On my last two Dieselhead projects, I really had to search to quench my thirst for fixing things w/o spending tons of money.

I cleverly opened my "unrebuildable" SAAB Alternator and rebuilt it with new brushes.

I rebuilt my 30 year old Hein Werner Floorjack to perfection, and I removed all the paint and wire-brushed it and replaced all the seals and springs... and made it like a total restoration project at a total cost of maybe $80--jack rebuild kit, paint remover, POR 15 paint , spray paint.

And I rewired my garage for 220 with drop lights all over the place from the ceiling and HVAC and dampers using parts I collected from all over over two years time. Its a bit Rube Goldberg. Then I epoxied the floor and put in compressed air stations. The Ventilation system was Rube Goldberg and made from scrap parts and devalued the house and I had to atke took it down

The trouble is now its getting expensive to be a DIYer! Machine shop time costs a lot of money and so do good parts and so does paint and so does tools. Renting a Paint Booth, which used to be $30 a day at the Base is now $120 a day! (Craig's List helps a lot.)

But the irony now is it just doesnt pay to do a Transmission rebuild or Engine rebuild with a cylinder head sent to the shop for some $400 or a full restoration. It easier to just to get a donor car and swap it all out. Even worse, its easier to just drive cheap throwaway cars like the little Toyota I picked up for $500.

I used to joke that my hands should be insured because they are the Hands of a "Jaguar Mechanic" or "Porsche Mechanic". the irony is I think i could restore one of those but it wouldnt be too practical.

This must be a Dream! I will wake up next week and Diesel will be a $1.45 a gallon and so will gas. I swear to myself it will happen, this isn't right. I mean in 1990 back when i was rebuilding Rotaries, I just never imagined this state in the worst of my nightmares. The local parts stores nell sell parts that might be lower quality than the ones you are swapping out!

Now I search for tools to rebuild vice cars and driive a $500 beater with YIKES three diffrenet color doors and fenders.

This must be how it feels like to be kind of like David Letterman or Jay leno waking up one day to find out that they have totally nothing to say or completely dry unamusing dull personalities.

Beer....ahhhh, yes.

Rich:

Everytime I start to think about the cost of a part I need, I recall there have been lots of months where I didn't have to buy anything but fuel. When you buy a new car you have to make that damn payment every freaking month. When I think of it that way I don't feel so bad about buying parts.

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'81 300CD - 180K, cannot be killed by any conventional means
'99 Ford Escort - good MPG

here here!!

but then the tools, and the special tools, or the time.. and then the copious amounts of beer .. it adds up...


is it worth it..



yes!

aint gonna quit!!!!yehhhaa tonite thought i had to buy a new center muffler at $180.00 but i welded metcu;ously made it stronger than when it was new!
I am high as a kite...........

Ahh beer rants! (takes a shot of Stoli)

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200