My campaign for Chief of Tech

Chad Culbertson · **Posted:** Wed Nov 19, 2014 12:51 am

I figured since most here don't really know my background much, I should post a little about my background as it relates to cars.

My dad was a Mechanic many moons ago when I was a youngin, he soon moved into the computer field and traded his wrenches for screw drivers and a keyboard. However he imparted plenty of knowledge on myself and allowed me to learn to work on my own trucks as a teenager.

I've formerly owned:
1983 GMC High Sierra 2wd Long bed with a awesome knocking 305 small block which I ran the crap out of.
1985 Chevy K10 which I rebuilt the 700r4 automatic in myself. It also had numerous other things done to the drivetrain and suspension, including a aftermarket cam, intake, headers, etc.
Even a Suzuki Samurai which I did a spring flip and had a welded rear differential on it.
2000 VW Beetle 1.8T 5 speed (yeah I know, but it was turbo and a manual!)
2005 Chevy Colorado
2007 Chevy Cobalt
2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
2008 Dodge ram Mega Cab
and my current ride 2010 Chevy Camaro SS

You're probably seeing a pattern here, most of my former life was involved in trucks/4x4s.

My main point here is that i've been involved in cars since before I could drive, and even then I was working on dirt bikes which I grew up riding.

I would love to get more involved in the club especially being a new member and would love to meet other members while helping out in the best way I know how. Also, I really love looking under the hood of pretty much anything. I also feel like I have a very good knowledge of pretty much anything that makes a car work, i've done electric work, transmission, suspension, engine, cooling, brake, and pretty much anything else there is to do.

That's my official campaign, I hope it didn't come off too cheesy lol.

shawnwhipple · **Joined:** Wed Aug 20, 2003 6:28 pm **Posts:** 603

You're over-qualified

RodneyWright · **Posted:** Wed Nov 19, 2014 9:27 am

^

That's what I was thinking :mrgreen:

Andrew Jonell · **Joined:** Mon Mar 23, 2009 6:43 pm **Posts:** 1350

But how are you with stickers? Do you have a lot of experience with putting them on things?

JamesMilko · **Posted:** Wed Nov 19, 2014 12:08 pm

I see a distinct lack of tire shaking and hitting brake pedals while standing outside cars in your resume.

Brett_Murphy · **Joined:** Thu Jan 12, 2012 2:02 pm **Posts:** 355

And telling people they have to clean out their cars before they can run.

No, seriously, clean out your car or we won't let you start.

Richard Casto · **Posted:** Wed Nov 19, 2014 3:26 pm

Chad Culbertson wrote:

I figured since most here don't really know my background much

I find this refreshing. I know there are some of us who either don't attend many events, or if they do attend may still not know much about those who are candidates. Thank you Chad for taking the time to introduce yourself.

This is not a question toward Chad but rather the wider set of candidates.... Who are you? Why are you a candidate? What is your agenda?

Richard

RodneyWright · **Posted:** Wed Nov 19, 2014 4:16 pm

damn, I'm glad I don't have to go stumping for next year....

Chad Culbertson · **Posted:** Wed Nov 19, 2014 8:47 pm

Even thought it wasn't really directed towards me, i'm a candidate because I nominated myself, lol.

As far as stickers go, I keep a steady supply of goo b gone handy, so pretty good at removing them, putting them on things, I dunno yet, lol.

I didn't wanna bore you guys but lets say i've packed a few bearings in my time and also had them seize on the highway at 65mph in a old truck with live axles front and rear, that sure was exciting.

Pressing brake pedals while not inside the car has mostly been using cinder blocks to do a one man brake bleeding without fancy tubes and bottles. So I guess i'd be pretty good at actually using my foot.

Arthur McDonald · **Joined:** Fri Aug 29, 2003 1:54 am **Posts:** 2052

Chad,

I'm glad you want to jump in and help! Just be aware:

(1) Like a lot of event operation duties, it takes away from your course-walking time. As a novice autocrosser, walking the courses a lot, especially with an experienced person to interpret, is really important to your development. Get to the events early to walk, and make sure you have help during the tech hours.

(2) Sometimes you have to give someone bad news about their car's readiness to run. It's not your job to fix it for them, just to do the inspection and explain the problems you find.

Rob Keehner · **Posted:** Sat Nov 22, 2014 4:38 pm

Just another opinion here but as long as you have five digits on any limb you are probably good for the job. You need 5 because that's how many lug nuts most cars have these days. You'll have to count them. :thumbsup:

Most people show up ready, but unrestrained batteries are super common. Any car over 4 or 5 years old is a prime suspect due to a replacement. It's amazing how many people are sent out of shops or stores with the battery lose. We should probably keep some of those monster zip ties on the bus.

George Bright · **Posted:** Sat Nov 22, 2014 5:35 pm

Chad,
As Art stated doing tech makes for a busy morning for you. When I did it, tech counted as your work assignment. Getting help so you can walk the course is usually doable.

Alec Moody · **Joined:** Fri Feb 15, 2013 9:02 am **Posts:** 299

It still counts as a work assignment. One up side is that if you have some place to be in the afternoon and your run group is earlier in the day you can leave early. As others have mentioned, not getting time to do course walks is a real downside to doing anything in the morning. If you get there at around 8:00 you ought to have time to walk it a few times before you need to start doing tech inspections.

Also, not all courses are as easy to follow as the ones at Danville. It is much easier to get lost on courses at Piedmont and Fayetteville.

Chad Culbertson · **Posted:** Sat Nov 22, 2014 10:26 pm

I really appreciate all the feedback, i'll leave it up to the voting populace to make the choice for me here.

I just wanted to try and do my part even if it means a little sacrifice, i'm really into this for the fun and excitement, the competition part is a nice added bonus. I really just enjoy driving fast more than competing for times. However, the fact my younger brother out ran me at the #8 event in danville was a bit disappointing, lol.

Jason Mauldin · **Posted:** Sat Nov 22, 2014 10:44 pm

If you dont get a chance to walk the course, you can always catch a ride with someone before your first run.

I don't think that is as good as walking the course on your own, but it's better than nothing.

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