Pick all that apply... if you're average, leave it blank :)

Note:
Good at = I'm able to help others with my skills and knowledge of the topic.

[blank] = I can do the work OK, but not confident or experienced enough to be very helpful to others.

Bad at = I usually need help, or have to ask for advice. I am unable to do this on my own.

I was just thinking this could be an interesting topic, and useful for finding where, as a forum, our general strengths and weaknesses are.

I, for example, would consider myself above average when it comes to brakes & suspension, average with body-work and mechanical work, and way below average on electrical.

good idea

neat post

I consider myself above average in mechanical ability... I can't weld, so major fabrication is out (My dream if I ever get the time is to learn to weld), but I did almost everything else on my car myself. Even did body and paint with my brother in a car port... Performed the engine assembly, rebuilt my Muncie, swapped to the 5-speed, complete suspension rebuild/swap, several brake swaps, rewiring most of my car and added additional circuits/accessories, some upholstery (using a kit), rebuilding/installing/adjusting conv top frame, Fab'd small brackets and throttle linkage, polished some of the trim, tuned carbs, etc...

I have also help many friends work on their cars (considered being a mechanic years ago, even worked as an appretice, and my mother offered to help me go that route if I desired (realized that I enjoy working on cars for fun, not for a living)... I have done brake work for others, but as I get older, I worry about the liability...

Although I consider myself ABLE to do these things and Above Average, it has often been years since I have done these, so I usually still check here (and other places) for advice and tips, to insure I am remembering how to do things correctly...

Been years, but I have run a brake lathe and mounted/balanced tires before

Things I did NOT do:
1)engine machine work
2)welding (body, exhaust, minor fab)
3) specialty work; tire mounting/balancing, alignment, pressing suspension bushings (I now have a press), rearend "setup", convertible top material

Strengths:
have the money.:D
have the ability.:D

Weaknesses:
wife
children
grandchildren

the above three are tapping into the money:(

david

Strengths are - I am very mechanically inclined & can rebuild most ANY system on a car.

weakness- I am disabled (multiple sclerosis) so I can no longer work on cars like I used too I need help with anything under the car or dash. I can do most anything else nut it takes a looooonngg time

I'm a decent remove and replace kind of guy. I tore the car down myself and will put most of it back together myself. I can't do bodywork or electrical, and my mechanical skills are limited. Certainly not afraid to break a sweat or get my hands dirty.

Wow, nobody is bad at anything :D

I try to do most of the work myself (LEARNING THE HARD WAY) so T/C is the best thing around for guys like me.

I am with Dan on this one, I can take stuff apart and once I figure out how it works I can put it back together or replace it with new parts. My biggest weakness is I just started my first project about a year ago so most everything I do I am doing for the first time. Just need more experience and I am lucky enough to have great resource like this one.

BUT if body work is anything like mudding drywall I am screwed.

Wow, nobody is bad at anything :D

OK, I confess that I am very good at taking things apart, and very bad at getting things back together.:D (at least in a timely fashion)

Derek, you need to expand your bodywork selections. There is so much involved in bodywork. for instance I love to Paint and am very good at it. I also can hang sheetmetal with the best of them as well. What I don't like and really admit am no good at is laying filler. They usually have seperate guys to do this in the high end shops too. Otherwise I am "modest" mostly. :D Agreed. Neat post. JN.

I can drink beer and tell others what they should do with their cars... how come no option for me? ;)

i can do most all of mechanical work and chassie work but when it comes to bodywork im not sure about that i am doing the bodywork on my chevelle as i speek and don't think im doing too bad but we will find out when im done.

Most things I do come out well. I'm rarely satisfied with them, but my buddies and my wife say they look great. Mostly because they're my buddies and my wife. :D

But only after I've spent 5 times longer than most other people to do it and spent 3 times as much money. Usually because I ruin the first couple of parts or in the case of the body work I did on the 72; I put on 15 gals on bondo a few ounces at a time and sanded off 14 3/4 gallons of it getting it the way I wanted it. And it still has a few places on it that I'm not happy with.

There are several things I will not touch, rear end set ups are one. Auto transmissions used to be on that list, but I'm going to attempt my first one here soon on the kid's Buick tranny. I expect to spend every bit as much as I would if I were to take it to AAMCO, but I keep hoping to some day save money on one of these projects. :clonk:

So: body work, a little above average but only because of the two years practice and countless words of encouragement from the major players in the Body forum while I was doing my car.

Mechanical, about average with the exception of a few things, rears, auto transmissions.

Electrical... I can burn up wires with the best of them. After bugging John for 6 months, dropping my gas tank twice, replacing the sending unit and replacing the ground and wiring from the tank to the gage and replacing the gage it reads 3/4 when full 1/4 when 1/2 full. On the bright side; when it says empty, its empty. For the rest of the major wiring I just bought new harnesses and had it over with.

I've done everything to date on my chevelle with the help of TC. Granted there are many thing's I've had to do over, or several times over. But so far I've been able to get it done, the real test will come on spraying the car, but I'll get that done too. If you want to be able to do anything, ya just gotta not be afraid to ask the dumb sounding questions.

Derek, you need to expand your bodywork selections. I was only allowed 10 options... otherwise there would have been a "Fabrication" part to it also :)

I can't/won't do headliners or convertible tops. I've become pretty good at painting and color sanding. I hate doing body filler and shaping, but I can do it. Disassembly and reassembly, piece of cake. I can't rebuild an automatic transmission.....yet :D. I can rebuild a rear or an engine. I like doing suspensions & brakes. I can hang sheetmetal and weld it on properly with minimal warping. I hate tracing electrical problems so I put new wiring harnesses in :).

Im pretty decent mechanically, I built the motor and chevelle from the ground up. electrical given enought time I can usually figure it out. I always wanted to learn welding so I got a welder and started learning, next to learn is paint and body.
I guess Im worst at spending money. I love to swap for parts, but when it comes to spending money on my cars Im like Ebeneezer Scrooge. Jim

I am bad at PATIENCE

I did alot of the work myself, so I would say I'm decent at chassis/suspension and electrical, but I don't know anything about body work of any kind, so naturally I'm BAD at that.

But thats not going to stop me when i get to my 67 elky!

I am also really really good at not putting my tools away, so I usually have to spend 15 minutes looking for something.

Im a certified mechanic for a living so i guess that covers the mechanical part. I know how to weld but im not very good at it and wont even attempt to weld a panel or patch on without practicing up on my skills.

I would really like to learn how to do paint and body but going to school and spending a small fortune in tuition for schooling just doesnt make sense just for hobby purposes.

Even though I have the mechanical part covered, I will still bring engines to a pro to have rebuilt and machined. They have all the measuring tools and the machines for that anyways. Might as well have them assemble the engine too since its not really that much more in the end. They do that kind of work every day anyways.

My only "weakness" are those of the female "persuasion"..femin-nazi's excluded.

Upholstery and interior, that's the stuff I'm going to have to farm out.

I went to a vo-tech in high school, ('71) and an automotive school after that, and worked in a service station, a regular general repair shop, a speed shop, an automotive machine shop, and then a dealership, before going back to school for engineering, so I'm pretty comfortable with mechanicals and electrics. Although I can weld and have a small mig unit, I won't weld any body part that isn't going to be covered with carpet or exposed, and my painting skills are too weak to do a car like the Chevelle. I can wet sand & drink beer with the best of them, though. Getting the Chevelle has been a wonderfull way to turn back the clock and re unite myself with some great people and memories from my past, and at the same time a learning experience as to how things have evolved and improved. TC is a great site, thanks for letting me wax nostalgic-Mike

Slowly learning how to do all the work myself. Dad and I tore the car apart completly and are going to put it all together again. The only thing we aren't going to do is the actual painting of the car. The prep however will be done by us. Mechanically, i am going to disassemble the motor and rebuild it with new parts so hopefully i'll learn a few things in the process. I'll leave the transmission to the pros.

On a college student budget:)

I try to do everything myself because I have more time than money. So far I have been successful, but it takes a long time. Didn't vote the poll, though (it wouldn't accept [blank]). I am good with numbers, though. :)
Bruce

I used to do everything except body work. And I mean EVERYTHING. Now I have a wrecked back. I guess that comes from doing EVERYTHING!


Now I supervise my neighbors when they have a car problem and I supervise my neighbors when I have a car problem.

Knowledge is a wonderful thing. Helping others is a wonderful thing cause others help you when you need help. :)

strengths: ambition, planning, not being afraid to be different

weaknesses: lack of knowledge, skill, cash, follow-through

somehow, it still is getting done.

I can drive the crap out of a Big Block with a manual box. That's it.

I guess I'm OK, considering the amount of people who want to buy my cars.

strength = ive found i can screw things up as well as the "pro's"...and for free

weakness = home owners associations, also identified as: holier than thou, self rightious, think they know it all, pontificating, lieing busybodies and parasacial priiks lacking friends (since no one could rise to their impossibly high self imposed standards) with way too much time on their hands while driving a 7 year old caddy that alone deserves to sit in a drivway in plain view and are absolutley positive would still resell for more than a 35 yr old chevelle :)

but you missed one in your poll

lack of time

Wow, nobody is bad at anything :D

You didn't think about the "Grey Area" ... some of us is jack-of-all-trades (an Master's of none) ... So, I had to select "write checks and dream".

I didn't vote either.. I'm pretty good at all areas of discussion, but am not a master of any of them..

My strong suite is doing all the small detail stuff.. I don't have the money to buy everything new, so I tend to go through the painstaking process of striping every last part right down to the nuts & bolts & repaint or refurbish them..

In my opinion, these are the details that set your car apart from the rest anyway..

53.53% say they're good at electrical work... and 90% of the wiring harnesses I have seen in old cars have been a butchered mess. Are we being honest here? :D

53.53% say they're good at electrical work... and 90% of the wiring harnesses I have seen in old cars have been a butchered mess. Are we being honest here? :D



is being good electrical work mean you can install a new harness correctly :-D