Worked in auto parts industry for over 20 years.
Transmissions are the ONLY system on the car that I dont try to fix… Always wanted to start learning how to rebuild those
Blackbird, you will notice some of the regulars have a “Top 250” appear in their posts…An even fewer number have a “Top 20” ranking…Those numbers just didn’t come out of thin air…The top twenty contributors have been around a long time…
I’m a retired shop owner, several shops, and was ASE certified in five specialties…In the military, I was trained as an atomic bomb mechanic…I bailed out of auto repair before computers took over completely…There are ten or fifteen “Top Guns” on this board, Fodaddy, Tester, Transman, cigroller, Whitey to name a few, you will quickly learn who they are…
We are all waiting to see how the Justy / Gold Wing project turns out…At some point, you gotta walk the talk…
1972 graduate of four year trade school with Apprentice Auto Mechanic printed on my diploma. If it were possible to fail shop,I could have. One of the teachers refused to be responsible for what I might do when his back was turned or when the shop was left with zero supervision. That happened way too often and the 22 year old graduates were a very bad example. They were together in their misbehavior and posted lookouts; an example which I should have followed. No lookouts? No misbehavior.
I learned something: A wasted youth is better by far than a wise and productive old age. I like my music like I like my life; everything louder than everything else. Two out of three ain’t bad but that third one is a disaster. Try to avoid doing things wrong.
I went to the Air Force and greased B-52 and KC-135A aircraft. Then I learned to inspect and repair those KC-135A planes. In the mean time I told people that I was a mechanic. Big mistake. I had to work on a lot of cars after that. I could do an oil change and lube in 25 minutes at the Auto Hobby Shop. I learned a lot of things about Fords which all had problems common to each other. Heater cores, dumb tranny fluid, stupid starting systems, bad bodies and suspensions were just a few things. Their power steering was cheap too.
I did my time (short but fun) as a car salesman and Mom and Pop parts sales (NAPA). I collected useful alternator information like how to get the pulley off and brushes in and out; simple but effective. How many ohms does it take to make a diode?
My 350 Chevy rebuild went to Florida from Northern Maine three times and 50,000 miles before moving away permanently. I learned not to kill clutches on a 69 428 Cobra Jet Torino. That iron transmission was heavy as well as useless. Who ever heard of a first gear ratio of 2.5 to one? It’s usually 3.8 to one on real 4 speeds. You didn’t have to shift to second until you hit 60 MPH. Comes in handy when racing.
I’ve been around so long I forgot how to buy windshield wipers once. Felt silly when I remembered two hours later. I learned how to save hundreds of dollars on brake work so I could afford to change more parts.
I learned that it’s easier to get work done if you’re motivated.
Almost 30 years as a professional tech (at least I guess that’s what they pay me for). I’m mostly an underhood tech on domestics, but I work on whatever comes in the door. Have never built a transmission, but I’ve built plenty of engines through the years. Never been interested in hotrodding, Just keeping 'em going.
I’m 58 and have been wrenching since I was 14. The ole man was a heavy equipment mechanic and had a service truck that had every tool imaginable. I have had my auto repair shop for 30 years. But this is my side line job.
My real job title is a Senior Engineering Aide/Lab Technician. This means when the engineers have an idea, they come to me for support in the development of that idea. This can involve everything from sheet metal fabrication, welding, machining, electrical, hydraulics, and pnuematics. Then when I finish with the fabrication of the component, I then run the tests on that component to determine if the idea performs to expectations utilizing data acquisition hardware/software.
As a lab tech, I’ve worked in the industrial ventilation/filtration area, and in the heavy duty diesel engine emissions abatement component development area. This involves running heavy duty diesel engines on a dyno to test these components. Along with this I also maintain/repair the diesel engines and the dyno.
But I enjoy working in my auto repair shop the most. Because there, I’m the boss.
Tester
Worked in gas stations as a teenager, '68-'73.
Went through a 2 year auto-mechanics program.
Worked in a Chrysler Plymouth dealership for several years.
Went back to school getting my bachelors in electrical engineering.
Worked on heavy construction equipment to help get me through college.
A few years later - went back and got a masters in computer science.
Still working in the computer science field.
I appreciate and value all I learn from the many contributors on this forum.
I have absolutely no credentials other than the work I’ve done on my cars and those of some friends and relatives. This may soon include Honda timing belts, as I can’t afford to have mine done:-) I went to a truck driving school and have always been quite good at driving a stick. I do not post answers on these pages unless I’m pretty sure that I know what I’m talking about. I have an enormous curiosity about how mechanical things work, and I am a compulsive reader.
Credentials in automotive-related things or in other pursuits?
In regard to automotive stuff, I am largely self-taught.
As a kid, I voraciously read everything that I could about cars and how they operate. I built a “Visible V-8”, and that helped to solidify a lot of arcane bits of knowledge for me.
Our next-door neighbor (ominously named, “Mr. Kill”) was a seat-of-the-pants mechanic, and I learned a lot from watching him.
Then, when I was ~12 years old, I recall my mother getting a phone call from my brother, who reported that he was stranded on the side of the road because his '55 Chevy had broken down, and that the symptoms were overheating and an illuminated “battery” light. My mother told him to walk to a local mechanic for a tow.
Like the little idiot savant that I apparently was, I immediately piped-up with, “call him back and tell him that his fan belt snapped”. I have no idea of how I instantly deduced this very obvious source of the problem, but I did. After that, my family began to allow me to diagnose their car problems, usually with a very good success rate.
By the time that I was 17, my father allowed me to take over the task of maintaining his cars. When I was in college, I began working in a gas station.
When I got my own first car, a '71 Dodge Charger SE, I did all of the maintenance–and some of the repairs–myself. I also did the maintenance and some of the repairs on my LEMON '74 Volvo myself.
As the years passed, and my professional responsibilities in the education field took up more of my time, I began to allow more and more of my automotive work to be done by others, out of sheer necessity.
At this point in my life, back problems and arthritis keep me from doing a lot of the mechanical things that I would like to do, but I do consider myself to be reasonably knowledgeable about automotive mechanical principles.
As to other credentials–do you really want a recitation of college degrees and certifications?
I think Blackbird has found a new swimming pool and he is trying to figure out where the deep end is so he doesn’t get in over his head…
I’m a parts replacer of unparalled magnitude.
I’m a parts replacer of unparalled magnitude.
OH PAAALLLLEEEESSSSEEEE! For crying in a bucket, you are the most knowledgeable and wisest person on this forum. Wisdom is knowledge applied, it’s more than book knowledge. Anybody can chunk parts onto a car, you are a technician.
Brothers took apart and repaired cars while in HS, I was the little guy with the hands who could get the tools and get into small places. Learned by observation. They made lots of mistakes, but always got the cars running again.
Wrenched myself on '61 Merc and '67 Mustang. Carried a spare water pump in the Merc. just in case.
Made a living in sales and sales mgt. Drove over 30K miles per year in many company cars for 30 years. Managed sales reps who were clueless about cars that needed my wisdom.
Retired now and wrench again when I feel I can handle the task. Not afraid to pay someone for their expertise. ie, don’t do timing belts myself, but no problem changing out an alternator.
Do most of my work on a ski boat with a 351 Ford Windsor block PCM marine motor. Last years crisis was the Borg Warner Velvet drive trans blew out - again. '03 Civic never seems to break, but I did change the plugs. '01 Sequoia never seems to break, but did do the plugs on that too. '04 T’bird now that one has issues and I do have to work on it. Mostly the Ford COP’s are poor design.
Basically just a car guy at heart. Feel free to ignore my comments if “credentials” aren’t up to your standards.
Forgot to mention the motorcycles. At one point I was collecting CX500T and had one CX650T Honda Turbo’s; 5 CX500T’s and the 650. Also had a '98 VTR1000 SuperHawk, a '93 CB750 Nighthawk, and a standard '78 CX500. Lot’s of experience riding, storing, and fixing up these bikes. Riding days ended with a bike/deer collision (NE PA has lots of bambi’s running around) and the chopper ride to the trama center in Scranton. That’s when I got the T’bird.
Professional auto technician–meaning that I’ve been doing this for money for 23 years. Been fixing things since I was a kid, learned a lot during summers on a farm growing up.
As for credentials, ASE Certified Master, hold a few other ASE certs as well, State emissions specialist, auto shop manager(soon to be owner), many training seminar/program certificates. Never took high school auto shop or been in a voc/tech program.
Also have a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy. Go figure that one.
been earning money in the automotive field for 32 years
at 10 yrs I obtained lawn mowers to tear down and build for fun
graduated h/s from a vo/tech h/s in the diesel shop
worked on semis ( petes/ IH’s/ trailmobiles/ thermokings
mom and pop shops
sold auto parts from large WD (warehouse distributor) in STL
sold tools from the same WD and if I may toot my own horn I was one of the most well known tool salesman in STL area. To be fair I must say I did not own my own mobile truck. I sold from a WD to real auto parts stores. I even wrote my own column about tools in a small auto parts paper we tried to start. It only lasted 5 or 6 issues since we discovered parts guys cannot read unless it’s in a year/make/model format.
apparently I did something wrong and was sentenced to be a service writer for a short time but was forgiven so I dont do that anymore.
spent several years as an insurance appraiser writing estimates on damaged vehicles. Wrote over 7,000 vehicles.
now I am managing a body shop
Seriously, I’m 60 and have been dinking around with mechanical things since I was about 11 years old. (The next door neighbor owned the Harley dealership and got me and his sons who were my age involved in putting stuff together in his storage building.)
Chronological clock aside, I suffer from arrested development and like anything to do with cars, motorcycles, aircraft, racing, modifications, guitars, guns, and even industrial machinery. Heck, I even took a tour once of a grapefruit juice cannery just to look at that marvel of a machine.
Licensed aircraft mechanic and certified in a number of areas in the auto world although I flat don’t remember all of them. After some years of disillusionment and broken promises I packed my patches, diplomas, and all other things like that up and consigned it all to the attic where it’s sits.
Ran my own shop for a number of years after deciding one week that I was flat done with working for car dealers due to the BS and (sort of) retired over the last couple of years due to a nagging injury which was about to leave me either planted in the ground or on a machine in a vegetative state. If any of you are familiar with the Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett and his injury a few years go then that’s where I was at; and with no idea how it even happened. The docs were stunned that I was actually walking on my own although before surgery I could not even turn the key to start the car or even play the guitar.
The docs were not even wanting to talk to me when I asked how long I’d be in the hospital but I told them I planned on being out in a week. They rolled their eyes at me and said it was too premature to even talk about leaving the hospital. (Uh Oh) Surgery on Monday evening, walking the halls on my own on Wednesday and Thursday, and they let me go home Friday morning after me begging them on Thursday night to cut me loose.
I haven’t brought this up much before as it’s sort of irrelevant but I guess I’m lucky beyond belief. I’m not twisting wrenches full time now but I’m still doing a lot of it as it’s in my blood. Currently building an engine for someone and I do some machine work on the mill and lathe so I consider myself good to go. 
Maybe one of these days I’ll post a pic of my “hybrid” 3-string guitar that I just finished. It’s a conglomeration of a lot of things (car parts, Harley parts, misc. scrap wood and hardware, old vacuum tube TV parts, etc) and that thing will flat howl through the amplifier although it’s designed to be used mostly as an acoustic.
I’ve been tinkering with electronics and machinery since my age was in the single-digits. I have an Associates degree in “Industrial Electronics and Robotics” that I’ve never fully applied to anything, but it has helped me indirectly in my ‘career’
I was a restaurant manager for many years, having fallen into that position, then got sick of it and turned my hobby of tinkering with things into doing maintenance for one of the companies I worked for as a side job. Then was a manager again for another company, left them and came back doing IT for them. Now several jobs later, I do IT full time, but still tinker with all sorts of technology, as time and my laziness permit. I read a ridiculous amount all the time. I’m the kind of person that reads old, defunct technical manuals for machines that no longer exist.
I learned a lot about cars from my first few cars, which were basically cars that other, better-off people had thrown away. I rebuilt almost everything on those cars, including the motor on one.
When I was young and poor, I had no choice but to fix my own vehicles. I discovered that an aptitude for technology (and IMHO a logical mind) translates well from one technical field to another. Basically I just hate not knowing how something works, whether it’s an engine, a microprocessor, or a microprocessor-controlled engine. Or the universe, for that matter…
Right, but sometimes the wise people know its easier to start changing out the dumb parts than it is to go through all of that diagnosis baloney. Its fast diagnosis. But ss near as I can tell ok4450 has almost any spare part for any car laying around somewhere in his garage. 
Seriously though, meaneyed is correct. If I didn’t have a general disinterest in OK I’d find out where you live so I could buy the house next door…fix cars by day, ride motorcycles in the evenings and play music into the night.
ok4450,
Are you a musician? So am I!
Well not exactly. I’m the guy that hangs around musicians.
I’m a drummer!
Tester
As you can see, a good cross section of hands on skills and in-depth automotive knowledge.
I was trained in the army as a mobile equipment mechanic. Raised on a farm where I had to fix all manner of equipment. Graduated in Mechanical Engineering, long time member and past regional chairman of SAE. Member of Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE) and currently a self employed consultant in Maintenance, Reliability Engineering, Equipment Management and Life Cyle extension.
Work assignments range from fleet management, industrial plants, ocean fleet management, oil and gas facilities, chemical and power plants, airports.
Life long interest in cars and trucks and have done a lot of hands on work in the past. Now limit myself to the easy stuff, oil changes rad flushes, etc.