Pop's Garage
What started out as the continuation of a lifelong love of restoring and modifying older automobiles has found
a parallel life as a way to introduce a small number of young people to some of the industrial arts disciplines
that are becoming less commonly taught in public schools. While on the surface this is vocational training, it
cleverly conceals the teaching of many traditional subjects such as mathematics, reading and writing, history,
physics, chemistry, and analytic thinking and problem solving. The garage accidentally became a learning space
in 2013 and because of the limited manpower and funding available the number of participants has been limited
and the speed at which projects are worked on is slow. But these seeming limitations have allowed the work here
to embrace the master/apprentice educational model where knowledge is transferred by observation, instruction,
and practice.
The shop is named for Glenn's father, Max, who brought Glenn into the family automobile repair business in
1961 and who carefully and patiently helped Glenn acquire the skills and knowledge that ultimately have led to
Pop's Garage.
The Shop
The shop is a 1200 square foot building with space to house 4 vehicles for storage or to house 2 vehicles
undergoing restoration. It has a commercial size air compressor, two post automotive lift, welders, cutting
tools, safety equipment, and most of the hand and power tools necessary for almost any repair or modification
task.
In the shop we can undertake almost every task needed to completely rebuild a car or truck. Some specialty
processes like paint and upholstery need to be sent to outside specialists, but we can do everything else
including:
- Engine, transmission, and differential repair, overhaul, and modification.
- Cooling, fuel, and exhaust system repair and modification.
- Suspension overhaul and modification.
- Bodywork and sheet metal fabrication.
- Electrical repair and modernization.
- Glass refurbishing and replacement.
- Welding and fabrication.
The Automotive Projects
One of the great things about Pop's Garage is the variety of our projects. Through the doors have rolled (or are
waiting to roll:
- Several modern front-wheel drive cars for simple repairs, engine overhaul, and engine replacement.
- Several 4-wheel drive SUVs for salvage and a return to roadworthy condition.
- A 4-wheel drive pickup for engine replacement and a return to roadworthy condition.
- Several 1970s and 1980s vintage British cars for salvage of rare and reusable parts.
- A late 1930s sedan for a complete restoration and modernization.
- A mid-1930s truck for conversion into a hot rod.
- An early 1920s phaeton (touring car) for conversion into a hot rod.
- An early 1950s Cab Over Engine (COE) truck for conversion and modernization into a pickup.
Project complexity runs from simple maintenance and routine repairs to more involved undertakings such as
engine swaps and drivetrain updating to complete restorations to construction of full vehicles from new and
reclaimed components.
The Robotics Projects
During the summer of 2015 a high school student with an intense interest in autonomous mobile robotics
contacted Glenn seeking advice on how best to make robotics a vocation. In October 2015 we began working
with him on a project to design and construct a robot that he could use as his first research platform. This
seemed an obvious move as the facilities in the shop lend themselves perfectly to the designs and construction
of mobile robots and this looks to be another promising and rewarding undertaking.
Since this work is nascent, there's nothing to report at this time, but updates will follow.
