Torrington's Oliver Wolcott Tech students repair 'unfixable' truck

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From left, Oliver Wolcott Tech automotive repair students who worked on John Noelke's 2002 Nissan truck include seniors Jace Lyons, Ryland Cardillo, John Alexander, and juniors Duncan Williams, Adon Burrell and Paul Ledda.

John Noelke had a new engine installed in his 2002 Nissan Frontier, at the Oliver Wolcott Tech automotive shop in Torrington.

Students in Sean Sarta's automotive repair class successfully repaired John Noelke's 2002 Nissan Frontier, after he was told by other repair shops that the truck was "unfixable." The students installed a new engine, which Noelke purchased himself, as well as other needed repairs. Pictured from left are Sarta, OWTS junior Duncan Williams, Noelke, and juniors Paul Ledda and Adon Burrell.

Students in Sean Sarta's automotive repair class successfully repaired John Noelke's 2002 Nissan Frontier, after he was told by other repair shops that the truck was "unfixable." The students installed a new engine, which Noelke purchased himself, as well as other needed repairs. Noelke, right, chats with OWTS junior Paul Ledda, left, and Duncan Williams.

Students in Sean Sarta's automotive repair class successfully repaired John Noelke's 2002 Nissan Frontier, after he was told by other repair shops that the truck was "unfixable." From left, OWTS juniors Duncan Williams, Adon Burrell and Paul Ledda talk about replacing the truck's engine.

Students in Sean Sarta's automotive repair class at Oliver Wolcott Tech in Torrington, successfully repaired John Noelke's 2002 Nissan Frontier, after he was told by other repair shops that the truck was "unfixable." Sarta, left, is pictured with his friend and mentor, Ray Royals, who retired from OWTS as auto shop teacher in 2022, but still helps out and substitutes when he's needed.

TORRINGTON — The auto shop at Oliver Wolcott Tech is full of cars and trucks, all in various stages of repair. It's also full of students and teachers working together to get them fixed.

A group of juniors and seniors, students of shop teacher Sean Sarta on May 3 celebrated the completion of a repair job for Howard's Book Store owner John Noelke, who brought his 2002 Nissan Frontier pickup to OWTS. He needed the engine replaced and had been turned down by several garages before he decided to call the high school. "They said it was unfixable," he said.

"I had my furnace replaced by a guy who was also a graduate of OWTS, and I found him after I called some other places, and they said it was too big a job," Noelke said. "This guy was great, and he knocked it down in four days. So I thought, why not call the high school? They do auto repair."

In January, he had the truck towed to the high school's auto shop and ordered an engine from a parts dealer in Massachusetts. But when it arrived, the engine was faulty and had no compression. Noelke said the dealer took it back and sent another engine. "By this time, we're into February, then March," he said.

Then, the OWTS auto shop got busy. The shop students and teachers didn't abandon it, but replacing an engine is a big job, and the truck also needed other repairs. So Sarta and his students continued to work on it between other jobs.

"We spent time figuring out what parts we needed and got those parts," said junior Paul Ledda.

Once the engine was installed, the wiring completed, and the connections made, the truck started, but there was no power. "It just wouldn't go," said junior Adon Burrell. "It had no oomph."

"We tried different things to get it going," said junior Duncan Williams.

"There was no procedure to follow to get John's truck running," Sarta said. "It was trial and error. They figured this out themselves. They didn't want to give up on it.

Noelke said, "There was a point where I thought we were just going to bag it. Then one day about two weeks ago, Sean calls me up and says, 'We got it!' and it was such a relief."

Ray Royals, who retired in 2022 after teaching at OWTS for 34 years, is Sarta's mentor and encouraged him to apply for his job. Sarta was hired, and Royals is still part of the auto shop family, working as a substitute teacher. When Noelke came to pick up his truck, Royals was there, beaming with pride.

Burrell, Ledda and Williams were three of the students who worked on the truck, along with seniors Jace Lyons, Ryland Cardillo and John Alexander.

Ledda, who works for a Goshen fabricating and welding company, said, "I'm a gearhead, and I learned about cars from my dad (the late Paul Ledda Sr.). When I was in middle school, I knew I wanted to come here.

"Mr. Royals is great, and Mr. Sarta's the best thing to happen to this school," he said.

Burrell, a diesel mechanic at Torrington Diesel, believes he's getting the best experience for his career. "The work we get to do is awesome," he said. "It's great experience."

Burrell won second place in this year's Skills USA competition, which is rare for a junior, Sarta said. "He was up against a lot of seniors, and he did really well," he said.

Williams is also a mechanic at Village Service Center, a repair shop in Thomaston. "I started tinkering with cars first, but I wanted to learn more," he said.

Royals, who took the reins from his father, the late John Royals, as a teacher at OWTS, said he sought Sarta out when he decided to retire. "His level of expertise sets him apart," Royals said. "The kids do phenomenal work here."

Mike DiCandia, another shop teacher, said the OWTS students are like a family. Before coming to Torrington, he taught at Platt Tech in Milford and Bristol Tech in Bristol. But OWTS has become home, he said.

"It goes well here because of the students we attract," he said. "They want to do this work as a lifelong career, and it's their passion. There's big interest and big demand for experienced mechanics. Many of our students have family who also came through the program, and they already have that interest."

Sarta's proud of his students. "It's really cool to see how these guys all stepped up," he said.

For information on OWTS and its programs, visit wolcott.cttech.org