Going to Automotive program to be part time hobbyst mechanic

yasir · 08-10-2005, 12:52 PM

I am an MD by profession but always felt i was in the wrong profession as i always wanted to be a mechanic.I didn't grow up in this country so i never got an opportunity to learn working on the cars as you all do,esp with your dads,so i have decided to join the local community college to learn as much as possible about cars and if every things work out fine ( have to figure that out in next 2 days ) Monday will be my first class at 7.30 pm.
I know it's going to be very tough being in the office until 5.30 pm and then be at school at 7.PM-10.30 p but honestly i am very excited to be able to get the eve classes to begin with.I have talked to my wife about this but she doesn't know how serious i am,already have filled out the application forms and i hope she doesn't fuss much or else she'll be looKing for an apt.
So what do you all think am i crazy to do this ? I think what i couldn't learn as a child shouldn't make my son feel helpless when he grows up,does that sound OK to you all ?

Rot 911 · 08-10-2005, 12:57 PM

I think it sounds like one helll of a good idea!

patkeefe · 08-10-2005, 01:01 PM

Yasir:
Good for you. I suppose if you got through med school, this should not be too tough.

Go to a junkyard and buy an old transmission or engine real cheap, any kind. Take it apart. Play with it. Put it back together. When you can do this with no leftover parts, you will be a mechanic.

You should be able to do this in the house, since your wife will have found an apartment by then.

Good luck

Early_S_Man · 08-10-2005, 01:20 PM

Yasir,

I applaud your plan and eagerness to learn! It is never too late ... as the grand lady of computers, Adm. Grace Hopper, USN, used to say at her lectures and public appearances!

Don't hesitate to actively participate in the class ... ask questions, even if over seemingly minor details!

Your schedulule may be a hard one for a while, but the rewards will be many, including the future ability to pass on a long legacy of fathers giving encouragement and working knowledge to your children. The enriched environment and process of working closely with a parent is of immense value to children at every age, especially the quest to satisfy curiosity, and acquire knowledge by using your hands and brain while asking questions ... hands-on parenting at its' best!

MotoSook · 08-10-2005, 01:32 PM

yasir:

I leave my clean, cool office to go to my hot and sometimes dirty garage most days at 7PM....and I'm usually in the garage until midnight. Sometimes I'm in there even later.

My engineering day job just doesn't offer enough of a challenge...or not the right challenges to keep me interested.

You may find out that wrenching is not the thing for you. I wouldn't want to solely wrench for a living (it's too tough and sometimes mundane), but I do/like it because I am also using my creativity to overcome challenges, esp. when making stuff!

Whether you end up liking it or not, you'll have learn some essential skills that will be useful to you down the road.

Have fun!

kenikh · 08-10-2005, 01:37 PM

Yasir,
Working full time in a demanding corporate job, I have been able to manage remodeling my house AND get my MBA from a top-20 school. I think you will find that your ability to maximize your time will surprise you. You won't want to do it forever, but you will enjoy it. As was said before: getting through med-school was hard; this will be easy.

yasir · 01:49 PM

Fellas,
Thanks for all the encouragement and like i have said before it's not going to be easy but i know thats what i want to do,been dreaming about it for years now.The good thing is,i have a separate garage,almost 1000 sq feet/11 foot ceiling that's also air conditioned/heated which is ideal for this project.
I just sold my Supra TT to free up some cash for my up coming office project and what i plan on doing is to get some money out and buy a 4 post lift with jacks to jack up the car and be done with it.I already have the air compressor,air tools and stuff like that but have no idea how to use them

i guess i won't stay that ignorant for too long now.

Oldporsche · 02:22 PM

I applaud your desire and putting forth of efforts to learn something new.

You will also learn about life from a different angle. The angle of those that work with their hands to make a living. You will find that they literally have intelligence in their hands.

I am very lucky to work with working crews. I do the information/mapping intelligence thing. I get to go out on problems that they have. I have a never ending regard and appreciation for their experience and skill to solve problems in approaches that are different than mine, but get the job done.

After taking these courses and getting your hands dirty, it will be fun for you to talk with your colleagues. You will soon be able to recognize their actual knowledge about automobiles and what they have read somewhere. Sort of like separating the bull from the squeeze as it were.

As larry the cable guy sez, "Git ur Done."

Have a lot of fun, you have worked hard already!

Good luck,
David Duffield

Zeke · 08-10-2005, 02:23 PM

Excellent! Better keeps your hands clean and out of harm's way because of your day job.

I grew up in a family of suits and I always had a flare for wrenching. Used to fix other's bicycles when I was 12. Raced and maintained my go-kart at age 14. My dad bought me tools he didn't know how to use himself.

Then I got into construction and home improvement for the money. After 35 years, I'm about to toss all that and go back to what I've always loved, mechanics. Maybe I better get the class schedule, eh?

kycarguy 935 · 08-10-2005, 05:04 PM

Im all for it Yasir, in fact I also start back to college next Monday for the first time in years.

DW SD · 08-10-2005, 05:06 PM

Very cool! Good luck to you! I have no doubt it will be very satisfying! Doing what you love is really a luxury.

Let us know how you like the classes! I'm thinking about taking the Jerry Woods / Bruce Anderson engine class at some point.

Doug

yasir · 08-10-2005, 05:36 PM

Spoke to my wife an hour ago and got the impression that she would rather stay in this house,smart woman

so here i come community college

The first semester is about the steering & the suspension which i think would be a good start for the usual car maintenance.Then next spring i plan on taking the brakes and ignition and hopefully next summer i will tackle the engine

Can't wait to be an active participant on this board

and still can't believe i am going back to school to learn what,automotive mechanic

Blanco · 08-10-2005, 06:01 PM

I had the same idea this year but plans changed when I sold my house and in process of having one built.

Damn... Can't wait to get to a garage and tinker.

Decolliber · 08-10-2005, 06:05 PM

I have also thought about doing the same thing at my local community college. One thing that put me off a bit is that you are required to buy a $2000 tool kit!
Reminds me of a TV ad I used to see on late night TV in Boston 30 years ago, when I was a grad student. A guy comes on and asks "do ya like woiking wit cha hands? ... then come to the Worcester Tractor-Trailer Driving School." At the time it seemed like it could a welcome change from the grind of academic work, especially after a few beers and other things.

camgrinder · 08-10-2005, 10:24 PM

Quote:

One thing that put me off a bit is that you are required to buy a $2000 tool kit!

When I went to De Anza college in Cupertino they required about $6,000 worth of tools for the daytime program. The nice part is "Snap On" was there on the first day selling tools for 55% off to enrolled students.
De Anza has a fantastic auto tech program. They have both daytime and evening classes. http://www.deanza.fhda.edu/

randywebb · 08-10-2005, 10:37 PM

Actually, both jobs are pretty close -- you diagnose, then treat, treatment may require surgery. The real difference is the complexity of the human body rel. to a car and the fact taht few care to spend the same $$ on a car that they will for their body. That economic is the driver for the tight selection and training of the "body repair profession."

And, no, I don't think you are crazy at all. Now if you quit your day job to be a mechanic -- that would be crazy.

You should be able to reduce your patient load to clear some time for the cars...

Rick V · 08-11-2005, 12:52 AM

From someone who swings wrenches for living, Welcome to the club. One piece of advice, When you get a tight bolt and you have to push the wrench do so with an open hand. I get the splint off the little finger tomorrow.
Good luck

makotosun · makotosun's Garage

I rebuilt my first VW motor using fairly generic hand tools and a paper manual.

Since you have an interest in Porsche, go find a used VW motor, get a good Robert Bentley manual (Amazon is best price right now) and go for it. If you screw it up too bad (you won't) it won't be that much money involved. The basic principles are the same, as is the basic layout of the motor.

You will not regret the move you are making. I am a former Lawyer, now a part-time Judge, yet I still get a lot more satisfaction out of wrenching on my cars and old motorcycles. If nothing else it will give you good therapy! Second only to hitting third gear on a long straight in a 911

gchappel · 08-11-2005, 02:36 AM

Go for it and good luck. I actually considered doing the same thing. I chickened out and compromised- I rented a 1000 square foot garage about 100 feet from my race mechanic. Now I just take stuff apart, and if I can't get it back together I push or carry it to the shop, where they show me how to do it. I am having a ball. The hardest thing is keeping my hands clean enough that my patients don't revolt-- they expect clean soft hands and nails, it just takes a lot of extra scrubbing. Two jokes for you, and have a great time.
Gary

An colo rectal surgeon decides to go back to auto mechanics school. He loves it and does very well. He actually found it more difficult than medicine because each car was built differently, with different parts in different locations. After the final exam he was surprised when his grades came in the mail.
Final exam was worth 100 points.
For disassembling the engine properly = 50 points
For reassembling the engine properly = 50 points
For doing the entire procedure through the tailpipe = 25,000 bonus points

Morris the loudmouth mechanic was removing the cylinder heads from the motor of a car when he spotted the famous heart surgeon, Dr. Michael DeBakey, who was standing off to the side, waiting for the service manager to come take a look at his Mercedes.

Morris shouted across the garage, "Hey DeBakey! Is dat you? Come on ova' here a minute."

The famous surgeon, a bit surprised, walked over to where Morris the mechanic was working on the car. Morris straightened up, wiped his hands on a rag and asked argumentatively, "So Mr. Fancy Doctor, look at dis here work. I also open hearts, take valves out, grind 'em, put in new parts, and when I finish dis baby will purr like a kitten.
So how come you get da big bucks, when you an' me is doing basically da same work?"

Dr. DeBakey leaned over and whispered to Morris the loudmouth mechanic. "Try doing it with the engine running."

randywebb · 08-11-2005, 10:41 AM

"yet I still get a lot more satisfaction out of wrenching..."

- I agree. Everybody I know that makes $$ doing essentially 'head' work has a hands-on craft type hobby. Includes lawyers, chemists, biologists, and assorted MDs of various types - even a surgeon (partly a hands-on job) who is a hobbyist wine-maker.

I'd never tryt o make a living as an ind. mechanic tho or advise a student to do so -- not with the direction that car design is moving, and the way the manfs. are locking out everyone except a dealer.