Daze

I think the aftermarket is a wonderful thing, but I also think it has stifled the DIY spirit. There was a time when if you wanted to install something "better" on your car you had to build from scratch or barrow from another make or model and then adapt it to your application. That is what hot rod building was all about and even car building in general as long as "original" was not the desired end product. In todays market one can spend as much $$$$$ as they have and order a whole new car. Frankly there is nothing wrong with that especially sense in many cases some of the DIY "mods" that were made in the past were not done correctly or by someone that should be doing them and were unsafe, but for people like me with the skills and tools there is satisfaction in doing it my self. I love DIY that is why I am designing my own coil over set up for my car, that is why I built a megasquirt EFI computer for my car, that is why I am retrofitting a Jaguar IRS unit in to my car just to name a few of the many DIY projects on my cars. I can do it my self so why not??

mustangmatt63

I definitely prefer the DIY method.Actually there are not many people who I would even let touch my rides let alone try to fabricate something for me.Doing it yourself is what makes it fun and Satisfying when its done and you look at it and can say that you created it!!Not to mention that I love originality!!!

bluovalguy

DIY is amazing if you have the skills and equipment to do it. Sadly, for many (myself included [:@]) I am lacking in both of those areas. I can muddle my way through things and get em right. But my car would be in sad shape if it depended on my ability to "create" the pieces it needs to live. With aftermarket, I can make my car right, and safe for me, my family, and your family sharing the roads with me.

musnicki

I wish that I made enough money so that I could just sit back and throw money at my when ever I needed something fixed. With that said, I have been in the Army for 15 years, the pay is getting better as I climb the ranks but it’s not enough for me to waltz into any auto shop and order up a complete make over with after market custom parts. My dads a machinist, he has all the skill. I watched him make parts for cars, toys, yard equipment etc. for which he would show a lot of pride doing. Instead of buying a part for the lawn mower he would tell me that he could make that piece and make one that was more efficient. I think that there is always two classes of ‘hot roders’ , the ones that start from scratch and make everything on their own and they take years to complete their dreams. Then there is the rich guy who pays a whole team of people to do the same work in 3 months that would normally take 2-7 years (looking at what people do on these sites, sometimes taking up to seven years).

I respect anyone who uses their mind and ingenuity for anything not just cars. I like to sit back and be able to explain what or why I did what I did to my car. The rich guy who has a whole team do the work for him misses out on the whole ‘it broke and how I am going to fix it?’ hot rod experience.

az1966

I'm always up for DIY,,saves a ton of dough and I get satisfaction from doing it myself,,,but and it's a big one I don't know how or have acess to machinist type gear or raw materials and have to count on someone making the part so I can install myself,,, as to throwing money at a problem or upgrade,, that'll be the day cuasuse I ain't got it

Oxnard Montalvo

I don't see any loss or stifling, those who can DIY still do, and those that can't can now at least modify through a catalog.

Even buying parts and installing them has a little DIY slant to it, often there is a little rework required before the job is finished.

bluovalguy

I think I stated myself wrong. I doall the work to my car myself. The only thing I have taken her in for is alignment (and a second opinion for a problem I had). The part I cant do is fabricate my own parts. I wish I could. I am in the army too, and with a mortgage, and 2 new car payments, it doesnt leave much left over buying parts.

JMD

There is nothing (to do with cars) that is quite as satisfying as making your own part and snubbing your nose at some segments of the aftermarket that are way overpriced and/or produce an inferior product. I like fabricating, even though my skills don't come close to someone like Daze andothers here. (i.e. Ihave personal reservations about making my own safety sensitive parts like suspension arms etc.).

I like to fabricate stuff, but the "easy fix" that the aftermarket offers is very tempting....

Sometimes I "sell out" sometimes not.... The only work we have farmed out on the Mustang is the paint job that is being done now, I have some regrets about that. I had planned to do that myself.

We have bought a lot of "bolt on parts" andI have also fabricated and "modified" quite a few things as well.

Often I trade the timeneeded to fabricate a part, for the money to buy a part. Time is always short for me,but the cost of parts always remains a factor, more so if my wife knows how much I am spending prior to the arrival of the brown truck...

Daze

Not only that, but the aftermarket is a good place to get ideas, and it is kind of like a safety net. If you try and do something your self and screw up the parts beyond repair than you can have the aftermarket parts to fall back on.

JMD

+1 on that... I have on several occasions spent some time and effort on making something, only to sayF it, throw it in the scrap pile and buy a part that works.

<<BTW.. picked the 4th response...>>