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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mr. OAM" data-source="post: 368263" data-attributes="member: 9816">Ah yes, the old debate.If you live in an apartment complex where they don't allow you to work on your car then your situation is obvious.If you don't have tools to work on your car and that's why you take it to be worked on, because you take it somewhere to be worked on is the reason you don't have tools. A $300 craftsman set will enable you to do most work. You most likely paid that much or more in labor for that last mod.At 18, when I got my 68 Charger I had only changed oil before. I got a Chilton's manual to see how to do the brakes. Then, after reading car magazines I swapped the engine, and I hadn't even changed an alternator before.Here's things I've done on the wife's 66 Mustang...All New Springs All new shocks, KYB GR-2 New Gas Tank New Filler neck New Front and Rear Bumpers New Drip Rail Chrome New Grill Surround Chrome New Foglight Kit New Inner and Outer Door Handles and Locks New Trunk Lock New Window Crank Handles New Instrument Bezel, Immitation Woodgrain New Glovebox Door, Immitation Woodgrain New Glovebox New Woodgrain Steering Wheel New Rearview Mirror New Dashpad, Original Ford Tooling New Automatic Gear Selector and Bezel New Hump Hugger Console, Highway Cruiser MOdel New Tail Light Bezels and Gaskets New Front Turn Signals New Back-up Lights 4 New Wheel Cylinders All New Rear Brakes Front Brakes Replaced New Stainless Steel Brakeline from Master Cylinder to Rear Axle New Stainless Steel Brakeline from Axle to Wheel Cylinders New Left Side Mirror, Remote Control That's most of a list from her website. I also pulled the engine (alone) and cleaned up and painted the engine compartment. I rebuilt the engine into a 331 stroker and dropped it back in (alone). Installed subframe connectorsPower brake booster from 1987 Mustang - modified brake pedal for proper pedal height.Installed custom master cylinderBent new stainless front brake linesRebuilt front suspensionSwapped Granada disc brakes onto the carRelocated upper control arms per the "Shelby Drop"If I paid to have this stuff done .....let's just say all this stuff wouldn't be done.There's a couple things I did not do myself.I pulled and reinstalled the rear axle. A friend rebuilt the center section for me and also sandblasted the axle housing and coated it with POR-15. He charged me only $150.The tranny was rebuilt by a friend for only the cost of the parts. Too cheap and easy to pass on. He also does that for a living.The machining on the engine block was done at a professional shop.The money saved in doing it myself defeats any argument (except where living quarters are conerned) against having it done.SteveP.S. It would not be illogical to say that for the amount of labor saved above that it paid for my own Australian car. :coolsmiley:</blockquote>