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Old 01-20-2020, 03:27 PM #1
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DIY Auto Mechanics Can Save You BIG Money

Hey Dudes,

Here's something a little different from @infamousRNR and myself. It's basically a discussion of why it's good to become a DIY Auto Mechanic but it also discusses other things like how I got my start turning wrenches. I'm kind of curious what you guys think. I know not everyone on this forum turns wrenches but a lot of you do. It would be cool to hear about your stories of how you got into auto mechanics. Hoping this starts a good discussion where we sort of get to know each other a little better.


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Old 01-20-2020, 03:43 PM #2
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diggin that handlebar Timmy

I got into working on cars mostly because my dad never took a car to a shop when i was growing up and decided no job was too big for our garage. It started out this way because my parents were broke but i think he kind of liked it as well and I'm grateful to have grown up learning about it all.
We'd spend weekends at pick-n-pulls finding parts to keep whatever cars we had running and once i turned 15 he handed me the keys to their busted ass saab 900 and told me if i wanted to drive i'd have to keep it running. I'll never forget, the starter was going out when i first started driving so until i could save up enough to replace it i either had to park on a hill and pop the clutch or tap on the solenoid to get it to fire up.

He always did it out of necessity and just to keep them running but i took it a step further and kind of fell in love with working on and modifying my vehicles.

I've helped a lot of friends save a lot of money on labor and tow bills when they have a starting issue and it never hurts to know a little about cars. Not even sure how much i've saved myself but i imagine if i wasnt into cars i'd probably not be buying projects and beaters
My 5VZ was my first block-up rebuild and I mostly did it for the experience and know-how but its nice to know its all fresh and i saved a ton of cash doing it myself. I was in way over my head but had a friend who is a mastertech help me through it all luckily.

edit: finished the clip, Your videos are great and perfectly thorough. I have some experience and still appreciate the details you always include because i know a lot better what i should expect when tackling a new job.
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Old 01-20-2020, 03:47 PM #3
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Love the video! I'm always looking for more T4R content, especially 3rd Gen stuff. I love your videos. I'm going to launch my own channel centered around my 99. I'm just waiting to hit 400k to really have some sweet content. I'm going to spend the next 10 years building and fine tuning it for epic adventures!
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Old 01-20-2020, 04:32 PM #4
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Started watching your videos Timmy. Love the content and attention to detail. Much better than the jackasses on youtube with questionable methods like welding balljoints or polishing headlights with toothpaste.

I was a Lexus dealership tech, still in the automotive industry but more R&D and marketing for different manufacturers. Only wrenching I do now is for myself and family, just don't have the facilities anymore to do any side stuff.

Not a story about myself, but one of the best Toyota Supra builders I know isn't a "pro", self-taught and works out of his house (although he recently started renting shop space). This article is at least 5 years old but is an example of his work, the car is just as nice in person 900 WHP Converted Street Toyota Supra Turbo While I'm on layoff I'll be helping him with engine assembly and wiring on some of his projects.
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Old 01-20-2020, 05:45 PM #5
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I didn't know anything about cars, my dad wasn't around so I had to teach myself "man stuff". Plus I have a mild learning disability which makes it hard to comprehend books so I probably appreciate your videos more than most. I started off working on my lawnmower which gave me confidence to try stuff on the 4runner and now I feel like I could do pretty much anything if I have the tools.

Oil/diff changes, next the sway bar bushings and end links, next the LBJs (mostly because I couldn't afford the labor). That went easier than I thought so I did more and more and it's really enjoyable now (especially with a second vehicle around). The BEST thing is simply knowing how everything works for trail repairs and not getting bamboozled by shops.

I'm a programmer so I need things to be true/false so it took a while to figure out there is a lot of grey areas with cars. It doesn't have to be perfectly to spec and often you need to use some judgement and tricks. Went easier once I got comfortable to that.

Keep up the good works.
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Old 01-20-2020, 05:54 PM #6
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Consider two books that will explain more about this mindset:

Memoirs of a Hack Mechanic

and

Shop Class as Soulcraft
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Old 01-20-2020, 05:58 PM #7
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Mine was kinda a weird one. I'd never really been into fixing things with my dad (I'd rather stay in and play video games), but I always had a good work ethic. I'd been mowing lawns since I was 7 (to finance my first GameBoy and PlayStation).
At 16, I got my first job, and started saving money for my first car. Found a 1982 Jeep Wagoneer with a bad engine (lower end knock). My dad being a car guy said, "hey no problem, buy it and we'll fix it up and you'll learn a thing or two. A month tops to get it at least road legal".

So $600 and I brought the Wagoneer home. Yeah, that month turned into...almost 7 years? We got the engine pulled and rebuilt and prettied up and put back in but the damn thing was a giant money pit and was never reliable. The engine rebuild itself took over a year (I, a then 16 YO, funded the entire thing). Luckily I could walk to my job.

Technically the jeep finally became street legal (no smog needed; it was over 25 YO), but we could never get the carb tuned right, the tranny wouldn't hit 3rd, and then just every little janky thing started dying (30 year old car; it's to be expected, but still.) Not for a 1st car. I needed something marginally reliable that wouldn't just stall out going 50.
To fix all these issues, I spent a bunch of time online researching these FSJs and the AMC 360 V8 engine and the Torqueflite727 3-speed auto tranny, etc, etc. Research became my part time job. And I found that I loved it. I loved knowing how things worked, even random, piddly shit. .

My dad had pretty much stopped helping with the project, but I kept it going (kinda).
I kinda feel like my dad wanted a father/son project and got in over his head with that one, that I ended up footing the bill for when he realized the scope.
So I think my dad got what he wanted and 'taught' me, but kinda by throwing me in the deep end of the pool and saying "swim".
He told me it was a good deal to buy and that it'll work in a month and then realized that the engine rebuild would cost $$$$, and that I didn't make much $$$$, etc. I was a bit naive there, but I think so was he.
But it was for the greater good, overall, even if only by accident.


But after that 1st year and still not having it reliable, I wound up buying an old Explorer that at least started every time. I got married a year after (barely 18). The Jeep stayed in my dad's garage and became our tinker/project vehicle while my wife and I rented an apartment. Then we rented a house with a garage and I got the Jeep for a couple years. My wife and I each had a car then (4Runner and RAV4) and the Jeep was just the project/fun vehicle.

I was working on and maintaining our DD vehicles during this time with the wrenching/researching skills learned from the Jeep (It had a good forum presence, too)

When we bought our house, I sold the Jeep because it was just starting to get in the way and had outlived its usefulness and fun, honestly.

I paid about $3k total in overall cost/repairs over 7 years, and sold it for $1500. So took a loss, but gained a ton of valuable DIY skills, which directly translated to my saving money with my wife's RAV4 and my 4Runner, so it's definitely a long-term financial win.

In almost 5 years of ownership, I've never had to ask my dad for help on anything concerning the 4Runner or Rav4 except the TB, but that was solely because I was not sure I'd be able to get the crank bolt torqued down again (my dad is a big guy). I wound up doing 85% of the work.
My cars have never seen a shop, except for a completely boogered u-joint that even my press couldn't get out. I can't begin count the $$$$ that the Jeep taught me how to save, simply by DIYing and researching.

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Old 01-20-2020, 06:03 PM #8
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I have been wrenching for thirty years. I am guessing I saved saved myself and others north of $150k in that time. I have found that costs were not outrageous when I was a teenager and didn’t start to see an uptick in labor costs until the new millennium, or at least by 9/11. When the previous owners of my 99 4Runner were taking it to the dealer for basic services, the labor rate at the Yota dealer was $45 in 2002. Now they are averaging $150 on the East Coast.

Parts back then were not so much cheaper but for the most part much better made unless you want to include General Mess and Delphi, which dumbed down the parity level. Today it is all Malaysia and the PRC; seeing something made in Taiwan and Mexico today can make me giddy. Not too many made in Japan anymore.

Also I get to spend $$$ on some really neat tools. As the ex wife exclaimed more than once, I was married to them, not her. Probably a lot of truth in that statement.

Today it is mandatory to have some device to produce live data, though I still hear horror stories today of techs/mechanics with such devices as well as all the other tools at their disposal still firing the parts cannon with regular abandonment, hoping for a fix, without taking a moment to engage in a little critical thinking to produce a sound method to diagnose and repair correctly, even while working in the flat rate environment. So like Tim I’ll still be turning wrenches in 2020.
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Old 01-20-2020, 09:03 PM #9
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I started wrenching when I was a teenager back in 1981. Everyone one of my siblings had a Volkswagen beetle or two except for my father who was a die-hard "American car" only guy. (WW2 navy man he was) I loved tinkering with my 1972 super beetle and then a1960 36hp beetle which I regret selling. You could practically take the whole car apart with a screw driver and a crecent wrench!

Anyway, I can't count how much money I've saved doing everything from tune ups to exhaust to brakes. I have the oldest crappiest set of tools but I can still get it done on the trusty 3rd gen!
I've changed the plugs, alternator, brakes, starter contacts, air and fuel filter, all fluids and replaced things like the spare tire hoist and steering rack bushings with very little in the way of tools.
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Old 01-20-2020, 10:51 PM #10
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So glad you are a T4R guy Tim.

Your videos are among the very best on YouTube so we lucked out there with all your 3rd Gen content.

I first started wrenching because I was always so particular about my first several cars and didn't want any shop touching them. Over the years I've managed to keep my cars completely out of the shop except when my '85 Supra blew its computer and there wasn't much I could do with it.

Other that that, all the work goes on right in my own garage.

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Old 01-21-2020, 12:30 AM #11
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I started wrenching when I was 5. I was riding Yamaha gt 80 back then in the early 80s. Switched to riding mountain bikes at age 13 and road them until my daughter till 2014. When my daughter was born and hung it up. I come from a family of DIYs. However, from 5 up I was turning wrenches. My uncle who lived next door bought his first Toyota in 1983. When chevy came out with the chevy luv. He never bought another GM vehicle again.

The first Toyota my family owned was a 87 2wd pickup. I believe we got it in 91. I started driving in that year.

A year or so prior to driving. I got a hold of a 1982 Plymouth horizon. That I patched up and drove until I rolled it (well I still drive it till the inspection rain out ) when I was 16.

I bought another Dodge Omini that I dragged home and low and behold it didn't have a floor left. So I went to the junkyard and bought another Dodge Omini that a drunk driver crashed and bought it. I littery tore the entire car apart in the junkyard and the junkyard helper cut the car into pieces so I could take it home.

I actually drilled all the spot welds out of the wrecked car and took its floor and pop riveted it in the car that had no floor [ I didn't know how to weld yet as I was probably 17 years old at the time. ]

Anyways. I rebuilt the back rockers etc and changed the hatch with the junk car one and painted the entire car for 7 bucks. [ 7 cans of walmart Robin egg blue spray paint]

I drove that POS Dodge Omini nicknamed the blue whore until I was in college.

I bought my first Toyota 4x4 in 1997. Granted keep in mind I was also occasionally driving the 1987 2wd we had too.

I bought a 1983 4x4 Sr5 [1997] that I of course had to rebuild the frame and body and bed before I could drive it. So after I got it done 1998. The horizon was gone. I did everything myself except weld the frame and paint the truck. I did the body work though.

From 1997 till probably 2001 or 2. I accumulated the 80s Toyota pickups. In 2000 I bought a 87 long bed 2wd. I had 2 or more for parts one 2wd and 1 4wd.

In 2002 I bought a 1998 tocuma extended cab 5 speed that I drove until 2009. When Toyota recalled it paying me 3 or 4k more then I paid for it in 2001 and bought my 2009 4 door sport tocuma.

Oh we also had a 1990 Camry that was bought new and ran in the family till it rusted in half. A 2002 Camry took its place and we still have it

I bought a 1991 Camry[2010 or so] that I ran as a work beater until it was destroyed in 2014 when someone pulled out in front of me too close. This was the end of the Toyota cars for me. I am 6 3 and my shins took a beating in that crash.

When I got married in 2012. I scraped all my 80s pickup truck and sold my long bed 87 to my brother in law.

2015 is when I switched to the 3rd gen 4runners for my DD and work beaters. Tetanus 1 was bought first in 2015. 01 sport was 2nd a month or 2 later. My 5 speed was bought in 2017. My parts mobile in 2018 and silver one in 2019 along with my limited one in 2019 as they were a package deal.

I will probably sale 2 or 3 of these 3rd gens off my fleet when I am done fixing them. So I been rebuilding Toyotas for quite a long time now.

As you guys can see I mostly specialize in restoring and rebuilding the frames. As well as all the mechanics. As I do all of it myself now. Complete paint jobs though. I probably leave to the professionals as I am really rough with spray paints.

I sure have come along way since 5 years old and I am almost a history book for 80s onwards for the Toyota pickup trucks and 4 runners. Now at 43. I look back and darn I had and worked on a pile of Toyotas.



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Build Thread: https://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...os-builds.html
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Sparks Plugs Wire and Coil Information: https://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...on-5vz-fe.html
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Old 01-21-2020, 10:43 AM #12
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I'm with these guys ^^^^. Been DIY since 1990. I had no choice really. My dad is a car enthusiast and taught auto shop among other shop classes at the state community college, back when IT meant INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY. I've had dozens of cars/trucks/motorcycles and currently maintain a personal fleet of 8 vehicles that all run and drive on any given day.
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Old 01-21-2020, 11:13 AM #13
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My path started in the mid 80's when my dad bought a 1952 chevy 5-window truck off the Rez (indian reservation in Wyoming, rough and junky starting point, but cheap). I did next to nothing on that truck, he wanted me to strip the paint, by hand, with sandpaper.... but it's the first time I tried to turn a wrench (everything was rusted in place, he ended up torching off any fastener that need to be removed). As a kid, I hated getting my hands dirty or doing anything "shop" related (parents had a computer from 1984, and I was fully immersed in computers and gaming).

Skip forward to ~1992 and my college roommates had motorcycles and I wanted to join them so I bought the Worst possible thing to start with ~ an ex-roadrace 1100cc Honda CB1100F. Being a poor college kid, I had to learn to do the simple maintenance things that motorcycles meed... like adjusting the chain, replacing the chain and sprockets, changing brake pads, even ended up swapping out the rotor (charging system).... then something in the bottom end let go and I abandoned the bike.

Another couple years passed as I found myself homeless and drifting in life for awhile. First thing I did was buy a $500 motorcycle so I could expand my range from the bicycle I'd been using for my only transportation. Again I was required to do any/all maintenance myself, only this time I started to expand my skills to changing tires myself, doing valve adjustments, cleaning carbs and the like. Life continued to improve for me and I upgraded motorcycles (had to do an engine swap though), got into roadracing (LOTS of parts replacement, crash damage repair, and bike prep for passing tech inspections) and eventually wound up being the guy of our group of about 5 that worked on all the bikes.

That's when good advertising got me and I fell victim to it... and wasted a ton of money, a year of my life and abandoned a Very good job doing computer work for the Gov, to attent MMI/Motorcycle Mechanics Institute. Anyone who reads this, absolutely do *NOT* buy into advertising for mechanics schools. It's a rip-off, you'll get more benefit from buying a needs-work vehicle, a service manual and tools. Seriously, the only thing I "learned" was to grab the service manual, and then a whole lot of application of the knowledge within that manual.

But, a year of turning wrench does a lot for ones confidence of turning wrench. I shortly started to apply that confidence to 4-wheeled vehicles (had been motorcycle-only since that $500 bike mentioned above, borrowing or renting 4 wheels as needed), I bought myself a 'foul weather' vehicle, a Porsche 944-turbo.. lol. I did a timing belt, wheel bearings, upgraded wiring harness and lighting system, etc.... Sold that for my first Toy, a T100, and did manual hubs and basic maintenance (didn't need anything else for a decade/100k miles), then got married and put my wife in a diesel Jetta so I did work on that, and it's just kept going from there.

There's very little I'm not willing to do myself.. welding, that's something I've never touched and I have a car i the shop right now for a bunch of rust removal.


TLDR:Started out as a kid knowing nothing, was too poor to pay someone else so I learned a little and kept learning more and more, doing more and more, to the point where I'm willing to do dang near anything.


ANYONE can turn wrench, it's 90% confidence, 9% tools and 1% experience (IMHO). No one starts out as an accomplished mechanic, we all start with zero skills.
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Old 01-21-2020, 01:07 PM #14
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I'want to thank @mtbtim and @infamousRNR . your videos are free of assumtion and absolutely fantastic. My cousin a college student who had never picked up a wrench and relied on me every time I visited my family to fix stuff on her 4runner. She is able to do a tuneup' brake pads and oil change. Her words," Tim is not pretensious and does not make me feel stupid just because I don't know'stuff."
My maternal grand father was a railway engineer and hands on guy he did everything, work on cars, houses lawn mowers with a cigarette in his mouth and taught my mom who was a teacher by profession but a world class remodeler and tinkerer fixing everything, My mother remodeled every house we ever lived in and my dad who was a banker helped her sometimes grudgingly. They both pulled a Tom sawyer on my four siblings and I getting us to think that putting up and painting Waynes coating was fun. I know we were dupped
cause we used to fight over using power tools.
All of us grew up working as pre teens and teenagers. Had to make our own money to buy shit because it was tough to get money from our parents
My love of cars started cause of a 800 dollar 87 pontiac Fiero which broke down constantly costing tons of money, forcing me to buy a $500 1978 stick shift honda prelude with tons of miles which never broke down and was fun to drive. My wrenching started with street racing because of my best friend and a 1988 mustang gt 5.0. (Explanation , we raced out of the city on abondaned roads that were never used it was Saturday night thing.) I loved that car huge turbo, nitrous bottle, micky thompson fat slicks in the back' skinny tires in the front sounded mean and ran quater miles in 12 seconds. We wanted bragging rights and as the saying "pride goeth before a fall" little money = diy. The rest is history. I've gone through phases where because of time restrains I've had shops do work on my cars but I have to explain to them what's wrong with my car and what I want done.
e.g My power booster is'going bad my week is full so I called the dealer just to see if I can get it done simple job since I am going to buy an oem booster anyways. They want to charge me 1150 for thé booster and 2-3 hours of labor because they said they have to bleed the master and system. I tried to explain that they dont have to but to no avail. l just bought an oem on line for 700 and in the meantime pulled one from a parts truck on Craigslist for 50 bucks.
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Old 01-21-2020, 02:24 PM #15
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Tim, you nailed it. Have felt the same for a long, long time, about all DIY projects, not just automotive. I’ve said this to you before, but the same applies to home improvement. I imagine the two biggest investments we make in our lifetimes: homes and autos.

The inception of such a mentality often begins when we are younger, when we lack adequate funds to have others fix or build things for us. In retrospect, this is a godsend. As you accurately state in many of your videos, including this one, it’s confidence-building and for so many, inspiring in such a way that many continue, often expanding what they are willing to tackle, automotive and home.

At some point for most/many, we come into more money; yet, the DIY approach continues. For me, and I know others, we still keep doing so because of the satisfaction or even satiation it provides. There is a lot to be said about being self-reliant and independent. It’s damn liberating. I’m big on this to the point of cutting my own hair for about three decades. Yup, no barber for about 30 years! Do the math on that and the money and time-savings is pretty impressive too, lol. Yes, clippers, #4 guide. Dental tools? Yup, I know that’s a bit crazy. Managing my investments for decades also. There is much we can do, and do well.

Another benefit of being a DIY’er is the kudos and compliments received. Who doesn’t like that? That was never a motivating factor for me, but certainly a welcome one. Having family, friends, colleagues acknowledge the “awesome” tile work I performed in the bathroom of my first house or what I did to my FJ-40, were impressionable moments for me as a young man. My buddies were impressed, when I was dating, the women too. My parents being proud of their son, that he can take care of himself so well, grew to mean a lot also. That said, I was fortunate enough to grow-up seeing my dad perform maintenance on cars, repairs, on the home as well. He had a Fiat at one time, the f’in “Fix It Again Tony” ride that I remember well. He had one of the first Audis too…. My mom, by day, she was the first woman in her capacity at a very large Bay Area defense contractor, back then very male-dominated. On the weekends, she’d have a door off the hinges, on sawhorses, sanding it, preparing it for stain. So, I was inspired at a young age, and often. Regardless, I’ve taken it to a new level in our family, so I’m told and now believe.

Lastly, and it took me a while to recognize this, probably in my late 20s, early 30s, but often we ourselves will do a better, more thorough job. I know that sounds crazy to some, but I’m a firm believer that no one cares, or should care more about our stuff than us. It’s not that I’m a more knowledgeable and experienced mechanic of course, or carpenter, but that I will take the time to do it right or not skimp to save a few bucks using inferior materials. The guy who recently remodeled my mom’s kitchen had planned to return early the next day and walk on the tile he had just thinsetted into place early evening. When we spoke with him earlier he said he’d give it least day, and the plan was do so on a Friday so it can cure over the weekend. He’d return on Monday to begin grouting. That’s what he’d do in his home, he said. Stuff I wanted to hear of course. That all changed when his schedule slipped and he lost a week. He wanted the job done and to get paid. He made that clear. He was acting very aggressive with mom about it too. Suffice it to say, he was not permitted back into the kitchen until after 24 hours. Yes, people get taken advantage of, more so those who might not know better, like women, those later in years. My mom is both, but she expects it though. Many, many stories to share here, but you get the idea.

So, it summary, fixing your vehicles, making repairs on your home have multiple benefits. In my opinion:

- Saves money
- Builds confidence and instills pride in ourselves
- Makes us more self-reliant/independent
- Things get done better, the way we want, to our standards
- Can then help others with their projects, inspire them down this path

With the exception of the first, these are invaluable.

Having traveled a fair amount when I was younger, the DIY mentality was darn near non-existent in most countries I visited. Home improvement and auto parts stores didn’t exist like they did here. I was hoping to fix things for those I met on my travels. Unless in the trade, virtually no one had more than a hammer, a couple screwdrivers and crescent wrench in a kitchen drawer. More recent trips abroad show changes though, but nothing like in the States, not this pervasive. The can-do attitude is a relative thing. In some places, a person who changes the oil on his car and like service is viewed as being quite rare and even odd. Just an observation.

I’ve had my share of rides over the years. Instead of listing what I remember, I’ll say that I’ve had:

- American, European and Japanese
- Trucks, SUVs, couple, wagons
- Kit cars (BMW M1 inspired still have, not complete, and a Manx dune buggy)
- Four, six and eight cylinders
- Front, mid and rear engine
- Water and air-cooled
- NA and forced induction (SC)
- Various manuals and automatics, including a “hybrid” (’73 Ghia)
- FWD, RWD, AWD, 4x4…
- Solid axles, IFS, IRS…
- Road, off-road, track prep
- Various combos of disc and drum brakes

So, I just realized I never had a diesel, a turbo, more than eight cylinders, motorcycle, a reverse trike and others. It has been damn fun though.

It’s a hoot to figure stuff out, fix things, make improvements, have a desired end-point for a vehicle and get there. I wrench alone, and that brings-on its own unique set of challenges. Totally agree on the walking away and mulling it over approach. That comes with years and wisdom, at least for me. Feels damn good getting it figured-out and done though. I’ll share my most recent “win” as it highlights why I hope to keep wrenching for many more years.

I recently replaced the factory body mount bushings for poly ones. The front nut/bolt on the passenger side, unlike the driver side one, was not tightening. The head was spinning and I could not access the head with any tool. A winch control box was secured in that spot and I didn’t want to remove it as I spent much time positioning and securing it there. I thought a crow’s foot wrench might get in there, nope. If I could just hold the bolt head for a bit while I tightened the nut, it should bit, and I could then torque it to spec (25 ft-lbs). From under I could just barely touch the top of bolt head with my index finger. So, I began thinking. I had commented in my build thread about the super sticky Energy Suspension grease and how to not get this stuff on your hands. Well, I decided that I would do just that. I put a dab of the stuff on that index finger and then placed my smallest 14mm socket (1/4” drive) on it. I did a trial run, and it stuck to my finger upside down. By feel I was able to place the socket on the bolt head and by pulling the bottom of the bolt forward, the head moved reward away from the control box. By turning the nut a little, the socket dropped downward and captured the bolt head! I was then able to add a ¼” extension onto the socket, attach a ratchet to it and I was in business. Small in the whole scheme of things, but that essentially highlights what I enjoy about wrenching. Finding a way to get things done is rewarding.

Keep-up the great work Tim and Sean.
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