Help first Mechanic Tech. job!

[Coupelx]

A cordless 3/8 impact will be your best friend!

[kickinindian]

well ive done a couple engine swaps on the e30 and a couple tranny changes but never worked on a ford truck, so i have some previous experience but nothing commerical.

yea the shop was started by the now retired father of the current owner, he taught his son to rebuild trannies (he hates Getrags lol). its cool to see him work on em. but we also do normal stuff as well which is pretty much why im there, so its only me and him.

[jalopi]

Did you start from 100% scratch? That's actually not bad at all. Veteran guys can shave anywhere between 30-60 mins off your time, but that's still plenty respectable.

Then again, that kinda trans is only second to a 2wd version in terms of ease of R&R. Let us know how you do with pulling a FWD trans and that'll be a good indicator of how quick you are, though imma guess it'll also be reasonably quick.

Do you guys also rebuild trannies? Or just do jasper/junkyard units?

[DREWHALL]

I'm mixed on the heavy use items. I work on all sorts of stuff from digger derricks and bucket trucks(international, freightliner, etc.) to small Honda generators and of course automotive. If it's something I'm just beating the piss out of, yeah I can live with cheaper stuff. If it's something that's designed to be used hard and I need to rely on it, spend a little more.

[mitchlikesbikes]

if you're doing it on a budget then the only way to go is to research and research and research. i've been working on heavy equipment for about a month now so i don't know much about longevity but i do know that the deals on harbor freight tools are great in some cases. their ratchets, screwdrivers, and stuff like that isn't really good. but i've found that their impact sockets, earthquake impact guns, and pliers get solid reviews and are very affordable. most of my tools are harbor freight and craftsman at the moment, but with the pricing and ease of warranty exchange it's worth it for me. especially since i haven't had to sell my soul to the tool truck guy yet.

also from what i've heard from the other guys at my shop our cornwell guy is decent, mac guy is a bit dodgy, and nobody else (matco, snap on, etc) even bothers showing up to warranty tools. i like snap on stuff but if nobody will even show up at my shop to warranty their shit i can't justify buying much of it when it's 400% the price of craftsman or harbor freight for most stuff. and it's not always 400% as good from what i've read/heard. i have most of what i need to do my job for a while, most of it is lifetime warrantied, and i've spent less than $1000 so far not counting my box.

i do have snap on boxes for both home and work though because of the quality and resell value involved.

basically bottom line for me is if it's something that is easy to take care of and make it last, like toolboxes, ratchets, cordless drills, etc, i will buy nicer stuff. but if it's something that i beat the shit out of on a daily basis (impact sockets, mallets, flashlights, etc) i will buy cheap because i don't want to ruin the expensive stuff.

[kickinindian]

Yeah I did that on purpose. Guess it wasn't well perceived.

Lol I got just not then

[DREWHALL]

Yeah I did that on purpose. Guess it wasn't well perceived.

[gotane30]

How big was he? That will give us a better idea if you did well with your first tranny.

Phrasing

[kickinindian]

early 90's Auto Ford f-150 4x4 larait C6 i believe...

[DREWHALL]

How big was he? That will give us a better idea if you did well with your first tranny.

[kickinindian]

It is more of a helper kinda deal for now dropping trannys and engines it seems mostly I get hourly pay and seems like a quiet place to work I really hope it works out

Dropped my first tranny in two hours idk if that's fast or slow 😅

[Exodus_2pt0]

Snap on ratchets are the only way to go. I have a couple from WWII era that were passed down and I still use them daily. I haven't had a single ratchet I purchased new last more than 10 years of daily use.

Everything else, craftsman.

Air tools, Ingersoll Rand.

If you want to turn wrenches, get used to spending money on tools. Don't be surprised if you encounter the 3 time rule. Borrow a tool 3 times, and you obviously need to buy it. Many techs go by this, if you spent the money on a tool then you want to be the one making money off of it.

Unless you are a helper getting an hourly rate while the tech you are with gets flat rate off your work. This is the way to go starting out. It will allow you to learn and buy you time for getting a collection of tools built up.

[DREWHALL]

DO spend money on ratchets. I have Snapon ratchets and screwdrivers, most of my sockets are craftsman. You're never going to get rid of this stuff so buy once cry once. You're going to need pry bars, hammers, pliers of all sorts, tons of thongs you don't think of until you've been in it. I'd stock up on as much as you can now even if its cheap then upgrade from there. If you want that job at all its going to help to have as much as you can. Be ready to be that guys bitch!

[jalopi]

FYI tooltopia usually gets stuff to my door within 2 days

[Mr. Tasty]

You could always talk to the friendly guy on the snap on/Mac truck about financing.
The approve just about everyone.


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Excellent financial advice.







Please don't listen to this advice.