13 thoughts on “Reminiscing about an era long gone, Auto Shop class, and simple repairs and maintenance…”
Metal and woodworking shop. Auto had been discontinued by the time I got to my high school. Woodworking was my favorite of the two.
My HS was rather hoity-toity (all the rich kids in the Valley went to it…), so only wood shop was available. I wanted to teach Beginning Electronics but was told I couldn’t because I didn’t have a Teaching Certificate. I would’ve loved Metal Shop, it would have given me a chance to learn to weld! At the time, only Special students were allowed to take basic programming (Fortran and COBOL) as an advanced HS student at Gonzaga University – it was all new stuff and the computers were limited access in those days.
Didn’t need auto shop, by my HS Senior year I was doing racing at the 1/4-mile strip at Deer Park. Nuttin’ like blowing up engines to learn how to put them together and KEEP them together, even at high output… bending wrenches, doing Radio Control models, programming, Boy Scouts, trying to keep up with my brother, etc. – I was rather busy. Now, I just sit on my butt when I’m not fixing things.
I took auto shop in high school in the 1970’s. We rebuilt a V-8. Also metal shop where we cast aluminum in a sand foundry, did spot welding and brazing, made a pulley on a lathe, made a chisel from stock and did sheet metal work. Wood shop too, lathes, drill press, band saw, table saw, etc. Good times.
Shop class?
No more.
If you don’t go to college YOU CAN GO TO HELL.
(That’s basically what our local high school principal told a friend of mine when she asked for some help for her son. This (now gone) principal was a black woman in a 99.9% white school. )
Measurements need to be precise. School doesn’t like precision and especially consequences. It doesn’t fit their agenda. You fuck up in shop, you could lose a finger or eye.
Lawyers. Pretty much why those opportunities are gone, to much liability.
Phil was just saying the 50th anniversary logo from 1972 made him feel old(er). When I was 18 I worked at a Chevron station that used those bulk oil containers pictured in the last picture. Used to fill glass quart bottles with long metal spout screw-on tops and 2 quart and one gallon cans with swing down spouts. Everything back then was quality. That was in 1969.
I had almost forgotten about those oil tanks and oil jugs and cans until I saw that photo. Thanks for the memories.
Benson Polytechnic High School in Portland still has majors in auto mechanics, construction, and electrical wiring.
By the time I got to high school (mid 60’s) the only shop class was wood — and maybe half the class built stocks.
My youngest son won his State auto repair competition challenge with his team partner in 1997. All of the vehicles had the same ten problems. None of the vehicles would start of course. They finished in 25 minutes, which tied the record for completion time. Next closest was 40 minutes that day. Two of the competition teams, out of six, didn’t finish.
Hell, when you take your ride to the dealership all they do is plug it into a computer. The computer tells them to replace the starter, that’s what they do. Computer tells them nothing is wrong, they charge $75 for diagnosis and give it back to the customer. Ain’t nobody anymore actually knows how to troubleshoot anymore. They are all just computer readers and parts changers now, not mechanics.
Back in the 70’s had wood shop (made a fancy gun rack for my bedroom wall) and metal shop (still have the galvanized steel dustpan) and drafting (22 year old hot female blonde teacher who wore sundresses and no bra – I never learnt me no drafting). Electric shop was basically 6 weeks of learning how to splice wire if I remember correctly.
Don’t remember auto shop, probably not available. Doesn’t matter, by that time I’d already rebuilt several engines at home. Wait – I seem to recall small engine repair shop – we tore down a lawn mower engine and then put it back together. That’s about it. Easy A’s all around for someone who already learned all that stuff at home from my Dad.
Right. There are no mechanics any more. Just parts changers.
If you look under the hood of my wifes car you don’t see an engine. You see a series of plastic covers. It takes 10 mins to get the air filter out and half an hour to get the new one back in. Remember when you could spin the wingnut real hard, while pushing down on the top, and it would climb all the way up and come off? Changing the air filter on a 66 Mustang took about a minute, and it cost about $3.00.
Local dealers want $85 to change the cabin air filter and they ADVERTISE such a great price.
Harry brought his dad’s car in for a tune-up back in ’65. While he and the autoshop teacher were under the hood, we took every piece of chrome off the car except for the front bumper and grill.
Metal and woodworking shop. Auto had been discontinued by the time I got to my high school. Woodworking was my favorite of the two.
My HS was rather hoity-toity (all the rich kids in the Valley went to it…), so only wood shop was available. I wanted to teach Beginning Electronics but was told I couldn’t because I didn’t have a Teaching Certificate. I would’ve loved Metal Shop, it would have given me a chance to learn to weld! At the time, only Special students were allowed to take basic programming (Fortran and COBOL) as an advanced HS student at Gonzaga University – it was all new stuff and the computers were limited access in those days.
Didn’t need auto shop, by my HS Senior year I was doing racing at the 1/4-mile strip at Deer Park. Nuttin’ like blowing up engines to learn how to put them together and KEEP them together, even at high output… bending wrenches, doing Radio Control models, programming, Boy Scouts, trying to keep up with my brother, etc. – I was rather busy. Now, I just sit on my butt when I’m not fixing things.
I took auto shop in high school in the 1970’s. We rebuilt a V-8. Also metal shop where we cast aluminum in a sand foundry, did spot welding and brazing, made a pulley on a lathe, made a chisel from stock and did sheet metal work. Wood shop too, lathes, drill press, band saw, table saw, etc. Good times.
Shop class?
No more.
If you don’t go to college YOU CAN GO TO HELL.
(That’s basically what our local high school principal told a friend of mine when she asked for some help for her son. This (now gone) principal was a black woman in a 99.9% white school. )
Measurements need to be precise. School doesn’t like precision and especially consequences. It doesn’t fit their agenda. You fuck up in shop, you could lose a finger or eye.
Lawyers. Pretty much why those opportunities are gone, to much liability.
Phil was just saying the 50th anniversary logo from 1972 made him feel old(er). When I was 18 I worked at a Chevron station that used those bulk oil containers pictured in the last picture. Used to fill glass quart bottles with long metal spout screw-on tops and 2 quart and one gallon cans with swing down spouts. Everything back then was quality. That was in 1969.
I had almost forgotten about those oil tanks and oil jugs and cans until I saw that photo. Thanks for the memories.
Benson Polytechnic High School in Portland still has majors in auto mechanics, construction, and electrical wiring.
By the time I got to high school (mid 60’s) the only shop class was wood — and maybe half the class built stocks.
My youngest son won his State auto repair competition challenge with his team partner in 1997. All of the vehicles had the same ten problems. None of the vehicles would start of course. They finished in 25 minutes, which tied the record for completion time. Next closest was 40 minutes that day. Two of the competition teams, out of six, didn’t finish.
Hell, when you take your ride to the dealership all they do is plug it into a computer. The computer tells them to replace the starter, that’s what they do. Computer tells them nothing is wrong, they charge $75 for diagnosis and give it back to the customer. Ain’t nobody anymore actually knows how to troubleshoot anymore. They are all just computer readers and parts changers now, not mechanics.
Back in the 70’s had wood shop (made a fancy gun rack for my bedroom wall) and metal shop (still have the galvanized steel dustpan) and drafting (22 year old hot female blonde teacher who wore sundresses and no bra – I never learnt me no drafting). Electric shop was basically 6 weeks of learning how to splice wire if I remember correctly.
Don’t remember auto shop, probably not available. Doesn’t matter, by that time I’d already rebuilt several engines at home. Wait – I seem to recall small engine repair shop – we tore down a lawn mower engine and then put it back together. That’s about it. Easy A’s all around for someone who already learned all that stuff at home from my Dad.
Right. There are no mechanics any more. Just parts changers.
If you look under the hood of my wifes car you don’t see an engine. You see a series of plastic covers. It takes 10 mins to get the air filter out and half an hour to get the new one back in. Remember when you could spin the wingnut real hard, while pushing down on the top, and it would climb all the way up and come off? Changing the air filter on a 66 Mustang took about a minute, and it cost about $3.00.
Local dealers want $85 to change the cabin air filter and they ADVERTISE such a great price.
Harry brought his dad’s car in for a tune-up back in ’65. While he and the autoshop teacher were under the hood, we took every piece of chrome off the car except for the front bumper and grill.