General non-MG related discussions. No politics here please!!
Well, I have been wondering this for a while. I am not interested in new cars, but would love to work on old British ones on a regular basis. Of course I need to learn alot more, but I have learned everything on my own and on this forum. I am wondering if there is some kind of "qualification" that you can get for "old" cars. I wonder what John Twist did when he started out? Thanks for any help on this question!
peace, Kyle
Get yourself in at the ground floor (or basement, if necessary) at a garage like John Twist's and do your time. Learn and work your way up. The only Official Qualification I've ever heard of is a course in Car Restoration at one of the Technical Colleges in England. Don't recall which one.
A number of mechanics around here only deal in old british cars.
You might do well to start by restoring some old cars and selling them first.
Let word of mouth spread.
Your qualification process is good work and referrals by your customers. Twist started out just like you but wrote about it and the fact that he wrote about it made him an expert in the eyes of his readers. He earned as he learned from there and built a reputation on doing good work.
OK! Thanks guys, this is just what I wanted to hear! You guys have given me confidence to do this! I am going to fix up my MGB some more, so that will give me more experience with them. All my life I have learned things on my own. I can't believe how much I know now, compared to when I had my Jaguar. Back then I only changed oil. Now I am ready to rebuild engines:). Thanks again!
peace, Kyle
Don't forget to check with your local community college if there's one nearby. I'm not saying you need a Associate's Degree in Automotive, but you could check and see what they offer that might pertain. When I went they had quite a few classes, and in addition machine shop and welding are useful too.
You want to base a career on fewer and fewer possibilities of employment as time goes by, working for a bunch of skinflints like us ? I wouldn't...
Kyle, like you I want to someday have my own classic car restoration/mechanic shop, but I wanted something to fall back on. I decided to go college and get my Airframe and Powerplant licenses for aircraft (I'm a plane guy and it seemed more fun than automotive). The program is good because its well rounded in that you learn how to do sheet metal work, welding, painting, a lot of electrical, and hydraulics. Also you get training with about every engine known to man like turbojet, turboprop, piston, and rotary. You can apply this training to any kind of vehicle.
I don't know if this helps you but thats what I'm doing now.
(Also, there is also nothing like the sound of a 1000hp WWII era radial engine!)
Patience, grit, sweat, blood, long hours, tenacity, a humble attitude in receiving suggestions from mentors, a very understanding significant other, money spent on tools rather than food or beer, late nights reading EVERYTHING you can get your hands on about all aspects of cars, the internal combustion engine, transmissions, practice, practice and more practice.
I still learn stuff and develop a new skill every day that I lean over a fender.
Ten things that I would say to a young man looking to start out in the mechanic/technician trade...
1: Protect your hearing. It might not seem cool to wear ear covers now but when you get to be a bit older you will thank your lucky stars you did.
2: Wear some sort of gloves when ever you can. Absorbing the chemicals that cars use and need during maintances is not good for your body or its appearance.
3: Only work in a well ventilated space. Exhaust gas might not kill you right off the bat but it would be a shame to absorb all of this knowledge and develop all of these skills and end up dead before you reached old age.
4: Wear eye protection EVERY TIME you start doing something that could even remotely result in an eye injury.
5: Buy the best tools that you can afford. Take a pole from your mentors and use their suggestions as to make and type. As the saying goes, you will never regret buying a good tool. And keep them clean and safe as you would any other valued possession.
6: Give up smoking if you are in the habit. Smoking is dangerous around cars and shops and if you are going to do this for money the last thing a customer wants is to pick up is prize and find that it smells of cigarette smoke.
7: Never, ever, act or drive in an irresponsible manner in front of a customer.
8: Treat all customers and their cars with equal respect. The guy with the rough looking Spridget is just as proud of his toy as the guy with the shiny red Jag.
9: Pick your customers with care. Life is too short to have to deal with jerks. I like to say that I made more money off the cars that I did not work on than the ones that I did.
10: Set aside time for your significant other or family. They might not understand your passion or dedication but they do deserve as much attention as you can give them.
Jack
11) Have a Plan B.
I agree with David Sauer's advice, for a couple of reasons. First, it really is a good idea to have a fall-back position. Second, knowing you have a viable Plan B lets you take a few more risks. And you won't get anywhere if you don't take risks.
Do good things, young Grasshopper. ;)
R.
Hey Kyle!
I have some friends down here in Georgia that might be looking for an apprentice, are you interested?
Cheers!
Mike
Thanks Jack, thats good advice. I don't smoke or drink and I am very humble. I guess I could say I am well-mannered:) I am also going to be tuning and repairing pianos(big difference:)), so that is my fall back. Mike, I WOULD be interested if I were closer! My aunt and uncle live down there in Georgia though. Now I am thinking about Almond Brothers:).
peace, Kyle
Jack, kusos for giving ear protection a high priority!
It really pi**es me off when Norm Abrahms mentions eye protection, but never says a word about hearing protection at the beginning of his show. They are BOTH important.
Kyle,
In 2004 I was in between internships at college, and was looking for a part time job to pay the bills and have some fun at the same time. I approached the owner of a local British car restoration shop and asked if he'd be interested in bringing me on as an assistant/greasemonkey/go-fer at the shop. I knew many of the basic mechanic skills from years of working on my own cars, helping my father keep his MG going as a kid, and first-hand experience after buying a GT of my own. I was in college studying business and Marketing, and thought that even if it was only for a couple of months, it would be a nice experience in the world of entreprenuership. I asked him to pay me what he felt my skills warranted.
I started working at the shop and things went very well. I was learning ALOT, making some money, and loving every minute of it. A year later I graduated from college, and rather than take a Marketing job where I'd likely make more money, I decided to continue doing what I love. Needless to say, three years later I am a full-time British car mechanic and do not regret it for a minute. BUT, I still have a desire to get a legitimate mechanics certification in the future. Having an ASE patch on my work shirt is not going to hurt business - that I know for sure.
So, the answer is yes. It is possible, but you need to be very dedicated to the path and keep learning. I work 10 hours a day, come home and read manuals on rebuilding ODs. It's a sickness but I love it.
Ed, I am very dedicated to what I believe in and my interests:). Your story sounds great! I will do the same, hopefully soon.
peace, Kyle
Fair warning, though you're too young to take it. Working on cars for a living is hard physical labor, your body will wear out & there will be significant physical pain involved. Most techs transition into some other work by their late 30s early 40s. The other problem is that when it becomes a job it's no longer as much fun as when it's a hobby.
Not to say don't do it, but be aware of what you're getting into.
Thank you for your suggestions, Alex. My Grandfather was a mechanic, so it seems to be a "family" skill:). I may just do this once in a while. I come from a musical family, so piano tuning and repair will be my main thing. It's alot easier to "work on" a piano, than a car. I know working on cars is hard work, most people don't know just how hard it is, unless they have done it.
peace, Kyle
Kyle, there are plenty of aspects of British car repair that you can "specialize" in. Some of them aren't back breaking labor! With your work of fine tuning pianos, maybe you want to learn gauge repair and calibration or alternator/starter rebuilding?
There's a ton of good information already posted, but I found that the most important investments are lifetime guaranteed tools (any brand), reference materials that you can always use to find what you can't remember, and as much education as you can afford from the best teachers you can find. Its the guys who wrenched on these things for years that know all the tricks and tips you won't find in manuals. That's where you learn how to repair cars AND make money! Hopefully you're a bit innovative yourself and can not only learn the trade, but help improve it!
i agreee with the aspect of breaking you down as being a mechanic for about the last 9 years...but one thing is for sure its always something different a new experience every day of course some experiences you dont want to have again but all i can say is if you get into the mechanic field LEARN from older guys never be afraid to ask things most will point you the best way to go about things and keep in mind the little tricks and shorcuts you can take to make the job easier the next time you do it....work smarter not harder. IMHO LBC cars are way to simple when you deal with new fuel injected cars day in and day out........sometimes too simple and you over analyze things. case in point my MG is the only car that ive had to work on points in the distributor or for that case a carburator in the last 10 years. Learn what you can about everything on the road.....the basic mechanics are there for all cars today they are more advanced but principles are the same
Ed...
Kudos to you for going with your heart instead of your wallet! It's a decision you'll never regret - unlike many of us who went the other way. For a lot of us, it's too late to turn back.
I love that commercial where one older gentleman is selling his restoration shop/garage to "chase the dream" - and another older gentleman has bought it for exactly the same reason!
My passions as a youth were art and cars. I ignored my mechanic father's advice and abandoned those interests in pursuit of a more marketable set of job skills. Now I'm 58 years old and would sell my soul to be doing something other that what I do for a living, but art and cars remain but a hobby.
Kyle...are you listening? Do what makes you happiest. You'll adjust to whatever income level that produces - but you'll go to sleep at night with a smile on your face and peace in your heart. Do what you love and love what you do.
Way to go, Ed! Now, tell me about the blue table you have that Bugeye/Spridget on...
Well, I don't want to have ALOT of money, so that does not matter much. As always, I need MONEY for more tools: MIG welder, sand blaster, engine hoist etc.........and hopefully, a hydraulic lift:). Thanks guys, I will do my best!
peace, Kyle
Thanks guys.
Tony, just a simple scissor lift. It's a mobile unit, so we can position it anywhere we want it in the shop.