Your life worked.
Music
Not so
many years ago, the automobile was considered a luxury.
About the only time it received an airing was on Sunday or a holiday.
Today, millions of buses, trucks, and cars travel the
highways from coast to coast.
The number of cars on our city streets offers proof that for millions of people,
automotive transportation is almost as much a necessity as a house.
The good, all-round service man is really four mechanics in one.
He must be able to make all repairs on the engine, such as repairing
or replacing the camshaft.
He must understand all types of engines thoroughly.
Or although all gas engines are fundamentally the same, differences have been
developed in the various makes of cars, which the mechanic must know.
For example, in cleaning out carbon and grinding valves, he may work on the L
-head type engine one time, while the next engine may be the overhead valve type.
Both types provide efficient power, but the problems of
adjusting them are totally different.
A good service man is also a machinist.
In an emergency, he may be called upon to make completely some minor part, which
may not be in the stock of repair parts.
The superior service man is a welder.
Through accidents and even ordinary usage, parts
are broken and have to be repaired.
The expert welder is valuable to any garage, and often concentrates on
specialized work at very good pay.
In addition, the all-round service man is an electrician, and must have the
knowledge and skill to keep the automobile's electrical system in working order.
So without the spark to fire the engine, there would be no power.
In the early days, electrical energy was supplied by dry batteries, but the car
of today carries its own generating and storage plant.
The storage battery is of low voltage, so a coil-in condenser is necessary to
step up the current enough to jump the spark gaps and the spark floods.
The coil-in distributor also must be tested and kept in proper working order.
Besides the ignition system, there are the lighting and starting circuits which
sometimes need the services of a competent mechanic.
The use of heaters, windshield wipers, and radios has further increased and
complicated the electrical work of the service man.
Because of the high speed at which vehicles travel today, the care and adjustment
of brakes is a serious and vital part of the service man's work.
The safety of the car on the highway largely depends on good brakes, along with
correct and accurate alignment of the wheels.
Radiator repair and general care of the cooling system is important in making
cars run efficiently and economically, so soldering is another of the many kinds
of work the service man must do.
In the larger garages, the man who becomes expert in servicing engines may find
specialized work on engines only.
There are body and fender shops which employ men
who are specialists in that land.
There are battery and electrical shops, and other shops which make brake testing
and wheel aligning the principal part of their business.
For any of these jobs, a thorough training and general service work is valuable.
There is an opportunity in the larger garages for the service man to advance to
service manager or to become a troubleshooter.
Besides technical knowledge and skills, these jobs require the ability to meet
the public, to make a good impression, and to explain clearly the work that needs
to be done or that has been done.
Some service men become automobile salesmen.
If they have sales ability, they are usually successful, because they have the
advantage of really understanding the cars they sell.
If you enter the automotive service field, your first job will probably be as a
helper in the shop of a general service garage,
or it may be in the parts department.
You will have a chance to learn the names of the many parts of an automobile and
their relationship to each other.
You will learn about lubrication and other operations in automobile upkeep.
While doing these jobs, you must be alert to learn everything you possibly can.
You must also study constantly in your spare time.
As a basis for study, there are numerous service manuals put out by the
automobile manufacturers to help train service men to do their work correctly.
These manuals are full of accurate information, and they're interesting to study
because of their detailed diagrams and illustrations.
There are many good books on automotive service in your school or public library.
Be sure to select books which are up to date, however, as automobiles
are constantly being improved.
Most automobile manufacturers provide training courses for their service men.
Regular training conferences are held for
employees in the more up-to-date garages.
The manager, shop foreman, or some other expert, discusses the newest automobile
developments and how to service them properly.
Movies and slide films are sometimes shown in the local shop.
Manuals for further study are provided along with the films.
You should never miss such opportunities to learn if you expect
to become a successful mechanic.
Another way to learn while working is to attend evening classes dealing with the
fundamental principles of the automobile.
These classes are conducted in the larger towns and cities by the public schools
or other local organizations.
In some of them, courses in shop practice are also given.
Don't fail to take advantage of these courses to help you prepare
yourself for the better jobs.
There are a number of private automotive trade schools which offer good courses,
but some of them have practical equipment such as this
cutaway duplicate of a differential.
You should never choose such a school, however, without thorough investigation.
Ask your teachers or other authorities about them, or you can take a
correspondence course, which also should be investigated.
A correspondence course will be most valuable to you after you actually start
working, for theory and practice carried on together will
give you the most thorough training.
However you get your training, study and hard work are necessary for you to
become a superior mechanic, able to hold one of the better jobs.
While you're still in high school, you can lay a strong
foundation for automotive service.
The gas engine produces power by burning fuel in a small enclosed space.
In your physics class, you'll learn how this is done.
In physics, you'll learn how the cooling system carries off the heat after power
has been produced by the burning or combustion process in the engine.
The transmission of the engine's power through gears and wheels to make the car
move can be more clearly understood if you know the principles of physics.
Electrical physics will help you understand the ignition of a car.
So you can see that physics is not only an interesting subject, but very
necessary if you were to become a first class auto mechanic.
Take all the mathematics you can, for you'll need it in every
type of automotive work you do.
Mechanical drawing will help you in reading the many plans and illustrations in
automotive textbooks and service manuals.
This is especially important if you plan to become a shop foreman.
In some of the larger public schools, the school shop is equipped to
give practical automotive training.
In others, this experience must be found in a service garage at the same time
that automotive theory is studied in schools.
School shop training of any kind will help you develop the coordination of hands
and mind which is so important in all mechanical work.
As an automobile service worker, you will have a responsibility for the safe,
smooth, and economical operation of the cars on which you work.
No matter what the size of the shop, there is one rule for success. Every job
must be done right.
If you develop the ability to manage a business, you may be promoted to garage
manager, or you may be able to go into business for yourself.
For this, you'll need to know something about bookkeeping,
salesmanship, and business management.
If you really like to use tools and have a knack for mechanical work, learn all
you can about it at your local service garage.
You'll find some things you may not like, but the dirt and grease will wash off.
Try tinkering with an old car and rebuilding it. Do the best job you can, just as
though some car owner depended on you.
When you're finished, you may have found your life work.
Thousands of new automobiles are manufactured every year. Although many of them
replace cars which are worn out, the total number of motor vehicles will probably
continue to increase for some time to come.
If you qualify yourself, there is a reasonable possibility that you will find
employment in the automotive service field.