Baldo by Hector D. Cantú and Carlos Castellanos for February 17, 2024

But think of all the knowledge and experience you’re getting!

Did dad have some lesson in mind when he made his statement or was he just making a random statement?

The first lesson is that any major engine or transmission repairs should be done on a stand or bench. That is how they were built. Major dealers have frames that allow them to quickly and easily drop an engine for major repairs. Rent or buy a used engine hoist. We used a come along attached to a chain in a tree to pull and reinsert engines.

Are you a true mechanic if you haven’t broken everything at least once? I hate to count the number of electronics I’ve let the smoke out of.

Sure… that’ll get your dad to buy a good working car for you!

You’ll soon assemble your contemporary cast of Gasoline Alley. A bunch of guys who think they know how to fix ‘it’ . Cars, the common cold, relationships, etc. hint: Learn to like cheap coffee. That dumpster salvaged, never been cleaned, Mr. Coffee in the garage should do fine.

I learned that a long time ago. I can do most anything, but the internal combustion engine does not respond well to my touch. Well, a man’s got to know his limitations.

You’re just starting out, Baldo!

It’s a good thing to learn early on. Don’t waste your time/money in Auto Mechanics trade school.

Drop something? You just need more tools to get it out.

He’s not A bad mechanic.

Indeed he is…..

You’re learning, Baldo.

…and that’s the most important lesson! Love it!

Baldo needs to spend some time hanging out at a local junk yard with a working mechanic, maybe get a part time job there. Or he needs to make friends with a much older neighbor who’s a retired or hobbist mechanic. That’s the best way to learn since his papa clearly isn’t spending much time (or possibly has no clue how) repairing cars. My husband did both and can fix pretty darn near anything.

Everyone is bad at everything when they are first learning it. The key is to hang in there until you get at it

I spent my whole life shrugging off what my family knew. They were all mechanical, I was not. Then I’m my fifties I bought my first home. A fifty year old house. And an amazing thing happened. I could figure out what was wrong and with some help from books and home Depot and Lowe’s could fix an amazing number of things.Never had any interest in repairing a car. I do now believe I could have done off is wanted to.

Back in the mid 60’s my best friend owned a ‘57 Chevy. He & I got books on car care. We did a lot of service on that car. He purchased some tools but it was a basic car. Today’s car shops have so many specialty tools & your needs machines to diagnose problems for today’s high tech cars.

I’m a great mechanic—when I’m done. While I am still working on it, I’m often an angry and frustrated mechanic questioning the capabilities of the engineers and/or cursing automotive cancer, AKA rust.

Every mediocre mechanic started out as a terrible one.

When we were in grad school my (now) husband was impressed that when my car would not start I got out and took the cover off the air filter, stuck a pencil in carburetor and put it back together. He had no idea how to do that – my dad had taught me to do this as the car had a problem starting.

We were out with another couple we were friends in her car. The car stopped and did not start. The two guys got out of the car, put the hood up and looked “Yep, that’s an engine.” the other guy said. “Yep” was my husband’s reply. Like me she knew her car and did whatever tweak was needed to fix her car.