Shoutout to the old timer at Napa Auto Parts in Tulsa

I stopped by the Napa on 11th Street last Tuesday to grab some brake fluid and ended up talking to a retired mechanic who must have been 80 years old. He spent 20 minutes telling me about a 1967 Mustang he restored back in the 90s, showed me pictures on his flip phone. Ever run into someone like that who just knows every trick in the book from decades of working on cars?

3 comments

3 Comments

ivan_murphy801mo ago

Oh man, you just described my last trip to the parts store exactly. I swear those old timers are hiding like 40 years of cheat codes in their heads. The flip phone part kills me, like yeah of course he's got crusty photos of a Mustang on a 2 inch screen. Bet he told you the exact torque spec for every single bolt on that car too. Classic.

valc911mo ago

@ivan_murphy80 you got the flip phone part right but I gotta push back a little on the torque spec thing. The old guy at my local store definitely knew the specs, but he'd pull out a wrinkled index card from his wallet with them scribbled on it. Not memorized. He'd hand it to you like it was a sacred relic and say "dont strip it out now." The crusty Mustang photo on the flip phone is spot on though. Those guys have been tuning those things since before fuel injection was common. They might not remember your name but they remember the bolt pattern on a 68 302.

gavin2281mo ago

The card proves the real wisdom is knowing what you can forget. Right @valc91?