All will agree

Buzzard · Jul 5, 2010

grinNbarritt I was born with a 9/16 wrench in my left hand. In Hi School I worked part time for a car dealership, washing cars, changing tires, cleaning up used cars, later they put me on the lube rack....after Hi School I went to Vocational School I specialized in diesel engines welding and auto electric systems. There was plenty of classroom time we had kids in there that couldn't even read a service manual...and they didn't even know what a micrometer was let alone how to use one. In the 50s there weren't computers or digital clocks for that matter.. I was amazed at how they thought they were going to be some kind of mechanic and what the heck were they teaching them in school? Later on Uncle Sam decided I needed a haircut and off I went to the SeaBee's ran heavy equipment welding and worked on diesel engines...now days all kids want to do is sit in front of a computer and play **** if they get grease under their fingernails. No wonder they have a hard time working on HappyTime engines. It's the new age.
OLD buzzard

fasteddy · Jul 5, 2010

Sam, how is it in California. All moved in?

Steve.

fasteddy · Jul 5, 2010

Buzzard, I lived in northern Ontario when I was a kid and as a young man in my early 30's and I was always willing to help the local garage owners if they needed help and I had the spare time.

Went back for a visit via google and every one of the service stations were either closed or a C- store.
A small town with 3 service stations had 2 as C-stores and one gone completely. These were all busy year around businesses.

Wonder who repairs the cars now and where.

Steve.

Buzzard · Jul 5, 2010

fasteddy the day of the corner gas station is gone...they are all C-stops or StopNRobs...to get a car repaired nowadays its either dealerships or independent specialty shops and most good mechanics are certified, that's why our labor prices are so high now. It takes big money to get a certified mechanic at least around here.
Larry

kicking · Jul 5, 2010

It has goten to be my main source of transpo . on my own most the time far as repair

weekend-fun · Jul 6, 2010

fasteddy said:
Sam, how is it in California. All moved in?

Steve.

Yep. Its great! I actully found a shop nearby, they have 3 kinds of welders (TIG MIG and Gas), a cnc mill, powder coating and sand blasting, and sooo much more. Im going to go take some classes on welding and such, then you can buy a memebrship or 25 bucks your in from 7am to Midnight (i.e. one day)
http://www.techshop.ws/index.html

so,yea, its all good here

Sam

floor plan of tech shop:

kicking · Jul 6, 2010

weekend-fun said:
Yep. Its great! I actully found a shop nearby, they have 3 kinds of welders (TIG MIG and Gas), a cnc mill, powder coating and sand blasting, and sooo much more. Im going to go take some classes on welding and such, then you can buy a memebrship or 25 bucks your in from 7am to Midnight (i.e. one day)
TechShop is the SF Bay Area's Only Open-Access Public Workshop -- What Do You Want To Make at TechShop?

so,yea, its all good here

Sam

floor plan of tech shop:

Hello Sam , that looks like an really nice shop. I would love to go some place like that. The only thing around here even close to it is an community college. And they cost more than the place you linked to here. And the last class I took. I really didn't enjoy it that much. Sounds like you like it . Good luck and it looks nice

weekend-fun · Jul 6, 2010

kicking said:
Hello Sam , that looks like an really nice shop. I would love to go some place like that. The only thing around here even close to it is an community college. And they cost more than the place you linked to here. And the last class I took. I really didn't enjoy it that much. Sounds like you like it . Good luck and it looks nice

thanks. for 6 months its 500 dollars, which is OK for me. I plan on just doing the day by day stuff

Sam

kicking · Jul 6, 2010

weekend-fun said:
thanks. for 6 months its 500 dollars, which is OK for me. I plan on just doing the day by day stuff

Sam

The day by day option makes this even more attractive . Community Colleges lock you in .You know the old saying is true . Live for today , tomorrow is not promised . Have fun and good luck

NEAT TIMES · Jul 6, 2010

I Remember Gettin Slapped In The Back Of The Head At Breakfast A Lot! Slapped In The Head And Then My Dad Would Say; I Told You To Lick The Jelly Off Your Knife Before You Stick It Back In The Butter! I Had A Headache For Year`s, Until I Learned!!

Ron

KCvale · Jul 6, 2010

In a nutshell very few youngsters are MacGyver's like some of us older guys are.

You just can't teach ingenuity and problem solving I don't think.
You either have it, watched it enough in practice to catch on, or your don't.

I had really hoped my son (20 now) inherited some from me but sadly he didn't, and didn't even want to watch and learn even the basics.

Just think of it this way...
In a world full of blind people, the one eyed man is king.
And when the "skills challenged" ever find themselves in a tight spot, every one of them looks to the MacGyver's like the guys here ;-}

Which reminds me, I love this audio clip for "6 days 7 nights" with Harrison Ford, where they crash a little plane on a deserted island and he manages to fix it and fly out.

Guys with Skills movie sound clip.

Great movie if you haven't seen it by the way, but my point is the same, some people can look at a problem and see what is wrong and look at what they available to fix it, or they have no clue where to even start.

Another good movie like that is Apollo 13 with Tom Hanks.
The part where NASA gets a room full of guys together and they dump a little box of stuff on a table.

"Your job is to find a way to make this square air scrubber box fit in this round hole, using only what is on this table".

I really would have liked that kind of job but hey, computers and now motorized bikes are still fun ;-}

charles.paskell · Jul 6, 2010

Im 26 and i know how to read a rule, turn a wrench. I agree with you all, most people are clew-less

BarelyAWake · Jul 7, 2010

While I'll agree with many of the observations made here - I did wanna point out jus' one lil detail...

While it may be true that our hobby is seeing more of the "just pull out the checkbook" mentality of late, it's also true that anyone fool enough to be strapping some random engine to a bicycle - or even buying one pre-built, is far and above the average consumer when it comes to MacGyver skills... or shortly will be lol

Even those just having an interest in such things I find refreshing in today's conformist consumer culture - as popular as these bikes may seem here, as popular as they may be becoming, truth is they're still decidedly different, a slightly demented divergence from the norm...

...and I for one am glad to have it (^)

deacon · Jul 7, 2010

Well you can't really buy your way into the back room of the clubhouse.

grinNbarritt · Jul 7, 2010

When I worked in a glass shop, people used to come in with a piece of string n say i need a piece of glass this long...... I'd take string, hold it against my tape n show them I could make sring about any size I wanted.... got lotsa "duh....er...um..." looks, so I'd have to give tape measure lessons......lol

NEAT TIMES · Jul 7, 2010

Skills

In 1964 , Had A Auto Repair Shop. Young Fellow Wanted A Job, Told Me He Was Good At Oil Change`s And Grease Job`s !! Had To Bite My Lip To Suppress Laughter. Did Hire Him, Until I Moved To Pheonix Az For A Winter.

Often Think Of His Skill`s, And Have Learned That He Was Ahead Of Many. Have Had A Couple Motors Ruined By People Installing Oil Filter`s Incorrectly.

Ron

grinNbarritt · Jul 7, 2010

back when we were in high school, my brother got brite idea to change his oil.....he forgot to put drain plug back in.....filled it with oil n took off down the street.....luckly my dad caught him before he cooked motor.....there was a oil stripe down the street for years after that!....LMAO

deacon · Jul 7, 2010

I had a filter put on in a service station on top of the old gasket. The mechanic forgot to remove the old gasket. I got about a hundred miles when the oil dumped and the engine seized before I could get it shut down. Of course I never could get the idiot to repair the car just a lesson learned. I began changing my own oil after that. Better to run dirty oil till I had time, than to have someone else do it wrong and cost me half a grand.

Bikeguy Joe · Jul 7, 2010

I was kinda lucky, my dad and grandpa were both "fixers" and tinker-ers. I remember putting a ford v-8 in an Allis-Chalmers with them when I was about 5-6. and was always out in the garage "helping" until my dad left when I was 8. I have been "self taught" ever since.

When I was 11-12 I put this sign out, and no I never did get a customer.....at least for another 25 years or so.

ferball · Jul 7, 2010

Well I have to say the thing that attracted me to this hobby not so long ago was how inexpensive it is and the endless hours of fun, riding and building. I enjoy tinkering and stuff and the bike seems to be the perfect outlet. I have a box full of old electronics (from my former days as a computer tech) and the last week has been spent messing around trying to make a 6v blinking LED circuit for turn indicators for the bike out of salvaged computer parts. I could buy lights for twenty bucks, but what fun would that be?

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