NASCAR Technical Institute...

kilby

kilby

Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2005
Location
Charlotte, NC
Does anybody have experience with the NTI in Mooresville? Is it a realistic higher education option for a mere mortal? I've been thinking about 'going back to school' and I'm just trying to find something that would be: A) interesting and relevant and B) profitable later.
 
The last guy we had from there, we got rid of!!!! He said all they teach you is how to put together engines...but I dont know what you want to do, but if you want to be a mechanic, I dont think that is the place to do it. you can work in a shop for a year and learn more then you will at NTI in a year, but again like I said I dont know what you want to do...just my $.02
 
From what I have heard it is not too great, but I am sure you get out what you put in it. I have heard from people it is alot of classroom time and not enough shop time. It is a long drive for you, but if you wanted to learn racing, engines, fabrication, etc, Forsyth Tech has a really good Race Car program, and I am sure it is ALOT cheaper, probably under $1000 a semester for books and everything, some semesters are cheaper than others.
 
krehel24 said:
Yea then you can learn to be Cheap and Anti-social like ^^^^^.... :D :D
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Not sure about anti-social, but one thing I have learned, my teacher is a weekend racer at Ace Speedway in the modified division, he is the ultimate of cheap-o. This man will seriously try to fix or re-use anything that is broken. He brought his car in today after a wreck in practice (another driver screwed up and he couln't dodge it), mangled up the front sheetmetal, and wanted to re-use it until our other teacher, the one that only does the sheetmetal part of the program told him we would make a new frontend instead of trying to straighten a piece of aluminum bent 13.5 different ways. Plus the hole on his swaybar link got ground off on the pavement, so I had to cut the end off and weld some bar stock on it and drill a hole in it... A wheel was mangled, bent and had a rather large hole in it, but yet he saved it to fix at a later date.

I guess I am learning from the best since he was last years modified champion :rolleyes:
 
A friend of mine is going there right now. You go for about 14 months. Sessions are 3 weeks and you take one session at a time, on one particular subject. I think it is about 24,000 and you get no certification. That is his biggest problem with it. He says he is learning alot and enjoys it though. This education is kinda like a gateway to work for bigger companies like mercedees etc. or go to work in a race shop. It never hurts to call 'em up and ask for a tour. -Josh
 
most of the time, the people that go there get sick of all the jarheads that are attending thinking that as soon as they graduate, dale jr. is gonna scoop the up on his team. i worked at a shop with a guy that graduated from there. he was a certified dodge/chrysler technician. i thought that you could get certified there, like ase and for different brands, but i am not sure. anyways, he said his main problem was getting a job and keeping it while he was there. you go around looking for jobs at oil change places and stuff and they will keep you for like 2-3 months and then fire like most of the people at the shop and just rotate in some more kids from nti. if you go there, pm me and maybe we can wheel sometime.
 
I was an estimator for the contractor that built the building and have some friends that went. The building was built to impress and might teach you things that would pertain to racing engines, but it's not worth it. I've got a friend that made it into one of Childresses teams and it was only because he knew someone(He didn't attend NTI). You would be way better off going to one of the CC's around here. Think about it like this -- you have 1000's of people going for one job. Alot of the people probably won't be like you, they are probably alot older and more familliar with racing engines, trans, bodys, frames, etc. Not saying don't go for your dream but go in a differant direction to get actual knowledge on a real race car like Tacoma747. Atleast he can turn his into a degree if he desired.
 
Wolfpack OffRoad said:
I think it is about 24,000 and you get no certification.
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If that's true it tells me all I need to know...
Why spend the money if you get nothing "to show" for it?

I'm most interested in learning chassis fab and engines (of course), and for that it sounds like a community college would be a more realistic option.
 
Definitely go to a CC for it. Most everyone I know of that has come out of that place is not worth what they paid to go there. We get applications all the time and if someone has that place on their resume it would be an immediate round filing cabinet candidate.

Too much book learning and not enough practical application. In the real world it does not work like their make believe reality.


Andy
 
Ok so I'm 18 years old and thinking about schooling...I was thinking that I would go to Forsyth Tech for a bit just to learn a little bit and then go to NTI to finish up. Now after reading this I'm definitely rethinking that idea. Basically what I want to eventually do is to open up my own shop. It would be a place much like CRS. So do you experienced folks think I would be better off just doing the Forsyth Tech and then just working in the field and working my way up?
 
I asked the kid we have in our shop today about it, he graduated from NTI, he said it cost his folks $30k and that now that he has been thru it, it wasn't worth it.

They cram as much info in 3 weeks as they can, 30 students per class, one instructor. some hands on but not enough to really understand things well and this goes on for 14 months.

and then when you get out, there are so many other schools in the area, the shops are saturated with applicants it is supper tough to get a gig anywhere.

He is from Charlotte, and is now living in Raleigh, said he would have been better off going to WyoTech or somewhere like that.

Kevin
 
We have 12 people in our class this semester. The first year group normally has more than that, and it seems to fade down to the ones that actually want to graduate in the later semesters.

We spend about 1 hour classroom, and 3-4 hours shop everyday. I have done suspension, rollcage, interior and exterior sheetmetal, etc. etc. Basically I have made the body for a IMCA modified, put the rear axle in it (after building the axle-welding tubes in housing), finished what was started of the rollcage(pretty much just welding the door bars in), putting shock hoops, and supports for the front frame, welding mounts for upper A-Arms (had to get a close measurement of caster/camber), and building the body (I made EVERYTHING for the car except for the roof, still have to make a hood and nose but that is about it.) Last semester we did engines, a few race motors were built, and I (with another person) built a chevy 6 cylinder that was going in a truck (steet truck, basically stock), but there was plenty of modifications on other engines in the shop, one included turning a chevy I6 up to 13.1 compression, all with leftover parts the teacher had from other engines, we will see how long it lasts at the track.

Dont waste your $$$ at NTI, go somewhere that you will actually do something...
 
I have a personal friend that "instructs" at NTI. He was ASE Master at various D-C dealerships in that area for about 10-15 years and like alot of other wrenches, got tired of taking a shellacing on POS warranty jobs & "shopolitics". He's been there for over a year and seems to like it. He's more than qualified to teach anything they have there...He built his '67 jeepster part by part...everything from the 387CI SBC "stroker" (I know they are *normally* 383s, but he spec'd it all and that's what the math said :flipoff2: ...), a Getrag 5spd/NP241/D44/D60... everything else he made...very little bought/bolt-on crap.

FWIW, I wonder how many of the students are really there to learn? Most seem a waste of mummy & diddy's $$$...prolonging actually *getting* a job while they party up! Everyone has a different concept of what *they* want out of it and NTI putting the spin on "graduate & go to work for Childress/DEI/Petty/etc." has little difference from the same shinola the academic institutions have been blowing for years..."get a degree from here & go to work for IBM/JP/"fortune 500" company/etc."...and we all know that happens... :lol:

Seems to me that you have a better chance doing the first route than the second (talk about a few jobs that everyone else is scheming to get :rolleyes: )
 
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