Car guy? Really?

[ckissick]

I have a new next-door neighbor. He's about in his late 30s. When he saw my various cars in the driveway and at the curb, he said he was a guy buff too. He told me all about his suped up '92 Camry, which was in the shop getting another performance upgrade.

A couple days ago I had to move my just re-built 912 engine from the back of the Tristar to the garage, so I asked him to help me carry it. It was just the block with no tin, no carbs, etc. It just had the distributor on it. While checking out the engine he points at something and says, "Is that the carb?" I wondered what he was pointing at since the carbs were on the bench. I finally realized he was pointing at the distributor! I politely said no and showed him one of the carbs.

What has the world come to?

[RANDY P]

HAHAHA! In the shop getting his 'cold air intake' installed.

rjp

[mreid]

More likely a new fart can.

[Don Ro]

I recently met someone similar. Said, "I'm a car guy."
I found out within a few short minutes that that meant, for him, that he likes cars.
That's it. He just likes cars.
So be it.

[masraum]

yeah, bless his heart. Clueless and doesn't even know it. Years ago when I had my old '88 Targa, a guy that I worked with said "I've got a sports car too". He had a Saturn SL2 and it was red. I tried to act supportive, but let the conversation die out.

[Don Ro]

Originally Posted by RANDY P

HAHAHA! In the shop getting his 'cold air intake' installed.

rjp

"Performance upgrade."

[Don Ro]

Originally Posted by masraum

yeah, bless his heart. Clueless and doesn't even know it. Years ago when I had my old '88 Targa, a guy that I worked with said "I've got a sports car too". He had a Saturn SL2 and it was red. I tried to act supportive, but let the conversation die out.

About all you can do. Just be wise and kind.

[DanielDudley]

Hey, he can pick up half an engine. That's a useful ally.

[island911]

at least he sounds eager to learn. --teach!

[stevej37]

At least he was showing some interest...credit for that.
I wonder what they say about Porsche owners on the Toyota and Honda sites?

[speeder]

It’s a different world today. I agree w the others; if a young person even has any interest in cars, that’s more than most of their contemporaries. I enjoy sharing my knowledge and experience if they are receptive.

When I was a kid, there was no internet but lots of great cars on the road to look at. I read car magazines and just soaked up info. My dad was a guy who liked cars and actually had pretty good taste, (early 240-Z, e-type roadster, both w 4-speeds), but he did not have much mechanical knowledge or curiosity. There are lots of people like that and they buy the cars.

[Norm K]

Many young guys, even those who wrench on, and upgrade their own cars, have exactly zero experience with carburetors or distributors. I'd wager most guys here (by a wide margin, I suspect) would have no idea how to drive a Model T, something guys like my dad would've similarly poked fun at them for.

_

[Noah930]

I live in LA. There are a lot of "car guys" around here, which means they just really like expensive & flashy cars; they're checkbook car guys. (Or if they're poorer, they rice out lower end cars, like the Honda Civic I came across yesterday with a big Nismo sticker on the rear bumper .) Their actual knowledge of how cars work (kind of what constitutes car guy status IMO) may not be the same as what's found on a DIY site like Pelican.

[ted]

Just dont race the 170hp Camry, it might outrun most the cars in your signature.

[Don Ro]

Different world today. Is Shop still offered in public schools?
~~~~~~
I was always interested...not just in cars, but in engines.
I was about 10 yrs. old ('55)...neighbor across the street was building a lakester with a flathead engine in his garage.
My neighborhood friends were afraid of him because he was always gruff...but for some reason he tolerated me dropping by at night and just walking in.
I was there when he relieved the eng. block, polished and ported, etc.
When he set the non-progressive linkage for the 3 Strombergs...I even handed him tools...
~~~~~~~~
Fast Forward to about 13 years old.
I used to cut through back yards and alleys on my way to and from school. One day I saw some greasy overhead valved engine in an alley next to garbage cans.
I borrowed a neighbor's red wagon one night, looped wire around the engine front and rear, ran a steel pole through both loops, one end of pole rested on the wagon and I held the other end.
Managed to roll it several blocks and into our dirt floor garage surreptitiously, and over the next few months I dismantled it (screwdrivers, crescent wrenches, and a claw hammer - my mother had no other tools) down to the crank bearings.
I was driven to know that world.

[Noah930]

OK, in all fairness, I believe that back in 1992, Toyota sold a Camry SE. Maybe it was a Camry, and it only had 168 or so HP. But it was the sporty Camry, tuned to go up against the higher HP (190?) Maxima (remember their "4 door sports car" ad tagline back then?). Kind of an automotive Q-ship for those who couldn't afford an M5. I'd give him some props if he's got a Camry SE.

[Don Ro]

Hell, most family cars these days will stomp anything that I drive off the line.
Maybe even most of my 6 motorcycles. While I'm shifting, their 6 speed autos are pulling away.
Times have changed, gents.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by Don Ro

Times have changed, gents.

Absolutely: Cars and trucks today are magic carpets compared to the 70's/80's/90's and you really don't have to do a thing other than follow the manufacturers recommended maintenance schedule.

Performance is another factor. A Ford Focus sedan eats every sports car I have ever owned alive, with the a/c on.

I can remember vapor lock, packing wheel bearings, timing lights, getting out and locking hubs, changing oil and pouring it down a storm drain....on and on. Remember the water station on the Grapevine?

Times have indeed changed, and for the better.

My son and daughter know how to do mechanical things because they grew up on a farm and we worked on all the farm equipment together. Jack worked two summers in HS at a friend of mines auto repair shop but that is about it other than the routine stuff we did to our cars.

[onewhippedpuppy]

I've met a lot of Porsche guys who couldn't tell the difference between a distributor and carburetor. You can still be a car guy without wrenching, some people just don't have that knack.

[DanielDudley]

College kid helped me work on my cars last weekend. My newest sports car is older than he is.