Gear head gene

[03LiquidSilver]

I enjoy wrenching on my bike, it all started wrenching on cars, Oldsmobile specifically. Raced them ( 67 442) back before marriage and kids. Now kids are grown, and my son has taken an interest. ( glad someone got the gear head gene) He found a nice survivor, 67 Cutlass, so far we converted drum brakes to 4 disc brakes, rebuilt front end with poly bushings, ball joints, tie rods, etc, new floor pans (I live in NYS, salt sucks ass) so he learned how to mig weld and sent a 425 BB to the race shop. It's been a great father/son project over the winter. Do some of you wrench on your car......let's see some pics of your beauty!

[KCpartsguy]

I'm just getting started on this one, '76 F250 4X4 Highboy.

[Deerkiller]

Nice. Have wanted an old 4x4 Ford that’s done up real nice with a modern FI engine and transmission for awhile now. Ah well, not at the top of my priority list unfortunately. Maybe put the running gear out of a 2020 F-250 in a 1978 truck and see what happens...

[03LiquidSilver]

Nice project there!! A friend had a 4 door Ford 4X4 close in year, his dad owned a body shop, impressive rigs!

[KCpartsguy]

Well, it's a mess. Sat outside for 28 years, but I did get it to fire up and run a little. Carb is toast, fuel pump leaks, brakes are shot. And those are the good parts! Only has 90k on it and seat is perfect, old man said it rode too rough so he parked it and bought a 2WD truck.

[Brad_G]

That looks like quite a project 03LiquidSilver. Nice to have a good place to work on that. What kind of ramps is that on? Is that part of an alignment rack or something else?

[03LiquidSilver]

They were a gift from my uncle who is past his years of wrenching. They're called "Kwiklift". Drive up and use floor jack to lift and lock the ramps up. They are the bomb! I'm grateful.

[Brad_G]

Thanks for that info. I'd never seen that before. I could see that being very handy if I ever get my shop built.

[zingpow]

mechanical ability and musical ability, i have neither...both are pure art forms that allow a person freedom to create at will...the doctors say that the sequence in dna that produces bullshit is exceptional in me, not quite an art form but i try...zp...

[03LiquidSilver]

ZP.......dude, thanks for the laugh. Laughter is the best medicine for shit day. Someday, I like to enjoy a cold one with you someday, the therapy alone would be priceless.

[Deerkiller]

Mine skipped a generation. My grandpa (who I unfortunately never got to meet) had it. My dad hated all things engine related so I didn’t get to learn it growin up. Decided I wanted to be able to fix stuff so I taught myself thru reading repair manuals (with a little help along the way from older guys for sure).

Cars/trucks are cool but they’re endless money pits and I have neither the time nor desire to restore anything. I prefer newer, high powered motorcycles anyway. I would like to own several cars but the money tree just isn’t growing fast enough.

1967 Shelby Mustang
1970 Boss 429
1969 Camaro SS
1979 Trans Am
1963 Corvette

The wish list goes on...

Hell, as long as I have a wish list going...

2019 R1M
KTM Superduke
2006 R1 (already have that one, lol)
2002 R1 (bought one brand new once upon a time)
Kawasaki ZX-14
Honda RC-51
Aprilia RSV4
Ducati Panigale V4R
And a turbocharged Hayabusa (obviously)

[zingpow]

ducati diavel any year with a good exhaust...
second generation yamaha vmax...
a couple straight line bikes just to go to town on (literally and figuratively)...zp...

[03LiquidSilver]

I grew up a bastard, then was adopted, learned everything I know on my own, no schooling, all learning done by mistakes. I raced using junk yard parts, had a ball! Made a few bucks at the track to feed my obsession. Nice list btw! Dreams do come true! ;-)

[Questcap]

I've got the gene... My older brother, too! I discovered it at the age of 5, and I've never stopped since. Hardly ever have to go to a manual... I can see and get it, usually. When I was checking in at Ft. Carson in April of '73, the Sgt. reviewing my records stopped, looked up at me, and said... "That's the highest mechanical aptitude IQ I've ever seen..." If it's got tires and an ic engine, I'm interested!!!

[03LiquidSilver]

Same here, started with bicycle's, fixing the neighborhoods bikes. I got it from my uncle, and at the age of 9, he took me to see Mongoose and the Snake at an area track, the same track my most fun days living to date. Good times, different times, my kind of people.

[Questcap]

Wow! You're going back aways!!! McEwen and Prudomme... I remember... though it was magazines, photos and model cars!!!

[Doc_V]

When I was a kid I used to hang over my father's shoulder and watch him work on our car. When I was 12 he let me do my first drum brake job as he watched *every* step of course. I find there's a certain beauty in oil soaked gears... Just look at this shot of my motor's internals at 40k miles... It looks like new and those machining lines are a thing a beauty!








So I guess you could say I have "the gene".

[03LiquidSilver]

Very cool pics Doc! Pretty efen clean! My son has done the same thing with me since he started to walk, miss those days. He went to college for "Advanced Manufacturing" , fancy word for machinists. At the age of 21, he's doing very well for himself. He's always sending video clips making those machine lines on various parts.

[zingpow]

03ls...when great explorers left their homeland to broaden the horizons of their culture they always took a storyteller...he was educated and well read and could not only record the journey for posterity but tell stories and anecdotes to put any hardships they encountered into perspective...plus if they ran low on food they could just kill the asshole and eat him...zing fondue...

[03LiquidSilver]

Making some progress.

[Chromepony]

That 425 is a most excellent motor !

[03LiquidSilver]

You ain't lying there!! This build should bring us close to 500hp on pump gas.

[Questcap]

Pictures of my baby... A '93 Jaguar XJS Coupe in diamond blue, with the 4 liter in-line six. I had NO idea that this color was an absolute chick magnet. Women are crazy about this blue!!!

[03LiquidSilver]

Sweet ride man!!

[midnitmike]

I must be a genetic anomaly since no one in my extended gene pool including aunts and uncles has "it". For as long as I can remember I've been fixing anything and everything mechanical and when that wasn't enough inventing new ways to solve old problems. My four years as an AF mechanic taught me the value of tech manuals and doing things "by the book" and 20 years of commercial fishing taught me the value making shit up as you go. As far as I'm concerned I can make, modify or simply invent anything I care to and in almost any medium you can think of. Last week my Liner was just a Liner, this week it looks and sounds completely different and is taking on a life of it's own....can't wait to see what I end up with.

[davej]

Questcap here is a Jag Me and buddy restored and the blue is about the same as yours. I guess they knew about the blue back in the 60's.