Dad built me a "go cart" out of a 1x12 w/2x4 crossbar supports, wagon wheels and a 1/4hp Maytag foot start engine when I was about 10. Rode that thing all over town for a couple of summers, top speed of about 10mph and had to 'help' it up any hills. Had an old ratchet hand e-brake handle from the salvage yard, and a sliding jackshaft to tighten the belt. I had lots of shirts with belt dressing stripes up the back
Also built lots of models, but lost most of them when a mysterious fire took the local hobby shop out one night, and the owner was not to be found the next morning.... Got a summer job at a local river beach in the summer of '60, and bought a couple of car magazines to pass time manning the gate collecting entry fee - $0.50 day park, $1.00 overnight camping w/free electricity plugs, rest room and cold water shower!
Dad had two cars, a 1966 Galaxie and an old '58 Custom 300 that had been wrecked and rebuilt a couple of times and he was unhappy with the miles being put on his new Galaxie. When I got rear ended in the '58 out on the highway (a new '66 ElCamino did not see the me sliding to a stop to keep from hitting a car that stopped in the middle of the road, and hit the rear end square on going 70or better - pushed the back bumper up just below the front edge of the trunk, folded up even with the roof) I convinced him to buy something I would not be ashamed to drive and I would never drive his Galaxie again. He let me pick out a '60Chevy Impala 2dr HT, and that started my wrenching in earnest. Went through several engines, more 3spd trannys than I want to think about, and a few rear differentials over three or four years. I'm ashamed to say that the first time I pulled that rear pumpkin because it was howling a bit it had no grease in it, and I did not know enough to do different so I put in the "new" one ($20 from the salvage yard) and put it back together. It didn't start whining for several months.