Four years in Army as a Cavalry Scout driving armored vehicles, shooting and blowing **** up (pre-Desert storm) then five in the reserves putting myself through college; was a Squad leader and Lead Scout for my Platoon. (I can read a terrain map/navigate while driving through the woods at 30 mph...)

Got a BS in Plastics Engineering, mainly doing Injection Molding.
Made injection molded plastic parts for 5 or 6 years. Medical, consumer electronic, automotive, cell phone antennas... remember the Motorola Startac? Made the antennas for those. Also made parts used in the power conversion system of the original GM EV1.

Worked at Qualcomm (then got sold to Kyocera Wireless) making cell phones for 11 years. Worked with our suppliers for plastics and mechanical parts like housings, keypads, lenses, paint, metal stamping, shielding, etc. Was Global Commodity Manager for 6 years of that sourcing parts from US, Mexico, then Korea, Taiwan, China, Malaysia, Singapore... been all over Asia about 3-4 trips a year for last 15-18 years visiting manufacturing plants. Then I made commercial lighting control systems/sensors for 8 years (turns the lights on when you enter and off when you leave, but networked into the building automation for schools, hospitals, Govt Embassies, etc). Learned about designing and manufacturing PCBA.

Now I work for a well known global company that makes everything from electric toothbrushes & electric razors, to coffee machines, monitors/TV, xray machines, C-pap, etc. Where I work we make Ventilators for hospitals. With covid-19 our volumes went up 7x so my life has been crazy as I work with all our mechanical suppliers to feed our factory and helping to develop and launch the next gen ventilator which should help save a lot of lives.

Been working on cars since I was 15 doing oil changes and brake jobs. I am just mechanically minded. About the only thing I have not done is rebuild an engine or transmission (pulled plenty out of tanks though). But I figure if some other Engineer can make it, I can take it apart and fix it. I just look at stuff and understand how it works, can take it apart and put it together again. Also a PADI certified advanced open water diver with Nitrox cert and about 120 dives (Philippines is awesome diving!). Been keeping salt water/reef aquariums for about 30 years too. Iron Butt Association Rider; completed a Bun Burner 1500; rode 1736 mi in under 36 hours (even stopped for 6 hours sleep). I used to shoot local IDPA and steel pistol matches, then got into local long range shooting competitions. Learned about reloading, ballistics, powders, bullet BC, laser range finders etc to be competitive. Real nerd stuff but I can make 1000 yard hits on the first/second shot and anything under 600 yards isn't a challenge unless there is a 15-20 mph cross wind...

 

Nice stuff Luky Thumbs up
A few things in common I don't talk about on forum's

 

Mailman 30+ years

Licensed Home Inspector 14 years

 

New here, saw this while browsing threads for the infamous B2xxx 5 lug conversion 🙄
Seems a good way to introduce myself on an old thread.

Grew up on a cash crop farm driving tractors starting around 7 years old.

Sheuffer to the owner of a large highway/bridge construction company owner during my senior year of high school.

Marine Corps, 8 years as an airframes and hydraulic tech on EA-6B prowlers, cross trained to power plants.

Maintenance Forman at a mid 1700s school converted to luxury retirement condos.

Composites fabrication and manufacturing, private sector, where I helped build a complete carbon fiber GT500 mustang which was owned by a rather prominent car care product company and featured at the SEMA show in Vegas years ago.

Environmental inspector and gas monitoring in the oil field and pipeline industry.

Maintenance/Painter for a regional airport.

Maintenance and engineering in the steel manufactoring industry. (Current)

Certs and memberships:
ASE Master Tech
A&P license
Mig/tig/stick welding certified
Machinist, lathe, mill
Composites handling, layup, mold making
Hazmat control and handling
Experimental aircraft permit
Private pilots license (single engine)
SCCA-10+ years
Marine Corps sniper qualification (did not persue)

Hobbies:
Building custom cars, trucks, and bikes
Woodwork
Machining
Wood turning
Piano and guitar

Current projects and toys:
87 Mazda B2000
FE3 Swap
Wiseco pistons from a Toyota 3sgte
Sheetmetal intake, 650cc injectors, Walbro 255, DSM TD05 20G turbo, VW VR6 valve springs, full port and polish, polished combustion chambers and valves, ARP studs throughout entire engine, MSD hall effect crank pos censor, Megassquirt MS2 Exxtra, DD-EFI 12.3 digital dash, Ford 4.6 75mm throttle body and IAC, Mishimoto FMIC, Snow performance water/methanol stage 2.5, 3 pass aluminum radiator, front mounted remote oil cooler, Ford 8.8 rearend, 3.73, LSD, disk brake, narrowed and 4 linked, Moser engineering custom axles 5x114.3 bolt pattern. 2015 Hyundai Genesis coupe heated and electric leather seats, Kenwood Excelon 10" in dash unit, 6¾ components, 600x4 amp, 1000x1 mono amps, Hertz 4" coaxial rear speakers, 2 JL audio 8W3s in ported enclosures.
Entire cab coated with sound deadening rubber insulation, carbon fiber firewall, flat sheetmetal floor board and trans hump, engine/trans lowered 2.5 inches, complete ac system from the 2015 Genesis coupe, currently building a custom dash and door panels from carbon fiber, aluminum, and leather. Wildwood 2 piece front rotors, 300Z turbo front 4 piston calipers, rears stock Explorer disks.
and probably some more I'm forgetting.

1993 Toyota MR2 turbo
Mods: irrelevant to this site

Custom built chassis formula styled chassis, ¾ scale, turbo charged 1203cc VTwin and lots of other goodies.

2008 Buell Firebolt XB12R

2004 Buell Lightning XB12SL

PHENTOM racing modified kart for the kid, Honda GX390 (slightly modded)

Vintage Tony Kart with Honda CR80R for the big kid (me)

Anyways, looking forward to getting to know some folks here, learn some info and share what I can.



Genesis coupe seats in the B2Bomber

Light polish work on the FE3 head

 

GREAT response and really a good history! I for one look forward to what you will be posting!

 

I am a software developer and Rice University graduate (Math and Computer Science). Nice to meet you all!

 

OK I'll take a turn:
I grew up in a midwestern town surrounded by cornfields in a town that should have been named Mayberry.
Earliest vehicles I drove before and during high school included, a farm tractor, snowmobiles (too many to remember). And for my "adult life: a restored Model AA truck, and with the exception of my '21 Mazda 3 turbo, too many GM vehicles to remember or list here.
As for a career - formally educated in electronics, and for the last 30+ years a service manager for a scientific equipment company (electron microscopes)

 

I've always had two or more jobs. I recently retired after a shade over 45 years in a factory. The last 10, I was the main trouble shooter in Logistics. While there, I ran a salvage yard/ auto repair from 1980 to '84. I was a volunteer police officer from 1984 to '94. I've kept my hand in on auto repair and currently rebuild and flip the occasional car or pickup. Prior to working in the factory, I drove a truck for 4 years. I planned to work in the factory a couple of years and go back but got used to regular paychecks. I worked odd jobs in school. Everything from plumbing to dry wall. I did farm work as a kid and now run the family tree farm. I also do some writing, mostly in the Science Fiction genre.

For hobbies, anything mechanical. I raced from 1971 to 1980 in various types of racing. I've started keeping track of the cars I've owned. Not counting parts cars or cars bought to fix and resell, I'm up around 110, so far. I've always been a good shot. I tried out for the '76 Olympics and had the firearm part down pat but I've never skied so that didn't work too well.

 

Grouch nice posting. I liked the part about you writing Science fiction stories.

 

I run own company connect with solar farm. The whole solar industry is about the photovoltaic effect. It all started in 1940 when Richard Ohl discovered that you can create electricity by illuminating silicon. When sunlight hits solar silicon cells, it sets electrons in motion which results in direct current (DC) inside a solar panel.I used to read about how does solar panels work before investment.