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Sept 8, 2007 18:55:31 GMT
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Ever since I've been messing with cars, there's been the internet. Anything I don't know? Google it. Preparing for a job and want to know if there are any pitfalls / stuff I should look out for? Google it. Got a head-scratcher of a problem and don't know where to turn? Post a message on here. I kind of take it for granted, but the internet enables me to do much more to my car than I would dare do if I didn't have access to such a massive amount of information. I studied auto engineering before making a career change, but there is stacks of stuff I don't know. An hour's reading on a particular subject fills in that gap in my knowledge. So, what did people do before the internet?! There's books, but I can't imagine every single modification / subject could be found in the library. Did folk like me just not take on big jobs and leave it to the pro's? Were people more active in clubs and things to exchange information? Did people use garages more to do the tricky bits? What went on?!
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rodit
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,683
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Sept 8, 2007 19:09:49 GMT
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Generally a lot of swearing and a fair amount of reworking from how i did it.
Still not got this computer thing fully sorted
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Low and slow
Why can't i tune it?
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Sept 8, 2007 19:10:05 GMT
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Good question, more real world mechanic asking, dad asking, anyone asking, bodging, guessing, pub discussions, and mistake making and stuff (not all that has changed!). the net is quite good!
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it doesn't matter if it's a Morris Marina or a Toyota Celica - it's what you do with it that counts
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tigran
Club Retro Rides Member
In rust we trust. Amen.
Posts: 6,444
Club RR Member Number: 142
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Sept 8, 2007 19:10:39 GMT
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From what i've heard about those 'dark ages' is that most areas had a car club where about 10car nuts got together and had sessions working on cars and helping each other out. There was one in WGC which even had it's own 4-poster and garage to work in. I guess it was a matter of knowing enough people to be able to ask someone about stuff.
On the other hand before t'internet bits for stuff like vivas and cortina's and so on would have been a lot more plentiful - perhaps people just tried something, when it broke they knew to do summat different?
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1964 Rover P5 i6 1987 BMW 525e - The Rusty Streak 1992 Micra K10 2001 BMW E46 316i 2002 BMW E46 330Ci 2013 BMW F31 320d 2018 BMW G31 530d
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Sept 8, 2007 19:22:19 GMT
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Well, spent a lot of time under cars at shows, got it wrong first time a lot of times and the car used to sit on the driveway for periods of time while I scratched my head. I used to ask real people quite a lot! I also did several things the wrong way in hindsight. There were the tech pages in mags. Back in about 1996 I was trying to adapt on a complete Metro turbo setup onto my 997cc Anglia engine in my 100E. Suffice to say today it would have happened quite easily but back then I couldn't work it out so it never happened even with the help of Custom Car magazine tech Parts were harder and slower to get hold of. It used to be a lot of trawling through the ads in the back of the mags before reading the mag itself and making hasty phonecalls, then long trips up the country to pick it all up. I borrowed a van once and arranged all my parts for the same day. I picked up a hot crossflow block from right up north then on the way back down went way out somewhere else to get a 2000E gearbox then dropped down to Watford to pick up a complete engine for the ancilliaries. These days it's just keep an eye on the forums and put the word around when you need something. More often than not the parts actually find you rather than you having to find them. Last time I needed an emergency engine one turned up within an hour about 3 miles from my flat!
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madmog
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 1,160
Club RR Member Number: 46
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Sept 8, 2007 19:34:16 GMT
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Stash of car magazines was my info database, bloke next door with a 32 MG and positive attitude kept me from giving up Exchange and Mart was Ebay.
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Hirst
Posted a lot
This avatar is inaccurate, I've never shaved that closely
Posts: 3,930
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Sept 8, 2007 19:36:16 GMT
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I reckon the Internet has done a lot for the more rare Japanese stuff, since most of the time you're dealing with something where you're lucky if anyone is aware it exists, let alone has any experience of how to deal with it.
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Sept 8, 2007 19:41:41 GMT
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Magazines (inc writing in asking dumbass questions) Guesswork Luck
Plus, if you broke it, you could just get another one. Thems were the days, buying mini after mini out of the local papers for £200 with T&T....
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Sept 8, 2007 19:42:47 GMT
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The Internet hasnt been around forever? NO ONE TOLD ME. Oldies.
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1997 TVR Chimaera 2009 Westfield Megabusa
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Sept 8, 2007 19:49:56 GMT
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watching my uncles build cool viva,s and rover based hot rods started me off, hanging round with pheonixc and tcc, got me started working on cars.
word of mouth autotrader under £100 section ccc talking to the old hands at the garages minute study of the haynes manual scrapyards full of retro(half of them mine)
got the parts in and the work done
ah them where the days, i remember when all this was just pouring over back issues of streetmachine with my buds.
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"quote hairnet"
I'm not paying nine pound for a pi$$!
[/quote]
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Sept 8, 2007 20:59:31 GMT
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^^^ what he said ^^^ asking my dad asking the bloke over the road asking phoenixCs dad playing guessing games with jack and rich.
these young uns don't know how good theyve got it. I'm jealous of them. ba$tards.
;D
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Sept 8, 2007 21:46:01 GMT
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Aye those were the days... Except my dad was and still is a mechanical doofus. Infact no-one in my familly is into cars, so I had no-one close to ask for advice. My modding and mechanical skills were gleaned from reading a huge variety of car mags, buying up haynes manuals for all-sorts from car boot sales and a lot of trial and error. Fortunately, there was less and less of the "error" as I learned the basics.
As said above, Since the interweb, I have been able to do things I could never have done before due to the freely available knowledge of others. Engine swaps in my youth were on engines that had distributers and carburetors. There was only ever half a dozen or so wires to connect. Since then, with the help of others on various forums, I have been able to transplant modern stuff, adapting the stupidly complicated wiring to suit, overcoming transponder immobiliser problems etc etc. I just couldnt have one that before.
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1986 Panda 4x4. 1990 Metro Sport. 1999 Ford Escort estate.
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Sept 8, 2007 21:56:58 GMT
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You'd buy C&CC, Street Machine, Custom Car, Maybe Practical Classics, and later Volksworld. Auto Trader was still called Automart and was properly regional and there was only the print version, and a bloke would come round and take a photo.
For the everyday modder the decission was Pipercross or K&N, Minilite or Revolution, Escort or Viva/Shuvit/Proper hotrod.
I can remember when people first started looking at Fiat and Alfa twinks instead of Pinto/Essex/Cologne/Rover V8 engines.
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Sept 8, 2007 22:26:22 GMT
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God yeah magazines! how'd i forget them! What boggles me (i know its wrong) but where did magazines get their info? did they work harder or spend more time in libraries, and was the info just more stale quicker?? Also did trends move as quick, like world does something every one follows? I guess its like anything, a new medium comes and the old one is forgotten.... when did you last use the phone to call someone (maybe not as much as you did in the 90's) and when did you last fix your TV? wrong place but you get the idea, i know send a letter that doesnt happen much, I remember getting a letter from fibresports who were still not on the web a few years ago, papaer info with 80's printed photos of cars with kits , just like estate agents used to give out with house enquiries!
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it doesn't matter if it's a Morris Marina or a Toyota Celica - it's what you do with it that counts
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Seth
South East
MorrisOxford TriumphMirald HillmanMinx BorgwardIsabellaCombi
Posts: 15,537
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Sept 8, 2007 22:36:47 GMT
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I used to read Haynes manuals for fun At least it would prepare you for most eventualities. ;D Fortunately I had a dad to ask and help me for a few years too On getting my first car I stopped by a local house I'd always been passed when driving "mum's car" and seen interesting cars parked outside. There was often tinkering going on at the kerbside. Those guys helped me out loads over the following years and I used to just hang out watching the Pro Street PB Cresta coming together in the garage. ;D They also happened to be members of a then very well known London based Custom Car club which I therefore got involved with. Its much easier when you find localish people with more experience to show you the ropes. As everyone else said it was also a case of reading and absorbing all the information available in the various magazines that I'd started buying when I was 15. Owners clubs were also the main source of parts. Again it was a real case of finding a local network of helpful and knowledgeable people and sifting the good info from the bad. Actually that still applies in the internet age, just there's more information and it can come from anywhere in the world! Perhaps you'd also follow up leads more readily than think "Oh, there'll be another one on Ebay next week..."
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Follow your dreams or you might as well be a vegetable.
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Hirst
Posted a lot
This avatar is inaccurate, I've never shaved that closely
Posts: 3,930
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Sept 8, 2007 22:38:09 GMT
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I have to use the phone very often at work and can't wait for it to be replaced, what an awful and outdated bit of technology it is! Sodding phones.
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dugong
Posted a lot
One Of Us Will Live To Rue The Day We Met Each Other (Wire : 2008)
Posts: 3,292
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Sept 8, 2007 22:39:37 GMT
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Hmm, when I'm stuck (which is often, I have the practical nowse of a paraplegic brick) I: 1. Ask here 2. Ask Andy (who I think is joining RR, but he thinks it's a bit chaotic) 3. Ask my dad (though I have to be careful how I phrase it because he doesn't know I have the Amazon yet.. ) 4. Aaaaand if I have enough beer spare I normally go and bribe my uncle to tell me what he knows (a lot). Although he said it would take all the Boddingtons in Manchester to teach me how to weld. I used to get a fair few ideas out of RR but seeing as that has gone the way of the dogs now that is an unavaialble option. Back when I had my Renault I wasn't into forumming at all so I struggled and only ever encountered the British - is - best MG curse word brigade when stuck for advice. When I wanted a set of HT leads, I was told to buy a Morris Minor Bless.
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Before forums and Ebay there were Magazines and scrapyards.
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In the good old days (when were they?) we didin´t have a car at home. I´d wait for my neighbour to get home from work and i´d be over straight away to give him a hand. I spent years watching, handing over tools, cleaning all the cr@p, asking silly questions and basically getting on everyones nerves.
I´d scout the local newspapers, car mags, autotrader any thing with cars in it. We´d spend whole saturdays going around different scrapyards looking for bits...it was fantastic.
I think projects took longer back then.........
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ahhh, day long scrapyard trawls, i remember them well. before we had the benefit of the street machine pcd chart we used to take wheels off one car and see what else it would fit on.
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