Everyone always says "find what you love to do and make that your career." Well here I am, 28 years old and I am not doing what I love doing.

What I am getting at here is.....

How did you get started in engine building? How did you learn your craft? Are you self taught?

I can't really find any schools that cater towards what I want to do. I want to build engines.

Please post your experiences on how you came to be an engine builder...

 

I've been starting to play around a little.

You can just put it together "by the book" IE shop manual to start with.

Its cheaper to start off with Dseries motors, if you know people with shops alotta times you can get em for free.

 

I have built D-series and B-series engines as well as a few VR6 engines.

I guess I am looking for information on how to "take it to the next level." I would like to do this full time and make my mark. This is something I am very passionate about and I know I have the skills and attention to detail to build with the best of them.

I have been around cars my entire life, I have built, raced and maintained road race cars.....but I just keep getting this nagging feeling that this is what I should be doing and pursuing as a full time career.

I can honestly see myself building engines and sharing my knowledge years down the road....that is what I want to do, I am just running into a wall on how to really "take it to the next level."

 

Awesome man, go with your feeling.
Found some of these for you.
http://www.rehermorrison.com/e...t.htm
http://www.uti-auto-tech.com/new_auto_tech.asp

 

I just sort of landed in the career.

 

School of Automotive Machinsts in Houston is where you want to go give them a call you'll seee for yourself.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Ed’s Racing Heads &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">School of Automotive Machinsts in Houston is where you want to go give them a call you'll seee for yourself.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Wow, that school is no joke. Great info, thank you very much.

Anyone by chance go to this school?

 

What type of road racing cars have you done? And specifically, what aspects/areas?

Jim

 

Yeah me Dave Localio of Head Games,Brian Nutter from Weisco pistons and many others in pro race shops all over the country.

 

Jim,

I have built ITA Hondas/Acuras. Ground up, paint, cage, wiring, gauges, engine, engine management, suspension....everything. They are front running ITA cars up here in the NW and it looks like they will be competitive on a national level as well.

Working on two .040 over ITA D series builds right now. I do all the assembly in my garage and use a local machine shop for all machine work.

Really guys...I very much appreciate the input and suggestions.

I just can't shake the feeling of "this is what I am supposed to do."

For the record, I have been in sales for the last 10 years and done well. I am currently a mortgage broker and make good money. However, the older I get the more this feeling grows....like I am missing my calling and ignoring the gifts that I was given.

Here is another question.

For the pros that have responded, do you only work on import engines or do you have to split your time between import and domestic to make enough money to justify doing what you do.

Speaking of money if anyone is feeling extra sharing, feel free to IM me with a rough estimate of your income. I know that is not a typical thing that is talked about, but I want to get all the information before I make decisions about where to go from here. I want to be able to earn enough to live comfortable.



Modified by jisu009 at 12:22 AM 12/14/2005

 

Most stuff is just listening, and making mistakes. Try .xxx clearance and it does not work, you just learned something. Learning how to measure, and check items will be your bibbest gaines. If the crank has a run-out of .0006 at the center main, how much extra clearance do you give 1,2,3,4, and 5. Only time or a $50,000 CNC machine will give you the answers. See if Arnie needs help in Portland, Jim and I both know he is the king of carb. flow.

 

Thanks Don, good stuff. I guess I feel like I don't have anyone to listen to and learn from and maybe that is what I am looking for.

I am considering SAM, but wow, that is a LARGE investment. That is like paying for college all over again, but then again, it's an investment in something that I know will make me happy when I am 70 years old building race engines and having people ask me the same questions I am asking now.

 

Bro,

Whatever path you take, good luck and Godspeed.

 

See if Loyning's Engine Service in Portland needs an apprentice. Arnie is a good guy.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by DonF &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">See if Loyning's Engine Service in Portland needs an apprentice. Arnie is a good guy.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Thanks Don. Are they mainly V8 carb guys? or do they specialize in import engines?

edit: I found his website.

 

Glad you figured out who he is. We sometimes share bits of info. Him more than than me.

 

hang around at autox and drag races.... someone is inevitably going to need a new engine real soon.

 

I think there are quite a few builders out there that started out in **** jobs at shops(taking phone calls or something) and just kinda work their way up over the years.

 

Very true I'd say 99.9% did it this way.Some family member or a family friend had a biz and needed help or allowed you to hang out,eventualy they turned into the builders you see today.If I was young that's probably how I'd do it,DAMN student loans for SAM

But I was 27 just like this guy if you start at the bottom at our age you'll still be there for many years when you either do or want a family,the bottom rung pays the bottom wages also.

For the time and money I really don't think you can do better at this time,look at how many schools have opened since SAM.Pro shops sometimes don't have the time and cash to spend training a person just to see them leave for another job or open up themselves.That's why if you offer them a person who can run machines proficently off the bat they feel even if the person leaves they don't have as much invested in them.

 

What School of Automotive Machinists did for me was pennies compared to what you actually can experience at the school. You have to be in love with this **** to make it in this career..It's alot of hard work, and dues to be paid.

I left SAM and went to work at Pat Musi's porting heads, and became the cylinder head shop foreman. SAM grads are years ahead of someone who takes a job sweeping the floors because you pay to just screw with the machines at the school.
Musi and most shops like his would never let you do anything else besides your job there, but I know how to use every machine there because of my experience's at the school.

I was also the Director of admissions at SAM for 2 years and could go on for hours about what students would say comparing SAM to the other schools..Not that they are bad, but they have there place. You must decide whether you want to work on cars VS building, porting, and maching.

 

As Don mentioned, contact Arnie. Top notch shop, well equipped and very knowledgable. Both Don and I have known Arnie for a long time.

Best thing you could do is make a deal w/ Arnie to apprentice for a period of time w/ specific, realistic goals. Then reevaluate your love of engine building vs. good money/ comfortable living.

 

I had a talk with Arnie this afternoon. Great guy and a fellow road racer. He has actually raced in ICSCC or "Conference," which is the sanctioning body I race with, for a number of years. He mostly races SCCA because we don't have a large number of open wheel or Sports Racers that run with us.

I explained to him were I was coming from and what I had in mind and he listened. He wasn't looking to add anyone right now, but he asked me to forward all my contact info to him and he would kick the idea around after the holidays. I let him know I would be willing to relocate etc.

He seemed to grow more receptive as we spoke, so I guess it was a worthwhile phone call.

Thanks for the lead Don....again, very much appreciated.

Also, thanks to all who chimed in.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by doublej &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> Then reevaluate your love of engine building vs. good money/ comfortable living.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Is it one or the other? Just curious....

 

to be honest with you i started out building lil mini bikes the ones with brigs@strattron motors on them i was 13 wanted to go faster got my first car my 67 bug still got it, back in the day it ran 11 sec qt mile ran a 2332 cc nitrous motor built it myself very proud of that car from there on got into the ontario street race scene and got into hondas and from there the story just grows and grows i went from workin on cars from my house to havin a 4200 sq ft shop now in rialto i love workin on hondas and vdubs as well as bimmers and subys

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jisu009 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Is it one or the other? Just curious....</TD></TR></TABLE>

I'm doing my best to close that gap!

Hope you can do something w/ Arnie. It will be a very good experience. Good luck.