How many people here became their own Mustang mechanics?

[1 old racer]

I perform all mods on any and all my car and have been doing this all my life. I am a 3rd gen track whore so I kinda grew up with it. However I must admit that when one of my daily drivers need std repairs I do take it in and pay someone to do the work. Its funny how I dont like to make repairs but love to wrench on mods

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[Spike-S550]

I initially qualified as a mechanic on leaving school so obviously I've always worked on my own vehicles, but no longer being in the trade for several decades now can have a few disadvantages as technology has made relatively straight forward jobs far more involved. Not only do you have to have specialist equipment and tools ,but being older and less agile can make things more difficult and take a little longer. However still enjoy wrenching as much as I can and have saved myself a lot of money over the years.

 

[Shifting_Gears]

Having owned (20) to date, including my 94 Cobra and 2018, I’ve owned at least 1 Mustang since 1990 and have torn them down to a shell, modified, rebuilt or restored them.

Working on any year Mustang (or any vehicle for that matter) is nothing more than like working on a gigantic 1:18 scale model... or better yet, if you ever bought a real 1/10 scale R/C car, the ones you have to build from a box of parts, it’s just like working on a real car... just a smaller scale with much smaller tools and equipment... LOL!!

For those that do their own work in their driveway, their garage, a friends garage, under a carport or unexpectedly on the side of the road or a parking lot - I say KUDOS! They not only learn how to diagnose by trial/error/process of elimination, but they can apply that working knowledge towards other future problems OR when wanting to modify something. They also gain a respect for personal accomplishment, safety aspects and get to understand the actual “profession” by seeing exactly how simple or complex a repair can be and the time involved from start to finish. It also takes away some of the intimidation, because once you’ve worked on one vehicle, you can pretty much conquer any other.

People who work on their own vehicles also have a greater respect when they may have to work on a vehicle that is NOT their own - they treat that vehicle as if it is theirs and take pride in what they do... Can’t say that for everyone, but some Techs at the Big Box Dealers do treat Customers cars as if they were their own...

People who work on their own vehicles see how they’re also able to save quite a bit of money for the repair (or upgrade), instead of relying on a Shop, the exhorbitant cost of marked up shop parts and the added labor costs.

Working on your own stuff can also be rewarding, a stress reliever or therapeutic for some folks - because not everyone has an “easy” life, so that’s their way of decompressing and having some sense of self accomplishment.

Spot on.

 

[Michael_vroomvroom]

I'm amazed by some of the things I see people here do and the help and time provided.

I've had stuff I care about before in my life, like motorcycle. Started out wrenching on small 50cc bikes when I was thirteen. Had a couple other boys in the neighbourhood who were also into that, so we could help each others. Never took it to a mechanic for anything. Wondered for a time whether I should educate myself into becoming a mechanic, but choose something else in the end.
Sometimes I'd screw up though: my CBR 900RR (Honda "supersport") shut down on the highway once. Fortunately near my exit and just 2-3 miles from home, so even though it took a while (yeah, bikes are lighter than cars, but pushing a 1L bike with a full tank uphill for a mile is not all that fun), I managed to walk it home. Diagnosed it with the help of a Haynes manual to be a fuel pump problem. Ordered a new pump, but when I installed the new fuel pump I managed to pinch the fuel line a bit without noticing/checking it, so the pump ended up overheating/overworking itself and I had to buy a new one again a few weeks later. USD 300 learning experience.

(Funnily enough, the fuel pump shut down near the same place after my install, but on the other side of the highway) a few weeks or a month later. Asked my father to bring some tools so I could take off the fuel tank and see if I could figure out the problem there and then. This time it was of course quick to diagnose it was the ful pump again and I saw the pinched hose too. Managed to bypass the fuel pump (carburetted engine), drove to a gas station in the car to get more fuel and top up the tank, and gravity helped me snail home at a low rpm without having to push the bike again, even though it stopped 4-5 times on the way and I had to wait a bit for more fuel to pour out of the tank and into the fuel lines. Win! ;-)

Also had stuff I did not care much about, like my previous cars, both old and new. Cleaned them, but was not interested in doing anything else on them, so always took them to a mechanic for whatever minor thing. Had an old Toyota corolla I actually grew to like and care about, but was living in South-East Asia and had a good mechanic that was so cheap compared to my expat-salary that I just couldn't be bothered to get my hands dirty and use all the time it would take, plus I had never wrenched on a car before.

With the Mustang, I'm again starting to wrench. Things are a bit different on a car compared to a bike since everything is so much bigger and heavier, but there is so much knowledge easily accessible now in the form of this forum and both text and videos that it's possible to learn a lot more than I could from just a Haynes manual.

Like others says, for a non-professional, it feels really good to be able to do something more than just wash a car I care about and this forum is really great for that. Really inspiring.

 

[Fly2High]

As I have already mentioned I love wrenching on cars both to mod and repair. Of course, modding is easier since the car could be younger and the parts easier to remove.

The only thing that I find really difficult is to find the time. Working on a car is part necessity and part hobby. On one hand, I enjoy it. On the other, I have to do the things life requires of me. Having only a DD, I cannot take the time or wait for a weekend to fix a problem always. There are some times that due to a busy schedule, I just cannot find the time to do the repair. Mods, I tend to do myself but I also find myself doing less of them because I have a warranty or need a car to last me at least 10 years, give or take. I like being able to keep a car running longer than the typical person. Nowadays, the average car on the road is up to 13 years so I might need to push that number out a bit. Besides, cars do last longer these days anyway.

If I had a spare car or a daily driver, I would more often do my own work. For now, we are a two car family and both need to be working all the time. Some times, one can go down and I/my wife can get a ride buying me the opportunity to fix it myself. Of course that also means I might miss out on family sporting events and other personal interests. Having a busy schedule doesn't help either.

 

[vernonator]

I used to turn wrenches on my first 3 Mustangs (79, 87, 95) but now as I am older and the sheer complexity of modern cars I just write checks for most things. I will do simple things (brakes, bolt-on mods) but anything thats easier with a lift....I am paying someone for that.

 

[oneheadlite]

Oneheadlite, im sorry about your motorcycle wreck and heart surgery.. my comments don't apply to you,, my friend!

Wondering if its a generational thing. My sons are teenagers and I don't think any of their friends have ever wrenched on a car. At that age, my friends and me all wrenched on cars. Simpler times and interests? Points and condenser ignition and carburetor necessity? Back then, NO INTERNET OR YOUTUBE...you had to find a mentor in town and beg, borrow and steal tips on how to take on a project.

With that said, only a handful of guys my age (50s) I know today even mow their own lawn or maintain their vehicles.

I chalk it up to partial laziness, partial financial comfort. Id rather take care of my house and vehicles than spend the time playing golf.

Totally admire you younger guys taking on all the DIYs on your Mustangs. Keep it up!

TKS for the consideration.
I did for years do all the maintenance and repair work I could.
Motorcycle wreck @ 48. It took away the strength and flexibility in my right hand.
Smashed my chest real bad, not to mention 5 broken ribs down my spine.
Heart surgery @61, but I still manage to get by.

 

[Shifting_Gears]

TKS for the consideration.
I did for years do all the maintenance and repair work I could.
Motorcycle wreck @ 48. It took away the strength and flexibility in my right hand.
Smashed my chest real bad, not to mention 5 broken ribs down my spine.
Heart surgery @61, but I still manage to get by.

Fortunately you’re still here.

Seen a couple of bad bike wrecks that people never went home from.

 

[Michael_vroomvroom]

As I have already mentioned I love wrenching on cars both to mod and repair. Of course, modding is easier since the car could be younger and the parts easier to remove.

The only thing that I find really difficult is to find the time. Working on a car is part necessity and part hobby. On one hand, I enjoy it. On the other, I have to do the things life requires of me. Having only a DD, I cannot take the time or wait for a weekend to fix a problem always.

That's true. Fortunately I have an old wreck of a car that I still maintain (via mechanics) and which I can use for most things except prolonged drives up the mountains (transmission brakes down if I do that. Price for rebuild: about the same as I paid for the car a year ago).
Originally I just bought the A3 because quoted delivery time for the Mustang was 6-9 months, so either buy an old wreck in my new country and hope I get a good buy, or pay a similar price to rent for 6-9 months (+ take the risk of even further delays). Now I'm happy to have the A3 though, as it means I don't have to rush any work on the Mustang but can take whatever time I need.

 

[wazslow]

I try and do most everything myself. I bought my 2016 Mustang GT/CS in May and already had parts waiting for it. I installed oil pump gears/crank sprocket, 2018 intake manifold, Fore triple pump return fuel system, and a Hellion Street Sleeper kit. All on jackstands in my garage, no issues.

 

[wazslow]

I meant to include a picture of the turbos...

 

[Arknsawchuck]

I try and do most everything myself. I bought my 2016 Mustang GT/CS in May and already had parts waiting for it. I installed oil pump gears/crank sprocket, 2018 intake manifold, Fore triple pump return fuel system, and a Hellion Street Sleeper kit. All on jackstands in my garage, no issues.

Well of course you did, just look at your floor. Everyone knows all the really good mechanics have black and white checkered floors...lol

 

[wazslow]

Well of course you did, just look at your floor. Everyone knows all the really good mechanics have black and white checkered floors...lol

Lol. Looked nice when I put it down 15 years ago. Its pretty beat up from working on it now.

 

[Fly2High]

that looks cool!

What is the ground clearance like? Can you scrape the turbos? Do you need to leave the plastic off due to the heat?

 

[wazslow]

that looks cool!

What is the ground clearance like? Can you scrape the turbos? Do you need to leave the plastic off due to the heat?

So far ground clearance has been fine, but my car is at stock ride height. Nothing has ever scraped and all the plastics on the bottom of the car stay on with no issues.

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