hey everyone! i was told to come check out this group for a chance to find someone in west tennessee that may need some hep. dont really have a car but im looking to learn as much as i can and get my hands dirty with someone that knows what they are doing. im 20 and in college so i split my time between being at home in Decaturville, and being at school in Martin. anybody in west tennessee kinda close to this area needing a helping hand?
Thanks for joining our merry band! I think your idea of helping a knowledgeable hot rodder to gain new skills is a great idea. It's a win-win situation. Good luck!
thanks! that way if i screwed something up it wouldnt be mine lol jk! its kind of hard to learn much without getting hands on i think
Welcome from Oregon. Stick around and read all the stuff we write about... you are bound to learn something interesting. Remember.... there are no dumb questions here, just bad grammar and spelling...... Too bad you don't live out here in Oregon, I could use a good "apprentice". You already have the right at***ude needed to be a great builder.... williness to learn! There is a ton of talent in this group and I'm sure you will find what you are looking for. If you ever get out this way let me know.... I'll put you up and treat you to a few cruises!
genos right a ton of knowledge here to learn from im glad you made it over . i wish you were closer to me i could use a hand . so are you down around memphis?
Hey from Indy! Being 19, in college, and trying to finish my car has been rough. Between long nights, and no money, its made for an interesting sleep schedule. Mid fifties FoMoCo products is definitely a good entry point to get into cars (as long as they aren't lincolns ahah.) Good luck!
tyler, what's your dream car right now to hot rod? Not lottery winner dream car, but college student very limited budget dream car? you at school in Pulaski at Martin college? they have a good car show there every year. Im about 40 miles away in Flintville TN, just east of Fayetteville.
my dream car right now might not be the best one for this group lol i really dig the 49-54 chevys. shoebox fords are pretty cool too. na im at UT Martin in Martin TN
Tyler,there is a 49-54 Chevy social group on the HAMB if you dig "scrubs" ,hopefully by visiting here you will see the light and change your thinking as our Fords can be more budget friendly for someone just starting out.Now get over to tntrotters and lend a hand and get to LOVE these Fords.
We are about 4 hours apart, a little too far to run over and lend a hand for a couple of hours and go back home, but Im sure there are other Hambers near you. The car type doesnt matter as techniques are the same. There was a 52 Ford on CL a couple of months ago near you. It was a tourquoise 2 door 1 family owned car that they wanted a good home for. I think they were asking around $2500. It was in the Memphis area. Check into the adult education programs too at your local tech schools. I kept a continuous enrollment in a one night a week cl*** 20 years ago so I could use the paint booth and frame machine.
I like the '49 - '54 Chevys too, Tyler. They'd have been killer if they'd had an optional V8 and an open drive line...like the Fords of the same years. The Chevy styling was superb. I'm particularly fond of the '52 Chevy fastback (has a very refined grille and longer rear fenders with vertical lights) and, of course, the '53 - '54 Bel Air hardtops, which are probably the cream of the crop. The good news is that some very sophisticated swap kits are now available for these cars, including open drive swaps that require little, if any, welding. Not to drive you away from Fords, but I've found that if you are not in love with your project it will eventually grind to a halt for lack of enthusiasm. Keep this in mind...
Welcome from TN! I am about 30 miles north of memphis. I cant offer to help unfortunately as I am learning myself and with 3 kids my car time is very sporadic and ususally after kids are in bed. Luckily though local networking I have met some great rodders close to me that have been willing to help me along my journey.
thanks guys! i think right now id be happy with any mid fifties car lol ive just seen more of the chevys and never really paid much attention to fords. i might have to start lookin em up!
Welcome to the group. I agree with your statement about not being able to really learn without getting hands on experience. I just went out and bought a car and that began the hands on for me. Today I learned how to tack weld with a mig and I cut pipe for the first time so I'm having more fun these days then the first few months but its all been pretty rewarding every time I get to drive the car down the road. Good luck with learning every thing that you can.
TYLERBRASHER welcome to the group. there are alot of friendly and knowlegable people here. As for the interst in 49-54 Chevy's I can see you have good taste LOL. Not only am I a Ford lover (two 54's 55, 56 )I also Have two 50 Chevy Fleetline's one almost stock and one custom. Here in California in the body shop I work at we have a apprentice program. We have kids from the local college who want to learn how to do body work come in and work along side one of the gourneyman a couple days a week. What ever car you get you will have fun and headaches with. LOL
riskybiz,I am glad you brought that up about the apprentice program.I was asking my teenage grandaughter ther other day about shop programs at her High School,there are none or no Drivers Ed available either.It seems budget cuts have killed off a lot of these programs so there are little options for those who would like to "work with their hands" to have any prior knowledge before attending a trade school.I enlisted in the Army in '64 and learned wrenching skills there,I had two years of Vocational Auto shop in High School three hours a day prior to enlisting,some schools used to offer OJT programs where students earned credits by working that has all but vanished.A lot of young men found education and training in the military when we had the draft,today with no draft and little employment for those without the funds to attend college many have turned to crime and drugs as a way out.
Here in Tennessee we have HOPE scholarships that are funded by the lottery. Not only does it pay for college for those who qualify and maintain grades, but it will pay for trade school not only for fresh high school graduates, but adults as well who need a career change and have been a resident of the state for at least 2 years. Now that Ive been a resident here for just over 2 years, Im considering taking several courses to complete a business degree I started almost 30 years ago before I went into business for myself.
You bring up an interesting subject, Jeff, when you mention the sorry state of the secondary education system. This is a huge problem that needs a heavy governmental hand to turn around...encouraged by citizens like us who are tired of paying extreme taxes for progressively worse education results. The reason we have to put up with idiot kids in the parts stores, service centers and such is that there are few educational options for them in secondary school. It's NOT a lack of funds. It's a lack of funds being used for non-academic courses such as auto shop, metal shop, electrical shop, small business management, retail customer service skills, etc. Schools have plenty of money, they just spend it poorly. In my humble opinion, school boards need more input from parents and less input by the teachers unions, school administrations, the liberal-leaning city, state, national governments, etc. Getting parents to participate in their kids' education in any meaningful way may be a lost cause, however. Even for those parents who are motivated, the schools and school administrations make it nearly impossible for parents to have any impact. The school administrations are amply supplied with "talking points" to deflect whatever input a parent may have. "We don't have the budget" is the leading talking point, followed by others equally baseless in fact. Yes, Jeff, this is a huge problem and one which will not go away on its own. As recent surveys have shown, our secondary school graduates' performance has fallen like a rock in recent years when compared to that of other countries, as has the on-the-job performance of non-college-bound students, as evidenced by the pimple-faced dolts we are forced to deal with in most retail environments. Throwing more money at the problem is not the answer. The evidence for that fact is widespread and clear. The answer is greater parental and citizen involvement in the educational system. Good luck with that.
I agree with you 100% Eric. I graduated 2 years ago with a degree in Secondary Education and after seeing the backwards, corrupt, mob mentality on behalf of the teacher's union, school boards, etc., (at least in WI schools) I opted for the private sector. When principals make $200,000+ a year and the students have no books, something is definitely wrong. Sorry for hijacking the thread.
My eight years in high school paid off well...... I think........ (thank God for spell check and a calculator!)
ha yeah these are valid points! we had an autobody cl*** in high school. as well as wood shop and metal shop i think. students could pick university track, technical track, or dual track. stupid me.. i could have cared less about any shop cl***es then. wishing now i would have at least taken Ag and learned to weld haha instead i took health science for four years and learned how to give cpr four years in a row. so good news if youre dying but bad news if your car is all broked. (although all the shop cl***es were a joke. can you say free three hours of the day?)
I had shop and automotive cl***es all through high school and thank goodness for it. Now I participate in "career day" at the local high schools and noticed that very few promote trades. I'm in the Powerline construction and maintenance field, have been for the past 35 years and it's hard to get kids interested in hand labor anymore. In the past two years I have talked to over 400 kids and only two have participated in 'ride-a-longs' to see what we do. I find that amazing! Everyone preaches college but a balance must exist between scholars and workers. You won't see a master's degree pouring concrete or pounding nails! I have recently discovered the lack of welders nationwide and the lack of schools that teach that trade. That's my soapbox....
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