Tooting my students' horns

My students have renovated 7 military and 4 civvie HMMWVs. As I begin my second year teaching this program, they get a chance to do a ground-up rebuild. Should keep them busy. I will update my build on this page, since my students will play a large role in the work.

RE: Tooting my students

Tell them to keep up the good work!

I can tell you are proud of them.

RE: Tooting my students

Very cool!

RE: Tooting my students

It's good to see them getting hands on education! Books are great to read and necessary but getting real hands on experience really amplifies your understanding! Nice work. You and your students have a lot to be proud of! Let them know that this type of hands on education is being dropped out of a lot of schools nowadays, they will be ahead of many. They are Lucky!

RE: Tooting my students

that is great, wish you were closer, have some m35a2 and 816 work that could use doin

RE: Tooting my students

I think I need to become a student of yours also. I personally attended the school of the mechanically declined so it hasn't helped me too much. LOL

Good to see the kids are learning something of value. Better keep it on the QT or the military will start having all the schools around the country start doing the overhauls on all the vehicles returning from the desert. (just kidding of course).

RE: Tooting my students

August 2nd, 2008.


So what happens to the animal when your class is done with it??? I'm not as fond of the HMMWV as the deuce, but I have found that the type of work you and your students are doing, does tend to broaden out the thinking process while getting a little dirt under the fingernails..... When you're trying to repair or reassemble a large piece of machinery..... it's kinda like a chess game with the designer, the engineers, the auto plant workers, and in this case.... the G.I.'s who worked on it and ran it on one side... and your students on the other. You sorta get the mind set, ok, why'd they do it this way instead of that way.... much better then computer games for building inductive thought.... Thumbs UP for taking the time to teach the next generation HOW to actually do something useful....

Put the next one up for raffle or auction.... I'll take a piece of the action to encourage such young people to do more and better work.....


Sincerely,

Kyle F. McGrogan


1971 Kaiser Jeep M35A2 Wo/W "Saddam's Nightmare" Desert Storm and Vietnam Veteran Deuce
1968 Johnson Corp M105A2 Cargo Trailer 1-1/2 Ton
1967 Hercules MEP023A Gas Gen-Set APU
1963 Swiss Army Cargo Unimog, S.404.114 MB

re: my students

The trucks my students work on dont belong to me or Uncle Sugar. They belong to a guy who sells them, both mil and civvie. He gets by-the-book repairs, writes a check to the class account(at a substantially better rate than dealer charges), and the proceeds go to buying tools for the kids at the end of each semester. I go out and get tools that apply to the class they just took, and it builds into a starter tool set. The boys did steering and suspension class during spring, so they got balljoint separators, hammers, leather gloves, tape measures(toe-in), wire brushes, pitmarn arm pullers, etc. The top two scorers, the brake and geared-hub guys, got punch/chisel sets and brass punches for doing bearing races on top of the other tools. They put more work in than the rest, so it paid better. They earned the money, they might as well enjoy the rewards. Besides, anything that will help motivate them...

I wish I could get sponsorship from Ft. Jackson. That is where the Army makes wheel mechanics. I am trying to get about 10 sets of -20 manuals for the class. The electronic version wont work because of the lack of spare computers AND the fact that it would get trashed in the shop. Besides, I need to be able to test them on finding operations in the manual. Part of the class is knowing where to find stuff in the repair books. I am Guard, and push recruitment all the time. Between that and my program, the Army will likely wind up with more mechanics if things work out

If your in the Guard, find your units pubs clerk (might be at BN level) and just order them all... (or just get the pubs code, and order them up yourself. Just make sure you knwo where they get shipped to and check often.....

TM's are free and dont cost the unit anything..

http://www.apd.army.mil/

Money is a great motivator. So are great teachers molding young minds.

That's an awesome thing you're doing there, I want to go to your school!! If I was still in school of course. Is that High school, or like a technical school?

Re: my students

It is a high school. Only grades 10-12 are in the class. The school system doesnt provide training vehicles, so my first instinct was to bring in what I had spent the last year working on out of the house. Every shop teacher has a background in one particular thing(transmissions, engine building, race cars, etc). Mine just happens to give the kids an opportunity to do something they otherwise could not in the the civilian world. Now, if I could just get an M113 to work on...

RE: Re: my students

That is very cool. Keep up the good work!!

RE: Re: my students

August 3rd, 2008.

Gunchief 113:

You say that you are looking for the -20 manuals for the HMMWV? I know its up in the trees, but consider talking to either your state's US Senator(s) or congressmen, also the state surplus property disposition officer, between these three or four individuals, they should be able to shake you loose copies of the last paper manuals you are looking for..... I'd ask for the 10 & 30s, also, just to have a set for reference. One question.... I have heard that the military HMMWV's tend to make a great deal of noise from the frame and bodies when on rough terrain....any truth to it? The Unimog's are generally noisy from their springs, and the deuce is just noisy anyway, rough terrain or not....
If you are looking to broaden your scholars out a little more... I am sure that the Steel Soliers crew would consider finging a duece, M37 or some other vehicle to be restored and raffled.... with your guys getting the difference between the haul in value and haul out (sale).... The Model "T" club up in Frederic, Md. found a haulked model "TT" Ford truck, and their guys rebuilt it (the teenagers) and raffled it off with the proceeds placed against a scholarship fund.
What say you Steel Soldiers, anyone want to consider what it would take to get a scholarship fund set up for mechanically inclined youth based on the restoration and raffle of an M series vehicle annually???? I doubt if any of us would notice more then a couple of pizzas less annually in our budgets, and we'd be giving youngsters like this a hand up, and might be saving an otherwise hulk or scrapyard bound M vehicle??? Just a thought, for what it's worth.




N.B.: Your school district might also be able to obtain a vehicle from the State Surplus Property officer through DRMO for the nominal paperwork transfer fees.... The vehicle might have to be kept by the school district (2 years), but then they can dispose of it.....
Congratulations again, Sir, for the good work you're doing....

Sincerely,

Kyle F. McGrogan

RE: Re: my students

The lowrider deuce on blazer axles would be a most worthy canidate for this!

Re: scholarships, future planning

Nice idea, Kyle! Only thing is, it would have to wait until 2011-2012 school year. I get mobilized next October(2009) and hit the sand in Apr 2010. I will be gone until the 11-12 school year. Just hope I still have my location when I return. THe district has to take me back, but they could move me-that would suck. I have a great VP, retired Air Force LTC. The whole setup at this school is great, would hate to lose it. As it is, wont get to see my current students graduate(or my son for that matter). Upside is, the money I save being deployed will finance lots of HMMWV parts and starter vehicles


In the meantime, here is the truck I bought for this school year. I had it in another post, but thought it needed to go with the other pix below, so you can see the changes.

UPDATE- Body Harness going in

Well, it has taken some time to get parts ordered and received. The kids have been sidetracked with a district-wide project. Finally, it is time to start assembling/repairing. My second-year students are handling the electrical system, and began installing the body harness today-thanks to George for a great deal on it. Cheers!

Thats good to see students learning vital, hands on and know the benefit of doing the job right. keep up the good work

More Progress in the renovation

Finally got the drivetrain in! Beadblaster helped with the exhaust manifolds. They really have enjoyed the work so far...its the classroom stuff that puts them to sleep. Spending my paychecks as fast as I get them, my part pile is starting to thin out a bit, time to replenish. Anyone got an oil/tranny cooler? I know I can get them from Paul Moeller, but thought I would ask. A bit pricey, but whattayagonnado?

More pix of the progress

Well, with the kids gone during the Christmas break, I had a chance to get some things done on the truck without interruptions. The body is now down, and I am awaiting a few items from Kascar and Flight Source to get it ready to fill with fluids and crank up. The kids came back today, and I got them started back on the knick-knack stuff like washer reservoir, connecting the harness in the dash, brake light switch, etc. Gotta get my best girl student to finish rebuilding the brake calipers, and install them. Even though I ahve ordered the parts to upgrade to dual rear parking brake, I may still finish for now with the old style-we shall see. As you can tell from the underbody pix, the body is built for new style, so not sure I have much choice. Anyone have the number for the guy in Texarkana that had Helmet tops for $300?