How did you get started as a gearhead?

[Wozzeck]

Here's my story...

My Dad has been car restoration work since before I was born. Not a pro, he does it for fun. When I was about 10, he picked up a basketcase '29 Ford sedan with a 327 Chevy drivetrain, sixpack carbs, 4:11 rearend. The car was a mess though...the engine hadn't been started in about 15 years, no interior, you get the idea. After a couple months of disassembly, he had removed the body and basically had the engine sitting in the frame, on wheels. I remember the day being unusual because it was about 60° outside in January (in northwest PA this happens about once every hundred years). He had rolled the chassis outside and was trying to see how bad of shape the motor was in. So here I am, a 10 year old kid playing outside while my dad is trying to get this monster running. To make a long story short, he eventually did. Running on a single double barrel with no exhaust he managed to start the thing. The sound of that thing has stuck with me for 20 years! I think I was hooked from that moment. [img]graemlins/omg.gif[/img]

When I was 17, I got a 77 Camaro that I restored, first with a 229 V6, then I built a 327 (not the same that my dad had), then I rebuilt the V6 and put that back in after the 327 threw a rod.

A few years after that I bought a quasar blue 94 v6 Camaro, which I traded a few years after that for the brand new 2000 Camaro that I have now. My Dad just recently sold the '29 Ford, but now is working on a '63 vette.

There's a ton of good memories working on these cars with my dad, alot of good quality time. In a few years when I have the space, I'd love to pick up a '70 Z28 and restore that. Maybe by that time, my son (to be born later this year ;) ) will get hooked the same way!

[GTPNutJob]

It all began in 3rd 4th Grade. My elementary school had issues of Car Craft and Hot Rod in the Magazine area. So I began reading those. Then in 9th grade started attending a vocational high school and its been downhill since. Ten years after starting at the high school I'm walking ProCharged birdies in a heavy *** FWD car :D

[shenanigans]

My best friend's dad owned an exotic car dealership.

Me and my friend used to play with toy cars all the time together. Micro machines, matchbox cars, etc...

I remember running around the car lot playing when I was a kid near ferrarais, proches, lexuses(lexi?), whatever...


I used to be big into planes, etc... all my career test lead to me operating a vehicle. I am too big to fly in airforce, I wear contacts. Then around 14 I started working on my brother's cars to keep them running, and my dad showed me a few things but he isn't that big of a car guy.

when I was 15, my bro finally bought his own car and his old 2.8L was in the driveway, at the time my other bro had a 2.5L grand am... It was a debate which car I woudl get when I turned 16 and which my bro would get, I cleaned all the cars in my house maybe bi weekly, and I worked on them to fix little thing(replace headliner, etc...)

my dad gave me the camaro cuz it was older, and needed more TLC and my bro had the grand am...

got into fixing/slightly modding the 2.8L then moved up to the 3.4L and now a 3.8L

lots of work keeping the cars running and squeezing what I can out of them on limited budgets.

[Mighty Thor]

I don't have any interest in cars till I saw show Knight Rider. That's when I started getting interested in cars.

My first vehicle was an '88 Mitsu. Pick Up. Still have it. I was getting tired of paying other people fixing it. Till I started fixing it, that solved the problem.

I found out that fixing cars is really not that difficult. As long as you have the tools and garage. I can watch a person fix a car just one time and next time, I could just do it myself.

My problem today is that I live in an apartment that doesn't allow me to do work on cars. Plus I don't have the tools anymore. I desperately need a garage.

Next project will be a 1968-69 Firebird.

[12secondv6]

I was surrounded by car people.... age 16-17?.... well... people who had a small amount of car smarts....

I watched... learned.... read up... then began playin w/ my own toys [img]smile.gif[/img]

[shenanigans]

Originally posted by Mighty Thor:

My problem today is that I live in an apartment that doesn't allow me to do work on cars. Plus I don't have the tools anymore. I desperately need a garage.

Ehh it can be done...

I have done t-top conversion, rear axle swaps, torn down the top half a motor, LSD install, brake jobs, and all my upgrades in apartment complexes [img]smile.gif[/img]

[xX315Xx]

for the longest time i was going into law enforcement, after 7 years in an explorer program where i did countless ride alongs i realized i couldn't do it for a living. Around the same time i was changing majors in college, started off as a business admin. major and hated it, and a friend of mine toasted the clutch in his '02 Trans Am WS6 and he needed help changing it. So i went over to his house and we had a ton of fun, and i found my love for cars, and ended up changing my major to automotive technology. Here I am 4 years later....

[JohnD.]

In my early teens my dad and a friend of his made a 3 wheeler (motorcycle) out of an old Suzuki and an old Volkswagon Beetle. I guess spending all that time doing piddly stuff around the garage while they did that got me started in the "I love cars" direction.

[RedFrk13]

Im going to blame this one on my dad and brother. He made me and brother work on our own cars so we could save money. I then watched my dad and brother who is only 1 year older than me swap a 350 into a jeep cj5. From that point on I was hooked. Eight years of driving and a few engine swaps and still have never payed anyone to work on my cars.

My dad used to try to yell at me for spending all my money on my truck, but I would just tell him its his fault I am a motorhead. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[96RS Alex]

I started early around age 15 before my drivers permit. I took the '76 Cougar XR7 out for a joyride all by myself without my parents knowledge and somehow the waterpump failed hours later. I didnt know what was going on til I saw the idiot light go off and checked into a gas station. The mechanic advised me what to do since I had no credit card to cover the huge cost to repair it and called my parents to let them know I was safe & sound. Later that day I got a scolding and promised to my parents I'd make it up to them by fixing the waterpump. It was fairly easy to do and got my hands real dirty for the 1st time and loved wrenching ever since the memorable Summer of '84 lol.

[Silv6]

i saw the fast and the furious!!!


j/k
dad had always been doind stuff to his jeeps, i raced motocross. learned how to drive on the street in a yukon and have hated big vehicles since.

['94firebirdv6]

my dad really isnt too big into cars so my grandpa and uncle got me started. my grandpa took me out into his shop since i was able to stand up and i just watched him work on cars and equipment(he owns an excavating company) then as i got older i started to help more and more. when i was about 10 my uncle got a 1929 ford model A roadster and my cousin and i helped him rebuild the motor/fix it up.

[silverV6firebird]

I've always liked cars growing up(had to have a firebird after watching Smokey and the Bandit all the time), but after i wrecked my firebird is when i really started to care about doing work to them! I surprise myself about how much i've learned compared to just a few years ago when i couldn't even do somehthing simple like change my oil. I'm no master mechanic and i don't pretend to be but i'm learning.

[kristen]

i would have to say that it was by boyfriends uncle. so when i started to just hang out with my b/f i met his uncle who is really into cars. at the time he had a 97 mustang gt but he has always had camaros and trans am's (has a 99 trans am again thank god) and i loved the power behind it. i started to learn more from there. then when i got my camaro i started to do little mods. then when my b/f moved into his new duplux it just so happened that the guy under him is really into cars too(if you can call hondas cars) and all his friends would come over with their hondas and now engine swaps have been done, turbos, nitours, everything. so the run down of us is like 8 hondas(civics, crx,si's) 1 mustang gt and my camaro! i love cars.

[terminaldegree]

My dad took lousy care of his cars.
I had a summer job at a marina where they did a lot of repairs and rebuilds.
Then I went to college for 12 years and I was poor enough that I had to fix my own stuff.
Just kept reading directions, asking questions, and listening.

Now, my g/f does her own maintenance on her car and helps me with the stereo installs. Found a good one...

p.s. Wozzeck?? That's an ID I don't see everyday.