Just stumbled across this 1940s vocational education film on becoming a mechanic. Its a great film clip for checking out vintage service equipment, car part cutaways, uniforms, etc. What strikes me is how radically the skill set has changed for a new... <BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
love that old stuff. I have a bunch of "filmstrips" from Chevrolet dealers. these are the ones where you play a record and move to the next picture manually... kind of like slides but all the pics are on a strip. I need to find the machine to play them on.
I was thinking the same thing, wingnutz!! It sure is interesting to see day-in-the-life stuff from then. Thanks, Ryan.
I have worked in service at auto dealers for the past 16 years and am still amazed at what we throw away/replace. We arent technitions anymore....we are parts replacers !
It really has changed alot but some of it still stays the same. We dont fix much anymore we just replace alot items. We do alot of paper work here in the dealership. I have spent a ton of time and money and training and special tools. Thanks for posting that movie clip
"Plug it in, find the code and replace the part", I wish it were always that easy! Although the basic principles and many of the components of the modern car remain little changed from those in the video, the addition of extra equipment and technology has made them a far more complex machine. Each new technology brings it's own set of potential problems, the more "stuff" the more potential problems. Give me points ignitions and carbs anytime! Cool old movie.
I Know what you're going through. Someone gave me a bunch of pornographic movies, but I have been unable to find a pornograph..........insert rim shot!
Cool video and thanks for posting. I have been an Automotive Tech for 26 years. Things have changed.....alot! I miss working on the simpiler systems...in a way though has become easier ..at times..to diagnose electrical and driveabilty issues when the advancement in test equiptment. Its funny about once a month we get an older carburated car in and the guy that works with me refuses to even look at it. Probably cause he would not know where to start.
These old films remind me of the ones that we used to watch in grade school when the teacher would haul out the old 8mm projector. Notice how clean cut and thin everyone was? Different times I suppose. It's amazing to me that there was a peroid of time when those cars were cutting edge technology and folks went through training to learn how to work on them. Now...They're archaic and I'm still learing how to work on them. That's a great look to our past for sure.
Also made my living fixing cars, for the past 25yrs. Love the old movie, some items might be dated, but allot hasn't changed. The technicians whom take their job seriously, stay updated on technology by attending classes and seminars and actually give a crap about what they are doing will stay on top. Still some good money to be made out there, despite the economic situation. Top shelf workers will always be in demand, no matter what the field. Just this week I tracked down an electrical short that several other city technicians have given up on. Getting paid by the hour has its advantages. Overall, makes you feel good about yourself at the end of the day. Can be hard to have this as a hobby when you do it all day long. Sometimes I'd rather come home and work in the yard than play with old cars. zzzzzzzzzzzzz JT
X2! JT, There is a WorldPac seminar with lots of good training, next week in Orlando at the Disney resort.You wouldnt have to be going to that would you? I fly out Friday early. Scott
"once a month we get an older carburated car in and the guy that works with me refuses to even look at it. Probably cause he would not know where to start." -moter ...I see this a lot, too. In the club I was in for years, there were guys in their early 20s who are wizards with Cadillac Northstar engine swaps into mid-'90s Grand Prixs yet dumbfounded by three Rochester two-barrels with progressive linkage. "sorry guys, there's no air/fuel map for tri-power..." "Can be hard to have this as a hobby when you do it all day long. Sometimes I'd rather come home and work in the yard than play with old cars." -jakespeed63 ...When I was 18 I was strongly considering GM mechanic school since I had been bitten by the old car bug (I had already owned five '60s Pontiacs by that time)...to test the waters, I started out as a lot attendant at a local Pontiac dealer. There were almost no 'car guys' there and I was made fun of by everyone for driving a '62 Catalina (that, and having a pompadour). More importantly, I watched and listened to the service techs...many WERE into old cars at one time but the blade-dulling grind of dealing with late-model sh!tboxes and ridiculously aggressive repair time allowances simply burned those poor boys out. Sorry if I drifted off topic at all.
What he said. Had a later model car in the shop, no run no codes. So, plug it in was of no use. Had to do it the old fasioned way -check for spark ect. Was a bad rotor. Us older guys that repair cars for a living didn't start working on cars because we wanted to become computer geeks. It just gets worse all the time. Why someone would want to buy a car with 5-6 computers on it, and think it is fool proof is beyond me.
Possibly off topic but a sign of the times, I'm 36 and just a few years ago I finally worked on and swapped the motor in a front wheel drive car, Whew!!!!! In contrast my neighbor who was the same age and well versed in the new shit has no experience with anything traditional. He was amazed when I swapped motors by myself in less than a day, and couldn't believe how I put a trans in. Him: "How'd you put that trans in?" Me: " I put it on my chest and pressed it in" Him: "------------------------------------------"
The basics are still here,as the crankshaft turns once,the piston stops and changes direction twice.Transmissions still work on the same basic principal they always did and there has been no new improvements on the design of the differential. Mechanically it still is the same,all computers do are manange and control fuel and timing,which allow us to have more luxerys as well. Yes they have improved the vehicles overall effiency with years of refinement,but when you really break it down they havent changed all that much.
Cool! I love old stuff like this, I can remember watching things like that in our High School auto shop only 30 years ago. Convinced me! I want to work on Auto-Moblies.