I’m not really a car guy anymore.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by Rawknees'Turbo

Later, I wanted to race and could not afford to race what I wanted to unless I was willing and able to do all the mechanical work, so my learning took a huge leap then,

So, your Mom taught you or did you just start paying attention and sought data?

BTW, tell your Mom I said Hi.

[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by Rawknees'Turbo

therefore it was a "necessity" for me to learn. Most of that learning began from reading repair manuals.

How did you know repair manuals existed?

[Rawknees'Turbo]

Originally Posted by sugarwood

How did you know repair manuals existed?

My dad, as well as one of my grandfathers, probably get credit for that - they both were users of repair manuals, although neither was more than just a casual, home mechanic.

Originally Posted by Bob Kontak

So, your Mom taught you or did you just start paying attention and sought data?

BTW, tell your Mom I said Hi.

Yer sister provided me with all the raw data I would ever need (still does!)!

But seriously, paying attention, data seeking, and a lot of trial and error (some of it costly) was involved.

I'll give my mom your message the next time I crawl up from her basement!

[Rawknees'Turbo]

Originally Posted by KC911

^^^^ rtfm, rtfb, stfi

That last one makes it easy peasy these daze

Yes, the well coordinated, and executed to perfection, master plan of the MSM to make the poor ol orange guy look bad!

[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by Rawknees'Turbo

My dad, as well as one of my grandfathers, probably get credit for that - they both were users of repair manuals, although neither was more than just a casual, home mechanic.

Like I told the other guy....

A friend, a relative, whatever. No one who works on cars started in a vacuum. Not one person. Zero chance in hell you just picked up a Clymer or Haynes book and started buying tools. You wouldn't even know what you were reading or looking at. You wouldn't even know what tools to buy, or where to even get them.

[Rawknees'Turbo]

^^^

I agree with that, Wood; nurturing definitely plays a major role. If a kid grows up in a household where neither parent so much as owns and uses basic tools for machine repair (or even goes outside except to cook on the grill twice a year), then chances are that kid will not develop any interest in learning to maintain and repair machines (especially if that same kid can rely on the parental teat to satisfy their desires).

[fintstone]

I learned to work on cars when mine broke down and I didn't have enough money to get it towed, much less fixed. I walked to the library, checked out a manual, read it, and fixed my car. I pulled the head and replaced the gasket right there in the parking lot. While I had it out, I rebuilt the head. Later my transmission went out. I jacked the car up where it sat. I unbolted it and took it into my apartment and rebuilt it on the kitchen table (from a library book). Had to walk about six miles to get the parts (brass blocking rings and new clutch) and back. Had to wait weeks for the synchro parts to come in...so I had to walk several miles each way to work. My dad didn't even drive a car...much less work on one. He worked in the fields...like me. a couple of danged dirt farmers.

[onewhippedpuppy]

I’m with fint, like my dad I fixed cars myself because I didn’t have the money to pay a mechanic. He wasn’t really a car enthusiast, he was at various points a mechanic and car salesman but it was more of a means to an end. I suppose I did get my mechanical aptitude from him, plus I had tools to borrow when I lived at home.

[RANDY P]

I learned by myself. Between Teen tribal knowledge (the 'in' thing), being literally broke as a kid, and having friends who had dads who were either pro wrenches or serious hobbyists (boat racers), Wayne Scraba books, I got all my info. I had to or, walked.

I ****ing sucked of course, a total disaster. As the income grew, so did the tools and skills.

Now I'm just OK. I'm not going to be building any show quality rigs, but I'll be decent enough to be mistaken for at least competent work. I still do it myself just because I want it done right.

[Captain Ahab Jr]

Originally Posted by Won

If Captain is around, I'd love to hear his thoughts!

Apologies Won, I'm a bit late to this party

Really subjective question as being a car guy means so many different thing to so many different people as shown by so many different opinions of the replies so far

Guess classifying yourself as a car guy is similar to someone considering themselves a racer which I consider myself to be.

Some people might may find this surprising as other than a few go-kart fun events I've only driven in one race, It was a 1000cc Mini on grass and I came 2nd to last.

On the other hand the work I've done over the last 3 decades has contributed to race cars finishing +600 races at world championship level. Everyone one of those cars I helped create and every one of the jobs I did was a race to me as I was trying to beat the best which is what racing is about. Hell, even one of those cars killed me and I came back for more.

Back on subject I consider myself a car guy, have been since I was a car kid playing with my Fischer Price garage, then my Hot Wheels cars, then building my 1/24 Revell/Monogram plastic model car kits, then working on my first real car, then studying through college, then a degree and it was all to get to the real destination a career working on cars and a life involving cars as a passion

If anyone saw what is parked on my driveway or looked at my list of daily cars owned would never ever assume I'm a car guy. Dig a bit deeper than the shallow veneer of what I drive, what I've owned then I think I'm as car guy as you can get.

For me being a car guy is a state of mind, a passion, a hobby, something you enjoy spending time on, be it reading, watching, doing etc and nothing to do with what car you drive or how much work you do on your own car!

If I could sum up in one photo the perfect example of what a car guy/racer is, it would be this guy

[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by fintstone

I learned to work on cars when mine broke down and I didn't have enough money to get it towed, much less fixed. I walked to the library, checked out a manual, read it, and fixed my car. .

Your car broke down, and you just walked to the library?
How did you even know car fixing books were at the library?
It's as arbitrary as walking to the grocery store or doctors office if your car broke down.
Were you lost, and then happened to see car fixing books and were like, "Holy ****! MY car's broken!! I should read this!"

You just magically knew that car broken = get book at library?
What even made you think some book could tell you how to solve your problem?
How did you even know that cars could be fixed ?

Why would you do something that random, when you didn't even own tools?
You had no money for a tow, yet you had money for tools?

[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

I’m with fint, like my dad I fixed cars myself because I didn’t have the money to pay a mechanic. He wasn’t really a car enthusiast, he was at various points a mechanic

Ok, so you were lucky enough to have a dad who told you that people fixing cars was a thing in this world. Most are not that lucky.

Originally Posted by RANDY P

I learned by myself. Between Teen tribal knowledge (the 'in' thing), being literally broke as a kid, and having friends who had dads who were either pro wrenches or serious hobbyists (boat racers), Wayne Scraba books, I got all my info. .

No, you did not learn by yourself. Most people have literally never met a person who can fix a car. You were lucky that you had multiple sources that showed you that humans can actually fix cars. THEN you started learning for yourself. BIG difference I am pointing out here. Not everyone is as lucky as you were.

[Rawknees'Turbo]

^^^

Wood, I forgot to mention that my first lawnmower and car repair manuals were from the local library. From my earliest memories, I was taught in school how to use the library, so when I wanted to find information about lawnmowers and cars, I located those subject areas there.

I cut yards to earn money when very young, and needed to keep my mower operating (again, Dad was not going to run it to a repair shop when it needed work).

[KFC911]

What's your motiviation here SW? I am literally "that" guy that you claim does not exist....pull your head out of yer butt and learn something from us old farts....mebbe ?

[sugarwood]

^^^ That's not my point. You had a dad that fixed stuff and owned a screwdriver. You personally WITNESSED that "humans can fix things" This does not exist in a vacuum. The office workers may not have ever seen a human fix anything ever in their lives. So, jackass above was indeed LUCKY that he was exposed to that by SOMEONE ELSE.

[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by KC911

What's your motiviation here SW? I am literally "that" guy that you claim does not exist....pull your head out of yer butt and learn something from us old farts....mebbe ?

Dude, you were exposed as a lying fraud already.
Or you do not understand my actual damn point.
Try reading the thread again. I've already spelled it out for you.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by sugarwood

Dude, you were exposed as a lying fraud already.
Or you do not understand my actual damn point.
Try reading the thread again. I've already spelled it out for you.

Only in your mind SW....you just don't seem that bright .

Quit proving it....

[RANDY P]

Originally Posted by sugarwood

No, you did not learn by yourself. Most people have literally never met a person who can fix a car. You were lucky that you had multiple sources that showed you that humans can actually fix cars. THEN you started learning for yourself. BIG difference I am pointing out here. Not everyone is as lucky as you were.

Actually, I did learn by myself. I learn best by studying on my own, not by being mentored. Frankly, it's not like trying to fix a car is like black magic to most, there's enough info out there, and tutorials on paper (I learned in the 80's) and simply tribal knowledge that empowers someone to pick up a wrench for the 1st time.

No one wanted to spend the time with a 16 y/o boy and help him with his garbage, no one.

Cars aren't, and ever were magical devices that were foreign to most people. I would say 100% of people living in the USA have ridden in something with 4 wheels and at least have some cognizant understanding of what they are. Cars are not like MRI tables or rocketships- they are common enough to know the basics..

Actually, I learned by hearsay, and straight up trial and error. My childhood was NOT an adult working on a car, with me handing wrenches, or a mentoring adult watching me work while we drank soda and talked about girls and college- I can guarantee that. It was a combination of asking friends, looking at books and then having a go at it on my own. Literally.

Very first time I pulled an engine, I was literally by myself, and a handful of crappy tools that were a hand-me-down. No adults, no big group of friends, a total mess and a disaster.

At the end of the fiasco I actually learned a hell of a lot of how a car works- on my own. I still remember how to adjust clutch travel, shift linkages on Muncies, and how to disassemble and reassemble a Holley carb. All on my own.

Same with 12V electrics, suspensions and fuel. Stuff I love.

rjp

[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by KC911

Only in your mind SW....you just don't seem that bright .

Quit proving it....

You already made my point for me when you said YOUR MECHANIC BUDDY EXPOSED YOU TO CAR DIY.
It was right there in your 3rd post on this forum, FFS. Do you even know what my point is, you idiot?

[RANDY P]

Originally Posted by sugarwood

You already made my point for me when you said YOUR MECHANIC BUDDY EXPOSED YOU TO CAR DIY.

LOL, so you think that being told about something = being taught? Hearing about something, and getting in there, getting dirty, cut and crumpled up is what learning is all about.

What you are talking about is research- who tears into anything without looking into it first? It's not like I woke up one morning and saw that silver 69 Camaro in the driveway for the 1st time. I bought it, it blew up, and then I fixed it.

that simple. no one was willing to bail me out, except dad after he got sick of my mess.

rjp