Hot Rods Went to the auto supply store today OH MY!

I played a game. Used your # and had hits in 30 seconds

https://www.drivetrainamerica.com/2...2065&msclkid=48925bd24dc81074d4d53f80ec1d09bc

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/tmk-2065?seid=srese2

https://www.amazon.com/National-206...hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583863998442518&psc=1

And a local Autozone
https://www.autozone.com/drivetrain/clutch-release-bearing/p/brute-power-bearing-2065/693549_0_0

 

Bull. I have had an OBDII scanner for 20 years. Troubleshoot mine and family members cars. Take my fancy little pocket super computer processor that also works as a walkie talkie and look up the OBD code in seconds. Has saved us THOUSANDS of $$$$ over the years. As far as working on them? The engines just have more stuff in the way to remove until SURPRIZE! It looks like a 4, 6 or 8 cyclinder under all that chit

 

Agreed. This is patently untrue....

Much like the attitude towards younger generations on here. I'd imagine the people complaining spend almost no actual time around young people, nor do they repairing modern cars.

 

My off topic ride , a 2012, is probably as easy to work on today as my first car was in 1982. The transition period between carbs and fuel injection and the resulting simplification of everything to it's easiest replaceable elements has made that much difference IMHO. The big stumbling blocks were the emissions controls and attempts to get better mileage with fewer emissions in the 80's and 90's. All the manufacturers had issues with all their systems (Lean Burn, Constantly Variable Venturi carbs, v8-6-4 ignition, all kinds of attempts to get that one more percent)

 

Agree that parts stores want to sell parts for current cars. Fuzzy dice was a joke-sorry you missed it. If you are a decent experienced mechanic with the computer scanners, yes, you can probably DIY stuff. If your skills are more limited, perhaps not. The other issue with my dailies at least is if it goes wrong, I need it now, not when friends and I get time to work on it and figure it out. And,with more and more EVs, when I strip off the stuff, it doesn't look at all like a 4,6 or 8. It could be a shock, literally. But glad you can do all that. I am glad I can do what I can do. No idea what to do with the continuously variable transmission.

 

Tie raps can fix a multitude of problems
and I can install them all by myself

 

DIY...do it yourself
DYI...do yourself in

 

The average person 60 years ago probably felt that new cars were harder to work on at that time.

 

Which part of your joke was a post, the first sentence, the second sentence, all of it, or none of it?

Modern cars still have struts, brakes, most have combustion engines, and the list goes on. Yes, they're more complicated, but you can still repair many things yourself if you have the desire.

 

Installing a part is installing a part. But many of us lack all the diagnostic tools to zero in on many many things.
I’ve got a real good shop in town though. When I hit a roadblock on an emissions issue and see it can be any of 5 things, I spring for the 80/90 bucks and they will set me on the right path.
But they’re using equipment to run diagnostics with that I might need once every 10 years and not willing to pay 800/1000$ To find out I need a 50 dollar set of gaskets.

 

those tools are getting closer and closer into our DIY hands!

 

Maybe for some of them, heck I remember I payed around 1k for a used SnapOn MT2500 in the 90’s. New price was more than double. That was one expensive buy that did save me $$ and a lot of time over the years.

 

You can get an obd2 input for like $25, and free software on your cell phone, and do everything from clear trouble codes, diagnose, retard camshaft, etc.... If anything, it's easier to diagnose a new car imho. It tells you what's wrong usually....

 

I’ll pm you in a bit, don’t want to go too OT

 

+time, tools, and skills.

 

Okay, I know I promised I wouldn't say anything else on this subject, but today I walked into the local NAPA looking for header gaskets and bolts for a 1962 283. The older fellow was taking care of another customer, so I got the younger guy. The older guy is a wealth of knowledge, the younger guy not so much. The younger guy has been there at least 5 years, I remember when he started. His first question was, "What make is that" and I knew I was in trouble. I kept my cool, answered politely, "Chevrolet", and waited. He brought out a package of OEM exhaust manifold gaskets and told me he would have to order the bolts. Being polite again, I thanked him for his time and said I'd look down at the local race car shop. I waited a couple of minutes and after the older fellow was done with his customer, I asked him whether people like us are his worst customers as someone suggested earlier in this thread. He looked at me a minute to see if I was baiting him or not and then replied that for the most part, we were. Saturdays are his worst days because then is when he gets the DIYers that don't listen when he tells them that what they want to do won't work. They also don't listen when he suggests something that will. I'm sort of limited with what I can get done because I've never lived anywhere long enough to have a "network" like it seems that a lot of you guys have. Parts and information are hard to come by. My information comes from what I think I remember from several decades ago and what I can get from you all. I consider myself fortunate to have you guys keeping me from making too many bad decisions. Now, if one of you could tell me where I could get a large bucket of money, preferable $100s, maybe I can get these cars finished.

 

^^^^^. Bank. But the downside sucks

 

You're supposed to be keeping me from making bad decisions

 

Went to my local Autozone for a part to fix my granddaughter's car a week ago. Of course they didn't have it, but the main hub 6 miles away did. Finally got the part after the counter guy had to get the manager twice to assist with paying. On the way home I realized in the confusion they didn't give me the receipt! Called them, and asked them to email the receipt, but was told I didn't need it since it's in their system under my phone number.
A week later the part kept having issues, and not working 100% of the time. So went to my local store again, and the guy told me he'd order one in for the next day, and I could just exchange it. Came in the next day, and the counter guy brings up my purchases and tells me there's no record I ever bought the part at Autozone! I showed him the original box, with date I wrote on it, and after things got a little heated on my end, he gave in and rang it up, then wrote it up as a return. I made sure I got a receipt this time, but before I walked away I asked him to check his computer to see if it showed this last purchase? He checked, and again it didn't show in their system!
Another interesting note. I compared the two parts before I left, and the 1st bad switch had all the contacts blackened like they were old used connections. The new switch had nice shiny new contacts and appears they sold me a used returned switch the first time!

 

I don't do a lot with our local NAPA stores (locally owned) but as an experiment I pulled up those gaskets yesterday on both Oreillys and NAPA. Both have stores within walking distance of my office. Once again it was 30 seconds after plugging in a 59 Biscayne/283 that Oreillys showed them as in stock here. NAPA took a bit longer and came up with a TON of "not in stock" so even their software is a little clunkier and probably not accurate as I know they have 283 gaskets in stock. I definately will not be using their site since Oreillys and Advance are more user friendly.

 

Well now, that.......that's......something to be proud of, son.......but what I'm looking for is a part for a radiator. And, uh, I'd keep that under my hat if I were you.

 

so went to the local Auto***e here in town ... needed a pair of license plate light lens for my off topic Chevy Truck... So I see a Dorman 68168 part number. They looked like what was on my truck.. So I ask the guy if he has another one since I wanted them to match. Of course they only had one... I tell him my year and model... and ask if he could verify that it would fit my rig. With a electric parts catalogs he had couldn't tell even with the part number... so I grab my phone and pop the number in 30 seconds I find it and its correct... I get oh thats good... he was able to tell me another store had just one ... ugh so I drive to the south end of town to get the other...

 

60 years ago, I was working in a gas station selling and installing TBA, pumping gas, lubing cars, changing and repairing tires. One of the things I remember about that time was the new Fords came out without grease zerks on tie rod ends and U-joints. Some bean counter at Ford figured that if they didn't have to drill, tap and install grease fittings in those places, Ford was going to make a ton of money. Made my job easier at first but later, when I had to replace those worn-out parts, it made it more difficult and I made less money changing parts than I did selling TBA. Yeah, the station owner probably made more money changing those parts, but he probably lost out on TBA sales because we weren't looking at things that were possibly going wrong as often as before.

 

What’s a TBA

 

Tires, Batteries and Accessories TBA was a tab on the old cash registers for a catch all . Plus wiper blades , bulbs etc.

 

TBA , I hadn't heard that in decades. All the major oil companies had their own line of everything .

 

Yep, good old "TBA" right there on the register, I haven't thought of that in decades.

 

Heck, I was thinking “Tierods, Balljoints, Arms”

 

To be announced

 

We had several "general" stores here where I live at one point. The general stores were the best in my opinion.

When I was disassembling a 55 Chevy about twenty years ago, a general store on our formal main street was the only place in town that had a clutch bit.

I bought five and lost all five...