Tinkering Belles with Tamara Robertson
Tinkering Belles with Tamara Robertson
Tinkering Belles - Audrey - Great Race Edition
Do you love old trucks road rally racing, inspiring others and general Maker Shop Talk?
If so, join Tamara Robertson (Mythbusters, Seekers of Science) as she revs up the fun in this all new mini-season dedicated to the Hemming's Great Race and the amazing team of Trailblazing Creators assembled by Riley's Rebuilds!
As a shout-out to Race Sponsor Auto Krafters Inc., this episode kicks off with a Tech Talk about Steering Systems before Tamara sits down with Navigator, Trailblazer and Maker Extraordinaire Audrey ( @AudreysQuadries )!
Topics they cover include (but are surely not limited to):
- Social Media
- Collaborating with the #CreatorRace Team
- Steering Systems
- Autokrafters
- 66 Fairlane
- X-Cup Division
- Mooresville, NC
- The Hemming's Great Race
- Finding Community in Car Enthusiasts
- Working with Riley's Rebuilds
- Navigating for the First Time
- Being labeled a Trailblazer
- Jessi Combs and the Jessi Combs Foundation
- The Fastest Woman on Earth Documentary
- Inspiring Older Generations
- Audrey's Advice for new Racers
.. and so much more
As we dig into Season 3's 32nd episode of Tinkering Belles you're surely not going to want to miss it!
So join in on Tamara's adventure as a Maker as she works to amplify the BAMF Females Behind the Builds one interview at a time!
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If you enjoyed the show join in on the Maker adventure with Tamara and her guests on the Tinkering Belles Instagram page.
You can follow Audrey's adventures here, here, and here:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/audreysQuadries
Skills Sharing on Riley's Rebuilds - https://www.instagram.com/rileysrebuilds/
Skills Sharing with Complete Performance - https://www.facebook.com/share/v/14EVMsTiMeW/
Music for this Episode was provided by Bill Trowell Music. Visit BillTrowellMusic.com to hear more and to subscribe to Bill's Patreon, where he covers favorite showtunes, movie themes, classic rock and jazz, as well as requests from Patron's.
Greetings, shopmates, and welcome to Tinkering Belles, a show about DIY, design, and all things hands-on. The sky's the limit as we talk props, metalwork, cosplay, woodwork, leather, electronics, and so much more. I'm Tamara Robertson, your host, so strap on your tool belts because we're about to get into some skill sharing, y'all.
Tamara Robertson:Today, I'm going to be joined by a maker who's keeping us true and precise on the great race. I don't want to give away too much, but at a very young age, this maker is sharing her skills to help spark more interest for trades and motorsport. So if that doesn't make you want to stick around and hear more, then you might be at the wrong podcast. But first, let's go ahead and have our tech talk of the day. So we're going to be talking all about the Hemming's Great Race and all the parts that brought our fair lane back to life. Thanks in a big way to Auto Krafters, who supplied everything from seats, seatbelts, and carpet to a new gas tank, brakes, and steering components. So let's back it up. Where did steering systems get their start?
Tamara Robertson:Early automobiles used tillar steering. Yep, similar to a boat rudder. Steering wheels didn't even become common until the early 1900s. Now, vintage cars like our 1966 Fairlane often had manual steering boxes, so no power assist on this one, which made parking and slow turns especially difficult compared to today's electric racks. Now, power steering was first introduced in the 1950s using hydraulic systems driven by the engine to reduce turning effort. Classic Ford steering often uses recirculating ball gearboxes, which can feel loose or vague compared to rack and pinion systems unless fully rebuilt. Hence why every bussing, tie rod, and joint matters. Thanks to Auto Krafter's full lineup of reproduction Ford parts, we were able to restore the handling and keep the original character while giving our arms a little bit of a break on the curves. Well, that's it for your tech talk. As always, you can join in on the conversation with my maker friends and me on the Tinkering Belles Instagram and X pages. Just search for Belles Tinkering, hit follow and share your DIY adventures together with us. Have a tool you want to learn about? Let me know. And it may be featured in a future episode. Tell us what you liked, what you hated, or possibly even what we missed.
Tamara Robertson:So now we're going to be getting into the main event. And I'm so excited to introduce you to our next maker. So drum roll, please. Presenting Audrey. Audrey, thank you for being here. How are you?
Audrey:Thank you for having me. I'm doing great.
Tamara Robertson:Amazing. Normally, I start these by asking my guest where the audience can find you, follow you, and what they will find. But I actually want to take it back a step because you actually don't have social media.
Audrey:No, I don't. I don't post on social media or anything like that at all.
Tamara Robertson:So in that case, where would you want me to direct our audience?
Audrey:You can find me making guest appearances, if you will, on Riley's Rebuilds. We have Instagram, Facebook. YouTube. So that's where I'm at.
Tamara Robertson:that's how I met you, right? Because of Riley's rebuilds. And so I am what we call a superhero scientist. And as you know, or may not know, most superheroes have an origin story. So I would love to start by letting the audience know your gearhead origin story. Where did you get your start? What made you fall in love with it? And why are you still doing it today?
Audrey:Well, ever since I was little, I have loved cars, but none of my family is into it at all. I mean, even cousins, uncles, nobody. And so I always loved working with my hands and seeing how things work. So when I was younger, I would do, you know, I'd find pallets on the side of the road and try to make something out of it. Or if a, you know, drain got clogged, I'd see if I could fix it. And, you know, I liked that stuff, but I was never super duper like, this is what I want to do. And then I, you know, it was actually for a school project. I went over to... uh mr dane's house uh i go to school with his son and i walk into the garage and i was like wow like this is amazing uh this the 66 fair lane that we're actually taking on this race was up on the lift and i was just i was just amazed um you know and so i just i got to talking with him and i i realized that i mean i would just i love cars and i would love to work on them too And so that's kind of how that relationship started. And then they offered me a job rebuilding carburetors. And that was, I mean, I didn't even know what a carburetor was, but it was just amazing.
Tamara Robertson:I love that. And so- For those of you that don't know or haven't been following along, we are in what's called the X-Cup division. So can you explain to the audience a little bit about your role with the team that makes us an X-Cup?
Audrey:Yeah, so I'm going into my junior year of high school. And the X-Cup division is for high school and college students. So for me, I'm the navigator on our team. I just tell the driver where to go and what speed to be at. And so, yeah, that's what I do.
Tamara Robertson:Yeah. And so we've been talking with all these interviews this season about the Hemmings Great Race. So we're actually in my hometown state right now in North Carolina. We had a great show in at Mooresville last night as we came across the finish line. Had you ever heard of the Great Race before that became where the Fairlane was going?
Audrey:I had not ever heard of it.
Tamara Robertson:What were your first thoughts when you started reading?
Audrey:I was very excited about it. I love road trips and my parents don't as much, which is totally fine. But, you know, having the opportunity to take a road trip, but also a road trip in a classic car. I mean, that was just perfect combination for me. So I was yes. Once I figured out what it was, I was just so excited.
Tamara Robertson:And I've been hearing from a lot of the group that has known you for a while that this trip has been very transformative for you and who you are. Can you tell the audience a little bit more about that?
Audrey:Yeah, I have just been absolutely loving it. You know, the fair lane has been giving us some issues, but that means that I get to wrench on it every night. And I absolutely love that. And, you know, also just getting to meet all the great people, you know, from all these small towns, other racers. I just love talking to everybody because it really has just been an amazing trip so far.
Tamara Robertson:I remember talking to them about whether or not I could interview, and they're like, wow. Audrey's real quiet she doesn't she doesn't really talk that much and then I get here mid-race and you are you're like you're talking to everyone you're like shaking the hands kissing the babies like I would not have thought of you as a quiet person at all
Audrey:uh at home I am actually a pretty quiet person you know but I don't know I just feel like you know here everybody you know I know that everybody likes the cars you know and so that's just I know that I can talk to them about cars. And so that makes it really easy. Yeah,
Tamara Robertson:it's kind of like the first time I walked into a Comic-Con. I was like, oh, this is where my people have been hiding all of these years. This is where they're at. And so, like you said, you met Riley's Rebuild through... well, I guess Dane's son, who I haven't actually met, and then through Dane, and you guys are rebuilding the carburetors and obviously the fair lane. What's the next project that when you guys get back is going to be on your desk, other than an overhaul of the fair lane? What's the next thing you're excited to build?
Audrey:Yeah, other than doing both of those. Both of the fair lanes.
Tamara Robertson:There's two. There is .
Audrey:um yeah but at work you know i just i love to learn anything and everything i can so i know mr dane owns one of the little red express trucks um so we may work on that um you know yeah it's just really whatever he's got going on if there's anything that i can learn i'm more than willing to learn and even when it comes to you know doing the social media i'm i'm willing to appear in their videos, you know, because it's just learning. You know, I also love learning about the business side of our company as well. You know, it's not just mechanical stuff that I'm learning about. I'm also learning about, you know, doing taxes and how do you run this business and how do you calculate, you know, how your expenses versus your profit. I mean, you know, it's just I just love it all. So, yeah. yeah i'm just looking forward to getting back and and working
Tamara Robertson:so i love that because i mean outside of like you know, I guess with your first job, you always got to start learning taxes, but like, no, learning the business side, like it's like, you're like in an apprenticeship on multiple levels, you know, that's, that's really, really incredible. So, okay. Speaking of being okay with being on other people's channels, there are a lot of videos of you right now on Facebook. Tell me about that collaboration and also about your truck
Audrey:Well, yes, it's been it is just been the most fun appearing in these other people's videos. We've got, I believe, like 12 other women here or 11 other women. And yeah, it is just the most fun to be on their YouTube or their Instagram because they all have a different little style of it. And so it's just the most fun. But yeah.
Tamara Robertson:You're going to need to tell them about the truck.
Audrey:Oh, yeah. You got to tell me about the truck. Absolutely. I drive a 97-250. It's a 7.3 diesel, and I just love it more than anything.
Tamara Robertson:And so you've actually rebuilt this truck?
Audrey:No. No, not this one. We got it, and it's in pretty good shape. I wouldn't say that it's a project at all. It's pretty solid right now, so I daily drive it, and it is just awesome. It's just a workforce. This is the best truck
Tamara Robertson:I love that. So as you were saying earlier, you're our navigator, which I mean, when you have 10 content creators that are going in every direction, that's already a bit like herding feral cats. But now on top of it, you have to keep us tried and true and precise. And that's going super slow in some areas, super fast, having to wait. Describe to me what that experience of being a navigator, because this is your first time navigating, right? So what that experience has been like for you on this journey?
Audrey:At first, it was definitely a little tough, you know, because just never doing it before. Nobody had ever done it before, you know, and I kind of knew coming into it, I could study and all, you know, and try to figure it out. But At a certain point, I just had to do it. So on those first couple of days, I just kind of had to do it. And now I'm starting to understand more, you know, and everything. But communication is definitely key, you know, when with the driver and even, you know, in the backseat. Hey, y'all for a minute. I got to talk to the driver, you know. So just having that open line of communication is so important. And I've definitely learned that, you know. through all of this as well.
Tamara Robertson:Nice. Well, so as we're talking about, Riley basically assembled this team of real deal women that we can all wrench on the truck or wrench on the truck. I want to be on the truck. Can wrench on the car, can keep it going, can race it and can talk about it and share it with everyone. But one of the words that we utilize a lot is trailblazer. Had you ever thought of yourself as a trailblazer before coming and joining this team?
Audrey:I don't think so, no.
Tamara Robertson:What do you think it's going to mean to you to continue to be a trailblazer moving forward?
Audrey:I think staying in the automotive industry, you know, despite obviously it being male-dominated, you know, that's really important to me because, you know, it doesn't really matter. You know, if I'm going to do the work, I'm going to do the work, right? So... You know, yeah, I guess that is kind of trailblazing.
Tamara Robertson:And so we're, you know, we're all actually kind of, we're, we're blazing trouble. Really. We're actually repeating the tread marks of a very amazing trailblazer. And that's Ms. Jessi Combs, who was a grand Marshall in 2016. And so had you ever heard of Jessi Combs prior to finding out we were the charity partner foundation, or is this all new?
Audrey:I had heard a lot of good stuff about that documentary that had come out. Um, and just how amazing she was. and just, you know, how I really, really needed to watch it, you know, because that's how important she was and how inspiring she was.
Tamara Robertson:What's it been like to see the little girls when they see us in that vehicle?
Audrey:It has just been the most touching thing ever. You know, the little girls, but also the older women, too. You know, talking about how, oh, I wish I could have done this when I was younger, but, you know, there was no way we could have done this, right? And so that... inspires me to keep going because you know for all the women that weren't able to you know for all the women that couldn't so it's just oh it's just amazing to see everybody
Tamara Robertson:That's incredible because like I said, you're the youngest one here surrounded by a bunch of, you know, of all ages, you know, so you're getting the gamut of the pipeline of women in this industry and all the different stories that we have and experiences. And so I have to ask if you, you know, speaking of like passing the torch and, you know, this older generation of women giving insights and we've got the grand marshals that have been sharing so much knowledge with us, If you could go back 15 days and give yourself advice about this event, what would it be? So if you met yourself in 10 days.
Audrey:I would just say listen to everybody, you know, and I have, but listen to everybody even more because everyone here has got good stories to tell, good advice, and, you know, anybody here will help you out as well, you know, and it's just amazing.
Tamara Robertson:And so speaking to, you know, kids of your generation and younger, if they were looking to get into the automotive motorsport side of it, what's some advice you'd give them?
Audrey:Learn in any way you can, whether it's a YouTube video, you know, somebody, you know, open your ears, listen, because that's the way you're going to learn and you're going to make connections as well. You know, try to make connections with people because that will go so far.
Tamara Robertson:I love that. And so I have one question that I ask every guest that's on the show. And that is, if you were a superhero, what would your superpower be in a while?
Audrey:I think I'd like to be invisible, you know, just to, yeah, sure. Just to be able to kind of, I feel like that that would be good and helpful sometimes. So, okay. I got asked because
Tamara Robertson:when people want to be invisible, like there's, there's a couple of different reasons that could drive that. So are you going to be one of those sneaky invisible people? Are you going to be, are you going to use your power for good or evil?
Audrey:I think good. I think for good, you know, maybe I can sneak in all the bad guys or something
Tamara Robertson:like that. I like that.
Unknown:Okay.
Tamara Robertson:And so we are headed to the finish line today in Irmo, South Carolina. We are super excited to be on our way. This has been an amazing adventure. Some of us like Audrey have been on it much longer than the rest of us, but thank you for joining in this journey for the great race.
Tamara Robertson:That is it for this episode of Tinkering Belles. This episode is assembled and ready for delivery. Audrey, this has been amazing. Thank you so much. Like literally we would... literally not get to where we're supposed to be going if it was not for you and we wouldn't have a vehicle to do it so
Audrey:thank you so much.
Tamara Robertson:I want to thank you for choosing tinkering bells as your user's manual for all things maker on a bi-weekly basis if you want to continue to hear more don't forget to rate and review the show on your podcasting app of choice as well as sharing it with your friends i look forward to seeing you next week until then don't forget to keep making