mini choppers......

imprttuner88

New Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2006
Location
Wilmington
First off I am a HS shop teacher.

Since wed. I have been in Louisville, KY at the National Career Tech Prep Conference. I went to a workshop the featured a consortium of a community college near Green Bay Wisconsin. Local industry and the eight area high schools. They received a Federal Perkins grant to fund a contest (been doing for 4 years) to interest students into the machining and fabrication industry. They came up with a contest where only 5 students from each school are selected thru an application interview process to participate in a thirty week course at the community college once a week in the machine shops. The students learn skills in auto body, CAD/Solidworks, electrical, auto mech, metal fab, mechanical engineering. They spend about 4 hours on each area teaching the bare into basics and turn the kids loose on the project. They must get industry sponsorship, stay within their 3K budget. Design every aspect of their build and build on a deadline, within budget and to spec. Some tricks are if you get items from your sponsor to donate extra that doesn't count towards your budget. This bike had about 10K in machine work they donated because this bike is now at this companies corp. headquarters in Green Bay.

ai7.photobucket.com_albums_y271_imprttuner88_minichopper2.jpg


ai7.photobucket.com_albums_y271_imprttuner88_minichopper.jpg


It has a 250cc Vtwin. Students incorporated an electric actuated rear swing arm. Can be slammed. Has flame throwers in the straight pipes. Has a 245/50 13 rear tire. Pictures do NOT do this justice since from camera phone.

ENJOY!
 
you should have borrowed that so i could ride it around town John, hehe
 
NICE !!!! Thanks for posting it... It's good to see people (teachers especially) interested in 'doing more'. I hate to use the term 'Vo-Tec' (please correct me if there is a better newer term to use) but back home, it was a great thing for students to get into, but over time, it turned into the path that not-smart kids took.. When in fact I know thats not true.

I took metal shop in HS because I knew I could do the math and English stuff when I went on to college but I wanted a practical skill also. I learned welding skills and metal/tin working skills in addition to sneaking into the wood shop and auto shop on occasion to do some side projects. (I refinished my kitchen table back in 1991 and it still looks good today) ALL of these skills have helped me in some way at my current job.. In some ways more than my BS in computer engineering..

IMHO there is a large need for skilled professionals and stuff like this help get students interested in these types of careers and even encourage/motivate many to go onto college.

It's nice to read about good things like this.
 
Thanks Mike.

And your right, there is a newer more PC term. Career and Technical Education (CTE). I am a HS Agriculture Teacher. I am the FFA advisor, I teach Ag. Mechanics. Teaches the basic electrical wiring skills, small engines, masonry, carpentry and welding (GMAW, SMAW) and metal fab. Unfortunately you are right, it can be if you let it a dumping ground of undesireable students. What was great about seeing this as a success story was it gave me some great ideas of how to take my idea of a project and make it work for my situation. I have a second level class 2nd semester that will be working on my new to me 81' Toyota LB 4x4. It has no bed and needs a fresh rebuild etc. Since I teach in Leland, NC I am gonna be using the class to build a tube bed learning how to bend tube, weld it appropriately, rebuild a 22R, do body work. We will be painting it, normal maintanance, 63 chevy swap in prep for 36" BFG Mud Terrain KM2's. All to be funded by me as this will become my street/trail rig. The hope is to appeal to the majority of my students interests (4wd trucks, hunting, driving on the beach, etc.) to be able to teach some valuable skills they can use on their own truck one day. I have never built a 4x4 truck myself, so I will be learning some things as I do this as well. Thats some of the fun of teaching, its amazing what some students experience can teach you as well. I have built all in my past many old school vw bugs, auto-x setups on several honda's I have owned in the past and my turbo RX7. If some would like when we get started after the first of the year I can make it sort of a build-up thread and question thread. Sorry for the long rambling, just had a great conference and has really inspired me to get going on this project.

In case you were curious what my project looks like now:

ai7.photobucket.com_albums_y271_imprttuner88_truck7_1.jpg


John
 
very cool projects. I also think it is awesome that some schools are offering this. A lot of people really don't understand how a trade or skill can really benefit you in the long run. Even if its just learning a skill and being able to use it while in college for something else it is a great thing to learn. I know now there is well over a 10k people shortage in the welding industry. They say by 2010 there will be well over a 100k people shortage. A lot of counties are starting to work welding/machining classes into their curriculum as there is and will be always a shortage in the industry. I know when I lived in texas there were a lot more hands on classes in the high schools whether it be auto mech, welding( SMAW and some GMAW) or machining. When I moved to NC it was very slim to find a school with any kind of vocational or technical classes. I'm looking forward to seeing the pictures of the toyota.
 
imprttuner88 said:
If some would like when we get started after the first of the year I can make it sort of a build-up thread and question thread. Sorry for the long rambling, just had a great conference and has really inspired me to get going on this project.......
John
Click to expand...

Ramble on !!

We'd love to see and support a build up thread. Feel free to just start a new thread and posting your pics etc.. Contact me when you start and we can help keep the thread cleaned up from clutter..

-mike
 
awesome! i have my BS in technology education.:D
 
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