Not automotives but I'm an Avionics tech spending my days surrounded by aircraft mechanics... lots of musicians amoung them...
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Any bass playing car mechanics?
- Thread starter FunkSheep08
- Start date
For the last 20 years or so I've tortured myself working on, restoring and parting old British cars for a living. Had you ever asked me if this is what I would ge doing as I was breathing down my sixtieth birthday I would have told you the notion was insane. Nevertheless, it's where I am.
Has working with my hands been problematic? Honestly, no more so than having a 120 pound Komondor as a pet. I fact, the damage our pup did to the tendons in my left hand, this past winter, we're far worse than anything I did to myself over the years wrenching on old Rovers.
Has working with my hands been problematic? Honestly, no more so than having a 120 pound Komondor as a pet. I fact, the damage our pup did to the tendons in my left hand, this past winter, we're far worse than anything I did to myself over the years wrenching on old Rovers.
@Mike N May have a few words about this.
Me, I'm a hobbyist in both playing bass and mechanical things. I use my hands very often and so far so good at the ripe old age of 28. Both hobbies blend well in my opinion.
As far as hands go, FWIW- MY father just turned 63, he's been a certified tech since 18. His hands have held up pretty well but he needed a hip replacement 4 years ago. Thankfully he's due to retire soon, and he's certainly earned it.
Me, I'm a hobbyist in both playing bass and mechanical things. I use my hands very often and so far so good at the ripe old age of 28. Both hobbies blend well in my opinion.
As far as hands go, FWIW- MY father just turned 63, he's been a certified tech since 18. His hands have held up pretty well but he needed a hip replacement 4 years ago. Thankfully he's due to retire soon, and he's certainly earned it.
Not me... but interestingly Bathiki Kumalo (Graceland) was working as a mechanic when Paul Simon heard him playing on a casette and tracked him down.
Most folks picked up on my main concern - tearing my hands up with the wrenching and thus making bass playing difficult. I don't make a living at playing bass - though I wouldn't be opposed to it happening
Thanks for chiming in though!
Thanks everybody for the great replies so far! I like the range of experiences represented. I have my (dearly departed) old man to thank for the love of cars...he would take me to car shows all the time as a kid and I fell in love with my dream car at Iola at the tender age of 10. He'd have me help him when he was wrenching on whatever was having attitude in our yard, and definitely imparted to my brother and I the importance of good tools. I have a cousin that works for a shop (and does his own restos at home) and I know he'd be able to point me to what all to buy tools-wise if I wanted to go all in.
The glove suggestions will be quite helpful, our family tends to not use them...LOL
Much to think about. Keep the suggestions (and awesome car pics) coming!
The glove suggestions will be quite helpful, our family tends to not use them...LOL
Much to think about. Keep the suggestions (and awesome car pics) coming!
Specialized call center work that is killing my soul. Before that it was finance IT, before that was...I've done so many different type of jobs in my 20+ years in the workforce that I'm basically a jack of all trades. I can work with people or without. I can work with my hands or my bean. I'm just getting to a point where I am hyperaware of my preferences and the notion that tomorrow isn't promised. I want to enjoy what I do on a level, and help folks in the process. I made some stupid, others-pleasing decisions in my 20's that I'm still paying the price for and I know that I only have so much time to "redeem myself", so I'm entertaining all options that stir my soul.
Can you tell I'm a creative that's been pent up since childhood? LOL
I try to do as much work on my cars and my 29 year old Harley as possible. It's very physical, demanding work and I cannot imagine having to do it for a living.
Just realize that you will be starting at or near the bottom . Not trying to discourage you, just want you to know what you are getting into. Also the field is broad. Restoration, mom and pop shop, dealer level. All different jobs really.
Don't do it.
Between the beating your body will take, the cost of tools, the over complexity of today's vehicles and the management team at most shops that will try to screw you on pay, I'm shocked anyone would want to get into this field.
Between the beating your body will take, the cost of tools, the over complexity of today's vehicles and the management team at most shops that will try to screw you on pay, I'm shocked anyone would want to get into this field.
Aside from oil changes, shocks, and basic preventive maint. / fluid / filter changes, I don't wrench as much as I used to. I kinda miss wrenching, but I like the fact that my hands and wrists are still going strong (mostly) when playing. But who knows - I may want to restore or maintain an old Land Rover or Jeep CJ or Toyota FJ40.... someday. Guess I have a thing for stuff that was easy to work on, and understand.
As I understood the original post you were considering a midlife change of carreer into the Auto service industry. As stated I cannot personnaly recommend this, however If you were purely interested from the hobbiest perspective (fix up your or friends car, bike, boat, etc..) then I highly recommend it. I believe the skill sets required for both are symbiotic in nature. It is my experience with the business/reality of the industry that I base my first responce on, not a belief that the two don't belong together. My TB handle (bassmeknik) is true to who I am.
Working on your own stuff for fun is far different than working on everyone else's stuff for money.
Again, don't do it.
Signed, the guy that's been doing this for a living since 1983.
Again, don't do it.
Signed, the guy that's been doing this for a living since 1983.
I work on my cars when I can. 12 hours a day I work on printing presses. The mighty Goss C-700I is our main machine.
Professionally I do spacecraft stuff. Sorta like cars but cleaner and more expensive. Before aero I was a machinist and did some sheet metal and electronics work. I do all of work on my trucks on the side, which is almost a fulltime job with my jeep being the rig I wheel hard and my wifes truck being the zoomy pre-runner type... I'm doing general maintenance stuff fairly frequently because of this.
The biggest thing would be to make sure to take care of your back and hands. Tons of people have suggest mechanics gloves which are great. I personally prefer nitrile gloves and sometimes I'll wear those under thicker outer gloves if I say have to do suspension or brake work or something.
People underestimate how physical and how much strength is required to tear a car apart to get to one or two parts and then put it back together and torque tons of fasteners back to spec. Plus car parts are heavy! I couldn't lift the transmission on my jeep by myself so I ended up having to have my dad and brother help me muscle the thing back in because I just didn't have the strength for it. Same goes for picking up and moving car wheels, brake rotors, driveshafts, axles, etc.
For other tools to pick up if you do something like this... spend some major coin and get a GOOD cordless impact driver. It is SUCH a huge difference in the effort required if you're doing a lot of work with big fasteners or like having to pull all 4 wheels off a truck or something. I have a big 1/2" drive dewalt cordless impact I bought last year when I had to replace the trans/clutch in my Jeep and it turned what would have been a huge task into something we got done in like 7 hours.
The biggest thing would be to make sure to take care of your back and hands. Tons of people have suggest mechanics gloves which are great. I personally prefer nitrile gloves and sometimes I'll wear those under thicker outer gloves if I say have to do suspension or brake work or something.
People underestimate how physical and how much strength is required to tear a car apart to get to one or two parts and then put it back together and torque tons of fasteners back to spec. Plus car parts are heavy! I couldn't lift the transmission on my jeep by myself so I ended up having to have my dad and brother help me muscle the thing back in because I just didn't have the strength for it. Same goes for picking up and moving car wheels, brake rotors, driveshafts, axles, etc.
For other tools to pick up if you do something like this... spend some major coin and get a GOOD cordless impact driver. It is SUCH a huge difference in the effort required if you're doing a lot of work with big fasteners or like having to pull all 4 wheels off a truck or something. I have a big 1/2" drive dewalt cordless impact I bought last year when I had to replace the trans/clutch in my Jeep and it turned what would have been a huge task into something we got done in like 7 hours.
