lol- this is also a "How did I get my current Job" story, but some will get a laugh out of this.
So my parents had a 1993 Toyota Hilux (pickup, pre-tacoma) with a 22R-E engine, and after 120,00 of abuse and neglect, the timing chain broke. Those are interference engines, so when we brought it into the dealer, they said the chain had broken, the valves were bent, and the pistons were damaged. A new engine would run them ~$2700 plus install. Since my parents were poor(ish), they decided to park it. Fast forward 2-3 years, and I'm in High School in an Autos class. We were talking about engines and such, so I decided to try and fix the Truck. I asked my parents and they gave me the go-ahead. What damage could I do, right? So I put a new timing chain kit in, got a new alternator since the original was junk, and put in new plugs and wires. Called everyone in the house out to the garage to hear the truck fire up, *Really proud if this moment* and on the first crank- it fired and idled well. WOOT! Fast forward again 2 years to my senior year, when I'm daily driving the truck to school, a buddy gets a 1/2 empty N2O bottle and wants to use it on something so we strap it onto the truck and go for a squirt down the local road. Manually opening the valve and having it spray onto the MAF flapper to add fuel (redneck style) and my new online name was born: ToyotaNOS!
To finish it all off- my Mom wrote a fiery letter to the Service Manager at the dealer we went to have the truck checked out at after I graduated (I had driven the truck for 2 years without any issues). I got a call the next week asking if "the boy who fixed the truck" would like to show his repairs to the Master Tech at the dealer. I went and talked with them and they were shocked that I hadn't done any head work or engine swapping. The next week I had a job there, and am still working for them 6 years later.
Edit for IJ's drug bit: No drugs involved, just some nitrous, adolescent hormones, and adrenaline.
haha
