My Summer Job

[Webb Sledge]

I'm so excited. You may have seen my post about Joe Hash (British car restorer), whom I was emailing some time ago. I called him two weeks ago to see about a job over the summer, and he didn't tell me yes or no over the phone, but asked me to come down with my dad and meet him last Saturday. When I got we talked for a while, and he offered me the job!! I will begin working next Saturday, and every Saturday til schools out, and then more frequently over the summer (hopefully). He actually offered to let me work the day I came to meet him, but I chose to go to a friend's house instead of working on a Triumph TR3 and an MG TD (**whacks self in the head**). The 3 and the TD are almost done, and he has a big Healey sitting out front that's really rough. It's got no interior and many of the body panels are off. I think I'm gonna be the only person I know who wants to go to their job! Joe is also into remote controlled planes (the real remote control ones, not $30 Walmart cheapies), which I have been building for a few years.

If you can't tell, I'm really looking forward to this. He said he will teach me welding, sandblasting, painting, grinding, and all the various other things that go along with restoring a car. My starting salary is $7 an hour, which is really good for my age. My friends who work at McD's and BK are happy to get $5.75.

In my not so humble opinion, I think I have the best job anywhere.

 

[Guest]

he's PAYING you to do this job? I know people who'd do it just for the experience. Congratulations on the great job

 

[78Z]

Wow! That sounds great. I would have loved to do something like as a summer job.

 

[PC]

Congrats!

Hard to imagine a better job for a teenager. Working on cool cars under a guidance of true craftsman, learning skills that you'll enjoy for a lifetime and getting paid for it all at the same time. Awesome!


PC.

 

[urchin]

You're a very lucky person! You will learn FAR about your skills, your capacities and your future from this job than you will in a large corporate setting. I'm envious!!

Best wishes,

Jeff

 

[Webb Sledge]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Chuck Cougill:
he's PAYING you to do this job? I know people who'd do it just for the experience. Congratulations on the great job

<hr></blockquote>

Oh, believe me, if he told me he couldn't pay me, I'd do it for free. That's not to say I don't want to get payed though. He said he just runs this restoration business as a hobby. His Navy pension pays all he needs, so this is just extra stuff for fun.

[ 05-10-2004: Message edited by: Webb Sledge ]</p>

 

[Mickey Richaud]

Congratulations, Webb! Great way to learn about LBC's. Now, go out and find a copy of The Red Car, by Don Stanford. You may be living the dream of lots of us who grew up with this book!

Mickey

 

[vagt6]

Hey Webb, I'll see you this Saturday at about 10am. I'm bringing my GT6 in to Joe and Todd for some rear end work. I'll probably be there all day.

Joe's a real pro and knows how to run a small business. You'll learn a lot from him. He's also a retired Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer and takes a lot of personal pride in his work.

I can't think of a better learning environment for a guy like you to learn the auto repair business. Actually, I'm a little jealous!

Good luck, see you this weekend!

 

[racing girl]

Congrats Webb, and I know the feeling too, having started my "automotive" career in the R & D Dept at Aston Martin aged 18. I can still remember my reaction at the end of the first week when I realised I was going to get paid too!

RG

 

[Steve]

Congratulations.....hope you have a good time learning! I had an evening/summer job at a gas station, pumping gas, checking and topping up oil, even changed a few busted fan belts. I know you're going to love this!! One tip for you.....never take short cuts with safety. Follow instructions, and wear safety glasses when grinding!!!

 

[MGTF1250Dave]

Aloha Webb,

Congratulations, I envy you. This should be very helpful for you to choose a car (or cars) you want to get. You'll see many models of LBCs and learn about their features. Don't forget to network with the customers, they may be helpful to you in finding a car. You will probably be able to find some local car clubs, which are usually helpful and fun. Enjoy and learn, all to often jobs are not something you look forward to.

Safety Fast,
Dave

 

[waltesefalcon]

Webb,

Congrats on the job, and good luck. This will be one heck of a learning experiance, and a whole lot of fun. I used to work with my father during the summers and I can say there isn't anything better than learning the ropes about cars, and restoring them, unless you are doing it and getting paid for it.

Cheers,

Walter

 

[aeronca65t]

Congrats!
I was lucky enough to get a similar job in a little import-car shop in Lakewood NJ. I was 17 at the time.
We only worked on Italian and Brit cars...it was a great experience. Good luck!

 

[Webb Sledge]

Well, it's Saturday afternoon and I'm back from my first day. I really enjoyed what I did, which isn't much, but that would make sense because I don't really know how to do anything. All Joe and Todd (the main mechanics) had me do was change the oil and oil filter in Todd's Spit. Then I helped a little bit with fixing (or should I say observing? We couldn't do anything to it because the hub was stuck, and we didn't have any replacement seals to put in. We would have had to heat the hub to get it to come off, which melts the seals. Seals for what, I don't know...) the read end of Mark's beautiful GT6 (vagt6 on the forum). I learned a lot, even in one day, just by listening to what they were saying. I'm really looking forward to getting better at all this stuff and learning more. I also made $30. Woo hoo!

[ 05-15-2004: Message edited by: Webb Sledge ]</p>

 

[Bugeye58]

Way to go,Webb!
Yup. GT6 rear hubs can be a pain in the, well, rear!
Sounds like a great opportunity.
Jeff