Just saw this morning a basic news coverage story about McPherson College in Kansas. A place where young people are trained through a 4 year BS program. but, not just limited to mechanics. training in any type of school is rare to find. not everyone has someone to help lead the way about understanding cars in their family. higher level training not for everyone but, it certainly has it's place in preserving and promoting the classic automobile world.
Sounds much more relaxing than working at a junkyard while going to engineering school....like I did....
Yep, I did paint and body to work my way through engineering school as well. But, I have heard cool things about McPherson!
Fantastic news. The local college also has various courses on auto repair, upholstery and other stuff. https://www.yc.edu/v6/schools/cate/automotive.html The only issue I see is the scope. It fits pretty close to HAMB scope, BUT this is 2025. If students make a career of it, they will enter enter the field in 2029. Figure a 30 year career. That's 2059. I agree that a solid foundation of the basics is great, and continuing education after this should always be part of a career but they should have moved the scope to more modern stuff. Restoration of brass era cars is going to run out of raw material and the skills to recreate parts for those won't transfer easily to a then current "vintage or classic" with a paying customer in a decade. The focus should be the stuff that is appreciating and getting rare now, not the cars that are dropping in value because the fan base has aged out. How often have we seen a thread on here trying to get a younger base interested? It's the same or even worse for the real early stock stuff. https://forums.aaca.org/topic/414458-considerations-when-purchasing-a-brass-era-car/ Getting a Model A to start, run and drive reliably has the same basics as a 62 Comet, but how often are these paying customers going to have either of those, compared to a non-HAMB car with computer feedback, plastic interior issues, and twice the unique parts (seals, formed hoses, power accessories)? The pace of tech means the people getting into a career should be exposed to the latest, greatest tools to do the job, because they need that to compete and build during the career.
Maybe before 2050 when Hacker figure out How to Up load viruses into modern vehicles Ecu's everything becoming computer controlled in every part of our lives, Terminator used to be science fiction and now it's here
You know these kids could save a lot of the classics from the teens through the early thirties that would otherwise be scrapped or maybe made into a street rod if there were enough sheet metal to be found. There’s a lot of independent makes that are few and far between and I would love to see them saved.
I watched that segment this morning as well. It made me smile to see, that a small college in Kansas, has such a great program. And that the element of automobile and machinery as well, and the restoration and working on such machinery, is being taught in a serious manner! One of the few times that "Dorothy" can turn to "Toto" and say, "Yep Toto, we are in Kansas after all" So cool that the students project, that cool black Mercedes, took a second place award at Pebble Beach.
The school has a summer institute for +25 year olds. I am registered for a one week machining class the first week of June. https://www.mcpherson.edu/autorestoration/institute/
Good for you, @Bluestreak-PA , gotta keep the gray matter firing! I took body & paint for a few years, and an upholstery class. I had planned on doing the B&P again this winter/spring, but decided on getting other stuff done first.
Pretty cool. I wish there was something like this when I was younger. Aside from mechanical stuff my dad taught me, I had to learn welding, fabrication, wiring, & sheetmetal 100% by myself through trial & error, books, and internet.
Awesome This reminds me of the saying my educator/wife once said, "If you think an education is expensive, you oughtta try ignorance."
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