Teaching tool | Students learn real-life skills restoring Freightliner

May 01, 2008 12:16 pm

— BY EVAN BLACK
GJCTC SENIOR
When people ask what I do at Greater Johnstown Career and Technology Center, I tell them that I am in the diesel technology program.
This is my third and final year attending GJCTC, and I was thrilled to hear about the new project at the beginning of the year.
A few weeks after school started, the school received a Freightliner.
In a matter of weeks, the students tore it down to the frame and axles.
This gave the class members a chance to really get our hands dirty.
This project has been fun, and the class has learned a lot.
Working on the project is a good, hands-on teaching tool for the diesel program.
Some of the seniors would love to stay and work on the truck and learn more from instructor Patrick Wallet, who has experience in the diesel industry.
He has shared knowledge and taught students real-life skills.
Some of the things the students have done with the truck are lowering it, custom interior and exterior work and lining the cab with sheet metal.
I designed a flame that will be painted on the body of the truck by Jake Hoffman, instructor of the auto body program at GJCTC.
The auto body program has been repairing the truck.
It is nearly ready to be painted.
Perhaps the coolest thing about the truck is that it will run on biodiesel.
The fuel will be refined from used kitchen oil.
Since the culinary arts program at GJCTC has fryers, that grease may be used.
Wallet wants to refine his own fuel for our program, and hopes to bring in an instructor to teach the class the methods for turning cooking oil into biodiesel.
The class has had a lot of help from area businesses that donated time and materials.
For example, Johnstown Welding and Fabrication took the frame, wheels, axles and smaller parts to its facility and sandblasted, cleaned and powder coated the parts at no charge.
A local car club plans to donate neon lights for underneath the truck.
Good Tire Service of Kittanning, Armstrong County, is opening new shops in the area and has donated 10 tires and two aluminum wheels.
Finally, McQuaide’s donated truck parts for the project.
All of the sponsors will have their names painted on the truck by the auto body program.

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