I thought I'd explain about me and automobiles.
First of all I have mad mechanical skills. The first time I ever saw the inside of a transmission was when I was rebuilding the 3 speed out of my 1938 Graham Supercharger. Not only did it all go back together, it was still doing just fine five years later when I sold the car. No one helped me.
It's just that when I look at mechanical things they make sense to me. Like mathematics there is a purity about mechanical things. They can't lie. They are what they are.
Fairly early on I realized that I wasn't ever going to be able to save enough for a downpayment on a house unless I did something to generate some extra income. So I bought and sold cars. Buy some beater, spend some time fixing it up and sell it for a small profit. In Latteland you are allowed to buy and sell five cars a year. Any more than that and you hve to get a dealers license. So I did my five cars a year for five years. I started out with selling a camera, and when I cashed out I sold a 1960 Jag Mark IX Saloon for the downpayment on my first house.
I have always had a project car in the works. I tend to drift towards the obscure and unknown because they represent a challenge to my mental and mechanical skills.
Take for instance my latest project: the Jensen Healeys. Obscure, high tech for there time, and the repair manual is pretty sparse. When I had to replace the throttle cable there was no information in the repair manual, so I spent a good bit of time standing on my head under the dashboard figguring out how the %^&* I was supposed to get at it. Eventually I figured it out, but it took a quite a bit of figuring.
Because of my long term love affair with cars, I hate to pass up a good deal. I can see potential profit escaping. Dollars bleeding through my fingers. The trouble is that I still think like I am 21 and able to work 20 hours a day. I'm afraid my body will no longer keep up that pace. But I still plan like it can. I need a strong young protoge' to do the muscle work.
Knowing I have a couple of projects lined up gives me a comfortable feeling, because I know I won't be bored.
If one or two projects are good, five or six would be better, right?
Right?
Right?
I think I lost most of my audience.
7 comments:
I can relate, though for me it's computers and programming instead of cars and mechanicals. I've always been able to look at a software system and figure it out. Back when I was doing software support, I would often get called in on tough cases because they said I had a "zen" approach to troubleshooting. I could nearly always find the problem, even if I couldn't explain exactly what led me to it.
Sound like you have the same touch with mechanical stuff!
Michael: One of my proudest moments as a dad was overhearing my daughter at age six talking to one of her friends as they were walking a broken bike down the street. "Bring it over to my house. My dad can fix ANYTHING."
This sounds soooo much like my guys. My husband always has been good with mechanical things. He says he can't "do wood" projects (don't ask him to build shelves) but he can fix cars, trucks, snowmobiles, tractors, etc... and now that my son is into race cars (and has been since he was 14) he's got the knack,too. They are both great fabricators, too, as evidenced by the amount of stuff my son makes for his car. It is a natural talent, I'm convinced. It is not just a guy thing, as my other son isn't into cars - BUT he's the one, like Michael, that is the computer guy. I like to think he got that part from me. ;)
Hubs says his body has given out, too. At 57 he just can't stand on his feet under a hoist or over a car long hours like he used to - he lets our son do the 'heavy lifting' and he contributes brain power... LOL!
The PK isn't bad with cars...but while he's working on them, his vocabulary...well, let's just say it's not suitable for immature audiences.
Wow...some of the words that come out of his mouth makes me GLAD we don't live near any small kiddies!
Sue: I think it's something you are born with. Or not. My older brother has trouble figuring out which way to turn a screwdriver.
PQ: All work requires sacrifices to the car Gods. A blood sacrifice and chant accompany the completion of all projects. The PK is "Speaking in Tongues".
I have always wanted to 'soup up' a Mustang for my own personal use.
If I ever garner enough cash, YOU are first on my list of people to call.
Rennratt: An early mustang with a high performance small block. Forget the GT 350 Shelby. way too much money for some scare stickers. Oh Yeah!
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