Andrew Bookholt

Hello! My name is Andrew and this is my profile page. I was employed by iFixit from February 2009 to August 2011, and in that time I had the opportunity to author over 1200 repair guides and participated in countless teardowns (check out the contributions tab above). I hope you enjoy the page, and don't hesitate to shoot me an email if you have any questions or comments.

I graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in June 2010 with a Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering. As all the gray haired folks say, they were the best years of my life and I couldn't have chosen a better place to get a degree. My senior project involved the design and manufacture of carbon fiber/aluminum control arms, pushrods, and tierods for the front suspension of Cal Poly's mini Formula SAE car. They ended up being 40% lighter than the previous steel suspension components, and the longest member (~18" long) held over 1800 lbs in compression without buckling. I successfully passed the EIT/FE exam in April 2010. Areas of interest include machine design, design of composite structures, strain gage technology, oil drilling engineering, stress analysis, statics, dynamics, vibrations, failure analysis, and welding metallurgy.

Prior to attending Cal Poly, I graduated from Parkland High School in Allentown, PA.

I've had this car for over eight years, and in that time it has gone through quite the transformation. The major work I've done is listed below, from most recent backward:

• Suspension Components, Bushings, and Brakes
  • I've been slowly replacing all the bushings and rubber bits attaching various components to the chassis since I bought the car. Most recently, I rebuilt all brake calipers/emergency brake system and installed new rear brake hard lines, braided stainless steel soft brake lines, all four wheel bearings, urethane-filled rubber subframe bushings, trailing arm bushings, and the differential bushing. A couple of months before my most recent overhaul, I replaced the control arms and tie rods to further tighten the front suspension.

• Ground Control Coilovers w/ Single Adjustable Koni Dampers
  • This is by far the most dramatic modification I've ever done to my car. I decided to pony up and go with Ground Control's complete coilover kit which includes front camber plates, rear shock mounts, springs, adjusters, and custom valved adjustable Koni dampers F&R. I went with 440F/650R (lb/in) springs, and I disconnected the rear swaybar to avoid oversteer. Couldn't be happier with the results, minus the price tag. I also installed Treehouse Racing's solid control arm bushings shortly after the Ground Controls and I can confidently say that I'll never go back to rubber control arm bushings.

• Conversion from Automatic to Manual Transmission
  • This swap was performed over spring break during my third year of college. A very patient friend and myself swapped the following parts from a cosmetically totaled (but mechanically immaculate) 325is into my car: Engine, transmission, shifter assembly, steering column, pedal box, clutch hydraulics, steering wheel, steering rack w/ pump and hydraulics, DME, wiring harness, driveshaft, differential, and radiator. Also, during that week we replaced the rear subframe bushings, middle brake hoses, and rear shock mounts. Insane amount of work, but having that third pedal makes all the difference.

I've always enjoyed riding bicycles, but never could afford anything more than a Wal-Mart quality mountain bike. After saving for a considerable amount of time, I bought a Bianchi Via Nirone 7 in January '09. I haven't done any upgrades to it other than putting on Continental's GP Attack/Force tire set. It's a ton of fun, and I really should wear a helmet. Sorry, mom.

My dad bought this 1969 Nikon F in Okinawa during the Vietnam war. Luckily, my high school had photography classes with a well-equipped photo lab for developing pictures. For some reason, I don't have a picture of it with the lens on. Since all Nikon lenses use the same flange, I took the above photo of the body with the original 50 mm 1:1.4 Nikkor lens mounted to our D90. Some photos I've taken with it and personally developed: