Wrenching then and now.

Back in the 70's and 80's, we didn't call it "wrenching". Wrench was a noun, it had not become a verb yet. We were called mechanics, not "techs" or "wrenches".
Nobody but nobody wore gloves.
At most of the places I worked, we didn't have manuals. If we needed torque specs we called someone who had a manual. The only parts that torque wrenches were used on was head bolts, rod bolts and main cap bolts, sometimes flywheels.
Until about the mid 80's none of us had micrometers. When doing engine overhauls, if there was a knock, cranks were sent out, if there was no knock and good oil pressure prior to disassembly, standard rod and main inserts were put back in. I only had one comeback, a 302 ford crank failed 40K miles after I did an in frame overhaul.
Most mechanics were expected to work on anything whether they were familiar with it or not. They were simple then and a guy with common sense and logic could figure it out.
It was very rare that you found any booby traps that required some "special procedure" to prevent self-destruction upon disassembly, and when we did encounter them they were regarded as very poor design rather than accepted as they are today.
Much of the work we did on gasoline powered vehicles was related to carbs and ignition systems.
Engine and transmission overhauls were routine work in most any shop. Since transmissions didn't have electronics, I could overhaul an automatic for $35 worth of parts without looking in a book.
Before the days of silicone rubber seals and silicone gasket sealer, engines were always covered with oil and the dust that stuck to it. Black neoprene seals did not last long, epecially when engines got hot. Valve cover gaskets were made of cork and had to be replaced often.

Working on modern vehicles I find I am totally incompetent. To me a modern vehicle is anything made after about 1998. I can't just get by on logic and common sense anymore. I have to know about all the booby traps and special procedures or I will do more damage than good working on them.
But the good news is that EFI and modern lubricants have increased the life expectancy of vehicles.

 

You’d like working with me on my buddy’s race team.

 

Bolded that last for emphasis. However, I feel that vehicles peaked around 2000-2010 in terms of life expectancy with only routine maintenance. This was the peak of port injected, naturally aspirated EFI before thin oils, low tension rings, direct injection, and turbo small blocks took over. Say nothing of the perfusion of electronic convenience systems. Look at the reputation of designs that came from this period, particularly from Toyota.

I will say that I enjoy the convenience of the internet to help solve problems on the fly, overnight delivery, and will never go back to not wearing gloves.

 

I'm planning to buy my first diesel, one without a turbocharger and no electronics. Mechanical everything.

 

A local "shop" told me and a friend of mine that they would not work on anything they could not plug up to get a code.

It was a few years ago, and to this day, I shake my head. My normal Mechanic pulled us right in, got it fixed, and set out the door.

I don't remember what it was, but it had something to do with a connection to brake lines and it cost around $1,500.

I wish I had the backyard mechanic truck. But I do appreciate the better lifespan technology. I guess in some ways, it evens out...somewhat.

 

Yee-frickin-ha!!

I can't tell where it terminates... what's in the copper pipe?

 

Yeah, I'm not a mechanic, tech, or anything remotely close, but I'm reasonably mechanically inclined and have done a little wrenching in the past.

I sometimes still have a default picture of 70's engine bays in my head and think "I can do that" to save some money on simple stuff... Then I open the hood and see all the shit I'd have to remove to even SEE what I'm wanting to replace, calculate how much my chiropractor charges vs. how much my mechanic charges, and then I go drop it off.

 

It’s a rope deflector for the starting line.

 

My regular shop had to "call a specialist" anytime I would take my 280Z because nobody there knew how to diagnose it. LOL

 

My mechanic I go to, and now my friend does, looked at me when I said what we were told and said, "That is...basic. Mechanic. Work."

Shook his head and then went into the bay! LOL!

 

That's awesome... Boat racers are a mad bunch. Only way to be fast is to push it right to the razor's edge of disaster.

 

We’ve been there - thankfully kept it shiny side up.

 

Grew up poor, which meant we fixed our stuff....being 17-18 in 2000 meant I got to work on 80s mess of emissions garbage with vacuum hoses everywhere to carb and points setups with my dad. I think I got the best era to grow up in in terms of working on stuff because I also got to see the LS become what it is today and work on it as well. Pops couldn't adjust to more modern stuff but will hold his ground on any pushrod engine. I dont mind as long as I have some sort of manual to figure out all the hokey pokey I gotta do with these modern setups

 

CEL codes and a Power probe IV takes a ton of the guesswork out of most vehicle problems these days

 

Theyre only as good as the person using them. Wouldnt trust a vatozone kid with those tools. Love watching scannerdanner, pinehollow and southmain yt channels and how they are able to diag

 

Agreed

Scanner danner and south main are the cats ass. Prefer watching Eric of the two.. guy is hilarious

 

That would have to be based on the assumption that those who engineered it took every imaginable variable into consideration. Having spent so much of my life fixing engineers screw up, it isn't an assumption I would make.
As far as I'm concerned, electronics makes everything more difficult to diagnose. Before electronics we could figure everything out just using logic. Having so much logic sealed inside of an electronic module renders human logic obsolete.

 

I hear what you’re saying - but fuel injection > carbs and it isn’t close.

 

electronic fuel injection and high energy electronic ignition systems are so much better than previous technologies...as long as nothing goes wrong in the middle of nowhere. But it's a shame they didn't stop there. Now electronics spells planned in obsolescence, control tentacles and spying.
Next thing they'll do is design them so that they can remotely disable your vehicle as soon as you make the last payment, and yes, automakers are just arrogant enough to do that.

 

Also known as the iPhone business model.

 

By that time warranty will be over.

Enter hackers and coders who will reverse engineer, reset, and open source that so fast that dealerships will not have a clue how to stop it.

At least that is what I think would happen. I'm just waiting for them to try something on the electric cars.

 

I'm probably less than half of OPs age, but wrenching now is so cool! Granted, I'm not working on whatever shitbox from the dealership just got released. But modern technology and building cars is so cool! The other day I 3D scanned my wheel well to put into CAD to see what size tires would fit throughout the suspension cycle and turning. I'm building a digital dash from scratch to interface with my standalone ECU so it fits the gauge cluster of my 1970s Toyota pickup like factory. I'm able to call someone in a different state and drive down the road and work together to tune a vehicle while it's driving. I can control how much boost my engine is seeing and how hard it launches through a laptop or screen. I have electric power brakes from a modern vehicle, no vacuum lines or hydraulic lines required to get full brake boost without the engine running. I have an electric power steering unit on my shelf taken out of a Prius, same thing as the brakes.

I can understand a simpler time, but modern technology is so cool and how it's being implemented into building vehicles. And granted, a lot of it is complicated but that's the fun of learning about it and always pushing the limit. It's actually amazing how much modern parts can be yanked out and with just a couple wires will function totally fine in something else, and opens up tons of capabilities that old vehicles could only dream of. The options just keep growing, and are just a different set of skills and researching to do. And on top of that, you get all these options and still have companies building carbs and drum brakes and all these old parts with modern advancements so you have options to get as sexy or old school as you want. It's a hell of a time to be alive!

 

I did one of those engine in red neck rebuilds on a 1983 MkI Ford Fiesta 1.1 Popular Plus. Changed rings and crank bearings with just head and pan removed. Don't know how long it lasted because I sold it when I PCS'd from overseas

 

same here for my 240Z. Frustrating indeed.

 

In one way, I agree. There is much that can be gained. But I often find the downside of the technology.

First, there is an emergency level of lack of self awareness. Driving is meant to be the driver, car, road. When people add the latest gadget, they feel they have elevated their abilities far greater than what it was to begin with. They then drive very erraticaly. But because of technology, they fail to learn their pitfalls and bad habits.

Second, the technology becomes a distraction. I am not old, but not young either. Back when I was young (can't believe I just typed that), the rush and thrill of driving came from the man and machine. The connection of the tires to the road. Yes, we pushed it (I did some crazy stuff when I was little in vehicles that were never meant to do what I did), but there is a deeper connection to the vehicle, the road, and feel. As I have told my kids, the vehicle talks to you. It will tell you when there is a problem, or when there is something "off". You just have to listen. I fear technology, when it works helps, but it becomes a distraction because if the gauges do not warn of an issue, then there is no issue. I have saved my truck (my old Tundra) about four times from different issues, simply by listening. One was a Timing belt pulley that threw the middle. Not sure how it stayed in place. But it was a simple wheezing sound that I picked up over the sound of the rest of the engine. I knew something was wrong.

Third, then we jump into the issue of ownership vs subscription. If I have a vehicle that is not decked out to the hilt on technology, then I cannot be caught without paying for something. It is me and my truck. As it is, I am sorry that my truck has as much technology as it does, and it is a stripped down model.

Fourth, is the cost. With all of these new technology, there is a cost associated with it. Yes, you can have the newest O2 sensor that can be adjusted to boost performance along with the fuel injectors and what not. How much does all that cost if it goes out? I, for one, do not have the finances to get new parts replaced all the time. So, I am to have a gauge sitting there just broke and ignore it? That messes with my OCD. I need to look at how to get rid of the TPMS system out of the vehicles because those stupid sensors are always going out and at $100 (last I looked) to replace each one, I would just as soon not have it. But again, I see that light and I force myself to ignore it. It irks me though.

So, while I do agree with the advancements have opened up a whole new world, I guess I see all that as a hindrance to what I feel is driving. Me, the truck, the road. Listening, feeling, enjoying. The freedom, the escape. The ability to know and decide. The absolute connection of man with machine and that unique sensation and thrill of hearing a pure engine fire up and to feel the power flow through the steering wheel. To know that the vehicle is under my control, and to know what it is capable of doing, how to do it, and to make those adjustments.

I don't know if I am explaining it right, perhaps someone else can put to words what I am trying to say. It is not something that I think can be expressed as much as experienced. And when you experience it, you know you have it. Then, the vehicle is not just a vehicle. It is your machine. Again, if someone else can explain what I am trying to say, I would like to hear it because this is the best I can do with what I feel about when I drive and the whole experience.

 

Have there ever been any rope "incidents"?

 

I completely understand this point of view and you've explained it well. I'm old enough to call myself old. Pushing 60. My first cars had carburetors and zero electronics. I grew up fixing them and loved it.
I thoroughly enjoy the driving experience with a vehicle that allows that connection. Unfortunately, there aren't many modern vehicles that do.
What we, as enthusiasts, have to remember is that we are a small minority of the driving public. My wife is a decent driver, but I know she is not as fully "engaged" as I am in the act of driving. I don't believe it has ever brought her joy. To her, her RAV4 is an appliance that gets her from A to B. A very good appliance that she really likes, but an appliance nonetheless.
It certainly is not just a gender thing either. Plenty of men the exact same way.
Much has been lost of the driving experience by making vehicles "smarter." As our vehicles get smarter, the driving public gets dumber as it relates to the act of driving.

 

Correct. I am old school, but I'm not yet 45. However, at the youngest of age, I had a connection with the vehicles. I remember almost every single one, the smell, the touch, the feel. I was about six when I almost killed myself playing in one. My dad had an old Ram. Square body, green, with that checkered bench seat. It had the Ram hood ornament on the front. I knocked that thing into gear, while playing in it, and I still remember my dad rushing to jump in and stop the vehicle before I went down the ravine on the property.

I was not allowed on the front seat for a while !

This is where vehicles, whether we like them or not, like the Dodge Viper, really test a driver. No frills. Just power and the drivers skill. From what has been said, that will put anyone on the edge of the seat and really see how engaged they are.

As for the general public, yes. The vehicle is a tool, a part, one that is, in some ways, a burden. Taxes, fuel, repairs, etc. My wife is the same. As long as it runs is her motto, and I agree. There are men and women in that. I guess I also speak and type old school, where the grammar was that if a gender is unknown or it is speaking of a group, it reverts to masculine. So mankind is for both men and women in this usage. For them, it is a means to an end. For me, and it sounds like you as well, the drive is part of the adventure. Technology removes that connection, and I find the driving experience...lacking when I am forced to drive a vehicle that has all the bells and whistles. A family member just bought a new vehicle. It beeps, chirps, warns, guides, pretty much does everything but make breakfast.

I want the thrill, the connection, the rush of the drive, and I am trying to teach my kids that.

Can you teach a child that kind of connection? I don't know. My son says the same things, but I think it is the highest level of flattery, wanting to be like me . However, I'm trying to teach them to be connected, to feel, know, and be connected to the machine itself. To act as if it is an extension of the body.

We'll see if they get that or not.

Sorry, just rambling now.