chiefalen
Captain
- Joined
- May 18, 2008
- Messages
- 3,598
I just posted a reply, another forum here, asking a different question of me.
So i thought i would start a thread on where people first started to learn about mechanics and who their mentor was.
I grew up in Brooklyn NY, and worked when i was 10 years old, upstate NY, in chicken farms, resorts for rich people, and did anything i could do for a dime.
Anyway i scrapped together enough money for my first car, and bought a junker, i believe a 1971 nova 2 door. Got it cheap that was towed in to a junk yard across the street from my friends father machine shop on Remsen ave, Brooklyn NY.
I was there that day with my buddy, working after school for pennies and learning anything that the mechanics, would deem to teach me. My friend was the owners son, so he was sorta my boss.
Anyway i watched every car that got pulled into the yard hoping to spend the money that was burning a hole in my pocket, and i didn't know that the owner already spoke to the junk yard owner about keeping a eye open for a fixer upper for me, and my friend who wanted his first car.
So as fate would have it, in comes a Nova. Body was perfect motor was shot.
Rubber was new, guy just didn't check the oil, or the oil pump went i don't really remember why the motor started to smoke and knock.
So as i usually did i ran across the street when i see it, and asked the owner of the yard, is this the one is this the one.
And he said how i f-----g know it's still hooked to the truck, ill call you after i get it up and look at it.
His son was a friend of ours also, but had a Camero that we did, the lucky dog but thats a different story, for a different post.
So it was getting to be dinner time i didn't do my homework yet, My mother calls the shop and gives the owner what for, cause i ain't home yet, and i'm covered in grease, and she knows it.
Now you have to know this guy was a bear of a man, and was feared by everyone, had a bunch of people who worked for him, and did business with some real tough people. People with broken noses, and califlowered ears.
But when it came to my mother or his wife he was a puppy dog, and i never did understand it, till i married my wife, how the sound of a shrill voice over the phone, can turn a heart of stone into much.
So he kicked me in the pants and said go home your mother called. And i had to leave the car of my dreams in the pound across the street, not knowing the fate it was in for.
All i could think of was that jalopy. Don't remember anything else for that night or eating or the homework.
I know my dad got a call from my friends dad, and a call from my uncle, who owned Ace glass, and i worked there also learning all i could soak up, about auto glass, power windows, speedo cables, and locks, he did a lot of auto locks, ignition locks, was always a brisk business with broken glass and locks. Also did all the warranty work for the dealers in Brooklyn.
So off to school the next day don't remember that day except, when the bell rang and i was out the door with my buddy like a shot, off to his dads place.
I come running in the door and straight into his dads arms, who scooped me up and carried me into the back, on his shoulder and up on the lift was the Nova.
And the motor was on a crate already half apart. He says to me you think i'm gonna rebuild that POS forgetaboutit. I'm gonna junk that whole f-----g car if you don't drive it outta here in a week. And you and your friend there pointing to his son, are gonna rebuild it cause i ain't got not time to waste on no POS. Your got my lift tied up and the tranny got to come off and you roll it it the back yard till your ready to put the tranny back, get to work.
He leaves to go somewhere and my jaw is on the ground, and i didn't know where to start. There was this old grizzly guy that worked there, and he ambled over pulling a tranny jack, and says off the top of his head the size sockets we got to bring over. So we go looking for them and pull over a work cart and milk crates and small ladders so we can reach it.
About a hour latter we are dropping our family jewels on the floor cause it was freekin heavy, and almost drop it on the floor but manage to get it down.
We get it on a dolly and out the front door, when the boss comes back, with a toothpick in his face, and says that f-in car is still on my lift? You guys are costing me money holding up my lift.
But he saw us huffing and puffing pulling it out the door, when he was in the car at the light to make the left into his place.
So he gets the tranny rebuilder to send a guy over for the tranny while we huff and puff pushing the car out the back door.
We rebuilt the motor with him yelling and screaming all the time at us, and telling us how worthless we are, and we are so stupid that he shouldn't let us clean the toilets. He didn't need no stikin manual, knew everything in his head, every size, every torque value, everything in his head.
But he had us look up everything showed us how to cross reference, from one book to another.
Yelled at us if we didn't clean and wipe all the tools shiny new and put them back in the exact spot they came from when we done for the day.
Who was your mentor guy's. Any story you want to tell.
So i thought i would start a thread on where people first started to learn about mechanics and who their mentor was.
I grew up in Brooklyn NY, and worked when i was 10 years old, upstate NY, in chicken farms, resorts for rich people, and did anything i could do for a dime.
Anyway i scrapped together enough money for my first car, and bought a junker, i believe a 1971 nova 2 door. Got it cheap that was towed in to a junk yard across the street from my friends father machine shop on Remsen ave, Brooklyn NY.
I was there that day with my buddy, working after school for pennies and learning anything that the mechanics, would deem to teach me. My friend was the owners son, so he was sorta my boss.
Anyway i watched every car that got pulled into the yard hoping to spend the money that was burning a hole in my pocket, and i didn't know that the owner already spoke to the junk yard owner about keeping a eye open for a fixer upper for me, and my friend who wanted his first car.
So as fate would have it, in comes a Nova. Body was perfect motor was shot.
Rubber was new, guy just didn't check the oil, or the oil pump went i don't really remember why the motor started to smoke and knock.
So as i usually did i ran across the street when i see it, and asked the owner of the yard, is this the one is this the one.
And he said how i f-----g know it's still hooked to the truck, ill call you after i get it up and look at it.
His son was a friend of ours also, but had a Camero that we did, the lucky dog but thats a different story, for a different post.
So it was getting to be dinner time i didn't do my homework yet, My mother calls the shop and gives the owner what for, cause i ain't home yet, and i'm covered in grease, and she knows it.
Now you have to know this guy was a bear of a man, and was feared by everyone, had a bunch of people who worked for him, and did business with some real tough people. People with broken noses, and califlowered ears.
But when it came to my mother or his wife he was a puppy dog, and i never did understand it, till i married my wife, how the sound of a shrill voice over the phone, can turn a heart of stone into much.
So he kicked me in the pants and said go home your mother called. And i had to leave the car of my dreams in the pound across the street, not knowing the fate it was in for.
All i could think of was that jalopy. Don't remember anything else for that night or eating or the homework.
I know my dad got a call from my friends dad, and a call from my uncle, who owned Ace glass, and i worked there also learning all i could soak up, about auto glass, power windows, speedo cables, and locks, he did a lot of auto locks, ignition locks, was always a brisk business with broken glass and locks. Also did all the warranty work for the dealers in Brooklyn.
So off to school the next day don't remember that day except, when the bell rang and i was out the door with my buddy like a shot, off to his dads place.
I come running in the door and straight into his dads arms, who scooped me up and carried me into the back, on his shoulder and up on the lift was the Nova.
And the motor was on a crate already half apart. He says to me you think i'm gonna rebuild that POS forgetaboutit. I'm gonna junk that whole f-----g car if you don't drive it outta here in a week. And you and your friend there pointing to his son, are gonna rebuild it cause i ain't got not time to waste on no POS. Your got my lift tied up and the tranny got to come off and you roll it it the back yard till your ready to put the tranny back, get to work.
He leaves to go somewhere and my jaw is on the ground, and i didn't know where to start. There was this old grizzly guy that worked there, and he ambled over pulling a tranny jack, and says off the top of his head the size sockets we got to bring over. So we go looking for them and pull over a work cart and milk crates and small ladders so we can reach it.
About a hour latter we are dropping our family jewels on the floor cause it was freekin heavy, and almost drop it on the floor but manage to get it down.
We get it on a dolly and out the front door, when the boss comes back, with a toothpick in his face, and says that f-in car is still on my lift? You guys are costing me money holding up my lift.
But he saw us huffing and puffing pulling it out the door, when he was in the car at the light to make the left into his place.
So he gets the tranny rebuilder to send a guy over for the tranny while we huff and puff pushing the car out the back door.
We rebuilt the motor with him yelling and screaming all the time at us, and telling us how worthless we are, and we are so stupid that he shouldn't let us clean the toilets. He didn't need no stikin manual, knew everything in his head, every size, every torque value, everything in his head.
But he had us look up everything showed us how to cross reference, from one book to another.
Yelled at us if we didn't clean and wipe all the tools shiny new and put them back in the exact spot they came from when we done for the day.
Who was your mentor guy's. Any story you want to tell.
