Auto News & Features, Car Information » Autos

From father to son: automotive advice and life lessons

Jennifer — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 21:18:11 +0000

(ARA) – Automobiles often become a special place for parents to bond with their children, whether it’s tinkering under the hood, or seated behind the wheel for a test drive.

WyoTech, one of the premier automotive training institutions in the country, asked its students for the best advice their fathers gave them about automotive care. Students shared their stories and the wisdom of their fathers. While some of this fatherly advice is simply about mechanics, much of it extends well beyond automotives to lessons for life.

Many fathers stressed the overall importance of learning. Reymundo Delago, an automotive technology student at the Fremont, Calif. campus, says that his father also encouraged him to learn as much as possible. “My father told me: You cannot possibly learn everything there is to know about cars, so every day becomes an opportunity to learn more,” says Delago.

His classmate, Jose Gonzales, says that his father’s advice was to: “Focus on education and try to learn as much about cars as possible.”

Jimmy Avalos, an automotive student at the Long Beach, Calif. campus, was encouraged to: “Go to school and make something of myself.” Avalos adds that he has followed his father’s advice by enrolling at WyoTech, and is now planning for a future in automotive repair.

Caroline Gishnock, a refinishing student at the Blairsville, Penn. campus, says her father told her to: “Never give up. You can fix anything!” Of course, some jobs may require more elbow grease than others, but Curtis Treadaway, an automotive technology student in Fremont, says that the similar advice from his father and his father’s optimistic attitude have given him a good perspective on some of life’s troubles.

Treat your car — and others — well was the advice that Covey Durham received. He is an automotive technology student in Fremont. His father’s rule applies off the road as well — if you want to be treated with respect, it has to start with you.

The best advice Nick Jensen’s father gave him was simply that: “Your future is in your hands.” Jensen, a Fremont automotive technology student, says his father’s advice made him realize his own potential and encouraged him to pursue further education. “My dad always said that my future is in my own hands, but I didn’t realize what that meant until I grew up. Now that I have begun my studies at WyoTech, I really do feel like I am in charge of my own future,” says Jensen.

Andy Kunselman, director of student services at the school’s Blairsville, Penn. location, says that his father never said much, but that he learned by having a role model and a mentor. “Because my dad always had a joke to tell, I learned to have fun, enjoy life and do my best to get a laugh. I also learned how to be reliable and provide for my family. I believe I learned how to be there for friends in need, and help others in general, by watching my dad.”

Fathers have also passed on a love for cars. “Two days before my father passed away he was still working on his ’57 Chevy station wagon. He taught me all I know about cars, and now it’s my turn to teach my son,” says Charles Cuevas, an automotive student in Long Beach.

Walter Davis, an automotive technology student in Fremont, shares Cuevas’ passion for cars and adds that his father’s best advice to him was simply to do what he loves. This inspired him to combine his passion for cars with a technical training from WyoTech, turning his love of cars into a full-time career as an automotive technician.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

‘Drag Race High’ Schools Reality TV Viewers

Jennifer — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 03:58:53 +0000

If your memories of high school shop and mechanics class involve a grizzled teacher shouting at students not to hammer their fingers while building a birdhouse, it’s time to go back to class. Todd Collins, a teacher at East Hickman High School in Lyles, Tenn., recently led a team of students from his auto mechanics class in building a drag race car to compete in a race televised on SPEED. Not your typical class assignment.

The students and their trials and tribulations in building their drag racer, were filmed from the first axle to the big race. The show, Drag Race High, airs on SPEED Wednesdays at 10 p.m. Eastern/9 p.m. Central. Collins couldn’t be more excited or more proud.

“Sometimes in education, you get to a point where you think you’re helping as many people as you can. You don’t know how much you actually accomplish. It’s been very rewarding to sit back and see what these kids accomplished,” Collins says. “The fact they put together this car like they did is overwhelming.”

Collins’ assignment to the group was to take a beat up Ford Mustang, strip it to the bones and rebuild it as a drag racer. The students were allowed to obtain advice from experts, but had to do all the work themselves.

“It was like a team coming together. I told the kids when we first started that I was going to be the manager and they were going to be the employees, and we were going to turn this into a business,” Collins says. “The kids looked at me funny because they had never really been a part of anything like this. They didn’t believe this was actually happening.”

High Five Entertainment, the production company for Drag Race High, knows viewers will be drawn in by the process of a group of young people building a drag racer from bumper to bumper; but it’s the students’ personalities that will keep viewers coming back for more.

Student Michael Brown is the team’s resident welder who worried he didn’t know enough about autos to make a difference for the team. Collins reassured Brown that what he didn’t know they could cover together over the summer to prepare for the task. “Michael really stepped up,” Collins says. “He’s been with me on this from the very beginning”.
Another fan favorite is sure to be Megan Stone, an athlete with a mechanical background who became close friends with Brown as they worked diligently to get their car ready for the big race.

Collins is excited to see Drag Race High, but is most enthusiastic about what the show will do for his students in the future. “I would hire any of these kids in the business on different levels for different things. All of them are capable after being this responsible,” Collins says. “Some of them will benefit from this for the rest of their lives. It has opened their eyes to different avenues of where and what type of career they may want to pursue. I hope it’s life changing all the way around and for the good.”

Courtesy of ARAcontent

EDITOR’S NOTE:

SPEED is the nation’s first and foremost cable television network dedicated to motor sports and the passion for everything automotive. From racing to restoration, motorcycles to movies, SPEED delivers quality programming from the track to the garage. Now available in more than 78 million homes in North America, SPEED is among the fastest-growing sports cable networks in the country and, the home to NASCAR on SPEED. For more information, visit www.SPEEDtv.com.

Auto Restoration TV with a Personal Touch

Jennifer — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 22:37:41 +0000

Dan Woods is to old cars what Bob Villa is to old houses. Host of an auto restoration show, Woods takes a similar approach to Villa by communicating with the audience, documentary style. Woods illuminates the auto restoration process in an easy-to-understand way that gives viewers the information they need to tackle projects themselves.

“I am not the expert. The shops treat me like a third-year apprentice, which helps the audience know what’s going on and gives the show that how-to element,” says Woods. “Like Bob, I don’t lift a hammer, but explain what kind of hammer to use, how fast to lift it, and how many times you hit, to get the job done right.”

“Chop Cut Rebuild” (CCR) is a spin-off from the show “Classic Car Restorations,” which came from an idea Woods developed with an old friend he played softball with. “We were always talking cars during the games, and once the idea was solid we became business partners,” explains Woods. “We go to the best auto restoration shops around and show what they do. The cars would be restored anyway even if we weren’t there so the show becomes a type of how-to video diary.”

Now in its fourth season on SPEED, the critically acclaimed series is renowned for delivering restoration and customizing information, straight up, with no fluff. The show features two season-long projects. First, the restoration of a concept car that was one of only 3,000 units ever produced, a 1975 Bricklin SV-1. The second project is the creation of a 1964 Chevy Impala made from scrap yard finds with components and replacement parts.

Both cars kicked into high gear with heavy horse-power under the hood and artful, inventive aesthetic appeal that will turn any head. Together with elite “all-star” tech teams and designers, Woods goes into deep details so the hardcore gear-heads get what they came for.

Woods credits his father for introducing him to cars. “Dad changed careers and was running a junk yard. He had me stripping and cleaning car parts. I learned how to get a car running from other cars’ parts and went through three Pintos in one year,” remembers Woods. “I never restored a car, but I sure learned to appreciate them by seeing all the “hay bales” my father created. This show lets me feel like I can rectify all the wrongs he did by crushing up old cars that could have been restored.”

Woods appreciates the show for the fan interaction. As host, he is one of the few producers who can go online and chat with the viewers. Answering questions about the show and specific questions about the cars and the restoration process, he also replies to complaints and misunderstandings. He responds directly to them, explains the reasons for doing it which really diffuses their anger. Fans are impressed with the one-on-one contact and become loyal viewers.

Check for local listings and show times of “Chop Cut Rebuild” by going online to www.speedtv.com and log on to www.ccr.tv to contact Dan Woods or for more information on their current project.

Courtesy of ARAcontent