shade tree mechanicis

[hondo76]

how many tdpri members are good ole fashioned gearheads or shade tree mechanics
im defenitly one all my brothers and buddies come to me for thier brake jobs and oil changes or to diagnose more serious problems

gearheads stand up and be counted for the busted knuckes you are about to recieve

[boris bubbanov]

I'm a retired gearhead.

I like getting in the engine compartment with the motor. You can't do that on the new ones. I'm also not computer savvy enough to reprogram all these new functions; that's where the development will be.

[Slow Reflexes]

I'm not a shadetree mechanic, but I am a roadside wrencher. We don't need shadetrees in Oregon... we gots clouds already.

Only things I'll pay anyone to do on my cars are tires and alignment. Well, A/C work I guess I'd have a shop do... but I don't have A/C.

[hondo76]

new cars are to complicated it use to be the only tools u needed were a 9/16 1/2 7/16 and a 5/8 but not no more

[hondo76]

my truck dosent ac either

[Nick JD]

New cars aren't complicated - old mechanics are dumb .

I'm pretty sure Stagecoach mechanics thought the Model-Ts were way too complicated. Safety, fuel economy and emissions control are why cars are complicated. Check out the road fatality rates in the seventies compared to now ... I'm glad cars are complicated .

[meyekel]

Another gearhead here. I rebuilt the engine on my 1973 BMW 2002 and gave it a good bump while I was in there. Changed out the stock suspension with coilovers upfront and dropped it about 2 inches. I wish I had more time to devote to her right now but that's life. She hibernates from the first snow until spring. It is a great car to work on too, the engine compartment actually has an engine in there! Gotta love that German sense of design and functionality!

[e-merlin]

Considering that I swapped an engine in a blizzard using a come-along winch and a tree for an engine lift, and put a new clutch in a loaded truck in a field, I suppose you could call me a shade tree mechanic. There isn't much I can't fix. And I also build guitars and computers for fun. Next up? Amps.

[Trimmed&Burnin]

I was a good shade tree mechanic so I put myself through school,
they smoothed off my rough edges, in my hands they put new tools
my instructor he once told me, I could work on any line
Cause I could make a deisel sing just like Patsy Cline oh, just like Patsy Cline

I have a 52 Chevy one ton panel. I just built a 1957 Corvette 283, installed a 76 Impala TH350, and a 308 68 Chevel rear end. 1957 was he last year of the front motor mounts. I'm ready to start thinkin about the body now.

[Hockey Rocker]

My friends growing up were all about cars. Their dad owned a gas station. I tinkered with a 1962 Plymouth Belvedere while they were rebuilding their Camaro and Mustang. The last time I laid eyes on that Belvedere was 1979 and have rarely touched a greasy wrench since.

[e-merlin]

Originally Posted by Hockey Rocker

The last time I laid eyes on that Belvedere was 1979 and have rarely touched a greasy wrench since.

I never touch greasy wrenches. I keep my tools pretty clean so I don't slip of 'em when I need to grip 'em the most.

Now, keeping my guitars in order is another problem...

[geoff_in_nc]

I used to be. Back in college I completely rebuilt a Datsun 510 engine in a friend's carport. It even drove when I finished with it! I've done some work here and there on my cars, I've installed a couple or three clutches and installed a new suspension front and rear on a BMW 320i I once had, but these days I typically only do oil changes, tire rotation, and disk brake pads.

[Jakedog]

I did all of my own work for years. Re-built engines, souped up my rides, etc. So did my brother. I never liked it. It was just a means to an end. If you wanted to drive, you had to wrench. If you wanted to go really fast, you had to wrench alot. Not these days. I'm great at working on cars, and there isn't much one could possibly need that I couldn't handle. But I hate doing it. So I don't anymore. I have a really good independent shop up the road, that does better work than anywhere else in town, at about half to two thirds the price of everybody else. When my rides need some attention, that's where they go. I drop 'em off in the morning, pick 'em up the same day, everybody's happy, and I don't have to spend the day getting dirty and pissed off.

[fltpkr]

Another "has-been" here. I owned VW's for years and tore down and rebuilt several from the front bumper to the handle on the engine compartment.(yes, this was back when the engine was in the rear)
I also had a '46 Studebaker truck that was an ongoing project for a few years. The only thing I do these days is routine maintenance. I'd rather spend my time building guitars and fooling around with pedals and amps.

[jhundt]

I was always a wanna-be shade-tree guy. I still try to do whatever I can for myself. I messed up a lot of the things I tried to do, so I guess I am not a really succesful or talented mechanic. But I really value knowing what is going on in there, and how it all works together.

Here in Holland they don't have a clue! No Dutch 'man' would EVER change his own oil... You take the car to the dealer and let it be done by someone else! Brake shoes (or pads) - forget it! This has been going on for a long time, too.

Back in '79 my (future) wife had an old Simca 1000 w/ leaf-springs on the front axle. One day she hit a curb and broke off one of the bands that holds the spring together. I spent a few days trying to find the part at çar shops' and wrecking yards. All I ever heard was "it is not possible to repair this in Holland". I finally fixed it with big old hose clamps.

Does that give me any claim on shade-tree-mechanicness?

[6942]

I just retired in January after 30+ years as a train mechanic.
I'm a very good mechanic who dislikes being a very good mechanic.
Everyone I know within a 25 mile radius of me.....expects me to service their vehicles?
I don't have a problem doing it for family and close friends.
But neighbors, my wife's co-workers, friends of my children.....
Word-of-mouth is a good thing when you own your own business.
But I have better things to do than crawling under a neighbors Chevy or Ford!?
The fact that no one mentions $$$ makes me feel like an automotive social worker?

Steve

[woodman]

i used to know at least enough to clean my points with a dollar bill, but nowadays i can't even get my hands in the engine compartment!

[Stubee]

Another has-been, though never a great one. Did change clutches, a tranny, lots of brake jobs, starters, worked on carbs (poorly), all the old tune-up stuff (remember how points used to burn up in about a year?), lots of other stuff. Had fairly good luck except for the tranny I blew while demonstrating a new clutch "bite" to my young wife. It was her car and I said "Now watch this!" as I popped the clutch one block from our house, and her little Vega lurched then hopped painfully across the intersection. Tranny fried because I failed to check the seal--I thought my buddy had done it so totally my fault--and this was a real big mistake because it took me forever to find a used Vega 3-spd. box because they blew up on their own anyway.

Also was completely mystified by a Maverick (remember those?) that sat under my shade tree for a week with me trying to get it back on the road. It would run/quit endlessly. Tried every fuel & spark trick in my book & was just about ready to toss it in and tow it to a repair shop when the wire from the condensor (remember those?) somehow drew my attention. I touched it, it was broken but intermittently grounding. Problem solved.

I never did a complete rebuild and now I hardly ever work on my cars or truck except for simple stuff like plugs, wires, etc. Heck, they run fine forever compared to my old stuff. Seems like I spent half my time as a young man hanging over the fender of some old heap...

I do have a '95 5.0 Mustang that could use some "hopping up" but just haven't got to it.

[boris bubbanov]

Painting lacquer on cars is how I got started doing finishes. It may seem like fun but the preparation just went on forever, because there's nothing worse than applying finish and seeing a small spot you missed.

Guitar necks and bodies are a much more manageable size project.

I wonder what happened to the guys who really could tune multiple carburetors and who could build a clutch that could withstand lots of hot launches. I used sticks from 1977-2005 pretty much exclusively, but before that, I could see the advantages of an automatic when others were too proud. Once I was ready to behave myself, then's when I went to sticks and I never in that time (Scout's Honor) hurt a clutch enough to have to re-do it, which was amazing (It is flat in N.O.).

[emu!]

Worked MANY times on my own vehicles. Mainly because I couldn't afford to pay someone to do it. But I would NEVER try to work on someone elses vehicle. I usually do the "learn as you go" technique. Clutches, A/C, brakes are only fun if you have the time and tools to do it properly, IMO. There is a sense of personal accomplishment after the work is done though.

[tubesandteles]

I was raised a shade tree mechanic and now Im an ASE and General Motors certified technician. Its all about electronics these days but the fundamentals are still there

[Nick JD]

I once levered a head off a Honda Civic with a fence post, it was baked on. Replaced the gasket and placed the newly planed head back on. Did it all up, picked up the distributor and realised I'd forgotten to mark the position. I then had to try to start the car in every position - and that thing had a lot of teeth in its cog!

That was after I refilled the oil. I pour in about three liters and checked the dipstick ... no mark. Huh. Pour in more ... still no mark. Huh? Look down at my feet and the oil pooling on the garage floor ... DOH! SUMP PLUG! You idiot.

Then (as I'd used the old plugs) I decided a new set of plugs was needed too, so I stripped the third cylinder's plug thread.

I've driven 20,000 km in a 1000cc Leyland Mini with a baked-bean can rolled up and clamped either side to hold the exhaust together. A bit of exhaust and sound escaped around the clamps - it's sounded as mean as a 1000cc mini could.

Cam bushes, engine replacements in bikes, brake overhauls, panelbeating with a lot of bog ... now I leave it to the professionals, and I haven't got a chunk of flesh missing from my hands since.

[JKjr]

Originally Posted by boris bubbanov

Painting lacquer on cars is how I got started doing finishes. It may seem like fun but the preparation just went on forever, because there's nothing worse than applying finish and seeing a small spot you missed.

Guitar necks and bodies are a much more manageable size project.

I wonder what happened to the guys who really could tune multiple carburetors and who could build a clutch that could withstand lots of hot launches. I used sticks from 1977-2005 pretty much exclusively, but before that, I could see the advantages of an automatic when others were too proud. Once I was ready to behave myself, then's when I went to sticks and I never in that time (Scout's Honor) hurt a clutch enough to have to re-do it, which was amazing (It is flat in N.O.).

I'm the guy. I've been an ASE Certified Master Tech since the early 80's. Cut my teeth on 427 side oilers, multiple carbs, dual points, the whole nine yards. Want to know how to take all the fun out of your hobby? Start doing it for a living.
Decades devoted to keeping up with the latest electronics have kept me at the top of the game, but sadly most of my former contemporaries have fallen victim to the same "progress" that has kept self proclaimed shadetrees out of the engine compartment, and their unique knowlege and abilities have been lost to us.
It is inevitable that the automotive service industry must evolve with emerging trends in manufacturing. The neighborhood auto shop staffed by "gearheads" is disappearing at an alarming rate due to the disposable nature of today's automobiles combined with the steadily declining pool of qualified and experienced technicians, many of whom are finding out the hard way that this profession requires an enormous and ongoing outlay in tools and diagnostic equipment for very little financial reward. Add in the countless hours spent in training to "keep up", and you'll be looking for more lucrative career opportunities in a hurry. This profession has been good to me, but the good times are essentially over. Anybody starting out now, God bless ya, and the best of luck to ya.
All my hotrods are gone now, except my Hotrod 62 Reissue strat. And if I can sneak it past mama, I'll park a Hotrod tele in the "garage" along with all the other toys.Glad I didn't fubar this hobby!:

[Nick JD]

Originally Posted by JKjr

I'm the guy. I've been an ASE Certified Master Tech since the early 80's. Cut my teeth on 427 side oilers, multiple carbs, dual points, the whole nine yards. Want to know how to take all the fun out of your hobby? Start doing it for a living.
Decades devoted to keeping up with the latest electronics have kept me at the top of the game, but sadly most of my former contemporaries have fallen victim to the same "progress" that has kept self proclaimed shadetrees out of the engine compartment, and their unique knowlege and abilities have been lost to us.
It is inevitable that the automotive service industry must evolve with emerging trends in manufacturing. The neighborhood auto shop staffed by "gearheads" is disappearing at an alarming rate due to the disposable nature of today's automobiles combined with the steadily declining pool of qualified and experienced technicians, many of whom are finding out the hard way that this profession requires an enormous and ongoing outlay in tools and diagnostic equipment for very little financial reward. Add in the countless hours spent in training to "keep up", and you'll be looking for more lucrative career opportunities in a hurry. This profession has been good to me, but the good times are essentially over. Anybody starting out now, God bless ya, and the best of luck to ya.
All my hotrods are gone now, except my Hotrod 62 Reissue strat. And if I can sneak it past mama, I'll park a Hotrod tele in the "garage" along with all the other toys.Glad I didn't fubar this hobby!:

Well said, JK. I think this century's gonna produce gearheads who talk over beers about voltage and discharge rates and amp draw. Perhaps it's not too soon? I dunno - a burbling V8 as a museum piece? Probably .

Push this button to hear what our forefathers drove. Listen to the primitive internal combustion as it slowly poisoned the air.

The idea of 100% torque being available at 0 revs in appealing.

This brings some hope: