Sophomore Lucas Lacayo watches intently as he carefully fixes the engine of a car, his hands moving with practiced precision. What started as an after-school hobby, working on cars with his dad, quickly grew into a passion for Lacayo. For him working on cars is more than just a job, it’s a pathway to new opportunities and a way to connect with his dad.
“I help my dad out with his cars,” Lacayo said. “I have since I was little, probably around 5 years old. He buys and sells cars and owns his own part shop, Tru Motorsports, Indianapolis, that I’ve been working at since I was 12 years old.”
Lacayo has learned there are a lot of components that go into cars, and certain ones do their own job to help the car be able to work properly.
“I usually replace the wheels, tires, fix leaks, pumps, electronics and screens, or bumpers and wide body kits,” Lacayo said. “Fixing and putting in exhausts and turbos, blowoff valve. Taking different parts and altering them and cutting them to fit different parts like the fenders and side skirts. Bolting them on. Replacing dashboards with new electronics.”
Lacayo has to find time away from school and make sacrifices so that he can still have time for his sports and his job at the part shop.
“I usually only fix cars on the weekends or before sports after school,” Lacayo said. “I balance working in the part shop, playing soccer and getting all of my school work done well.”
A skill with such precision often requires lots of time and practice, and often, a guide. Lacayo was instructed everything he knew about cars and how to fix them by his dad.
“My dad taught me how to fix cars,” Lacayo said. “He really got me into fixing them, and I like doing it. My favorite part is seeing the final product. I love to see all my hard work paying off. Being around cars every week since I was little gave me a good background on cars and different parts and mechanics.”
Lacayo says he enjoys his job because it gives him the opportunity to have hands-on experiences and prepares him for later in life.
“My favorite car is a 1987 Porsche 944,” Lacayo said. “I have one and I plan on driving it when I get older. I like it more than others because it is mine, and I fix it myself. I can do whatever I want with it.”
Along with the successes from working on cars, there are some obstacles that Lacayo had to overcome in order to be good at his craft.
“Some struggles I’ve been through are breaking down on the side of the road, having to push cars, screwing in different parts that are in the middle of the motor you kind of have to shove your hands in,” Lacayo said. “My engine overheated due to a coolant pipe bursting and the car was smoking. That means every couple seconds I would dump water into my engine in order for it to drive 40 minutes home.”
Although working with cars is a job for Lacayo in high school, he plans to focus on pursuing his major in business to become a financial analyst and keep cars as a hobby in the future.
“Although I enjoy building and fixing cars a lot, I would probably not do it as a job when I’m older,” Lacayo said. “I might do it more like a big hobby that I do for fun outside of work.”
