Who regularly works on your car?

[The Beep]

So do you do your own work or pay a professional? I'm not talking about serious body/paint or engine machining. I mean regular stuff, swapping engines, tranny, wiring, interior stuff or installing that fuel pump etc....

Me I do pretty much everything because I like too (that's what I keep telling myself anyway) and frankly because I have no money to pay anybody else!

I'm curious because I see so many GORGEOUS vehicles here. Either everybody is way more talented than me (probably) or they have way more money than I do (probably!).

 

[bigredbird]

I do what I can, but my problem is finding the time for big stuff like you mention - wiring, engine swap, tranny fixes, frame repairs. So I was lucky enough to find a shop nearby (like, a mile from the house) where the owner only works on classics while the rest of the crew works on new cars. He loves cars and looks at it as almost a favor when I bring mine in for work, because then he gets to enjoy doing the job. Of course he charges for the work, but at really fair rates, and half the time if he does something "extra" he does it no charge because it was "fun." Like I said: it was pure luck finding this kind of place.

 

[djais1801]

I am not very mechanically inclined...if I hear something amiss, I can diagnose it pretty accurately, however other than tightening loose header bolts/valve cover gaskets, etc... Coupled with infant twin boys and 2 jobs...my work gets done by a local mechanic friend that charges me very little...PLUS I always refer people to his shop which helps keep my costs down.

 

[Sonny Black]

both...I am not too cool to ask for help.... ... ....

I can do bolt on stuff I sometimes know what need to be done BUT cannot do it myself
and ...Sonny works too many hours and sometime too tired to do heavy stuf...a lot of my buddies & I used to do wrenching together and now are dead , old, or also working & are
just too busy!:VB toast:
I have 3 0r 4 hour into working on it just this weekend....
BUT I WILL NOT LEAVE MY CAR WITH JUST ANYONE!!!!

:icon_sunny:


30 years ago It was a different story!

 

[Budnicks]

I pretty much do everything myself !!... except Machine work & final front end alignments, mainly because of equipment & tools... Always have, I don't really trust others, to do what I can do myself or what I can learn to do... I was taught early on, by a great car guy/gear head, my step dad Bob, started with bicycles, mini bikes, go carts, motorcycles/quads, cars/trucks, trailers etc....

 

[krowbar]

I will do just about anything that needs to be done like budnicks stated. As long as I have the right tools. Just get in there to see how it works, tear things apart and rebuild or replace. Grew up helping my dad piece together old vehicles.Swapping engines,bodies,frames....I guess that's why I like everything I own CUSTOM.Plus it's a great feeling to finish a project or a whole vehicle and say I DID THAT.

 

[satman72]

I try to do as much as I can myself, just because I figure I'll learn something. Sure, sometimes I don't have either the time, or the ability...typically it's time or possibly tools. At that point I take it to a local mechanic. Especially with my daily driver. The way I figure it is that with my "toy" I can afford to screw it up and spend time.

 

[Richard Cranium]

I pretty much do everything myself !!... except Machine work & final front end alignments, mainly because of equipment & tools... Always have, I don't really trust others, to do what I can do myself or what I can learn to do...

As with my left-coast counterpart, I do everything that I can myself, although I'll also add bodywork to the list of things I don't do.


And all this time you guys thought that I was just another pretty face.

 

[67 coronet]

i do everything myself.i run a large automotive repair shop(16 bays)and i used to have ase master tech certification.(expired now)anytime an older car comes in the shop,the techs ask me for help.pretty sad considering how much they get paid.

 

[snakeyes]

I`ve always done all myself ,but for the engine machine work , I have a friend that has his own shop do that but everything else ,its just me

 

[satman72]

I look at it this way. When I was a kid, I played with LEgo, Mechanno... A car is not any different. It's a bunch of parts that were put together to make one big thing. That's the easy part for me. Figuring out what exactly is wrong is the hard part. But, I figure, until I try, I'll never know if I can do it.

 

[HYRDGOON]

Much like bigredbird I have relationships with specialty shops and enthusiasts that wind up doing most of the work for me. I'l take on small tasks or big one's with someone who knows what they're doing but I lack the confidence in tackling anything myself... even if I think I'll understand it I always having this feeling that I just want it done right and want to be driving my car so I work harder and longer to make sure the money is there to get things done. I do however try to save money by doing whatever prep work I can and learning as much as possible to make smart decisions and not having to do things twice

 

[kb67mopar]

I do everything. I enjoy it and learn plus I don't trust anybody to work on my stuff. My Coronet will only get some experienced hands for a few things, exterior paint, headliner and seat covers. The rest is all me.

I don't find professional mechanics to be intelligent and they just throw parts at the problem since its not their money. So I just do it all myself. If that means I have to pull the engine out, pull the transmission, rebuild something, etc...I just do it. Sometime's I'll enlist my local mechanic buddy for assistance or pointers but nothing I won't give a try. (except auto tranny rebuilds...)

 

[paladin06]

I do what I can on my old cars, the new ones...to the shop they go..

 

[Dennis H]

Just valve cover and oil pan snugging, oil changes and detail. John Cross is my tuner. Nothing he cannot handle. I hold the flashlight and run for tools and parts.

 

[MarPar]

All me!! body work included!

im definitely not shy about asking for help (walking me thru it), but ill be the only one to put hands on my baby!

 

[roadrunnerman]

I'll do most everything on my cars. I did have the motor built for me though. On my wife's daily car and my p/u, if i'm on the road and something needs fixed, i'll have her take the vehicles to a friend of ours that has a repair shop and is a mopar guy.

 

[super-bee_ski]

Me
(Thats why the Hemi is not running yet)

 

[Pops1967GTX]

I'll do almost everything on my cars also.... But, I'm getting a little older now & finding certain things a little difficult....Damn it let me find my glasses to finish this post...........

 

[Funship32]

I generally find that I know more and do better work than most mechanics when it comes to general repairs. That being said, I am limited in some of the things that I can do due to either the lack of proper tools and/or knowledge on some areas. For example: I can't do body work. Heck I can't even paint a straight line with a ruler so body work is out. I'm also not setup for transmission or rear end work. Fortunately though, I'll be picking up a tranny from Brewers in the off season and I don't need rear end work all that often if at all. Engine/fuel/brake work though is a snap for me and electrical is also something I'm very adept at.