They think I'm crazy

My friends tell me I’m crazy but I still do it. I have no problem in spending hours fabricating something that is readily available at the local parts store or on line. I just think its great fun to re-purpose something or build it from scratch rather that just install a ready-made part that these days if of unknown quality. The other day I needed a 1/4 to 1/8 pipe reducer and the only thing I had was a 1/4 inch pipe plug so I drilled it out and threaded it with a 1/8 pipe tap and I was good to go. It’s not the money it just to see if I can. Am I alone or do some of you guys have the same affliction?

 

Hey I'm with you, I don't see a thing wrong with making something yourself. Little bit of pride in it the way I see it. Some of the crap you buy now a days you just don't know where it comes from and like you said.......unknown quality for sure....
Besides I'm a tight ass anyway........ ;o)

 

yes! sometimes i can make or fix something quicker than driving to get one.

 

For some people it is the journey rather than the destination. Some people just like making things.

Don

 

whatsamattaforU?

I thought most guys on here look in Speedway first? Wait a few days, see if it shows up, and if not, start a bitch thread.

 

They didn't have stores that sold the stuff you needed when I grew up, So if you wanted to play ya better know how to make a lot .of things or ya was in trouble.

 

Yep,pretty much thats crazy right there.
Welcome to the club...

Just so happens I'm tapping some pipe thread
right now. But hey,the parts stores are closed...

 

Knowing how to make something is so much more valuable than knowing where to buy it.

Roger

 

I'm the same way esp if i get to use a lathe, fittings are fun to make and turning threads is fun but still messes with my head, im no professional on a lathe but its fun and you can make some real cool stuff if you have the time to learn

 

Whew, I feel better, my friends had me thinking I was all f'd up.

 

Hi tltony.NOT f`ed up.Just hard headed, independant and CHEAP like the rest of us around these parts.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

 

Nothing wrong with taking pride in building something with parts and tools you have on hand. I've got a stack of 1930's Popular Mechanics magazines, back then guys made all kinds of stuff at home. Bob

 

I'm the same way, and my dad is the king.

 

It's starting to become economically feasible. It's 16 miles to town and back, my shop truck gets 14 MPG, fuel is $4.09. I'll make the $2.99 part.

 

Keep thinking that way guys and some people will be out of a job,Chinese people good old American ingenuity is still alive and kickin'.

 

I'm in much the same boat. The only difference is I have to make what I want because nobody makes it. But BE WARNED. This thread will probably be closed pretty quickly. The thoughts of actually making parts for your hot rod and NOT ordering it from a catalog could be foreign to a lot of rodders. Making your own parts will cause a lot of confusion and diisarray.

 

I'm not a great mechanic or craftsman but I do the the same thing whenever I can. I always try and re-thread a bolt or fix a old part before buying a new one. Isn't that what our hobby is all about? For example, my lawnmower is about 20 yrs old, and I take great pride in keeping it going with home made parts.

 

Ya , but now what if you need that pipe plug. Oh , that's right, you could find a 1/4 by 1/8 bushing and plug weld it to make it a pipe plug !

 

Damn, I thought; here is a chance for an eeeeeeaassyyyy smart-arse answer, ..................... and by geez after reading the OP, I relaised I do exactly the same.
I guess that makes me crazy too.
Oh well, at least I've been diagnosed.
(But I do miss that opportunity for the smarty answer - ho hum).

 

I think that most traditional oriented rodders are the same way afflicted, at least to the best of their ability's. Some may not be able to craft parts like new panels but do what they can, a category I fall into.
Damn it, spent too much time learning other skills!!

Doc.

(P.S. ....And aren't we all a little crazy, just for the fun of it??)

 

We all seem the same.If you can't make it or fix it,try to.Except those damn lawn mowers !

 

I love tools. First thing that comes to mind is how to
make or fix something you need. Justifies more tools. heh heh

 

exactly right backwoods. And the day may come when that skill saves a long walk...

 

"necessity..the father of invention"
Farmers have been doing this for years.

 

hell, ill even bust my butt to make the tool to make the part!

So far the majority say they do it just to do it, Ill be the first to admit that I do it because Im CHEAP!

Maybe a little off topic w/ the M/C but still right to the point of build it , dont buy it.
I went from this:



to this:
W/ less than 2 grand in out of pocket $
(Somethings you have to buy such as tires and paint supplies)



build it, dont buy it.

jeff

 

Plus it's good practise for the day you HAVE to make something cos you can't buy it.

 

Poverty forces me to do the same thing.

 

Well if you think you are crazy, I will join you!!! I do think there is a lot of personal satisfaction of doing it your self. I like to learn new things. I have built my own CNC plasma table. I make parts for myself and my friends.

When I die, I will know everything! (most likely nothing!!!!)

 

I guess its bread into me also. Going back to being a kid, number one I had no money, and number two I lived in the country. Now I still live in the country, town is a 20 miles roundtrip. I love to make something out of nothing and the bookworms with money are amazed. I tell them its the art of being cheap, and thats what all the tools are for.

 

I enjoy situations like this. It gets even better when you have to cross stuff that ain't even automobile parts to make something for a project. When I was a poor student and had to make and repair junk for my daily, that's where my real learning happened.