{"id":24377,"date":"2019-06-30T07:00:12","date_gmt":"2019-06-30T11:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dodgegarage.com\/news-api\/?p=24377"},"modified":"2024-03-25T11:24:21","modified_gmt":"2024-03-25T15:24:21","slug":"degree-of-difficulty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/showcase\/2019\/06\/degree-of-difficulty.html","title":{"rendered":"Degree of Difficulty"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.wp-caption{max-width: 100%;}<\/style>\n<p>I\u2019m blessed to get to travel for my work with Dodge, attending events where I\u2019m regularly surrounded by amazing cars.&nbsp;For example, the nearly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dodgegarage.com\/news\/article\/events\/2019\/05\/big-money-was-flowing-at-mecum-indy.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">$2 million HEMI<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> \u2019Cuda<\/a>&nbsp;that sold at Mecum Indy recently was simply over the top.&nbsp;But someone had to do the actual restoration of that car:&nbsp;Taking it apart, servicing everything, then assembling the vehicle to better-than-new specs.&nbsp;Restoration is not the same thing as repair, and if you want to learn the nuts and bolts of the business, you go to McPherson College in Kansas, the only school in the USA where you can get a bachelor&#8217;s degree in Automotive Restoration.<\/p>\n<p>I wanted to know more about the program, how it started and what it\u2019s like, so I reached out to their VP for Auto Restoration, Amanda Gutierrez.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24655\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24655\" style=\"width: 1170px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-24655 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/www.dodgegarage.com\/news-api\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG001.jpg\" alt=\"A student works in the trim lab. Each student in the class makes a mini seat cushion as their first project\" width=\"1170\" height=\"413\" srcset=\"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG001.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG001-614x217.jpg 614w, https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG001-768x271.jpg 768w, https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG001-700x247.jpg 700w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-24655\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A student works in the trim lab. Each student in the class makes a mini seat cushion as their first project<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIn some settings, we\u2019re really well known, and in some circles, we\u2019ve never been heard of,\u201d Gutierrez chuckles.&nbsp;\u201cThis is not traditional academia; it has become a real niche for us.\u201d&nbsp;It started in 1976 when Gaines (Smokey) Billue, a local businessman with a large car collection, recognized the need to train people to care for these cars.&nbsp;\u201cWe need people who have skills, who can solve problems.&nbsp;So he gave us over 100 of his cars and money to fund the start of the program.\u201d&nbsp;And understand, McPherson College isn\u2019t exactly a big place: with about 750 students TOTAL, my son\u2019s junior high has more people in the hallways.<\/p>\n<p>The program features eight faculty members, all but one are graduates of the program.&nbsp;\u201cOne instructor was a NASA engineer on the Apollo program and our metal fabrication instructor&#8230;his background is in English and Art History!\u201d says Gutierrez.&nbsp;\u201cOne thing I really love about our faculty is that they\u2019re real car guys.&nbsp;After hours, they\u2019re working on student\u2019s projects.&nbsp;The car culture here is something that really catches people off guard.&nbsp;It\u2019s a fraternity of car enthusiasts.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24656\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24656\" style=\"width: 1170px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-24656 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/www.dodgegarage.com\/news-api\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG002.jpg\" alt=\"Under the hood of the Mercedes-Benz 300 S Cabriolet that the students are restoring to compete at Pebble Beach in 2023\" width=\"1170\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG002.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG002-614x295.jpg 614w, https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG002-768x370.jpg 768w, https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG002-700x337.jpg 700w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-24656\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Under the hood of the Mercedes-Benz 300 S Cabriolet that the students are restoring to compete at Pebble Beach in 2023<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>So why McPherson and not a more traditional vocational school?&nbsp;This program was originally an associate&#8217;s degree and Gutierrez says, \u201cFor over 20 years, it was under the radar.&nbsp;In &#8217;98, Jay Leno heard about us and donated the winnings from an award he won.\u201d&nbsp;From there, the process began to make it a bachelor\u2019s degree.&nbsp;Gutierrez points out the idea was \u201cTo give, not only the technical side, but classes in English, Business and Art that create a well-rounded graduate.&nbsp;From an education standpoint, traditional processes like using an English wheel and welding are taught.&nbsp;They have a small foundry on site to cast parts. But they\u2019re also at the cutting edge with technologies like 3D printing.&nbsp;A number of students are involved in athletics, band, student government&#8230;it\u2019s a really rich experience.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Leno isn\u2019t the only automotive celebrity who\u2019s paid attention to McPherson: Wayne Carini of TV\u2019s <i>Chasing Classic Cars<\/i> and Craig Jackson from the Barrett-Jackson auction have both been seen on campus along with plenty of industry bigwigs.&nbsp;Those connections help students grow; most serve internships while in school and others have jobs waiting before they even graduate.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24657\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24657\" style=\"width: 1170px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-24657 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/www.dodgegarage.com\/news-api\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG003.jpg\" alt=\"McPherson College students prepare a 1953 Hudson Italia Prototype Touring Coupe before they drive it onto the field at Pebble Beach.\" width=\"1170\" height=\"576\" srcset=\"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG003.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG003-614x302.jpg 614w, https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG003-768x378.jpg 768w, https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG003-700x345.jpg 700w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-24657\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">McPherson College students prepare a 1953 Hudson Italia Prototype Touring Coupe before they drive it onto the field at Pebble Beach.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>One of those students is Lucas Jez, who just graduated from the program a few weeks ago.&nbsp;\u201cI grew up in Massachusetts, Dad was a big car guy and always in the garage.&nbsp;We had a small collection of cars, and we\u2019d work on them at night.&nbsp;That was my formal education. Then, I was watching the <i>Chasing Classic Cars<\/i> episode about the college.&nbsp;I came out, visited and knew that\u2019s where I was going to go.\u201d&nbsp;Jez says he was more of a muscle car and diesel guy, but coming to McPherson has given him the chance to learn on many different types of cars.&nbsp;In fact, the school only works on pre-1970s machines.&nbsp;\u201cI went to Pebble Beach this past year and got to judge the pre-war Rolls-Royce class!\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24658\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24658\" style=\"width: 1170px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-24658 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/www.dodgegarage.com\/news-api\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG004.jpg\" alt=\"Lucas Jez is interviewed by Jay Leno and Donald Osborne on the Pebble Beach stage before the 2018 awards presentation\" width=\"1170\" height=\"463\" srcset=\"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG004.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG004-614x243.jpg 614w, https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG004-768x304.jpg 768w, https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG004-700x277.jpg 700w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-24658\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lucas Jez is interviewed by Jay Leno and Donald Osborne on the Pebble Beach stage before the 2018 awards presentation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Gutierrez mentioned the car culture on campus and Jez agrees.&nbsp;\u201cThe Shed is a storage property next to campus where everyone hangs out.&nbsp;Truck guys, Subaru guys, aircooled VW guys, drifter guys&#8230;they\u2019re into so many different things, but they all hang out together.&nbsp;They\u2019re not that different&#8230;it\u2019s nice having that big of a group of like-minded guys. Even the non-automotive restoration students have cars and they\u2019ll hang around with us as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24659\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24659\" style=\"width: 1170px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-24659 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/www.dodgegarage.com\/news-api\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG005.jpg\" alt=\"A student works in the sheet metal lab on a custom built hood\" width=\"1170\" height=\"578\" srcset=\"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG005.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG005-614x303.jpg 614w, https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG005-768x379.jpg 768w, https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG005-700x346.jpg 700w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-24659\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A student works in the sheet metal lab on a custom built hood<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Jez mentioned Carini and <i>Chasing Classic Cars<\/i>, so I asked Gutierrez about it: Does the current crop of TV shows impact the industry and McPherson?&nbsp;\u201cThe timelines are often misconstrued, but they\u2019ve also given more credibility to the skilled trades than we\u2019ve seen for a long time,&#8221; Gutierrez replied.&nbsp;&#8220;When you see someone fabricating a panel for a car, that\u2019s craftsmanship.&nbsp;It wasn\u2019t long ago that those skills weren\u2019t appreciated, we were underestimating them. What we\u2019re really seeing is validation of the creativity and intelligence it takes to restore these classics.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If you have a student interested in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcpherson.edu\/autorestoration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">McPherson College Automotive Restoration program<\/a>, reach out to them online.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-24377 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG008.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1170\" height=\"552\" src=\"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG008.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Two young men in hats speaking looking at a old car while a man in a green jacket stands next to them.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG008.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG008-614x290.jpg 614w, https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG008-768x362.jpg 768w, https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG008-700x330.jpg 700w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG007.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1170\" height=\"502\" src=\"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG007.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Three men working on an old car infront of audience.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG007.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG007-614x263.jpg 614w, https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG007-768x330.jpg 768w, https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG007-700x300.jpg 700w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG006.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1170\" height=\"586\" src=\"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG006.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Woman working a structure made of wood and metal closely.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG006.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG006-614x308.jpg 614w, https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG006-768x385.jpg 768w, https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Degree-of-Difficulty_IMG006-700x351.jpg 700w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/feature-16.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1630\" height=\"697\" src=\"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/feature-16.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Two men examining the undercarriage of a car.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/feature-16.jpg 1630w, https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/feature-16-614x263.jpg 614w, https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/feature-16-768x328.jpg 768w, https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/feature-16-700x299.jpg 700w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1630px) 100vw, 1630px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I\u2019m blessed to get to travel for my work with Dodge, attending events where I\u2019m regularly surrounded by amazing cars.&nbsp;For example, the nearly $2 million HEMI\u00ae \u2019Cuda&nbsp;that sold at Mecum Indy recently was simply over the top.&nbsp;But someone had to do the actual restoration of that car:&nbsp;Taking it apart, servicing everything, then assembling the vehicle to better-than-new specs.&nbsp;Restoration is not the same thing as repair, and if you want to learn the nuts and bolts of the business, you go to McPherson College in Kansas, the only school in the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":24663,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[638],"tags":[2948,2949,943],"class_list":["post-24377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-showcase","tag-dodge-classics","tag-plymouth-classics","tag-restoration"],"acf":[],"custom_fields":{"post_thumbnail_image":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/feature-16.jpg","icon_selection":"article","external_link":"","featured_article":[],"upload_background_image":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24377"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24377"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24377\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43547,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24377\/revisions\/43547"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24663"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}