I was lucky enough to inherit a school shop my father had opened 20-something years before I took it over, with only a 7 years' gap between us. Dad had what was probably the best-equipped high school auto shop in Tennessee at the time, with full machining capabilities including cylinder boring equipment, a head and block mill, Sunnen hone, and a Winonna seat and guide machine. The shop also had a Bosch floor-mounted chassis dyno, and a Go-Power bellhousing dyno. In the same wing of the building, there was a welding shop, an aircraft shop, a machine shop, a body shop, commercial refrigeration, building trades, electronics, and woodworking. Elsewhere in the same school there was a print shop, commercial art, photography, and commercial foods. In all, the school opened with 22 trade and industrial programs, and a total enrollment approaching 3,000 students. The building covered 10+ acres on three floors, and the campus was close to 50 acres.
I had a sweetheart deal with a couple of local race car owners- - - -they provided the financing, my students built and dyno tested NASCAR-specification short track engines,. and kids who were at least 16 years of age could compete for a summertime position on several pit crews. Some of those same kids from 15 years ago or so have their own race teams now.
Jerry
