First year automotive students have studied fuel, cooling, brakes, tire repair, tire balancing and suspension systems. They have had hands-on experience working on vehicles. Currently they are studying alternative fuels and new technologies auto manufacturers are considering using in the future.
Automotive students took on a challenge of replacing a transmission in an express van. After the initial replacement it had a shifting problem and they had to diagnose the issue in the transmission, we found a wire harness that had two broken wires. It was a good experience of experiencing a problem, identifying the source and repairing it.
Students are also overhauling a Ford big block motor for a 1971 Ford pickup of a student’s truck in class. They are changing the stroke bore and making a 390 into a 541 cubic inch motor. We are trying to finish up so we can install it in the truck by the end of the year.
Second year students have been studying suspension, brakes and exhaust. Students have replaced sub frame bushings in a car, completed multiple brake jobs, tire repairs and replaced tires on multiple vehicles, they have also replaced struts and shocks. Students built an exhaust for a pickup bending all the exhaust pipes on our bender, learning angles, where to put exhaust hangers and checking clearance of the exhaust system around moving parts, like the differential moving up and down, depending on the load.
Three of my students competed in the Nebraska SkillsUSA Leadership and Skills Conference in Grand Island. It was a great experience. Automotive has four students continuing their education at Central Community College in Hastings, Nebraska next year in Automotive and Auto Body Repair.