Today I spent some time in a pit under Nix (which the owner was very kind to allow me to use as it was a slow afternoon), dealing with a couple minor annoyances that I couldn't resolve in my own shop, that no one else would have noticed but I KNEW THEY WERE THERE!!

As I was finishing up, it again occurred to me how much I enjoy wrenching. Down in that pit I was probably the most at ease I have been for Months! Just me, the car, a few tools, and the confidence I wasn't going to be interrupted.

I'm sure, being a mere woman, the day will come with I can't do that anymore; not especially Physically, although everyone reaches that eventually but I probably have several decades before then, but I may lose the opportunities due to other circumstances beyond my control.

But today was a good day. I was successful in my repairs/adjustments and I now KNOW it's correct and proper. It was a very relaxed afternoon.
(';')

 

I, too, was a complete loony when it came to working on my cars !. Of course this started when I was riding motorbikes, (British bikes always needed lots of spanner work !!). Then I decided I wanted a Jaguar Mark 2, (this was 1979), and bought one to work on, and ended up rebuilding it from a bare, (new) shell I found in deepest Wales. This took 8 years, and I got married in 1981, and was still married at the end of the rebuild !! I then sold the Mark 2 to raise some money, and took on an XJ6 which I did a huge amount of work on. I owned this car for 14 years and spent most of the time putting right what Jaguar had not done properly, mainly bodywork. Jaguars were very badly made, the company had spent almost no money on production facilities since the 60s, The famous XJ engine was made on secondhand machinery bought from the Standard Motor Company. Ford bought Jaguar in the late 80s and brought the company up-to-date. They had to spend almost the US defense budget to do so !! In the end, Ford pulled out of Europe and Tata Motors of India made the profits.
Now I'm in my mid 70s and spanner work is no longer attractive, so I pay others to do things, so no more car rebuilds for me ! My hobby car is a very late (2010) MG TF which is in immaculate condition. I did manage to do some work on this last summer, but with my son-in-law assisting.

 

There is a sense of satisfaction in doing your own work and knowing your car intimately. My TR7 was a body shell and piles of parts when I bought it and it was a giant jigsaw puzzle to put back together. One day, as I was sanding the boot lid, I realized I didn't have a care in the world. By the time I was finished I knew every component on that car. When you get that familiar with a car it will talk to you as you drive and tell you what's wrong if you are willing to listen.

Too many people in present day don't listen.

 

YES! You've Nailed it, Ken!
People look at me like I'm daft when I talk to my cars. And yes, when I hold conversations with them, people look at me even more strangely. Well except for those who also talk to their cars.

Now I can get down to the business of DRIVING THE WHEELS OFF (she Loves that!) and enjoying every second of it... until something else goes wrong.
(';')

 

I find that most of the talking I do to my cars usually involves much cussing and yelling when they refuse to let go of their old components. However I'm not unfair and will give them praises when they perform correctly and start in inclimate conditions.

I draw the line at naming them though, that's just wierd!

 

One of my college jobs was at an older "Gas station". The owner worked the day shift. 6 to 6 I relieved him for the night shift. . 6 to 6 again. It was very quiet during my tour. I did my home work. Just gas customers, travelers usuallyk it was on amain road out of town;.

It had a grae pot!!! OSJa would have had a hissy. No lights. At dark, any work was by flash light. Indeed, i doid a few grease jobs and oil hnages under there!!! And, if a car came for gas, it tripped an alarm. scurry outta the pit and run to the pump. wiping hands along the way. full service there, glass, tires, liquids, air, etc!! fifty cents an hour and gas at cost.

Carl