jcomp

Allow me to throw a little gasoline on this fire...

This topic could be interpreted as "Are you a real car guy who builds his own stuff or are you just an aftermarket bolt on poser?" Everyone likes to think of themselves as a DIYer and therefore creative and capable. Insinuating otherwise, even unintentionally, is of course going to generate a lot of reaction.

I wonder what it would take to get "Bolt-On Poser" under my screen name.

ozarks06

Manly men build all their own parts. They even dig the iron and coal out of the ground and make their own steel. Anything less is for posers!

rmodel65

pm a mod

Norm Peterson

I think that to get the full impact of what Daze has suggestedyou have to wander over into the S197 sections. The extentof today's aftermarket does let you sneak past needing to learn the technical and fabrication skills. Maybe to a large extent, though a willingness to DIY at least some of the installation remains.

From what I see in particular though, more and more people seem to think primarily in terms of brand names and "plug and play". By way of a fairly simple example, the concept of DIY'ing an entire header-back exhaust system from straight pipes, bends, and mufflers is all but completely alien. Fab up your own X-pipe? Forget about it. BTW, it's not just within Mustang forums that I notice this.

It might be interesting to know how a poll like this would break down when comparing the votes cast against either the age of the individuals voting or the age of the cars that they are working on. . .

I also ended up checking off #4. I do think that the willingness to DIY from near-scratch isn't quite as strong as it used to be, and #2 doesn't quite seem to fit the question initially posed. Out of the box seems to be "good enough" most of the time.


Norm

Daze

With all the replies i have made on this post including my original post I still haven't been able to convey my real question, but i think I got it. There is a saying that "necessity breads ingenuity" Senses there is an aftermarket the Necessity is only there if you chose to build something from scratch so I wonder if not "having" to come up with a better mouse trap we have lost something.

Oh and BTW I am in no way saying, like others have suggested, that if you don't make as much as you can you are some how less of a car lover. This is one of the most diverse hobbies and all are welcome from those who are just learning to do basic maintenance like oil changes and replacing a hose, to those with full machine shops than can make any part from raw steel. If you love cars either working on them or driving them you are cool in my book!!!!!

6marc5

I wish I had the time ,tools and knowledge to do some of the things I read about some of you guys doing. Thank GOD for aftermarket in my opinion.

Norm Peterson

I think we're getting closer. Maybe most people today are getting too "city-fied" (if that's even close to being a word) and this whole topic is something of a chicken and egg question.

This old thread resurfaced today, and it pains me a bit to think that while people are entirely willing to attempt various tasks themselves,they let themselves get stopped cold when something unexpected happens even on the relatively simple jobs. The expectation apparently is that parts that weredesigned for your car WILL fit,EVERY time, andwithout any difficulty or modifications required. Sort of like the way you expect that 100-watt bulb to fit perfectly in the socket that you just took the dead one out of.


Norm

gothand

When I was a kid, my mom often sewed many of our clothes as she enjoyed doing it and it could be done cheaper than buying it. Because manufactured goods are so much cheaper today, many of these tasks today would be labors of love, costing more than buying off the shelf.

My approach with car parts is that if there is an elegant , off-the-shelf solution available that I can neither easily or cheaply produce myself, I'm buying it. With careers, families and other obligations, extra-curricular time is often a premium and need be optimised. Recently, I passed on re-working a 5.0L EFI harness in favor of a plug-n-play RJM harness. I did not have the time, and frankly, the desire to spend the time to do it. Conversely, instead of dropping in a new Cobra intake, I sourced a used Explorer one and drilled and tapped it for the ACT and am good to go.

BTW, I prefer the term "Bolt-on Bitch" to "Bolt-On Poser".

For the record, I think the availability of the aftermarket parts INCREASES the DIY spirit. I know I've done a lot of things that I'd never attempt if not for aftermarket parts.

Jeff