Why is it?... A rant/observation

[Jrgunn5150]

Lol, I understand, I think I actually got through in at least one case. The PI swap was one of the thing's I had in mind as an example too. I understand people want to get as much knowledge as possible ahead of time, but alot of people want you to hold their friggin hand the whjole way...

As far as gloves go, lol. I swear I get a set for Christmas every year... I always lose the right ones, since I can't feel anything and take it off, lol.

but arent you a professional...Im mean a mechanic by trade?

I'm not a mechanic, I've been a machinist, and held several office job's. I always wore gloves in the machine shop. Those chips are razor sharp.

 

[scarface]

Lol, I understand, I think I actually got through in at least one case. The PI swap was one of the thing's I had in mind as an example too. I understand people want to get as much knowledge as possible ahead of time, but alot of people want you to hold their friggin hand the whjole way...

As far as gloves go, lol. I swear I get a set for Christmas every year... I always lose the right ones, since I can't feel anything and take it off, lol.

but arent you a professional...Im mean a mechanic by trade?

I'm not a mechanic, I've been a machinist, and held several office job's. I always wore gloves in the machine shop. Those chips are razor sharp.

ok, my mistake.

 

[uncltrvlnmatt]

I enjoy working on my car, that said I am not going to be stupid about it. When it came time to put gears in it, I sent it to somebody to do. I have done a ton of rears befor. Ford 9 inch and Mack duel reduction rears. The difference is doing an 8.8 rear on your back under a car or a 9 inch on a bench.

I have built engines in my kitchen. I have built more engines than most of you guys put together. Small block Ford, big block Fords, Mack E-6 2Valves, E-6 4 valves, E-7 4 valves, E-7 E-Tech.

More Trans jobs than you can shake a stick at. I would not even attempt to try and count how many clutches I have done.

But when it comes time to install the long tubes and full exhaust on my car, I am going to pay somebody to do it. I do it at work all day, I don't want to do it at home to. The last thing I want is for my fun time in the garage to become a chore.

I am 43 years old, I don't want to lay on my back, drop the K-member and fight with a set of headers. When you get to be my age it is about working smarter, not harder.

 

[Black97GT]

Old guys FTW!

 

[bluestang1724]

i do most of the work on my car but there are some things that im not gonna take the chance with like tune and gears, just things like that. but just about everything else i do myself

 

[ddrracing]

I am also a firm beleiver in doing your own work.

I am 18 years old, and got my first car when I was 11. It was an 85 Mustang 2.3 with a blown motor. The guy who gave it to me also gave me a decent short block with the car. Now mind you, i was 11 and within 6 months, I had that new short block in their and the car running (things take a little while when your that small!)

Everything i have ever learned has been hands on experience, and just getting in their and figuring it out.

The only thing that i EVER pay anyone for is shortblocks. I have a engine guy who assembles them for me, while i am standing their helping out. From their on, it goes on the stand in the shop and gets assembled the rest of the way. As far as assembling rear ends go, that is not rocket science either. You get yourself a manual, a vice and a nice dial indicator and your in business.

Also, this leaving the tuning to the pros is a bunch of BS. With a proper education on the inner workings of your cars ECU, you can essentially do anything you want with it. I myself, even if i were not tuning, would like to understand what the hell is making my car tick.

And as for taking anything to the "professionals," In the past 6 months, i have not seen anything come out of a shop that wasnt laughable. I mean buddies of mine, taking cars to exhaust shops, only to have it fall of weeks later becasue the dumbass didnt use rubber isolators. Tire shops putting unidirectional tires on backwards, hell even had a friend who went in for an oil change, and the dumbasses drained his transfer case instead of the damn motor. IMO, mechanics are just as retarted, if not more, than the common gearhead. The only mechanic i trust, is my dads best friend, who had been with ford for almost 40 years.

Also, all you people out their who use the excuse that, "i need to drive it to work the next day," my advice to you is that, your project/fun car mixed wiht your daily driver, does not work too well. Do yourself a favor, and take that next 6 or 7 hundred bucks you might spend at a shop and get yourself a beater. Hell, I myself drive a damn purple escort to work everyday, that cost me 400 bucks.

Ive been waiting for an opportunity to say this but, get off your lazy asses and learn something. Dig in their and figure it out. QUIT MAKING EXCUSES!

 

[jfor441]

I am also a firm beleiver in doing your own work.

I am 18 years old, and got my first car when I was 11. It was an 85 Mustang 2.3 with a blown motor. The guy who gave it to me also gave me a decent short block with the car. Now mind you, i was 11 and within 6 months, I had that new short block in their and the car running (things take a little while when your that small!)

Everything i have ever learned has been hands on experience, and just getting in their and figuring it out.

The only thing that i EVER pay anyone for is shortblocks. I have a engine guy who assembles them for me, while i am standing their helping out. From their on, it goes on the stand in the shop and gets assembled the rest of the way. As far as assembling rear ends go, that is not rocket science either. You get yourself a manual, a vice and a nice dial indicator and your in business.

Also, this leaving the tuning to the pros is a bunch of BS. With a proper education on the inner workings of your cars ECU, you can essentially do anything you want with it. I myself, even if i were not tuning, would like to understand what the hell is making my car tick.

And as for taking anything to the "professionals," In the past 6 months, i have not seen anything come out of a shop that wasnt laughable. I mean buddies of mine, taking cars to exhaust shops, only to have it fall of weeks later becasue the dumbass didnt use rubber isolators. Tire shops putting unidirectional tires on backwards, hell even had a friend who went in for an oil change, and the dumbasses drained his transfer case instead of the damn motor. IMO, mechanics are just as retarted, if not more, than the common gearhead. The only mechanic i trust, is my dads best friend, who had been with ford for almost 40 years.

Also, all you people out their who use the excuse that, "i need to drive it to work the next day," my advice to you is that, your project/fun car mixed wiht your daily driver, does not work too well. Do yourself a favor, and take that next 6 or 7 hundred bucks you might spend at a shop and get yourself a beater. Hell, I myself drive a damn purple escort to work everyday, that cost me 400 bucks.

Ive been waiting for an opportunity to say this but, get off your lazy asses and learn something. Dig in their and figure it out. QUIT MAKING EXCUSES!

Umm... Like I said in an earlier post. I am at a point in my life that I can afford to take stuff to a shop if I want to. There are things I can and will do. There are other things that I will leave to trained professionals. I choose to drive my Mustang for a daily driver. That is why I bought it. If my car needs to be fixed so i can drive tomorrow you better beleive I will have it at a shop that can get it fixed ASAP for me.

 

[Paul]

I am at a point in my life where I can afford to take stuff to a shop if I want to as well. Still, I don't. From what I've seen shops do a worse job than I can do myself and I'm certainly not a naturally gifted mechanic. When I was 18 years old I probably couldn't change my own oil without help.

Paul.

 

[ddrracing]

A majority of these "trained professionals" are not even trained anymore, or in some cases, my 13 year old brother can do a better job than some of them. From what i have seen, despite training and thousands of dollars of schooling, a lot of the younger generations of mechanics dont know the ass from a hole in the ground. Just my opinion.

 

[Jrgunn5150]

"Put two lugnut's on loosely, get going about 30 mph and jerk the wheel back and forth, that'll pop the rotor off of there..."

"Tha kickdown cable is better left unhooked" (regarding a 7004r that requires the kickdown to not only be hooked up, but adjusted properly since it controls the line pressure)

" These shims in your rear-end aren't the stock shims, you need the stock sized shims" and to hell with a fancy dial indiacator...

"4.6, you have a V6 in there..."

These are just a few thing's the "pro's" at local speed shops have said to me, or around me... Yes some are truly good, or even great at what they do, no doubt. But somehow I keep finding hillbilly's everywhere I go... So I keep laying on my back.

 

[Petek]

I am at a point in my life where I can afford to take stuff to a shop if I want to as well. Still, I don't. From what I've seen shops do a worse job than I can do myself and I'm certainly not a naturally gifted mechanic. When I was 18 years old I probably couldn't change my own oil without help.

Paul.

I agree with you fully. Mechanics dont give a shit about your car, they just care about getting paid for it, and getting it out of their shop. The only work i dont do is warranty work on my truck , it gets taking to to the ford dealership i bought it from, but as soon as the warranty is up it aint going no where but my garage.

 

[Dalamar]

Good discussion in this thread.

I've done everything I could myself on my car. a big part if it the learning curve. I remember the first time I had to remove my Headlights and adjust them, it was like a 2 hr pita job.

a lot of this is your experience and economic situation.

Also finding someone good to do the work for you is a job in itself.

I had my motor assembly, rearend assembly and tune done at a shop.
I did everything else on my car myself. some of it was a big PITA, just part of the whole enchalada :santa_smiley:

 

[Jrgunn5150]

The old saying comes to mind regarding mechanics, a good mechanic is expensive, a bad mechanic is very expensive....

Not only are the just plain shady out there, but the incompetent. I'm sure there are plenty of intelligent, honest, well informed mechanics, but I never find them, just hillbilly's, damn hillbilly's.

 

[Dalamar]

lol, that's true