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A good friend of mine has owned a Jaguar MG Triumph Alfa etc. dealership and service garage since the early 1950s. As most of these makes are no longer sold in the U.S. he does just service now. It got me to wondering, how old is the oldest known continually working mechanic you know? This man is 85 years old, and works every day. His full-time mechanic working with him, just retired this year at age 65. Is this some kind of record? I sometimes feel foolish at the end of the day, after working on British cars all day, complaining about being too old, then I think of my friend. I think he is the original Box of Rocks.
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Oldest working mechanic
- Thread starter BOXoROCKS
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Sherlock
Yoda
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One guy I've met here in Calgary might almost rival that...
I met him this past fall when I made a general inquiry about "who owns that Sunbeam Arrow up front?"
He has a long history with British cars, mostly saloon cars, and is a huge Hillman/Rootes fan, and his current year-round daily driver is a 1970's Austin Marina...
Anyway, age... He has told me that he purchased his first Hillman right here in Calgary in 1950, do the math assuming some numbers as to how old he was back in 1950 (I don't actually ask people their age often), and this guy still works full/long days at the machine shop he owns here in Calgary, although slightly cheating... he spends half the week near Vancouver, B.C., but he does list that phone number on his business card as well.
I met him this past fall when I made a general inquiry about "who owns that Sunbeam Arrow up front?"
He has a long history with British cars, mostly saloon cars, and is a huge Hillman/Rootes fan, and his current year-round daily driver is a 1970's Austin Marina...
Anyway, age... He has told me that he purchased his first Hillman right here in Calgary in 1950, do the math assuming some numbers as to how old he was back in 1950 (I don't actually ask people their age often), and this guy still works full/long days at the machine shop he owns here in Calgary, although slightly cheating... he spends half the week near Vancouver, B.C., but he does list that phone number on his business card as well.
aeronca65t
Great Pumpkin
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I love hearing about all these older folks who "keep on, keeping on". It gives me hope!
One of our fastest Formula Vee racers (does all his own mechanical work) is 74.
Speaking pesonally, my Dad put an alternator in his Ford Escort GT last month. He's 81 and still works part-time as an HVAC technician in a hospital.
My other interest, aviation, tends to really attract an older crowd.
The full-time mechanic at our airport is 85. In fact, he just bought a light twin. (he already has a Cessna 172). One of our local pilots ("Wild Bill") is 95! Two of the guys in my local flying club just flew around the world. The younger guy is almost 80!
https://www.flightaroundtheworld.com/
The oldest-ever licensed pilot in the USA died a few years ago. He was still flying at 100 and flew (what else) an Aeronca.
One of our fastest Formula Vee racers (does all his own mechanical work) is 74.
Speaking pesonally, my Dad put an alternator in his Ford Escort GT last month. He's 81 and still works part-time as an HVAC technician in a hospital.
My other interest, aviation, tends to really attract an older crowd.
The full-time mechanic at our airport is 85. In fact, he just bought a light twin. (he already has a Cessna 172). One of our local pilots ("Wild Bill") is 95! Two of the guys in my local flying club just flew around the world. The younger guy is almost 80!
https://www.flightaroundtheworld.com/
The oldest-ever licensed pilot in the USA died a few years ago. He was still flying at 100 and flew (what else) an Aeronca.
V
vagt6
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My grandfather, O.R. Keith, owned and operated O.R. Keith's Garage in Roanoke, VA, for 44 years (1944-1988). He worked there regularly until about 1984, at age 82. He loved his work and loved fixing things. A "natural-born" mechanic.
He was also one of the first in the area to capitalize on 24 hour wrecker service. My favorite was his '48 Dodge wrecker with a custom, "Keiths's Garage" 3-tone paint job.
There was another fellow in Roanoke, Bill Garlick, who stayed in business almost as long as Keith, working well into his eighties. Garlick was a pioneer in early racing circles back in the forties and fifties, and became a racing official, I think it was for NASCAR in it's early days.
One of my favorite stories about O.R. Keith involved his early training in auto mechanics. About 1917, he went to Dearborn, MI, to a factory training school for one year. When he returned he was offered a job by a local aviation pioneer in Roanoke to repair aircraft engines. After much thought, he decided to stick to cars because he was convinced that aircraft had no future whatsoever!
Sixty-four years as an auto mechanic and he wouldn't have had it any other way!
He was also one of the first in the area to capitalize on 24 hour wrecker service. My favorite was his '48 Dodge wrecker with a custom, "Keiths's Garage" 3-tone paint job.
There was another fellow in Roanoke, Bill Garlick, who stayed in business almost as long as Keith, working well into his eighties. Garlick was a pioneer in early racing circles back in the forties and fifties, and became a racing official, I think it was for NASCAR in it's early days.
One of my favorite stories about O.R. Keith involved his early training in auto mechanics. About 1917, he went to Dearborn, MI, to a factory training school for one year. When he returned he was offered a job by a local aviation pioneer in Roanoke to repair aircraft engines. After much thought, he decided to stick to cars because he was convinced that aircraft had no future whatsoever!
Sixty-four years as an auto mechanic and he wouldn't have had it any other way!
Forgot to mention, he is a pilot and is,{was} a aircraft mechanic also.He also raced MGs TRs in the 50s. Cut and paste? heard of it, dont know how to do it. I will figure it out. Sounds like my body work. Not really interested in computers so never learned much about them. Cant even set the buttons on my car radio.