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Authentic British Mechanic

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healeygal

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Because of my Healey's intermittent trail of smoke upon acceleration, today I went and talked to a British mechanic recommended by a friend. The mechanic grew up in the south of England in the '60's and studied automotive engineering in high school, after which he entered a British government apprenticeship for three years, gaining practical experience and studying classroom courses. I'll probably take the Healey in to have him do some suggested tests, rather than jumping into an engine rebuild, which has been in the back of my mind for a while now. Just curious - would this training be considered similar to junior college or trade school in the US?

Sharon
BN1

PS It was kind of neat - he really liked the patina of my car, which to me always looks like it needs a ground up restoration.
 
Appentice programs tend to be very focused, with very little extra "froo-frah" (such as a "Liberal Arts" component). They are often very hands-on, with appropriate math and science training as needed. If I were having my Brit-car repaired, I'd think that a mechanic trained as a British car apprentice would be a good choice.

Trade schools (or "vo-tech schools") are OK if they have an effective work-study component. That's getting more rare in America. Sadly, most of the American apprentice programs (in US companies and schools) have been phased out.

There are a few junior colleges (or communtiy colleges) that have automotive programs but many have been replaced by corporate programs (such as the dedicated GM schools). I was formerly the Coordinator of a college Auto-Tech program that was phased out when it couldn't compete with corporate programs offered to dealer mechanics.

Anyway, your Brit-mechanic sounds like a good choice to me!

[ 02-07-2004: Message edited by: aeronca65t ]</p>
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by healeygal:
I went and talked to a British mechanic recommended by a friend. The mechanic grew up in the south of England in the '60's ....<hr></blockquote>


Let me guess ... Chris Gough of Chris' British Car Service in Costa Mesa?
 
Hello Helaeygal Sharon
Since I went to this kind of training in Germany, I think this works good. I see every day the way learn by doing in our shop. Nothing against the American System, it is just different from what I have been used to. I would trust him
 
My 02 is that no matter how confident one may be of a mechanic's skills, a second opinion is a good idea. Not sure what type of work is needed but when it comes to my cars, I do plenty of checking before they are worked on. Best of luck,

John
 
Thanks to all for the information and advice. It wasn't so much nationality as the method/system of learning in the UK, as it sounded very different, quite comprehensive and much more hands on than training in this country. That's probably the case, from what Nial and Udo say. I've also talked to two other "local" mechanics (within 50 miles) with good reputations, but don't seem to be so much into looking into the problem as recommending a rebuild, which I realize is coming...but if I can get this problem diagnosed and put off for a few months at reasonable cost until summer when it gets too hot to drive the car, and do the rebuild then, I'd rather do that.

and Hi John,
No, it's not Chris - it's a mechanic '55 Healey owner George Keens (original owner, 45,000 miles!) recommended - Jeff at British European Auto in San Pedro.

Sharon
BN1
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Mr jaja:
Hello Helaeygal Sharon
Since I went to this kind of training in Germany, I think this works good. <hr></blockquote>


Hi Udo,

After seeing you work on my car's gas tank in the parking lot at Eureka with minimal equipment and daylight fading away, I agree, the training works good!

Sharon
 
Hey Sharon, that's a cool shop. On the few occasions I've been there when it's open, they have always been quite nice and,apparently, capable.

I'd love to be able to park my car in their showroom for a photo. (This place is a late 50s to early 60s car dealership, with all the ambience)

idios!
 
I remeber when I graduated from Aircraft Mechanics school, which covered lots of different subjects, as we were getting ready to leave, the instructors told us that our mechanics license was nothing more than a 'license to learn'. You know what? They were right! The truth is that mechanics, like most everyone else, learn while they earn. Schools give a good foundation, but experience is what is built on that foundation. I have been working on airplanes for 20 years and I am still learning.

As far as the mechanic being British or American or whatever nationality, I would not use that in any way to measure a mechanics ability to work on your car.
 
Hi Ralph,

It's at 1525 S. Pacific Avenue in San Pedro, and as Doug said, it's in a neat old 50's building in an interesting part of town - lots of car-related businesses in the area in a town known for custom and hot rod cars, and their building and others in the area was used in the movie Primary Colors.

I took the scenic route, avoiding the 405 freeway to get there - up Pacific Coast Highway thru Long Beach on Ocean Blvd., where the Toyota Grand Prix is held in April, then over the Vincent Thomas bridge to San Pedro - really nice ride.

Their website is web page

Sharon
BN1
 
Thanks Sharon. I'll stop by and check them out soon! I work in Long Beach so all I need to do is cross over the Bridge!
 
Hi Steve,

Thanks for the reply and good to hear! When I was writing the post, I thought you might have some info, maybe even knowing or knowing of the three gentlemen if you took a look at their website.

They did a leak down test, and yes, the oil is leaking down!!!
shocked.gif
I was going to wait until late summer to have the engine rebuilt, but now I'm thinking maybe go ahead and have it done before the Tahoe meet in June rather than risk driving it in it's present condition and doing some serious damage to the head and/or block. There are a couple of long uphill stretches on the way, and the weather is pretty hot by then.

On the plus side, it'll be nice to go on a trip and not have to worry about the life left in the engine - last year's trip to Eureka was 1900 miles and the year before, Tahoe was 1200 - a lot of sustained miles on a car I originally bought for $1000 twenty something years ago just to go tooling around town on the weekends. Back then, the thought of leaving town in it never crossed my mind; these days, I can't wait until the next trip!

Sharon
BN1

[ 02-11-2004: Message edited by: healeygal ]</p>
 
How much is that rebuild going to set you back Healeygal
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[ 02-12-2004: Message edited by: jv ]</p>
 
Hi jv,

Not ignoring you - just recovering from the shock! The three shops I went to all started in the 6's, not including any unforeseen items that might come up - rocker assembly rebuild, re-sleeve cylinders, re-core radiator, and one said it could go up to $10,000 (and higher, I'm sure), because there's always one more thing that could be done since the engine is out...so I'm planning on saying goodbye to $7,000 to $8,000. Two would keep the car in the shop and remove the engine; with one, I would have to get the engine to the shop.
confused.gif


One written estimate was $2300 for parts (an oil pump is over $500!), $2500 for labor including $500 for engine removal, tear down, cleaning and evaluation, and $2000 for outside services to head and block.

Geez, I forgot to ask if they take MasterCard...

Hi Steve,

Two of the mechanics at British European went through the Cities and Guild program, the third went through an apprenticeship program in New Zeland.

Sharon
BN1 awaiting major surgery

[ 02-13-2004: Message edited by: healeygal ]</p>
 
Healeygal,

You have my sympathies. When I first got my BN1 the oil pressure was low so I put it in for new big end bearings. The end result was that I found out the car had the wrong engine (2.2 litre instead of 2.6). The net result was a new (second hand) block and head. That plus labour etc brought the cost to ÂŁ5000 (this was about nine years ago). The one good thing about it is that the more money you put in to it the more difficult it becomes justifying moving it on!!!
 
Thanks Healeygal,
I'll bet Healeygal and Her Mate never part. Living happly ever after!
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Yes, Steve K. and jv, I think this is going to be a permanent, long-term relationship. I'm already thinking up some of those "extras" - check out that steering box leak, remove and repair the wiper motor. Hmmm - what else?

and by the way, Steve K., it was neat the way you got to meet the other Steve on his trip back home, thanks to Basil's BCF!

Sharon (with a big decision to make)
BN1
 
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