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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