BIOGRAPHY
John Lennon put it all in perspective when he said
“Life is what happens while you and I are busy making other plans”.
I was born into a working class Italian family in
Boston’s “Little Italy”.
My Grandmother and Grandfather came to this country from Northern Italy and
settled in Boston. Like most of us “Boomers”, our parents lived through the
great depression, and they had a great “Work Ethic”. We were just as poor as the
next family, but we didn’t know it or care.
My Dad was a “Jack of all trades” as there were no discretionary funds to have
things fixed. He could repair the plumbing; hang wall paper, build cabinets,
wire -in appliances and extra wall outlets. Outlets were at a premium in 100
year old row houses.
Of course, he could also fix the family car. Dad was
a Buick fan, and although there were some Pontiacs and
Oldsmobiles in the mix, we mostly had old Buicks. I can remember well, getting
the old RoadMaster ready for the big road trips of the 1950’s. By the standards
of the day, that meant cruising to Maine or New Hampshire to visit friends, or
relatives, and to stay overnight in some old cabins filled with Pine Scent!
I would sit on an old milk crate and watch as Dad removed the big old 760 – 15
tires, and then carefully pull the front brake drums. Then he would tell me to
pay attention to how he cleaned and repacked the wheel bearings. For the
un-informed, those were actually Ball Bearings, not the tapered variety most are
familiar with.
I learned to check fluids, adjust drum brakes, set tire pressures in the old
recaps, and change the oil and old cartridge style oil filter. By age 12, I was
tinkering with real cars, knew every make and model, and lusted for machinery of
my own. It seemed that I had been blessed with a unique ability to fix things
mechanical.
At age 14, I purchased my first car with money earned and
saved from working in Al Todisco’s Amoco gas station, and
doing odd jobs around the neighborhood. Al trusted me to pump gas, wash
windshields, & check oil. I soon graduated to oil changes, chassis lubes, and
even an occasional (supervised) brake job.
I graduated high school in the middle of the Vietnam War, and promptly signed up
for the draft, and pursued a career in the Air force. I loved all things
mechanical, but was especially turned on by military aircraft. My military
career was not to be, as I washed out with physicals limitations, and returned
to school.
I attended Franklin Technical Institute in Boston earning a certificate in
Automotive Technology. From there I landed a job as a line technician on ground
support equipment with Northeast Air Lines. It seemed to be a natural place for
a guy who loved airplanes and machinery. I could not afford to go to East Coast
Aero Tech to get my A&P license, so ground support would have to do. That is
where I had my first encounters with diesel engines, and all sorts of exotic
machinery that supported aircraft.
After
2 years I was bored with fixing energizers, tow motors, and cargo handling
equipment, so I moved to a local import auto dealership and began training as a
Jaguar mechanic. At “Auto Lab Imports”, I worked on
Jaguar, Alfa-Romeo, Lotus, Rover, Iso-Griffo, Jensen, TVR, and the complete Mg /
Austin Healy line.
That landed me some racing aspirations, as the infamous Skip Barber used our
shop as a base of operations for his Group 7 Traco /Chevy McClaren team. I
actually go t to work on that wonderful race car.
The top Jaguar Technician was a Brit named Brian
Morton, and we got together and campaigned a few SCCA racers. I started with a
“Bugeye” Sprite, then a “D” Production MGB, and finally we teamed up and bought
an open wheel car. Brian and I had one of the first Lola T-340 Formula Fords in
the country. It was a red beauty, with lots of shiny stainless steel covering
the tub. Powered by a 1600 cc ford engine, we were very competitive around the
New England tracks.
Lyme Rock, Thompson Speedway, Briar Motorsports Park, (Presently NASCAR’s New
Hampshire International), and even a few trips to Mid Ohio and Road America,
were the places we dragged our car weekend after weekend.
I spent most of my career as an automotive technician, technical trainer, and
specialized in engine building and advanced electrical diagnostics. I have owned
two independent repair facilities, worked on everything from boats to airplanes,
and still love to build Hot Rods and Custom Cars & trucks. I really had no
knowledge or interest in Diesels.
A
motorcycle accident in 1978 forced me out of the shop, and into a teaching
career. I began working for ALLEN TESTPRODUCTS, as a technical instructor for
their automotive diagnostic scopes and computerized engine analyzers. Ten years
of traveling the country giving clinics and technical seminars somehow landed me
a job in radio. 16 years ago, I hosted my first radio show on WGST 640 AM in
Atlanta and that eventually lead to my TV deal.
I had no knowledge of broadcasting, had never considered any type of media
career, but like John Lennon said; ” Life is what happens while you and I are
busy making other planes”.
Then one fateful day, I got an invitation to lunch from Robert Patton. He wanted
me to drive a Cummins / Dodge truck. My first thoughts were; “Who would want a
pick up truck that made smoke, rattled, and used stinky fuel?”
After lunch, Robert insisted I drive the plain vanilla Dodge pick up that he
proudly brought along. It was a 12 valve automatic, probably a 1994 or 1995
vintage. I was not impressed. It was slow, made too much noise, and it had no
compression braking. I will point out that it was an automatic transmission
equipped, plain Jane standard cab unit. I was not only impressed, I was not
interested.
Shortly
after that meeting, Robert called to let me drive his personal Cummins ride.
That is when tings got interesting. That truck had some punch! His grey & black
five sped truck changed my mind completely.
By 1998, I was the proud owner and modifier of “Midnite”,
my black 12 valve, 4X4 dually. What a great truck. That’s how I got hooked on
big pick up trucks, and high power output diesel engines. I can’t stop!
I would be remiss (and dead) if I didn’t give credit
due to my life partner, best friend, staunchest supporter, and my wife, Diana.
Diana has allowed me to spend untold dollars, work long hours on, and trade
perfectly good trucks when they had more miles good left in them than I do.
With her guidance, we now have a Cummins back in the family. Our Motor Coach is
powered by an N14 Plus.
Now I can talk about rattle and noise!
Sam
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