My Work...
My professional work spanned over 50 years in the automotive transmission industry, repairing and rebuilding.
I retired in 2000 and kept abreast of the times in various automotive Facebook groups.
A chap was quite interested in my knowledge of older transmissions. He asked if he could pick my brains.
He had a 1968 Mustang, was restoring it and concerned about the transmission.
We chatted back and forth for a few months about various options. Jokingly I said, ‘if he were to pay my return flights, a hotel for 3 days, supply the parts I would supply the labour to rebuild it’
At this point I had no idea where he lived.
Not 30 minutes later I had return Air Canada tickets and hotel accomodations in Albuquerque New Mexico.
I was…“WHOA”.
I said surely to goodness there are shops in a city of 600,000 people that can rebuild this transmission.
He said the shops he contacted said, “We think we can rebuild it”.
To an officinado, “We think we can” does not bode well.
Flights were from Saskatoon. I commented that Regina is much closer; Bingo! I received tickets from Regina.
I left December 5 2005, removed the transmission, rebuilt and reinstalled it.
My heart was in my mouth on the road test.
It shifted like right out of the factory. WHEW.
On returning to Canada, I went through customs. The Customs agent asked why I was in the States.
Being kind of proud of myself, I said I rebuilt a transmission for a fellow.
WELL. He came unglued. YOU WHAT? YOU TOOK WORK AWAY FROM AN AMERICAN CITIZEN.
I said ‘well, I did not receive any money.’
THAT DOES NOT MATTER. DON’T YOU EVER EVER EVER DO THAT AGAIN AND DON’T YOU EVER SAY THAT TO AN AGENT!
I thought he was going to leap over the counter and choke me.
In competition it scored 497 out of 500 points. It was eventually sold to a collector in Sweden.
-Stuart Anderson
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
