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[quote=”Chevyman21″ post=126665][quote=”Pithy Radish” post=126664][quote=”Chevyman21″ post=126659][quote=”Pithy Radish” post=126657][quote=”Chevyman21″ post=126655]Ahem, resident classic daily driver here. Of course it’s feasible. Sepaking from personal experience, I think you should see decent mileage with a similar setup as my own. My truck is a 74′ C30(very heavy) with a Q-Jet and HEI distributor on a 454 with a manual tranny(SM465) and 4.10 rear gearing. I get around 12-14mpg unloaded which is very impressive for an old HD truck with a big block. With the 283, you can expect even better results. I would recommend a manual transmission. You will get better mileage.[/quote]
Yeah, there is a big discrepancy in the old automatic transmissions in efficiency vs. the manuals. I just don’t know which transmission to go with yet. I also am still deciding which gear ratio’s I want, don’t want a slug around town.12-14 mpg is pretty good for a 40 year old chevy, my 2001 GMC Sierra only got me around 17.[/quote] Exactly. If you could get your hands on a Muncie rockcrusher that would be the perfect tranny for that car. They are much rarer nowdays though. Here is a list of GM transmissions that may help you in your decision http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_GM_transmissions
Ya, the trick to good fuel mileage is a good tune and good driving habits. I attribute most mileage losses to emissions controls and extra weight they add on to modern cars. The truth is, most older cars(90s and before) got better fuel mileage in relation to their modern counterparts.[/quote]
The key is learning how to tune that Q-Jet lol. That is an art that has been lost by most of my generation, I think my uncle knows a little something about them though. He was able to do amazing things with old carburetors. Not a whole lot of info on those amazing carburetors available now a days.[/quote] I learned to tune the Q-Jet for the most part on my own. Of course there are plenty of tuning guides out there to give you a foundation of how to do it, but until you start tinkering and actually open the carb up, you will never fully understand it. Also something some people don’t realize is the ignition needs to be in tune and in good shape for proper carb tuning. The Q-Jet scares many people..it is the most feared carb for some reason I will never understand. Trust me, the art of the Q-Jet is not the only thing that’s lost…some people don’t know how to tune a basic 1 barrel carb or a distributor. It’s actually quite sad.[/quote]
Which year Q-Jet would you recommend? Or rather which Q-Jet carb?[quote=”Chevyman21″ post=126659][quote=”Pithy Radish” post=126657][quote=”Chevyman21″ post=126655]Ahem, resident classic daily driver here. Of course it’s feasible. Sepaking from personal experience, I think you should see decent mileage with a similar setup as my own. My truck is a 74′ C30(very heavy) with a Q-Jet and HEI distributor on a 454 with a manual tranny(SM465) and 4.10 rear gearing. I get around 12-14mpg unloaded which is very impressive for an old HD truck with a big block. With the 283, you can expect even better results. I would recommend a manual transmission. You will get better mileage.[/quote]
Yeah, there is a big discrepancy in the old automatic transmissions in efficiency vs. the manuals. I just don’t know which transmission to go with yet. I also am still deciding which gear ratio’s I want, don’t want a slug around town.12-14 mpg is pretty good for a 40 year old chevy, my 2001 GMC Sierra only got me around 17.[/quote] Exactly. If you could get your hands on a Muncie rockcrusher that would be the perfect tranny for that car. They are much rarer nowdays though. Here is a list of GM transmissions that may help you in your decision http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_GM_transmissions
Ya, the trick to good fuel mileage is a good tune and good driving habits. I attribute most mileage losses to emissions controls and extra weight they add on to modern cars. The truth is, most older cars(90s and before) got better fuel mileage in relation to their modern counterparts.[/quote]
The key is learning how to tune that Q-Jet lol. That is an art that has been lost by most of my generation, I think my uncle knows a little something about them though. He was able to do amazing things with old carburetors. Not a whole lot of info on those amazing carburetors available now a days.I think the main thing with old classics as far as mileage goes was the gearing. There is no way you’re going to get good mileage from an old two speed power-glide no matter which way you slice it. I’ve seen people get very impressive results from 289 Mustangs just from putting a T-5 onto the car, and changing the gear ratio’s up.
[quote=”andrewbutton442″ post=125410]Ok, so here is my problem. My Snap-on contact seems to have gone on a long vacation. Admittedly, I like their stuff best. I had been reading up on the other tool trucks and here is what I have come up with. Mac is aparently owned by Stanley, and me that speaks of Walmart tools. I will not spend money on tools made by the same company that supplies dollar stores with tool sets that cost 4 bucks for a socket set. I have also Heard Mac sells alot of offshore China stuff now as well. So I have decided to NOT go down that route. Apparently Matco is owned by Danaher tools, that is the same company that makes Craftsman, and well I could go to Harbor Freight and at a least get a deal without bothering with expensive tools that suck. So that leaves me stuck. What would you do in that situation ? I have a long time connection from the track I race at that sells Cornwell, and from what I little I know about Cornwell, that stuff seems to be pretty good. I think he would probably be a good guy to work with, but Cornwell, I just have a very hard time that concept. I don’t like blue tools much either. My memories flash back to decades ago when a former boss threw all my tools (except my SK ratchet) in the trash and told me only Snap-on would do, everything else was JUNK. I have visions of others going through my rollcab and hearing endless jokes about corn, and holes, and all the other things that we have ALL heard at shops. HELP ![/quote]
MAC tools are actually very nice. I love their combination wrenches, their open ended wrenches and their impact sockets. Most of their hand tools are still made in the USA, and they are nothing like Stanley tools. Their impact guns are very nice, though I hear that they are re branded IRs. I’ve seen a few made in China things, but as I said — most of their hand tools are still made in the USA.[quote=”Chevyman21″ post=126655]Ahem, resident classic daily driver here. Of course it’s feasible. Sepaking from personal experience, I think you should see decent mileage with a similar setup as my own. My truck is a 74′ C30(very heavy) with a Q-Jet and HEI distributor on a 454 with a manual tranny(SM465) and 4.10 rear gearing. I get around 12-14mpg unloaded which is very impressive for an old HD truck with a big block. With the 283, you can expect even better results. I would recommend a manual transmission. You will get better mileage.[/quote]
Yeah, there is a big discrepancy in the old automatic transmissions in efficiency vs. the manuals. I just don’t know which transmission to go with yet. I also am still deciding which gear ratio’s I want, don’t want a slug around town.12-14 mpg is pretty good for a 40 year old chevy, my 2001 GMC Sierra only got me around 17.
[quote=”Chevyman21″ post=124679]Depends on the extent of the rust. With limited info, the best way to repair is to cut out the rotted metal and weld in new metal.[/quote]
This. Rust is like a cancer, unless it is cut out, it will continue to rot out your bed. If it is just a little bit of surface rust you could try vinegar water. Leave it sitting on the rusted surfaces overnight and it should wipe right off if the car only has surface rust. What will be left over are little black bits on your metal, that is okay, it can be primed and painted over.If the rust is hardcore you need to cut it out, and weld in a patch.
[quote=”Bluesnut” post=125953]I’ve worked for Japanese car dealers and the warranty labor times are beyond horrible. Unless it’s changed they would .2 hours for the troubleshooting of an electrical problem.
A couple of years ago i looked up ALLDATA on a rear wheel bearing replacement on a Camry. The book showed .9 hours for one side.
It showed 1 hour even for doing both sides. How in the world does someone come up with that? .1 hours for one side….
A guy would be better off replacing one, running it out the door, and then bringing it back in under another repair order.I think all of that talk about book labor times being figured by real world mechanics is total bunk.[/quote]
I can’t wait to begin my life as a Toyota Flat rate Technician!!!!! Ugh.[quote=”lpdwntnd” post=125402]Most of us have had the experience of working with a bad shop manager. From the way it sounds there is not much you can do. You can bring up your concerns as you would do in any job. But my suggestion would be start looking for a new shop. Sounds like something shady is going on. My worst was working at a Honda dealer and was just breaking 40 on flat rate, then for some reason they hired another tech. Killed all of us. Not much you can do about it. That’s why our tool boxes have wheels. Easier to move them to a new shop. Hope it works out or you find another that is a good shop.[/quote]
I work hourly so its not much of an issue for me, I’m just amazed by the inefficiency of the shop, and the lack of leadership on the part of management. There is no structure, everything is chaotic, our manager cares more about firing service writers than doing anything else — because that is pretty much all he does. Every day time a service writer sees our manager they all hide, because it seems like he fires one every week.What gets me is the EMPTY bays more than anything. On Saturdays and Mondays we have, no joke 7 or more empty bays and cars just waiting to be serviced. We had a Supra from the 90s come in for service and finally get serviced a week and a half later. I see some technicians sitting around with nothing to do when there are cars that need to be serviced but they never get the RO, or the go ahead to service them from the service writers.
[quote=”lpdwntnd” post=125402]Most of us have had the experience of working with a bad shop manager. From the way it sounds there is not much you can do. You can bring up your concerns as you would do in any job. But my suggestion would be start looking for a new shop. Sounds like something shady is going on. My worst was working at a Honda dealer and was just breaking 40 on flat rate, then for some reason they hired another tech. Killed all of us. Not much you can do about it. That’s why our tool boxes have wheels. Easier to move them to a new shop. Hope it works out or you find another that is a good shop.[/quote]
I work hourly so its not much of an issue for me, I’m just amazed by the inefficiency of the shop, and the lack of leadership on the part of management. There is no structure, everything is chaotic, our manager cares more about firing service writers than doing anything else — because that is pretty much all he does. Every day time a service writer sees our manager they all hide, because it seems like he fires one every week.What gets me is the EMPTY bays more than anything. On Saturdays and Mondays we have, no joke 7 or more empty bays and cars just waiting to be serviced. We had a Supra from the 90s come in for service and finally get serviced a week and a half later. I see some technicians sitting around with nothing to do when there are cars that need to be serviced but they never get the RO, or the go ahead to service them from the service writers.
[quote=”Brimaster” post=123850]I know I am new to the site but I am looking for thoughts from you all about a career change and if it is something that obtainable or just wishful thinking.
I have been in the Information Technology field as a system engineer going on 26 years now and tired of the bs and I am at a point that I want to go into a new direction.
I am seriously considering automotive field and focus more to the performance side of the trade.
By going this route will require substantial changes for the family and finances and will almost assuredly mean that I would have to get temp housing for myself by whatever school I go with. Another consideration is my age and making such a change later in life and if my age will hinder progress in the field.The schools I have either spoke with or gotten information on at this point are Western Tech, Ohio Tech, SAM, Wyotech, UTI/NTI , UNOH and Lincoln Tech. I am concerned about Wyotech and that Corinthian is selling to ECMC and the stability of the school moving forward.
With this being said I am looking for input from all you that are knowledgeable in the field if any of these schools or others that I have missed but might be worth a look and is the field outlook good and is this change something I should be even thinking about?
Thank you in advance with your thoughts on this,
Brian[/quote]
What kind of BS are you looking to escape at your current job? As a mechanic, your whole job is putting up with BS. Service Writers underselling the labor, spending an ungodly amount of money on tools, flat rate times going down, and customers that try to get everything for free, customers that automatically think that you’re trying to rip them off because of your trade. I’ve only been in this trade for a few weeks and I’ve seen all of the above happen to the flat rate techs in my shop. Luckily my service manager chews out the service writers that undersell times because he used to be mechanic himself, and he understands the plight of an automotive technician. Other shops are much worse according to my teachers, and others right here on this forum. (I’m in Toyota’s factory training program, I work while going to school, my teachers work with a conglomerate of Toyota Lexus Dealerships in the area — and they were Toyota techs themselves for 20 years)If you have a family to look after, and a decent paying job, I would not look to enter this field. How does doing oil changes, and working the lube rack for months after graduation from UTI for 13 dollars an hour sound? That is exactly what happened to one of my coworkers, they keep promising to move him over to repair, but they haven’t obliged yet. Not only that, if you go to UTI, WYOTECH, etc you’re going to be paying close to 35-40 grand in tuition. For that amount of money you could get a bachelor’s degree at a decent school. Not to mention the tools that you need to buy in order to do the actual work. Ask yourself, is that UTI education worth that much money? You may have an education, but will you be fast?
As an automotive technician you get paid based on how fast you go. Your UTI education may make you well versed in automobile technology, but it will by no means guarantee that you will be quick. Flat rate will EAT your lunch as a new technician. The guys who clock the most hours at my dealership are the guys who have been in automotive repair for 7+ years. Most of the newer guys are struggling to get things done underneath the book time. A technician that works across from me spent 8 hours on a job that paid 3 hours. He ended up clocking 5 hours in a 10.5 hour day. Can you handle that from a financial standpoint?
As far as the performance side of things go, that is a little tricky to get into. I’ve known people who have worked in the tuning side of the industry, including a guy that owns a tuning shop. From what I gather it is not as glamorous as it seems. He actually makes a majority of his money from automotive repairs. This is a field that many try to get into, but few actually do. Your computer skills may help you land a job at a local tuner, but don’t hold your breath.
I’m not trying to discourage you, but you should look long and hard before entering this industry, especially if you’re already established in another one and have a family. Your education might be only two years in length, but actually thriving in the flat rate system will take quite a bit of time. If you were young and single this wouldn’t be such a bad career field to get into, but with a family it makes working as an auto technician an iffy proposition.
[quote=”Brimaster” post=123850]I know I am new to the site but I am looking for thoughts from you all about a career change and if it is something that obtainable or just wishful thinking.
I have been in the Information Technology field as a system engineer going on 26 years now and tired of the bs and I am at a point that I want to go into a new direction.
I am seriously considering automotive field and focus more to the performance side of the trade.
By going this route will require substantial changes for the family and finances and will almost assuredly mean that I would have to get temp housing for myself by whatever school I go with. Another consideration is my age and making such a change later in life and if my age will hinder progress in the field.The schools I have either spoke with or gotten information on at this point are Western Tech, Ohio Tech, SAM, Wyotech, UTI/NTI , UNOH and Lincoln Tech. I am concerned about Wyotech and that Corinthian is selling to ECMC and the stability of the school moving forward.
With this being said I am looking for input from all you that are knowledgeable in the field if any of these schools or others that I have missed but might be worth a look and is the field outlook good and is this change something I should be even thinking about?
Thank you in advance with your thoughts on this,
Brian[/quote]
What kind of BS are you looking to escape at your current job? As a mechanic, your whole job is putting up with BS. Service Writers underselling the labor, spending an ungodly amount of money on tools, flat rate times going down, and customers that try to get everything for free, customers that automatically think that you’re trying to rip them off because of your trade. I’ve only been in this trade for a few weeks and I’ve seen all of the above happen to the flat rate techs in my shop. Luckily my service manager chews out the service writers that undersell times because he used to be mechanic himself, and he understands the plight of an automotive technician. Other shops are much worse according to my teachers, and others right here on this forum. (I’m in Toyota’s factory training program, I work while going to school, my teachers work with a conglomerate of Toyota Lexus Dealerships in the area — and they were Toyota techs themselves for 20 years)If you have a family to look after, and a decent paying job, I would not look to enter this field. How does doing oil changes, and working the lube rack for months after graduation from UTI for 13 dollars an hour sound? That is exactly what happened to one of my coworkers, they keep promising to move him over to repair, but they haven’t obliged yet. Not only that, if you go to UTI, WYOTECH, etc you’re going to be paying close to 35-40 grand in tuition. For that amount of money you could get a bachelor’s degree at a decent school. Not to mention the tools that you need to buy in order to do the actual work. Ask yourself, is that UTI education worth that much money? You may have an education, but will you be fast?
As an automotive technician you get paid based on how fast you go. Your UTI education may make you well versed in automobile technology, but it will by no means guarantee that you will be quick. Flat rate will EAT your lunch as a new technician. The guys who clock the most hours at my dealership are the guys who have been in automotive repair for 7+ years. Most of the newer guys are struggling to get things done underneath the book time. A technician that works across from me spent 8 hours on a job that paid 3 hours. He ended up clocking 5 hours in a 10.5 hour day. Can you handle that from a financial standpoint?
As far as the performance side of things go, that is a little tricky to get into. I’ve known people who have worked in the tuning side of the industry, including a guy that owns a tuning shop. From what I gather it is not as glamorous as it seems. He actually makes a majority of his money from automotive repairs. This is a field that many try to get into, but few actually do. Your computer skills may help you land a job at a local tuner, but don’t hold your breath.
I’m not trying to discourage you, but you should look long and hard before entering this industry, especially if you’re already established in another one and have a family. Your education might be only two years in length, but actually thriving in the flat rate system will take quite a bit of time. If you were young and single this wouldn’t be such a bad career field to get into, but with a family it makes working as an auto technician an iffy proposition.
[quote=”MDK22″ post=123809]If it makes you feel any better I have to explain to professional drivers what a glow plug light is on the cluster and why they need to wait for the truck to warm up. When it starts to flash it is ok to start the truck.
Mind you these are people that passed the CDL test the state gives out where in the book it tells you what they are. Also with a manual given out by the company that tells them and an owners manual in the truck that tells them. It is also on the sun visor if I remember correctly. They also have a dispatcher that they could ask this question along with guys that inspect their trucks.
That is almost as bad as the low fuel light…. Actually it might be even worse since these are professionals that we are talking about.[quote=”MDK22″ post=123809]If it makes you feel any better I have to explain to professional drivers what a glow plug light is on the cluster and why they need to wait for the truck to warm up. When it starts to flash it is ok to start the truck.
Mind you these are people that passed the CDL test the state gives out where in the book it tells you what they are. Also with a manual given out by the company that tells them and an owners manual in the truck that tells them. It is also on the sun visor if I remember correctly. They also have a dispatcher that they could ask this question along with guys that inspect their trucks.
That is almost as bad as the low fuel light…. Actually it might be even worse since these are professionals that we are talking about.There was this middle aged gentleman that came into the shop the other day. Basic oil change, and inspection. Later he returns saying that we messed up his car, and made a strange light illuminate on his dash. The service writer grabs me during a break in the action to inspect the car. What do I see when I check his dash? That “strange light” he was talking about was the LOW FUEL LIGHT. Seriously?
Needless to say I was flabbergasted that this man did not know what that meant. Am I really going to have to deal with people my whole career that have such a low level of common sense? Normally I would laugh, but the whole situation just made me shake my head. Also, why didn’t the service writer check the dash himself? It happened just this Monday and I still can’t believe what I experienced 3 days ago. The service writer and myself just stood their with our mouths open after that customer left. We even had to ask each other if that really just happened.