Back in the day

[daveismissing]

Readin' Motorhead's project, he mentions all kinds of interesting stuff I don't really know about- so a few hotlinks later I'm learning , reading, following other guys projects....

Now I think way-way back to that first engine, my Olds 350 (70's) that I pulled and rebuilt.
i wonder how I even managed it. What resources did I have access to? No mentor to quiz.

I had my collection of Car-Crafts and Hot-Rods plus some of their publications. A MOTOR and
a CHILTONs, a Summit catalog and I think I managed to get the good Quadrajet book.
The main library downtown had a Hollanders Interchange manual if i really needed that.
I really wonder how much OLDs specific info I had.
The local parts jobber had a machine shop they did the heads and sold me gaskets etc.

Beyond that I was on my own, I now wonder if I did get the clearances right or was even close?
Was I young and bold didn't realize how little I knew- very very likely.

 It ran well after so I probably assumed i was genius....
 

[TexasT]

I had a chiltons manual for my early escapades into automobile repair. It was about five inches thick and covered many makes and models and a bunch of years. It was my "bible" for torque specs and diagrams of how they thought things should be done. mostly my dad and his buddy stood around drinking beer while I wrenched on stuff . I know I learned a lot of stuff the hard way. I'm still using the beam torque wrench(though my son bought me a clicky one for Christmas last year as he thinks the beam isn't accurate).

Mostly I learned that KenneBell stuff was the same as the stuff I could buy local. Now days with the interwebz I can see what is cheaper local compared to having it shipped in. If I can wait and it is cheaper I buy a lot of stuff off the Interwebz.

I also know what an "young punk" I was. I'm surprised the older fellas never throat punched me. It does make me give the young people I come across more leeway. That might be why I was given so much rope.

[earlbrown]

I'm still using the beam torque wrench(though my son bought me a clicky one for Christmas last year as he thinks the beam isn't accurate).

Yeah, because the steel coefficient of bendy changes.

I use a click type just because it's a BITCH to use a beam on a motorcycle. The amount of available degrees of rotation to overcome static friction AND achieve the goal can sometimes be SHORT.

but what do I know? I'm a guy that understands things outside of Call of Duty and 4chan.

[Steve Wood]

Strange that the cheapest is the most accurate but we love the more complex spring loaded digital stuff...

[Pyro6]

I spent two years in trade school after High School (1975-1977) ATC outside Phila. PA. they preached Mitchell manuals, I have a full library of loose leaf manuals and than to hardback. Things were definitely simpler than. I remember asking our electronics instructor in 1975 of what he thought of the new GM HEI and Mopars electronic ignition. He said it will only make things easier: no points to screw with....I love my full digital torque wrench with torque angle w/memory. I worked at my dad's gas station when disc brakes were just starting to be standard. I pumped gas starting at eleven years old, I loved it.

[motorhead]

Readin' Motorhead's project, he mentions all kinds of interesting stuff I don't really know about- so a few hotlinks later I'm learning , reading, following other guys projects....

It ran well after so I probably assumed i was genius....

I'd say that between sheer ignorance and willpower I get most things accomplished.  That and a lot of research - mostly web-based (an amazing tool once you cut around the noise).  Most people enjoy conventional literature, I'd rather have a service or technical manual to read (I find it more thought provoking and engaging to digest and apply).  I don't have a mentor or anyone around me who does what I seek to accomplish (I do miss building cars with my brother), for the most part I am self-taught.  I will probably consult dozens of resources (physical and digital) and devise a detailed plan before beginning a project.  When I was stripping the MCSS last Fall I came across some pretty sketchy BS from when I built it in my early-20s; I'd slap that guy now.  I would like to imagine I will continue to improve my skill set after the wagon (who knows how many more cars I'll build).  I ain't no genius.

I figure I would become mentally inert without this hobby, and hope to pass something useful on to the girls in the coming years (we just got Tatiana a box of kid-size latex gloves for assisting in the garage).

The greatest fear I have is stuff not working (mostly because I hate doing work twice) - but, I do enjoy the challenge of getting it right the second time (even if it kills me).

[good2win22]

Readin' Motorhead's project, he mentions all kinds of interesting stuff I don't really know about- so a few hotlinks later I'm learning , reading, following other guys projects....

It ran well after so I probably assumed i was genius....

I'd say that between sheer ignorance and willpower I get most things accomplished.  That and a lot of research - mostly web-based (an amazing tool once you cut around the noise).  Most people enjoy conventional literature, I'd rather have a service or technical manual to read (I find it more thought provoking and engaging to digest and apply).  I don't have a mentor or anyone around me who does what I seek to accomplish (I do miss building cars with my brother), for the most part I am self-taught.  I will probably consult dozens of resources (physical and digital) and devise a detailed plan before beginning a project.  When I was stripping the MCSS last Fall I came across some pretty sketchy BS from when I built it in my early-20s; I'd slap that guy now.  I would like to imagine I will continue to improve my skill set after the wagon (who knows how many more cars I'll build).  I ain't no genius.

I figure I would become mentally inert without this hobby, and hope to pass something useful on to the girls in the coming years (we just got Tatiana a box of kid-size latex gloves for assisting in the garage).

The greatest fear I have is stuff not working (mostly because I hate doing work twice) - but, I do enjoy the challenge of getting it right the second time (even if it kills me).

Sounds like we share the same education Mike.  My Dad ran out when I was 3 months old and the step dad ran out when I was 11. My brother is 6 years older than me and never hung around much. My mother has a way of running off men including me but that's another story. I graduated high school on Wednesday and left for the army the following Friday. Never been back home accept to visit.


I clinged to my friends fathers and tried to get as much info from them as possible. Worked in a body shop of a friends dad during the summers.  That's where I developed my hate for body work. During the school year I got a job at a local car quest. Learned a lot there but it wasn't until I blew the head gasket on my little 4 banger S10 that I got inside an engine. Pulled the engine and rebuilt it in my girlfriends garage.  Her dad was a cop that did some racing. He was a major help guiding me to getting it going. Although the lust died down for his daughter we are still friends to this day.


The old inter web has been an invaluable tool when researching and when shopping for parts. I'm super thankful for the friends that I've got to meet through the years and being able to network with them. Like you said, sorting through the BS and actually finding folks to listen to and trust is not easy. As you, there's no one close that's into what I do.  The one guy I enjoy working with lives up in Vernon and that's a 4 hour drive. Trial and error has gotten me thru most projects and I would consider myself magma cum lauds of the school of hard knocks if not the valedictorian.


Now I'm just rambling

[Steve Wood]

In the past, the "system" tried to ensure that we grew up to be proper citizens.  These days, the system tends to work against almost anyone, including parents, from distilling right and wrong into kids.

[gusszgs]

Ain't that the truth 

In the past, the "system" tried to ensure that we grew up to be proper citizens.  These days, the system tends to work against almost anyone, including parents, from distilling right and wrong into kids.