We’re a dying breed.

[Ez ryder]

4 hours ago, ActionfigureJoe said:

Young people today don’t know how to fix anything. Not only that, but few have any interest or take any form of satisfaction in fixing a mechanical device. 

It is not just young guys some 40ish to 50ish members of this fourm cant even change a fuse 

[Anler]

The good part of that is people who know how to fix things can make a good living fixing stuff for people who don't. 

[Shifty]

I’m lucky both my sons like to fix things. Or they’re just cheap like me lol. 

[Mainecat]

I just retired my 98 f150 it had front frame cancer. Ordered it from the factory 221,000 miles. Just thinking I changed the oil every 4,000 miles. 54 oil changes I did. Come to think of it I have never paid for a oil change in my life.

I have to change the lower blend door actuator on my Expy. It clicks like a chicken when the climate control calls for a temp change. I changed the upper last year....20.00 part, 3 hour job cause it’s behind the back up screen, below the stereo. The lower one is below that. The entire dash, console and shifter needs to come out. Guy on google said dealer quoted him 1000.00. All labor. When it get warmer I’m diving in. Part is 20.00.

 

 

[SayatodaU.P.eh?]

4 hours ago, ActionfigureJoe said:

Young people today don’t know how to fix anything. Not only that, but few have any interest or take any form of satisfaction in fixing a mechanical device. 

I see it both ways. I’ve been an automotive tech for 25 years now. The industry is struggling to find new blood for sure. I work with a lot of younger guys currently and most of them are pretty sharp and hard workers. My father was a parts manager at a GM dealer. I had to learn everything I know on my own so I know what it’s like for some of these kids to start from scratch. 

1 hour ago, racinfarmer said:

I learned after the first time doing it on the Malibu we had it was well worth the $50 the shop by our house charged to just let them deal with it.

If I was the GM engineering manager, I'd have fired every engineer that had anything to do with that design except one to bare witness to the following ones of what not to do.

I sooooo need to get my shop going at home. That’s an EASY $50. 

[Tomas.]

11 minutes ago, Anler said:

The good part of that is people who know how to fix things can make a good living fixing stuff for people who don't. 

 

I made a few bucks over the last two afternoons doing some rear drums and a rear axle seal on a 2006 Silverado. 

[DriftBusta]

5 minutes ago, Mainecat said:

I just retired my 98 f150 it had front frame cancer. Ordered it from the factory 221,000 miles. Just thinking I changed the oil every 4,000 miles. 54 oil changes I did. Come to think of it I have never paid for a oil change in my life.

I have to change the lower blend door actuator on my Expy. It clicks like a chicken when the climate control calls for a temp change. I changed the upper last year....20.00 part, 3 hour job cause it’s behind the back up screen, below the stereo. The lower one is below that. The entire dash, console and shifter needs to come out. Guy on google said dealer quoted him 1000.00. All labor. When it get warmer I’m diving in. Part is 20.00.

 

 

Hey some people don't care what they drive.  I get it.  But jesus guy, sitting in the same clapped out seat for 22 years?  Thats like wearing the same pair of pants for 22 years.     The rest of it, I am right with ya.

[racinfarmer]

7 minutes ago, SayatodaU.P.eh? said:

I see it both ways. I’ve been an automotive tech for 25 years now. The industry is struggling to find new blood for sure. I work with a lot of younger guys currently and most of them are pretty sharp and hard workers. My father was a parts manager at a GM dealer. I had to learn everything I know on my own so I know what it’s like for some of these kids to start from scratch. 

I sooooo need to get my shop going at home. That’s an EASY $50. 

I couldn't get one of the bolts at the very upper back of the bumper facia back in.  It was a bitch.  Makes me miss the older POS's I drove in high school where we just pulled a couple plastic clips and the whole headlight falls into your hand.

[Mainecat]

8 minutes ago, DriftBusta said:

Hey some people don't care what they drive.  I get it.  But jesus guy, sitting in the same clapped out seat for 22 years?  Thats like wearing the same pair of pants for 22 years.     The rest of it, I am right with ya.

I have been driving my Expy Limited for 6 years. The pickup became my spare, lumberyard truck and cigar ashtray back then...lol

[DriftBusta]

8 minutes ago, Mainecat said:

I have been driving my Expy Limited for 6 years. The pickup became my spare, lumberyard truck and cigar ashtray back then...lol

Got ya.  Thats what I plan on doing with this RAM I just bought.  

[1jkw]

20 minutes ago, DriftBusta said:

Hey some people don't care what they drive.  I get it.  But jesus guy, sitting in the same clapped out seat for 22 years?  Thats like wearing the same pair of pants for 22 years.     The rest of it, I am right with ya.

Funny you say that I just replaced the seat bottom on my 03 ram CTD 190,000 + miles hope to keep it till i'm dead.

 

[DriftBusta]

1 hour ago, racinfarmer said:

I learned after the first time doing it on the Malibu we had it was well worth the $50 the shop by our house charged to just let them deal with it.

If I was the GM engineering manager, I'd have fired every engineer that had anything to do with that design except one to bare witness to the following ones of what not to do.

One of my pet peeves in life is how some of this shit is engineered.  Any motorized device is going to require maintenance, so don't build things with zero consideration of what will be required to maintain them.

[Ez ryder]

57 minutes ago, Mainecat said:

I just retired my 98 f150 it had front frame cancer. Ordered it from the factory 221,000 miles. Just thinking I changed the oil every 4,000 miles. 54 oil changes I did. Come to think of it I have never paid for a oil change in my life.

I have to change the lower blend door actuator on my Expy. It clicks like a chicken when the climate control calls for a temp change. I changed the upper last year....20.00 part, 3 hour job cause it’s behind the back up screen, below the stereo. The lower one is below that. The entire dash, console and shifter needs to come out. Guy on google said dealer quoted him 1000.00. All labor. When it get warmer I’m diving in. Part is 20.00.

 

 

And how many coil packs ? I know my old 97 was on like#12 when I dumped it with like 190k on it in like 05 

[SayatodaU.P.eh?]

56 minutes ago, racinfarmer said:

I couldn't get one of the bolts at the very upper back of the bumper facia back in.  It was a bitch.  Makes me miss the older POS's I drove in high school where we just pulled a couple plastic clips and the whole headlight falls into your hand.

Like my 2006 Grand Prix and 2006 Silverado? Yeah, those are pretty easy. People make a mountain out of a molehill with the new shit but I work on it everyday so it's easy for me. Now, home construction, electrical, plumbing etc, I'm lost. I can do basic simple shit but I just sunk $8,500 into a new roof and the fucker leaks. It really makes me wish I knew more and could do that shit myself. I hate fucking hacks. It makes all tradesmen look bad. 

58 minutes ago, DriftBusta said:

Hey some people don't care what they drive.  I get it.  But jesus guy, sitting in the same clapped out seat for 22 years?  Thats like wearing the same pair of pants for 22 years.     The rest of it, I am right with ya.

I gave up the rat race of owning new last May. It was fun while it lasted but a HUGE waste of money. Gonna work on paying off the house before I consider getting anything newer in the garage. 

36 minutes ago, DriftBusta said:

One of my pet peeves in life is how some of this shit is engineered.  Any motorized device is going to require maintenance, so don't build things with zero consideration of what will be required to maintain them.

I'm close to the engineering side of things and honestly, the newer shit looks harder to work on but I really don't think it is. I can tune a carb and set points with the best of them or I can diagnose a brand new engine or electrical issue. Doesn't matter to me. Truth is, newer vehicles honestly typically do more than older vehicles and don't really break as much as we might think they do. Not condoing what design and engineering does but what they do accomplish with newer vehicles is pretty impressive too. 

[Guest]

5 hours ago, s pump said:

My wife always is saying I can't believe you fixed that. Most times it's because I'm too cheap to pay the guy. As I get older, I tend to pay the guy more and more.

yes

[Mainecat]

27 minutes ago, Ez ryder said:

And how many coil packs ? I know my old 97 was on like#12 when I dumped it with like 190k on it in like 05 

Just 1. The exhaust manifolds were another story

[Mainecat]

58 minutes ago, DriftBusta said:

One of my pet peeves in life is how some of this shit is engineered.  Any motorized device is going to require maintenance, so don't build things with zero consideration of what will be required to maintain them.

Was gonna trade it on the Expy. Sales noob says I can give you 800 bucks for the f150. I said how about I keep the f150 and you take 800 off the sale. For 800 bucks I kept it.

[racinfarmer]

33 minutes ago, SayatodaU.P.eh? said:

Like my 2006 Grand Prix and 2006 Silverado? Yeah, those are pretty easy. People make a mountain out of a molehill with the new shit but I work on it everyday so it's easy for me. Now, home construction, electrical, plumbing etc, I'm lost. I can do basic simple shit but I just sunk $8,500 into a new roof and the fucker leaks. It really makes me wish I knew more and could do that shit myself. I hate fucking hacks. It makes all tradesmen look bad. 

I gave up the rat race of owning new last May. It was fun while it lasted but a HUGE waste of money. Gonna work on paying off the house before I consider getting anything newer in the garage. 

I'm close to the engineering side of things and honestly, the newer shit looks harder to work on but I really don't think it is. I can tune a carb and set points with the best of them or I can diagnose a brand new engine or electrical issue. Doesn't matter to me. Truth is, newer vehicles honestly typically do more than older vehicles and don't really break as much as we might think they do. Not condoing what design and engineering does but what they do accomplish with newer vehicles is pretty impressive too. 

I'm normally not one to shy away from doing something like that, but you can only fuck with it for so long in your driveway before you say to hell with it and move on with life.  I have a pic of it all ripped apart somewhere.

[Angry ginger]

got a new project sitting in the garage.  Never worked on a SxS before but I will figure it out like i did sleds and what i've had to do on vehicles.  Figure by the time the wifes home tomorrow afternoon it will be in pieces.  Got to try to figure out whats in it for a lift and clutching as the stock tires are 27x 7x 12 and this thing has $1500 worth of basically new 32x10x14's on 14x8 rims on it so it's way wider than stock as they also have spacers so I will see how bad the rub is without before i try to sell them.     

My list so far

most likely new wheels and tires, remove lower light bar,  rewire upper light bar and rear light bar to dash switches,  rewire the soundbar,  oil change, diff and trans changes, new belt and clean up some surface rust on the bumper and tire carrier and repaint them.   

 

[Ez ryder]

35 minutes ago, Mainecat said:

Just 1. The exhaust manifolds were another story

Man I was blowing them like a brick of firecrackers on the 4th . I always had 1 in the glove box. But never a manifold leak 

[Ez ryder]

7 minutes ago, Angry ginger said:

got a new project sitting in the garage.  Never worked on a SxS before but I will figure it out like i did sleds and what i've had to do on vehicles.  Figure by the time the wifes home tomorrow afternoon it will be in pieces.  Got to try to figure out whats in it for a lift and clutching as the stock tires are 27x 7x 12 and this thing has $1500 worth of basically new 32x10x14's on 14x8 rims on it so it's way wider than stock as they also have spacers so I will see how bad the rub is without before i try to sell them.     

My list so far

most likely new wheels and tires, remove lower light bar,  rewire upper light bar and rear light bar to dash switches,  rewire the soundbar,  oil change, diff and trans changes, new belt and clean up some surface rust on the bumper and tire carrier and repaint them.   

 

Why not just burn the rubber on it ? 

I am buying MT truck tires next time around . Last a lot longer prob a life time on a sxs and will go tbrugh anything I need them to  . Tons of guys around my cabin run truck tires and swear by them . And are going thrugh the same swamps I am 

[Angry ginger]

Just now, Ez ryder said:

Why not just burn the rubber on it ? 

I am buying MT truck tires next time around . Last a lot longer prob a life time on a sxs and will go tbrugh anything I need them to  . Tons of guys around my cabin run truck tires and swear by them . And are going thrugh the same swamps I am 

riding a 60 wide system that has gates with a machine thats now sitting about 65 won't be fun.  i'll prob get 50 cents on the dollar for the tires rims and spacers and then buy some used rims and tires myself.  

[Blackstar]

I used to fix my trucks myself all the time. Now most of it gets done by a mechanic. I still do some simple things, especially if I don't want to wait.

15-20 years ago I'd do front u-joints, repack wheel bearing and front pads on my 3 F250's just for maintenance. One time I broke 2 leaf springs in the back of my F250. I called my friend at a wrecking yard and had him throw a used pack in to the ditch outside his main gate so I could pick them up after hours. I picked them up, took them home and pulled the packs apart in my driveway and had it back together by 11pm working with lights. Neighbors must have thought I was nuts.

These days I mostly fix my personal stuff as its more fun and less time dependent.

My son does a fair bit of repairs on his own stuff. Sometimes he asks for my help. Sometimes he just Youtubes it.

[Superair]

6 hours ago, DriftBusta said:

My ex wife was a spendaholic.  Didn't matter if it was expensive pens, shoes, phones, computers, toys for the kids, whatever.  She'd just buy new shit all the time.  Then we'd have to buy Rubbermaid totes to store it all in, then shelves to stack it on.  Then when she finally moved out, I had to rent a 30 yd dumpster to get rid of all of it.  It kind of describes how much of our society lives nowadays.

My ex and your ex must've been sisters. 

[Big Crappie]

My oldest son says lazy fucks that can't fix their own shit are great for business and he very much appreciates them. I'm lucky to have 2 sons that were interested at a young age in working with their hands. They are both in trades making good money now.