Folks Of Interest How Many Hambers Work in the Trade

I'm a regular machinist in a large industrial operation that isn't involved with cars.
Well, except for all those bits that we sneak in!

 

Been in the trade most of my life, still working for a dealer, get paid well because I know how to fix /diagnose stuff, diffs, gearboxes, electrical, etc. Most of the new mechanics are just parts changers. I enjoy working on my projects, I think it’s the satisfaction of designing, building and seeing it work how I want it to

 

High School Auto Tech Graduate.
25 Years in Dealerships.
10 Years in business building Transmissions and Rear ends.
13 Years in a School Bus Garage.
Retired.

 

Started out at an independent shop out of high school that specialized in German stuff .
Did lots of vw , Mercedes’ and Porche restorations .
Then went to Jaguar and was the “ old car guy “ E-types V12’s etc .

the last few years where at dealerships working on everyday appliances. Not nearly as fun but I could shut my brain off and pound out the work easily .
It got boring and after the 2008 financial crisis the money never came back .

got into forklifts and heavy equipment and love it ! It’s like working on an old car in a way as you actually “fix” things instead of just replacing parts and assemblies .

been doing it my whole life , I piss n moan about it , but love what I do .

 

I`m in the upholstery trade. 10 years working for a couple shops working on newer stuff and airplanes while doing lots of side jobs. Then on my own for 21 years. A one-man shop. 80% of the work is for pre 1970 vehicles. I never give bids anymore. Every job presents different challenges along the way. No two jobs are the same. It`s all by the hour and pay as we go. No surprises that way. I work on beaters to high dollar builds. Completes to partials. No bullshit to deal with. Love what I do. It`s all I know.

 

Auto tec in high school because there was no welding classes. Went to Welding school after after graduation and was a welder until there I realized there were no decent welding career’s in my area. Was offered a job for an automotive machine shop that bought out an antique engine rebuilding business which I eventually bought when the owner retired. Did a lot of Babbitt work which can try your patience but got to work on a lot of really cool stuff. Eventually the overhead got out of control and I sold stuff off. Working now maintaining a fleet of vehicles and equipment but the money is good and we have a few classics. Been trying to convince the boss he needs a hot rod but no such luck yet. And I’m now in the club with some of you that after wrenching all day for someone else there’s not much motivation to work on your own stuff.

 

Got a college degree (Psych), that was practically useless.
Worked anything for a while.
Part time at a Custom paint and body guy's shop, learning a LOT!
Landed the lifetime job at Exxon Research, working in the test car lab. Learned a lot, but mostly repetitious.
Exxon dissolves it's Product Research Division, took a year off and built a shop in my backyard.
On to Englehard (precious metals co.) doing engine research on catalytic converters. Bought out by BASF (really screwed up the works!)
Retired, now building cars in my backyard, part time, as I have since high school.

 

Owned and operated The Carburetor Shop LLC since 1974, since 1975 in current location.

Retirement??? Is that a word with no meaning, similar to vacation???

Jon.

 

Worked at it to make a living, relying on car work to put a roof overhead and grub on the table for the family and me?
Nope. But doing side work certainly helped with roof, grub, life in general, and of course car parts for me! If you look closely at the O.T. hood, there's a gloved hand, that's the lovely Mrs. 99 who was called on many times to help lift a big hood into the press and usually without too much grumbling. That louver press helped get her through four years of college which has worked out well for her, and me. My hat's off to the folks that make a living doing car/hot rod stuff to make ends meet, takes a lot of devotion and discipline.

 

I was born and raised in Dearborn, Michigan, the home of Henry Ford! So, car influence was great in the area. I was born at the beginning of hot rodding back in the 40's and my part stores/supply houses were mostly junk yards and plenty of them! Living in this area pretty much influenced career direction. You mix the two influences like auto town and job availability in the area and throw in the need to see who has the fast cars around and you see the results of car passion! As for career, I retired from Chrysler as a senior manager of Electrical Engineering and worked developing engine electrical systems and plenty of the performance enhancements. The viper program, the Prowler program, and the breakerless ignitions systems of the early 70's. I built plenty of distributor advance curves for race engines on the old Sun distrbutor stands they had back in 70's and I would do it all over again. I was lucky to see it all evolve! Still have my cars and going on 76 years old this year!

 

Once upon a time I wrenched on cars for a living but it wasn't the old ones. The old stuff has always been more of a hobby.

 

Not me

 

My Dad showed me how to overhaul my 1953 Cushman scooter at 11 years of age, 1962. Then a couple of years later we overhauled a 312 T-bird Special. He aslo showed me how to fix anything on the ranch! He was an aviation mechanic and told me if I ever thought of being a mechanic for a career, he would just hit me in the head , right now! Lol So at his insistence I went to college , working as a part time mechanic and then got one of those jobs! Quit and went to work at a machine shop….loved it! Then joined the Muskogee fire Dept. Shortly after joining the Mechanic’s job came open and I got it! I worked on million dollar rigs for 33 1/2 years retired in 2012! During that time I also worked on drag cars, circle track cars, moto cross bike and street bikes!
Now retired, I intend to work on my fleet of vehicles (75), that I collected since 1960, but, now, I mostly just party with my friends! But I am going to get around to some of them…..shortly!






Bones

 

Worked in a wrecking yard in L.A. right out of high school in 1959. No parts sales, drag 'em in, flip 'em, cut 'em, haul the metal to the scrap yard. I was responsible for killing hundreds of potential hot rods. I feel like such a despicable wretch.

 

Kinda.

I'm a manufacturing engineer at a plant that makes rubber gasket and seal compounds used downstream to make o rings, shaft seals and pan gaskets. If you have Viton(tm) in your car somewhere , chances are, it went past me ...

 

I am a Design Engineer in the Automotive field for a tier 1 supplier, currently designing fuel systems with a planned transition into electrification. Also, I restore components for Muscle cars to OEM concourse or custom applications on the side, plus usually have at least one complete build going.

 

Cool background, as a MoPar guy I imagine you worked on some cool stuff (except maybe the Lean Burn program).

 

I work in an office, Engr working in other areas of the business. I work on cars to clear my head, relax, enjoy it.
Lately, I've been rethinking whether or not I enjoy it OT frame off is wearing me down.

 

My whole life has revolved around four spinning wheels. Born in 1959 and raised in Livonia Mi. My dad had a Sunoco station in Berkley Mi. and I spent my entire childhood there.
We moved to NC in 1978 after I graduated HS and my brother and myself opened an Amoco station. We did all heavy repairs, transmission, rearends etc. We kept a nice speed center with a good stock of what was current.
Drag racing and street racing where a big part of my world for the next 12 years or so. My next step was my own shop as a NC car dealer so I spent the next 20 years or so buying and selling used cars. This turned into a mostly wholesale operation selling only to other dealers. We closed up shop in 08 when the economy quit and since then I only do what I want to.
So I have a love hate relationship with the machine. For me it has always just been a way to put food on the table.

 

What I mostly deal with lately on a daily basis is peoples daily driver junk that needs rebuilt to pass state inspection. Idiots that wonder why their car is on its last leg when they have not even checked to see if there is oil on the dip stick in a year and on and on... Racing , driving and working on the drag coupe, helps keep me sane. Or somewhat sane.

 

Fleet mechanic early on. Been driving a truck for 32 years now, 20 was otr, 12 ltl now. 4.5 million miles now and I'm about through.

 

Yeah, we worked on many cool projects in the background. I had bosses back then that would state it is better to ask for givenness then ask for permission! I always enjoyed meetings up in the VP offices at Highland Park because there was a 426 Hemi on an engine stand outside of the Engineering VP there until we moved to Auburn Hills in the early nineties! The SRT group evolved out of such projects as the Viper and the Prowler and my department had engineering and production help with both of those programs. It was nice having Viper and Prowler lab cars to use for development as well as road trips for evaluation!

 

I have a machine shop in my garage. do quite a few one off things.

 

I work with my son who own Ceres Motorsports in Oviedo, FL. His focus in on classic British sports cars but we like to hot rod those things, too! We love old school trad rods and have an MGTD hot rod in the queue, as soon as two other projects are done. Fun stuff!
Check out his instagram and facebook pages.

 

Basically all my life!

I got out of high school in 1980, even though Dad was a truck mechanic at a GMC dealership & had been teaching me mechanics for a few years, he really didn't want me to be a mechanic. He pushed me to take a year of college for Electronic Engineering, since we were Ham Radio operators for years. After that one year I knew it was not for me. In '82 Mom & Dad & I leased a gas station with 3 bays for service. Even though we had lots of loyal customers, the oil company we leased from made it impossible to keep it after that year. I knew I wanted my own business in our hobby, so there was no working for anybody else.

In 1983 I opened Bill's Auto Works as a body shop, body parts sales & vehicle transport business. About 20 years ago the parts side dwindled down to the point that I decided to stop with them & in '06 I stopped doing paint & restorations for customers, because the transporting side of my business had taken over every minute of my time.

The only work I ever did that was not in this trade was Burger King in high school & in '86 one of my best friends who managed a very popular dance club basically forced me to work a few nights a week as a doorman/bouncer/bar back to get me out of the house in the evening after my first divorce that I didn't take so well....That was an interesting year!

God Bless
Bill
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ar-transport-hauling-open-or-enclosed.614419/

 

Im hoping to work in the trades as an electrician!

(edit)misinterpreted title... I thought it said Trades as in skilled labor.

 

Good money. Remember electricity is like water, just stay dry and you’ll do well

 

Never cars, boats tho, hamb Era. Now it's just a hobby.

 

Farmboys, joined USAF 1965, jet engine man 4 years, tractor, truck, ford mechanic, my own engine rebuild shop a few years. Now retired, building my own hotrods that I never had time for earlier

 

I gave up the corporate life in 2008 and opened Highway 99 Hot Rods, Inc. Nothing but hot rods and customs since.