The official E36 OT Thread!!

DC lets not confuse the kid too much what you are speaking of isn't exactly a welder that you are in need of and more so a welding engineer which in the real world there are maybe 2-3 schools state side tops and take about as long to graduate from as becoming a doctor. Now actual welders let's just say its beneficial to learn if you are a true DIY and fab a lot at home and for side work but I personally went into manufacturing, engineering specifically, worked in a company with a good friend who is hands down one of the best welders I have ever met and he hated the fact that its prep prep more prep then you stare at a light for hours on a time. Not to mention he has done it since teens to get to the point he's at now welding on Rolls Royce fan frames and now working for Hamilton Sundstrand. Trucking well great if you don't have or want a home life ie wife girlfriend kids etc. But trucking unions aren't exactly what they used to be and unless you can get into a good one you will most likely hate how they take advantage of you. IMHO engineering is the way to go if you have any mechanical aptitude and possess the ability to learn math. There will always be a demand for engineers the pay is extremely competitive and what broad doesn't want your seed when you tell them you have a brain. I work in R&D and personally love that I see cutting edge technology, get hands on exp with prototype turbine systems, and work along side some of the best and brightest. Just pick something that when you wake up in the morning, doesn't make you want to open your wrists with the though of doing it over and over.

Originally Posted by Stiglitz

DC lets not confuse the kid too much what you are speaking of isn't exactly a welder that you are in need of and more so a welding engineer which in the real world there are maybe 2-3 schools state side tops and take about as long to graduate from as becoming a doctor.

I'm sorry but you haven't done your research on this. We were looking for CRAW certification, not CWE cert. Most of the robotic welding equipment manufacturers offer the cert course and several dozen vo-tech schools.
With respect to the CWE cert, you are just completely ill informed. Below are the cert requirement for CWE:

Education and Experience Requirements for Access to the Examinations

Each individual for qualification as an AWS CWEng shall possess one of the following combinations of education and relevant experience to be eligible for the AWS CWEng examination. You must meet one of the conditions below in order to gain entrance to the examination.

Individuals with a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in engineering and a minimum of one (1) year of related experience.

Individuals with a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in engineering technology and a minimum of two (2) years of related experience.

Individuals with other related Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degrees and a minimum of five (5) years of related experience.

Individuals with an Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree and a minimum of ten (10) years of related experience.

Individuals who have successfully completed high school or an equivalent program and a minimum fifteen (15) years of related experience.

So we have our share of issues here in Florida, but this (Ed) is not one of them!

Originally Posted by TheFinanceGuy

^whoa! I've heard of you... You're like a legend round here

Um....do I want to know..?

Missed you guys, sorry I keep vanishing. I know, terrible of me.

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My dad just sold his 318 for $4500.

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Originally Posted by bimmerbarbie

Um....do I want to know..?

Missed you guys, sorry I keep vanishing. I know, terrible of me.

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Nah, but horn hospital talks about.
Something about brake pads lately?



I sold my 318 vert for $4,450. Guy wanted better mpg and a vert with style. LoL
What's next project for him?

Originally Posted by dc_wright

So we have our share of issues here in Florida, but this (Ed) is not one of them!

Almost as bad as the police issuing ordinance code violation tickets in my hometown for not having screens installed in your house windows...

Originally Posted by B1MM3R

My dad just sold his 318 for $4500.

Seems like a good amount of money for a 318. Nice!

Originally Posted by drive by72

Guys, I need some advice. I know everyone has done everything on this forum, so I think you folks would be best to consult.

Right now I'm working at an indie, been there for 2 years, and we get mostly electrical work and domestic/jap cars. I've worked on some euro (vw), and then weird stuff like John Deere gator, ken worth trucks, skidsteers, etc. I really like the place, boss is awesome, don't need my own tools, and I can take off whenever I want. Only problem is, well, I don't make very much money. This wasnt so much a problem when I was 16, but it's kinda becoming an issue now. I have gotten two raises, and while I appreciate it and I'm not trying to say 'I want more', well I kinda need more to keep up with the ever-growing list of expenses.

To cope, I've been considering switching fields. As much technology involved as there is, the money just isn't there. So I've been considering welding, potentially trying for BMW step, and truck driving. I like welding, but not sure how it is as a profession. Same with driving trucks, I love 10 speeds and cummins m11s with air brakes. Hell, I pull around my trailer when I'm bored because I like pulling it again though, I don't know how it would be as a profession. BMW step goes without saying

So, anyone with any advice who has experience in any of these fields? I would have to go to school for any route I chose, so schooling is moot in decision making. Ken, df, any of the seasoned vets?

My dream job would be a custom shop that includes fabricating, working on high end cars, with a bit of other cool things (diesel builds, etc). I like to create things and do things that aren't normal, and make one-of-a-kind vehicles.

Do some research on welding. There is a very large demand for really good welders, but you have to be REALLY good. When I worked at Oconee (nuclear plant near Clemson, SC) the welders made a ridiculous amount of money, and they were over-employed (i.e. when they finished one job they had 2 more waiting for them somewhere else).

You don't have to go into the nuclear industry to make lots of money welding, but give it a shot. It's one of those things American's are still really good at, and these kinds of jobs don't get outsourced as much because no one else really does it like we can.

I'm not much of a motorcycle guy, but this is a pretty rad video:

Originally Posted by TheFinanceGuy

Nah, but horn hospital talks about.
Something about brake pads lately?



I sold my 318 vert for $4,450. Guy wanted better mpg and a vert with style. LoL
What's next project for him?

No idea whats next.

Originally Posted by ZeGerman

Almost as bad as the police issuing ordinance code violation tickets in my hometown for not having screens installed in your house windows...



Seems like a good amount of money for a 318. Nice!

yea it was nice tho, guy didn't even try to haggle....here it is http://roanoke.craigslist.org/cto/3293341146.html
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Just got back from going to Richmond to pick up a Springfield 1903, super excited and wishing it was light out so I could shoot it.

l'il chad, working on cars in a shop that is not a custom shop usually falls on a flat rate pay scale. the number of ase certifications also plays a part, as well as productivity. this would most likely have an effect on the pay rate.

i say if welding interests you, learn about it. research it. see what sort of skill is in demand and see if it's something that you dig.

truck driving is ok, too, if you think it suits you. get your cdl. there's tri-axles, short and long hauls, otr, and even hazmat.

i'd talk to a couple of old timers in either of these fields to se what they think, as well as some potential employers on what they look for in a prospective employee.

i'd also check with a financial planner/accountant to make sure that you are not going crazy with your finances. (yeah, yeah...i know....i was young once, too...wish someone had mentioned this to me earlier...) you don;t want to develop poor fiscal habits and spend everything that you have on stuff that you want 'now', with no thought for the future.

you can still have stuff and 'fun', but trust me, it's very easy to overspend. it took me years to correct some stupid mistakes i made when younger, and then, once i got through that, i wound up going and doing it all over again because i didn't learn to budget properly.

if i had saved 25 @ wk from every paycheck i got since i was 18 i would have been able to retire without a worry when i was 40. think about it. 40 and retired. not needing to work. i'd not be 'rich' by many standards, but would be able to live on 40k* a year from my investments.


*a conservative estimate from my financial consultant, who stated more than likely it would be closer to 55k...



so do what you love, love what you do, and be able to do more than 1 thing better than average.




df

got some new wheels

Originally Posted by dc_wright

So we have our share of issues here in Florida, but this (Ed) is not one of them!

I wasn't aware of that being law in BC, but it is a well known law in Quebec. One of those things that was intended to cut down on crimes of opportunity, then blown out of proportion like they all too often are.

Originally Posted by Mr Gusta

got some new wheels

Is anyone really surprised at this comment?

Originally Posted by miles_trail

Just got back from going to Richmond to pick up a Springfield 1903, super excited and wishing it was light out so I could shoot it.

Is it chambered .30-03 or .30-06?

Holy cow. Almost ran over an animal in the road. It just ran out!
I'll tell you what, that Subaru stops quick. Very quick.

No one else on the road, and everything is ok. Phew!
No need for coffee this morning, I'm up.

Originally Posted by TheFinanceGuy

Holy cow. Almost ran over an animal in the road. It just ran out!
I'll tell you what, that Subaru stops quick. Very quick.

No one else on the road, and everything is ok. Phew!
No need for coffee this morning, I'm up.

It's a good test, considering all the rain we've had in the last 5 days . Glad you and the little creature are okay

Originally Posted by bimmerbarbie

Um....do I want to know..?

Missed you guys, sorry I keep vanishing. I know, terrible of me.

Sent from my SCH-I405 using Bimmer App

Whaaaaaaat?! She's back!

Originally Posted by drivinfaster

i'd also check with a financial planner/accountant to make sure that you are not going crazy with your finances. (yeah, yeah...i know....i was young once, too...wish someone had mentioned this to me earlier...) you don;t want to develop poor fiscal habits and spend everything that you have on stuff that you want 'now', with no thought for the future.

you can still have stuff and 'fun', but trust me, it's very easy to overspend. it took me years to correct some stupid mistakes i made when younger, and then, once i got through that, i wound up going and doing it all over again because i didn't learn to budget properly.

if i had saved 25 @ wk from every paycheck i got since i was 18 i would have been able to retire without a worry when i was 40. think about it. 40 and retired. not needing to work. i'd not be 'rich' by many standards, but would be able to live on 40k* a year from my investments.


*a conservative estimate from my financial consultant, who stated more than likely it would be closer to 55k...



so do what you love, love what you do, and be able to do more than 1 thing better than average.




df

Lately I've been trying to lock down my budget and start saving religiously. This is motivating.

Originally Posted by drivinfaster

if i had saved 25 @ wk from every paycheck i got since i was 18 i would have been able to retire without a worry when i was 40. think about it. 40 and retired. not needing to work. i'd not be 'rich' by many standards, but would be able to live on 40k* a year from my investments.
*a conservative estimate from my financial consultant, who stated more than likely it would be closer to 55k...
df

I'm missing something here.

40-18 = 22 years.
22 * 52 = 1144 weeks
1144 * 25 = $28,600

Even assuming that you made excellent choices and your portfolio consistently outperformed the market every single year, and assuming that it didn't lose 40% of it's value in the recent crash, and assuming a 50% employer match, I don't see that being even close to retirement income. SSI wouldn't even be available to you at 40 so you'd be 100% on the 401k. Would take like 6 years to empty the account. Maybe I'm missing something though. Was your advisor planning for you to retire at 40 and get hit by a bus at 46 or something?



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I'm thinking there was some compounding taking place with that math Chad. Even still, it seemed optimistic to me too

Read the whole ad!!!



http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv...293111805.html

Originally Posted by hornhospital

Is it chambered .30-03 or .30-06?

.30-06 I wouldn't even know where to start looking for .30-03..

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$25 a week for 1144 weeks = $104K assuming a 10% average annual return (typical long term expected return for equity investments) and compounded weekly.
If you managed to beat the market and get 15% you're at $225K. If you pulled off a miracle and averaged 20% over a 22 year period you would have several $Billion dollars because Wall Street would be bidding those kind of figures to buy your system since no one in the history of personal investing has averaged 20% over a 22 year period.
DF.....might want to ask your financial adviser to change the batteries in his calculator!

Just ordered $488 worth of E39 parts. Including but not limited to:

-Expansion Tank
-Valve Cover Gaskets
-CC Unit Buttons
-LR Window Regulator
-and Belts

Also planning to detail it inside and out, its gonna be a big couple of weekends .