Your evolution as a mechanic

[RussTJ]

I’m curious how everyone got their start in the mechanical world. I’m sure there are plenty who grew up around it and some just had that mechanical aptitude at an early age. But others took a different route including me.

I started learning about cars in my early 20’s. It was when I started dating my wife and her father was a mechanic. She had always helped him in the garage and it was pretty humbling to have my girlfriend know more about cars than I did. I knew that she was special though and wasn’t letting her go just because my ego was bruised. When her dad realized that we were serious he told me that I should start learning about cars and I’ve been working on them ever since.

A number of members mention that they wish they had more mechanical skills and maybe this thread will show that not everyone was a born and bred mechanic and give them some ideas to learn more if it interests them.

 

[Chris]

I started when I was 15 and my parents bought my my first car, a 1991 VW Golf. My Dad taught me a lot, and I learned a ton in high school shop class. The rest was from reading forums online and the service manual. Trial and error was a lot of it also.

Either way, it's nice to have a parent who is mechanically knowledgable. I intend to teach all my kids how to work on their own vehicle, at least to a point. At the very least they should be able to do basic stuff.

Even some things I won't touch (i.e. rebuilding a transmission), but I'll do just about anything!

 

[lowranger]

Nice! Does your wife work on your Jeep with you? Mine does. She loves the Jeep and like she says, "all the guy stuff".

 

[Shatto]

In the 1960s and 70s was Ted Shatto Safaris in Ethiopia, until the political situation forced us back to America.

I was in my early teens when I began helping with maintenance and doing everything from fixing pressure lanterns, binoculars, cameras, generators and countless flat tires to replacing axles and clutches; none with the proper tools.
I could eyeball the points and plug gaps and still remember the valve gap of the Land Rover engine. .32"

Today my recently acquired 2012 Rubicon scares me, I don't recognize much. Where is the damn distributor?
Actually, my mechanic Dex, of Dex's Automotive, near me in Concord, CA, who kept me on the road for around a million miles and became my friend pummeled me about my head and shoulders until I finally understood that 'The Computer Knows Everything' and to leave everything alone and just do the normal recurring maintenance because; Idiot Lights Are Now Smart.

 

[Mr. Bills]

I started work in 1965 at age 15 1/2 as an apprentice at an auto repair shop, the day after I obtained my work permit from the State of California permitting a minor to have a "real" job. I learned a lot there, but probably just enough to be dangerous.

My real education didn't begin until several years later, between college and graduate school, when I met a very cute girl who was enamored with jeeps but didn't have much money. She had been able to buy a surplus M151 "Mutt" (before the government decided to cut them in half and torch them instead) and restored it to like new condition by reading the military technical manual and teaching herself how to do it. I learned a lot just by watching her and helping her when she would let me. (Several years later she authored and published a book on VW maintenance, repair and restoration geared toward women.) Since then my "training" has been primarily from a handful of courses at local community colleges, the tutelage of several mentors well known in the jeeping community back in the day, and decades of "learn by doing" and sometimes "learn by doing it wrong."

 

[Shatto]

What a woman! Did she keep you?

 

[Boinked]

What a woman! Did she keep you?

Better question can we send our wifes over to get trained. My wife tries to help and she is getting better. I just don't have the patience to teach her

 

[Mr. Bills]

What a woman! Did she keep you?

No, I moved away. Ironically, seven years ago I relocated about 650 miles from where I had been living and it turns out her ex husband lives right around the corner. He knew of me and I of him but we had never met. We've become friends.

 

[GTboosted]

I started at 16 out of necessity. Lol

I bought a 1997 Audi A4 at an auction without key. Going to school and working a part time job meant I couldn't afford to take it to a shop for any little thing. Luckily there was forums for help.

After all these years I think there is not a single repair I wouldn't attempt to tackle mysel.

 

[derekmac]

I started when I was probably 6 or 7. My grandfather was always tinkering with vehicles, and he always made sure I was right there with him, and he'd go slow and explain everything he was doing. As I got older, he did less, and told me less. He was still right there with me and would help and answer any questions I had, but he made me try and figure out any issues I had before he'd help.

 

[Kathy]

I started my mechanical journey when I met @Dave K. in 2011 when I was 39 yrs old. I bought his dodge for my soon to be 16 yr. old son. He insisted that I learn how to fix/maintain the truck. I would get frustrated and still do at times because he forgets how I knew nothing about vehicles or tools for that matter. What seems like common sense to him, is Greek to me. It has taken all these years , and I still struggle but am thankful that I am able to change my oil or rotate my tires on my own.
It does take a lot of patience on both ends. As much as I hate asking him for guidance, I still need quite a bit of help. The part that I struggle with is I am all about saving time. I can’t stand wasting time. So when I know Dave would be able to remove some part or complete a project 10times faster than me, I just want him to do it. But he has taught me to just take the time to learn, and soon I’ll become efficient at things. I haven’t gotten to the efficient point yet, but am hoping that will come.
There seems to be quite a bit of technique involved with mechanics, and my moves are far from savvy. I catch Dave laughing at me many times when I’m trying to do something.
I can say it is a great feeling when I accomplish something I never imagined I would be able to do.

 

[zebra12]

I'm a redneck, it is in my dna to take things apart, break stuff and put it back together. I'm self taught through trial and error.

Re women/wives: My wife's father was an Air Force mechanic, and I always thought it was ironic that she married someone who likes to work on car and house repairs.

 

[Bird]

I wouldn't classify myself as a professional mechanic but with the aid of Google, Youtube and forums like this, anything can be accomplished with the proper tools.

I really enjoy doing my own mechanical work but still use profanity doing so.....otherwise I'm a laid back clean mouthed person.

 

[Mike_H]

I was blessed with mechanical aptitude at birth. I tore apart my first lawn mower at about 6 years old... It didn't go back together, but I learned a lot. My folks quit buying me toys and started buying me Legos, Erectors sets, Construx, etc soon after. Dad was a tool maker, so he can do pretty much anything with steel... He now owns the business he started at when he was 18. He is also quite a woodworker. Growing up, I was always in the basement with him, working on something.

My first car was a pile...1982 Cutlass Calias with the 3.8L. I know why they called em "Gutless Cutlass". In the 9 months I had that car, we had the heads off twice. So... Lots of experience, early on. Went to school to be an engineer, did formulaSAE (student built racecar) and just kept at it. I learn something almost everything I work on something, and nothing scares me, whether I've done it or not. I've rebuilt bicycles, garden tractors, small engines, outboard motor, whatever. Pull apart a transmission? Sure. No problem. Rebuild an engine? Yup. Cut up the tub of my new Wrangler, and weld in new sheet metal? No problem.

Won't be a fast as a pro, but with the internet, you can truly do anything.

 

[JMT]

My journey is a short one. I learned how to change the oil growing up, not that I did more than a handful of times. I bought the TJ because my mechanic had a Cherokee with the i6 and swore by it (330,000 miles). I bought my TJ in December 2016 in hopes of having a low maintenance vehicle that would run forever, do everything I needed and be an easy vehicle to learn mechanics of an engine on. I still don’t know much because I haven’t had engine problems, but I have now done two suspension lifts, motor mount lift, body lift, TCase shifter install, stereo, bumpers, winch, in cab winch controls, rock sliders and I do all my maintenance, oil changes, tire rotations, fluids throughout.

Next up is changing a carrier in my new to me Dana 44 and swapping out my Dana 35. I know a lot of mine is not mechanics per se, but that’s been my journey, and many of you have followed it and been a great help.

 

[Kiwi TJ]

Love reading about everybody's path to mechanical greatness ...lol
My Dad was in the Royal Navy for 24 years and with him being out on the ships many months of the year and my Mum not driving, we didn't have a car in our family until I was 18.(and that was my Dads so hands off son)...I'm the oddball in the family as nobody in my family has a passion for cars and bikes like I do..most think (including my Dad) just think its a thing to get you for A to B (sacrilegious if you ask me haha) It didn't stop me dreaming of hot rods and custom build cars though, and my bedroom walls were plastered with photos and posters.
My first car was a huge learning curve for me and being self taught its trail and error like most here....Instruction manuals and now-a-days its Utube has got me out of bother a few times.
I still have a very long way to go when it comes to the bigger stuff...but can tackle the basics with ease and love to learn as I go...Now I'm teaching my girls...and now my eldest has her car first car its a chance to spend more time with her and share my limited knowledge.
PS...you guys are truly a wealth of knowledge and have save me $$$ and time when it comes to my TJ...so thanks for that.

 

[Flib]

I got an early start, grew up in a family of backyard mechanics and painters. I was always exposed to heavy equipment and laid my first bead of weld at the age of 12 (stick welder, no better way to learn). Been building shit and repairing vehicles ever since. Have done all kinds of fab work in those years, my father was the type that would take a motor out of an old truck and build a wood splitter and think nothing of it.

 

[skrelnik]

I started work in 1965 at age 15 1/2 as an apprentice at an auto repair shop, the day after I obtained my work permit from the State of California permitting a minor to have a "real" job. I learned a lot there, but probably just enough to be dangerous.

My real education didn't begin until several years later, between college and graduate school, when I met a very cute girl who was enamored with jeeps but didn't have much money. She had been able to buy a surplus M151 "Mutt" (before the government decided to cut them in half and torch them instead) and restored it to like new condition by reading the military technical manual and teaching herself how to do it. I learned a lot just by watching her and helping her when she would let me. (Several years later she authored and published a book on VW maintenance, repair and restoration geared toward women.) Since then my "training" has been primarily from a handful of courses at local community colleges, the tutelage of several mentors well known in the jeeping community back in the day, and decades of "learn by doing" and sometimes "learn by doing it wrong."

No, I moved away. Ironically, seven years ago I relocated about 650 miles from where I had been living and it turns out her ex husband lives right around the corner. He knew of me and I of him but we had never met. We've become friends.

Small world...great story. What was the book she wrote?

 

[mots]

My Dad taught me the basics early on. I started out wrenching on my own BMX bikes before I was 10 back in the 70s. That eventually progressed into working on my own cars and motorcycles (old 70's Honda's) when I was in HS and then starting college. Throughout college I worked at a private garage right off campus and learned a lot from the owner and mechanics. It was nice having a lift whenever I wanted. By the time I was a senior, I was making a decent commission check on all the items I would sell and repair.

At home, I have tackled almost every low to mid level automotive repair one could think of over the years and have built up a nice set of tools. At the height, I even rebuilt an engine on my 300zx. Most recently, I upgraded my turbo, downpipe, on my MK7 Golf. That said, I'm not a fabricator or a welder etc. I would like to expand my horizons at some point. With the internet these days, there is no excuse to not learn...now I just need the time, money and a project!

As I have gotten older, and now that have the means to do so, I do a better job of knowing when tackle my own jobs and when I shouldn't. Like my Dad always said "Things take longer than they take." Sometimes things that can be done in a home garage in 6 hours can be done on a lift in a shop in 2 hrs. So, I try to balance things out now a days, especially if I can find someone I trust with the experience to do the job well at a reasonable rate. But, things like oil changes, coolant flushes, brake jobs, diff oil changes etc....no way...I'll never pay anyone to do simple maintenance stuff, LOL.

 

[CodaMan]

I grew up on a farm where we did all our own work on the vehicles, cars, pickups, tractors, whatever we had. When I got to high school I took auto shop. We had a great teacher. In my sophomore year I purchased my first vehicle, a 1968 GTO for $500. Damn I wish I still had it. It had a bad motor and transmission. The shop teacher would let us work on our cars at the auto shop. We could work after school and on weekends. All my friends had "muscle cars" and we all helped each other. We even put a 427 Chevy in a tube framed 72 Vega. Now that was a scary ride.

In shop, we rebuilt my 400 c.i. Pontiac big block and the Muncie M22 Rockcrusher. Of course I couldn't just use stock parts, I needed it to go fast .. we totally rebuilt it .. installed a huge lift solid lifter cam, 12:1 pistons, single plane intake, MSD ignition, headers and an Holley 600 cfm double-pumper carb and it did.

After about 3 weeks on the road I blew the rear end. Whet to the junkyard and got a replacement GM 12 bolt with 4.11 gears and posi for $75. Installed that in my driveway. What a car that was.

Since those days I have worked on all my own vehicles, probably 30 or 40. Everything from my GTO, to my F-250 Power Stroke diesel. And the rest is history.