Tips and Advice on Becoming a Classic Car Mechanic/Restorer

You can as a last resort, lie to get your foot in the door and then fake it until you make it!

You may have to sneak on your phone in the bathroom to Google how to do a task once and a while, try not to stay in the restroom to long though. Breaks and lunch time would be a good time to "research" what you have to do as well.

If you go this route, you'll need to go out of your way to try to be likeable to your co-workers so they don't mind lending a hand or giving some advise or loaning you a tool. The guy that helps you, make sure you offer to buy lunch or a beer after work once and a while to try to pay them back for the help.

It is very important that you are punctual every day, get there early ready to work! Make sure you don't call in sick if at all possible. Make sure they know that you are available to stay after hours as long as you're needed if necessary to get a job done.

When the owner asks you about your tools, tell them that your tools were stolen and you're trying to build them back up. Try to find shops that went out of business to say you worked there to put on your resume. To get your foot in the door by lying, pick a shop that you don't necessarily see yourself staying at in case you get caught.

If you think you're on the verge of being fired, you probably are, put in your 2 weeks notice before you do get canned, it will look much better on your resume. If you don't get canned you'll be getting your "experience" there to put on your real resume so try to stay for at least a year before you look for a better shop. I could go on but I think you get the gist, good luck.

 

Not to be Mr. negative, but if you think that working on old cars is easier then new ones, think again. Try adjusting the valves on a Ford flathead, shimming the bearings on anything with poured bearings, Replacing an oil filter on a Y-block 54-56 Ford with power steering or some of the early Chrysler hemis... Also bear in mind that owners of old cars such as myself are extremely anal about the work that is done. I enjoy working on old cars, but I do it for my own pleasure and I never rush. If it takes a week or a month to get the job done, so be it. When you are working for a paycheck, time is always an issue.

 

I dont think its going to be easy. Im just very passionate about it so it will be fun no matter how hard the task is. and i understand the customers Ill have, its just like myself, i love my car and its my baby. But ill grow a good relationship with them so they can trust me.

And John, most of the shops ive been to have for an interview they ask me several question to test my knowledge and if i dont know one thing it seems to the end of the road, then again im applying to very respectable and world famous shops so i understand they have the pick of the crop for employees. So its very hard to fake it until I make it. Unfortunately, the owners also doubt my skills and knowledge even though I have done so much work on my car.

 

Save a few dollars, buy some parts. Starters, distributors, alternators, carbs, switches, light housings stuff like that.

Not much cost in most of those parts, then take them apart, inspect them, check all the tolerances, you have to go and find that information on your own, then put them together, find the parts to get them working in a respectable manner.

You will learn a lot and learn organically. This is the best way.

You can spend money on classes and learn some rigid methodology, that gives you know insight and experience in deviating from the "script" in working on components/systems.

You can try and work for someone and do the same thing, screwing up and re-doing, until someone shows you the door because you take too long, make too many mistakes in a short time period.

Because to learn this thing, it takes time, and hands on, and understanding, breathing, eating, living, hating, loving grease and smells and pain and broken and all that there is, with a few rewards of success.

You cannot buy it, you cannot sit and have it "taught", you must live it.

So, doing these things I mentioned in the beginning, will give you some insight into the bigger world of larger assemblies, like engines, transmissions, frames, bodies, electrics/wiring, and how to make the old parts live again as they did some 50+ years ago.

All that said, I want you to succeed. I want you to carry the torch. For all who have gone on, and those of us that follow.

And if you ever want to talk, ask a question, PM me, and I will be happy to offer any little thing I can.

 

Your age might have something to do with it. I see your profile says 27. What have you been up too the last 9 years if this isnt a new found passion? Can you weld?

 

I don't work in this industry, but I have paid many many a shop to work on my cars and become very close friends with a couple of shop owners, including one that has on average 20-30 pre 1970 cars in his shop at any given time. Here's what I've seen. There is a growing trend of unreliability in a lot of employees. Not just young people, older as well. This is not the majority. The majority of people are great. But it's enough for owners to be highly highly skeptical. Second most people say lots of stuff to get a job, but then immediately want to do the fun work, not the less fun work. As a former Ceo I had a 20 year old join my company and literally day 3 walked into my office and said what will it take to do your job. I loved the ambition, but she then considered a lot of rudimentary tasks as beneath her. Finally lack of experience is easy to over come. Work for free. Offer owners an hour or two a day, no obligation. They don't have to hire you, you just want to get some experience. Not everyone will jump at the chance, but a fair few will. If you can get 10-20 hours a week in a few shops you will quickly develop experience and potentially one will hire you.

 

Joining a car club is a good way to get some skills and network as well. Expecially if there are hot rod guys in it..

 

It's a new passion for like 2 years, and ive been pursuing it since last year. I got my degree is something else but thats not what I want to do.

 

Yeah ive been trying, a few guys in the south florida area are gonna get together soon.

 

I have literally walked into shops saying ill work for free, ill sweep and clean the shop for the first weeks to show you im responsible around the shop, im not beneath any work. If i need to lick the floor clean to work on the shop cars i will haha im very ambitious and trust worthy. and a lot of shop owners see my passion and ambition. Idk maybe its because I live in south florida and the people can be kinda selfish i guess.

 

shame you don't live in Tampa, I could get you a job doing exactly that. My old partner is still in business out of his house and he is always got work and not enough help.

 

You are going to have to walk before the run,but get a job at O'reillys,autozone,etc.....for whatever they will pay which is probably more than you're worth. You need to be humble,on time,professional appearing,and ALWAYS nice to every idiot that walks through that door. I am not going to talk you into working on cars(it is not a bad job to have)or anything...I am just going to tell you the truth. You moonlight after work working for trade or parts or whatever makes sense to you at the time. It won't take long before you have a bunch of people who need brakes,struts,ignition or computer troubleshooting,etc. AFTER a few years of having a good job record and a list of references you can get deeper in the game(life's a game...if you have not been told). I think after awhile you could pick up study guides for passing state certifications in areas like brakes,tune up,electrical,etc...and pass the certification test without WASTING a day at colleges that just want your cash. I passed any that I took in my home state while taking classes for a completely different subject. In the end for me it was all a lot of listening to people who wanted to use me instead of educating me. Once the basics have been mastered there is not any problem walking up to a shop owner and saying what you want and see if it can be reciprocated. You have a very good attitude and probably even the drive,so get some more experience and your confidence will get you whatever you want in the future. Don't let anybody work you without at least a minimum wage,it is illegal for a reason and if they can't pay you fairly you lose. A lot of educational facilities(even student teachers)get paid for volunteering your time while charging you.

 

Know an individual in Phoenix who has been employed at three resto type places. Really did not have the work ethic or punctuality to be successful in the resto shop business. Yet he was able to get hired at three separate resto shops. You might want to look out there - it is a huge place now - over three million in city limits alone, and now ahead of Philadelphia in terms of population. This area (borderland, el paso, southern nm) is such the polar opposite of that - very little opportunity or good jobs here.

 

I wish i lived in tampa! haha

 

Im gonna keep trying and building contacts!

 

Nailhead R, hit the nail on tbe head. Ditch the paper introduce and shake hands with tbe owner. I got in at a Transmison shop at a shop i never applied at. I went to a handful of transmison shops and asked the owner what tools i needed to work at a place like this. They would spend about 10 minutes showing me stuff. I had my pen and note pad and write it down. Since shops talk to each other i got recomended to a transmission shop owner who was looking for someone to train to do things his way. With only personal exp , on my own car just like you i got a job. I didnt even need tools, just had to start buying my own when Snap On truck showed up. Heres sonething you will like. Most shop owners dont like trade school applicant's with that as there only exp. You need vision and memory. Ingenuitvity. Finesse , brains over braun. Dont waist your time at spotless clean shops. A dirty shop is usually a busy shop. Also read Jim Weis post a couple more times. And good luck man!

 

I agree, I'm going to start showing up to shops and go to car shows at peoples shops and start networking.

 

Start networking, show some interest. Then start reading, my first book was a Chilton's service manual that covered a decade of cars. The next one was an old text on automotive basics. Almost memorized them both and still have them. I managed to impress a guy that I knew how to do a firing order on an Oldsmobile (it's backwards to a Chev). He hired me and I learned hard. I was 16 at the time, and I worked for that guy for a few summers in high school. Did all the crap jobs and watched and learned. If you have some mechanical aptitude it really helps, that's one skill that can't be learned. Work hard on figuring out how things work and learn how to think ahead of them. Know the basics, how ignition systems work and how fuel systems work.
The best education though was the first morning when I had to fix my own car before I could go to work. Some of the things I was scared about or didn't know very well I had to do in a hurry and get things running or get fired for being late.
Now for a lot of the local guys I'm their own private "German mechanic" and in some demand because I am one of the few who understands a carburetor or breaker points. My track record is such that as long as it isn't seized I'll get it to run. I've lost track of how many bush buggies I've brought back from the dead. And yeah, if you're good but not educationally certified, yes, expect to get used and abused. But remember that legally you can't do any suspension and brake work for hire unless you're licensed; otherwise you open yourself up to some nasty litigation if you miss something.