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My grandfather (God rest his soul) was born in 1894, and was an automobile mechanic of the first generation. He once told me a story about one of the first cars in his town coming into the shop with a thrown rod. Back then you didn't replace the short block, you fixed what you had. He spent all day welding a piece of steel plate over the hole, polishing out the journal, and replacing the rod. When he was done, he took a drove aroung the block, and pulled back up to the shop with a feeling of satisfaction. Just then, it threw a rod in another cylinder.
I was born on grandpa's 71st birthday, and I'm now 38. I work on my own cars for a few reasons. First, if I do the work, I know what goes into the job, and I'll have only myself to blame if it's not right. Second, there's not a shop in my little town that'll touch a Volvo, which means a trip of either 35 or 65 miles to get something done to the brick. It ain't gonna happen.
Finally, and most importantly, I'm just cheap. I don't have much money, and don't feel like throwing what little I do have away for labor I can do myself.
I've often told my wife that at some point I'll just have to buy a new car and never work on my own stuff again. She tells me I'm full of crap, she's probably right. I figure I'll be like my grandpa, who until he totalled his 1963 Plymouth Belvedere in 1981, would take a little time every day listening to the engine, making adjustments and repairs when necessary. I learned a lot from him.
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1991 245, 61k miles, looking for a 5 speed 92-93 245 cheap.
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