LOL, that's perfect. Car fixin' is just not a thing in my parts. It's borderline illegal. Most people I know have never even bought a used car from someone's driveway. Now, add in a oddball air cooled car and you're on your own. I bet in some parts, you can't even find a pro shop within an 1 hour drive to work on your car, let alone some random guy who just comes over for 'nuthin.

How far do Uwanna and rattlsnak live from you?
How far did you travel to help Garrett?

You drove 2 HOURS to help a poster?
God bless your soul, that's dedication to paying it forward.
What sort of help did he need? You deserve a medal.
I don't know anyone who would drive 2 hours to help ME, let alone a stranger.

how good is the pizza?

Now I’m wondering where this place is. So I can avoid it.

I've been to several all day events helping people. I also put in probably, oh 16 full days on weekends over 2 years helping a local guy tear down then rebuild his engine. An hour drive each way, often twice a weekend, at least 10 weekends.


Wasn't Pelican, but my earlier car related forum, I often traveled to California (400 miles) for a long weekend to either hang out, get work done on my car or work on someone else's. I stayed overnight in the houses of 3 or 4 people who had NEVER MET ME BEFORE, only from our internet relationships.

Wow.
You drove an hour to go help some guy?
I don't drive an hour unless it's a major holiday.

400 miles. Holy ****. There are no words.

No, I drove 1 hr and 40 minutes. In fairness, he lives in God’s country so it wasn’t hard to get me to say yes.

Uwanna is 10 minutes from my house.

Garrett was probably 45 minutes away depending on traffic. Rattlsnak is 30 minutes to an hour away. Depends on traffic. Hell everything in Atlanta is an hour away. It’s a geographical oddity.

America. I think it's a general trend I've seen discussed on several car forums over the years. Boomers dealing with HOA regs, etc. I don't dare own an air compressor, in fear of neighbors registering complaints. To work on cars, you now almost need to live in the boonies. Doing an engine drop may require more than one garage spot. People use garage as storage, and real estate is huge money in metro suburbia. Working on a car in public sight is akin to littering. That is the way the country had headed. Plus, remove shop class the last 20 years, and fewer people are serious weekend mechanics. And only a tiny percentage of those have a 911, and willing to drive an hour to your place! LOL.

That's one of the many reasons that I would never live in a HOA neighborhood. Texans love their HOAs for some reason, and at their core, they are nothing short of legalized criminal enterprises meant to provide a sense of power to people that have Pygmy personalities (not to mention that they are money-grabs, as well).

Sorry, you don’t live in America. America is the land of the free.

The irony is that the people who will complain if you have an air compressor will happily pay a guy to wear a backpack leaf blower once a week. Because that’s different.

Some people still believe dinosaurs weren’t real and the earth is flat. As a general rule, I try to not let stupid people dictate how I live my life.

I also lent him several hundred dollars in special equipment (tools, jigs, etc), that I had bought when *I* rebuilt my engine. The thought of that must just make a vein pop in your forehead...

He did give me beer and pizza some of those days. Other days, nothing.

If I simply shake hands with someone who has rebuilt an engine (who is not a professional mechanic, that is), I will consider that a bucket list item. I will probably lasso a unicorn before that happens.

Where I live there aren't that many guys around who have or work on 911s. In fact seeing one is rare. I did go to a Pelican engine drop (by the way I'm not a great mechanic but I don't consider an engine drop/install a major operation on a 911) almost an hour away once maybe five years ago and enjoyed it a lot. There were probably a dozen guys there & some brought refreshments and some brought snacks. I did help a guy who lived down the street from me pull and install the engine in his wife's Z car once. She had run it without oil. The payback I got for that was my wisdom teeth pulled. He as a dentist.

When I lived in Las Vegas (probably around 2007), I had a Pelican volunteer (that didn't even like me...different politics) to drive to my house in NC (at least an hour from his house)..to investigate and board up a house of mine that was broken into.

I couldn't find a local guy to fix it and the city threatened to condemn the property, but he (Pelican) made all needed repairs (acting as a general contractor), and straightened it out for me. It was a massive project that took months. He did a great job and the house came out great. I am very much in his debt.

Ha ha - love it! :D

I miss being able to read your stuff in PARF, FintIsStoned, and our occasional barb slinging over there. :)

Nail hit squarely.

If anyone doesn't get the invite and can't work out how to do an invite that gets results, it's not really your crowd.

I've been on drive days where there is that one guy who is awkward and spoils the vibe. Who doesn't know how to be chill. It's a bit like the poker game if you can't work out who is the patsy...

^^ LOL, no.
There is no invite.

The point is there is zero 911 DIY culture in my area.
Which is why I find the whole premise to be fantastical.
**** pizza. "Engine drop. Free Lambo" and you'll still get crickets.

Mayne this will help.
https://image.ibb.co/nmgk5A/TSNXw5-O...r-Ca-TEg-1.png

I’ve had people 1/2 hour to an hour away come by and have me tweak their CIS or other minor stuff and I’ve driven the same distances to do it at their place. (Great expresso at one place) :)
All guys I’ve met at cars&coffee or via this forum. Great excuse to jump in my car and go for a nice drive and then spend some time BS’ing about our cars.
My wife if 29 years always says go and have fun.
I call people on this forum that are total strangers looking for help. Some of them have posted in this thread.
It is all about the community and comradery we share.

Join your local PCA or just go to some local car events, you’ll find someone that isn’t averse to lending a helping hand.

You have a rare skill and people drive to your house for a free service?
Well, that's different than what I am talking about.

Nah, I've gone to local PCA. Trek, DE, etc.
At PCA, air cooled cars are a dying minority, and DIY is very rare.
Most people drive brand new cars, and can't change a fan belt.
I am usually the most experienced wrench I encounter.

Car shows are not my thing.
Been to one, been to 'em all.
Even went to Limerock historics this year.
Barely lasted an hour before I wanted to leave.

Lol, throwing a gunson gas tester in the exhaust pipe and turning a hex key to adjust the mixture is not a rare skill. Takes 20 minutes, and that is mostly just waiting for the meter to calibrate.
I’ve never thought about it as a “free service”, I had them do it so they learn how. I have learned everything I know from others, and I know what goes around comes around. Not addicted to the almighty buck, sometimes the reward is in sharing. Heck, this place wouldn’t exist if people wouldn’t share their knowledge.

It must be different at Portland C&C than your area, as it is mostly old cars and lots of air cooled. Lots of DIY guys. Maybe it is the lack of the ridiculous CA smog laws here?
Maybe that’s why so many people from CA are moving here! :)