At the end

[Champane Flight]

The guys I work with are all idiots. They all have their vehicles taken to the local hacks for service and maint. Yet the other day actually had the nerve to say MY mechanical skills are lacking! I was trying to repair a old weedwacker with only a pair of pliers and a screwdriver. I told the boss (the loudest one of the bunch) to buy some tools!



I was an aircraft mechanic in the military and graduated in the top ten of 110 guys in my chosen MOS. Have two diesel tech degrees also. Kind of rubs you the wrong way.



How many of you guys have the same problem? Is it just jealousy? I just can't see taking my vehicle in to some hack that charges you twice what the job calls for and trys to make you feel better by telling you how smart you are for taking your vehicle there. Just can't be one of the good ole boys, don't work well with others I guess.

 

[illflem]

Guess it's the opposite for me. When someone at work brings me an overheating rig and I backblast the bugs off the radiator they think I'm a genus. But I work with university researchers, most fail the round peg square hole test but can tell you the cubic centimeters of the peg.

 

[Shrimpy]

This is not a rant on Engineers... ... . but here goes. I moved to my current house about a year ago. Nice area not to overbearing. I do my own work when possible. My engineering (Chemical) neighbor always comes over when he sees the hood up on my truck or wifes suburban. Always asking this or that..... most intriguing question to date has been. . "where did you learn about all this stuff... ???"



I am not a mechanic now or ever. I just always worked on things myself. In high school, my brother and I were known for being able to extract horsepower with minimal cost. By that I mean that it may not always be pretty but it ran like he!!.



By watching me (so he says) he got up the nerve to change the radiator, water pump, and fan hub on his f@rd mini suv. Total cost of parts 250. 00, total time for him was about 5 hrs. If you have ever seen a kid of 10 to 12 complete a project and recieve the admiration of his peers, that is what this guy looked like. He was truly thrilled. He told the whole neighbor hood that he had saved over 300. 00 on what the local garage had quoted him.



I am not running down mechanics or garage owners. They have overhead and associated cost with running a business. They are entitled to make a profit of whatever the market will bear. I try to do the work that I can, but still use outside help when needed.

 

[The patriot]

Originally posted by Champane Flight

The guys I work with are all idiots.

I get this at work a lot. It's mostly bored management types. They'll come to my office and start a series of questions, which usually lead to more questions.

I (Mr blue collar worker)can usually devote 10-15 minutes(usually happens during my lunch time) to this foolishness, at this point I tell them to check the prints or manual, whichever is appropriate. This buys me a few days.

These guys are really smart, and I dont mean to offend engineering types everywhere. My observation is, when you get this educated, you lose a lot of your common sence. I've noticed this in my little brother.

illflems example is excellent.

Eric

 

[gitchesum]

Originally posted by Shrimpy

This is not a rant on Engineers... ... . but here goes. I moved to my current house about a year ago. Nice area not to overbearing. I do my own work when possible. My engineering (Chemical) neighbor always comes over when he sees the hood up on my truck or wifes suburban. Always asking this or that..... most intriguing question to date has been. . "where did you learn about all this stuff... ???"

I guess you got that GASSER back on the road huh.



I've been asked many times, why don't you just let someone else work on it.

Reason #1. I do it. I know it's done right.

I seem to **** off the tire shops when I go out in the garage with the lug wrench and personally check all the lug nuts after I've had a set of tires installed. Two years ago, I found 4 out of 5 lug nuts loose enough to remove with my fingers on my wifes Eclipse. NOT AGAIN!!



Reason #2. Sometimes, I just enjoy working with my hands and using my mechanical skills. SInce my job has changed, I never get out in the field anymore. Therefore, I sometimes enjoy getting dirty and using the ol noggin for something else besided running pipelines.



Shrimpy, we need to get ya some more power for that rig too.

 

[bighammer]

Mine only go in for tires. (thought about a changer and balancer, but just can't justify it)

 

[work2muchplay2little]

(thought about a changer and balancer, but just can't justify it) [/B]

LOL, crossed my mind too. I haven't built my garage yet and one of these has crossed my mind more than once!



http://www.eagleequip.com/products/lifts/premium_four_post/fp15l14.htm

 

[RBrunson]

Common sense

I believe that the first thing they do when you enter the school of higher learning, is to suck all the common sense out of your head and fill it with silly putty. Some have the know how to regain it and some don't know enough to come in out of the rain. You guessed it, I have worked with a lot of engineers in the last 30 years, but then what do I know. . just barly getting through high school myself.

 

[Champane Flight]

Want it...

Now I want that lift... I would have to build a new shop to fit it in though. Then a new engine hoist, and the tire changer, balancer, and don't forget the alingment rack! Oh and a lathe, mill, electronic analyzer, P7100 test stand, and too much other stuff to mention.



Looks like I will have to work these jokers for another twelve years to pay for it.

 

[Hale on wheels]

Some engineers are pretty odd ducks, I will admit. I'm glad I'm the normal one!

 

[DHRA]

Originally posted by Champane Flight

Yet the other day actually had the nerve to say MY mechanical skills are lacking!

huh, I have heard the same thing. I have never claimed to be a great mechanic, I just have great mechanical and engineering friends! I can wrench, and I think I am highly imaginative.

The thing that ercked me was that the source doesn't know his a$$ from a whole in the ground. This particular idiot boasts to know great things about diesel performance, but keeps getting his a$$ handed to him at events. Maybe one day he'll have a truck like mine, then he can start working on race skills.



Sorry about the rant, like Champagne, it rubbed me wrong.

 

[Briar Hopper]

I get that a lot. I have a micro-management boss at 3M , a Purdue engineering graduate, he tends to ride my back quite heavily, while missing glaring mistakes that others make, much more costly mistakes. I'll just have to tough it out, wait till he gets promoted to another department or factory.

Never have liked many engineers, they tend to create stuff that doesn't work, then I got to re-engineer it in the field to make it work, all the while, with them telling me my modifications won't work. I usually get the last laugh. It doesn't make me many friends with 'em, though. That's bad enough without having one on my back. We do have a couple of good engineers here, though. When they ask for my help, they receive it IMMEDIATELY. They're a real pleasure to work with.

I've been wrenching on cars and just about everything else since I was 9. I do accept constructive criticism gladly, but not from idiots. A degree doesn't make you an expert.

It's been said that drag racing is a mechanic's sport. The best mechanic wins, usually. Sled pulling's like that too. So talk all ya want, call me a bad mechanic, see ya at the strip !

 

[Doc Tinker]

I always encourage TDR and GLTDR members to work on their own trucks at our events. Most jobs only require encouragement and a little direction and the truck owner achieves an intimacy with his/her truck that can't be bought from a mechanic.



I also do the same for non-diesel vehicle owners that I know.



Doc

 

[willyslover]

Doc. . do you stand behind them knife in hand

 

[NVR FNSH]

As a degreed Mechanical Engineer I have seen both sides of the idiot coin - some were other engineers, some were 'blue collar' types - production line workers or technicians. I'm guilty of the occassional brain fart like everybody else..... I just can't stand it when an assembly line guy rejects a part because 'it looks different' when there are no controlling dimensions or notes for that feature on a print.



A lot of the too highly educated problem results from universities being more interested in research than applied education. I went to Cal Poly, SLO - the motto is 'Learn by doing' and they mean it.



Brian

 

[Doc Tinker]

willyslover - they wouldn't dare bend over the front of their trucks if I happened to even have a knife in my pocket!



Doc