questions. Anyways yesterday I took him our to do about 10 circles around the block in first gear in his 1996 Mustang GT. I had him practice using the clutch. He killed it the first time and then had some pretty rough take offs. Every once in a while he would do a good release. I can tell this is going to be a long training process.

 

We are slowly teaching him how to drive the automatic Ford Escape. I enrolled him in a driving school yesterday that starts June 24th. It's held 3 days a week from 12:30 to 4pm for 5 weeks. It's taught by State Patrol officers. The school is called 911. It offers teen driving safety and certification that the state of WA requires. David is going to Get 30 hours of class room training, 5 hours of behind the wheel training by a patrol officer and 5 hours of observation time in the car with the patrol officer. 4 hours in a drivers simulator. I get to talk to the trainer to see how David is doing and if he needs more drive time I will buy him more drive sessions.

http://www.911drivingschool.com/

 

The laws in WA state are very strict for a new teen driver...as they should be IMO. These rules and restrictions last until the driver is 18 years old.

http://www.dol.wa.gov/driverslicense/teens.html

[68fastback]

Cool beans, Rob! That's a nice driver-training program

 

 

...when's the SC going on? :bandance:

 

 

[GT500_KR]

Very nice find! Brings back good memories of when we had our '98.

[SVOC]

What a great read/story.

 

Thanks for sharing!!

 

 

 

 

 

Jeff

[Stang_Girl]

Congrats on the car, David. It's an awesome gift and an awesome responsibilty.

 

Jeff (SVOC) and myself got our son a 1979 Mustang Ghia when he graduated 8th grade. It had started to be restored on the interior but nothing else. Completely stock. We plan on totally redoing the car with him as well doing hands on stuff. He's now 16 and working on the license. He'll be driving our cars for awhile before his is finished but he's as excited as you.

 

Again,congrats and yes, black is the most beautiful color on a car....and the worst to keep clean....lol.

[Grabber]

Yesterday I took David out to practice the clutch. After a couple loops around the block, we left the neighborhood for the first time. We headed down 179th street to the I-5 freeway. There were a couple stop signs that we were at and he had to make sure he let the clutch out before the car coasted backwards into the car behind him. I had my hand on the emergency brake as a back up way of preventing that from happening. I noticed that with the pressure on...he preformed.

 

I have a few more gray hairs now.:o

 

We merged onto the freeway and once on the freeway, we stayed at 50 mph and in 4th gear. Then got off about 5 miles down the road at 78th street. We then took local roads home where the speed limits vary from 35 to 45.

 

I explained to David that he needs to work on lane positioning as he shifts and turns.

 

Our next trip out, I think we will drive up to Cougar like we did on the meet and greet drive.

[Sherri Leicht]

Are you having fun Rob? I had a great time teaching my boys how to drive a stick. We laughed so hard those first few times out and left alot of rubber marks in front of the house.

[Grabber]

Are you having fun Rob? I had a great time teaching my boys how to drive a stick. We laughed so hard those first few times out and left alot of rubber marks in front of the house.

 

 

David finished the driving school and has mastered the clutch pretty good. In 3 weeks he will be 16. Since I will be stationed in AZ working for a while, I'm going to miss his birthday, so his car is in the shop right now getting a mod put on it for his Birthday gift. We pick it up at 9pm tonight.

[Sherri Leicht]

:happy feet: :happy feet:

[Grabber]

Pic's of the new mod are loading. Photobucket is very slow tonight.

 

You should see the big grin on David's face.

[Grabber]

Last Christmas I gave my son David a new Stereo for Christmas, installation included.

 

He wanted one that he could hook his IPOD up to. The factory AM FM cassette deck in his 96 GT worked fine, but was very outdated.

 

So…for David’s upcoming 16th Birthday, I got him some speakers to go with the stereo. David’s Birthday is on Sept 15th, and I will be out of town working….so I wanted to get him something special before I leave tomorrow.

 

Door Speakers

 

 

Behind the back seat speakers.

 

 

Subwoofer

 

 

Amplifier

 

 

Nice stack of boxes

 

[Grabber]

The sound is incredible and the shop did a great job installing everything. They built a custom box in the trunk to hold the subwoofer. The box still allows access to the spare tire and leaves plenty of room in the trunk still. You can also see the new rear speakers in these photos.

 

 

To access the amp, you just need to fold down the rear seat. The installer told him not to mess with the adjustments on it because he has it all tuned in.

 

[Grabber]

You should of seen the smile on David’s face when he plugged his IPOD into the deck and turned up the volume. Priceless !!!!

 

[Grabber]

My son David brought his car to the Allen Grant cobra event today and showed it for the first time. Yes….he is proud of his Mustang !!!

[96 Black Pony]

It's really fun. I can never find good music on the radio, so it is really amazing to be able to listen to my music in the car for the first time.

[vapor08GT500]

Congrats David.....so on Sept 15th you can drive it on your own???

 

Alex

[shel-b001]

Congrat`s David your car looks great . You know you got great parents.

[EL SHELBY]

Awesome! My first Mustang was a '94 GT (SN95 with a 5.0). Loved that car and wish I still had it. Later I had a '00 GT and a '98 GT with a transplanted mill from an '01 Bullitt.

 

Welcome to the obsession that is being the owner of a Mustang!

[Grabber]

Today I coached my son David on how to change his oil in his 96 Mustang. We took our time and messed around with the car for 1 hour and 20 minutes. This is the 2nd time he has done a oil change on his car. I put it on the ramps, and he blocked the tires.

 

He then drained the oil.

 

.....and then pulled the filter.

...and installed the new filter.

 

 

....and put in 6 new quarts of oil, and checked all other fluids. We had to top off the brake fluid and antifreeze and washer fluid just a little bit.

[RUFDRAFT]

Today I coached my son David on how to change his oil in his 96 Mustang. We took our time and messed around with the car for 1 hour and 20 minutes. This is the 2nd time he has done a oil change on his car. I put it on the ramps, and he blocked the tires.

 

He then drained the oil.

 

.....and then pulled the filter.

...and installed the new filter.

 

 

....and put in 6 new quarts of oil, and checked all other fluids. We had to top off the brake fluid and antifreeze and washer fluid just a little bit.

 

Rob - please - please tell me you don't make him drive around with that Student Driver sticker on.

 

Then tell me you're drinking way too much coffee when taking pics.

 

I love ya - but this is over the top, son.

[Grabber]

Rob - please - please tell me you don't make him drive around with that Student Driver sticker on.

 

Then tell me you're drinking way too much coffee when taking pics.

 

I love ya - but this is over the top, son.

 

 

Ruf,

 

David still has his permit and is a very new driver. He drives the speed limit. 95% of the other people on the road drive 15 miles to 25 miles over the speed limit and can't stand getting behind someone that drives the actual speed limit. Since they can't stand driving behind David going the speed limit, they pass him and then cut him off. It blows me away how rude drivers are these days.

 

Anyways, when the "Student Driver" magnet is on the back of the car, it makes people think twice about being such a impatient rude driver to my son.

 

Sorry the pic's seem to bother you.

 

oh ya...one last thing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BITE ME !!!

[RUFDRAFT]

Ruf,

 

David still has his permit and is a very new driver. He drives the speed limit. 95% of the other people on the road drive 15 miles to 25 miles over the speed limit and can't stand getting behind someone that drives the actual speed limit. Since they can't stand driving behind David going the speed limit, they pass him and then cut him off. It blows me away how rude drivers are these days.

 

Anyways, when the "Student Driver" magnet is on the back of the car, it makes people think twice about being such a impatient rude driver to my son.

 

Sorry the pic's seem to bother you.

 

oh ya...one last thing.

 

 

 

 

 

I can take the car cover and the bubble and the polishing the mower and the....but take off the sticker, my friend. Please.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BITE ME !!!

 

[Grabber]

My Wife Tana bought the magnet at the driving school. The driving school encourages the use of it and it does not bother David at all.

[twobjshelbys]

I think the "Student Driver" thing is good for a while. There is enough pressure on the driver in the mode where "everything is working". The sticker reduces the "rude factor" - other drivers will cut a little slack although they can still be a***oles. This helps reduce the stress on the driver until he's figured the "everything is working" mode. Then removing the sign will add the additional stress of having a bunch of really aggressive twits nearby.

[RUFDRAFT]

Y'all have forgotten what its like to be his age. Never mind.

[Grabber]

I think the "Student Driver" thing is good for a while. There is enough pressure on the driver in the mode where "everything is working". The sticker reduces the "rude factor" - other drivers will cut a little slack although they can still be a***oles. This helps reduce the stress on the driver until he's figured the "everything is working" mode. Then removing the sign will add the additional stress of having a bunch of really aggressive twits nearby.

 

 

You hit the nail on the head Tony.

 

A few months ago my wife wrote our local paper. she does this often. Anyways here's the story that Tana wrote and it was put in the Columbian newspaper

 

 

 

Teen drivers will mimic how we drive

I have a 15-year-old who just completed a driving school program. If you have not driven with a new driver recently, you are most likely unaware of how many bad driving maneuvers we so-called “experienced” drivers commit routinely. If you’re like me, you think of yourself as a good driver, with no tickets, no accidents. If you think this doesn’t pertain to you yet, read on.

 

Here are some examples of poor driving maneuvers, which I have witnessed others executing while my son is behind the wheel. Speeding, driving too close almost all of the time. Drivers do not use turn signals the majority of the time. We do not come to a complete stop at signs and do not stay in our corresponding lane when turning onto a double lane road. The most surprising of all is how many adults are talking on their cell phones without a hands-free device.

 

We all know teenagers don’t always listen to what we say but it never escapes their notice of what we do. If we want teenagers to be better drivers, it starts with better role models who have the experience and also follow the rules of the road.

 

Tana

 

 

Battle Ground

 

 

[SVT NAJA]

Rob,

 

I suspect that in David's case, "Student Driver" equals "Future HiPo Driver".

[Grabber]

Rob,

 

I suspect that in David's case, "Student Driver" equals "Future HiPo Driver".

 

 

[LuckySnake]

You hit the nail on the head Tony.

 

A few months ago my wife wrote our local paper. she does this often. Anyways here's the story that Tana wrote and it was put in the Columbian newspaper

 

 

 

Teen drivers will mimic how we drive

I have a 15-year-old who just completed a driving school program. If you have not driven with a new driver recently, you are most likely unaware of how many bad driving maneuvers we so-called “experienced” drivers commit routinely. If you’re like me, you think of yourself as a good driver, with no tickets, no accidents. If you think this doesn’t pertain to you yet, read on.

 

Here are some examples of poor driving maneuvers, which I have witnessed others executing while my son is behind the wheel. Speeding, driving too close almost all of the time. Drivers do not use turn signals the majority of the time. We do not come to a complete stop at signs and do not stay in our corresponding lane when turning onto a double lane road. The most surprising of all is how many adults are talking on their cell phones without a hands-free device.

 

We all know teenagers don’t always listen to what we say but it never escapes their notice of what we do. If we want teenagers to be better drivers, it starts with better role models who have the experience and also follow the rules of the road.

 

Tana

 

 

Battle Ground

 

You and Tana must be very proud. Way cool!

[96 Black Pony]

I have several updates on my car. I just got my drivers license last week, and washed the car today.

It is nice being able to drive my car by myself, listen to my music without my parents complaining, go where I want, and brag to my friends.

On a less exciting note, same day I got my license I got braces, they are not the most comfortable thing to wear.

It has been a long time in the making, but I finally am able to drive the car I got over 3 years ago.