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- The Henry Ford Museum employs antique car mechanics to maintain a fleet of historic vehicles.
- This position requires mechanical skills and a passion for sharing the history of automobiles with the public.
To be authentic to the history it portrays, the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan may require people with clear and rare skills.
With a job opening in late April, the museum wrote: “Currently Employed: Looking for qualified applicants to meet the unique role of antique vehicle mechanics at Henry Ford!
According to Henry Ford’s website, the car recovery profession is becoming more popular, but pays $29.23 an hour. Such a job requires not only those who have the mechanical skills to constantly repair on a large fleet of very old cars when most modern service technicians are actually working on vehicles, which are computers on the wheels, but also those who have a bit of panache.
“At Henry Ford, you have to understand that to work on a car and be a part of it, you have to understand that other people are going through it and enjoying the passion for it.” “So you can do some work in front of people, like changing flat tires and explaining what you’re doing and why, and you’re willing to do something.
A museum spokesman said he found a qualified applicant who accepted the job but has not yet begun. She said the museum regularly attempts to hire part-time seasonal mechanics.
Current fleet
Martin would know what it takes to work. He worked as a mechanic intern at Henry Ford for the summers of 2003 and 2004. Located in McPherson, Kansas, about 50 miles north of Wichita, the four-year liberal arts college is the only school in the country offering a bachelor’s degree in automotive restoration. Henry Ford has hired many MacPherson alumni over the years to serve antique cars, including current mechanics.
“It’s a very niche thing,” said Jim Johnson, director of Greenfield Village and curator of Henry Ford’s historical structures and landscapes. “We’ve had a few graduates over the years that have worked with us, and they have amazing skills that make them very sought after when they come out of the program. So, whatever the car they’re facing, from the 1970s to the 1970s, they can recover their cars to that spec.”
Henry Ford has two full-time staff members who take care of the fleet. One of them is a mechanic and “a big gang of volunteers who come in to help polish the car and repair it easily,” Johnson said.
However, given the size of the fleet, that’s not enough. That’s why Johnson wanted to hire another full-time mechanic.
Before 2003, Henry Ford only had two Model Ts to ride guests at Greenfield Village. However, with the Ford Motor Co. Centennial Celebration approaching in June 2003, major renovations in the village included the installation of a new street system. This allowed the museum to begin expanding the number of Model Ts and other antique cars it owns.
Johnson said the museum currently has 13 Model Ts from 1914 to 1927 model years. Most of them have wooden frames, but Ford was one of the first manufacturers to build an all-steel vehicle in 1923, Martin said.
These 13 Model Ts carry visitors on the Birraj property, typically running 6-8 runs per day, seven days a week. The four Model Ts are replicas made in recent years, while the others are original vintages, Johnson said. Henry Ford also owns a fleet of nine Model A-Trucks, from 1928 to 1931 model year.
“We use them for all the jobs we do in the village, for all the jobs we do, for hauling things, for events, for all the jobs. Fordburn uses the barn or what’s running the barn,” Johnson said. “We will do that using historic vehicles during village opening hours.”
The village also has two 1929 Model A cars used by security staff. It also mentions other historic vehicles. The entire fleet is about 27 vehicles, most of which are frequently used and require almost constant care and repairs, Johnson said.
“It’s important to hire someone because not only does it make daily tours possible, but there are private tours and events, so it’s important to hire someone because there are huge demand for cars, so there’s a wide range of needs,” Johnson said. “They drive in the winter, so they are exposed to harsh weather and salt.”
“Sensual Experience” driving a Model T
Martin, who helped to leave the Model T fleet for Henry Ford in 2003, learned at that point to drive, repair and maintain the Model T. And driving is a feat, not a timid person.
The accelerator is the lever on the right side of the steering column, Johnson explained. There are three pedals on the floor, and the far left pedal controls the gear you are in, so if you push it all the way to the floor you’ll move forward. The center pedal is the opposite, and the right end pedal is the brake.
“There’s a lot to think about. If there’s an emergency stop, you need to know what to do to ensure that your car doesn’t stop,” Johnson said. “Once you learn it, it’s easy.”
Martin said that cars with all electric start produce around 20 horsepower at a comfortable top speed of 35 mph to 40 mph. Still, driving can change your life, he said.
“You control the ignition, you drive the throttle with your hands, you shift with your feet, you actually drive with your sound and feel anything,” Martin said. “So driving a Model T is a very sensual experience because you’re driving a car and make the car work best with the sound and feel.”
If that’s hard, Martin explained how to change flat tires on the Model T: place the car on the jack and leave the wheels attached to the car, but peel off the tires and the inner tube. Find the inside tube hole, patch it or replace the tube, then return the tire to the wheel. Inflate the inner tube to pressure and remove the car from the jack.
Despite the extra work, Martin said his experience of learning to drive and work with a Model T in the museum inspired him to buy a Model T in 2012.
“There’s a lot of joy in driving a Model T,” Martin said. “Everyone learns about Model T in school, so when they see it in the wild, they recognize it and enjoy it. When I go to Walmart, people take pictures of it and the kids crave in it.”
Model T Personality
Martin said historic vehicles are most appreciated for using them, but using them shortens their lifespan if they are constantly uncontrolled.
“To the extent that they use it as they do in the village, it’s a lot of general maintenance and each Model T is famous for having only one personality,” Martin said. “So you had to learn the habits – to drive them, and to maintain them mechanically. You need to know what their small issues look at, and you’re always trying to do preventive maintenance.
The good news for Henry Ford is that over the past 15-20 years, the profession of restoring classic cars has grown, Martin said. He registered it with Macpherson and watched it.
“Our program has more than doubled over the last 15 years,” Martin said. “When I first started in 2002, there were only 28 students in the restoration program, but now there are 175.”
Of the 175 students, 16 are women, he said. Schools had to expand their curriculum to fill the void in the automotive market and the collector car world. According to Martin, the program teaches restoration techniques and restoration management, coupled with business programs, restoration history, journalism, design or auction house work, and restoration communications for those affiliated with the art department for people using cars for photography, painting or other art.
“Our alumni go to all the different parts of the collector car world,” Martin said. “We used to create mechanics, and now we create journalists, collector car insurance experts, managers. This is an endless list.”
It’s not a hobby, it’s a career
For those pursuing this profession, it’s not just a job, it’s a career. For Martin, he said it was a calling.
“I loved history and I loved mechanical things,” Martin said. “Because of my experience at the Ford Museum, I realized that I could do more with the car than you could imagine.”
He said most people who choose a bachelor’s degree in automotive repair tend to be mechanical engineering, but want to work with their hands.
“They’re weird car guys Really Instead of the “Oh, I like cars” guy, the car guy walks the car show, “Let me walk around the car show on Sunday.” It’s lifestyle. ”
A career can provide a stable life. Martin said that depending on the job and geographic location, the work of a car restoration professional can start at $30,000-$40,000. He knows many people who fit well with six figure salaries, especially in the world of collectors’ cars.
“We’ve recently adapted as the antique car world has exploded over the past 15 years, so I think it’s a higher number,” Martin said. “There are stores that hire students for $15 to $20 per hour, but they don’t keep them too long. But there are others who start them at $45,000 a year. As you gain experience, it goes up.”
Luckily, Martin thinks Henry Ford has no problem finding a new mechanic. This is because of the recognition of the name and the popularity of the profession. The challenge facing museums is that they are now a highly competitive market.
“Last February, our career fair had 200 job openings for the 40 students who had graduated,” Martin said.
Jamie L. Larrow is a senior Autos writer covering Ford Motor Company for the Detroit Free Press. Please contact Jamie at jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @Jarouan. Sign up for our car newsletter. Become a subscriber.
