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I believe that a car guy is anyone who is passionate about cars who knows at least the basics.
I also believe there are different types and different levels of car guy.
Lets take me for example, I’m very knowledgeable about the subject, work in the trade, own 3 trucks and have a decent amount of experience.
However, I tend to be the most passionate about the old stuff. I am a classic car and truck enthusiast whilst being and all around car guy.It’s just when I sit in the seat of an old car or truck, I get more of a “feeling”
Even my young brother went crazy about my 55′ Chevy truck. He took pictures and sent them to all his friends he loved it so much.
When anyone can get that excited about any vehicle, they have some car guy in them.
We take turns going on the truck. Usually 3 at a time. I have been buying more as of late however I need to cut back a little 😆
[quote=”Hockeyclark” post=151930]I just call any big jacked up truck that doesn’t see off road a compensator.[/quote] Typically also built with mommy and daddy’s money as well. I can respect a guy who builds his own truck more than one who uses someone else money and sources it out for obvious reasons.
Remember the ricer imports from the 200Xs? Since all those old hondas and toyotas are no longer as plentiful, and affordable as they once were the import ricer gig is on it’s way out. The new generation of ricers are diesel truck owners who buy a diesel just to say they have one and use their parents money to “soup it up” so they can show off to their butt buddies.
Here are 438 pages full of exihibit A-Z and everything in between: http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/general-chit-chat/888239-diesel-trucks-ricers-future-438.html
The thread started in 2010 and is still going to this day.
[quote=”Hockeyclark” post=151891][quote=”Chevyman21″ post=151890][/quote]
Pretty much, I would say the 90s were when trucks began the shift from utility and hard work to brodozers and grocery getters.
Thin sheet metal, beer can frames, pathetic gearing, no manual transmissions, luxury and electronics galore. The age of the honest pickup is over. About the only good thing that added for contractors are bigger center consoles as well as more storage space in cab.
The GMT400(Chevy/GMC), second generation ram, and the mid 90s F150’s were the last of the real work trucks. Chevy and Ford were done making real work trucks by 2000 and the second gen ram ended around 2001. Heavy duty models excluded for all three.
Even they aren’t as solid as the trucks from further past.[/quote]
[quote=”Hockeyclark” post=151891] There was a lot said here, and I would like to reply briefly. The old ways of the truck are gone for sure.
Now, you have to have an automatic for some strange reason. You can still get wind up windows, though, but not manual door locks. At least on Chevys. Even the most basic new 2014/5 Silverado’s are $25k. That’s too much.
IMO, real trucks died in the mid/late 2000’s. By 2007 GM got rid of manuals, by 2009 Ford tossed them, too. My F-150 has 1 option: A/C. And I love my A/C. This is a 2007, mind you. So it’s pretty basic. 2WD, V6, stick. No power interior options.
I’m not real familiar with older trucks i.e. before 1995. Probably because I’m a younger guy. But I do hate that trucks are lifestyle vehicles now rather than work vehicles. If you want a luxury vehicle, buy one. I do see why people migrated to luxury trucks though. The large American sedan is all but dead. So people want the interior room/size and they went to trucks. It sucks but that’s the way it is. They are just lifestyle vehicles now. It’s gross. What I really don’t like are the jacked up 4×4 crew cab huge tires and possibly a diesel just to tool around to the mall. Use a truck for what it was made for! And if you’re not using it for work, at least buy a basic one.
Kind of a rant, but I figure we are all of a similar mind here.[/quote]
We call those jacked diesels that never see offroad conditions brodozers or mall crawlers. The giant lift defeats any utility they once had.
I’m a younger guy myself(mid twenties), but an older friend of mine as well as my dad got me into the old stuff, especially trucks.
When you compare a 40s, 50s, 60s or 70s truck to todays “trucks” you will see what I mean. The 40s trucks are all work all the time, conservative styling and no frills, jus an honest pickup. The 50s trucks had the most style of any decade just like the 50s cars. The 60s/70s trucks gained more power(due to big V8s) than previous trucks and went back to more simplistic styling.
This is a very simplistic comparison. I could get into metal quality and thickness, engine block thickness and casting quality, overall reliability, cab and drivetrain configurations and more.
The sheetmetal on anything made after 1999 is like a beer can. Despite being galvanized, they still rot out due to being paper thin and not having a good steel alloy. Back in the day you could use more chrome and nickel as well as lead as allowying elements, all which inhibit corrosion due to atomic mass.
New trucks are built to conform to fuel, safety and emission standards, none of which older trucks had to comply with.[quote=”gsr-chick” post=151861]have always found Older is better for trucks. 🙂
I own a 1970 C10 (RWD) 350/ T350). Bought for $900. It started/ stopped and I was able to limp it home. Was worth it just for that price. There is rust no doubt, but I have seen way worse. Collectors would want to do a full rotisserie rebuild but I wanted a driver I wasn’t scared to get scratched.
For $1000 more I have in into it now, I got:
New Brake Master Cylinder, New Fuel Pump, New Carb, New front and rear lines and , hoses, New fan belts, Oil and filter change, bulbs, paint job (rattle can green special! 🙂 ) , new wipers, metal for rust patches, new bench seat cover, Blower motor switch, Original Factory Service manual, new plugs, new brake fluid, 2 new to me rear 31 inch tires. and I am sure a bunch of other stuff I’m forgetting. It took me from 1 end of the truck to the other. A newer one would have been over budget at the first wheel.Many of these things are mechanical and or just needed cleaning or servicing. All of it done in the open air as I don’t have a garage. Heck I am just a novice girl here too.. This rig was made back when a trucks were meant to be tough, dependable and easy to fix, in exchange for the no frills ride. I’m happy I have factory power brakes and steering which meant it was upper class of the day. The 1970 design came with the idea that people were proud owners and enjoyed servicing a vehicle with a few wrenches and a grease gun. I’m just happy I grabbed my own little piece of that time capsule before its completely gone. I feel its as safe as most other trucks here and is my daily driver. It still has things that need attention but they are all minor things.
I think truck cabs today are made for grocery getting and their beds are designed for more soccer balls not sheet rock. I prefer the single cab Long wheel base with 8 foot bed but they seem to be rare finds these days. I am not a contractor mind you, but I appreciate having a truck that was made for one. I don’t have a mirror in the sun visor but I can check my lipstick when I get to where I’m going, because the truck will make it there in the first place. 😛 I bump along at 65 on the highway and get passed by everyone sure, that’s because 65 was a fast speed for 1970 roads here, The 2015 rat race is different. The buyers and dealers and market have given up the old ways of what a truck was for if you ask me. Grab something older I say and hang onto it. At least your investment (provided its not computerized) has a chance to go up in value the longer you have it. Money well spent.[/quote]
Pretty much, I would say the 90s were when trucks began the shift from utility and hard work to brodozers and grocery getters.
Thin sheet metal, beer can frames, pathetic gearing, no manual transmissions, luxury and electronics galore. The age of the honest pickup is over. About the only good thing that added for contractors are bigger center consoles as well as more storage space in cab.
The GMT400(Chevy/GMC), second generation ram, and the mid 90s F150’s were the last of the real work trucks. Chevy and Ford were done making real work trucks by 2000 and the second gen ram ended around 2001. Heavy duty models excluded for all three.
Even they aren’t as solid as the trucks from further past.
I think you can do better on the price. I certainly wouldn’t pay that for that car. I paid 2x less for a big dodge truck top trim. B)
[quote=”MDK22″ post=151786][quote=”Chevyman21″ post=151761]MDK22 once said, you gotta know who does what best. SO ratchets are the best there are IMO.[/quote]
If someone asks you for a crescent wrench almost everyone knows they mean an adjustable. So the brand to buy would be Crescent. Sometimes it is just that simple other times it takes years of research.
I absolutely hate SO but, if you look in my box you will find some SO products. This is because despite my hate mainly because of price gauging and lying tool truck salesman sometimes they are the best or only alternative. I am not above swallowing my pride to be able to do my job more efficiently.
Harbor Freight is fine if you use it 1-10x, use it for light duty, and expect it to break so you do not hurt yourself. Craftsman, Husky, Lowes Brand, will work for a while so long as it is usa made or has good reviews. Probably 50-100 uses medium duty work. Mac, SO, Cornwell, Matco a 1,000-5,000 uses heavy work. Industrial aka Expert, Proto, Williams, Bahco 10,000-25,000 uses very hard, heavy work. Everything breaks, doesn’t matter who it is made by. These are stereotypical numbers so with some things they last longer and some things not as long.
What it comes down to is, the right tool, for the right job.[/quote] Well said.
The older trucks are built better than the newer trucks, they last forever provided they don’t succumb to the rust monster. I have had multiple trucks, all from different eras. Even my current fleet shows the progression of degradation.
1955 Chevy: Solid sheetmetal(more like plate metal), thickest metal I’ve ever had on a truck. engine is original, has only been rebuilt once. Manual transmission has never been touched and still shifts great. 60 year old truck all original.
1974 Chevy: Decent thickness sheetmetal, original engine has been rebuilt twice, manual transmission still shifts great, wiring has had to be redone and floors have had to be fixed from rot (floors are thinner than the 55′). 41 year old truck, mostly original
1998 Dodge: Sheetmetal is 50% thinner than the 74′, more rust in less time(17 years), engine still running strong(318 with FI), auto tranny shifts good(OD 727) basically all old school mechanical components from dodges heyday.
2008 Chevy(No longer have this truck): Sheetmetal was paper thin…just looking at it made it crease and ding, engine had a misfire at 40,000 miles, transmission started going out at 51,000 miles, brakes didn’t last more than 30,000 miles, frame looked like it had been underwater after 4 years, bed dinged from the lightest loads shifting, brake drums couldn’t even be resurfaced, paint was thin and chipped easily, wheels oxidized after 2 years, among other things.
Boys, they just don’t make things like they used to. New trucks ain’t worth the money they ask for.
They are becoming as disposable as cars, take the new F150 for example, my coworker has one and he says they have to be resealed every 5 years to prevent the paint from peeling off the aluminum body! He says he won’t own the truck for that long.
The times they are a changin’.
[quote=”Pitt” post=151667]We’ve hired three new techs. They’ve all rolled in and have huge SnapON boxes. They see me with my blue point cart and mix of craftsman/SnapON tools and they love to talk shit.
Then I show them the flag hours I turn versus the flag hours they turn and they quickly become quiet.
Wearing a NASCAR jumpsuit doesn’t make you a professional wheel man.[/quote] Yup, the tool is only half of the equation.
Bad tech with HF tools: worst case
Good tech with HF tools: only at 50% of what he could be
Bad tech with SO or MAC: Can’t use the tools to their potential and faces a serious loss of efficiency as a result
Good tech with SO or MAC: Best caseIt’s not that black and white though as there are alot of variables. However, putting on a show with fancy gear and tools is only good if you can back it up with results.
Trucks have gotten incredibly popular and alot of people just buy them nowadays to say that they have one.
4WD trucks are always at a premium, even though 2WD is better for towing and hauling on the pavement on dry ground.
I have 3, all made before 2000 and two of them have appreciated considerably(the 74′ and 55′).
The 98′ dodge still fetches 4k…for a 17 year old truck with average mileage! Of course I didn’t get it for that much, I got it for half that and fixed the issues myself.
HF tools are throwaways. Most are only good for a few jobs at best. They never hold up to real world application. The lowest I go is made in the USA craftsman. I prefer SO and MAC to everything else(grey pneumatic and IR for air power tools and impact sockets) and as MDK22 once said, you gotta know who does what best. SO ratchets are the best there are IMO. The dual 80 tech is so fine, precise and efficient.
Wow, take it up the ladder. Show them you won’t give up. Eventually they will give in. SO many companies try to get out of their so called warranties nowadays, it’s our duty as the customers to hold them to it.
Unless I’m doing restoration or a performance build with very little budget, I always go with and recommend the medium price range parts. Never go cheap and dont’ spend more than you have to.
Get ready to be hazed. The new guy is always seen as fresh meat to bust balls.
But really, make sure you have a thick skin going in, you will need it.
Second, you will need tools, start with a basic set of hand tools and build from there.
Third, keep and open mind and be willing to learn from the other guys, as said above don’t be afraid to ask for help
Fourth, you will make mistakes but don’t let them earn you a reputation as “that guy” as said above
Fifth, start slow, speed will come with time.[quote=”Pitt” post=151379]Cabin filters really are important and keeping debris from outside, outside. Animal hair, road grime, dirt, dust, you name it. I’ve pulled some cabin filters so nasty that I refused to take them back and put them back in the car.
The worst are when you get mice in the hvac system and they make a nest in your cabin filter.[/quote]
Oh ya, for sure. You can tell when you should try to upsell one too. Whenever you see dog or cat hair on the seats…pull it. If it looks like the veichle goes offroad often, also pull it.
Mice wreak havoc on everything. I’ve seen plenty of nest in airboxes, cabin air filters, and hood insulation as well as wires chewed up for ignition coils and knock sensors.