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Drivers, Classics, and DIY

Started by bcroe, June 01, 2019, 01:38:18 PM

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bcroe

Scot Minesinger
Quoting
Bruce,

When I was in high school, college, and early career, working on my daily drivers in the late 1970's and thru the mid 1980's was an economic necessity.  When my career and family became time consuming had to pay for car work and it was not terrible in the 1980's and 1990's.  Now out of necessity for a decade and a half I must work on my own classics.  I buy the strong all inclusive warranty on my daily drivers (buy 3 years old - best value-keep for a decade) now and have the dealer do everything.  However, on my one daily driver a 2007 Ford CVPI I do most of my own work.  I was born in 1960, so in 1976 I was doing my own work on cars too.
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Scot,

I am a designer and fanatic about quality.  I do not care for frequent
maintenance, if it can be designed out.  I REALLY HATE breakdowns. 
Function reigns, appearance is barely considered, what is originality?

Soon after buying my 62, I started to realize I could save tons of
money doing DIY work instead of hiring it out, far more likely to meet
my quality expectations, and DIY left the door open to outright
improvements over the original.  Frequently a lot more convenient too. 

Over a lifetime I have picked up minimum skill levels for things like
welding, car repair, wiring, R410A refrigeration, concrete, and a few
more.  And bought extensive tools, each pretty much paid for itself
on the first job.  Recently the internet has been a great aid in finding
things and expertise. 

I bought a new car in 1979, the 77-79 were the first to meet all my
basic requirements.  To these I have added a long list of enhancements
toward my other inclinations, externally invisible.  Not classics, just
the only cars I drive, now 4 decades, coast to coast and through Canada. 
Being heavily invested in experience, maintenance parts, and custom
improvements, I am not much interested in changing.  If a chassis gets
too wrecked and rusted, I just find another car and transfer all my
enhancements to it.  My exhaust is 304 stainless, my trans out performs
any original 3 speed, but is not painted. 

My life started with the Battle Of Midway.  Bruce Roe