working on your car alone?

[Bmxer300zx]

story of my life
Only person i trust is me and when something goes wrong i can only blame myself and not say "if only i payed attention to what he was doing".

[MadScientist]

I only work on the car by myself and rarely ever ask for help.
Never trust anyone unless its something I can't do like Machine work, and even then its a shop i reserched and been to 1000 times!
If its wrong or if something happens to the car I can figure it out faster because I know what was touched.

However, I'm also the person that everyone knows to fix their shit!
It gets old when you have 3 (non car guy) friends asking you to do simple shit like Altenators.

Just do lots of research... years and years of reseach, and trust yourself so you can learn from your mistakes!

[dawagarage]

all you need is forums, fsms, more forums, youtube videos, etc
the only problem i have with working on my car alone is what would happen
if i get injured/knocked unconscious/car dropping on me.
i must include that i always use ppe (faceshield, eye protection, ear plugs, breathing protection, jackstands & usually back up jack stands AND the jack still in place.)
it's still scary to be under a car and realize that if somehow it dropped i would be fucked

[MadScientist]

Ha.... Yeah ^^^^^ the only fear is that!!

Doing a rear subframe swap, got my hand pierced and trapped between the Chassis bolt & subframe... significant amount of wieght. Girlfriend and buddy just left to get drinks. 15mins. trapped like that makes you think some wicked shit!!

[collegekid]

I only have 2 friends that mess with cars. When we were pulling my ka, my one friend stood there holding his dick while my other friend was under the car with me breakin bolts loose.
Moral of the story- find someone who is as motivated as you to do shit, it is a bonus if they know what theyre diong.

for some things, you need extra hands (like dropping in motors,installing/removing windows,hoods)
A lot of things you can do on your own but you hsould always try to be safe which I will try to elaborate on

-avoid working on things that could go shitty fast. Always have someone within earshot so they can atleast call 911 and LOL @ you when the car falls on you.
-Keep a fire extinguisher nearby
-keep your phone nearby
-when jacking up the car, have a backup support. When I jack the car up, I still put cinder blocks under the wheels and under the frame rails.
-be careful with chemicals, always read the safety labels on shit, they are there for a reason
-double and triple check everything
-dont blast lil wayne while attempting to drop in your sr by yourself. No one will hear you scream and you will die listening to some alien versus predator "got raped in prison" lookin motherfucker
- when using jackstands, always put support wood under the stand and inside the housing in case the little piece cracks off
-always buy stronger than necessary jack stands and jack
-when you put the car on stands, make sure you push it to make sure it is securely on the stand
-never rush with anything. no drift/racing event or car show is worth the damage you might cause to yourself

Now that I think of it, my mom is more help than my friend who stood there. She couldn't tell me which gear was which on a manual transmission but she would gladly help in any way she can. I love my mom

[Shouldahadav8]

pretty much the more friends you have working on it the more nuts and bolts you will lose.

[jesse_s13]

Originally Posted by collegekid

I only have 2 friends that mess with cars. When we were pulling my ka, my one friend stood there holding his dick while my other friend was under the car with me breakin bolts loose.
Moral of the story- find someone who is as motivated as you to do shit, it is a bonus if they know what theyre diong.

for some things, you need extra hands (like dropping in motors,installing/removing windows,hoods)
A lot of things you can do on your own but you hsould always try to be safe which I will try to elaborate on

-avoid working on things that could go shitty fast. Always have someone within earshot so they can atleast call 911 and LOL @ you when the car falls on you.
-Keep a fire extinguisher nearby
-keep your phone nearby
-when jacking up the car, have a backup support. When I jack the car up, I still put cinder blocks under the wheels and under the frame rails.
-be careful with chemicals, always read the safety labels on shit, they are there for a reason
-double and triple check everything
-dont blast lil wayne while attempting to drop in your sr by yourself. No one will hear you scream and you will die listening to some alien versus predator "got raped in prison" lookin motherfucker
- when using jackstands, always put support wood under the stand and inside the housing in case the little piece cracks off
-always buy stronger than necessary jack stands and jack
-when you put the car on stands, make sure you push it to make sure it is securely on the stand
-never rush with anything. no drift/racing event or car show is worth the damage you might cause to yourself

Now that I think of it, my mom is more help than my friend who stood there. She couldn't tell me which gear was which on a manual transmission but she would gladly help in any way she can. I love my mom

lmfaoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooo

[fliprayzin240sx]

Shit, I put my S14 together on my own and did my first RB25 swap by myself. Well, take that back, I had one of my coworker help me when I was physically putting in the RB. I wasnt about to kill myself trying to wedge it in there by myself.

[ghoti]

Originally Posted by fliprayzin240sx

... I had one of my coworker help me when I was physically putting in the RB. I wasnt about to kill myself trying to wedge it in there by myself.

When I was underneath the car guiding the SOHC out of the bay while my friend was lifting it with the engine hoist the left side of the chain snapped and the engine almost fell on my hand.

[rednissan180]

Originally Posted by ghoti

When I was underneath the car guiding the SOHC out of the bay while my friend was lifting it with the engine hoist the left side of the chain snapped and the engine almost fell on my hand.

Ha yeaaa... I've had an experience like this

[silviaNC]

Same here most of everything was installed by myself, furst timer and I had wifey help me put my swap on car and other things. Sexy tho

[StryfeS13]

I don't let anyone really work on my car. I work on all my friends cars for them but I would never let them install anything on my own car.

I'm too worried it won't be done the way I want it to be done. Maybe I'd let someone else help if they were holding wires while I was soldering, or helping me drop a motor in with an engine crane or something since that's generally a 2-3 person job.

[Renelovesnike]

Love working on my car alone!! that and a good playlist is always fun, having friends over but they just keep company/drink alcohol so the countless jokes while im wrenching away is always fun but they dont touch the car since they really dont even know the difference from a wrench and a ratchet...

just started getting caught onto the jack stands and not trusting a 20 year old jack or a 100 jack with my life.

haha started using torque wrenches on wheels lately too and would also on my suspension but ill do that after i get a second set of stands to be able to put weight on the suspension "lift to lowered ride height"before torquing to spec*

only thing i hate is loosing a nut/bolt and not being able to find the socket i need when every other time i didnt need it i find it..... -___-

[CleanAndLegit]

for the past 8 months I've been building my whole car from the ground up all by myself including dropping front and rear subframes, pulling engine out, putting front and rear subframes back up, everything you can think of I've done myself, not the easiest nor safest thing to do but fuck it when you ain't got nobody thats the way it is. I do though need to invest in 2 extra sets of jack stands and a new low pro jack. As for torquing everything to spec, I'll be going over every single bolt before I start driving it again. I've had bolts shear off from being a tiny bit loose.

[Aroddalobster]

I prefer to work on MY cars alone. I feel like I have more time and freedom to trial and error my way through processes if necessary, do things my way, and the feeling of accomplishment at the end is so much bigger. Also, tools, nuts, and bolts don't end up on the other side of the car when you need them the most. I also work on my cars on impulse, so they'll be at eccentric times, i.e. 2AM.

That being said, there have been numerous situations where I've thought, "Gee, a helping hand would really help out." (i.e. First time dropping the tranny with no spare jack/tranny jack. After that, doing it alone has become the norm) I will also help out any friend, without hesitation, if they're working on their car.

[cchondro]

I work on my car alone
when I had friends help build with me it was never done to my satisfaction so I work on all my cars by myself
I know enough people that I get pretty decent deals but sometimes it get lonely working alone, but you don't get as distracted.

[conrad_s13.5]

Some of my most productive nights,.. it just me.

Most of my friends are into cars,...but when we get together,...we just end up talkin about them in someway, or just getting distracted...lol

not that its a problem,....unless i reallllllllly need to get shit done...haha

[KA24DESOneThree]

Only thing really done with someone else was my first trans swap.

Since then, at least one more trans swap, complete suspension swap a couple times, full strip, etc.

There's enough DIY write-ups to do damn near anything. Suspension choices and setups were done with the help of a couple hundred dollars worth of books.

I've dropped engines out of multiple-hundred-thousand-dollar cars by myself, so I'm okay doing damn near anything to my hoopties.

[Gizmo_S13]

I don't mind helping people work on their cars but I always tell them I'm not liable for anything. I prefer working on my own car by myself. Every once and a while a friend will stop by and offer help but I only ask for it if I really need it. Plus, if you fuck something up it's on you, not somebody else.

[DS562]

Pretty much ^^ in addition to my first respons, I also don't usually offer to help with smaller things because there just isn't enough room for 2 people in an engine bay.

[cgtdream]

These days i prefer to work alone, as if anything is fucked up, and secondly i put just that much effort into my work so i dont have that self shame and it kinda sorta gives me a little pride in joy in this little hobby of mine.

But overall its just that i dont trust others..On one car i owned, someone was helping me install a clutch, and as we were finishing up the job we had to install the front driveshafts (awd car yo!) and they didnt install the left one on all the way....Needless to say ever since ive been doing it on my own. Even engine installs...

But as one person said earlier, there is that fear of a car dropping on me, or something pinning me to where i cant get out on my own...

[wangan_cruiser]

Wanted to work alone because i dont like people snooping around my place.


The more people you invited in your house the higher the risk of your shit getting stolen

[Ayy_mo]

IMO it feels better to work on your car alone..unless you really need help. When you do need help find someone that actually will help and not just play around with your jack...

[zerodameaon]

I have very few people I trust with my life(what it really comes down to when under a car) and most of them live out of state so I end up doing most things myself, which is a great time to unwind.

I do on occasion have one of my mechanic friends drop by to give a hand when she is free.

[ONYX S-13]

98% of the time I work on my car by myself but sometimes I recruit my daughter to help me. She enjoys it and it makes my life easier.

For some of the easier stuff I have her do it herself just so she can learn (granted she's 9). I don't want to raise chicks that don't know anything about under the hood of the car and who aren't afraid to get dirty.

[Irresistible]

I prefer to work on it alone. If I need help, I'll ask someone I trust enough to help me. When there's too many people around, shit goes missing, and work doesn't get done.

[1990 sr hatch]

whe're your friends and most of us know what whe're talking about

[4-20sx]

i prefer to work on cars alone cuz im anal lol.

i do have help from my wife at times though when its really needed!

[EhrikETFG]

you guys are lame. all i have is bros helping me out and shit. its awesome when you have friends you can rely on you to not die, make you laugh when the car pisses you off, etc.

you guys need to get new friends or move, or both idk

[4-20sx]

Originally Posted by EhrikETFG

you guys are lame. all i have is bros helping me out and shit. its awesome when you have friends you can rely on you to not die, make you laugh when the car pisses you off, etc.

you guys need to get new friends or move, or both idk

Well speaking from expierence, I do have friends who I can rely on but they dont do the best job when you want things the way you do.... Trust me it's not the same when you do it yOurself.