MEN ONLY THREAD part two

[AgentsSka]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Hell yes!

[WizardTrip]

A few of my friends, who have equally manly habits, but I take great pleasure in things like that and the pleasure can be seen, I'll smile and look satisfied.

 

*chops wood, looks at chopped wood, looks pleased, nods contently*

 

That kind of thing

 

Absolutely! Back when I had a lawn, mowing the grass, stopping midway and just looking at the difference I made pushing a gas powered machine compared to the remainder of the yard, then looking forward and thinking, "Take this you long grass!! BWAHAHAHA!" as I marched forward.

[WizardTrip]

That's also why I think every man should try to be able to do as much work on their car as they can, especially if you have a garage or carport. It's a sense of "manly" accomplishment.

 

Changing the basics:

 - Oil

 - Air Filters

 - Brake Pads

 - Belts

 - Spark Plugs

 

And whenever I do any of them, the first thing I have to do is jump in my car, windows down and drive around to feel how much better it runs

[Irish Oisin]

That's something I'm going to work on as soon as I get a car that I like and care about. I've had two cars and they've just been a way to get around. But in saying that I can do the basics.

[Artinum]

I fixed my snow shovel this morning, and I derive great pleasure from any little handyman tasks. I can change fuses, put together flatpack furniture, sort out computers and top up the fluids in the car. I can rewire a plug but haven't done this in many years (no call for it these days). Watching my partner struggle with shovelling the snow this weekend and giving up after just two minutes was amusing. I think the cat could do better!

[wildross]

That's also why I think every man should try to be able to do as much work on their car as they can, especially if you have a garage or carport. It's a sense of "manly" accomplishment.

 

Changing the basics:

 - Oil

 - Air Filters

 - Brake Pads

 - Belts

 - Spark Plugs

 

And whenever I do any of them, the first thing I have to do is jump in my car, windows down and drive around to feel how much better it runs

All 3 of our daughters taught their guys how to do basic car maintenance and home projects.  Since they lived through 3 house remodelings and had 2 brothers who pulled an engine from a car when they were 12 and 14...not too surprising.  

[Nomad Jay]

There's a certain pride to be taken in a job well-done, whether it's a perfectly-cooked steak or a neatly trimmed yard or a piece of code so elegant it would make Knuth weep for joy. I agree with IrishOisin, there's nothing quite like a fresh-cut yard and a chair in the yard with your dog.

 

Personally, I have a tendency to see what I can do without electricity. I love my electronic shineys as much as the next nerd, but there's something masculine about unplugging and doing things without electricty. I build furniture with using only hand-tools, no power tools, (though I will use planer-joiner if I'm milling wood from logs) just to prove that I can.

[67alecto]

A common mantra in the jeep/4x4 world is "Built, not bought".  There's definitely a pride in doing things yourself.  I sought out the jeep group I'm in because I was specifically looking for people I can hang around who will increase my knowledge and skills.

 

I had already done the muscle-car thing - rebuilding 3 engines along the way.  But as I've found out in the last two years, it's a lot different when you're trying to go fast in a straight line vs up and down over terrain I can barely picture walking over let alone driving.  

 

The satisfaction of knowing you did it yourself and didn't just pay someone else to do it is much greater.

[Irish Oisin]

That's something I can relate to as well, I come from a family of carpenters and joiners so I've made a lot of things out of wood in my time!

[Jcannon98188]

That's also why I think every man should try to be able to do as much work on their car as they can, especially if you have a garage or carport. It's a sense of "manly" accomplishment.

 

Changing the basics:

 - Oil

 - Air Filters

 - Brake Pads

 - Belts

 - Spark Plugs

 

And whenever I do any of them, the first thing I have to do is jump in my car, windows down and drive around to feel how much better it runs

I know how to do..................... exactly none of that. Haha. Give me a computer with a strange error and I'll go to town, but sit me in front of a car and I am lost. Does AOM have a series on how to do "manly" things for guys who had computer nerd dad's who don't know either

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

One of my manliest feeling moments was when I diagnosed a bad sensor on my car and replaced all on my own. I knew nothing about cars until I started hanging out with my father-in-law a bit in the garage a few years back to learn how to fix my car (so much cheaper than having it done!). He refurbs cars for fun and a little extra money. Right now he's working on restoring a trans am.

Anyway, I've learned the basics (oil and filter changes, spark plugs, brake pads on disc and drum) and picked up extra little things along the way as well such as the proper way to install radios and speakers, doors and hoods.

[Waldo]

 

That's also why I think every man should try to be able to do as much work on their car as they can, especially if you have a garage or carport. It's a sense of "manly" accomplishment.

 

Changing the basics:

 - Oil

 - Air Filters

 - Brake Pads

 - Belts

 - Spark Plugs

 

And whenever I do any of them, the first thing I have to do is jump in my car, windows down and drive around to feel how much better it runs

Oh heck no.

I can pretty much fix/build everything around the house, including tearing rooms down to bare studs/joists and rebuilding them, plumbing, electrical, gadget fixing, etc....

But cars..... Cars are mind boggling frustrating. The modern car is designed spefically to be as difficult to work on as is possible. Add in some big ass hands which don't fit in tight spaces, and you have a recipe for profanity laden tirades even over the simplest things. I try to do some work, but for the most part, I take cars to the shop.

Though I have neither a garage nor carport, which does make things a lot more difficult. And I've always had small/compact cars.

[WizardTrip]

All 3 of our daughters taught their guys how to do basic car maintenance and home projects.  Since they lived through 3 house remodelings and had 2 brothers who pulled an engine from a car when they were 12 and 14...not too surprising.  

 

My parents bought an old 1920's bungalow style home and I helped them remodel it. I have lost count on the number of ceiling fans I have installed in my lifetime, a few dishwashers, washer/dryer hookups, fixed plumbing issues including sewer pipe replacement, hang drywall, stripped, sanded and restored hardwood floors, you name it. The main 2 things I tend to let professionals handle are big electrical items beyond simply replacing outlets and such, and anything involving gas lines.

 

The way I see it on car and house repairs. Why pay someone $50-$150/hour for something a little research can teach me how to do. The amount of money I have saved over the years installing my own stuff is well worth it. Sadly, moving to DC, I no longer have a garage to do car things

[tomclark1219]

I dated a girl about five years back, and I don't know how it came up but when I was at her parent's house I found out her dad had built every cabinet, desk, table, or any other item made of wood by himself.  All while being an ER doctor and fly fishing on the side.  That's when I decided I wasn't manly enough.

 

SInce then I've become a landlord, and that will teach you a thing or two about home repair.  Only thing I haven't done myself is replace the fiberglass bath tub my tenants managed to break a hole through.  http://www.oneprojectcloser.com/ is a great resource for seeing how contractors do things quickly and realtively cheaply. 

[161803398874989]

I can change tires and refill the oil. However, I do think I get points for being a stick shift driver (because most people here are american).

 

 Oh heck no.

I can pretty much fix/build everything around the house, including tearing rooms down to bare studs/joists and rebuilding them, plumbing, electrical, gadget fixing, etc....

But cars..... Cars are mind boggling frustrating. The modern car is designed spefically to be as difficult to work on as is possible. Add in some big ass hands which don't fit in tight spaces, and you have a recipe for profanity laden tirades even over the simplest things. I try to do some work, but for the most part, I take cars to the shop.

Though I have neither a garage nor carport, which does make things a lot more difficult. And I've always had small/compact cars.

On a completely different note, nice V-sit man!

[Waldo]

161803398874989, on 27 Mar 2013 - 13:42, said:

I can change tires and refill the oil. However, I do think I get points for being a stick shift driver (because most people here are american).

On a completely different note, nice V-sit man!

Stick shift for sure. Driving is kinda lame without it.

Thanks. Getting there, still quite a low V-sit, but I'm progressing. Need about 45 more degrees to increase the rad factor. Saw you were starting to be able to do stuff again. How long has it been? What'd you have again, shoulder surgery?

[WizardTrip]

I can change tires and refill the oil. However, I do think I get points for being a stick shift driver (because most people here are american).

 

Definitely stick shift! I've owned ~10 cars in my life and 3 have been stick shifts. Learned to drive stick in an old '92 Explorer sport I owned. Went through several automatics, then came back to stick with an Impreza WRX and now a 6-speed with my G35 Sport.

[161803398874989]

How long has it been? What'd you have again, shoulder surgery?

Tendonitis of the long biceps head. Then I fell of the stairs which made everything around that general area ten times more fucked up. Went to the doc really late, in december, and then it took some time until I could start physio because I had to jump through the administrative hoops to get my insurance. First symptoms showed themselves late june, so that's really stupid. I saw a physio and that helped a bit, but then I went on vacation and I didn't go back because I didn't really like his style. Then I decided to take a break because things were hurting (had I kept at least light exercise, I would have been fine probably) and from there it was all downhill. I really wish I would've gone to see the doc earlier.

 

Just today I got to doing full pushups again, really happy about that.

[67alecto]

My son managed to knock the shower door off it's track and it fell in and punched a hole through the bottom of the tub.  I patched it with some sort of marine-application epoxy (like they'd use on a boat hull), sanded it down, and covered it with some of those traction strips.

 

SInce then I've become a landlord, and that will teach you a thing or two about home repair.  Only thing I haven't done myself is replace the fiberglass bath tub my tenants managed to break a hole through.   

[Artinum]

My partner and I are both British, and manual gears are the norm here. When we first hired a car in Canada, it was an automatic - and we spent about five minutes in the rental car park trying to figure out how to start the thing. Thank goodness they'd left the manual in the glovebox! Even then, my partner spent most of the trip not sure what to do with his left foot... and trying to work the clutch at random moments.

 

(I don't do any driving on our trips abroad - I have the important job of navigation, as maps confuse my dear SO and he's likely to drive up a fold in the paper.)

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

My first car was a standard.  When I drove my mom's automatic, I dang near burned out the brake pads stomping on the brake because muscle memory made my left leg push all the way down on the clutch that wasn't there.  What was there was the left side of the brake pedal. 

[Artinum]

It's especially fun when parking. In an automatic, you use the accelerator; in a manual, you tend to use clutch control. So getting used to an automatic sees a lot of stop-start jerky parking as you keep hitting the brake, and automatic users getting used to a manual are quite likely to either stall or hit things, depending on whether they forget the clutch or default to the accelerator. Ah, what fun!

[msuroo]

I've driven a manual pretty much all my life, but just ordered an automatic (for a multitude of reasons). I'm excited about the new car, but giving up the stick makes me le sad.

[Irish Oisin]

Automatics are rubbish cars, you don't get a proper feel for what you're driving at all!!

[67alecto]

Having driven and worked on both, I'll take an automatic.  My autos never missed a shift at the track, and I've also found that rock crawling works much better with only 2 pedals.