Hello! My name is Gabriel Clayton, and I am a Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate student at the University of North Texas. There’s always been a knack for discovery and learning within me. Some of my first toys were Legos, video games, and anything related to toy cars. To this day the same three remain the only change being instead of playing with toy cars, I fix my own and upkeep maintenance.

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I have owned my current vehicle for just over a year now and since at the time I wasn’t as financially fortunate as others, I had to settle for a 1998 Ford Explorer (Pictured). While it is a great vehicle it’s had its fair share of issues, but I’ve managed to upkeep them all. The previous vehicle was a 1996 Ford Explorer Sport, and it had a short-lived life of only 7 months, and it had many more serious issues that I also upkept. This project excites me because I get to repair other people’s stuff other than my own, not only that but I get to show others how to do it too!

In high school I took welding and became very good with both a stick and a MIG welder. From my sophomore to my senior year, I welded and made many small creations. Unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures of it but my final project for the class was a grill made from recycled materials. For the grill I used the bottom of a propane tank, several pieces of square tubing and miscellaneous small pieces of ¼ inch steel for necessary sections.

I hope to one day bring these skills and new ones I will learn to design, build, and repair vehicles of the future. They are tentative plans, but the ultimate goal is to have a job I enjoy showing up to.

Repair experience:

·         1998 Ford Explorer 5.0

  • Water pump replacement
  • Multiple coolant hose replacements
  • Cam shaft position sensor replacement
  • Brake pad replacement
  • Oil and coolant changes
  • Oil filter change
  • Spark plug and wire replacement
  • Air filter change
  • Starter replacement and rewire
  • Reverse light bulb replacement

·         1996 Ford Explorer Sport 4.0

  • Brake master cylinder replacement
  • Brake pad replacement
  • Oil and coolant changes
  • A/C hose replacement
  • Blower motor replacement
  • Window motor replacement
  • Rear differential oil and gasket replacement
  • Alternator replacement
  • Brake fluid flush
  • Oil filter change
  • Air filter change
  • GEM module replacement
  • Spark plug and wire replacement

Skills:

  • Welding Certification in 7018 stick welding
  • Car knowledge
  • Knowledge of Microsoft Word and PowerPoint
  • Knowledge of Computers

Hobbies:

  • Video Games
  • Going to the gym
  • Legos
  • Play and watch Rugby