Who am I and what is this blog all about?

My name is Garan, and I started The Service Station because there are so many blogs out there and so few dealing with automotive things. Most car blogs deal with the latest racing and new car news, and while that’s great, wrenching on cars and helping other mechanics is my passion.

This blog is about all things automotive; repair information and walkthroughs, tricks from more experienced mechanics (the “old timers” as they are affectionately known to some), tool and equipment reviews and shoot outs, garage organization and storage, and remembering our past as an automotive community and culture.

This blog is largely dedicated to my Papaw, Archie Raby, without whom I probably would never have gotten into the car game. He ran a service station in Oliver Springs, TN (my home town) for 30-some odd years. Hence the name of the blog. I grew up pumping gas and checking oil in that service station, but mostly I just ate all the food I could get away with :-).

What makes this blog different?

As I told you before, I want this blog to have a different attitude and content from other blogs I’ve seen. Above all, I want this to be a family friendly blog. Sorry if I sound like a party pooper, but on this blog there will be no foul language (that’s at my discretion, by the way), no inappropriate pictures, no innuendo, etc. I want a safe place for people to check up on car things and learn about cars. I want everyone to be able to look at this blog with their 6 year old boy and show him that you can be a clean, respectable car guy. Anywho, on with the introductions…

Why “The Service Station”?

When I was growing up working in Papaw’s service station, “Raby and Sons”, I remember him having an old barber’s chair in the middle of the lobby. Throughout the course of the day many people would sit there. Customers found that to be a comfortable waiting area while Papaw worked on their car, friends would come by and shoot the breeze during a business lull, other mechanics would come by and swap stories. That’s what I want this blog to be about! Friends sharing their stories and advice as well as almost all other things related to cars.

I hope that this blog will take us on a journey through the pages of automotive history and into the future. So buckle up and enjoy the ride!

P.S. Check back soon for the first “In the Shop” post!