FABO Mentor Program ... Another Young Guns Idea from The CudaChick

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CudaChick1968

CudaChick1968

Leanna ~ The Mistress of Metal
FABO Vendor
Joined
Jan 17, 2005
Messages
11,204
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Location
Greenfield, Tennessee
I had the distinct pleasure of speaking with one of our members the other day on the phone who called me about coating a set of vintage valve covers for him. During the course of the conversation, he confessed he was sixteen years old, lived in an area with "nothing but mud boggers," and seemed a bit overwhelmed with the Duster project he was working on. I told him I'd do my best to take care of him and his powder coating dreams on an affordable basis and hung up the phone.

And then the wheels started turning.

You all know how I feel about our Young Guns being the future of our hobby, and may remember that 26 fellow FABO members jumped on board with me and donated something to my Young Guns -- Sign In and Win Contest last year. Free parts are all fine and good ........... unless the kid doesn't know what to do with them or how to put them on his or her car.

Over 50 Young Guns entered my contest so I know they're here whether they're active members, occasional viewers or outright lurkers. What I have in mind is to find out who the Young Guns are who could really use some help / teaching and match them up with another more experienced FABO member in their area who could act in a Big Brother / Big Sister capacity and help them along with their car on a regular basis ... just be someone the kid can call upon as needed for advice, build ideas, physical help installing that 8 3/4, etc.

The "FABO Mentor Program" could be a really great thing for everybody.

There could be a separate thread for the Young Guns to post in (kind of like an application) and those members in their area who might be inclined to be a FABO Big Brother/Big Sister can contact them via PM to get acquainted and find out if the match is meant to be. It would be a great boon for membership, and the networking possibilities are endless.

What do you think???
 
Sounds like a great idea plus alot of us are already doing this on a regular basis with people we meet at shows or at the auto parts store, family, friends etc, but it would not be a bad idea to use FABO as another avenue to hook up the young guns with the old, worn out, blunderbuss's.
 
That's the Leanna i've come to know. Bring it on. I've got the shop, paint booth, tools and the rotisserie. I'm in if you can find a young gun local to me we can make it happen for em. Ha, the shops even air conditioned. Girl, you're on the verge of being one of the best things that's happened to this site in a long time......besides me i mean. LOL. Did i mention to count me in?
Small Block
 
I like the idea, I will do all I can. :clock::clock:No shop just me memike :happy10:
 
Leanna that sonds like a great idea :)
but i have just one question
what happens wih the young guns who don't have any members in there area?
the closest one to me would be "fez440" and he is 4 hours away....
what would we do about that?
 
bayyum said:
Leanna that sonds like a great idea :)
but i have just one question
what happens wih the young guns who don't have any members in there area?
the closest one to me would be "fez440" and he is 4 hours away....
what would we do about that?
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Install close curciut TV's in your mentors garage of course!

Bayyum, you have a large 8ball in front of you due to the distance issue and the best I can think of is to keep tuned to the resto and build threads. Some members have posted up a "How To" thread here and there on just one item, like the dash panel/instiment cluster.

Keep reading the rags, watching T.V. and searching forums for help.

Most of all, the best tool to learn is just get greasy and cut the teeth the old fashion way by figuring it out on your own. It aint easy, but that's how I learned most of what I know. Old school hard knock way.

Just work safe and think before you go under the car.
 
Belive it or not I'm the one who called. Lol here in lake wales, fl its pretty much rednecks with giant trucks that always call my duster a nova. Lol but ya can't get mad were all car guys and girls all the same. But I could use a lil bit of help every now and again. Especially with my minor exaust leak, and a bunch of other little odds and ends. I'm pretty mechanicly inclined but not exactly ready to swap motors if ya know what I mean. Haha thanks leanna.
 
Thanks for all the affirmative replies so far!!! THAT's the FABO I've grown to love. Ya'll make me proud.

bayyum said:
Leanna that sonds like a great idea :)
but i have just one question
what happens wih the young guns who don't have any members in there area?
the closest one to me would be "fez440" and he is 4 hours away....
what would we do about that?
Click to expand...

Well Mike, that's the whole point of starting this thread -- to test the water and see if it's even a workable idea. I'd think with over 14,000 members on this site that there HAS to be at least one person somewhat close to you ... we just have to track them down. :-D Even if you can only get together once in awhile or just talk on the phone, that's better than never.

Personally, I think the perfect "first step" in this project is to get all the potential Young Guns who are seeking a mentor to put themselves on the new and improved FABO Members' Map ** (or another separate Y.G. dedicated map, but that may get confusing to newcomers). A specific marker icon color could even be informally assigned just so everyone can tell at a glance who the Young Guns are. [Skokz, if you're reading this, is there a way to dedicate a marker color to a specific group on your map so it shows up for everyone? I.e., where the drop down list of colors is, add "Young Guns Choose This Color" or something?]

After that, it's just a matter of keeping the thread / Young Guns map circulating so that every potential mentor has a chance to see it and get involved. There's nothing that says you can't have more than one mentor, or the same mentor can only help one Young Gun, either. :-D

I can see future signature lines of members proudly identifying their Young Guns by name once the resto threads get going. This could be a great thing.



** The FABO Members Map I started no longer works (the hosting company went out of business). If you added yourself to my map over the last few months, sadly that info is now gone. :-( Please visit the link and take a couple minutes to add yourself to Skokz's new FABO map on zeemaps.com so everything can stay current. His map is MUCH better than mine ever was, with lots of opportunities to add whatever info you want to share with the rest of the FABO community.
 
After a quick peek at the latest map, it doesn't look like anyone has chosen white for their marker yet. Maybe a good color to identify the Young Guns at first glance?
 
I'd be up for helping out in the Seattle-Tacoma area. Also, if someone is not real close to a member, we could also maybe help on the phone with specific questions. Sometimes just knowing you have someone to call if you get stuck who has done the exact thing you are trying out is a huge confidence booster....
 
I am a young gun and in central fl. And I hoping to get thiss of the ground because we all need a little help. Especialy us young guns out here. Lol
 
Well Being that I'm only 30, I'm not sure I have the old school skills to teach people. However I have built a few cars and know what I'm doing. I'm willing to lend a hand in my area but I don't know of any other A body guys in Southern Ontario other than one....and he knows what he's doing.

Riddler
 
I'm no genous and my spellin really sux, but I'm ready to pass down what I do know to the next generation of car crafters... I ole' schooled it like rumble and a lot of other people on this site did, I taught myself... I had a shop teacher in high school that really tried to send me down the right path, I chose the wrong path and now that I look back I realize that I wasted a lot of my god givin talents...
 
Riddler said:
Well Being that I'm only 30, I'm not sure I have the old school skills to teach people. However I have built a few cars and know what I'm doing. I'm willing to lend a hand in my area but I don't know of any other A body guys in Southern Ontario other than one....and he knows what he's doing.

Riddler
Click to expand...

What if you're 34 and a bit of a dumbass- can I qualify as a Young Gun?
icon11.gif


Seriously, I think this is a great idea. It's been a long time since I had an A-body, but I've been working on my own shitboxes for 15 years, so I've picked up a couple things. I'd be willing to be involved on either side of the equation if there were amenable Mopar guys in my area.
 
Great Idea!!!!! I would be willing but there are not many Mopar young guns in my area, but I am here to offer any help, advice etc.... I got my experience by getting my hands dirty, bloody and rust in the eyes.
 
CudaChick1968 said:
I had the distinct pleasure of speaking with one of our members the other day on the phone who called me about coating a set of vintage valve covers for him. During the course of the conversation, he confessed he was sixteen years old, lived in an area with "nothing but mud boggers," and seemed a bit overwhelmed with the Duster project he was working on. I told him I'd do my best to take care of him and his powder coating dreams on an affordable basis and hung up the phone.

And then the wheels started turning.

You all know how I feel about our Young Guns being the future of our hobby, and may remember that 26 fellow FABO members jumped on board with me and donated something to my Young Guns -- Sign In and Win Contest last year. Free parts are all fine and good ........... unless the kid doesn't know what to do with them or how to put them on his or her car.

Over 50 Young Guns entered my contest so I know they're here whether they're active members, occasional viewers or outright lurkers. What I have in mind is to find out who the Young Guns are who could really use some help / teaching and match them up with another more experienced FABO member in their area who could act in a Big Brother / Big Sister capacity and help them along with their car on a regular basis ... just be someone the kid can call upon as needed for advice, build ideas, physical help installing that 8 3/4, etc.

The "FABO Mentor Program" could be a really great thing for everybody.

There could be a separate thread for the Young Guns to post in (kind of like an application) and those members in their area who might be inclined to be a FABO Big Brother/Big Sister can contact them via PM to get acquainted and find out if the match is meant to be. It would be a great boon for membership, and the networking possibilities are endless.

What do you think???
Click to expand...

Leanna, you're a princess. What a truly fantastic idea !
 
dustermaniac said:
Great Idea!!!!! I would be willing but there are not many Mopar young guns in my area, but I am here to offer any help, advice etc.... I got my experience by getting my hands dirty, bloody and rust in the eyes.
Click to expand...


I was going to mention the rust in the eyes, blood, mashed fingers, setting yourself on fire, but I didn't think the timing was right...
 
I am all for it.I am 40 and have owned Mopars since I was 15.I live near Peoria,IL and would be willing to help out any youngsters out on there MOPAR...LOL Jim
 
68383GTS said:
I am all for it.I am 40 and have owned Mopars since I was 15.I live near Peoria,IL and would be willing to help out any youngsters out on there MOPAR...LOL Jim
Click to expand...

Good man ! May I change my birth cert' from 1950 to 1990+ ?
 
Leanna...This is a GREAT IDEA!!! Thanks for thinking of it. I'm also on board for helping anyone in my area that needs it. I'm 52 (almost 53...Egad!!) and have been into Mopars since I was "kneehigh-to-a-grasshopper", thanks to my Dad.

My location is in my Sig as well as the avatar area.
 
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