kann
One Leg Of Fury.
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2011
- Messages
- 10,736
Ok, slightly misleading and misogynistic, as I know a lot of women know their way around a garage, as well!
Preface: I grew up in a single-mom household surrounded by girls. I never had the male "let's break shit and then fix it again" mentorship that many boys have at a young age. I never learned my way around an engine block or did maintenance on our vehicles.
I picked up a little bit here and there over time, such as how to change my oil and basic tune up and stuff. Just recently, though, I have overcome that fear of the unknown. That fear of, "what happens if I unbolt this thingamabob and then I can't get the new one in right?!?". Give me some tools, and I'm like a kid: I'm tearin' something apart! Owning a Jeep probably contributed to this in a major way.
In the last few weeks I've been spending my Saturdays at the auto hobby shop here on base either working on my truck or a buddy's truck, just learning how to do stuff. YouTube and the guys that work there are my best friends on the weekends. I know it's not major mechanical surgery, but in the recent past I have changed u-joints, changed out a drive shaft, changed brakes and rotors for my buddy who was driving around with metal on metal and didn't realize anything was wrong..., oil changes, and spark plugs (though I will unashamedly pay someone to do the 16 spark plugs in my Dodge Ram). Today I (with help) changed the wheel hubs and bearings on my truck, as well as the upper control arms with ball joints, and the outer tie rod ends. In the mail are track bar end links and bushings to complete the front end work, followed by an alignment, of course. I have all the needed materials to do my front and rear differentials, as well as the transfer case in both of the vehicles. I have to do my transmission flush soon, as well.
I've caught a bug for fixing things (sometimes they aren't even broken!). I know many of you can do this stuff in your sleep, but it's a new skill set for me, and I love getting my hands dirty working on vehicles. I was never really mechanically inclined or motivated when I was younger, so I'm not sure exactly what changed (probably the Jeep). It's amazing how relatively simple it is to do many fixes that you pay (and I have paid) a shop a lot of money to do. Not including the parts, I spent $24.00 today doing some fixes that probably would have cost me over $500 at a shop. On top of that, I got to take things apart and really see how my truck works, and I had fun doing it.
The downside to this new hobby is that it is as bad as cigars or guitars: there's always more tools to buy!
Preface: I grew up in a single-mom household surrounded by girls. I never had the male "let's break shit and then fix it again" mentorship that many boys have at a young age. I never learned my way around an engine block or did maintenance on our vehicles.
I picked up a little bit here and there over time, such as how to change my oil and basic tune up and stuff. Just recently, though, I have overcome that fear of the unknown. That fear of, "what happens if I unbolt this thingamabob and then I can't get the new one in right?!?". Give me some tools, and I'm like a kid: I'm tearin' something apart! Owning a Jeep probably contributed to this in a major way.
In the last few weeks I've been spending my Saturdays at the auto hobby shop here on base either working on my truck or a buddy's truck, just learning how to do stuff. YouTube and the guys that work there are my best friends on the weekends. I know it's not major mechanical surgery, but in the recent past I have changed u-joints, changed out a drive shaft, changed brakes and rotors for my buddy who was driving around with metal on metal and didn't realize anything was wrong..., oil changes, and spark plugs (though I will unashamedly pay someone to do the 16 spark plugs in my Dodge Ram). Today I (with help) changed the wheel hubs and bearings on my truck, as well as the upper control arms with ball joints, and the outer tie rod ends. In the mail are track bar end links and bushings to complete the front end work, followed by an alignment, of course. I have all the needed materials to do my front and rear differentials, as well as the transfer case in both of the vehicles. I have to do my transmission flush soon, as well.
I've caught a bug for fixing things (sometimes they aren't even broken!). I know many of you can do this stuff in your sleep, but it's a new skill set for me, and I love getting my hands dirty working on vehicles. I was never really mechanically inclined or motivated when I was younger, so I'm not sure exactly what changed (probably the Jeep). It's amazing how relatively simple it is to do many fixes that you pay (and I have paid) a shop a lot of money to do. Not including the parts, I spent $24.00 today doing some fixes that probably would have cost me over $500 at a shop. On top of that, I got to take things apart and really see how my truck works, and I had fun doing it.
The downside to this new hobby is that it is as bad as cigars or guitars: there's always more tools to buy!