How Old Were You When You First Started Wrenching?

[AutoMechanic]

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.

Oh yeah lol I changed the oil in it yesterday in the pouring rain on the gravel lot he parks in it sucked and he left the toolbox on my truck open and I didn’t realize it so I have spent today trying to get the tools dry some of them have already rusted so I am soaking them in WD40 hoping they aren’t ruined.

 

[Anduril]

16 when my grandpa bought me a 1969 VW Bug that needed some work as my first car. Unfortunately my parents stupidly convinced me to sell it when I went to college

 

[AutoMechanic]

16 when my grandpa bought me a 1969 VW Bug that needed some work as my first car. Unfortunately my parents stupidly convinced me to sell it when I went to college

Bugs are awesome I have one. I would never sell it only buy more LOL

 

[Anduril]

Bugs are awesome I have one. I would never sell it only buy more LOL

I know, I regret selling it obviously. But she wanted me to have something safer, more reliable, and with air conditioning (admittedly, a big deal where I was going to school). And I can only imagine she didn't want to store it at her house for 4 years. But yes, despite the fact that it taught me to swear off carburetors forever, I miss it.

 

[Racecarfan2]

I was doing engine swaps for $100 a piece at age 13 for all of mom's friends.

 

[AutoMechanic]

I know, I regret selling it obviously. But she wanted me to have something safer, more reliable, and with air conditioning (admittedly, a big deal where I was going to school). And I can only imagine she didn't want to store it at her house for 4 years. But yes, despite the fact that it taught me to swear off carburetors forever, I miss it.

Man that’s a beautiful car. I love the blue I wish mine was blue.

 

[Zee09]

Age 14
Dad was a workaholic and didn't have any mechanical sympathy. He drove his vehicles into the ground and mom drove around in unsafe vehicles, so I stepped up and took care of it all.

 

[Passport1]

11 or 12 working on the farm. Tractors, field equipment, milking machines, pumps for range cattle water troughs. Things the city folks never see.

 

[RazorsEdge]

Highschool Auto Shop

 

[AITG]

At 13 I rebuilt the rear hub assembly on my bike. It was a Bendix two speed with an internal brake. I bought a book, a couple of special sockets and had a ball. I learned a valuable lesson: read the book, follow directions. After college I became a diesel mechanic, made a good living and retired at 55. A lot of my high school friends are still working their white collar jobs. There will always be good opportunities for skilled trades people.

 

[Cujet]

Here I am at 8 years old, fixing the axle of my go-kart (it had a 2HP engine) . I let a friend drive it, and he crashed into the curb. The axle took a lot of effort to bend back into shape. But I got the job done before my father came home. Put the go-kart back together and all was well.

The engine was this model. But it was new at the time! Hahahaha, I'm so old.

 

[NYEngineer]

I started on bicycles probably at 8 or 9 . My dad worked and didnt get home until dinner time so if it was something I could figure out, I had to fix it if I wanted to ride my bike . Same deal with a Honda 70 we had . When I was 12 I had a paper route . Bikes required almost constant attention .
I did the cylinder head on my moms 65 Pontiac 215 six when I was 14 or 15 . My dad was a diesel generator tech so he talked me through it, came home from work and checked my work .
I started full bore on cars and engines at 16 . By the time I got my license at 17, I was already well versed in cam swaps and engine assembly .
Im 54 now . I dont even know how many 350 chevys and D399 Cats Ive built . Ill be doing my first LS Chevy build shortly .

 

[UncleDave]

5-6 handing grandpa tools
7 - mini bike/ go cart Both with briggs.

 

[SeaJay]

I am 65 years old. One of these days I may start wrenching. Or then again not.

 

[corster]

Started with tires when I bought my first car at 23

Over the years, hardwired dashcam, changed battery, installed aftermarket stereo, rear view camera... Didn't start doing own oil changes, brakes, etc until 30.

Still use a mechanic for anything beyond that.

 

[doublebase]

I was seven when my grandfather took me down to the garage and had me start building stuff/using my hands. I was terrible at school and that was his way of helping, and it probably did.

I was 12 when I started working Saturdays at the dealership doing new car preps with my dad. Went to a voc school, took automotive. Now I'm teaching.

 

[scrowley]

Changed my dads Water pump in his straight 6 Nova at the age of 13 so he could go to work the next day.Apparently no child labor laws then.That was a piece of cake having been wrenching on single cylinder Japanese air-cooled 2 stroke motorcycle engines for a couple years at that point.Still have my Vessel impact driver I bought from about 1972. Worse thing I ever done as a kid was as a 9 yr old riding on the back of a Yamaha mini-enduro. I was hooked.

 

[andyd]

Geez I thought I was precocious, I bought my first bicycle at 9 for a dollar and my first car 2yrs later for 5$. I had to re-install the radiator, generator and to rig a gas tank. I got the '53 Ford running and taught my self to drive it on woods roads. Next was a 15$ '53 New Yorker Deluxe with a 331 hemi a 2 spd auto and no brakes.

 

[JavierH19]

i was turning a wrench by 6 years of age, though i didn't turn it in the right direction most of the time lol.

 

[Andrew1972]

Age 14 I learned to fix my parents broken 1982 AMC Eagle wagon and take offroad(capable CUV) with friends in White Mountain national forest fire roads and trails behind our house.

I bought the Chilton? Manual and went to town with my Sears tools I got for Xmas.