shop class.

lha

Well-known Member
I also attended auto shop in High School around 1968. I had an old '62 Rambler American that just needed a head gasket[flathead 6],but instead we put a 289 Ford engine and 4 speed transmission in it. Needless to say,I had a sleeper that was really fast. All I wanted was a motor that would stay cool,really liked the 6 cyl. motor with overdrive with the"three on the tree' shifter. I tried to get my Son to watch me when I worked on my work vans when I was a contractor,but he just said that when he grows up,he'll pay someone to do it for him. He recently told me that he got a great deal on brakes on his Pontiac,$500 to change pads and rotors! Kids these days don't have the curiosity that I had and still have about how things work.
 

It's kind of sad. My son took one small engine class in high school. In college he's majoring in business management with a minor in information systems. Truth be told, he's not half bad with a wrench. Last spring he blew a head gasket in his car, and determined it would be cheaper and easier to do an engine swap than to pull the heads and replace the gaskets. He did the job along with a power steering rack mostly by himself.

I'm glad he listened to some of the stuff the ol' man said.
 
I have 3 boys,21,16 and 16. I tell them that they don't have to learn to do it for a living, but at least need to know enough to realize if they are being taken to the cleaners by someone. I grew up working on things. They say when I was about 2, I was under the 52 Ford F-1 while my dad was dropping the transmission. I was scraping grease and dirt with a screwdriver. Have always loved messing with things. Still have the 1952 F-1.

Garry
 
Have 2 boys 20 and 22 and neither had any shop class for anything mechanical. Those classes are going by the wayside but do exist. 22 year old has picked up the mechanics itch but 20 year old not so much. I had shop class back in 1982 and picked up a non running SC case as a project. Had it dropped off in the shop over Christmas break. When it thawed out fluid in one rear 38" tire completely leaked out all over shop floor. The whole classed learned about this topic. Turns out only problem with tractor was that it dropped a valve into the piston. Replaced valve and piston and thing purred like a sewing machine, Those were nice running engines.
 
Both my kids are quite different, I'm glad that the lad has picked up the interest in things mechanical. Daughter may or may not. If, however, she wants to drive she will at least have a working knowledge of checking tires and fluid levels.

Sometimes I think it's a lack of opportunity rather than lack of interest.
 
Sure would be nice if the school systems would teach a 3 hour class to all kids before they get there license to how to check the oil, water level, air pressure, what the gauges tell you, how to change wipers, how to put fuel in, etc. Just the basics. Next time you see a young person and your talking to them ask them what a battery is. These young kids have no clue.
 
(quoted from post at 12:10:14 08/13/16) Sure would be nice if the school systems would teach a 3 hour class to all kids before they get there license to how to check the oil, water level, air pressure, what the gauges tell you, how to change wipers, how to put fuel in, etc. Just the basics. Next time you see a young person and your talking to them ask them what a battery is. These young kids have no clue.

When I took drivers education "back in the day" they taught us how to check fluids, change tires, etc. I made the mistake of assuming that my kids got the same in their training. My daughter learned to change a tire on the side of the road while I stood there providing the instructions. I wonder what passers-by thought when they saw the mean old guy making the petite little girl do the grunt work in a dress! But we both learned something. I learned she needed to start carrying a cheater bar for her lug wrench.
 
(quoted from post at 09:45:27 08/14/16)When I took drivers education "back in the day" they taught us how to check fluids, change tires, etc. I made the mistake of assuming that my kids got the same in their training. My daughter learned to change a tire on the side of the road while I stood there providing the instructions. I wonder what passers-by thought when they saw the mean old guy making the petite little girl do the grunt work in a dress! But we both learned something. I learned she needed to start carrying a cheater bar for her lug wrench.

My sister asked me to swap her snow tires with summer tires one year. I teased her by asking "Don't you know how to do it yourself?" She said "No." I was shocked. She learned how right then and there by changing them herself with instructions from me. I don't know if she has ever changed a tire herself since then, but she knows how if she needs to.
 

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