Fantasy mechanic camp

[berettafan]

Wouldn't it be cool if you could take a weeks vacation and work on some engine builds for John Walker or Henry Schmidt or do some suspension work with Elephant Racing or maybe even just follow Steve Weiner around for a week?

Can you imagine how much you could absorb???

[911 tweaks]

it would be sooooooooooooooooooooo much exposed to that you would be on overload after 1 day.......... LOL
and to boot, paying them to be with them...LOL LOL
I agree it would be cool but they would not go for it as it is a lifes' worth of tricks, info, contacts and the like... now if you could be a fly on the wall that would cost zip, but, what could a fly do with that info ??

[RoninLB]

in my 1960s-early 1970s muscle car days there was a race shop where young guys would hang to learn stuff close by.

you were basically a non-paid gofer. You'd sweep the floors, spend an hour scraping old gasket crap off, cleaning oil stains off shop floor, washing customer cars before they left the shop, etc. All menial labor as you'd slowly learn what an engine's about.

The shop owner was cool to hang with. GM would send him big bock Chevy's to max hp build and blow up while on his engine dyno, or racing in street or track cars. GM would use him to find engine weaknesses.

You'd also pick up trivia on how to dodge the PD after a street race. What side streets were good to use, how to hook up tail light power delete, whose driveway to hide in, etc. You know, all the good stuff when you're playing boy's games with a 12-14 second 1/4 mile boy toy that got 7-8 miles /gallon gas.


Take that trivia and use it.
No matter how wild and neurotic a shop owner may be there is one thing they usually all have in common. They like guys who truly love cars.

[911 tweaks]

Ronin... I wish those days you describe would come back but no one can afford to or is willing to let such happen any more in my opinion...
Shop owner is too busy... insurance concerns... possible damage to customers something... if the guy is on his game ~ personable ~ follows directions well... well, the shop owner dosen't want to train, sorta, his next competitor...

The other side of the coin is that the existing shop owner 'should' have confidence in his shop and service since he has been in business for 20+ yrs for example, and should be able to compete with new shops which will have a steep learning curve of years of business to go through.

Tough to say if this would work today, but, human nature being what it is, nice & professional people are attracted to each other and if the 'hang out ~ gofer guy" is on the ball, this is how people get a shot at something they are obviously expressing interest in... it is how most of us got going at what ever we did or are doing now !!
Great thread...
Bob

[Paulporsche]

Not exactly the same thing, but I think Bruce Anderson still offers engine rebuilding classes.

[304065]

The one thing I would like to learn more about is suspension setup, that is a TRULY black art. To do that I would hang around first with a circle track team, there is more understanding of the basics of setup in that crowd than would at first appear.

[sand_man]

During my engine rebuild, I shipped all of my parts out to Neil Harvey of Performance Developments in CA to have all of the machine work done and all tolerences checked and reset. It was my plan to have him ship all the parts back for me to do the final assembly. Anyway, another option he proposed was for me to fly out and assemble the engine in his shop, under his supervison. No matter how hard I tried to make it happen, I was knee deep in a large project at work that was spiraling out of control, and I just couldn't leave! OH WELL! It would have been an awesome experience!

[gregwils]

I agree with your idea. In case you weren't aware, there are engine and transmission rebuild classes conducted by Bruce Anderson. You can check his website (http://www.911handbook.com/). $600 for a three day class on engine rebuilding. Seems like a good deal to me, and a lot of fun.

[berettafan]

Yup have seen the BA classes and hope to attend one day. Really not a bad price if you are able to interact a lot and not just watch.

[DasBoot]

You can come by and change my oil/spark plugs anytime. I'll even make you a sandwich...

[Fritz Peyerl]

I am in progress of a total rebuilt of a 72 911T. I had to cut out a door panel and re-manufacture a new panel. I met an old retired Porsche body shop man and he cam over after I was half way through ands spend a day with me banging out the panel, tought me the secretes of leading and how not to use fillers. Yes he charged me
for his day of services, but money well spend.
Those old guys with their tricks are hard to find.
I woul;d love to pay for some hands on lessons. Never to old to learn.

[1982911SCTarga]

Every session working on my SCs in my garage is a fantasy camp.

Brian

[Zeke]

I hardly think this is the stuff Georg Plimpton was seeking. Seems to me that most shops are having "just another day" rather than feeling like a film director is about to burst in casting everyone in the new episode of "911 Engine Building, Hollywood Style."

John C., I think you are far too accomplished to marvel at a stock car engineer setting up his charge at trackside. Volumes of notes and spreadsheets with maybe some algorithms to help figure out the optimum. That's why the new car threw everyone off so badly. Now they have some empirical information to compare to the old car and make the adjustments they predict will work (for the next few minutes )

I'll bet it would be largely boring (although I have to admit being fascinated by an intake manifold test conducted at Talladega that droned on for 6 hours).

Fritz, I have been hanging doors as a carpenter for 30 years. Some say that's an art, too, but I've never had anyone care to even try to understand the procedure. The ones that are interested seem to go right into the what-I-would-have-done mode. Screw that.

Probably why you don't see many people offering tutoring on the subject. Even in my welding classes there are those who want to tell their anecdote. Hey, this is not about you.

[Zeke]

Oh, and I like the "fly on the wall" concept. AFAIK, flies can't ask inane questions. I'll bet the shop owners wouldn't mind that at all.

[vmisquez]

BA Engine,Transmission and Tune-Up are scheduled for this December so sign-up will space is still available. Study (don't just read) the BA Handbook and Wayne's book. You will get allot out of the courses. Read the factory manual on Porsche Syncromesh system before the transmission course. You will leave with enough confidence to rebuild your own motor and gear box. Plus Bruce has some good stories to tell.

[911 tweaks]

hey milt... THANK THE BIG GUY UPSTAIRS that flies can't ask questions... remindesme of the sign at a local repair shop that says, " to sit here and be a polite customers requires you to pay your bill when we are done fixin' it... if you want to ask questions it will cost ya $20... if ya want to watch and ask questions... priceless" LOL LOL everytime I read it
Bob

[Porrrrsche]

Checked Bruce's website, last class scheduled was Dec 2007. Am hoping there is another scheduled soon.