About 12. 1967 Dodge Dart that my dad didn't bother licensing in the back yard, I took as much apart and back together as possible with an adjustable Crescent wrench and slotted screwdriver.
How Old Were You When You First Started Wrenching?
- Thread starter BlueOvalFitter
- Start date
When I was 12 my dad led me out to the garage where he had oil, filters, plugs, points, rotors, wires and condensers etc.for our 3 vehicles. He showed me on the first vehicle and supervised on the second. He then left me alone on the third and ever since until I left home. This was in the days of timing lights and dwell meters. Computers? meh
Cars around 24. Bikes and such 12-13.
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
Bikes, probably as soon as I could ride, so 5 or 6 adjusting chain tension and the like. Started on little Briggs and Tecumseh engines at the cottage when I was 8 or 9, my grandfather had tons of old relics. Migrated to outboards soon after and like the OP had a lawn moving business around 1991 or so, which put me at 11. I had a 3.5HP Briggs in a CT mower with the governor removed, my buddy had a 2-stroke LawnBoy that I revived and we made some decent money that summer.
Got into Snowmobiles around the same time, we had a Rotax-swapped Golf Cart called the "Flying Fart" that I resurrected as well as a few old sleds behind the boathouse. I had a knack for getting things running even if they hadn't done so in more than a decade.
First rebuild would have been that 2-stroke Lawn Boy, though I had torn down quite a few Briggs before that. After that I did a couple of outboards. Didn't do any automotive engine rebuilds until I was in high school, so probably 15?
Got into Snowmobiles around the same time, we had a Rotax-swapped Golf Cart called the "Flying Fart" that I resurrected as well as a few old sleds behind the boathouse. I had a knack for getting things running even if they hadn't done so in more than a decade.
First rebuild would have been that 2-stroke Lawn Boy, though I had torn down quite a few Briggs before that. After that I did a couple of outboards. Didn't do any automotive engine rebuilds until I was in high school, so probably 15?
Who here remembers hot patches? When I first learned about them, the old glue, ruff up tool, and patches, went out of the window. I had a friend that liked sniffing the hot patch sulphur smoke. I wonder if he's still alive today? 
I was about 8 when dad showed me how to grease my bike's crank and steering head bearings, change the tube/tire, etc. For some reason I was amazed that one of the pedals had reverse threads... kids lol.
I was 14 when dad and I rebuilt a 4-cylinder gas engine together (successfully). Been fascinated by engines ever since.
I was 14 when dad and I rebuilt a 4-cylinder gas engine together (successfully). Been fascinated by engines ever since.
I'm guessing about 6. I grew up on a large farm where there was always something to fix or maintain. By the time I was in my teens, I did almost all of the work on pretty much everything that moved. It was great experience. To this day, I go back and help work on things when I can.
4WD
$50 site donor 2024
We started building clean, quiet, and fairly efficient wooden carts when I was around 8 … advanced from pushing each other to a 2-1/2 HP Briggs trike around 10 or so … and the evolution went from there 
9 or 10
Dad got hurt and no money coming in when I was around 8. I came home from school a car was sitting in yard for repair. I supported family up until I left at 17. Pictures show me under cars at around 5.
Some of my earliest memories are handing my Dad tools to work on his (now my) ‘32 Packard. Actually fixing stuff by 10. Solo* engine swap on our Cub Cadet when I was 12. My own motorcycle at 13**, my own cars at 16.
*Dad was out of town, Mom had to take me to the dealership for a short block. Dad was shocked to come home to a mowed lawn.
**Mom was none too happy to discover that I had bought one, cash, using my own money earned mowing lawns, and even less happy to discover that Dad had driven me to buy it...
*Dad was out of town, Mom had to take me to the dealership for a short block. Dad was shocked to come home to a mowed lawn.
**Mom was none too happy to discover that I had bought one, cash, using my own money earned mowing lawns, and even less happy to discover that Dad had driven me to buy it...
Age 13 had a rotted out Scout and had to repair it occasionally to ride around property(200 acres) of my grandparents.
About 7 when my brothers, Dad, and me rebuilt a 3 speed bike rear end. I took apart my BMX coaster brake to follow along.
Was 11 or 12 when I took apart and put together a junked 3-hp Briggs. It *almost* ran after!
16 when I bought first a Mazda 626 that needed a CV shaft and water pump. Paid $115 for the car. Really didn't know what I was doing. Broke a tab off the super expensive water pump ($80) and had it heliarched back on ($20). Bought a recovered stolen Saab at 18 with an engine that got so hot it warped the coolant bottle.
Here I am, 30 years later, a glutton for punishment with my BMWs.
Was 11 or 12 when I took apart and put together a junked 3-hp Briggs. It *almost* ran after!
16 when I bought first a Mazda 626 that needed a CV shaft and water pump. Paid $115 for the car. Really didn't know what I was doing. Broke a tab off the super expensive water pump ($80) and had it heliarched back on ($20). Bought a recovered stolen Saab at 18 with an engine that got so hot it warped the coolant bottle.
Here I am, 30 years later, a glutton for punishment with my BMWs.
Didn`t get serious about wrenching until my Dad brought home a 1935 to 1953 issue of Motors Manual. That was about 1954.
Yeah Spica. Completely mechanical fuel injection.
I started wrenching around 2001 so when I was 24. Bought a car that had spent it's life in traffic jams so soon after it needed a clutch and did that myself. After that I started checking/adjusting timing, adjusting valves (DOHC shimmed UNDER the cam follower), fitted sports suspension etc.... Soon after I started working in a dealership aswell and my first job on my first day was a timing belt as the other techs besides 1 were sick.
Still doing that now, though moved on to coaches and semis for a while.
AutoMechanic
Site Donor 2024
Thanks. How do you like doing the semis? I get to do that a lot as my dad is a truck driver and owns his own truck I just put batteries in it on Friday.
I didn't mind it at all actually. compared to working on cars there's loads more room and usually theres'more gear available to lift heavy stuff. Seems like car parts are getting heavier every generation, but bosses still think we're working on 1970s econobox stuff...
AutoMechanic
Site Donor 2024
That’s cool. My dad has a 2000 Frieghtliner Classic XL I like it because I get to put all my standard tools to use lol instead of using metric. When he gets back from his trip today we are putting a new exhaust elbow on it since his rusted all the way through. I definitely agree their is more room.
Why stop at the elbow? Take dads truck and "TRICK MY TRUCK" yourself.
J/K. The only big trucks I ever worked on were my dads. He had a heavy equipment business and I got to change the oil every now and then. I was always messing around with my cars instead of his stuff. He had mechanics to do that.
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