Learning About Cars And Life Through An Old Man's Toolbox...

"J. Drew Silvers" (drewcoustic) 03/04/2014 at 11:22 • Filed to: Car Stories

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I am a "Millennial", just under the age of thirty. This is a title I have not quite embraced because of the negative connotations associated with the word, but it is something I have come to terms with accepting. A big part of the reason I take issue with being a Millennial is because I see people get completely lost in the simplest of basic life tasks because they cannot be bothered to learn a new skill or use practical self-sufficiency. Unfortunately, as a generation, many of us were not taught about the importance of life skills outside of formal education and social skills. This is proven by the products we buy and the amount of people who have angrily gone after companies legally due to their lack of being able to make informed decisions on their own. What do I mean?

The picture you see here is a 1997 Yamaha Virago 750 I owned for a few years and logged many, many miles on. This was my second bike and before I ever decided to get my license and buy one, I made sure I understood the basics behind what riding on public roads meant. Growing up, I had been riding dirtbikes and quads from around the age of six years old, but I knew riding something on asphalt, in traffic, had to be much different; and it is. The bike above had a really awesome metallic pearl/metallic green two-tone paint and some really nice hand-painted pinstripes, but on the top of the gas tank, the beauty of the colors was destroyed by a big orange, black and white sticker telling me that riding the motorcycle under the influence of alcohol or drugs was a bad idea, wearing a helmet was a good idea, and riding in the rain could cause a loss of control or "slippery condition". I took out my heat gun and peeled that eyesore off the day I bought the bike.

Unfortunately, manufacturers are forced to put this common-sense information on their products because apparently, there are many people out there who cannot be bothered to learn the basic principles or functions behind what they are buying. Someone, at some point in time likely formed a lawsuit because of their own ignorance and won, leading to all of these redundant warning labels plastered on everything we buy, which is getting worse every single day. I have a lawnmower built forty years ago which I restored and when I brought it home, in used-original condition, there was not a single warning sticker on it, nor had there ever been.

My mind thinks:

-This is a lawn mower.

-It has a blade; that is how the grass gets cut.

-Shoving your hand under the mowing deck while the blade is turning will probably give you one less appendage.

Yet, if you look at my riding mower from 2007, there is a bright warning sticker on every single panel saying that pulleys rotate and can hurt you, the belt moves and can hurt you, the blades move and can hurt you, not to start the engine in a closed garage because doing so can kill you, and not to drink or use drugs while operating said machine, just like my motorcycle. I just...No.

This all follows the generational differences. Going back even twenty years, people were a bit more self-sufficient for the most part. I remember more families back then having an actual dinner with each other a few days each week and take-out was something reserved for Friday nights. During the week, the family helped cook food or at least cleaned up the dishes afterward, but not us - not now. Did you know that most millennials spend more money on eating out than they do on groceries that could be used to cook our own food? Never in history has anything like that happened before and I can name far too many people around my age who cannot cook a meal for themselves. Self-sufficiency is eroding and this is only one example of many.

Those before us usually had some sort of backup plan for the rough patches they went through in life. Yet, we have not been taught to think that far ahead and I have seen too many people my age go after one goal, only to fail and then crash and burn because they have no idea of how to do anything else. They have no other skill set because most were not ever told to expect their world to possibly fall apart. My grandfather was a farmer born in 1905 and that was his primary occupation. He was a good farmer judging from all of the stories I have heard over the years, but life is a very fickle beast sometimes and he prepared for those instances. Instead of only relying on his skills of cultivating and harvesting, he always had a backup plan and if the crops would not grow, his education as a blacksmith would take over as the family's money-maker. People back then generally had a backup plan on what they could do when life threw a curve-ball at them. Now? I do not really see it anymore.

The water pump on my dad's truck went out recently and the repair would have cost around $800 if taken to a shop. I would willingly take a day off from whatever it was I had going on to be sure he did not pay someone to do that for him, because the parts themselves were only about three hundred dollars. Working on a commercial-grade diesel engine is something I had never done, but I was willing to learn and take a day to figure it out. After looking around on the internet and reading some message boards, I learned the exact process and tips from others who had done the job in the past, but it required a tool to remove the radiator fan that I did not have. I would only use the tool this one time and it was about $30, so I could not justify the wasted money. We pulled some measurements and went to my uncle's shop:

Within ten minutes, my uncle cut the same tool out of 1/4" scrap metal. My uncle Cecil is 78 years old and he is the same person who told me that we all need to work a little harder to find solutions to our own problems and help each other out long before assuming we are incapable of doing something.

The tool worked and this is everything all disassembled.

And this is after I put it all back together.

I know that so far, I have relied on the more mechanical examples of things we are capable of but choose not to embark on, but that is the most constant self-sufficiency model I have in my own life. I am not a technician, but I learned everything I know from necessity and research because I refuse to pay anyone to do anything I am capable of doing just as well on my own with a little research and practical education, but I know few people who hold that same mindset in my generation.

Thinking back to the previous generations, you must realize that most of them had so many more learning restrictions than we do, but they seemed so much more eager to learn. If the plumbing in their house went haywire, most did not call a plumber right away, but they would contact an experienced friend who would come over and not do the work for them, but teach them, so they could pass the knowledge on to their friends or family when something similar happened. Currently, anything you could ever want to know about any subject is free and right at our fingertips online, but few of us make an effort to use this gift and expand our knowledge and education. Far too many of us have something go wrong in our lives and automatically assume we are of no authority to solve the problem ourselves and I do not understand this at all. We can apply this to any situation in life whether it be something physically breaking on our car, in our home, opinions on a business model, opinions on our creative ability, or just a more relevant understanding of how the world works. All of this information and so much more is with us because we are so connected through technology, but so many of us would rather stick with one mindset, have no backup plan, and use only the skills and education we have up to this point. The hunger for educating ourselves to the world is slipping more and more each day and I absolutely hate it. Sometimes, however, I am pleasantly surprised.

When I help someone with a task they are not very keen on, I would rather teach them what I know so they can retain it for the future. As an example, my friend's car had an issue and I figured out it was her alternator (read more about that !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ). She stood right beside me the entire time I was working on her car and I explained how everything worked as well as what I was doing through the entire process. When I needed a little assistance, she jumped right in and had no issue getting some dirt on her hands. Though I could tell it was a little taxing on her patience, the smile on her face when it was all back together made the whole thing worth it. She is an exception to what I most often see in our generation because she is never afraid to learn anything new, even though her chosen career is not even remotely close to parking lot automotive repair. I admire people like that. I admire those who are not afraid to learn something new.
I admire those who solve their own problems.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Are you that type of person? Or are you too afraid or lazy to be bothered with solving your own problems?

Grace and Peace,

Drew

@JDrewSilvers

Casper > J. Drew Silvers 03/04/2014 at 11:31

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Good write up.

I grew up out in the country. It was just assumed you were going to solve your own issue and the only person to blame if something goes wrong is yourself. It's a very different world dealing with these weird products of suburbs who think everything should simply be given to them and that anything bad in the world is being done specifically to them. There is no concept of "shit happens" and there is no basic idea of "just fix it".

I know that I can do anything anyone else can do, the difference is that someone who does it every day for a living will be better at it. That doesn't mean it absolves me of needing to know how, it just means I need to know when to do it myself and when to let a professional do it.

Don't even get me started on this whole "life should be fair" bullshit. How they made it through being a child and not being told life isn't fair I have no idea.

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > J. Drew Silvers 03/04/2014 at 11:34

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You still haven't disappointed me with your writing.

Great work.

I had an uncle like your Cecil. He taught me how to drive...thankfully all my other uncles are the same way and I'm happy I have a lot of that resourcefulness in my person.

puddler > J. Drew Silvers 03/04/2014 at 11:43

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i thought millineals were younger? i'm 27, build my own tools, if i have to, and am not afraid to (for lack of an appropriate term) southern-engineer fixes out of things that ought not fix anything. i'm part of the dying breed who was taught to tune carbs & set points (dead tech). i've changed starters by pushing the passenger-side onto a curb, i've limped a motorhome home by using nylon panty-hose as a waterpump belt...i'm not a member of AAA and most likely never will be. i understand why people aren't like that anymore. we were taught to specialize. but i'd rather know a little about everything, than alot about one thing. people appreciate the things i do for them, from bodywork, to carpentry, and can hold my own against the real professionals because i was taught the devil's in the details. i've done my best to teach my little brother, but he's too busy trying to master the art of waitressing, (which is why i thought his generation (he's 20) was the millineals) but thats okay.

yea, when i started this i had a point, but i've lost it somewhere. kudos to your uncle. learn as much as you can about as much as you can.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > J. Drew Silvers 03/04/2014 at 11:45

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There's a home-made Ford fan tool out of 1/4" in my dad's toolbox as well. After work today, I will go home to make a grinder tool for body work that is in specialist enough demand that auto supply stores don't carry it, to do body work in a way that is mostly disregarded and forgotten. Sometimes, there's an advantage to not limiting oneself, and not "knowing" you can't do something.

FJ80WaitinForaLSV8 > J. Drew Silvers 03/04/2014 at 11:48

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Drew,

I too am a millennial (although younger) and subscribe to your exact school of thought. I refuse to pay people to do things I am capable of doing myself. I am extremely blessed that my father, a dentist by profession, is also and extremely capable handyman. Growing up we remodeled the entirety of house together and I learned a great deal from him. He has also taught me how to weld and work on cars.

I currently live in a city with 4 other guys in a rental house. If it weren't for me I feel that the house would either fall down or my roommates would annoy the living hell out of our land lord. They are completely incapable of the most basic repair and all to happy to just let it be and move on.

In my opinion most of it has to do with their privileged up bringing. They were too busy playing club sports or practicing a musical instrument to learn any useful skills. But this does not excuse their inability or want to learn new skills that I could instruct them on. The internet is a truly amazing resource but I still find calling my dad to be the best of all and for that I am grateful. Great post.

Mathias Rios > J. Drew Silvers 03/04/2014 at 11:53

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I think this applies to people turning their own wrenches and fixing their own cars in general... My girlfriends family took their Corvette to the dealer to have a TAILLIGHT BULB REPLACED.

aplaiddinosaur > FJ80WaitinForaLSV8 03/04/2014 at 12:20

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I'm in a very similar boat as well. Dad was a handyman in another life and always tries to troubleshoot anything broken before going to the "experts". I have been brought up the same way, and oftentimes help him just to learn new things. My roommates in college are literally useless at anything remotely mechanical (or electrical) as well. One in particular takes his car to the dealer for every minor thing, including light bulbs. Another, when asked to hook up an xbox with an hdmi cable, used component cables and simply plugged the hdmi into both ports on the tv. They don't care and can't be bothered to learn. And people wonder why our generation is looked down upon....

J. Drew Silvers > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman 03/04/2014 at 12:40

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Thanks for the compliment!
I've always been somewhat close to my uncle, but I never had much influence from him until the past two years or so. I've always been the type to fix things myself and watched/learned from my dad, but Cecil is a retired welder, so I'm taking some time to see his methods here and there. You and I aren't that different.

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > J. Drew Silvers 03/04/2014 at 13:37

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I'm nearing my thirties too. I can easily relate to your stories.

J. Drew Silvers > puddler 03/04/2014 at 14:56

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I'm 28. Millennials range from 1982-1993 for their birth year. There is some debate about that, but those are the common points of reference. That said, I understand carbs, can rebuild and adjust them, set points, blah blah, because I was brought up around it as you were. I'm actually a carpenter now and have been for a while after being let go from the golf industry unexpectedly. Most others I know have no practical knowledge, but I wish things were different. I'd hate to know I spent hours of my life playing video games rather than enriching myself with more knowledge and skills.

J. Drew Silvers > FJ80WaitinForaLSV8 03/04/2014 at 15:01

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Thank you for the compliment. My dad taught me most of my practical knowledge, as did yours and now we work together building furniture. He has always been a carpenter but I ended up in the golf industry for quite a while until about three years ago when I came back to the family business. People call me all the time to help them with house repairs for things I would consider pretty trivial. Most like to be handed things instead of being taught how to do something. Great on you for having the desire to learn!

ScreenShot > J. Drew Silvers 03/05/2014 at 21:51

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I used to work in a large shop in a ski area - we took pride in spending 45 minutes to make a tool that saved us 5 minutes - even if it was a one time deal.

But yeah, there is tremendous satisfaction in making your own tools. There is also satisfaction in owning an expensive tool that is purpose built and exactly what's called for.

J. Drew Silvers > ScreenShot 03/06/2014 at 00:25

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Well said. I like the way you think, sir.

Chase > ScreenShot 03/06/2014 at 04:12

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I'm with you on that. By extension, I count good cookware in that "expensive tool" category. Nearly every pot and pan in my apartment is older than me (some older than my dad), built to last the rest of my life and then some (RevereWare mainly)

Trin-Engr > J. Drew Silvers 03/06/2014 at 09:13

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Drew,

My one ardent wish is that my boys (now 5) will learn and appreciate your attitude. At least one kid seems to already have the bent (loves to watch me work on the jeep in the garage, regardless of the temperature). As an instrumentation scientist by profession, I use some of the most sophisticated tools/software to design custom systems, but I ABSOLUTELY 100% believe that everyone should have that drive to learn and do things for themselves. The irony is that many folks who don't do that in their jobs are steadily working their way out the door, as their skillset becomes increasingly dated.

Oh, and all the idiot warning labels are put there only as a CYA measure by the manufacturer in case some fool does stick their hand under the running lawnmover and then decides to sue...

J. Drew Silvers > Trin-Engr 03/06/2014 at 09:22

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You're on the right track then! People often negate the value of practical knowledge and just conform that paying someone $75 to change out a $20 part on their car is "normal", or calling a tow truck to change a flat tire is as well. You're one of those rare people who have the formal education and practical knowledge as well, which is hard to find. Passing it onto your kids is invaluable. Good on you, sir.

Trin-Engr > J. Drew Silvers 03/06/2014 at 13:09

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Thanks!

And thanks for making my day with your original post! Keep 'em coming!

J. Drew Silvers > Trin-Engr 03/06/2014 at 13:12

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You got it!

J. Drew Silvers > Mathias Rios 03/06/2014 at 13:27

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Actually, I know someone who did the exact same thing.

J. Drew Silvers > Casper 03/06/2014 at 13:30

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Thanks for the compliment.

I saw a "Lifehack" article/list online a while back that had a picture of a toilet with the shut-off vale in the wall circled in red. It said something like "If your toilet won't stop running, turn this knob counter clockwise to turn off the water." I mentioned the stupidity of it to my neighbor and she said: "Oh! Is that what that is for??" Yeah. This is real life.

J. Drew Silvers > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 03/06/2014 at 13:34

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Agreed. I'm all about making my own tools and not wasting anything. My day job is carpentry and I save the hardwood scraps/drop-offs until I think of something to do with them. Yesterday, I made some clip boards in my spare time because I wanted to create something I could be proud of and use my skills to make something out of nothing.

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > J. Drew Silvers 03/11/2014 at 03:08

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This was really well and thoughtfully written, thanks for posting it. There is some hope, perhaps, in the "maker" movement where people are learning to build / fix things. At the very least, they are learning to learn, and how empowering it can be to attack a project they've never attempted before and figure it out successfully. I remember the first time I changed a water pump—I never looked at that car the same way again, because it felt like whatever went wrong, I could find a way to fix it.

And frankly the community here, with what people will tackle on their own (and help each other with) is really inspiring, like your piece.

Cheers.

J. Drew Silvers > NotUnlessRoundIsFunny 03/11/2014 at 08:51

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Thank you for the sincerity. It means quite a bit to me.

FBN Group > ScreenShot 04/17/2014 at 18:57

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If you needed it once, the chance you will need it again is <