Aerospace Engineer, but I love working on my car, even though it can be a PITA sometimes.

 

Graduated with Masters in Mechanical Engineering/Computer Science from University of Pittsburgh. Been working on my own cars since I was 16 (29 years now) with my first car(s) being a 1970 Dodge Dart 340 6-Pak & MG Midget.

Have owned Chevy/Buick/Dodge/Chrysler/Pontiac/Olds/Ford/BMW/MG cars with majority being GM products (specifically Pontiac). Basically, all my automotive skills have been self-taught (learning to do projects as they came up - making mistakes along the way - but learning from them).

Over the years I have amassed quite a respective amount of tools - both standard and specialized. In fact, there's quite a few tools I own that I will probably never use again as they are early car specific.

Have done every mechanical job imagineable (including blueprinting several engines) on a car with the exception of rebuilding a tranny or rear end - which I leave up to the pro's. Mostly build N/A cars but have experience with FI as one of the engines I built was a Chevy 383 (bored/stroked 350) with a Paxton SC, and just recently have got into the nitrous scene with my T/A.

Get into custom fab jobs and also have experience with interior work as I worked for a Custom Auto Upholstery Shop while in college. Basically, I do all maintnenace (routine & otherwise) on my daily drivers that is not covered under warranty - and some for family members as they need it.

As I am principally a Mechanical Design Engineer, I use high end 3D CAD software & FEA (Finite Element Analysis) all day, every day. My most interesting job was working in that capacity for Alcoa Automotive where we designed/tested such items as aluminum heads for Keith Black Engines, Ford Factory Aluminum Heads, Aluminum Cast Suspension Components for Chrysler, Space Frame & Suspension Components, Wheels for Corvette C5, Aluminum Space Frame in partnership with Audi, Adiabatic Engine Components (for engines that use neither cooling or oiling systems) for Chrysler, and most importantly, but I didn't know what we were working on at the time, the GM LS1 Engine Block! I actually have miniature replica's of the LS1 block done with Rapid Prototyping on a Laser Cured Resin System from before the engine was ever released!

I had quite a bit of success racing my 69' Olds 442 that used a bored 455 made from mostly Mondello specialized parts that I built myself (minus the machine work of course). That car is gone now and haven't really had the time to do any formal racing in the past years - but I still get quite a few chances while on the road with my T/A! - not that I'm condoning street racing

Most importantly, I have a wife that is not only beautiful, but loves cars as much as I, loves going to car shows/functions, would think nothing of walking around an auto swap meet for hours with me, and doesn't mind how much I spend on our cars (as long as bills are paid first of course). Took me a 'go-around' with a first wife to find the gem I have now though

-Jay-

 

43 year old... IT Infrastructure Engineer

When I was younger I worked as a mechanic
I used to do all my own wrenching because I was too poor to pay someone else.
Now time is limited so I pick and choose what stuff I'll do myself.
Any significant troubleshooting I leave to the pros.

 

am 25 y.o ER physician , i just cant do anything without knowing it`s full mechanism , and i cant tell if not 100 per cent sure , i spent months and years. i was in the medical school searching the internet and learning about cams , engine building, ratios while the other geeks was studying , am so pleased that i survived in the medical school .. i went crazy .. wrenching at the mid night and testing my tune at the highway with an hptuner hours before the exam , i had many nicknames here @ ls1tech .. i rather searching ls1tech more than writing in it .. VIVA GM VIVA TORQUE VIVA LS1tech .. thank u ,

 

Back when I was young and poor I did all my own wrenching. It was, as has been said before, either that or walk. I am a registered nurse now, I do procedures about all day every day. The short version would be to say I work in the "operating room", not entirely acurate, but close enough. I can not afford to come to work with any cuts on my hands or busted open knuckles, I see lots of patients with all the usual suspect lethal BBPs.

But I do enjoy math! ;-)

 

Mechanical Engineer by degree, Test Engineer by trade (test Air Force weapon systems).

Leaving FL in August to get my Master's in Aeronautical Engineering in the area of Air Breathing Propulsion.

I've participated in the SAE Formula Car competition (on the 2003 AF Academy team that used the Rotax thumper), and designed the suspension for it. The car handled like **** Learned a LOT though...

I work on my own car, but usually have to watch people do stuff before I try it (like clutch swaps, etc). I do my own tuning with HPTuners, and know a good deal about it for N/A applications (I run an open loop SD tune full time). I also know the electrical system on these cars pretty well since I've had a few gremlins with my stereo equipment.

 

I am 19 and in the GM-ASEP program as a trainee technician. I work for Saturn right now lol but hope to move to pontiac one day. Cool program pay for school and tools. wrench on my own stuff when funds permit

 

I am a network administrator. Obviously I love to mod my car as well My brother and I do all of the work to our cars.

 

Another graduate of the Navy's nuclear power pipeline here. Spent six years working on the mechanical side of the nuke plant on an aircraft carrier. After leaving the navy I spent 6 months working in a commercial machine shop as an apprentice. Currently work at a company that specializes in military R&D projects relating to reconnaissance cameras.

I've done most of the wrenching and all of the tuning on the cars I've owned. However, I don't pretend to have the knowledge to really contribute to an advanced discussion.

 

Im just a 24 yo guy that has restored and built 3 Classic Mopars including Motors. Also done installs on my 95, 99, 01 F body's and also a 99 C5 along with working on friends cars so I do alot of work for friends and dont get paid but hey its all good Im about to start work on our 04 GTO

Oh I really do enjoy this section of the board I spend about 2 hours a day on here while im "working" hahaha

 

I'm a 20 year old college student who loves to work on cars, but I don't pretend to know much. I do a lot of wrenching with my best friend on my 02 SS and on his 98 TA. The most major to date is a cam swap on his TA. Also have done headers, oil pump, other minor stuff. Next week we are doing a full engine swap, cam, and heads. LS1 tech has provided awesome info for us.

 

I guess I fall into the "other" category. I love drag racing and have been into it for over 10 years. I am a business student (didnt you get that memo) at USF in Tampa and help my dad and uncle with their turbo buicks. To be honest, i think the LS- platform engines are the future and look forward to learning more about them. Dont have a hot rod yeat, but when schools done im selling the camry for an 03 zo6

 

I fit into a couple of categories...

BS in Systems Engineering, I'll be getting a Masters in Aviation Administration here soon also

Nobody else works on my cars, either

I'm an Army Aviator (in training. Currently in flight school) right now (Have to know our systems inside and out, so that was a hark back to Thermodynamics, lol. Anyone want to know anything about a Rolls Royce C20J?), planning on a career.

And for Maggie: I use a whiz wheel on a daily basis .

 

technician at a Chevrolet dealership.

 

I do what I can. I've put on all the mods that my car has right now. Small stuff..... headers, exhaust, intake manifold, TB, MAF, intake and thermostat. While I could most likelly install anything and eventually get it to work I'll let the pro's do my heads and cam. I just don't have the experience to get it right the first time. Other than that I spend the rest of my time repairing AH64-D Apache Longbows. Quite franklly the baddest attack helicopter the world has ever seen.

 

21, ME student at Purdue. I already work in the automotive field as I co-op for Toyota, and I plan to work there after I graduate.
Didn't grow up around cars at all, so learning as I go. I want to do as much work as I can on the car, but time issues and the fact that it's a daily driver mean I can't do everything myself.

 

25, originally from Nebraska....currently stationed in NJ as an aircraft mechanic on Boeing 707's and MD/Boeing DC10's. My dad was heavy into racing and building various monstrosities for about 30yrs...kinda rubbed off on me. I Did my first V8 swap into an '86 ford ranger at age 16...I'm a converted ford guy...shhhh I did all the fabrication for the 302 and the C-4 trans from scratch. This was before Companies like James Duff and Advance Adapters were makeing the kits for this. Also recently finished my first swap of a Mercedes-Benz 3.0 turbo diesel in a '78 Jeep CJ8 (Scrambler). So far...I haven't ran into anyone else who has tried it. Just love to modify everything. I'm a seasoned welder...both MIG, TIG, and the old buzz box....from years welding farm equip. and aluminum irrigation pipe. I know some machining, my cousin lets my play with his Bridgeport CNC Mill and Lathe at his machine shop back home...(still have alot to learn about programing "G" code) Do alot of work for folks in the area here in Jersey...mostly military. Great site....you guys are awesome...some of the best advice I've ever come across !!!

 

I'm only 16 but am overly interested(obsessed as some might say) with automobiles.

I now rarely flood the forums with crap that I thought I knew about like in the past, I mostly carouse the board and chime in when I have any additional info or opinions on things. I haven't done much mechanic work on American cars for the simple fact that most of my friends have import or european cars. I probably know more about automotive theory than do I have actual expreiences relating to things like building engines or putting together valvetrain components, but I have learned alot from my uncle(who used to teach automotive theory amongst a variety of other automotive classes, and who was a master Mechanic back in the day), and from sites like this one and Thirdgen.org.

I spend most of my time carousing on thirdgen.org, but when here I find myself either in the lounge or in the Advanced Automotive tech section, because most of the other threads get very repetitive and tend to steer me away from them. There are some very knowledgable people on this site. I need to shut up now.

 

I'm 41. Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Graduated in 1991. Been playing with cars since high school. I've dabbled in a little bit of everything automotive: set up ring & pinions, built engines, rebuilt manual transmissions, body work, etc. Never did any extensive work with automatic transmissions. I've always been a manual transmission owner & driver.

 

24 yrs old, Engineer (Nuclear) I fall into the "Wrench on everything yourself but not getting paid for it" catagory.

I am new to the forum, so I mostly just like to read and learn as much as i can before i open my mouth and sound like a fool (This may actually be my first post).

I don't really have any credentials, i am currently rebuilding a 2.5L Chrysler turbo with a friend to put in his Shelby CSX-T, helping another friend w/ an Olds 455 motor, and my dad has a 72 Cougar. I hope to put headers on back on the Trans Am soon assuming i can find the $ (Just about to graduate with an MS, i hope).