Quote:
Originally Posted by pennsiveguy
I was hard-core DIY in high school and first couple of years of college when my dad still owned his farm/feedlot. Replaced the starter on my '76 Chevy Monte Carlo at -15F outside with no shelter, laying on my back and keeping the wrenches inside my coat so they wouldn't freeze to my hands the moment I grabbed them. Probably rebuilt a couple dozen Rochester carburetors, which could be tricky. Then I got busy playing in bands and working and I didn't have the time to work on much except oil changes and maintenance. Then I moved to the city and we sold the farm and I had no place to work on anything.
Flash forward to 2001, when I built my cabin. Somewhere along the line I had realized how much I missed wrenching, and the feeling of accomplishment and connection to the car. Even before the cabin was built, I put up a 32'x72' pole barn with a concrete floor and one end finished and heated and insulated. I've since added a new better floor with a new polyurea coating. And a double pedestal reach-under hoist. And an above-ground fuel tank. There are still things that I'd rather turn over to someone else, but for the most part I'm loving being DIY-capable again.
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I started to DIY cars out of necessity. I couldn't afford a new car when I was 16. Before smart phones, if you wanted to hang out with girls, you had to actually drive to see them (yeah, crazy idea that is nowadays). So I bought $200 used cars and had to repair them to have personal transportation.
Lucky for me my dad was an avid DIY'er of all things mechanical and domicile and I was his go-fer as a youngin'. So I picked up his love of repairing things and learned tools at a young age and thankfully have his aptitude for it as well. Of my three brothers, I'm the most afflicted
(gifted?). So it turned into a hobby for me. A great hobby since it saves money and is beneficial in life. I can't imagine living life not being able to fix stuff. My dad built his own radios, TV, stereo and voltmeter (from Heathkit). I vividly remember him building the TV on the dining room table; I think I was 6 or at most 8 at the time. I had other men of my dad's generation who honed my DIY'ing skills as well; friend's fathers who needed their son's friends to help work on houses, etc.
Based on my pic posted above, I may be a bit too much into it? Shit, I don't know; but as rich.wolfson previously said, it's therapy.