I know there are several people on this forum that work on cars for a living. What I'm wondering is how did some of you get started to get to where you are now and what would you recommend to someone that is looking to work in a shop that specializes in performance and/or racing applications, whether it's for a customer's street or track car. Should I look for an entry level position doing simple repairs and oil changes and build on that or would I be better off going to school and learning it all in one go? I want to end up being able to do it all (forced induction setups, custom fabrication, tuning, etc...). I already do some of my own repairs and fluid changes, basically whatever I feel comfortable doing in my driveway, but I know I still have a lot to learn. Any helpful input is appreciated.

 

i would pick a specific platform (Honda, Nissan, Mitsubishi etc) and learn all you can about their engines. Pick a genre and become the best you can be in that platform. Spend some dough on getting certified, first as a mechanic, then any certs that pertain to your platform. Take down and rebuild several engines, learn to blueprint an engine so you can replicate success. Build a couple of stable, marked improvement projects and document them as part of your "portfolio". And basically work your way up the ladder. I don't know your level of mechanical experience, but if all you have done are simple replacements and fluid changes, you have a lot of learning and hard work ahead of you. Its all worth it if you approach your goals seriously with quality and dependability at your core. Don't cut corners, don't use cheap unproven parts. garbage in = garbage out. Anything worth the time and effort to build is worth building correctly and to the best of your ability.


I am in no way a mechanic or a performance shop employee, I have, however, peeled off countless 100 dollar bills having cars performance built. I look for quality, expertise and proven ability in my performance shop coices.

 

Are you working towards an ASE cert currently?

 

I'm in school for welding right now. The course is much more in depth than I expected though. My goal was to learn how to weld for fabrication but this course prepares students for being able to pass inspections and meet code standards. It is a great program but it is a lot more than I need unless I want to get a job specifically for welding. In high school I was in an automotive program, but it was a lot of book work and barely any hands on so I didn't enjoy that very much. I would be fine with working at a shop just doing simple repairs and maintenance while working with a more knowledgeable technician to build on to what I already know. I've always had a passion and appreciation for custom builds, mainly high performance cars, and I feel like that would be my preferred work environment.

 

finish your welding school for a backup plan. then check out SAM. school of automotive machinists. its one of the best high performance auto schools in my opinion.