Technical Are you a Happy Mechanic or a Mad Mechanic

Depends on two things. 1, how much moonshine I have drank. 2, was it good or just moonshine.

 

My problem is my body knows how old I am and has dealt with the abuse hard work and time have brought. I have nothing but time but getting up and down is a struggle. I have lost 45 lbs on my way to a total of 100 lbs so I can work on my project cars and enjoy them. I can already see a difference in my mobility and attitude. I'm looking forward to next summer.

 

For the most part, I’m a happy mechanic. Usually it’s not what I’m working on that upsets me. It’s the nimrods I have to work with. Even working on something shitty like an engine replacement in a van, I’m happy, unless, people won’t leave me alone. I don’t understand how some of these guys wake up one day and decide that this is their life’s work. I only have so many dumbass jobs they can do.

 

I've never heard a man say this. Are you going to shop for a swim suit as well?

 

I'll be 61 soon... I just don't have the drive to wrench on a car anymore...
Maybe I should buy me a nice old Chevy to help me get motivated again....

 

I am at that point where getting down and getting up is slow and painful. I pick away at getting my truck done
when I want to, I refuse to set deadlines so I feel as long as something got done each week its good. I have done
more welding on this truck than the rest of my life in total, still not done but they are getting better. I too look forward to summer, I hate the cold.

 

Happy..... To have car club members to help me out when I get myself in a Jam. The Poor Quality Off Shore Parts that don't work right out of the Box can cause major Disappointment and Frustration!

 

I'm generally a happy mechanic but not today. I have 168 miles on my V8 A and lost second gear, 41 ford pickup trans and just wouldn't go in gear. Pulled the floor and shift tower, grease is full of brass, synchronizer hub locks up before it goes into second. Tearing it down is no fun, got everything ready to pull the rearend tomorrow.

 

Just getting over 'frustrated'...My O.T. roadster suffered a 'No Spark' setback a week ago. Coil is new, (tested it anyway) so the culprit was found, and replaced. But inside the cap, there was carbon tracking like a Nevada road map! AND, the rotor adapter (yes, Virginia; these cars have rotor adapters!) was compromised by a missing head off a HARD Allen bolt, rotor securment.
After awhile, my overstocked shop wielded the final fix: 00 tip, oxy/acetelyne. Warmed up the broken 3mm. bolt, cooled it. Removed it with a 4" long nose Vice Grip!(R)
The Benz runs!

BUT! My '55 F100 has a 1 wire alternator that won't 'energize' until 3400 RPM...Trouble shot the system, found weak magnetism at the rotor/stater. Ergo, started the engine, ran at 1200 RPM, then sparked #1 spade at alternator reg., (#1 terminal) FLASH!
Alternator now charges @ 1100 RPM...
Road test let some smoke out of the rear tires...

 

Good question. And good answers. Me, hard to say. I don't dance around the shop, but I don't throw tools either. Just glad to have my mind occupied.

 

Lol, last week I was carrying in a load of groceries, when I got to the back door and unlocked it my jeans dropped to my knees, all I could do was laugh.

 

I've pretty much always worked in restoration/restomod shops my whole life, and when I was doing it all day, and then coming home and trying to get my own projects done, I was definitely a mad mechanic. There have been some pretty heated words exchanged with bosses over the years, definitely a few flying wrenches, some overly aggressive drives home from the shop...

Now I work in a manufacturing machine shop and actually enjoy working on my projects. Actually, I took an almost year long break from hot rods while I was restoring my old boat (a '59 Crestliner Commodore Speedster for you boat guys) and I hadn't really touched my car much aside from driving it to work a few times. I finally got to the point that I actually missed wrenching on cars, and now I'm happy as can be.

 

I love to tinker with machinery, always have but I'm older now, I get tired before I get angry.

 

One word. Suspenders!
I had to start wearing them a couple of years ago, my belt would no longer hold my pants up. Reckon I’ve been in a truck seat so many years I lost my ass!

As to happy or not, it all depends. Things going good, I’m happy. Three busted knuckles, two mashed fingers, and blood everywhere, I tend to blow a fuse. Thankfully, that doesn’t happen often.

 

on the floor trying to get up while making old man sounds

 

Happy. Have the Dr's prescription to prove it.
Now get off my lawn.

 

I have worked on equipment since I was 13. I could get pretty worked up in my youth when the cows had to get fed and the equipment needed to do that had broken, due to some cost engineer making it just strong enough to get through warranty. Man that would piss me off. I was happy when I had the time to change that cheap design to something stronger. Now that I am retired I spend a lot of time in my shop. My current project, a 56 F100 has a lot of challenges that some of the components I chose are causing, and I am enjoying working through them. I walk away and work on something else while I figure out how I am going to get around the current challenge.

B

 

happy but I worked with a guy who was a thrower. One day he threw a hammer and it bounced back into his face and the blood started to flow, never saw him do that again . Sure impressed me to control the unhappy

 

All my training from age 15 to 21 was auto mechanics because I totally loved it. Then I got promoted to auto parts sales and made a little over 3 times as much money but the stress level was high.
moved from the west coast to the midwest and couldn't find a good job in sales so I hired on as a mechanic for the local municipality[just until I could find a lucrative sales job] and repaired snow plows, dump trucks, road graders and front end loaders for almost 30 years before retiring and through it all I was a happy mechanic at home and at work. Nothing is more soothing to me as working on my hot rod.

 

My brother in law works on cars, he is a MAD mechanic, he tends to offer colorful thoughts about the engineers that have designed most modern cars, and I've seen wrenches fly out of his garage on more then one occasion. The strange part is, he does the mechanic jobs for free for friends, relatives, and some people that need help. He is a retired factory worker now, but he has been doing this stuff after his daily job, for more then 20 years.

For the most part I'm a happy mechanic. I do get frustrated sometimes, but I will walk away before I loose it all together. I've been a paid mechanic, a paid factory heavy machine repair guy, and a welder for most of my working life. These days of enjoying retirement, I have a project that occupies much of my time. Parts of this project have been causing days of frustration at a time, because I'm doing a lot of engineering, trying to make stuff I have on hand work in an old truck.
The last few days have been windshield wiper engineering. I'm too cheap to buy the $300 kit for my truck that uses the existing wiper posts and linkage, which I don't have. I can buy off ebay some original posts and linkage for another $300, which is crazy for used stuff. I have this full system off a different vehicle sitting here, shouldn't be too hard to adapt, right? That was my thinking about the middle of last week. I got it all together this after noon, it made one stroke and locked up the linkage. Frustration!
Ah well, its snowing outside right now, we are suppose to get 7"-10" by mid afternoon tomorrow. I'll be back in the shop tomorrow to try again, and the day after that, or as long as need be. When I finally get it working, I'll be a happy camper. Then it will be on to the next challenge. Even with all the frustrations, its better then sitting in the house. Gene

 

For what it's worth, I am 73 and medically retired. I started in ernest at age 14 by learning to rebuild Ford standard transmissions guys were tearing up with either bigger engines, hotter flatheads, or lousy shifting. An older friend taught me how. At 14 I had loads of energy and a substantial shortage of patience. I kept a hammer and big block of wood near me, a d would pound the snot out of that block of wood when I had a problem doing a transmission. Went through LOTS of wood blocks. Over the years I became a line mechanic, an aircraft mechanic, and remained a passionate hot rodder. Over the years I learned a dew important lessons. First is the madder you get, the more the thing you are working on fights back and doesn't smile or show any emotion. I learned to sit back and analysis the situation and set a plan of action methodically. I learned to never work faster than my abilities allowed for. I have been frustrated many times in all these years and have learned to back off and regroup. Another thing I learned surfaced to a friend of mine as my son and I were doing an engine and trans conversion on his truck. He saw us regroup a few times as we moved forward with the job. He said, " I don't understand you guys. You stay calm when I would be tearing my hair out, throwing tools, and cussing up a blue streak. What gives?". I told him that over the years I realized that all repairs and projects can have problems and when they surface we are prepared to deal with and solve them because they are expected. The real good ones (and they are rare) is when everything falls in place. You know, like the Hot rods you fantasize in York head that work perfectly all the time. I have been chastised some times because I didn't work fast enough by the boss or a customer, but it's been over 40 years since anyone complained about the quality of my work. I try to always be a happy mechanic. After my retirement, it became necessary to adapt things and procedures to compensate for physical ailments, but not to give up! I have 4 irons in the fire and move from one to the other based on my current enthusiasm and priorities. I am currently building a destroked 400 chevrolet with à hydraulic roller cam and much modified tpi for my OT El Camino. I am reworking a Corvette harness to fit where and what I need to make it work for me. People come over and look at the mass of loose wires currently around my bench a I modify everything and shake their heads. But, it's what has always made me happy. Methodically solving problems and removing obstacles. It's been a long time since my wood block beating days of frustration. And, a college of hard knocks to bring me to where I am. Happy? You bet! Satisfied, nope, I have to much fun and challenges left. In the end it's all good if you learn from it.

 

Never been a tool thrower, don’t understand that.
Getting pissed at an inanimate object makes no sense to me.
Now a fly or ants crawling on me when I’m getting frustrated doing a mongrel job in the heat will get me going, ask my missus and kids,
Changing a double fan belt up north in the humid heat with forty thousand fu
ken sticky flies trying to climb up your nose or in your eyes makes for a fun time, a sarcastic “No I don’t need a hand dear, just take the kids and go away for awhile”
was the nicest thing to be said.

 

When I'm working on the Vair or any of the hot rods I've had I am in the zone and fully enjoy the work. No stress.
That being said, when working on the DDs I am always pissed. Everything is dirty and a major PITA. No room to work and computer diagnoses. Not my idea of fun but I'm not paying for something I can do. FUCK!!!

 

I learned a long time ago not to bust stuff up, because there's only one schmuck who will ever have to repair it - me.
If I am in my shop, with my tunes blasting, and phone turned off , be it at 7 p.m or 1:30 a.m, I'm a happy little Vegemite (or a happy camper if you're from the far-far North). I usually have a couple of things on the go, so when one gets to me, I can do a bit on the other.

 

Mmmm.... Vegemite!... I grew up on that stuff....

 

are all those sad emojis saying that you don’t get to work on them because they just don’t break down...........?

 

My fiancé bought me a “caution low flying tools” sign...

I work better after I’ve been mad. It focuses me lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Untitled by Travis Brown, on Flickr
Yep.
It brings me joy just to step back and look at it.
It's fun to just work on it. It has not always been that way. What I appreciate best is shutting the door on a honest to goodness garage.
I remember those days of working in the wet grass, the mud and the cold. If you were lucky an old Tomcat would come lay on your chest. It was cold, about this time of year. The ground was white with frost. I was under a '62 Galaxie in may Dad's pasture. Old TC (Tom Cat) came to see me. I can still feel the warmth of him through those coveralls. It was not fun especially when you had to get it back together if you wanted a ride. I was always in a hurry, I guess. Instead of "hurry" urgency would fit better. That leads to lack of patience.

I don't remember the frustration but I do remember old TC, he was a good one.

It's paying your dues. You can have the best teacher but it takes doing it to get that feel. The first lesson. There's tight and then there's hillbilly tight. Hillbilly tight breaks stuff. Young men break stuff, sometimes themselves. My father calls it too strong for too long. Another one, pull a wrench, never push it. You'll eventually see red stuff if you push. Alas, never say never.

I'm not a builder. I'm definitely not a restorer. I really don't know how you would classify me. I'm a paint 'em with iodine, mark them duty type.
I love the platforms. I love the quirks of a old car. Each one has their quirks, their automotive personality. I love the concept of making that platform perform. A Banger A, A hopped up stove bolt or hot flat Mopar and the sound of a sweet V8 whether it be a flathead, Small, W, or Big Chevy, Y, FE, Olds Cadillac and so on, that's all good stuff. I love to see those old platforms with a big engine stuffed in there. I like that, just so long as the car is not lost along the way.

I'm not a thrower per say. If I do throw stuff it's in the style of John Wayne. The guy throws something, every movie. It's dramatic.

Mother F&*%er used to be my favorite word usually preceded by "You".... I've traded that one for "Well, kiss my ass!" kindler gentler....thousand points of light..... although MF still makes a nostalgic visit to the shop on occasion.

I've really been blessed and it's been fun, even when I did not know it or appreciate it. It's been a privilige.
I'm a happy mechanic now but with an occasional relapse for old times sake.

 

This post reminds me of my My loving dad who wasn’t very mechanically inclined. He had minimal patience.
I remember as a teenager helping him repair various home and automotive problems. It wasn’t a fun experience.
I credit my grandfathers (on my mother’s side ) genes that made me mechanically inclined and patient.
I’m a happy mechanic.

 

I have been turning wrenches since I was about 13 years old and now I am 71. I have never thrown a tool in disgust or anger.
When I get to that point I just walk away and find something else to do. I used to get on my motorcycle and go for a ride and that cures a lot of stress.
I was in charge of a shop once and had this young hot head that worked for me. I had warned him about throwing tools and one day he bounced one off a customers car outside waiting to be brought into the shop. I told him to go pick up his tool and then go for a ride to cool off. While he was gone I rolled his box out to the curb and when he got back I told him while he was close to his truck to just load all of his tools in the truck and don't come back.
I had no time for that in my shop. I am hard to work for and with because of being goal oriented. So I really like the fact that now I can work as little or long as I want and when I am satisfied with my progress I can turn off the lights and close the door knowing that if I didn't finish what I was working on that it would be there when I got back to it.
Life is good.