I use to love this stuff (working on cars.) (muscle car, auto, gaskets)

[CALGUY]

Since I owned my first car way back in 1956, I have NEVER let any one work on any of my vehicles except those that were still under warranty.
At 73, I still enjoy working on them, and as long as the good Lord will let me, I will continue to do all the work on them.
About a month ago, I removed, and installed a rebuilt engine in my best friends Thuderbird.
Over the years, I never trusted others to work on my vehicles because I am extremely fussy about repairs.
I wouldn't want any one to work on my vehicles that didn't know what the hell they were doing, and especially any of my classics.
Bob.

[jambo101]

I used to enjoy working on cars but now its faster to just bring it to a professional and let them do any repairs or needed maintenance , maybe its old age lazyness on my part or the fact that we now live in the city and everything has to be done in the street or/and cars just arent that important to me any more as long as the appliance gets me from A-B reliably thats all i'm caring about.

[d4g4m]

Not too long ago, you could open a hood and see the engine. Working on an engine was simple and I worked on alot of older cars. It had a carburator, an alternator. Open a hood today and all you see is hoses, wires, relays, sensors, big black plastic covers. It can take awhile to find the battery.
Had to replace a water pump on the Honda. Who knew it was operated by the timing belt. Jack up car, remove wheel, remove mud flap, remove alternator belt, remove pully, lift valve cover, remove timing belt cover, remove water pump. Alternator also has to be removed through the wheel opening.
No more easy fix for anything on a new car. Hope the fuel pump holds out since it's in the fuel tank.

[StealthRabbit]

My dad did that routine (went from Mechanic to NOT TOUCHING his cars).

with 28 beater cars and at least that many 'other' projects with engines (dozers, tractors & Semis to lawn mowers & weed eaters + 7 motorcycles) wrenching does get old at times... (especially in the fall, trying to get ready for winter, AND doing Harvest).

I already 'retired' twice, and that didn't work... I guess I will just have to die to be done wrenching.

I really much prefer 'building' inventions to building cars. Welding, cabinetmaking, wood turning, and CNC machining take precedent to wrenching.

I will make up (4) 52 mpg Passat wagons (converting GLX VR6 to TDI, as well as turbo my StealthRabbit, and Caddy, then rebuild my CAT, Tractor, and MACK, and call it good (till next winter).

I would REALLY like to make a cool and dependable e45 Studebaker Truck (Detroit Diesel Power, of course). My favorite job... circa 1973-1980 an 865 mile trucking route... I had to wrench on ole'#13 7 times in one night to get home under her own power. She had 3 million miles, so I cut her some slack. She ALWAYS brought me home, and when you had just spent 14 hours driving through WY, SD and NE blizzards, you were ALWAYS glad to get home !

Oh, and to get electronic ignition for the XS2... THAT would be an improvement in 'wrenching' activity
http://www.google.com/search?q=xs2+y...w=1260&bih=739

Syncing Carbs and Timing is not as much fun now as it was 40 yrs ago as a 'flat-tracker' when filling the spectator's beer cups with dirt was half the fun of racing
http://media.photobucket.com/image/f...5onslide-1.jpg

[jambo101]

An old favorite of mine ..

Oil Change instructions for Women:

1) Pull up to Jiffy Lube when the mileage reaches 3000 miles since the last oil change.
2) Drink a cup of coffee.
3) 15 minutes later, write a check and leave with a properly maintained vehicle.

Money spent:
Oil Change $20.00
Coffee $1.00
Total $21.00


Oil Change instructions for Men:

1) Wait until Saturday, drive to auto parts store and buy a case of oil, filter, kitty litter, hand cleaner and a scented tree, write a check for $50.00..
2) Stop by 7 - 11 and buy a case of beer, write a check for $20....00, drive home.
3) Open a beer and drink it.
4) Jack car up. Spend 30 minutes looking for jack stands.
5) Find jack stands under kid's pedal car.
6) In frustration, open another beer and drink it.
7) Place drain pan under engine.
8) Look for 9/16 box end wrench.
9) Give up and use crescent wrench.
10) Unscrew drain plug.
11) Drop drain plug in pan of hot oil: splash hot oil on you in
process. Cuss.
12) Crawl out from under car to wipe hot oil off of face and arms.
Throw kitty litter on spilled oil.
13) Have another beer while watching oil drain.
14) Spend 30 minutes looking for oil filter wrench.
15) Give up; crawl under car and hammer a screwdriver through oil filter and twist off.
16) Crawl out from under car with dripping oil filter splashing oil everywhere from holes. Cleverly hide old oil filter among trash in trash can to avoid environmental penalties. Drink a beer.
17) Buddy shows up; finish case of beer with him. Decide to finish oil change tomorrow so you can go see his new garage door opener.
18) Sunday: Skip church because "I gotta finish the oil change." Drag pan full of old oil out from underneath car. Cleverly dump oil in hole in back yard instead of taking it back to Kragen to recycle.
19) Throw kitty litter on oil spilled during step 18.
20) Beer? No, drank it all yesterday.
21) Walk to 7-11; buy beer.
22) Install new oil filter making sure to apply a thin coat of oil to
gasket surface.
23) Dump first quart of fresh oil into engine.
24) Remember drain plug from step 11.
25) Hurry to find drain plug in drain pan.
26) Remember that the used oil is buried in a hole in the back yard, along with drain plug.
27) Drink beer.
28) Shovel out hole and sift oily mud for drain plug. Re-shovel oily
dirt into hole. Steal sand from kids sandbox to cleverly cover oily patch of ground and avoid environmental penalties. Wash drain plug in lawnmower gas.
29) Discover that first quart of fresh oil is now on the floor. Throw
kitty litter on oil spill.
30) Drink beer.
31) Crawl under car getting kitty litter into eyes. Wipe eyes with oily rag used to clean drain plug. Slip with stupid crescent wrench tightening drain plug and bang knuckles on frame.
32) Bang head on floorboards in reaction to step 31.
33) Begin cussing fit.
34) Throw stupid crescent wrench.
35) Cuss for additional 10 minutes because wrench hit Miss December (1992) in the left boob.
36) Beer.
37) Clean up hands and forehead and bandage as required to stop blood flow.
38) Beer.
39) Beer.
40) Dump in five fresh quarts of oil.
41) Beer.
42) Lower car from jack stands.
43) Accidentally crush remaining case of new motor oil.
44) Move car back to apply more kitty litter to fresh oil spilled
during steps 23 - 43.
45) Beer.
46) Test drive car.
47) Get pulled over: arrested for driving under the influence.
48) Car gets impounded.
49) Call loving wife, make bail.
50) 12 hours later, get car from impound yard.

Money spent:
Parts $50.00
DUI $2500.00
Impound fee $75.00
Bail $1500.00
Beer $40.00
Total-- $4165.00

-- But you know the job was done right

[ranger17]

back home in early 80's, i went to tech school for their auto program. Had visions of learning that trade and rebuilding my 70 1/2 Camaro's motor & trans at same time. I enjoyed working on my friends' and my cars back then, as most were of the muscle variety. So far so good... then a Dodge Omni rolled into the shop for a clinic on fwd, FI, etc. And then more learning on what was the new technology of the time. My visions of modding v8's was quickly being replaced by more realisitc ideas of what my career would be like.
I realized while i liked working on "my" car, i couldnt see myself working on others. So changed programs, and except for odds and ends stuff worked on over the years i never got back into being real hands-on with my rides.

[Brian_M]

Originally Posted by Fargobound

Has anyone else gotten to the point where they loathe the thought of wrenching on cars? I once was an ASE certified mechanic years ago and hated it in the end. It’s now trickled into my personal vehicle. I just spent 2 hours changing an oil pump seal on my Accord and I hated every single moment of it.

Not yet, but I'm only 38. No 'national' certs for motorcycle mechanics (myself), but I have several factory certificates indicating that they trained and certified me. Maybe I still enjoy doing it because the MC industry is so riddled with crap shop owners that I only worked for someone else over 2 years before splitting off on my own about 14 years ago.

I'm not too keen on working on cars that belong to someone else (parents, friends, etc...), more because I don't like to deprive them of the vehicle as I learn. But I'll gladly take their money for motorcycle/atv/utv/tractor/mower/snowmachine/etc... work.

[SK360]

When I bought my 09 G8 GT I said I wasn't working on it after going through many bleeding skinned knuckles with my 05 GTO.

Time came for an oil change and I tried to tell my self it would be ok and to take it to the dealer. Got in the car and ended up at Autozone buying oil. I just can't do it, I can't let someone touch my car and wonder if it was done right.

[MustangEater82]

I usually do all my work. Recently I paid like $800 for a fuel pump replacement on a cavalier. I was in process of relocating my family for a job. All my tools were 500 miles away, and my car had broken down out a dealership that had a car rental. That quickly reminded me, I enjoy doing my own work. WTF, 5 days, and $800, the freaking car sold for $2500.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2

[SuperSparkle928]

In response to "I use to love this stuff (working on cars)"

I am in the same boat with you.
When I got out of college, it was ground-up building of pro-street cars, blown motors, tubbed, full cages.... first one took me almost 2000 hours to make (well, moving the rear frame rails in for the first time took some effort, and I had to borrow a friend's dragster building frame, so when I cut the frame the doors still worked fine, and a 4-link with panhard took me a while to fully design). (heim joints rule!)
Now I don't even know how to change the wipers on my car.
What happened?