Got Hired As A Pit Crew Member? What The Job Entails And What You Should Stock In The Pit
Posted on: 13 June 2018
There are two different auto jobs that are referred to as "pit crew." The one involves working in the oil change pits. The other involves working at a racetrack in "the pit." Whichever one you were hired to do, you best be ready for it. This involves stocking your "pit" with all of the right tools and supplies. The following shows, by "pit" type, what you will be expected to do and what tools and supplies you will be expected to have on hand.
In Oil Changing Pits
Oil changing pits are those openings underneath cars when you drive up to a lube shop and the technicians guide you in over the pits. A pit crew member here has to go down into the pit, which is usually a lot like a basement under the shop. The crew members have complete access to the undersides of the vehicles without having to wiggle or wriggle underneath the car or put it up on jacks.
Along the walls and cubby-corners of these pits are shelves. The shelves hold quarts of oil of all kinds, weights, and brand names, as well as oil filters. There are also several accessories for oil changes and engine inspections, plus engine belts, air filters, etc. Your tools line another wall. You should have a complete socket wrench set, some standard-size flat head screwdrivers, some Phillips-head screwdrivers, and various other kinds of wrenches. Always take inventory of what you have before you start changing a customer's oil.
In Race Car Pits
Race car pits are not really pits at all. They are quick-repair shops off the main racetrack where drivers can get the tires changed, oil and fluids checked, tank refueled, windows washed, and about a dozen other services completed in under two minutes. If your boss hired you for this job, make sure you know exactly what your task is so that you do not get in the way of the rest of the crew. If, for now, your boss only wants you to stock the pit, that is what you do.
That means there should be several dozen sets of tires at the ready, dozens of cases of oil, oil filters, water and fuel barrels, and all the tools needed to complete these related jobs. The high-torque wrench for the tire changes should be fully charged, the wrenches consistently placed where other pit members can find and grab them, and the cleaning bucket and squeegee should be present, but out of the way. To learn more about the above pit equipment, contact businesses like United Race Parts.
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